Santa Baby

Today, I had a baby doctor's appointment, so my dad and my Grammy watched the boys for me. I got back just in time to follow them to the mall to get the boys' Santa picture made!! It was hilarious! You would have thought it was their first year doing this! Neither one would smile, until I said that if they would hurry up and smile we would be done! That was good enough for Noah, and they snapped this pic just in time before he jumped down and ran off!! Jonah just looked disgusted with the whole thing! He wouldn't talk to Santa or move..he just sat there like this the entire time! It was a great memory for the adults and I'm sure the boys will laugh about this picture when they get older! Thanks Grammy for  doing fun stuff like this for my boys!!

We did a follow up ultrasound today, since I didn't think the one back in October was accurate...and I was right!! I am further along than they thought!! 13 weeks and 2 days!! The baby looked awesome and was seriously bouncing up and down the whole time!! The heartbeat was 161 bpm!  I'm feeling pretty great, except for still being tired A LOT - but I think that is to be expected when you have two active little boys!! When Noah saw the ultrasound picture he said, "Mommy, look! This is all the kisses we've been giving the baby!" I'm not sure what he meant, but it was really sweet! I don't go back to the doctor until the first week of January and I might get to find out the gender at that appointment!! (I think 19 weeks on the day of my apt, but they aren't usually allowed to tell the gender until 20 weeks...we shall see!!) This appointment made me feel so much better after that last ultrasound making me feel like I was crazy! I just knew I was further along than I thought...and while two weeks may not sound like much, in baby time it is!! So much is being formed and created right now, and every step of this is such a great miracle! I keep thinking of that verse, "You knit me together in my mother's womb." It's really awesome to know that God is forming this precious baby and already knows what he/she will look/be/act like. It makes you wonder how anyone could doubt our magnificent Creator!

I'm loving this little iPhone app..it's helping me keep track and has great tips for each day and week!

Hurry up December!

I am so excited for Christmas this year!! Last year, we spent the week before Christmas at Disney World, and although that was fun, it made Christmas feel very rushed, and I felt a little disconnected. But this year, the boys are both VERY excited and really into every element of the holiday season and I have SOOO much fun stuff planned for them!!! My mom always did a Christmas Calendar for us while we were growing up (I blogged about that last year when I made the boy's calendar) and I love that we are able to continue that tradition!! 

This will probably be the last year where I can work on the calendar while they are in the same room, because they can't read yet!! I feel like next year, when Noah starts preschool and is 5, things will be a little different! 

My mom came over tonight to help me get the calendar ready - we only left a few days blank because we are waiting to hear if a special little friend {Alyssa} is gonna get to participate on Sundays!

I scoured our local entertainment websites to find fun, cheap activities for us to do as a family and was surprised to actually find several things that were FREE and a lot that my kids would enjoy! Our biggest splurge is going to be seeing The Nutcracker on the 8th! Both grandma's are coming with me and the boys and we will make a night of it!! Our friend's daughter is in it this year as a "party girl!"

I looked for a while on Pinterest to see what other people did for their advent calendars and just in case anyone ever uses this for a reference for theirs, I thought I would include a list of what we are doing each day! (Note: last year, I mostly did small, wrapped gifts or candy, and I did several "scavenger hunts", but this year I wanted to stay away from candy as much as possible and focus on family activities!!)

1. 2nd Annual Daddy Day 

2. Monkey House {hoping to bring a friend along!}

3. Local Parade and Trail of Lights - FREE

4. Decorate a Cookie Day at the Library - FREE

5. make a christmas craft at home

6. small treat ~ gold doubloons :)

7. Shop for our Angel Tree gifts

8. The Nutcracker!! 

9. Bowling {with a friend} $5/person for 2 games + shoes on Sundays!!

10. small treat ~ fruit snacks

11. Pick out a new ornament to put on the tree + $2 each

12. small treat

13. Gama's Special Night!! I don't know what she has planned?!

14. Storytime with Santa at the Library in the morning...then Night Hike and Owl Prowl that evening at the Nature Center - Both are FREE!

