Special Delivery

Look at what arrived at our house yesterday:

They are sooooo good. Thanks for voting for us (and thanks Michelle). I'm really sorry I can't share with all of you, really I am.

Christmas

We had a lovely Christmas this year, starting with a touching Christmas Eve service and sprinkling of reindeer food. At the service, one of our church's most talented singers sang Oh Holy Night, which gets me every time. Towards the end of the song the curtains on the stage opened to a live nativity scene, which was beautiful. Although Mary looked suspiciously like my friend Natalie from bunco, and Joseph looked about 12, but whatever.On Christmas morning I awakened to 2 very excited children, who were thrilled to see that santa came and left presents. And also ate his fudge and eggnog (thanks for taking one for the team, Brian). Speaking of eggnog, the kids "discovered" the beverage on Christmas Eve, and drank their weight in it the rest of the weekend.

It was a very batman/dora the explorer Christmas, with a little bit of rose petal cottage market place/ice cream shop thrown in. The kids are so much fun, their excitement and wonder make me want to freeze them at the age forever. Santa came to visit at my aunt's house, and the kids were thrilled (so was I since I was a slacker this year and didn't get around to taking them to see him). Despite the fact that santa (cousin Gary) was sporting a women's bath robe, a yellowed beard, an empty sack, and drinking scotch the kids were still convinced. Santa asked Bern were he goes to school, and Bern said "You should know that, Santa"!

Bella received a play make-up kit from her Aunt, and promptly went to town painting her nails. She even yanked off her tights so she could do her toe nails, then convinced cousin Elyse to do the same.

Bernard received a batman costume and wore it for 24 hours straight, even though it had blood stains from his bloody nose. Thank you to cousin Kim for accidentally beating Bernard up. Also, special thanks to cousin Brett for dropping him on his head. On Christmas.

Bella was gifted with a "real life" baby, that sucks a binky, cries, snores, etc. She is such a mommy and takes very good care of her, except when she drops her. She will not be carrying the real baby when he/she arrives in August. We had a busy weekend, but had lots of fun visiting with our relatives and friends. Now it is time for some toy organization and laundry!

Our 1st Doctor's Visit

We got to meet our 3rd child yesterday! He/she looked great and its little heart was beating well. As you can see there is only one (thank goodness) and we are very excited to travel down this road one more time. The nausea is getting worse, I counting down the days till I reach 12 weeks. Brian's been great picking up my slack, but I can't wait to feel normal again. I haven't been blogging as much because of this, I can't seem to get much done right now.

I hope that you all have a wonderful Christmas, filled with lots of joy and blessings. Love you all!

The Good Shepherd

Luke 2, 8-20

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in clothes and lying in a manger."

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about." So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all theses things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherd returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

This is our humble shepherd at his Christmas program last night, he has a bit of a wardrobe malfunction with his shepherd's hat. Sorry it's shaky, I had a Bella on my lap. Not sure why the video is playing sideways, I try to fix it later.

Holiday Card Contest

Michelle from Under Grace Photography is having a holiday card contest, and our card is the running (probably because Brian and I aren't on it). The winner gets a dozen cupcakes from the cupcakery, so I would like to win very, very, very much. To vote you go here, and leave a comment voting for our holiday card (#5). I believe you can be obnoxious and vote more than once. Do not, I repeat do not be swayed by the other cute children, stayed focused and remember what's at stake!

Homemade Presents

I started a tradition of tinned Christmas treats a couple years ago, mostly for Bern's teachers, but it has morphed into a bit more every year. It's a way for me to give a gift to a neighbor who lets our dog out, loved ones and relatives I can't afford gifts for (there are too many of them), and friends that need a pick me up. This year's tin includes macadamia nut/white chocolate, chocolate chocolate chip, peanut butter fudge, sugar, and shortbread with icing. Usually I make a batch a day till I have enough, freezing as I go, then I raid Michael's for tins and get busy. The children will not be getting dinner tonight, for I am tired.

