Campbell's 5th Birthday Party

• Campbell actually turns 5 on April 6th. Considering our little guy is due on April 1st, we decided to bump up the party a couple of weeks in advance so she could enjoy her special day.

• This year we decided to have her first friend party at Pump It Up. As you can tell from the pictures, the kids had a wonderful time. You can check out all the b'day pictures under "our pictures" to the right of this screen.

• After the party, all the family came back to our house and we opened our gifts. Brent and I gave her a bike for her birthday. It is still a little big on her at the moment, but she will soon grow into it.

• A special thanks to everyone that came to her party and helped make it a memorable experience for her.

Super Kid

Campbell was a Super Kid in her Preschool Class today. She was beyond excited. This program encourages self esteem by emphasizing that they are special and important individuals. God made each one of us unique and we are all "Super" in His eyes.

The flier that was given to the parents suggested a few things to help us to make this a special day for them. So, I decided to go all out and just have fun with it! I made her a poster, provided a special snack and read a book to her class. Campbell brought in her favorite stuffed animal as well. The best part of it all, Brent was able to take a break from work to be there just for her. We kept it a secret from Campbell because we didn't know for sure if he was going to be able to attend this event. She had the biggest smile on her face when he walked in her classroom.

The festivities began around 11:30a in the reading corner where her teacher and classmates had the opportunity to share why they thought Campbell was a Super Kid. Some of the responses were so sweet.

Then it was my turn to explain the poster. Considering today is the First Day of Spring, I opted to put pictures of Campbell on the flower pedals that range from birth to present. The leaves had pictures of Riley, Brent and me. At the bottom was a picture of Campbell holding Mittens (our cat). This was suppose to represent a flower pot.

Then Campbell and I talked about her favorite stuffed animal and then I was able to read the book, Chicks and Salsa, to her class. After the story, her classmates had permission to ask questions about her life. For instance, "What is your favorite thing to do with your mom? Your dad? Both your parents?" I have to admit, Campbell came up with some very clever answers.

I am so thankful that Brent and I were able to spend this special day with her.

Amost there.....

• As mentioned in one of my earlier post, here is a picture of my pregnant belly. It is very special to me because Campbell took this picture. I have to admit, she did a really good job.

• On Thursday, I will be getting a 38 week sonogram to see how big he is getting. Considering he is measuring a little on the larger side, they are trying to keep a close watch on him.
  
  
• Hopefully, the next time you see a picture will be of me holding our precious little boy.

God's Plan

We always make it a priority to pray with our girls before they go to bed. They have such a sweet innocence about them when they pray out loud. At the end of our prayers tonight Brent was reminding Campbell about her lesson she learned at church ....Hope.

"Believing something good can come from something bad". He specifically wanted to get the message across to them that God has a plan for their lives.

Sweet little Riley looked at Brent without any hesitation and said that God has a plan for you and mommy too.

First of all, it amazes me that she actually understood what he was saying and that she is able to communicate it to the best of her ability at such a young age. She definitely is a special little girl.

A new phase

Riley has decided that she is no longer interested in her booster seat. No one else in the family uses one...why should she? She is perfectly content sitting on her knees in a chair.

Ironically, she feels the need to take over my chair. So, I put her booster seat in the basement and now I'm sitting in her usual spot.

At least she isn't afraid of change.

Snow Day

The girls had a wonderful time in the snow today. Brent and the girls made a snowman and had snow ball fights. All of this was going on while I took some pictures and shoveled the drive way. As you can tell from the picture, we ran out of day light. Riley decided to take an extremely long nap, so we had to wait until after dinner to play in the snow.

We can't wait to get out in the snow again tomorrow and do some sledding!

daddy post: toe fuzz

last night I was on the couch with Campbell and she was picking the sock fuzz out of her toes. She informed Riley and I that "everyone has toe fuzz...except Jesus; he always wears flip-flops".

Ready to pop?

I have had two people tell me this week that I look like I am ready to pop. I know my pregnant belly is a little on the larger size, but I still have a month and a half to go. My belly is only going to get bigger.

YIKES!

With my other two pregnancies, I have taken a picture of my belly closer to my due date. I'll do the same for this little guy as well. Be looking out for a picture sometime in mid March.