15. Breakfast with Santa at the Library - FREE

16. Indoor tent and roasting marshmallows {with a friend}

17. Watch "Charlie Brown Christmas" and have popcorn {see the picture below!}

18. Make gingerbread houses at Nana and Papa's house

19. small treat

20. Polar Express: PJ's, movie, craft, and snacks at the Library! - FREE

21. Drive around to look at christmas lights and go caroling at our families homes

22. Family Christmas Party in the morning and a wedding in the evening...small treat

23. make cookies and hot cocoa for our neighbors!

24. make Santa's cookies and read the Nativity story!!!

I spent yesterday morning/afternoon getting our house decorated for Christmas. We don't put a lot of effort into decorating, but I love to make our house feel warm and sparkly! I even put some decor in the boys bathroom this year! Jamie helped me hang christmas lights in each of the boys rooms and when they walked in the house and saw the tree up they both looked so surprised and Jonah even said "My Chrismas!" Noah just couldn't get over the lights in his room!! He was thrilled!! 

I have this tiny chalkboard in my kitchen - my mother in law made it for me! I try to either do a verse or some "subway art" that pertains to the season. I had a lot of fun doing this one yesterday! It's fun and challenging to try and make different fonts with a tiny piece of chalk!!

Jamie and I have decided that this is the last year for this tree to be our "main tree." At least half of the lights didn't work this year...pretty sure they didn't work last year either! We put it in the kitchen for the first time because #1. We didn't have room in the living room unless we moved out some furniture #2. I wanted to be able to see the lights through our front window! We used a miss-match of ornaments, a lot from when Jamie was a little kid - like his Beaver and Train ornaments - and some that we have accumulated over the years - like Noah's Arks!

'Lyssa

After church today we went to lunch at Cheddar's with Nana and PaPa and Leslie and Alyssa... Noah, Jonah, Alyssa and I all sat at one table while the adults sat at the table next to us! We had a blast!! Then Alyssa came home with us to play for the afternoon!! They played on the trampoline, watched Power Rangers at Alyssa's request, ate popcorn, Lunchables, and Cuties and we even made a craft!!

The Christmas Train

We left the house at 5:00 tonight to catch a 6:00 "Polar Express!" While on the train, we were entertained by kids singing Christmas carols, we got to meet Santa, and we ate cookies with hot chocolate!! The kids had a great time, even though it took forever!!! It's 9:00 now and we are just now on the return train from Van Buren!! Noah and Jonah even brought their santa letters with them to show santa and Noah proudly exclaimed "I want a scooter!!"

Family Pictures

We had some family pictures taken recently by a local photographer, Samantha Daniels. She was great with the kids and quick, quick, quick - we were done in about 30 minutes!!! I am about 2 1/2 months pregnant with #3!! Here are a few of my favorites. Enjoy!

 Samantha asked the boys to kiss us, so Jonah leaned in to give me his awesome "lovin' sugars" as we call it! I always say he's a lover not a fighter, but....sometimes he's a fighter too ;)

Noahisms

Noah says and does so many adorable/funny/crazy things right now, and I know I'll never be able to remember it all. Yesterday, while playing with Jonah, Noah got upset that Jonah had taken one toy that he must have really wanted to play with (even though he had like 40 other little characters on the table already) I said, "Noah, at least it's keeping your brother happy!" Noah said, "Yeah, but when will I be happy?" Oh brother! 

Noah will randomly burst into song..which isn't new, but at least now he mostly knows the right words to the songs and I can usually figure out what he's singing! Typically right now it's TobyMac, PowerRangers, or a Christmas song :) he loves to sing Jingle Bells!

He knows almost all of his alphabet by sight - He will be in preschool next year as his birthday falls after the date for kindergarten sign ups. 

