photo 10

It's raining, it's pouring...

Gentle, loving, sweet, and kind

(not) Gentle, loving?, (not really) sweet, and (not so) kind

(you didn't see moments before when she had him in a headlock and you can't hear his cries of protest!)

Sad

Happy

Goofy

Serious

Again, not-so-gentle...she has no idea of the monster she's creating!

Sweet!

We initially went outside to get fun pictures playing in the rain. I took some cute ones of Addi when she was around Levi's age and thought that would be fun to do today with my other 2 kids. Not so much. Libby just can't keep her hands off Levi and Levi's not really a frolick-in-the-rain kind of guy! He's more of a dig-in-the-mud-and-pull-found-worms-apart kind of guy, so maybe one day I'll gross you out with those pics. I'll end with a few of Addi's rain pictures. They were taken a few months after we moved to Raleigh and she was about 18 months old.

photo 8

Bounce-y Fun

photo 7

weekly re-cap

I'm supposed to be packing right now. I'm about half-way finished, but can't seem to find the motivation to complete the task. Bryan, the girls and I are headed to Sea World San Antonio early tomorrow morning. Levi is spending the weekend with his Nana and Poppa. Leaving any of my children behind always makes me a little anxious. Oh, I have no doubts in the abilities of Bryan's parents. I do, however, know tomorrow is not promised to me or mine and the control freak in me doesn't want to leave him behind not knowing if I'll see him again. In that line of reasoning, I could just grab the kids and hide under my bed all day every day. :)


We will return on Sunday ready to start another week of swim lessons. We've had swim lessons every afternoon since Monday. Let me tell you, in case you've ever wondered, swim lessons at 2 pm are excrutiatingly HOT! It doesn't help that my time is spent chasing Levi. All he has on his mind the entire 1/2 hour we're there is taking a running leap into the pool. I've brought all manner of distractions only to have to pick them up with one hand while clutching him like a (sweaty, squirming, squealing) football with the other. I've only gotten in 1 workout this week, but I'm counting my time at swim lessons as workouts. I'd be surprised if I don't burn more calories there!


So, between swim lessons in the afternoons and practicing for swim lessons in the mornings, our hair feels like hay. But, our skin has never been more golden. :) The practicing has really reinforced the lessons. Libby, who last summer wouldn't step foot on the splash ground or be in the pool without being physically attached to me, is now swimming under water by herself. Monday she would not put her head under the water and I knew she wouldn't get far without doing that. Tuesday morning, at our practice, she wouldn't listen to me at all. She only wanted to play, but then at the lesson that afternoon, she jumped right in the water and stuck her head under. Yesterday afternoon she turned into a little fish and, at some point while wrestling Levi, I noticed she was swimming under water without help. Addi is working on different strokes (backstroke, breaststoke, freestyle) and diving. It's been fun to see them making improvements every day. I really can't say enough about this swimming program. If you live in or near Frisco, I would highly recommend them.


Some of you noticed Levi got a haircut. About a week ago, Bryan was home and I was talking to him with Levi on my hip. He looked at our little boy, wrinkled his nose in disgust, and said, "That boy needs a haircut. Let me get my clippers after him." I don't know what came over me. I would have been the first to admit he needed a trim. His hair is starting to get thick and his little head was always so sweaty. So, I held down my baby while Bryan buzzed his hair off. Well, not all of his hair. He still has enough to do this:

So, I've also been experimenting with hair products on my son this week! He thinks it is hilarious when he looks in the mirror and, surprisingly, he leaves it alone. I can't say that about Libby. She can't keep her hands off his hair which only irritates him.

I also decided this would be a good couple of weeks to organize each room of this house. I did so well on Monday and Tuesday. Yesterday was a flop because I was supposed to get Levi's room done, but I scheduled way too much to get to it. My only opportunities were during naptime and bedtime and I'm not crazy! I gave myself today off so I could blog facebook pack and then, of course, I won't be working on it this weekend, but it's back to organizing after the weekend. I'll end up having another week because Libby has a dance camp the week after next, so we'll be sticking close to Frisco that week also. Maybe with that extra week, I can actually finish the dresser I started 57 weeks ago. Maybe that's too ambitious. I'll settle for a home full of organized rooms.

