Our New Year's Eve... IN!

Since the kids had been sick for quite a few days but seemed to be feeling better today we decided to just stay in and not have anyone over (we didn't want to infect anyone!).  We did invite Doe over... since she had already been exposed to them and was with them yesterday.  She came over we had spinach florentine stuffed shells for dinner... quite a surprise for Greg.  We also had some different dips in my new double dipper crock pot.  Jacob & Grace had fun cooking with us.  

Doe brought over party hats and horns and although NONE of us made it to see the new year we had fun none-the-less! Jacob & Grace played and modeled their new year gear for many pictures. Jacob stayed up a little later tonight (9:15) but then basically asked to go to bed.  

HAPPY NEW YEAR! We are so excited to meet our baby girl this NEW YEAR!! 

Quick Update & 19 Week Doctor's Visit!

Well as of today I think we are FINALLY on the mend.  Both kids were so out of it, clingy, whiny, and tired yesterday yet no one slept.  It was horrible! Jacob started to complain that his mouth hurt so we thought we should take them in.  I was suppose to scrapbook so Greg took them to the night owl (no appointments were available during the day but the time we called).  So... he took them in.  By this time they were down to low grade fevers... Dr. Kalo thought she saw something in the back of Jacob's throat so they did a strep test.  The five minute one came back negative but they are going to send it out just to be sure.  Bottom line... they think it is just a virus! I just knew it! I should have listened to my gut! We were really nervous because the night prior was horrible. One of them was up every hour or so... we ended up with a puppy pile in our bed by morning!

They had taken about 6 naps during the course of the next day, each amounting to no more than an hour. So I really thought the next night would be bad, it wasn't as bad so that was GREAT!

Today they seem to be feeling much better... they slept till 9, had baths & I got their bedding all washed.  I always feel better when I take a shower and get cleaned up a little after being sick, so I thought it might help them too!

Yesterday while we were lounging around I decided to paint my toenails... Grace kept saying "Mommy, ME!" so I did hers too! So cute... in our red nails! Jacob wanted his done too... but I told him Daddy wouldn't appreciate it!

So back to my doctor's appointment! Yesterday I met with Dr. Perry.  When I got there the nurse did all the usual vitals... and guess what... my blood pressure was a little high! Go figure. I told her I had two sick kids and she said it was probably from that, yeah... I'd say so! I haven't gained any weight since my last appointment so I'm still down.

When Dr. Perry came in we talked about my ultrasound (He said it all looked great! They didn't notice the cyst, so that means it is either gone or just hidden by my ever-growing uterus!) I'm measuring within a normal range and although it took a long, long time (it always does with this baby!) he was able to hear a strong heartbeat.  This baby has been totally uncooperative with getting the heartbeat at the doctor's office.  Dr. Perry was about to hook me up to the monitor when we "caught" her! Dr. Perry and I also discussed my induction.  He said... IF... I make it to May 15th (39 Weeks) I will be induced for sure.  He said with my history of high blood pressure and extremely fast labor and deliveries he finds it crucial to delivery at 39 weeks.  He again mentioned potentially not making it to the hospital in time and delivering in the car... YIKES! Dr. Perry said there is no medical reason to keep the baby inside after 39 weeks, so it looks like Doe will get her wish and we won't be having the baby at the cottage! (We always go up north for Memorial Day weekend!) Who knows maybe I won't even make it till the 15th... the doc didn't sound very confident in it... all I want is FAST like I'm use to! Before I left I had my thyroid checked and as long as its fine I won't go back for another 4 weeks. :) 

Still boiling...

Day two of fevers... Jacob peaked at 103.2 this morning, Grace is low grade at about 100.1.  Both kids are just lying around watching movies UNTIL their motrin/tylenol kicks in then they are rearing and ready to go.  I'm having a hard time finding anything really wrong with them.  This morning I asked Jacob what hurt and he said his knee.  Then I proceeded to say.... does your ear hurt... yes... does your eye hurt... yes... does your lip hurt... yes... does your throat hurt... yes.... does your toe hurt... yes... well you get the picture! 

I'm just trying to keep watching them and keep them comfortable. 

Day 2 of jammies & movies! 

As a quick update... both kids are still running temps and its now bedtime.  Grace has reached 101.9 and Jacob was up to 103.5.  Still just waiting it out.  Once they have their medicine (tylenol or motrin) they really are fine.  So... like the doctor said with no real symptoms we are just staying put.  

Painting...

Well tonight Daddy & Pa got the first coat of the light blue on Jacob's walls.  We are doing 3 walls in a light blue and one wall in a darker blue.  So far it looks really nice and I cannot wait to see the finished product! Jacob is getting more and more excited about this transition and cannot wait for his big boy bed to come!

Today Jacob also had a fever... it got up to 102.8 at one point.  He was very tired and laid on the couch most of the day but other than that he had no other symptoms.  I called the doctor and they said to just wait it out, and that the fever is good since it means his body is fighting off the infection.  I've been giving him the motrin so hopefully he'll be better by tomorrow.

Both of them were so tired tonight that Jacob feel asleep on the couch and Grace fell asleep on me while we were watching Planet Earth.  

Greg & I have been making our way through the holiday rubble... trying to organize and sort the new toys and pack away some old things.  The lower level is shaping up we just need to figure out the right tool to organize all of our medium sized toys.  The very big and very small aren't a problem... its the little people farm, the doctor's kit, and countless balls!  UGH... any ideas would be greatly appreciated. 

I'm surprised at how many people are voting for our baby girl's name.... I will tell you that the name I like is getting quite a few votes! :)  

I'm off all week, and so looking forward to being with the kids.  We are going to be very busy running errands and such... but I'm glad I won't have to leave them!! :)

Ho, Ho, Ho!!

Whew... it has been a busy couple of days.  After our ultrasound on Christmas Eve we went to Tete's for our annual Morang get together.  It was so much fun.  The food was DEEEE-licious and the kids had a great time playing with Casper, eating, opening gifts, and soaking in the holidays with family. By the time we got home and got things all ready to go for Christmas we were exhausted... I laid in bed and our baby girl (number 3) wouldn't stop moving.  I felt her for quite a while that night! It was the first time, and it was so awesome that it was the night before CHRISTMAS!

Christmas morning was a whirlwind.  Jacob got up about 7 and we kept him at bay in our room until 8 when Grace woke up.  When they finally went down Jacob was so excited!! He looked at the carrots the reindeer ate and was in amazement.  Grace wasn't too phased... all she wanted was a waffle! Silly girl... she has a one track mind... FOOD!  The kids opened their gifts (so did Greg & I) and Jacob was thrilled to see his car carrier.  Of course we had the "Let's open this... as we unwrapped each gift).  I too wanted to open mine... my 15.6 inch LCD HDTV and Digital Picture Frame all in one!  I think the real reason I got it is because it has a digital recipe thing on it too!! :)  

After our gifts we packed up and headed to the Kohl's.  We let Jacob take his car carrier because he was sooooooo excited about it! (And yes... he did ask where Doe's garbage can was! He realized it wasn't there right away!) We had cinnamon rolls and opened many more gifts there!  Then we had lunch and headed to Doe's.

At Doe's Tete, Gigi and Uncle & Aunt Cathy joined us as we had dinner and opened yet MORE gifts.  Needless to say our car was full and we didn't even have room after our first stop at the Kohl's! We are going to be spending the weekend sorting, organizing and putting things together!

We never got out of our jammies that day (well Greg & I did!).  It was a nice relaxing day... Jacob was so cute.  He really loved opening gifts, helping pass them out and then begging to open things up.  His excitement really shined this year.  Grace on the other hand wasn't very into it.  She opened her baby at our house and never got past it.  Then at the Kohl's all she wanted to do was play with the kitchen! At Doe's she slept through most of it! 

The hardest part of the holiday was not having my Dad around with us... it really put a downer on the whole holiday.  I have many more holidays but they will all be without him... I kept thinking about how he would have been laughing at Jacob and talking about how cute him & Grace are.  He loved them... they could do NO wrong in his eyes.  I thought about how Jacob would have been his little buddy and Grace would be his princess.  He would have gotten a kick out of Grace wearing Jacob's boots and Uncle's hat.  They really remind me of Tim & I... we always adored each other.  Like ANY and EVERY brother and sister we had our moments... as do they. But at the end of the day... we were good kids, that truly loved each other.  

On a side note I did also get a gift certificate for an 4-d ultrasound, which I'm so excited about. Although I won't be going for a couple months... I cannot wait to share it all with you! 

Pink or Blue???

Today we had our anatomy ultrasound... we took a lot of special guests (Jacob, Grace, Doe, Pa, Tete & Aunt Cathy!) When we got there she asked if only myself & Greg would come in for the serious part and everyone else could come in after the measurements for the fun stuff. We, of course, agreed!

When Greg & I first went in they checked over all of the baby's organs... brain, kidneys, heart as well as structural things (arms, legs, head, stomach size, umbilical cord, placenta) and MY ovaries and uterus. Everything checked out great with the baby (as far as what she has told us, but we know they don't always tell you everything!). The baby weighs about 9 oz currently, which is right on track!! (And right around what both Jacob & Grace weighed). The tech was telling/showing us that the baby had its head right in my placenta and at first it was very hard to get a good shot of the profile, the baby just wouldn't move no matter how much pushing the tech did! She also said it didn't look good as far as finding out the gender since the baby had it's legs "locked" together. Once we had all of our important measurements she sent me on a walk and to do some stairs and then we were to come back with everyone else.

