Halloween Prep

Hailey is VERY VERY excited for this baby to come...excited in the way that she asks almost every day if it's time to go to the doctor to get the baby out! So we've made a little countdown of fun events that will happen BEFORE the baby comes.

First is Halloween...

Hailey got all dressed up for a party at school and did a few cheerleader poses for the camera before.

Paige has an equally as cute bumblebee costume that she'll hopefully wear this year (she's the mascot for Hailey's cheerleading game, and also has a set of pom-poms in order to get the crowd excited).

Then tonight we carved pumpkins! So fun and soooooo gross according to the girls. I LOVE having kids around to let me enjoy these kind of traditions. I just feel so much better carving a pumpkin when there's a kid beside me who's more excited than anything to see the finished product.

Hailey brought out her scary face to get in the mood...

If I look a little tired here...it's because I am. Do you love Paige's new smile? Arrrgh.

So next we have the actual Day of Halloween. We've already plotted out our route and plan to hit up all the scariest houses on our street. Paige has been practicing her "boooooo's" to scare every one! And both girls have got their "trick or treat's" down pat.

After Halloween, we've got a few other dates on our 'countdown' to cross off, they are:
-Christmas
-New Years
-Valentines Day
-St Patrick's Day
-and the BABY!
Did I miss any?

Maybe it's time for a weekly

I have been reading other blogs lately...stalking a LOT actually (that's what happens when your library membership expires and you're too lazy to renew it). Without books to spend my time on I've had to read blogs...and because of that, I have decided that I like the idea of a weekly column - or whatever you call it. Anyway, I've been trying to think of some sort of subject I could use as a 'weekly' and I think I figured it out. My 'weekly' will be called:

"I never thought..."

The life of a mom is often so hilariously sad that I thought it would be helpful to share some of the daily battles I fight. So here are this weeks battles:

-I never thought I'd get in a heated debate with my 4 year old about Vaccines. Really? Since when did I even have that strong of an opinion? And why was I even arguing it with my 4 year old...who's all caught up on her vaccines for years to come.

-I never thought I'd get pantsed (i.e. pants pulled down) at the grocery store by my two year old? Really? I guess that's what I get for wearing maternity jeans that are a few sizes too big...but they're soooo comfortable!

-I never thought I'd bribe my two year old to go potty in exchange for getting her soother? Really? Shouldn't I be working on taking it away?

-I never thought I'd give my kids fake medicine to keep them quite. Really? Who does that? A little juice in the medicine syringe works every time....hehehe I'm evil

*and finally for this week*

-I never thought my two year old would be so good at putting on her own makeup...every single DAY!!

So that's it this week...I'll have more to share next Friday.

Update

On me only...

I was the BEST at recording my pregnancy with Hailey, and the WORST at recording it with Paige. I really do cherish the pictures I took of myself with Hailey and I wish I'd done better with Paige, so this time around I've decided to take more belly pics. It's fun to look back and see if I'm bigger or smaller then I was in the past.

So here I am in my 17 week glory!
I'm feeling good...but still very tired!

I haven't felt any baby kicks yet (anterior placenta to blame for this)

I stopped my 'Insanity workout' a couple weeks ago because it was too much for me. I still try to ride to exercise bike 3-4 times a week. I remember with Paige's pregnancy that if I kept moving I felt a TON better. So that's my goal this time again.

I'm still morning sickness free! Sort of. I get nauseous here and there, but NOTHING like my other pregnancies.

We're going to find out what we're having on Halloween day (if the baby cooperates)

Hailey loves thinking up names for the baby (Princess, Raggedy Ann, Strawberry Fruitcake etc.)

Paige loves kissing my tummy and talking to the baby

Ben still hasn't quite accepted that another baby is on it's way.

Besides that we're just really busy around here with Ben working a LOT, School for Hailey, Super Saturday business for church, Teaching Piano, etc. I'm feeling a bit worn out...but this is the life I signed up for, so I'll gladly play along.

Why Yes...I did have a Birthday!

Thanks for asking:)

So this year my Birthday sort of crept up on us...like it always does. Somehow life gets so busy in September that the early October Birthday's get forgotten. I'm not complaining....really. But it's true, it's also a little frustrating when your Birthday falls just days before Thanksgiving. Not as many people are excited about celebrating it with all the other exciting things going on. But this is my Birthday and I LOVE IT...plus I truly believe some of the best people are born in October:)

Anyway, Ben just so happened to work late on my Birthday, I just so happened to pick up 4 new piano students for the evening of my Birthday, and we just so happened to be broke. YAY Birthday! I did have a great day though, I took the girls to Walmart and closed my eyes as they each picked out two things to buy me...then I closed my eyes as I paid for them. I spent the day doing laundry (which sounds lame, but when you've been without a washer for over a week, and you finally got a new one the day before your Birthday...nothing is more exciting then 10 loads of laundry. Which clearly makes me a mom). Anyway, it really was a good day...just so normal and lovely. Lauren babysat my kids for me while I taught Piano (and so kindly helped them wrap their presents for me) and my good friend Lahni made me a brownie (with a candle) to snack on before piano lessons. With good friends and family, and a wonderfully normal everyday life, I honestly couldn't have asked for more.

When Ben got home LATER that night we had a quick little party.

Ben was sooooo excited!

I was very surprised with the nail polish the girls bought me

I had to read the fine print on the mascara Hailey picked out...it looked kind of interesting

And I helped the girls put on the 'lipstick' they bought me

Then the camera died...therefore no pictures of the fabulous cake (which I made). It was delish!

To really celebrate my Birthday Ben and I went out for Vietnamese and a movie on the weekend. It was fun. So we did make up for the kind of normal and boring Birthday I had. But like I said...I really was happy with the way the day unfolded.