have you had the baby yet?

I'm getting that and similar comments a lot lately... you're so huge! are you having twins? when is the baby coming? what is the baby doing?

I'm getting to that uncomfortable and cranky stage these days and the snarky answers that I come up with in my head, fortunately aren't leaking out to the rest of the world... yet.

But, today is the 16th, and my edd is the 25th. Since I'm using a new doctor this time, I don't know his policies on letting moms go past their due date, but all signs point to the fact that I'll be holding my sweet baby girl within the next 9 days. Only 9 days left! It is really hard to wrap my brain around.

We have 2 major things left to accomplish 1)choosing her name (which won't be posted here anyways, but trust me, it is HARD finding a name that you and your husband agree on that 'goes' with the names of your other 2 girls) and 2)buying a minivan. We're hoping to do that on Friday (if I haven't had the baby yet!!).

That's right... I'm going to be one of 'those' minivan moms. And since husband coaches soccer at school, the 2 older girls already have a deep fascination with all things soccer. Which means, I may eventually have to become... gulp... a soccer mom. Maybe I should start wearing jumpers and keds... sigh. I'll think about that another day.

But really, this post is about my baby. I cannot wait to meet her, to hold her, to nurse her, to witness her sisters meeting her for the first time. I cannot wait to take that first bleary-eyed photo of the 5 (yes, I said FIVE!) of us together. Baby girl come soon! Your family cannot wait to meet you!

2 turns at joy

in the past few weeks, despite the chaos, i can look back and remember specifically 2 things that are so joyous in my world...

the first is a major milestone, one that has been a LONG TIME COMING...

oldest daughter has struggled so hard with the potty training issue. when it comes right down to it, the girl is stubborn and the only answer to the potty training issue is that she would be 'trained' when she was darn good and ready. there wasn't ANY getting around that. i worried that we may be backsliding when 3 days in a row her teacher sent home clothes needing laundered from accidents. after those 3 days, i sat with her as she got dressed in the morning, showed her the 'pretty panties' that mommy had just purchased (some may call this wasteful, i call it grasping for sanity, but i am so over trying to scrub out stains from underwear. in our house they typically get thrown out) and how mommy really wanted her to try to not have an accident, to go poop and pee in the potty, and keep her panties pretty. now, i am nowhere near arrogant enough to think that it was those words that made a difference. i was pleading with her more than anything, and as i tried to hide the desperation in my voice, i know that above anything else, SHE made a choice that day. and boy did i get to hear about it. her wonderful teacher used her cell phone to let her call and tell me "Momma! I pooped on the potty- at SCHOOL!!!!!" I rejoiced with her, congratulated her, told her daddy would take her for a special treat, and encouraged her to keep up the hard work. I thanked her teacher for helping us on this journey and for sharing our joy and making that moment special for all of us. This all took place last week on Wednesday and we have been 100% accident free since then. In fact, she isn't even wetting her pull-up at night. This morning I asked if she thought she wanted to try to wear panties at night but she said no. I definitely will not push on that. I'm just SO PROUD of her.

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My other joyous story can actually be told in pictures. I don't want to sound snobby or arrogant, but I believe that I have 2 really beautiful daughters (and I'm growing a 3rd... watch out world!)... their similar looks really strike me at times, and this time was no different. I happened to catch a shot of younger daughter smelling some mums at a local garden center and the picture I caught looked (un)surprisingly similar to another one I had caught 2 years before (of her sister)... what do you think?

younger daughter almost 2, October 2009

oldest daughter almost 2, October 2007

a stowaway

I had a suspicion as I left for St. Paul that I might be bringing along a stowaway. A little someone who decided to join me on the trip without paying for a plane ticket!!!

Turns out I was right. The prayer candles above represent the prayers that I offered at the Cathedral of St. Paul for the 4 members of my immediate family. Yes, I said 4. Yes I know... I have 2 little girls and a husband and now one little bun in the oven.

So, I'm currently exhausted and desperately trying to catch up here at work, but I'm still around. Haven't forgotten any blogging obligations, just trying to make it through the next few busy weeks. So, hang in there with me.

Unwrapping another Tuesday and a Winner!

Homemade pizza dough: $3.00

Food, drinks & parking at art's festival: $25.00

Homemade granola: $2.00

Raising my daughters: priceless.

There are some things money can't buy. For everything else, there's cash. =)

I'm thrilled and at the same time trepidacious over the idea that my 16 month old wants nothing more than to cook with mommy. Her sister definitely did not take this much interest so soon. Meanwhile, attending the art's festival was both a necessity (our roof was being put on at the time, can't imagine staying home and listening to that racket) and quite a treat. I really appreciate Emily from Chattin at the Sky for reminding us to slow down and enjoy life's little moments. Even document them. And sometimes documenting those moments means grabbing your cell phone. C'est la vie.

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Congrats to Booderbean's momma for winning the 2 throw pillows! Her number was drawn by my writing the 5 entrants numbers down on strips of paper, wadding them up, and picking one. Very official. I'll get to work on the pillows ASAP!

