Cookies?

For the girl's play date this week I made up a few ornaments that I figured they would all have fun painting. Well my girls never got around to painting them for they were not dry enough. I did bake them for 3 hours, but no big deal they really didn't need a craft anyway.

So I left them out on the counter to dry over night. As I looked at them I thought to myself how much they looked like cookies. I even wondered if I should write a note to let the hubby know that these were NOT cookies. He was out at a Christmas function. The thought did cross my mind that when he got in late and perhaps tipsy, he might want a "cookie".

As you might be able to tell one of the candy canes is missing it's hook. That is not because it broke. I was right, Hubby did want a "cookie" when he got in late. I had to laugh when he told me that he tried one. In fact I laughed HARD! I also found out why one should not eat the cinnamon and applesauce ornaments. Apparently it really burns the inside of your mouth due to all the cinnamon. I did ask him if he though they were a little hard, but he said they were the way he likes them...crispy.

I had the girls paint them today. They too though that Daddy eating them was pretty funny. Needless to say I hope he learned a lesson.

M.I.A.

Sorry I have not been a faithful blogger, but so much going on that it has just slipped my mind. plus, now that the girls are gone all day the photo opps just aren't there.

I am down to 6 weeks before Sparkle shows up. Good news, but still things to do before that. My goal is to have the dresser painted in the next few weeks and perhaps the crib up and ready to go. I have been collecting all sorts of items from friends that I will "need" for the baby as well. To date I have been just putting them all in the closet till I am ready to go through it all.

My itching has been picking up so my nights are not as full of peaceful sleep as I would like. This then puts a nap in the future of my kid less day. Good for body, but not good for To Do list.

I have a number of Christmas gifts to finish making. The goal of before Thanksgiving has come and gone. I am finished with cards and most gifts. Next come cookies :)

The week of Thanksgiving I had a few siblings come over and help me repaint the entire living room. After an entire 2 days of room prep, 3 coats of paint on all trim and 6 windows (all have 12 panes each), 2 coats on the walls and ceiling, updating all outlets from 2 prong to 3 prong, the room looks so fresh and clean. I love it. I have a few spots to touch up, but will get to it.

We have begun the Santa count down here and with A being another year older I am anxious to see if she likes Santa this year or is scared of him like last year. She does not like the fact that Cookie (our elf on a shelf) has to tell Santa when she does something naughty. I find myself pointing that out often as the day goes on by the way. We are all trying to focus a little more on the Advent season instead of the Santa season this year as well.

I will try to touch in with all of you more often and perhaps post a few photos too.

Lots of Changes

The last few weeks have been full of changes and things getting finished. Most of them have been for the best but some may have a few underlining negatives.

1. My husband moved out of our home office to a new company :)

He is so happy to be busy again and working on deals. I am happy to have most of my house back to myself. The sad part is that the girls don't see Daddy as much for he is putting in some long hours getting acclimated to the new firm. I like having the house to myself during the school day, but it sure is quiet. I also have to say I miss having Daddy around in the house for quick runs knowing the girl(s) are at home with an adult. I seem to be doing a lot more alone.

2. I have begun gathering baby items.

For those of you who don't know I have been in new baby denial for most of this pregnancy. Having only 9 weeks left has made me get my ass in gear a little more. No more denial here.Well perhaps I should say not as much. It is time to get all of the hand-me-downs from friends and take inventory. I will say not knowing what the sex of this one is has made things like shopping a little tough. I guess all white sheets and a few blankets will be good for now. I have been looking through my fabric trying to find neutral patters to make burp cloths too. Not so much luck there. I seem to have lots of girly fabric. But I guess in a few weeks I will know it all.

3. A has been staying at school all day all week.

My plan this year was to have A go to after school program a few days during the week. Well it started off that way, but she now goes 5 days a week all day long. She was never much for sticking to my plans. At first I was happy about the down time for me, but now I have to say as active as she is I do miss her a little. I still ask her almost everyday if she wants to come home for lunch and play with Mommy, but the answer is always "No thank you." Guess that is good and it means she has more fun at school with all her friends than at home with me. Just hope it doesn't change when baby comes along.