So Sleepy

Having a hard time coming up with a new post, due to the fact I'm suffering from a head cold and pregnancy-induced narcolepsy, with a hint of nausea thrown in. I haven't left the bed much this weekend, except for after my mid-morning nap yesterday when in a burst of energy I whipped up a batch of cookies and chicken tetrazzini. Then I stumbled back to bed. While I am thrilled to be pregnant, I don't like feeling like this, especially this time of year. While I lay there I think of all the things I should be doing and need to get done, and then I pretend to do them in my head. If only things could actually get done that way...

The Elf on the Shelf

The kids received an elf on the shelf from my aunt this week, if you haven't heard of it yet it's a elf that comes with a book and explains that it watches the children everyday, then visits the north pole at night while they are sleeping and gives behavior reports to Santa. It shows up in a new spot every morning, and the kids are not allowed to touch it because it will lose it's magic. Our elf is named Elfie, and the kids love him so far. The first night was magic, Bern was very conscious of his behavior and once when he slipped up he ran to Elfie to tell him that he was sorry.

The next day, though, the children were both in the naughty zone and no threats of Elfie telling Santa would do the trick. Allow me to present naughtiness exhibit A:

Naughtiness exhibit B can be found by looking at my gingerbread house pictures, then imagining them with a lot less icing and candy.

P.S.

Don't you love my mauve counter tops in the bathroom?

Christmas Cuteness

I love when the kids wear matching clothes, and you can bet that if this baby is a girl she and Bella will be matching a lot. If it's a boy I'll try to match them, but not sure how easy it is to match an infant with a 6 year old.

I picked up these pajamas from the children's place at the end of the season last year, and they look very cute and snuggly in them.

They were inspired (not prompted by me at all, and not promised candy if they did) to share some hugs and kisses.

Crafty

We made a gingerbread house today! I've never done it before, it was fun. How long do you think that the candy will last? I think it is very likely to be bare by Christmas.

Do you think that icing that doubles as glue is bad for an unborn baby? Because I might of eaten some. Just a little bit. Less that 1/2 cup. And maybe some gumballs too. Sorry Baby, it's not that I don't love you and care for your development, it's just that I might have a sweet tooth.

There was a gingerbread man casualty before the day was over.

Look what Mr. Man came home with today. I don't know where he gets the talking during reading circle time from, I really don't. I'm as quiet as a mouse, he must get it from Brian.

Feeling It

So I'm starting to feel the effects of the pregnancy, I've been waking up queasy and tired a lot but nothing too terrible. Since this is probably our last pregnancy experience I'm savoring it, although it's hard to savor nausea. Usually when I'm pregnant I'm impatient for the baby to get here, but since I'm not in too much of a hurry to be chasing around three bambinos I feel more relaxed this time. I've been starting to wonder what God has in store for us this time, what gender it will be and what kind of personality he/she will have, I can't wait to find out. I've been having fun telling people, the best reaction so far was my friend Carrie screaming at the gym. Keep in mind she is 38 weeks pregnant, on a elliptical machine, and screams at the top of her lungs. A little embarrassing, but funny.

Brian's company has had a tough week, there were layoffs with rumors of more to come. So although he thinks his position is relatively safe, he's not 100% sure so work has been a smidge stressful. It isn't exactly the best time to have to find a new job in the financial industry so we're hoping for the best and trusting that God will take care of us regardless of what happens.

The kids have been playing Doctor and Dentist a lot lately, and put on quite a show. Yesterday I saw Bern examine Bella's hair/head (he was being a Dentist) and he said "You're teeth look great, miss, keep brushing." Bella said "Thank you Doctor, but that is my hair, not my teeth." They both burst into giggles. I love my monkeys.

Fancy Pants

Fancy Pants Bernard

Fancy Pants Bella


This clip reminds me of high school, probably because of the locker room and silliness, because everything was silliness back then. Watch at your own risk, you will be singing the song the rest of the day.

