Baby Boy Belly Bump

Almost 26 weeks...

That's all (almost) 2 pounds of him...

and all 15 more pounds of me :).

I usually start to swell around this time, but I'm hoping that it holds off a little longer - I think the cold weather is my anti-swelling friend right now. Like I've mentioned before, the twin pregnancies gave me some serious swelling...like the my-socks-are-to-tight kind of swelling. So worth it though :).

I can't believe we're almost in our 3rd trimester!!

Hope you all have a great Friday!

For Now, It's Just The 2 Of Us

It's quiet, the girls are downstairs playing, and I'm enjoying the fact that we have a snow day.

Baby boy is moving, I can feel him doing little somersaults, and in this moment...

Nothing else matters.

Not the housework, not the stress of everyday life, not even the medical bills that are literally piling up.

All that matters right now is that God is showing me what it truly means to be blessed, and that every season comes and goes for a reason. His plans are always on purpose, for His purpose.

I popped my old beat up jeans on this morning, strapped my belly band on with my new little maternity shirt, and smiled at this baby bump that God is growing.

I feel like I'm carrying around His grace in my belly.

I don't deserve it, yet He still gives in abundance, He still provides everything we NEED, not everything we WANT. I'm starting to think that is one of our greatest blessings.

With every movement I'm overwhelmed by the gift of this little boy, our only son, our last biological child. He rests with me, he cooks with me, he plays with the girls with me, he eats poptarts with me, and he sits with me if I need to cry after a draining day.

Draining in a good way :)...

It's just me and him for this short time before I have to share him with everyone. I'm the only one he knows, the only one he counts on, and the only one who can provide for him. To know that God has chosen me to do that, well, it overwhelms me.

Just like I am always with him, God is always with us - and just like I provide for him, God provides for us. I'm so thankful to be reminded of that - and I'm almost embarrassed that I needed to be reminded of that.

Even in the stressful midst of this semi-controlled chaos, God reminds me that we are still on plan A, there is no plan B. Just one perfect plan - one perfect agenda for our family.

This sweet little guy is already a blessing in so many ways, he is already teaching me.

And all this time I thought God was going to use me to teach them. :)

Today, We Cook.

 I really appreciate your encouragement to get away for a few days - I know it will be a nice break before the new little man arrives! Don't you wish we had a name picked out that we could call him?? Hopefully we will decide on that soon :).

We're going to do some cooking today. I need to get some stuff in the freezer, especially for lunches - it's just become to easy to fix something fast, and less than nutritional for them. So today we're whipping up some homemade hot pockets, I posted this a year or so ago but I thought it was worth posting again.

Hot Pockets are a great concept. However, the ingredients...questionable. So here is a great alternative that I have found.

1. First, I rolled out some pizza dough, and cut it into rectangles. I bought mine at Trader Joe's, but you can buy dough at most grocery stores if you just ask the deli. I bought both white and wheat dough. The wheat was really easy to work with, just FYI.

2. I put shredded cheese (any kind works), and some Ham (whatever deli meat you like) on half the dough.

 

3. Then I folded the dough over, and sealed the edges. Placed them on the (greased) baking sheet and cooked them at 425 degrees for 20-30 minutes.

4. And here we are. I let them cool, put a batch in the fridge, and bagged 2 batches for the freezer.

The girls love them! We also make them with pizza ingredients inside, which is also a huge hit around this place.

So I'm off to start our afternoon. I've also got a new crockpot recipe that I'm trying out, so I'm anxious to see how that goes :).

Hope you have a great day!!

Should The Boy And I Take A Little Trip??

It would be fun...

if I can bring myself to leave my little ladies for a few days...

because I do not like to be away from them.

Have I ever mentioned that?? I have? 1000's of times? Sorry.

I've decided to go to Blissdom (blog/writing conference) this year again, its in a few weeks. I've saved some money, and I have great roomies. It was so fun last year, and I met so many wonderful women - I can't wait to catch up and see everyone.

But most of all, I could just use a break, a deep breath, a chance to actually eat a meal without cutting up the food of the person next to me :).

