Happy Memorial Day!!

Happy Memorial Day to everyone out there. To you military families - I hope you get the chance to have some great quality time with your service member. To those military families with their loved one being on deployment (like me) I hope you are still able to get a message to them and help them know how much you all love them! We have so much to be thankful for in our country (most of the time). It is largely due to the great sacrifices and hard work of our military members. THANK YOU!!!

How lucky am I?

If this post is not going to make manifest my very "Bi-polar" hormones, I don't know what will. Despite my pretty much horrible week, thoughts have come to mind on how it could be worse. I watched Pirates of the Caribbean: At world's end today and thought of how much it would stink for me to be pregnant, give birth and raise a boy all by myself for 9 years like Elizabeth (Swann) Turner did. Yeah - that would stink. I only have to do it for about half a year at a time. Which still really stinks.

Then, I have the best husband in the world that knows me extremely well. He can call and as I spend my time complaining and bending his ear about how tough life is for me... he's patient and offers his heartfelt apologies that he isn't here to help me out with my stressors. He tells me constantly that I am doing a good job and that he is proud of me. Boy does that man love me! I know his life on the boat can't be much better than mine - actually it is probably worse!! He has enough to stress and worry about. Listening to me complain about it really shouldn't be on his list of "to dos". So now I can feel horrible for freaking out about how much I need a break from my girls. Thanks for loving me Jeremiah!

REEAAAALLYY?

SERIOUSLY!! (I have an confession to make, I really do rather enjoy the show Grey's Anatomy - that word comes from its script and should pretty much read "You have GOT to be kidding me!")

This week was a rather nasty tasting sandwich to sum it all up for you. At the bottom is a week that started out horribly. The filling is actually the good news of the week that happened on Thursday, being topped with yesterday and today's big dish of frustration. UGGGH!! If only you could accurately write down emotions or facial expressions for that matter. I posted earlier this week about how my week started and I think even told you the bit of good news caught in the mix.

To explain the last couple days, I hope to just sum it all up this way:

+ If my children get into something in the kitchen one more time......
+ The super expensive baby gates I ordered from Amazon might not make it in time
+ I feel like I have a vein in my head that is pulsing and just about ready to pop the next time I have to scream at my girls
+ Poor little Hunter cannot take anymore of the high blood pressure. I can literally tell he is in distress!
+ Thanks for pooping all over your sheets Julia! I think I'll escape the lingering foul smell waiting by the washer to be the next load and catch the last of the light before dark
+ Child-proofing would be more efficient if it was adult proofing too (since my kids can undo pretty much any safety feature I have provided)
+ It's too bad they really don't make strait-jackets for preschoolers
+ If I get one more crazy spy ware/malware pop-up after running my virus/anti-spy ware software for the millionth time I think I will pull out every single strand of hair I have left!
+ Bribing does NOT work
+ I don't think my girls will see me much during the day once my husband gets home and has leave. I think I'll pretty much be getting my fill of alone time while I get the chance.
+ I'm desperate and I think I might have to pawn my children (or one at a time) off for a few hours. Maybe I'll even hire a Young Woman or two for a day every other week until I finally get the things accomplished that I set out to do!! Do I have any takers???

Extra Extra Read All About It!

Our family recently received some wonderful news (aside from finding out we were expecting a boy of course). Jeremiah recently found out that he made 2nd class!!! Hooray!! That means a pay raise for us and I guess extra responsibilities for him in his shop. Not that that is new - since he's been doing a lot of it already. Now he has to do his Surface Warfare board VERY soon. Please keep him in your prayers that all of his studying will pay off and he will earn his Surface Warfare pin. That's all he really needs now to be qualified for the jobs they want to give him.

Our other good news is that I only gained 4 lbs since my last OB appointment! haha. Yeah - I know pretty much NONE of you care about that. I am happy that my total weight gain so far is 9 lbs. I am 23 weeks today too!! I'm sure I won't even want to share what I gain by the next appointment. So rest assured that you will probably not have to bear with me sharing my weight gain again. haha.

