Not Me Monday

What did I NOT do this week? What did others NOT do this week? Read my confessions and then head over to MckMama's to see what everyone else is NOT doing.

This past week at MOPS I did NOT let my girls eat all the leftovers they wanted after the meeting. They did NOT eat a whole plate of grapes, some muffin pieces and some cookies all while I helped clean up. And then I did NOT take them home and put them to bed without lunch. It may NOT have been a healthy lunch but it was food & their bellies weren't empty.

Ellia is doing so great potty training and has started to finally pick up that poopy also goes in the toilet. So this week when she went poopy in the toilet she started to also pee, she did NOT then stand up mid stream and say "Ohhh no the pee pee is on the poopy". Thus, resulting in me having to explain that the two go together.

Our 2yr old has NOT become a bossy little one. She did NOT tell me this week to change the channel on the radio because "I no like this one". Since when did she become such a music expert?

I did NOT clean my house all week and then yesterday spend 2.5hrs sweeping & cleaning. And while I cleaned I did NOT put on Yo Gabba Gabba for the girls. They did NOT watch 2.5hrs straight and enjoy every moment of it.

This pregnancy I am NOT craving salsa and chips. Therefore we did NOT have tacos 3x in the last week. And one night I did NOT have Bill run to Taco Bell and get me Nachos at 10 o'clock at night. Nope NOT me.

Potty Training 101 Team D style

Potty training 101 officially started last week and I am happy to report that it is going GREAT! Ellia has decided this time around (3rd attempt at this adventure) that she is willing & ready to participate. This morning we had our 2ND dry diaper after an all night sleep & today we had our 3rd dry diaper after naps!! She is on her way to mastering this I am sure of it.
For all you out there, not sure who that is, but those that read & follow (mostly my parents I'm sure) who are looking at potty training in the future here are a few things I have learned:

• Potty training tests your patience, every last nerve!
• If the child isn't ready, then it will never happen
• If younger children show interest in the process that's okay
• However, do not assume they are ready to attempt, and do NOT let them run around naked, because it only will tear that last nerve of patience to shreds!!
• Expect lots of cleanup. The mop & rug cleaner become your best friends!!!
• Younger siblings and the dog will inevitably get into the potty chair & play in the deposits
• Be okay with half attempts, which are when they get half in the potty & half on the floor.
• If you decide to go to the park on one of our finally nice days, do not think she is ready to go with panties. Because you will find your 6month pregnant self running to the bathroom with your 15month old in tow. Only to watch her lavender pants turn dark purple as the pee drains down her legs as she runs to the potty.
• And remember a shart is still a shart! - Even if it happens in the toilet or in our case her panties

Ohhh my heavy heart

For days now all I have been able to do is watch the news channels about Haiti. I have wanted to write a blog but each time I sat down to type I would just cry. My heart is so heavy for those people, that country and the relief workers. Maybe it's because I'm a mom and if I had lost all 5 of my children in an instant I too would be wailing in the streets. Or maybe it's because I'm human and this natural disaster touches a cord in each of us that only the Lord can do.

Why? Was of course my first question. But really there isn't an answer to this question. What I do know is this, it's not because that country was inherently evil as one very popular Religious speaker recently said.

During my many hours of TV viewing & web surfing I stumbled upon some staggering statistics about Haiti that just boggle my mind.

- population is almost 10 million
- 200,000 families are in need of shelter
- 80-90% of all buildings were destroyed during the quake, due to their concrete construction and the fact that there are no construction standards set up
- 80% of the population is Roman Catholic and 16% Protestant
- It is estimated that roughly half the population practice voodoo on a regular basis
- Most Haitians live on just $2.00 a day, which means 80% of the population lives below the poverty line.
- Haiti has no military forces IE...ARMY, NAVY etc. They do have a small Coast Guard
- They do have roughly 10,000 police officers, whom have also lost families and homes And now must try to keep peace when many criminals are now roaming the streets again.
- Before the earthquake there were an estimated 400,000 orphans living in Haiti - who knows what that number will rise to now
- 38% of the population is comprised of children under the age of 14

These stats are overwhelming to me. Some of them, especially when it comes to the children are almost too much to even type. When I watched a story about these orphans the other night I just cried & cried. Bill held me and we prayed for those little ones.

