Two More

I just had to add these two pictures because I thought they were so cute. I mean....who wouldn't think these boys were cute!
Here are Baby Nick and Joey showing off their spoils of the Easter Egg hunt. They were almost equal....Joey got seven, and Nick got five. I think that is fairly fair.
(You will notice that Joey has one sleeve rolled up and one not. He wanted to show everybody in the nursery his tattoo....so he spent the day looking lopsided.)

Easter Egg Hunt

The potatoes are on the stove....I have a few more minutes. Here are some pictures of the Easter Egg Hunt. Nick just called....he's going to miss dinner. Bummer.
Nick is getting a purple egg out of his shoe.
And a green egg off the couch.
Bubba looks absolutely ecstatic to get a purple egg off the gate.
And showing some flexibility getting a yellow egg off the pedals on the piano.

Happy Easter

Christ is risen!! He is risen indeed! What a joyous day to celebrate. We have had a good day so far. We got up, not too early, but with enough time to enjoy Easter baskets before church. This was the first time we did Easter baskets for the boys and Joey especially, was very excited.

Then the boys and I went to church and enjoyed a good service. We came home, had lunch, and took a good nap. I started to take a nap with the boys, but then Nick woke me up to tell me that he had to go to work since he is on call. Of course, he is on call for a week at a time and never gets a call until it is a holiday and we want to spend some special time as a family.

Even though Nick was gone, I set up an Easter Egg Hunt in the house (as the outside is still frozen) and the boys had their first Easter Egg hunt. Joey had a blast, saying that it was the best Easter egg hunt ever! (Did I mention that it was his first ever?) I showed Baby Nick where each egg was, and he enjoyed placing them, not so gently, into his basket. Thankfully only one cracked a little. We are planning on egg salad sandwiches for the next few days to get rid of them. Unfortunately...I don't like eggs! So, the boys and Nick will have to finish them off quickly.

We are making a fabulous dinner. The menu for the night is prime rib, cheddar bacon smashed potatoes, Cesar salad, and biscuits. For dessert, we will take the easy road and have a frozen banana cream pie! The prime rib is in the oven, I need to get started on peeling potatoes in a minute, and Nick is once again, gone at work. Hopefully, he will have a few minutes to eat dinner with us later.
Just to share a few pictures with you. Here are the Easter baskets awaiting the boys.
Joey was super excited to get his basket. They are very little; just a pair of new pajamas, a chocolate bunny, a bendy straw (they love straws), and eight pieces of candy.
Baby Nick was also fascinated by his basket. He especially liked the grass. After the egg hunt, the grass quickly made its new home in the garbage can so he couldn't throw it all over the house.
It took me five tries to get a descent picture of the two of them together in their Easter clothes. This was probably the best out of all of them.
Here is one of the failed attempts. I can't get Nick to stand still and not try to be all up in the camera! I kept this picture to show off just for the goofiness of it.

I will post the egg hunt pictures in a little bit....but I have got to get started on the potatoes!

Silliness In The Luty House

There is never a lack of entertainment in the Luty house. The boys are always doing something to put a smile on my face. Joey has begun picking out his own clothes (its about time, I know.) So far, he has been fairly wise about his choices. The first day he picked out Papa Buddy pants and a knit sweater. He was very stylish!
Speaking of style, Bubba found a pair of my nylons and has been experimenting different uses and different ways of wearing them. Here, of course, is the headdress way of wearing them. I have never tried wearing nylons this way, but it sure looks a lot more comfortable than the conventional way!
Today, he discovered the "proper" way to wear nylons. I think he looks great with his "Steve" shirt and nylons on. He calls this shirt his "Steve" shirt because it is similar to the one Steve is wearing in the one picture we have of him. Steve is my future brother-in-law and we are all very excited to have him join the family.
I took this picture to show how baggy the nylons are on him. It reminds me of a book we had when I was young called "The Saggy-Baggy Elephant" (or something like that.)
This is Joey's newest addition to his "style." Daddy put this temporary tattoo on his arm, acquired in a happy meal, and Joey hasn't gotten over it sense. The first thing he said was that he was going to show it to everybody in the nursery at church. Oh great! I have a inkling that it will be all washed off in the bath before church, though. Any time he talked to anyone on the phone today, the first thing he mentioned was his new pirate tattoo.
And, of course, Baby Nick was jealous that Bubba was getting all the pictures, so he had to get one himself. However, he wouldn't stop grabbing at the camera, and kept getting closer and closer. I finally had to trap him between my legs to get him to stand still long enough, and far enough back, to get a picture! What a goof ball. (Must get it from his dad's side of the family. I am never goofy!)

