All up in the kool-aid, dont even know the flava

Weekend Recap- (no baby yet!)

There were moments this weekend when I thought, "this is it!", only to realize that, no, my water did not break.... but perhaps I should change my pants...

And although I had contractions, they obviously didnt progress to anything.

I know a lot of you have your guesses about when this baby is coming, but I want to let you know that I have it on Great Authority, the Magic 8 Ball Website, that this baby isnt coming until AFTER my due date- which is Saturday April 5th. So, there you go, another week.

Anyway, on with the weekend.

Friday

Foldovers and another DQ treat. Didnt take pictures because you've seen that before. Trust me, still yummy.

Saturday

Jason worked this weekend, so it was just me and Emma, all day long Friday and Saturday. I didnt even get together with the in-laws! Emma and I didnt even leave the house together! ( I figured leaving the house with a toddler and being 9 months pregnant would surely mean my water would break in the middle of Target and I'd be in a really awkward situation. Plus? I just wanted to avoid the stares)

When Jason did arrive home Saturday night, we took a quick trip to Target to exchange this changing table:

(Jason's in-town aunt and uncle got this one for us as their gift to the baby, but it doesnt match in color or style to the crib... )

so we exchanged it for this one:

I know, this one is "expresso" colored and darker than the baby's cherry crib, BUT, we plan to put this new changing table in Emma's room as her crib (although technically cherry) is very dark, and her room is bigger so the color difference won't be noticeable, and move her cherry changing table into the baby's room.

All of this is happening today, as Jason has the day off.

We also picked up a second toddler car seat so Jason's parents can have one for Emma. 

Sunday

Nothing. No church. Just me and Emma and playing inside. She was in a good mood all day, except for around 3pm, when she just decided to put on her Crabby Pants. Nothing would appease her, so I dropped her off in her crib with some books and she (oddly) played and read quietly for about 30 minutes. Then she was fine. And so was I! :)

Jason picked up pizza on the way home from work, and after dinner I really wanted to get out of the house, so we took a family drive to get a Sunday paper (oooohhh excitement) and gas up the car. And perhaps get ice cream cones from McDonalds....

I really enjoyed spending quality time with Emma this weekend (except perhaps when she had on her crabby pants) and I will hold on to the memories of that one on one time as soon, she wont be an only child.

Patio progress!

The patio is "basically" done. Sure, there are lots of things we still plan to do to the patio area, but its basically done.

Let's review....

Jason and his dad put down rolls of weed blocker first, then had a big truck of "crush and run" gravel delivered to serve as the base, and to even out the patio area.

Once the area was level, they started laying the patio pavers. (16 inch)

(the playhouse won't stay there, it will be in the yard)

Then after getting th rest of the pavers....

The area along the fence would be for plants.

So we went to Lowes and bought plants and soil!

And then we had that corner area to deal with. Because of the tree and some sloping, Jaosn decided to get some special stones and build that area up, then we'll put plants in it too.

Can you visualize? He'll buy about 8 more of those stones and continue laying them in that corner, two stones high. Then fill with dirt and add in plants and something "decorative" in the right corner where the shovels are. I think Jason's thinking a little statue or birth bath or orb thingy.

Then some more monkey grass type plants along that right fence line.

Here's Jason, working hard...

And here's the view from the side steps.

The addition of those plants really makes it look great.

Eventually around and underneath the stairs, we are going to put in river rocks. And along the house side, we will plant more monkey grass.

And we picked up this firepit table at Wal-mart for only....

$30!!!!! It was originally $68, but we happened to be in the garden department right after they had just marked a bunch down to only $30. We werent planning on getting one for awhile, but $30!!! Come on!!

Now we need just need some chairs!

All in due time.   

Wednesday Night Dinner Party

(Pregnancy Update Below)

I dont know what got into me this week, but I thought it would be nice to invite the in-laws (and SIL) over for dinner for a change. I scheduled it for Wednesday, as I took a half day Wednesday and would have time to prep and not be exhausted. Mid-afternoon Wednesday, Jason told me that our friend Kim and Dt would be coming for dinner too! Sure, what's two more!

To keep everything easy, I had planned a crock pot meal of chicken, potatoes and carrots and a a sweet red peppers and coconut indian sauce.

This time I took the advice of a few friends and cooked everything for about 4+ hours in chicken broth, and then at the last hour, drained the majority of the chicken broth (saving it for the future) and put in the special sauce. This way turned out much better as the sauce wasnt watered down.

I paired it with Medeterranean Couscous and french bread. Very easy meal for 7 adults and 1 toddler.

Waiting for dinner....

The table...

yeah, that's right. I used real plates and plastic cups. I was trying to save myself some dish washing time.

Emma waited to be served...

(Lisa- Did you see her shirt??)

After dinner and some light conversation, we moved into the living room for dessert.

