The playroom is getting a makeover

Beans really are the "magical fruit"

Alex and McKenzie both woke up hurling this morning.  We think it's something they ate last night . . . daddy's cooking?  (Alex is really an amazing cook!)  Anyway, Kenzie felt fine after she emptied her belly and even made it through her gym class without any mishaps.  Then we had lunch.  All was well until after we picked up Justin from school when she let it fly again . . . literally, projectile-like objects spewing all over the driveway (thank goodness we weren't inside yet).  So we came inside, changed her clothes, again, and laid her down with a glass of Sprite.  I fixed Justin a snack and asked Kenzie if she wanted anything.  The conversation went something like this:

Me: Do you want something to eat?

Mc: I don't know what I want to eat.

Me: That's okay. You probably shouldn't eat anything right now anyway.

Mc: I just can't think of anything good to eat . . . corn!

Me: Corn? I don't think we have any (I didn't want to open an entire can only for her to change her mind)

Mc: Peas!

Me: Peas? I know we don't have any peas (we ate the last pack for dinner earlier).  All we have are carrots and green beans.

Mc: Green beans!

Me: Really? Okay.

She downed half my Top Ramen and an entire bowl of green beans, which she had to finish before the bowl of pears she also requested.

You'd think her little belly would feel the urge to erupt again but now, nearly seven hours and a good-sized dinner later, she's sound asleep with visions of princesses dancing in her head . . . 

Was it the beans?  Maybe it wasn't, but maybe it was!

Pregnancy

WHAT I LIKE ABOUT BEING PREGNANT:

1.     Feeling the baby move

2.     The anticipation

3.     Lots of hugs and kisses on my belly from Justin and McKenzie

4.     Ultrasounds

5.     Decorating the nursery

6.     A great reason for having to keep my chocolate intake under control

7.     Listening to Justin and McKenzie theorize on what the baby will be like

8.     Washing/folding little clothes to fill the dresser

9.     Not having to worry about birth control

10.   No regular monthly visitors, period

WHAT I DON'T LIKE ABOUT BEING PREGNANT: 

1.     A very limited wardrobe

2.     Varicose veins where I never knew varicose veins could exist! (my first experience with these)

3.     Terrible skin - thanks hormones

4.     Mood swings - thanks hormones

5.     Not being able to sleep comfortably

6.     Not being able to sleep through the night without having to go to the bathroom

7.     Weight gain

8.     Exercising daily and still feeling tired by 3:00 p.m.

9.     Not being able to take hardcore cold medicine - the kind that knocks you out completely!

10.   Allergies, asthma and nosebleeds way too intensified

Two little monkeys jumping on the bed . . .

one fell off and broke her ARM!

That was last friday.  We weren't even sure there was anything wrong - she took a short nap after the "incident" and woke up her usual happy self.  There wasn't any swelling and she could move all her fingers and bend her wrist, but after a couple of other pain-induced outbursts, we figured we'd get it x-rayed just to be sure.  We took her to a clinic and they announced she had a "buckle fracture" which means the bone sort of wrinkles (like a green twig) - not quite a clean break.  They put a splint on it for the weekend and wrote us a referral to the orthopedist.  We were lucky enough to get in first thing this morning.  She still doesn't enjoy wearing a cast - can you blame her?! - but she is much happier now that it's pink!  Ah . . . my little tomboy!

One good reason not to eat waffles with syrup in the living room

. . . yes, that is a plate stuck to her bum.

I love spring!

Warm weather, blooming trees, popsicles, honeysuckle smells, children's laughter and sand in our shoes.  We all had fun at joy school this morning!

Josie's baby room

A reminder of what we started with . . . Ugh! I should have taken another "before" picture (this was the one on the realtor's website).  As time-consuming as McKenzie's room was to redo, this one really was the most difficult.  I can't say any more about this room other than "yea, it doesn't look like this anymore!"

And now . . .

McKenzie has since helped me wipe down and set up the crib and wash all the bedding.  She's so excited for "baby Josie" to get here and about being mama's little helper.  For her birthday I bought her a life-size babydoll and an old cradle at an antique shop, which I gave a fresh coat of paint.  Hopefully this will pacify her for at least a couple of months! More later!

Our little gymnist

McKenzie loves her gym class!  She has mastered the somersault and the 3-foot balance beam, and is fearless on the uneven bars.  Not to mention, how cute she is in her pink leotard!

Snow with grandpa

Grandpa and grandma have this great hill in their backyard - we really enjoyed it last weekend with all the snow!  Yes, at first glance, those are simple trash bags - but, upon further inspection, they make wonderful sleds (if only we could keep our feet up)!

Once there was a snowman . . .

in Georgia!  When we came out of church today, we were greeted with a winter wonderland! On the way home, Justin said "Heavenly Father must be thinking about us - He made it snow!"

We wore ourselves out, then Justin and McKenzie had a long soak (aka "swim") in mama's bathtub and Alex and I sipped a warm cup of cocoa.  Ahhh, sundays . . .

The smeller's the feller

McKenzie:  "I smell something stinky. . .oh, it's me. . .I need to go to the bathroom!"

I'm so glad when daddy comes home

Alex had been gone for a week, home Friday night, gone again Sunday night for the next three days.  Justin decided he would rather "work" along side daddy than come upstairs and play. Yes! we miss you when you're gone!

Paint preview

This was originally going to be Justin's room - very light blue on the top, bright blue on the bottom (with some heavy swirly textures), separated by a wallpaper boarder of cars and trucks.  Some of these cars/trucks had also been cut out and pasted to the bottom half of the wall. Awful! But it was cars and trucks so my guess was that Justin would love it.

About half-way through painting McKenzie's room, Justin walked into his would-be room, peeled off one of the cars and asked, "how are we going to paint my room?"  This is how he came to be in the room across the hall.

The door to this room was closed for the time being - and then we found out we were going to have baby #3, and now we know it's going to be a girl. So, after a week of prep work (the swirly stuff required a sander!) and a week of painting, the room is almost complete.  Here's a little preview of the color - stay tuned for pix of the final outcome!



The kids, never far from my side, busied themselves in the hall.  McKenzie set up a car dealership (wonder where she learned that?!) for Justin to patronize with his friendly animal friends:

The Circus Comes to Town!

Miss Renee & Dylan, McKenzie, Ashton

Benjamin, Justin, Isaac

(aka "Kenzie and the boys")

And we were soooooo excited to go! And so surprised by all the incredible acts: lions, tigers, elephants, ponies, a camel, clowns, trapeze artists,  jugglers, the ball of death, and - perhaps our favorite - the "mini circus" complete with a dog dressed as a baby elephant.

It was too dark for many pictures, but the kids talked about it for days - so I'm pretty sure we had a great time!