Hope everyone has a blessed Easter weekend.

It's Official

Today is the day I will mark as the day I officially felt the baby move!! The movements are still so tiny, I have to lay very still and concentrate on the movements. I may have felt movement a little earlier, but it was so fleeting, most of me thought it was just my imagination. So I will mark this day as the day I felt the baby move (officially) for the first time.

I can't wait until the others can feel it too; I know Joey would enjoy it, and I bet Baby Nick would get a "kick" out of it too.

Mommy's Little Helpers

Even though I tried making light in my last post, my momma's heart was hurting something fierce. I ran into another room to cry, and then I cried myself to sleep as well. I know I shouldn't take such things seriously...I will probably hear more of that when the kids get older. But with Joey still being so young, I wasn't emotionally ready to handle hearing that he wants a different mommy. Thankfully, he hasn't said that since. Hopefully he has forgotten all about it.

Here are some pictures of my "helpers" that I have around the house.
In this picture, Joey has helped Mommy "style" Baby Nick's hair using grape juice (the Kool-Aid kind.)
Here, Baby Nick helped put a smile on Mommy's face by his messy pudding face. The pudding had "magic" sprinkles that changed colors in the pudding...that is why he is so colorful.
Here, Baby Nick has helped us getting himself undressed. Nick got him up in the morning to find that Nick had pulled his shirt over his head, leaving his arms in the sleeves. He has started to participate more in getting himself dressed and undressed, and one thing he knows is how to pull his shirt off over his head. I usually pull his arms out of the sleeves first, though....so on his solo attempt, he skipped that step! You can also see his new habit of sticking his hands down his pants. This is NOT my favorite thing.
Here is Nick making Mommy laugh again. He went to the desk drawer and got out a pen so that he could color in the coloring book that Joey had left on the floor. Then he decided it was too much effort to keep sitting up, so he decided to "recline" onto the bottom step while coloring. What a goof ball!
Here is my sweet Bubba and precocious Bug helping Mommy make potato salad. I would chop up the potatoes and the boys would put the pieces in the pot to be boiled later. It's hard to tell by the picture, but they are both standing on the same chair, Baby Nick directly behind Bubba. So, even though his arms are smaller, he had to reach all the way around his brother to be able to get any potatoes in the pan. I had to keep one leg up on the chair just to keep Nick from falling off, as he displayed no caution as to how far he would lean over to help.

I have Baby Nick's 18 month pictures back, cut up, and labeled....I just haven't sent them out yet. I will get to it eventually. After all, he will be 19 months tomorrow.

Have a blessed day.

I'm Looking For Volunteers

Joey has decided that he does not love me and would like me to find a different mommy for him.

So I am searching for volunteers. I will admit that he can have an attitude at times; but he is usually a very sweet boy. He is a big help around the house and generally loves to "love." We don't have a lot of money, but we will send what we can each month to help offset the added expense for groceries and pull-ups.

If you are interested, you know how to reach me. You can leave me a comment.

(P.S. I am serious that Joey wants me to find him a different mommy, but I am NOT serious about giving him up!)

Goofiest Goobers

Well, I must say I am very disappointed. I have taken a total of six pictures since the beginning of February and I was going to show three of them to you, but the system won't let me right now. How frustrating. Oh well. I will try later.

I have the goofiest boys I have ever met. Particularly Baby Nick. He finds humor in just about anything. When Joey is throwing a fit (I know, imagine that!), Baby Nick likes to walk right up to Joey and laugh. This, of course, irritates Joey to no end. I try to explain to Joey that Nick is just trying to make him feel better, but he doesn't believe me. Baby Nick also finds different noises funny. He is in hysterics anytime I sneeze...I usually will fake a few more just to keep him laughing. He has such a boisterous, hearty laugh. I know I have mentioned that he found it funny when his Daddy was throwing up, and since I have been sick so much this pregnancy, he has gotten more exposure to it. I have a very sensitive smeller when I am pregnant, and the thing that has caused me to gag and throw up more than anything is a stinky diaper. So while changing (and trying to hold my breath) I usually end up gagging a couple times which tickles Nick's funny bone. If I gag too hard to stop myself from throwing up, I run to the closest thing I can make it to, the kitchen sink. Joey follows me in plugging his ears and closing his eyes. He doesn't like to see or hear me throw up (so why he follows me, I have no idea.) He asks me if I'm dying. No...but I feel like I am. Nick follows close behind his brother....but he just likes to get a front row seat to the show. He stands there a laugh every time I gag.