I am also keeping my fingers crossed for my little sister (Jamie). She will be due to have her baby girl (Ella) on June 1st. We are anxiously awaiting her arrival. I wonder if she will have red hair like her big sister? We'll see. I will totally post a picture of her when I get one. Good luck Jame!

Better Day

I'm happy to report that today has gone significantly better than yesterday. The trip to the zoo went pretty well with just a little stressor at the end. Who knows... maybe I'll even get the chance to clean house a little later when they are off to bed?! Wouldn't that be fantastic? Since I don't have any shows going on these days - I won't have anything to tempt me away from housekeeping. (snap) Dang. I've got my fingers crossed that tomorrow will be even better and that my trip to see my midwife will be a stellar appointment. Here's to optimism!!

Trying to weather the storm

courtesy of This site.

After the worst day yet this deployment, I am going to take my girls to the zoo today. Anyone that would like to come along, we'll be there when it opens for about and hour and a half or so. I think I'll skip the gym and focus on my house and then focus on the girls at the zoo and come home for some "quality" time.

Quick recap on my yesterday.... crazy lady was blocking the way for those cars turning right (me) while they were working on the Railroad across the street. The light turned green for EVERYONE else 3 times before the woman finally did something about my honking (and those behind me honking too). Then I got stuck behind all sorts of other interesting drivers. (Those who ride their brakes when there is no one slowing down in front of them, etc) Then I went to the mall. I was supposed to meet someone - but it didn't work out. The girls still got a chance to play and had a good time - things were fine at that point. I decided maybe I could be a nice mom and let my girls eat something better than Burger King and took them to Chili's. Things went fine at first.... until the end of our meal. The girls were getting restless and I hadn't seen my waitress in over 10 minutes to ask for the check. Julia disobeyed one too many times which earned her a seat in the stroller (buckled in). She screamed bloody murder (her thing now) for what seemed like the last forever bit of our stay. The hostess could clearly see what was going on - did she help? NOPE! My waitress finally came out and I took care of the check. As I'm packing up our food and trying to get out of there - a woman walks up from no where and says, "is THAT YOUR kid?" To which I say, "Yes". Then she tries to start an argument with me about why my child is crying and screaming. I tried to kindly tell her that she was crying because she was disobeying and that we were trying to leave the restaurant. She left me alone after that(good thing for her nose too.... I think I would have snapped up and broken it had she pressed the matter). Guess what? AS SOON as we left Chili's Julia stopped screaming... imagine that!?? Then... tried giving the lady at the parking garage exit the cash AND my time punched card only for her to ONLY grab the time punch card and let the cash be dropped on the ground and go UNDER my car. So... I get out and reach half way under the car to pick it up and all the woman has to say is, "Wow... that was really under there!" UGH!! I could have screamed!!! Instead, I just bawled on the way home from the mall and made a silent vow to never take my kids out to a restaurant again.

Strawberry Picking

Wednesday's playgroup was strawberry picking. I had to "trick" my camera into taking two shots - so these are the only ones you get!! My batteries were oh so dead (the backups as well). The field was a bit muddy, but I think that the girls enjoyed it. I was hoping to find more strawberries - but alas.... I got enough to make 5 pints of strawberry freezer jam already. I might even have enough to make a bit more (or I might freeze them). I'm blabbering - sorry. For those of you who tried another strawberry patch or two, what were your findings?

Great visit and a Good Mother's Day

My family came down to help "lessen" the chaos around here so I could breathe for the weekend. I was able to get some "big" things done (set up the crib in the baby's room, move some heavy stuff to the curb, etc). So... now it's slow maintenance. I get the chance to take an hour here and there and go through stuff to organize and chuck. Wish me luck!! I have a few months to get it all done so that my husband doesn't come home to see everything the way he left it! Thank you so much Mom, Dad, and Jocelyn for coming to help out for the weekend (and for the Mother's Day gift) - it was great seeing you all! Happy Belated Mother's Day to everyone though! I have so many friends that are mothers. There would have been NO way I could have gotten you all cards in the mail!! I hope your children/husbands made the day special for you!!

