Week 52

* Christmas Week. We all made it alive. Katelynn and Mark were spoiled and I am glad that they had a fun time and are still having fun with their new toys.

* Becca got into town and we went with her to the zoo lights. I liked it and it was something fun to do with the kids.

* Christmas morning was fun and as crazy as I thought it would be but then we all just hung out and relaxed until 2 when we had to get ready for Grandma and Grandpas

* We celebrated Daddy's birthday. The kids were so excited to blow out the candles.

* We then had Max and Jesse's Baptism

 * Quite the full little week we had.

Week 51

* I was getting a few things ready for the day in my bedroom and the kids wereplaying surprisingly well and without screaming so when I went to check on them this is what I found. They had setup a fort under the kitchen table with their blankets and pillows.

* On Monday night we went to see the Beautiful Lights on Candy Cane Lane and Katelynn has been asking to see them again and again.

* 27 weeks down and entering the third trimester. He'll be here so soon. Definitely starting to feel more uncomfortable. This is my 26 week picture.

* We had Ben's family over for a Christmas gathering and opened family presents with them. We then skyped with the all of the family to have a little Christmas program. It was a Hello Kitty kind of Christmas for Katelynn. Everything she opened was Hello Kitty themed. Mark got a set of Cars that he was pretty excited about. 

* One day this week the kids were playing outside and it was time to come in so I had "The Grinch who Stole Christmas" playing. Katelynn laid down and then Mark laid down right on top of her and they stayed like that for a good 20 minutes. And there was no fighting when Katelynn wanted him off I was amazed.

Week 50

* I purged and organized Katelynn and Mark's toys this week and they have stayed organized since. I think Katelynn really likes them this way. I have her buckets labeled as to what goes in each one. Tonight she was looking at the letters spelling out what was written.

* Yesterday after we got home from the Ward Christmas Party. We told Mark it was time for a bath and he said in his mad voice, "NO take baf e'er GAN!" Took me a few times of him saying it for me understand it was "No take bath ever again!" but as soon as the water was running he was excited to take a bath and didn't want to get out. When I got him from his room this morning he was still saying it.

* At Mark's play group on Friday we had a Christmas party, and I didn't tell Katelynn about it before hand because I knew she would want it to happen now. So, when she saw everything was moved around and all the food and sweets for the party she was so excited she became the unofficial greeter at the party telling (yelling at) everyone that came in that we were having a Christmas Party.




* Santa showed up and Katelynn and Mark were pretty excited to see him. Mark didn't say anything just stared. Katelynn was glued to him as soon as he walked in the door and was the first to sit on his lap. She told him the three things she had wanted and then was saying. "oh wait there is four things, no no five things" She was so cute.

* Glucose Testing time for me, I do like the lemon-lime better than the orange.

Week #49

* We have been having loads of fun gearing up for Christmas this week. We have watched some of our 21 different Christmas movies. Curious George Christmas being a favorite for both of them.

* Monday we went to the Swann's and decorated nativities. On Wednesday she asked where her baby Jesus and girl and boy were with the house. I told her, "Honey, you ate it yesterday."

* I had made some gingerbread cookies that Katelynn was dying to decorate and so we decorated them on Tuesday night.

* We have five different advent style calendars. We put a sticker on the calendar, add a cotton ball to Santa's beard, place a charm on a cross-stitched advent I made before kids, a Lego calendar that they love, and a scripture calendar with a Hershey kiss inside. Katelynn read the scripture tonight with help, it was so wonderful to hear her do that.

* Here I am at 24 weeks and feeling pretty good.

* Katelynn wrote her letter to Santa. She wants a horse, Barbies and a Leap Pad.

                                       

Week 48

* Katelynn was home for Thanksgiving all week and we were pretty busy all week so I am glad that we didn't have school to contend with.

* We had Thanksgiving dinner with Ben's family on Thursday and had a great time hanging out together.

These two just stood next each other like this for about 3 minutes with out moving.

Tara was taking the cousins around on wagon rides. It was just nice to get seven cousins in one picture

Matthew and Mason

Mason was just loving on Ben and loved the tickles and Ben loved the snuggles too.