Snowman Night

Brent told me earlier this week that he wanted to have family night on Friday. I was thrilled because that is something that we have always wanted to do, but have never consistently put into practice. All I needed to do was pick up a few things from the grocery store and he planned the rest.

Boy were we in for a treat!

Yesterday he started really hyping our family night up with the girls about our Snowman Night! We were really getting excited because it sounded like a lot of fun. As soon as we were ready to eat dinner the fun began!


We started off by eating snowman soup in our snow clothes. Basically we all put on our hats and scarfs. Although they didn't stay on very long. (snow soup: potato chowder with a carrot for his nose and bacon for his eyes and mouth)


Then we had Snowballs for dessert. (powdered sugar donut holes)




Then we made snowflakes and put them all over the house to give us the "snow" effect. Riley tried to draw her own snowflake considering she is a little too young for scissors. (apparently our home made snowflakes will be the closest thing to the "real" stuff)


After we cleaned up our paper mess, we all enjoyed our Snowman Snack and hot chocolate while we watched Frosty The Snowman. (Our snowman snack was popcorn)

We are already talking about some other activities. Campbell wants to do a camp out and I would like to do a picnic theme.

I didn't realize how much fun we were missing. I can't wait until our next adventure!
[full disclosure: this is 100% complete ripoff of loswit and H's idea]

Olympic Day

Campbell had her Olympic Day at Preschool today. The kids had so much fun playing and exercising. Campbell told me that her favorite sport was basketball. Afterwards they had a HUGE snack that was more than enough for lunch. Considering I was volunteering in the kitchen, I wasn't able to get a lot of pictures, but I am happy with the ones that I do have.

At the end, all the kids received a gold medal at the closing ceremony for doing such a great job!

Two going on Five

Happy Birthday Sweet Riley!

Riley thinks she is five years old. Every time we ask her how old she is today her response is always the same.

"Five"

Or at least that is how old she think she is......

Riley's 2nd Birthday Party

Drama

Riley has a bad habit of sneaking away from me in the house. One of the areas that I find her most is in my bathroom. She is extremely fascinated with my tube of toothpaste. Granted she has her own, but apparently it's not exciting enough for her.

Today, she went a little over board with the toothpaste. Usually she just puts it on her face and clothes. However, today she got it all in her eyes, face, hands and hair. It was the most dramatic episode I have seen in a while.

I immediately started wiping her face with a wet cloth while trying to wash her hands and keep her calm all at the same time. She and I were soaked with water by the time I got her cleaned up.

After she calmed down, I put her in the bathtub to make sure we got all the toothpaste out of her hair.

Bless her heart. I know that had to burn her little eyes. Hopefully, she learned her lesson the hard way and will think twice before playing with my toothpaste.

Measuring Big

My glucose test was scheduled today. I actually enjoyed my carbonated lemon-lime drink. Considering I was thirsty, it hit the spot.

After I had my "special drink", I went in to see the doctor to do our normal check up. When she measured my belly I was shocked to hear that our little boy was measuring big. I am currently at 28 weeks and he is measuring at 31 weeks.

My due date is on April 1st. Hopefully, he will arrive a little sooner than later. Only time will tell.

HO HO HO

Riley and I were in Wal-Mart on Monday doing some much needed grocery shopping. As soon as we entered a man with white hair and a white beard walked past us. Riley immediately piped up and looked directly at him and said:

HO HO HO.

I quickly had to remind her that he was not Santa Claus. I immediately had to call Brent at work and tell him. That still makes me laugh every time I think about it.

Christmas Memories

We had a wonderful Christmas this year. The older the girls get the more they enjoy it. The whole month of December we focused on the importance of the birth of Jesus Christ instead of all the presents. We even had a birthday party for Jesus too. The girls thought that was so much fun! Especially Riley considering it was a Wheat Free cake mix.

Our other Christmas activities consisted of baking cookies, decorating a gingerbread house, going to a live Naivety Scene, and Campbell singing in the Children's choir at the Christmas Eve Service at church.

Just think, next year we will have another little one crawling around the Christmas Tree.

I just love this time of year.

