They all come from a tiny seed...

Phew, has it already been a week since our apple picking trip? Time sure flies when you're having fun and exhausted! This week we took a week off from co-op due to trips, home births, and general craziness in our schedules  That's what I love about co-op and my Momma partner- we're flexible. So when things come up, oh and they will come up when you have young kids, we can postpone and pick up where we left off. We also don't lose any money! 


Last Friday was our BIG co-op trip to Charlottesville for apple picking at Carter Mountain Orchard. This was my first real time apple picking and the kids too. Last year we went to Bush Neck Farms in Williamsburg. The staff, despite calling ahead, was extremely unfriendly. We still made the best of our trip but let's just say we won't ever be going back. 

We decided to drive up during nap time and pick, play, and eat dinner- then drive home. Fortunately our plan and timing worked! The kids napped the whole time and were well behaved. A few melt downs but nothing that could be considered a trip ruined. I mean with four kids under 4, I think they were the best behaved little ones ever.


The orchard, the mountains, the apples, the kids were all so worth the drive. I really did not want to leave. It was gorgeous. The kids were in love. After we picked, they literally just frolicked on a hill playing for close to two hours. Deirdre was just shocked that a tree could make so many apples and that you can make so many things from apples. I really adore seeing her gears turning as well as being awe struck by God's great creation.


Jonas was a hoot. He was super possessive about his apples. He was content to just carry his one apple around and eat it. If he lost that one special apple- despite thousands of other nearby- he got very unnerved. He really seemed to enjoy himself as well. 


To top the trip off, we ate out at a packed restaurant with the kids. They were great, the food was great, and off we went on our way home. I am just so proud of myself and Anya for doing something lovely and enriching for our kids. For keeping our cool and going with the flow. I am slowly seeing some neat changes in my kids too since we've begun this Waldorf journey. I am so excited to see them flower more in the coming months. 

Baby's Nursery

So to get me excited and to make me feel better- well or at the very least help- I have started planning the baby's nursery. Our plan is still to not find out the baby's sex, which is perfect because the theme I like is gender neutral.


Before this baby was born and when having another baby was not even on our minds, I brought a Beatrix Potter fabric panel on a whim. I just love Beatrix Potter and thought to myself as I got the panel... "This is for my next baby." So happily, I do get to use it!

Since I can sew now, I am planning on making all the baby's bedding with the exception of the few green, yellow, and white sheets I still have on hand, as well as one PBK organic sheet I got on sale. I am hoping to start soon after I finish DD's costume, quilt bindings, and dress. But who knows? I still feel so back and forth health and energy wise. However in the end, the baby will be sleeping with us in our room for most of their first few months so time is not of the essence :) 


So here is to turning a corner this week. I have a bunch of blog posts lined up for this week about our co-op goings on last week and some thoughts I have on my mind. 


At any rate, have a great night, and if you have any quilt and nursery ideas- send them my way! 

Fall Fest

Phew what a week! It seems that Autumn has finally come to Virginia. Bringing with it 80 degree weather one day and 50 degree the next. Needless to say, I prefer the 50s in October to the 80s. 


I'd like to be able to write and say that I feel all better. But I am not there yet. I am still losing weight and getting sick 2-3 times a day. I am on 3 new medicines, so hopefully it will help. My OB says he will wean me off my medicines in 3 weeks. So here is to hoping this does end in three weeks or sooner. And if not, that I have the strength and peace to deal with this for 2 more trimesters. Again, I am trying hard to stay positive. There is just so much to be happy and grateful about! 


Now that my family and friends do know I am pregnant, I have more help and prayer support, which is nice. Their happiness and love mean so much to me, and greatly outweighs the thoughtlessness. Its just one of those silly conundrums when people are thoughtless and just ignore the fact you're pregnant and say nothing (even when they are close to you, know you're pregnant, sick, and struggling). Oh well I guess it would be easier to just ignore them if they weren't also believers, but then again we are all pretty messy. Truly, in the end, Craig and I couldn't care less what others think! This is our new sweet baby! Goodness gracious we are so blessed. 