I made a pineapple upside down cake (I've decided next time I will go back to using crushed pineapple instead of rings, because with crushed, you just get more pineapple. Period). And Kim brought Breyers double-churned vanilla ice cream.  (Hmmm... and I wonder why I've gained more weight during this pregnancy...)

It was such a nice evening that we had the doors and windows open to feel the breezes. KIm and Dt meshed very well with the in-laws. They've met before, as Kim and Dt were in our wedding, but still, never really hung out.

When it was time for Emma to go to bed (and after Jason bathed her and dressed her all by himself), she went around the living room (baby and blanket in hand) and kissed everyone in the room "night night". Then she went around again. :) And when Jason carried her off to bed, she didnt protest, just yelled "Bye Bye!!!".

So sweet that little one. I am so blessed that she is so good about going to bed at night.

The in-laws left about 8pm and Kim and Dt stayed until 9:30.  Dt helped Jason assemble our new fire pit (!!!) and we stood around on the patio dreaming of the future evenings we could all enjoy out their together, mojitos and smores in hand. (well, that might be an odd combination)

They hope to move down to RH later this year, and it would sure make hanging out easier! (They live about 25 minutes away, not bad, but if they move to RH, they'll only be like 5-10 minutes away, and no hwy traffic to contend with).

I had a great evening and just relaxed.

Pregnancy/ Baby Gift Update

39 Weeks Yall!

My appt yesterday was very uneventful. Waited 45 minutes to see the doctor for about 3 minutes. Don't you hate that?? In case you are curious, I have STILL not stopped gaining weight. I am 12 lbs over what I gained with Emma. I suppose the honey buns and gas station dessert flavored capuccinos arent helping... (or those DQ bannana splits, which I might have Jason get me another tonight...)

The nurse who came and got me from the waiting room was astounded my my belly size. So much so that she took me back to the nurses' station to "show me off". EVERYONE had comments. "Twins?" "Wow, is it hard to walk?" "Oh you can totally tell its all baby weight!" 

Really people, I am not exaggerating to say that EVERY SINGLE DAY, multiple people comment on my size. MULTIPLE. I thought the comments were bad, but a couple days ago the Target check out girl just looked at my belly, and then looked up at me, and gave me some sort of horrible expression. After I paid, she finally said, "It just doesnt look real...."

Thanks. I assure you it is.

My next appt is next Tuesday instead of Thursday. He said he wants to do an internal exam them. Oh, we'll just see.

********************************************

We've gotten quite a few baby gifts lately!

Our dear friend Myllissa and her husband (and I would link to her blog-but it's out of order at the moment) that live in Korea, sent us three great gifts!

First up, a baby wrap!

I am very excited about this new wrap. We still have the baby bjorn that Sandy got us when I was pregnant with Emma, which is great because Jason said there is no way he is wearing this wrap!

Next are two blue storage bins...

This is actually a horrible picture. They are a darker blue, and don't have red handles. They are awesome in person and when I finally get the nursery DONE (this weekend? maybe!) you'll see them for REAL. They are quite big, so they'll be great for toys, extra diapers, animals etc.

Next....

A new changing pad! We decided that it would simply be easier to have two changing tables rather than have the kids share one. This way (hopefully) no one gets woken up in the middle of the night because I had to change a diaper in their room.

Thank you so much Myllissa! You guys rock! Can't wait for you to move back to the U.S.!!!

Then last Saturday, a suprise package arrived!

We let Emma inspect it for safety issues.

It was a knit blanket from Pam!

I hope you don't mind Pam, I know it is intended for the new baby, Emma just needed to do some quality testing on it...

I think it passed!

Thank you so much Pam! That was so thoughtful!

Later today... impromptu Wednesday night dinner party recap. Saturday, patio pictures!

Perfect Food Edition

(Post #2 of the day, scroll down for Post #1 if you missed all the pictures of Emma)

Last week we made foldovers (calzones) to enjoy before Lost came on.

I'm generally in charge of prepping all the toppings and setting everything out and Jason is in charge of assembling and garnishing the tops with butter and spices and garlic at just the right point during baking.

Ingredients

Mine- pizza sauce, spinach, banana peppers, tomatoes, feta, shredded pizza cheeses, chopped olives

Jason's- pizza sauce, feta, shredded pizza cheeses, bannana peppers, tomatoes, leftover brawt chopped up.

The insides:

And yes, they really are HUGE. I would strongly suggest cutting it in half (and go ahead and put that other half away so it doesnt tempt you) and pair this with a small side salad.

I've decided that the addition of the feta is a MUST now. And I love the spinach as well.

And, mere moments before Lost came on, Jason ran to Dairy Queen and brought me back this little treat.

Oooh, maybe 20 minutes later...

I'd say that was a perfect food night.      