I went and walked very fast then did 4 flights of stairs 3 times... at that point I was totally out of breath! Then we got the rest of our guests and headed back in! (By this point I was feeling more like it might be a girl since we had the exact issue with Grace!). We did a little more poking and looked at some fun stuff with the rest of the crew. They had a really cool shot of baby's arm & leg's. Still nothing!! So then it was off to the bathroom and a couple of jumping jacks... when I came back in we tried again. By this time I had almost lost hope of finding out! When... baby GIRL Kohl gave us a peek! Yup, another girl!! I was totally surprised!!

In all the poking and pushing I also did feel the baby move a tiny bit... which was so awesome! It's one thing to feel movement but to see it as you are feeling it is the BEST!!

The best part was seeing Jacob see the baby on the screen and he just watched so patiently. He kept saying he wanted a sister until they said it was a girl... then he wanted a brother! Grace just watched me and kept saying "Mommy" in her worried little voice.

After the ultrasound the gang met up with Mimi & Bubba at Red Robin for some lunch. It was such a nice day... I missed out on my usual shopping trip but I'll make it up soon! (I always go and get an outfit after finding out but because it was Christmas Eve and we had plans I had to skip out on that!!)

I'm so happy that Grace will have a sister... that is something I've always wanted. Yet, I do feel a little sad for Jacob knowing he won't have a brother. Another plus is our clothes for number 3 will be perfect since Grace & this little girl will have been born in the same season!

Here are a couple of pictures from our ultrasound. I tried to upload them the best that I can... my tech man isn't here!! Hope you can see them! ENJOY!

Don't miss out on the new poll... we think we have her name but want to be REALLY sure!! :)

Left: Baby's Feet / Right: Looking Right At You!

The 4 Profile Shots (Top Left is the best... the other 3 were taken when the baby had her head nestled in the placenta.

Update On Sad Day...

So it got worse when we got home today... at bedtime Jacob cried hysterically (leading Mommy to start too... and Grace to start with her barrage of hugs, as she hates when anyone cries) that his "froggies" are gone!! We kept trying to tell him he was going to have a big boy room (however not giving away the theme that Santa will bring!).  He was just not going for it! Hopefully it was just him being tired, and he'll feel better about it all tomorrow... I SURE hope so! 

Sad Day...

On Sunday's we usually venture off to see Gigi but due to the inclement weather we decided to stay home... only until I remembered I had asked Greg to take down the border in Jacob's nursery to prepare for the "transition". We are currently working on getting him new furniture, Santa is suppose to bring the bedding, and we have to paint all in the next month. We are working hard to get this done before Jacob realizes he is losing his crib and "baby items" to someone new. (He really has not been told yet about number 3). Poor number 3 will be bunking with Mom & Dad until the market turns around we gain another residence. So since my "little" boy is already 3 we figured we better move him before he felt like he was being moved for someone else. I know it is time for him and he will LOVE his new room, but it was so sad to think of all the work and love we put into his room... not to mention the countless memories and hours of new parenthood and love that were shared in that nursery. Ok... now its official I'm a mess!

I know the room and memories are still there I just get a little sentimental thinking about how quickly Jacob is growing up. Only three years he spent in that room with those things... now its onto more "big boyish" things and problems.

I hope this project wraps up quickly... I think the part that makes it hardest is that instead of just moving him we have to take down what we have already done. I wish we could have just moved him and put the new baby in there. I think that would have made it easier... now we just have to paint and put together and Jacob will have his new room. I'm sure that excitment in him will make me feel better about all of this!

Christmas Party & More!!

Tonight we went to the Dillon Christmas Party... it sure was fun! The kids had a blast playing and eating (their diet that night consisted of rolls, cookies, and juice!). The highlight was the countless games of ring around the rosey!

After the party Tete, Doe & I had a wrapping party... we got it all done! YEAH!!

On a side note that I hate to even mention I've been feeling really good lately. Hopefully I'm on the upward slope. This isn't to say I haven't been dry heaving, because I have, but not throwing up as much is a total plus! I am still down 15 but I think that is about to change and FAST!

I'm so excited for my ultrasound on Wednesday (3 more days!). I'm still going back and forth in my head about finding out the gender. Although I know when push comes to shove I'll certainly cave. (I've ALWAYS been a peeker!!) I can't quite wrap my head around the issue that all my friends tell me is the best part about not finding out... their only pro is the so called "surprise". I've been working on this one in my head and it doesn't make sense... why will I not be surprised on Wednesday?? The poll shows only 6 say I should wait... why wait that extra 4 months for the same surprise... help me out? Am I missing something?!?!?!??!

Oh and since the poll is now closed... I'll tell you my gender hunch. I really think boy (although I've been wrong twice before). For some reason, even growing up, I have always thought of myself with 2 boys and a girl... the girl in the middle. I can totally imagine Grace being the only girl, and COMPLETELY loving it. I have always liked the 2 boy/1 girl families. I think the siblings seem to mesh as the boys are much more welcoming and inviting than the girls seem to be to the boy when its reverse. This is not to say that I wouldn't love having a girl again... I would be totally happy with either. I think each of my children have brought me equal joy and I think they both are in my life for their own reason. I'm just giving a background of my thoughts so you know why I think it is a boy! I don't really have any of the same cravings (actually TOTALLY different and way stronger this time). I am sick like I was with Grace, alot of dry heaves, but feeling better sooner. I feel like I'm carrying up high... like with Jacob. Boy name is still on the fence, girl name has been almost 99% decided. And the heartrate has been high (it was with both kids!). The chinese gender chart says boy. The fact that the season is different and none of Jacob's clothes will work... but for a girl it would... leads me to believe boy. AND lastly... Doe (my Mom) says boy and I think she might be in for a lucky streak so I'm going with BOY!! Only time will tell, and like I said... I'm excited and happy for whatever the outcome!

SNOW DAY!!!

Today Jacob, Grace, Baby Kohl & I had a nice snow day!! We got up super early for some unknown reason and watched the wiggles and had our breakfast.... when Jacob started bugging me to go outside, it didn't take long before Grace too was chanting "OUTSIDE!".  I finally caved and took them out (when the sun was kind of out) and we shoveled, attempted to make a snowman (not packing snow), caught snowflakes on our tongues, fell in the snow a few times (well the kids did), I pulled them in the sled, and they had an all around good time.  We even heard thunder!

After our stint outside we headed in to warm up and play a little inside... after lunch the kids laid down at 1:15 and didn't get up till 5! I guess being outside really wiped them out.  

By this time Daddy was attempting to get into the driveway so we went out again and the kids helped shovel and played in their cottage.  (Grace has an issue with taking her mittens off, I think its because they hamper her style!).  By the time we got in everyone was hungry so we made dinner then had baths then it was back to bed! 

What a nice day off... just wish I could have gotten some shopping done today! :)

FUN This Week!

On Monday we got to make cookies with Doe & Tete! Jacob had fun and loved doing it, Grace loved eating them! 

On Tuesday we started our "Elf on a Shelf" tradition... Jacob was amazed the next morning when the elf was sitting on the drum set.  He said perhaps he was playing Rock Band 2. I would really recommend this tradition, I'd love to do it in my classroom too, it was alot of fun to read and I think the kids really love it! 

On Wednesday we went shopping with Doe (Daddy's Basketball night)... exploring the new "Buy, Buy, Baby" store and Costco! 

Thursday we made cookies at Doe's (Daddy's second night of B-ball!) and then headed out to see Sophie.  Jacob & Grace had so much fun entertaining her while her Mommy & Daddy were out.  Sophie licked them all up and played so hard with them, they all had a great time!

Can't wait to see what the rest of the week will bring! 

Jacob's School Christmas Party!

I took off the day (and I was so glad I did!) to attend Jacob's school Christmas party.  Jacob was so excited for me to take him to school, he just couldn't believe I was actually going to do it! When we got there he whimpered a little, but I told him he couldn't cry or I couldn't come back to the party, he quickly stopped.  Sister & I left and promised to be back for the party!

When we came back Grace encountered Santa in the hallway and quickly jumped into my arms. She even almost sneered at his candy cane! We went into the party and got to hear "Jingle Bells" & "We Wish You A Merry Christmas".  Jacob did a good job singing although made a pouty face in between smirks. (It was like he was a little embarrassed!)  After the performance we (well Jacob) enjoyed cookies made by the kids. Before eating the kids washed their hands, Jacob waited so patiently in line as so many children cut right in front of him! I didn't think anything of what he was doing, but was amazed that so many parents would let their child do that... even at 3.  Each child made three cookies to share with their family but we let Jacob have them.  They were covered in green sprinkles!! Jacob & Grace ate their cookies and then headed back to play!  Jacob again sat at a table full of girls! When it was time to go Jacob actually said he didn't want to leave, he wanted to stay and play!!!

Mrs. White & I talked for quite a while during the party.  She mentioned that Jacob talks about me constantly... which did make me a little sad.  She said he has come a long way but still prefers watching what her & Mrs. Lee are doing as opposed to playing with the other children (no big surprise, he his totally into adults over children!).  She also mentioned that she tries to encourage him to play with the others.  (I am fully aware of kids like this, each year I have one or two that would prefer talking with me over recess.  I almost always feel that they are more mature than their playmates... so I wondered if she thought the same thing).  Mrs. White said he is a very big observer and takes it all in.  Mrs. Lee said she expects Jacob to come around in March! :)  At least she has hopes for him!! When we left Mrs. Lee gave Jacob a huge hug & kiss & he also got a hug from Mrs. White. 

I took lots of pictures & Doe took tons of video (but I don't think I can get the video on here with her camera).  Pictures soon!

Once again we had a hard time fighting away the comments on his adorable coat and hat!  

