On My Mind Today....

-Praise the Lord it's cooler!!  103 heat index yesterday was torture.  Especially since I was in it for 3 hours. With 5 kids...At least we were at a pool and I was wise enough to abandon my pride and be in it too.  I may be 7 months pregnant, but I'm not stupid :) 

-I'm totally and completely excited about junior high camp next week!  I know, am I crazy??  Right now the count is at 110 campers, 30+ staff, plus Ava and I :) She is going to be out of her mind with all the kids, constant activity, attention and freedom to run!  And I'm going to be out of my mind because I don't have to cook, clean or go to the grocery store for a week!  Not to mention I'll have 110 eager helpers all around me.  Yep, camp sounds heavenly to me at this point!  

-I'm missing my entire family who are having fun in Virginia Beach this week!  Unfortunately the timing didn't work out for us to join them this particular week, but we wish it would have.  We skyped last night with both Texie and all of my family...Ava was thoroughly confused I think!  She likes to touch everyone's faces on the screen but I think she can't figure out why they don't touch her back :)   Thank Heaven for skype though, it makes long distances seem so much shorter!  

-I am slowly but deliberately picking more things up for our sweet little Carter!  My nesting instincts are in overdrive and lately I've just been feeling more and more excited about having him here with us.  I can't wait to meet him, to see all of his little features, to hear his newborn cry and feel that euphoria of parenthood all over again.  I've felt guilty about the lack of time I've been able to devote to him already in this pregnancy, but in a strange way, I'm also thinking that's the Lord helping me realize that every child is different and so is each of their experiences.  There are things that will be unique to little Carter that weren't  so with Ava and vice versa.  I'm choosing not to let guilt eat me alive and to remember that it's always authored by the father of lies, never the Lord.  I'm still transitioning into the world of "boys" but it is exciting to me to think of us having a daughter and a son.  Plus, I'm learning how to find the cute clothes, as opposed to the truckloads of lame clothes that are out there!  It's 10 times more of a challenge, but that's part of the fun too :) Carter has already carved a place in our hearts and now we're really enjoying the idea of carving a place in our home for him too.  It may be a closet, but it will be his!  With all kinds of treasures lovingly and deliberately chosen by his Mom.  Someone remind him of that when he's older and discovers that his first nursery was a walk in closet!!  Back me up people :) 

-I bought a new candle yesterday because I realized we've burned most of ours and it's making me smile today.  We are both candle people :) We like the smell of a rich candle burning and we like the ambiance around here too.  It's the simple things, right??  I'm thinking we're overdue for a candle-lit dinner, after Ava goes to bed.  We had a really good discussion last night about being more intentional with our time for each other and date nights.  It's not feasible for us to be out every week and hire a baby-sitter each time, but we can do as many date nights in as we need!  I think I'm going to stop and pick up a few things for that today...I love that kind of stuff and Homegoods or a thrift store are great places to pick that up!  Fun glasses to drink out of, special candles, real napkins and a great menu :) Kind of makes me excited for bedtime already!!  I'm convinced it doesn't always take much money or grand plans to build a good marriage.  Sometimes little pleasures, intentional timing, and attention to each other will work wonders...

-Finally, there is a reason I only make spaghetti about once a month right now!  

It is my child's favorite meal by far and Travis and I really love it too....

But I can only handle the clean-up from this meal about once every 30 days!!  

What a little cutie she is, even when she's covered from head to toe in sauce!  She ate 2 platefuls of spaghetti, plus watermelon, plus bread and before she could even get that last bite in her mouth, her bath water was already waiting for her :)  We were amazed at how much she was able to get in her mouth with her little fork, but it didn't take long for her to realize that she could eat faster and more by just shoving it in.  We laughed a lot during dinner last night, which really is worth every ounce of sauce that landed on the floor...