Robert

Our girls have a very cute misunderstanding about Robert. We discovered it the other day. They were discussing bad people and they said, "Roberts are bad." We don't really know anyone named Robert so we asked some questions and by "Roberts" they mean "robbers"! LOL! So cute!
Today is the start of a 4 day weekend for all of us! This will be my last blog of the year too! So, anyone made any resolutions?

I spoke too soon!

Because....my mom also had a Christmas gift for baby 3! She got the cutest little outfits! (I posted pics!) Also a cute little towel! So now, I must add to my list of favorite Christmas gifts! I LOVE the gift she got for baby 3 and they got me a waffle maker and an electric tart warmer with Yankee candle tarts! Those items MUST go on my list! I have been wanting a new waffle maker for about 4 years. I have one and it works just fine, but it only makes 1 waffle at a time. My new makes FOUR at a time! Since we are about to be a family of 5, making 4 waffles at a time is SOOOOO much nicer! I was also very excited about my electric tart warmer! No more tealight candles to mess with!
My parents also got American Girl dolls for the girls. The Genius got Kaya and the Hippie got Kit! They LOVE them! Thanks Mom, Dad and sis!

Baby it's cold outside!

It is pretty chilly and windy here today, but thankfully the sun in out and streaming in through the windows!
Our house is back to normal and all the Christmas decor is put away safely in the attic. I was so thankful to get it done! Today we are anxiously awaiting the arrival of my parents and sister. They are coming here to deliver their gifts! It will be a short but fun visit! They are all spending the night and the girls cannot wait for them to get here! They got so wound up my hubby had to take them to the park to chill.
What did you get for Christmas? What was your favorite gift? I have two favorites so far. One, is the bottle of Vera Wang Princess perfume from my husband! I had never heard of it and I love it! The bottle is so pretty! My other favorite came from my mother-in-law. She got a gift for baby 3! It just meant so much to me that she thought of our baby-on-the-way. She got him/her a cute little elephant teether toy. I cannot find a link to the exact one, but it is blue and kinda looks like this.

Merry Christmas!!!!!!!

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!!!
The musical nativity in these pictures is my $10 flea market find! It is beautiful and plays "Silent Night".
Have a blessed Christmas!

A Christmas Laugh

Filling up the day

Christmas Eve is here! The girls were up earlier than normal (as expected). I have been pleased with how quickly the day has gone! We all got up (me much later than everyone else). My husband took the girls up to the track to let them burn some steam and so he could run. I stayed home and got the steaks marinating, the hashbrown casserole mixed and ready to cook, laundry started and cooked the hanky panky! It was so nice to get all that done. I made lasagna for lunch today. My husband then took the girls to the park and I walked on the treadmill. Later we are going around to look at Christmas lights and when we get back we read the story of the birth of Jesus and the girls set up out nativity. They are very excited and already planning which figurines they each want to do. I hope you are all having a great Christmas Eve!!!
Last night my husband and I had a date. We had planned to see a movie but when we got to the theater that movie was not showing. Soooo, change of plans! We ate at a yummy Italian place and each tried a new pasta so we could share. Then we walked around a plaza and looked at cloth diapers! We finished up by browsing through Target and renting a few dvds. We got "Four Christmases" for us to watch. It was funny, but not the best movie I have ever seen. All in all it was a great date and we had really needed that time. While we were gone the sitter baked homemade sugar cookies with the girls, drew snowmen and taught them to play hangman!
Merry Christmas Eve!

