Germ Patrol

With the arrival of the new baby came the arrival of the germ police. Big sister A has taken this role to heart. People can't even get their coat off before she is handing them the HANDITIZER. It is so cute that she says it this way. Big sister B tries to get her to say it the right way, but I want A to keep saying it her cute way. It is a good thing baby B has a big sister like A to watch out for him and to keep all germs away.

New Year, New Baby, New post

HAPPY NEW YEAR! i can't believe that it is already 2010. it seems like just yesterday the world was freaking out about the year 2000. Now 10 years later look at us.

2 weeks ago I gave birth to a very cute baby boy. For our house it is nice to have a boy. It is a little different, but his big sisters are so in love. They can't get enough of him. It was an easy labor with a not so easy first week. He spent his first week in the Special Care Nursery instead of at home. Things are better now and we are so thankful for all the blessings and prayers. Not coming home from the hospital with my baby was strange, but at the same time a little nice. I was able to get the girls ready, rest a bit without a big belly, and heal a bit before the baby came home. I think I'd still rather have my baby come home with me, but finding the blessing in a situation is a good thing.

I can not promise I will blog more, but I will try. I have a few things in mind and we will see how it goes. Since Baby B is starting to like being awake more than sleeping we will see how it goes. I just wanted to let you know I am still around.

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.