He still loves playing with cars, action figures, and is currently loving Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! He also knows several older shows, thanks to his PaPa! This video shows him talking about "Marshall Dillon!"

Noah played soccer this fall for the Greenwood Boys and Girls Club. His team was coached by his daddy and they were the Bulldogs! He loved being with his new friends, Landon, Jaron, Gage and Trinity - but when it came to actually playing the game he really wasn't into it that much. Alone, he does great, but when the other kids steal the ball away from him, he just kinda shuts down and gets upset.. he spent a lot of time crying on the field, or sitting in my lap crying! He decided that he didn't want to do basketball yet, but wants to do T-ball again in the spring!

Noah LOVES TobyMac right now! For an early birthday present, Gama took him to see his first concert: TobyMac and Jamie Grace! He knows all of the songs on the Eye On It cd and loved singing along. He even got VIP backstage passes (thanks to my boss, Dr. Jennings!!) and got to attend a Q&A session with Toby!! When he got home late that night, he was so excited and kept saying that it was sooooo loud!!!

Noah is in love with his cousins, Taylor and Tinley! They are 7 months old now, and he loves to hold them, feed them, entertain them...he loves it when we go to Aunt CC's house and we say that he's in charge! We will watch him from the kitchen and listen to him sing to the girls and play with them. He loves to say "who's gotcha? Noah does!" A few days ago he even made up his own little game to play with them about a little sharkie coming to get them! LOL! I got it on video and Carah and I just cracked up!! He is so sweet with the girls and you can tell he just truly loves them so much! It has made him very excited about the prospect of having a sister!! He says all the time that he loves the baby, and if he's in trouble he tries to change the subject by saying "good baby!" and patting my tummy!!

Noah turned 4 years old on October 21 this year. He wanted a Samurai Power Ranger party! We had a lot of fun with all of his friends and family. We celebrated at Nana and Papa's house and the yellow Power Ranger, Emily - Noah's Favorite!! - showed up! Noah knew almost immediately that it was his aunt Jenny and when I asked him how he knew? "I knew by her words." Such a smart kid! Of course, knowing that it was her didn't stop him from getting a little shy/nervous and needing to hide behind me! The picture above really shows his sensitive side...I wiped some icing on my sister during a picture, so of course she retaliated, but with BLUE icing! Noah thought she was hurting me or something and came running up to me crying and trying to make sure I was okay! He has such a tender heart!

1. Noah at church with his new tie on..he was so proud! 2. Noah at a birthday party for our neighbor Jackson...he had to have a picture with the Madagascar afro! 3. Noah getting his teeth cleaned by Kristi at UAFS 4. Noah hamming it up in the dressing room at Old Navy

Blessings

We have so much to be thankful for this year...

We are expecting this little one June 15, 2013. Noah is insisting that it be a sister, and has been telling people that it's a girl, "Not another brubber!"We won't find out until December or January if he's right, so for now we will just enjoy the prospect of a sweet little one to hold in the summer!
the boys are so excited! Noah talks about how thankful he is for his mommy because of the baby, and jonah has started referring to my stomach as "a ball" and he asks to "see" the baby all the time! so cute

Pregnancy Stats @ 10 Weeks and 5 Days

Baby's est size: 2 inches ~ 3 oz...the size of a lime! (which by the way I am addicted too once again!)
Countdown: 29 weeks 2 Days
Cravings: little cuties (mandarin oranges), pasta, limeades, water!, lots o' fruit - banana in the morning, HoneyCrisp apple almost every day, grapes, oranges, grapefruit...i love it all!
Symptoms: NO HEARTBURN!!! Praise the Lord!! very fatigued! i could sleep all day long right now! thankful to be over the nausea already! headaches :(
Gender: ?? i'm thinking girl, but only because i always had heartburn with the boys from day 1 and this time i haven't had it at all!! also, the baby's heartbeat was 168 at the first apt, and was usually much lower with the boys at that point...


Happy Thanksgiving!