Birthday Card

Last night while I was busy getting all of this...
at Kroger for $6, (I love bargain shopping!) Greg and Hunter were busy making mommy a birthday card. :) I walked in the door and Hunter ran up to me with the card. Here is the front:
Greg wrote the words, and Hunter traced them. Then on the inside, Hunter drew a heart and a flower just for me.

I love my boy. :)

Friends and Family...

If you’ve known Kelly (my mom) or me for awhile you have, at some point, probably heard us talk about the workout challenge. It was originally started as a means for us to motivate each other to eat healthy and work out regularly. Later, we invited others to join us and the official Workout Challenge was born. We have been through many different phases, trying to get it “just right” for everyone, without losing the original focus of why we created it in the 1st place.

The last 6 months or so we have struggled with what direction to take and many times we thought we’d just let the Workout Challenge go, even amidst friends encouraging us to continue because of what they had gained, or lost, in most cases! But each time, something would happen that would lead us to believe that, for some reason, God wanted us to continue. So we started to consider other ways we could make a difference, and fighting hunger seemed appropriate, since many of us are where we are because we’ve never experienced hunger in our own lives. So now we had another great idea, but we still lacked the money or resources to do anything with it.

But, once again, God moved, and things that we never thought would happen have happened. Mainly, all of the pieces have fallen into place for us to launch our very own fitness website, complete with diet and exercise tools like eating plans, a recipe builder, exercise demos and the ever popular food and exercise logs - because one thing we know is, in order to lose weight you need to burn more calories than you consume, and nothing helps more than keeping track of it all. We would love for you to check out our new site at www.workout-challenge.com, and in order for you to see all that it has to offer, we’ve created a sample account. You can login to this account using “login: demo” and “password: demo”. This website is a huge step for us and what we feel was the main missing component to our previous challenges.

In line with God’s perfect timing, a New Year is approaching and many of us have a New Year’s resolution involving diet and/or exercise. We are hoping our new tool can help you in this area and are asking you to consider joining or at least to tell others about it. Yes, something this big has costs involved, but we have tried to keep them to a minimum and also include the “prize” component that has worked so well in our other phases.

So here are the main points:

*Cost is $5/month and includes all of the tools on the site. We are asking for a 2 month minimum, so when you click “Join Now” you will be taken to PayPal and charged $10. After the first 2 months you will automatically be charged $5 monthly and you can cancel at any time.
*Each month we will draw for $25 cash (we will draw one name per 100 users). Points are earned while tracking workouts and food, and for weighing in. Every 100 points earned per month gets you one entry in the drawing (max 6 entries per person).
*At least 10% (or $0.50/mth, per member) will go to fight hunger here in the US. We will be donating to the Hope Center in Macomb County, Michigan, as well as national organizations such as Feeding America and Bread for Life.
*Once we reach 100 members, our administration costs will drop and we will be able to double our donations to at least 20% (or $1/mth, per member). We are very anxious to get to that mark!

We appreciate your time in reading this and hope you will consider joining us! Please feel free to forward this information to anyone else who may be interested.

Thanks!

Emma (& Kelly)

For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’ Deuteronomy 15:11

36 Weeks

I cant believe I'm 36 weeks! My sister had her firstborn at 36 weeks. That excites me! I obviously want a healthy baby even if that means waiting a few more weeks but it's a nice thought that people have babies at 36 weeks who ARE perfectly healthy. I'm so close to meeting her!

My nesting has continued, and continued to be ridiculous. I won't bore you with the details. Let's just say this house is super clean, including all our lightswitches. Greg has been super sweet with helping too. He vacuumed AND scrubbed the shower for me this weekend.

I haven't been sleeping well lately. My insomnia is terrible. I remember this with Hunter too but this time it's harder because I have a toddler that wakes me up at 7am every morning. Id love a good night's rest now.

Everything is pretty much ready for her, aside from my hospital bag. I have yet to pack that, but I think I'll do it tomorrow. We even took down the Christmas tree and replaced it with the baby swing. I love looking in the corner of the living room and seeing it there. :)

I've been getting actual real contractions lately! They're totally sporadic, not very frequent, and really mild, but they're a start! I hope they continue to increase in intensity and frequency. (Oh boy, I'm sure I'll regret saying that very soon.)

