7 Quick Takes Friday

1.  Pregnancy Update:  Almost 32 weeks along!!!  OK, not quite, but I feel it's always important to round up.  :)  We're all getting anxious to meet this little guy who has the funniest in-utero movements.   It seems he may follow in his brother's footsteps and become a fan of taekwondo. 

2.  Speaking of martial arts, last night Mr. 7-year-old earned his camo belt!!!  He's very excited because this means he can begin sparring.   Not so sure how I feel about that, but he's thrilled, and they do wear lots of safety equipment.  Technically, they're not even supposed to make contact... 

3.  Here are some pictures from a recent field trip to our local botanical gardens.  Right now, they have the CUTEST farm exhibit. 

'Milking' a cow - it's water...

Three boys on a scavenger hunt.  They're searching for the plants from which came each of the food products they're holding. 

Digging for veggies.  In real sand.  The kids could have stayed at this display all day.

4.  A sure sign of bedtime, last night our youngest 2 children were arguing over which of their stuffed animals was smarter.  Calg*n take me away...

5.  Wednesday was Miss Felic's Feast Day.  Our tradition is that on your patron saint's special day, you get to choose the dinner menu.  So, her choices were: lemonade, sprite, broccoli, cheddar cheese, and cupcakes with sprinkles.  I rounded it out with a new chicken recipe.  Sts. Felicity and Perpetua, pray for us!!!

6.  Reading a good book (I'm not that far into it, but so far, so good) called The Hour That Matters Most by Les and Leslie Parrott.  It's all about the importance of families having dinner together on a regular basis.  We do a lot of this already, but these authors are inspiring me to try to make it a little more special.  They also cite lots of research on how kids behavior corresponds positively with eating regular family meals.  Interesting. 

7.  On my nesting list of things to do:  sweeping all the blinds, reorganizing our sewing area, cleaning out all the closets, swapping the kids winter/summer clothes, starting some seeds for the garden.  Think we'll make it?