Not soo pretty....

The snow was beautiful!!

Watching kids (and hubby) playing in the snow was great!


But Momma trying to get into her "snow clothes" was not sooo pretty! LOL

First was my snow pants/coveralls. Brian pulled them out of the attic last night when we realized that the snow was truely coming;) This morning as we were dressing to go play in the snow I attempted to get them on:)

LOL.... I seriously did laugh and then grabbed the camera!

Anna was able to use the pants. She was GLAD to use them and almost giddy when they didn't fit me!! LOL!! Brian rolled the pants and them taped them... LOL!! But she stayed out in the snow at least an 1.5 hour both times!! So they kept her fairly warm!

The other "struggle" was getting my boots on!! The photo doesn't do it justice... LOL, you can't hear the grunting... hahhaa!! Now, I know my belly has just begun the growth, but all the layers of clothing plus the belly made getting my boots on that much harder! Too funny!

Of course, my always encouraging hubby thought the best part was me getting up with all the layers, boots and belly! I had to go to the side to get up... oh, I soo thought I wasn't at that stage yet:) LOL!!

Where is Nathaniel??? With all the layers, my 26 week baby belly blended in! Sure there is thickness in the middle, but I don't think I look 26 weeks preggo!

We are planning to spend more time outside tomorrow... and I have more snow pictures to share later:)

Until then I'm getting some rest so I can keep up with my "snow loving" crew tomorrow!!

it's Snowing!!

We've been on snow alert this week.... Brian went out this morning to gather supplies, along with everyone else in our county...LOL!! Gotta love snow in the south:)

But the weathermen were correct, at bedtime we started to see flurries. The kids went to bed very excited about the snow and the possiblity of using a sled that they received this afternoon from sweet neighbors;)

Not even 100 days!!!!

It's soo great to have the pregnancy counter!!! but it seems like it skips days....LOL... do we really have less than 100 DAYS before we get to meet Nathaniel face-to-face??? I'm 26 weeks!!

I am definitely showing:) LOL!! People just comment about the pregnancy and the number of children I have (or will have) now instead of kind of looking sideways at me wondering if I'm expecting or just fat!! LOL

So here is what has changed with the me over these last weeks:
I weigh more...LOL!

I grab little snacks between meals because i am hungry

The heartburn is CRAZY... sometimes keeping me awake into the wee hours of the AM

I am constantly thristy and thereforer making many pit stops during the day

The very lowest part of my back and my hips hurt when I lay down... different pains than with my other pregnancies

My belly has firmed up a LOT... so I can't blame the side pudge on baby belly anymore!

I've had more energy.... cleaning the house at least an hour or more after the kids go to bed... it's actually a really nice schedule for me!!

I'm starting to move more like a pregnant lady.... I can't just stand up after sitting on the floor... it's more a sideways slow movement upward:) LOL!! But I really thought it would happen earlier... so I am pleased that many movements are still pretty normal... no waddling yet... LOL, it's coming!! I know;)

I'm using all maternity pants now and mostly maternity or longer-styled shirts. The sweatpants above are my absolute favorite... I could live in them! LOL!! I found them at Burlington Coat Factory for $5!! Then below is my favorite "nice" shirt... it's not maternity, but long and I found it on the clearance rack at Target:) I'm hoping I don't stretch it out too much so I can wear it after Nathaniel comes, too!

And here's how Nathaniel has changed....

• He's very reliable... LOL!! He kicks about 20 minutes after I eat (unless I am super busy... then he just enjoys the ride...LOL), when I first lay down to sleep/nap and anytime I rest!
• He loves hearing his siblings and moves when he hears them. Chris and I were sharing a bed at my parents, Chris woke me at the "crack of dawn" and as soon as Nathaniel heard him talking to me he was wake, too!! (makes me want to rethink the boys sharing a room in the future...LOL!!)
• His kicks are firm but in no way uncomfortable (yet). Brian and Anna have felt some SOLID kicks... Lydia and Chris say that "Nathaniel has kicked me" but I'm not sure if they just WANT to feel him or if he really got them:)
• According to amazingpregnancy.com, Nathaniel is able 2 pounds and 13 inches now!! I like having the some measurements.... It's amazing that a little guy longer than a ruler is floating around in my belly:) And how developed he is with his eyes opening and even his eyelashes forming this week:)

So there is an update for everyone:) Thanks for asking and sharing this exciting time. We have been pretty busy lately... I really thought life would slow down a bit after Christmas...LOL! But we are doing well and are just soo blessed with Nathaniel and all of us are counting down until we get to see him face-to-face:)

What is a Daddy?

