And the gender is...

It's a boy! I went in for my ultrasound with Ken and Ellie in tow and the tech was able to see that we are having another little male ruffian. The baby was so wiggly that it was hard for her to get many good photos, but we were able to see somewhat of a profile and a tiny foot. Ellie was pretty disappointed, but seems to be warming up to the idea. Alan wanted another sister, but realized that he would have a video game buddy and perked right up. Anyway, we feel very blessed and are excited about this little boy becoming part of our family!

Viruses and politicians

Ellie was drinking a bottle of cold water today when I asked her to hand it to me so I could take a drink. She looked at me, still holding the bottle and raised one eyebrow in concern. "Are you sure you don't have the swine flu, Mom?" she asked. I laughed and told her I was pretty sure that I didn't. She seemed satisfied with the answer and handed it over.

Yesterday before family home evening, I sang the primary song "Baptism" to Ellie and Alan because our lesson was on baptism. A little while later I heard Ellie enthusiastically singing, "Jesus came to John McCain, in Judea long ago..."

This photo doesn't have anything to do with the post. I just put it up because I found it the other day and it's one of my favorites. This is Ellie's 3rd b-day at the McDonalds in Globe. She and Alan seem to be sharing a moment.

Ladies Night

Ken and Alan went to the father and son's campout last weekend, leaving us ladies home for the weekend to do lady things. After they left late Friday afternoon, Ellie and I went to Freestone Park to enjoy the scenery and ride the carousel. Unfortunately, the rides were closed and it was a little too hot, so we packed up and headed over to Jamba Juice to enjoy orange smoothies and people watching. After that, we went to Water Tower Park to cool off for a few minutes before heading to Ross to pick out a plastic tea set. To top the night off, we picked up dinner from Paradise Bakery and went home and tried out the tea set. All of these activities were sporadically accompanied by bursts of the 70s song, "It's Ladies Night." It was cute to see Ellie sing, "Oh, it's ladies night...and the time is right!" at the top of her lungs.

The boys had fun also. Though Ken said they didn't get much rest because their tent was on a slant and they rolled over each other all night, they still enjoyed their wilderness weekend. Ken also said that Alan had an unpleasant incident with a thorn bush at 10:30 at night that involved lots of wild screaming and demands for prayers and a blessing. I can just imagine what all the other guys in the ward thought about all that yelling. They probably suspected a bear attack in the camp.

You know you're pregnant...

You know you’re pregnant when…

1. You’ve eaten the maximum daily limit of Tums before noon.
2. Your clothing choices are severely limited (Do I wear my gray stretchy pants…or my gray stretchy pants?)
3. You have to pee so often that when your kids look for you they always check the bathroom first.
4. You look down one day and discover that you actual have boobs (for those of us who usually don’t, it’s quite a pleasant surprise).
5. You find yourself constantly thinking about and longing for the thing you crave most…sleep.
6. You want watermelon and you want it now.
7. Your kids sit on your lap and you tell them to be careful not to “squish the baby.”
8. The smell of bacon or your husband’s Axe deodorant makes you want to either toss your cookies or hit someone or both.
9. You have to walk through the baby aisles every time you go to the store. (:
10. You realize how much you love your kids and can barely fathom that there's another on the way that you'll love just as much!

Random photos and thoughts

Ellie riding the broom Harry Potter-style.

Baby bump (at 16 weeks). We find out the gender in two more weeks!

Ken lighting the birthday candles on his chocolate cheesecake. Happy 33rd Ken!


The graduates: Lana (from college), Abby (from high school), Ellie (from preschool).


Ellie striving to make the scariest face possible.

The other day I rolled the garbage out to the curb and on my way back I heard the side gate creak open. I thought it was one of my kids coming out to see what I was doing. I peeked around the corner and yelled "WHO DAT?" in one of my weird voices, expecting to see a surprised Ellie or Alan. Instead, it was my new neighbor coming out of his gate, looking both surprised and confused. Startled, I apologized and told him I thought he was one of my kids. He said, "uh...it's okay," and quickly bolted away. I still have to laugh when thinking about it, especially since I still get weird looks from he and his wife.

Kid quotes

I really like this photo because Alan drew a bathroom on his Magnadoodle for no good reason and Ellie is wearing hillbilly teeth.

Recent phrases that made me laugh:

Ellie: (After being told that maybe we'd go camping this summer) "Oh yay! Can we eat smurfs by the camp fire?"





Alan: (Sincerely trying to get his sister in trouble) "Mom and Dad, Ellie said boogers!" (and then, only an hour later with the same intention) "Ellie said buns!"





Ellie: (A few seconds after tasting a flat Sprite) "This soda is not frisbee enough!"

Blessings!

Every moment that my stomach feels normal (not nauseated) is like a celebration for me. I guess it takes getting really sick to appreciate the pure wonderfulness of good health. At almost 15 weeks, I still have many moments where I toss my cookies and end up in the fetal position for a few hours, but atleast I am finally starting to think of food as something tolerable, rather than a necessary evil. Though I still carry my "hurl cup" with me in my purse wherever I go, for the most part I'm able to function pretty normally. Despite the sickness I've had, I feel so much gratitude for this pregnancy. Because of medical problems, it'll be my last. I vow to appreciate every moment of waddling discomfort that I experience in these next few months! I have so many blessings that I can't even begin to count them. I'm especially thankful for a loving Heavenly Father that knows and loves each one of us.