(Click on "our pictures" and view all of our Christmas photos)

Bunk Beds Update

Both Riley and Campbell made a smooth transition to the bunk beds. Riley stays in her bed the entire night and seems to like her big girl bed a lot.

It amazes me everytime I think about how flexible Riley can be. When I introduced the sippy cup to her at 10 months old, she immediately took to it and didn't want her bottle anymore. The same for the bunk beds. She doesn't have any desire to sleep in her crib. Basically, when she puts her mind to something she goes for it.

I just hope potty training is just as easy.....

Bunk Beds

• They're finished....Princess wall art and all!! The girls bunk beds turned out great! Brent and his dad have out done themselves once again. Next, Brent is going to build a matching step stool for Riley so she can climb on the bottom bunk.

• Campbell will obviously be sleeping on the top bunk. Although, she has already fallen off the ladder and hit her head on the ceiling while trying to stand up. Hopefully, now that is out of the way it will be a smooth transition for both.

• Considering Brent just finished putting the second coat of paint on today, we thought it would be best to let the paint fumes air out tonight. Therefore, they will officially sleep in the same room tomorrow night.

• Wish us luck!

Gingerbread House

• Earlier today the girls and I assembled the gingerbread house so it would be a quicker process for daddy when he decorated it after dinner. As you can tell from the pictures, the girls were having a great time. Although, Riley kept eating the candy off the house as soon as it was put in place.

• Needless to say, I had to distract her and we went upstairs to take an early bath. After her bath, she got a snack and watched some Christmas shows that I had recorded on the DVR from the night before.

Sweet memories......

Salem Christmas Parade

We had a great time at the local Christmas Parade with Grandma and Grandpa this year. This is a favorite of ours because some friends of the family have a party every year just for this event. So, if it gets too cold, we simply go inside and watch the parade from the windows. It's a great set up especially for young children. Not to mention potty breaks!

Angel Bell

• Today our Advent activity consisted of making an Angel Bell. We read Luke 1:26-56 about how an Angel appeared to Mary and told her that she would be the mother of Jesus. We also talked about how angels are special messengers sent by God to help us.
• Once our bells were completed, the girls were instructed to ring the bell and tell the world that Jesus is coming!
• I just love this time of year!
  

Toddler Bed and 7th Wedding Anniversary

The girls did so good on our road trip to Alabama. God has truly blessed us with wonderful travelers. I just hope kid #3 enjoys being in the Van as much as the girls.

Once we arrived at my parents house, we had to figure out the sleeping arrangements. Considering Riley is such a light sleeper, she really needed to be in a room by herself. That will definitely change as she gets older, but for now we have to work around her little quirks. We have put the girls in a room together before, but Campbell can be an earlier riser at times. Once Campbell is up, guess who else is ready to get up too? Sometimes before I am ready for her to start her day.

So, we decided to put her in a room with the toddler bed. To my surprise, she didn't mind at all. Didn't even try to get out of bed....not once! In the morning when she awoke, she would stay in her bed and yell for me. I could hardly believe that was my daughter! I am so thankful to have such good sleepers!

Yesterday was mine and Brent's 7th Wedding Anniversary. Wow...seven years!!! What better way to celebrate than to get each other a Wii! I can't wait to get it hooked up and beat the pants off of Brent!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Tomorrow morning we are leaving for Alabama to visit my family for Thanksgiving. This year we don't have much planned, which is extremely nice. Sometimes we just enjoy spending time with one another without all the other obligations involved.

One thing that I am really looking forward to is helping my mom prepare the Thanksgiving meal and watching the Alabama and Auburn football game on Saturday.

GO BAMA!

It's good to have fun when you are with family. In all seriousness, my hopes for Thanksgiving this year and the years to come would be for my family to be thankful to God for His blessings.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!

My Lil' Pilgrim

Guess what Campbell did at Preschool today? She and her other classmates dressed up as Pilgrims and then sang a couple of songs for the parents. The kids are so adorable in their costumes!

First Boy Outfit

I received this adorable little sleeper from a family member today.

Our first boy outfit.

Oh Boy!

That's right. We are having a boy. Can you believe it? I just knew it was going to be another girl considering all three of my pregnancies were practically identical. Brent is so proud of his boy. Most importantly, he will have another "man" around the house.

