Wordless Wednesday

What Kentucky Looks Like During March Madness

Everyday Moments

There are moments every day that you can easily forget about. I want to record a few before they escape my memory.
Last night as we were tucking the girls in, we had prayed and turned on their night lamp, given them their books and turned on their sound machine and music! Yes, they really use all those things each night! Anyways, as we were leaving the room the Hippie said, "I love you baby brother!" and he kicked! It was just way too sweet!!!!
Then this morning my husband had to leave early for a training. His alarm woke me up so I came on out. The Genius was just waking up and she was in the kitchen making breakfast. She was making it for her and for her sister! She wanted her sister to be surprised and happy. It was a great way to start off my Monday!
I hope you have some everyday moments today too!

Grooming and Double Digits

I was looking at the ticker on my blog and saw that we are now in the double digits before baby 3 is born!!! 99 days until his due date! This pregnancy is flying by for me! Now we just need to get a name for our little man! It is fun talking to my husband about names. We have several we like, so I think we will wait til he is born and then choose.
The Hippie has recently begun to love to set her bed! She usually totally dismantles her bed every day. The pandas and dolls are involved in their games and her comforter becomes a secret clubhouse. Usually her sister helps her set her bed each night, but lately the Hippie has wanted to do it alone. She has been doing a great job! The other night it looked especially good and I noticed one of her favorite dolls, Angie, had on a different dress. The Hippie said, "That is because I found it and put it on her because it fit. Plus I groomed all my dolls and animals!" LOL! You can tell she loves horses when she talks about "grooming" her dolls! Plus when we looked at her bed you could tell she really HAD groomed them all! All their hair was pretty and the pandas fur was all flat and smooth.
I need to go get ready for church now. Have a great Sunday everyone!

The Right Way

We were at the girls therapy yesterday. While the Genius was back with the doc., I was playing with the Hippie. She was looking through the window at the parking lot and talking about the cars she saw there (she REALLY likes convertibles and cars with spoilers...what this says about her future...I am not sure I wanna know!). Then she started complaining about the way people parked because they weren't organized. I said, "What do you mean?". She said, "well, it would look much more organized if all the red cars parked with the red cars and black cars with the black cars. Then it would look better and would be organized and easier to find your car." So there you have. Now you know the right way to park!

What to do?

What did we do on a weekend without kids? Let's see..... On Friday we dropped the girls off with my parents and we decided to take in the Cincinatti Art Museum. It was free this month, except for $4 parking. It was pretty neat! It was not something we usually do and it was really nice taking it in together. We started getting hungry and ended up going to a place called Barleycorn's for a yummy lunch! We split some eggplant appetizer they had and I had a baked potatoe and he had a sandwich. After that we walked through a mall and then headed back towards home. My hubby wanted to see "Green Zone". We got in for a matinee and saw it. Actually, we both really enjoyed the movie. It was political but good. After the movie we walked around our favorite outdoor shopping center. We enjoyed some coffee and then ate at a new Five Guys and split a meal there. It was beautiful weather and very relaxing. Saturday we ate a relaxing breakfast at Panera. A local store was offering a cloth diapering class, so he dropped me off and I attended the class. When he picked me back up we drove to a big consignment sale and ate lunch at Longhorn Steak House. I had a salad and baked potatoe and he had a steak. It was the nicest, most leisurely lunch we may have ever shared. Everything was just perfect. I wanted to see "Diary of a Wimpy Kid". My husband took me to see that. It was not appropriate for young kids but we enjoyed it! I must admit I even cried! The mom gets an invite to a Mother/Son dance and I realized that could be me someday and I cried! =) We ended up finding a local winery and my husband tasted a few and we met some nice people. We finished the wonderful day with a LATE dinner at a Chinese place. I think we ate around 8 p.m. Sunday we got up and shopped and got coffee and met my parents to get the girls back. My husband and I always love and enjoy each other, but there is nothing like those times together. It was so refreshing and relaxing. I cannot wait til we get to do it again!

First Shopping Trip for BOY!

I have bought baby boy clothes for friends of mine but never for OUR baby boy! I thought I would share our firsts......
The "I give good hugs" is what the Hippie chose for her brother.
The cute little striped Old Navy onesie is what the Genius chose.
I picked the "Snappy Dresser" outfit.
The preppy sweater came from Nana and Gampy!
The others came from a consignment sale.
Then there is my gender specific cloth diaper I picked up at a local store!

