Ahhh, Lazy Fall Days . . .

YEAH, RIGHT!

We've been busy!

Jeremy got home from his hunting trip about 1am on Saturday. Any of you "hunters' wives" will know what follows a trip such as this. Laundry, laundry, more laundry. Let's just say that the washing machine and I have been getting to know each other REAL well these last few days.

We've cut and wrapped meat, the laundry is caught up, and I'm happy to say that things are pretty much back to normal. Whatever normal may be.

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Yesterday we took a trip to the Pumpkin Patch. Just the girls, my mom, and me. We had a great time! There were slides and swings, castles made from hay, mazes, a petting zoo, and best of all, PUMPKINS! I want to post pictures {I got some good ones!}, but there doesn't seem to be time right now. Hopefully tomorrow. Until then, Happy Tuesday!

It's Halloween at Friend Makin' Mondays!

It's Monday! And you know what that means . . .

Friend Makin' Monday!!!

This week, Amber asks:

What are you going to be for Halloween?

Oh, how the girls change their minds about a billion times before finally settling on a costume, but I think we've finally figured it out. Makenna and Kameryn are going to be little butterflies

{sorry, but I could not find a butterfly costume picture that even remotely looked like the girls' costumes}

and Sierra is going to be a bumble bee. This isn't the exact costume, but you get the idea.

That's it! Now, I'd better get to bed. We've got a big day full of pumpkin pickin' in the morning. I'm praying the rain holds off.

Flashback Friday, Pregnancy Journal, Week

You know the drill, it's Flasback Friday around here which means . . . Pregnancy Journals! In case you're new, this is a journal that I kept and submitted weekly to Storknet when I was pregnant with Kameryn, one year ago. While it's not super exciting {yet! Just stay tuned, the excitement gets turned up a notch here in a couple of months when I wind up in the hospital!}, I'm so glad to have these memories.

{Originally submitted October 22, 2008}

Week 20 ~ Pumpkins, Pumpkins, and more Pumpkins!

We made another trip to the pumpkin patch this week. This time we visited a new one, and went with different friends. Three mamas and eight kiddos . . . It was a long day, but so much fun! We started with a hay maze, played in corn kernels, enjoyed a picnic lunch, took a hay ride ~ complete with fun facts on pumpkins and farming, and finished off the day by choosing the perfect pumpkins. Of course, by the time we actually got to the pumpkin picking Makenna had had a very long day, and we were in meltdown mode. I’m including a picture, but you’ll have to excuse the pouty face.

We found out, this week, that our dance instructors will be taking a break from the middle of December through the end of March, which is actually a bit of a relief. Though I love that the girls are involved in dance, I think it will be nice to have a break right after the holidays. I tend to be a little bit of a worry wart about bringing newborns around people during cold and flu season. It’s not that I’m a freak about germs, but little ones are so fragile. It’s amazing to me how many strangers will come right up to a new baby and touch or kiss their face (ugh!). Or stand there hacking and coughing and then ask to hold your precious little bundle. It’s enough to drive me crazy, I tell you. I don’t know if it’s lingering memories of 4 days in NICU with Sierra during her staph infection when she was only 3 days old, or if I’m just naturally prone to worry. Either way, I'm thankful that we'll have a few weeks after the baby is born to settle in and have time to ourselves.

This week has brought about even more kicks and “somersaults” from our little sugarplum. Last week I had made a comment to my mother-in-law about how “laid back” this little one is. It seemed as though when I was pregnant with Sierra and Makenna they were both in constant motion, kicking and prodding night and day. But this pregnancy seemed different. Boy, did I speak too soon! Baby Girl (sorry, but we have yet to settle on a name) has gotten to be quite the little wiggle worm. I have to say, I love all the movement. It’s a constant reminder that there is a little pumpkin in there just waiting to join our family.

I cannot believe how time has flown; it is already the end of October. Soon we will be eating turkey, then celebrating the holidays, a few birthdays in January and February, and then we’ll be welcoming our new little one! I want to enjoy every moment of this pregnancy, but it’s hard not to be anxious to hold a new little princess in my arms.

Hope you all have had a fabulous week full of memories and blessings,

Liz

Awards and Tea Parties

The boys are still gone.

And though we miss Jerm,

we continue to enjoy our girl time.

Shopping, check.

Crafting, check.

Library trip, check.

Sleep-out on the floor, check.check.check.

Pedicures, check.

