Field Trips....

Went on a fun field trip today.  We have started school as I am trying at least to get a little ahead of the train that is coming down my track this winter and so while we still have some fun summer activities planned we are also beginning school!  I love field trips!  They are one of my favorite things about homeschooling is the ability to make real life applications to school and go and see and do things that are so applicable to life.  We last year studied about lots of gold rushes and gold mining and that sort of topic.  One near and dear to my family as Dad was a geologist.  We went to Idaho City today and explored around there with some other homeschool kids.  So much history.  A small town now that once was the biggest city in the Northwest.  A true boom town.  Once the capital of Idaho.  It was fun roaming around and exploring.  Explaining the different parts of mining.  What a dredge is and what it does.  How a stamp mill operates.  Surface land rights and Mineral rights.  Just lots of different things.  It was fun.  We all had fun.  It was odd too.  I could almost see my Dad there with us, as he totally would have been there if I could have asked him.  Explaining all these things.  Showing them how to pan for gold.  Doing all the things that I know about, but that he knew so well.  We would have had such fun roaming through the cemetery wondering together what the stories of some of these people were.  Natives of other countries.  Coming here to die over a century ago in some small Idaho wilderness area mining boom town.  Interesting times.  Fun memories.  Life is interesting.

This years Shock!

I really should have posted this about a month ago, but simply was not quite brave enough to. 

As many of you all know, after my son was born in making his dramatic and very traumatic entrance into this world I have never been too excited about the idea of having any more kids.  After two miscarriages I was pretty sure that was the end of that project and was quite content with my one!  Needless to say though  the IUD stayed in place to do its job.  So it came as an incredible shock to see on the ultrasound screen, when I went in to check out some things, a small baby right next to the IUD, hanging out and growing and very healthy.  The range of emotions has been wide and rollercoasterish.   From Anger, to shock, to complete disbelief, with petrified being the constant.  I so desperately wanted to call Dad.  I so do not want to go down this path again.  But, I am, so I am getting used to it a little bit.  Still not too excited, but I can at least think about it without crying.   Not a whole lot I can do about it – I guess that is why it takes a while to grow a baby.  I think I will get to the excited stage sometime before he gets here.  Anyway, I did have a genetic test done to see if there was anything going on that way = and HE is healthy and fine.  And yes, he is a HE.  That was a good bit of news.  We have been thinking on names.  Thinking on how to have a baby room in a house I just designed and finished building for 3.  He is due on Dec. 3.  But will be a planned C-section, a little earlier.  My 10 year was shocked – though I don’t think as much as his Mom, and he is excited too.  So that is good.  I did not tell him until he was back from his trip.  I had an ultrasound on July 8^th.  So far, I am looking mostly normal depending on what shirt I wear.  I can wear my regular jeans that were about to be too big, but were still comfortable.  I have only gained about 5 pounds, but he is beginning to readjust my insides.  So far this has been a great pregnancy as far as that goes.  No sickness or anything. 

     Based on that Due date Christmas and Thanksgiving will be interesting this year.