A Tale of 2 Snow Globes

What happens when you allow a 3 year old to play with 2 snow globes, snow globes which are made up of glass, water and glitter (lots and lots of glitter) on hardwood floors? Allow me to mention that the hardwood floors are freshly vacuumed, and that one of the globes was to be an heirloom, as it was given to me by my future husband at the tender age of 16. Or was it 17? Let's just say sometime in the teen years.

Snow globe #1 broke first, and you would have thought that I would have had the good sense to take away snow globe #2, but alas, I did not. I mopped up the mess, vacuumed the shards, and dried up the tears of a very heartbroken little lady. A little lady who said "I'm sorry I bwoke your snow gwobe, Mommy." I let her keep the second one just to make her feel better, then ten minutes later I hear another crash, and instant wailing. Awesome. We will be glittering until at least February.

An Early Christmas Present

It is a bit early to share this exciting news, but since you all know that we're trying I thought I should. We found out this weekend that we are expecting! I don't mind telling people early on because I feel that if I would miscarry I would want the support and prayers of my loved ones.

We are so thrilled and can't believe that next August Brian and I will be outnumbered. The kids were very excited, we told them that God answered our prayers and is growing a baby in my belly. Bella asked "can I see it"? Bern thinks it's a boy and wants to name it Issac (he spent Thanksgiving with a second cousin by that name), and Bella says it's a girl and wants to name it Nam. Not too sure were she got that but it's better than what my sister wanted to name me, which was hungabee. I'm sure I would have gone far with that one.

I'm already feeling some of the effects, mostly tiredness and a little crankiness, plus I'm hungry! I told myself I will not gain 60 lbs this time, so I'm trying to be careful with how I eat and how often I make it to the gym. So, if you see me, please do not offer me a cookie. Now, I'm going to bed even though it's only 7:30!

Turkey Sighting

I'm Thankful For

This Man

This Boy

This Girl

I'm also thankful for my God (I don't have a picture of Him) , my church, that we live close enough to be with our family on holidays, that we have made such great friends in St. Charles, and that people actually read my blog (not sure why, but they do).

I'm also grateful that my kids are old enough to sleep through the night, almost every night, except when something on their body itches and they feel compelled to wake us up so we can scratch it. When the kids were little I thought that we would never ever sleep again, so I'm grateful that we've reached the light at the end of the tunnel. Although if I get pregnant soon we will be sucked back in...

I love my life, and feel very grateful for all of God's blessings. Happy Thanksgiving, I hope you all have a wonderful holiday with much to be thankful for!

Babies, Babies, Everywhere

Welcome to the post that is all about babies. Speaking of, Mr. Reid N. entered the world last Friday morning, weighing in at 8lbs, 4 oz and sporting a full head of dark hair. He is so precious and full of baby goodness, I asked his mommy if she thought that I could get pregnant by sniffing his head. Welcome little man, we are so excited to meet you. Also new to the world is little Aubrey Shiloh, and by little I mean 10lbs, 7 0z! God bless Niki and her toddler I mean baby!!

Since this is a baby post I would normally put some pictures up of the kids when they were newborns, but a certain someone might have taken shots of a newborn Bella at the hospital with a camera that was void of film. I won't formally name who that certain someone is, but let's just say he feels bad about it.

When I told Bern and Bella about the arrival of Reid, they were very excited and wanted to go see him in the hospital. I explained that having a baby makes the mommy sleepy and a little sore, and that it is best to wait a while and let the mommy and baby adjust. Bern then asked the inevitable question of how the baby comes out of the mommy's tummy. Que silence, birds chirping. I decided to go the easiest route I could think of, and told him that babies come out of their mommy's bottom. Que more silence and birds chirping. After a minute or two, Bern says "Are you serious about this stuff"? Yes Bern, unfortunately I am. If only a stork could deliver one to our doorstep, life would be so much easier.

