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.