I hope you all are having a wonderful 4th of July weekend!

AJ almost fell asleep over his lunch today, and that was just too cute to keep to myself.

I would title this: "Tired Boy Tolerating Noisy Big Bossy Sister" any other suggestions?

Hellooooo! Is anybody still there?

So obviously I'm not a committed blogger. Actually, my blogging time has usually fallen into the evening time slot where I have been plagued with EVENING SICKNESS this pregnancy. While I might not be hovering over the toilet all morning as I did for my first two babies, I am sitting on the big chair staring at the wall and trying not to think of anything gross all evening. . . wishing I would just throw up and be done with it. Being on the computer for any length of time makes the nausea even worse. Weird. Enough of the excuse making and onto the reason for this post... another FUNNY from Olivia!!! Enjoy!

Olivia was given a piece of watermelon after church tonight. She handed it back to me and said:

"Mommy, can I have another piece of watermelon? This one has beans in it."

(Does anyone remember when the only option out there was a watermelon with "beans" in it?)

The kids treated daddy to Smokeybones on Father's Day.

VBS is this week! Captain Millan and Lieutenant Leah reporting for duty!

Baby News

Today was my first doctor's appointment. If I didn't know better, it looks like we are having a gummy bear! At least that's what the ultra-sound pictures look like. Does anyone else get really excited about that first appointment (in spite of the you-know-what)? I felt giddy all day! I curled my hair, carefully picked out an outfit, and happily bopped down the road to my Spanish Rondalla CD.

The office recently purchased a new ultra sound machine, so they were happy to see me this morning. My OB asked if it would be o.k. for some of the other doctors and the Technician to sit in on the ultrasound so they could learn a little more about the machine. Sure. . . The more the merrier! That happened with AJ too! They were calling the residents and nurses in to see something about his birth. At that point. Who cares! It was interesting to hear all the professional commentary regarding my innards.

I also learned that they are now discouraging pregnant moms from eating cold-cuts and egg, chicken, and tuna salads you didn't prepare yourself. New bacteria issues I guess.

Right now, we are planning on another VBAC, but both my OB and I agree that the goal is a healthy and safe delivery. We still have to take all the necessary precautions in spite of a successful VBAC with AJ. Those being: No induction, scheduled C-section in case I don't go into labor by a certain time, and immediate hospital monitoring when I do go into labor (no home labor). Fair enough.

We thank the Lord for allowing us to once again experience these joys!

More Funnies from Olivia. . .

We went to Dunkin Donuts tonight for a treat. Olivia handed me her frosted sprinkled donut and said "Mommy, could you take the bread off?"

On the way to the grocery store, Olivia asked "When we get home, can I sit on the couch with you so I can have a deep breath?"

AJ's Buzz

Here is a picture of AJ's new do. I was very upset when I buzzed off his lucious dark beautiful preppy hair, but he obviously doesn't seem to mind the change.

Lesson of the week: never cut your child's hair when you are tired, frustrated, and in need of a jalepeno popper fix.

Pop Quiz:

The apple juice stains in your carpet are starting to spell "SOME HOUSEKEEPER YOU ARE!" Then you feel like a bad mom because you don't teach your kids how to not spill stuff all over the carpet. Then you feel bad because they are just kids and you shouldn't be obsessed with how the house looks.

You feel like you can't do anything right. You would love to share what you read in your Bible this morning like you did back in the day, but this morning along with many other mornings is a blur.

You hate your clothes. Nothing looks good. You feel guilty for hating your clothes because you know there are people out there who don't have clothes. You hate your hair too. You can't remember the last time you didn't end up wearing a pony tail.

The children are down for the night. Ahhhhh.... the house is quiet. You put on a pot of coffee to enjoy while watching a little bit of news. You spill the scalding hot coffee all over yourself as you sit down on the sofa. You cannot stop crying... not because you burned the hooey out of your legs, but because the thought of cleaning up one more mess is just too much for you to handle.




Do you. . .

A) Rededicate your life to the Lord and pray for revival







B) Get a makeover







C) Call Stanley Steemer








D) Take a Pregnancy Test











The answer...


(D) We're due in December!!!

A Royal Garden Birthday!

We packed up the car and headed to Alabama last week to celebrate Olivia's 3rd birthday with our family. Olivia had one request "pink", so we ran with it! I was pretty proud of myself for not going overboard and purchasing yards and yards of pink tulle... we didn't need elaborate decorations since the celebration took place in great-grandma's royal garden.

So happy together!

The pink princess dress from aunt Susie was a big hit! She is wearing it as I write this post =)

Opening presents. This one was a baby carrier for her doll. AJ looks more excited than Olivia does.

AJ hanging out with my uncle Kevin (can you see a family resemblance?)

Cousin Max came dressed as a storm trooper =)

The Royal Garden... a camera cannot capture the calming beauty of this special place. The kids walked around the flower beds and ran through the trees for hours!Alex found a nest of eggs, and I wanted to take a picture of it the next day. Suprise! When I pulled back a branch to snap a shot, a baby bird stretched his little head up for some food. I would have enjoyed this moment more were I not disgusted by lack of photography skills... hmmm blurry foreground sharp background... and this was the best shot...and I hope I didn't blind the poor little thing in the process!!

The princess taking a stroll

A little boy time with the light sabor. AJ is wearing his ghetto shorts =)

More pics of the garden

Olivia is keeping a close eye on the strawberries.

Dancing with great-grandma!