That long, really?

I did not realize it has been so long since my last post. I don't think we've done anything exceptionally exciting (that's probably why I haven't posted) but we've been keeping busy.
I have done some more work out back and am currently trying to make a nice little play area for the girls. I started putting down some rubber mulch (which you can imagine fills our backyard with the stench of rubber) so they'll have a softer play area and will hopefully keep from digging in the dirt that I am trying to turn into grass covered yard. We are hoping to buy them a fun little climbing structure, probably when Mike gets home for R&R so we can have more fun stuff to do in the yard. I figured trips to the park after baby boy arrives will end up being a lot of work for me by myself, so providing the girls a fun place to play in the back is becoming a priority to me. They have a sand box, some ride-on toys and a slide, so adding a little pool and the climbing thing should give them all the joys of the park without the stress for me! Despite being motivated to work in the yard, as well as keeping up inside (which I'm not doing well) I have done too much for my body and am in my second day of "recovery". I am having to remind myself that I simply cannot keep up with all I want to do and I need to be kinder to my body so I can do more on a daily basis rather than too much in one day and nothing for a few days to follow. But, with my energy on the decline, when I do feel the urge to keep busy, it's hard to tell myself to stop.
I made the startling realization that 5 weeks from tomorrow I'll be holding our beautiful baby boy! 5 WEEKS! It still seems so far away, but I know as quickly as the past 33 weeks has gone, this will be over in a flash! That also means, if things go as planned, I'll also be able to hold my soldier in my arms. He has yet to be told anything definite, or at all, about his R&R, but hopefully he'll have some news soon. I guess he doesn't have to hitch-hike his way to Kuwait (like he did last time) so travel plans aren't coming as early as before.
The girls are doing well. Ivie earned her first week's allowance on Saturday and was super excited to be given her coins. She had fun putting them into her different piggy banks too. She is continuing to do well with her chores. She makes her bed all by herself (and yes, it definitely looks like a 3 year old made it) and does a great job keeping Max fed. She occasionally needs a bit of motivation when it comes to picking up her toys, but overall does well and helping with the laundry still seems fun to her (wish I had that excitement). She is also napping on her op bed on a regular basis and cannot wait to sleep up there all the time. Mike is still a bit nervous thinking about her up there so I have not allowed her to go all night until he can be home and see how well she does with climbing her ladder and sticking to our "top bed safety rules". She continues to keep me on my toes with her ever increasing "too smart for her own good and my stress level" antics. The other day I found our Maglite turned on and in the trash can. When I asked her if she left the light on she said yes (thankfully she is a very honest girl) and I also asked her why she put it in the trash. She replied "because it's funny". I tried to turn away to hide my laughter but just wasn't quick enough. After we shared our laugh I told her we don't put things in the trash can unless it is garbage and we have to remember to turn off the flashlight so we can use it in an emergency.
Elly continues to delight me with her increasing vocabulary and gibberish. She does a great job trying new words and doing her best to communicate. We still have issues when she is frustrated because she usually has a meltdown (screaming, screeching and/or major tears and crying) but I know that an increase in her vocabulary will help remedy that. She has a new love right now, her Bible. She LOVES to hear her Bible story at bedtime. And, afterward, she'll read in bed. I forgot to put her Bible in bed with her the other night and she got out of bed, found her Bible and snuggled and read it. When I checked on her before heading to bed myself, she had it right by her open to the Jonah story (she loves he big "feesh" picture). Talk about melting my heart!
Oh, this evening I wanted to put in my old VHS of Aladdin for the girls but grew incredibly frustrated that the VCR didn't seem to work. The tape kept ejecting out and then it would turn off. After trying the only other 2 VHS' we own and both doing the same, I decided to stick my fingers in and see if something was in there. Sure enough, some little girl (I honestly don't know who) stuck the memory card from Mike's PlayStation (that has been missing for 4 months and causing me a bit of panic) was placed inside the VCR. I suppose I could have found much worse inside the VCR so I was a little relieved it was just the memory card!
Mike finally had a chance to call this afternoon. he sounded extremely exhausted but said things are fine. Nothing much new to report with him. He's just working nearly around the clock with all that he does. I did manage to get a few laughs out of him and that always makes me smile.
This sure seems like a whole lot of typing about a whole lot of nothing. There are a few new pictures of the girls on our flickr site so stop by and take a peek. I've gotta big surprise in store for the girls on Saturday, so I'll be sure to update you all after that!