Life lately & the advent season

I have a post mostly typed up about all our preparations for the new baby's arrival, and I should publish that soon. But apart from specific labor- and birth- preparations, life has been rather full lately! Here are some things we've been up to during November and into this advent season:

We had a fire on a chilly night (this was back in early November). I love seeing how cozy our home looks from outside at night.

My sister-in-law, Katelyn, and her boyfriend, Devin, got engaged! We are thrilled for them and so excited for all the wedding planning and festivities next year. In early November, we headed down to Indianapolis, where both Katelyn and Devin live. I went dress shopping with Katelyn and some other ladies from the bridal party, while Nicholas took the boys to the Indy Children's Museum, and everyone had a very good day. We all had dinner together at Garden Table (delicious!), and then we took the boys for the first-ever hotel pool experience. After a yummy breakfast at Patachou, we drove home. Such a fun little getaway and I'm so glad I could be with Katelyn when she found her wedding dress.

We met friends at parks on blustery days. And my friend Kathleen and I finally got a picture of us with our pregnant bellies! She has since had her sweet baby. What a gift, thank you, Lord!

I went to the eye doctor and had a hair appointment, since things like that are significantly more straightforward right now! My hair definitely feels lighter and brighter and refreshed.

My friend Clara stopped by for the afternoon and for dinner and it was so wonderful. We grew up together (her parents are my godparents), and so she's like a sister. She played hours of legos with Cooper (bless you, Clara) and we all had chicken wild rice soup, homemade bread, and cookies. Life circumstances and a distance between us mean we don't see each other often, but it always fills my heart up so much when we do! The boys adored her, not surprisingly.

We bought a bunk bed for the boys! After searching for a very long time, we finally settled on an oak, Amish-made one, and we are so pleased with it. The boys love it, and we opted for a twin-over-full size, so that Nicholas or I can lay on the bottom with Finn, if need be. Although we really have enjoyed cosleeping with our boys, it's so nice to see them have their own space, and to have more room in our bed for our newest addition! Five people in one bed sure sounded like a bit much. Nicholas picked up an order from IKEA for bedding and now their room feels especially cozy.

We had our first (big) snow! It fell on the day that the bunk beds arrived. Cooper declared that it was "the most perfect day ever," since my love of snow is something he shares, as well. The boys played in the snow, we had snow-themed school, we made our favorite "milk drinks," which are basically egg-yolk-containing, protein-rich hot chocolates, and then when Nicholas got home, we assembled the bunk bed. It really was a wonderful day.

My friend Molly came over a few days after her birthday for our tradition of coffee and knitting and gifts on birthdays. And she opened her gift – a swift and yarn winder – and she learned how to use them! So fun. She is one of my very best knitting buddies.

We celebrated Thanksgiving with my father-in-law and Katelyn and Devin. I cooked and baked a lot this year (phew), while my father-in-law did the turkey, and Katelyn and Nicholas' dad made the mashed potatoes, and the meal was delicious. The boys entertained themselves quite a bit, so we were able to play a few rounds of Blank Space. We enjoyed coffee and pumpkin pie, as well as these delicious cookies (I subbed in peppermint extract for the vanilla, and added 2 tsp cinnamon to the dry ingredients for my very favorite peppermint-cinnamon-chocolate combination) after our big meal.

Nicholas had some time off, so we worked on a Christmasy puzzle (this was a very fun one!) and I was happy to finish off the pumpkin pie, since no one else in our little family cares for it.

We decorated the house for Christmas! We have our tree up and little bits of Christmasy joy sprinkled around the house. I have started wrapping gifts, since I figured I could at least prioritize Nicholas' gifts before the baby arrives. And every gift that needs to be mailed has been sent off!

And now, I am trying to stay on top of my weekly cleaning routine with dusting, bathrooms, laundry, etc as best I can, while also keeping up with my Bible recap and making time to work on some fun creative projects (knitting and a little bit of sewing, as well!). I do feel like creative projects are a necessary consideration in my nesting: wrapping up projects that are nearly finished, as well as starting longer-term projects that will be easy to pick up and work on, even in the postpartum period. I will try to squeeze in at least one more blog post about some recently completed projects before the baby arrives.

All that said, it's been a very full last few months, and we are very excited to meet this little boy or girl! We covet your prayers as we anticipate his or her arrival and the adjustment to life as a family of five. And at the same time, we anticipate the celebration of the birth of Christ and the eternal hope He brings!