What we've been up to

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile. Things have been busy, busy around here as usual. I would love to post some recent pictures of the kids but our camera is being naughty and all the pictures are turning out blurry. I'm sure if I remembered to have Sam look at it, it would be fixed in a second. So I'll just have to remember to tell him.

Here are some of the things that have kept us busy lately:

*Potty-training Kayley. It is not going great but we just keep pushing ahead. It seems we are either in a bit of a power struggle or maybe the diaper is just too convenient. I've tried everything you can possibly think of to make it "click" for her. She probably has potty success about 40% of the time. I'm not used to this since Aubrie was totally trained by this age. As Kayley nears her third birthday on August 10, I sometimes get nervous and wonder, "Will she ever be potty trained?" Well...of course she will. I highly doubt she'll be wearing diapers as an adult. But it sure would be nice if she chose to do it sooner rather than later.

*Baby-proofing absolutely everything and chasing after a very active little baby boy. Christian is enjoying his new found freedom now that he is crawling and pulling up on things and it's a constant job to keep him safe and out of stuff. He loves to crawl around the house after his sisters and see what they're up to. He still loves to be held, though and always has to keep an eye on Mama when he's on the floor playing. He's pretty laid back about other people holding him, as long as he can still keep me in sight and as long as he's not tired. It's fun to watch my little boy change and grow!

*Aubrie has been taking a break from home-schooling and we have decided to start kindergarten in full force this fall. I was all gung-ho about starting her early because she was so eager to learn and learning things so quickly... but after a few false starts, I have just realized that life is too crazy and busy right now. It is a huge challenge to find that one hour a day that I need to sit down with her and focus without constant interruptions and distractions from her siblings. Plus, with her going to day camp for five days this summer, swimming lessons, family reunions, and the tons of other stuff we have lined up for this summer, I know it's okay to hold off for now.

I know she will do GREAT when we officially start this fall. She was already doing excellent and starting to read and it was a lot of fun. She is a joy to teach. And we will definitely continue to do learning projects this summer and she has a couple of kindergarten computer programs that she works on almost daily. But with a baby and a very ambitious -- needs to be closely watched at all times --likes to constantly get in trouble -- almost three-year-old, I am to the point where I am okay with not starting early and getting things going in the fall. I did take Aubrie to a Christian school about a month ago for a kindergarten screening, just to make sure she is where she is supposed to be after her year of pre-school and our sporadic, informal schooling at home and she did fabulous. So we're right on track and I look forward to her starting kindergarten "for real" in the fall!

*I have been swimming, swimming, swimming. We got a family membership at the YMCA in January in hopes of being more active and for me, to help in losing the baby weight from being pregnant with Christian, to tone muscle, and to feel better! I decided to start with swimming and haven't looked back since. I love it! Sam was a competitive swimmer growing up and I was not. But, after doing lots of reading on technique, watching other people in the lap pool, and getting tips from Sam, I finally feel like I am getting to be a more efficient swimmer. And what a great workout!

I will admit that I don't always feel like getting in the car and going when I have dinner to make and a million other responsibilities pulling at me, but I try to just make it a part of my day and to stick with it. I will confess that I lost some motivation in April and slacked off a bit and didn't go as often as I should have. But, I got back on the wagon in May and have been able to go consistently and lengthen the time I can swim without resting as I continue to build endurance. Just to give you an idea -- when I started in January I could hardly do half a lap without having to stop and huff and puff and rest. And yesterday afternoon, I was able to swim the crawl continuously without stopping for a 27 minute stretch! Whoo-hoo! It felt great, too!

As for losing weight...well the pounds are being very stubborn and I've only lost about 6.5 pounds. But regardless of what the scale says, I know it is good for me physically and mentally to swim and I want to stick with it. There are so many benefits to it beyond just the physical improvements. After a long day at home with demanding kids, laundry, cooking, cleaning, etc., it is so nice to get an hours break a few times a week and renew my mind for awhile. Sam is very gracious about hanging out with the kids at home so I can go. Thanks, honey! Also, the Y is only a couple miles from our house so that is very convenient and then I don't have to be gone as long or spend a ton of time fighting traffic.

I have found that swimming is a great time to pray too. I have had many heavy burdens on my heart the past couple of weeks concerning a family member whose marriage is struggling and so I have been praying hard as I swim. When I'm not praying, I find that I have all sorts of interesting conversations running through my head as I swim. Funny, huh? I think I talk to myself a lot. I hope that's normal. :)

*Sam and I are enjoying the improving weather and have been spending more time outside with the kids and each other. Last night we had a campfire after supper and roasted s'mores and that was real fun. We've also got plenty of yard work and garden preparing to keep us busy for awhile. Sam and I enjoy our evenings together after the kids are in bed and are working on memorizing the book of James together. Sam is still leading worship at our church and loving it and every once in awhile, I join him and that is fun. Sam is mentoring a 22 year old guy from our church and that has been a blessing. We also hope to start discipling a younger couple we know who are expecting their first baby in October and I'm looking forward to that and praying for God to help us all learn in the process! We certainly are no experts but I would love to share some things with this couple that we've learned along the way since we got married almost seven years ago and how God has worked in our lives and molded us.

So that's the latest with us! Hope everyone is having a good week so far!