Wednesday, December 31, 2008

On Cloud 9



We had an amazing ultrasound experience today. God is so good! We went in and waited for 45 minutes as we were asked to be there 30 minutes early & then they were running behind. Unfortunately we were only allowed 2 people back in the room with us so Dave took the boys for a walk to entertain them and I let the lucky girls come back in with me. I was sad Dave wasn't able to come in but we were able to get a video tape of part of the ultrasound and I am eagerly waiting his homecoming tonight so we can watch it together. Once we went back in the tech seemed a little strict. I was thinking that maybe this wasn't going to be as fun as I had thought but decided to just be nice & polite back to her. She wasn't rude, just not very happy. After a little bit she changed and she was so nice & chatty it was like talking to a different person. I guess she had a bad morning with some tough things going on. I felt badly for her. We had a great time chatting not only about Baby but about some other things as well. It was really neat. As we went through the u/s she told us everything she was doing and looking for. She assured me as we went along that things looked great. That was beyond wonderful to hear. She explained to the girls details of what we were seeing & answered all of their questions. Science /Anatomy lesson! LOL! The heart was the most fascinating of all. We saw it in detail, heard the precious beating & saw the blood flow. This was where it was actually in our favor that our u/s was later on in my pregnancy. Did you know that around 20 weeks the heart is the size of a quarter? Amazing! Something I learned today. We saw close ups of the kidneys, bladder, diaphragm, brain, and specific bones. Little feet kicked & little hands flexed open & shut. At one point we even saw Baby yawn. So sweet! God truly does knit us together in the womb. And what a miracle it is! At the end she was able to tell us the gender of our Little One. I could hardly wait to share the news with Dave! We were given 3 priceless photos to take home plus our video. I carried them out like they were made of gold.

Thank you to everyone that prayed today! It was all we had hoped for and more. What a fabulous memory to tuck away. A BIG thank you to those that were waiting for my phone calls & those that emailed wanting to know who this Little One is. Your squeals of delight & excited emails are treasures. I appreciate all of you that choose to continue to share in this wonderful, amazing experience with us. Love you all!



Graphics by http://home.att.net/~scorh/GraphicsBaby.html






Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Big Day Tomorrow!


Baby

Tomorrow is our ultrasound! I'm super excited, can you tell? Lol! We are hoping first to see that all is well with Baby. Please, God. Then hopefully if Baby cooperates we will find out who this Little One is! Boy or girl? I can hardly wait! Each of the kids have their votes in and Dave does as well. As for me I don't have any definite guess. I'm so bad at that. Lol. Now just so you know I'm not going to post the results of boy or girl here. I don't want to spoil it for anyone that wants to wait until B-Day. If you'd like to know feel free to email me and I'll be happy to share. All I ask is please don't spoil it for anyone that wants to stay surprised. Thanks!

Way Too Happy 10 hours 18 minutes to go! Way Too Happy


Monday, December 29, 2008

Christmas Eve

We did end up going to the candlelight Christmas Eve service at our new church. I am so glad we did. It was absolutely beautiful. They had these star shaped lights hanging from the high ceiling and the lights were dimmed in the sanctuary. It was super crowded and I felt lucky to get a seat. We ended up in the balcony and I think if Dave hadn't first dropped us off at the door and then went to park by himself we wouldn't have had a seat at all. That is how fast the seats filled up. Bugs did very well considering he is 3 and has never had to sit through an hour long service before. He didn't get restless until the end and even then he behaved as well as or even better than the other kids his age. When we lit the candles and the light filled the sanctuary it was magical. Heavenly.

After we arrived home we started in on making dinner. It was easy as we had prepped things ahead & planned a simple meal. The only thing that took time were the pizzas to cook. Dinner ended up being perfect. It was like a little buffet full of favorite foods. We had special things that we don't' normally have but as I mentioned they were things that took very little preparation. A perfect blend of special & easy on a busy night.

The girls did clean up for us and then it was time for our ornaments. Every year we give the children a special ornament. This year was no exception. Dave's dad had made one for them as well. They look forward to seeing what theme or character he has chosen.