Hope you have a fun weekend. I'm sure I'll be back next week with some Sea World pictures.

swirling thoughts

• I'm enjoying one of my favorite breakfasts, oatmeal made with milk and a smashed banana. Of course, it's better if I can eat it in one 15-minute setting, but I guess I should figure on 30 minutes per meal per child. :) That's why I usually wait until 2 pm (naptime) to eat lunch.
• Apparently my girls are dreaming of snow because they keep coming downstairs in long-sleeves and sweaters. We are going to a picnic today and expecting humid 97 degree weather. Clearly, I made the executive decision to nix the sleeves and wool.
• All 5 of us spent a good 20 minutes in the coat closet Tuesday night. Tornado sirens went off as we were finishing supper. (I'm afraid of tornadoes. I shouldn't be, having spent 28 of my 32 Springs in Texas or Oklahoma, but it's only gotten worse since having children. Or maybe it's gotten worse since living in OK where you also have to worry about gustnadoes. Frisco's so far north, we may as well live in OK, so, to my mind, I have to worry about gustnadoes here also.) My point is we all crammed into the coat closet that was already crammed with gift wrapping paraphernalia, candles, baskets, future gifts, vacuums, dusters, and, naturally, coats to discover it gets no AC. Closet + 5 people + humidity - air conditioning = miserable. The upside is I was able to rethink the organization (or lack) of that closet, especially if it is to be our "safe room". Candles in glass jars on a shelf directly above our heads? Spending 10 minutes emptying enough of the closet to make room for the 5 of us? Of course, it is a coat closet. And a big one with plenty of room for gift wrapping paraphernalia, candles, baskets, future gifts, vacuums, dusters, and, naturally, coats. Here's where I admit all that stuff we pulled out is still in the dining room. I'm hoping it will inspire me to put it back in a more organized manner and maybe find another home for some of it. Maybe literally another home. Anyone need a Dora gift bag?
• If I ever mention to any of you ever again an idea to refinish a piece of furniture, shoot me. I started stripping the paint (apparently about 15 coats of paint) off a dresser that was originally painted for Addison's nursery and then put in Libby's nursery and then (shhh!) put in Levi's closet in his nursery (yes, I left the flower and butterfly pulls on the drawers!) almost 3 weeks ago. It is driving me crazy, but when am I gonna find extra time to work on it? It's not like what I'm doing now isn't priority. :) If I ever finish, I'll post a picture. I don't have a before picture, so if you've never seen it in person, you'll just have to imagine.
• I AM SO HAPPY IT IS SUMMER BREAK! I may never let my children return to school again!
• I made an ill-fated decision to go Krogering yesterday. We have the stickers to prove it. (Does anyone else's children beg for those stickers, never even remove them from the backing and then forget about them and leave them in the car by the time you get home? Mine, too.) Long story, sort-of short...Libby got down for a late-nap, but I woke her up way before she was rested because I'd promised a trip to the library. We made it through our library trip unscathed and headed to Double Dave's for Peproni Rolls. Then while those were being made, we shot over to Kroger, which happens to be in the same shopping center, for 8 things. 8 things means, by myself, I could be in and out in 7 minutes. 8 things with 3 kids means a lot longer. Both girls had to get "little carts" so between us we had 3 carts. For 8 things. I warned them before we got into the store about paying attention so they didn't drive their carts up my legs. I also warned them about racing each other and watching out for others. By the time we'd gotten 30 feet inside the store, Libby had cried twice. She doesn't cry quietly, especially when she's tired and feels she needs to battle her siblings for attention. The second time I grabbed her and tried to put her in my cart. She's a little too tall for me to do that in one swift motion as I'd planned. By the time I got her long legs in the cart with the rest of her body, I was slightly more frustrated. That's when I noticed all the white-coller workers fresh from their days spent without the annoying screeches of young children staring at us. Bryan said it was all in my head and maybe they weren't thinking, They should not allow a stay-at-home mom and her misbehaing brood in Kroger after 5 pm, but it would have made me feel better if they had gone on about their shopping without so much as a glance in our direction. We survived and we made it out of the store without any more tears from me or my children and with all 8 things. We were rewarded with hot Peproni Rolls ready when we returned to Double Dave's, which is a miracle since that place might be more unorganized than my coat closet.
• I made this a few days ago and it is scrumptious. It takes all of my will-power not to finish it off while Bryan's at work during the day. There are only 2 pieces left today. Would he really notice them being gone?
• I'm listening to my 6 year old explain to her 3 year old sister why you would want to break up with your boyfriend. What?! She actually has some good reasons. If you just aren't comfortable with them or they annoy you, you might want to call it off with your boyfriend. She is wise beyond her years.
• I'm ready for the weekend, so I can finish that darn dresser enjoy my family and have a date night with my husband! Have a good one!
  