I have also discovered that Baby Nick thinks it is very funny to watch potatoes being mashed. Something about it just makes him giggle! I don't know where he gets his particular sense of humor!

We have been very busy with Joey since this weekend. I haven't blogged about it since it doesn't seem to be a very appropriate topic to put in writing...but it is what he is going through. For the last year (for those of you who don't already know from conversation) Joey has had a very difficult time having a bowel movement. I'm talking about a REALLY hard time. He panics, and will hold it in up to two weeks! Through the year, he has gotten better about going every four or five days, but it is still so painful for him that he fights to keep from going as hard as he can. I would have to force him to go by not allowing him to sit or to be loved on, because if he could be comforted, he would be able to stop himself from going. So I would have to hold his wrists and make him stand there while he is screaming at me, begging me for a hug or not to let him do this, until he finally went. Sometimes we would fight for half an hour or more before he would go. It is the most horrible thing to witness. My words can not begin to give it justice. Finally, we talked to his doctor and she ordered an x-ray of his tummy. I felt horrible, because I couldn't be in the room with him since I'm pregnant, so he had to have his first x-ray at three years old without his mommy. It was even worse for me that he did just fine! When the doctor finally called back with the result she said it was very bad. She said he was constipated so bad that he was backed up through his colon and lower intestine. The lower intestine is stretched to 5.5 cm (or about 2.5 inches in diameter) which is huge in such a tiny body. As mom said, "Think of it this way...you dilate to ten cm when you give birth, and his intestine is at half that." It's no wonder it would hurt to go....it was like giving birth every time! The other problem with the intestine being stretched is that it loses its elasticity and ability to push. So Joey has had to use every thing his body can give just to poop. So the doctor put him on an aggressive clean out regimen for the week. He started with three doses of Miralax and two doses of Milk of Mag every day! (After talking to the doctor on Monday, she said we could stop the milk of mag as long as he keeps pooping.) Since Friday night, it has been "blow out city" around here. He still does not like to go, and I don't blame him. Nobody likes being constipated and nobody likes being too loose, either. We have gone through 25 pull-ups just since Sunday afternoon! That just gives you an idea of how up to my ears in..., well you can use whatever word you want to here, I have been. Joey likes to wait until bedtime to go, so he is usually going between 8pm and 11pm or later. Then he still feels squirmy and won't stay in his own bed, so he has joined us in our bed again and squirms all over me all night long. Needless to say, I'm not getting any sleep. Joey has another x-ray and appt scheduled for tomorrow. What we are hoping for is that the doctor says he has cleaned himself out and will not need to be on such an aggressive regimen any longer. The worst case scenario would be that, even after all his going, its not enough and he would need to be hospitalized so they can clean him out. We know that God already knows the results, so whatever happens, He will be there to see us through.

Baby Nick has a big afternoon today. He will have his evaluation and assessment done for his speech so we can have an idea of where he is at. My gut feeling is that he is fine and is just choosing not to talk yet (although he is very vocal and clear about what he wants, even if he doesn't use words), however, if there is something wrong, I would rather know so we can do something about it rather than stick my head in the sand expecting that everything will work itself out. So by this afternoon we will know where he stands.

One of Nick's new favorite games is "I'm going to get you." Daddy or I will be sitting somewhere and we will hold our hands out, wiggle our fingers, and say "I'm going to get you." Usually, the child playing would squeal and run away, enjoying being chased. Not Baby Nick....he's the one that runs to us! He will usually stick his belly out to be "gotten" before scrunching up again from being tickled. It works, also, if he has something that he shouldn't and he won't obey our command to "bring it to Mommy." Instead, we switch to "I'm gonna get you." and he runs right over so we can snatch the forbidden object out of his hand.

Anyway, I hear Baby Nick is awake from his nap. So I better go. It is about time to start thinking about what lunch will be. Hope you all have a fantastic day.

It's Been A Month

I can't believe it has been an entire month since I have blogged. Most of you have probably given up on me. But I decided that even if I had nothing to say, I needed to post something to prove I am still here.

I wish I could say that I have a month's worth of news and events to catch you up on...but that is just not the case. I spend all my days watching the boys; and although they have moments of cuteness, there hasn't been anything "extraordinary" to report. There was the time that Joey styled Baby Nick's hair with a cup of grape juice; or when he thought Baby Nick needed a face washing and sprayed him with Spray 'N Wash. Those were two fantastic days! Of course, they happened when Nick was in Fairbanks, so I had no reprieve. But we managed.

