I'm so ready for this day to be done!!

It has been raining non stop all. day. long. Like any other rainy day, it was perfect for curling up on the couch and watching tv all day and reading to my boy. That isn't what happened in this house!! I did read several books to him but not because I had nothing else to do!

I decided yesterday that I wasn't leaving the house today, except to take Hannah to school and pick her up. I picked the perfect day. But the rain didn't motivate me to get much of my work done. I started with transfering our books from our old bookshelf to a new one I brought home from my sister's house last weekend when we helped her move. I just knew this bookshelf would be big enough to get all our books on. Wrong! It's a good thing I brought home two bookshelves from her house. =) I have one filled up and the other about half full. I don't know how much room I saved by eliminating one short, long shelf and two small ones on either side of it and replacing it with two tall, skinny shelves but it'll work. I have a weakness for children's books. I have been resisting the urge to buy more everytime I'm at a thrift store because I just can't keep bringing home more books! I'm also trying to get into the habit of taking Ryan to the library but if you have seen our library, you'd know why it's not that exciting. When we lived in Ohio, the librabries were huge. Our library now is a trailer about 400 sq ft, I'd guess. They are building a new one out back which might encourage us to go more. I stopped several times to read to Ryan or change the laundry.

In other news, we got our tree up over the weekend. The kids had more fun decorating this year than I can remember in years past.

We also bought a recliner so Brad would leave me alone on the couch. =) We had to change the whole livingroom around to get it to fit. That same night we picked up the mini crib that will be Abigail's. It fits perfectly in her "area." Things are coming together slowly!

the news....

Most of you who read this already know the news I'm talking about. I know I was the one who was determined NOT to know the sex of this child o' mine but I just coulnd't help it!! I really just don't know what I was thinking. I know one thing, my brain is suffering lots during this pregnancy, so I'm blaming it all on that!! For those of you reading this who don't know, the Lord has chosen to bless us with another...........GIRL!!! Brad came to his first ever appt with me. I think seeing the ultrasound, hearing her heart beat and seeing her wiggle on the screen was really good for him. He's your typical manly man. He doesn't get excited or emotional about anything. But I know he thought that ultrasound was pretty amazing. How can you not?! So now the hard part, picking a name. At least we have it narrowed down to one sex! That takes away half the work. We called mom to tell the kids they were having a sister and Ryan's exact words were, "oh poohy." It was priceless, the way he said it. I just love that boy. Now he'll have two sisters to protect in school. I also told him he will have to teach her how to play hot wheels. I'm now sure how the age gap will affect things but I'm excited for the next chapter of our lives to start!!

God's promise

I love being reminded of God's promises to us! The fact that he always keeps his promises will never change! It rained all day and then right before dark, the sun came out just for a minute, before going below the horizon, to show us this lovely scene.

I got this book called The Preschooler's Busy Book which has all kinds of creative activities and things to do with bored, misheivious kids who can't go outside, like my son. I decided today was the day we would spend time doing some of those activites.


We started with the hole puncher. He had fun with that for, oh, 5 minutes. After that he didn't want to do anything else in that book. So we turned to something that always entertains for hours:

Playdoh. We made toast and eggs and a big mess in general. After that, he was all done with any activities. So I gave up and went about getting some of my work done.

He loves helping me with laundry. I always let it fill up with water and then throw him things while he sits on the dryer and puts them in the washer. Then he uses a hanger to push the clothes down into the water. He found his spiderman hat that I had washed previously. By now it was around 10, he was already begging for lunch and I hadn't taken a shower yet so he settled on the couch with a rented Scooby Doo movie while I took a shower. I told him when the little hand on the clock gets back up to the 12, it will be time to eat (11:00).

He wanted to have a picnic outside but I told him that wouldn 't be happening until spring so we settl;ed for a picnic on the livingroom floor.

Then I decided I wanted to run to the store and get the few things I needed for the week, and some things I didn't need. We didn't run all the way to walmart since I only needed a few necessities (milk, bread, cereal, OJ, stuff like that). He always likes the quick trips because he can get his own buggy. He also had to take his teddy that he found at the bottom of the toybox.