Here's this week's belly pics:

I don't know if she's dropped yet. I don't think Hunter ever did to know what to expect. All I DO know is that suddenly, I'm up 3 times a night to pee, and it wasn't that way last week.
And as requested by my mom, a front facing photo. I'm laughing because my husband had just called my belly a torpedo.

Thankfully, I'm still stretch mark free! Unfortunately, Hunter already ruined my belly with stretch marks. I guess I won't complain though. At least baby girl hasn't given me anymore! (And I hope to keep it that way!)

Snow...AGAIN!

So it started snowing last night at about 9pm. It is 5:30pm right now and it's still coming down! Greg and Hunter went out to play in it, and as soon as Hunter discovered the snow was up to his knees, he started crying because he didn't know what to do! He did warm up to it after a while and he and daddy had a good time out there. I got a funny video of Bella, our dog, trying to make her way through the snow too. Here it is:

Virginia Beach really isn't equipped for snow like this so we have our fingers crossed that Greg will be off of work tomorrow, and our three day weekend becomes a 4 days weekend!

Christmas

The Virginia Beach Wehrmans had a wonderful Christmas together! We definitely missed spending time with family, but travelling in my current state is pretty much out of the question, and we had a very enjoyable day despite the fact that we missed you all!

We webcammed with my family Christmas Eve so they could see Hunter open his gifts. He got a toddler laptop with educational games from them that kept him occupied the whole day. He loves it! Then, that evening, our church had a Christmas Eve service we attended.

I really wanted to see Hunter's reaction to all the gifts under the tree Christmas morning...so much so that I dreamt (thank you vivid pregnancy dreams) that he opened all his gifts enough to see what was inside before waking us up. I woke up from that dream about 4am, and didn't sleep very well after that for fear that it would come true! I finally got up at 6:30 and both boys were still sound asleep, so I went in the kitchen and made some of Pioneer Woman's homemade cinnamon rolls. Before starting to tackle the dishes, I checked on Hunter to make sure he was still sleeping so I could be in the living room when he awoke to capture his reaction. He was still sound asleep so I started on the dishes. Not five minutes into washing them, the child comes walking up to me in the kitchen! So I didn't get the initial reaction, but I did get to go into the living room again with him so we could take a closer look...and at least my dream didn't come true! We let him open his stocking stuffers and then we ate breakfast. The cinnamon rolls were amazing, and we also enjoyed bacon and eggs. Here's a picture of the delicious cinnamon rolls! (Please disregard the burnt bacon in the back.)

Hunter had such a fun time opening all his gifts. Christmas morning is SO fun as a parent but in a whole different way. I loved being able to shower him with gifts, and being the firstborn, he really does need new toys every so often since he grows out of the old ones. After gift opening was finished, I went in his toy box and closet to pack up some old toys that he hardly plays with anymore to make room for the new ones. When my pregnant eyes saw the bottom of the toy box with tons of little random pieces that had collected down there, my nesting bug did not like it! I ended up taking everything out, and cleaning the toy box. Greg and I organized everything again, and packed a lot up. I was worried where we were going to stick all his new toys but we definitely found the room, much to Hunter's dismay.

We webcammed with Greg's family in the afternoon and they got to see Hunter open the gifts from them. He got an adorable set of fire truck pj's and a robe, both handmade by Nana. He absolutely loves the robe and didn't even want to take it off to go to bed! Here he is in front of the tree sporting his new clothes.

For dinner, we had Honey Baked Ham, cheesy potatoes, green bean casserole, and Pioneer Woman's homemade Parker House Rolls.

After dinner, daddy and Hunter were playing with some of his new toys, and I got a cute video of it. :)


We ended the night with the three of us playing Candy Land, and enjoying cupcakes.

It was a wonderful, intimate Christmas for the three of us. How was everyone else's Christmas?