First Reactions to the Baby 3 news

Thursday morning we all loaded up into the minivan and took off for the ultrasound. On the way I asked the girls if they thought it would be a boy or girl. They both said they thought it would be a boy. I asked what they wanted and they BOTH said boy! I thought, "Oh no, they are gonna be disappointed." We all sat in the waiting area for about 10 minutes. When they finally called us in it was so exciting! I laid back on the table and she showed the girls the screen. They heard the heartbeat and saw the head and spine and hands. Once he was waving and she captured a picture of it and made a picture for each girl! Then she said, "Well, it's a boy!" We said, "Um, are you sure?" She checked again and said, "Yep. See the 'parts'?" It was OBVIOUS! LOL! I started crying and my husband just squeezed my toe and said, "wow." The girls were giggling. I was just crying! I was so excited!!! We left and my husband started calling all his friends and family, but he had to go to work =(. The girls and I hit Target and Old Navy and each picked out an outfit. They also wanted to each get him a little toy. I met a friend for lunch to share the news for her. It was torture waiting til Friday morning to tell my parents! It was worth the wait though! My mom cried and my dad started naming names we could use! On my side of the family, the last male born was my father! So this is first boy in over 50 years! I think it is safe to say we are all happy and thrilled that our baby 3 is a boy, and a healthy boy at that!

The Baby 3 Announcement!!!!!!!!!!!!!

First off, I am SO sorry for the delay! My husband and I were out together all day long and did not get home til 9 p.m. So, without further ado......

We are Having..........

Yes! We know the gender of baby 3 now!!!! Are you ready to find out?
Check back tomorrow and we will announce it! =)
Have a great Thursday!

Attack of the Flu Bug

After the long weekend I was so excited for Monday. But, alas, around 2 a.m. Monday morning we were awoken by the Genius crying by our bed saying she had thrown up. Yikes! We got her cleaned up and settled on the couch with blankets and a bucket. She used the bucket.....a lot! I tried sitting up with her and could not get comfortable. My husband came out and said he would watch TV with her. So I snuggled with the Hippie. She could NOT get back to sleep. So we laid there and talked. I learned that she knows when she falls asleep because her eyes say, "Boink!" and when they say that, then she is asleep =). Meanwhile the poor Genius is puking her guts out. The Hippie and I finally fell asleep around 5. I woke up at 7 and needed to wake up my husband. He had just fallen asleep too =(. The poor Genius (who does not believe in sleep or rest) got up off the couch 3 times. Each time was to go potty. It was SO sad! She slept about 2 1/2 hours, ran a fever of over 102. At 7 we put her to bed and she did not wake up til 8 this morning! Her normal wake up time is 5:45! But so far today she is playing and not having a fever at all! She asked me what had happened to her. I told her she had a flu bug. She said, "So it flew in my mouth and back out and that's why it's a Flew Bug?" LOL! I explained it was germs and not a real bug. I am glad she is back to normal today! Maybe tomorrow I can get out of the house for awhile! =)

The LONG Weekend

Last weekend was so wonderful! We had sunshine and took hikes. This weekend, we had two girls feeling a tad under the weather and rain and fog. My husband never left the house yesterday. I went shopping for awhile in the afternoon. The girls pretty much laid on the couch all day long. The Hippie never even ate. She took a few bites of an apple. The Genius was very hungry (at times) but had ZERO energy. She was running a low grade fever. The only thing we accomplished yesterday was getting some stuff ready for a garage sale. Today we all woke up late with the time change. Both girls are appearing to feel better but we figured one more day of rest would do them good. So here we are again at home! I do plan to go get groceries later today at least, but even that doesn't sound too great because it is raining! I know this weekend has also felt long because we have our gender scan ultrasound this week, a playdate on the calendar, and this weekend my parents are keeping the girls!!!!! So much to look forward to! This week....I cannot wait for Monday! =)

Both sides of your head

The Genius bought a motorized motorcycle ( 3 wheeled) when she was younger. She saved her money and bought it for herself. It goes really slow though. Her sister is wanting a motorized car that goes faster. The Genius thinks she would like something that goes faster. We made a suggestion that she sell her motorcycle, pool her money with her sister, and get a nice, faster, bigger car. So as we drove the other day I asked her if she had thought about it. She said, "Well I have been thinking about how much I spent for it and how much I want to sell it for. I want to get lots of money back for it but people at garage sales do not want to spend much money so I am trying to think out both sides of my head to figure out what price tag to put on it." With that kind of reasoning...she will go far in life! As you go about your weekend try and remember to think out both sides of your head! =)

