Right now...

...I'm working on new sewing projects, which I'll have pictures of soon. One is a birthday present, so I'll have to wait until it's been received by my niece; the other is waiting to be completed when I know a gender for this babe (next Wednesday, hopefully!).

...I'm enjoying John and Havilah more than ever. They are so different, but both so much fun. 

....Havilah is good at playing by herself, loves to hide and crawl into small and/or awkward places, and is imitating many words (go, Hava, go!). She is covered in bruises and bumps which highlight her daring personality and her almost non-existent perception of danger. oh Havilah! She still loves to read, eat, and will even snuggle for a moment if I bribe her with chocolate.

...John has learned how to chew gum ("dum") and how not to swallow it. Gum chewing is his homework from speech therapy--it's easy for me (ok, effortless) and he loves it! He has had a new spurt of words this last week but the most encouraging change is that he has reached a new level of confidence and will try almost any word I ask of him (alligator! swish! butterfly!), including prospective baby names. He is diligently working on potty training and loves his undies (sorry John, tmi) and sometimes I think we're 99 percent there...and then we take a step back. He loves board games these days so we've been breaking into Chutes & Ladders, Connect Four, puzzles, and Memory (3-year-old style).

...I'm looking forward to going to Portland in April for a chance to see our parents, all of my siblings, and my Portland friends. Hooray!

...I have a belly full of homemade bread and have vowed to not go back to store-bought. It's cheaper, healthier, fresher, and oh, oh, oh so delicious.

...I'm wishing I could have a huge vegetable garden this year but it's just so difficult in this climate (something about lettuce + 115 degrees just doesn't work for me). I guess my veggie days will have to wait until we live someplace cooler.

...my stomach is protruding and catches me off guard whenever I see myself in the mirror. Wait! What's wrong with my abdomen? Oh yeah, a baby! I keep forgetting. I should start feeling the baby next week...maybe that will help me remember what's going on.

...I'm reading Carpe Diem by Tony Campolo. Good stuff. His point is that we can go through our whole lives without really living. Like I said, good stuff.

Here's to enjoying life, whatever it is you're doing right now!