24 weeks

As of Wenesday, I am now 24 weeks along and am starting my 6th month. I'm feeling pretty good right now. I look pregnant but I'm not huge and uncomfortable yet. Connor and I go for walks every day after dropping Hayden off at the bus stop. I'm still sleeping well at night which makes for a happy mommy. I'm able to eat most foods now, and I seem to be on a pizza kick the past few weeks. Not that greasy restaurant pizza, but homemade pizza, using my Italian dough recipe. I'm also enjoying fresh garden tomatoes. And the best part is feeling that baby move around inside of me! You can keep track of my pregnancy by checking the ticker at the bottom of my blog page.

Hayden is off to school

I sent my baby off on the bus to kindergarten today. He was so excited which I was really glad about. It would have been so much harder for me if he was crying. I got a little choked up after he got on the bus and I walked away. It's a new phase of life-bus schedules, checking the backpack for papers and homework, PTO meetings, limited activities with girlfriends during the day, new friends for him to hang out with. I don't feel like the mom of a 6 yr. old. But he is definitely ready for this new stage. I'm glad we didn't send him last year, I can tell a big difference in him since last year. He has a lot more self confidence now and I think he is more excited to learn. I can't wait to pick him up from the bus stop at 3:45! It's nice that he has afternoon kindergarten. We can relax in the morning and the boys can play together, then after I drop Hayden off, Connor and I go for a walk, then he goes down for a nap and I have lots of Mommy time! (At least until Dec.)

Nature at Gram and Pap's

We just read an excellent book for book club called Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv. I learned many things from this book, but one of them was the importance of my children to experience nature. Our children's generation is so different from how we grew up. I used to go with my cousin Jason down to the creek and search for things, or hide in the woods across the street from our house. Now we don't dare let our kids go out without us because of "stranger danger". We don't have a very big yard but at least we have a garden that we plant each year and the kids can learn from growing vegetables, and we have plenty of bugs! I love my parent's house because of all the land they have. Sunday we ate the first batch of corn from my Dad's garden. (We would have had some earlier, but he has had a problem with racoons this year.) After dinner the kids and adults were having a fight with the bad apples that had fallen, and Hayden helped to shell Pap's lima beans. Then while we were sitting there, a fox goes walking across their property! That was the first fox the boys had ever seen. Of course I had my camera at the ready! Hayden and Connor always find frogs at the pond and toads in the yard too. And my Dad has a hummingbird and a finch feeder near the patio that they feed on while we are nearby. I would love to find a house that has lots of land and nature around so that my kids can experience what we were able to experience. I LOVE this picture!!!!!