4. B made her first Reconciliation

This is a big step for us Catholics. As a second grader she is getting ready to receive her First Holy Communion this May. Last night she went through the confession stage. She was so nervous but all smiles as soon as it was over. She even said she liked it and that the priest was really nice. She is growing up so quickly.

5. To DO list getting smaller :)

I am actually getting somewhere on my to do list. I am not just adding items either. I am actually taking things off! I finally called a friend of mine who is a decorator and had her come over to suggest (tell me) colors of my first floor rooms and the outside of the house. I am now looking forward (well not really) to painting this coming week. I am not doing all the rooms just the living room for now. I would like to paint the shutters outside and the front door, but with the temperature dropping not sure if I will get to it in time. I am also getting little things finished like updating address book. We will have a number of events this year that will require mailings from birth announcements to First Communion invitations. So I knew I needed to update my listings. I bought a new book and even got around to emailing people for new addresses. I then printed them out as labels and quickly peeled and stuck them in my new address book. It all looks so pretty and neat now. Just need to hand write the phone numbers in.

6. Making a few bucks on the side.

With my nesting phase that seems to have lasted the entire pregnancy I have cleaned out and organized most closets and storage places. This has allowed me to ebay a number of things. I actually earned enough to buy all the girl's Christmas gifts. (I am actually finished with all their gifts too) I have even taken a couple orders for the felt food that I make. I am not starting any business type venture with my crafts, but it is nice to make a little extra fun money on the side. It is also nice to get rid of a few pieces of felt :)

That wraps up a few things going on here. Hope to get a few more things tackled today but 2:30 seems to be coming up quickly. It always does.

Early Christmas Activity

My husband's favorite Christmas story is A Christmas Carol. We have a number of different DVDs, all different versions of the story. So when I found out that the Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire was putting on the stage version I knew we had to go.

I was all set to go later in the holiday season until B came home from school with a field trip notice. The class was going to go see this play at the beginning of November. I wanted B to see it with us as a family before she went with her class. So...

Today was the day! The performance was very well done. Both of the girls really liked it and were not scared one bit. It was the children's version type show so I knew it would be safe for A. It also meant that the entire performance would only be about 1 hour. Perfect amount of time for my little wiggle worms. Hubby had a great time too with his daughters.

I was a little worried that B would not want to see it again next week with her class, but she actually said she is really looking forward to seeing it again.

All in all it was a good way to start the season a bit early. Was a little funny to step out of the theatre into a sunny 60 degrees. Sure didn't feel like Christmas.

Look What I found

I did a little under the couch cushion cleaning today. I can not believe what I found. I always count on finding a few lost items, but this time was a tad bit more than I expected. I don't even know how we sat on the couch with all this stuff under the cushions.

The best item that I found that actually is not in the photo was a dress up dress. Yes, an entire dress! Seriously I have no idea how we sat on all this stuff without feeling it under our butts.

Good thing is that now I have found many lost pieces to games, toys and other items. Guess when the girls ask if I have seen something they are looking for I will tell them to look under the couch cushions first. Most likely it will be there.

Leaf Fun

I decided today that I would try to blow the massive amounts of leaves in the backyard today into a pile. Being 7 months pregnant I am not going to be bending over time and time again to pick up leaves and put in the bags. That I will leave for the Hubby and kids to do.


So I got out the blower, finally got it started, blew leaves off the driveway and ran out of gas. By gas I do not mean my energy. I mean real gas that makes the blower go. I have no idea which of the 3 cans Hubby has in the garage go in the blower, so no more blower. Had to go old school and grab a rake.


I did half of the yard and the pile I made was huge. I figured that was enough for one day and since my back now hurt it was time to go inside and rest.


The girls were so excited to find the pile ready to jump in when they came home from school today. they really haven't had much leaf pile time this fall with all the rain and cold. But today was just right! they quickly changed clothes and got to jumping. I quickly grabbed my camera and got to shooting.

Only a Birthday Cake a Daddy Could Love

Hubby's birthday was on Sunday so even though A was sick we had to celebrate. B was called to help me make the cake and right behind her came A. Now at this point her temp was almost back to normal, but she was still not all better. As you can see there is no stopping her when she is on a mission. So you see the thermometer under her arm as she is mixing? The cake still tasted fine and knock on wood no one else is sick.

