So, in mid-November this year, Scott & I received some very exciting news--we're expecting again! We didn't say anything to anyone because we wanted to be able to tell our families face-to-face. Needless to say, everyone was a little surprised. Hopefully, happily surprised, but surprised nontheless!! The estimated due date is July 29, so she/he will likely make an appearance sometime around the 22 of July since I have scheduled C-sections. Since we'll be moving around that time, it will definitely make things complicated, but what would a military move be without a few complications?????
We are kind of hoping for a girl this time, but really only want a healthy one with 10 fingers and 10 toes. We'll be finding out the sex as soon as feasibly possibly, so stay tuned for updates :-)
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Louisiana Trip--part II
On the 23rd, we drove the almost 3 hours to Nana and Grandpa Sam's, also known as my mom and dad's. The boys were excited about a change of venue and very excited to see my mom and dad's dogs!
On Christmas Eve every year, my mom hosts a gathering for all of my dad's family and their kids and their kids' kids. As it sounds, it gets "extended" and crazy!! But, it's a ton of fun and we always miss it when we don't get to head that way for the holidays. The boys got to run around with some older cousins and the weather was beautiful and really cooperated this year. With Louisiana Christmas weather, you never really know what you're going to get! After the get-together, it's our Christmas tradition to head over to our church for 6 PM vigil Mass. The boys were really good this year, and only Colin ended up in the cryroom. Daniel was fascinated with the Christmas trees IN CHURCH! Our church hadn't put them up yet before we left for down south.
After Mass, it was back to Mom and Dad's for some present-opening. If only some of these pictures had audio!!!
I'd told my sister that William really wanted a sled for Christmas. Now, I'm thinking about one of the little one person ones that are about 2 feet in diameter. But, in true Auntie style, she bought the biggest one she could find! In case you were wondering, it seats THREE! You should've seen William's face when he pulled it out of the box!
And, of course, little brother immediately had to try it out:
My mom bought animal hats for all the boys this year. Daniel is in love with all things "penguin", and not knowing that, she bought him a penguin hat!! We got a stuffed penguin in a Happy Meal a couple of years ago and his tag said his name was Chill. From that point on, all penguins have been "chills". So, here is my smiley boy in his Chill hat.
William's was a tiger:
After all the presents were open, it was off to bed with the kiddos so Santa could come. William decided Santa wanted Oreos this year, so Oreos and a big glass of milk it was. Santa must really like Oreos because he ate them all! But, he was probably in a big hurry, they decided the next morning, because he left a lot of crumbs ;-)
The next morning, Colin's favorite presents were the talking Thomas and the talking Percy Santa put in his stocking.
William's didn't even come from Santa--it was a toss up between that enormous sled and the Lincoln Logs my mom and dad gave him. Apparently, Grandpa Sam really liked Lincoln Logs when he was a little boy, so he wanted William to have some. As far as I knew, William had never seen them before--none of our friends have ever pulled them out when we've been over. But, the minute he unwrapped them, he started screeching, "Look, Mom!! LINCOLN LOGS!!" Apparently, when he tells me they build stuff in his PM centers at school, they use Lincoln Logs. Who knew? I never asked--just assumed he was building with blocks. Here is a snap of our two construction men going after it with the Lincoln Logs:
And, the finished log cabin:
Later on Christmas Day, my mom's sister and her husband (Aunt Sarah and Uncle Jim) came over to have lunch with us. My boys just adore her, so that was a huge highlight! Overall, it was a Christmas filled with family, so what more could one want????
On Christmas Eve every year, my mom hosts a gathering for all of my dad's family and their kids and their kids' kids. As it sounds, it gets "extended" and crazy!! But, it's a ton of fun and we always miss it when we don't get to head that way for the holidays. The boys got to run around with some older cousins and the weather was beautiful and really cooperated this year. With Louisiana Christmas weather, you never really know what you're going to get! After the get-together, it's our Christmas tradition to head over to our church for 6 PM vigil Mass. The boys were really good this year, and only Colin ended up in the cryroom. Daniel was fascinated with the Christmas trees IN CHURCH! Our church hadn't put them up yet before we left for down south.