I have had some days where I feel better, but I still feel icky or "iffy" much of the time. Lately, I have felt better during the day and then by late afternoon or evening, I'm feeling sick again. I also throw up almost every time I change a stinky diaper. That is most frustrating, as I can't exactly avoid changing a dirty diaper.

Baby Nick is eighteen months now and had a good check up. He is 24.2 pounds and 32.5 inches tall. He is growing well and healthy. The one concern is that he is still not talking, not forming any words. He is very vocal and babbles all the time, but he won't even say "mama" or "dada". So the doctor recommended we have him evaluated to see if there is any issue that needs early intervention. We have a couple appointments for him next week. We'll see how that goes. Most of me feels that he is just choosing not to talk right now; but you never know. I would not want to wait too long in "denial" and miss an opportunity to help him if there really is something wrong.

Well....I think that is about it for now. I will try to be better about blogging so that it doesn't end up being another month between posts. I have another appointment tomorrow and I think I will have to take all three boys with me. That will be a challenge, but I think it would be neat for Joey to hear the baby's heart beat. He is really hoping for a baby sister! I love that....I'm hoping for the same thing.

Have a great day and I will keep you better updated in the future.

Venture Out Of The House

Today was the second time I left the house in a month! The first time was on Tuesday, when I had a doctor's appointment. At first, I had a really hard time...especially in the elevator. But after awhile, I started feeling a bit better. Over the rest of the week, I had more moments of feeling less icky, just iffy. The evening is still really hard on me. What makes it really bad is that motion really affects me. So I feel fine when I am sitting or laying still, but when I have to get up is when I start feeling iffy again. This, of course, is impossible being a mother of two small boys and a wife. I can't shut down completely (as I sometimes want to) because I still have a family to care for.

Today, I finally made it back to church. I missed it so much. Even though I sat for a good portion of worship, I still made it through the service without feeling like having to go home and lay down. This week has been better than the previous three. So I am praying that I am on the upward swing from this "morning" (or better termed: all-day) sickness. Please pray with me. I just want to start feeling human again and I want to start enjoying being pregnant. I miss taking care of my boys like I should. I have put far too much on Joey during the day. He is my helper, but there are times he should just be able to play instead of helping mommy take care of little brother.

I have another appt scheduled this week; but I have to reschedule it for a different day, so I don't know what day it will be yet. Right now it is scheduled for Thursday, but since that is the last day of the month, Nick can't take any time off to watch the boys. A prenatal appt is not a good place to take three little boys. One thing that I read about the clinic is that they have 3D ultrasound equipment in each room! How cool is that. That means that I could see the details of the baby's face, rather than just a black and white fuzzy image. I have never had a 3D image of my unborn baby before.

Well, even though my posts are few and far between...I have very little to blog about. Nick will be going to Fairbanks first week of February. I'm not looking forward to it; not with the way I've been feeling. I hope I am feeling much, much better by then. My boys are growing so big and smart. I love them so much.

Hope everyone has a fantastic week. Love and miss you all.

I Still Feel Icky

I can't seem to do anything much while feeling this icky. I rarely get on the computer these days, and that is why it is so long between posts. But I did want to at least make some effort (since I can't sleep right now anyway) to keep you posted on things up here in the Great White.

It has taken awhile, but we finally got a good amount of snow dumped on us last week. I think we got a foot or more in just a few days. While the snow is fresh and clean (like on the trees) it is quite beautiful. I love looking at the snow...I just don't enjoy being so cold all the time. Right now, we've got two comforters on our bed, and I still throw an extra blanket on top of that. (Usually my new Tinker Bell blanket from Nanny encouraging the baby I'm carrying to be a girl! Thanks Mom.)

I have noticed a difference in the amount of daylight hours; the sun is up before ten am and doesn't go down until after four pm. That is quite an improvement. The boys are adjusting to sharing a room. There is still quite a bit of playing before settling down to sleep, especially at nap time, but they are taking less time to settle down. Baby Nick astounds me because he will jump up and down in his crib for over an hour, and still not get tuckered out enough to sleep! If I could only have a portion of that kind of energy. I'm not sure I would know what to do with myself.
Nick took some beautiful pictures of the snow when he went out to shovel the walk way. We live in a tri-plex, and are the furthest unit down, but Nick is the only one who will take responsibility and shovel the walk. The other night, he came home and found that the walk was shoveled....but only up to the first units' door! They didn't even have the courtesy to complete the walk even though this is the only time they've ever done even a portion of it! I know it shouldn't bother me...but some people have no decency. This is a community property; it shouldn't be up to just one person to take care of it.
Here is a spectacular view of the snow on the trees outside our door. The moose love the area behind our house. I saw two out there a couple weeks ago.