He's the....

Swing pusher... and makes us fly up in the air!

One who holds us close when we are scared! (or tired of walking)

Teacher of cool toys!

Support when I try something new.
Helper of crafts (at least while mommy has the camera):)

Funny guy!!!
(Brian in Pey's car pushing up his muscle...LOL!)

Happy Birthday Brian!!

The kids are blessed to have you as their Daddy.

And I'm blessed to have you as my husband and pastor!

WW: Winter Zoo Trip

Chris messing with the turkeys who greeted everyone entering the zoo!!
He jumped when the turkey lunged back at him... LOL!!

Grammie and the girls watching the newest giraffe and her mother. So cute!
Chris getting a ride from Pey. Oh, the BLUE BLUE skies were soooo nice... especially after the crazy wind and downpours we had had all night.
The lions hanging out in the sun!! We had never seen all of the lions out at the same time before.
Meerkat drying his belly in the sun after playing in the mud!!
Two of my little "animals" riding the metal rhino:)
Lydia and Chris watching the monkeys playing!

It was sooo nice to finally get out of the house and MOVE!! Glad we had a warmer day and a clear day to enjoy being outside at the zoo:)

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Happy 3rd Birthday, Lydi-Bug!!

Although we had a little party with Grandma and Grandaddy last week and last night shared the birthday dinner she asked for with Grammie and Pey..... TODAY is actually Lydia's birthday:)

Yesterday after all the horrible winds and rain went away... we headed to the zoo with my parents!! It was actually really pleasant and there were a couple of animals MORE active than we had even seen... maybe a little "stir crazy" being couped up all morning, like us;) We met up with my sister, Carson and Hannah Grace. And Lydia finally got to do her favorite thing....

Here's the link to our "expecting Lydia" story:) And below is a montage of Lydia's 1st year. (i need to update it!!)

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

We are soo thankful for our little girl. She's a little self-motivated and independent child who loves snuggling!! She potty trained herself, asks daily to work on her "schoolwork" and LOVES, LOVES, LOVES to play with her baby dolls. She can't wait to meet her littlest brother and "help" him.... lol!!


Because she was my "surprise" baby, I always think of how perfectly she fits into the family. I have never seen three siblings who are such great friends (yes, there are quarrels... daily!!) and enjoy playing with eachother. It makes me soooo thankful that we had them close together!!

Happy Birthday, our Little Lydia!!

Tiny Talk Tuesday

You can join in Tiny Talk Tuesday, too!! It's fun to record the silly conversations throughout the week and share them. Visit Not Before 7 to join in:)
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Anna (age 5) has been helping in the kitchen lately!! I think it's great that she's wanting to learn how to cook:) She was watching Brian cook eggs the other day. She called over to me," hey Mom, are you eating eggs with us."

And I responded,"yes, sure!"

Her little brain starting clicking,"Well, I wasn't sure if you could eat eggs. Nathaniel might not grow up to be an egg eater."

hhaaaaa haaaa... that's reality in our food allergy house, some of us are "egg-eaters" and some are not!! I love the term though, I'm thinking it's from all the Dinosaur Train (on PBSKids) they have been watching....

BTW.... I really like that show. They have an "old earth view" but my kids are totally loving the dinosaurs and all the GREAT information!!!

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Lydia (my new 3 yr old...hehee hee) was shopping with me the other night. We pushed by a gentlemen who casually greeted us. After he passed by, Lydia looked at me and said, "he jacket is too long."

I looked behind us," It's fine."

Lydia: "He jacket not fine with me."