After Mass, it was back to Mom and Dad's for some present-opening. If only some of these pictures had audio!!!
I'd told my sister that William really wanted a sled for Christmas. Now, I'm thinking about one of the little one person ones that are about 2 feet in diameter. But, in true Auntie style, she bought the biggest one she could find! In case you were wondering, it seats THREE! You should've seen William's face when he pulled it out of the box!
 |
| From Nana's |
And, of course, little brother immediately had to try it out:
 |
| From Nana's |
My mom bought animal hats for all the boys this year. Daniel is in love with all things "penguin", and not knowing that, she bought him a penguin hat!! We got a stuffed penguin in a Happy Meal a couple of years ago and his tag said his name was Chill. From that point on, all penguins have been "chills". So, here is my smiley boy in his Chill hat.
 |
| From Nana's |
William's was a tiger:
 |
| From Nana's |
After all the presents were open, it was off to bed with the kiddos so Santa could come. William decided Santa wanted Oreos this year, so Oreos and a big glass of milk it was. Santa must really like Oreos because he ate them all! But, he was probably in a big hurry, they decided the next morning, because he left a lot of crumbs ;-)
 |
| From Nana's |
The next morning, Colin's favorite presents were the talking Thomas and the talking Percy Santa put in his stocking.
 |
| From Nana's |
William's didn't even come from Santa--it was a toss up between that enormous sled and the Lincoln Logs my mom and dad gave him. Apparently, Grandpa Sam really liked Lincoln Logs when he was a little boy, so he wanted William to have some. As far as I knew, William had never seen them before--none of our friends have ever pulled them out when we've been over. But, the minute he unwrapped them, he started screeching, "Look, Mom!! LINCOLN LOGS!!" Apparently, when he tells me they build stuff in his PM centers at school, they use Lincoln Logs. Who knew? I never asked--just assumed he was building with blocks. Here is a snap of our two construction men going after it with the Lincoln Logs:
 |
| From Nana's |
And, the finished log cabin:
 |
| From Nana's |
Later on Christmas Day, my mom's sister and her husband (Aunt Sarah and Uncle Jim) came over to have lunch with us. My boys just adore her, so that was a huge highlight! Overall, it was a Christmas filled with family, so what more could one want????
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Louisiana trip--part I
On December 18, we got up bright and early, finished loading up the van and hit the road for a 10+ hour drive down to Scott's parents' house. I couldn't believe how good our 3 boys were!! There was NO fighting from the back of the van and even Colin did better than expected. He didn't really understand why he couldn't get out and run around, so when we stopped, he ran around like a MADMAN until we forced him back into his seat. But, overall, things went pretty smoothly, thank goodness.
The boys were very concerned that Trix wouldn't know where to find us, but William quickly decided that he must be flying over our van and following us. This quickly led to lots of warnings to Trix when we went under overpasses--"Watch out, Trix, there's a bridge coming up! Don't hit your head!" Scott & I were in stitches in the front seat. And, imagine the excitement when they woke up on day 2 and this is what they found:
On Monday night, we finally got to head over to NOLA for Christmas in the Oaks. (It's been closed due to weather the last 3 times we've tried!) The boys had a blast taking pictures and riding rides. Here are the 3 of them posing with a huge alligator statue--it's wearing a Santa costume!
And on the carousel:
William's favorite part was a roller coaster with a roaring dinosaur that lit up and scared you as the coaster car raced by in front of it! Daniel's favorite part was the ferris wheel--William's response to that was, "Daniel, I can't BELIEVE you picked that!" Not, as you might think, because it's not exciting, but rather because he seems to have inherited his daddy's fear of all heights!! And, poor Scott had to go on it with them because it was not advised that you ride pregnant. What do you mean??? Of COURSE I wasn't milking that........