Because of all the excitement and last minute needs bedtime took longer than Dave & I had hoped. Eventually we got them all into bed. I'm not sure how much sleeping actually took place but at least they were tucked in & the lights were off.

Elvis poses with me as I shred the cheese for pizzas.

Sweet Pea arranges the shrimp.

Daddy made the pizzas. He even made homemade sauce!

Boo Bear was in charge of the snack platter.

Our Tree

Mama & Her Chicks

Our Little Buffet
Pizzas, chips & dip, shrimp, grapes, celery with cream cheese, carrots & cheese and crackers.

Bugs plays cars while the girls clean up.

Ornament Time!
These were the ornaments I painted for the boys.


And here are the girls with theirs.

Close Up


Daddy opens the box from Grandma & Grandpa M.

Bugs was the first to get his ornament from Grandma & Grandpa. A teddy bear!


Bugs' ornament
They each have the child's name on them and the year. For privacy I haven't shown that side. Pops cuts these out of wood and handpaints them. Doesn't he do an amazing job?

Elvis' Ornament


Boo Bears'

Sweet Peas'

Santa Came!
After the kids were tucked into bed of course. *wink*


Boy, he even filled the stockings to the brim!



Baby Baby!

Baby is growing & growing! At my doctor's visit she said I was measuring 3 weeks ahead. She was not surprised seeing as this is my 6th pregnancy. I told Dave, "No wonder I've been feeling so huge!" =) It does make me wonder how big this Little One is going to be. Bugs would have been 10 lbs. if he hadn't been a scheduled C-section. Yikes!

Taken on Christmas Eve

Sunday, December 28, 2008

The Days Before Christmas

Here are a few miscellaneous shots from the days leading up to Christmas Day.

Bailey

Sky Walker
Or as I like to call him, "Sky-Sky".


One night Dave spent some time with the boys making models. They were so excited!


Posing with their projects

Getting down to work

All my boys

All it needs now is paint!


My dear friend Megan sent us a package for Christmas. It was filled with this to-die-for delicious caramel popcorn drizzled with chocolate. There was also a homemade muffin mix which I am looking forward to mixing up. Last but not least she included a blanket for Baby that she stitched herself. It is gorgeous. Elvis loves how soft it feels. I can hardly wait to cuddle Baby in it. Thank you, Megan!



Saturday, December 27, 2008

Great Deals!


In pace with our new life down here we decided to venture out to the stores the day after Christmas. Usually we are way too exhausted to even consider such a move but since we had such a nice, relaxing Christmas we ventured out around noon. There are many, many stores to choose from here way different than back where we used to live. I think that made it a bit more tempting as well. The kids were itching to spend some of the Christmas $ Nana gave them.

We went to Target first. I haven't been to Target since we moved here and it was set up much different than the one back home. We found an awesome deal on a new digital camera for Boo Bear. I had been searching & searching for a good quality digital camera under $100, (Wishful thinking?), and preferably around $80 tops. She has been wanting a camera for quite awhile and saved her birthday $ & allowance for the past 3 months towards a camera. Nana's gift card made up the difference she was lacking. We found a fantastic starter camera and the best thing is it was $15 lower than the lowest priced, positive reviewed camera I had found advertised. Yahoo! I even peeked underneath the sales card that was advertising & describing the camera as it sat on the electronics counter and saw it had just been reduced another $30. So if you add in that savings we got quite the sweet deal. Boo loves it and has literally been taking pictures ever since. She has already filled up an entire memory card!

The kids each picked out a toy or item to use their gift card on. A Star Wars toy for Elvis, 3 die cast Pixar CARS for Bugs, & a CD for Sweet Pea. I found a couple of large towels to fit my rounded body & some bath mats. Mine aren't exciting but things I had been wanting & saving for for awhile. So fun for me! =) The kids are excited because they each have at least a little $ left to go shopping again. Another fun trip in the near future!