Merry Christmas Eve

Matching Shirts

So my friend that let me borrow all her little girl clothes had a "little sister" shirt as one of the items. So, of course, I had to get Hunter a matching shirt! Luckily, because of an awesome sale AND a coupon I had, I picked up this "big brother" shirt for $3.75 at Gymboree.

They're going to look so cute in their matching shirts!

35 Weeks

Yay, we're yet another week closer to meeting our little peanut!

If you've read previous posts, you may have learned that I am in full nesting mode! Greg told me yesterday that I'm "addicted to cleaning." As a nesting pregnant woman, I was so flattered. :) It is pretty much ridiculous the things I've scrubbed with a toothbrush, but this house is CLEAN!

Hunter keeps asking if the baby is going to come out because we've told him she will "soon." I keep telling him now we have to wait for after Christmas and after my birthday. I'm glad he's excited, but if only he knew how his life will change forever!

Baby girl's room is completely finished. I have the cloth diapers in the dryer right now and washing them was the last thing that had to be done. When she's ready to come out, we're ready for her! Since the room is completely finished, Greg said, "So that means you have no reason to go in there now until she comes." I told him, "Well, no...I mean, you never know if all her clothes need rearranging in the drawers or something!" I haven't had the urge to do that (yet.) But I still have at least a couple weeks!

I'm so excited for Christmas in just 3 days! And I'm hoping with Christmas and New Year's here, my January 4th mark of being full term will come very quickly!

Santa

Greg and I both grew up with Santa Claus, and we wanted to pass on the fun tradition to our kids. With Hunter having just turned 3, this was the first year we really got to get into it.

Part of Santa included going to the mall to see him. So, yesterday evening, 6 days before Christmas and on a weekend (because we're crazy,) we got in the car and drove across the street (literally) to the mall. We have been telling Hunter that Santa was going to bring him presents and he was excited when we asked if he wanted to go see him to tell him what he wanted. It did take some talking to get his answer passed "presents," and then from that he went to "toys." We reminded him of what kinds of toys he liked (cars, trucks, trains, etc) and he agreed with them all and was ready to tell Santa.

While waiting in the long line, it occurred to me that we should prep our very shy child that, not only would he have the chance to tell Santa what he wanted, but this would be done while sitting on his lap. He didn't take the news too well, and was very quiet just processing the information for a while after we told him. But surprisingly when we got up there, he did great! He reluctantly let Greg put him on his lap, and very intently (with his sweet raised-eye brow-and-matter-of-fact expression) told Santa that he would like trains and train tracks for Christmas. Here's a couple pictures of the fun adventure.

Even though he doesn't look too excited in the second picture, his face was beaming after we left. He definitely enjoyed it. I can't wait to see his face Christmas morning when he opens up his train and train track from Santa!

Also, Hunter informed me yesterday that Santa will be bringing these presents in his car to our house. Next year, we'll work on the whole "sleigh and reindeer" thing.

Vegetables

1. This is how much our firstborn loves vegetables. He ate every single one on his plate.
2. He requested they be put on his plate like that. He's such a silly little man.

Lists

Things That Were Sterilized in My House Today

1. Baby car seat
2. Car seat base
3. Baby swing
4. Every inch of our two toilets
5. Single and double stroller
6. All sponges in my house

Things That Were Sterilized AND Scrubbed with a Scrub Brush and/or Toothbrush

1. Hunter's potty
2. Hunter's step stool
3. Scale
4. Bathroom floors
5. Bathroom baseboards
6. Tiled area by front door
7. Front door and frame

People That Think I'm Crazy

1. Greg
2. Hunter
3. My dog
4. (Insert your name here)

Pregnancy Comparison #4

The next (and hopefully final) pregnancy comparison is here! The next picture after this one that I had taken with Hunter was on my due date, and I'm really hoping I don't make it that far with baby girl.

Anyone out there that's reading this that I went to middle school with: Your eyes are not deceiving you. I am, indeed, wearing my 7th grade basketball shirt...because it's one of the few things that still fits me!

I'm definitely smaller with this one, and I am carrying lower for sure! Hoping she decides to make her grand entrance very soon!

