A Happy Friday

So, this week has been pretty uneventful. Until today. What a breakthrough I have discovered with the girls. Sophie, if given the opportunity, is SUCH a little mommy. Today I was outside scrubbing chairs (we are getting a new kitchen table tonight, but keeping our old chairs, and they needed a little pick me up). Harper and Sophie were upstairs playing dress up, and I was informed Harper had a saggy diaper. I just non-chalantly mentioned grabbing a pull up for her. About five minutes later I looked upstairs and Harper had a NEW DIAPER on. I asked what they were doing, and Sophie was "sitting" Harper, and included a diaper change. So now Sophie is my "pee pee diaper" changer.

Right now they are doing a fashion/dance show, choreographed by Sophie. I don't know what she is saying, but Harper is doing and wearing whatever her sister says. Maybe I should go eavesdrop and learn a few tactics...

Learning about the Baby

So, the girls have started noticing my belly. I get asked daily if the baby is crying, is it eating, does it need my pacis yet (the last comment from Harper, go figure). Sophie is constantly wanting to know how big it is. We just read my weekly update, and we learned the baby is as big as an avacado. Since that is not a normal part of our diet, we had to google a picture. She hoped her baby brother/sister didn't look like that. She also wants to name the baby Seraphina if it is a girl.

Harper swears there is a baby in her belly. The other day she had a graham cracker. She broke it into three parts... mommy, daddy, and baby. She ate the smallest piece, and told me she ate that baby cracker and it was now in her belly and boy, it was kicking. She also keeps trying to stick a paci in her belly button. By June, I am scared she may actually get one in there. If she does, I will be sure to post pictures.

New Year, New Stuff

So, our first week of resumed normal life has begun! I had my appt with our new OB. Lee and I both really like him, so hopefully we will continue with a smooth pregnancy and have another little cutie late June/early July. I am starting to get the signs of a serious bump, and the time to buy maternity clothes is FAST approaching. I remember with Sophie it was a major event; we both went to a trendy boutique and got a sales lady to explain the beauty of maternity wear. With Harper I bought bigger sizes at Target. With this baby I have learned the art of wearing big sweaters. Maybe by February I will have a few cute pieces I will feel glowish in. If I do, I will be sure to post pictures!

Sophie's first day at her new school went well. She and I had a girls' night beforehand to find something to match these crazy shoes she HAD to get from Santa. Below is her first morning:

We also started ballet again. Poor little thing finally understood we moved in this class. She got called "new girl" and no one really spoke to her. It broke all our hearts! However, I have since learned the class is full of shy little girls and they are not allowed to talk in class. Sophie's new hero, her ballet teacher, told us that. She LOVES her new teacher. She smiles a lot and looks like a swan, according to our little ballerina.

Sophie and Harper have been doing GREAT playing with each other lately. Harper's little personality is so funny and she hangs right in there with whatever Sophie is doing. She wanted a silly picture before school, and below is the result.

By the way, if anyone can tell me why half my posts lately are underlined, I would LOVE the answer!

Fa la la la la...I'm Back online

So, I know technically this is the last day of the holidays, so I am not too late in a Christmas post, but with a slow-go on getting internet hooked up at the new house, better late than never! After two weeks of being in our new house, we have partially moved in, put up a Christmas tree, taken down a Christmas tree, hosted two suppers and a baking party, and now have to unpack. What a crazy December! However, it has been fun. You can't help loving this time of year, no matter how busy you think you are, when you have a four year old and a two year old in the house. We have had a ball keeping Scooby the Elf in our sight during our move, and putting together doll strollers and plasma cars in the midst of pictures to hang. We had a few minor setbacks with the whole process with a feverish child and some mixed up electrical wires, but par for the course. Below are a few of my favorite pictures of the past few weeks.

We haven't really had a chance to get good pictures of the house. I had this grand idea to do New Years' cards, but it hasn't happened yet. Anyway, here is the one shot I have of the outside, with the girls on Christmas morning riding their new toys. We have no houses beside us or behind us, although two lots over there is a house underway.

You can't beat a good stocking shot!

This picture is a favorite. This was on our last drive out of Montgomery. In the 24 hours previous to this, we had a Krispy Kreme playdate with friends as a going away, a manicure going away party, packed up the lake house, moved to a hotel, had a Preschool Party and her Christmas Ballet recital. In her hand was a going away flower from ballet friends. She rode like this for two hours.