I have let myself get so stressed out lately with the kids, Eric working late, money, friends, you name it, I've stressed about it. My Dr thinks that all the "stress" could be causing some early contractions - everything is fine, just some stronger-than-we'd-like braxton hicks.

BUT.

Even though I could use a little breather, I hate being away from my savvy little women. It is so hard for me to pack my bags and leave. I tell you friends, I'm a mother obsessed with her kids. You know what else I struggle with SO bad??

Mommy guilt.

Goodness, I make myself feel so bad about going away for 3 full days, even though it would probably be good for everyone :). The girls will get some spoiling time in with the grandparents, and dad will get some extra time to spend with his little girls.

So tell me, do you ever take a break? A weekend away? Some time to yourself?

The little man and I should take a trip, shouldn't we??

Friday Ramblings

Well it's Friday. I love the weekend.

We had a busy day of running errands and playing.

I took the kiddos to Sam's for some groceries.

One of them knocked over the Michelin Man Tire display...just the michelin man himself, not any tires.

It happens.

It's funny how that should be embarrassing, but it's just not anymore - I can't help but laugh at their little innocence and curiosity. The Sam's worker however was a little less entertained than I was.

Oh well, he'll get over it. :)

I also decided to not get rid of my holiday straw from my reusable Starbucks cup...

You can make me take down the tree (which I haven't yet), and you can make me put away my twinkle lights (which are still twinkling), but I'm keeping my festive straw!

I'm wearing my "track pants" as I type this, and I still love them!

Baby boy is moving.

The girls are "cleaning" up their toys downstairs - however their definition of cleaning up is often different from mine.

Hubby is working late.

I'm getting ready to do 5 baths and 5 bedtimes.

I love the way they smell after a bath.

And then I think I'm going to rent a movie and relax :).

Hope you have a great weekend!!

I Don't Have A Job...

 We stayed around here today, which is always nice cause I can try to get some stuff done. The girls played hide and seek, and rearranged the furniture in their 2 doll houses time after time after time.

This picture makes my heart smile...

I think they peeked through that little door at Raya till her belly hurt from laughing.

I was in major productive mode, especially with the laundry, I kinda have a new system that seems to be working pretty well. But the door bell rang and there stood the neighbors - which is fine, it just brought my streak to some what of a stop.

I'd much rather have all them here though - I'm not huge on the girls going else where - I'm real over-protective that way.

You could also call it controlling.

Ahem.

I want the neighbors to feel welcome here anyway, the more the merrier I guess :).

The little girl is in Ella's class at school, and she is a hoot. She always comes into the kitchen if I'm cooking or cleaning and talks like she really knows me, she usually makes me laugh with her unfiltered chatter. Today she said...

"We can come here anytime and play because you're always home...since you don't have a job!"

Haha, oh child, you're right - I don't have a job, I have almost 6 jobs.

They're all full time, with no vacation or paid time off - heck in this office, you can't even pee by yourself!

But the benefits of this "job", are amazing. :)

I Went In For Jeans...

because like I mentioned in my last post, I need new jeans to fit my ever growing baby bump.

I've decided to stick to regular jeans and use the belly band, it seems like the best option seeing as the only maternity jeans I've tried on have looked like capri's...and it's 20 degrees, so that ain't gonna work out :).

So I went in with high hopes and a light heart. To be honest, I was just excited to be in a fitting room by myself - I didn't even know what to do in there without 5 other people...or a double stroller...or pretzel goldfish flying through the air.

I'd be lying if I said I enjoyed the tiny little blonde who was patrolling outside my fitting room door while I tried to get my normal size pants past my thighs - I'm just being honest people. I'm always shocked at how much your whole body changes even though there hasn't been a ton of weight gain. It's always a real nice surprise.

(he's worth every pound, and every pair of ill fitting pants, btw.) :)

And in case you need a good laugh, why don't you try to explain to said tiny blonde college student that you are pregnant and looking for a comfy pair of jeans that you can leave unbuttoned, but will be held together by a big belly band since your belly will grow to unknown measurements throughout the next 3 months.

