'Tis the season...

... for nausea. Combine morning sickness (whoever called it that wasn't really pregnant) - I mean all-day sickness with sinus troubles, and I'm on the couch... a lot. Mom came over today and helped get the kids ready for the Math/Science Christmas dinner at IWU - otherwise we wouldn't have made it. I have another dinner to make it through tomorrow, and wrapping to do, and packing to do, and then maybe I can lay on the couch some more. Yippee!! Poor Brad is doing most of the housework. Now I'm going to see if I can make it to bed without getting dizzy. :)

Photos from yesterday

This was Daniel's first experience on a cool ride - he loved it!

Daniel cried when I put him on Santa's lap, and then not even Rachel's lap would do. So, I got in the picture also. I was in Rachel's first picture with Santa as well. :)

Poor Jack. He looks like he's be saying, "I want my lawyer." Daniel is sporting his new "It wasn't me... it was the DOG" outfit, complete with matching slippers and hat. The hat didn't stay on for too long, but he loved the slippers! When one came off he'd bring it to me to put back on. Too cute.
Daniel loves Jack, and usually Jack loves him back. Unfortunately, Jack doesn't like cameras and Daniel didn't have any food to share.

While I was writing this post, Rachel came in with her sales pitch for the new beaded strings she had made. (They're not long enough for bracelets and she's out of string.) Aunt Jean gave her a bead kit at Thanksgiving and these were the fruits of her labor. She asked me if I wanted to buy one, for the price of ... um... $3. Then she showed me another and told me that it would be $5 because it was more popular. She's 6!

Trip to the mall

Brad was out for the evening... again... seems like it's been a lot lately. Tonight it was a dodgeball tournement for the junior highers. I certainly don't want to attend that for more than about 10 minutes, so I stayed home with the kids. It's been different living in HC because in Marion, we'd just head over to my parents' house on nights like these. Now, I have to plan in advance for those sorts trips because I'm in Marion once in the mornings and who wants to drive over there twice? Besides, Mom had a choir program tonight. Dad would entertain us, but they just got new carpet and their house is less than baby-proofed at the moment - certainly not Daniel-proofed! The kid gets into and climbs on EVERYTHING!

He's also not content to sit for very long in any one place, including his stroller. So I was trying to figure out what to do with the three of us. I'm tired of laying on the couch being nauseated, and since evenings are best for me right now, I decided to get out of the house and take the kids to the Muncie Mall. I wasn't so sure how this was going to go... if I was going to feel well enough to deal with both of them... if Daniel was going to be content in his stroller... if Rachel would beg and plead for everything she saw... The trip turned out GREAT! After a decision by Rachel in the dressing room of Old Navy to "start over" with her attitude and actions, life was grand. Not only did I finish my shopping for everyone except my brother, I also found a booth set up by a church in Muncie that offered free gift wrapping... just because! Rachel, Daniel and I broke the cardinal rule that you aren't supposed to buy yourself anything before Christmas - I found some pants that are actually comfy - not too big, not too small - Rachel got a cute sweatsuit and Daniel got some darling clothes, too. I'm going to have to take a picture of him in his bodysuit - it says "It's not me... it was the dog." How true is that! I also got him the matching doggy hat and slippers. Daniel and our dog, Jack, are best buds, sharing the same toys, food, trash, etc. The outfit was just too appropriate, and kids outgrow clothes too fast to save it for Christmas!

We also got to visit Santa and all three of us had our picture taken with him... Daniel cried when I put him on Santa's lap, so Mommy sat next to Santa and held Daniel. Rachel was very matter-of-fact about the whole thing. She told Santa that she wanted an American Girl doll, and we have already had the discussion that she most likely will not be getting one for Christmas - a friend of ours had her girls save their own money and buy the doll, which I thought was a great idea, so it may be awhile. Anyway, she wanted the doll and surprises. That's good, because she'll have lots of surprises, then. :-)

They had a train next to Santa and so the kids took a ride. Daniel just loved looking at everything. He really liked the ride, too. Rachel took very good care of him, and was a great help. So basically, a good time was had by all.

In case there was any doubt from the last post...

Here's proof - I'm pregnant! Can't you tell that that's a beautiful baby in that picture? The biggest portion inside the sack is actually the yoke - the circle in the middle. The baby is that beautiful blob attached to the circle. He looks just like his daddy. My official due date is July 24.

Overheard...

Yesterday, I was listening to our dog Jack chewing on his favorte Kong toy (favorite just means that he hasn't chewed it up yet). The chewing sound is very distinct and drives my mom crazy - teeth on rubber. The only problem was that I looked up and saw Jack looking at me with those sad puppy-dog eyes, and the chewing sound continued. Upon further investigation, I found Daniel laying on his tummy right beside Jack, chewing away on the Kong. Yum.
At Thanksgiving, my brother announced that he and his new wife are expecting their first baby in July! I'm so excited that I'm going to be an aunt. Too bad I won't be able to travel to NY to see my new "neicphew" because I will be at home with my own. I guess we can't let Kevin and Tara have all the fun... I'm due a week after Tara!

A Walk Down Memory Lane...

I still have these weird "de javu" moments since we moved into the house that I grew up in... It's totally weird seeing my kids take a walk on the same sidewalks that Kim, Kevin, and I played on when we were kids. Even weirder knowing that the kids that we played with now have kids of their own and they walk home from school with Rachel! The big crack in the sidewalk is even still there. Rachel was so good about helping Daniel over it. It really made him mad when she picked him up to carry him over it. He tolerated it better when she just guided him.
Speaking of Daniel, I gave him a 6 quart stockpot to play with while I was fixing dinner the other day. He banged around with the wooden spoon, and then I looked over and saw him sitting in it! And not to forget Rachel, the other day, she very emphatically informed me that her book order had to be in by the "twenty-tooth!" (22nd, for those of you not familiar with 1st grader-ease)

One little, two little, three little Band-aids...

four little, five little, six little Band-aids... This was Daniel's song on Wed. - poor baby. We had his one year well-baby visit, and he got three shots and a finger stick. That Band-aid was really neat because he could stare at it. Then we went to the mall, where he was such a good little shopper, and everyone was making over him. Then, it happened. As he was toddling down a nice, wide aisle at Elder-Beerman, he fell, as 1-year olds frequently do. However, this time his head met the edge of a metal cart full of clothes. I picked him up to comfort him, not realizing that he was covered in blood, so I had blood all over my face and he had blood all over his forehead, hair, ear... you get the idea. It was a little gash, but it was a gash nonetheless. So, back to the doctors office we went, but not before receiving Band-aid number 5 on the forehead and Band-aid number 6 to hold in his hand. At least he was a happy fellow through the whole thing, except when we all had to hold him down to get his wound glued shut. I have NEVER seen him that mad, and he quit screaming IMMEDIATELY when I picked him up. He just gave Paul (our pediatrician) and the nurses who had mistreated him "the look." I had never been in the "procedure room" of that office before and I hope to never be there again!
Well, we are in our new house, but we're still going back to the old house and taking loads of stuff whenever we are in Marion, which is just about every day at this point. We're slowly getting settled in, taking one day at a time. I actually cooked TWICE this week and I have leftovers in my fridge! For awhile, we were keeping the local Pizza King in business, but that's a really expensive way to eat. So, now I'm off to bed, but I need to make sure I can find a complete outfit including shoes for everyone tomorrow. That's the challenge we have every night. The kids have made the adjustment quite well, and I'm starting to get over the weirdness of living in this house again. I still have my moments of deja vu, which I'm sure will happen over and over again. It's quite fun, I must say, and very peaceful amidst the clutter and chaos of life. God is good!