On the Wednesday, Scott's brother Brian and his wife Kristy came over with their 3 kids to exchange presents and hang out. My boys were very excited to see their older cousins! We even managed to get them all (remotely) still for a group pic. Scott had to get down on the floor with Colin because he kept wanting to run up to the camera and yell "Cheese!"--imagine that!
Jay Douglas (12), Meredith and Madelaine (8), William (5), Colin (19 months), and Daniel (4)
And, we got a very rare shot of Scott's entire family--Chad (younger brother), Maw-Maw Lin (AKA Ms. Linda), Paw-Paw Bip (AKA Mr. Bill), Scott, and Brian (oldest brother).
The boys were very concerned that Trix wouldn't know where to find us, but William quickly decided that he must be flying over our van and following us. This quickly led to lots of warnings to Trix when we went under overpasses--"Watch out, Trix, there's a bridge coming up! Don't hit your head!" Scott & I were in stitches in the front seat. And, imagine the excitement when they woke up on day 2 and this is what they found:
 |
| From Maw Maw Lin's |
On Monday night, we finally got to head over to NOLA for Christmas in the Oaks. (It's been closed due to weather the last 3 times we've tried!) The boys had a blast taking pictures and riding rides. Here are the 3 of them posing with a huge alligator statue--it's wearing a Santa costume!
 |
| From Maw Maw Lin's |
And on the carousel:
 |
| From Maw Maw Lin's |
 |
| From Maw Maw Lin's |
 |
| From Maw Maw Lin's |
William's favorite part was a roller coaster with a roaring dinosaur that lit up and scared you as the coaster car raced by in front of it! Daniel's favorite part was the ferris wheel--William's response to that was, "Daniel, I can't BELIEVE you picked that!" Not, as you might think, because it's not exciting, but rather because he seems to have inherited his daddy's fear of all heights!! And, poor Scott had to go on it with them because it was not advised that you ride pregnant. What do you mean??? Of COURSE I wasn't milking that........
On the Wednesday, Scott's brother Brian and his wife Kristy came over with their 3 kids to exchange presents and hang out. My boys were very excited to see their older cousins! We even managed to get them all (remotely) still for a group pic. Scott had to get down on the floor with Colin because he kept wanting to run up to the camera and yell "Cheese!"--imagine that!
Jay Douglas (12), Meredith and Madelaine (8), William (5), Colin (19 months), and Daniel (4)
 |
| From Maw Maw Lin's |
And, we got a very rare shot of Scott's entire family--Chad (younger brother), Maw-Maw Lin (AKA Ms. Linda), Paw-Paw Bip (AKA Mr. Bill), Scott, and Brian (oldest brother).
 |
| From Maw Maw Lin's |
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Ugly Sweater Party
Scott & I got invited to our first ugly sweater party this Christmas. I scoured the neighborhood stores looking for the ugliest sweaters I could find. Here is what we ended up in.
Me and Buddy the Elf:
Lea, me, Dawn, and Jennifer (the hostess):
Scott ended up winning the guys' prize for ugliest sweater (do you think it had anything to do with the too-tight turtleneck and sweater vest sized Women's M?) and this lady won in the womens' division:
And, here is Scott with Jeremy, our host. Yes, that IS a toilet seat cover that Jeremy glued onto his shirt!
Me and Buddy the Elf:
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| From Ugly Sweater Party |
Lea, me, Dawn, and Jennifer (the hostess):
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| From Ugly Sweater Party |
Scott ended up winning the guys' prize for ugliest sweater (do you think it had anything to do with the too-tight turtleneck and sweater vest sized Women's M?) and this lady won in the womens' division:
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| From Ugly Sweater Party |
And, here is Scott with Jeremy, our host. Yes, that IS a toilet seat cover that Jeremy glued onto his shirt!
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| From Ugly Sweater Party |
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Downslide to 40!
Today was my birthday! Scott surprised me with a cake after he got home from work & the boys were very excited to put candles on it and sing to me. I just thank goodness they didn't insist on actually putting 35 candles on there--talk about a house fire! They happily agreed on 3 and 5.