There was a fear in her eyes as I stood there and explained her potential future.

I'm pretty sure I scarred her for life. I didn't mean to.

So I tried on lots of pants - bootcut, flare, straight leg, and even the trendy "worn in" look.

You know what I bought?

Sweatpants. And then an Icee.

Well actually, sales girl said they are "track pants".

Track pants, yoga pants, lounge pants - call them whatever you want.

They're still sweatpants.

But you know what, I really do love them. And I will find some new jeans at some point...maybe after I get my fill of these "track pants". After all, I have a pair of jeans that do fit, they're just a little on the worn out side.

And when I say worn out, I mean broken in - and when I say broken in I mean wonderful.

So I'm going to count this shopping experience as a victory - as I should, right?? :)

Sleeping Pills Needed

Please.

I am for some reason back to the "no sleeping" stage of the pregnancy.

I'm always, no matter how early I cut my water off, up around 3:30ish...and then I'm wide eyed with nothing to do!

Well, I could do the laundry...but laundry isn't fun during normal business hours, so I only assume it's even less fun at 3am.

And have I ever told you what I do the next day when I'm really tired? I cry. By 10am I could be in the drive thru at Chickfila crying into the speaker as they tell me they are done serving breakfast for the day. I'll let you know if that happens. :)

I will lay there, and lay there, thinking about everything...from problems I can't fix, to decisions I've already made and regret, and then on to whether or not I should cut my hair again - or if I should give up on finding a pair of maternity pants that don't make me feel like screaming.

(It's a length issue with the maternity jeans, I'm tall, and apparently the fashion industry doesn't think tall people get pregnant. Boy, could they be more wrong!?)

Anyway...

That's all the rambling I have for now :). I'm off to start our school week again! The break has been great!

Back later!

Merry Go Round

We kicked off the New Year by taking the girls to the local Chuckie Cheese with some friends to play some games and burn off a little energy.

Why do they love that place SO much, and I love it...not so much?? I'm even a little overwhelmed by the lights, and buzzers...and that gigantic mouse. I think I've mentioned before that I'm not a huge fan of people dressed in giant animal costumes - gives me the creepies.

Anyway...

They love it and that's all that matters :).

It was all worth it though because Kinley got to ride the Merry-Go-Round for the first time...

She kept looking in the mirror as she went around and around. I get the feeling she's knows how cute she is :).

Sigh, she is such a sweetie. Well I'm off, we have a busy day of cleaning around here tomorrow...it has to be done!

Hope you're having a great weekend!

A Savvy Year In Review - 2010

January

We ring the new year in...

Begin our 3^rd month of living with my inlaws after selling our house...

Our marriage walks down a pretty dark road...

You all rally around us and pray (I’m still moved by the love and encouragement when I read those comments)...

Kinley & Raya start walking...

And we finally find our new home.

February

We celebrate 7 years of marriage...

Our marriage starts to heal…

We start to completely remodel our fixer-upper...

And I decide to take all 5 girls shopping for my new jeans.

March

I turn 29...

I confront Target about the worst display ever...

The girls have spring break...

And we look forward to warmer weather.

April

Reese and Charlotte turn 4...

I get on a Mommy Soapbox...

We continue working on our new home – it feels like it will never be done...

And I realize that I’ve lost my cool.

May

Eric turns 32...

We finally move into our house...

I rejoice…and rejoice…and rejoice...

And I have an awkward conversation with the AT&T lady about our non-working internet.

June

Ella turns 6...

A Local Mother Has Mental Breakdown In Local Dressing Room (me being that mom)...

I find out we are expecting – we are surprised, but that quickly turns to excitement...

I end up miscarrying...

And you all seriously help carry me through with your sweet comments and love.

July

We celebrate the 4^{th ...}

The girls and I spend every day at the pool...

I admit that we might be addicted to summer...

And I tell you all why Eric is the one.

August

Summer starts to wind down...

I carry around 45 extra pounds...