Some of us will never face a disaster like that and for that I am thankful. But that doesn't mean we are exempt from it. These people, this country, the aid workers/volunteers need our prayers more than ever.

Please join with me in praying for this country & if possible making a donation to Red Cross, World Concern, Compassion International or any other relief network of your choice.

Pray for:

The people left homeless & without food
That food & shelter supplies arrive swiftly & are handed out smoothly
The orphans who are left to fend for themselves
That the volunteers/relief workers would have strength and not become weary
That disease & sickness do not spread as the conditions there worsen
Civil UN-rest does not rise up & take over
Most importantly that these people come to know the one and true God who loves them. When disasters come it is often when people come to know the Lord, their hearts are open, please pray the Haitian peoples hearts would be open to the gospel.

Our busy life this past week

This past week we have been busy in the Team D household. What have we been up to you ask? Well, we've been busy potty training, cleaning out bedrooms, organizing, weeding out & selling lots of baby girl clothes and making our own laundry soap. With all these fun adventures we have NOT been cleaning, getting dressed or anything else useful at all.

Just to give you a glimpse I will include some pictures of our adventures.

The laundry soap ingredients

Bill stirring the soap
Someone else wants to potty train too, and she understands that a good book is part of the potty process too!


Baby girl crap exploding in the guest room

Trying to organize, key word....trying

Friday Facts

I'm thankful for: A new year and what it has to bring for us. I love starting over and fresh. This year I am sure is going to be a challenge with another little one but ohhh so much fun.

Listening to: The girls push their doll strollers around, around, around and around. Did I mention they are also squealing & laughing with delight?

Looking forward to: My birthday next week. I am hoping that Bill gets me a pedicure. That's all I want!

What's for dinner tonight: Not sure. I bought chicken to make crock pot chicken casserole, but am missing a few ingredients. So then I was going to make Fajitas, but that doesn't sound good now to me. What I really want is something covered in cheese and spicy....Hmm, Mexican?

Needing or wanting: Wanting to take a vacation. Somewhere. It's hit me so hard this week. I would love to go away with Bill by ourselves but then again Disney World or Land sounds like fun with the girls as well. I just want to go away. Bill and I haven't gone on a real vacation, except our honeymoon, and then that was just to the OR coast. Ahh, well maybe next year.

Missing: A little girls brown boot. A young lady came and bought a bunch of the girls clothes and wants the other boot. I have turned their rooms upside down and cannot find it. I know it's here, Addie just wore it not too long ago. If I didn't know any better I'd think that one of Tiff's boys came and lifted it for his stash.....but since they've never visited I cannot blame it on them.

2010 Goals, dreams & desires

Before I jump right in with my goals for 2010 I want to take a few moments to remember what I am thankful for this past year.

1. I am thankful for my wonderful husband. He is my biggest cheerleader (minus the outfit), my Best Friend, confidant and constant reminder of what it means to have Grace. If any man knows about Grace it's him. He is the first to give Grace out to those who most times do not need or deserve it. I honestly think he carries a Master Grace Giver card in his wallet next to his license and Costco card. I am also so thankful for all the sacrifices he makes for our family including enabling me to stay home with our children.

2. I am thankful for our two little girls. Ellia and Addie you make me smile, laugh and sometimes cry every day. But it is pure joy. And I am so thankful that I get to be home with them each and every day to watch them grow up. Especially for the times like this morning when Ellia stood on top of the potty chair and sang "Jesus and Santa are coming to town" (didn't you know they both come to town this time of year?) and then took a bow saying "Thank You"

3. For our newest family member joining us in the Spring 2010 - our Son!

4. For our families. They are so wonderful and supportive. Always there for us when we call and even when we don't. Their unconditional love & support are truly a blessing in our lives.

5. I am so Thankful for the Lord. How he is there even when I feel like no one else is. Thankful that he was born & rose again so that I can write these goals.

Goals or Desires for 2010

See I always set these lofty goals and hardly ever meet them. So maybe if I call them desires then that will help me to obtain them.

1. Finish Addie's 1st year scrapbook and start one for our son. And start our family album

2. Become a more loving wife. One who is slower to react (Bill would be happy with just this one), who listens better and with baby#3 coming we need more one-on-one time together. I want to help make this possible. Even if it's just going to coffee together for an hour. I want to be the nurturer of our relationship and to show Bill how much he really means to me. I know he knows this but I want to show him more with actions & not just words.

