Dunnottar, Part 1

This is Dunnottar Castle (pronounced Denoter). William Wallace supposedly captured it and ironically, Mel Gibson was Hamlet and that version was filmed at the castle. It sits upon a hill and evidently, the main passageway (just walking across land) was cut away for protection, so we hiked down and then up a bunch of stairs to get to it.

Without question, this was the coolest thing we've done since being here! had we not made many wrong turns leaving the city (roundabouts are killer), we could have been there in under half an hour. The view was spectacular, being on the North Sea, and the castle was obviously ruins, but the kind worth seeing. We were amazed at how incredibly breathtaking the whole experience was, as well as how much Rebekah LOVED it!! She ran and ran in that lush grass and loved trying to make her voice echo in the cavernous parts!

We can't wait to take our visiting friends and family- hint hint!!

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Flashback Friday & Happy 6 month, Luke

Happy 6 month, Luke Timothy! You have brought us much joy (and loss of sleep!). We love you and are so glad to have you as our son! As we speak, Rebekah is giving you a pep talk to eat your breakfast, which is precious! Even your big sis has grown quite fond of you!

Does this match that?

On Sunday, we tried to have a picnic at the park. As Rebekah chattered, "Can I eat my chips in the car?" we realized it might be too cold. So, she was delighted to have an inside picnic!

This is Melissa and Kate. Josh blessed me by keeping the kids while we had breakfast. Their husbands did likewise. Melissa has Jamie, who is 16 months (boy) and Kate has Lily (20 mos or so) and is expecting #2 in the spring. Melissa came when we did and Kate got here last year. They are really fun and Kate might be the only person who talks more than I do or is as opinionated! ;)

Funny happenings:

Rebekah noticed Josh's chest hair this week. She pulled his shirt down and grabbed a fistful of it. She inquisitively examined it, then looked up at Josh's hair. She asked, "Does this match that?" Josh said "Kind of." Then, she rubbed his goatee-thingy and asked, "Does it belong to this?" Josh gave in and said yes. :)

She also dropped some crumbs on the floor. She is quick to let me know and supervise my cleaning up of her messes. She pointed to the table and said "I dropped them here." As I was wiping it off, she patted the chair and said "And here, too." Then, I wasn't moving quickly enough and she tapped her foot, pointing her toe at what was on the floor, and impatiently said, "And here, too, Mommy. I spilled here too. Clean it up!"

Rebekah had one of those special poops where it stands straight up on the side of the toilet bowl- her excited observation: Look, Mommy, it's a sandcastle poopy!

I put her to bed tonight and she could only see my shadow. She says, "Mommy, I can't see you." I say "But you can hear me." "But, I want to see your face." I turn on the light to an extremely triumphant grin.

Rebekah picked out a toy "for Luke" that she then proceeded to play with herself. What amused me more is that it is a caterpillar that has a lot of twisty segments. She twisted it with one hand and held it with the other- she then pretended to be grinding pepper for imaginary food.

I frequently tell her it's hard to hold your hand when I'm carrying Luke/groceries/trash/etc. Yesterday, Rebekah told me, "Mommy, it's hard to hold your hand when you have keys." Fair enough.

Today we went to the park again (it was yucky this morning and beautiful this afternoon). When R asked if we could go earlier, I said no, it wasn't a good day for the park. When we went after naps, Rebekah said, "Now it's a good day for the park!" At the park, Rebekah applied her newly-learned knowledge of shadows and was excited to see her shadow while swinging. In fact, she had to turn the other way to better see it. (side note- she looked out our window after it was dark and was excited to see her "shadow" there, too! We then talked about reflections."

