Lunchtime

This always seems to happen to me. At 11:30 when I am just about to break out the pb& j for lunch, the phone rings and the realtor wants to schedule a showing in 30 minutes. Thank goodness I hadn't actually made the kitchen any messier yet, and the girls aren't too busy eating to help clean up. It's pretty amazing the amount of cleaning that can be done in 30 minutes and even Nikki is usually helpful when someone is coming to look at the house. But then comes the trouble. I'm pulling out of the driveway at noon with completely hungry children and I'm starving myself and we have at least an hour to kill. No, I'm not supermom and I can't pack a lunch while trying to do the dishes at the same time. And I don't care for a granola bar and goldfish for lunch. Of course the girls have the perfect solution to the problem -- McDonald's! Ugh. I don't want to be a terrible mother and take my children out for fast food every time we're out during the lunch hour. I feel so guilty every time I order chicken nuggets and french fries. But what am I supposed to do? Today I compromised with a side order of mandarin oranges at Wendy's. What I really hate is how much I enjoy eating fast food, and I hate watching my girls happily devour a bunch of grease. And just think, this whole problem could be solved by a simple offer on our house! Okay, maybe better housekeeping and planning skills would fix it, too.

For Sale or Rent

I'm planning on calling a realty rental agency today to have them list our house for rent. Crazy, huh? I don't think we've really talked about doing this to anyone, so it probably will seem like another of our spur of the moment moving decisions. I think when we moved from Utah to Georgia we only had two weeks' notice that we were going. Moving really doesn't phase me anymore, but it has been a long time (close to three years) and I've never done it while being 9 months pregnant. But this is an idea that we've tossed around for a while, and we had the rental agency come out yesterday to look at our house and talk about the details of renting it. There are lots of pros and cons to whatever scenario we decide -- rent out the house or sit here waiting for it to sell. We'll see what happens. We'll probably just end up sitting here waiting for it to rent or sell. But there is supposed to be an influx of people coming onto the Air Force base here in the next couple of weeks just before school starts (although I can't tell you how many times I've heard that over the last year and a half that we've had our house up for sale). So wouldn't it be nuts if we ended up renting our house out and moving in the next couple of weeks? And where, oh where, is this baby going to fit into it all? Will we ever settle down?

My Fortune Cookie

Nate and I ate at a chinese restaurant last night, and this is what I got in my fortune cookie:

"Your success in life must be earned with earnest efforts."

But I thought it was funny that on the back were my lucky lotto numbers. I guess if your earnest efforts don't pay off there's always the lottery.

Gymnastics

I took the girls to a free trial gymnastics class Monday. When they woke up in the morning they asked me how much longer before it was time to go, and then they asked at least once every hour throughout the day. The idea to try gymnastics originally came because Nikki did so well in the tumbling part of dance class. It is pretty amazing to see a 4-year-old do a cartwheel like she could. So, I knew Nikki would enjoy it and do well with it, but it was so fun to watch how excited Hannah was. There was a small section of bleachers for the parents to sit and watch in the gym, and I couldn't help but smile at Hannah as she bounced around and was was just having so much fun during the class. They both did really well, and the teacher told me afterwards that they could move up to the intermediate class. I'm so excited for them to have an opportunity like this. I was watching some of the older classes in the gym and I was getting tired and sore legs just watching those girls. I think it will be really good for them. It will cost more money and be a farther drive than dance class, but like I told Nate that night, the money really doesn't matter after watching them both be so excited and do so well with it. They are already asking how many more days until they can go back. I'll have to take my camera next time.

34 weeks and counting

It has become all too easy for me to complain about being pregnant, when in reality this is such a miraculous time. So, I'm trying to think about all the reasons it is wonderful to be pregnant.

