A few of my favourite things (right now)...

1. Downton Abbey

Brian and I got hooked on this show in January while in Cuba. We would huddle around our laptop on the balcony at night while Wesley was sleeping, watching one episode after the next and staying up waaay too late! The characters and their story lines are so absorbing, and it's so fascinating to watch the portrayal of two completely different but intersecting lifestyles (the elite and the working class who serve them). Not to mention the gorgeous scenery and period costumes! Season 3 just started airing in the UK, and we are very legally downloading and devouring the new episodes! 

2. Pumpkin

One of my favourite things about fall! I'm loving my pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks, pumpkin smoothies, pumpkin cranberry loaf, pumpkin ravioli, pumpkin in my oatmeal... I"ll put it in just about anything! And they're not just for eating either! They looks so gorgeous on my front steps and on my mantel. Wesley has a tiny little pumpkin that we carved up the other day with one of those battery-operated tea lights inside. He's so enthralled with his "jack"!

3. Maternity pants

It was seriously such a revelation when I said to myself the other day, "why can't I wear maternity pants at 14 weeks pregnant?" I dug out the box of maternity clothes and have been living a much more comfortable and button-free existence ever since!

4. Dave Matthews Band - Away From the World

I've been a DMB fan for a long time and eagerly await each new album. Their new one is a goodie. A more mellow and subtle album then things they've done recently. Very chill. Perfect background music for fall baking or a Sunday drive. 

5. Homemade Cheddar Bay Biscuits

The recipe for these heavenly, buttery puffs of deliciousness from a "popular seafood restaurant chain" is really simple and nearly as good as the restaurant ones! Definitely not an everyday indulgence, but I made these the other night to go with chili and the two biscuits I allowed myself were worth every calorie-rich bite!

6. Pinterest

I may have a slight obsession here. What an easy way to spend an hour... or two... An inspiring and dangerous tool for a crafter, diy-er, teacher, aspiring designer, wanna-be chef and mom!

7. 'Sleeping in'

That's in quotations because before I had kids I would have laughed at the idea that 7:30 am was sleeping in! But Wesley has recently decided to start treating us to an extra hour - instead of his usual 6:30 am wake-up call - and it's been sooo lovely. Just what this pregnant momma is needing to make it through the day!

8. Flavia de Luce series (or The Buckshaw Chronicles)

This is a mystery series whose protagonist is a precocious 11 year old detective living in 1950s England. So a unique and well-written; not only keeps you engaged in the unravelling mystery but also keeps you laughing at Flavia's hi-jinks. 

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

I have a little person the size of a peach growing inside me!

Now that I'm feeling back to "normal" again - goodbye nausea and extreme exhaustion! - I find myself forgetting at times about this crazy, incredible thing my body is doing... growing a human being! The only real evidence of this right now is my pants feeling suspiciously snug and the appearance of eating one too many cupcakes!.. which maybe I have, since I've been craving sugar like crazy this pregnancy. With Wesley I got off easy and craved grapefruit and eggs, and while I'm TRYING to maintain my typically healthy diet, sometimes I just can't say no to my body's demand for Swedish Berries and Nibs!

It's definitely true that the second pregnancy is more laid-back (as I'm sure life with the second baby will be!) because you just don't have the brain-space to devote to thinking about it all day! So it's often not till I'm snuggled up under the duvet at night in the dark and quiet that it really hits me... the full revelation of this miracle. This tiny person, fearfully and wonderfully made... whose face and name the Lord knew before time began. I wonder and dream and pray about who they will be, and I speak words of health and faith over their precious life.

Not long after Wesley was born, a lovely, wise woman in our church wrote me a note of encouragement in which she said that I was the exactly right mother for him. That the Lord chose ME to be this child's mom... not because I was going to be a perfect mom, but the perfect mom for Wesley. I've always reminded myself of those words in moments of frustration or uncertainty. What a gift to be the 'perfect' mom for this little peanut as well!

For you created my inmost being;

    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

    your works are wonderful,

    I know that full well.

My frame was not hidden from you

    when I was made in the secret place,

    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.

Your eyes saw my unformed body;

    all the days ordained for me were written in your book

    before one of them came to be.

~ Psalm 139: 13-16

What we've been up to...

In the throes of the my pregnancy-induced exhaustion I've been finding it pretty hard to keep up with and entertain my wonderfully energetic toddler. The thing about second pregnancies though is that you don't really have a choice about getting up in the morning or doing something during your day - there's a little person depending on you, and you owe it to them to be present. Thank the Lord for naptime!!

Anyway, I've been making an effort to try and do something fun and different with Wesley every couple of days. He's getting to an age where he's able to focus on something for longer than 30 seconds now, and it's really so fun to see him get excited about things and watch him interact with the world around him.

I'm so in love with Pinterest for all the fabulous ideas for toddler activities (and more!) that you can find.

In case you're looking for some ideas as well, here are some of the activities/games/crafts we've tried or are planning to try... (click on the link for explanation)

Coloured rice 

I Spy Bottle  

Ocean Sensory bath 

Filling the kitchen sink up with water and bubbles and "washing" the dishes

Treasure frozen in ice 

Human body sensory tub

Bowling with paper towel tubes (or other household items) and ball

Magnets on cookie sheets

Digging for treasure in shredded paper

Paint in large ziploc bags taped to the table (no mess!)

Paper plate ring toss (cut the middle out of paper plates and toss onto paper towel tube)

Go nuts with stickers!

Fun with shaving cream

Coming Soon...

I've been a fairly absent blogger lately, although I think you might agree that my "excuse" is a good one...

Here's our little nugget at 9 weeks... just the size of an olive!

We're expecting our second baby at the end of March!! We're thrilled to pieces over this new addition to our family and can't wait to meet him/her! Wesley has no real clue what's going on, although he will point to my belly if Daddy asks him where Mommy's new baby is! Poor little guy has no idea his world is soon to change...

We didn't find out the sex the first time, but we're planning to this round... mostly because if it's a girl I'm going to want to do lots of shopping! My mother's intuition is telling me girl and I was right with Wesley, so we'll see...

So how does this relate to my lack of blogging? Well, I've just been too darn exhausted to do anything but sit on the couch or sleep anytime I get a free minute! There's nothing like pregnancy fatigue... I've felt like a sleep-walking zombie somedays, barely able to put one foot in front of the other - let alone keep up with a very active 20 month-old! Thankfully, I seem to be coming out of that first trimester haze (I'm 12 weeks now) and hopefully should be feeling back to my old, energetic self soon!