Christmas Eve
For breakfast my intention was to make Christmas Tree pancakes with these cute little red/white and green/white striped chocolate chips I found. However, the mold didn't come with directions and I obviously couldn't figure out how to get the pancake out of the mold and cook it properly, so we settled for snowmen...

The rest of the day we played games and watched movies. After Grace woke up from her nap we let the kids open presents from my mom and dad and from my sister. They had a blast!

Then we gave them their special Christmas Eve PJ's - Tanner's was "Cars" themed and Graces were "Dora" themed. We watched The Grinch and CJ read the "Texas Night Before Christmas" and they were off to bed!

Christmas Day

Wow! The kids were only up a little earlier than normal - about 6:30. They were SO excited, but surprisingly patient. One of the things I did was make a jewelry box for Grace. I thought it turned out pretty good and she loves to put all her new jewelry in it!

The second picture is the top of the box. Sorry for my shodow, but I had to turn the flash off because the clear coat was causing a huge glare and I couldn't figure out how else to get the picture. Anyway, after the present opening was done we spent the rest of the day playing games, watching movies and eating junk food. FUN! I'm going to try and get a little slide show of pictures posted tomorrow so stay tuned....

Fun, Fun, Fun

Wow! Where to start?

Friday
I took the kids to CJ at about 1pm and I got a manicure, pedicure, eyebrow wax, and my hair cut. WooHoo! I'm a whole new woman! Afterwards we all met up at Walmart and went grocery shopping, went home, had pizza, and watched a movie.

Saturday
We got up, had biscuits and gravy for breakfast, then we headed to Cabella's to goof off. CJ had a couple of gift certificates to burn and the kids love walking around looking at all the animals and fish. We spent about 2 1/2 hours there and CJ got a couple of fishing things but he couldn't find what he really wanted so CJ, Tanner and myself all got new shoes too. Thanks to CJ for sharing his "free" money.
Then we headed downtown to Sundance Square. The kids got to talk to Santa....

Unlike Tanner his first year, Grace ran right up, said "Hi Santa!" and climbed in! She was too funny. They both were very excited.

When we were done we went to Razzoo's for dinner. Even though I intentionally got something that was on the mild side I found out that cajun food is not good for this pregnant lady!

Then we drove around and tried to look at Christmas lights, but couldn't find any of those super spectacular neighborhoods so we went home. A very fun day all in all.

I know, I know

Long time no blog. Almost two weeks - shame on me. Not too busy, I just haven't made the time to do it. But, here's what I've been up to....

Everybody has been wanting to see a picture of me so here's one from a couple of weeks ago:

I know, I know - huge. :-) What can a woman do? Really just a little bigger than the first two times so I guess that's normal. You should see everyone' s face though when they ask me when I'm due and I tell them February 19th! They're like "Oh" in a nice high pitched tone that sounds more like "really are you serious?" Anyway...that's me and I love it!

We had our annual MOMS Club Christmas Dinner last week and we did a purse exchange. It was at El Paseo's and it was a lot of fun. We had 16 people there and I was a part of the only major battle over who will go home with what purse. It was all good fun..

Tanner's last day of school is tomorrow and they are having a Christmas party and book exchange. We're going to take the kids downtown to Sundance Square on saturday to look at all the Christmas lights, possibly see Santa (depends on the length of the line) and to have dinner. I'm really excited. Got all kinds of goodies planned for us for Christmas Eve. I'm really excited about starting some traditions with our kids. Hope you all have a very Merry Christmas if I don't get back on here before the big day!

Love and Hugs to all who read, safe travels for all who will be traveling, and remember that it's the "who" that is important this holiday season, not the "what".

Check List

1. New brakes and rotors on my car this week. CHECK.
2. Christmas cards done. CHECK.
3. Paper bag books for great-grandparents, VERY nearly done.
4. Made LAST payment on school loan (10 years worth!). CHECK.
5. Seems like 5,000 "$10" gifts for various Christmas parties bought. CHECK.
6. Christmas shopping done. CHECK.
7. 6X6 pages to update the grandparents scrapbooks -not even started.

Not bad considering. I don't know if the 6x6 albums will make it or not, but I'm going to try. Have a GREAT weekend!

Gotta Love it.

77 and beautiful yesterday, 25 and sleet/snow today. In just a few short hours our temperatures plummeted more than 50 degrees. Only in Texas I think. Anyway, we are making the most of it. Tanner of course had to go outside and play. He would go outside for 10 or 15 minutes and come in for an hour, then do it all again - about a half a dozen times today. Poor Grace wanted to go with him, but she's on an antibiotic and not feeling well so I wouldn't let her.


