20 Weeks

Tomorrow I am 20 weeks pregnant.

With daughter #3.

(I'll tell you her name soon!)

I'm feeling really good! and, I'm looking pretty good, if I do say so myself!

I'm choosing NOT to gain 55 pounds this pregnancy. 

But my love of all things CARBOHYDRATES isn't going to help!

What did you eat when you were/are pregnant?

and Baby Will Make...5!!??

That's right, everyone! We are ready to spread the word! #3 is on his or her way! I am currently 15 weeks, due October 9th, 2010 (although babies arrival will likely be late September, due to my love of the scheduled c section!)

It all began in early February. MAN, I was exhausted! But being the mother of 2 kids under 5 will do that to you! Then, twice in one week, I forgot my ID at home. Its hard to get back home without your military ID when you live on a military base! UGH! Piper even commented that Im NEVER this spacey. Then I noticed I was getting nauseous really easily, especially in the car....oh, jeez! Im late!

So, on the night Piper and I were going to celebrate Valentines Day, I had Piper check the oven for me while I got ready...where I had placed a hamburger bun with a positive pregnancy test in it. Thats right. We had a "Bun in the Oven!"

Baby is growing well! We will find out what "# 3" is in about a month, and Piper is PRAYING for a penis! I think another girl might put him over the edge! ;-)


I will keep everyone posted on new developments. Not a lot of excitement to report yet, but everyone is happy and healthy and that is all that matters! :-)

A Weekend with the Girls...

I am blessed. Blessed to have a husband who, VERY bravely, took on both girls for an entire weekend so I could take a girls weekend with my mom, my best friend, Janel, and HER mom, Cheryl, to Seattle.

We spent Saturday and Sunday shopping, eating, meeting up with family and old friends, and enjoying some much needed peace and quiet!

My favorite part of Seattle is ALWAYS the market! We took my mom to the first Starbucks EVER! Our coffee (and tea) lovin' minds were blown :-) The flowers and produce were beautiful as always. LOTS of tulips this time of year. And some amazing daffodils. I love daffs. One of my all time favorite flowers :-)

Lots of fun. Lots of giggling. Lots of wine (for some of us, anyway!)

I cant wait to do it all again!

Here are a few photo highlights:

Happy Birthday, Dr Seuss!

 To celebrate Dr Seuss' birthday, we decided to have a family movie night! We watched MY favorite Dr Seuss movie, "Horton Hears a Who", and I made "Speck on a Clover" cupcakes!

Even my husband, who, while always supportive of my creative endeavors, was impressed with the cupcakes. 

Ashlynn was just happy she got cupcakes! 

 

My favorite part of that movie? This quote:

A person is a person,

no matter now small!

My Babies Are Perfect

Its been a day.

I took Gracie for her 12 month check up. 19 lbs 8 oz. 28 1/2 inches long. Right on track for her growth chart (her ALTERED growth chart. If you will remember, her last check up, she'd dropped from the 80th percentile to the 25th and there was a little alarmism goin' on via her Dr. so we did some blood work, and she was fine. Just like I thought. Babies don't grow as fat when they are on the move!!) She is lookin' good, healthy ears, eyes, nose, mouth (I think she actually enjoyed the tongue depressor. She said "numa numa numa" when he put it in her mouth. That's what she calls food. LOL!) Then I asked about her murmur. She was born with VSD, (a small hole in the heart) but I was assured most babies grow out of that in the first year. Well, the Dr thinks he can still hear a murmur. So, next month, we will be going back to the cardiologist for an EKG.

Heavy Sigh.

It's not rare. And its very treatable. But still. SIGH. So that shoots to the top of my personal prayer list.

Anyway, to add insult to injury, she got 5 (FIVE??!! SHEESH!) shots, and a screening for anemia. You guessed it. We get to go back tomorrow to draw more blood to test for anemia. Wouldn't it be easier to just do the ACTUAL test in the first place? Or check the blood tests from 2 months ago? Of course not.

So, this wasn't my happiest well baby visit.

But

We got home, and settled in.

I brought home milk shakes for everyone (well, if Gracie can't have a shake after all that, shouldn't we at least get a treat??)

And I began watching that little monkey crawl after her sister, playing tag, giggling, laughing, snorting (as all of us Piper girls do when we laugh real hard) and it put my heart at ease.

