Himes' Happenings - catchy, eh?

Let me forewarn you, this blog post will not have any pictures. I have decided that I am much too much behind in posting about life as it happens, as opposed to posting about events that happened over a month ago. Let me also assure you that I have several posts that are backing up, filled with pictures and stories, that will be arriving on the ol' blog soon enough.

Ah. Now that I got my disclaimer out of the way...

A lot has been going on with us down in the sunshine state! I will start with an update about myself. I am now approximately 25 1/2 weeks pregnant, depending on who you ask. My predicted due date is hovering between the 25th and 29th of November, and we are greatly anticipating Thanksgiving to be a blessed holiday week, to say the least! In case you were unaware, we are having a baby boy and are thrilled! The most immediate question we get from people is if we have picked out a name yet...well, there is a running list of names going back and forth in our house, so the answer is no. However, we find ourselves getting closer each day, so we're making progress.

I am definitely pregnant, in every sense of the word. :) My stomach is bulging more every day, my back is starting to ache, my sleeping is irregular (both due to discomfort and having to go to the bathroom 3-4 times a night!), my wardrobe options are shrinking (no pun intended), and my hormones are getting stronger. I think the number one culprit this time around is irritability! Whew! Brant is a trooper for putting up with me, but I swear, just about anything can get under my skin and irritate me, without much warning for either one of us! Poor guy.

Maddie and her baby brother will, eventually, be sharing a bedroom. We've already started the process of rearranging furniture and acquiring new and necessary items. Maddie continues to sleep in her crib, but we now have an extra-long toddler bed, ready for her...as soon as we're ready to give up the joys of having her in a secured sleeping space. :) She loves to sit and play on her "new bed" in her "new room", and we're hopeful the familiarity of the new bed in her room will help ease the transition when it becomes time.

I'm having an absolute hay-day with my creative self, and coming up with how to decorate the kids' room. All will be revealed when I have come to a firm decision, but let me assure you, my creative juices have been flowing day in and day out with ideas and I'm super excited to put them into play! Brant has been very supportive of my ideas, approving where necessary and encouraging me on the rest of the time. I never felt like I had the chance to create a true, individualized nursery for Maddie because of the timing of her birth alongside our move across country to a room I had never seen before. This time around, I am able to really think things through, run around to different stores to window shop, and browse ideas on the Internet and in library books. Its been a fun process and has been helping keep my brain sharp and motivated through this pregnancy! :)

A most recent and exciting change of events for our family has been the start of a new job for Brant. Less than a month ago, Brant applied for a position as a "Life Coach" for Azusa Pacific's Online University. It was a blind application, in that he did not have any referral or much idea about his chances for this position, but went for it anyway. The University conducted a phone interview, a few days later conducted an in-person interview, and another week later, Brant was offered the job! It is a part-time position, located in Azusa (20 minutes away), and it is a perfect fit for Brant. He is providing support for online students, as sort of their connection to the physical university, whether it is through mentoring, spiritual guidance, questions about coursework, etc. We are very excited about this new opportunity, the spot it will take on Brant's resume, the financial relief it will provide and the future possibilities it may open. All things are positive! :)

Brant is still thriving in school. He just finished up his course on learning how to translate theological German this summer, which means he technically now has 6 languages under his belt - English, Spanish, Hebrew, Greek, Latin, and German - smarty! I can't even begin to fathom what that is like. Next summer, he will take on his final language, French. I'm so proud of his hard work and the dedication he has put into all his studies. We're winding down, but still have a bit of a road ahead of us.

Maddie is a thriving 26 month-old, and doing well. She continues to amaze us with her intelligence and vocabulary. She can recognize, point to and say all letters of the alphabet (in order or at random) with 100% accuracy. She is also able to do the same with her numbers up to 15, and sometimes a little higher, depending on the day. :) Maddie loves to dance and has recently joined us in singing songs that are well-known to her. She adores to read and be read to. In fact, her most favorite activities are those involving others. She is quite capable of entertaining herself, but it really does not last if she knows someone else is around (which is pretty much all the time, whether we are "ready for it" or not), and will insist on us playing with her. She will get our attention and then ask us to play, followed by the request, "C'mon! Let's go!" She will not stop until we have obliged her and have proceeded to follow her. :)

Maddie is growing up fast, testing the idea of potty training (although not even close yet). She insists of doing everything herself, whether brushing her teeth, closing the dishwasher door, or turning the lights on/off. She wants to (although is not successful) buckle herself into her car seat, hold the car keys - which is always impossible - and open/close the doors. Our little miss independent!

We've had a very eventful summer, which I promise to continue to update you with other posts that include pictures. We've seen lots of family, which is always a special treat, and have even seen many friends from out of town, who are able to drop by for a visit while passing through town. We've also had a great time enjoying events around the community with new friends in the area.

That's about all I've got for this update, and I can't seem to come up with a better way to end this post...so I guess I'll just have to stop writing. :)