By the time we got home, it was time to get Hannah. They painted and played for awhile. I fixed supper while they watches a few cartoons. After we ate it was time to do Hannah's spelling words, shower and read. I read 5 books but we were done by 6:15 so I said they could play for awhile but if they got crazy, I was making them go to bed. Soooo, things started smoothly and then they knocked the hamster's tunnels off his cage, the cage just barely made it, so I made them go to bed.

I'm exhausted. Brad is just now on his way home from work so I'm going to go reheat supper for him.

Week in review

This has been one of the longer weeks I've had lately. Ryan and I spend MUCH of our time at home during the week, only leaving to take and pick Hannah up from school and grocery shop. I try to do all my running on grocery day so I don't have to leave the house everyday. That saves us gas money and money in general cuz I'm not shopping or eating out every day. This week, however, I left the house about every day and had an extra dog around so I have been feeling a bit behind on my normal stuff.

Monday-I had my regular monthly baby appt. My dr is about 45 min away so it's an all morning event when I go to the dr. Everything went great. I had bloodwork done to test for downsyndrome and I think some other things, all of which came back normal. Praise God! I also had to stop at the store to get something for grandma next door. She also had Ryan which makes getting him very easy. =) By the time I got home and got settled, it was time to pick Hannah up from school, do homework and start supper.

Tuesday-Ryan and I went grocery shopping. That also is an all morning event. I have to give Ryan lots of praise in this area because he is such a good boy when I drag him from store to store all morning. And he knows it. He frequently points out the fact that he's being such a good boy and is a good helper while we are grocery shopping. I don't know what changes when we get home, tho. =) Once agian, by the time we got home it was time to get Hannah, do homework and start supper.

Wed-I don't think Ryan and I went anywhere. A couple from church dropped off their little dog for me to petsit until Fri sometime. I tried to spend the day cleaning up our much neglected house. Oh yeah, I do remember playing soccer with Ryan outside, too. Of course, church in the evening. Then ice cream afterwards because Hannah didn't have school on Thur.

Thur- I had a lunch date with a couple of friends. One of which is a week more pregnant than I. So I took the kids to mamaw's before that and then had to go get them afterwards. Then more "trying" to get the house cleaned up.

Friday (today)-Brad was supposed to be off work but he was on call last night and until 8 am. He got called out at 5 this morning so I didn't know when I'd see him again! Ryan and I did our normal take Hannah to school and clean up. By now I have figured out the dog I'm petsitting and can get a few things done. Then Brad came home and started his work outside. We had an ins guy come out today to look at the camper. It was damaged by some big tree limbs during a storm this summer and now the whole floor is rotting out on the inside! We didn't know any damage had been done until much later. I'm praying they will total the camper so we can be done with it. We LOVE camping but the camper has been a lot of trouble for us over the past two years. Anyway, so Ryan hung out with daddy outside or grandma next door most of the morning. Then daddy took him and Hannah out to mamaw's with him while he goes down in the woods to "scope out" a spot near the deer cam where they have been getting pictures of a big buck at 9 or 9:30 every morning . I might also add that Brad hasn't got home from work before the kids went to bed once in the past 2 weeks. They love doing things with daddy, even if it's going down in the woods to look for a spot for him to sit while he hunts tomorrow. Any time they get with him is special. So hopefully the little dog will be going home this evening and we'll get to do something as a family.

Baby Bump

I figure if one person is curious, I'm sure a lot of other people are too! I'll be 16 wks tomorrow.

Just like mom used to make

Hannah didn't have school today so we were all looking forward to sleeping in alittle. We started out bedtime with Hannah and Ryan both in Hannah's bed (it's full size, thanks Jill and Adam). They had been begging to sleep together for quite sometime but it was always a school night or we all forgot or whatever. So I thought last night would be the perfect opportunity. They laughed and played for awhile and then things started to get quiet. I heard Ryan cough a few times. Then he yelled for me. When I went in, Hannah was asleep and he wanted in his own bed. Which was fine with me because I knew they'd be up early if they slept together! I was willing to suffer thru getting up early so the kids could have a sleep over. =) Oh the thingsus mothers do!