Pictures Galore

( I still have several saved posts to share with you! Sometimes I have nothing to share, and now I have an overabundance! Gah. I dont like getting behind either. Anyway, consider this post #1 for Thursday and sometime around 4pm I'll put up post #2. Which is just plain chalk FULL of more food pictures. )

I've been taking a LOT of pictures lately. I think I'm making up for picture drought I suffered in February.

Saturday, the weather was so nice that Emma and I hung out in the backyard while Jason mowed the lawn. I got out the hose and a bucket of soapy water and rag and cleaned up those used play equipment pieces we bought off CraigsList. Emma LOVED it when I squirted her with the hose. (Seriously, it was so warm that I had to change into shorts, and when Emma's shirt got soaked, I just let her run around without it.)

(As you can see, we still have some grass issues going on in our lawn. Hopefully we'll be able to grow some grass in those patches this spring. Pray for rain, drought relief, and the dogs to not eat the grass seed...)

Must get Emma some rough and tumble tennis shoes STAT. Her little pink polka dot shoes suffered slightly from all that clay.

Our yard isnt the most child friendly yet as it is uneven terrain (ideally, it would be regraded and evened out) and has lots of clay patches that make for messy kids. But Emma had a blast running around, and it was nothing a good bath couldnt fix.

She really enjoyed her playhouse too.

Then on Easter Sunday, after our meal, we all headed out into a field behind the in-laws house for frisbee. Well, they played frisbee, I wrangled Emma.

Don't worry Northerners, come mid-July, when our temperatures are hovering near 100 degrees and its extremely humid outside, we'll be jealous of your weather!

 

Cinnamon Roll Heaven

Jason's Aunt Terry always makes cinnamon rolls when she comes to visit. Here are a few old pictures from her past visits....

2006, when Emma was about 4.5 months old:

2007 When she was about 16 months old:

Preparing the cinnamon rolls...

I dont have the recipe, but it was very basic. A fairly basic dough, and LOTS of cinnamon, brown sugar and butter. She tried to skimp on the sugar one year. I dont suggest that. Just suck it up and eat it in all its fatty glory. 

Ready to go in the oven...

Fresh and Hot....

Flipped upside down...

Quality control inspection...

Passed the test!

(best served upside down so the sticky stuff doesnt stick to your napkin)

I ate two (although in my defense, I did share with Emma..)

And as if the cinnamon rolls pictures werent enough for you, we also enjoyed breakfast burritos that night...

(eggs, black beans, cheese, salsa, hashbrowns, sour cream, and the meat eaters had sausage)

We always eat good with the in-laws!   

Proof we still have Bella

**If you didnt see the post with new pictures from my film camera, be sure to scroll down! I have LOTS to post this week**

We go thru phases where we Bella drives us absolutely bonkers and we dream of giving her away. But lately, and I so hate to possibly jinx this, things have been going well. The great outdoor weather helps tremendously, as we can leave Bella in the yard during the day when we are at work and not worry about coming home to some disaster.

My biggest complaint regarding Bella right now is that it is shedding season, and she is leaving large balls of fur lying about. The least she could do is put them in the trash right? I guess its time to get her shaved down again. Perhaps we'll let the professionals handle that...

Anyway, here are some pictures of Bella from the weekend.

Still a three dog family.   

New Film! Great Results!

**I have lots of posts ready to go in my draft folder, so stop by twice a day this week if you can so you dont miss them**

Great news people!

I bought new film for the Canon Rebel (Fugi, 200 speed) and it works GREAT. Plus I got the film developed at a different lab, and I think that helped too.

(I havent edited these photos in any way. I love them just the way they are.)

These are all taken at the Lake (really a pond...) that is on the campus of my Alma Mater (and where I work). To all your Northerners, it was in the mid-70's that day.... teeeheee.....

No editing, no color enhancements, nothing. I just love how vivid they seem! Yeah!!!

We're starting a band

We hung out with our friends Kim and Dt TWICE this weekend. TWICE. We are sooo social.... :)

Friday night we all went shopping together. We walked around Best Buy and Petsmart and then headed to TGI Fridays for dinner. (The in-laws babysat Emma.) We had a great time!

Then Sunday, they came over to our house and brought with them a slew of video game "stuff", including a game called Rock Band which includes drums, a guitar, a bass, and a microphone.

Emma preferred the drums.

I learned a lot about myself. For someone who has a degree in vocal peformance, this is definetly the closest I can ever hope to being in a rock band. Apparently, I am quite rhymthmically challenged.

Emma mostly sat on the sidelines while we "practiced" and occasionally got up and danced for us. So cute.

Then, it was time for her to go to bed, so we turned off the lights, had her give good night kisses to Mr. Dt and Ms. Kim (and mommy and daddy) sat with her while she finished her milk and then Jason carried her off to bed. Amazing.

We spent the rest of the evening (they stayed until 11pm! On a work night! But I stayed away! And had a great time!) watching Food Network (such party animals are we) and talking.

And there may have been a late night run to Taco Bell in there somewhere... Perhaps.