Country folk

Small town living = No school during the County fair 

Can you guess what we'll be doing today???

Whew!

Things are getting busy around here! And I decided I really wouldn't have it any other way! A rundown of this last weeks events.

On Monday night for Family Home Evening we were able to go to a Baltimore Orioles game. Matt won 4 box seats from work! It was so cool! It was one of those sections that has a server that will go "fetch" you anything you'd like to eat or drink. That is living! They played (and lost to) the Tampa Bay Rays, so Christian rooted for the Rays, but the rest of us stuck to the home team. My one disappointment, no garlic fries! How are you supposed to enjoy a Major League game without garlic fries?!

On Tuesday the kids started Running Club at school. Their school doesn't have any sports teams, just some clubs for the kids to be able to join. They both grumbled and complained about it, but I made them go, and now they both love it. It helps that every other middle schooler in our neighborhood joined too. Now the ladies are setting up a nice carpool, love that! That night Matt and I went out on a date and had a wonderful time! We seriously need date night more often!

My Wednesday started off bright and early at 4:45 am. A neighbor that is also a trainer at a local gym is offering a "Boot Camp" for us ladies every Wednesday and Saturday morning. It was so hard to wake up, but I felt so good and accomplished when I was done! I figure even if I only work out every Wednesday and Saturday throughout this pregnancy it will be more than I did while I've been pregnant before! And I'm planning on incorporating more exercise. But as yet, that's still just a plan. :) Christian also started baseball Wednesday. He's on the Angels this year. He scored once and struck out once. In his defense, they didn't even have one practice before the game, kinda weird! And we had to leave after just an hour because of Scouts and Young Women at church.

Thursday was running club again. Then I was planning on going to a PTA meeting, but Matt had a "meeting" for work at Cheeseburger in Paradise and I thought that staying home with my kids was more important than supporting them at the PTA meeting. Plus my one neighbor is the president and the other the secretary, so I just got the scoop from them. :) I did have one ulterior motive for not going. I was sooo close to being done with my book for book club that night, and I knew if I stayed home I could finish it. And I did. :) So at 7:00 I walked over to another neighbors house for a church sponsored book club, Girl Meets Book. We read "I Capture the Castle." It was a cute book and the book club was fun too. And there was a chocolate fountain, so how can you go wrong?!

Friday Matt was off, so we ventured over to the Commissary sidewalk sale. That took 3 hours! I had no idea it would be that crazy! I was so overwhelmed, it took me probably half hour to figure out what I was doing, and then we waited in line for no less than 2 hours. Thank goodness Matt was with me because he was able to take the kids, Addie and my friends little boy Jeffrey, to the park and McDonalds so they didn't get too bored. So 3 hours later we were finally done and we got some great deals too. :) That night we had missionaries for dinner and they shared a nice message with us. Then as soon as they left we ran out the door to Cici's for a birthday party at 6:00. Christian was supposed to have another game at 8:00 but it got switched to 6:00 and he had already committed to the party. So that cut out one crazy bit of the night.

On Saturday Alexis had an all day babysitting class at our Community Outreach center. Christian played outside all day, and Matt watched Addie. I had the most wonderful day! I was able to go with our Primary Presidency to the Washington DC temple and then to Olive Garden for lunch. We left at 7:30 and got home at 3:30 and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it! We were able to pray and conference together and I think we got some things figured out for our Primary. Seriously, such a good day! I paid the price for a lovely morning by cleaning up my messy house all that lovely night and it's still pretty bad. But you know what, I don't even care.  It was still an amazing day.

There is a definite crisp chill in the air, not too much, just perfect! I love, love, love this time of year! I had planned to decorate for Halloween on October 1, but so many people around our neighborhood have already decorated that it's making me anxious!  Maybe I'll try to squeeze that in somewhere this week. :) 

And we're off to another exciting week!

Wanna play?

My 3rd grade teaching buddy Kirsten sent me this card awhile back. 

So very true!

Sometimes (only sometimes) I really miss going to recess with my friends! 