We also got our decorations and tree up over the weekend. The kids had a really great time and we only broke one ornament - yah! The countdown begins tomorrow!

HEAVEN.

That's what this is....

Simply heaven. Chocolate Truffle Hershey's Kisses wrapped in dark chocolate. Gifted to me by my girl Angel and I can't believe I denied myself this simple pleasure for 3 whole days before opening them.
Check out the rest of my goods....I can't wait to use them!

This apple doesn't fall very far from the tree.

Who really needs the cake or cookies when you've got dough and batter? That has always been my motto. I truly could care less about the finished product just mix up the ingredients and give me a spoon. And so it is with Grace too. Gotta love her.

The Truth is out! Thanks Angel!

Another quiz from eSPIN-the-Bottle... The eSPIN Personality Test MY RESULT:Cucumber You know - as in "cool as a cucumber." Because there's no cooler vegetable than you are. You've got a great attitude going on - friendly, laid-back, open to new experiences. Anyone should want to hang out with you, and if they don't - well, that's their problem, not yours. Just let it roll off your back. We're pretty sure you do that anyway. Don't be afraid to show a little attitude every once in a while - it's cool being cool, but it's also pretty nice to get your way and influence the people around you. A little bit. We wouldn't want you to lose your cucumber-ness. Take This Quiz!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Here are some pics from Tanner's "Thanksgiving Feast" he had at school this week. CJ, Grace and I met him for lunch and a small program. It was very cute. Although I had to keep CJ in line. We're sitting at the table and they are serving food and CJ says, "Is this it? I thought we were coming here for lunch? Where's the rest?" Granted, it was a meager 1/2 cup (literally like the measuring cup) of stew, a 1 inch square of corn bread and a tiny bowl of marshmallow fruit salad - but still - we're sitting at a table with another family, and what did he expect really? After "the look" and a reminder to use his quiet voice and to be thankful for the little things we enjoyed the rest of the hour. :-)

On Thursday, I cooked - yah me! I LOVE to cook so it was a really fun day for me. I made homemade noodles, green beans, stuffing, Sugar Cream Pie and Pumpkin Pie. Brian and Beth did the turkey, rolls, and mashed potatoes. YUM!!! We all had a really great day. The guys worked on Brian and Beth's house a little, the kids played and Beth and I attempted to relax.

What I am thankful for....

There are so many things. Where do I start?

I am thankful for my family. Both extended and immediate. I'm thankful that I have such a good relationship with my parents and I hope one day I have that same kind of relationship with my kids. I am thankful for my sister. I am glad that we are friends and I look forward to the years ahead. I am thankful for my in-laws. They are truly the best. One could not ask for a better "second set" of parents. I am thankful for all the grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins with which I share so many fond memories.

I am thankful for a few good friends! Where would a girl be without them. Through good times and bad, fun, anger, sorrow, the loss of loved ones, the birth of new babies - there's nothing like a great girlfriend. Thanks girls!

I am thankful for my kids. Tanner and Grace. What would I do without them. I have only vague memories of life before them and I wouldn't trade them for all the "extra time" in the world. They make me laugh, they make me cry. They fill me with such love it's almost indescribable. I love to watch them learn, I love to watch them grow, I look back and smile - I think ahead and wonder. And the baby on the way - I just can't wait to meet "it". (really wanted to put "him" but I'll resist - I just have such a strong feeling) Will it be a boy or a girl? What will it's personality be like? What will it's temperment be? Will it resemble CJ or me? How will the kids grow and bond together? How will it change the dynamics of our family?

Most of all I am thankful for CJ. As tears of joy fall from my face onto the keyboard as I type it's hard for me to express the amount of love and emotion that fills me when it comes to him. He is perfect for me in every way. He fits me like a glove. He knows what I want and need without me saying anything. He knows when I am sad, and knows how to help me through it. He knows what makes me happy and makes that a priority in his life. He loves me unconditionally, he always puts me first, he makes me feel so special that I can only hope that I do the same for him. We laugh, we play, we have very frank and candid discussions, we work together to raise our kids the best way we know how, we yearn for a little alone time (I know, maybe in about 20 years). The way he wears his heart on his sleeve, his honesty, his integrity, his character. He makes me a better person. I love him with all my heart and every ounce of my being.

Shopping Frenzy!