  

field day fun

Addi, Libby, Levi, and I all had great fun at Field Day last Friday. Addi got into the competition a little more than I thought she would. :) Libby ran and ran with her friends and Levi soaked up all the attention he got from Addi's friends. He's quite the Ladies' Man. :)

old news

So these pictures are from Christmas! I know, I know...

I may post Halloween pictures next :)

The last night we had available to see Santa I rememberred I had yet to get the kids picture with Santa. It was Levi's first Christmas, after all. How could we not? I knew Santa would be at Safety Town, so we headed over there. I didn't have my camera, so this is what we ended up with. Not sayin' I would've done any better, but I think I might have zoomed in enough so "Frisco Fire" wasn't competing for photo focal point. Really, I'm not meaning to complain. The pictures were free and the kids got to tell Santa what they wanted. You can't beat that! We waited and waited to see these in our email inbox and they finally arrived a couple weeks after Christmas. I was bummed thinking we had made the effort (at the last minute) and then we'd never have the proof, but I was especially bummed because I wanted this picture...

Sweet Levi suddenly realized someone he didn't know - someone a little strange looking - was holding him and he did not like it. I also have pictures of Addi very upset with Santa (and the Easter Bunny). Libby was always fine with Addi next to her, which is funny to me because now she's my biggest scaredy cat :)

An explanation is in order

I know the last post was so long ago that most of you have either called to asked if I had Baby P early, have left messages through family members that my name is mud until I get another post up, or have long since abandoned checking our blog.

(Which leads me to a somewhat random point (and yet another - Becky, weren't you just commenting on how random Libby can be?? I guess I can't deny where she gets it :) Back to the beginning of my randomness...Bloglines is a wonderful way to check your favorite blogs. Not sure if I've mentioned it before, but you just go the the website and copy/paste the URL addresses of the blogs you'd like to read. Each time you go to the site and click on "Feeds", it will highlight your feeds that have new material since the last time you checked. Then you just click on whichever one you want to read. Some blogs, mine included (I think, it has actually been so long since I looked at mine) have little Bloglines buttons you can click on that will subscribe you to its feed. There are also a few other sites like this, but I use Bloglines and would recommend it.)

Now, for the explanation...

A few days after Christmas the hard drive on our laptop crashed. And, I don't know if I ever posted about this, but our desktop needs a new motherboard or something, so it is actually in a dumpster somewhere now. We were computer-less until a couple days ago. I've just been so overwhelmed at everything there is to blog about that I've avoided the computer all together. Well, that and I'm afraid if I touch it, it will break again :)

To make things easier on myself (and you, Dear Readers, who surely do not wish to read a blog post version of War and Peace), I'm just gonna list 10 Parker family current events.

And, I promise, if you're sticking with me, I'll post fairly regularly as long as I still have a working computer.

