Oh Mama!!

You asked for it. So here I am, in all my 28 weeks of pregnant glory! May the next 84 days go by quickly. I'm ready for the end to be here already.

Just a few more pics

Loving the opportunity to play in his very own "park" right in our own backyard!

Playdough and snacktime (like my creation?)

 This was Jake's masterpiece (with some help from Mommy)---he calls it "Daddy"!

 Aren't Big Boy Beds wonderful? At least they are to play on/read on/jump on...But sleeping in? Not a chance. Any helpful ideas on this one?

Silver Frost

A few weeks back, it was incredibly cold here. Not so unusual for the winter in Colorado (I think...like I said, the weather here is wierd), but what I did find unique was how any moisture on the trees and plants froze solid. I think it's called a Silver Frost and it was gorgeous! Enjoy the pictures.

Christmas Activities 2010

We decorated a gingerbread house this year. I'll admit that Costco was really the architect, but we did the exterior design. It ended up being  full of fun color, and a tree, gingerbread man, & a snowman on the front porch completed our decorative little model home.

Oooh! The anticipation for sugar cookies to come out of the oven!

 Some of our artistic creations :)

  Suprises from Santa on Christmas morning!

 The only picture I have of Jake wearing a helmet on his bicycle. I'm not sure why, but he won't hear of putting it on. I guess he'll have to wait to ride his bike...

I'm a Big Kid Now!!

Jacob is officially sleeping in a big boy bed. The proof is in the picture. He only got out of bed once tonight (two minutes after we said the final goodnight, he walks out of his room and says to me, "What you doing?") Heaven help us, our little boy is growing up.

The Work Never Ends

When Brian and I were house hunting earlier this year, we decided not to consider homes that needed a lot of work. With a 2 year old and another baby in the plans, there just wasn't the time or energy for that. The house we purchased is by no means a fix-er up-er, but since we moved in this June, we have been working on one project after another. While the weather was still warm, we put up a shed in the side yard, chopped down about a dozen trees, and constantly worked on the landscaping. With winter here (most days, anyway..the weather is strange...it'll be in the 20's for a few days and then jump up to the 50's. I never know what to expect!) Anyway, our energy has been focused inside the house the last couple of months and though it feels like nothing is ever done, we are making progress. My dad flew out here the end of October and worked for two weeks to partition off part of our basement to create a storage room, as well as hanging french doors on the office, and putting in an additional closet in the master suite (don't ask why we need one...very poor judgement on the part of the previous owners is all I'll say). Five days after my dad left, my sister Kristen flew out here for a short visit to help paint. She worked her tail off to finish the three upstairs bedrooms and the kitchen in about 2 1/2 days. I was very impressed! And I am so happy to report that the mauve paint that was throughout this ENTIRE house when we moved in is about 75% gone. Happy day! Thank you Dad and Kristen for all your hard work. We loved spending time with you!

Jacob was Papa's little helper, always wanting to be in the way

(er, I mean "help". Do you like how hard they're working?) And Jake's plastic tools were never  good enough. He wanted the real thing...scary!

Kristen hard at work with the paintbrush. She painted her face just for the pictures. Jacob still talks about "Kristen messy. She paint her face."

Sugar & Spice or Puppy Dog Tails?

We received a fun surprise this week. I went in for my regularly scheduled doctor's appointment on Monday, wanting to know when I could schedule our 20 week ultrasound appointment (I'm 18 weeks right now). The doctor matter-of-factly says to me, "Tomorrow, if you want to. Or next Tuesday. You're ready." (I guess the tech comes in on Tuesdays.) I was completely taken aback, as we didn't have the opportunity to see Jake on the big screen until 20 weeks.
So, after talking to Brian and making arrangements for a sitter for Jake, we scheduled the appointment for the next morning. What an agonizing 24 hours! I had baby on the brain. Would he/she have the right number of limbs? Would the heart look okay? Was it another boy? Would it be a girl? Would the baby cooperate and let us see?
After 45 minutes of watching our baby kick and turn and move around, we were finally able to see that SHE is a GIRL! Yeah! The knowledge is still sinking in: I have to remind myself I don't have to call her "the baby" anymore. And now I can dream and plan for this little girl to join our family come mid-Spring. (Oh, and the real reason for the ultrasound brought positive results too :) She appears to be healthy, growing normally with all her parts!)