* Friday night we had everyone over for Leftover dinner at our house and I am glad that the leftovers were eaten there was a lot. 

* When we got ready for church today the kids were looking extra nice for some reason so I had to get a picture.

* Every December 1 we put up our Christmas Tree and so after church today that is what we did. Mark will leave the room to do something then come back see the tree and say, "tistis tee" and be just as excited as the first time he saw it. And for the first time since 2008 we put lights and ornaments on the tree from top to bottom. Next year we probably won't since the little one will be crawling.

Week 47

* We had our Thanksgiving with my family on Saturday. We had a good time but boy was I so tired by the time we got home.

* Katelynn and Mark absolutely love to ride their scooters and bikes out in the front yard or the circle as Katelynn calls it

* We were pretty crafty this week. I made a Nativity Sign, and with the kids we made Hand and footprint Turkeys, angels, and Snickerdoodles. We have the next week off from school so I am sure that we will be crafting some more.

* 22 weeks down less than 18 to go.

Week 46 - better late than never

* We had fun in our little leaf pile this week.

* This is my new favorite picture of Mark. Not too many things will get this huge of a smile out of him. But fire trucks will do it. especially if there is a siren sound.

* Katelynn winked at me this week by using her fingers to close her eyelid. 

Week 45

* This year is just going to scream to a close, as every year seems to do.

* Mark has been nodding his head for a few weeks when you ask him a question and when he does he also nods his eyebrows. I don't know how he does it but it is the cutest thing.

* He likes to say "Yellow, blue" we thought that he was referring to the colors but he says it all the time and I haven't figured out what he is actually trying to say. So, now Ben will say at random times."Yellow"

* We went up to the Sugar Pine Railroad on Saturday and the kids loved it. It was a nice little quick day trip. Now Ben wants to go back when there is snow! Oh Dear.

    A selfie picture on a bumpy train and wiggly kids.

* I have started having random single contractions about once a day or less, as long as they don't get regular I'm not worried, just something new with this pregnancy

* Katelynn has homework everyfew weeks and this week we made a leaf and wrote what we were thankful for as a family, We had mommy, daddy, Mark, church, family, friends, hands, school, toys and Katelynn made sure I wrote Barbie on it.

Week 44

* We are excited to announce this week that we will be adding a little boy to our family! I totally thought that it would be a girl. I am shocked but so happy that he is looking healthy on ultrasound. We actually went in for our ultrasound on 10/22 and as I was telling the tech that we thought it was a girl as she put the probe on my belly and said, "It's a boy!" and there was no mistaking it either.

* Katelynn had her first school party and I was able to help out with it. It was nice to see how things work in her class a little bit and to see how she is doing. She had a good week so we are all happy about that.

* For Halloween Katelynn was a Super Girl and Mark was a Dinosaur, for about 5 minutes. I had seen these skeleton shirts for a couple years and so I got one for Halloween. The baby was wearing a green little tie. It was quite amazing to see how many people didn't "Get" that the baby wearing a tie meant that it was a boy.

* After trick-or-treating at our families houses we ended the night at Nate and Emilie's house for a little party they had put together. Their little Maddie was so excited to see the kids she started taking more and more steps trying to keep up with them. She is such a little cutie.

Week 43

* 18 weeks of pregnancy has come and gone now. I am feeling the baby move a few times a day now mostly when I lay down and try to go to sleep though.

* Ben decided to climb one of the trees in our backyard this week and scraped up his leg, when he showed me the minor scraps he said, "man I feel like a kid again with these scratches"

* Katelynn started up with having problems at preschool again. We were doing so good, I just don't know what to do. We've been doing a lot of talking though. It seems to be an anger management issue.

Week 42

* I am really hoping and praying that the cold the kids have is the last one for at least a few weeks. I am pretty sure it won't be the last of the year but I really need a break from snot! And it would be nice for us all to be at church.