Greg's Boy...

Tonight Greg was sharing with me how everyone at his work was raving about Jacob! Apparently his hat & coat were the hit of the party yesterday!! One guy had to pick up Jacob's picture with Santa and he said he was easy to find in his dapper little outfit!  His new gray pea coat and golfer's patchwork hat have been continuously raved about since he got them... one of my best purchases, if I do say so myself! 

Speaking of yesterday, as we were walking around we couldn't go anywhere with someone mentioning him, his coat or his hat! Everyone just raved about it... nothing new since last year we had the same experience with his coat and hat!  

One older woman that works there said it's just a shame more parents' don't teach their children how to dress nicely and expect that from them.... we don't expect it from him, he just really enjoys doing it! Not to mention Mommy loves dressing her little guy up! :) 

Frosty Fun Fest & Free Eats!!

Whew.... that was alot of "F's"!! Today Greg & I took Jacob to Greg's work party for children called the "Frosty Fun Fest".  (It was during nap time and with Free Eats that same night we thought it might be too much for Grace... and it would have been a little "old" for her.)  Jacob got to get his picture taken with Santa (Santa said Jacob was very distinguished in his hat & coat... he left it on even for the pictures), see reindeer, see sled dogs, make five different crafts (a snowman gift bag, a penguin clay pot santa, a snowflake beaded bracelet, reindeer antlers, and a picture frame!) and have a cookie with lots of sprinkles!! He had an awesome time... he really enjoyed the crafts but he said he had the most fun seeing the horses (they had horse drawn carriage rides but it was a little cold for that, so we opted out!).  

Tonight we had our Christmas Free Eats... the kids got so many nice things.  Jacob was so excited about presents... he wanted to unwrap everyone's!  I cannot wait to see his face on Christmas Day! Grace was more into wandering around and occasionally opening gifts... she is just too funny!  

Catching the Holiday Spirit!

Today we were definitely in the holiday spirit!! We started out the day with some holiday shopping... we are almost finished! Just a couple of people to get some gift cards for and we should be done! :)  YEAH!

I decided to start some wrapping during nap... Jacob and Grace were wiped from the big trip so not only did I get my laundry done but I also got most of my wrapping done before Jacob got up. Jacob got up and decided to help me out (we had another hour before Grace woke up at 5 pm... and she went to bed at 1:30!)... well after a ton of tape and not just one label per package (in most cases two, but really special ones got three, lol!) we were finished.  Well I was, but Jacob was like the energizer bunny and wanted to keep going!

I lured him into the next activity on our agenda for the day... GINGERBREAD HOUSES!  He was so excited to do this since we bought the kit the day after Thanksgiving!  It was quite the project... Greg and I were head to toe icing and Grace and Jacob decided to eat more of the candy than we put on the house (only later did Greg ask if it was truly edible!!).  Jacob was so into it... he didn't even notice the side wall collapsing! I asked Jacob if he had a good time, and he said he did... totally worth it (and in it I remembered I need a new hand mixer!) We have pictures, we'll get up soon. Greg is behind in our picture posts... he has been super busy and we just haven't a chance to get to it... but SOON! 

Speaking of spirit... Grace has been so funny lately.  The last time we came back from up north she had started saying "YOU" usually with a finger point involved! The way she says it is so cute.... we thought she was just saying it to say it, but lately if you say I love you to her.... she replies back with a big ol' YYYYYOOOOOOOOUUUUUUU.... like a hell yeah! It is so adorable! Another sign of spirit is from Jacob this morning... I was telling him I wanted a sister.  I said can Grace be my sister (he almost always calls Grace "Sister" now)... he said I'll get a sister for Christmas, interesting!

One more cute holiday story... today when we were at Nordstrom, Jacob was finding every toy they had.  I just kept saying my line "You'll have to ask Santa for that." At one point Jacob said "I Did Mom!" So I replied... "What did he say?" Jacob says, "I can have it!" Too smart for his own good. 

Only 11 days until our ultrasound.  Still no weight gain... still losing.  Down 15 lbs.  

Santa & The Polar Express

Today we had a busy day... in preparation for the holiday! On our way to Gigi's we stopped by Weigand's to see Santa.  Grace, of course, hated it! As soon as Santa came out she became stuck to Mommy like glue... only speaking to Santa as he offered her a sucker... then off she ran.  Jacob really surprised us.  Not only did he like Elvin the Elf, he warmed up really quickly to Santa.  He went up to him and when Santa asked him what he wanted he quickly replied a "Car Carrier". Then Santa asked him what else, to which he replied... a GARBAGE CAN!  I couldn't help but chuckle.  I couldn't figure out what he was thinking!  After Santa we enjoyed our suckers and watched the other kids.  I asked Jacob about his garbage can... he said he needed a green one for Doe! How sweet!! I guess he thinks since she puts her garbage out in bags she needs something like that!  Let me tell you Santa has his hands full just in looking at the line... some parent's/guardian's really let their children do WHATEVER they want... it is so obnoxious.  I'm really glad that my children do not do that, they really are well behaved.

After Santa we went to visit Gigi for the afternoon... our typical Sunday's!  Then Jacob & I dropped Doe & Grace off at Doe's and we headed to Red Robin to meet Daddy, Andy, Andrea, and Conrad.  We had a nice dinner... and then off we went to the POLAR EXPRESS!  Jacob & Conrad got their jammies on while enjoying the wiggles in the back of Conrad's van.  It was so super cold out that night, but we did fine!  We are TOUGH!! :)  We went through the "candy corn" arches (Jacob has been calling candy canes... candy corns!) and then grabbed our hot chocolate, cookies, and goody bags (conductor hat, song book) and boarded the train.  Once on board the boys really were mesmerized by the whole situation.... the train all decorated with Christmas lights, the children, and even a conductor!  We heard songs, listened to Rudolph read polar express, saw Rudolph, Frosty & SANTA! Santa even gave everyone a silver bell!  We took lots of pictures and videos, it really was a nice time! After the train ride we got a train whistle and off we went.  I think both the boys had a nice time... it was especially nice for us to spend a night with Jacob.  It's very special to have that one-on-one time with them doing something that they enjoy.  Jacob talked about the train ride the whole next day, you could tell he really was captivated by the whole experience!  We can't wait for next year! 

Daddy's 30th Birthday!

Tonight we celebrated with Daddy in honor of his 30th birthday!! Mommy had a surprise party for him and we had so much fun!! After the party we headed back to Doe's and were so tired we slept till 10 am the next morning!

Grace Is 20 Months Old...

Grace has added alot more words this month including some important family members... Pa, Mimi, Bubba, Con (Conrad).  She also has started saying other words like tree, money, pizza, fruit, and sooooo many more.  

She also knows many of her colors, especially the basics... tonight when she was getting her jammies on she kept saying "pink".  

She can identify and name most of her body parts as well as other people's.  She is constantly pointing to my nose and eyes... and saying nose/eyes.

Grace has continued to be a super eater... she will really try anything.  She loves pizza, pasta, fruit, cheese, bars, and anything sweet! 

The WIGGLES are the hottest thing in the household.  Both Jacob & Grace are really into the songs and dances that the wiggles sing and will dance around as soon as they hear them!! Grace loves her babies and is such a little mother hen.  She always is wanting to help out with babies... getting them burp cloths, buh's, WHATEVER!  She has also started to want to sleep with her little baby (although I say its a little hard and plastic like to sleep with, she just loves it!).  

We are still having clothing issues... 12-18 month clothes fit perfectly.  Everything else is still too big.  Shoes are going at a 6 (although we need to get remeasured as some shoes she has seem a little small) and hats are about a size 12-24 months.  She is still our little peanut! 

Although Grace started out as a big time Daddy's girl, lately she can't get enough of Mommy! She is so sweet and I never mind cuddling up with her (which is a definite favorite thing of hers).

She is a super sleeper... she has come a long way in that department.  Today she slept in till 1o am.... and went to bed at 9! Then she proceeded to take a 2 hour afternoon nap.  What a girl! 

Our Little Elves!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Doctor's Visit For Baby!

Today baby Kohl & I were checked out by Dr. Mikula. My vitals all checked out perfectly!! I did lose about 14 lbs so far... but they aren't too worried about it. I had my thyroid checked, and the results should be back tomorrow (they check it monthly). We had quite the time hearing the baby's heartrate... but it ended up being 156 bpm. The baby was ALL over the place... and the first doppler's battery started to go so were were joking that I either had a CB in my belly or my lunch was very out of control. After about 5 minutes we got a good read on the little heartbeat.
Dr. Mikula wrote out my script for my ultrasound which is again on the 24th. She also told me to make my own decision about finding out.. and not to listen to anyone else! :)
My next appointment is on 12.30.08.

Yikes...

So after I talked about my BIG OLE' BELLY I decided to look through some pictures of my previous pregnancies... yeah... I'm scared.  

34 Weeks With Jacob (Last Known Belly Shot)...

31 Weeks With Grace (I got a little lazy and missed another week until 39 Weeks, were I was larger)...

I wish I could do a side by side by side... to really show how close they all are, but this will have to do. I don't know the reason why this belly is getting so big so fast, but its a little scary to me!

Missing Turkey...

Have you seen it???

No seriously... this is a picture of our little turkey at 15 weeks. This morning all of a sudden I'm having a hard time "sucking it in" (Mom's you know what I mean!!). Doe said maybe I swallowed a turkey... hmmmmmm. I am a bit frightened since I swear I looked like this at 36 weeks with Jacob!

Giving THANKS...

