Old fashioned ramblings

I miss the days of old when bloggers would write whatever was on their minds or going on that day. It felt like catching up over a cup of coffee whenever I got to sit down and read it. Nowadays, blogs have to have so much purpose, often trying to sell a product or tutorial. Those are great, but I do miss the way it used to be. 

On that note, how about some ramblings from this old blogger?

1. We have been postponing and avoiding the inevitable vehicle upgrade. When we got the Expedition after Audrey was born, it felt enormous. We couldn't imagine outgrowing it. Honestly, we haven't outgrown the vehicle size, but we are outgrowing the seat count. One of the things that made this vehicle affordable to us back then was that there were no third row seats. We didn't need them and we loved all the space in the back. It was quite convenient to leave the double stroller, beach toys, beach chairs, towels, a box going to the thrift store, and books in the back all of the time. Every time hubby thinks about buying something new, he laments over how we'll fit all of that and finally I just admitted to him that it's completely unrealistic to think that'll be possible. Nobody else does that! We just got used to it. 

Well, this week the Expedition decided not to start when the temps were well below zero. We've had no problems with this vehicle (seriously, we've never had to replace anything at all) so whatever it is, I'm not too concerned. Hubby has an idea what it is, has bought the part, and plans to give the vehicle a good cleaning once it's good to go and running again. And then we sell it. Just like that! Now I'm driving the (nicer, newer) truck while hubby drives the (older, very simple) work truck. He was a little upset that he couldn't get it running before he had to leave town for work, but we put things into perspective quickly when we realized that we are so blessed to have three vehicles so that we can do this shuffle, sell the vehicle, and take our time looking for a new one instead of buying the first thing we find. Also, a huge thing that we are so used to and take for granted, we'll be able to buy a new-to-us vehicle with cash, no loan needed. How can we grumble when we have the means to do that? So we start the week with good attitudes, knowing that God will provide what we need before we have four kids to seat instead of three. 

Well that one was long.

2. I keep asking Amelia where her baby brother is, just trying to get used to that word brother. She's been great at saying hi to the baby, giving my tummy hugs and kisses, and even initiating this little bit on her own without being asked. Mommy is the one that needs the help now. I've also been doing some online window shopping. I have a vague idea of what I want, but in all honesty the budget matters more than the style, so it's just for fun right now. I've never dressed a boy! It's so fun to look through all the options (there's more than you fellow boy moms let on) and see what I like and don't like. Already I've gotten some resistance from my hubby. He is not so much into anything hipster-like and apparently I am when it comes to baby boys. Who knew? 

I'm hoping to keep things veeeeery simple with this little guy. Think minimalist wardrobe. Naturals, earth tones, mix and match clothing, etc. With the girls, I always knew there'd be another girl to follow to wear what didn't get worn by older sisters. With this guy, I want to make sure we wear everything we have. I hate the idea of being wasteful. Or having way too much. It'll be a balancing act.

3. I'm itching to go through the clothes Amelia has outgrown. Those bins are absolutely overflowing and there are really only a handful of neutral clothes in there that I can set aside for this baby. I walk into the nursery and see those bins and just dream about how roomy that closet will be. When I see the overflowing dresser (also full of outgrown clothes) I dream about seeing it neatly divided into clothes for the toddler and clothes for the baby. I'm adulting hard over here. Who dreams about clean rooms?

The big girls' room is actually not overtaken with clothes. I know, that's shocking. Because Audrey can wear the next size below Josie, I don't have to pack it up and store it in between. The only thing that I store for them is summer clothes (one bin total) and shoes (another bin). Everything else is what Audrey has outgrown, waiting for Amelia, so it's in Amelia's room. That's also only two more bins. It's so nice to open their closets and see a reasonable amount of clothing that they can actually wear right now. 

4. Hubby busted me the other day on my lack of cooking this season. I was explaining to him how little I have to do throughout the week because of weekend leftovers, small group, etc, and he reminded me that he has been doing most of the weekend cooking. I can't help it that I'm always completely uninspired when pregnant. He comes up with all these great ideas while I sit there nodding, saying, "oh yes, that sounds good!" and then he says, "I'll just make it" since he has the idea in his head anyways. I want to enjoy cooking again, but I'm also realistic. Its most likely not going to happen until about six months after baby is born. Insert sad, frustrated face here.

5. I'm surprising myself with how little disappointment I've had with winter this year. I missed most of fall weather because of being sick all the time, so when winter came, I think I was just relieved to be able to hunker down at home without being sick. The older two girls are big enough to play outside without me so I'm able to lovingly shove them outside when they are driving me crazy. I know we have a solid three months more of winter, but I actually don't mind the cold and snow as long as the temps stay above or around 10 degrees or so. Of course, that won't happen consistently for a while now but it's a season, and right now I'm okay with being stuck inside most of the time.

Josie's been staying up a little later than her sisters these days and I've been teaching her how to play Crazy Eights to pass the time. Hubby saw this and immediately sat down to teach her Gin Rummy. It's harder so she wasn't quite as into it, but it was a blast and a peak into our future with more kids able to play our favorite games.