Breath of Fresh Air after the Storm

What a day of opposites!! Not only for the weather I guess. I started off my day with some fun getting my hair trimmed (gotta keep up with the shorter hair). My children behaved pretty well. Then, off to the gym for a swim! Oh - that was lovely! Then home for a bit to clean up the damage the twisters (my girls) caused. Then off to get my first pedicure ever!! I totally clipped off all my nails not even 3 days before I found out when we were going to go. I had fun anyway and had some energized feet! Then... off to find out my children decided to have a tinkle accident at my Home Teachers' house! I felt AWFUL! Then back home for a few hours before the Sister Missionaries came by for dinner and a message. My girls ran outside to greet them (of course) and then Julia ran back inside to lock us out!! I called Tara to see if she could bring me a screw driver and she was in the process of loading everyone up to come to my rescue! I love her! Thanks for being willing to be my "Knight in shining armor"! We prayed and begged and talked through the mail slot until Julia finally complied (... after much "ok mommmy, I let you in... (hrrmph) I can't reach it!!....) and opened the door! So... 20 minutes after dinner was supposed to start... it did. After dinner... BLISS! I put the girls down and they were out by 7:10 pm. I got the chance to clean the downstairs, cut the grass (weedeat) and give myself a little bit of a break. Oh how I miss the 7 o'clock bedtime. Looks like we will forgo naps from now on so mommy can have blissful evenings filled with light cleaning, books, and relaxing. So, I'm enjoying my chance to breathe. Tomorrow will be another day for me to fret and get things done - but hey I'll have nice toes and nice hair while I'm doing it.

I got the cool storm pic from this website.

Fulfilling Day

Yesterday for some reason really felt like a fulfilling day for me. I didn't get to accomplish EVERYTHING I wanted to get done around the house - but I got quite a bit done that I didn't think I would be able to with my kiddos running around. I feel as though I am busy - but not an over scheduled kind of busy. I am able to help some people who need it, get some things I need squared away, and have found some things on craigslist for my little man! Today will be a little fun running around a bit to pick them up - but... at the end of the day - I hope to have TONS of boy clothes from 0-9 months and a baby swing to add to his "room". Here's hoping the clothes look as good as they did in the pictures, and that the swing works perfectly for him when he gets here! Then all I'll be needing for my little guy is diapers, some cute churchy clothes, and a few more odds and ends! HOORAY!!!

FINALLY

The weekend and I am very excited! I have a lot that I want to accomplish today to get me ready for a day of rest tomorrow. But... I've been up to some exciting stuff this week. I started the girls on a "no diaper" policy Monday. The only times they have worn diapers have been for nap time and bed time. We've had some accidents, but overall - potty training is going pretty well. Thanks for the sticker chart Idea Tara!! It's done wonders for Melanie so far! I've gone through my girl clothes to try to downsize since I will be getting some boy clothes here to use for our upcoming arrival. Leann... I have a box for you of clothes around Kirsten's size (12 mon - 24 mon). What size shoe does Kirsten wear? I have a ton of clothes for girls 12 months and under, if anyone knows of someone in the ward that could use them, please let me know who and I will ask. I already plan on asking Kelly on Sunday if I see her. I'm also trying to get the room the crib will be in in order for the arrival so that I have less to do when Jeremiah gets home. I just kinda want everything de-cluttered and ready to go so he can just enjoy the time he gets with his family. Thank heaven's my family is going to come down for a visit or two before the baby so I can put my dad to work!! Maybe I'll get Jocelyn to do all my shredding. Imagine the possibilities!! (evil cackle) Then, I've pinned the baby blankets together that I plan on making for this early fall. I'm going to learn me some stippling!! YEEEHAWW! We'll see how they turn out! Melanie already says that they look beautiful so that must be true! She is so excited to be a big sister again and hold the baby. That's her biggest excitement - holding the baby. Julia... hmmm... where do I start? Julia just keeps me running!!