The Important Things

Today we made our twice monthly trek for the girls appointment with their therapist. They have been making some amazing headway with their Selective Mutism. The Hippie actually volunteered in her Sunday School class to lead the motions to a Bible verse they learned. The Genius has made a new friend and at our Enrichment classes, she has begun WHISPERING to her friend in class!!!!!! This is AMAZING headway for our girls! Their doctor said today that the Hippie's next step will be talking! The Genius has a little further to go yet.
On the way home they were asking about playing outside. I told them they were calling for storms and so we'd have to wait and see. The Hippie then proceeded to melt my heart while I was driving. She said, "There is only 1 thing I like to do during a storm. I like to watch the important things. The important things to watch are to stay away from windows and watch your Mommy and Daddy. Mommy's and Daddy's know how to keep their families safe. So you watch them because they will keep you safe during the storm. But I think Daddies keep you a little more safe because they are a little stronger and they are definitely stronger when the Mommy has a baby in her tummy. You and Daddy know how to keep us safe and so I like to watch you during a storm." She is just the sweetest little thing!

Wrinkles

The Hippie asked me a very cute question today. She said, "If Nana and Gampy are our grandparents, why don't they walk down low to the ground and have lots of wrinkles?" Later she asked how you turned 100. I told her by living lots of years and after turning 99 you would turn 100. She then asked if you have an extra huge car when you are 100. I said no. She said, "Oh I thought you just kept growing and growing bigger and when you were 100 you would be too huge to fit in a regular car!" Later we were watching a really cute dvd called "Moondance Alexander". The Hippie said, "I think the girl will own the horse by the end of the movie, because in movies people get what they really want." Sometimes, it is hard to keep up with her!

The Wonderful Weekend

This past weekend was just so awesome that today is feeling kinda hard.
Friday, when my husband got home, we took a 2+ mile hike and saw a beautiful waterfall! The girls had a great time! They love hiking and my husband is great at not wearing them out so that they enjoy it the whole time. The Genius kept saying, "Wow! This is so much fun!" The Hippie was just happy to be surrounded by sticks, dirt and mud again. After the hike we rented some movies and the girls chose Long John Silvers for our dinner choice. We watched a cute dvd and it was time for bed.
Saturday dawned sunny and pretty again. So we attempted another hike at our favorite park. Even though it was only about a mile, we were all a little too tired to enjoy it. So we hit some stores. I had gotten a coupon in the mail from Dick's. They never send coupons. It was for $15 off a $50 or more purchase. My husband has been needing new running shoes so we went to check it out. He likes Brooks shoes. They had all their 2009 Brooks on sale from $100 down to $60! With our coupon we got the shoes for $45!!! Then we hit Babies-R-Us and I was able to use a coupon and get a nice baby monitor (nicer than we ever had before too!). We went to our favorite pizza place for lunch and got Sonic ice cream on the way home. To top off the wonderful Saturday.... Remember that consignment sale from earlier in the week? My friend was working at it and offered to get me these cloth diapers that were half off. I got well over $600 of Fuzzibuns cloth diapers and accessories for $60!!!!! I was totally stoked!!!
Sunday we had church, lunch and Krogers. At home we cleaned and organized and got out the girls summer clothes. They played outside for over 4 hours! We finished with a yummy new recipe.
So Monday is feeling kinda hard. But here's hoping for a great week!

The Creative Hippie

Our little 5 year old has quite the imagination. Lately she has been "writing" stories. These consist of scribbles on a page and then she reads it to us. Her titles are just awesome! My husband wanted me to blog about it so we can remember what she made up. First there was "The Clown Who Never Would Have Thought of it". It was about a clown and he was upset because all the other clowns had a secret and he did not know what it was because he had not "thought of it". The big secret? All the other clowns had water guns. =) The other day after school she sat down beside me and showed me another story. This one was called "The Snail Who Couldn't Slither". (pronounced by her.... "the thnail who couldn't thither".) I asked her, "Why can't the snail slither? How does he move?" She said, "If you wanna know you have to listen to the story!" Ha! In this story the poor snail couldn't slither so all the other snails carried him around. Could we have a future novelist in our midst? Time will tell!