And maybe some kids I really loved!

Here's to all the teachers still having recess together!

Just wondering...

am I the only one that would forget 

EVERYTHING 

if I didn't write it in my planner???

(cause I've been forgetting loads of stuff that wasn't written down! UGH!)

Cold, cold go away!

It started the Monday after school began. Alexis and Christian both started sniffing and I started sounding like a broken record. "Blow your nose," "Did you wash your hands?," Do you need more hand sanitizer for school?" replayed over and over. And over. Of course, after about a day of their sniffles, Addie started and hasn't stopped. Don't you love the perpetual green fount coming from baby noses?!

Matt started about a week after the kids. Then Christian stopped. Slowly Lexi and Matt started to dry up (Addie's fount is still going strong though). 

As my families tissue consumption rose in direct correlation to the redness of their noses, I was happily breathing freely and clearly. Ha, I thought, I've avoided the first cold of the year! 

My sitting high on my "My immune system is better than yours!" throne didn't last long. My sniffles started Saturday night. :(

Today Addie and I are looking like twinkies with our red, runny noses. And searching for an uncongested breath, I'm seriously contemplating some relief with her nose plunger. 

Whad'ya think?

...is it time for a cut?

(this was all I could get out of our cranky sick baby earlier today! Poor snotty girl!)

PS - 

Can you tell I'm so ready for fall?!

Bye-bye summer!

An apology of sorts

I inadvertently let the pregnancy cat out of the bag one early August day by proclaiming my undying love for my perfect cheeseburger-cooking husband. It happened while on Facebook and it really wasn't my fault at all. 

I was intoxicated (intoxicated I tell you!) by the aroma of perfectly seasoned cheeseburger wafting up to my bedroom. And then the melty cheesey scent, ever so light and tantalizing. The toasted bun came next... and it was just what the baby ordered, and who am I to deny our lima bean sized baby?! 

I was shocked when people immediately suspected we were with lima bean! And then I felt silly because it did seem kind of obvious. But like I said before, it really wasn't my fault. At all.

Then, because I really wasn't ready to tell our little secret, and especially not in a Facebook post about cheeseburgers (pregnancy tests are so much more sophisticated!) I had to tell a little white lie and cover it up. 

And then maybe cause some other people to tell other people that I surely wasn't pregnant because I had just denied it, and even though my belly was getting a definite roundness to it, it was just all those late night cheeseburgers. 

So if I caused you to lie in my little (itty-bitty, lima bean sized really!) deception, I'm sorry. Really I am. And I'll know better in case there ever is a next time.

I'll just keep my cheeseburger-making love-professing to my bedroom. Where he'll bring me my cheeseburger, you know.

St. Patricks baby and those Duggars!

Looks like Michelle Duggar and I have more in common than just the name. Turns out they've gone and stolen our due date! I guess this being her 19th baby and all, she'll probably go early so I don't have to worry about them sharing a birthday.

We're both due on March 18th. So it looks like we might have a St. Patricks baby! Or if this baby is anything like Addie, an April Fools baby!

And just because pictures are so fun, here are the kids opening some unexpected, but very appreciated packages from Nanny.
Thanks mom!

A story in pictures...

I.

II.

III.

IV.

V.

VI.

Mount Vernon, New York, and the 1st Day of School

Amy wanted to do a few things while she was here. One was go to Mount Vernon and the other was go to New York. So we did.

We all packed up one day for Mount Vernon. We had a nice, hot day there. And then a torrential downpour as we left, but that's another story.

In front of the very impressive house.

Christian pouting.
Later Christian was seen getting in trouble for said pouting.
But I guess that's another story too.

Posing as the Washingtons and Custis family.
Did you know Washington never had any kids of his own? His wife had 2 children when they married, and then they raised these 2 grandchildren.
Interesting, huh?!

And a funny one.
And Addie wanting in on the action!

Amy and I drove the 5 hours up to New York Monday morning, stayed the night, and came home the next afternoon.
It was quick but it was fun.
I took a grand total of 7 pictures there and only 2 included us in them.
I just don't know what my problem was!!!