Flashback

So we were sitting at dinner tonight and Greg was talking to Hunter about his shirt he had on. It's one of his shirts he wears to work, and it's just an old John Deere shirt with the logo on it. Greg was trying to see if Hunter would make the connection between his shirt and baby girl's crib bedding. (He did.)

It was then that I, too, made a connection. I flashed back to one of the first times I ever met Greg, almost 7 years ago. He was leaving for boot camp with my brother, and one of his brothers. We were at the recruiting office saying goodbye. One of the few things I remember about Greg from that night is his shirt he had on...a John Deere sweatshirt. Another one of the few memories I have is my reaction to that sweatshirt. I thought, "Really? John Deere?"

Go figure that I end up finding out that (very hot) redneck is the man of my dreams. And go figure I (willingly and excitedly) end up making John Deere crib set for our baby girl, regardless of what my first opinions of John Deere were. And go figure that because he's a man, I can go in his closet and pull out that exact shirt he wore when he left for boot camp because he doesn't get rid of any clothes.

What can I say? The man has rubbed off on me. But ya know what? He allows that old sweatshirt to hang on a pink hanger.

Love, it's all about give and take.

34 Weeks

Wow, I can't believe I could have baby girl in 3 weeks and she'd be full term! I'm SO excited!

I have been buying things left and right from eBay for her. I have my "Items Needed for Baby Girl" list that is getting shorter (although I also keep thinking of things to add to it too...) I'm trying to buy everything the most inexpensive way and my bargain shopping is paying off and saving us money! I am in full nesting mode as far as her room and supplies go. I need to buy everything on that list, and I need to do it NOW.

I also had a lady from church with 4 girls let me go through her baby stuff and borrow what I wanted. That also saved us lots of money. Thank you, MaryLynn!

I'm praying it's God's way of preparing Hunter for her arrival, but he has wanted NOTHING to do with me the past few weeks. He is ALL about daddy right now. Even when I go and hug and kiss Greg, Hunter wedges his way in between us and has even placed his hand over Greg's mouth so I can't kiss him, and he's told me to go away. I'm trying not to take it personally, and hoping the extra-strong bond between them will help with the transition of gaining a new sister. Has anyone else experienced anything like this with the older sibling though?

Snow!

Guess what?!

I pulled Hunter's curtains open this morning and saw that it was snowing. I was just excited that we were going to get some more use out of our "Snowy" tab on our weatherboard for school. However, the morning continued, and so did the snow...

Next thing I knew it had actually accumulated some, so I dug through Hunter's closet to find his snow boots that had been handed down that I packed up thinking "we won't be needing these." I bundled Hunter up and we went outside to play in it! It's nothing compared to what Greg and I grew up with in Detroit but any accumulation isn't typical here so we have to play in the snow when we get the chance! It will probably be gone tomorrow.

We built a snowman while we were out there. Here's a video of Hunter helping. If I sound a little winded, that's because I was. Our neighbor saw us out there as she was getting in her car. I'm sure an almost 8 month pregnant lady trying to bend down to roll a big snowball was quite the sight. It wasn't easy. Don't judge.

We used a baby carrot for our baby snowman. "What are the eyes and mouth made out of?" you ask? Prunes. I'm pregnant and it's what I have in the house. Don't judge.

We ended our morning with hot chocolate and whipped cream over lunch. He's saying "cheese" and taking a sip simultaneously in this picture.

Then after lunch, we did this.

If this were a video, you'd hear snoring. Like father, like son.

Oh, to be a kid...

Items Needed for New Baby

I had a friend on facebook saying she didn't know everything that she needed for a new baby, so I compiled a list for her that I posted on her wall. Then I got to thinking that it would be a good list to have handy so I don't have to think of it every time I need it for other new moms. So, I'm posting it here. Hopefully it can help other moms out there in cyberspace too!

