35 Week Belly Pics

And to all of you who say I look "small", just know I really don't feel small. I measure right on, but when it's hard to bend over to tie your shoes (especially after you eat) I become a bit resentful of the adjective small. God and my body have done 35 weeks of work to form this baby and I'm 35 weeks pregnant. Antagonizing a pregnant woman is simply not acceptable. ;-)

She Can Come Anytime Now

because the car seat is installed. The boys pretend she's really in her seat when we are in the van. I must say as much as my belly is sticking out, it is still easier than loading and unloading 3 littles from carseats--not to mention I don't have to carry a diaper bag yet!

On the Playground

Our New Door

I'm a bit behind, but here are some glimpses of all the work Scott and his dad put into the new back door. Or at least the transformation. And you can't see this part, but the room is so much warmer now!

The old sliding door

Installing the new door

The finished product with new blinds

Sprinkle is Sprinkled With Blessings

Yesterday some wonderful women blessed Sprinkle with a baby shower. I used to think once you had one baby, you should be done with showers, but now I'm of the opinion that every new baby deserves a party. (And not for the stuff.) Here are a few glimpses of the celebration.

A beautiful table with china and pressed cloth napkins!

L-R, Mary W., Beth L., Christy S., and Leslie H. guessing
the number of chocolate chips that fit into a baby bottle

Barbara W., Marcia (my mother-in-law), and Debbie J. watching the "pink" being opened

Wow! I haven't seen this much pink since my room as a girl!

The four pregnant mamas--me, Laura M., Andrea J., and Jill G.

And for added measure my 32 week belly picture--

I Almost Forgot!

Not in order, but here's Bradford in action on the sled.

Yard Clean Up

The boys, including Scott and his father, enjoyed some outside time cleaning up the many leaves and limbs remaining in the yard and around the house on Saturday. Perhaps the younger ones actually enjoyed it more, but nonetheless the yard looks a lot better now.

Our Snowstorm Adventure Part III

*Note-another not for the weary

Monday during lunch, McCance fell asleep in my lap. Bradford finished first and we let him go play in the den by himself. Not long after that we heard another loud crash like another branch had broken--except it was followed by wailing from Bradford. Scott jumped up and took Bradford into the bathroom as he dripped blood from his mouth. After four adults checked out his mouth without a concrete conclusion of whether or not it needed stitches, I decided we should go to be on the safe side. There was a good split on the inside of his upper lip, where it looked a bit more severely cut. So we headed to the ER, thankfully only 7 minutes away (although it was more like 14 with the snow and the fallen trees on the road) since all doctor's offices and urgent cares were closed.

After waiting 3.5 hours, we found out he didn't need stitches. Bradford was the most patient of the three of us. Amazingly so. And according to the ER doctor we spoke with, if you or your child ever cuts his lip, don't be concerned with stitches unless 1) the cut is on the outer lip and goes into the face or 2) it is inside and gouged very deep. His lip still has some healing to do, but looks so much better.

Bradford volunteered to read to McCance after supper

Our Snowstorm Adventure Part II

*Note--This story is not for weak stomachs.

The snow kept falling. The boys took turns falling asleep on the couch before we tucked them each into their warm beds and not-so-warm rooms. (When we woke, it was 48 in our house. And that was with the fire going all night.) At 3 a.m. McCance woke up to use the toilet. As he got off, he said, "My belly still hurts." I amazingly thought quickly for 3 a.m. and gently aimed his head over the toilet in the dark bathroom. (The only light was that from outside reflecting from the snow on the ground!) Then I yelled for Scott to bring a flashlight. He amazingly woke up immediately and brought one. (Not typical for my dear husband of heavy sleep.) I tucked McCance back into bed after changing his pajamas and hoped it was a one-time thing. 15 minutes later my hope was gone, so he and I spent the rest of the night on the couch--but by the fire. Poor McCance has never been sicker.

So by Monday morning our heaps of laundry had doubled and still no electricity. Playing pioneer lady was no longer fun with a stomach bug intruding. Thankfully (and I'm still giving thanks daily for electricity) it came back on at 10 and we started making a small dent in the laundry and the dishes. I don't know if I could've functioned if my parents had not been around to help.

Scott had a lot of fun picking up broken branches (no major catastrophes there thankfully also) in the snow while Bradford spent 3 hours playing in the snow and sledding down our slope of ivy in the front. McCance watched longingly. I finally let him go out after his stomach had calmed, we'll say.

Our Snowstorm Adventure Part I

As Midwesterners, we generally laugh when it snows here in Athens, because what we consider a light snow, perhaps even a dusting, will often close schools--including the University of Georgia--bread and milk will be gone on the grocery store shelves, so on and so forth.

Last Sunday upon leaving church there were an abundance of flakes falling rapidly. After enjoying a pizza lunch, we went home to a dark, electricity-free house. Minus about 15 minutes it stayed off until 10 a.m. Monday. Scott and the boys dressed to play outside in the snow. Our wonderful next-door neighbor, Doug, brought over a sled for the boys to borrow. A fire was started in the fireplace to keep us a bit warmer. Those not outside playing watched the snow fall by the warmth of the fireplace and a blanket and listened to the branches and trees cracking into the evening.Scott and I

Bradford, Scott, McCance and my Dad couldn't wait
until we got home to start a snowball fight!

The playful ones on the sled--with snowballs

To be continued. . .

I'm Back--and A Big Family Dinner

After a little blogging break, I'm ready to begin again.

Last Saturday, we spent the afternoon with our friends' three kiddos, as well as our own. Mom and Dad surprised us a day earlier than we had expected--and very thankfully. It's so helpful to have 4 extra hands when you have 3 extra kids! Although, Andrew did nap most of the afternoon--3.5 hours to be exact. Amanda was perfectly cuddly and mostly happy when she gave in and took her bottle. Mama's milk is the best, but not the same when it's not straight from the source. The three oldest boys played throughout the day--contentedly for the most part. My favorite part of the day was supper. We had breakfast for supper--pancakes--because what kid, no matter what age, doesn't like pancakes? But I digress. It wasn't the food that made it my favorite. It was our very full table. 9 of us! Even my best friend's house only had 8. (She has 5 siblings.)