Five months, not too bad...

My boys are happily distracted in the back yard, the heaping pile of dirty dishes left over from Noah's birthday party are taking a bath in the dishwasher, and all the laundry that I care to put away right now has been dealt with.
Free time, yes, it's free time!
This will undoubtedly be a brief break from wifely/motherly/household duties, as something always pops up needing my immediate attention just when I sit down and get comfy, but I though I'd spend this rare, sweet moment of quiet on my blog. My poor, neglected blog.

Well, there was my first distraction. Fishing a Witten out of the pool that I told them not to get in this early. Now the boys are happily distracted inside. Let's see how long this lasts.

My dear readers, in the five months of blogosphere silence, a lot has transpired. If you missed the subdued announcement in my last post in January, I am, indeed, pregnant.

Me being pregnant at Easter time with my handsome, handsome boys.

 In t-minus two months, Stephan and I are eager and excited to welcome our third baby and first daughter! Her name shall be Meisie Belle Du Toit. Meisie is Afrikaans for "girl", which is an homage to her heritage. Belle is from Beauty and the Beast (my favorite movie in the world), and, of course, means "beauty". Du Toit is our last name, so that's a given. After we settled on the name, my husband started referring to her as "Belle", or "baby Belle". I LOVE it. So I'm thinking she may go by her middle name.

My little girl.

  We are over the moon excited to be welcoming a little girl into our family. Her brothers are, too. I'm looking forward to seeing what she looks like, who she takes after and what having a little girl in the family will be like. So much to look forward too!
     In other news, most recently, we celebrated our oldest child turning four. Four! Noah Sias will be four years old tomorrow, May 6th. WHAT? How? Where did the time go? Am I old? It's hard enough watching my baby boys grow up before my very eyes, but birthdays really drive it home that, honestly, they're not babies anymore!

New Noah

Now Noah

He is such a handsome boy. My goodness, God has blessed Stephan and me with adorable boys. He is far from the perfect child, as he does all the things every hyper, happy, grumpy, excitable, whiny, friendly, shy, loud, stubborn, sweet, little boy does. Every day is a practice in Godly parenting for Stephan and I. We are trying our darndest to raise him and his brother in a manner that reflects our Biblical beliefs and glorifies God. It's tough sometimes. I get cranky or impatient. I react harshly sometimes. But I am trying my best to apologize when I need to and show through my actions, not just my words, how to act and live life rightly. (Praise God for His help through the Holy Spirit). I love that Boogie Boy so much!
     In Witten news: my baby is no longer a baby. He talks a lot. He's so smart! we have to watch what we say around him, 'cause he's entered that sponge-stage of the tubby two's (Witten's not terrible. It seems completely disingenuous to refer to his second year as his "terrible two's"), in which he soaks up everything around him with remarkably keen senses. Witten wants to be a big boy like his brother, so he tries his best to do everything that Noah does. Except making stinky on the potty, which is putting a damper on potty training. He'll tee tee on the potty fairly regularly, but he has yet to make a stinky in the potty. It's all right, though. I'm not stressing this time around. He'll get it when he's ready. I hope.  

Just look at that squishy face!

Meanwhile, my husband has continued to be awesome. No, dear readers, I do not claim that my husband is perfect, as he is a flawed human being just like myself, but I do think that he is the bee's knees. Stephan Douglas Du Toit wows me weekly with his indomitable work ethic and can-do spirit. Oh, sure, he belly aches of aches and pains and weariness (he DID turn 29 recently. That's almost 30!), and yet he plows ahead with drive and a determination that I could never pretend to have.
  When I was young, my mother warned me against marrying a man just like me, as I am laid back, sometimes to a fault. Her warning is fair, as two me's would never get anything done. Well, momma, don't you worry. If you haven't noticed already, Stephan Gregory Du Toit is a go-getter who inspires me to be a better person. And, I think he's rather handsome.

 He has a heart of gold, that Stephan Cecily Du Toit. 

 Well, the boys have migrated from their room into the living room, raising the distraction level drastically. I'm going to sign off now, readers, with a promise to try to update more often. We'll see. I think I'll try to take the boys to the zoo now. I also have to grocery shop. (uuuuugggggghhhh!).

Be blessed, dear readers!