* Today was the Primary Program and Katelynn said her part with her class. The problem was that they had 11 sunbeams squished in the very front of the stage trying to sit on 9 chairs. So, during the last song on the last verse Katelynn was done with sharing and stomped on the foot of the girl next to her. I was sitting on the stage behind her and asked her later what happened and she said to me, "She was sitting in my chair mama!" Then she got a cinnamon roll during sharing time, and when she found me after class time she had a full size M and M bag and a chocolate Hostess cupcake from her teacher. She had plenty of sugar today!

* Friday Night I went with Beth and some friends from church to a Hobby Lobby about an hour away. I didn't really have anything to buy but I did find a Christmas subway art sign that I just Love that was 50% off and a stocking stuffer for Katelynn and I did pick up a piece of fabric in gray that I am going to use to make a baby quilt with now I just need to know if we are having a boy or a girl so I can make it. It was a nice night out with some girls.

* I also found out from Beth that our ward was having their Super Saturday soon and were making a burlap wreath, I have been wanting to get a new wreath and that would be perfect. I look around on Facebook and saw that it was actually happening the next morning! I sent out a couple messages and was able to make the wreath. I did go to Micheal's after and pick up another roll of burlap to make it really full, (someone else there had used two rolls and I liked how that looked). Now I just need a wreath hanger since I can't find the one I had. Right now it is sitting out in the garage since burlap stinks.

Week 41

* Started out the week with a Dr appointment for me. Everything is well and the baby's heartbeat was in the 150's. Just a couple more weeks till we get to see this little baby. I can't wait. 16 weeks.

* This is Katelynn's art work from Preschool. 

* On Friday Katelynn wanted to help me clean up so that we could play and so she did the dishes and then called to Daddy in a look at me, look at what I'm doing. "Daddy, I'm doing the dishes."  Oh, she is getting to be my big girl, but still so little.

* Marky LOVES his cars. And is now starting to sort and organize them and this week he lined them up under the table

* Mark is talking more and more now. He may not talk to others so much but with me he does copy a lot of what I say with two words, like I'll say Let's go open the door and he will say "open door?"  It seems like he has a question tone to a lot of what he says. He asks "Why?" Katelynn never really did or does ask that so I am not too tired of that question, yet. I am just glad he is talking so much more. 

Right Now 40

* Ben got his weed eater and yard blower fixed and he was so excited about it because he wanted to surprise our neighbors by trimming up their yard and getting the overgrown sidewalk weeds gone. So as soon as he got home he set to work to and we got it finished in the nick of time. We were inside when we noticed the husband getting out of his car. He was looking at his phone walking up to his door when all of a sudden he stopped dead in his tracks and turned around and looked at his yard and sidewalk. He was shocked, a couple hours later he was out mowing his lawn. We just hope he doesn't think someone did that out of meanness.
Katelynn made it her "job" to sweep up the clippings until daddy brought out the blower.

* We were on our way to Grandma and Grandpa B's when we had this conversation.
Katelynn: "Mommy, can we go on a walk with Grandma today?"
Me: "I don't think we will but I am sure we will play outside with Grandma."
Katelynn: "But don't you need to go to the knitting store?" (Quilter's Paradise)
Me: "No, Honey I don't."
Katelynn: "Why Momma?"
Me: "Because I don't have any sewing projects right now. I was waiting until we know if the baby is a boy or a girl before I started something new."
Katelynn: "It's a girl momma."
She has said it is a girl from the very first time I told her about having a new baby, but what surprised me is how matter of factly she said it this time. We will find out soon enough.

* We went out to the Pumpkin patch on Saturday and got a couple of pumpkins. The kids loved it and got dirty so they were happy.

Week 39

* The weather still has been great and so we had the windows open and since we have done that we all got sick.

* 15 weeks down in this pregnancy and feeling pretty good. Don't have any complaints except for having a horrible time finding long enough pants.

* For the primary program the Sunbeams are reciting the First Article of Faith which is: We believe in God the Eternal Father and in his Son Jesus Christ and in the Holy Ghost. Katelynn has been saying We believe in God the Hospital and in his sentence and in the Holy Ghost.

* Aunt Beth came over and took our family pictures in the Front yard