time with mama

today it is in the lower 70's and sunny. ransom and i took a walk to the newport library park and then a long loop down bellevue ave. to our home. we looked at lots of trucks and such b/c there has been roadwork. ransom is thrilled with trucks of all sizes and shapes. its really fun to see his boyness come out even more as i have more time to focus on him, since the girls are away this week. after we got home i made us a picnic lunch and we sat out on our lawn in the back and had fun eating together. it was actually quite warm out there - dare i say "hot"!! we raked up leaves and sticks and i got excited about the potluck bbq/worship night we are having at our home on saturday night. we are probably going to buy some sort of a firepit to sit around. it reminds me of our nightly rituals in san diego, with all the point loma vineyard crowd. miss those guys. its nearly summer here in newport. i am already talking about beach passes and the summer season here. its going to get crowded but so so welcome. i have the windows open right now and might just run outside for a bit more sunshine and more of my book before the boy wakes up.

drumroll please!!! the newest plaster

in all of the busyness of calling family members and friends and the general crazy household that we live in, i completely forgot to post about our newest baby coming, the sex and the Name.

so here it is --- we are having a BOY!! his name is Blaise Llewellyn Plaster. due aug. 28th, 2008.

blaise -- french name taken from blaise pascal, the christian philosopher/mathematician.
llewellyn -- welsh for 'in the likeness of the lion'

for all of you who know what c.s. lewis fans we are, llewellyn has two very significant meanings - the first in reference to Aslan, the great Lion, the Christ figure in the chronicles of narnia; and the fact that llewellyn means 'lewis' in welsh.

we are all very excited (although kyrie is still getting over the fact that she won't have another sister, or as she puts it 'a sister for ransom') about the prospect of two boys and two girls. a brother for ransom. another boy to watch and see all the differences that the masculine sex has. its truly a miracle. we are thrilled to welcome our blaise into the family. so we have about 20 more weeks give or take a week (i am not counting as carefully as the other pregnancies). we are praying for "40 and smooth" - 40 weeks and a smooth delivery. this boy is going to be a big one, i can already tell.

more from bedtime

bedtime april 2008 (baths, painting toe nails pink etc)

my beauties april 2008

so these are a few pics from a new camera we have been playing around. our napster andrew has let us borrow his srl camera for the week and boy are we have fun. more to follow...

worship in the kitchen april 2008

spring break '08/spring cleaning '08

today is gorgeous. its sunny and warmer and brilliantly spring time. and my dear mother in law is coming in a few hours to pick up the girls for spring break. (my mama is taking kyrie and rebecca is taking rhys.) so it leaves just the Boy for the week with the Mama. what a special time. we'll take lots of naps, walks, park dates, coffee dates, and we'll be working on a few projects that never seem to get done with two other little ones under toe.

1. basement/organizing of junk, keeps and baby gear - taking clothes etc. to second hand store, or craig's list, or friends', or to the crisis pregnancy center in town for their rummage sale.
2. putting all my most favorite cds on my ipod that i have somehow failed not to include on my playlists!
3. budget -
4. reading
5. finish those thank you notes!
6. look around for a sewing class to take this summer
7. sign kyrie and rhys up for soccer and maybe gymnastics and vbs
8. meet up with friends and their kids for playdates at the park or beach?
9. def. going to the gym
10. the cliff walk with ransom!
11. more gardening and generally being outside as much as we can!!!

i came across this great blog mentioned in 'like merchant ships' called 'blissfully domestic' - i thought i'd share these quotes about organizing and getting rid of stuff not needed/used:

There is a place for sentimental value, for heirlooms, heck, even for ugly knickknacks. Just don't let every little thing hold more value for you than living in a streamlined here and now.

"If your house is full of stuff, all the blessings that could fill your house can't get in. The stuff takes over. It robs you psychologically. You can't be at peace."--Peter Walsh

in the midst of all this spring cleaning: spending more time with the Lord!!

sunny goodness

today was gorgeous -- it climbed to a whopping 50 degrees, folks, and it was glorious. i had the kids out all day (rhys and ransom at the park in the morning, after i drove along ocean drive) and the the girls (while ransom napped) outside the rest of the day. in the sunshine. in sundresses (although i think they were still a bit chilly). on picnic blankets with all their dolls etc. nearby. first we sat out on the front porch. i read. they chalked. then out in the back yard. i read and soaked it all in. they played. laughed. they were so cheerful. it was marvelous. and the best thing about it - we didn't watch a stitch of t.v.!! i can't tell you the last time that has happened. probably last summer. i got a babysitter for two hours and headed out to walmart's gardening center.

the sun was streaming down on all of the rosy, sweet pansies and other flowers. stacks and stacks of soil, fertilizer and other garden dirt varieties greeted my senses. it smelled like warmed dirt. it was lovely. i picked out a few cheep plants, some indoor seed starters and some seed packets. we are going out tomorrow to plant them. i hear that it is going to be around 60 degrees. dare i say that spring is here in newport? glory to the lord on high.