nesting

okay...question....is it too early to be nesting? i think it is, but my husband is convinced that i am. it's after christmas, there could be a move in the near future and a new baby is coming...i just think i am trying to organize. our house seems filled to the brim and i am just trying to make room for all of our crap. actually what i really want to is give or throw stuff away. spring cleaning may come a little early this year. if we do end up moving, that means that i really have to get this house in order....and clean.

the thought of cleaning every nook and cranny of this house scares the pants off me....maybe not scares, but stresses me out! i do have to say that i am in love the mr. clean's magic eraser!!! being a parent and home owner, i think that has been one of the best inventions EVER!!! for instance, while the girls were playing i thought that i would start cleaning (a little). what would be better than to start with cleaning a bedroom door...it's white (off white now) and very dirty. well, out comes mr. magic eraser and zam the door is white and clean...no more finger prints, crayon marks, pencil parks....and what ever other mysterious spots there were. all gone. i think i am going to go out and buy a box for each room....i think that's a good way to start ;-)

anyway, needless to say, i think this is going to be a busy winter. not to mention that one of my new years resolutions is to blog more. i am just finishing up a book of every blog post i have created. i am so excited about it. what a great way for the girls to be able to look back (and it won't be lost). the only sad thing was that when making the book i noticed that my posts were so few and far between the last year and a half. so i am hoping to do better. we'll just see how that goes, especially with three kids. ha!

ending 2009

princess bride...

POPCORN BALLS....in the making......yummy!

one last post before the end of the year. the christmas decorations are down (so sad, the house feels so empty without them)...the yummy treats are gone (which is a good thing)...and it's still snowing...and i'm all ready for bed! christmas was great, in fact we are still enjoying it because my dad just got in to town today...so the christmas cheer is still here, just no more decorations....boo! the girls had a blast. they were especially excited for their "party" on christmas eve....(out to a fancy dinner with papa and ohie). they each had a special outfit to wear, lainey in her "white christmas outfit" and kylee in her stylish sweater and jeans (kylee style). did i mention that since we got home from out trip alaina has been obsessed with the movie "white christmas?" i am pretty sure she has watched that movie at least, if not more than twenty times. you know what she likes most about it...the clothes and shoes! we have a little monster in the making. speaking of alaina, when we were celebrating christmas with papa and ohie she opened her gift from them which was a bride costume...after putting it on (which was immediately) she completely changed. personalities i mean. i am serious, it's like she has multiple personalities when she dresses up. she sat there in her costume, not speaking, no expressions...nothing. we kept asking her if she was okay and she would say that she was. after about twenty minutes of this "lainey" we asked her if she would put her jammies back on because we wanted "our lainey" back. after putting her jammies back on she was back to her old self. trying to explain does not do it justice....it's so weird.

kylee was so funny when opening her "big" present from papa and ohie. they had letters in a box that spelled out her present. once she put them together and unscrambled them a few times she got so excited and new right where it was....b...i...k...e!

the girls are getting so big. on christmas morning they actually slept in, and when we started opening presents they were much more excited handing them out to mom and dad than they were opening their own. i have to say how proud i am of our girls. they really are the best (yes, i am bias) they are polite and well mannered and they have huge hearts. even though each one is going through "a stage" right now, i love them with all my heart and am so glad that they are ours (on earth that is). i am so excited (and a little nervous) that we will have one more to add to the bunch come this summer.

i am fifteen weeks pregnant with our third child. i am so excited...and so are the girls. they went with me to the doctor today to listen to the heartbeat. i think they were pretty fascinated. i must say that it brings so much joy to know that they are as excited as they are. this baby is being prayed for so much...everyday the girls pray for a healthy baby...a "great" baby! we do know that this baby will be great, every gift from God is great and this baby is definitely a gift from God. I can't wait for what God will do in 2010! I hope everyone has a safe and happy new year!!!

i am only fifteen weeks....yikes!