*crib sheets (4-5)
*blankets
*lap pads, sold at BRU as "lap pads" and I lay them on the bed and then baby lays on them. if they spit up, you just change the little pad instead of the whole sheet (at least 5)
*bassinet and bassinet sheet set (plus ...a few extra fitted bassinet sheets)
pacifiers (I'd say a lot, but i had about a dozen with my son and he ended up being a thumb sucker, so I have 2 packs and I'm only opening one until I find out if she likes them)
*burp cloths (about a dozen)
*changing table and pad
*clothes, obviously (sleepers, lots of onsies, etc.)
*receiving blankets (6+)
*towels and washcloths (2-3 towels, and one pack of washcloths)
*baby soap and lotion
*diaper cream
*diapers, wipes
*little nail files and nail clippers
*safety q-tips
*diaper bag (Make sure it includes a portable changing pad for when you're out!)
*diaper pail and refills (not a necessity but nice to have)
*nipple cream for nursing (I think Lansinoh cream and nursing pads are the best out of all of them out there)
*baby bath
*baby powder
*hamper
*boppy, and at least 2 covers
*free and clear detergent for washing clothes in
*sterilizer (for pacifiers) (Another thing that's not a necessity. You could just boil them if you preferred, but I love my microwave sterilizer!)
*mobile
*baby monitor
If Nursing:
*nursing pads
*nursing bras. (Make sure you get at least a couple with no under wire to wear at night because they're way more comfortable.)

33 Weeks

I am tired. Read it, T-I-R-E-D. All of the work I've been putting into the room is really taking its toll since I have a big belly in the way. Being tired is also why I have on a green outfit with pink socks. It's hard enough getting the socks on by myself, don't make me match them to my outfit too.

I haven't been bitten by the cleaning nesting bug yet, but I wouldn't mind it. I could use motivation to deep clean because, again, I'm tired!

As far as my progress in pregnancy goes, tomorrow is the equivalency of when Greg came home from Iraq when I was pregnant with Hunter. I can't believe how much he missed with him. I'm so thankful he was here for this one though. And I know he loves when I pull his hand on my stomach and make him leave it there so he can feel her move. And I won't let him pull his hand away for anywhere from 5-90 minutes. He loves it; I know he does. ;)

That's all, I think.

Excuse me while I go eat mint chocolate cookies...and please, don't tell my doctor.

Baby Girl's Room!

WHEW - it has been a busy week! The creation of the crib set and organizing the bedroom has been in full swing and I'm finally finished!

I have kept the fabric I bought for the crib set a secret because I thought the suspense would be fun and leave everyone on the edge of their seats. Lucky for you, the wait is over. You can stop holding your breath.

(Note: Please forgive me for the awful coloring in the pictures. Her room doesn't get much natural light so the pictures look funky since it's just the light on in the bedroom.)

It took some time, but my husband has totally turned me into a hillbilly. I fell in love with this fabric the moment I saw it, and knew Greg would appreciate it way more than butterflies and rainbows too. Here it is:

Aren't the little tractors so cute?? That tractor square has little polka dots in it too.

My mom had said she would purchase the crib set for me, so instead, she bought me 15 wonderful hillbilly yards of this stuff!

I made a blanket, valance, pillowcase (to cover a hideous pillow I have on my rocking chair,) and crib skirt.

I'm definitely a sewing novice, but that didn't stop me! I will say that this taught me a LOT about sewing, since most of what I know I had to teach myself anyway. How wonderful it would have been to have my mother-in-law (an expert sewer) by my side from the beginning to tell me I had the wrong footer on my sewing machine, and not when I was on the last piece of the whole set! I did also learn, though, that I really do like sewing and will continue to do it. I've made things in the past but it's been a while and I had forgotten how much I enjoy doing it.

Anyway, here's the blanket I made.

It has a solid pink side with the John Deere fabric bordering it.


Here's the valance. (Please excuse the plastic on the windows. It takes away from the adorable valance...but it's COLD here!)

Next is the pillowcase for my rocking chair. I have a pillow on it since the cushion that came with the chair doesn't have enough padding on it. The pillow is from one of our old couches, and the ugly floral pattern just screams 'grandma couch' and that just wouldn't do for the nursery; I thought tractors were much more appropriate.

Here is her dresser. I obviously didn't make anything here but it's part of the room. Her knobs are baby pink and so is that princess piggy bank I picked up at Target!