I LOVE Christmas shopping! Last week I hadn't even started and after three major trips this week I am about 2/3 of the way done! I love sales, I love shopping, I love doing it all NOT on the credit cards! That's our goal this year and so far it's working out nicely. The kids are going to have so much fun this year. It's not even Thanksgiving and I'm already so excited I can hardly contain myself! No, I haven't started decorating. That's a comittment I make that I'll never do that until after Thanksgiving, but the day after - watch out baby! I hope you all are having a great week too!

Slow and Steady.

Not really what CJ had planned when he started but that's how it's turning out to be. We're hoping only one more weekend on the brick and we'll be done. Here's the progress picture from the end of weekend 2:



Brian came over and helped and Tanner was a very big help to CJ too. He was so cute and did such a good job. He scooped mortar out of the wheel barrow and put it where CJ needed it and he stacked bricks for him and he picked up trash from around the yard.

Not a whole lot going on this week. I'm going to play Pokeno on Tuesday - YAH me! I started about 5 or 6 months ago and it is SO much fun. We play the second Tuesday of every month and it'll be my turn to host it in January. I can't wait! And, I have a PartyLite show on Thursday for my friend Stephanie (whose house burnt down in August) - in her NEW house - YAH Steph! Have a GREAT week!

Awesome yet Exhausting.

WOW! I had an awesome turnout for the first night of my open house. I had 14 people come by and purchase products - YAH! But now I'm so exhausted that I must go to bed so I can make it through tomorrow.

Sweet Dreams.

Busy. Busy.

Here are the kids on Halloween....Grace, Lily, Tanner:

They had SO much fun! In other news our neighbors barn burnt down the other day, we had fire trucks everywhere! Everything is fine for us but it was definately too close for comfort.
CJ and Brian worked all day on Saturday and Sunday putting brick on the garage. YUP! I said it - the brick is finally going on the garage. You know, when we built this thing CJ said, "it might be a year before we get the brick on it." I told him he was out of his mind if he thought that I was going to let that thing sit there for a year without the brick - that was 3 1/2 years ago.

But since he's decided to do it himself instead of paying someone else to do it we'll have the money to put the garage doors on too. We're getting closer and closer to being able to put the "For Sale" sign up!!!!

How Fun!

Wow! We had a blast "trunk" or treating last night. We went to Brian, Beth, and Lily's and then went to their church. Tanner was a firefighter, and Grace was a bumble bee. (Pics will be here shortly, but for now I'm at Beth's mercy because I forgot my camera! Can you believe it?! Too much going on when I was trying to get ready to go)

Tanner did a really good job saying "trick or treat and thank you" this year. Last year he would not speak and barely got close enough to the people for them to put candy in his bag. We've come a long way baby. Grace caught on REAL fast! About half way through she was not only getting candy from each "trunk" she was trying to get candy from each person at each trunk! And by the end she was holding her bag open to any adult she could find - haha!

Having a safe environment at the church is great, especially for us because we don't live in a neighborhood, but I sure do miss those door to door days. It's just not quite the same.

Happy snacking, and eat a piece of chocolate for me!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

So many pictures so little time! I'm trying to get all my pics off my camera and into my computer and there's over 200 of them! Aaaaahhhhh! (Note to self: download pics more often.)

We've been having lots of fun. CJ's mom and dad were here for a few days. Dave is gone now, but Jan is staying for about another 10 days. Wish Dave could have stayed longer. We all already miss him.

We're trick or treating with Brian, Beth, and Lily tonight. I'm getting ready for our "end of the season party" for the football team this coming saturday, CJ and Brian are going to brick the garage this weekend (YAH!), and my PartyLite open house is next weekend. BUSY, BUSY.

Hope you all have a safe Halloween with lots of TREATS!

What a wonderful weekend!

Saturday - We won our football game (oh, we're not supposed to keep score in flag - but I do!) We came home, relaxed and then my girlfriends Shaunery and Jennifer came over and scrapped until 1am! We had a blast!! Definately need to do that more often.

Sunday - Was dedicated to birthdays and cakes. We went to celebrate Angel's daughter Savannah (5 yrs old) and Misty's daughter Elize's (8 yrs old) birthdays and I supplied the cakes. I started the cakes at 7:30am and finished at 1:15pm (did I mention that we were supposed to be at Angel's by 2:00 and it takes about 50 minutes to get there?). Needless to say I was stinky and unmake-uped (is that a word?), but the cakes turned out good.





