3

Yes, three more days til Christmas!!!!! It cannot come soon enough! The girls are waking up early and getting very antsy. Thankfully we have a sitter coming tomorrow afternoon so my hubby and I can can have some MUCH needed time alone! I am not sure what we will do, but it really does not matter! LOL!
Last night my husband read my previous blog post and took us all out to dinner at Chick-Fil-A! I got my grilled chicken fix and the girls ran off some steam! On the way home we drove past some new Christmas lights and enjoyed some good Christmas music.
Today we were supposed to be on our way to the attorney but evidently they are in another state stuck in snow and we had to reschedule. It was pretty frustrating since my husband had asked for the day off and all. He ended up going into work and I am left home with the girls. Normally this would be fine but since our morning routine was all messed up they are being very grouchy and have already lost their treat for the day. Next thing left to lose is computer time. It could be a long day ahead of me here. Thankfully my husband promised to take us all out tonight, maybe to the library.
3 days til Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

True Stuff

I got this link from my friend Belinda. She is pregnant with her fifth boy and we share a mutual pregnancy craving for Chick-Fil-A. My personal choice is a grilled chicken sandwich, waffle fries dipped in BBQ with a large ice water! I am not sure what she craves, but I will say every Sunday I drive by with regret that I cannot have it! LOL! This video made me and the girls laugh! Hope you enjoy it!!! 4 days til Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This Year's Menu

5 days til Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We officially have our Christmas menu all planned out. Last year, I decided to start a new tradition. I let each of us pick our favorite dish (or what sounded good) and I made it. We ended up with a mish mash of food and we all loved it! This years menu is all set!
The Genius picked my marinated steaks.
The Hippie wanted ramen noodles and these cheesy crescent rolls I make (since they are EASY I let her have both. Plus in all fairness to her we all devour the rolls I make).
I picked a hashbrown casserole my mom always makes and hanky panky (I got to choose 2 items because one is for the baby ;) ). The hanky panky will be an all day snack. I will have it warm in the crock pot all day.
My husband asked for mashed potatoes because he loves the steaks and loves potatoes with it!
A weird menu for sure, but everyone will be so pleased and they are all easy dishes! Most can be made ahead.
What is on your Christmas menu?

Last night we took the girls to a local live nativity. It was really cold so we were not able to stay long. They enjoyed it though! We woke up to a very small dusting of snow today and I know the girls were disappointed they could not play in it. However, the weather forecast does show a chance of snow for Christmas. In 5 days we will know for sure!

The Sweetest Thing

First off, as of today we are 12 WEEKS PREGNANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It feels GREAT to make that milestone! Hopefully it won't be too much longer and I will start feeling the baby move! I love the second trimester!
Secondly, it is now 6 days til Christmas!!!!!!!!
Now, for the sweetest thing. My husband and I were hanging out last night after the girls were sleeping. We had had a great Friday night with them. Pizza and we watched parts of Elf with them. They were so sweet and fun and cute. I got up to go turn the tree lights off and thought I saw a little something in my husband's stocking. I peeked into it and there are some pieces of paper. Paper that belongs to the Hippie. She made him some notes or pictures (we did not peek at them). He was sitting on the couch getting all choked up. I looked in my stocking and, sure enough, she made some for me too. So now I am getting all choked up and ready to cry. She never even told us she did it and I think that is just about the sweetest thing ever.

One More Week til Christmas

We are all getting so excited for Christmas to get here! Everything is ready! The gifts are all wrapped and hidden away, the tree has been decorated for about a month and the Christmas music is playing non-stop! I just love it! I have seen so many people blogging about Christmas...the traditions, funny stories, memories, best gifts etc.. What is your favorite Christmas memory (or one of them)?
There is NO way i could just pick one so I am choosing this one to share today.
The Christmas of 2004 the Genius was about 18 months old and the Hippie was 3 months old. Since they were so little their big gift was a double jogging stroller. We got the Genius some toys and things but just got 1 gift for the Hippie. My parents had given her this really sweet little peach colored outfit and she was wearing it. I pulled her onto my lap and opened her gift for her. It was one of those squishy books. This one was Little Einsteins and one page there was a duck. The duck had a squeaker inside it. I was showing her each page and when I got to the duck I squeaked it. Right then and there, on Christmas day, she gave us her first laugh! Opening the only gift she had. It was so precious! She has not stopped laughing since and if you ask anyone who knows her? They will tell you that she STILL has a precious laugh and when you hear it you just have to smile and laugh too!

Can I have some water?