My 3 little monkeys enjoying their cake:
And, the obligatory shot of the birthday girl (don't I look fabulous, LOL???) with the cake:
What a great way to turn 35!
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| From Sarah Birthday |
My 3 little monkeys enjoying their cake:
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| From Sarah Birthday |
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| From Sarah Birthday |
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| From Sarah Birthday |
And, the obligatory shot of the birthday girl (don't I look fabulous, LOL???) with the cake:
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| From Sarah Birthday |
What a great way to turn 35!
Friday, November 26, 2010
After Thanksgiving Magic....
We hung around here for Thanksgiving this year since Mommy had to work the Saturday and Sunday after. We had dinner with our friends and neighbors, Christine and Carl. Carl fried his first Thanksgiving turkey in what they call a "turkey fryer" and we call a "crawfish pot"! Carl thought it was a bit overdone, but we thought it was yummy! Their two year old, Michael, looks a lot like Daniel--some people even assume they're brothers when we're out together--and both my boys love him. William has even been known to argue with me on occasion that he's their cousin :-)
The day after Thanksgiving is usually when we pull out the Christmas stuff & decorate, after we go searching for a tree, of course! Since we're planning to head home for the holidays, we didn't want to get a live tree this year, so we headed to Lowe's to pick out the perfect artificial one. BUT, before we did all that, the boys were surprised by a little bit of Christmas magic: Trix came back!!
Boy, were they happy to see him! William reminded Daniel that he was going to keep an eye on them & report on their behavior to the North Pole. He also reminded him that you could never, ever touch Trix or his magic might disappear!
After all the Trix excitement (and after breakfast, of course!) we picked out a tree, then rushed home to get out the decorations. After putting the wild man down for a nap, the big boys helped Mommy & Daddy hang all the decorations up on the tree. Every time an ornament came out of a box, one of them yelled, "Oh, my gosh--it's the McQueen one!", etc. I think they might have honestly been as excited to see all of the familiar ornaments as they will be for their gifts on Christmas morning!! (Then again, maybe not!) So, a big thanks to Nana for all the Hallmark ornaments--they were definitely the highlight of our tree decorating this year.
And, the finished product, complete with Hallmark ornaments and homemade preschool creations :-)
The day after Thanksgiving is usually when we pull out the Christmas stuff & decorate, after we go searching for a tree, of course! Since we're planning to head home for the holidays, we didn't want to get a live tree this year, so we headed to Lowe's to pick out the perfect artificial one. BUT, before we did all that, the boys were surprised by a little bit of Christmas magic: Trix came back!!
 |
| From November 2010 |
Boy, were they happy to see him! William reminded Daniel that he was going to keep an eye on them & report on their behavior to the North Pole. He also reminded him that you could never, ever touch Trix or his magic might disappear!
After all the Trix excitement (and after breakfast, of course!) we picked out a tree, then rushed home to get out the decorations. After putting the wild man down for a nap, the big boys helped Mommy & Daddy hang all the decorations up on the tree. Every time an ornament came out of a box, one of them yelled, "Oh, my gosh--it's the McQueen one!", etc. I think they might have honestly been as excited to see all of the familiar ornaments as they will be for their gifts on Christmas morning!! (Then again, maybe not!) So, a big thanks to Nana for all the Hallmark ornaments--they were definitely the highlight of our tree decorating this year.
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| From November 2010 |
And, the finished product, complete with Hallmark ornaments and homemade preschool creations :-)
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| From November 2010 |
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Movie Night
There were a couple of Christmas shows that came on TV this week that we recorded for the boys so they could stay up late and watch one night. We put Colin to bed, made popcorn, then snuggled in to watch a Madagascar Christmas Special and then a Kung Fu Panda one. Here is how things started:
And, how they ended! I didn't think Daniel was going to make it all the way through the second show. And, I have to admit--rare four year old snuggles make Mommy very happy!
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| From November 2010 |
And, how they ended! I didn't think Daniel was going to make it all the way through the second show. And, I have to admit--rare four year old snuggles make Mommy very happy!
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| From November 2010 |
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