Definately a Boy

Rhen and I were having some father son time last night watching a Warren Miller ski movie. He doesn't care much for watching football or basketball, but skiing he'll watch. He might get that from me, but what i'm going to tell you next he did not learn from me.

I wish i could say I taught Rhen this - actually, even if I had I wouldn't tell you I did. Rhen came up with this all on his own. After we tired of the movie we wrestled around for a bit and suddenly Rhen stopped and says "Daddy, Wat!" (watch) Then he got a real calm look on his face and cut the cheese. Stacie and I laughed thinking he timed that just right, but then he stops again and tells me to watch as he passes some more gas. He's mastered the art of timing his flatulence. I have a sneaking suspicion that Elsie may have taught him that.

He also figured out how to climb up, throw things in the microwave and start it, and we just got him down from the counter spreading rice all over the kitchen.

no baby yet, but in other news...

Winter fun check list: warm coat-check
warm hat-check
snow-check

happy faces- checkv
Four wheeler to make a sweet sledding hill- check

Rhen to help his dad to make it just right- check
dog to run around like crazy and stuff his nose in the snow- check

Now all we need is a better sled that doesn't suck (chloe said).

not so happy

My doctors appointment didn't go as I planned this week. I was told he is on call this weekend but then will be out of town until my due date which is Jan. 5. He forgot (obviously) about telling me he would induce me on the 30th of Dec. So if I don't have it this weekend I will either be delivered by a different doctor, if by some miracle I do go earlier, or I have to wait. Plus I was only at 2 cm so he would not help me along any. (hummmm) So here I sit and try not to think about going into labor on my own 24/7 (which is not really working out for me). I tend to have a one track mind when I have a baby kicking me. At first is it cute but this little one has no where to kick so it is starting to hurt. I have been walking/ running on the tread mill and get one contraction out of it and afterwards feel more invigerated than feeling any labor pains (hummm). I had one contraction last night and was pretty excited about just the one, but it was just one. Oh these last weeks do not go fast enough!


Another doctor appointment (for chloe) today went good at least. She will go down one more steroid, one down two more to go, so hopefully by Febuary she will be off her steroids!! She looks good and they are happy with her taper.

A little Rhen time

Rhen favorite time of the day is dinner. He loves having a family dinner, not because of the food oh no Rhen isn't much for food, it is because he knows it is the time his daddy gets home from wort (work). When I start cooking he gets into the cupboard gets his plate and fort (fork) goes and sits on his chair and sometimes waits there for 30 minutes or so.
This night I told him I was going to start dinner so I went over in the kitchen wondering what to make for dinner. I decided something easy, spaghetti. He was over in his usual spot at the table with his plate and fort waiting. It was too early to start spaghetti so I went and sat on the couch. He looked over at me and said, "Hey" He pointed his finger at me and then pointed to the kitchen. So we had dinner early that night but he was all smiles.

Well Rhen, I can't say this is a flattering look for you but what can you do with 3 sisiters. Addie and Elsie love to make him look like a girl even against dad's strong opinion against it. We find him with various hair accessories, nails painted, sparkley purses strapped to him shoulder letting us know there is money inside (he is in love with pennies nickels and dimes).
He even gets mad when you take this ponytail out, well dad it might be time to cut the boys hair if you don't want those girly accessories in it.
Here is Rhen, this is what he does when I get the camera out now days. He talks so much now and repeats everything you say, he is getting more fiesty, those twos are coming soon and I can see a glimpse of them (joy). Pretty much right when Elsie gets home to the time Jake comes home from work, the boy is screaming, don't, stop, or just giving out a loud scretch. But when you see a cute face like this those moments just all melt away.

restrictions

At the hospital, they have restrictions on visitors in labor and delivery, because of the swine flu. Our kids won't even be able to come see her and they only allow two visitors at a time. I am not sure if that would include Jake being there or not. So I was just going to suggest when ever I do have this baby maybe it would be better to wait until we come home to visit so you don't waste a trip because of the restriction. We will post lots of pictures I am sure, so now we just.......wait
(I am dialated but nothing to get excited about).

quick tip...just for fun

If you have hard water stains on your shower door or faucet, we have found that if you take a dryer sheet in the shower with you it lathers up and cleans hard water stains off brilliantly! My fav...

smells so yummy and who know they suds up so great!

I used this Christmas image above last year, but...

christmas tree, egg nogg and christmas music is a go

Addie REALLY wanted to put up the good ole christmas decor the day after thanksgiving and you know, she didn't need to do all that confincing. My favorite time of year. I was telling Jake finally after 13 years of marriage our tree finally doesn't look bare! A christmas tree to me symbolizes warmth and love, tradition and family. Egg nog whether you like it warm or cold does the same thing, and getting out the nativity (and telling the story of Jesus at family night) brings feelings of love, so when Addie mentioned it, I was all for it.


Chloe update: She got her viral rash again. I went and had it checked out a few weeks ago and they said it looked like strep rash but her cultures came back neg. Well the rash has come back, and since she is getting off steriods we are not surprised. So she is fighting something, but no fever thank goodness. She has bleeding scratch marks where she itches and she just doesn't have much energy. She will be staying home the next few days until the rash is gone. Me and this rash, don't get along.

the count down is on

These are some of the things that have been keeping me busy on the final count down to baby arrival. A blanket I made to keep her warm, I used ribbon for the binding and just quilted it on my dining table, since I don't have quilting frames. I turned out pretty good, I like it.
I made these canvases for her room out of paper and then modge podged them I really like birds lately.


This bedding for her room I just love and it happened to nicely that I didn't have to paint her room. I have been a little tired lately so it worked out perfect for me. I really love it!

I have been doing some painting and after I painted these canvas's in her room I started a new idea which have turned out really cool and have done a couple of them and really like them. I will have to post those at a later date (because they are gifts).

We are excited for the final member of our family to come and we can't wait to hold her. The choices of her name change all the time but I am going back and forth between two this week which is of coarse, Greta, and the other one is Stella (thanks to Addie, it is growing on me). So we will see, this has been a hard choice for me.
So now I need to go put my achey legs and feet up, rest my back and enjoy a dark chocolate morsel.

Thankful for...

We had a fabulous thanksgiving with lots of good food adn good company, Spence and Tal and Avery came over making it one of the best thanksgivings ever!!
Between stuffing our faces with turkey, stuffing potatos jello and all the other fixins we watched Indiana Jones and the Lost Ark. Addie and Chloe reeeeally wanted to watch it although Elsie and Rhen opted out which was good so they didn't see the faces melting off at the end (pretty graphic). We had our pie, sat down with our bellies bulging and were so thankful for our jobs that provide the wonderful meal and our wonderful house and clothes on our back, and of coarse thankful for the loved ones we got to share it with.


ps we were so into our food this is the only picture we got of our feast!