To Peek Or Not To Peek...

That is really not a question in our house. Our mid-pregnancy ultrasound is coming up this Friday. I've had several people ask whether we are going to find out the sex of the baby. The answer is no! Chris and I have made a mutual decision (right, honey?) that we are going to wait until the baby is born to find out who it is. I know some of you think we must be crazy. Actually, I'm the crazy one. Chris would love to know who to expect will be the one to make their arrival in approximately 5 months. I, on the other hand, have no desire to know. Of course I'm curious, but hearing "it's a boy!" or "it's a girl!" is (at least) half of the labor experience for me.

Plus, it's fun to keep you all in suspense too. Ha ha ha!

I Get A Kick Out Of You

I would have to say that one of the greatest feelings in the whole world is the sensation I get when I feel my unborn baby moving. It lets me know that everything is okay in there and the baby is strong and healthy. I've been feeling the baby moving for a couple weeks now, but Tuesday night I was finally able to feel it with my hand on my stomach. Chris was asleep and I was reading before I went to sleep myself when I felt the little thumps from within. I could just envision this tiny baby, all 5 inches of him/her, wriggling around in there. Was it a hand or a foot that I felt? I don't know but I couldn't help but smiling to myself. It distracted me enough that I couldn't read anymore! I just sat there with my hand on my belly, enjoying this one-on-one time with our baby. All I can think of to say now is, thank you God, for this precious gift!

Fall Festival

We had a busy week preparing for the Fall Festival at our church. The festival was Wednesday night and proved to be a great success. Because of the rain (which we are very grateful for), the Trunk or Treat had to be moved inside which actually worked out quite well. Our trunk theme this year was "The Ladybug Picnic". The idea first came from Laura Anne's costume, then Chris thought of the song "Ladybug Picnic" from Sesame Street so we went with that idea. Chris actually found a recording of the original song from the show on YouTube so we had it playing for our "picnic". I made 12 ladybugs out of styrofoam and made a Chicken Not-Pie (made from pudding, fruit and candy instead of chicken and vegetables!). It was very cool, and of course, I used the opportunity to place a picture of Laura Anne in her costume on the table! :o)
One more thing, Laura Anne won the costume contest for her age group!! She got a little princess teddy bear for her prize. We were very proud! :o)

Well, It's Official

Laura Anne is a big girl! We took down her crib Sunday night. Most nights, she can't wait to get into her princess bed. I'm so thankful the transition was so smooth!

This first picture was taken shortly after the crib-removing ceremony had started. Laura Anne is saying her last good-byes; at least until she sees it again in approximately 5 months. :o)

I was impressed with our camera. This shot was taken using night vision in a completely dark room. I took it last night a while after she went to bed.

Our Time With Grandma and Papa

Chris' parents left this morning. We had a fun weekend with them. Here are some pictures of the fun we had...

Here's Laura Anne and Papa laying on the couch watching her all-time favorite show, Veggietales.

Sunday afternoon proved hard for picture-taking. Our wiggle worm wouldn't stay still for a picture. This is probably the best photo we got of all 5 (er, 6) of us. :o) (somebody just nudged me in my middle reminding me not to forget them!)
Laura Anne loves to dance. What better music to dance to than Veggietales? :o)

Time for one more story. Papa read "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom" to Laura Anne (and me). It's a great book, for all you parents of young ones. Laura Anne loves to say "oh no!" when all the letters fall out of the tree.

Fun At The Fair part 1

We spent all day Monday at the state fair! It was a lot of fun. We went early to avoid the major crowds, which turned out to be a very good idea! We visited the animals first. I'm not sure who enjoyed holding the baby ducks and chickens more, me or Laura Anne! They were so cute! We found this Spongebob sign in Kiddieland. She has a great smile, huh?

Laura Anne absolutely loves the carousel! Chris took her on it the first time around. What's really neat is that there was a camera man from a local TV station on it, and he had his camera right on Laura Anne! Maybe she was on TV!!!

Fun At The Fair part 2

Here's Laura Anne enjoying a lollipop after waking up from her 2 1/2 hour nap she managed to take in her stroller!
Laura Anne loved feeding the baby goats and camels in the petting zoo. She did not want to leave!

We found out how fearless our child is. Whenever she saw a ride she liked, she'd say "I wanna do it!" This granted her a ride on the swings with me, and the ferris wheel with Chris, both of which she loved. I had to say no to the Flying Bobs though. If any of you know what those are, you'd understand why I said no! She had to settle for watching it go "around and around" (in her words).

We had loads of fun (and food!) at the fair! Now we look forward to a visit from Grandma and Papa who are coming in Thursday!

One Down....

I have a small list of things that need to be accomplished before the baby is born. Two of the most major things to me are 1. Getting Laura Anne to sleep in her toddler bed and 2. For her to be fully potty trained.
I was getting really discouraged this week because, for whatever reason, Laura Anne started waking up in the middle of the night and wouldn't go back to sleep; in her crib, that is. Friday night was the worst. We were all awake from about 3:30 AM to at least 5:30 AM. It ended up with me and Laura Anne on the floor in her room. And she slept there until about 7:30-8:00-ish.
While I was at work last night, Chris called me shortly after Laura Anne's bedtime and said she was screaming and wouldn't go to sleep. I told him she just needs to learn that bedtime means just that. I found out later that he let her cry for another 15 minutes before going in there to lay her back down. He asked her if she wanted to sleep in her big girl bed and she said yes. So he laid her down and was out of the room (with her asleep) in 2 minutes!! I couldn't believe it! If she keeps this up, we can take down the crib some time this week and put it away until the baby comes!! Woo-hoo!
One down, one to go!

I Will Never Take This For Granted!!!

After 4 and half years of marriage, I now have my first dishwasher!!! Praise the Lord! It was actually installed and working a week ago, but we thought something was wrong with it. Turns out it's perfectly fine and washing my dishes for me!! I've never been so excited to do dishes!

A Walk In The Park

Friday night we had a picnic dinner at a local park with our friends, Jerry and Ellen. The weather was beautiful and we decided to take a few family pictures. Then we let Laura Anne play on the playground until it was dark out.

Saturday me, Chris and Laura Anne returned with Sadie and took a 2 mile walk around the lake. Laura Anne especially enjoyed seeing the ducks and geese under the bridge.

There's A Chill In The Air!

I was so excited to see that it was a chilly 57 degrees outside when we woke up this morning. I made the decision to bundle up Laura Anne and take her for a stroll. It was sooo nice! I'll be glad when the warm weather is gone for good.

Our First Post!

I had a "duh" moment today. I was looking at a friend's blog and suddenly I had a thought. "Why don't we have a blog?" I mean, with the majority of our family and friends living somewhere other than Raleigh, it's a great way to keep our loved ones connected. You can view our blog whenever you choose, and I believe you'll have the option of adding comments.

So, thank you Jackie for the inspiration for our family blog, and thank you Mom for the inspiration for the name of our blog!! :o)

Please join us on our journey to becoming a family of 4! Pictures will follow soon!