Backing up a bit. Before my appointment I asked Campbell if she wanted a brother or sister. In her own four year old logic, this was her response:

"It doesn't matter. I'll take which ever one comes out of your belly first."

Cute.

OK. Now I need to think about boy names. Any suggestions?

The Gift of Giving

Campbell and I enjoy putting an Operational Christmas Child Shoe Box together every year. I think I have done all the work in the past, but she really got into it this year.

Today during Riley's nap time, Campbell and I went shopping for our little girl (age 2-4) that will receive the shoe box. She practically picked out all the toys and other little goodies that went inside. I have to admit, it was a lot of fun and so sweet at the same time to see Campbell thinking of others needs.

Once all the items were inside, our family held hands and prayed over the shoe box. It was a beautiful moment that we were able to share together.

It truly is more blessed to give than receive.

upon further review...maybe it did record

Natural Bridge Zoo

• Nana took us girls to the Natural Bridge Zoo yesterday. You couldn't have asked for better weather. It was a beautiful day to be out doors. We even had a picnic while we were there too.
• The Zoo made you feel that you were on a big farm. In the petting zoo area we were up close and personal with all sorts of wild life. As you can tell from one of the photos, Riley was giving a Llama a big hug. Personally, I was content just looking from a distance.
• Be sure and check out all of our zoo pictures on the right hand side under "our pictures".
  
  
  
  

Pumpkin Pie and Halloween

• We started a new tradition on Halloween. We made a pumpkin pie and it was delicious! Campbell actually measured the ingredients and made the pie all by herself. She is becoming quite the little cook. I think she enjoys being in the kitchen as much as I do.
• Campbell has always loved trick-or-treating. This year she wanted to be one of the Diamond Castle Barbie Princesses, Alexia. Riley was a frog. We took Riley to a few houses, but Campbell was able to hit the entire subdivision for candy and other goodies. Both of them really got into it this year. Even Riley.
• Near the end we enjoyed a hot cup of apple cider. It definitely hit the spot!

Mommy's Belly

It is always a treat when Aunt Candice (Brent's sister) comes into town. Even if it is for a short visit. She is so sweet and one of the most loving people I know. I just love to see her interact with my girls. You can definitely tell that she truly loves them more than anything.

Today at lunch Candice and I were talking about a conversation she had with Campbell earlier. She casually asked Campbell "if" you were to have another sibling, would you want a brother or a sister? Campbell didn't even hesitate to say, "mommy is growing a baby sister in her belly".

Really? Isn't that interesting? We have not officially told her anything about the baby. We were waiting until the sonogram. It's amazing how much she can comprehend.

Only time will tell. My sonogram is scheduled for Nov. 18th. We will be thankful for whatever God gives us.

Fall Festival, Roasted Marshmallows, and Farmer Campbell

• On Saturday the local Elementary School had their annual Fall Festival. While Riley was taking a nap and Brent was watching football, Campbell and I had some good one-on-one time together. Considering this is the school she will be attending next year, I thought it would be nice for her to see it first hand. They had arts and crafts, games, pony rides, all kinds of food, bounce houses and her favorite was the face painting. As you can tell from the first picture, she wanted a "pink" Spider Man Logo on her face. So the rest of the night she wanted us to call her "The Pink Spider Girl".

• The second picture is Brent and his mom and her husband, Ron. Saturday morning we decided at the last minute to eat Chili outside and roast marshmallows on our new fire pit. It was such a huge hit that we are planning on doing it again soon before it gets too cold out. This time we will invite some friends and huddle around the fire to keep warm and eat some yummy smores!

• The last picture is a pose from Farmer Campbell. Today was her Harvest Party at Preschool. All the kids were encouraged to dress up as a farmer or farm animal. I just couldn't resist dressing her up in overalls and braiding her hair. She had a wonderful time and she especially loved the pumpkin cookies!

Our New Swing Set

Brent and his dad worked very hard on building our new swing set for the girls. They absolutely love it and it seems to be a big hit in our neighborhood.

The girls are so lucky to have such a good daddy and grandpa!