My online job

I think about 50 of you (like I have that kind of public) have asked about my online job. Long story short, an old friend of mine from college called me last January and asked me to write some study sheets for an online curriculum company. We were English majors together and she knew I had gone on to teach, etc. So, it was great money and before Luke was born and we thought it would be a good way for me to be productive, save for Scotland, and keep my foot in the door for education. It ended up being very easy because I just made fill-in-the-blank questions for students taking the course. The curriculum has been designed for a variety of students: those in a lab at a school, those homeschooling, those getting an alternative education. Well, I finished quickly enough that i was able to squeeze in some editing before Luke was born. I took time off from any contracts to have Luke and get moved. This last contract has been the hardest, most rewarding, and definitely the most fun. I am actually writing curriculum for students with low reading skills. I have certain parameters, but I get to teach and model it thru media however I want. So, they give me a topic and I write a unit with activities and quizzes, etc to teach and assess it. I am writing 5 units, 1 every 2 weeks for 10 weeks. Then, we get a brwak for Thanksgiving- good thing- it's a pretty big deal across the pond. Then, assuming they want to keep me :), I will accept another contract December-March. Oh- when and how do I work? I put the kiddos down for their afternoon nap at the same time- Luke usually sleeps 2-3 hrs and Rebekah does her standard 1 1/2 hrs. I kill myself making sure they go down at the same time and since Luke was born, I haven't missed the mark too many times! So, I work during their naps and then Luke goes down at 6:30 or 7-ish and Bekah hits the pillow at 7:30-7:45ish. Josh and I both work and take ice cream breaks. I actually have more than enough time and am loving it! It's greta money and a great use of my skills. I am hoping to do some Spanish curriculum in the future b/c I wrote my own curriculum for 4 years when teaching Spanish 1 and 2.

Hope that covers it!!

p.s. My brother alwyas gave me a hard time for never slacking in college- I always said, first,l I'm not as smart as you and can't pull it off the morning of and if I have to teach this stuff, I'd better actually know it! 3 things have come from my diligence (aka lack of social life b/c Josh was my first boyfriend): 1) I got to skip student teaching and make real money from day 1, 2) I got a great job at an elite Christian private school, and 3) my friend remembered my hard work from a class and called me for this job! While I make NOWHERE near the money Billy does, I am still glad I worked hard in college. :)

You're a good mommy, Mommy

Rebekah has become our/ her own cheerleader!

Here are some of the things she gets excited about:

As I'm cooking, "Mama, that's a goooood dinner! It smells good! You're good at dinner!"

As she's doing puzzles, "I'm good at these! I do very well at puzzles!"

As Josh read a book right, "Yea, Daddy!!! Yeaaaaaaaa, daddy!"

As I was just making cookies, "You're a good mommy, Mommy!"

Other new developments:

"Please help me see! It's dark! I wanns see!"

"It's not dark outside, but it's getting dark."

"I'm a big girl, not a baby. I can walk and talk."

"Mommy, where IS you? Can I come see you? Can you come here?"

"I didn't lock myself in!" (referring to her locking her door during room time and me panicking and Josh coming home from class to pick the lock, just in time to see her finally figure out how to turn the lock back)

"You're saaaad. I want to make you happy." (referring to me crying when I think about home)

"Mommy, how is things? Are things okay?"

"Do you want to go to Seaton Park?" (When did she learn the actual name?!)

"I'm just gonna go wake Lukey up." (referring to the fact that she got to watch a movie when he ate- once again narrating her intentions and therefore not getting to implement them)

I have prayed for my kids' and my niece's salvation since they were all born. I typically prayed for them "to put their trust alone in Christ alone for the forgiveness of their sins"- the other night, I altered it to "believe in Jesus" so she would understand better. Rebekah stopped the prayer and said, "Where's Christ alone? Where's sins, you know the bad things?"

Normally R greets Daddy very excitedly when he comes home from school. The other day, Rebekah was in her room and didn't notice Josh coming in. When she heard his voice, she ran in and lamented, "I didn't get to do it. I didn't get to because I was in my room. I didn't get to say, "Hi, Daddy!"

EVERY time I grate cheese, Rebekah sweetly says, "I'd like a piece for Daddy and a piece for me." She then runs the cheese in to Josh, who obliges her. The other day it was, "I'd like a piece for Daddy and a piece for me...and one for me...and one more for me."