I had an interesting experience today... to say the least. When I take the girls for their Selective Mutism therapy once a week, we usually drive through McDonald's on the way. The timing is easier that way. Otherwise we eat lunch too early. I rarely have a problem at the McDonald's close to us. Today was the exception. I placed our order with the drive-thru lady. I ordered a large ice water (and place my emphasis on the large). I noticed she rang up a salad dressing. When I got to the window I asked about the .20 charge. She said that was to cover my large cup. Now, I had never been charged prior to this, but that was ok with me. I understand paying for the cup. Then she said, "Just make sure they do give you the large cup." I pull up and sure enough, I see 3 small drinks. I guess I should preface this by saying that since getting pregnant, I have really not been able to drink anything other than water. Maybe some orange juice, but mostly water. Plus the drive we are getting ready for is an hour long, so I need lots of water. When the girl hands us our drinks, I said "This was a large water." She says, "Well, we only give out smalls." I said, "Well, I was charged for it and the lady back there said to make sure it was really a large." So, the girl says, "Let me go ask." She disappears and the cars are piling up behind me. She comes back and says, "Nope. I'm right and we only give out smalls and charge for the medium." I said, "Well I have been given a large every time I have come here." She replies, "Well the large would actually cost you $1.00." I am fuming at this point and said, "Ok, well then I would like my .20 refund and I will keep my small water." She disappears AGAIN and comes back with.... a large ice water. Then snottily adds, "Next time you will have to pay for this." I was SO mad! So I called tonight and talked to a manager and found out I was right! Small waters are free BUT for .20 you can get a large or medium cup water. I felt so justified and just a tad sorry for the 20 cars that were stuck behind me. You just don't mess with pregnant ladies! =)

A little something to get you in the Christmas spirit!

My dad sent me this link and I think it is great! Hope you enjoy! It is short (under 3 minutes) and well worth it! Make sure you have your sound turned on so you can hear it.

Traditon....Tradition!

Wow, so that completely makes me think of the sound track to "Fiddler on the Roof". What a great musical and full of wonderful songs! Def. a favorite of mine! My husband once surprised me on a date with tickets to a dinner theater to see it live.
Now, back to the reason of my post! My friend Kathlyn just had post on her blog about Christmas traditions. It made me wonder what all of you do for your Christmas traditions? If you have kids, do you play Santa? What tradition is your favorite?
I will share some of ours. Our Christmas traditions actually begin the day after Thanksgiving. Several years ago, my husband's sister began coming to our house for Thanksgiving. She has been coming every year since and it is now a tradition we all hope to continue. The day after Thanksgiving my hubby pulls out our tree and decorations. Around 3 in the afternoon, we crank up the Christmas music and start decorating. About mid-way through I usually order pizza. When we are done and the pizza arrives we eat around the tree with just the tree lights on. It is so much fun and actually a pretty relaxing experience! Of course, some branches so have about 8 ornaments on them, but we like the crowed look! Our next real tradition is passed down from my family. On the night of Christmas Eve in lieu of a book, we read the Christmas story of Jesus' birth from the Bible. While my husband reads it (usually by candlelight or tree lights) the girls act out the story with our nativity set. On Christmas Eve they also each open 1 gift which is always a new pair of pjs! They put them on and wear them to bed and all day on Christmas! On Christmas morning they wake us up by bouncing on our bed and singing to us. We all get up and come out and admire the tree and gifts. Then they watch me make homemade waffles! We eat them and stare at the gifts and talk about what we think we got etc. It is so fun and we all love the suspense! Then we all attack our stockings. After that we pass out gifts and when they are all distributed, we open going one person at a time. I love it!

A Party all the Time

Yesterday was great! We took the girls to MOKI for 2 hours. It was the Christmas one and they came home loaded down with gifts! They each got a prize and a HUGE stocking filled with goodies! Then we went with some of our friends to a local church. They were having a community kids party. Each child got a nice present there! The Hippie got a Disney Barbie and the Genius got a Littlest Pet Shop toy. We went to a yummy Mexican place with our friends. All the kids were so good! That night, we had our church's Christmas party. They started by serving a wonderful dinner! Then they had childcare for the kids (our girls were the only kids!). The girls spent the next hour or so painting and markering and gluing and making a fun mess of ornaments for our already crowded tree! LOL! Then the workers had MORE gifts for the girls! Meanwhile, my husband and I got to be part a really fun and very rowdy gift exchange! After having several of our gifts taken =(, we ended up very happy with a Yankee Candle and a gift card to Cracker Barrell! We got home late and we were all pretty exhausted. Today we had church and tonight we are going to free concert with a live orchestra! It will be another late night, but I think it will be worth it!