3. Be a better mother. Although I am home with the girls every day sometimes I am just here existing. Not really with them. Sometimes things like the computer take precious time from them. And with baby#3 coming I really want to cherish more time with them. I want to visit the library, Zoo, Fire Department, etc...really spend quality time with them. And I want to start spending one on one time with each child alone. To encourage that mother/daughter/son relationship.

4. Be a better Daughter, Sister, DIL, SIL and friend. I am so bad at these and sometimes all at the same time. Life gets so busy and I am sad to say I get caught up in myself and our family that I neglect those closest to me. I sometimes say the wrong things & am not always nice about it. I want to try to be better. Try to see people more with the Lord's eyes.

5. Spend more time with the Lord. I have neglected him a lot this year. And I need/want to really establish a prayer time with him each and every day. I want to get to know Him and his word better this year.

There you have it my goals/desires for 2010. What are yours?

We still believe in Santa.

Why is that someone always thinks they know what is the best way to raise your children? And why do they think (even though they might not say it) that you are bad parents if you don't believe as they do?

Yes, my blogging friends I am talking about when people question your belief in Santa Clause, The tooth fairy, Disney movies etc.

Recently it seems these topics have come up as conversation at birthday parties, FaceBook, and McDonalds.

Bill and I think that the choices we have made to let our girls have a little bit of fun in childhood are just fine. They aren't going to get traumatized because they believed in Santa or the tooth fairy. We both grew up believing in these make believe characters and we turned out just fine. We both still love the Lord & are also teaching our girls to love the Lord.

But after these discussions I always walk away feeling like we are bad parents or some how made the wrong choice. Especially when I hear "you guys are teaching them to believe in Santa?" With shock & horror they ask.

Why yes we are and if you don't like it, well then tough. And BTW please do not let your child tell my child Santa isn't real.

Not Me! Monday - Christmas Style

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

This week I did NOT run around for 2 days like my head was cut off trying to get our house spotless for the holiday. It has NOT been exactly a week since my floors were swept & mopped.

Addie did NOT just spill Bubba's dog water and I did NOT take a towel to wipe it up and decide to "semi" mop that area of the floor.

While wrapping presents Bill and I did NOT discover that Addie had a few less presents than her older sister. Bill growing up in a "Fair is fair" household did NOT insist we get her a few more things. I did NOT suggest wrapping up one of her birthday presents she has opened yet. He did NOT disagree resulting in a Christmas Eve shopping trip to Wal-Mart to pick up a few things, which did NOT result in many other things being purchased as well.


Addie was NOT thrilled to have received these dollar store balls & hat in her stocking more than all her other presents combined. Which did NOT re-confirm my idea & have me thinking "Hmmm, maybe just maybe wrapping up the birthday present wouldn't have been a bad idea after all"

These doll stroller sets & bed sets I did NOT see at Costco and resist buying. Knowing that #1 they were too expensive and #2 that G & G were buying Addie a baby doll stroller & bed for her babies. And so the day after Christmas when Bill called and said they had gotten both in as returns and were marked down to $9, I did NOT tell him to buy them! And I did NOT have him call our friend because I know she had wanted one of them for her daughter too. Thus resulting in him buying her one as well.

We do NOT now have 4 strollers & 3 doll beds in our house. Don't worry we moved the wooden bed with baskets up to Ellia's room for her doll babies. And you'd think sharing wouldn't be a problem with that many.....Wrong!!

She has already moved in the necessary supplies. Wipes, diaper, dress up shoes & baby clothes.

After discovering that Costco was sold out of hams Bill and I did NOT agree that a Prime Rib was a bit out of the price range this year. We did NOT then opt for Rib Eye steaks & at the last minute buy 2 King Crabs. This did NOT result in costing more than a Prime Rib!

While cooking our Fabulous Christmas Dinner we did NOT discover that we did NOT have crackers to crack open the crabs. Bill did NOT say to me "I'll just get a couple pair of pliers from the garage" To which I did NOT reply "I will most certainly NOT eat my crab with greasy pliers from your garage" I did NOT then call the neighbors, wish them a Merry Christmas and borrow some crackers as well as these darling little ramekins that keep the butter melted.

The last 2 days the girls and I have NOT spent in our pj's, on the couch & watching a ton of movies. We have NOT watched more Christmas movies in the past 2 days than we did all month long!!

