Could it be? A new post!

Several of my friends have razzed me for not having written a new post for so long so, without further delay.....here you go! It is hard to believe that we are already well into the month of March. In just four days Jacob will be turning eight years old! I can hardly believe it!

Juliana and Jacob have begun playing Upward Soccer at our church. This is the first time they have ever participated in an organized sport. Their first game is this Saturday on Jake's birthday and their final day of soccer is in May, on Juliana's birthday. I am having a hard time getting out the door each Monday night at 5 PM to head to soccer practice. I don't know how moms who have one or two baseball practices per week, plus games do it!

Jared is a ref for Upward and has enjoyed his ref whistle very much. It has to be the LOUDEST whistle I have ever heard and he takes great delight in using it to scare me out of my whits, giving it a loud toot when I least expect it! Very funny, I know.

In addition to soccer, we have begun replacing the carpet in our living areas and the linoleum in the kitchen with some beautiful, hardwood flooring. The original plan was to just replace the carpet in our pool room as it smelled like a kennel out there (i know...gross!). However, we were able to purchase enough flooring for all of the living areas and probably one bedroom. The project has taken on a life of it's own and has now also included changing out all of the kitchen base cabinets on one side of the kitchen. We will change out the other ones as money allows. The floor looks great! It is nail down, tongue and groove flooring. Todd had to purchase a compressor and nail gun to lay it. I saw stars in his eyes at the thought of these wonderful new tools! We have completed the pool room, eat-in part of the kitchen and will have the rest of the kitchen completed tonight.

The garden is coming along very well. We should be harvesting the cabbages that have been in since the fall very soon. I am torn between working in the house and being outside in the garden. Then of course, don't forget that ther is school to be done too. I must say though that the square foot method of gardening requires the least amount of weekly work as far as weeding goes. The three youngest are my best garden helpers and I love being out there with them.

I have posted at the top some pictures of a project Juliana and Jacob did a few weeks ago. The assignment was to collect materials that a bird would use for building a cup nest and then build one themselves. They decided that not only are the birds much better equiped at nest building but the kids were amazed at birds ability to build something so intricate with no hands to work with. They did a pretty good job but their nests didn't hold up very well and they each weighed about a pound.