Tea Party, check.

After homeschool today Sierra decided she wanted to host a tea party.

For us girls.

We baked sugar cookies {with some help from Pillsbury},

made mini pretzel princess wands,

and boiled water for tea.

Even Nana stopped by.

Pretzel sticks dipped in white chocolate and then rolled in sprinkles make the best princess wands, don'tchathink?

Sierra made the "place cards"

Our spread ;)

It was a good day.

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I was trying my best to catch up on a few blogs today, and I'm so glad I did! Mel at The Bubble . . . passed this award on to me!

Over The Top . . . Um, yeah, that about sums me up ;)

Here are the rules for the Over the Top Award:
USE ONLY ONE WORD!

It’s not as easy as you might think.

Copy and change the answers to suit you and pass it on.

It’s quite tricky to use only one-word answers!

Once you have filled it out, be sure to pass it on to 6 of your favorite bloggers.

1. Where is your cell phone? Bag

2. Your hair? Yuck

3. Your mother? Close

4. Your father? Away

5. Your favorite food? Fattening

6. Your dream last night? None

7. Your favorite drink? Water

8. Your dream/goal? Peace, love, laughter {I'm cheating on this one}

9. What room are you in? LivingRm

10. Your hobby? Crafting

11. Your fear? Many

12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Here

13. Where were you last night? Home

14. Something that you aren’t? Perfect

15. Muffins? Blueberry

16. Wish list item? Camera ;)

17. Where did you grow up? Here

18. Last thing you did? Cleaned

19. What are you wearing? Clothes

20. Your TV? Off

21. Your pets? Stinkers

22. Friends? Dear

23. Your life? Chaotic

24. Your mood? Great
25. Missing someone? Yep

26. Vehicle? Honda

27. Something you’re not wearing? Lipstick

28. Your favorite store? Target

29. Your favorite color? Lots

30. When was the last time you laughed? Earlier

31. Last time you cried? Yesterday

32. Your best friend? Jerm

33. One place that I go to over and over? Crazy

34. One person who emails me regularly? Mom

35. Favorite place to eat? Olive Garden (Me too Mel, and you're right, it's not fair their name is 2 words).
I pass these awards on to anyone who hasn't participated yet!

{I know, I'm a cheater like that}

Pedis and Extreme Makeover!

I'm being lazy {I like to call it pressed for time}. I'm going to combine a little pedicure talk {and some photos} with a very quick Extreme Makeover: Me Edition update.

Amber hosts EM:Me. Her blog was one of the very first I came across in blogland. She's so super adorable, and is newly pregnant with a very long awaited baby to add to her already sweet family. I'm so happy for her!

She has no question for us this week, which means just a quick update will do.

I wish there was something exciting to update, but sadly, there is not. I still cannot get into an exercise groove. But I have lost a few more pounds which puts me down around the weight I was at when I was competing in pageants. Though I look at this body and wonder how that can be. It certainly doesn't look like the same body! I am happy with my weight, now if my body would just magically tone itself, that would be great. I am drinking a LOT of water. I love water, and I've been craving it more and more lately. That's about all there is to tell.

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As for our morning at the salon . . . it was great! The girls really enjoyed their pedis. It was so cute to see them seated together in the big chair while their little tootsies got pampered and polished. Makenna was adamant that she wanted no polish, but at the last minute changed her mind. They were so grateful and excited to be there. It just warmed my heart. I love these girl moments spent together. I hope they've enjoyed our girl-week as much as I have.

{Please excuse the poor photos. The lighting wasn't great and I haven't had time to edit}

I tell ya, I was feeling relaxed just watching them!

In the end, they both thought that alternating black and orange would be appropriate for an October pedicure. What can ya do?

Wordless Wednesday ~ Little Punkin

Girls Week

It is so past my bedtime right now. I haven't been getting the best sleep lately, and often I feel like a zombie, but I just need a little peace and quiet, ya know?

I mentioned that Jeremy, his dad, my dad, and a family friend all left for Wyoming on Sunday. The girls and I were a little sad to see Jeremy go. Happy for him, but we knew we'd miss him. In an effort to keep the girls' minds off of missing their dad this week, we have been keeping pretty busy enjoying our girl-time. Yesterday was spent at Target and Michael's. I ask you, does it get any better than that? Because of our big homeschool skip day, we got down to business with our studies today, but managed a quick trip to the library and swim lessons this evening. Tomorrow . . .