Joey loves to help Daddy shovel the walk. He also enjoys the big pile of snow Daddy makes for him to climb on and slide down. He loves going outside for some fresh air, even when it is freezing cold. Joey has two completely different sides to him right now; but I will only brag about the good side. He is such a caretaker. He is so good to me right now, while I'm not feeling well. He will let me fall asleep while the little boys are taking a nap because he knows I feel icky. Even though he would prefer to play with me (and I with him) he will play quietly by himself and give me a chance to rest. He will also be my gopher; get me anything I need to make things easier on me. He has such a tender heart and I adore him.

Baby Nick has quite a sense of humor. His laugh is so infectious. The other day, Joey stubbed his toe on one of the toys and Baby Nick thought it was quite funny. Unfortunately, Joey did not. But then, I threw up after changing a particularly stinky diaper (I am extra sensitive to odors right now) and only made it to the kitchen sink...so was retching for all the boys to see. Joey came in and started whining with his hands covering his ears (what he does when he is scared of something or doesn't like what is happening) and Baby Nick came in and started fussing a bit, too. But then Baby Nick found the humor in the situation and started laughing and jumping up and down, thinking Mommy is quite funny. I couldn't help but give a slightly miserable smile at him. He was too cute.

Well, there really isn't much going on around here...especially with me feeling this way. I am still here and will try to find something blog-worthy to post next time. I love and miss you all and wish I could be close to home right now.

Forgive My Absence

I really do want to blog...but I never feel up to it. The "morning sickness" I am experiencing this time around lasts all day long. No, I'm not nauseous, I'm not throwing up....but I still feel miserable. The hungrier I get the worse I feel; but I know that no food will make me feel better, so what is the point of eating. Even though I don't feel nauseated, I feel that if I move, I may just throw up anyway. This does not make taking care of the boys easy...but what choice do I have. Nick is an amazing man; he takes such good care of me. Even after working at the office all day, he comes home and takes over the care of the boys and house so I can rest miserably.

There is much I could say; for example, Joey is now sleeping in his own bed in his own room. Last night was the first fully successful night! I am very pleased. Hopefully the new trend has started. Baby Nick now likes to be laid down on his back instead of his tummy (although he flips himself over fairly quickly) but the problem with laying him down on his back, is that he likes to stick his feet up in the air making it impossible to cover him up! The little stinker.

Joey is very excited about a new baby. He has asked me several times, "Are you bigger yet?" Well, I know it may be hard to tell, but I assure him that he will be able to see a difference when the baby starts growing bigger. He has also asked if we are having two babies (he saw a show on t.v. where twins were born)...I said, "God have mercy, no." He also wants to open me up to see the baby! I told him that we shouldn't have to "open" me up, God willing, and we couldn't see the baby until God said it was time for the baby to be born. Then he asked me if I was going to squeeze at the doctor's office. That one took me by complete surprise!! I have no idea where that came from! But he takes good care of me, especially when Daddy is at work.

Well, I think I have sat up as long as I can stand right now. I think I will go lay back down and pray I don't get sick. Hopefully, this phase will pass in the next couple weeks and I will feel more like myself again.

Christmas Morning

Christmas morning "routine" includes opening stockings and "Santa" presents first. Then we stop and eat breakfast, get dressed, and start in on the rest of the presents. We like to take it slow enough where the kids can play with their new toys if they would like, and if necessary (especially where Baby Nick is concerned) take a nap in the middle to improve attitudes! This year, Joey was absolutely certain that Santa would bring him a Lightning McQueen bed and Lightning McQueen slippers.

And that is just what he got! He was so excited to see his new bed when he came down the stairs. The slippers were wrapped, so he opened those a little later. Here he is trying out his new bed! The best thing is, he has been sleeping in it for naps and bedtime since he got it. We have it in our room right now, giving him a chance to get used to his new bed before transitioning him into his room. Since Nick has to go to Fairbanks next week, the plan is to allow Joey to sleep in his bed in our room until next Friday when Nick gets back home. Then on Saturday, we will put his bed in his room and complete the transition. It's funny, Nick commented this afternoon that he hasn't really been sleeping well the last couple of nights. I guess it will take all of us a bit of time to adjust.
Here are my precious, excited angles with their stockings.
Joey is modeling his new Lightning McQueen slippers. He found the tires fascinating.
Bug is modeling his new stocking cap, that came with a pair of mittens. Trying to find mittens that will fit hands so small is a difficult task. The hat fits fine, for this year only. It is on the borderline of being to small. He looks like he is wearing an equestrian riding hat.
This is Baby Nick's favorite gift this year. He opened this broom first after eating breakfast, and he would hardly put it down for anything. Only a couple times, did I wrestle it out of his hands successfully to try to interest him in opening another present. It is usually the first thing he goes for when he wakes up. He drags that thing around the entire house. He has even tried to take it upstairs a couple times.