1. My grandmother, aka Rea, Momma (or Mom, which do y'all call her?) Ma, Memaw, Mawl came to stay with us after Christmas for a while. The girls and I drove her back to Austin last Wednesday and we got to see 2 of my cousins and my 2 aunts who we'd just seen at Christmas. The girls were able to sufficiently torment my Aunt Dee's cats and sufficiently torment my cousins at 7 am! We ate some delicious food (both home cooked and bought) and got to meet Bob (we'd been hearing about him for a while and enjoyed getting to put a face with the name). The only people missing were my other cousin Lauren and her new husband Will, but, hopefully, we'll be able to see them soon and get the opportunity to meet Will before he's deployed. It was a wonderful thing to see all my Austin relatives twice in a matter of days!
2. Baby P is doing well. I am sick of being pregnant! Be sure you catch that I did not say, I'm ready to have the baby, I'm just ready to not be pregnant! This pregnancy has really made me wonder at the resiliency and patience of women who have 6,7, 8+ kids. I used to think I had a lot of patience and I used to think I was a "good" pregnant person. Of course, adding in a major move and two major holidays might have added some stress :) I have a little less than 6 weeks to go until my due date (although my babies never like to be rushed) and feel like I have about 6 months worth of stuff that must get done before the baby arrives!! A computer falling apart doesn't aid in the completion of said stuff.
3. Speaking of Baby P, the girls will be participating in a sibling class at 1 of the 2 hospitals I could deliver her/him. It is in the morning and, according to my OB, very cute. I'll try to remember my camera.
4. Addi started preschool for the very last time on Wednesday. She attends on Wednesdays and Fridays and has loved it so far. Libby misses her and stares at me like I'm really kidding myself when I tell her that we'll pick up Addi soon, but isn't it fun for it to be just Mommy and Libby sometimes?!
5. Libby's differences when compared with her sister are really shining through. She is determined. Even when utterly frustrated with something, she wants to continue to do it herself. While she's good-natured and enjoys a joke as well as the next toddler, she sometimes has no patience for kidding around. The other night when Bryan put her to bed he tried playing a game Addi used to enjoy at bedtime. Addi would ask him to sing a certain song, he would start singing another song, she would giggle and correct him, he would sing yet another song and the cycle would continue. Libby asked him to sing Jesus Loves Me. He started singing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and she furrowed her brow, popped him in the face and said, "No! Daddy! Sing Jesus Loves Me!" I supspect he won't be continuing the Song Game with sweet Libby Lu.
6. Bryan continues to work hard. He's gone before the sun is up and home after the sun goes down. He's also eating well. A few times a week he comes home and tells me that he won't even share with me where he ate lunch. Of course, that only serves to peak my interest. You would think going through a pregnancy for the third time, he would know once he peaked the cravings of a pregnant woman that he may, in fact, have to drive the 40 miles to the Dairy Queen in Hutchins for a steakfinger basket late one night.
7. One day last week the high was below freezing. Today the high was in the mid-60s. I mentioned it being winter in conversation with Addi and she looked at me like I'd lost my mind replying that "Winter is when it snows, Mommy!" Honestly, I don't mind. I'm not crazy about it being in the 80s during January, but a sunny day in the 60s is perfect to me. We aren't stuck inside and I don't have to try and squeeze into my non-maternity coat. While Addi was at preschool today, Libby and I took a walk and found a new playground. I was literally sweating before we got home, but loved the idea of pushing the kids outside after naptime for a snack on their new picnic table and some energy expension on the new trampoline. We have a shoebox sized back yard and big windows along the walls of the breakfast room and living room, so if I love to send them outside while I'm cooking supper. Hearing them giggle and squeal is precious!