Oh, and we had 3 celebrity sightings! We saw Bridget Moynahan eating breakfast with a male friend, Mischa Barton walking her dog, and Taylor Swift going into a restaurant with her family.
We were pretty proud of ourselves. :)

Here I am posing with my knish that I bought from a street vendor.
Doesn't that just sound so New York!
I was so excited that throughout our stay I bought a knish, pretzel (icky!), and gyro from street vendors. :)
It's all about the little things.

At Central Park.

Here is the construction for the World Trade Center Memorial at Ground Zero.
It's going to be beautiful.

And then Wednesday the kids started school.
8th grade for Alexis and 6th grade for Christian.
Can you even believe we have 2 middle schoolers?!
Ugh.

Amy was in charge of first day pictures so this is what we got. :)

Walking off to the bus together. I thought about walking with them, but then I came to my senses and realized they would hate that! There are about 20 kids from our neighborhood that ride the middle school bus and they love getting together in the mornings to hang out before the bus comes.

Exciting stuff, huh?!

15 Whole Months - By Addison

Has it been another month already? A crazy summer is over. Bubba and Sissy (that's what I call Alexis and Christian) are back at school. I get to stay home with my mama (that's what I call my mom) all day! And that's what we've done all week! Stay home. But don't worry, we're heading to the library and to run errands today! Whatever that means...

I'm really a big girl now. My parents left me for 4 whole days! And now I'm weaned! I was pretty confused about it, especially when my mama came back home! I was kind of mad at her for awhile, I wouldn't even look at her the whole way home from the airport. And when I wasn't in my carseat I just held her tight. And then I wouldn't give her kisses for awhile either. Only kisses for auntie, Bubba, and Sissy, then after awhile daddy, and then mama. Teach her to leave me!

Staying with my auntie wasn't all bad though. She let me eat like a dog and that was fun.

See how much fun I had?!

She also let me help feed myself. :) That was fun too!
And no messing with stupid bibs either! Ha-ha mama!

One day we all took my auntie out to Mount Vernon, where George Washington lived. It was pretty fun. I went and sat on this little window sill, so then of course Bubba and Sissy followed me. Can you tell that I don't like to cooperate for pictures?

My mom and aunties favorite part of Mount Vernon was when we were on our tour of the home and the tour guide said that Washington would have really liked if people were impressed with his home. Just then, very loudly - so that everyone could hear - I said,
"Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow!"
I was impressed and I think Washington would have been happy. :)

I made a new friend.

I wasn't scared at all!
I love animals!

We got to pose as the Washington family.
Like my tongue?

And then I found some babies too!
That surprised me and made me happy!

I'm a really good mama! The more babies the better!

I found some cool socks in one of the laundry baskets I love to push around. So my mom helped me put them on. I wouldn't sit still for a picture though. And I was slipping and sliding all over the hardwood floors!

My dad finally went and spent some of my birthday money from my papa, nani, and grandpa. I've been saving it for something special.
And now I have this cool chair!
Love it!

It's good to lay on with your favorite people.
(don't mind my outfit here, I'm sure I don't know what happened there!)

And to eat on.

Church is so much fun! Since my mama's busy in Primary, my dad gets to keep me. I don't sleep at all cause I don't want to miss anything! But that means that when I get home I am tired! Sometimes even too tired to eat!

You can't tell here, but I took my Bubba's lego plane and was scooting it all over the carpet making cool plane noises. It was very cool! I love my Bubba, and his toys!

I like climbing stairs. And since we don't have a baby gate, (yet) I get to do it all the time!

One day my mom came up to find this scene.
What?! At least I got out my potty too! I know that marshmallows = potty time!
Doesn't everyone know that?!

The aftermath...

Just another day in the life of a diplomat baby.

I like to slip my feet (and sometimes legs) through the bars of my crib. My mom says I'll probably get my leg stuck someday, but moms don't really know what their talking about, do they now?

K, gotta go.
Things to do!

What are you looking at?!