Back with something New!

Howdy! It felt good to take a little break from the self-induced pressure of posting every day but I'm back. Tuesday, I spent most of the day working on some design stuff. Wednesday Jim had the day off so we ran some typical errands - a trip to Lowe's, ran into the mall, swung past the car dealership and spent the next few hours there buying a new (to us) minivan. After reading Total Money Makeover I decided that even though we could afford a new vehicle, I wanted to get a previously owned vehicle where we weren't eating the majority of the depreciation. We spent about 9 months researching what we wanted for our family and we had it narrowed down to two choices. On a whim we drove them both yesterday and this one was the winner!

By going with a previously owned (lease return) Sienna XLE NAV, we were able to get all the options that we had only daydreamed about getting and a monthly payment that was lower than what we had budgeted. So, we're all on a new car high and having fun figuring out all the bells and whistles.

The caterpillars are all still in their chrysalises but if you look close enough, you can kind of make out the wings so in the next few days I bet we'll have butterflies! I'll be sure to share pictures just as soon as I have them!!!

We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

Romans 8:28

Thanks to my friend, A, for sending this along to me tonight. You know how I needed to read it and it's such a good thing for us all to remember!

I Know...

I know I said that I was ok taking a few days off from this blogging thing. I also said that if I had something exciting to share, I would. Today the last, big fat caterpillar finally made his way to the top of the container and started his transformation. I wasn't able to get a decent picture because of all the 'silk' that they have made. Tomorrow they will be moving, very carefully, into their butterfly pavilion. There's one that I'm a bit concerned about. "He's" the first one that grew his chrysalis. He was up there, minding his business, doing his caterpillar thing and two others crawled up next to him and literally, started poking at him like a little punching bag. He doesn't seem to be attached to the top of the container like he should be, he seems to be being suspended by the silk around him. Luckily is does say that if one should happen to not attach to the little paper in the top of the lid, that we can place it on a napkin or paper towel and it should still develop. Here's to hoping!

Oh Holli, the edd is kind of a weird thing for me. *forgive me for using lingo* Based on LMP it was 7/29, on DOC 8/4 and based on u/s (measuring 6w 4d) 8/7... so I get to drag it out for over a week, but really, I'm doing much better with it than I thought too. :)

I Think I'm Ready...

I think I'm ready to stop the "competition" with myself. I have written at least one entry per day since I started this blog and I have finally found that maybe, just maybe I can't keep up with the every day entries. As much as I am not looking forward to the thoughts of the next week or two (when we expected, back this winter to be holding a new baby), I think coming up on the due date is an important mile stone. It feels like it kind of completes that whole "what if" vein of thought. No, I will not wake up on the 8th of August and have all thoughts of Eli buttoned up and put away but I do think... hope... that it will feel like some of this craziness is behind me. I've been looking forward for a while now and now it's time to put my words into actions I think.

I still expect to be on here quite often. I'm hoping that some day I'll be able to use the blog for a pregnancy that lasts longer than 5 1/2 weeks, or 12 weeks, or 17 weeks... that goes full term and is full of health and happiness. But for now I'm feeling ok with where I am in my healing process with losing Eli and I don't want to mess that up!

Family Friday...

Sorry in advance for the boring post. It's going to be a quick one since it's late. My mom is here for the weekend which is nice. She actually has a class reunion tomorrow not too far from the house... I think it's like her 75th or something like that. No really, it's her 35th so that should be fun for her. Tonight we all went to Jim's last two softball games of the season, the weather was beautiful and they won one and lost one. This kids were really good all day and OH! 4 of the 5 caterpillars have started their chrysalises. The last one is STILL eating! I'm hoping to just have a laid back day tomorrow so it should be nice. Hope to be pack tomorrow with something a little more exciting, or maybe not, boring is good these days.

Change is in the Air...

As you can see, our little caterpillars are getting ready to go through a miraculous change. Before they form the chrysalis, they crawl to the top of their container and hang upside down kind of like a letter J. By tomorrow, I expect that all 5 of them will be in this position and beginning their transformation to beautiful butterflies.

But me, to put it bluntly... I suck at change. I shop at my familiar stores and drive on familiar roads. I have my typical foods that I order and Jim doesn't even have to ask me what I want from Starbucks. I like my routines and my safe places. I do not like change. Sadly, that's a conflict that I'm going to need to deal with. There seems to be change every time I turn around these days but I know it's not just me. I think I'm just having a difficult time processing it all.

I suppose that's part of the internal drama that I face when trying to have another kid. Every day brings change - one more obsession, one day closer to something different but I can't prepare myself for what it is because I don't know which way things are going to go. Yah. I'm not so good at that.

Less Word Wednesday...

Ahhhh, so. much. better! AND, bonus, it ended up being a birthday gift from a super-duper great friend!!! Does it get any better than that? Loved the salon and I'll be returning... do I sense some color in my future?! ;)

Today was so relaxing and wonderful. I have a handful of prayer requests. Prayers that all involve big changes in the lives of various friends. My friends M, B, J, K, and S all have some wonderful changes on the horizon for them. Job changes, family changes, big moves, babies... My prayer is that each one of them is able to transition into their blessings with ease and grace and that they gain nothing but joy from these changes!