Grateful for morning sickness

Thank you so much for all your sweet comments. It really means a lot to feel your support. It is hard to let myself get excited, but I've learned that having hope shows faith. I am 8 weeks along now, and I go on Monday for our second ultrasound.

I have been a lot more sick this time, and I am grateful for it, because it is reassuring. Todd keeps saying, "I'm sorry you're sick, and even more sorry that I'm happy about it".

We are due on August 15th, but my doctor has already said he'll start me at 39 weeks because I live so far away. (The closest OB/GYN is over 2 hours away, so I'm planning to deliver in Cedar)

The boys all want a sister, but they've agreed that if it's a boy we'll keep him anyway.

I didn't get Christmas cards out this year, but I loved hearing from so many of you, and I hope you had a wonderful Christmas. We spent the week at my parents house with all of my siblings. Even though I didn't feel too great, it was fun to be with them.

We have a new nephew!

My sister-in-law, Melece, was kind enough to go into labor while all of my siblings were in town for a Christmas reunion. This sweet little guy is McKay Wesley...and yes, there's some red in that hair.
Here we are for an impromtu photo shoot of the whole family. As you can see, the girls are way outnumbered, but we're working on that...

Santa brought us...

A 6th stocking!

It was stuffed with a baby toy, a bottle, some pacifiers, an ear thermometer, and an ultrasound picture (we saw the heartbeat last week!).

And now, please excuse me while I throw up.

Yee-haw!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

An idea for next year...

This is how Todd's going to do our lights next year:

It's not snowman snow...

We rarely get the kind of snow you need to build snowmen here. It's just too dry and powdery. Our first storm of the year was perfect snowman snow, but Dillon had preschool that day, and by the time he got home, it had all melted.

His eyes sparkled when he saw the snow this morning. When he got home from preschool, I asked him if it was "snowman snow", and he sadly told me it was not.

A few minutes later, however, he came in with his gloves on and said, "Mom, I don't care if it's not snowman snow. I'm going to make a dead snowman."

I helped him get his coat on, and he insisted that he needed a pickle for the nose. I have plenty of carrots in the fridge, but he was determined to use a pickle.

Ten minutes later we had this wonderful dead snowman in our yard:



Oh, and let me tell you about the kid-sized snowshovel. It's hands down the best purchase I have ever made. Our kids fight over who gets to shovel the steps. Next time we pass by Smith and Edwards, I will most definitely be purchasing two more!

Fa-la-la-la-la...

I've had a lot of fun decorating for Christmas. The last few years I really struggled to get "in the mood" but this year I'm ready. The shopping is nearly done, some of the presents are already wrapped, and I'm looking forward to having some time to sit by the fire and read with the kids, and watch Christmas movies this year.

Thank you all for your condolences with the loss of tree "B". I wanted to put together a slideshow of all the pictures we had with her (O Tannenbaum playing in the background) but I just don't think I'm going to get around to it.

Introducing:

Tree "C"

(seriously...it had a tag with a "C" on it...)

Todd just shook his head when he saw that

I'd painted polka-dots on the red tub from our front yard,

and then put the tree in it. Good thing he loves me.

My hutch:

Thanks for the Christmas dishes, Dad!

More fluff 'n'stuff:

A grouping of miscellaneous stuff. The nativity on the tray is one that the kids can play with.

And more fluff.

I hung an ornament on anything

that would hold still this year...

Oops, I forgot to take Todd's thermometer out of the mantle picture.


My saltbox house got a wreath for the season...

I ALWAYS hang mistletoe in the doorway :o)

The boys' tree...

...and the reason for the season.