Today after a busy morning of decorating our tree and giving baths we headed over to the Kohl's. Jacob got to help in decorating the tree (the bottom half, putting 6-8 ornaments per branch!) and doing and re-doing the advent calendar!  We had a nice dinner (Grace's outfit reflected how much she loved Bet's jello!) and then headed to Doe's.  Tete was already there.  We had declared a PAJAMA thanksgiving.  Grace changed but my boy wanted to stay "handsome" as he called it.  He just loves being dressed up.  We ate our dinner and relaxed... it was very small but I was thankful nonetheless for having both my Mom & Aunt there to share it with my family.  For dessert Gigi, Aunt Caffy and Cuncle Tim came over.  We had pie, brownies and cake and watched the video from Tim & Cathy's wedding.  At the end of the night when we discussed what was going to happen tomorrow... lots going on... Doe offered to have us spend the night.  I was going to but then I remembered I wouldn't have a car when Greg left.  So instead of me driving him home and then all the way back Doe offered to keep the kids for the night... so nice as this doesn't happen everyday!  

While we were at Doe's Jacob was on the potty and I told him I am so thankful for him... he said I'm thankful for you Mom.  I am so thankful to be a Mom, but more importantly their Mom.  I cannot imagine loving any two kids more.  I am blessed to have a wonderful husband who helps out and is a terrific, loving father.   I have a supportive loving family, a great group of friends, and a job that I couldn't love more!  BUT at the end of the day the thing that keeps me going is my family.... they do mean the world to me.   AND I'm so very, very thankful to have them in my life. I would have never imagined motherhood would be so wonderful... I cannot wait to do it a third time.  I know pregnancy isn't always the best for me, but I do think it is such a miracle and love going through it each time.  Each time is so different.  I cannot describe the different yet similar feelings that you have each time... I feel blessed to be able to do it three times! Thanks to all those whom we've spent our day with, we are thankful for each and every one of you.... and feel so thankful that you are in our lives.  

In Jacob's words... Gobble, Gobble, Gobble!! HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Mommy's Day Off = Sick Kid

Well this morning Grace woke up super early and I knew something was up as soon as I held her. She was so warm and had that fever feel (you mom's know what I mean).  I took her temperature 101.4 and she didn't eat ALL morning long.  As a matter of fact she wanted her "buh" (pacifier) so I gave it to her and she feel asleep on my shoulder.  She was in my lap or arms the entire day. Around 11 I talked with Tete and she said I should probably take her in... I didn't know what to do since she is still on antibiotics for her ear infection she had last Thursday.  I called the office but they were already at lunch by the time I got around to it.  (I had an excited boy talking his head off about the decorations we put up the night before).  When I got ahold of the office they said they were booked the entire afternoon but they would have a nurse call me back.  When the nurse called back she said it was "a bit alarming" since she is on zithromax (a stronger antibiotic than penicillin since she is allergic to penicillin).  At that point I wasn't sure if it was still her ears or perhaps an urinary/bladder infection. They said to bring her in to the night owl... thank god for the night owl!  I left her take her nap, then after nap she woke up and seemed to be a little better.  Less clingy and she ate a piece of pizza and a yogurt.  I took her temp again... 100.1 so I decided I better just take her in rather than worry about it all day on Thursday when I knew they'd be closed.  We went and it was quite an ordeal.  They decided to do a urine collection (those of you who have done this with a girl know it is oh so much fun!), then a CBC (blood work) and since when they checked her ears they had a hard time seeing in AGAIN they decided to give her an ear wash.  Sounds easy right... NO.  Dr. Mac checked the rest of her out and everything looked ok.  Then came the ear wash... it lasted forever and Grace SCREAMED the entire time.  The nurse did warn me that it is very traumatic and that is why they were going to do it first... lovely.  After that we had the blood draw, more fun.  During all this she did pee but most of it ended up in the diaper and not the bag.  They did get enough to test it and both the urine and blood came back clear.  Her ears were rechecked after the wash and they were fine so Dr. Mac dropped the "V" word... yup virus.  Oh well at least we know and the best part is she seems to be doing better already.  

The Name Game...

We have been playing the name game... BIG time!  Our problem is we keep throwing out the names that we had from the last two times around.  Not that there is anything wrong with any of them, but like I keep telling Greg lets think up some "fresh" ideas this time too.  So we can make sure we really like what we have or perhaps find something we like better.  We have done some narrowing down ALOT but would love new ideas.... so here's where you come in.  Post a comment to this message with a "fresh" name for us to consider.  :)  You may remain anonymous.  ;)

Baby Kohl needs your help! 

Caseville For The Weekend!

Doe, Greg, the kids & I had an awesome weekend in Caseville.  On Friday afternoon after I got out of work Doe & I took the kids and headed up.  We stopped in Bad Axe for a few necessities at Walmart (where we had a funny incident with the kids... they would say HI non-stop to shoppers and as soon as the shoppers said Hi back they would say NO and turn up their lips and noses... I was SO embarrassed!) and then went to eat dinner at Jakey's favorite Bad Axe stop "The Big Boy" (don't know why but he loves it there!).  After our errands we headed to the cottage and arrived about 6.  The kids were wiped from the long afternoon but so excited to be there.  Daddy got up there about 8:15, just in time to watch us blow up Jacob's "Big BOY Bed"... good thing because as soon as we blew it up Jacob wanted to go to bed, he was just so excited to be in it and sleep in it.  It is only a blow up mattress designed for kids that has sesame street characters on the attached blanket area.  (The next day it did double as a boat for him and Grace!).  On Saturday we got up... yes Jacob slept all night 8:20-7:30... and had breakfast and then bundled the kids (snowpants, gloves, hats, and coats) so we could go rake and play in the leaves.  The piles were so high it was a blast for them. They even liked watching Daddy get on the roof to blow out the eaves.  After the leaves they played with the chalk for a bit before heading in for hot chocolate and lunch (where Mommy almost blew up the cottage because I had not lit the burner and was leaking natural gas into the house from the gas stove, whoops).  During nap Doe & I went to town. After nap Doe & Jacob headed back out to wrap up the jobs and watch the sunset.  That evening Uncle Tim came up to hunt and we all had a nice big dinner.  We had such a big day the kids went to bed super early and so did the adults... we were all asleep by 9:30!  Sunday morning we woke up (really early for Jacob and I, not so good sleeping as he didn't feel the best) Uncle was already out hunting (he really wanted to get a deer to show Jacob).  Jacob had been up coughing a ton and his nose was really runny.  I'm so convinced he has allergies/asthma it isn't even funny! No fever, no signs of infection, nothing.  Tete thinks maybe because of all the older carpet and he slept so close to the ground maybe that festered it up.  Doe took Jacob down to the beach (since he was so insistent about going!) and we cleaned up to get ready to go.  As we were packing up we got a call from Uncle Tom saying Uncle Tim got a deer.  We waited outside for them to come back so we could take a few quick pictures and then headed in and re-opened the kitchen for lunch!  After lunch we headed home. Doe, the kids & I stopped at Gigi's to celebrate Tete's birthday!  (Greg went home to rake leaves... fun, fun, fun).  It was the perfect end to our perfect weekend.  Grace & Jacob loved the carrot cake that was homemade by Gigi and Grace wore her cherry outfit just for her Tete. Tete is so important to us... all of us! We love being with her and not only does she adore the kids they really do adore her and are soooooo blessed to have her in their lives.... HAPPY BIRTHDAY TETE!! 

As a little side note... I'm down 13 lbs.  AND STILL SICK... three times today! 

Stay tuned for tons of pictures from our weekend!

Doctor Visit & Furniture Store...

Well since we are heading to Caseville this weekend and Grace has been tugging at her ear I decided to take her to the doctor.  After work today I called and they got me right in... YES!  We went and although it was really hard for them to see in her ears (I guess she has really small ear canals and because of this the wax tends to build faster and makes it harder to see, that combined with her BIG screams) but they did look red and that combined with the symptoms (tugging on ear, runny nose last week, lack of appetite, trouble sleeping) I told Dr. Treblin lead them to believe she probably did have an infection.  He put her on zythromax and away we went!! Dr. Treblin told me he loved Grace... from her earrings, to her bracelet, to her fancy shoes, to her pebbles doo!! (Hey this Mommy loves GIRLY things!). 

Tonight after dinner we met Daddy at Art Van to see what they might have for furniture for our boy who is believing he is going to have a purple airplane room... whose breaking the news to him???  We didn't find anything we LOVED so our quest continues.  I'm firm on the fact that I want a trundle and that is hard to find.  I think we may have found one online tonight so lets hope that it works out... I do LOVE this one! Just weary of the wood color... for the future. 

Still working on that cuking picture!

Be sure to check out our new little baby gadget on the side... I like it way better than the last one as it only told you the dates.  For this one you can click on "Open Week ____" and it will give you a run down on what our baby is doing NOW! :)  

It's A Date...

I made my appointment this afternoon for my 18 week ultrasound!! When I called they, of course, asked for my due date and then said "The first day you are able to have your ultrasound is December 24th."  I then asked the lady if they were even open that day.... to which she replied yes!! So we have scheduled our ultrasound for the 24th... CHRISTMAS EVE! What a great gift! 

I'm soooooooo looking forward to it... stay tuned to see if we find out! I'm may put a little spin on this... some don't share their names.... maybe we won't share if we are finding out, lol!

On a side note, I'm still trying to capture Jakey "cuking".  He hasn't done it since, little stinker! 

HILARIOUS!!!

Today while playing downstairs at Doe's Grace dropped a wooden stool top on my toe... it hurt soooooo bad I was hopping around and screaming.  Tete & Doe thought I was in labor! Turns out that later I did have a blood blister under my nail so I did have reason for the screams!

