I'm Freeeee! Well, sort of.

I was finally able to get out of the house for something other than a doctor appointment! We took the kids to the pool. Of course I was barely able to walk from the car to the chair and then from the chair to the water and back again. Once in the water it was FABULOUS to feel weightless and to hold the kids who felt weightless also. I miss being able to move freely and be physical with the kids.

The sunshine did wonders for my mood too. I think we will be spending a lot of time at the pool this week as we eagerly await the now scheduled birth. One week (at the most) to go!!!

Oh! And check out the McCarthy boys' matching summer buzz cuts. I think they look so cute!

Diva!

Lauren is by far the best bed rest entertainer! She put on a great fashion show the other day. I must say that being on bed rest has forced the kids to develop more independence. Usually I have to put the dresses on and fasten the backs and help with accessories....not anymore! She did it all by herself. :) Bed rest has had its up sides...oh, except for one thing....IT STINKS and I HATE IT! Okay, hope you enjoyed the pictures of my little diva princess.

A Prayer of Gratitude

Thank you Lord for all your gifts of love, especially for those we often overlook.
Thank you for friends--to increase our love for you.
Thank you for enemies--to increase our tolerance.
Thank you for joys and happiness--to strengthen our faith in you.
Thank you for trials and tribulations--to strengthen our trust and perseverance.
Thank you for the times when all goes well--to teach us serenity.
Thank you for the days when things are rough--to teach us patience.
Thank you for our successes--to increase our confidence.
Thank you for our failures--to increase our humility.
Thank you, Lord, for the ups and downs of life.
Thank you, Lord, for the precious gift of life itself.
Help us to continue to grow and to learn, to love and be grateful.
Comfort us when we are disturbed; disturb us when we become too comfortable.
Thank you, Lord, for being by our side.

Leo M. Kozeny and Father Mike Hanson, OMI

Staying Home...

It's a bed rest party! Connor is apparently not having a good time.

An intense game of Electronic Battle Ship...."Target Neutralized!"

A visit from Jill...great bed rest companion! We watched two movies and chatted for the entire day! What a great friend.

Lauren's extra special salon treatment. Complete with pedicure and....

hair styling!

Been on bedrest now for four weeks. Potentially four more to go! Life has gone from the insanity of school, soccer, ballet, gymnastics, gymboree, playgroups, field trips, family dinners, working out (well okay, that one hadn't really been going on for a while),keeping the house organized (I am a bit of a stickler for this) and starting a company...to the absolute bare minimum of school. When we first relocated I wasted no time enrolling the kids in swim lessons and soccer at the YMCA. For the first month it was great, especially with Thomas home now at 1:00 instead of 4:00 everyday. We needed to pass the time and meet people right?! Since bed rest began the kids have missed at least half of the lessons, practices and games....I obviously have missed them all. Once I stopped being able to GO places I thought, oh my gosh, what are the kids going to DO all afternoon and on the weekends?!

To my surprise, being at home is going pretty well! Don't get me wrong, I am about to crawl out of my skin and the house is what I consider an organizational disaster, but the kids seem just fine. Thomas might play a little too much Wii, but we play boardgames in my bed, read books, watch movies, Lauren puts on horse shows and Barbie shows, Connor goes in and out and in and out of the door in my room leading to the deck. Luckily we have also been blessed with excellent help from our babysitters, my parents, Brian's parents and my sister so the kids have been fairly entertained each day, have had several trips to the park and have made it to a few games. I still miss all of our extra-curricular activities and the friends that went along with them, but it got me thinking....were we doing all of those activities for the kids, or for me? Hopefully a little bit of both, but it is nice to know that we can actually stay at home and have fun too! I just might look back at this time as the one time I was able (okay, was forced) to slow down and have a bunch of QT with the kids. As for the house...well, I will fix it eventually. And if I don't I will add it to the long list of lessons God is apparently eager for me to learn this year...at the top of the list:

JUST LET IT GO!