We did NOT move Ellia into her toddler bed today. We were NOT swayed to do so because we found out that two of her other 2yr old friends have moved into their toddler beds as well. She slept great for her nap. Let's see what tonight holds!



Wow, what a week it has been! What have you NOT done this past week?

Duck Calling - Teach em young

Bill got a new duck call & goose call for Christmas from his sister. Ellia loves to practice with him as you will see in this video. Watch her her hands even mimic his hand movement. I love it!!!

A Baby Changes Everything

During this holiday season I have been hearing the song "A Baby Changes Everything" by Faith Hill on the radio. The lyrics touched me the first time I heard them. And still each time I hear it I get goosebumps.

How true it is, a baby changes everything. Your life is turned upside down and all around. But in the end it is A-OK once you hold that sweet little one in your arms for the first time.

When they placed Ellia in my arms for the first time I cried but I also felt this warmth flow from the tip of my head all the way down to my feet. It was the weirdest thing!! But I know now that it was love taking over. A love for another being that I had never felt before & in that instant I knew how the Lord felt about His son. And later when I would tell Bill about this feeling I realized how hard it must have been for the Lord to give his only son to die for you and me. Because I know I couldn't do it, sacrifice my sweet babies for you. Sorry!

It's so true.........A Baby Changes Everything!

Here are the lyrics to this song. I hope you treasure them as much as I do especially during this season.

Teenage girl, much to young

Unprepared for whats to come

A baby changes everything (repeat 2x)

Not a ring

on her hand

All her dreams and all her plans

A baby changes everything (repeat 2x)

The man she loves she's never touched

How will she keep his trust

A baby changes everything (repeat 2x)

And she cries, oh she cries

She has to leave, go far away

Heaven knows she can't stay

A baby changes everything

She can feel it's coming soon

There's no place, there's no room

A baby changes everything (repeat 2x)

And she cries, she cries, oh she cries

Shepherds on their own

They got there
Star shines down

Choir of Angels say

Glory to the newborn King

A baby changes everything (repeat 2x)

Everything, everything, everyday

Hallelujah (repeat 4x)

My whole life was turned around

I was lost and now I'm found

A baby changes everything (repeat 2x)

Baby Boy ultrasound pictures

I am posting a few ultraound pictures from last Friday. Some of these I will not post on FaceBook - specifically the one showing that he is indeed a BOY!

I think he was saying "Hi Mom"

His sweet profile

His cute little feet

And finally..........the one you are all waiting for I am sure. His manhood in all it's glory. The white spots on either side of the"dangle" are his hip bones. This is a few looking down on him, he is already head down in position.

We are soooo very excited and feel like God has truly blessed us!

Baby #3 is a........................ BOY!!!

Yesterday was the BIG day! We were sooo excited and anxious all at the same time. The night before I had another crying episode telling Bill "if it's another girl I will just not feel complete" He said all we need is a healthy baby. Always the tower of strength & reason that man!

I could not sleep much that night. I even came downstairs had a snack & turned on old TV shows to try to lure myself to sleep. I ended up watching an episode of Mr.Ed. You know the one with the talking horse? Do you know what the show was about at 3:30 in the morning, another horse having a colt...and at the end of the show it was a BOY horse. I sat up on the couch and said out loud to myself & the dog...."You've got to be kidding me" Later, that morning I asked Bill if it was a sign to which he replied "from Mr. Ed?"

So we headed to the appointment, Grandma and Grandpa met us there to watch the girls during the ultrasound. As we walked down the hall to the room the tech asked if we'd be finding out the sex of the baby? Ummmm, duh! Yes, we would like too Bill tells her.

I get on the ultrasound table, she splatters me with the warm goop & begins moving the little thing around my tummy. And no joke, in like 30 seconds she says "Looks like 3rd times a charm with you guys, you're having a boy" - I was in shock....."Say what??" Which she says again "Ohh yeah it's a boy". I start crying and look at Bill whose eyes also are a little wet. It was such a magical moment!! We were in shock but yet sooooo excited.

After a few minutes Bill left to go get the girls and the Grandparents. I asked her "So you're sure it's a boy?" to which she replied "Ohh yeah, I've seen him 4x now, it's a boy" I just laid there in awe....Thank you Lord!!