It's Baaaaack

Well so much for positive thinking. I began my third trimester with the well know itching in full swing. Looks like the doctor saying that my ICP could go away as I have more babies was not so correct.

So yes, Cholestasis of pregnancy is a condition in which the normal flow of bile in the gallbladder is affected by the high amounts of pregnancy hormones. The fact that I do not have a gallbladder could also be a factor in all of this. This causes my bile to basically go into bloodstream. Bile in bloodstream causes my itching and later my jaundice. The baby needs my liver to remove it's bile too, so that is a little stress for "Sparkle" too. That is why I will begin weekly blood panels and probably fetal monitoring. Good news is that there is a medication that I can take that might help absorb the bile so itching won't be so bad. Plus based on research (google) an increase in Vit.K can also help. So I will be eating a lot of green veggies now.

Best news it that a side effect of all this is a decrease in appetite. Bad news is that I should try to eat a more low fat diet. How does that work with the holidays and my sweet foods cravings? Not so sure.

Another interesting factor could be the early arrival of "Sparkle". Most doctors like to deliver at about 38ish weeks. I am 29 weeks now. B was 2 weeks early (on her own doing) but A was pulled out at 40 weeks. So who knows what will happen with this one. It will all depend on the readiness of "Sparkle" and my health. I think I might go with early delivery if all looks good for the baby. I mean what pregnant mom wants to go the full 40 weeks anyway?

So not going nuts yet and happy that it is cold for that helps lessen the itch, but ready to ask the doctor to try the meds when I go to my appointment Wed. Still in a good mood, and positive that it won't get much worse. Also thinking who needs 4 kids? 3 might be a good number to really stop at this time :)

Pumpkin Day

A found her pumpkin right away and was super proud that she could pick it up all by herself

B looked and looked until she found her "perfect" pumpkin. There was no talking her out of this one. She actually rolled it quite a distance before Daddy caved and got a wheel barrel.


Even Aunt R got some love from the girls.



I took this a sibling photo in this exact tree many years ago (like 20). I thought it was a perfect place to take another photo with my daughters.

Serious Player

Hubby and I had a short meeting to attend to the other night. It was about B's upcoming sacraments that she will be receiving this year so I wanted both of us there. This meant that Aunt V had to babysit. The girls were super excited because Aunt V the babysitter is way different than just regular Aunt V.

Her go to idea is always a few games of hide and seek. The girls are really getting good at this game and it can now go on for more than it used to. When A first started playing she would go to hide in whatever spot the last person was in. Then when she heard you in the room where she was hiding she would jump out and say "Here I am!"

Well times have changed. During this round A was hiding in the coat closet, which is a perfect place for the little bugger. After some time, B found her. This is when Aunt V was told that A had wet jammies. "What?" Aunt V said. A replied with," Oh I peed my jammies while I was hiding." "Why would you do that A?" Aunt V questioned her.

Because if I got out to go potty B would have found me!!!

Makes for a good reason to pee in the closet than. Glad to see her taking the game so seriously.

New Lessons

Look at that posture!

Getting ready to begin trotting.

Looks rather happy.

This is no pony ride.

Yes, we have decided to let B begin horseback riding lessons. 2 of her best friends have been taking lessons for years and B really wanted to try. I could not believe that on our visit to the stable they actually had her riding a horse. I thought we were just going to watch her friends and gather information. Not so much. She took the offer to ride that day quickly. Now mind you these are actual horses, not ponies! As you can see in the last photo it is a tall horse. So I was a tad worried and totally nervous for B, but she did great.

She had a great first lesson and we decided that do to my nutty schedule and the cost of each 30 minute lesson she could ride twice a month. She was super happy. These photos were taken at her second lesson. This horse and B did not connect so much. So she did like riding, she just was not as comfortable on this horse as she was last time on a different horse.

I really like the instructor too. She is all about having fun and giving the girls responsibility. They lead the horses in the arena and back out to their stall, they also learn other horse care things too. She teaches them without making them feel bad. B has already been trotting!

The stable started as a therapy only stable, but has branched out over the years. During our time slot there are always kids there for therapy. I like the kids seeing different abilities on horses. Plus due to the therapy part there are lots of volunteers there.

We will see how long this lasts, but for now I get to live my "I always wanted to take riding lessons" through my kid. After all that is one of the main reason we have kids right?

