The Beginning of Our Fairy and Gnome Garden

The Fairy Side

My Herb Garden

The Gnome Side

This week has been happily filled with lots of outdoors time. I finally felt peppy enough to get to work on my herb and summer gardens. That also meant Deirdre and Jonas got to work on their part of the gardens too- for the gnomes and fairies of course!

The gnome and fairy part of the garden are works in progress right now, but so far we're off to a great start. Deirdre and Jonas helped paint and seal the wood gnome cabin and fairy house. Deirdre chose the flowers and plants too. 

I wanted their gardens to be incorporated into my gardens as well. First, I did it this way so that we could do our gardening alongside one another. Second, I wanted their play gardens to not only be fun but also productive. So Deirdre chose to grow cucumbers, strawberries, and white squash in her gnome and fairy garden (Jonas was only interested in the pretty orange marigolds and gazania)! 

We also set up a garden journal to track our gardens's development and any wee folk activity. I am going to have to help our local gnomes and fairies stage some interesting garden scenes for DD and Jonas to record (as you can tell I am having lots of fun with this project too!) I can't wait to show you how the garden evolves over the next few weeks. The kids have got big plans I tell you! They're drawing their inspiration from my fairy pinterest board. Once we're done, I will enter the contest going on over at the Magic Onions with Donni. Her blog and work is so inspiring. I just love her! 

We also managed to lose a tree in a thunderstorm this week. But fear not, my husband took to the tree like a giddy school boy with a chainsaw. As a result we not have lots of firewood and the kids got some new log chairs for their mini-wood playground! Also my wonderful husband made from shipping palates some garden boxes, a compost heap, and planters for us. Oh how I love him!

So I hope this post finds you well. We are all well, especially Miss Brynna. I cannot believe that she will be a month old in two days. Ah the passage of time- what a blessing and a curse. 

Until next time!

Cheers, Nicole 

Welcome Brynna Lisette!

Welcome sweet Brynna Lisette Kleemann! 

After a very long prodomal and active labor, Brynna arrived on Sunday night at 9:26pm. She weighs 6lbs and 8oz and is 19 1/4 inches long. She is my smallest baby by far but oh so sweet. 

We've been home since Monday night and we're feeling great. Thank you for all your love and support. I can't wait to introduce you all more to her over the next few weeks. 

Always, 

Nicole

It Begins!

According to my Bradley book, I am a "putterer"! Since this Saturday I have been regular contractions. I am not sleeping well and I know the end is near. I was a "putterer" with Jonas too (not Deirdre). I am also having back labor again (which I had with Deirdre and not Jonas). 

At any rate, I have the perspective this time around to know that this "puttering" is all good progress and that baby will come in their own timing on their own terms. However with that being said, I still hope it is sooner than later. 

So until then I bid you all Adieu! I am going to go into computer silence in order to relax and focus on my last few days before baby. I will be back when baby arrives. Until then have a great week! 

Always, 

Nicole 

Weekending

Is it already Sunday? Please pinch me then because it feels like Friday!


This weekend we celebrated our firstborn's, Deirdre Cosette, fourth birthday. Her actual birthday is December 18th, one week exactly from Christmas day. So for the past 3 years now we've celebrated it at the beginning of the month to not crowd Christmas- and the other way around. 


Her party this year was a gnome party. It is what she wanted and I was happy to oblige! I think gnome are precious and I tend to shy away from marketed characters. It was a fun day, followed also today by her good friend's birthday party too! In our group of friends we all seem to have winter babies, so it can get crowded! We're happy to share though. 


I will blog more on Monday about the party specifics, how we did it, and why we celebrate birthdays the way we do. I did not have to take pictures at the party either, thanks to my Mother in law. So once I get those photos I will pass them along.


In the meantime I will leave you with a special photo of Deirdre and I on our first day home from the hospital back in 2007 when I was 21 and a newlywed. It is a special photo to me because after I had Deirdre I was in terrible pain for 6 weeks and could not walk. I was eventually diagnosed with pubic symphysis diastasis and the pain did go away, but it still to this day haunts me. 


However despite the pain, I was blessedly totally smitten and in love with my baby. I still wish I could have enjoyed her newborn moments more and been pain free, but this is what I have and they're still precious memories to me. 


So hug your little ones extra close tonight for me. They sure do grow quickly. 

Daily verse or quote: 

A son is a son till he takes him a wife, a daughter is a daughter all of her life.  

~An Irish Proverb

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 

Sick Babies and No Sleep

I do not have the energy to blog tonight. I was going to write about our family's Eco-friendly and Waldorf journey, but I seriously am about to pass out.

Jonas is sick -or- he is teething so badly that he is making himself sick. My heart literally shatters into pieces when my children are hurt or sick. It is even worse when I cannot make it better, and that is where Jonas is tonight (and has been for 2 days now).

So I am going to try to sleep while he is asleep for the first time in more than 24 hours. However I must say that even though I am cranky, tired, and weary as well- I would not trade this for the world. Never.