Anyways as this was all happening my Mom started laughing and telling us to look at Jacob.  I hobbled up to see Jacob pretending "cuking" (puking) over his play potty!! I guess he has seen Mommy on a few too many mornings (I leave the door open in the morning because I don't want to leave the kids out by themselves).  ANYWAYS... the best part is that (and forgive me if this is TMI) he had his pants pulled down as he was "cuking".  Reason being is sometimes Mommy pukes so hard that I pee my pants... so in the morning I pull them down so I don't get any pee on my pants (then I'd have to change them!).  We got a picture on Doe's camera phone but I didn't get the camera in time and he wouldn't do it again... we'll try to capture it tomorrow.  

Grace Signs I LOVE YOU & Jacob does a TRICK!

On Tuesday 11.11 while on my way out to my car for a long night of conferences Grace signed "I LOVE YOU" to me!!! It totally made my night!! 

I also took some hilarious pictures day of "HERBIE" (all you Rudolph fans know who I'm talking about... the elf who wanted to be a dentist!) when Grace gets up her hair is HORRIBLE and I finally made the connection that she has Herbie Hair!! I'll post the pictures soon... it was a LONG night of organizing our storage room so I'm beat. 

Today at Gigi's Jacob did his first un-assisted somersault! He recently found out that he loves doing them (thanks to Ms. Joy... Grace's gymnastics teacher) and has been doing them with help for the last month or so.  Today he did three of them ALL BY HIMSELF! He is so cautious that this is really big for him!

As for a little baby Kohl... he/she is still making me sick! We (well actually I) was thinking about not finding out but I think I'm weakening.  I'm thinking for my own personal sanity it maybe better find out, I'm way to much of an over-organized planner.  I can't imagine bringing a baby home and then trying to find the gender appropriate clothes.  YIKES...

We'll see. We still have just over 4 weeks until we can figure out anyways!! 

Grace's Speech Evaluation & A Funny Story!

This morning I took Grace for her speech evaluation at the MISD.  I was just a bit concerned that she may be behind in speech so I thought for my peace of mind I better just take her in.  When we got there a bunch of other children were also waiting for various things and it was almost humorous because our SOCIAL BUTTERFLY didn't not get off my lap.  She sat there and just stared at the other children.  Granted they were running around like maniacs and screaming!! First they started her with a hearing test, which she passed with flying colors!! Then we met with the family liason, he went over paperwork with us and then took us in to meet the evaluator. They first asked about my concerns and then proceeded to ask about how many words she had... I said maybe 30.  From there they asked (in a category type of way like "Does she say any foods") what specific words she said.... needless to say she made it to 50 and I had forgotten some things she says like please, fall, toe, wow, woah, boo-boo, and I'm sure there are so many more. They both reminded me that it is not important about the clarity of the words but just the point that they are "HER" words.  Words are not necessarily easily detected by friends or even family but mainly from the mother.  (Not sure why).  Then we did talk about her combining words.  Lately she has started to say more words in combination. "MORE CAR", "COME ON", "BYE DOG".  They informed me that this is actually a marker for 24 months.  Soooooooo.... needless to say she is not behind but yet ahead for her age.  Her expressive vocab averaged out at 22-23 months!  YEAH GRACE!! They did tell me that after she turns 2 that if I'm still concerned I can bring her back because children can change and start to digress.  So I feel SO relieved and sooooo much more comfortable!! They also made my day when they told me how excited they were to hear she is asking to use the potty! They said that is very good!

Now onto my funny story of the day.  I was at Jo-Ann's (My Mom is making swaddle blankets) and we were picking out fabric for this baby (our ginuea pig!!) While we were in line (a VERY long line) waiting to get the fabric cut a lady walked by and said "You are going to have that baby before you make it through the line!".  I almost died! I didn't think I looked THAT pregnant but geez! Needless to say I have a feeling I won't be "hiding" my secret at work very much longer! (I'll take pictures tomorrow at 13 weeks and post them soon!). And by the way... YES I'm STILL sick... threw up 3 times today!

 

Grace's Last I-Tooth Is In!!

Today I noticed that Gracie's last (top left) I tooth is in!! Now all we have left are molars (2 year, and more!).

12 Week Update...

Well as a quick update on the baby... I'm STILL experiencing morning sickness. It has been kicking my butt especially at night, UNLESS I take my zofran. I have lost 10 lbs so far. I'm not in maternity clothes yet...

Also I'm including some pictures from our first ultrasound... on 9.29. Greg & I just realized we never put them up, so here they are!!

Jacob's 3 Year Physical

Today Jacob had his 3 year physical... it went really well!! Dr. Kalo gave him the run down checking out everything... we talked about his appetite (or lack of, she said this could be from all the milk he drinks and to limit him to 24 oz a day) his separation anxiety (she commented that school is probably good for him even though he still cries about going), and he showed her his sister's favorite word (NO). We are to keep him 2% milk and continue the vitamins. He weighed 36.8 lbs (75th percentile) and was 39.5 inches long (90th percentile).
She also wanted to get a urine collection, blood draw and he was eligible for the flu vaccine... I was a bit concerned at this point. Jacob TOTALLY surprised me, the nurse and the doctor! He did awesome, especially for a 3 year old. He pee'ed right in the cup, did his flu vaccine (we decided to do the flu-mist which is a inhaled live version... at first he didn't want that but when I told him it was that or a shot he agreed. He inhaled perfectly!! Next was our blood draw... oh... great the "shot" I promised him he didn't have to get if he inhaled! The nurse told him it was a finger stamp... he did it and without any tears! He even let her put a band-aid on, which usually doesn't go over very well.
I was so proud of him when we left... he has come such a long ways in the past year. Speaking and social developement have improved soooooooo much!

Grace is 19 Months Old!!

Grace has really done alot this month... she has started to walk really fast (almost a run, but yet not quite a full sprint!) she also is gaining vocabulary by the day. If you are around her enough you really can tell just what she is talking about. She says "yellow" (banana), water, juice, milk, buh, brother, mommy, dada, doe, Gigi, Te (Tete), Mimi, more, shoe, sock, toe, hand, bye, hi, yeah, down, potty, no, Ca (Conrad), cup, please, dog, meow, eat, and so much more I'm sure I'm forgetting ALOT! She is also beginning to say things together ("come on" & a few more).

Grace is getting so into babies... she loves helping out with Cam. Getting his buh or whatever it maybe. I'm hoping that this is a sign of how big of a help she is going to be with her new little baby in the house. She loves pushing the stroller, feeding her babies, and putting little blankets on them. She also LOVES the wiggles!! She dances, claps, and sways around as soon as she hears their music, it is absolutely adorable!

Grace has become a WONDERFUL sleeper!! She is sleeping 8:30-8 and still taking a 2-3 hour nap... not quite as good as Jacob, but we'll take it! She pretty much asks for a nap... she goes right in and is out. It is really nice. She still has her buh but only at night and nap... which I'm fine with. She gave it up a while back during the day and hasn't had an incident since... even being around Cam with his.

The thing I just love MOST about Gracie is that she is a total snuggle bug... always has been. She cuddles up with us all the time and we absolutely love it. The best is after a nap... she'll lay on you for 15-20 minutes... it is the time with her I truly treasure, she is so very special.

She has continued to take gymnastics (which she loves) and dance (which she is a little wild for). She has a good time, and I'm happy that we could let her have her time to shine.

On another note... Grace has continued to be our good little eater! She will eat anything and loves fruits, cheese, crackers, pasta (any type) and pizza.

Free Eats & Baby Update...

We had a nice low key weekend... busy but low key! Jacob enjoyed jumping in and out of the leaves in our backyard, we went to free eats (Jacob played a barbie guitar, Grace danced and they had fun with Tessa, Noelle, Conrad and Cameron). We also enjoyed Al & Courtee's (Jacob's name for her) company on Saturday.  We also did alot of jobs around the house, which isn't a small task with our two monkey's hanging around!! 

Now onto the baby update.   I'm STILL sick... ugh! Dr. Perry told me I should only have a week or two left of this (to which I laughed very hard at!).  I've been taking the zofran (anti-nausea medication) every night just to hold dinner down.  We have begun to toss around names... I believe it gets easier the more kids you have.  We know what each other likes and we know our list has shrunken and two more names are off our master list, lol.  It is so nice because I HONESTLY don't care boy or girl... probably because we already have one of each (so nice!).  I have always pictured myself with two boys and a girl (in the middle) but it seems as if more cues are pointing to girl.  Only time will tell... just about 6.5 weeks until we can find out (if we decide too!).  Ok now onto the big update that I'm sure most of you will laugh at... I SWEAR I feel the baby moving already! I know it is about the size of a plum but at night when I drink ice water I swear I feel something in there.  Maybe its in my head... but they do say you feel it alot sooner with subsequent pregnancies.  

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

The kids had yet another fun filled spooktacular day!!  They started off the day at Mom's school for some party fun and the parade.  Jacob & Grace both walked the parade this year.  Grace even attempted to walk by herself as the parade finished up ( once you get back to your starting point you sit and watch the rest of the classes go by... Grace decided she was going to keep on trucking, I figured she'd turn back eventually and she did!)  They stayed almost the entire time... Grace even managed to try eating off the fruit tray and then put it back after she had it in her mouth! They had a great time!! The kids always love to see them!! 

Tonight we ventured out for our version of trick or treating.  We first headed to Aunt Sandy's brother's house for dinner.  (They invited us, so why not right??)  We had our dinner and then trick or treated to a couple of houses in their neighborhood.  Jacob loved the trick or treating... Grace wanted to eat as we went.  Needless to say her white costume was quite dirty by the end of the night.

