The Last S-t-r-e-t-c-h

Look at that. I feel sorry for my tee shirt.

Both still healthy. Still working.

Still trying to finish my first term of grad school before the little darling makes her debut.

Baby is measuring a week ahead of her due date. The midwives have asked me to limit my carb intake. I laugh! HA! I'll limit whatever you want! She's still gonna be huge!

Ice Storm?! Where??

I heard the tapping of the freezing rain against the windows last night as I cozied up in front of the fire to snuggle with Joe and watch a movie. It was great. A real storm! How exciting!

Well, this was the scene outside my front door this morning at 10 am. After school was cancelled for the day. In the entire metroplex. Umm...

This was the only ice I could find. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure it was slippery last night and at 4am when the news cameras were reporting the "storm" but I'm a little disapointed! We still have electricity. Our pipes are not frozen. We did not have to drive 2 miles over ice peering through a tiny hole in the windshield to fill water buckets from a frozen windmill/horse trough!(Now that was a storm! Wish I could find that email from Jami...) But school is cancelled. However, it could be 110 degrees out and the schools will still send the kids out for recess. It's all relative, isn't it??

So this will be the scene in the living room today. Little girls. Barbie movies. Jammies. Tea parties in various stages of arrangment. Actually this is pretty normal any day of the week.

Happy Ice Storm Texan Friends!

Strange?

I'd like to be the little bird that lives in the nest on the back of Mia's head.

Or I could be Ali's Bear who spends his night pillowing her little head and always spells like Johnson's Detangler.

Another Student

Mia has been asking to go to preschool for some time now. With my own recent endeavors, it seemed like a good time to start...

We found a great Christian preschool a couple blocks from our home and Mia has taken to it so smoothly- it's amazing. On the first day, she began chatting with her teacher about her earrings from Daddy, the lunch she helped pack, the baby doll she brought along... when I finally interrupted her to say goodbye, she gave me a quick kiss and said, "See ya later Mom." I was so relieved that there were no tears, but...

Aww, well... she may not have said it (or acted like it in any way) but I know she was thinking, "I will do great Mom and it's all because you've done such a fabulous job raising a confident and secure toddler. I may have fun today, I may say smart and funny things that only my teachers will hear, but my heart will be with you at home. I will miss you terribly today."

Okay, I may have gotten carried away...

Magic

I knew enough about kids before having them to know to expect questions... but I never anticipated the velocity at which those questions would come. Mia's questions come like little machine gun fire and usually start with "why" or only consist of "why?". Easy enough- although by the end of the day my answers are usually "I don't know." because I just can't explain any more! Ali's questions are scary. They have been about those things that are hard to explain and very specific. Here are a few from the last couple days. And here are my answers.

Laugh if you must.

Ali: Is the Toothfairy real? What does she do with all those teeth?

Mom: (avoids answering first question and dives into second part..) She recycles them. She only collects "baby teeth" right? So when a big kid loses a "baby tooth" she cleans it up and sends it to a baby. That's why you have to brush your teeth everyday - she only takes the sparkly white ones.

Ali: What if you leave her a brown tooth with cavities?

Mom: She writes you a ticket.

Ali: (makes a shocked face) Can she do that??

Ali: How does Santa Claus get presents to ALL the kids if he only has one sack?

Mom: Magic

Ali: Did Santa really get my swing set in his sack?

Mom: Well, he must have because it's in your backyard, isn't it?

Ali: Yes, but how?

Mom: Magic

Ali: So, was our baby an angel in Heaven before she was a baby in your tummy?

Mom: Yes. Just like you and Mia.

Ali: Hmm, I don't remember her.

Ali: Is Heaven far away?

Mom: I don't think so. I think it's pretty close, you just can't see it with your eyes, you see it with your soul.

Ali: What if I get there before you and there's nobody to take care of me?

Mom: Going to Heaven is like going home after a very long time. And probably I will already be there and you won't need to be taken care of because you'll be with Jesus.

Ali: What if I get hungry?

Mom: You'll never be hungry or cold or tired - you'll just be perfect.

Ali: Sounds boring.

And my favorite...

Ali: So how did our baby's spirit get from Heaven into your tummy?

Mom: Um, magic.

New Year, New Layout

Bear with me while I experiment with some blog-customization. Do you like it? Suggestions? Feel free to leave me a comment!

Baby Registry?

Joe and I aren't sure what to do on this issue. It seems presumptious to us to complete a baby registry considering this is our third child and we really have all the basics. Okay- our crib is less than functioning after several moves and years in storage, but the rest of the basics are under control! All we could ask for are your prayers for a growing, healthy baby. (And maybe you could mention in your prayer that she should arrive a week early, after an easy labor, weighing less than 9 pounds. For my sake.) But for those of you who will read this and say, "Blah, blah, blah... I want to shop!" Check out the link to the right for an online registry.

Only 10 more weeks! We currently have a "squatter" living in our nursery, but as soon as I have it put together, I'll post some pictures. Green, beige and ladybugs this time. It's going to be great!

and a Happy New Year!

"All you can eat crab legs" at Grandma and Pop-Pop's has become something of a tradition on New Year's Eve - and something Joe looks forward to for weeks! He remains at the table crackin' shells long after everyone else has gotten up! This year, after the shellfish and visiting with extended family, we thought we'd let the girls have a shot at staying up and bringing in the New Year.
Ultimately we have decided that staying up late is fun when you're little.. but not so much fun for Mom and Dad. We will be taking long naps this afternoon. It's a fun memory though!

9:30 pm. Curled up on Mom and Dad's bed in their new sleeping bags and blankets watching Mickey Mouse and eating popcorn. So far, so good.

An hour later... Mia is down for the count...

Ali is barely hanging in there, determined to stay awake!

11pm. Ali and Daddy watch the ball drop in NYC. We told her she made it to the New Year (NY is an hour ahead) and put her to bed!!