At 6:45 this morning, Hannah came and woke me up saying that the sheet was messed up on her bed and she couldn't fix it because we had pushed her bed up against the wall so Ryan wouldn't fall out last night. Sooooo I went and fixed it. I figured she would want to stay up but she didn't, as far as I know. Then at about 7:45 Ryan came and woke me up saying he had went potty. I said, "good, now go get back in bed." I knew that I was up for good that time. I heard him playing thru the monitor and then I heard Hannah join him and I dozed until about 8:30 when they came and wanted something to eat.

When Hannah doesn't have school I like to do special things together with them because we don't get tp spend the whole day together much anymore. I wanted to make some cinnamon rolls, from the can, for breakfast but didn't have any. I spotted a can of "garlic bread" biscuits I had bought awhile back. I had another can I had already used but i was very disappointed in them because the label was very misleading. I thought I was getting garlic bread but they were just plain biscuits only long and skinny, not round. So I decided homemade donuts just like mom used to make them would be perfect for us to do together. I let them form the dough into whatever shape they wanted and then I cooked them in the oil and then I let them shake them in the cinnamon/sugar mixture or the powdered sugar mixture. They loved it and were eating them as we went. They turned out really good.

If you look closely at Ryan's hair in the last picture, you can see that it looks longer right thru the middle than down the sides. It has been doing that ever since I gave him a mohawk last summer! Now that strip that I left stands straight up all the time! I don't know how to get it to lay flat anymore! It's so annoying to me. I stare at it all the time. I just wanted to point that out so you can all stare at it in every picture like I do! =)

Anyway, after a sugar-filled breakfast, late in the morning (Ryan and I are normally eating lunch at 11 because we eat breakfast so early in the morning), the kids played happily while I folded some laundry and loaded the dishwasher. I don't even know what all they were doing. I did open some playdoh containers for them and the crayon tub so I know of a few things. That's another thing I like about Hannah being home. Her and Ryan usually play well together so it's nice to have her around to entertain him for me. He has never been one to play well by himself. We talked to my mom on the phone for awhile and I think I might of read a few books.....pregnancy brain....I don't really remember. Around noon I sent them down to the mailbox and we all ended up next door at grandma's because they came back with her mail too.

After lunch they played outside for awhile while grandma was raking leaves and chopping them up with the lawn mower and I went and voted. While there a lady came in and somehow it came about that she is pregnant. Everyone was shocked because, altho her t-shirt was a little baggy, you could not tell she was pregnant! She said she is 19 wks. While she was talking to the ladies I was over behind a booth. I stepped out and, showing my belly, (not my naked belly) said that I am only 15 wks. They were all surprised how much bigger my "bump" is than hers!! I envy the girls who are half way there and don't look pregnant at all! I went home and hung out outside with the kids for awhile and then we went in because it was getting cold.

We went to McD's for supper and then by the time we got home it was bathtime, book time and bedtime!

Pretty awesome day.

Determined

Is it really November already? It seems like just yesterday we were trick or treating last year, getting ready for the holidays last year. And here we are again. Getting ready to do it again. I've already seen half a dozen black Friday and now pre-black Friday commercials!

Ugghhhh! I hate to feel so annoyed that it is already this time of year again. It has become more of a chore, to me anyway, to get thru the last two months of the year than it should be. This is supposed to be such a fun, joyful, family-filled time. Why do we make it so hard on ourselves? The past few years I feel like I haven't really stood still long enough to enjoy the real reason for the season (Thanksgiving included). There are parties for school, church, ladies group, friends, family and everything else you can think of. Ryan's birthday has to be thrown in there somewhere (a week before Chirstmas, obviously I didn't plan that)! Brad and I's anniversary is the beginning of Dec. We NEVER do anything to celebrate because there is always a party or get together about every weekend in Dec. Don't forget the dr appts for flu shots, yearly check ups, and the winter sicknesses. On top of that I have added dr appts for this baby! Now that my side of the family is all in different states (with the exception of my little brother) there is lots of traveling to be done too!

So I have already determined that this holiday season is going to be different for us. I want to be sure that we focus on the things that are most important. There are going to be lots of things I can't avoid or change but I'm going to take every opportunity I have to do nothing this year!!