Baby #3 - Half Way There

We are halfway to baby #3!! Time is really flying with this one. We are all very excited about the baby joining our family. This will be our last baby and we can't wait for him or her to get here so we can complete our family! Paul and Olivia like to say hi to the baby and pat my belly. Very cute. And Paul is thrilled that the baby likes to drink chocolate milk because he gets to enjoy some too.

We had our 20 week ultrasound and everything looks great! We didn't find out the sex, so we'll all be surprised come mid-May. The baby had all the right parts and no extra ones.
Thumbs up and profile of face.

Spine and a leg and foot.

Skull and arm. Resting it's chin on it's hand.

Skull and chest.

Christmas Time!!

Christmas was at home again in Indianola.  Grandpa Mark and Grandma Dawn came to visit an the kids were ecstatic with the joys of Christmas.  We got a real treat this year in the form of Aunt Diane, Uncle Ken, and Amanda joining us for Christmas Eve and Christmas morning.

Christmas Eve was at our house: Our family, Grandpas Mark and Les, Grandmas Dawn and Kathy, Diane, Ken, Amanda.  We did asparagus soup, delicious salad, and gourmet pizzas: Crab and Asparagus, Pesto Chicken Bacon, Pesto Veggie, and Chorizo Meat Lovers all on gluten-free crust.  Everything turned out great and it was so much fun involving all my guests in the prep work!! 

I made Matt his annual Christmas shirt with help from the kids.  Somehow I didn't get a picture of it on him at Christmas!!!  Here's the shirt.  I'll see if somebody else has a picture of him modelling the shirt. 

Christmas morning at our house was as chaotic as expected.  Lots of toys and mess and fun.  We took a break in the middle and had cinnamon rolls and biscuits and gravy to refuel and re-energize for more present opening!  I believe Olivia was finally opening the last of her presents on 12/27.  She knows how to make the fun last.

Christmas Dinner was at Grandpa Les and Grandma Kathy's with Uncle Mike, Aunt Shannon, and Amanda.  Great food and great company. Christmas morning part 2 was at Grandpa Les' and Grandma Kathy's on 12/26.  We had a great breakfast and loads of fun watching kiddos open presents, and opening a few ourselves.

  

The kids and I headed to Bellingham mid-week to celebrate Christmas with Andy, Joanna, and Henry who were sticking to Bellingham waiting for the new baby's arrival.  Matt unfortuntaley came down with a cold and had to stay home.  :(  We had a great time playing with toys and watching the kids interact.  We visited an amazing indoor play cafe that all enjoyed. 

What a wonderful time we had with all our family this year.  We are trully blessed to be surrounded by so much love.

Brunch with Butch

Butch T. Cougar flew in all the way from Pullman to Silverdale to spend the morning with us!! We had a great time visiting with Butch, meeting new friends, and talking to Santa. Olivia was horrified of Butch and Santa and grabbed on for dear life whenever she got within 5 feet of either.

Halloween

On Halloween we went to the Indianola Halloween Party. I thought the party went from 5-7, but it really only lasted until 6. So when we showed up at 6:05, the place was pretty empty. This worked out great for Paul and Olivia who sometimes get a little intimidated by the crowd. They were able to explore the haunted tunnel and run around the Clubhouse for a few minutes before we trick or treated.

 Ready to head out for our big night.

Trick or Treating was AWESOME this year and the total highlight of Halloween. At the first house, I tried to get Paul to knock on the door, but he wasn't sure, so I knocked for him. Each kid was handed a Smarties roll, looked at it, then looked up at me with so much JOY in their eyes!!! OFF TO THE NEXT HOUSE!!! This time Paul didn't hesitate to knock on the door. The things we'll do for candy. It was awesome watching Olivia waddle up in her cow costume and Paul looked very official in his fireman's uniform.

We only made it to 5 houses, and that took about 30 minutes. We were thrilled that each house had candy that was Paul Safe!! I was worried about that for future years, but it looks like we won't have a problem finding fun candy Paul likes.

After T or T'ing we made one last stop and Grandma Kathy and Grandpa Les' for treats and more fun.

Bedtime was interesting after a candy-filled evening. Matt's final quote of the night, "No more candy for these kids, OK? Ever." I can't wait for next year. Paul asks me about when it will be Halloween pretty often.