• I get to eat frequently, and since I have had no problems with my blood sugar or anemia I have been eating whatever I want. I could say that I have had weight-gain issues, but really at my last check-up I had only gained 1/2 lb. in 2 weeks! Wahoo, maybe I won't catch up to Nate after all! We'll see at my appointment tomorrow if that trend has continued.
• I take naps all the time! I've always loved taking a nap, and now it's almost impossible not to take one. Last week I even took one in the morning after the extreme effort of just taking a shower and getting ready. =)
• Hannah and Nikki and Nate are so sweet to me. I get lots of hugs and kisses, and they are the only ones I like touching my tummy. Everyone else can just back off until the baby actually comes. You're not rubbing my baby, you're rubbing me! But I think it is sweet when Nate and the girls show interest and want to feel the baby move.
• Water has never tasted so good to me. I'm so thirsty all the time, and I have an unlimited supply of ice water right at my fingertips with the push of a button on my refrigerator. How on earth did pioneer women make it?
• I still have one pair of sandals that don't squish my feet! I don't even care that they're brown and my one remaining skirt is black.
• Overall, I feel really well and I have for most of this pregnancy. I never even threw up, and my sense of smell really doesn't make me nauseous anymore. I can still smell everything, but it doesn't affect me so much.
• There were a couple of issues with the baby that the doctors wanted to check out early on, but they cleared up on their own and things have been moving along right on schedule. Hopefully, he'll be a happy, healthy little boy.
• And finally, the best part of being pregnant is the amazing miracle that it is to feel the little life inside of me! And to be able to watch my stomach roll around as he does his somersaults. I never get tired of feeling him move. I think this is probably the part of pregnancy that makes all the discomforts bearable.

There, now I think I'll take a nap. =)

Happy Birthday, Nate

Thanks so much Nate for all you do and all that you are. Yesterday I tried to serve you, but it seems like you still did more for me than what I could do for you. I cooked a nice dinner, but you still ended up taking care of the grilling part. I did the dishes, but you played with the girls and got them ready for bed while I cleaned the kitchen. And in trying to spend the evening with you, I still got to enjoy your company, so that felt a little selfish too. Thanks for being such a loving husband and father. I hope you know how much we love you!

Art

This morning the girls asked me if we had to go anywhere today, and they both cheered when I told them we could just stay home all day. We've been on the go for the past couple of weeks having lots of fun, but we're all ready for a break. Hannah took an art class last week that she LOVED. It was really two classes, one was a watercolor class and the other was making crafts out of used, recyclable items. I think she was surprised at how much she liked the watercolors, and I was very impressed with the paintings she did. They had some neat techniques that they tried. She even had us all do a salt painting for our activity at family night. She also made a birdhouse (not pictured because it's hanging outside), a windchime, a picture holder, a collage, and then decorated a bag to bring it all home.

Memories Tag

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume your playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.

Sunscreen

The bottle label reads:

Coppertone Water Babies Sunscreen Lotion

Instant Waterproof Protection

When using this product avoid spraying in eyes. Rinse with water to remove.

Ummm .... ???

The 4th

Over the whole weekend of the 4th this is the only picture I took. Isn't she cute? This is my niece Eliza after playing outside all afternoon and eating plums straight off of the tree. The picture really doesn't do justice to how dirty her mouth was. We had a great visit at Nell's house with her family, and Mike & Sherrie came too. A weekend at Nell's house is always wonderful. We walked to the end of her street to watch the fireworks across the sound, but her neighbors were putting on just as good of a show right above us. We were even able to visit with some of our good friends from Chesapeake, Lila Watts and Sabrena Penalba, whom Nell had invited for the fun on the 4th. It was so good to see them, and on Sunday Lila came to church with her son Garrett. Oh I wish I had taken my camera. He was almost as tall as Nate (he's only 13!), and the last time I had seen him he was just the tiniest bit shorter than me! When we got home Sunday evening Nate was sweet enough to tell me to just relax while he unloaded the car, and I fell asleep on the couch while he cleaned up and gave the girls baths. I really didn't have a reason to be so exhausted since Nell didn't let me do anything but eat and relax. I love holidays!