Verdict

So, I had my ultrasound this morning and I was SUPER nervous! I'm one of three girls in my family, I have two girls, and my sister is about to have her second girl. My youngest sister is not old enough to be married, let alone have children - so there are absolutely NO boys in my family! I had a lot of anxiety as I went in for the ultrasound. Imagine... my parents saying "we are the parents of 3 girls and the grandparents of 5 girls". Boys just have to marry into this family.

We woke up really early (6:30ish) to get us all over to the Naval Hospital on time. I am happy to say I was even a little early! I dropped the girls off at the Child Waiting Center they have there and headed off to "doom or surprise". The ultrasound tech took a few preliminary pictures and then noticed the baby was cooperating, so asked me to turn away so she could get the picture and label the parts for me. She told me that she was 100% certain of what the sex of the baby was.

I then sat in torture as I tried to figure out what I was having by how quick the heartbeat (145bpm) was and the few looks I got when she was taking pictures of the leg bones. My conclusion was that I would be having a boy this time around. She never told me what it was and gave me the revealing picture in an envelope for me to open when I was ready. I got to the car - and guess what?

IT'S A BOY!!! The picture left no room for doubt. His name will be Hunter Garrett. His parents are happy he is on his way and we are so excited to have a little missionary of our own to raise and love!

Who could find better company??

So, if you've caught Deborah's blog, mine will be a little redundant. We had book club last night and met Author Traci Abramson!! How fun is that?! She even knew a person that I met while at college. (Sometimes it is a small world) She was a hoot and we all really enjoyed her company. We loved her so much we snatched her up to come along and celebrate Holly's birthday too! Some of the ladies kidnapped (literally) Holly while a few of us lingered getting books signed - then we all bee-lined it to Baker's Crust. The food was great and I tried a few firsts (Cannoli and Crepe) and took home a few bakery "left-overs". Friends truly are the best of company! Thank you Gaines girls for watching my wee ones!

Traci Abramson is the one on the top far right. Thanks so much for coming to talk with us! Holly is second from the left in the first row. Happy Birthday!!

Some weeks....

Are just so packed full of activities and errands, it makes your head spin! This week was one of those weeks for me. I am glad that it will finally be coming to a close on Saturday. Hopefully me and my girls find the time to kick back a little and enjoy the beautiful days the Lord has given us. Sorry I haven't really updated, plenty is going on - but it's just "busy work". I'm looking forward to book club tonight, it should be neat to meet the author! If anyone out there is up for a girls evening sometime soon, leave me a message. I'm thinking about signing up for the parents night out at the gym (it would be the first friday night in May from 6-9pm). I'll try to come up with some ideas and ask for opinions next week.

A sad goodbye and a Happy Birthday!!

If that isn't one of the biggest sway in emotions, I'm not sure what is!? We had a farewell for Jaesi yesterday along with a birthday get together for Leann (who was actually celebrating her birthday THAT day). The girls whipped up some Cafe Rio food and there were some scrumptious desserts to follow (thanks Tara!). Our hearts go out to Jaesi and her family... although most of us know the name of the game with the military (including detaching from it - which is what they are doing). We know they will do GREAT in their new home! Best of wishes to Leann on her birthday - it was great to spend it with friends. A little after the luncheon - there was the project group get together of which Leann was in charge. There were the cutest little bookmarks and some crafty covers for your everyday salt and pepper composition notebooks. Oh... I stole the picture from you Jaesi (thanks!).

Nature Walk, and Sad Mommies

We took a nice stroll around the neighborhood this morning to enjoy the beautiful day. Not to mention to get some energy out of my children before church. On our walk, we found a small blue egg. (Robin egg?) I looked up and couldn't find a nest for it to have fallen out of so I decided to do a little teaching. Melanie wanted to quickly cradle the delicate egg in her hands and keep it warm. Every bird she saw after that was the egg's potential parent. I tried talking her into giving it back to the mommy and daddy to take care of (a hundred percent sure the bird would get NO where near that egg whether or not we touched it).