Can't Stop Making...

FELT FOOD!

I began this project with the intention of making some cookies for one of my best friend's little 2 year old. Her birthday is in a few days. I had time Friday to begin this endeavor while the girls were at school and I was on "rest" time. Well, after I finished the cookies I decided pancakes with butter would be cute. Everyone knows you can't have pancakes without an egg, right? Then came the sandwich. For this I looked online for a few ideas if not tutorials and was overwhelmed. There are so many creative and skilled people out there! After I figured out how to do the bread I decided peanut butter and jelly were the way to go. Since cheese and bologna were easy I made them too. The popsicle is a fun color, but not the best looking. After looking at all the items I thought I was a little heavy on the sweets so I decided to try a carrot and watermelon.

Now, Sunday night, I am officially finished. I might have kept going, but I need to get this in the mail so I have to stop and get it wrapped and ready to ship. Also, I hand stitched them all this time and my fingers are tired. It is more time consuming than with the machine, but I think I like the end result better. I will say I am now a pro at the blanket stitch.

It was funny how each piece I made would somehow disappear only to be found in the girls possession later. They had such fun with all of this. I kept telling them to leave it alone since it is a gift and because they have tons of play food downstairs. They told me that the felt food I made is way better than the plastic stuff they have downstairs. Nice to hear, but did not grant them play time with my food.

I now need to find another little one to continue my new fun. I don't need orders right away since my hands are still a little sore from all the stitching, but I will start a list :)

So Gifted

I know B has demonstrated advanced skills in verbal language and problem solving, but this one I didn't see coming. B brought a reading test home yesterday that had to be signed. Don't freak out! She only had one wrong. B asked me as I was looking at it if I would go over the wrong one with her because she didn't think it was wrong. As any good parent, I went right to the one marked wrong and read it over. I did not believe that it was wrong. I figured after correcting a class set of these tests a mistake was made.

Then as B was changing out of her uniform, I noticed that there was an eraser mark on the answer choice above the "wrong one". My teacher wheels came into play now. I asked B if by chance she actually erased her wrong answer and changed it so it looked correct. She DID! My brainy kid is cheating at the age of 7! I then proceeded to remind her that one wrong answer is no big deal and we are proud of her, but what she did is called cheating and not good.

Really? Second grade? My kid has figured out how to cheat just to get a 100%. I feel that I really have to keep an eye on this one. It is going to be a L-O-N-G academic career for us both.

Saturday Outing

When hubby is not here on a Saturday the girls and I tend to move SLOWLY. We stay in jammies for most of the day, they go back and forth from watching tv to playing or doing arts and crafts, I putter around the house getting odds and ends finished...you get the idea.

BUT, when hubby is home it is get up and go time. He does not like to hang around and putter. So needless to say since the sun was out and his plans changed for the day we had to do something. We decided to venture out to the Morton Arboretum. I called our library and was able to get 4 free passes so that we would save on admission fees (about $40) and off we went.

Our goal was to find the large animal houses that we could go through, but never got there. By the time we arrived we had enough time to hit up the kids garden area before the rain came from out of nowhere. We also walked around a large pond to view about 50 scarecrows that were on display. The girls had fun looking at all the scarecrows and I had fun eating my sliced apple with carmel and other candy toppings. One of the perks to being pregnant, Hubby does not deny me food. By the time we got back to the car we were rather wet and a bit cold but over all glad we got out of the house.

Boobs On Her Brain

With the upcoming baby it is not hard to see why my 4 year old is obsessed with boobs. She loves saying the word, which she says every chance she can, to commenting on mine. Positive comments too, by the way, like"Mom, your boobs hang down to your tummy!" or "Why are you boobs so squishy?" Some comments I try to explain, such as the fact that my boobs didn't always hang down to my tummy, others I just let go "unheard".

The worst part about this "stage" (I hope it is just a stage) is not that she is boob crazy, but that she finds nothing wrong with talking about them or touching other family member's boobs. (Aunt Vic and Grandma)

We have been talking about the fact that when the baby comes it will eat from my boobs. This makes her giggle and then think some more, then question even more. I don't mind the questions at all. It is the comments that crack me up. They other day she stated/questioned that when she drank from my boobs one was apple juice and one was milk, right? or B got one boob and I got the other boob, right?