After Aunt Sandy's we went to Tete's to see her at work.  Jacob LOVED that part of the night. The candy wasn't what made it so great... it was that he got to go in Tete's ambulance.  He was checking out every nook and crany... buckling himself in... and jumping off like the fireman do! We promised him a trip back, because he really didn't want to leave.  

Next stop was Peen's.  Another fun adventure!! We were spoiled... lots of food and goodies for the kids.  Peen is always so good to us!! Jacob played so nicely there... Grace was a little crabby. She wanted every piece of food and candy in sight.  

Our last visit was with the Kohl's... Andy, Andrea & Conrad were there too (what a nice surprise!)  Jacob and Conrad had fun playing together. 

We put the kids in their adorable skeleton jammies and put them into bed.  They were O-U-T... so tired.  

The night was very nice... the kids had fun... and we visited with alot of special family and friends.  Check out our pictures, the link is on the side.  

First Doctor's Visit

Today I had my 10 week (which really ended up being my 11 week) doctor's appointment.  I saw Dr. Perry... everything checked out good.  We were able to "corner" (Dr. Perry's words) the baby and hear it's little heartbeat, which sounded so good.  All my vitals checked out fine.  I had an exam and got some blood work done.  Dr. Perry said that hopefully I'll be fine this time around, but they'll watch me closely to be sure.  I won't have to go back for 4 more weeks, as long as all my tests come back ok.  As far as my cyst goes... that will be checked again at my 18 week ultrasound.  As long as it doesn't get too large they are just going to let it be (sometimes they can go away after the hormones of pregnancy are gone... we'll see).  My next appointment got pushed back because of Thanksgiving so it will be on December 1st.  

On a humorous note... I realized today I must have been at that office WAY too much with Grace. Dr. Perry & Dr. Torok called me by name when I first entered... as did a few nurses! YIKES! 

Zoo BOO!

Tonight we went to the zoo boo with Andy, Andrea, Conrad, Uncle Bob, Doe, Bets, Pa, Mimi & Cam.  We had so much fun!! Prior to leaving we had pizza and goodies at Andy & Andrea's house... then we got the kids ready and took some pictures.  Jacob & Conrad have really come to taking a liking with each other (as Greg said... I think Conrad and Jacob are going to end up being good friends, they really like playing together.)  The kids looked adorable in their costumes... Grace enjoyed her kitten costume as it kept her warm (she didn't even mind keeping the hood up!). They were warm, adorable, and not to awkward!  

Be sure to check out our pictures from the zoo boo... the link is on the side.  

Busy Day for Jacob!!

Jacob had a very busy day today... his day started off with his Halloween party at nursery school! He had so much fun and was the only & most adorable fireman there! They had lots of goodies and lots of fun!!!  

Jacob With A Table Full of LADIES!!

Jacob & His CLASS!!

After cookies with black frosting (yeah nice for the mouth and teeth right?)  We headed to the dentist for his first official cleaning! He did wonderful.  He sat on Mommy's lap and got all of his teeth counted and polished.  After his cleaning "Uncle Frank" came in and gave him an exam, a toothbrush and two prizes!!  He did have some staining on a couple of teeth... it may go away or possible later may need fillings. I guess it is very common with young children who are just learning to brush!  As the hygentist told me he is ahead of most children as so many don't see a dentist till after they are 5!! YIKES.  After Jacob, Mom got her teeth cleaned while Doe watched the kids.  The original plan was for her to take them back for a nap, but when BIG Frank came in she ended up chatting the whole time with him.  I heard some happy screams while I was getting my teeth cleaned (my gums had a rough time this time around) only to find out Jacob was running around in the lobby with just his underwear, wife beater, and navy blue socks (Doe took his costume off so he wouldn't have chalk all over it from the chalk table!!)

Tonight we (Doe, the kids & I ... Daddy was at basketball!) went to the Ford dealership for their halloween party.  (Another excuse for us to wear our costumes!!)  We had hotdogs (yes Jacob had one!!) got some candy, free pumpkins, an adorable picture taken (they are mailing it to us) and had so many people RAVE about Grace and her little costume!! One lady kept coming up and asking about it... I actually lost Grace at one point due to being cornered by this woman... never fear she was found running amongst the new cars! It was a surprisingly fun event!

Wedding Weekend!!

This was a crazy busy weekend... at some point I was feeling really emotional about not being really "with" the kids.... here is our wedding weekend recap!

Thursday: Thursday evening we went to Holy Family in Detroit... on the first trip down the aisle Jacob cried as soon as I walked away.  I was VERY worried about how he was going to do... he literally screamed BLOODY MURDER!  The second trip down was way better... he realized Aunt Caffy was there with him and he smiled and did WONDERFUL! (yes I got sick on the way there and BACK!) after that we headed to Champps for the rehearsal dinner.  Last minute we decided to only take Jacob well him and GIGI!  We heard the rehearsal was going to take 2 hours and we didn't want to set Grace up for failure in the church for that long!! Then by the time we even got to Champps it was after 8... we didn't eat till nearly 10!! Although I missed her like crazy, I was glad I didn't take her. It would have been way to hard on her!! We left Champps at 11 and Doe took Jacob home since we were worried he wouldn't be up in time (I was still working in the morning... needless to say he was up at 7:30!!)

Friday: Friday was another party day!! After picking up Jacob's vest (since his came in damaged) we headed to the hotel where the out of town guests were staying for dinner and to meet them all! It was so nice to be able to meet all of Cathy's long distance relatives.  Jacob and Grace had fun gobbling up cookies, cheese, and grapes! YUM!  Tete & Gigi were there with us... and even got to take a trip the pool!  Well... we actually just walked to "look" at it about 100 times!

Saturday: Saturday was the wedding day.  Mommy left at 7:30 to get her hair and makeup done. Daddy was on duty all  by himself!! He took Grace to Bets & Pa's house.... then headed to Uncle's with Jacob for pictures. On the way to the church (in the limo) Greg asked Jacob how he liked the limo... he said "No, Daddy its not a limo... its a big red car!"  When we finally got to the church... we were a little late... but everything went great.  Jacob did SUPER... way better than I could have ever asked for.  He smiled and escorted Guiliana down the aisle!! After the wedding we headed back in the "big red car" to Belle Isle... where Jacob saw his friends... aka the seagull! At the reception the kids both had a blast. After eating (Jacob was at the very end of the head table, which at first made me a little nervous, he ended up doing so good!!) the kids had a couple of hours of dancing.  They loved it!! Jacob rocked the dance floor and Grace enjoyed just running back and forth!! They had their long dances hand in hand... by themselves... and with Guiliana! About 10 Grace had enough so we were going to send her home... when Jacob decided he was ready to go as well.  So we sent them both back to Bets & Pa's house... which really made me sad! It felt like our night with them was so short, but I knew it was best for them.  Although rumor has it the party continued when they got home... apparently they had a second wind!! After they left...Greg and I enjoyed the night visiting, dancing, eating and drinking.  So much so we slept like rocks and in till 10!! I haven't slept till 10 since I don't even know when!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sunday: After picking up the kids we (Doe, Bets, Pa, Gigi, Tete & Us)  headed to Red Robin to celebrate Jacob's birthday.  He loved when they sang to him and brought the ice cream over.  After lunch we headed back to Doe's... they napped, napped, and napped.  Tete volunteered to stay with them while we went to the last hurrah of the weekend.  Which was really nice!! I was so glad they were able to sleep, relax and just be kids.  I don't know how well they would have done at the party with the amount of sleep they were running on.  

All in all... although it was crazy busy... we enjoyed all of it!! Congratulations Tim & Cathy!!

On that note here is some fun videos from the limo ride & dancing.... ENJOY!!

Jacob is 3!!!

I cannot believe my "baby" is 3!!!  He has grown up to be such a nice and handsome little boy. Everywhere we go someone comments on how "GOOD" he is.  He has always been such a good boy.  Even as a baby he was rarely fussy, slept good, ate good (well lately he has been picky but he still eats GOOD... just likes certain things).  I couldn't have picked a better boy!  Each and every day I thank god that I was given "him".  I admire him, adore him, and am astoinshed by the things he does and says every single minute of the day.  He is wise beyond his years... 

He has a very serious side, but yet can turn silly in an instant.  He loves to sing, dance, play, take care of his sister, soccer, the outdoors, coloring, cooking, rock band, crafts, and so much more! 

It is remarkable how many people just really "love" him.  Everyone asks about Jacob... cares about him and thinks about him.  It makes me realize how truly special he is to so many people. He has touched more people's lives than some do in a lifetime. 

I know I'm his Mom and I'm probably just a tad bit partial to him, but so many have told me the same things about him.  I know he must be just as special as I think he is! 

Seeing him gives new meaning to the word "LOVE".  My heart melts for him.  He is an amazing little boy.

I did feel a little for him since this weekend was so busy and I almost felt as if I didn't get a chance to really see or spend time with them.... especially since it was Jacob's birthday.  We did get to take him to Red Robin, which he loved.  Doe, Bets, Pa, Mimi, Gigi & Tete all came too, which was so nice. 

I'll update soon on the wedding filled weekend, so be on the lookout.  Until then... HAPPY BIRTHDAY JACOB!!

Picked Up Jacob's Tuxedo & TIE!

First of all we had another tear free day at nursery school... well actually he told me he only cried when he got paint on his arm.  He was very concerned about why Mrs. Lee wore her coat all day today... he is such a thinker.