She finally relented and went to deliver the egg to a Mommy bird. As she got out of the stroller to commence her delivery, she made the smallest of cracks in the shell. "OH NO! The baby die?!" Yes, the baby died Melanie. So, we still try to put it in the grass and Julia (being the Tom Boy she is picked it right up and squashed it!) Well... at this point... baby is REALLY dead. All the way home Melanie asked me, "Is the Mommy crying? Is she sad?"

Later on as we left the house for church we found another tiny blue egg crushed near our front door. (Not my childrens' doing this time) Then after church... we found another one near our front door. We have a mourning dove nest on our Fire Alarm outside. I'm starting to think maybe the blue eggs are Mourning dove eggs!? I'm also starting to think that Momma bird has really bad aim about getting those eggs into her nest and not on the ground.

Oh I wish I were 5 again....

So, today I was asked to emergency substitute for the CTR 6 class. I've been out of Primary just long enough to really know just about none of them. (Also attributes to the HUGE influx of families moving in in the past year or so) Let me just share a few of the funny things they said today.

"I FLEWED across the street to Hyde Park!" (I'm sure we all know who that child belongs too!)

"My Aunt Krissy is tickling the boy she is going to marry"

"Can I just tell you something REALLY exciting?"

(hiding under the table - clearly visible to all)"How did you know I was here??"

We even had a little extra time so I told them they could visit. One child said

"Who are we going to go visit?"

Ahh... to be a child. If anyone needs a little extra chuckle or two, visit the CTR 6 class on Sundays and smile!

CROCS SALE!!!

I happened upon a sale at Ollie's today that I wasn't intending to find. They have all sorts of CROCS sizes and styles for the whole family (the women's shoes are picked through - but the childrens have a lot of options). The sale - any size or style, for $9.99!!! That's at least $20 off normal price. So if you've been thinking about getting Crocs but didn't want to pay $30 - here's your chance. If you are already HOOKED on Crocs (like me) stop on in and see what you can find! Hurry though - each day that goes by means less options.

Happy Brithday Belinda!

This post belongs almost a month ago now - golly do I need to get it together!! Our friend Belinda had a birthday and we celebrated it after book club at Deborah's. I love Belinda. She is always so cheery and makes you laugh until you cry sometimes! She is just a wonderful person to be around and to call a friend. Her family will be moving this summer and we will miss her terribly. The ward won't be the same... that is for sure!

Sisterly Love

I walked into my parents living room during our visit to find this. They were snuggled up watching a movie together. I couldn't let the moment pass without taking a picture. Haha, I now have PROOF that they love each other even if they don't act like it!

My girlie girl

Conference Sunday Melanie walked into my parents kitchen wearing these (thigh highs). She even posed for a few pictures. We about DIED laughing at her - gotta love it!

Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday was such a treat. There were some awesome lessons prepared. I loved it! There is so much to be grateful for this time of year. It's a great time to count your blessings. Julia is modeling the dress that I made her for Easter. Melanie wasn't able to stay still long enough for me to take a picture of her... stay posted and hopefully I will get one within the next few weeks. I made a TON of mistakes, but I learned from it and can always add fun stuff to it as time goes. Julia just loved up being called a princess and wearing her "crown". She is so cute!

Coloring Easter Eggs on Saturday Night

Melanie has always loved coloring Easter Eggs. Julia didn't join us because she was getting a tubby. Melanie is quite the pro though, she decorated them with stickers and all!

My dad wanted to take the girls fishing this past Friday. So... the lake found us there that afternoon. Of course, we didn't catch anything because there were 30 others there. Maybe it had a TINY bit to do with my childrens' volume level in the outdoors (or indoors for that matter). Melanie kept hitting the water with her fishing pole, Julia kept reeling the line in (while saying "a reel a reel a reel" and swinging her pole around. BUT... I think the girls enjoyed it, better luck next time?!

For my hubby...

Most of you see me, but since my husband will be able to have internet access here soon - I am posting this picture so he can see what the baby has done to me so far. BTW I am currently 17 weeks! How crazy is that!? Fuzzy picture, sorry hon. But... you get the idea.

What's that SMELL??

