Halloween and a Few Other Things

So, I'm on somewhat of a blogging hiatus for a little while. I guess we've been lazy about having virus protection and it was only a matter of time until our computer got a virus. So it has, and if I want to do any posts, it is on my mom's computer. There have been a few posts and pictures I have wanted to do lately, but wasn't able to. Therefore, now that I am posting, the subject matter is on a few different, unrelated things.

The only other main thing really, is Luke's new bed (a bunk bed). I singlehandedly put it together last weekend. Not because Steven was unwilling to help, but because he was gone and I was stubborn and determined. I have now put together 2 cribs and a bunk bed during my pregnancies. I also moved a little furniture. (Now that I am approaching my third trimester, the nesting thing is kicking into high gear). Ellie, on the other hand, was unwilling to help. She is starting to move past the phase where it is always fun to be "mom's helper" and it has become more of a hassle to her. Anyway, I got the bottom part of Luke's bed put together and have included a few pictures of his first night in the bed. This includes his new bedding, which has a variety of balls on it. Much more exciting for him than his "farmyard friends" crib bedding. The top part of the bunk was finished the next day and you would have thought there was a playground in his bedroom. Ellie and Luke absolutely loved it! I finished it near bedtime and I don't know why I didn't see it coming, but it was almost more than Ellie could handle that Luke was going to be sleeping on this brand new "playground" and she was headed to her room that still is just a mattress because her bed is still not ready. Steven and I are more than willing to let Ellie sleep on the top bunk as much as she wants really, I mean, isn't that part of the fun of having a sibling so close in age? It's just that we knew they would not go to sleep this first night because the ladder would be too tempting if they were both in there together. BTW, we have now attempted to let her take a few naps in there, and it always ends up in her being escorted back to her room. So, anyway, that is what these first pictures are.

The last pretty much speak for themselves. Today was Halloween. I am kind of a sucker for holidays, especially now with kids. I like an opportunity to do something fun and a little out of the ordinary. So, we went to McDonald's for lunch and they were giving out candy and treats, which made it very hard for them to eat their lunch. Tonight we went to mom's and then went trick-or-treating on her street (because we don't have any neighbors for miles). Ellie was a fairy/princess, Luke was a train conductor. (We already had these dress-up costumes at home and for budget's sake that is what we went with). They were all about the trick-or-treating. It was rather cold and I kept asking them if they wanted to go home or go to more houses. The reply was always "more houses". Luke absolutely loves candy. Mom says he is like a drug addict with candy. And it's true. He kind of goes into a trance while he's eating candy. And he is very serious and seems to be concentrating on every bite. It is so funny. So, tonight was a dream come true for him. That's about it. Hope our computer is up and running again soon.

Pumpkin Patch

I think every family has pumpkin patch pictures this time of year. But I can certainly understand why. The weather is beautiful this time of year, the kids LOVE it, and it makes for some great family pictures. So here are ours...

Five Quirks

Okay, I have been tagged again, by my college friend, Lindsey. This is hard stuff!

1. I am actually going to steal one of Lindsey's because it is that freaky! I had never seen a picture of an animal with human characteristics, but now I have and it is so wrong. I am not going to post it here, because it is so wierd, but mainly because I am lazy. You can click on Lindsey's name and look at it on her blog if you are curious.

2. My mother has a set of sterling silver that we have always used on special occasions (Thanksgiving, Christmas) and I have never liked the taste of it. As beautiful as it is, I have always preferred a regular fork because of the funny taste.

3. It bothers me when people are critical of something that they have never been through or experienced. Until you have walked in someone's shoes, you can't know exactly what it is like. I didn't always feel like this, the Lord has taught me a few lessons the hard way.

4. You know when you're in a movie theater and the preview ends and it gets quiet for a few moments? It makes me crazy when you can hear everyone munching their popcorn all at once.

5. And I don't know if this is really a quirk, because I'm sure it drives everyone in the world crazy, but we have been getting a lot of solicitor calls lately. And they are all around the dinner hour. What in the world are these people thinking? Last week when Ellie had a stomach virus she threw up on our new guest bedroom carpet (and I was trying to get dinner ready). We seriously got about 5 calls within 45 min. I finally answered one and started telling this poor guy (who probably just needs a job) about her stomach virus and how I was pregnant and on my hands and knees cleaning up throw-up. He just hung up, probably thinking "psycho!"

I have some pumpkin patch pictures to post, but I will do that tomorrow. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go watch the Biggest Loser and eat some dessert!

Second Post for Today-Luke's Haircut

I just finished my 7 random things, so please keep reading after these pictures if you are just dying to read 7 things about me. I am pretty tired, but I have to show you what Luke's haircut was like today. I know it is almost cruel to take pictures when he is being so traumatized, but I really wanted this on camera. I mentioned awhile back how he hates haircuts, but today I think was the worst. He absolutely 100% knows where we are going and flipped out when we walked in the door. Usually, he just buries his face in my shoulder and doesn't start screaming until we are in the chair. But today it started as soon as we got there. We had to wait awhile, so he calmed down a little and even enjoyed a sucker for a little bit. As you will see in some of the pictures, Ellie felt pretty big today. She has discovered that she does like haircuts and kept reminding Luke of that. She was very sweet to him though, and would repeat the things mom and I said to him in a very soft voice, while rubbing his arm and calling him "sweetie".

I've Been Tagged

I have been tagged by my friend, Brooke. Thanks, Brooke! I'm just glad it wasn't that one that was going around a long time ago where you had to list 100 facts. 7 is hard enough. Anyway...