Watch out Walmart shoppers!! The newest member of the Fashion Police is now on duty!!!! She is such an opinionated little girl! **************************************************************
Each kid has called the computer a "puter"... so funny to hear them say that! While I was helping Lydia get on her shoes this week I heard a strange music noise coming from another room. I usually know what all the toys in our house sound like....LOL!! SO I said aloud, "what can that strange sound be?"

And my sweet little girl looks into my face and confidently says,"Mommy, dat noise is my puter. The puter that Miss Sue-sue gave me!! " LOL!! So innocently funny!

And she was right, Anna was playing with a little toy computer that was given to her;)
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And I thought I'd share some sweet moments from Chris this week.... he's been a tough little cookie to handle lately, so these sweet moments have been nice "gifts"!!

**On the way home from Grandma and Grandaddy's Chris told Brian, "I love going to Grandma's house."

**Putting Chris to bed this week he asked," Can I give Nathaniel a good night kiss?" And he jumped out of bed, ran across his room and kissed my belly!! too sweet!!

Happy Birthday Gran-Grandma!!!

We loved celebrating Gran-grandma's birthday early last week!!! It's amazing she is in her 100s and all the things she has seen and experienced!

I know this picture doesn't include Gran-Grandma's sweet face!! It's Gran-grandma's hand over the birthday card that Anna made for her.

The picture reminds me of how blessed my kids are to know their great grandmother! Not only do we get to visit a couple of times a year, but they talk to Gran-grandma on the phone and have memories of visiting her at her house!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Gran-grandma!!!

The Super Daddy Baby Carryer :)

Gotta love my hubby and that he can hold two children ...

(both of whom asked their Daddy to hold them)!

Then he started carrying all three on his back around the house...
a very wiggly horse ride!

What a DAD!

Our "Princess and the Frog" Experience

We've been debating for a while whether we should take the kids to see the newest Disney movie "The Princess and the Frog" because we have tried to be cautious about what the kids watch. Both of our girls are "into" princesses (from books, toys and movie previews) and Chris is always up for an adventure.

While on vacation earlier this week we decided to go ahead and bring them to their first movie! We read the review on pluggedinonline.com and knew of some of the themes and elements. There were some things we weren't excited about. But the trailers and storyline looked cute. It was a good time since Brian had time off and Grandma was with us... so one adult per child:)

Chris settled well into one of the movie boosters. He loved seeing the screen better while sitting up high! He was too cute:)

Lydia started in Brian's lap but was in her own seat during most of the movie.

Anna stayed in Grandma's lap.... good time to snuggle! I'm sure Grandma was glad for the snuggle time :)

As we watched the previews we got a little worried. The previews seemed worse than the actual movie. The kids all did fine... Brian and I were just cringing and noting all the things that kids could be picking up or have questions about!!

The kids did well throughout the whole movie.....


although I have to mention that like MOST Disney movies that I remember there is always an element of MAGIC that causes trouble/harm to others in the movie and that the "good" characters had to "fight" against. This element was DEFINITELY present in "The Princess and the Frog", had we seen it before them we probably wouldn't have gone.


Since it was based in New Orleans, the Magic was a form of voodoo and extended throughout the whole movie... from palm reading, tarot cards, spells, calling to deceased spirits to help the "bad" guys and then dragging the Shadow Man to his death. While most kids may not understand all the elements of voodoo, the deceased spirits chasing down the frogs really got to Chris. He was still talking about it after the movie. And at one point he got out of seat and "hid" behind the seats in front of us and then sat on my lap.


After the movie I asked the kids if they liked it. My older two quickly said that it was "too scary". Lydia loved it:)


We should have known better because it was a Disney movie! I guess we were just hoping that this one wasn't going to fit the same scenario. There were some good points, I didn't hear anything that made me cringe that my kids were hearing (besides the Shadow Man scenes). And they saw a couple good themes about working hard and having dreams. Oh and that the whinny girl didn't get "everything" she wanted :)

Not a parenting moment I am proud of.... but in many ways it confirmed our hesitations about bringing them to movies. I didn't ruin them though, they haven't really talked about the scary parts!! And since Brian and I enjoy movies it was fun to share the "experience" with them... although they really didn't see impressed... LOL!!