What a baby wants

I saw a new giveaway yesterday and baby 3 REALLY wants to win it! Especially since we will know the gender by the time the contest ends. I have been entering as often as we are able to. The winner will get a $75.00 gift card to Zutano Itzy Bitzy. They have SUCH adorable clothing and I would love the chance to dress baby 3 in their clothes! And since we have zero clothes for baby 3.....I could really use the clothes too. I should add, the gift card can only be spent on clothes for 0-3 months, so you need to be pregnant or know someone who is. I believe the contest ends on March 22nd. If you would like to enter for yourself, for a friend or for baby 3 =) you can visit Dirty Diaper Laundry. All you have to do is pick your favorite outfit from Zutano ITzy Bitzy and leave the name of that outfit plus your name and email. Good luck if you enter and if you don't enter, then please wish us luck!

First Love and Baby 3 news

Yesterday morning as we were eating breakfast the following conversation took place.
The Hippie: "Mommy, when we grow up can we marry anyone we want like a shop owner?"
Me: "Well yes, as long as it is a boy."
The Hippie: "Well, that's ok. I probably already know who I am going to marry anyways."
Me: "Oh wow. Who?"
The Hippie: "My Gampy" (this would be my dad! LOL!)
Me: "well we cannot marry someone from our own family.."
The Genius: "plus he already has a wife!"
I immediately sent a text to my mom and dad! They got a huge kick out of it!

In other news, I had my 22 week check up yesterday. Baby 3 had a heartbeat of 150. The girls were with me and when the doctor was trying to listen the baby kicked the machine! They thought that was pretty funny! Our ultrasound results were good and everything looks right on track. Baby 3 is measuring big but they are keeping the due date July 6th. I was not at all surprised the baby is measuring big. Both girls were 8.5 and 8.7, so I am expecting that this baby will be right around that too. We were able to schedule our gender scan ultrasound for March 18th!!!! I cannot wait!
After the check up, I took the girls to a consignment sale. It was crazy! We were there 2 1/2 hours and 1 1/2 of those was spent standing in line to pay. Those girls were SO incredibly great! They never fussed or complained or pushed each other or anything. When we left I got us all some lunch and let them split a milkshake! They had certainly earned it.
Today it is beautiful and sunny and looks like a great day for playing outside! Happy Friday everyone!

First Skate

Last night we met some friends of ours for dinner and then we took our kids roller skating. Our kids are all 5 and 6 and for all of them it was their first time skating! Our local rink has a great deal on Wednesday evenings. Everyone skates for $3 and since I had to refrain from skating it cost $9. All the kids had a blast but our girls LOVED it! The Genius was getting better by the time we left and was letting go of the railing more and more. The Hippie hardly ever touched the railing and by the time we left she was actually skating! We all may go back next week too. I had a great time watching and cheering for the kids. When we left the Hippie said, "I wish we didn't have to leave. I wish we lived there."

Need a Break?

I made this super easy recipe earlier this week and thought I would pass it along. It is appropriately called Easy Pot Pie

Mix together (in a casserole dish) 1 cup cooked, chopped meat, 1 cup veggies (frozen or canned), 1 can of cream of (whatever) soup.

Mix together 1 cup of biscuit mix, 1/2 cup of milk and 1 egg. Pour over the meat/veggie mixture.

Bake at 350 uncovered 30-40 minutes.

This was super easy, good and also a great way to utilize your leftovers. We used chicken and mixed veggies but you can play around with it and just use what you already have. For families with over 4 I would double all the ingredients.

Tonight we are having mushroom barley soup! I cannot wait to try it!

Another giveaway

Another friend is hosting a giveaway! This one is also worth passing on! Here is the link. This time the giveaway is a free science kit! You can enter to win this free kit and then do experiments with your kids or grandkids! I am hoping to win, but want to pass it on so you can try and win too!
Hopefully everyone had a nice weekend. My husband and I were able to go out on a date. It was wonderful and relaxing! We saw the movie "Shutter Island". While we were gone the sitter baked brownies with the girls, gave them manicures, made them lunch, hand washed the dishes and did arts and crafts with them! Sunday we had church and grocery shopping. Our week is already off to great start!
Happy Monday!