Also let me just put this out here but this does not make me want to never have anymore children either. It really unnerves when people say this to me when my children act like well...children. Each child is different, a glorious gift, and a blessing all their own. I mean I am not always pleasant to be around, heck I am downright mean when I am sick. Why should I expect a child who just leaned to speak, to act more pleasantly than a grown man when they are sick? Shesssh. (Can you tell that I am weary?)

At any rate, I covet your prayers tonight. Pray for us and for wisdom. We are going to the doctor's tomorrow to see what this might be and hopefully get some answers! In the meantime enjoy some newborn Jonas photos.

Bonne Nuit!

::right now::

::right now:: A weekly Soulemama tradition. 

right now, I am ...

:: marveling that it is almost July. One month until we move into our new home. One month, one month...

:: revisiting memories of my summer pregnancies as I rejoice with my sister and brother (in law- but I'll keep them) about their new little life that will be a girl. Their daughter. My niece. The cousin of my children. 

:: plotting plans for our new home. New rooms and places of love and refugee. And yet I still realize that its not about the new 'things' we have but the love and memories that we will share there- which is what really matters. 

:: finishing the old toys round-up and purge. The twinge of mothering guilt stings less and less each day as I discover that my children do not miss them and are better for it. 

:: stopping myself from running off and spending the new money on lots of new toys, instead getting one heirloom toy , table, bedset, and a rug! 

:: wondering if the baby bluejay that adopted me this evening will make it through the night. Shalom. What will be, will be... by God's grace. 

:: loving my sweet precious daughter whom came home early at 10pm tonight from her overnight stay with Omi because she "missed me and daddy and babyey Jonas Bonus". As I tucked her into bed and gave her lion kisses with my arms wrapped around her, she told me that "this feels much better, this is the right place to be". Oh dear heart and soul be still and savor this. Breath her life in and keep this moment forever. 

:: listening to the cicadas hum. Ah yes this is the song of summer. 

:: thanking the Lord for providing us with a free bed and mattress for my baby Emil Jonas, who is moving into his big bed in a months time. Thank you Nicole Carroll. You and your family are blessings from the Lord to us and our church. 

::weeping as I realize my baby Jonas isn't a baby anymore. They're tears of mixed emotions. Happiness that he is experiencing new parts of God's world. Sadness because of my realization that he will never need me as much as he once did anymore. And immense all encompassing gratitude that the Lord has given me such a beautiful gift, deemed me worthy to receive it, and kept him from harm thus far. 

:: feeling very connected to the needs of my family right now. Mommy needs to hold a bit more this week and clean a bit less. 

:: loving my daughter's heart for those in need. She still prays every night for her friend with CF and his Mommy. 

:: hoping that she keeps her sweet caring spirit with her all her life. 

:: wanting to go back to my mother's house and to the beach. I love the beach. The ocean is just what I needed this weekend! 

:: thinking about the fun musical time we get to have with family tomorrow night- and wishing Craig could be there! 

:: reminding myself that this period is a part of my God's perfect plan and is purposeful. 

:: making lovely home school plans for the Autumn...while I drink more lemonade! 

:: wishing you a lovely summer's eve and a beautiful start to your weekend!  

Sleeping. The poor baby was tired. I must have the touch! 

The silicone dishware giveaway I own, love the MightyNest! 

Spoonflower fabric that I designed and had print. Yep, I am a fabric designer ;) 

Add caption

Baby Bunnies?!

Update: No babies as of tonight! 6/62011

Todays post will be short and sweet! After church today I went outside to check on the chickens and the bunnies in the new coop. Much to my shock and surprise, Duffy (Our new black Dutch) made a nest lined with her fur. I proceeded to watch her for a few minutes and indeed she was busily ripping out her stomach fur and making a straw nest. 

Obviously I was shocked. She does not look any different, so we will see what happens and then if babies do come, we will keep them all and promptly have the all spayed and neutered. 

About two months ago my husband noticed that Cicero (Our almost 7 year old 'female' lionhead rabbit -or so we thought) was looking kinda old. I have had her since 2006 and when I got her she was already 2 years old. I took her to the vet and he sexed her as a female and then gave her all the necessary shots. I chose to not have 'her' spayed because I was only planning on having one rabbit. Well a marriage and two kids later, Cicero is still with us. Craig worried that she would die soon and wanted to get another bunny so that it would not be so hard to the kids. Also let me just put this out here but at first he hated Cicero and Cicero hated him. Have you ever heard a rabbit growl? Well my husband has. Obviously Cicero wanted me all to 'herself'. But I digress! 

Anyway so off to the SPCA we go to adopt a sweet black Dutch female bunny. They did not spay her and we saw no reason to since Cicero was a girl. NOT! After we caught Cicero repeatedly mounting Duffy- we realized the vet had made a huge mistake. But since no babies came we assumed that Cicero- now a boy- was too old. 

So... we will see! My husband and I are excited to have more bunnies and to keep them all, so this should be a fun learning experience. Good thing that we have two coops and one hutch now. 

Cicero aka 'Fluffy'. My first baby in college. I was learning Latin when i got her so I named her Cicero. 

Daily Verse: 

A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.

-Proverbs 17:17