Sneak Peek

Yesterday I got to get a sneak peek at our baby! It was so exciting! Even though this is our third baby, I never fail to be amazed at the experience. Right now our baby is a little over an inch long, but in about 2 more weeks it will be the size of an apple! I saw the heartbeat yesterday and saw the baby kicking their legs. It was so fun! Everything else at the appointment was fine. In fact, I was very happy with several things. 1. All the ultrasound gel was preheated. 2. The gowns were cloth. 3. My sheets were heated. 4. The bed was very low to the ground and then they raised it after you sat down. It was really nice! We go back in 6 weeks and at that point they will schedule our next ultrasound! Exciting times!

A Winning Recipe!

Tonight was full of excitement at our house. Why, you may ask? Because I made a new recipe and everyone ate it! Now, cooking for my husband is no biggie. He eats almost anything. But the girls are picky. I do not cater to their pickiness. They get what we eat (at dinner time) and usually they don't much like it. Tonight they ate it and the Genius even had seconds! So I must share this recipe!
It is called "Confetti Spaghetti"

1 package spaghetti
1 pound ground beef (or other meat)
1 chopped green pepper (I used red)
1 chopped onion
1 can (14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes undrained
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon each of salt and chili powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3/4 cup shredded cheddar

Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook meat, pepper and onion together until meat is cooked through. Drain and return to skillet. Stir is tomatoes, sauce and spices and mix well. Drain spaghetti and add it into the skillet and mix well. Transfer to a greased 13x9 baking dish. Cover and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Remove and add cheese and cook for 5 more minutes.

It was so good! My husband said it is his new favorite and he is taking leftovers for lunch tomorrow. Let me know if you give it a try!

Another giveaway

We are planning to use cloth diapers 100% with this next baby. So, I have been scouring the internet looking into it and quizzing my friends on what to choose. I have it mostly narrowed down. I was stoked to see giving away a $50 giftcard! We can use all the help we can get buying some cloth diapers. They are expensive to start but you quickly get your money back. If you have any diapers you want to sell, or any advice please post!

Free Nursing Covers

I found this website, www.uddercovers.com, and they are doing free nursing covers again! I ordered one from them right after we found out we were pregnant. She offers this special several times a year. The nursing cover is free and you just pay $8.95 for shipping! The promo code is "Christmas". This is great if you are nursing, or plan to, or if you know someone who is pregnant. You cannot beat the price! No, I am not getting anything for posting this and I have no ties to the company, I just wanted to share a great legitimate deal!

Movie Night

Today was a very cold day here. The girls and I spent the whole day inside our cozy house. After dinner we made chocolate chip cookies and all snuggled up to watch "Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer". It was wonderful! When the movie was over we read stories and then put them to bed. It was such a great day! Now I am working on our Christmas cards. I have most my address book, if you want a card and letter make sure you get me your address! Have a great evening!

Quick Trip

My husband had a few days of leave time. We spent one day here at home just enjoying being together. Then we made a quick trip up to my parents. Their church was having Breakfast at the Manger. We had a great time! They watched the girls and let us go out to a movie. We saw "2012". It was cheesy but actually pretty good. They treated us to some yummy meals too. On Saturday we attended their Breakfast at the Manger. It is such a neat event! They heard the Christmas story about baby Jesus, ate pancakes, decorated cookies, made a nativity ornament, had their picture taken with Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus and got to pet some sheep and an alpaca! The trip ended much too quickly and now we are back home and facing a regular week. I am pretty excited though because I have my first real ob appointment this week! We will get an ultrasound and get to see the baby and hopefully hear the heartbeat!
Must add a funny quote I just heard from the girls.
H - "I'm taking a fun break."
G - "No fun breaks or you are out of the show."
H - "Fun break! Fun break!"
G - "Young lady, you are out of the show!"