A Note From Anna

Translation: "hot and hot [our space heater was on and she must have been hot...LOL] I love you but I don't like reading. I think it is yucky. Anna [more hot]"

**Anna wrote this note this AM as she was waiting for me. She had just finished her math work and we were heading into reading. It's always TOUGH to transition back into a school routine and work after a couple of days of vacation!!

*** Want to know a secret??? It's hard for her mommy to transition back, too!!!

But we get all our work done and then go on with our day!!! And today we played Kerplunk as a treat for finishing all our morning work before lunch:)

The Little Girl who Loved her Cake

While visiting Grandma and Grandaddy earlier this week, we got to have an early celebrations of all the birthdays that will be happening next week!! We have three birthdays in a row at the end of January.

Part of our celebration included making a birthday cake for Gran-Grandma, Brian and Lydia. While making the cake Lydia starting claiming at as "hers"... it was really funny to see a kid soo attached to a cake!!

When I brought the cake to the porch to dry the icing "a bit"... Lydia became our "cake guard"..... a job Anna told us was "boring"... LOL


Lydia even explained to us (a couple of times) why we couldn't eat the cake right away.


But then we noticed the cake had some finger marks.... who stuck their fingers in our cake???!!!


And the guilty party gladly (and soo sweetly) confessed!


I am NOT a cake decorator!! But as a Mommy I get called on a few times a year to at least TRY!!! So here was my attempt:)


Here's Lydia blowing out the candles:)


And her sweeet, child-like excitement after blowing out her candle. She obviously LOVES her cake!


***Oh, you have to love that in the middle of the family party right after lunch, Lydia decided she was tired and put on her own PJs!!! LOL

WW: Boyz 1st Wrestling Match

Gotta love early sibling interactions:)

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

*** Chris looks like he was being ROUGH, but his antics were VERY gentle.... believe me, my tummy is soo sensitive and ticklish... I can't handle too much "belly rubbing" somedays:)

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Tiny Talk Tuesday: Chris and traveling

You can join in Tiny Talk Tuesday, too!! It's fun to record the silly conversations throughout the week and share them. Visit Not Before 7 to join in:)

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"Mom!! Christopher is looking mean at me and is trying to get me."

"CHRIS?????" I call out from my dinner making in the kitchen.

Chris rounds the corner, "Mommmmm, I'm trying to be a Tyrannosauras Rex! RARRRR!!"

And the girls go screaming out of the room.... Gotta love having a brother!!

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Someone in the house passed gas (the culprit will remain annyomous) and an explosion of laughter followed... yes, we are totally in the funny potty humor stage... I wish it will be over soon:)

When it got quiet Chris leaned over to me and said,"I have to talk to Nathan." And then he looked down at my belly and got super close,"Hey, Nathan, how do you go potty in there??"

More girl giggles followed!

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This isn't HA-HA funny, but as we traveled this week to visit Grandma and Grandaddy we experienced the constant "how much longer" questions from Anna..... I would always answer back to her that I'd tell her when we had an hour left!!

When we got to Grandma and Grandaddy's (only a 6-hour drive), Grandma asked Anna if she had a good trip and Anna responded, "We've been in the car for an HOUR!!! [groaning]!!"

LOL... not quite!!

Family Night at the Truck Pull

Brian came home last night all excited that a "MONSTER TRUCK" show was nearby. So we ate a quick bite for dinner (good thing I fed them a BIG lunch) and headed out to the show!!! Chris has been talking about seeing Monster Trucks since he started talking, so it was a treat to take him to see them!!

Here's a little video montage I quickly put together!

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

For a night out with the family it was fun! The kids really liked it (after they got some real earplugs in)! And they got to see and sit with Caleb and Taite:)

Andrea blogged some fun pictures too... and YES my husband DID use mini marshmallows as earplugs (we had originially packed them for the kids to snack on)!