She also wants us to pretend she is a teenager and has boobs. Or she wants to play with certain Polly Pockets because they too have boobs. The worst is when she tries to convince my husband that he too has boobs. This one does not go over well with the Daddy. "Pecks" he tells her, "these are called pecks!"

I know I will one day miss all of this, but for now I would at least like a break from it. It is bad enough that in a few months I go back to food factory and no longer have any boob time to myself, but do I really need all this boob talk for the next 3 months?

Few Thoughs From A

As I was getting in the shower today A told me: "Mommy, feel free to use my mermaids and submarine if you want to play in the shower. I left them in there for you too."

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The car ride to school today began with the finding of an old orange tic-tac on the floor. this find prompted a 8 minute conversation by A all about how the next time she goes to the store she will get 2 orange tic-tacs so that B can have one. Then if A runs out of tic-tacs, will B give her some. If B runs out, then A will give B some. I finally had to tell her enough about the tic-tacs. It was nice to hear all about how they would share though.

Apple Fun

It is that time of the year again...Apple Picking Time!!! This adventure has quickly become one of our favorites. It is actually one thing we do in which B likes doing just as a family, no friends along. We went to the same orchard that we always go to, but this time we went on a Saturday. In the past years we have gone on school days, but now that B is in 2nd grade I don't feel right pulling her from school to go pick apples. So we decided since the weather was beautiful we would try the orchard on a crazy weekend.

It was not too bad. It did cost to park (new for us) and the lines to buy bags were a bit longer, but once out in the trees we didn't really come across others. Plus the trees were bursting with apples and we were able to get many different types this year. It worked out really well for us.

All I need to do now is monitor the girls and make sure they don't eat apples all day long. I also need to get started on baking some apple pies. Perhaps this year I will look into apple bread or cake too? We do have a whole lot of apples.

Why lift her up when big sister can now do it?


Take cover Daddy this one is coming at you!

Mommy and her girls (see I have a little baby bump)




Which type should I try? Ok, I'll just eat both.

Couple of Crafts

Before I sent out the gifts that I made I remembered to take a few photos. I don't want you to think I am making it up when I say I craft. I have been working on these projects for a few weeks mostly due to lack of time and my office buddy in my crafting area. It is hard to sew silently :)

These items are for a new baby and her big sister. They also have 2 big brothers, but I just bought them little somethings instead.

Big Sister Crayon Roll and Personalized Bag

I figured a 3 year old girl could never have enough little bags, right? I found this in the clearance section of Michale's for 25 cent! I then cut out a ironed on her name. The crayon roll I got from many tutorials I found online. I adjusted as needed and for my first one I'm happy.

Baby Sister's Burp Cloth and Monogrammed Onesie

Love this sort fleecy fabric on the burp cloth (Have extra in case I have a girl). The onesie is my new favorite project for babies. Who doesn't love a personal onesie?

So there you have it! A few projects done and can't wait to start on new ones.

Speed Up

I have decided that in order to push this baby out in January I had better get my strength up. So this week I got back to exercise. Now that we are getting the school schedule under control, I figured I'd get in gear. So yesterday I walked a little more than 2 miles and even stopped by the library on my way to sign B up for an event. (Nothing like multi-tasking)

Today I went for a bike ride. Now some might think that at 24 weeks I should not be on a bike. I have no idea. I figure I have not lost my balance yet, and I am really not all that big so I would go for a ride. Plus my shin splints hurt from my walk yesterday. I had every intention of doing my 10 ish miles, but then as I continued down the path s-l-o-w-l-y I decided 5 was a good place to start for today. I mean I don't want to over do it, right? I could not believe how slow I was. I had good energy and my legs were not tired, but my speed just was not there. I really felt like I should have a shirt on that reads " I'm not slow I'm pregnant" on the back for all the other riders who were passing me. It felt good to ride again and I am glad I went just wish I went faster.