Despite all of this, we did have a great week in co-op and a nice trip to our city's Fall Fest! I swear each year I enjoy it more. And each year I swear I will go back the next day without my kids to look at the crafts solo :)


Bonne Nuit dear friends! 

Daily Verse or Quote: 

“See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven." 

-Matthew 18:10 ESV

Big Raspberry Sized News

Read The Shirt! 

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers over me this past month. Since the end of the Hurricane I have been getting sick about 3-4 times a day with up to sometimes 6 times. Combined with some serious Fall allergies, I trip to the ER, and many calls to my doctor,  I have felt terrible. However my spirits have remained high because I am feeling poorly for good reason (and well because I love life and my creator)!

So,  that's right... Baby Kleemann is due to arrive in between late April and  early May! 

Which means I am 8 weeks and 5 days but I really hate due dates since they tend to be wrong for me. Needless to say we are very excited and feeling immensely blessed to be able to welcome another sweet child into our family! We got lots of love around here, so this baby won't be lacking.

So there it is, my good reason why I have been feeling terrible. I actually have been diagnosed with Hyperemesis Gravidarum, which is fancy lingo for literally puking my guts up daily for no really reason or cause. I was NEVER this sick before with any of my pregnancies. So far I have been on 3 different kinds of medicine and I have lost give or take 10 lbs, which now makes me underweight. So needless to say, please please keep the prayers coming. I do not want to end up in the hospital again and I need to keep at least one meal down a day and all my liquids down for that to not happen. 


Thank you again for all your love and support. Again we are thrilled, as well as our kids! Now that I have better medication, I am feeling better and will be in this place more often. Also our baby is the size of a raspberry right now and has a very strong heart beat. God is pretty awesome. 


For Now, 
Nicole 

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual birthed by Soulemama. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

Zoo Day

Phew where to begin. Honestly I am shocked that I have the energy to write this. I have been pretty sick this week. I could really use some good thoughts and prayers. Sadly right now I do not have a whole lot to tell you about why I am sick. Next week, I will hopefully have more answers and be able to share more. Until then, I covet your prayers. 


Being sick doesn't just effect me, it also effects Craig and the kids. My house is a mess, I can barely make a meal because my stomach is in knots, and well the kids have been watching a little bit more TV than I would like right now, but this too shall pass. 


Amazingly the kids do not seem bothered by me being under the weather. They still go about their days happily. Their behavior is actually quite sweet, with lots of hugs, snuggles, and feel better Mommys. Deirdre is cleaning up after herself like a pro and being extra patient with Jonas. Even with them waking up early today and not napping as well as they usually do, their sweet spirits are really shining through, and I am feeling so blessed. I am also feeling quite blessed by my church homegroup, which has stepped up to help me out. They truly are my second family. 


So since I have not been well and the kids have been great, I decided on Wednesday (the one day I have felt closest to normal), to take them to the zoo. We had a fabulous trip. It was not too hot and the animals were out. Plus since it was cloudy, we were probably the only people there! The hitch of the trip was me losing my patience -which has been low since I am sick,-BUT we all recovered and really enjoyed seeing our animals friends. Not to mention Deirdre was quite inquisitive about what they ate, where they lived, and other 'interesting facts about them to tell Daddy". I love that one! She cracks me up! 


At any rate, enjoy our photos! I will be back soon with photos of co-op tomorrow. We're having a harvest party, so it should be tons of fun! 

Daily Verse or Quote: 

[Jesus said,] "The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful."

— Matthew 13:22 (NIV)

Preserving Blueberries

Daily Verse or Quote: 

You are not managing an inconvenience, you are raising a human being. Children reflect the treatment they receive. - Kittie Frantz

Despite feeling under the weather and forgetting about the pounds of blueberries in my freezer, I had a fabulous week. Fortunately I got my act together and had a preserving party with the kids yesterday afternoon. 


Deirdre and Jonas absolutely love to 'help' Mama. I put help in quotes because it's their intention and desire to help me, even if it actually slows me down. Nonetheless, I accept it with a smile and can see their eager heart behind it. 