We had a quick errand to run while we were in town. The kids immediately started asking for hamburgers when we all got into our car! Anyway, so they got another "treat" by having a "car picnic" LATE at night!

We aren't usually spur-of-the-moment type people.... in fact for many decisions/projects we take a LONG time to make!! LOL!! But last night, we all really enjoyed getting out, meeting up with friends and mixing up the routine a bit.

Pics & I have a NAME!!!

I am ASHAMED that I have yet to post Baby's pictures from our ultrasound weeks ago... like weeks BEFORE Christmas!!! In the rush of the season and then the getting back to "normal"... I just hadn't gotten to take pictures of my ultrasound pics!! So here they are:)

Front-n-center


This one is cute with the explanation that his fist is under his chin:) And his cute belly:)

The best news is that.... after months of deliberation AND Brian's final threat,"If you don't pick a name I'm going to write whatever I want on the birth certificate!" LOL!!! My poor husband... I might actually drive him crazy one day:) .... we have decided on a name!

I am soo excited... when Brian suggested the name, my heart was soo set on it already... in fact I might have scared him when I soo quickly responded, "That's a perfect name... I love it!" Let me list WHY, this is a great name (in no particular order)

1. It fits our naming pattern!



2. The meaning of the name is "gift of God" - this was important to me because while trying to have another baby, I was brought to the fact that our babies are a gift from God there was nothing I could do but trust and wait for God to allow us to have another baby.



3. His middle name is the same name of the 1st known relative from Brian's father's side of the family. We read it on the man's gravestone... written in German!



4. This aspect of his middle name is not blood-relative, but family in our eyes. And it's a sweet friend of Brian's that meant a LOT to him. Brian drove the family 9 hours (one way) to participate in his funeral and my only regret was that we didn't plan to stay longer to be with his sweet and awesome family!!!



5. The one in the Bible he is named after is described as being "without guile".... my NLT says "man of complete integrity"!



6. The passage that this biblical character is from is special because he comes in contact with Christ and Christ immediately shows him that He KNOWS him! That would be our prayer, that Baby would know that His Heavenly Father knows him already... in fact even is forming him now:)



7. This disciple's response to Christ is one of knowing Christ's position... I'm sure he didn't understand everything! But we also pray that our son would know Christ's position in his life early in life.



8. Brian and I just chuckle at one of the disciple's well-known responses to a friend,“Can anything good come from Nazareth?” .... we read into it his sarcasm!! And it might match my husband's dry sense of humor.... LOL, I can only imagine our dinner table when they are all teens/adults!!



9. He'll have a MOUTHful of a name but many great options for nicknames:) Kind of like our Chris!!



10. It's a name you've heard before, but not so commonly used! Kind of like Lydia:)



11. Brian and I BOTH love it:) LOL!! That counts for a lot around here:) But we've been 100% in agreement with the other's names and so it's nice that we BOTH really like it and neither is "compromising".

Well.... that's WHY!!! Quite a list I know:) But funny that a name that we thought of could hold soo much meaning and purpose for this little babe named, Nathaniel Stephen, that grows daily inside of me:)

Study Buddies

As many of you know, Andrea has been in the hospital because of pre-term labor...

Sometimes I feel helpless because I can't leave my kids to go sit with her or clean her house (they'd destroy it before I'd get any cleaning done):) But I did offer our home for the boys to stay if they needed some help with them. I was thankful Travis called this morning and let me help in one of the only ways I felt I could!!

We did some school before they came over! And the finished a worksheet while everyone was quiet! We played outside, had lunch, watched a quick video and did our devotion for the day. Then it was time for the 3 smallest to NAP!!!!! LOL

Caleb and Anna both said that they weren't tired.... so we decided to do a science lesson:) They picked sharks and we had at it!! They did really well:)

Caleb and Anna did well during our little "science" study.... definitely won't be good all the time because there was a lot of giggling:) But it's always nice to have a different routine every once in a while!!

Please continue to pray for Andrea and her family

WW: At Work This Morning:)

Thought I'd share some normal pics from the first 30 minutes of school time this morning;)






And times of concentration:



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