Little Things

Once I got pregnant the blog fell by the wayside.  So much catching up to do!

--The first Saturday in November the moms of Eli's preschool class were invited to the classroom for "Mom's Day"--an hour of time spent together seeing what they've been up to.  I received a cute "All About My Mom" questionnaire results, we worked on a couple worksheets, ate a snack, and the kids sang a few songs for us.  The songs were so sweet, and I was so pleased that Eli joined right in in singing and doing hand motions.  I wasn't very prepared, though, and my camera died right at the start of the singing.  :(  It was fun to get that special one-on-one time with Eli!  Earlier that morning when we were home was the first time I threw up in my pregnancy (at 7 weeks).  Eli was so concerned and worried that we wouldn't be able to go to his school anymore, so that's when I announced to him that I was pregnant!  He was pretty happy about it, and proceeded to tell my parents as soon as he saw them later that day.

--Also in early November I had Young Women in Excellence.   I was so worried about how I'd do during it, because I had been having 24-hour horrible nausea and throwing up daily (usually quite sick in the evening).  I was so thankful that I didn't have very much I was in charge of this time; a very big blessing.  Here are some of the invitations I made.  The theme was AROUND THE WORLD: My Journey Through Personal Progress.  We decorated with the hot air balloon motif.  Several YW shared how their "journey through Personal Progress has helped them to . . ." interspersed with a few different musical performances by the girls.  It was a lovely evening and the YW did such wonderful and beautiful jobs!

--We had a nice Thanksgiving, celebrating with each side of our family.  I didn't feel well enough this year to make our Thankful Turkey.  :(  My sister Becky gave the kids a fun surprise by flying out to Indiana for Thanksgiving.  They sure enjoyed spending time with her!

--We took a couple trips to the Children's Museum and met my mother-in-law there.  The kids loved having her along for the fun, and it was a big help to me, as I had to sit down a lot to help ease my nausea.  The kids sat on Santa's lap for the very first time!  (Not a very good picture.)  And they LOVED the Jolly Slide!

Eli wore his elf hat he made in school that week.  :)

--The day before Eli's birthday I had a breast ultrasound done.  I didn't have any concerns, but at my first prenatal appointment the nurse was curious about a lump she felt on my left side.  It was a bear of a wait (with Clara along with me), then a quick few minutes of the ultrasound, to be told that everything looked good!  Whew.  Around the same time I received a call from that same nurse telling me that my thyroid levels "were a little off," and that I needed to come in for more testing to see if I needed to be put on medication.  Everything turned out fine with my thyroid.  That nurse just likes to make me have unnecessary worry with a hint of panic!

--David and I celebrated 7 years of marriage on January 2nd.  His parents came to babysit while we enjoyed a great date night!  We ate dinner at Mackenzie River (first time for us and we loved it), We then stopped at Walgreens for some treats (even though we did order a cheesecake slice to go for later that night).  We snuck the treats (red vines and peppermint patties) in my purse as we entered the Center Stage Theatre in Carmel to watch the musical Mary Poppins!  It was very well done and we both really liked it.  It was so fun to have some time with my honey!

--My mom gave me a super wonderful gift by offering to watch my kids for a full day and night over Martin Luther King Day.  This was a HUGE gift to me and I got so much done!  I picked up a couple of maternity clothing items, grocery shopped at Walmart (which I rarely do and hate bringing kids along with), did a ton of cleaning and organizing at home, grabbed a yummy lunch on my own at Panera Bread, then got an unexpected date with David eating at McAllisters.  I didn't have to prepare one meal or snack for a whole day and night!  (We ate dinner at my parent's the night before, then the kids stayed the night.)  It felt so good to have that time to focus on work and errands that needed done, without always having to be stopped with little's requests.  Thank you, Mom!

--David's busy season at work started in January.  He gets home about 7:00 on weekdays and 4:00 on Saturdays.  It's definitely challenging having him gone so much, but we sure are grateful and happy when he's home!  He works so hard at work and home to be a good husband and dad.  He's certainly very loved!  Both kids love rough-housing with Dad when he's home.  Their favorite games are Steamroll, Airplane, Battery Ram, and Zoo Keeper.  :)

Here's a couple fun videos of the kids playing with Daddy.