I did do some major house cleaning today too while my "office buddy" was out for the day. I figured it was the only chance I'd have to run the vacuum during business hours. So all levels and rooms of the house have been picked up and vacuumed. I sure brought a whole lot of basement toys back down too. I even did 3 loads of laundry. Now if i can just sleep through the night after all this physical activity it will all be worth it. Plus, with A gone all day tomorrow I won't have to spend my time alone cleaning :)

It's Been a While

If all my readers weren't friends I think I would have lost them all by now. I have no idea where the days have gone, but they did. I swear I sit at the computer and check my email and facebook, and then plan to blog. Really I do. For some reason I just don't. In fact I haven't really been up to reading many blogs either. I seem to be in a no computer rut. Perhaps that is due to the fact that with the hubby home on the computer often I just don't get the time till night. I really don't like sitting at the computer instead of laying on the couch. But enough excuses... I am going to sit here and blog!

First day of School

Can't believe B is in 2nd grade this year. This means that she will be making her 1st Holy Communion. She was super happy to have one of her best friends in her class and to get the teacher that she wanted. So far the year is going well.

A began her full week of preschool this year. She goes every day now from 8-11. In addition to this I put her in extended care for the rest of the day a few days of the week. This means that she gets to stay at school and eat lunch plus play with her friends till 3:00. It is nice to be able to drop off and pick up both kids at the same time. She has really liked going full day, and has asked for more days, but I'm not ready to let my little one be gone all day everyday.

As for my newest one, the ultrasound looked good. I did not find out what the sex of the baby is. Surprised? I am too. The ultrasound tech asked me twice, but I just said NO. Hubby really wants to know, but not me. Not knowing helps me not shop which equals saving money for now.
Being 23 weeks I am showing a bit more and am really starting to feel movement. At times I seem to forget all about the baby till it moves and then I am wondering why my tummy is growling. Oh yeah, it's the baby. The girls are still super excited and love looking at name with us. For now we seem to just call it sparkle (A's choice name).

I have been busy working on many projects from burp cloths, to crayon roll, to key chains, to a camera strap cover.(all gifts, well not the camera strap cover) No photos since I forgot to take ones before I wrapped them all and sent them out.

I just bought a new/used dresser to use for the baby as well. I will take a picture soon and get some input on how to finish it. I can't decide between stain or paint. I'm leaning towards paint so it matches the rest on the furniture, but the crib that I borrow I'm sure will be a stained type of wood.

I don't think this covers it all but I'm sure most of you are bored so I will stop. I will try to blog more, but no promises :)

Maternity Colors

For a couple of hours today I spent it trying on clothes, maternity clothes that is. I have been lucky enough to be given clothes by 3 different friends to use. I wish I still had some of my pieces, but alas I gave it all away after my last one. I should have known better. While doing this I did take a break or two for kid intervention, but I also had a lot of maternity clothes to go through.

As I was trying on shirt after shirt I noticed that most of the maternity colors my 3 different friends have "donated" to me are all drab. There are no bright cheery colors! Why? I even noticed this at Target and Kohl's the other day. Why only basic black, white and gray? Where is the bright blue? The purple? The happy green? The warm yellows? Why do non of my friends have these colors either? I refuse to wear drab colors. This could me I need to find bright cheerful bras since I won't have a shirt on, but so be it. When will the fashion industry notice that pregers like color too?

I really did not want to buy any clothes this time, but it looks like I will have to if I can find better colors. I sure don't want to look fat AND depressed!

Feeling Productive

Well school beginning in just a few days and I am just about ready. I have all needed uniform pieces ready, washed, and tried on. I am almost finished gathering A's preschool needs together. You know the photos, the change of clothes... B' supplies were bought weeks ago and have been in her bag that long as well. She is excited. Like her Mommy, she loves the new supplies.

I had the girl's year photos taken yesterday. Just in time for the rain came today and looks like it is set on staying for a few days.

Today I updated baby books with needed photos. (some info might still need to be written in)

I also put all of last school papers that we are keeping in the new binders. The way I do saving papers is I date the backs and place them in a file folder by child during the year. I am very judgemental when doing this. I do NOT keep tons of them. usually if it is body part tracing art, or made up stories I keep them. I try not to keep many xerox type papers. by doing it this way I find putting them in a binder is quick. they are sorted, dated, and in chronological order all ready. All that makes the job quick.

So I am still tackling To Do jobs, but the good news is I am getting to cross some off. Must be the new pregnancy that is motivating me. Perhaps I will be nesting for the entire 9 months with this one.