Bill's parents were so excited. His mom cried a bit too. Ellia was excited about seeing mama's baby on the TV. And Addie, well she didn't know what to think. She just wanted mama. So I held her while trying to let the tech still maneuver the little thingy over my tummy.

Later, Bill and I went out to lunch & to see the movie the Blindside. Great movie! Not after updating Facebook and texting the entire world! All day we kept looking at ourselves and saying "Can you believe it? "

Guess all those wives tales proved to be correct with us!! Now we just have to settle on a name.

I will try to get some pictures of his ultrasound on here later today.

Countdown to baby Gender #3 - Intelligender Test

Tomorrow is the day!!! The day we find out if we are having a boy or a girl. Tonight is going to be the longest night of my life for sure. Who knows if I'll get any sleep.


But in keeping with our posts all week today we will examine the last Wives Tale that Bill and I have tried. This one involved a bit of money, $30 to be exact.


We heard about this Intelligender Test through Bill's cousins and from the moment we heard I knew I wanted to try it. Basically, it's a test invented by a doctor to tell you the gender of your baby after you are 8weeks along. It has a 82% accuracy rate around the world and a 90% lab accuracy rate. So given those odds we had to try it!

We bought the test after searching hi & low at 3 different stores. And again we had to wait till the next morning so we could capture my first morning urine.
You have to extract the urine with this syringe thing & squirt it into a hole on the lid. Then you have to swirl the mixture DO not SHAKE is what it says. So careful not to shake Bill swirled the mixture for 10 seconds and then we left it for the designated time of 10minutes. The results are based on the mixture changing colors. Dark color like brown or green for a boy. No change or yellow-to-orange color for a girl.

And when we checked it 10 Min's later the mixture had changed colors - to reflect a BOY reading.



Of course we didn't believe it and had to check it against the Intelligender website and again it would appear that our test result was reflecting a positive BOY test.
So there you have it. We have tried 4 different Wives Tale during this pregnancy. And the results add up too:

1 for Girl - Chinese Gender chart
3 for Boy - ring test, Drano test & Intelligender test

Guess we will just have to wait and see what happens tomorrow. If it turns out to be a girl then we were not lucky when it came to Wives Tales and if turns out to be a boy then it would lead me to think there is something behind these wives tales.

Countdown to baby Gender #3 - Drano Test

Today, in our countdown we will look at the Drano Test wives tale. We had heard of this wives tale while we were prego with Ellia but somehow we weren't as impatient with either girl to try it.

Here is the concept behind the Drano Test:

2 TBSP of Drano Crystals
medium jar or glass *note this is very important - we learned the hard way*
2-3 ounces of mom's urine, preferably the first morning urine



Put the Drano crystals into the jar/glass and pour the urine into the jar covering the crystals. Make sure to do this outside as their will be a rapid chemical reaction and it is best to stay away from the jar while the fumes are being produced.
**Warning** When you are done you will need to dispose of the mixture very quickly as it has a very bad smell and may be caustic.


If the mixture darkens to a darkish color or brown within 10 seconds you are having a BOY
If there is no darkening or color change after 10-15 seconds you are having a GIRL

So on a Sunday morning in November we got up early, captured my first morning urine (which is hard to do when I am already peeing like a mad woman. But rest assured if you have gone more than 4hrs it can be considered your first morning urine) and Bill took the urine out to the garage with our "small" glass of Drano crystals. We waited in anticipation as the mixture........began changing color......and producing fumes, bubbles & after a few seconds began boiling over our small cup. Not before we were able to determine that it was a darker color & I snapped a few pictures. Bill then rushed the glass outside, burning his fingertips a bit as the glass was HOT.

These pictures don't do the color change justice as the color did get very dark.

Bill watching the mixture change colors

There you have it, the Drano Test said - BOY. Has anyone ever tried this one?

Countdown to baby #3 Gender - The Ring Test

Today, as we countdown to Friday we will look at the "Ring Test". And I should note that I have been corrected that all of these things we've been testing out are called Wives Tales......whatever!

The Ring Wives tale is basically this - Suspend a pure gold ring on a piece of string over the mom to be stomach. If it swings side to side = a Boy and if it rotates in a circle = a Girl.

