The Saturday 7

1. Today, we hosted my Grandpa's 90th birthday celebration with my Dad's side of the family. I get my introverted genes from my dad and his family, so it's no wonder that we only see each other once every few years. Haha. It was great to catch up with everyone.

2. As a result of the big party today, all I did this week was clean. I'm a lazy housekeeper and at least attempt to surface clean during the week - vacuum, wipe down counters, clean the bathroom, etc. But I never do the nitty gritty cleaning. I actually dusted this week. If you were thinking of stopping by for a spontaneous visit, now would be the time to do it. (Just kidding. Remember those introverted genes I was just talking about? Spontaneous visits give me anxiety.)

3. I've been forcing my way through the grace-based parenting book. I only have three chapters to go (and 6 days to read them!). My overall impression so far is that it's a great idea. I think it has Biblical backing. It makes sense logically. But I still don't understand how to apply it practically. Maybe my kids are still too little, but her suggestions just seem way too complicated. This is one example that I snapped a picture of:

You might have to click on it in order to make it big enough to read. But those two long paragraphs in the middle are what you're supposed to tell your kids when they won't pick up their toys. I read it to my mom-friends the other day and they all kind of glazed over. Can you imagine a little kid listening to/understanding all that?!

4. Yesterday, after a long day of cleaning, Justin took the girls outside to play. It hadn't been long when he came in with a crying Lena:

She was running through the yard and smacked her head into the wooden part of the hammock. In the time it took him to carry her from the backyard to the house, that bruise/goose-egg appeared on her forehead. I've never seen anything bruise so quickly! She refused to let me put ice on it, but the swelling actually went down a ton overnight. I showed her a picture and she said, "My head is blue!" I told her it looked like make-up, so she thinks she's totally cool now. Haha.

5. The farmers have been harvesting the wheat right next to our house. The girls love it:

And so do I:

Can you see the tractor in the distance? I love country life.

6. Justin and I actually looked at a house for sale this week. We're not really ready to buy yet [so close to paying off our student loans!], but this one was so cheap, we were tempted. Here's the link. It is tiiiiiny. Only two [minuscule] bedrooms to cram ourselves and 3 kids in. But for that price, we were really considering it. We drove over and peeked in all the windows (foreclosure - no one's living there) and decided we should at least call our realtor and check it out. I called the next day and the realtor informed me that it already has four offers on it! Ha! We're not interested in a bidding war, so we decided not to pursue it. It'd be nice to live on our own again, but we really have a good thing going here with my parents. And I honestly think it was a God-thing that we moved here when we did. Lena was 6 weeks old and just beginning to show signs of colic . . . while I was just beginning to show signs of post-partum depression. I needed the community and nearness of family then. And I probably will again in a few months when I have another newborn. Plus, Lena would not know what to do without Grandma . . .

7. I can't think of a last one, and should really be in bed, so I'm just going to leave this here . . .

Teehee