Tonight we went to get our tuxedo & dress for the wedding. Daddy got to get his last night because it came in early!  My dress had to go back because it was too big... not the diet I planned but I guess this morning sickness has a slight benefit.  10 lbs down and the dress needed to be taken in and re-hemmed. In between we went to the mall... ran into Peen & Zeen and got to play for a bit in the play area.  When we went to get Jacob's tuxedo & his TIE (he won't stop talking about his tie!) we found out his vest came back damaged so we have to back to get that as well... what a bummer of a day! I thought we'd get all our errands done in one evening, NOT.  Jacob was hilarious, but so goofy at the tuxedo place.  He was so excited about his tuxedo he was running all around, didn't want to take his tuxedo off and even ran around with just his underwear on!! I tell ya... once this boy gets comfortable with you, LOOK OUT!  He is totally different than the shy, quiet boy he once was! Pictures of our handsome little man coming soon... no peeking until WEDDING day!

No TEARS!!

No tears today at school... YEAH (2 days and counting!).  At school they also had a live reptile visit, which he absolutely LOVED!

Pumpkin Picking

Today on our way to Gigi's we went to the pumpkin patch for a hay ride and some good old pumpkin picking!! Grace had a hard time staying "up" and not getting tripped up in the vines.  Jacob was such a picky pumpkin picker... too dirty, the stem looked funny, etc, etc, etc!! Finally he found the right one.  He even got a mini hay bale, which he LOVED! :)  It was a beautiful day for the pumpkin patch!

1, 2...

3... yes Number 3 is on his/her way!! We found out on Sunday, September 21st that we are going to have our 3rd child!! We are so excited and cannot wait to begin this adventure. Our kids have given us so much love, happiness, and joy that we feel so blessed to be welcoming another addition.

On Tuesday (9.23) a nurse from my OB/GYN's office called me and after discussing some history we decided to have some blood work done. My HCG levels were tested on Tuesday... on Wednesday (9.24) the nurse called back to let me know my HCG level was 8,062! She said they were "AWESOME" and I wouldn't hav to repeat the blood draw (sometimes they do this to ensure they are doubling, but since this level is so high they don't need to).

The funniest part of our conversation with the nurse on the day that she initially called me was when she was asking about my previous labor & deliveries. She was floored to hear that my contractions with Grace started only about an hour before I had her and then I pushed for only 6 minutes (and with Jacob my entire labor process was only about 5 hours).... she said that most likely the doctors will be inducing this pregnancy because of the short labor & delivery history. She mentioned that usually the general rule of thumb is that the time is "halved" in the next labor/delivery and she joked that if I'm not induced the next baby might be born at home or in the car... YIKES!! Lets just say that kind of freaked me out... especially since we know how Greg just loves to get his hands dirty, lol.

They also wrote me a script for an ultrasound which I scheduled for Monday, September 29th at 4pm. This will help in determining my dates and to check up on some spotting I had early on. (We believe it may have been due to implantation, but they wanted to check to be sure). At my ultrasound the tech said that everything looked great. She believed me to be 6.5 weeks instead of the 8.5 weeks my doctor had written on the script (this was based on my LMP). We got to see the baby's heartbeat and she mentioned the baby is currently .41 cm!! The day after my ultrasound Dr. Perry called me to let me know the results... MAY 22, 2009 is the official due date. (Opposed to my first due date of May 7, 2009 based on the 8.5 weeks that I knew I wasn't!). Dr. Perry also mentioned that I have a small cyst on my right ovary. It will be monitored throughout the pregnancy... he mentioned that they will watch me closely due to the history of high blood pressure and now this cyst. I always feel so safe with them... they really are so very cautious and do a wonderful job of monitoring me!

On a side note I have a couple of other posts from week 8 and before... so if you want to read those just scroll down.  :) Those were posted on the actual days I wrote them, but I didn't publish them till just now. 

Next doctor's appointment is scheduled for 10.31.08... HALLOWEEN!

Jacob's 3rd Birthday Party!!

Because of the wedding and all of the fun things going on next weekend we decided to have Jacob's birthday party today.  It was sooooo nice and the weather was an absolute perfect fall day!! We had our monkey themed party outside at Macomb Corner's Park... Jacob was so excited about that, since he loves parks!! We just had some family and a couple of close friends... for a chili cookout, lots of sweets, and FUN! Conrad, Grace, Jacob & Cameron had a really good time!  Jacob enjoyed his cake and even shared some bites with his sister... he later told me his least favorite part was his candle (it was a NUMBER 3 sparkler and he said it was too close to his face and he didn't want one like that again).  He could hardly wait to open his presents... and loved EVERY single thing he got... even the cards! He is at such a fun age and really gets "into" things and people.  He even met a few friends at the park... 

After the party a few of us headed back to play at the Kohl's... the kids (Conrad, Grace & Jacob) always have such a nice time together.  

When we got home and I laid Jacob down to bed he called me shortly after I laid him down... I went back in.  He said "Mom, I need another kiss... thanks for all my presents".  That right there was ALL worth it!! 

He is already talking about his party "NEXT WEEKEND"... I don't think he understands that his real birthday is next weekend, I think he is just loving this party stuff and wants to have another.  

He is such a special little boy... so perfect in everyway!! I cannot believe my little boy is 3... where did time go???  The boy he has become has been so much more than I could have ever wished for or imagined.  He is the light of our lives... every... single... DAY!  

Stay tuned for pictures coming soon!

Grace's 18 Month Doctor's Visit

Well today turned out be very eventful for our little girl... first off  this morning she was strolling around munching on cinnamon toast at Bet's house when Lucy decided she'd like some too!! Needless to say her hand ended up in Lucy's mouth but it didn't break the skin just looked a little red. Since I already had her doctor's visit planned we figured we'd just wait till then to get it checked out.  So... the afternoon came and, OF COURSE, Grace decided she was going to take a good long nap so Mommy had to wake & take her! On the way to the doctor's office I got a call from the physical therapist we had contacted through the MISD about Grace not walking... she was calling to make sure everything was going well and that she was walking/running/climbing, etc.  She then asked me how her vocabulary was... I said "Well she has some words.... Ma, Dada, Doe, Bra (brother), key, see, dog, hi, potty, please, no, bye-ya, teeth, shoe, and I'm sure there's a few more". She asked if she had about 40-50 words.. um No.  Then she asked if she was putting words together... um no! So she then asked if I would be interested in having an evaluation done.  I said SURE, I'd rather be proactive than sit around and worry about it.  So they connected me with the assessment line and we made her an appointment for the 13th of November.  She may or may not qualify but I'm sure its better to have her evaluated than just wait around.  THEN... just about the time I was through with my conversation with them we arrived at the doctor's office.  Grace was so "silly" and made all of her lovely faces for the doctor and nurses.  She weighed 23 lbs 10 oz (25%tile) and was 31 3/4 inches tall (50%tile).  Dr. Kalo said she is just a "skinny" little girl!  She checked out her eyes (which she thought were very beautiful, of course!) her lungs, ears, teeth, bottom, and her hand (which to get back to that... it was just fine). The doctor & I then discussed Grace's biting of Jacob (maybe Lucy was trying to give her a taste of her own medicine)  she basically said to catch her tell her no (firmly) then remove her from the situation.... we also discussed her willingness to go potty on the toilet (we average about 1-2 times a day).  Dr. Kalo was VERY impressed with that, and told me to keep it up... :).  I mentioned I don't push it but since she has been asking we just go with it. She then told me she was up for 2 vaccines & the flu vaccine (if I was interested... which I was!) AND she also said our office is now doing led level blood work at 18 months.  So if I wanted to do that she could write me a script and I could have the lab do it downstairs... so I agreed.  A little blood work, WHILE I was already there... SURE!  So after the screaming we endured with the three shots... she got some stickers and we headed down stairs.  Here is where it went from good to worse (and yes I know I babble and have long posts... SORRY).  So down we went.  While waiting I ran into a parent from Beck and we talked while Grace ate pretzels and milk... she was so content.  A lab tech came out and called a little boy back... when he came back out he looked horrible.  His Mom said to him "We'll get you someone different next time, it never usually hurts that bad right?"  Well just a couple minutes later... the SAME tech came out and called Grace's name... YIKES!  We went back into the room laid her on the table (yes... she started to scream... recent memories of 3 shots) and the tech stuck the needle in her arm... yes... it must have been in her arm and NOT the vein because no blood was coming out.  All of a sudden she is calling in someone else to help hold the screaming wiggling Grace down and still NO blood.  It felt like five minutes... then her arm started to turn purple.  They pulled the turnakit (I have no clue how to spell that) off and by this time her arm started to look very purple and the tech told me um... she will have a very bad bruise there.  So I'm thinking to myself... lets just go... when they tell me to lay her down and they are going to attempt the other arm.  (Apparently they didn't get into the vein and we think they may have nicked the vein causing the bruise and purpleishness of it.  So I pick Grace up and comfort her a little before laying her back down for round 2!!  By this time the tech's have switched spots and the other one is trying to get the blood.  She sticks the needle in and it appears that we have the SAME problem.  They then call a third person in... by the time she comes in we finally have blood that was coming out!! UGHHHHH...what a long, horrible experience for our poor little girl.  She looked so sad when it was all over, she just slumped over my shoulder and looked exhausted (as was MOMMY!)

Jacob & Miss. Katie! Plus Drama With GRACE!