Good New, Bad News

We finally got Riley's blood test results back from the Allergy Doctor yesterday. The good news, she isn't allergic to eggs. The bad news, the results came back highly positive to wheat and peanuts.

Peanuts I can handle. Wheat on the other hand will be a little more challenging.

Thankfully, I have a friend that is somewhat in the same boat that I am. Her little boy is allergic to egg whites. We are hoping to check out the local health food store in hopes of finding more of a variety. I am looking for some good wheat free/gluten free snacks.

So, if anyone runs across any, please pass it along.

What an Adventure!

To say we had an adventure at the MOPS Convention is definitely an understatement.

On the way home from our trip on Sunday, Erin, Mechelle and I were trying to come up with a good blog title that would fit our story. Erin was convinced that it should be "What time is it?" I'll tell you what time it is, it is time for Erin to get a watch! (just kidding Erin...you know that I love you!) So, instead I thought I would just start from the beginning and share our story with you.

So, here goes nothing.....

Thursday Morning at 6:45am: We left from Mechelle's house to begin our journey to the Raleigh-Durham International Airport to catch our 11:30am flight to Houston, TX in hopes of connecting to Dallas, TX. Arriving at our hotel around 4:40pm giving us plenty of time to get settled in and registered for the Convention.

Everything was going according to plan. We made a couple of stops here and there and finally we reached Interstate 40, just twenty minutes away from our destination.

Or so we thought.

As soon as we approached the ramp, it was bumper to bumper traffic due to a wreck a few miles up the road. We made several phone calls hoping that someone could give us an alternate route, but no such luck. Then we pulled out the "trusty" GPS that Mechelle borrowed from a friend.

This is where the "ADVENTURE" began......

10:15am: By this time we began to worry....and praying....a lot! We were going a record speed of about 5 miles per hour. We just knew that we were going to miss our flight. All sorts of thoughts were running through our minds. "How do we get to the airport once we reach our exit? Would we get another flight to Dallas? If so, when would we actually arrive? Are we going to miss the first General Session of the Convention?" Of course the impossible question entered our minds, "Could we actually make our original flight?"

11:15am: We finally passed the wreck on the road and was basically hauling @!# to our exit. We were heavily depending on the GPS at this point to get us to the airport with ease. To our surprise, we felt like we were stuck in a hamster wheel going around in circles. Where was this machine taking us? We finally decided to go back to the main road and look for signs for the airport. After taking a couple of wrong turns, we finally found the airport parking garage and the race had begun!

11:40am: We finally made it to the Continental Check-In counter just to be told that our flight left the ground 10 minutes prior to our arrival. Imagine our frustration and disappointment. Then the Agent told us that the next flight left at 12:45p to Newark then a connecting flight to Dallas at 4:10p arriving at 7:10p.

We kept asking her, "Are you sure there isn't anything else?" "Nope", was her response.

After $150.00 later for our flight change, we decided to take the time to eat lunch and browse in a couple of book stores because we knew it was going to be a long day. By the time we reached our gate, we noticed that our flight was delayed.

(Why couldn't our original flight have been delayed??)

This is the beginning of the never ending question of the day. "Kristie, what time is it now?" Apparently, I was the only person who wore a watch that day.

Once we boarded, the pilot come on the intercom to notify everyone that we could not take off as scheduled. It would be another hour. So, we just sat on the plane.

We just knew we were going to miss our connecting flight.

3:45pm: We finally arrived in Newark. We arrived to our gate to find out that our flight was delayed for an hour and a half!!!

What?? You have got to be kidding me?

"Kristie, what time is it now?"

We were nearing the boarding process and the flight was consistently being delayed every ten minutes for the next 30 minutes or so.

(Once again....why couldn't our original flight have been delayed?")

"Big Ben, (a.k.a., Kristie) What time is it now?"

9:45pm: We finally arrived to Dallas, TX. Erin and Mechelle retrieved there luggage from baggage claim, but mine was no where to be found. Moments later, a friendly voice came over the speaker to say that the luggage belt was jammed. It would be a few minutes until I could get my luggage.

Finally, I spotted my luggage with a huge sigh of relief.

We found our way to the Super Shuttle to be transported to the Gaylord Texan Hotel where the Convention was being held.