Our next search was for shoes. Dave had been wanting & needing some new sneakers. Usually we aren't into brand names but because of his bad knees & my flat feet, (fallen arches from pregnancies), we have each found that New Balance sneakers are the sneakers for us. None have even come close in comparison. Dave's parents had given us some $ for Christmas and this is what we decided upon. (Thanks, Mom & Pops!) Now to find the deals. I had hoped to only spend $40 per pair at the most but the least expensive we could find were $50 each. Not too bad but I had seen them advertised for less before Christmas and was determined not to give up. We stopped in the small Sears near our house and after a bit I scanned the clearance rack. Low & behold what was sitting there but a size 14 New Balance sneaker! I couldn't believe it! I snatched it up to show Dave. We couldn't find the match so Dave went up to the counter to ask the saleslady if she new it's location. And she did! She went in the back and came out with it's mate. On the spot Dave told her he'd take them. Lol! She chuckled and asked if he'd like to know the price. We knew it was in the range of 40% to 60% off b/c of the sign but didn't know the exact price. Guess what? They were $25!!!!!!! I would have done a big ol' happy dance right there if I wasn't so hugely pregnant. =) As it was I was cheering from across the room which cracked the saleslady up. It made it even more of a find b/c we always have such a tough time finding shoes for Dave. Size 14! What a blessing!


My 3rd fantastic deal was found at Michael's today. They have been giving away either a 40% or 50% coupon this Christmas with your receipt. The only catch is that it can only be used on a regular priced item. I decided to see if I could use mine for a cork bulletin board. We need a large one for our office & they are super expensive everywhere I have looked. I went into Micheal's today hoping & praying their bulletin boards were not on sale. How funny is that? A frugal shopper praying against a sale. Lol! To my delight they were back to regular price and I was able to use my coupon for it! I walked out of the store with a large cork bulletin board for under $8! Considering all the ones I had seen in my researching were $35 or more I was delighted! And guess what? With my purchase I received another coupon for 50% off a regular priced item! Isn't that neat?

Our shopping is about wrapped up because of budget but I will definitely keep my eye out for those super bargains. After all Dave has a birthday next month and Sweet Pea has one coming up in March. If I can find a can't resist deal I'll tuck them away for their special days.






Friday, December 26, 2008

Friday Fill-In

1. I must see the Grand Canyon before I die.

2. You can't stop me from dancing.

3. I wish I never had to buy heating oil again.

4. Christ has helped me change my life.

5. I know the song Barney's pick up song by heart.

6. If I weren't so afraid, I would go skydiving.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to sleeping, tomorrow my plans include shopping for sneakers & a cork board for the office & spending time with Dave and Sunday, I want to help Dave clean out Baby's room!

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

From Our Family To Yours

Queen for a Day

I had a wonderful birthday this year. Dave & the kids worked hard to make it very special.

First, since it was Sunday I was able to have a lazy day. I rested, took a nap and was plain lazy. Then Dave cooked an amazing dinner. He made marinated London Broil, Broccoli Parmesan, and Scalloped Potatoes. Everything was made from scratch and super delicious. After dinner it was present time. You'll see below the many gifts I was given. I am blessed to have such a generous family! After that it was time to dance! The kids & Dave were a riot dancing around the living room at full speed. I joined in a little. It was a blast! Then it was back to the table for cake and ice cream. Dave made a chocolate cake with butter cream icing. Again, all homemade. Oh, so yummy! The girls volunteered to clean up and I was back to lounging around. Queen for a day!


Each of the children made me a card. Precious & full of love.


A birthday kiss for Mama.

Boo gave me one of her favorite movies.

Dave gave me 3 CD's by some of my favorite country singers.

Sweet Pea gave me a book light as she knows how I love to read in bed.


Bugs loved helping me with my gifts.



YAY! Just what I wanted!


Dave set it all up for me.



My new tunes.


Let the dancing begin!!!!!!!



Bugs dances with Sky.


Dave too.



Mama dances with Bugs.
It was so sweet. He came over to me and said, "Mommy will you dance wid me?" How could I resist?

Boo takes Mama for a whirl.







My Cake


Enjoying my birthday song. Lol!

Oh boy!

Bugs plays a special song for me.

After all the fun & excitement it was time to settle down. Daddy & the boys sat down to read together before bedtime.



What a wonderful, wonderful birthtday. Thank you for making it super special Dave, Sweet Pea, Boo Bear, Elvis & Bug-a-Boo!