Wonderful Christmas

Sorry it has been another week sine I posted a blog. I love to blog, but I just don't have the mind power for it right now. It is hard to concentrate while the boys are awake, because they need so much of my attention (which I gladly give), and by the time they get to bed and I get a few minutes to myself, I really don't have much left to give. Not to mention the fact that I am pregnant and my brain has "left the building." Oh, you may think it is just an excuse...blaming baby-making on my scattered brain. But I know from experience, that your brain loses function when you are pregnant. I can't hardly complete a sentence without forgetting what I was trying to say, or inserting a totally unrelated word!

We had a wonderful Christmas. On Christmas Eve, the boys and I decorated some cookies and left some for Santa. Each of the boys were allowed to eat one...the pictures following are of that adventure. The boys went to bed nicely and I was finally able to finish all the wrapping. As you can see by the last picture, the boys hit the mother lode this Christmas. I have really tried to explain to Joey the reason we celebrate Christmas; as we were given the greatest gift when Jesus came to Earth as a new born baby to live among us. It was nice to sing "Happy Birthday, Jesus" with him this year.

Here is Joey decorating a cookie for Santa.
Here is Baby Nick looking at the cookie that "he (aka Mommy)" decorated for Santa.
Here is Joey admiring the cookie he decorated for himself.
Here is Baby Nick looking over at Daddy with a look of pure (almost diabolical) ecstasy, eating his cookie that Mommy decorated for him to eat.
Here is our sad looking tree with a mountain of presents under it. The tree, at one time, was a beautiful tree. But since trees have to be shipped up here from Oregon, you never know how long it has been cut. The tree, at this point, is nearly half its original width, as the branches are so dry and droopy. The ornaments placed on the bottom quarter of the tree (hidden by all the presents) were nearly laying on the ground! I had the tree cleaned off by 11am on Wednesday, and Nick took it to the recycling drop-off that night. I have never taken a tree down that quickly, but it was badly needed this year.

Secret Keeper

I am really good at keeping a secret. If there is something you tell me in confidence, I will take my secret to the grave, unless told I can share. However, when it comes to exciting secrets (such as trying to wait to reveal a pregnancy) about myself, I am only as strong as the weakest link. This time, the weak link was Nick.

After showing him the results of the pregnancy test, he kind of freaked out. He is not entirely ready for the idea of adding another little being to the family. Not that he is not happy about it.....it just takes him longer to adjust. I, on the other hand, just get giddy beyond giddy, and can't stop thinking and planning, and playing the "what if" game.

I thought it would be nice to try to wait until the idea of being pregnant took root in both our hearts.... a couple months, maybe, before telling our families. We always rush into telling everybody and have no time to enjoy the news just by ourselves. I also thought that it may make it easier being far away and not having to anybody in the eye.

When Nick called from work in the early afternoon, he said, "When are we going to start telling people?" I was thinking, 'geesh, it's only been a few hours!' So I asked him who he wanted to tell. He said, "I want to tell my Mommy. I want to call her right now!" How can I resist that! I mean, come on! So, of course, I caved and said, "Fine...you call your mom, I'll call my mom, and then you call me back."

So I set about making my phone call. Mom didn't answer. So I left a message and waited on pins and needles. When she finally called back (it really wasn't that long of a wait) I told her the good news and gave her a list of people I wanted to tell personally, before allowing her to spread the news. Next phone call was Aubrey. While I was in the middle of talking to Aubrey, Nick called on our other phone. I told him who I had told already, and he said, "I've called Mom, Angie, Dad, and Grandmama!" He got four calls in in the time it took me to make one and a half! Later, Nick said that he wasn't good at sharing details. I inquired, "Exactly what kind of details are you thinking have to be shared at this point?!?" I know he was thinking of after a baby is born; usually I will tell height, weight, hair and eye color, time of birth, how the labor went. Nick just tells people we have a baby! What a wonderful informer.