8. Don't tell the girls, but we're taking a family "vacation" of sorts before Baby P makes an appearance. A new resort opened in Grapevine and Bryan made reservations for us in a Camp room later this month. I've heard this referred to as a babymoon. Like our honeymoon, our babymoon will consist of lots of time wearing a swim suit. Unlike our honeymoon, this time around, I will not be allowing any photos to be snapped of any part of my pasty-white, very pregnant self in a swim suit. It just wouldn't be pretty.
9. Bryan bought a cookbook for me as a Christmas gift. It was one I'd asked for and I've used it quite a bit. You may have heard of it, Deceptively Delicious? I think I've used it enough to recommend it. There have been a couple recipes that have flopped, but mostly we liked the food. The idea is you get all these vegetables and spend some time steaming them, pureeing them, and putting them in quarter cup servings in freezer bags. Once you get through that, which is time consuming and messy, the rest is pretty easy and quick. You just thaw however many servings of whichever vegetables are called for in the recipes. The author (Jerry Seinfeld's wife) wants you to use brown rice, whole wheat pasta, whole wheat tortillas and whole wheat bread. We already ate whole wheat bread, and the tortillas and pasta don't really taste that different to me (or my kids). I just never bought those because I didn't think I would like them and they are more expensive. The brown rice is going to take me some time to get used to, but Bryan and the girls seem to like it. There has only been one meal in which I could detect the taste of the "hidden" vegetable and I think that was because I used Rachael's advice and "just eyeballed it". I've made breakfast, lunch, supper, and dessert. Some of our favorites include the pancakes with sweet potato, the French toast with sweet potato, the Sloppy Joes with red pepper and carrot, and the tortilla cigars (like enchiladas without a sauce on top) with squash and carrot. Everyone except Addi also enjoyed the guacamole spread with their cigars and I really liked the oatmeal with pumpkin. So, if you have anti-vegetable eaters in your house, you might this book a try. Also, she says you can puree meats and sneak them into foods also. (I rememberred this after I talked to you today, Angie).
10. If you're looking for a van, I must recommend the Honda Odyssey. I had a Pilot and loved it. I didn't want a van...ever. But, when Libby was super-little and I was still toting her around in the infant carrier while trying to keep a hand on my 2 year old so she wouldn't dart in front of a car in a parking lot, I always envied the moms who pressed a little button on their door lock remotes so their children could just climb right in to their vans without having to set the infant on the ground while keeping one hand on their 2 year old and opening the door with the other hand. The first thing Bryan said when I told him I was pregnant again was we'd have to buy a van. Let me tell you, I fought it. I had a Pilot I loved and it had a 3rd row. I told him there was plenty of room and Addi could just climb in the back once the baby arrived. It would have worked. It would have, but this works so much better. The dvd screen is bigger than the Pilots, there are built in side window shades, about 300 cup holders, the leather seats are much more plush and comfortable than the Pilots, an 8th seat that comes out completely and can be store under the floor, and it tells me how much oil I have left and when my tires need air on my odometer. Plus, I really love driving it. And, it cost us less than the Pilot did 4 years ago! I couldn't imagine there would be much difference. The Odyssey drives so much like a car. It is so much easier to park and really has some get-up-and-go. I don't even mind driving it when I am kid-less. After all, who am I kidding? I am a thirty year old mother of (almost) 3. The Odyssey was designed with me in mind.
11. One more for Bryan...we are going to the Cowboy game on Sunday with his dad and my brother. I probably shouldn't put this on the internet for the world to see since I was raised in a house not 15 minutes from Texas Stadium, but I'm not really a fan. I'm excited because it can be fun to be in that atmosphere, around all the lunatics who paint their bodies blue and because everyone else I'm going with are fans and so they will be really excited.

