Where in the world are we?

This is just for the sake of updating, b/c I can't stand to think of my blog - it's like it's in a coma.

This is why:

We came to St. George, Utah, from Aspen the end of September. I started the marathon on Oct. 4th and did 10 miles in the cold, rain. It DOES NOT rain in St. George - just that ONE day in all the days before and since that we've been here! Being 3 months pregnant at that time, I decided the weather was just too much of a stressor and did not want to risk getting pneumonia. I gratefully took the shuttle into town and look forward to next year's marathon.

We took our first ever "learning vacation." (Term coined by Sikeli). Frankly, it was our first vacation that wasn't just a trip home for me from Hawaii or Colorado. We spent 10 days in the Washington DC/Virginia area. For the past year, my boys have been enthralled with US presidents, US wars, slavery, the Constitution and Declaration, etc. Let's just say colonial history up to the Civil War. We kept saying, "When we have the money we'll take them back east to see all these sights they love reading about." I finally realized that my intention with that statement was continually attracting a lack of money. So we set the intention that we WERE going in October and set the dates and did everything AS IF it would happen - and it did. There was a huge miracle that came just 2 weeks before the trip that was totally unpredictable and made the whole thing completely possible.

Setting intentions (i.e. Faith - view previous post if confused) is real. You know those "dream boards" or "vision boards?" They work. This was on our dream board.

So, imagine 10 days with endless questions from my curious children - far too many that I could not answer, such as, "Mom, what countries fought in the Korean war and what were their strategies?" This was my sheepish response, "I don't know, son. Just look at the memorial. We'll get a book on it when we get home."

Really, I tried to do better at other times, this was on the last day and my brain was FRIED!

Some of the highlights -

Thomas Jefferson's home

George Washington's home

Stonewall Jackson's home

White House,.....and all in that neighborhood.

Awesome Smithsonian Institutes

And a safari zoo where you drive your car into a free range zoo, open your van door and feed the animals out of buckets as they come up to, and STICK THEIR HEADS INTO, your van. For real - camels are stinky and scary when they're nose to nose with your child!

So - have been wanting to blog - but guess what? We moved everything from Aspen to St. George (long story) but I can't find the camera cord to download photos.

Sai returned to Aspen last week to work - better job opps than in St. George. He visits on the weekends.

I'm now 21 weeks pregnant - expecting to have a boy - no official info on that yet, however. Planning a homebirth and have a great midwife. "Why didn't I do this before?" is my only question. It's just so much more normal to meet with someone who treats pregnancy and birth as a natural thing and not a disease. I used to think, "But what if something happens during delivery and you need the hospital's equipment and specialties?" But now that I know a little more, I'm embarrassed that I ever thought that! This midwife, I can only speak for her, b/c I don't know others, but she has safely delivered more babies without the need for c-sections, than any doctor I know. She actually knows other techniques besides incisions when things aren't going smoothly. What a concept? Anyway, she's delievered 2 of my friends in the past 2 weeks and has delivered more than 1,000 babies. I'm excited about this journey and thank all of my friends who have been inspirations to me in this area.

I also started using cloth diapers about 2 weeks ago. I searched for months to learn more and finally ordered from comfy bummy online. The main reasons I went this way were:

1 - environmental impact. The hundreds of diapers I personally throw into the environment MONTHLY is a shame.

2 - cost. Research estimates a savings (after all things considered) of $2,000.00 per child over the course of diapering years (0-3).

3 - my children's bodies, i.e. health and comfort. Knowing what I'm putting against their skin is natural.

Do I sound granola yet? Regardless - I'm happier and more content with life than ever before, so, it can't be too crazy.