The Big Reveal

Here's the gifts I made this year - I'll start with the one I'm most proud.

I went to a scrapbook retreat and the place had one that was made and put on display - after looking at it a long time, I went home and made this for my mom.

This is the view from the outside, then you take off the lid and reveal what is on the inside.

Then, it unfolds into this cute thing. And when you're done you can put it right back together again.

I'm not usually very crafty, so I was very proud of myself with this one. The pictures I chose had some sentimental value to mom. One picture is of her father (who has passed away) holding Dekan. My Dad (who has also passed away) with Dave and her. And some fun pictures she might enjoy. Anyway, she said she liked it.

I also made spoons for some people. I know it seems a little silly, but my boys would love spoons with their name on them. Hopefully, they liked them. I bought spoons, stickers and Mod Podge, and this is what they came out looking like.

Lastly, I made a DVD for all my husband's siblings and mom about Dave's Dad's life set to music. It turned out great, but I can't share that online because it was a 30 minute video.

Anyone else give or get something interesting?

Top 5

These are the top 5 things I hate hearing while I'm pregnant (things I've actually heard):


5. It seems like you've been pregnant forever! (my sentiments exactly)

4. Really?! You still have that long left? (yes, I know I look like a cow, thanks for reiterating)

3. Only a few more weeks, you're almost there & man, that has gone by quickly (yes, quickly, that was what I was thinking - NOT)

2. Hi there chubby! (I hit this person)

1. Are you really up walking around still?


I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas.

Post

I've been very busy making Christmas gifts, and would like to post them, but I have to wait until after Christmas, because I'm worried some reading may find out what they are getting beforehand.

We had the opportunity to watch a cute little baby a couple weeks ago, and Dekan and Chandler were upstairs when she was dropped off, so they didn't notice that anyone had come to the door. I went upstairs with her, and Dekan and Chandler kept looking at her in between watching some show on tv. Finally, Chandler came over to me and said, "Mom, is that the baby that was in your tummy?" If only it was that easy, Chandler.

Pregnancy Update

Well, I went to my final perinatal appointment today - she said I was fired! I'm 32 weeks today and thought I'd update y'all. The TRAP fetus is still there, but not growing, at least not on any meaningful proportion. It is not disappearing or being absorbed by the body, my guess is because it had already grown a spine and leg bones, but that's not for sure so I can't be positive on that. Baby growth is normal and everything is looking good and on track - there shouldn't be any surprises until birth. Happy day, but the smile on my face is fake, because I'm in the miserable stage of pregnancy (truthfully, what part isn't miserable?). But, in a few long weeks, we'll be done and welcoming our new baby boy into our family -how exciting!

Happy Birthday to Dave!

My wonderful husband also had a birthday - Happy Birthday Babe! He got a sweet treat and a sweet gift from his bro's family. All in all we've had a great few weeks besides the constant coughs, sneezes, and runny noses.

Glasses

Dekan also had to get glasses. We found out he is severely far-sighted in one eye, and has to wear glasses all the time to try and correct it. He sure is cute. You can see the red room we painted behind him while Dave's mom was here. I went on a scrapbook retreat and Dave got to go to Dekan's class Thanksgiving feast to take pictures. He wasn't interested in trying any of the food there, bummer.

ICE!

Dave's mom also came for a visit, and among other things we went to see the ICE! exhibit at the Gaylord Texan in Grapevine. It was very cool, and and very cold - 9 Degrees! Absolutely everything was made out of ice.

Happy Birthday to Me.

I know it's been a while for me to post, but we've been busy. I turned 30 earlier this month, and my husband was the greatest (he's had a few years to practice). He made sure I was sung to and everything (something that normally doesn't happen on my birthday for some reason). He also got me a cell phone which apparently I was only one of 5 adults in America who didn't own one. It's good to now be one of the masses. Pumpkin pie is my dessert of choice, no corn for me thanks.

P.S. These pumpkins win

A neighbor had these pumpkins - my personal favorites this year. No idea what the third one is but I loved the throwing up pumpkins.