Well today at speech we had an AWESOME day.  He walked in and got to meet some other kids at Mom's school... they loved him! They talked to him for quite a while before we headed to see Mrs. Knauf for his weekly sucker!  He picked one for him & one for Gracie and then we were off to see Miss. Katie.  He went right in (well him and his dog Cody) without even looking back.  He even had a gerbera daisy he handpicked for her from Doe's house.  So cute! I sat at my little table in the hallway and watched him have a good time.  He got to do bingo dabbers (on a monkey picture) and he got to use bingo chips for his cards and when he finished the card he used a magnet to pick them all up!! When his time was up they called me in and he showed me his magnet trip and then he got skittles... yummy *now he LOVES Miss. Katie*.  She talked about how smart he was and how when she showed him a picture of a drum he told her he plays rock band with his Daddy.  She got a kick out of that!! She also said while doing his cards she showed him a picture of a dinosaur and then said to him say "Dino" in which he responded... DINOSAUR. She said.... ok... well we are done with that section of cards!  When we got in the car he ate his skittles and told me about each color... "Hey Mom, this orange one matches my shirt... This one matches Cody's collar".  He asked me why I came in??  Could this be the same boy... now he doesn't want me to come into the room with him, lol.

When we got back to Doe's Grace was already asleep so I laid Jacob down and just a short while later I heard Grace crying.  I went in and picked her up... she feel right back to sleep on me but continued to wake crying approximately every 15-20 minutes.  When she would wake she would rub her left eye too... when she finally "got up" we noticed her eye looked pretty swollen and red.  I decided I better take her in, especially with all that we have going on in the next couple of weeks.  Well it turns out they couldn't identify it but did prescribe her some drops. That and they said we could give benadryl if needed.  It was never goopy or looked of pink eye but that is what they called it.... the doctor mentioned she thought it could be the start of a cold, allergies, or pink eye.  Her nose was a little runny but clear, so I really believe it was allergies.  Bottom line.... they didn't know what it was... which makes me even more so think it was allergies.  

Slight Progress...

We have a little progress with Jacob at school... only 2 tears today! He told me that himself!! It was also picture day... and I heard a child cried the entire picture session.... and FINALLY it wasn't my CHILD!! YEAH Jacob!! He showed me his little smile (and it looked FANTASTIC!!)

He was by far the most handsome boy... with his new spiked hair (that he just loves) and his little dress shirt.  SO CUTE!

BEAUTIFUL Weekend in Caseville!

Doe, Greg, the kids & I headed up north for an AWESOME weekend in Caseville.  There were so many people up this weekend... it was like summer all over again.  Mommy got alot of well needed rest and we even got to go on the beach! I swear we could have even used our bathing suits! On Saturday after Mommy's yummy dinner (yes I cooked!! Gigi inspired me to make Chicken Cacciatore in the crock pot and everyone loved it!) we headed to the county park to check out all the lights and halloween decorations at the campsites. We wished we would have brought our halloween costumes because the kids could have went trick or treating... oh well.  On Saturday Doe, Grace & I even went shopping in the morning while the boys hung out at the beach playing frisbee.  On Sunday after playing outside (having Daddy & Doe make a city out of chalk in the driveway) and spending time on the beach, we ventured back home and it was oh so hard to leave.... we are planning on going up once a month (even though Jacob wants to go every weekend!)  On the downside, Doe forgot to bring her camera and mine had a dead battery... so we have no pictures but the ones on our phones... SORRY!

8 Weeks...

Well as of today I am 8 weeks! I am STILL sick... lost 5 pounds thus far.  It is so different this time because I feel sick all day long.  Also, surprisingly I'm ALWAYS cold.  I don't know what is up with that.  I'm craving anything with carbs and ICE CREAM! I've also been EXTREMELY tired all the time (which never happened to me with Jacob or Grace). 

Grace is 18 MONTHS OLD!!

I honestly cannot believe how fast time is going with these two!! The days just seem to zoom by... as we keep up to savor every moment of "them". Grace is walking soooo good now and beginning to look like she is running (although not very fast).
She loves going to both gymnastics and dance... but I think she has more fun at gymnastics since it is a little less structured. She LOVES somersaults! She is so silly... she loves them so much she has even attempted them on the cement outside... yeah... leave it to our little daredevil.
She is so sweet and loveable yet so sassy! Her favorite words continue to be NO, DOG, & MA (MOM). She hasn't picked up a whole lot of new vocabulary which kind of alarms be but we are patiently awaiting her language explosion. She also says (cheese, Doe, Dada, brother, Down, Hi, Bye-ya, and more... I think that is all but I may have missed a few).
She has really taken a liking to her baby dolls and anything that has to do with babies. She just loves them... it is so precious. She also loves FOOD... she always wants to be eating, and spends most of her time trying to pull me or Daddy into the storage room (where we keep our snacks). She just loves to eat!! She isn't a picky eater either, but if she is done or doesn't want what you gave her... LOOK OUT... it will be everywhere. Her favorites are: pizza, peanut butter toast, pretzels, and pretty much anything that is sweet (fruit included!).
Gracie is into shoes, bigtime! She loves to put hers on as well as get other people's shoes and bring them to them! The changing weather has been hard because Grace loves being outside and she could spend all day just walking around and taking all of natures wonders in... she even tries to help Doe clean the birdbath at her house. What a helper!
One major thing that has begun this month is BITING, YIKES! We never had this problem with Jacob. But luckily to date she has only bit mostly Jacob. But yesterday she got Gigi & Doe too! The scary thing is she doesn't really clamp down but she still leaves a mark. Mostly she has gotten Jacob when he is doing something she doesn't like. That doesn't make it acceptable but I'm understanding what to watch for. Her other new trick is hair pulling... UGH! This girl is definitely our little stinker!

Night At Bets & Pa's AND Pumpkin Patch!

Last night Jacob & Grace got to spend the night for the very first time at Bets & Pa's house. They had fun playing outside (making a chalk city... complete with houses, costco, a gas station, nursery school and park), playing with play-doh, eating, bathing AND Jacob even got to sleep in the tent! The three of them wore their adorable skeleton pajamas...
They both did very good and didn't cry except when Greg dropped them off... not bad!

On our way out to Gigi's on Sunday we stopped at a pumpkin patch to take our annual picture on the GIANT pumpkins! Check out our picture link on the side...we got some really cute ones! After our photo shoot we checked out the other pumpkins and I let the two of them pick out a pumpkin for themselves (just a small one this time as we'll get the big ones when we go on the wagon ride). Jacob just loved the pumpkins he was hugging and kissing them all... you can tell he is an OCTOBER baby! :)

Field Trip To Westview

Today we went to Westview for a field trip with Jacob's nursery school.  Doe, Bets, Mom & Grace all went along too... it was so much fun!! We got to take a wagon/tractor ride to the apple trees and pick some delicious apples.  Jacob did such a great job of pulling them off... he pulled off 6 apples for each of us! After our apple picking adventure we headed to the tent for cider and donuts (which Grace loved) neither one tried the cider.  After the food the kids were able to play on the straw stack, the big play area and visit the petting farm.  Mrs. Lee even gave Jacob some food to feed the goats.  He had such a nice time and I was so glad I was able to be there. The only not so great part of the whole day was that it was really cold (although better cold than cold and rainy, right??) Grace was so cold she almost acted frozen at certain times.  I cannot believe how calm and quiet she was.  She really didn't even ask to get down (which is totally rare for her!). She cuddled the entire time, only to get down and carry her bag of apples like a purse (that almost knocked her over).  

3 Sickies!!

Our sickie total is now 3.  Greg claims his stomach has been bugging him for two days now although he has yet to be "sick".  Grace has thrown up twice so far (once on Monday/once on Tuesday) and tonight Jacob got diaharrea. He told me he had to poop so I ran him into the bathroom and we laughed saying he just barely made it.  Well after a couple of seconds I realized why... he had it twice that night.  To be on the safe side I told him we were putting on "Special Sore Belly Underwear" aka a pull-up.  I hesitated in doing so, but he seemed ok with the idea and I figure better safe than sorry!! Hopefully we'll ALL be better tomorrow....and Mom will stay clear of all this FUN.

Jacob's First Day of Speech At MOM's School & Grace is SICK!

Today Jacob had his first session of speech with Miss. Katie at Mom's school! It was alot of fun... so much fun for him that the rest of the evening he talked about having Miss. Katie over for a party he was having.  He even "called" her up on the phone and told me she was coming over... too cute!

A quick note about our little lady... she woke up this morning very sick.  Yesterday she spit up in the evening and I kind of dismissed it.  Well this morning about a minute after I got her out of bed she threw up BIG TIME! It was everywhere... and about 5 minutes before we suppose to leave.  She missed gymnastics and dance today just to be on the safe side.   After the morning incident she seemed fine aside from being clingy and looking a little weak.  

Morning Sickness Begins...

So as of yesterday (9.29.08) my morning sickness has officially kicked into high gear. Now instead of worrying about my dress for Tim & Cathy's wedding being to small I worry that it is too big! The last two days I haven't been able to stomach anything until around dinner time sometimes later... and I thought for a minute I might get out of this the third time around!!

Getting "Tape Measured" For Tuxedo's!!

Tim, Jon, Greg & Jacob were all measured tonight for their tuxedo's!! Jacob kept saying "Mom, when am I getting tape measured?"  It was so cute!! My heart just melted to see him trying on the little suit coat... he looks absolutely adorable (by far the cutest boy I have ever seen!).  He is so excited about his "tie" (as the miniature groom he's going to match Uncle).  I can't wait to see it... not much longer till I will!

Now... as long as we can get him down that aisle!!!

I also forgot to mention that as of Friday I found out that Jacob will be going to my school for speech instead of his original location.  He also has to only go once a week now... on Tuesdays (of course our busiest day!!)