Our Sweet Girls

My husband and I started a tradition with our girls. When they were 2 we started giving them an allowance of $1/week. Their dollar got divided into 3 banks. 10% to Jesus, 10% to Savings and 80% for spending. We decided to have them save their Jesus money each year until Christmas and then we help them decided where to donate. This year they both chose to get an angel off the angel tree at our mall. We made that our goal of the morning. They easily decided on a girl but had trouble picking an age. Eventually they chose a 2 year old girl. I took them to a few stores and they picked out some clothes for her. The Hippie chose a cute shirt and some Christmas flannel pjs. The Genius chose a pretty dress and a shirt. We will help them get the rest of the things. They each had a real good time. I love doing it with them and building these memories and it is a great reminder to them of what Christmas is really all about. I also like the cashiers reactions. We get one of two reactions...
1. Total annoyance because I am pulling coins out of a small bank and counting them out.
or
2. Total amazement that our girls are doing this.
Today both cashiers were the second kind. One even came around and got down on the girls level and told them how neat it was and how blessed this little girl would be on Christmas. She complimented me and did not complain about the $20 some odd dollars of bills and assorted change we paid with.
This is one of the many, many reasons why I love Christmas and our girls!

This and That

Today is a good day! My husband has Thursday and Friday off, so we get another 4 day weekend! Tomorrow he wants to do his Christmas shopping. Friday we are going to my parents for the night. Their church is having a real cool family Christmas event and we want to take the girls.
Yesterday was awesome! It was one of those days where the girls were just angels! I really do not remember ever having to fuss at them or ask them twice to do anything. They were great from the time they woke up until they went to bed! Today has started the same way and I hope it continues!
My mom gave me the book "Shade of Blue" by Karen Kingsbury. It was one of the best and most powerful fiction books I have ever read. It speaks a message to everyone from teens on up! If you are looking for a Christmas gift for someone and they like to read, I highly recommend this book.
Meanwhile, we read this book, "The Story of Me", with the girls. We were not sure if we wanted to or not, but it a great VERY age appropriate introduction to sex education. Even my husband was cool with it! We read it with the girls and they seemed to enjoy it. It helps open up the conversation with them. We KNOW they will be asking questions about the baby. Especially if the baby is a boy! The book does a nice job of explaining, without going into to much detail. It is an easy read. If you have wondered about doing this with your young children, it is a great resource.
We are 8 days away from my next ultrasound and I cannot wait to see this baby again! It is so comforting to see that heart beating! I am hoping this time they try and listen for it too so the girls can hear (and us of course!).
I better get off. We are off for our weekly therapy appointment!

First Reactions

Thanksgiving was so much fun! We were so excited and ready to tell our families that we are expecting again! My friend made us these cute felt numbers (1,2 and 3). The Genius wore the 1, the Hippie wore the 2 and I wore the 3. We came out to the living room where everyone was sitting. Someone (maybe my mom?) said, "oh look, they are wearing numbers." People kept talking and the Genius said, "Yeah, I have the one, she has the 2 and Mommy has the 3." Someone said, "Why are you wearing a 3?" The Genius said " 'cause there are 3 of us." At that point I think it hit my mom. She half stood and started screaming and crying and hugging. Everyone else figured it out from there! We had a mini celebration! Then I realized the poor girls had no idea what we were talking about! See, we had not told them either because they would NOT have kept it a secret. Someone told them and the Genius said, "Wow! Now I will have two people to take care of!" The Hippie said, "I hope it's a girl because boys are a little too wild for me." It has been so fun watching people react since then! We are very excited! I go in next week for my second ultrasound which will confirm the due date. The due date is July 3rd (on our predictions) but the doctor said June 26th. Either way I think the baby will be here in June. Now we have the wait until we learn the gender! As fun as the first reactions were, I am SO glad we waited and told our family in person and in that way!