My babies are perfect.

Gracie Turns One!

I think the photos will speak for themselves. A small gathering, lots of happy, warm hearts, and one face chocked FULL of frosting!

A few minor details...

The Birthday Princess

And frosting in between our fingers!



Happy Birthday, Baby!

{oh, and I just LOVE this shot! Can you say SUGAR HIGH??!!}



{scrapbook word art credits: Scrapaholics Oh, BABY! wordart}
click here!

My Favorite Pics of 2009

I had originally thought of posting a "Year in Review" blog, but that is mentally and physically exhausting, so here are my favorite pictures of the year!

More to come later this weekend! :-)

New Year, New Blog Look!

Just a quick update, a new blog look, and a little relief that I AM actually still capable in my Photoshop!!

We had a WONDERFUL trip to South East Texas for Christmas, spending time with the entire Piper family. I was able to capture a few pictures of all of us together!

Santa was nice enough to follow us all the way to Texas, and Gracie had quite an eventful first Christmas, surrounded by her sister and 2 cousins PLOWING through gifts in record time! And, upon our return, Ash was thrilled to discover that Santa HAD remembered to stop by our house too, and left a few gifts under the tree for the girls. He ALSO left a few at Cama's house. Can you say SPOILED GIRLS?? :-)

Gracie had another check up, and her weight is acceptable. The Dr says he MAY have over reacted when he requested all the blood work last month (ugh.) but she is healthy. And MOBILE!! MAN, is she mobile!!

On a business note, we were SO blessed to have a fantastic opening Christmas season in the Boutique, and I look forward to turning Tiny Belles into a stand alone website in early 2010.

So, here we are, busy playing catch up, and enjoying the last few days of 2009. And looking forward to all the joys and excitement 2010 will bring!

XOXO

We Wish You a Merry Christmas...

And a Happy New Year!

New updates after the holiday, I promise :-)

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Enjoying a day of puttering and cooking with my little girls, eating and being surrounded by wonderful family. Ill add some photos later :-)

I am thankful for each and every one of you!!

Happy "Wis"giving, as Ashlynn says. Its time to cook up that turkey and start simmering the "gib-a-lips" ( I dont know what I would do if she could talk right! I really dont!!)

Dont forget to check out the HUGE Black Friday-Cyber Monday sales in the store this weekend, too!

http://www.tinybellesboutique.etsy.com

Back from Vacation...

Over the last few weeks, I've been mentally and even physically on vacation! Piper took his first trip back up to the "woods" as the flight chief! WOO HOO!! So while he was gone for 6 days, I packed up the girls and we joined my mom and dad at Waitts Lake for a little vaca. Unfortunately, it was overcast nearly the entire time, but we still had a lot of fun. Ash took her princess fishing pole out for its inaugural run, and caught 2 fish!! She also had a lot of fun picking wild flowers, and "marrying Prince Eric," her make believe fiance. (this is me shaking my head...sigh...) Gracie didn't really know what it was she was enjoying, but she seems to really like the fresh air. But then we all came home at once, and so reorganizing the house has been chaos! Laundry EVERYWHERE!!!

Anyway, we are all back, preparing for school to start back up (Piper and Ash) and generally organizing the small world we live in. Pics to come. Soon. Like, at nap time soon. :-)

Project: Organization!

For the first time in a few weeks now, the weather is less than perfect, so, I am on an organization SPREE!! Its begun with my photos, and now has moved into the kitchen!! I dont know about you, but I LOVE Better Homes and Gardens!! LOVE LOVE LOVE it! (this was the first clue I got that Im getting OLD!) I will occasionally tear out recipes, helpful articles, pretty pictures...so I made myself a BHG cook book!! I am going to make a cover graphic and some section dividers. Im kinda proud of myself! ;-)


Im onto the office next. Id love to have a spot to go and hide away to work on my graphics or scrapbook or read if I want, and I know it would be nice for Piper to have a place to study that is chaos everywhere!

Now, onto birthday party invitations for a little girl I know who is about to turn 4!! I cant believe my baby is almost 4!! And my baby brother turned 18 and graduated HIGH SCHOOL!! What a week...Much more later, I am sure!! XOXO