Today at the park she said, "I'm not right there 'cuz I'm right here."

Bekah's Day o' Fun

Josh got Rebekah this race car for free! She was so excited to get her "surprise present" when she woke up! She is not excited to ever share it with Luke.

I opened Luke's door to get him up (he has been taking 3 hr naps again here and there :)) an R asked if she could wake him up. Curious to see what that would include, I said yes. She proceeded to call his name and say "Wake up, Lukey" and then she tickled him. :) It was awesome.

Playing on "daddy's campus"

This morning was gorgeous and we had decided last night that we would go to the beach if it was pretty. So we loaded both kids up and went to the beach- it was freezing! I totally forgot to bundle them up- so, we used a beach towel to wrap Luke in and then Josh took R to the water to show her how cold it was. As he realized the tide was going to drench his shoes, Josh LEFT (read that abandoned) my baby girl in the freezing water to save his own shoes! Instincts are instincts, but I about dropped my baby boy in my effort to rescue my firstborn! She got knocked over in the water and was all smiles until the seriousness of the cold water sank in- then she cried! We grabbed her and wrapped her up in a towel. Fortunately we had an extra pair of undies and pants in case of an accident!

Then, during Luke's marning nap, I took Rebekah to the park. When we returned, we ate lunch and went to the community center that is adjacent to our flat and Rebekah got to play in a bouncy house!

...and make a pumpkin mask with Daddy!

Then we went to Burger King for dinner. All was well until just now- Rebekah shared her stomach bug with Luke after all...he just yakked in his crib! :( So, no church for us tomorrow.

Flashback Friday

I remembered!

Rebekah in January (18 mos)


Rebekah last week (27 mos)- her usual cooperative self



Thanks for the great hat, Aunt Sarah! We've used it for 3 winters!

Background Check on Luke Timothy Malone

...or "Baby Lukey Dukey" as Rebekah called him this evening as he giggled at her and followed her every movement!

So, anyone who knows Luke knows he is an interesting study. However, most of you reading this blog, do NOT know Luke, so here goes!

He was born 4/17 of this year at a whopping 9lb 1oz after being induced 4 days late! I was all about the epidural and am so thankful for it! I should have known then that he was a lump, as Josh affectionately dubbed him.

While in utero, Luke's kidney's kept measuring too big essentially and it wasn't until RIGHT before we came to Scotland a month ago, that we finally got the all-clear there.

He also became jaundiced and developed the worst baby acne I have ever seen and pretty bad heat rash from me overswaddling him.

He would NOT sleep out of arms so, I resorted to my mom :), then I resorted to his car seat. Finally, frustrated with buckling him in only to have him awaken, I swaddled the crud out of him. Hence the heat rash. :)

Luke nursed well for a while, then started arching a lot and screaming. He developed very bad thrush (yeast infection of the mouth) which he transferred to me while nursing. Thanks. :) Since he wasn't nursing well and since we were really wanting to be able to give him a bottle, I began pumping furiously. Luke started to prefer the bottle, so I pumped more! Then, I wasn't keeping up with what he was eating and I started to panic. Then, I thought- hey, maybe all his fussiness and grunting and arching is ME! So, I convinced myself it was time for formula. I quit nursing at 9 weeks and all was well until right after I quit aching from pain. That little guy started doing the same darn thing on the bottle, too! Luke was refusing feeds after LONG periods of time, but we had moved to TX and didn't have a dr. So, I used a family dr and he FINALLY prescribed a reflux med that worked wonders! the formula, tho, only worsened his already-present struggle with constipation. We oscillated between various semi-natural laxatives, only to have him bleed when we got here. That has finally been resolved.

While at Josh's parents' house in July, we thought Luke began to miraculously sleep thru the night- only to discover we just couldn't hear him! Regardless, he got used to not feeding, just wanted the paci put in- over and over and over!!!!! We have gone back and forth on this, with Josh taking 99% of the burden of paci replacement at 2am, 3am, 4am, 5am, etc....