What we've been up to

(ck, this room should look familiar!)

the last few days have been a bit of a whirlwind. If you every check me on twitter, you noticed that I've named my mom a saint (what? I can do it. the pope told me so! ;P ) because she agreed to watch the girls for us Thursday AND Friday evening which meant:

1)we got to sleep in two mornings in a row

2)we got to go anywhere we wanted all day Friday without- changing diapers, unbuckling from carseats, choosing a restaurant based on where we knew the girls would eat something

3)going to a movie

4)staying out late

5)SHOPPING!

of course I have no pictures to show of any of that. Because when you catch yourself getting reacquainted with your husband after a month worth of working weekends (either one or both of us... blah!... but, thank goodness we have jobs!) you don't have time to stop and get new batteries for the camera... you have to relish every minute!

We saw the movie Duplicity (fantastic!), shopped (Target, Old Navy, TJ Maxx, Children's Place), ate (mmmmm PF Chang's!), talked (in the parking lot of Braum's in the car him-jr. cheeseburger, me-frozen yogurt in a cup)and relaxed (kwim?!). It was all fantastic.

Saturday morning we packed our bags, dropped some stuff off at the consignment sale, picked up the girls and headed out of town. Husband's grandparents were celbrating their 60th (yes, sixtieth. as in 50 + 10) anniversary and we were so glad to be a part of that! (even though it meant missing out on our neice's birthday party (so sorry, A!).

But, here are a few pictures of the anniversary party...

on top of all of this, I volunteered yesterday at our local JBF Consignment Sale. This is my number one favorite children's consignment sale in our area, and it is so well organized, friendly and FULL! I only had time to snap one quick shot before the sale started, but what you're seeing in this picture is JUST the floor toys. There are racks and racks and racks of clothing, plus strollers, furniture, small toys, shoes, bedding, etc. It is AMAZING! Check out one in your area soon!

Bringing the pretty

My mentor in home decor, the Nester, is doing a FANTASTIC series about simple ways to address each room in your home, helping make it more beautiful, more functional, more liveable, more you. The one on Master Bedrooms really got me thinking, especially when she followed up w/a how-to beautify your bedroom on a budget. I was a woman on a mission.

The ideas she presented spoke to me. My bedroom needs to be my sanctuary. And it doesn't all have to be about spending a ton of money, finding what's 'in style', or even having to buy a bunch of stuff.

My goal in this project was to NOT spend a ton of money (for my birthday I had been given a gift card to Hobby Lobby, a little bit of money, and my mom had purchased me some sewing supplies to go with my new sewing machine). Some projects were in the works! And really, I'm putting myself all out there for you... my bedroom was a mess. It was the dumping ground for piles of laundry, shoes all over the floor, bed unmade... frump frump frump! So cleaning up and cleaning out was going to be a major part of this project... and here's the kicker... I had 1 day to do the majority of the work. I had taken a day off and while I COULD certainly spend more time on it (more time, more money, more STUFF)... I wanted to make this easy and simple. I knew this could all be a starting point and my mantra at Hobby Lobby was: you don't have to get that now, wait and see what you REALLY want in the room...

so, I present to you the before:

...I know. Its bad. All I can say is, I'm sorry.

And the after:

ahhhh.... OK, yes its just a starting point, but seriously? SO much better than the before, right? I bought the fabric for the comforter and curtains at Hobby Lobby, along w/a solid color sheet set at Target. Because I was doing this w/o husband knowing AT ALL what I was up to, I knew I needed to err on the side of caution with my fabrics and and not do any big floral prints. I knew there would be room for added touches of femininity as time went on. I hope to provide more posts later on as I finish out with a few more details.

For more information about bringing the pretty, and to gather some inspiration for so many others who are joining the Nester's party, click the button below...

Personal disclaimer: due to the nature of my project and the horrid mess I was starting with, my personal project took more than 10 minutes.

beaut-i-ful

i just love her simple style and unique design.

in case my husband is reading this or if anyone wants to email him and clue him in, the freshwater pearl earrings would be perfect for valentines day!

http://lisaleonardonline.com/

Why I love being a mom (part one)

So, I've been debating whether or not to post many pictures of my family here, but seeing as how I've got so few people reading my blog, I think I'm safe. (Disclaimer: If anyone is a pervert and steals pictures of my family to do nasty things with, then mark my words, I will hunt you down like the scum that you are and making you lick dirty diapers until you beg for mercy!)

This is my youngest daughter. She is 4 months old. She is currently learning: to laugh a lot, to eat cereal, and to talk. When she eats, she slurps the cereal off the spoon, when she laughs... well... look at her... and when she talks she screams at the top of her lungs as if to say "I CAN VOCALIZE SO LISTEN TO ME!!!"

Its all just too darn cute! Oh, and in case you can't tell. She loves her big sister!

That's her in the next picture... isn't she gorgeous?! Those curls are all natural.

And finally, here are husband and I. Love love love him. And, have I mentioned? He just got a new job. He's leaving his position in youth ministry to go teach religion at a local private high school. This job move was very big for him, and I am just so proud of him. (Don't mind my wicked eyebrows. I plucked them this morning =)