The kids were able to help me add the sugar and lemon juice. They also got to help me get our jars ready and even stir the pot. But Mama had to do all the hot pouring and smashing in my mixer. I broke my mixer early this year. It is a dear wedding present from my home-group and thanks to my Father-in-law it works again! BUT I now am much more careful with it- which means the kids don't get to touch it or its buttons. But they do not mind. Since we practice Love and Logic at home and they get lots of other options in their day, they do not mind it when I make a choice for them. 


So here are the photos of our results. I use a my own improved pectin free recipe so my preserves stay in the fridge, but I like it that way. Preserving that day was a nice trip down memory lane of our blueberry picking trip and a great reminder of God's great and generous provision for us and especially my family. 

Also (just for the record- yep I am about to go on another tangent) while I am positive on my blog about my home life and my kids, we do have our struggles. I do get frustrated with them and I do at times feel overwhelmed. These times pass and I move on quickly since I have a God given peace. So in this place I choose not to dwell on them. This is a honest place of positive reflection. Because when I look back on my day, the little two minute long fight my kids had over the crayon does not color the rest of the great time they played together for over an hour. And even in my worst moments with my kids, I do not think (as a mature adult) that gives me the right call my children names or to cuss at them or to verbally abuse them.  


So if you came to this place to find this, I am sorry to disappoint you. I've been on the receiving end of verbal abuse and other abuse as a child and its no fun. And being 'real' about parenting in my book does not include that. But feel free to stick around if you'd like to know more about being a compassionate, quirky, loving, and intentional parent. I am a huge mess but by God's daily grace I sure do try my best! 

Respite

He who lives in harmony with himself lives in harmony with the world.  

- Marcus Aurelius

What a cluttered week this one is proving to be. Busy, yes- however its an enjoyable pace. I think being able to feel peace amid the chaos is what had been helping me stay grounded and not feel stretched.  

My weeks this Autumn are filling up with Co-op, the mom's support group I am now volunteering with, bible study, and play dates (oh and not to mention errands!) But I am fine with this clutter. Its predictable and workable. If need be and I am no longer at peace or my children are not either, there are ways to cut back. But Co-op remains a priority, and one that I love. This week my Co-op partner Anya is hosting and leading. Out theme is families. Its nice to observe the children in a new light and to also be sharing the duties week by week. So I suppose this is my off week in a way! 

But to to the cluttered weeks I will be having and just not feeling a well (darn allergies), I probably will not be in this place daily anymore. Mostly certainly 3-4 times a week but I just wanted to update you so you don't think I am unwell. 

I am working on my Winter submission to http://rhythmofthehome.com/. I am excited and I hope it goes over well. 

Deirdre painting a D and then painting it in. 

Correcting her grip! 

 Dancing King- We have 20 minutes of music and dancing everyday before dinner

Co-op our first week

Is it really already Friday? I have been quite busy this week then, because its flown by! I guess homeschooling helps move my days along nicely. 


I have to say though, I am loving the co-op and homeschooling. Not only is it fun for the kids but it allows me to include them in all aspects of our home, especially cooking. I do think we have cooked together as much as we have this week ever. Ironically though, the food is still just as good, fresher, and makes it out of the oven or pot in a timely manner. They kiddos also seem to be eating more of it, which was never to big of an issue, but still nice since their meals have changed. 

It really warms my heart for them to help me make the food. They looks so proud when the meal is set and they can say that they also made it! They just beam. It is just such a lovely part of them to witness, to see their confidence bud. The past week as well Deirdre has started setting her own place and cleaning it up for me- without prompting.  


Jonas is beginning to talk more- and listen better! He has been saying "sit", "Ididit, "up", "alldone", "hi", and "dadee" more distinctively. He also now will give you the sweetest hug if you ask for one. Ah be still my little heart! 


So all in all, I have enjoyed this week immensely despite being a bit under the weather. I still feel so honored to be all to stay home with them and teach them. My heart is so full. 

Our Co-op Weekly Verse (The one my kids are memorizing):

Behold: "'I will send my messenger ahead of you (John) who will prepare your way before you (Jesus)' -Matthew 11:10