hawaii 09

chistmas time is here again....and again i am not sure where it came from. so much has been going on. in the middle of november we started getting ready for our trip to maui. for the first time in my life i was packing up to the last minute...typically i am done a week before (i know, very sad....but efficient!) actually, my husband was the first one packed....and a week before at that. anyway, we left and thoroughly enjoyed our eight and a half hour plane ride....ha! the kids actually did pretty well, it was the adults that were going insane! funny story though....when we were landing in maui the pressure in laineys ears were really bothering her. i tried to explain how to open her mouth really wide, like she was yawning...or to swallow....none of that worked. so, i told her that she really needed a piece of gum to help with her ears. after giving alaina her piece of gum, i turn to look at her and found her actually trying to jam the unchewed piece of gum into her ear...i just about died!!!! this child is so literal. it really was one of the funniest things she has done.

anyway, the trip was amazing! so much fun and not enough time...it just goes too fast when you are having fun! every morning we would wake up and have breakfast, then gather up our stuff and head down to the beach. the girls would swim for several hours (i didn't partake that long...i had a few books that were calling my name....and sleep too...nothing better than a nap on the beach), then we would come up for lunch, the rest of the afternoon we would either hang out on the lawn...resting in the sun, or cleaning up. we'd watch the sunset while getting ready for dinner and then after dinner of course came the nightly trip to lappert's ice cream. the girls loved that...well, who am i kidding, i loved it too!

a few days after we got there we were able to celebrate papa's 60th birthday! it was pretty special. that night we had dinner on the lawn while watching the sunset...with pineapple upside down cake for dessert. later we all sat around and were able to share 60 different reasons we were thankful for him. the girls got a little confused because all of us adults were crying...it was a little comical.

a few days before thanksgiving we went on a little excursion to see dophins and to snorkel. it was awesome!! on our way out we saw several whales (that actually breeched, like six times in a row), then when we had almost reached our snorkeling destination we came upon a large pod of dophins! it was so amazing to see so many at one time, i wasn't expecting that at all. the girls loved it! lainey wasn't too sure in the beginning (she was clinging to daddy for dear life), but after seeing the whales and dolphins she thought it was pretty neat. once we got to our snorkeling spot we all jumped in, kylee and alaina too! i have to say that i am very disappointed in myself for not bringing some kind of underwater camera.....it was the cutest thing seeing both girls' little legs with little flippers on treading water. kylee even decided to put on a mask.....and that was all it took because after that came the snorkel and she was off.....then lainey decided she wanted a mask too (but no snorkel...that came later). i couldn't believe kylee was snorkeling and lainey was following us around putting her face in the water. i really was so proud of both of them. i don't think i ever would have been brave enough to try something like that when i was either of their ages. when we were finished and we got back on the boat lainey looked up to me and said, "i conquered my fear." yeah, our three year old said that! kylee was so proud of herself. it was just a few days later that we had to go and buy a kids snorkeling set so they could snorkel when we were swimming at the beach. the second to last day when we were in the pool lainey put the snorkel in her mouth and off she went. amazing i tell you. i wouldn't believe that a three and six year old were actually snorkeling.

thanksgiving was great...nothing better than spending the morning on the beach and then later stuffing your face with a bunch of thanksgiving carbohydrates...yum, yum! but once thanksgiving rolled around we new we would be leaving soon....too soon. by the end of the trip lainey had been nick named "tan toosh," kylee was ready to go home and see bella and alan and i were sad because we didn't want to leave. it was so wonderful being together as a family and really relaxing.

when we got home we got to our car at the airport to find really cold weather and a dead car. luckily someone was able to give us a jump...but the next day after getting a car full of groceries, the battery was dead again. between groceries, new battery...and a few extra car things that needed to be fixed we spent A LOT of money in one stinkin' day. it was pretty disgusting. anyway, all is better now. i think i've written enough for one post...i'll will shut my yap now.