So much for brevity. If I can keep up better, I won't have so much to catch y'all up on. Be writing again soon...

This one's for you, Tom!

My brain is fried.

I don't know where to begin. There has been so much to blog about and now that I'm sitting at the computer, I can't think of one thing.

But, threats have been issued and so I can no longer put off the task of blogging. (I would hate for you to have to make a comment, Tom :)

I guess I'll begin with the most recent and work backwards and then, I promise, I won't wait forever to blog again.

Blogging Before Boxes! Blogging Before Boxes!

I had an appointment with the baby doctor today. It was a grueling appointment filled with bloodwork (that didn't work the first time - I can still feel pain shooting down my arm into my fingertips!), talking with the doctor, an ultrasound (and, no, we still don't know!), and - I've saved the best for last - talking with the financial coordinator to confirm that this child will be the financial death of us.

You're on your own for college, Kid! Bringing you into the world will cost us a small fortune!

We did find out some encouraging news though. It seems that couples with more than one daughter versus more than one son are 50% more likely to remain out of a nursing home because daughters are more likely to take in their parents. (I wonder if I could've thrown in another "more"?!) The doctor shared that tidbit and I looked at Bryan and proclaimed that I could so see Addi being the one adding on to her house to make room for her aging, senile parents. Libby will be the one who moves far, far away. Kind of like us...No, not like us at all :)

Addi really wanted to stay home with Meme and Papa (my grandparents who came over to watch the girls for me), but only after she made sure Bryan would be at the appointment so I wouldn't have to go by myself. Her sweetness melts my heart.

[Ashley and any other first-time pregnant readers should probably skip right over this next paragraph]

I have about 12 weeks to go and I had a mild anxiety attack on the way home from the appointment. 12 weeks will fly by and, at some point, I am going to have to get this baby out of me! I've done that twice already, so this is not a Fear of the Unknown thing. It is most certainly a Fear of the Known :) Bryan asked if it would help me to realize that there isn't a thing I can do about it, at this point.

And, he, obviously, has never given birth - I'm actually wondering if he was present the other 2 times I did! The realization that nothing can be done about it is exactly what scares the pants off me! But, thanks for your attempt at encouragement, Babe. It really warms my heart :)

In other Baby News...my old friend, Becky just had her second, a little girl this time. Funny enough she and Steve lived in Fayetteville, NC when they had their son Cade. A week or so before her due date with Cade, Addi and I drove down to visit. That night she went into labor.

I moved back just in time to do it again! Our other old friend, Ashley (who is also pregnant...her first), the girls and I drove to Belton, TX last week to see Becky (and Steve and Cade, of course) while we were all still pregnant at the same time. She went into labor the next day!

If I could figure out a way to sell that service, I would be very rich!

Man, if I could just figure out a way to do it to myself, I'd be very happy :)

What else is going on? Well, we've decorated the inside of our house for Christmas. Actually, I'm pretty sure we're missing a few boxes of decorations, but we've got the trees up. I don't think the outside is getting done this year. There are too many things I want finished inside that I need Bryan's help with than to send him outside to stake lights along our front walk. I didn't hear him complain too loudly about that decision. In fact, it took about 30 seconds for the "Outside Christmas Decorations" boxes to disappear into the attic after I made my wishes known.

Both girls really got into decorating the trees this year and they both seem really excited about Santa. We'll see if that lasts when we get in line to have their picture taken with the Jolly Old Man.

Besides that we've been really busy. I'm not sure with what though! It even seems like going to the park near our house has been something we've wanted to do more of, but other things have taken priority. The girls and I did take a walk Thursday morning and ended up at the park. You can literally see it from Addi's bedroom window. It is closer (and much better) than our neighborhood playground. The girls played until I almost froze and forced them to leave. We should have gone back today since it was warm again, but, honestly, I couldn't have any sugar until this afternoon when I was finished at the doctor (gestational diabetes screening), so I spent the late afternoon hiding out in small increments of time. I think I might've eaten an entire bag of cookies and washed it down with a cold Dr. Pepper. Fine, I ate the whole bag and I don't feel a bit guilty about it! Don't judge, my doctor just told me that my weight gain was great! Besides, I made a Cooking Light supper tonight.

There's probably more, but I need to save that for the next post.

I'll end with a few visuals to aid in my extremely verbose painful catch-up post!

We made it just in time. Gracyn Avery was born a couple days after our visit!

The gingerbread houses that Grammy made with the girls...after some quite a bit of nibbling :)

And you've always wondered who in the world would buy a pink Christmas tree?!

Yesterday - the girls wore long-sleeves under 2 jackets to play outside

Today - 82 degrees

Tomorrow - a cold front is expected

I had forgotten all about the weather being so unpredictable in Texas!

Follow the leader

(and give Mommy a heart attack each time you do!)

Ride 'em, Cowgirls!