Drum roll, please.

{Okay, okay, it's not that exciting.}

I've booked appointments for the girls to have pedicures!

I was going to keep it a surprise until tomorrow, but sometimes it's more fun when they get to look forward to it for a bit.

I cannot wait to see their little toes gettin' all pampered. What's that? You can't wait to see it either? Well good, because you can be sure that I will post pics.

Alright, off to bed. Hope y'all are enjoying your week as much as we're enjoying ours!

Friend Makin' Mondays ~ Hobbies

Amber is hosting another week of FMM, and Kenz has jumped in to help :) These lovely ladies have come up with a fabulous topic:

What are your hobbies?

What do you wish that you knew how to do?

My hobbies {and I use that term loosely, as most hobbies have been put on the back burner for longer than I care to admit} are:

Sewing

Though I'm not great at it. I don't even know how to read patterns, people. But I do love a little time at the sewing machine.

Scrapbooking

I used to LOVE to scrapbook. Now the thought is overwhelming to me because I'm so far behind. I'm seriously considering having some digital albums made just to catch up so that I can enjoy scrapbooking again.

Reading

Another thing that I love that I don't make time for.

Crochet

Oh how I love to crochet. It is one of those projects that is super easy to set down if you get interrupted, and you can take it with you anywhere. Not great at reading crochet patterns either, but I can make a mean scarf, hat, afghan, and my newest: a baby cocoon ~photo prop.

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I would love to learn how to:

Knit

I have really been wanting to learn to knit lately. Anyone do both? Which is easier?

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It's going to be a busy day today. The boys {Jeremy, his dad, my dad, and a family friend} left yesterday for a hunt in Wyoming, and are planning to be gone most of the week. That means GIRL time! The girls and I are skipping out on homeschool today {shhhh, don't tell} to go shopping with my mom. Once we get home and get all our goodies put away, I'll be around to check on everyone's FMM posts! Can't wait to find out more about everyone's hobbies!

Happy Monday, y'all!

Sunday Morning Humor: Kidstyle

The girls are constantly saying something that makes me chuckle. Whether it's aimed directly at me, or something I over-hear, I am kept in stitches a good portion of the time. It's just that I usually forget to write them down. And I can't remember what happened 10 minutes ago, let alone what was said yesterday. But I've started writing it down, folks. Here are just a few:

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The girls and I were snuggled in bed, and had just put on a movie. Sierra found that if she sung a really annoying song quite loudly, it made Kam laugh. So there she was belting out a tune. Over and over.

Kenners: Sissy, can you pause the singing???

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We recently found our very first, very old digital camera. Kenners is the only one in the house {well, besides Kam} who doesn't have her own camera, so I put new batteries in, popped in a camera card, and handed it over to her so that she could snap some pics. She was so excited to have her own camera. Later that day Sierra had gotten ahold of it, and I'm guessing was teasing her with it. She licked it, I'm assuming to get a rise out of Kenners. {Please don't ask why a 7 year old is licking things. Gross.}

Kenners: SISSY! GIVEMEMYCAMERA!!!!

Sierra: Geez, she's SOO protective of her camera. I just gave it a little lick.

Me: Sigh.

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The girls were playing their version of house. Sierra was the mom and she wanted to pretend Kam was her baby. Kenners decided that she wanted Kam too. So Kenners proceeds to bribe Sierra for Kam.

Kenners: Can I have Kameryn?

Sierra: No. I wouldn't trade her for a million dollars!

Kenners: How about twenty-four?

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Upon noticing that the girls were getting a little physical in their play.

Me: Guys, please quit hitting each other.

Sierra: We're not hitting. We're bumping into each other with our bums.

Great. That's so much better.

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We were at the table one Sunday morning during Sunday School. We were talking about how God made all the animals, and completing a worksheet on farm animals vs. wild animals. The girls had to decide which were which, and were having a dificult time with a few. I told them that an easy way to know is to ask yourself if you regularly see the animal in someone's field, if it could be a pet, then it is probably a farm animal. We get to elephant.

Me: Elephant. Is an elephant a farm animal or a wild animal?

Sierra: A farm animal.

Me: Hunny, do you see elephants roaming around in people's yards?

Sierra: Yes.

Me: No, I mean, do you know people who have elephants as pets?

Sierra: Yeah. Nana and Papa.

WHAAAAT??????????

Just so that you know, Nana and Papa do NOT. I repeat, do NOT have any elephants roaming around. I'm still shaking my head regarding that convo.