Now before I reveal the crib skirt, I have to talk about my frustrations with it because of our crib. My mom gave us her crib (because Hunter's was recalled so we returned it and used the money to buy him a twin bed) so I haven't used this crib before. The one side of the crib drops down (as many do) but I didn't know that the hardware for that feature totally interfers with where a crib skirt should hang. When I put my finished crib skirt on, I realized I was going to have to chop huge sections out of it just to be able to put it on. And not using the sliding feature wasn't an option either. Whether I used it or not, I still had to cut up my skirt to get it to hang down. (Simmons crib makers - what were you thinking?!) Anyway, I cut and hemmed the skirt, put it back on and wanted to cry. After seeing how terrible it looked, I opted to flip the crib around so you can see the good skirt side. I don't care that I won't be able to slide the side down. I care that you can see my gorgeous crib skirt that cost blood, sweat and tears! So here it is:

I sewed the pleat in it, and the inside of the pleat is the same pink that's on the one side of the blanket. The fitted mattress and bumper were store bought. There was no way I was going to try my hand at those! But, I'm happy with how the green fits with the John Deere fabric.

And here it is all together!

In the bottom left-hand corner is the changing table with lots of stuff still on it because I still have a lot to buy before I can completely organize that. But the room set is done. In the corner is the bassinet ready and waiting for the little peanut.

So there it is. I absolutely love it and can't wait for her to use it all!

My Fellow Homeschooling Friends

A blog I just started following is giving away a free one-year membership to abcmouse.com! The info is here if you'd like to enter!

Sound Asleep

How is this comfortable?!

Hunter Eating

How can I tell this three year old, "Don't play with your food" when he's this cute?!

Nesting or Excitement?

FINALLY! My online sociology class is complete and over with, I worked my butt off last week and (started and) finished the crib set. I'm so excited to reveal the fabric I made it out of (which will be done very soon.)

So, yesterday I started washing stuff.

I did the linens first because I still have to clean out the dresser and get it ready to put clothes in it, but that's on my list for today. Once I have all the linens and clothes washed and put away, I can really put the room together without garbage bags of clothes everywhere! I am so excited.

I made Greg take us to Lowe's last night and we got both Hunter and baby girl new dresser knobs for the dressers our neighbors gave us that match their rooms. Hunter helped me put them on last night and he was actually a huge help! We also got a curtain rod so we can hang the matching curtains I made. I had to make sure we had everything so the entire room could be finished!!!

So, as long as my head and stomach cooperate today (I had a rough night last night) I'm hoping I can get a ton done and have pictures of the completed room up by tomorrow evening. YAY!

What We Woke Up To

Greg says we're not far enough south. 

Ho, Ho, Ho

I make a good Santa...bowl full of jelly, and all!

Slow Cooker Barbecue Chili

Ok, so let me start by saying that in my 5 years of marriage I have NEVER made chili. Chili was the meal that I sat at the table as a child refusing to eat (sorry mom.) Then as a teen, I tolerated it, but hated it. Greg told me when we were first married that he wasn't crazy about chili either, so I was so glad that meant I never had to make it, or eat it again!

Then, my pregnancy hormones happened. For whatever reason, I have wanted chili the past couple weeks! I had a hard task ahead of me though. My husband will NOT eat chunks of tomatoes, so I had to find a recipe of a meal that he doesn't really like that didn't have a staple ingredient of most chilis! Anyway I'm babbling. I wanted a barbecue, sweet flavored chili so after googling, I happened to find one on manapprovedrecipes.com. I changed the recipe a little bit, and here it is:

Ingredients
1-1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 (15 ounce) jar tomato sauce
1/2 cup chopped onions (Greg loves onions, so I put way more than this in, but it's up to you!)
3 minced garlic cloves
1 (15 ounce) can beans (I used great white northern, but there are many other choices!)
1/4 cup chili powder (OR homemade chili powder. The substitution would be: 2 tsp paprika, 4 tsp ground cumin, 2 tsp oregano, 4 tsp garlic powder, and your choice of how much cayenne pepper you want)
1/2 cup water
2 tsp cumin (in addition to what's listed above if you make your own chili powder)
1/4 cup brown sugar (NOT packed)
1 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce

Brown beef in skillet. Drain fat. Transfer to slow cooker.