Happy Halloween!

I forgot to get Dekan and Chandler in the act of trick or treating even though we went out 3 different times (yeah, that's right). We started with the outlet mall from 4:15 to 5:30. We came home to have our Jack-o-lantern pizza and pick up Dave, then went around the neighborhood until 8:00. From there, we went to visit Dave's brother's fam who handed us bags of candy - crazy! The next night we went to our ward's trunk or treat. So, after way too much trick or treating, we have 2 grocery sacks filled to the top with candy - RIDICULOUS!! But, the boys had fun. If you can't tell, I have a bun in the oven - that's my costume. I actually went around the outlet mall with it on despite the weird looks from people who had no idea what I was. Happy Halloween!

Field Trip

Today, we went on a field trip to the Pumpkin Patch. Our first year here it was 89 degrees the week of Halloween, but today it was a cool 62. We went on hay rides, fed the animals, and collected a pumpkin. It was great fun.

5th Annual Halloween Party

I can't believe this is our 5th Halloween here in Texas! Wow! When we first arrived, we decided to start throwing a Halloween party every year with Dave's brother's family who live in the area also. Last night was our 5th year in a row - amazing. Every year I make chili and cornbread and we do some sort of activity. Normally, we bob for apples or eat donuts off strings, but this year we had a pumpkin decorating contest. Can you guess which is mine?

Everyone got 1st place ribbons, because the dads refused to pick a winner. It was great fun.

I was "tagged"

About a week ago, I was "tagged" by my sister-in-law to tell 5 things about each of my children. So, here it goes.

1. Dekan is a sweetheart. He is always, very sincerely, telling me thank you for simple things like making meals for him. 2. He is also affectionate - always wants hugs and kisses and sometimes to be held, but he's almost too old for that one. 3. He loves math - he will sometimes come home from school and work on his math workbook for hours, just for fun. 4. Dekan is an extremely picky eater, but he tells me all the time to not stop offering him new things and assures me that some day he will try them. Cross my fingers. 5. He is super shy when he is away from the house, and his teacher told us he is just starting to come out of his shell. He has friends in the class, but I met them, they are all shy too. He is NOT shy at all at home!

1. Chandler is a riot! He is always saying the funniest things, and will often insert made up words, like goo-goo is a favorite. This last week he told me he liked Dad and not me, he told me I wasn't cute, and he thought I weighed 2300 lbs. What a sweetie, huh? 2. He has an excellent vocabulary, and talks very well for a 3 yr. old. His first words were a sentence, "I want that." which leads me to 3. He loves food. He tries new foods and will usually not refuse food even full. 4. Chandler does not like to be affectionate. He tells me that I'm only allowed to give him a kiss at good-nite. Some days Dekan follows him around trying to give him hugs and kisses and drives Chandler CRAZY!! 5. Chandler is not shy, and sometimes when strangers say hello to him, he looks right at them and says, "Hello goo-goo!"

1. Camden kicks me a lot. 2. He squishes my bladder. 3. He sleeps all day, and then wakes up when I'm about to go to sleep. 4. He bumps up my stomach which gives me heartburn all day. 5. He makes me look fat. I'll like him a lot more when he's actually born.

Okay, so now I would like to "tag" Angie T. and Tamara B. and Brooke P.

You got to watch the video!

We're really growing up now

So, we had our first parent/teacher conference on Saturday and got to learn all about how Dekan does when he's away from us all day. He does great, by the way, but this whole parenting thing has really caught me off guard lately. The other day we got in trouble from the school for not excusing Dekan's couple of absences - we actually got a letter threatening us with a fine from the state if he missed any more days that were unexcused. So, I wrote an excuse for him and almost signed my moms name (because I had forged so many excused absences in my day). I couldn't believe that I was the parent old enough to sign the note. This is a picture of Dekan and his teacher on the first day of school. (Isn't she too cute?)