We moved to Scotland and somehow (Benadryl) little man managed to sleep most of all the flights (there were 3) and still be on track once we got here, sleeping thru the night with only one paci debacle. We were pumped, only to have the paci replacement begin again and again, with Josh taking 100% of the burden due to my selfishness and the fact that we have neighbors.

Luke has ALWAYS taken long naps- until last week. Out of nowhere he decided to cut 2 or 3 hr naps in half- very confusing! He used to sleep 2-3 hrs in the am and in the afternoon, with an evening catnap, too, adding up to about 5 or 6 hrs worth of naps. Crazy, I know. Anyway, even if he did awaken in the "middle" of a nap, he would usually go back to sleep after a few minutes.

Well, he decided last week that he was done with that! He still goes down without a peep (PTL), but cut down to anywhere from 1 hour-2 hrs. I was extremely frustrated and stressed with this change- change is always hard for me. I didn't know what to do and this coincided with Josh going to school and me feeling like I was making bad choices. Anyway, after many tears (mine or Luke's you may be wondering?), the Lord blessed me greatly. You see, Luke has been hard for me from day 1, from eating to sleeping to health concerns. I tearfully went before the Lord and begged for wisdom. All I could do was cry- I am attributing a lot of this to delayed stress from 2 recent moves and many extremely painful good-byes.

Regardless, I kept thinking about Rebekah. She is my little buddy- my constant source of joy and delight. I keep wanting to fastforward Luke to her age, w/o losing any time with her. Impossible on many fronts. Then, I think the Lord graciously brought to mind my first year with Rebekah. Many of you know that I would have given her back if I could have. Yikes...I have had post partum to some degree with both of my babies, which has been the source of many tears and much guilt. Rebekah was not a good napper (read that a short napper) and for a whole year, I left her in her crib to cry it out (chat it out for her :)) regardless of the fact that she simply didn't need that amount of sleep. I have often wished I could redeem that time. This last year has been precious, to say the least, as I have simply treasured her for who she is and not for what anyone says she should be.

You're seeing where I'm going with this...Luke is his own little man. He is not one bit Rebekah and that is exactly what I prayed for- he would be his own little person and not in his sister's shadows. I realized the Lord was giving me a glimpse into what mothering him should look like- treasure Luke for Luke and not compare or attempt to make him someone he is not. So, I grabbed my baby as he was pitifully crying and just held him. He of course calmed down and grinned at me. Then, he giggled the entire time he took his bottle. Thank you, Lord.

Coincidentally (or not?) I found a sleep book here at the flat the owners left behind. I had sworn off parenting books, especially sleep books, since my misapplication with Rebekah. Out of desperation, I flipped thru it and it was super-helpful! Essentially, it suggests his night has been bad for several reasons- too much sleep during the day (re-pacifying to encourage longer naps) and not enough solids are contributing to poor night habits. (Plus him needing his paci). So, we are working on those things and it has been amazing. Not perfect, mind you, but little man has been sweet as can be even with less daytime sleep (granted as I'm typing this, he's into his 2nd hour of a nap:)) and as I have been studying him, so many wonderful things have been so obvious:

He's my son. I have a son! Not a baby that makes my life stressful, but a son!
He LOVES all of us so passionately.
He has a great sense of humor and loves to laugh, expecially at his sister.
He is a sweet snuggler.

Plus, the same day as my meltdown, a sweet new friend (let's call her Kate :)) called at JUST the time I needed a friend and I realized that maybe I do have people here who might possibly like me. Thanks, Kate!

Thanks for "listening," everybody- felt good to process a lot of that!

Time to use straps?

I love carts that have space for both kids!

