Life in the McLaughlin home

Hi blog-readers! I've been a stranger to my blog lately. Don't worry though - I'm still obsessively documenting my kids' lives through Facebook, imovie, YouTube, journals, and extensive picture taking. Ha.

So, here is one of my favorite pictures of Soren from a couple of weeks back. This was on our way to ride a balloon at Conner Prairie. Click here for a video of the experience. It was a total blast!

Soren will be 2 on Monday and I can't believe it. I can't believe that she'll be 2 already and I also can't believe that God has given Jeff and me the incredible pleasure of raising such a delightful and bright little sweetie pie. She is making us laugh, making us recalibrate our lives. Here is another shot of her at her birthday party - a princess with a tool bench. Perfect, right? Happy birthday Soren!!!

We are about one month away from welcoming baby #2 (boy? girl?) into our lives. We're getting very excited. The thought of having another makes a month seem very close, but the thought of being pregnant for another month makes it seem a tad far away. :) Here are some shots that my close friend Melissa

(http://melissahanleyphotography.com) just took as we approach the big day.

I've felt great this pregnancy, but also learned that being pregnant while having other children is more tiring than the first time around! Soren has kept me hopping!

While I didn't swim, walk, do yoga, and eat as many v

eggies as I did while I was pregnant with Soren, I did instead have dance parties, cook and clean for and after play groups, burn calories kissing, hugging, and swinging my little gal instead. I suppose that counts for something, right?

Caring for a toddler while being pregnant has taught me a good deal about what people are capable of while running on fumes. I'm pretty sure I've put out multiple fires while bra-less, having only one contact in, and trying to get us both out of the door to go somewhere - and that's just before breakfast!

Soren has been such a precious joy and I'm thankful for the privilege of staying home with her. While it is a luxury to be home, Jeff and I have enjoyed all we've learned in the process of making choices to ensure that we're able to be home as much as possible. We pray for guidance within these choices as we cut coupons, skip having cable/DVR/etc., eating out often, etc. We both value being present with our children and I know Jeff would do anything possible to make that happen. I married him loving his huge heart and I'm amazed watching it grow even bigger as his love for his family expands.

We'll keep you posted with news about our growing family!