CRAFTY!

So, I have been busy lately with a couple of projects, and I thought I'd share. First of all, since we're having a GIRL, I decided to go whole hog and set up our TV. And you know if you have a TV then you need a place to put it. So, voila!


Now I just can't wait to show it to the baby...but that will have to wait. Anyways, I got pretty crazy and decided to do some piano modification. So, even though it gives away our secret hiding place (I know you all really honestly think we'll just watch Lightening McQueen, but...) here it is:

I'm very proud of it!

We decorated for Christmas and the place on the floor for the TV we had been using just didn't fit the bill, so I decided as long as I was feeling crafty, why not! So here is our piano TV hiding place with a computer inside. (And below what I made for our anniversary present for Caroline).

Anyways, that's probably about the extent of my crafty-ness for the next little while, but it was fun!

CRAFTY!

So, I have been busy lately with a couple of projects, and I thought I'd share. First of all, since we're having a GIRL, I decided to go whole hog and make some hair clips. And you know if you have hair clips then you need a place to put them. So, voila!

Now I just need a room to decorate for the baby...but that will have to wait. Anyways, then I got even crazier and decided to do some applique and embroidery on a onesie. So, even though it gives away our name (I know you all really honestly thought we were going to go with Lightening McQueen, but...) here it is:

I'm very proud of it!

THEN we decorated for Christmas and the stockings we had been using just didn't fit the bill, so I decided as long as I was feeling crafty, why not! So here are our stockings, hung by the...sign?...with care (thanks for that sign, by the way, Kelly!):

Anyways, that's probably about the extent of my crafty-ness for the next little while, but it was fun!

Pumpkin Carving!

I know, I know, Halloween was a month ago. But I just finally got these pumpkin carving pictures off of my camera, and they reminded me of how much fun the boys had carving our pumpkin. They are so funny, and I just love seeing their goofy expressions and the ridiculous things they do. Love my boys!

Why yes, that is Calvin holding a steak knife, why do you ask?

Calvin LOVED the pumpkin. He loved everything about it. Except sticking his hand inside.

He also LOVED his spoon and ice cream scooper.

Ryan was braver, and actually dug around inside a little bit. This is his "I'm trying to smile even though this is gross" face:

And here are his spoils! I think he got like, 1 seed. But he was really proud of himself!

Michael, showing the boys how it's done:

You want me to do what?

Success! A jack-o-lantern!

Calvin also loved helping Michael wash off the seeds:

And Calvin did his usual stand-by-the-oven-yelling-"COOKIE!!!!"-until-someone-gives-him-something-tasty-to-eat trick. For the record, both boys loved the pumpkin seeds!

It was a really fun night! Thanks for doing all the work, Michael!

More ultrasound pictures!

So, Michael scanned in the rest of our ultrasound pictures, so I thought I'd put them up for your viewing pleasure. It seemed like with the ultrasounds for Ryan and Calvin I could keep up pretty well with what part of the baby we were looking at, but with this one, I was pretty much at a loss most of the time! This little girl was wiggling all over the whole time, and kept her hands right up by her face and mouth, and it was fun to find out even those couple of little things about her. Anyways, here are the pictures!

On the left is a view of her foot from the bottom of the foot, with her heel by the vertical line on the screen. On the right I think is a profile shot of her foot.

This is her face from the front. I was thinking of adding Skeletor to the name list...

And a couple of profile views of her head:

I guess this is the shot that shows you she is a girl?

Here is her spine...I know! Exciting!

And another face from the front shot:

Apparantly, these are pictures of her hands..

Anyways, we are excited to meet our little girl in a few months!

Drumroll please...

We had our 20 week ultrasound today and our sweet little baby looks like a happy, healthy, wiggly...

GIRL!!!!!

I was so happy that I cried right there in the ultrasound room. We are so excited to meet this sweet baby girl! Ryan has been saying all along that he wanted a sister, and so he is very happy! When he rolled out of bed after his nap today he sleepily wandered into the living room and, rubbing his eyes, said "I am going to have a baby sister just like Katie!" Anyways, that's our big news and we are very happy! Bring on the girly crafty sewing projects and the pink clothes! I'm sooooo ready!

New Moon!

It's 2:30 AM, and I'm sitting at home with the boys while Caroline enjoys New Moon with AnnaMarie.

Twice in the last hour Calvin has started wiggling in his crib, started giggling and then said "Eeew" really loud and clear.

...and now he's kind of crying. Hopefully he'll go back to sleep.

Good Days!

This has been a great week! But before the long post part, I am really curious! We have our big ultrasound on Saturday, and I just wanted to see what you all think it's going to be. Boy, girl, one of each (not likely form the looks of the first ultrasound...phew!)? So leave a comment and let me know your guess!