1. I play the flute and piccolo. I haven't actually played in a really long time, but I played all through high school. (High school and several college friends know this, but not many others)
2. While we're on high school...I had a few pretty serious high school relationships. I know there are CERTAINLY exceptions to the rule, but for the most part I think they are a waste of time and they serve no purpose. (Although I absolutely believe God can take anything and use it for His glory)
3. I don't mind throwing up so much. Don't get me wrong, it isn't that I like it. I just throw up rather easily, so it's more like I'm used to it. Steven, on the other hand, hasn't thrown up since we've been married. I have never seen him get sick.
4. I have never been stung by a bee, wasp, or anything like that. It makes me kind of paranoid about it because I think surely it will happen to me before I die.
5. I do not feel like I am a picky eater at all and don't have a lot of tolerance for those who are. However, I don't care for the following: celery, olives (green or black), beets (only tried them once), and cauliflower. I'm sure there are others, that is just off the top of my head.
6. I can be rather blunt and I'm not a very sensitive person(mainly to Steven, unfortunately). Nor am I very touchy/huggy. I don't feel Steven and I are typical of most husbands and wives because he is more sensitive and is a hugger/says "I love you" quite often.
7. I guess I will end with another food fact. About what I do like. If I was going to pick my favorite meal it would probably be my dad's steak on his charcoal grill (medium rare), baked potato with butter, sour cream, cheese, and maybe a little (homeade) ranch dressing, sauteed mushrooms, and a salad with all the toppings (including that same ranch dressing)! Oh, and of course a great dessert, but there are too many to pick from. He will do this meal on special occasions and sometimes just whenever he is in the mood. Are any of my family members amening to this right now?

Now I am to tag seven more people: (no pressure) Mom, Sarah, Kate, LB (I know you did the 100 things before, so only if you feel like it), Esther, Lele, Stacey

THE Question

So, the other day I was sitting on the couch and Ellie says "Mom, how did the baby get in your tummy?" Hmmm...good question, Ellie. I told her that God is the author and creator of life and He is the one who decides when it is time for a baby to grow in a mommy's tummy. At first I was going to say something about a mom and daddy being married, but at some point, we will run into a mom who is not married. Besides, the answer I gave her is the absolute truth, the rest is just details, right?

Lacking Front Door...

This is my attempt on a budget, well pretty much nothing, to make my door look fallish. Mom gave me the pumpkins, the grapevine wreaths were $5 each and the ribbon was $5. I had no idea how much wreaths cost when you buy them all put together, and my door will always be double because of the two doors. I like natural better anyway, and I am determined to make it look good without spending a fortune. I was planning on sticking things in the wreaths to add color, but all the fake stuff was just too much (if I were to get enough to even make it look good). So I'm thinking as the leaves really begin to turn colors, I will stick them in there. Any suggestions??

A Sleepy Anniversary

Well, today Steven and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary. Six years ago if you had told me that six years from now I would be 21 weeks pregnant with our third child, I would have had a hard time believing it. Especially since we said we were going to wait 3-5 years for our first child, haha! Which, we laughed about today and both agreed, we are very thankful to be where we're at. Even with the everyday stresses, we are so blessed beyond what we deserve.

When I was pregnant with Ellie we said we would have a date night once a week and I think we did it for a little while. Three and half years later (I am very sorry to say) they are very few and far between. We do, however, try to make it a point to celebrate our anniversary. It's so funny because several months ago we would mention how we would like to do this or that for our anniversary and as the date approached and the budget got tighter, it got reduced from an overnight thing, to a full day out with lunch, a matinee, and then dinner, then finally to just matinee and dinner. And since we couldn't find anything we were just dying to see and didn't want to waste $12 on a movie, we decided to do just dinner. We were both so sleepy that we (or at least I) almost felt drugged, in spite of a few extra caffeine doses. A nap would've been good, but I knew if I went home to sleep then I would see all that needed to be done around the house and feel like I needed to be doing something (not that I would actually do it-I just didn't even want to think about it). So we headed to Chattanooga and ended up driving to Signal Mountain and went to Signal Point. It was beautiful and very relaxing up there. We went a few other places in Chattanooga, ate dinner, got some coffee and came home. Conversations are so different and easy to have when you aren't refereeing fights or cutting up food. It was a very refreshing day off, out of the ordinary, and very beneficial, I feel like, for our marriage. Tomorrow everything will go back to normal (or really, it already has, because as I type this, I am yelling into Ellie's room she needs to be quiet and go to sleep) But for today it was a wonderful little breather from all the reality of a marriage after you throw in a 2 yr. old, a 3 yr. old, a pregnancy, and a very real mortgage!

Healthy Baby Boy!

We found out this morning we are having our second boy!! I am so very excited about that. I had really been thinking lately how that is what I felt like would be best. It really seems like to me that Luke could use a brother. However, God's ways are not always our ways (thank goodness!!) and I just didn't know if that was what He had decided was best for our family. The four of us went for the ultrasound and it went really well and was super fast. We saw his "boy" part almost immediately. I actually saw it at exactly the same time as the ultrasound tech did and knew. It was pretty obvious. She was great and even did some 4D pictures for us. He looks very healthy and his face looks a lot like Luke to me (just from what I can tell). No pics to post because I don't have a scanner. Ellie had said it would be a girl very often and refers to the baby as a "her". But she hasn't seemed in the least bit sad. Luke had no clue what was going on and was much more interested in the toy that was in the room. He kept saying "wook! wook!" I thought he was talking about the ultrasound pictures, but he was talking about the toy. He will get it soon enough. So we can cross all our girl names off the list and just focus on the boy names. (which we have almost decided) I'll let you know when a decision has been finalized. So there is my news...just as promised!