Springtime

Although the temperature outside is still hanging in the 30's, I am feeling like spring. Perhaps it's the sunshine, perhaps it's the fact that this week will usher in April, perhaps it's the fact that we, the church, are in the Lenten season. Whatever the reason, my mood has been lifted and I feel happier. One task that, for me, always indicates that spring has sprung, is window-washing. And that is a task that is much needed here in my house. When the sun can freely shine through the windows and I can clearly see out, then I will be able to fully enjoy life!
Spring cleaning, in other forms, has begun for our family. Last week when we had a nice 50 degree day we spent the afternoon moving toys and games from what will be the baby's room to the front porch. It is a 3-season porch that has been transformed into the playroom for the warm weather months. The kids have been bundling up and playing out there ever since we made the switch. And today we borrowed a carpet/upholstery cleaner from a friend and cleaned our rugs, couches and dining room chairs. And my body is exhausted.  This baby is wondering why I worked so hard and is glad that I am now resting comfortably on the clean couch!
During this season of Lent our family is cleaning house in a different sort of way as well. We have taken on the practice of "de-accumulating". Every few days we all come up with something that we don't need or use that is still in good condition, put it in a bag of other "de-accumulated" items. After Easter we will take our items and donate them to someone who can use them. Giving up these items that we don't need anymore and that have been taking up space in our house and lives is freeing. And it has been a good lesson for me about decluttering my life and opening up more space for the presence of Christ.
As we move into spring we are also quickly approaching the birth of our 3rd baby! Each day brings a bigger belly and more Braxton Hicks contractions. Here are some pics of the big belly as many of my MI friends have requested. I am now 34 weeks!

 Exercising is getting more and more difficult these days too. So I am really excited to get outside running after this baby is born. And P90X will be in the mail to me soon to whip this body back into shape too.
Thus ends the rambling of thoughts on this Sunday evening. 

Off to 1st Grade

Solomon is officially a 1st grader! On Monday he will join one of the first grade classes to finish out the school year. And he is very excited about the prospect of having friends in two hallways at the elementary school, the kindergarteners with whom he has spent the last 3 months, and the first graders with whom he will spend the next 5 months. He got to go yesterday to his new classroom for a visit, spent some time sitting in his new desk, and met some of his new classmates. As we were getting ready for bed last night he told me that his new teacher is really funny and that "everyone in first grade laughs a lot!" He will inaugurate his first day of gym class as a first grader on Monday...and as a first grader the gym classes get to go swimming! When I told him this news he laughed and clapped his hands while doing some version of his happy dance. I think that means he's excited to dive in!

I should give a little history as to how this decision was made. Solomon spent a year and a half in preschool in Grand Rapids, then spent a year in Young 5's (for those who aren't familiar, this is essentially kindergarten for kids with fall b-day's). This past fall he started kindergarten as planned in MI and when we moved to NY he picked up where he left off in kindergarten here. As the year progressed we were noticing that the work he was doing in class and his homework were duplicating what he already learned in young 5's. We brought this up with his teacher and through much discussion with her and the new principal in Fonda and some evaluation and testing of Solomon, it was decided that the best option for Solomon was to be placed into a first grade classroom for the remainder of the year. So, sooner than expected, we have a first grader in our midst!

Welcome Shep!

We are finally dog owners! Meet Shep. Over the weekend we rescued him from the Ayres Memorial Animal Shelter. He was abandoned by his previous owner and tied to the front porch of the shelter.

Isn't he cute?! And he's such a nice dog too. He does have lots of energy, but is also snuggly, affectionate and likes to have his belly rubbed.

Josh and I are not naturally dog-lovers, but we are quickly learning to love Shep. He LOVES to go for long walks/runs and he and the kids have already had some really fun times playing in the snow. He has made Solomon and Lydia very happy!

Welcome to the Baron Family Shep!

Tis the Season

I love this time of year! I love how the holiday season commences with Thanksgiving, a time to reflect on God, and show gratitude to our provider and giver of all life. Immediately after Thanksgiving, we Barons begin preparations for Christmas. This blog post is being specifically written for our family and friends in MI. I wanted to include you all in our holiday festivities and introduce you to the events that have made our holiday season joyful thus far.

Some of the events that have taken place this Advent season are traditions for our family that we return to each year, and some of the things we've done this year are new to us. Josh and I wanted to be sure our first major holiday here in Fonda, NY would be celebrated with joy, rather than seeing us Barons moping around the house on Thanksgiving missing our families in MI. In order to avert this disaster, we came up with a fool proof plan....to spend Thanksgiving at an indoor water park! Who could be sad and mopey while splashing in a lazy river or being whisked down a twisty, tunnel slide in the dark on an inner tube? So, after a small scale Thanksgiving lunch here at home we hopped in the car and drove for an hour on the country roads, through upstate NY, to reach Six Flags Great Escape. Here are some pictures of our Thanksgiving celebration.

 On our way home from Six Flags we scoped out a new Christmas tree farm to which we could return the next morning to cut down our own tree. We were excited as our house here in Fonda has 9 ft ceilings, so we could hunt for a much larger tree than ever before. And we were thrilled to find Avery's Tree Farm, where they have beautiful Christmas trees as far as the eye can see (or so it seemed).

As soon as we got home we turned up the Christmas tunes and started decorating. We have a certain way that we always trim our tree...that involves Josh unwrapping all the ornaments and setting them out on the table (boring job). The kids and I get the job of actually hanging the ornaments on the branches. And then I get to go around and move all the ornaments in order to put my favorites in front. Thus, you will see that most of the pictures of trimming the tree include the kids and I. Sorry Josh! However, the most important job, topping the tree with the star, was saved for the man of the house. The final result may just be the best looking Christmas tree to ever grace our living room.

Throughout the month of December we've been invited to some really fun holiday parties and performances at Solomon and Lydia's schools. Here are some pictures captured at those events.

(It appears that only Lydia has been invited to Christmas parties, but Solomon's school party is this week coming up. And for the Christmas party at the library, Solomon was at home with the same stomach bug that the rest of the country has suffered)

Since we moved here at the beginning of November the kids have worked really hard practicing for the Christmas musical at church, "It's a Wonder-Full Life". The performance was last night, 12.18.2010. It was spectacular! All the children did so great and had tons of fun. I wish our camera would have been able to capture a little better quality pictures during the performance. But hopefully you all can see the joy on the kids' faces despite the poor photography skills.

We miss you all! Hope you enjoyed sharing our holiday season thus far. May the peace of Christ be with each one of you during this Advent season.  MERRY CHRISTMAS!