We Are Expecting!

We came home and decorated our Christmas tree in celebration of our upcoming new arrival! Yes, we are expecting our third baby in April. Earlier that day we took the boys to the ultrasound and found out we are going to have a girl!!! I am very excited, and Paul is pleased as well. He kept calling the baby a her and has been asking for a sister. More importantly, everything looked healthy and normal with our little one.

This pregnancy has been more difficult in some ways, and better in others. I was sick for long time in the beginning, but it was at night and I could put the kids and myself to bed at the same time and sleep through it. That was nice. I was able to keep it quiet for longer too because I wasn't sick during the day and I wasn't showing (unusual for a third I know). All the unpleasant symptoms like smells, hips hurting, fatigue, cramps, etc. have been amplified this time around. Bummer. I have a bonus symptom too; I am so lucky. I itch all over all the time! On the bright side though, I am more than halfway done!

I love Christmas time.

I love my family, and we are excited about adding to it.

The boys love their trains.

Thanksgiving in Albuquerque

We went to Albuquerque, NM for Thanksgiving because it was middle ground for family. We were all able to travel about equal distance. The drive down was really windy and we got terrible gas mileage. The kids were good and we didn't have to stop much so we made good time though. We almost ran out of gas on the pass. We were in no-man's land. Exit after exit had signs that read "no services available," but we did sputter into a gas station eventually. Phew!

The house we rented had a play set in the backyard. One of those wooden ones with a two-story fort with a slide. There was a swing thingo that held two kids at a time facing back to back, like a two sided rocking horse. The kids loved it. The first day we were there Paul and Caleb were on it for a while laughing and having a good time, when I heard screaming. Caleb was hanging on to one side like he was falling off a horse, and every time it swung his head was hitting a 4X4 post that held the two-story fort. I went running across the yard and before I could get there the swing had gone back and forth a couple more times. It was sickening to watch and not be able to get there fast enough. Poor Caleb had a three open wounds. One on his temple, one next to his eye, and another along his jaw. It didn't take long for the bruising and swelling to follow. I felt so bad for him.

I have a problem. I am confessing...I can't keep track of important things like cameras and keys. I am constantly misplacing them. I am currently missing my car keys. They have been missing for a couple weeks now, and of course I couldn't find my camera while we were in New Mexico. It turned up the last night we were there. They appeared out of thin air; I swear. Hence, I don't have many pictures. All in all it was a relaxing vacation, and it is always fun to spend time with family.

Paul, Caleb, Maisy, Emmy

Halloween

We had fun preparing for Halloween, but Halloween itself was a bit of a disappointment for our family this year. We were sick. I don't have any pictures of trick-or-treating or their costumes. We sat at home puking and had to ignore our doorbell. It was very sad. We tried to go to a church trunk-or-treat, but ended up leaving with sick kids. Paul had a knight costume and Caleb a dragon.

We did have fun decorating pumpkins and going to a corn maze though beforehand.

Book Club....While Mom's Away

Dad does post something every once and a while. This is what the boys do while mom is away for the night to book club with all of the girls on their night out.