10:45pm: We finally leave the airport. Not before our shuttle driver decides to circle the airport several times picking up passengers.

Ironically, we were laughing on the way to the hotel about how funny it would be if they didn't have a room for us. Knowing it couldn't be possible considering we made our reservations several weeks in advance.

We finally arrived at the hotel. We couldn't wait to get to our room and go to sleep. Putting this day behind us and enjoying the rest of our stay.

To our surprise, a stoic red head behind the counter told us they do not have anymore rooms available and we would have to stay at another hotel near by.

This was the straw that broke the camels back. Erin started crying, Mechelle was so mad that she couldn't speak, and I was in shock. We were told that we would be deposited one nights stay and they would pay for our room at the Hilton for the night.

That wasn't good enough for us. "You don't understand, we couldn't help that our flights were delayed. You need to find us a room in the Gaylord. We are here for a Convention. We possibly can not stay in another hotel. Let me see your Manager!"

It didn't work.....They simply over booked. Their excuse was several current guest had extended their stay for another 24 hours. They would try their best to get us a room the following day.

"Big Ben, what time is it?"

(Again....why couldn't our original flight have been delayed?)

11:00pm: Registration was closed for the day. We missed the first General Session.

The Gaylord Texan SUV took us to the Hilton Hotel. We were ready to go home immediately and simply forget about the Convention all together.

This is something that would only happen in the movies. Everything that could possibly go wrong without physically being hurt, went wrong!

Saturday, 7:45am: The Gaylord Texan SUV picked us up from the Hilton Hotel to take us back to the Gaylord Texan so we could register for Convention and start our day. By this time we decided that we were going to make the best of the situation because our weekend couldn't get any worse. On the way to the Gaylord, Erin received a phone call stating that the Gaylord found us a room. We were ecstatic!! We headed back to the Hilton to get our luggage so we could claim our room at the Gaylord Texan!

I think the driver felt sorry for us. He then preceded to give us a tour of Dallas, TX on our way to the hotel. We were very grateful, but once again we were being "delayed" because we really needed to register for the Convention that began at 9am.

Regardless of the situation, today was looking up!

Once we arrived it took us until around 5pm to actually get in our room because it was still being "cleaned". The Gaylord staff knew us very well at this point. Good or bad, we did get a free breakfast from the buffet out of it. (by the way, the breakfast buffet was to die for)

The rest of our stay was wonderful!! Couldn't have asked for a better view from our balcony. The workshops were inspiring and educational. Erin and Mechelle loved the shopping from the MOPS Shop. I was just thrilled to collect all the free stuff that was being handed out. I left the shopping to the pros.

Sunday, 8:40am: The Super Shuttle picked us up to take us back to the airport. Both flights from Dallas and Houston were on time and everything was going according to plan.

Or so we thought.

We approached the parking garage. We couldn't remember where Mechelle parked the car. Thankfully, we finally found it and started to make our way home. We were determined to have a pleasant ride home because it couldn't get any worse...right?

So far so good.

We decided to take a 5 minute bathroom break. We all got back in the car and the battery was dead!! We quickly found someone to jump us off and thankfully the car immediately started. Making a mental note to not turn the ignition off until we were safely home.

Just to be on the safe side, we thought maybe we should get the "trusty" GPS out again.

The GPS took us a completely different route from our original directions. After two cemetery's, a dirt road, a one lane bridge and what seemed like 15 thousand and one turns later in complete darkness, we finally made it to Roanoke, VA.

9:15pm: We pulled up in my drive way where I was welcomed home by my two beautiful daughters and my loving husband.

Home Sweet Home!

Next years Convention is going to be held in Nashville, TN at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel. Hope to see you there!

New Haircut

From time to time I like to experiment with a new haircut. I got the notion when I saw this adorable hairstyle on a lady that goes to my church. I desperately wanted to take a picture of it and take it in with me to the salon. But I thought she might think I was a little weird asking her to say "cheese".

The last time I went this drastic was during post pardoned depression with Riley. Bad mistake.....

So, today (Tuesday) I told my hair dresser to chop it off! It is a short stack in the back as it gets longer on the sides. I absolutely love it! It's still all one length, but it feels so much better! I'll eventually post a picture of the new hairdo in a couple of days.