This was her response to, "Smile!" Thank you, Rebekah. (Luke once again has stickers on his face)

Maybe it's time to start using the straps? (Shannie- shout out for the super-cute sockies)

In other news, Luke is starting to get over his cold, but Rebekah picked up a vomiting bug last night! I should have known b/c she said multiple times yesterday that her tummy hurt. :( Fortunately there were only a few incidents- she even learned she could call out to me and I would rush her to the potty- she would say, "Mommy, I need to spit!" She's such a stud...she is great today, but we have been very cautious with her food intake and her proximity to Luke. I have to admit, taking care of her is one of my favorite things- I LOVED being the one to rush in and hold her. After she threw up last night, she wanted to be held, which I happily did. She then wanted to pretend to sleep. :) Then, she quickly said (much to my surprise) "Mommy, I want to sleep for real now." Sweet girl.

Our church and Luke eating noses and losing the paci

Right after Luke was born, I remember talking to my sister-in-law and mother-extraordinaire Becky. Luke was screaming his head off in the background :) and my niece was eating my brother's nose in the background of their end. I remember thinking, I can't wait for Luke to eat Josh's nose! Luke has been very fussy the last 3 days- cold and teething. It's these moments that I TRY to meditate on as I contemplate running away! (Rebekah is showing you Mickie in the 2nd pic).

Side story- R and I went to swing. Against my better judgment I allowed her to take the precious Mickie. Her paci is precariously attached to her by a flimsy string and we have already retied it a million times. Anyway, off we went and as we got to the swings I hear growling and see a huge dog running at my baby! Instincts kicked in and I scooped Rebekah up just in time to see the owner call him and the dog immediately stop. I have actually seen him a bunch and he's a really sweet dog- his "growling" was just his excited noise as he chased down a ball. The owner and his girlfriend waved an apology for my obvious reaction and took the dogs (there was another smaller one) farther away. Well, R was interested in playing with the dogs. We have taught her that she has to ask before she touches a dog. So, as they saw us approaching, they leashed both dogs and said yes. The smaller one was hyper and jumpy and made R nervous. We talked for a while and said good-bye. As we were walking away, I realized the paci was not on the string. As we doubled back, I didn't realize the dogs were unleashed. The smaller dog saw Rebekah and playfully charged her, knocking her over- hard! Rebekah was terrified and we still didn't have the paci! The owners were super-apologetic, but it wasn't their fault- they thought we were gone. We came upstairs without the paci. Luke had finally gone to sleep for his 3rd nap and R's crying over the paci woke him up. :( I was less than patient and almost in tears over losing something so special to my little girl. As I finished dinner, J went down to look for it, no idea where we had been. I finally went back down and FOUND it!!!!! Thank you, Lord, because I did pray about it. We needed that. Needless to say, Mickie is on house arrest until further notice.

The inside of our church. I wish I had taken pics of the ceiling! It's gorgeous!

The front- I crossed the street, but it wasn't far enough to do Gilcomston South (aka Gilc south) justice. It's lovely.

Last night I spent a lot of time placating the baby. Rebekah was very sweet, but the second I put Luke down, she sweetly said, "Mama, I want you." She wrapped herself around me and we had one of those moments my friend Sarah Parr calls Sweet Cream Cheese-Covered moments.

Funny one- Rebekah just noticed we have a French door into the living room. She happily said, "I liiike these little windows!"

Rebekah likes to pretend she is a puppy and obeys most commands. My favorite is when I tell her to wag her tail Instead of shaking her bottom as I expected, she put her hand on her bottom and waved with it.

Rebekah makes me pause her movies while she tee tees- doesn't want to miss a beat!

She has 2 kids' knives that she pretends to butter things with, such as my leg or Josh's backpack.

While watching a new Veggie Tales (thanks Nana!), R kept talking about Twippo. We were clueless. She even showed us which character she meant. Josh finally figured out that the song talked about "Twippo" as a musical band and that's what R was referencing.

Rebekah is also very intrigued about time of day and routine. For example, "It's day time" or "Is it night time? It's dark." When we were leaving the other day, R said, "It's leave time for me." She frequently says "It's nuh-night time for me" or "It's wake-up time for me." She prefers the latter. We tried bribing her with a popsicle to stay in bed later than 6am- no bueno.