We got there about 15 minutes late, but we had a blast! The kids had a great time in the bounce house they rented. Even the BIG kids. Somehow CJ, Jason, Darius, and a few others managed to play a game of tackle football inside the bounce house! HA
And best of all I got to hang with my girlfriends who I never get to see anymore! It was really nice and made me miss the "old days" when nobody had to work and we could hang out whenever we wanted to. HUGS to the LIFESAVERS!!

I'm so excited!

...that Tanner is not only playing football now, but he's lovin' it and having fun! He's blocking - he's tackling (sort of) - he's running the football during practices - and he's wearing the coaches out wanting to be the center and hike the ball. HA! His little legs are so short that no kid can reach down there to get it, if the football even fits through his legs - LOL. In the interest of winning it wouldn't be the smartest thing to put him in as center because he's not very quick at it, but (spoken from the heart of his mother) I sure would love for him to get to do it once before the season's over. Even just for one set of downs.

...that I'm half way through my pregnancy. Yep, I'm 20 weeks! Can you believe it? Not that I'm rushing it - I truly LOVE being pregnant, and sometimes my pregnant hormones get the best of me knowing that this is going to be the last time. Right now I'm just trying to enjoy and savor every minute.

...that I got to visit with my mom and dad this weekend - even though it was only 24 hours. I miss them alot. They were on their way back to Indiana after visiting with my sister and seeing the new baby. I probably won't see them again until February. Bummer.

Not a lot going on this week, but I am working on a few scrappin' projects. Maybe I'll get some pics posted in a couple of days. Have a GREAT week!

TEACHER APPLICANT

(stole this from my friend Jen)
After being interviewed by the school administration, the teaching prospect said, "Let me see if I've got this right:
"You want me to go into that room with all those kids, correct their disruptive behavior, observe them for signs of abuse, monitor their dress habits, censor their T-shirt messages, and instill in them a love for learning.
"You want me to check their backpacks for weapons, wage war on drugs and sexually transmitted diseases, and raise their sense of self esteem and personal pride.
"You want me to teach them patriotism and good citizenship, sportsmanship and fair play, and how to register to vote, balance a checkbook, and apply for a job.
"You want me to check their heads for lice, recognize signs of antisocial behavior, and make sure that they all pass the state exams.
"You want me to provide them with an equal education regardless of their handicaps, and communicate regularly with their parents by letter, telephone, newsletter, and report card.
"You want me to do all this with a piece of chalk, a blackboard, a bulletin board, a few books, a big smile, and a starting salary that qualifies me for food stamps.
"You want me to do all this and then you tell me... I CAN'T PRAY ?"

God bless all our teachers, and all they try to do for our kids. Remember to show them how much you appreciate them every once in a while! Thanks Jen!!

YIPPEEEE!

I just paid $1.99 for gas!!!!!!

A round of drinks on me!!

Just remember to make mine a virgin. GREAT news all around yesterday!
First, I had my last appointment with the specialist. Yep, I said LAST. He did a very in depth ultrasound to look at the heart and as far as he can see everything is OK. So, after all the emotional turmoil we went through it appears as though we have a PERFECTLY HEALTHY baby. According to the calendar I'm 18 weeks 4 days, but he measured at 19+ weeks and weighing in at a whopping 10 oz!

In other parts of the country - I'm an aunt again! My sister had her baby yesterday at 6:09 our time, 17 in. and 5 lbs 3oz. Welcome to the world Robbie! For those of you wondering his real name is Robert Arnet (don't ask - it's a like 4th generation family name and I told Sarah I was going to call him Arnie - that does not make Scott happy. I may have to do it anyway just to torture him, XOXO)

So CELEBRATE!

sit down.

HE PLAYED! HE PLAYED! HE PLAYED! HE PLAYED! HE PLAYED!

OK, we bribed him, but still! Didn't think the bribe would work. We told him if he played in the game we would take him to get two new HotWheels. I asked him on the way to the game if he was going to play -- he said "no." Then low and behold at game time there he is on the field!!! (He's the one on the end looking this way) Not only did he play - he played the WHOLE game. He didn't come out one time, even in the face of adversity. I didn't know until afterwards, but CJ said there was one kid on the other team that was picking on him pretty hard. Just kept pushing him down and was just a little relentless. CJ said Tanner cried once, but never asked to leave the game. I'm SO proud of him!!

Check it out!!!

Each week on Thursday our cheerleaders come over to the field after our practice and do a little pep rally for us - which consists of about 3-4 cheers and they give the boys little treat bags. Well, the football moms have taken turns making goodie bags for the girls and this week it was my turn.....