At least I have a style for my upcoming trip to Dallas!

In a few days.....

I will be in an airplane heading for Dallas, TX.

A couple of my friends and I are going to the MOPS Convention on Thursday and returning on Sunday. For those of you that are not familiar with MOPS, it is a ministry for stay at home moms with young children. (ages birth to 6 years of age) We are driving to Raleigh, NC (to keep the cost down) and then taking a direct flight into Dallas/Ft. Worth International Airport.

I am really looking forward to it, but I keep thinking about all the things that I need to take care of before I leave. Things like color my hair, making time for a hair cut, etc... The list goes on.

Thankfully, we live near Brent's family and the girls are planning on going to Grandma and Grandpa's house for a sleep over while I'm having some much needed "me" time. It works out really well because Brent doesn't have to take off from work. One less thing for me to worry about.

I'm going to miss my girls and Brent, but sometimes mommies need a break from time to time.

Birthday Presents

Brent did good. He always gives me the best gifts for my birthday. But he out done himself this year with a 2 x 3 ft canvas of the girls. He always ask me what I want for my birthday, but somehow he seems to surprise me every year.

The only thing I wanted from him was a nice ice bucket. I know it seems silly, but I have always wanted one. From the pictures, you can tell he knows me very well.

Thank you honey, I love you!

Over Whelmed......

to say the least.

Most people know that allergies are very common in our household. Brent with his tree nut allergies, Riley with peanut allergies and Campbell with shellfish allergies. These are three items that we have learned to live without. It has become second nature to us.

Until, yesterday.

My MIL and I took the girls to an Allergy Specialist yesterday for some clarification on a few issues. One being Riley's Eczema and another being Campbell's constant sneezing and runny nose. I was fairly confident that the shellfish and peanut allergy would be present during the testing process and possibly pets and a few outdoor irritants.

I was right.

Although, I was completely caught off guard with Riley's allergy results. She is also allergic to eggs and wheat. I did not see that coming. She has never had a reaction to them. Unless her reaction is the Eczema. I took her to a local hospital this morning for blood work to find out more answers. I should have the results by Monday.

Needless to say I am extremely over whelmed with this news.

Thankfully, God never puts anything on us that we can't handle. So, with God's help everything will be fine and life will be back to normal soon.

For now, Riley will eat a lot of meat, veggies, yogurt, and cheese. It could be so much worse.

May I Be Excused?

We have taught Campbell to ask, "May I be excused?" before she can leave the table after a meal. Hoping it will rub off on Riley as well.

After breakfast and lunch today Riley has been repeating the same phrase immediately after Campbell. She tries her best in her own baby language, but we can definitely tell that is what she is saying.

I just love good manners.

Baby #3

That's right......we are expecting baby #3 on April 1st. I am 11 weeks and 1 day at the moment. This was somewhat of a shock to all of us, but we are excited about having another little Munsey running around the house.

I've been meaning to write about this for a few weeks now, but the nausea was getting the best of me. Now that it is under control (with medication), I am starting to feel better and have more energy to keep up the blog.

Brent is hoping for a boy. I honestly could care less just as long as it is healthy.

I'll keep you updated.

It made my day

Riley and I went grocery shopping today. One of the things on my grocery list was a bottle of Marsala wine. This will be my first attempt at making Chicken Marsala. I love it at the local Italian Restaurants. So, why not make it for myself?

We were at the checkout line and the sales associate rung up the wine and asked for my ID. I was stunned.

Really?

I proudly pulled out my wallet and flashed my ID at her.

That just made my day!

First Day of School

Campbell had her first day of Preschool today. I was a little nervous for her because she cried when I left the room during orientation. Although, on the way to drop her off this morning she seemed very calm. A lot calmer than I was.

When I dropped her off the teacher invited her in and that was all it took. She simply walked in and didn't look back. Campbell even told the teacher that I was taking Riley to playgroup while she is in school. It didn't even phase her one bit.

Campbell was all smiles when I picked her up after school. She told me she was ready to go back to school on Monday.

I knew she would love it!

I have to admit it was a little strange only having one child for part of the day. Although, I can definitely get used to this!