Long time no post!

I haven't even looked at my blog in the past few months, and it was nice to finally look at it and see that I had some messages to read! Thanks for those.

My blog vacation this time has been deliberate. I don't usually do new year's resolutions, but this year a de-clutter/organization bug bit me, and the blog has been one thing I've decided to set aside for now in order to get other things here at home done. Some people would probably call this nesting. I never felt much of a nesting feeling with my first two pregnancies, but I sure have with this one. Perhaps it's because it's the first time we're staying put around home at the time of the birth, and we'll also be having a visitor/helper at that time. Brant's older sister Missy is planning to be here for about 3 weeks to visit and help around the time that our baby is due. We're all very excited about her upcoming visit! And I'm so thankful that she'll be able to stay with the girls while we'll be at the hospital. I am fondly hoping that things will go as smoothly as possible so that we'll have good time to show Missy around a bit.

So, I've been doing some de-cluttering and simplifying and organizing in our home, and I still have much to do. I haven't forgotten about my blog though, and I hope to get back to it more consistently after I get more of my to-do list items crossed out. I hope to have most of my long list done by the time mid-May rolls around. I believe Missy will be arriving on May 19th.

In the meantime, life has been going well and speeding by. Eden is almost 5 years old and is turning into such a pleasant and good helper around our home. Nita is 1 1/2 and has been a bit of a challenge because of teething and just turning into a toddler, but she's still such a sweetie! Right now we're working on breaking her of thumb sucking (because she developed a big sore on her thumb), so that has been kind of frustrating to her. Both of the girls make us laugh so much! I don't remember if I mentioned here or not, but it seems that this next baby of ours will also be a girl. Poor Brant will certainly be outnumbered! I am almost jealous of the sisterhood that our girls will have in each other throughout their lives.

So, that's what's happening here. Brant is beginning the second term of the year today after a long vacation for the Chinese new year. The winter vacation here is longer than the summer one! We're planning to be in the states for about 3 months starting next December. I can't wait!