The Dr tells me that I will probably have trouble getting pregnant again...

I get a positive pregnancy test :)...

And our sweet Ella girl starts 1^st grade.

September

I have a really, really rocky 1^st trimester...

I start baking Pumpkin goodies...

Reese and Charlotte start preschool...

And I tell you all that we’re expecting!

October

Fall shows up for good...

I confess I might be addicted to Target...

We enjoy crisp, cool days at the park...

And we have an ultrasound that shows a healthy babe growing inside.

November

Kinley and Raya turn 2...

I share a story about our chaos with (in)courage...

I start decorating for Christmas...

We have a relaxing Thanksgiving...

And we find out that we are expecting A BOY!

December

We play in the snow...

Spend Saturdays at home just being together...

You all help us figure out what we are going to name this little guy...

And we have a great, relaxing, much needed Christmas break.

Whew! So here we are.We are looking forward to a new year, and finding out what God has in store for us – like a sweet baby boy :)!!

I hope you all have a great New Years!!

(please excuse us while we add/tweak some things on the ol' blog) 

Perfectly Crafted Snowflakes...

I thought this was really incredible so I thought I'd share. A good friend of our family, who is also our pastor, and a person you should follow on twitter, told me about these. These are pictures of actual snowflakes under a microscope...handcrafted by an amazing God...

Isn't that incredible?? I just loved it! Those pictures are from this website, just in case you're wondering :).

Hope you all are having a great Thursday! Anyone have big plans for New Years? (please say we're not the only ones staying in!)

But...

I need to get to those dishes that are piling up...

but there are some little girls waiting to go pick out new nail polish at Target.

I would start taking down the Christmas decor...

but the kiddos love the lights too much - I can't bring my self to do it.

I would finish cleaning out the closets...

but the snow is calling our name...

I would start folding these 4 baskets of laundry...and then maybe even tackle the other 2 loads still sitting in the girls rooms...

but then I couldn't sit under a warm blanket with my loves and watch Dora...

The floor needs mopped in the worst way...

but I'm busy playing hair salon with my ladies (my hair is just a tad bit knotty now).

I could start trying to get all that coloring off the walls...

but playing hide and seek with these savvy little women is just way more fun!

The housework will have to wait today, and I am totally fine with that :).

I Think We Will Call This Detox

Holiday Detox.

It's kinda like they are still running on the adrenaline from the holiday weekend, only there is not nearly as much to do.

And energy, with no outlet, equals crazy.

But I kinda like the crazy, it keeps things interesting.

So we have hung around here most of the day after deciding to not head to Ikea during naptime with a friend and our 9 kids - we'll save that special trip for later...you know, like when I need to go into labor.

We fixed some hot chocolate and broke out the Easy Bake Oven....

I realized that Ikea might have been easier when I thought the "Easy" Bake Oven was on fire for the 2nd time. It wasn't, but it sure smelled like it was!

My sweet, innocent little babes played with new toys...

stole some markers from their sisters...

and wrote on my walls...

Again.

Raya keeps walking by it and saying, "is that markers? Raya colored??" It's hard to be mad when I hear that little voice ask those questions :).

So now I'm off to fix dinner, and vacuum up the playdoh under the kitchen table - is it me or does that stuff get everywhere?? Hope you all are having a great day!

Good, Good Times...

lots of gifts opened...

even more food consumed...

1 birthday cake for Jesus...

5 little girls who had more excitement than they knew what to do with...

lot's of family time...

ton's of laughs...

1 mama who is not ready for dad's 3 day weekend to be over...

same mama wishing he could be off just a few more days...

more fun with friends and family coming this week...

1 check up this morning for the baby boy...

can't wait to hear that little heartbeat...

could wait to get on the scale after I ate too much yummy food this past week :).

Hope you all had a great Christmas! Who's ready to hit the 75% off sales at Target with me :)??

From Us

Well friends, I'm outta here for a couple days to celebrate and spend time with family. I am looking so forward to relaxing and soaking up the holiday!

So from our little family to yours...

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Much love to you all!