WooHoo! The one on the left is the front and the one on the right is the back. Best of all I made them for a mere $3.50 per girl and that includes the snack I put inside!!! GO STINGERS!

Enough to bring you to tears...

or at least enough to bring a pregnant lady to tears. We all know that I'm a crier so it should not surprise you that a very thoughtful gift brought me to tears, but -wow- I'm SO pregnant and have SO many hormones! Twice a year the MOMS Club that I belong to does a Secret Sister gift exchange. It lasts for 3 months and gives you an opportunity to get to know someone in our group a little bit better. Check out what my Secret Sister did for me.....

In case you cannot read it in the pic it says:
"Hey Staci, As you are soon expecting your Baby Ruth or Reese's you'll receive Snickers from your friends about how big your Mounds are getting. At least your husband will admire your Whoppers. Remember what they're for which is the Milky Way for your new Junior Mints. Your PayDay soon will come when you're under the Crunch of labor then out will pop your Almond Joy. That's when your job should earn 100Grand from growing your Twix to 3 Muskateers."
Is that not the cutest thing or what?!?! And it keeps me in chocolate - at least for a while. :-)

Prophetic?

Yesterday I was cleaning out a folder of stuff for our new house, some old drawings, paint schemes, etc. Anyway, I threw out one paint scheme that had been for Tanner's room and he found it. He brought it to me and said, "Mom, I don't want you to throw this out because we have to paint the baby's room this color and put a big boy bed in it so I can sleep with my new baby brother."
AND, yesterday while I was at Michael's taking advantage of their 5/$1 paper sale (53 sheets later...) I found my self wanting to buy baby boy papers.
Prophetic? We'll see. I haven't had a real strong feeling until now, but my gut is it's a boy. We'll see if that changes.

Nothing.

new at least.

• Grace has a cold.
• Tanner's still not playing football.
• I'm still a happily growing pregnant woman and lovin' it.
• CJ's still working and fishing, and wishing Tanner was playing football.
• We're still trying to get the brick on the garage so we can sell our house.
• And, I know it's been a week since the season finale but have I mentioned that I'm so stinkin excited that Lukas won Rock Star SuperNova that I could do cartwheels!!!! I must admit that I was an addict. He was a freak to look at ( wears more make-up than me), but close your eyes when he sings and admit that he has a phenominal voice! It may not be your style, but it's perfect for that type of music and that band.

Signing off..... a proud member of the Rossi Posse!

No Dice.

Did he play?

That is the question on many minds. Can you guess the answer? "For $1,000 the question is - Did he play?"
Although he got lots of encouraging words from the coaches son (which by the way I thought was very cute)....

This is as close as he got to the football field....

He says he's going to play "on a different day". We'll see. We have practice tonight and team pictures and a game on saturday so wish us luck!

Happy Birthday Lily!

September 6th was my niece's birthday. She's 3 now! We celebrated by having a party at the park and it was GREAT! Beth asked me to make the cupcakes for her party, and they turned out pretty cute.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LILY!

Pea Soup.

Ever contemplated painting your walls this color?


Well, I did and I LOVE it!
Check
It
Out
::
::
V


The long wall is the only one that's the real dark green. The other walls, the kitchen and hallway are about 3 shades lighter. I positively LOVE it and CJ thinks it's mediocre.

First Day of School.

Yeah - something besides football! But, never the less, still about Tanner ;-) I'm sure one of these days something will happen with the rest of us! Anyway, Tanner's first day of school was yesterday. It felt really weird dropping him off. It's not like I've never left him before. I didn't feel like bursting into tears or anything. It was just a very weird feeling. I was nervous that he wouldn't cooperate (like in football practice), but he did great! He was so excited when I picked him up. He showed me his projects...
and told me all about his day. And he keeps asking when he gets to go back! I'm so excited for him! My baby is growing up! And, the whole time (all 3 1/2 hours) Tanner was at school all Grace would say is "where's Tanner?" They are really close and I'm glad, but she sure missed him.

Progress.

Wow. When they say "take it in baby steps" they really mean it. Tanner is making progress at football practice, but it is definately in baby steps. Last Thursday he was excited to go, assured me that he was going to practice, put on his flags when we got there and as soon as the coached started giving instructions that was the end. (sigh)

Here he is standing close to the team, with his flags on, but still refusing to participate.