The afore mentioned Krispy Kreme pajama/going away date!

She may look like Lee.....

Sophie looks a LOT like her daddy, but she definitely proved my brain genes are present. Specifically, her ability, or lack there of, to decipher song lyrics. I have a long history of misquoting songs. Michael Jackson's Don't Stop Til You Get Enough usually has an extra word or two. Dixieland Delight took me on a road trip from Viriginia to Huntsville to fix the wrong words. The other members of my family have similar issues. My sister used to sing the hymn at church "Baby I'm Constrained to Be" instead of the more appropriate word "Daily".

Today we were taking our daily jaunt into town and listening to Christmas music. Since she has learned several popular songs the past two years she was telling me which songs she knew and was singing along. Finally one came on she apparently just decided was her absolute new favorite. She said "Oh, mommy. This song is my favorite favorite song. Walking in the Winter on the Land is SUCH a good song. It makes me ready for Christmas." I didn't have the heart to correct her. Maybe next year.

It's the final Countdown!!!

So, I have had a song stuck in a head, along with Christmas songs... that final Countdown song! ( If I was clever I would put music on my blog and have it playing, but that takes effort... ehhh...) We are down to HOPEFULLY 6 days in transition mode until we get to close and move to our house in Spanish Fort! Words cannot describe how READY we all are to be in our house with our stuff... our pillows, our build a bears, our cups, our plates, our TV, our towels, well, you get the idea. The past few days of driving back and forth to make commitments and Christmas events has honestly worn us out. Today was the breakthrough moment I knew we would have, but now that hopefully our "oh my gosh I don't know how much more I can take" moment has passed, it will be up hill from now.

So- to make me appreciate our last week in Montgomery, I have a list of things I will miss:

- ELREY- Who cannot resist El Rey and the basic bean, pintos, with sun dried tomato wrap and mango tea? oh my, I will miss this meal so much. It was a staple my Senior year of college, and has been since then.
- Huntingdon- This school brought me here, and seeing Flowers Hall everytime I drive up College Street always reminds me of some college memory, good or bad. I loved my time there... it helped me become a strong person. AUM was a great Master's program with awesome professors, but it doesn't hold a candle to picnics on the Green, knowing who you pass on the way to class, or a graduation service more beautiful than others.
- Jalepenos- Not because I love the food, but this is where Lee and I first met over trading our favorite parts of birthday cake. That boy gave me his icing. I knew then it was meant to be.
- Frazer- I cannot say ENOUGH about Frazer or the people there. LOVE our Sunday School, LOVE all our friends, LOVE all the children workers, and LOVE the preschool. It honestly is the one thing that almost kept us from moving. That says a lot about the people we have grown to love there. We have been challenged to do things we not normally do by some strong individuals, and we hope we find this type of family in our new area! It will be tough to replace...
- Swim times- Although I know we will have access to beaches down there, you can't beat the good ole' YMCA and Deer Creek pool. Always a buddy to swim with, always a Capri sun to share, and always a mom to talk to while kids swim.

There are WAY more things, but this is my list for now. Talking about El Rey has given this baby a craving... I need to catch Lee before he heads up to the Lake!

Starting the Holidays

So, the past few weeks have been a crazy time in our, well, NOT house. We sold our Crestwood Lane house and had to move. Lots of fun times the week of Thanksgiving! But, it was done, we spent six nights in five different places as we had no furniture in our house, went to visit family, came back to Montgomery, then finally have landed at our home for the next three weeks at Lake Martin.

However, once we got to our new residence as they prepare our new house things have been easier. We got to announce our big news of a new baby due late June, find out another niece or nephew is on the way, and we can finally celebrate the future we have coming to us! Of course, with our girls, Christmas is a BIG deal. We had to bring a little tree to the lake to decorate, and Scooby the elf found us to much glee!

Tuesday we decided we should attempt a gingerbread house.... The best the house looked was still in all that wrapping in the box, because we slaughtered the poor thing, but had a blast!

Sophie picked out the kit based on the candy inside. A girl of my own genes...

One of the two worked really hard at making a pattern on the house, while the other filled her cheeks and now and then would put a banana on the house, because she didn't like the bananas. You guess who is who.

The finished product. Unfortunately, this is probably the best house we have ever made. Maybe next year I will just find a bakery and have one pre-assembled and claim it.