Fun Halloween Treats

Today for our ward recipe exchange, I made some "spooky" treats. I thought it was great, but what do you think?

Cracker Spiders:

Ritz crackers

peanut butter

pretzels

raisins

Octopus & Seaweed:

Ramen noodles

hot dogs

green dye

Our wonderful weekend at Sea World!!

We love going to Sea World. The fall is the best time to go, because you get next year's season pass and the rest of this year for free. All for about $10 more per ticket than a two day pass. Here's what we were doing all weekend. Well, mostly the boys were doing things (roller coaster Dave included) while the big pregnant lady sat and watched not being allowed on any rides.

Here's Dekan next to one of his favorite rides - Chandler went once but wouldn't go again; he's like his mom, doesn't like roller coasters very much. This picture rotated before it went on - how annoying.

This was about the only thing I could do, and I could only do it once. It's a maze of nets that go up and down and through tunnels, not very pregnant friendly. The shows of course were fabulous and always entertaining.

Career Day and a Q!

Today was Career Day, and Dekan decided that he would like to be a police when he grows up. That's the way he says it, not police officer. So, we made him a hat and badge out of construction paper.

His teacher gives out a Q to a student on a paper where she thinks that student has done quality work. Today Dekan came home with a Q, exclamation point, and a smiley face. This was his first, and he was so proud of himself. After school, he seriously talked about it for 30 minutes non-stop about how great it was to get a Q and an exclamation point and smiley face. Then, he would say something about it hit and miss. When Dave got home from work, he spent another 30 minutes or more telling him all about his Q, and how he doesn't think anyone in the class got a Q with an exclamation point and smiley face before. It was hilarious to hear him talk about it.

Lastly, we were in the car and Dave wanted to know if Chandler wanted to be anything when he grows, so he asked. Chandler said, "I want to be a duck when I grow up." Dave and I just tried hard not to let him see us laughing, but didn't argue with him about it. But, Dekan chimed in with, "Chandler, you can't be a duck, what do you want to be second?" Chandler's reply, "An X." Of course, Dekan argued about that too, but those were the only ones Chandler could come up with. I love listening to my kids talk to each other.

Video

This is the video I was trying to upload earlier.

Glad to be BORING

Just so you know, we went to the Perinatologist yesterday and had all the measurements of the baby taken and everything is absolutely normal! We do not have to go back to this doctor except one more time and she is giving us the boot! We are so grateful for all the prayers and wanted everyone to know that we are considered normal from here on out. The fetus has practically not grown at all over the last 4 weeks and and normal delivery is expected at this point. Physically the baby measures and looks perfect, anything else would have to wait for birth to determine. There will not be any more updates since they are just boring! It's amazing, though, when I first got the news, the two were almost the same size, and over the course of 3 months, they look completely different. The fetus looks almost 1000 times smaller than the baby. It's a miracle!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHANDLER!!

Today is Chandler's birthday! His dad stayed home from work for his birthday, so he was thrilled. We started off by going to donuts for breakfast. They had choices of dinosaur shaped doughnuts, heart shaped, bunny shaped, circle, rectangle, chocolate glazed, plain, blueberry, white glazed, pink glazed, and sprinkles, and of all the choices, he picked plain donut holes with gatorade. Funny kid!

We went for a walk and then played on the toys at the park. Then, we went and had lunch at Dekan's school. He got so much stuff all over his white shirt I had to take a picture before we changed him into another white shirt.

We opened presents and went to McDonalds for dinner.

I asked Chandler this morning what he wanted for his treat for his birthday. I offered to make cake, brownies, cupcakes, pie, cookies, or whatever he wanted. He actually picked corn!! What kind of a kid wants candles with corn? So funny!

We love having Chandler in our family - he is so adorable. It took a little while for us to get used to Dekan being gone during the day, but now we are having so much fun while Dekan is at school, even though we still miss him a lot. Chandler thinks he can read, and he's just learned all his alphabet - he's so proud of himself, and is so happy to be a big boy! I had a video, but it's not working - I'll have to post it later