Summer?

I am finding it hard to believe that the summer is just about gone. I feel like it just started. Well that could be due to the crappy weather we had till the middle of July, but at least it finally got warm. The girls and I did a lot of adventures this summer, but there are still more that I had on my summer bucket list to do. We have just one more week till school starts again. I am excited with the thought of B gone all day and A gone half of the day, but not so excited to begin a schedule again. Plus the making of lunches...YUCK! I do feed my kids lunch daily, but having to plan one and pack it daily is a pain.

I keep thinking I will be able to get so many things accomplished while both girls are gone in the morning, but then I remember that my hubby is still working from home. This means quiet time and no computer for me. We really need to fix the lap top! Plus I keep thinking about all the projects that I want to do before this baby shows up in 20 weeks. the fact that I can't even keep the dinning room table cleared off for more than 2 days is not a good indicator of how my projects will go.

More Friends Leaving

This week is the last week that my girls have to play with their friends before they move to Iowa at the end of the week. I too only have a few more days to sit at the pool and chat while our kids play together. I sure am going to miss them!

This is a life lesson that I wish the girls did not have to experience just yet. It is hard to lose good friends. This family we just met in April, but it was a perfect match for all of us (hubby included) They have great kids and a sarcastic wit. We all wish they didn't have to move back home, but totally understand the pull of family. B gets the meaning of moving away, but A really has no clue. She still thinks she will see buddy in school. It breaks my heart trying to explain this situation to her.

Well the bright side to all this pain is that we now have a new place to travel too next summer. After all Iowa is only 7 hours away :)

This Is Not A Test

This new post is not a test to see who reads my blog, but simply a way for me to spread the word.

What do you get when you give away ALL of your baby items due to the decision that you and husband are finished?

What do you get when you finally decide to redo your resume and apply for teaching jobs?

What do you get when you redo the girl's room all girly?

Well, if you are me you get yourself pregnant again!

Yes, this is not a joke. We really are expecting another little one this January. I was in total shock (and tears) for a while, but am slowly getting over it. This is our bonus baby and the girls are super excited.

I have now told family and some friends, but figured that at 17 weeks it is a good time to tell the rest of my peeps.

Hope you are taking the news a little better than I did :)

Nature Fun

Today for our Camp Mommy Adventure, I took the girls to a spot that I have yet to go to. It is the River Trails Nature Center. My parents took the girls there a long time ago, but I had not been since I was young. It has been redone and is really good. The best part is the kids hands-on rooms that are chock full of nature and exploring. Actually better than that is that it is all FREE! We were there for almost 3 hours. The girls just kept finding new stuff or returning to play with something again. I really liked how clean it was and totally empty. We were the only ones there for most of the time. It was nice to see a place that has a mix of age appropriate activities as well as family activities. We read books, had puppet shows, played games, did puzzles... you get the idea.

B made many spider webs.

books, puzzles, games...oh my!

eagle's nest and a fox den

HUGE tree trunk

See, it is a really big trunk!

Science Day

Today we went to a free ScienceLab fair. It was a lot of fun for all of us. I loved that it was free and outside, B and A loved all the neat science experiments that they did themselves, and Daddy loved that he learned stuff too.

As B peddled the globe would spin

What color do you see before a bubble pops? A knows now.

How many drops of water can fit on a penny? More than you think.

We even made our own kazoos with tongue depressors and straws

Even with all the science fun they still had energy to run,run,run

My Goal

I have decided that it is time to get a few "projects" finished. I keep thinking that if I "do it later" it will get done. Well that is soooo not working. I decided to try something new... "Do It Now!" I have to say that this might actually work. So far I have painted the girl's picture frames that have been sitting in the boxes for a year now. I still need to put photos in them and hang them in the room, but one step at a time. Right?

On to my next goal...

The perpetual stack of family photos. This stack at one time was gone, I swear it! Somehow it has come back in full force. I do not scrapbook (do I need to explain why?) I try to put them in albums. Not so much based on the size of the stack. So I decided enough is enough. Time to get this stack smaller. I took all of them to the living room and made myself start. So far so good, but not done yet. I have gone through the envelopes and put all the photos in chronological order. On to the albums :)

Another First

On Sunday we decided to have a family outing. The weather was not so summer like, it was about 68 degrees, so we thought it would be a good day to hit the Bristol Renaissance Faire. This is one place we have wanted to go, but never thought it was a good time. Now that the girls were older and it was not so hot we thought we'd try it. I grabbed a few coupons and off we went.