Dress-Up Day

Today Brian and Bern worked/froze outside, winterizing and mulching leaves. That left little miss and I to do some cleaning and dress like ballerinas. Have I mentioned that I love my girly-girl?

My girly-girl loves her dog.

But wait Oscar, something's missing...

Much better.

Bella woke up crying in the middle of the night last night. She had a problem that she needed help with, was it:

a. She had to go potty.


b. Was coughing and needed medicine.


c. Had an itchy bottom and needed help scratching it.


d. Was hungry and needed a snack.


e. All of the above.


If you answered e., you are correct. Morning came just a little too soon today.

Good Old-Fashioned Family Fun

Dodge

Ball

Check out what Brian was doing to the kids tonight, but please don't call family services on us.

It's Beginning to Look a Bit Like Christmas

Christmas 2007

I've officially started my Christmas shopping today. Can it seriously be time for this already? Usually I have a good idea of what I'm getting the kids, but I hadn't noticed anything super cool yet, so Bella and I ventured into toysrus today to check out the goods. I wasn't sure how I was going to buy anything without her seeing it, but was able to distract her with some musical books, snacks, and hid the goods with our winter coats. I get all warm and fuzzy inside when I find a good gift, although because I'm a instant gratification kind of gal I want to give it to them right away. There has been times when I bought them a birthday gift too early, given it to them, and had to go buy another one. Brian loves it when I do that.

The kids have a train set and table, which I swore I'd never, ever buy but got the train set for $5 at a yard sale so naturally I had to get a table on eBay. Anyway they play with it a ton, so we thought we'd get them some new accessories to freshen it up a bit. Imaginarium had the coolest polar express set, with bridges, tunnels, santa, elves, Christmas tree, etc. It looks like so much fun, I can't wait to give it to them. I love gifts that make them use their imagination, and it is a huge bonus if they are wooden ( I don't know why, wood just seems better than plastic). Extra double bonus if they do not need batteries.

The store was already crowded, and some shelves were already bare. I asked an associate where I certain item was and their were 2 other people in the aisle waiting for the same thing by the time he brought it to me. So apparently the superfriends batman cave is a "hot item" this year, and there is one hiding in the basement with Bern's name on it. Yay for consumerism.

More Vacation Pics

We never get around to taking pictures together so we took advantage of having our own personal photographer (Jill).

Mr. Quinn is a hoot, he has perfected the sayings "oh no!" and "more", which he can also sign (impressive). Problem is more is the only sign he knows, so it's hard to understand what he wants more of...which made me laugh. Lots of more, more, more. More what Quinn? More. We had a blast playing with him, it's funny how when you don't have to take care or play with children you want to, but when it's your own it can get old. We walked into their house after a day trip (in which Brian entertained Quinn in the backseat) and Brian was all about giving their dog some love. I jokingly asked him why he is nicer to their child and dog than he is to ours, he said "Because I have time, and I don't have too." Indeed.

Heavenly Resort in Lake Tahoe

We like Tahoe so much we decided to buy a vacation home, had this one in mind but it was out of our price range. We ended up buying a tent.

Reno Baby, Reno

If you live in the mountains, you must own a puffy vest, it is a unspoken rule. Luckily, Jill had 2 so I was not a social outcast.

The fabulous 4 before a night on the town.

Quinn getting a little handsy with Betty Boop.



This is probably the closest Brian and I will ever get to riding a ski lift.

We're baack! We had a most excellent time, it always a good sign of things to come when your shuttle pulls up to the hotel and there is a mall across the street. The marriage conference was amazing, I highly recommend going to one if you ever get a chance, it is a great way to get a marriage tune-up.