So, back to the great week! We left to go up north to Ironwood on Friday to visit Michael's family for the weekend and we had such a nice time! I think I have the best in-laws ever. Seriously. It's so relaxing and comfortable there, and so much fun to just spend time with everyone. The boys can't get enough. Especially Ryan who was reunited with the now-working-garage-door. He was in hog heaven, reliving his life's fantasy--sitting on the kitchen table with his very own garage door remote watching it go up and down and up and down forever and ever. Also, we had a really great dinner on Saturday night at their house (my father in law makes a mean spaghetti sauce) and it just seemed like the perfect relaxing wind-down to a crazy, busy few weeks. And Christy and Hikaru made homemade sugar cookies that were just so so so good. So thanks, everybody, for letting us come visit! It was so so so so so so so nice to be there!

To top off the awesome trip, the boys slept for about 4 of the 5 hour drive with the awake hour spent eating lunch in their carseats and saying silly words to each other. We never even had to stop the car the entire way. It was awesome! Then on Monday AnnaMarie came and hung out with me and the boys, which was a life saver, because apparently I had used up all my good karma during the car ride and they were getting way too crazy to handle without some outside help. Enter Katie! My boys love Katie. Calvin especially right now gets so excited when I mention her name that he is bouncing off the walls with joy at the prospect of seeing her. They had so much fun crawling around playing doggies (my new favorite game that they play--they just crawl around and quietly "woof" amongst themselves), getting really messy in the back yard, and playing mommy and daddy. I just love having AnnaMarie nearby. She is so fun to just hang out with and talk to and relax with. Thanks for coming, AnnaMarie! Boy, did we need that!

Then, as if this week could get any better, Kelly took me out for a pedicure and dinner at the Cheesecake Factory as an early birthday treat! Oh. Man. It was so nice to just hang out without our kids! Don't get me wrong, I love our kids, but it's been a long time since we just got to enjoy hanging out together without our minds in a million places at once. It was so relaxing and yummy and perfect, so thanks Kelly! I had so much fun just hanging out together! Not to mention the hummus....and the smoothie....and the lettuce wraps...I could go on, but I might start drooling.

Then Tuesday was my birthday, and it was really such a great day! Michael is so sweet. He made me my favorite--waffles with whipped cream and berries--for breakfast, which was actually quite a battle, because we just got this new pancake mix and now we know not to use it on the waffle iron because it is impossible to get them off in one piece, no matter how much you grease them. Anyways, they were delicious, and then we opened presents (GREAT job picking them, honey!) and spent some nice time all together before Michael left for work. And the boys were so good for me all day! It was amazing! They played nicely, gave me extra hugs and kisses all day, sang me "Happy Birthday" randomly throughout the day (even Calvin, although he can't say "birthday" so he just sings "Happy....(pause)....to you....MOMMY!") had great naps, after which Calvin gave me the sweetest snuggles I've had from him in a while, and were just all around amazingly well behaved and sweet. And we managed to keep the house clean all day, which made it all the more relaxing. Then Michael came home from work and made us all a delicious dinner and AnnaMarie and Tyler and the girls came to help celebrate. Then we topped it off with angel food cake with whipped cream and berries (my favorite cake--are we sensing a theme here? I think anything with whipped cream and berries pretty much just constitutes a favorite in my book), and had a really nice time. My parents sent me an awesome birthday package as well, so thanks, Mom and Dad! And Michael and I topped off the evening watching Psych while the boys slept (I just really do LOVE that show!). It was such a happy, great birthday! I feel really loved!

Then today I watched my friend's two children from 9 to 5, which I honestly thought was going to be pretty painful, but they were all so well-behaved that I got 4 loads of laundry done, the entire house cleaned, happy play time with both of my kids (individually and together), one and a half hours of a completely quiet house all to myself, read 2 conference talks, and had a really great, relaxing day! I don't know how it happened! But it was awesome! And my kids were asleep without a fight by 6:45 tonight. So amazing!

Anyways, these last few days have been so great, and I feel so thankful for my wonderful family and friends who make my life so good! So thanks, everybody!

Here are some pictures of the birthday festivities:

What could be more beautiful than my just-rolled-out-of-bed 'do? How 'bout these waffles?

With Kelly at the Cheesecake Factory:



About to blow out my candles (the real cake was prettier, this was the "go ahead and drip wax on it" cake. Also, I love your enthusiasm, AnnaMarie!):



I think I love this picture more than anything else in the world:


Except maybe this:



My boys being goofy for my birthday:





And some of me and my boys:




And AnnaMarie entertaining the kids when they came over on Monday: