Finally....

Sorry for making you wait so long, but I have somehow been very forgetful as of late and, well, truth be told...I haven't been into "creative writing" or blogging or whatever....I don't have much to say, blame it on the hormones or the tiredness but I will post some pictures and we'll see what comes out!! :-)

Right now I'm about 20 weeks, feeling the baby moving (only inside...you won't see what looks like an alien yet!!) and on Wednesday we find out whether we are having a boy or a girl!!! I am so excited to find out, we went ahead and registered for blue AND pink bedding. ;-)

Hannah is growing into such a beautiful and kind young lady!! Today, we were offered candy (you know, it's Halloween so of course that means everyone needs candy!!) and she picked out several so she could give Andy and I some. Sweet girl, she is very thoughtful and often thinks beyond her years. She is homeschooling this year and doing really well. We are going through the alphabet, one letter, a week at a time and learning lots about God's creation. We have added sight words each week or two and she is now reading quite well for her age (in my humble, motherly opinion!!).

Noah is getting to be such a big kid and changing before my eyes!! He is doing preschool and doing so well. Today, he was playing with the magnetic letters we have on our fridge and wanted to spell "Annie Who" [it's an obnoxious song (really!!) on another fridge toy]. He surprised me by finding each of the letters. And often he will sit still and "read" books with his sister...a feat which is not often seen by boys and this boy is on the move so much, it's nice to see him slow down and know he is really learning!! He is so full of life, always cracking jokes, and really brightens up the day!

Well these are the pictures from the past couple of months...not in order!! Most of these are from going to Fender's Farm today: we rode the "no-hay" hay-ride, kids rode the cow train, got lost in the corn maze, played at the playground where there was a blob and petting zoo, and the kids rode down the "bumpy" slide!!!

Friday night we planned to spend the day outside and camp...but it got down to the 30's with rain and possible snow...so we camped inside:

The Cow Train:

The Bumpy Slide: (we came to Fender's Farm several weeks ago with Noah's preschool and the kids were all excited about this slide!!)

Hannah and I went to help my friend Marybeth with her new twins...they were 5 weeks old and Hannah was a huge helper!! She'd rock them, pat their back and help getting burping cloths and more...excellent prep for when baby Frazier comes!!

Months ago, Noah and Hannah helped make applesauce

Doing homeschool on the go (while visiting twins):

Riding another slide at Fender's Farm

Okay, all you "pregnancy picture wanters" here is the first posted pic...at 20 weeks:

On the hay ride with NO Hay!!! The kids couldn't figure out why there wasn't any hay. ;-)

Well, we are really enjoying this Autumn weather...the leaves are once again cranberry, deep gold, and burnt orange; the air is crisp and the hint of Winter is just around the corner....I'm hoping again for a white Christmas. :-)

We hope this finds you well...hopefully I'll have another chance make the time remember to get back on before Christmas!!! We will be down in FL for Thanksgiving visiting the family we miss, so Happy Thanksgiving and, if I don't get back before the new year: Merry Christmas!!!

Finally made it to 2nd Trimester!!

Well, it's been quite a while since I've blogged, but this has been written a dozen times in my head...just have not connected the thought of blogging with the action!!! I am finally 14 weeks which is officially the second trimester of pregnancy!!

I am so glad to be past all the nausea and extreme tiredness that I am actually back to decorating and re-doing a room for fun. Not the baby's room, he or she will share a room with either Hannah or Noah and boy are they excited!

Anyway, I have been meaning to get on and tell about the kids schooling, post some pictures of both kids and this new baby belly, and just update everyone on what's going on!!

However that will have to come tomorrow or the next few days...it's now 11:40 and now that my applesauce is done (yes, I'm even canning more homemade applesauce...love getting most of my energy back!), I'm off to bed. :-) Good night all and take luck, I mean, take care!!!

Baby News

Well, as most of you know, we are expecting child number 3! We're still pretty early on so he or she should be due around March, maybe close to one of my family's birthdays! My dad is at the beginning, my brother in the middle and my mom and bff at the end. Only time will show since Hannah was one day early and Noah was 9 days early! I have been feeling pretty nauseous and very tired, but certainly glad the kids are old enough to play quietly (enough!) and to entertain themselves and each other!! Bread has helped along with trying to stay hydrated. I've gone from juice to water to milk and chocolate milk to V8 and more water!!

The kids are super excited and each want a baby after their own gender! Hannah wants a little girl who can sleep in her room. I think she envisions a built in girl bff who will share all her dreams and want to be just like Hannah. She suggested Sally or Rosie. Noah wants a boy, as he said, to plant in the ground. I'm not sure exactly what he means except he really likes playing in the dirt/sand! He also wants him to be named Noah, but since Daddy said no, he told Daddy he thinks "Nobody" would be a good name then. ;-) Guessing he wants the similar sound!! If he were generally a mean child, I'd be worried, but I think it's all his small, growing imagination can come up with for now.

Andy hasn't said much about what gender he would prefer, and I feel the same way! To me a girl means more drama and a boy more action and me on my toes. I just want a healthy baby!

And since there has been a request for kid pictures....Enjoy! ;-)


Andy, and most of the men plus his cousin Steph, went to a Cincinnati Red's baseball game...and before they went into the museum where the kids (and adults??) got to play dress up!!

Noah in ump gear!!

 On our way to Cincinnati for a North American Christian Convention and mini-reunion/4th of July party with Andy's dad side of the family, we stopped at Cumberland Gap, KY:

Hannah found her own "gap"!!

Andy and Noah at the Red's game flipping hats!

I don't know where my daughter gets this from:

Eating 4th of July cupcakes

Hannah showing her missing tooth and the gap in between

Can you guess what color cupcake I had?? ;-)

Uh, blue, white and red?? 

 

Noah "gloving" Aidan

 

S P A R K L E R S !!!!

On our way to the convention, we met friends from college, Andy and Camille, at the Creation Museum where we got to pet and feed animals and the kids got to ride a camel!!!

Noah, Eli, and Hannah crouching in wait for their next meal

Oh YEAH!!

"Hamming" it up!!

In downtown Cincinnati, there was a piano chained and painted!!

 

News, News, Good News...and old!!

Well, I feel like this summer has slipped away! I guess with all the greasy sunscreen in between my fingertips, I have been unable to hold on to these dog days of summer. We have been B.U.S.Y!

Lets see...the beginning of June kicked off with VBS!! Inside out and Upside down on Main Street was our theme...so I went inside out decorating the building and Andy went upside down getting prepared for each day. We had a good turn out of 15-18 kids, including a couple new families we were very excited about meeting!

Then about two weeks later, our church voted on a new minister, who will be joining us mid-August! We are very excited about this new family!! He is married to a beautiful lady with two adorable kids, a son and daughter. And while many of you know Andy applied for the ministry position, we feel this was God's will and are at complete peace. I mean, after you meet the new family, you would want them to come too! As for me, it was nice just knowing! I hate being in limbo!!

Then a few weeks later (or less!) we went to the North American Christian Convention, in Oh-HI-Oh. Yes, we sang that song each time we drove over the Ohio river. ;-) We first stopped by Andy's aunts/uncles homes for about 3-4 days of true summer fun. We played in the pool most days, swung on a tree swing, and celebrated the fourth of July in wonderful manner...fireworks included! Our time was short but sweet and the kids still ask about going back to Oh-HI-OH. Then we headed over to Cincinnati for the NACC where we heard wonderful speakers, enjoyed yummy food (including a place called "Just Crepes!"), and had an overall good time celebrating God with thousand's of other Christian men and women!

I think that about catches us up...oh, we also found out that our home down in FL is under contract!!! We had a Realtor who helped us immensely (back when we had no income!!) fix up the house before we left and who kept it up and found us two renters back to back. He handed over the Realty to a friend and put in his bid for the house. We have been trying first to sell the house, then to go through a short sale all to avoid foreclosure. Well, the bank seems to have accepted the offer and so long as things go smoothly, we should be able to get out from under the weight of it!


Oh, yea, and We're having a b...b...b...baby.

Can't just leave it at that.... ;-)

I thought I might be pregnant in June, but took a test that came back negative. This month, I have been really feeling tired and less than normal at night (not morning sickness!!) so took another test. It was positive!! So had to tag along to Noah's (WIC) doctor to confirm that yes, the test was positive. ;-) I go to my actual OB on Monday to find out more, but they are guessing I'm 11 weeks pregnant and the baby will be due in February or March at the latest!! We are very excited about having another baby and have been somewhat planning on more for a few months. It took me about 3 years to trust that God has better plans for me than I might have for myself.

Well, the kids are up now (it's almost 9am!!) after sleeping in from our late night of swimming. Time for breakfast! But first Hannah wants me to let everyone know that she has lost her 3rd tooth!! She is so proud of loosing her teeth! Well, goodbye for now. I'll try to get back on after we get back...going to a homeschool convention this weekend. Oh, that's another thing, Hannah is officially "unregistered" as a Kindergarten with the public school and has already started some of her home school work!! She is very excited about this! That's all for now.

The End.