This is what Melanie promptly asked me upon opening her car door when we arrived at Perrydell Farms (milk cow farm/family store). We decided it would be fun for them to see the cows and have some homemade ice cream! When my family lived in York PA we used to get our milk here. They always have the babies on "display" and if you get there at feeding time, they let you help with their bottles. Since my childhood, they have added a wooden face cut-out for people to take pictures at. My girls had a blast, you can tell from the pictures. Melanie was hilarious while trying to eat her Ice cream cone. She used about 5 napkins (or more) to make sure her face stayed pretty clean. Julia on the other hand - LOVE that face! Thanks for tagging along Jocelyn!

As a side note, upon reaching the farmland of Northern Maryland/Southern Pennsylvania my children kept calling out "BARN!! COWS!! HORSIES!! SHEEP!!"

The Land of Chocolate

While visiting with my family, we had the opportunity to have a couple "field trips". Our first one was a trip to Hershey. They have a place called Hershey's Chocolate World. It is free to get in and they have a great little ride that tells you about their factory. There are things there of course that you can pay for if you like... they have a pretty extensive variety of chocolate (of course!). We took the ride with the girls and got our free chocolate treat at the end (always a plus!).

Feeling Old

This is why.... I CAN NOT stay up all night (even though I currently am)! It's physically impossible for me. I would love to some nights - I really would. Not long ago - I could pull one of these no sweat. Now, AM (after Marriage), there is NO way! You will never find me up this late unless I have a very good reason. This all night affair is out of obligation to my sweet girls (to whom I promised myself I would make Easter dresses for). The zippers are on - the last few odds and ends need to go into it and they will be done - BEFORE Easter! Yay! I have then attempted to help my sister, Jocelyn, make her very own Tote. Which comes to why I am on here so very late at night (or early in the morning). I was hoping to find that tutorial that would just be perfect for this project. Maybe I'll just keep fussing around with it and see what we come up with. Pictures will be soon to follow. Alas, I think I'm going to finally catch some ZZZZZ's because Jocelyn has fallen asleep on the floor waiting for me to find what I wanted so we could get back to work! I can just hear... "Here's your sign....".

Spiritual Food

Gearing up to be off to listen to the leaders of our church! I hope with some extra hands around, I will be able to hear more of the talks that have been prepared. If you are looking for something to print for your children to do during Conference this weekend, check this out. If you have any other great ideas that you do with your children, please send them my way and I'll try to post them for others that might be looking (or as a reference for myself!).

We arrived....

We arrived safely and without delay on Tuesday to my parents. I can't believe this week is already coming to a close!! I've started Easter Dresses, gone to the Outlets, and have many other plans I hope will work out. There should be some fun posts coming up soon if the weather cooperates. We'll be back home the day after Easter. Just postin' to let you know we are still going and hope to have some great fun while we're with family. Oh - I scheduled my ultrasound for April 29th. So, by the end of the month we'll find out what gender child will be joining our family come school time!

BOLT

I know, I know... super tiny picture. However, my children LOVE this movie! If you are wondering what you can do with your family and haven't seen this movie, check it out from redbox for $1 some night. So far, it has babysat my children better than I do! Definitely a movie the whole family will enjoy (including you). It will be part of our movie library eventually.

Need Dessert??

If you attended the dessert auction at our ward building last night, you wouldn't. There was pretty much a little bit of everything there. The highest bid of the night went for Heidi's delectable desserts for $425 (or $450)!! Jenn, the Vaughans and the Knights also had some pretty high bids for their yummy treats. I think the Gaines had some pretty high bids for their upside down apple pies as well. The youth of our ward should LOVE us!! I think it's safe to say that camp is paid for for all of them this year after this event! It was fun to finally attend one although I did lose my girls a bit in the beginning. We bought some twinkie derby cars made by Tara for $20. That would be the first twinkie EVER for both of them - and they took to it pretty well. All in all - a success for our little girls. Watch out high bid desserts, I'm on a quest for some really yummy recipes/ideas!

Dedication.... or Torture??