She is also really into jumping off steps. So, EVERY curb, bench, bottom stair, she says "I am going to skip off this step."

Rebekah just grabbed a puzzle after tee-teeing (We of course had paused Veggie Tales). She sternly told me, "I don't want to turn off veggie tales. I want to do this puzzle in the living room. I just want to watch Veggie Tales and do this puzzle." Fair enough.

She is starting to make comparisons- she saw a chocolate bunny and said "It's like a bunny, but it's not." She makes TONS of connections that really impress me. For example, a character in a show was named George. Rebekah said, "Like Curious George, but he's not a monkey!" She also has a friend who broke his leg from falling down stairs. Rebekah stumbled down a couple stairs (I had her hand) and said "I fell down stairs like Ethan did. I did not break my leg like Ethan did." I wish I could remember more. As it is, I feel brain-dead. I am confident she is smarter than Josh and me combined- seriously. It's humbling.

Mohawk Luke

I was delighted to see this morning that Luke's hair would mohawk so nicely. Love it. Yes, his face is that chubby. Also love that.

This is a really cool shopping center across from ASDA (owned by Walmart and where we grocery shop). Granted we can't afford the restaurants, it's a cool place to walk. It borders the beach. The cinema is here, too. We actually did go to Pizza Hut b/c we had a coupon for half off a pizza. We all got water, 1 pizza, and nothing else- it was still $12. Not bad, but it would have been double that and an extra $8 for 2 Cokes!!!!

We grocery shopped afterwards- not our best move. I was ready to pretend Rebekah and Luke weren't really mine. Wouldn't have worked b/c Rebekah kept crying out to me! Since then, we have procured FREE DELIVERY of online shopping!!!!!! It was amazing- I grocery shopped for the week and it was delivered the next day- amazing!!!!!! Similarly, a health visitor came by to meet the kids and set up immunizations- also such a service! Each baby gets a bag of books, too, to encourage reading. Anyway, the nurse was stunned how verbal and articulate Rebekah is. Always makes me proud- as if I have anything to do with it!

Exhausted buddy LOVING his daddy. I don't think I have mentioned just how much Luke loves his dad. Seriously, he'll be fussing with me and Josh will just talk to him and he'll calm down. That boy loves his dad. It's precious to me. Josh has done more than his share of midnight visits and feeds, so he deserves it.

Nana got little man this awesome jump suit- we love it!!

One of my more fun mothering moments- somehow I managed to leave all R's dolls in the US. This didn't go unnoticed. She asked and asked and finally just hogged the dolls at nursery and everywhere we have gone that has had one. So, I have secretly been searching. I went to T.K. Maxx (UK version of TJ Maxx :))- I found a little girl, with a paci and bottle, for the bargain price of 8 pounds, about $16. I snagged her. I could live off Rebekah's joy when she saw her!! We asked her if she wanted to name her doll. She said, "uh huh. Baby doll." Fair enough. We asked "Do you want to give her another name?" She thought and said "Her name is Mickie." Not sure where that came from, but Mickie has been at Rebekah's side since. She gets fed, burped, pacied, and napped. It's precious!!!!!

A great moment yesterday- Rebekah still narrates most of her thoughts, sometimes to her detriment. She LOVES chapstick, but seeing as she has eaten all hers, she gets supervised time with mine. She knows it goes back in my make-up bag. So, this is what she said as she left the bathroom with my chapstick, "I'm not going to put it back in Mommy's bag. I'm just gonna keep it."

For my dad: As I put up the delivered groceries, Rebes spied the minced meat (ie ground beef)- she said, "That's turtle food!"