Yesterday he put his flags on and actually participated in some of the drills. He had fun lining up on the offensive line and pushing CJ back (that's Tanner on the end in the grey)...

but when they switched to other drills Tanner again refused to participate. They did one drill where they had the kids one-on-one and one was running the football and the other one tried to pull his flags. On the way home I told Tanner how proud of him I was that he played and how good he did. When I asked him why he stopped he said, "I don't want to pull anybody's tags and I don't want them to pull mine." Oh. Well now, that is the whole point of this game isn't it? We'll keep being patient and hoping for more baby steps....The first game is this saturday!

Football Practice for 4 year olds.

Step 1: Show all the kids what the flags are and how to wear them.

Or not.

Step 2: Start teaching basic fundamentals. How to hike the ball and let each child take turns being the center and the quarterback.


CJ did really great helping the kids. I'm sure he would have liked to have been helping Tanner, but for now he's still sitting on the ground.

Step 3: See if they can catch. Then practice catching and throwing, and catching and running.

Yes, that's Tanner standing behind one of the team Dad's. We're getting closer, but 1 hour into practice he's still refusing to participate.

LOOK! He's playing with the other kids!

Did I mention that practice is officially over?

Mass Chaos.

Confusion. Lack of communication. Lack of leadership ability. Lack of organization. All the things I despise and all the reasons why one day I will be the one in charge!
We went to what was supposed to be Tanner's first football practice last night. No one called us, but the day we got fitted for his uniform they told us that yesterday was the day so we went. Well, no one called us because our team didn't have a coach yet. All the other kids and parents running around seemed to know what they were doing and where they were supposed to go because their coach had called them. Not us. Now wouldn't you think that in this instance that one of the board memebers should have called all the parents on our team (there's only 10) and said, "hey, you don't have a coach yet, but you need to show up at the field at this time and meet in this area, so we can get it worked out and get you the information you need." Oh, but they didn't. Instead us and one other guy with his son were the only two that showed up - at least that we could find. Maybe the other parents came and wandered around for 30 minutes like we did looking for their team, couldn't find us, couldn't find anybody with any helpful information, then got frustrated and left. I wouldn't blame them. Anyway, the good news is the other guy wants to be the head coach - YAH! CJ gladly volunteered to help him. We got a list of the other players, the rules for flag football, and we're on our way.
Very frustrating for me, but a good first night experience for Tanner I think. He played with the other kid, Ethan, and they had a blast. They splashed in the water puddles, threw the football and had a great time. A nice break in for him. We go back tonight - hopefully to meet the other parents and have an official practice.

Doing a Little Dance.

It's raining, it's pouring, I wish I was snoring - but unfortunately both the children are wide awake. Don't they know grey, overcast, and raining is the perfect recipe for sleeping all day? And, yes, you heard it right - It's raining at my house!! It's been raining over parts of the metroplex sporadically for a while now and never a drop at my house. Honestly I can't even remember when was the last time a drop of rain fell over my house - like May or something - seriously. But it's raining now and has been all night so I'm doing a little dance and I hope it does it ALL DAY!

In other news, Tanner caught his first fish ALL BY HIMSELF on saturday. He casted it, he hooked it, and he reeled it in! YAH! Of course I wasn't there so no pictures were taken, but still a glorious moment!
There will be more news to come this week - Tanner starts football practice tonight. Say a little prayer that he actually participates. We talked about it over dinner last night and he says, "mommy can I watch the other kids play football?". Of course, I said yes. Then CJ asked him why he wanted to watch instead of play and his response, "Well, I want to watch for a little bit and then I'll play." YAH! I hope that's the truth.

Have a GREAT rain-filled day!!!!

Emotions run amuck.

Worry. Anxiety. Fear. Anger. Guilt. Apprehension. You name it I've felt it this last week. None of you knew because I couldn't bear to speak the words, but we had quite a scare this last week. Last monday I went in for my first official doctor appointment, they did an ultrasound and found something abnormal. A thickened nucal fold (whick is the skin on the back of the neck). This can be in indication of either 1) a chromosomal abnormality (Downs Syndrome at best, Trisomy 18 -which is lethal- at worst); or 2) a possible heart defect (like maybe a valve not forming properly or something).
They sent me to a specialist on Thursday. He did another ultrasound, agreed that there was a potential problem and recommended additional testing. We had a CVS (chorionic villis sampling) done, which by the way, is not enjoyable. It is an invasive test. They stuck a needle through my abdomen, into the placenta and extracted some cells to culture so they could do a complete chromosome workup. (The only way to rule out Option #1 above.) The specialist told me that our odds were 50% that what they were seeing was a normal deviation and the baby was fine, 25% that it is a chromosomal problem, and 25% that it is a heart problem.
Well, we got a call from the doctor's office yesterday and the preliminary results of the chromosome workup look good - nothing abnormal. Yah!!! Relief! A chromosome problem, especially a lethal one, was my biggest fear.
The nurse did remind me that it is still possible that a heart defect could be what's causing the thickened nucal fold, so they will do a very in depth ultrasound at 18 weeks to look closely at the heart and cardiovascular system, but at this point I feel like we've dodged a very big bullet.
I cannot tell you how many hours of sleep I've lost, how many tears I've cried, and how many nightmares I've had this last week waiting to know if there's something potentially wrong with my baby. And, I must admit, I think CJ will win the battle over the number of kids. This may very well be our last one, because I don't think I can take this kind of uncertainty and emotional rollercoaster again.
For now, a sigh of relief. We still must wait and make sure there is nothing wrong with the heart, but I feel confident that our baby is healthy (thoughts and prayers always appreciated though!).