So I first saw the ring test done on Bill's cousin Sarah when she was very pregnant with her little girl, Georgia. It should be stated that Daren & Sarah did NOT find out what they were having and the ring spun in circles, almost knotting up the string! The same wives tale was done on his other cousin when she was pregnant and it too was correct, they had a girl after 2 boys

Here is Dave performing test on Sarah

I was determined to try out this wives tale. Bill and I started trying this test very early on with no real luck. I think you have to have a little bit of a tummy for it too really work. But at Thanksgiving I had Bill's cousin, Dave perform the ring test on me. (it should be noted he was the one who had performed the prior two ring tests on the other cousins) And what did our bewildering eyes behold??? A note able side to side swing action - indicating a Boy.

But I wasn't done there. This past weekend at our friends house during their daughters 2ND birthday party I had our friends perform it not only on me but also our friend. See she is due in Feb and already knows what they are having. She was our control subject. The ring swung side to side = a boy & they are having a BOY!

.

Here is Lindsey - our control subject

Then it was my turn and I laid down on the floor. My stomach not as big yet as her stomach but still there. We couldn't get the ring to be still and everyone laughing. After a bit it appeared to rotate in a circle, to which I reacted by snatching the ring & string from my friends hands. It was then that I learned they were playing a joke on me and doing deliberately. Wrong, just Wrong!! Once we got the ring still & me calmed down it did do the side to side swing indicating BOY!

So there you have it the Ring test. Have you tried this one?

The Coundown to baby #3 gender begins

Today, is the beginning of the 5 day countdown till we find out what Baby#3 gender is. And to say we are anxious, scared and excited is and understatement!

For weeks now I have had dreams of a baby girl AND a baby boy. More specifically a boy with brown eyes and brown curly hair. I have also had the dreams where we are told it's a " " and when it's born it's the other. So I am ready to know.....whatever it's gender may be....I WANT to know!

Is it bad to say here that I've even had thoughts of faking pains or something to get into the doctor earlier for an ultrasound? And is it bad that one of my friends even offered to lightly rear end us (not to cause damage to vehicles) just so we could say we were rear ended and make a visit to the doctor??? Should I mention that I haven't felt this baby move yet either!

So in anticipation of the Big Gender revealing day Bill and I have tried just about every wise tale on the Internet in hopes of trying to discover this baby's gender.

Today, we analyze the Chinese Gender Chart and every day this week I will post about each of the wise tales we have tried & their results. All post leading up to Friday where we will post Baby #3's gender!!

The Chinese Gender chart is based on the mom's age at conception & the conception month.

My age - 32
Conception month - August

Predictor - Girl

**Now it's important to note here that with Ellia the Chinese chart said "Boy" and we know that wasn't true. It was however right with Addie. So with this specific Wise Tale gender predictor we are 1 for 1.**

Holiday baking

Why is it when the holidays roll around I end up wanting to bake & cook all day? And then I just end up eating all day too.

This week I have cooked soups, baked spaghetti, stew, choc chip oatmeal cookies, mint forgotten cookies & tomorrow I want to make orange cranberry bread.

Plus, the weather here has been sooooo cold that the girls and I haven't gone anywhere. So staying inside all day, all week has done nothing but encourage this baking/cooking situation.

Anyways, I hope you're all having a baking/cooking good time just like us.....And I hope that next Friday when I got to the doctor I wont see the extra calories add up too much!

My oh my!

MckMama is having a contest - so to get an extra entry I am blogging about it here.
She is giving away a free HP Touchscreen computer! Yes, no way, it's true. Go check out her blog here to see it!!!

Crossing my fingers, toes, arms, legs & anything else I can cross.

Not Me Monday Thanksgiving edition

Not Me Monday's were started by MckMama to tell others what you have NOT done. Go ahead and share what you have NOT done this week....it's fun.

This past week while getting ready to head out of town for the holiday I did NOT put the girls in their cribs with a snack & toys just so I could vacuum & take a shower.

I did NOT forget about them in their because they were being so good and lay down on the bed for a 20min nap either.

While at Aunt Beth's house for the holiday Addie did NOT knock over a huge 5ft candelabra with burning candles. It did NOT go all over the floor and on the walls. And Bill did NOT iron the wax off the walls.

We were just about to eat Thanksgiving dinner and were starting to pray when Ellia did NOT start saying "No pray" - because she associates prayer with bedtime (even though we too pray at dinner) and started throwing a major fit. I did NOT take her into the office, right off where we were eating and spank her bottom. Bill did NOT tell me later that everyone could hear my spank her bottom along with Uncle Harold's dinner prayer!