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Today is your birthday, Mom. I used to always see you on yourbirthday, but the last 2 years, I have been in Iowa, altho I was there for one of them. Now, I'm in Scotland and feel very remote indeed. I wish I could just hug you and treat you to a day full of movies and buttered popcorn and Rt 44 Diet Cokes with Cherry and Lime and chips and salsa and Snappy salads and getting our nails done and tons of time together. That's what you would do for me.

But, since we're not gonna get to do that, let me tell you how much I love you! I have posted these pictures of you with my kids because that's one of my favorite memories of you- lovin' on my kids! I could not have felt more loved by you as a child and you have extended that to my own children. The thing that touches me most these days is people who appreciate how precious my kids are. Not that they're that well-behaved, etc., but that they are Rebekah and Luke and no one else is them. You LOVE my children and would do anything for them. I love that! You also do anything you can to make my life better- from buying Luke's formula to praying for me daily, you constantly are there for me. I know we don't always make the same decisions (what mother and daughter do?), but I always know we'll work it out and that our relationship is bigger.

Mom, I love you. Happy birthday. Have a Sonic drink for me!

Things I have been thinking about

Well, we are in our 4th week here and I have mostly focused on the kids on the blog. That is twofold- first, they're extremely cute and the world needs to recognise that. (Like my British spelling there?) Also, family and friends already appreciate their cuteness and need it on a daily basis.

Today, however, I thought I would highlight some things that I like about Scotland. Those of you who have managed to keep up with me know that this is a brave post for me because this has been a tough transition for me. :)

The grocery stores- they have a variety of Asian selections, for example, that rival what I am accustomed to. :) In fact, I even found an Asian salad dressing, Udon noodles, and a sweet chili sauce that I love! Plus, UK carts can roll forward and sideways! So, when you're in somebody's way, you just roll sideways instead of trying to reverse and push past!

Our church is gorgeous, as are all kirks here! They are indescribably majestic and growing up in mostly plain churches that prided themselves on being plain because it showed godliness somehow, it has been awe-inspiring to worship somewhere that shows respect for the Lord in its willingness to sacrifice personal luxuries for the beauty of the church.

The people are friendly and proud of their heritage- just ask them!

Driving on the left side of the road- hey I'm up for a good challenge every now and then!

Our flat has grown on me- it borders 2 play areas- which is rare for here. Having 3 bedrooms is almost unheard of! Plus, we have lots of windows and some really bright and warm lights that I assume help mitigate the darkness of the winter. Being so close to the U has allowed Josh to come home often and for lunch.

My children- they are a slice of familiarity, altho I was worried I'd forgotten how to mother solo. Alas, I am doing just fine and both kids are thriving! Luke may not think so, but all 5 month old fuss now and then! I was also worried R would flip out when she had to share me again- she has been wonderful and has even shared her favorite toys with Luke!

My husband- he has been on middle of the night duty since we got here. Luke kind of sleeps thru the night- I bragged too soon!- and Josh is the one to check if he has a poopy and do what needs to be done. He also gets up with the kids so I can keep sleeping!

My online job- I am getting paid handsomely for work I really like. I still get to be at home and work mostly when the kids are sleeping. This allowed us to get a car and to travel in the future (tho sadly not to the future).

The neighbors who have to hear Luke cry in the middle of the night have been quite gracious and are NOT the ones who won't let me store our stroller downstairs. That neighbor needs Jesus. Enough said.

I have some new friendships burgeoning, tho it is extremely difficult getting both kids and myself out and back before Luke loses it due to tiredness! However, the women here have been including me in some plans, which is really sweet. 2 of the women are having their 2nd children next semester. There is also a baby and toddler play group at our church on Fridays. I think I will try that, too. A good number of my new friends (we're connected thru a group they call Aberdeen Women's Fellowship) attend the same church we do, so it's fun to run into them at church.

As I watch people grab their laundry off the lines b/c it's raining, I am thankful for a dryer, however ridonculously small it is. :) I also am glad for a "full-size" freezer (read that as larger than my hand) and dishwasher, which is very nice.

So, that's the stuff I'm glad for! I'll keep ya posted!