Right Brain, Left Brain

I totally stole this from my girl Jen....

You Are 40% Left Brained, 60% Right Brained

The left side of your brain controls verbal ability, attention to detail, and reasoning. Left brained people are good at communication and persuading others. If you're left brained, you are likely good at math and logic. Your left brain prefers dogs, reading, and quiet. The right side of your brain is all about creativity and flexibility. Daring and intuitive, right brained people see the world in their unique way. If you're right brained, you likely have a talent for creative writing and art. Your right brain prefers day dreaming, philosophy, and sports.

Are You Right or Left Brained?

Typical.

In true Tanner fashion we took him to get fitted for his football uniform and he cried and refused and said he didn't want to play football. This is the same boy who asks me nearly every day when he gets to play football with the kids. It took me 30 minutes to wrestle a shirt on him and the photo is him trying to get it off!

It's simply amazing to me that this boy will talk to anyone within hollering distance in the store, but won't talk to his pre-school teacher, a firefighter (on a little field trip), or anyone else you WANT him to talk to.

On the way home Tanner says, "I don't want to play football, I just want to watch the other kids." CJ says, "don't worry, you're gonna get to!" LOL!!!

Kids Say the Darndest Things.

Two funny things recently muttered by Tanner....

Wednesday - We were sitting in the living room talking about my friend Becky who just had a baby last week. CJ says to Tanner, "would you like to have a baby brother?" Tanner replies, "Yeah! And a baby sister for Grace too!!" I immediately jumped on his band wagon and reiterated why we need 4 and not just 3. CJ says, "Well, mommy's got a baby in her tummy." "Right now?! (immediately starts poking on my stomach) What about your food? Is it on top of the baby?" LMAO! I assured him that there was room for both.

Thursday - We were having a challenging day, just trying to coexist peacefully as parent and child. At lunch Tanner was playing in his yogurt and leaving his spoon in positions that were sure to spell disaster and leave yogurt everywhere so I said to him, "Tanner, you better grab a hold of that spoon, eat your yogurt, and lay the spoon on the table like it's supposed to because if it flips off your yogurt and makes a mess you're gonna hear me yell." His reply, "No I won't. My ears will be closed." LMAO again! Out Loud. I know you're not supposed to do that but it was so funny I couldn't hold it in.

He's growing up.

It's official - Tanner is signed up for a Pre-K class. I can't believe it. I have been contemplating it for a long time now. Lately I had decided that I was unwilling to pay that much money (the one's most of my friends are in are $100-$150/mo). Not that it's a ton of money, but we are trying to sell our house, build a new one and get ready for a new baby. Tanner is doing really well with things like writing his numbers and letters. He doesn't know how to write them all yet but he's learning. Anyway, one of the mom's in our group suggested the pre-K at Ash Creek Church. It's from 8:30am-Noon Monday's and Wednesday's and it's only $55/mo! It's 2 hours shorter than the other pre-k's but most people I talked to said that last two hours is usually just lunch and quiet time anyway - Tanner can do that at home. I AM SO EXCITED! There's sure to be pictures to follow. We start September 6th.

The Latest Happenings.

Well, the memorial service for my friends mother-in-law went really well friday. I'm glad that I went. It was good to be there for her. Generosity is truly pouring in from many places for their home. While that's good, people want to give them "stuff" and they don't have any where to PUT it. So, we're all in kind of a holding pattern right now until they have a more permanent place to live and a place to put things. Thank you for your prayers and support they are greatly appreciated and will continue to be needed through the coming months as they put their lives back together and work through the grief.