I've been doing really fabulous about exercising. So far my childrens' noses have cooperated too allowing me to get there every weekday since last Monday (16th). We've been bouncing around, trying new classes, visiting ones we've done before but haven't been to in a while.... BOY DO I FEEL IT!!! Everyday I've had a little muscle ache here or there or just felt kinda exhausted. I'm starting to think... is this dedication or torture? I've definitely gotta hand it to the ladies I work out with though - they are tough cookies!

A visit from Angels

I had a little visit from angels today. I know, I know... don't get jealous - they can come to a living room near you too! The sisters came over to my home to teach and it was wonderful. They talked about family (also the visiting teaching message for the month!). They didn't even know that it was, either! It feels so wonderful to have them in my home, and I am so glad that we have sisters so that poor military moms (alone)like me can enjoy hearing from the missionaries! If you haven't had them over yet, sign up to see them. It will greatly enrich your life and edify your spirit.

Happy Birthday Babe!

My dear, sweet husband turned 28 today! I can't believe it! The past 5 years and 3 months with him has been the best of my life. I look forward to getting to know him even better than I already do in the years to come. I couldn't even count the number of times he has made me laugh. He truly is my best friend. I hate being away from him, but now is the time in my life that I need to be self-less. Eventually I will get him all to myself (sorry ladies... he's mine!). =0) Happy Birthday Babe!

A busy week with some Hope

This week was a hopping one for our family. We were busy with something every day! Sometimes it took right up until dinner to finally get everything done. Most nights I slept horribly and didn't get the rest I was hoping for. Last night I got the most sleep I was able to get all week! It was wonderful! At first, I thought that it wouldn't happen with children who passed out by 6:30pm. They woke up a few hours later and I thought they might not go back to bed. They did and Heavenly Father blessed me with some really great sleep. I even had a dream! Can you guess what it was about? I am so excited about this.... I had a dream that the baby I am carrying is a BOY!! So, we'll see if my dreams can tell the future. I will keep you all posted when I get my ultrasound.

I treated myself to JOANN's yesterday. I bought fabric to make the girls' Easter dresses, fabric for a few baby blankets (all generic colors of course), and a few odds and ends that I didn't have yet to round out my sewing stash. I have projects to do! I am so excited! I'll post pictures of them as I finish.

It's finally here.....

THE FIRST DAY OF SPRING!!! I'll be visiting Rita's today. For those of you calorie conscious ladies, grab a sugar free treat (complimentary on the first day of spring). I will be trying one of those today. I will post later with an "update" letting you know what flavor I chose. I hope you beat the bleak weather and feel a touch of spring sometime today!!

UPDATE:: Sorry it took me a day to post, but I got the sugar-free Pineapple (really quite yummy)flavor at Rita's. My girls tried the Mystery Flavor. They seemed to like that one too.

ONE of the best days of the year....

I got this pic from the Rita's Website!! Friday is the first day of spring which means a FREE regular Rita's!! They have some great flavors, I hope you all get the chance to stop in!! The one around here is located off of 21st street. I'll be joining all you Tropical Smoothie lovers for the first day of Summer too! If you get in to try a Rita's, leave me a message and let me know what flavor you got!

Happy St. Pattys!!!

Since I am part Irish - I need to respect my heritage and put up a nice greeting for St. Patrick's Day. Since it is a Holiday in Ireland. Don't forget to wear green so you don't get pinched!! Hopefully there will be a pot O gold at the end of the rainbow that comes after this dreadful rain passes!

Here is a recipe for those of you that want to add a little Irish to your dinner tonight:
IRISH POTATOES
Ingredients: 8-10 medium potatoes (peeled and cooked), 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese (softened), 8 oz. sour cream (low-fat), ½ cup butter (melted), ¼ cup chopped chives, 1 clove garlic (minced), 2 tsp. salt, paprika.

Mix and mash everything and place in a lightly buttered casserole dish, then sprinkle paprika over the top. Place in the frig overnight. Bake @ 350 uncovered for 30 minutes. (Yields: 8-10 servings)

A Few things I've been doing lately....

