Almost There

I know some of you have been under the misconception for awhile that I have no "tummy".
The proof is in the pictures my friends.
That's all I'm sayin...

LARGE and in charge.
Ok, maybe not in charge...but I certainly have the "large" part nailed.

And of course, every famous photographer has to have a "self portrait".

I cannot believe I am actually posting this on my blog.
I will NOT win any beauty pageants with this picture, but it was so dang cute of Hollis...well, I had to post.
I just hope some "Mommy Makeover" show doesn't call me after seeing this picture.

Sat night Jason and I escaped for our "birthday /we're going to be on house arrest for a loooong time after Nov 15 so we'd better get the heck out of the house" now dinner.
After dinner we decided to make one last hoorah to Sullivans and delight in a little decaf  coffee(for the pregant lady), a little late night jazz and lots of chocolate souffle.
If you have never had their chocolate souffle, well, I just feel downright pity for you...but that's another story.
As we were leaving/waddling, I heard a woman speaking several decimals louder than she should say," And speaking of dropping, my God,you look like you could drop right now."
Hmmm.
She could be talking about someone getting ready to drop dead of a heart attack.
She could be talking about someone bringing a a loaded gun into the restaurant and "dropping" somebody.
Or, she could be talking about me and my fat tummy.
I'll give you one guess who she was talking to.
And that's ok..because at this point I don't think anyone in their right mind could disagree with her.
The truth shall set you free...and give me a good chuckle in the meantime.

Preparing

They say a picture is worth a thousand words....

 In 10 short days or less, life as we know it is about to change.
Our days will be long, and our nights will be longer.
Diapers and breast milk will once again be a part of our everyday routine.
Our home will once again be filled to the rim with excitement and chaos and sleep deprivation.
Our hearts will be bursting at the seams as it grows to make room for one more little soul.
Yep.
We've waited for this day for 3 years now.
And it's finally here. 
Really here!! 
I'll officially be a Mom of two. A family of 4.
I love the sound of that.
Thank you ,God, for giving me another chance to be a Mama.
I'm more than ready.
And you know what?
When I finally get my arms around this new baby, I may never let them go.

Boo to You...

From our family to yours....

May you Halloween be filled with more treats than tricks...
and thanks Mom and Dad for the 1950's costume...she totally rocked it!

Fall Break

Tomorrow Hollis returns to school after being home with me for 5 days.
I have soaked up every second of having her home with me.
No schedules. No rushing to school. No homework or sight words.
Fall Break brought:
Lots of snuggles in bed.
A picnic and leaf hunt at our favorite park.
Some thrift store shopping
A playdate at McDonalds playpark.
Pizza night with some good friends.
Church with some friends.
Homemade French toast and sausage for our lazy Monday morning breakfast.
A date night with 'Our Prince'-as Hollis calls her Daddy(I told her I would share mine with her until she finds her own)- and a trip to Borders to pick out a special Halloween book.
Movie night with lots of buttery popcorn and a showing of Horton Hears a Who
Antiquing and lunch as a family on Monday-the first full day we have had off together since she started school.

Now it is back to a routine tomorrow....commitments...appts....
And you know what? That is ok too.
It sure was good while it lasted.

My Daisy

Guess who had her first Daisy Girl Scout meeting last night?
I'll give you one guess...

Our weekly highlights

This is what it has come to..my posting of our weekly highlights.
That is pretty pathetic.
But it is all I can muster in time and energy right now.
I think this might be as good as it gets for awhile too.
Since  I found out I was preggers in March, my mind has been racing with "The Lasts".
The Last things we can do as a family of 3.
The Last things we can do to assure Hollis she is God's most perfect gift to us-that she will never be replaced.
The Last gifts of time and attention we can bestow upon her before we make room for more love in our hearts and home.
Sometimes, "The Lasts" can keep me up at night with worry and anxiety and guilt, to be honest.
Or it can make me grin from ear to ear when one of my friends with many, many children reassures me that a sibling  is one of the greatest gifts you can give a child.
I love that thought.

Taking Hollis to Conner Prairie for their Halloween celebration has been our family tradition for 4 years now.
The entire time we were there on Sunday night, I kept thinking about how this activity may not make "The Last" list, but it will certainly be different next year.

Poor Hollis. We thought we were doing her a favor by taking her on the Headless Horseman hayride.
She was buried in the hay the whole time.
I don't think she saw a thing.
I kept thinking-please God don't let this child wake up with nightmares tonight.
And if she does, just make sure it is during one of my 404 trips I make to the bathroom each night.

Yep. We still  have our heads.

Maybe I'm thinking about this all wrong.
Maybe I should label "The Lasts" the "Just Differents"
Yes.
I like that much much better.

MIA

I have been missing in action.
I'm sorry.
I have been tired.
I have been hormonal.
I have not really been in the blogging mood.
So it was probably good I haven't been blogging, right?
Plus, I have been spending time with some of my favorite people in the world.

Some visits were shorter..some were longer.
All of them treasured and appreciated and perfect in every way.
Hard to believe, next time I see these women in my life, I will be holding a new member of the family.
I can hardly wait.