I had my first doctor appointment on Thursday. Things have really changed since the last time I was pregnant. This visit was only with the nurse. We did medical history, lab work, etc, and I have my first appointment with the doctor on Monday the 14th. That day he'll do a full exam (joy!) and I'll also have a sonogram. They said it was something new. They always do 2 sonograms now - 1 on the first visit and one more at 20 weeks. Whatever. As long as the insurance is covering it I'm not going to complain. No, we'll not be finding out what the sex of the baby is. I know that is killing most of you but you're just going to have to be patient for another 29 weeks!
On a different but similar note, the nurse said the doctor does his c-sections on Mondays and Fridays, 7-10 days before my due date. I need to have mine on a monday to be able to maximize the visit from my mom. My due date acutally falls on a monday so 7 days before would be the 26th of February - CJ's brother's birthday!!!!! Aaaaaahhhh! I'm going to lobby for him to do it 2 weeks before on the 19th so my baby can have it's own birthday. I mean really, if he would do it 10 days before and the baby is grown enough what's another 4 days, right? I used to totally despise this kind of scheming and planning of mothers to manipulate the birth of their baby around something else and here I'm doing it. But I REALLY don't want my baby to have to share a day with anyone else in our immediate family. Is that wrong of me?

Prayers Needed.

I have a good friend in desperate need of some prayers and positive energy. Yesterday morning she lost her mother-in-law to cancer. She was diagnosed only a short time ago and had just started her chemotherapy. This was very sudden and unexpected. Her mother-in-law leaves behind a grown daughter with Downs, whom my friend has been named her primary care giver. This is going to be a lot of added responsibility as my friend also has a 1 year old son of her own with Downs.
In addition to that my friends house burned down last night. She and her family (husband and two sons) made it out OK but their house is a total loss. I'll be going over today to find out how I can help and what needs to be done, but PLEASE keep her and her family in your prayers.

Movin' right along.

Not a whole lot of exciting things going on around here. We're trying to get things done so we can put our house up for sale. I've been washing windows and scrubbing baseboards - yippee. We should have the brick on the garage in about 4 or 5 weeks (I hope). We'll see how it goes from there. Know anyone who's looking to buy a great house in the country?

We moved Grace to a toddler bed last week. She does really well at night, but it's still hard for me to get her to stay in it at naptime. She loves it though!

I'm Back!

Safe and sound and with LOTS of exciting things to share! In case you don't watch the news we had a very bad storm and a tornado while I was in St Louis. Honestly, I didn't even know it was going on. We were in the dome doing training at the time the storm hit. The downtown area didn't have much damage - some signs down and things like that from wind but nothing real major. But in a different part of town they had over half a million people without power. This was on Wednesday night and sunday morning when I left they still had 400,000 people without power!

Anyway, on a FABULOUS note - conference was AWESOME!!!! The new fall and holiday product line - WOW! Let's just say they never let me down! I learned a fun new show demo that I can't wait to try out later this week and came home with over $370 worth of product! Woo Hoo! The hostess specials are awesome - the new fragrances rock - have you booked your show yet?

4:29am.

Wow it's early! I'm off to St Louis for my PartyLite National Conference. See you in a week!!!

Good Times.

Remember the old rope swings at your grandparents house? You don't see too many of them around anymore but my girlfriend has two in her back yard because she is blessed with a HUGE tree that can support them. Tanner and Grace had a blast!!! Yes, I said Grace too. I was so scared that she could not hold herself on but she did and she had a great time. CJ pushed her pretty hight too (at least I thought so for a 2 year old!)...

Mertopia.

Ever heard of it? Not me. My girlfriend asked me to make a cake for her daughters birthday and said she was having a "Mertopia" theme. Huh? Well, turns out it's like Fairytopia (which, by the way, I had not heard of either! I'm so out of tune with the new hip kids toys - mine are still too young to care) only with Mermaids. Anyway, here's how it turned out...

Fun. Fun. Fun.

CJ's mom and dad came down for 10 days and we had a blast! We flew little wooden airplanes...

They brought three - one for each of the GRANDkids. Guess who had more fun - the KIDS or the GRANDkids? At one point Beth said, "Brian why don't you share the airplane with your daughter?" To which his response was, "that's what Papa Dave is for!" HA!

We blew bubbles, we flew kites....

Once again, the adults for the most part much more excited about the kite flying than the kids, but there was lots of fun to be had by all. We hunted grasshoppers....
Played in the sprinkler....
And on more swingsets than one could count....

Tanner is really proud of himself because he can swing by himself now - no pushing needed! All in all - good times.