Anyway....I did start out with the intention of waiting to spread the good news, but I couldn't be any stronger than a son anxious to tell his mommy!

Yippee!

Well, when I woke up this morning, I really thought I would have a secret to keep to myself for a couple of months. I guess a couple hours is the best I can do. By now, just about everybody in our immediate families know that we are expecting our third child!

For those of you who may have looked at the blog in the last couple hours (before this post) may have seen the addition to the sidebar. I think this is one of the coolest things I have seen. Not only does it count down the days for you, it shows you day by day the miracle of God's creation. Even now, my baby's nerves are developing! And we just found out today! Isn't it amazing how God knows the very number of our days, is intimately involved in every detail from the very moment of conception. By New Year's Eve, my baby's heart will start pumping. Not that it will be able to be heard for several more weeks...but it will be pumping already.

I have been talking on the phone all day, often in the presence of Joey, but we didn't sit down and tell him until Nick got home from work. Nick got to do the honors. He asked Joey to remember when Mommy had Baby Nick in her tummy, and that now Mommy has a new baby in her tummy. First, Joey looked over at me, confused, and shook his head 'no.' Then when I explained that it was very, very tiny, but that it would grow much bigger, and that he would be able to hold the new baby in his arms, he threw his arms in the air and said, "YIPPEE!" I'm glad he is excited, he is such a wonderful big brother. We told Baby Nick, too....but I don't think he understands or cares right now.

I have to go put the boys to bed now, but as I leave I ask one favor of everybody: THINK PINK!!!!
(I need a girl!)

For Mom's Medical Advice

These pictures are for my Mom to see where my poor, abused son got hurt. Let me tell you, it is extremely difficult to get a profile picture of a 'ham'. Every time I tried to get a picture, he would turn towards the camera to offer the kind of smile he refuses to give when we are actually paying for professional pictures to be done! He's too cute, so I can't get mad.
But you can see that on the right side, on the top, is where he got hit with...something. I'm not even sure what with. My back was turned for a second to close the gate, and all of a sudden, Baby Nick was on the floor with a huge goose egg. After torturing the poor kid with ten minutes of ice, the swelling had gone down and a nice bruise was forming.

Here is a fairly good picture of the placement. It is closer to the temple area than I told Mom. It is higher than what I consider the "temple", but I'm not medically knowledgeable. He seems to be doing much better than after it happened. He woke up by himself from his nap, and was happy to be awake....so he should be out of danger. I am a little more leery of him bumping into things now. I would hate for him to get a goose egg on top of the one he already has.

Mom, I will call you tomorrow to let you know how he is doing. But for right now he seems to be doing just fine.

"Bitterly Disappointed" Add On

I didn't mean to sound so mean on my previous post about the Christmas Carol Quiz...I was going for sarcastic. But I sincerely apologize if it didn't come across that way.

The children's Christmas program will be next Sunday. We will have the morning service to perform it. I felt much better about how it is going after this week's practice. The kids with speaking parts had most of their lines memorized (a far cry better than last week) and the songs were better sung as well. This week, I have to try to find a costume for myself...I'm playing 'Granny', so I need to find an "old lady, hill-billy" dress. I searched through my closet, but I'm fresh out of hill-billy clothes! One of the little girls, Tianna, and I are going to sing a 'solo' together. She has such a sweet voice. I told Tina on Sunday, "I think Granny is going to carry around a Bible....that way she will have her lines close by!" Tina said that Uncle Yule (who she is going to play) will probably have a shovel to carry around that her lines can be taped to the back of! I think we will have a lot of fun, and I know the parents will be busting with pride to see their kids up on stage. At the end, we are going to have a "Precious Moments" nativity...with some of the littler kids. 'Mary' will be played by a cute little four year old girl...I can't wait.

It's hard to imagine that Christmas is just one week away! Joey is getting so excited. He is so sure that Santa is bringing him a Lighting McQueen bed and Lightning McQueen slippers. I can't wait till he wakes up on Christmas morning to find them downstairs waiting for him!

I'm supposed to be in bed right now. Nick put me to bed just after 8:00pm since I couldn't stay awake....but I never sleep for long. So, I got back up at 1:00am and have no idea when I'm going to feel able to sleep again. Hopefully, I will feel like I can sleep before I have to get back up with the boys.

Singing Christmas Tree

I love participating in the Singing Christmas Tree. I love singing in the choir. We had a really good program this year, and it's lots of fun, but I am so glad it is over. The weekend of the Tree is always such a long weekend.

