Kensie's Week

self-portrait found on my camera

This past week was all about Kensie. She was awarded first place in the Choreography/Dance category for Reflections and will now move on to the district level. It was so cute to see her face when they called her name! She was most excited to get her very own trophy.









She also auditioned for the 3rd grade play, and found out that she will be playing the part of Thief #2 in Scrooge. She was hoping for one of the ghosts, but she's excited just to have a part!

Way to go, Kens!!

Telling the kids

Proof

I had my first doctor's appointment on November 4th. I had to haul the two boys with me during naptime. Let's just say it wasn't the most pleasant experience I've had....

I've always joked in the past how I wish they wouldn't be able to hear the heartbeat on the first visit so I could have an ultrasound. Don't ever wish that. My nerves were already shot because the boys were driving my bananas, and it didn't help that I saw the PA instead of my doctor that day. She tried & tried but no luck. She was sure that the baby was just hiding under my scar tissue but sent me for an ultrasound just to be sure.

So, I had to haul the boys up to the hospital {thank goodness for valet parking}. As I was leaving Dr. Sharp hurried out to give me a hug and tell me that everything would be fine {I love my doctor!}. The ultrasound tech made sure to show me the heartbeat first so I could relax. Everything looked fine & we were on our way with proof of an actual baby!

It was good to get that proof, since Matt was convinced that we were having twins {not that I wouldn't have wanted that}. Now he can stop teasing me about it.

Another bright spot to this nerve racking day was the fact that the nurse mistakenly charted my weight at 115 {bahaha!}. I was soooo tempted not to say anything, but decided I'd better confess so that they didn't think I'd eaten a whole cow or something at my next visit.

"the power of finding beauty in the humblest things makes home happy and life lovely."

-louisa may alcott

Halloween Fun

batman, fireman, and fortune teller

Honestly, Halloween was less than stellar this year {at least I felt that way. Hopefully the kids did not}. I barely got the decorations up. It took everything I had just to get the kid's costumes put together {which is not saying much considering Jackson's was Lincoln's old one, Lincoln's was my brother's old one, and we borrowed most of Kensie's from my mom}.

The kid's had their school Halloween parade on Friday. We were so lucky to have both sets of Grandparent's there, as well as Matt {he doesn't often get to attend such events}.

I volunteered {BEFORE I was preggers and miserable} to help with Lincoln's class party afterward.
The kids had fun reading spooky stories, playing witch hat ring toss, decorating cookies, and making witch's brew. Jackson LOVED hanging out with the big kids!




We carved pumpkins the afternoon of Halloween {LOVED having Halloween on the weekend!}. Matt & the kids did most of the gut removal and carving {the smell of pumpkin guts made me want to hurl} while I roasted pumpkin seeds. Jackson refused to even touch the pumpkin innards, but was constantly wiping phantom guts off his hands and onto his shirt!

It was the perfect night for trick-or-treating. The kids didn't even wear jackets! They had fun going around the neighborhood with Matt while I stayed back to hand out the candy and watched Halloween H2O {lame, by the way}. We had a first this year when two moms showed up at the door wanting candy for all of their kids who "got too tired, but they'll be sad in the morning if they don't have any candy". Seriously?!

on pregnancy {the fourth time around}

Yes. That is an announcement. I probably should have come up with some clever way to share the good news, but honestly I am too miserable to even entertain the idea.

So far this pregnancy has been vastly different from my previous three. I was hardly sick and a manageable tired before. Now, I could sleep all day and have realized the definition of "morning" sickness {or in my case, all day sickness}.

Is it possible to have an insatiable craving for something and at the same time be totally revolted by it? Taco Bell burritos fall into this category, along with pretty much every other food in existence. I am finding that cooking is nearly impossible, although I can eat most things that have already been prepared {not good for the budget}.

Don't even get me started on smells. And why is it that certain songs on the radio have the same effect? If I hear pretty much any song on 97.1 ZHT I can feel the chunks rising in my throat.

I have missed making all the yummy treats and soups that are usually a part of my Autumn cooking repertoire. It makes me sad just thinking about it. Hopefully I can make up for it with scrumptious cuisine during Thanksgiving and Christmas time! Please let me feel better by then!!


Despite the current misery I am so excited! Sure, I'm not really looking forward to another c-section and everything that comes along with it, but I can't wait to mug on baby cheeks, smell baby neck, and just be able to cuddle another little one {the babies I watch at the gym are just not cutting it!}.

How did I know I was pregnant? Went to Dollar Tree and bought a test, of course Ü

But I knew before that. I seem to always know. This time I knew because I started having crazy dreams, like the one where I was on a cruise ship and met Pierce Brosnan, became besties with him, and we got into all sorts of shenanigans together {think Suite Life On Deck}.

One day I took a nap, and then I really knew.



p.s. never type the word "pregnancy" into a flickr search. You'll see lots of naked pregnant women showing off their bellies and stretch marks. Who wants documentation of that?! Seriously.

All Hallow's Eve

Happy {and safe} Haunting tonight!


*fun Halloween treat here.

Spooooky Saturday

We LOVE Thanksgiving Point this time of year! Cornbelly's, the Scarecrow Festival, Barnyard Boo.....the fun never ends! This past Saturday we took the kids to Spooky Saturday at the dinosaur museum. They make this such a fun event every year!

This year the theme was Pixies Pirates & Pan. The kids had fun receiving their pirate name, making indian headbands, and visiting Pirate's Cove.

The Cap'n was pretty intimidating at first, but Kensie caught on fast and got to help him navigate to Neverland {second star to the right, and straight on 'til morning} because she was the first to answer him with an "aye, Cap'n!". The kids thought it was great to see the inside of his ship, and all the spooky treasures he kept there {as well as poor Tinkerbell!}.

It's Time

A few weeks ago I was lamenting the inevitable end of Autumn. I feel like I have missed my favorite parts of my favorite season {more on that later}. I was NOT ready for the first snowfall which signals the beginning of a long winter.


But yesterday I awoke to a crispness in the air, saw the first flakes fall, and realized that I am ready! I am excited for hot cocoa, rosy cheeks, holiday decorations, yummy treats, and the magical feelings that those flakes bring.


It's time.

Fall Break

Fall break was spent enjoying time with family. We've been spending a lot of time with Matt's mom & dad this month. They were up here for a short visit that turned into a long visit when they found out that Rich needed open heart surgery. Totally shocking and unexpected. It was pretty nerve racking at first, but he's recovering like a champ! Blessings abound!

The kids LOVED the daily trips to the hospital to visit Grandpa and would beg me constantly to go. Now that he's home they beg to go to his house daily! It has been great spending so much time with them, despite the circumstances.



We also spent the weekend with my family in Park City. Park City, oh how we love thee!

We enjoyed helping grandpa make Spud Nut pancakes, exploring Main Street and riding the trolley, playing at the park, relaxing, and watching football.

The highlight for the kids was playing with cousin Thomas. They were all totally enamored of him and spent every possible moment next to him!