Add remaining ingredients, stir well to combine, and cover. I put way less cayenne pepper than what it called for because neither one of us like spicy foods and it had a good kick too it. It was a little too much for Hunter, but if you like spicy and aren't feeding a toddler, throw a lot in! I added about 1.5 tsp to mine and it gave it a good start to being spicy. Cook on LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for 4, stirring periodically. Make sure you do stir it at least once an hour because it's really thick so it will burn to the pot if you don't.

Serve with shredded cheddar, sour cream, Ritz crackers, or whatever chili garnish you prefer. Now excuse me while I go eat chili leftovers...

32 Weeks

I have reached the point where I turn to the side and look in the mirror and laugh because it looks like someone just stuck a HUGE belly on me that sticks out really far but it doesn't look like it belongs on the rest of my body.

I had another Dr's appointment yesterday. He did an internal ultrasound and said my placenta is not in the way at all for a natural delivery. Praise God and thank you for your prayers, everyone! He also said my measurement is right on, and my weight gain is perfect.

I finally made good headway on her crib set! I finished her blanket and valence today. I can't wait to be finished with the room and post pictures! After I'm done sewing the set, the next item on my list is washing her clothes...I'm so excited!!!!

Beer Cheese Soup

Greg and I LOVE this soup, and it's so easy to make!

I got the recipe from my Betty Crocker Cookbook, but have modified it to make it even better.

Let me first say that the recipe I'm giving you doesn't make that much. Greg and I can eat it all in one sitting, so I always (at least) double it. Just keep that in mind if you make it.
Ingredients:
2-3 tbsp butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, thinly sliced
2-3 tbsp flour
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp ground mustard
12 oz beer (the darker the beer, the heartier the flavor)
1 cup milk
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1.5-2 cups diced, steamed potatoes

Melt butter in saucepan. Cook onion and celery in melted butter intil tender.

Add flour, pepper, and mustard. Stir in beer and milk. Heat to boiling over medium heat. Boil for one minute.

Turn heat to low and gradually add cheese, stirring until melted. Add potatoes and stir.

Enjoy!

Pregnancy Comparison #3

Yay, another comparison picture! I can hear you all shouting from sheer excitment. Don't try to hide it.

Ok, I have the same shirt on, although it doesn't look like it. And I was 5 days late with this one because I forgot to take it earlier! Anyway, the tables have turned. I think I was bigger with baby girl in all of my previous comparisons, but now I think Hunter has taken the lead. I'm sure it has something to do with the fact that I was 10 lbs heavier with Hunter at this point compared to what I am now. No complaints here!

Christmastime

I L - O - V - E Christmastime. It really is the most wonderful time of the year, as far as I'm concerned. I found a local radio station that started playing Christmas tunes last Monday, and have been playing them everyday since then. And I L - O - V - E having a 3 year old to share this time with. It is so much fun with Hunter this year because he's aware of everything that's going on but it's all new to him, and I get to help him discover it all and tell him all about it! We both had so much fun decorating our tree this past weekend. Here's a few pictures.

Here's Hunter being a goof ball and showing the camera an ornament.

Greg didn't help decorate but my sweet husband did offer to put the tree skirt on when he saw me struggling trying to do so myself. I probably looked like a beached whale trying to lay down to get it under there! Thankfully, he had pity on me and did it for me. This is the best picture I could get of him helping though because he didn't want any documentation that he actually helped with any Christmas decorating. Bah humbug!

This last picture is the finished product, tree skirt and all. My tree skirt was handmade by my mother-in-law a few years back and every year when I pull it out, I remember just how much I really love the compilation of Christmas fabrics. Thanks, mom!

Merry Christmas!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Here is Hunter modeling the place cards he made during school this week.

We had our good friends Ruben, Christy, and their 7 month old Lucas over for dinner. Christy and I made so much food so there was SO much leftovers! The picture was AFTER we were all stuffed!

It was a good day though. We ended with some good dessert, and we introduced them to Apples to Apples. Hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving also!