Friday night our performance went pretty well, especially for a first performance. Saturday went better...except for the fact that half the mics didn't work. It just so happened that it was the half that I tried to use during my solo! I first picked up the mic in front of me, as I was supposed to, and it wasn't working. So the person to the right of the person to the right of me handed over the mic close to her. So in the middle of reading lines, we are criss-crossing mics, and I'm ending up just shouting the words out anyway. So two mics down. The person right above us, in the next tier up, handed down her mic....which had dead batteries! So then Pastor Gary, who was singing the male part of the solo, handed me his mic from down below, when he was done singing, so that I could sing my portion...then I handed it back down to him so he could do his other part...and for the part where we sing together....I just sang really loud! When the song was over, Pastor handed the mic back up to me to trade mics with the person above me, who hands her mic back down, and I hand it down to Pastor, and he has someone run and get new batteries. Then when the batteries finally get changed, we do the trade all over again. It was a night of music; not only musical voices, but musical mics as well!!

Sunday, Nick dropped the boys and I off at church; me with all my clothes and toiletries needed to get ready for the program later. After church, he picked the boys up, took us all out to lunch and dropped me back off at the church. I still had a couple hours before I needed to be ready for the program, but I volunteered to help make the cookies that we serve with hot chocolate for the audience after each performance. That way, Nick would also have the car to be able to bring the boys to see the Tree for the evening performance. The afternoon performance had a few minor glitches with the sound. Oh, and the girl next to me just about threw up after the first song, so I vehemently requested she abandon the Tree in a hurry. Other than that, it went well....mics were all working at least. But apparently, some of the lights on the Tree weren't working, again. After the afternoon program, the choir had some cheese and crackers, fruit and veggies for 'dinner' and got ready to do it all over again. I finally got to see my boys, whom I really missed all day. Apparently, Baby Nick had a very difficult day, walking around the house crying, looking for Mommy. That made me feel worse (and better, knowing he missed me too.) I would have to say that Sunday's evening performance was the best of them all. It was so nice to see my boys, way in the back. I couldn't see them real well, but I knew where they were, and occasionally the lights were just right to be able to catch a glimpse of Joey dancing all over the place! He was so cute. By the end, Baby Nick, who had only had a half hour nap, was way past his limit, so Nick took them out to the car to wait for me to be done. It wasn't more than two minutes when Baby Nick was out like a light, and didn't wake up until I got him out of his car seat at home.

Needless to say, it was a very long and tiring weekend. It would be great to be able to sleep all day...but the duties of being wife and mother never stop to give you a break, so I'm still going. Sometimes just barely functioning, but at least I am functioning at some minimal level.

Hopefully this year, they will be able to make a decent video of the performance and I will be able to get a copy to whomever wants it.

Bitterly Disappointed

I am so disappointed that not ONE of you decided to play the Christmas Carol Quiz! I thought it was a fun game and I thought you might enjoy it. I guess I was wrong. Well...just for the sake of it (and so it doesn't look like I have an incomplete blog) I will give the answers now.

1. Where would you go to hear Silver Bells? Every street corner.
2. Who was it that danced with the silk hat on his head? Frosty the Snowman
3. Where would you find Reindeer Paws? Up on the house top.
4. What did the cattle do to wake the poor baby? Lowed. (The cattle are lowing...)
5. When did I see those three ships? On Christmas day in the morning.
6. What size were those Kings of the Orient? Wee. (as in, "WE three kings..." It's a play on words.)
7. What is it that helps to make the season bright? Turkey and mistletoe.
8. Who wants a pair of hop-a-long boots, and a pistol that shoots? Barney and Ben
9. Who still wants a hula hoop? Alvin
10. Who kept time to the drum? The ox and lamb
11. Who, and what color was the animal that gave the hay to pillow his head? The cow, all white and red.
12. Where do the hopes and fears of all the years meet? In Thee tonight.
13. What would keep me warm all the way home? If you really held me tight.
14. What does Susie want? A dolly.
15. Why does the child want his two front teeth? To wish you a Merry Christmas.
16. What was the other reindeer's name? Olive
17. What was the horse in Jingle Bells named? Bob
18. When will I finally go? Not till I get some. (Figgy pudding)
19. What color is Christmas without you? Blue
20. What is the parson in the meadows name? Brown
21. Where does one go a wassailing? Among the leaves so green.
22. ABCDEFGHIJKMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ? Noel (no 'L')

Too bad nobody played. Now I get to keep the fabulous prize I had ready for the winner. I guess I can thank you for that!