As desperately as I try to sit down and "craft" I just haven't been able to do it yet! In lieu of the Visiting Teaching Workshop (being held today) I had an excuse to craft a bit. Here is what I have. The crowns are little magnets for your fridge with a fitting quote and the box I decorated to transport the handouts for today. I think I will get some uses out of it since Spring is on its' way!


Sorry the picture is a bit dark. The design showed up better without the flash.

3 weeks down

Hooray! We've made it almost a month now that Jeremiah has been away. I am SO grateful I've had help and had friends to visit with and things to keep me busy. Being busy really is the cure. I've been blessed enough to hear from him a few times since he's been away. It's always a comfort to know that he is safe and doing as well as possible. Thank you everyone! I may not have asked you for help yet, but just knowing you are there if I need anything is SUCH a comfort and relieves any stress I might feel!! I will have plenty of OB appointments - so you may get your chance to keep an eye on the girls!

got SOAP?

My Julia just loves to "wash her hands". Her favorite soap is the Kandoo foam. This morning was her latest adventure. She started out by saying "I need some soap", to which she plopped some soap on her chin to make a beard.... and shortly... a mess! My little sister took these pictures (the flash on my camera takes a bit at times... so these were the best she could get). No doubt this girl loves to get clean!

It's about time we joined the Zoo!

Last year I decided we should get a membership somewhere fun to enjoy what Norfolk has to offer. We started with the Botanical Gardens, and got quite a few chances to play and have fun (although the main attraction was the water in WOW - but what child doesn't love to be soaked to the bone?).

This year my adventure is joining the Zoo (since you've all seen the title).

Yesterday was in one word: Perfect. Everything about it was just beautiful so we decided to venture out and join the zoo (since we are all wild animals at our house anyway). It seems as though everyone had the same idea. The line wasn't too bad and the girls really enjoyed it. Melanie seemed to enjoy life a whole bunch more behind the lens of her camera. I watched her "creep" around with her camera trying to get a good shot. What could be better than that??

New "Do"

I decided to get a new "do" yesterday. I've definitely needed a cut for a LONG time!! Jaesi's sister, Julie, cut it for me (and hopefully Nancy will be around long enough to help me maintain it). I pretty much told her to have fun with it. It turned out looking similar to a few cuts in the ward - which is totally fine. I just wanted something different and I love it! It makes me want to go crazy with highlights now!! Maybe closer to summer though. What do you think my hubby will say?

Who needs Cali??

When you have the beautiful weather we had yesterday!??? Today is supposed to be just as beautiful followed by a beautiful Sunday! Hooray! Last Sunday we had some terrible rain, so I think this one will be a nice change!! Our beautiful yesterday just happened to be the first day that the Rita's on 21st street opened for the season! We went there to get our first Rita's of the year and look forward to going back many times! The lucky new flavor is Island Fusion and it is fabulous!

First Snow Accumulation

My husband is so funny when he can correctly predict things that don't really matter. He's pretty good about the weather here. Maybe it's because he lived just across the bridge most of his life. Who knows? His prediction? That it would snow in March... and... what did it do? IT SNOWED MARCH 2nd!!! Ok, ok.... we got a few flurries this winter, but nothing actually stuck until this one. We got so much snow schools didn't know what to do. The roads were completely dry by lunch time.... better watch out school buses!! My apologies... I grew up in a northern state and have gone through many a snow (and blizzard). A half foot of snow or more constitutes a school delay, half an inch does not. Right on the nose with that prediction honey... now... maybe you can predict when you'll come home to us!?? =0)

Baby!?

I had my appointment this week and was able to get my first ultrasound as well! Yay! I've been having this fear that since I've been asking for a boy so much, that maybe Heavenly Father in His good humor, would send me twins (one boy, one girl) to appease my pleas for a son. Gladly, I have only one little person growing inside of me. It has a head, strong heartbeat, arms, legs, and is VERY active. Sucking its' thumb is apparently already a favorite past time! Haha. Big sister Melanie will be proud.