Jill and Dean picked us up Sunday and took us to their swanky house in the mountains of Reno, where we lounged, played with their toddler Quinn, and ate. We visited some cute mountain towns, saw Lake Tahoe (beautiful), and ate some more. I also tried my hand at a slot machine and lost $15 in less than 5 minutes, luck was not my friend. If you know Jill and Dean, visit them, they are always great hostesses. Even if you don't know them, just mention my name and I'm sure they'll be glad to have you. They don't even mind if you try for a baby while residing in their guest room:-)


Our kids greeted/clobbered us at the airport, which was a lovely way to be welcomed back. Now the challenge is to get back on track after the time change/time zone differences. I might be just a tad cranky tomorrow...

Heading West

We are off to California early tomorrow morning for this. On Sunday we'll be heading to Reno to stay at our friend Dean and Jill's house, where we will expect them to drop everything and entertain us, and they will because they don't get visitors very often and they love us. We all grew up together, Jill and I evened roomed together in college (till sophomore year, when the room grew a bit too small and we had to get a divorce, but then we were OK again). Jill also feels the same way about food as I do, we were the only ones in our dorm who didn't have a meal plan in the cafeteria. We would cook weird creations in our micro fridge (remember those?) and beg our parents to come and take us out to dinner. Anyways, should be a good time!

While we are gone we will miss cuddling munchkin #1 and munchkin #2, but will spend our time lounging, eating at yummy restaurants, reading, and doing other things that are hard to do once you become parents. Not sure if I will have time to post while we are gone, and kind of want to steer clear of computers for a few days anyway, as I've been spending way too much time online lately. I'll miss you all and see you Wednesday!

Election Through Little Eyes

Yesterday I was getting Bernard ready for school, and asked him to move quickly because daddy was going to go vote on the way. I explained to him that daddy was voting for the next president of the United States and that the president was in charge of our country just like daddy's in charge of our family (I guess that makes me vice president, but I have lots of veto power). Background: Bern is very animated when talking, lots of gestures, wiggling, and expressions. He said (while gesturing with his hands) "Mommy, are you serious about all this pwesident stuff?" Brian said that they waited in line at the polling place for a bit, then Bern said "So where is the pwesident at, daddy?"

For once I was glad to have the last name of Luitjohan, the A-K line was out the door but my line was wide open. Bella probably made my ballot invalid, she circled under and around the booth the entire time I voted, causing it to shake a bit. I'm sure the people voting next to me were very appreciative that I brought my 3 year old!

Cute link that brought a smile to my face:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/worldnews/3274186/George-W-Bush-in-pictures.html

Bowling and a Big Decision

Bella gently pushing her purple ball down the alley.

Bern chucking the green ball.

I got in a funk on Saturday, my house needs a cleaning and I'm having trouble getting it done. Most of you who know me know how I like my house to be just so, but between living with 2 munchkins, the gorgeous weather, and various activities I've been slacking. I was a little pouty about it, we had a morning of bowling scheduled with our small group and I even debated staying home so I could get it done, but I realized the my messy house is a good thing. I love that I've got 2 fun-loving kids that leave fake bugs in the fridge, and baby dolls in my bed. I love that we have good friends that we can meet for lunch at unsanitary McDonald's, veggie tales shows and bowling on Saturdays.

I am going to choose to embrace my messy house, because it means we're having fun. On the same note, we have been praying about adding a third child to our family for a few months now, and have come to the decision to start trying. We love being parents, and are very excited! Operation baby#3 is officially on!

Happy Halloween!

I love observing the kids on Halloween, they are besides themselves that people give them candy just because. We trick or treated at a local nursing home, then enjoyed ourselves at the veggie tales live show. Surprisingly we ended up with a ton of candy, the nursing home was very generous, the show handed some out, and we even got some at the restaurant we ate at for dinner. Now we have enough to get us through till Christmas, then the Christmas candy will get us through till Easter, and the vicious sugar cycle will never cease.

Guess who has ALREADY gotten a paddle for sneaking the candy? Winner gets....Halloween candy!!!

This is Bella's fake smile.

2 bags for me, none for you.