Well I had no idea as to what I was getting myself and family into. It was what I picture a Star Trek convention to be like, but with all dressed in the time of the Renaissance. I have never seen so many bosom or weirdos. Now I'm sure most were not strange people who dressed up just to attend the faire. No I'm thinking many were "actors" that were paid to dress up and walk around. As soon as I walked through the parking lot and looked around I began wondering what am I doing to my girls? All in all it was a fun activity. I would not go again due to the extreme amount of money it could cost. We paid to enter and then were expected to pay for each kiddie activity. Needless to say, "We don't play that game". The only ride I paid for was the ELEPHANT ride. I mean 5 bucks and you get to ride an elephant! The ponies alone cost $4. B was so excited to go on the elephant. A... not so much. She cried as soon as she got to the top of the steps. So just Daddy and B got to ride.

Here we go!

Not my little girl at the back of the elephant

A Little Pillow Fun

I walked into the living room the other night after cleaning up dinner to find this. The girls quickly created a house out of all the cushions they could gather. They even went up to their room to get blankets and bed pillows. They did a great job and even worked TOGETHER. They wanted nothing more than to sleep in it for the night. If it hadn't been made in the living room I might have let them sleep there. We decided that they could use the huge floor pillows to sleep on in their room. This compromise worked and they quickly took the fort apart. Notice I didn't say that all the cushions found their way back to the couches. They had fun creating and that is what mattered.

Preview of the Future

B is not only one the phone with her friend, but is also online with her as well! They are both "members" of a Disney site called club penguin. Well B is not an official member since it costs money. As a free member you still get to do lots of stuff. She is working me hard to be a paid member of course. I told her I still need to look into the whole member thing and what it gets you. Plus I told her she will have to pay for half of it. It costs 6 bucks a month so she would have to earn 3 each month (in case you couldn't do quick math). She was all over this deal! Then she figured perhaps she could ask someone for the membership for Christmas that way she wouldn't have to pay the whole year. She is a quick one I tell you!

Daddy couldn't believe that I let her not only talk on the phone, but while she was on the computer too. It was sort of neat to listen in and watch her on the computer. It reminded me of just how old she is getting too. Guess my little girl is going away. I will say this will NOT be an every night happening. I have to surprise her with this treat. I will say that when I told her to get off the computer and the phone she did so with no trouble. I'm sure the day will come when I get to just hang up the phone like my parents did too. Till then I will take the obedience.

A New Big Girl Bike

A was super excited today when she saw this after camp. our good friends dropped it off just in time. I have been looking for a bike for her and didn't want to spend money on one. I figured she would only ride it for a little while, then she would be tall enough for B's old one. I searched and asked, and no luck. I was all ready to go to Walmart and get one when my friend called saying she found a little one for A. I was happy, but A was super happy.

She got on it right away and rode off on the driveway. She was so proud of herself. I was too. Even B thought it was neat to see her on a "real" bike. Now all I need to do is fix the helmet since it was big sister's, and she is good to go!

She is only 4!

A's new favorite thing to do is put on make-up. I recently bought the girls some mommy approved make-up and they have had a blast. I came down the other morning to find this. A had brought down the mirror and made herself comfortable while she began the application process. What will I do when she is 13?

Strawberry Picking

Today I took the girls strawberry picking. We went with my friend who has twin 4 year old girls. This is something I remember doing with my Grandparents many,many years ago. We arrived at the farm at 9:00 and had a very HOT time. We decided that we are not geared for migrant work. The girls did a good job, but 4 year olds are not the best pickers. Add the heat and they were "finished" after about 20 minutes. In their defense, I too was finished after about 20 minutes. The problem was that I had yet to fill my baskets with the sweet juicy goodness. B was ready to trade her half basket for my almost full one. As soon as A saw this she too wanted to trade up. I knew her motive was all about eating not picking so I was not quick to trade with her. All in all the girls did great and we ended up leaving with 2 baskets full. Now to decide what to make with all of these.