I did NOT agree to meet my friends for Black Friday shopping at 2:30am. And I did NOT look at the clock and decide to not go & not call them.

I did NOT get up at 5:45am and go out all by myself and do some shopping.

I did NOT break my hard & fast rule of listening to Christmas music before Thanksgiving and listen to it a few times this past week. I would never treat my favorite holiday like that!

I did NOT eat so much food in the last 5 days that I am sure I have gained 10lbs. I love, love Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving 2009

We made it to Thanksgiving in Portland this year. Last year due to Bill's work schedule we weren't able to make it to see all his extended family. I was sad, very, very sad!

But this year was another story for sure and it was so good to see everyone and to celebrate with them. The girls were a bit.....lets just say.....challenging. Ellia was just too excited about all her cousins and really had a hard time eating, sleeping & listening due to all the excitement. Addie had an ear infection and wasn't too cranky. However, she did knock down the candelabras with burning candles on them and get into just about anything her tiny, little, grubby hands could get a hold of.

All said and done it was a fun time. I may be a bit sleep deprived but I did have a good time! (however, on our way home we did talk about how we will have 3 kids at next years festivities....yikes!)

Addie playing on the upstairs deck after we arrived

Ellia on the deck. The kids love this deck!!




The arrival gifts waiting for the rest of the family to arrive. Aunt Beth has gifts for everyone each year when they arrive. Even the kids.

We arrived at two in the afternoon and the chocolate fountain was going already. This thing runs day & night for 4 days. With re-stocking of things to dip it into several times a day.



The girls meeting Georgia for the first time. They were so enthralled with her. Ellia kept saying "baby Georgy"



Bill ironing the wax off the walls onto paper towels after Addie pushed over the candelabras that had burning candles on them. ( we insisted on cleaning the wax up off walls & floor even though Aunt Beth said to leave it cause her cleaning lady would get it on Monday)

Bill lounging downstairs during the parade Thanksgiving morning
and massaging his legs & feet at the same time

Leave it to Aunt Beth to find something to entertain the kids this year. She created an indoor ball pit made out of a pool. The little cousins all loved playing in it. It entertained them for the entire 3hr parade and before dinner.


Addie loved this thing!!!!

The girls playing while the boys got dressed

Cousin Connie with Nate & Ben in the ball pit

Ellia, Addie, Nate, Caden & Kate - How many kids can you fit in that pool??

Aunt Beth always has activities, magazines, games etc for us all to do while we are here. This year the kids got to decorate an ornament. Here is Ellia decorating her snowman ornament.

Addie climbing the stairs with some balls from the ball pit. These stairs are a bit scary so I was right behind her.

Trying to get the girls to pose for a pre-dinner picture. Not the greatest as you can tell.




Cousin Sarah with her hubby Daren & newest family member Georgia! Isn't she the cutest??

Addies place setting at the table

View of one of the tables.

The tables all set for dinner. We have to use three 8ft tables & 3 highchairs to accommodate everyone. We've outgrown Aunt Beth & Uncle Harolds dinning room so we now use the formal living room for dinner.

Addie enjoying her turkey & fixins!

After dessert & coffee it's time for another tradition = balancing a spoon on your nose.
Cousin Connie here along with her "special" teeth she brought along for the weekend.



Bill - he has certain technique to this, but it works every time!

Cousin Sarah & Caleb - her protege this year. She holds the record for the number of spoons she can balance. Here she is with them on her eyes. Although Caleb did get 4 spoons this year on his eyes, nose and chin & I think beat her record!


Cousins Ryan and Jeff

Addie didn't care for pumpkin pie but she sure did like the cream puffs!!!

Christina was a foreign exchange student from Germany years ago with Bill and his family. She has stayed in contact over the years & made many trips to visit them again. She came for the holiday. Here she is having her 1st EVER bite of pumpkin pie. She liked it!

All the girl cousins (minus a few) dressed up in some of Aunt Beth's costumes, fur coats & old clothes and did a fashion show. I wore someones letter man's jacket from high school.

The annual signing of the "Thankful table cloth" This has been a tradition since 1989, we've had to sew another 2 table cloths onto the original. But it's always fun to see what people say each year, or see how kid's hand prints have changed. This is Bill and Daren signing.

Ahhh, another Thanksgiving in the books. Now the Christmas holidays officially begin!