I'm Back

So, we had the internet connection working and then, wouldn't you know it, I was checking email one day and the screen went black. Turns out my LCD screen had to be replaced and that was done on Friday afternoon. But, we weren't home when it was replaced and then we weren't home yesterday...all these Family Obligations :) That is why I'm posting a few days after I could have.

First of all, thank y'all for your sweet comments and your prayers. We're still adjusting and I know we will be for a while. I haven't lived in 3 different states and experienced 4 different moves since I was married 7 1/2 years ago to not learn that the adjustment takes a while! I do think it is a little easier for me this time because, with the exception of the town we live in, everywhere else we go is familiar. That isn't the case for the rest of my family, but it's helping me. And, of course, the fact that we moved to an area where almost all of our family lives and a lot of our old friends live is tremendously comforting.

We drove to Tyler (in east TX) and had a wonderful Thanksgiving. On Friday, we watched the Aggies BTHOtu at my parents' house. My mom kept the girls entertained by making gingerbread houses with them. Honestly (and I know, I'm a 2-%er), I had already planned out what stores I could visit during the second half when I could no longer bare(bear, which is it??) to watch our beating. As it turned out, I have yet to capture a great bargain this sale weekend. I'd much rather have it this way. I'd give up free shoes to watch the Aggies beat tu! Yesterday, I did attempt to score a deal on some Christmas decorations, but I found the worst Garden Ridge ever built and couldn't bring myself to spend any of Bryan's hard-earned money at it. Then, last evening we celebrated Bryan's birthday with his parents, sister, bil, niece, and nephew. It was great fun watching the 3 older kids follow each other around the house and to see what our little Baby P will be doing this time next year since Rachel is about the age he/she will be.

We have a busy week planned with Bryan's birthday on Monday, a trip to Belton to see dear friends on Tuesday, a trip to Canton on Friday (I couldn't believe when I Googled 1st Monday a Wikipedia article came up - they're big time!), and a family Christmas party and a birthday party on Saturday. I'm not sure when I'll get Christmas shopping in with how quickly our calendar is filling up!...maybe I can get it all done on Friday. Bryan will roll his eyes when he reads that :) Growing up in East Texas, his recollections of First Monday are not of the shoppers paradise it is today.

And, oh yeah, I also have to take care of the speeding ticket I got 4 days after we moved here. Welcome to Frisco! Of course, in order to do that I first have to have my car registered and get my Texas driver's license. I found out that helpful information after I sat in a nasty waiting room for an hour the other day. And, because I'm a first-born-girl-rule-follower (or I'm just nuts and am trying to blame all my quirks on something), I have to let you know this is my first speeding ticket of my driving career. I should probably also add that I've been pulled over several other times for speeding, however, I left with only warnings. So, I deserved it, but it's still a pain!

Here are some pictures of our house and a few of the girls. I think there's even one of my reflection in there...maybe you can tell how much bigger I've gotten since you've seen me last :)

the front of our house - I wanted to get it all for y'all, but it is so cold and wet here, I couldn't make myself walk as far out as I needed to - left windows are the study, right windows are the dining room with Libby's room above and our room is to the right of dining room

the girls standing in front of the door - I thought their expressions below were funny, I caught them right as the scarecrow fell over :)

standing in our entryway


dining room with pictures all over the table - I hope they aren't staying there :)

breakfast area/kitchen

living room with pictures propped against the walls

master bedroom - the bath is a really dark blue

our cute little half bath - even the toilet handle matches the light fixture, we'll just have to switch out the faucet and doorknob (most of the doorknobs on the first floor match that light fixture)

You can see whose room this is - she wanted the purple one even after she saw Libby's - that door leads to the bathroom she shares with Libby, which she thinks is really neat :)

Libby Lu's room - both the girls' rooms need bedding and pictures/shelves up on the wall

I didn't get a picture of the baby's room, the study, the playroom or the other bathrooms. The girls bathroom is the same purple as Addi's bedroom. And, those other rooms are a mess. I'm sure you'll see pictures of the baby's room once she/he gets here.

I suppose now I must go and hang some pictures :)...or help Bryan purge the playroom in preparation for Christmas.