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Yeah, the girls keep me laughing. Laughing and pulling out my hair.

What funnies come out of your little one's mouth?

Flashback Fridays, Pregnancy Journal, Week 19

Another week, another pregnancy journal from the past :)

{Originally submitted October 15, 2008}

Week 19 ~ Apple Cider and Pumpkins

We are gearing up for Halloween around here! Our shopping trip last week was a success as both of the girls found costumes (or rather, they found the “makings” for costumes). They are both going to be little black kitties. We picked up some black tulle and I made their tutus, and we bought black leggings and long sleeve tees. Now I need to make their kitty tails and ears, and they’ll be set. All in all it was a great shopping trip; we got a lot accomplished. I didn’t end up with new bedding, but I did find a gorgeous set that is now on my wish list.

Jeremy and I took the girls to the pumpkin patch yesterday. We met a friend and his two children and had such a fun time. I think we wore them out - there were corn and hay mazes, giant tube slides, obstacle courses, giant sand boxes filled with grain to play in, and the best apple cider ever! We sampled some while we were there, and wound up buying a gallon to take home. The weather, though a little cool, was sunny and gorgeous. This is our second year going to this particular pumpkin patch. We will definitely need to make it a yearly tradition.

At my last appointment, after my ultrasound, my midwife had said that my ultrasound information would be sent out to another physician and the results would be back at the office in about a week. She told me she wouldn’t call unless there was something out of the ordinary to report. So, imagine my surprise and immediate fear when I received a phone call this week from my midwife. Luckily she got right to the point, because in the 10.2 seconds that I was left wondering, everything that could possibly be wrong with the baby was flashing through my mind. I’m not typically a hypochondriac, but after the complications during my pregnancy with Makenna, I tend to worry a bit. Anyway, it is truly nothing to worry about, but apparently my placenta looks a little low which means I will need to have another ultrasound sometime in the third trimester to make sure that it has moved up to where it should be. My midwife assured me that I don’t need to change anything that I’m doing, and that most likely it will cooperate and move into its correct position. If, for some reason it doesn’t, and is still low enough to be covering my cervix then I guess it might mean a C-section. But I’m not even going to think about that. I’m only thinking positive thoughts! Honestly, the phone call turned out to be a blessing because the ultrasound had been on my mind for over a week, and now I can rest assured that everything looks completely beautiful with our little sugarplum. That’s the best news I could ask for!

Oh, I almost forgot! Sierra and Makenna got to feel the baby kick for the first time. While I have felt her movements for weeks now, they’re just beginning to be strong enough and regular enough that I thought the girls would be able to feel them on the outside. A couple of days ago I was sitting at the computer, and she was just kicking away so I called Sierra into the room. Both she and Makenna thought it was so neat. They’ve been waiting for this for a long time!

I hope this week finds all of you doing well. Until next week . . .
Blessings,
Liz

Monthly Craft Challenge ~ YAY for FALL!

The fabulous, Heidi from Blue Eyed Blessings, is hosting her Monthly Craft Challenge, which is all about Fall and Halloween. My absolute favorite time of the year!

This is my first time participating in Heidi's Craft Challenge, and I was so excited to break out the craft supplies. Poor supplies, they've been out of commission for, literally, months and months. I haven't even thought about crafting since before Kameryn was born. Sad, I know.

Let me tell you, I had big plans for this craft challenge. But, finding crafting time is hard when you've got a very active {very needy and clingy} 8 month old, are trying to homeschool a 4 year old and a 7 year old, are participating in a Beth Moore study and have homework each night, are trying to keep some sort of semblance to your house, and are interested in finding more time for your husband than just the occasional "oh hey, that's right, you live here too". It's hard work, I tell ya ;) So, my apologies up front. I didn't get to fulfill my craft fantasies, but I did manage a craft or two. And I think that is a feat in itself.

Kam was in need of a cute Fall topper. I happened to have many blank onesies and felt from my Etsy days, which resulted in a little of this:

I wanted to break out the Mod Podge, but alas, I was too scared to attempt it. So . . . here is an old kitchen towel that got a "Fall lift" :) Guess I'm more comfortable with the sewing projects?

Alright, the girls are a-callin' me!

I cannot wait to see what all you crafty ladies have been up to!

Wordless Wednesday ~ Sisters

For more WW Fun, stop by 5 Minutes for Mom!