Now that it is the end of the week, I breath a lovely sigh. This week was indeed lovely. Monday I caught up on alot of paperwork at home, so that Tuesday we were able to go out and play a little bit. The girls and I went down to Henderson (i.e. the other side of town for us) with my friend Lisa to hit a couple of fabric stores and enjoy a nice lunch at a great Mexican restaurant. The salsa was so yummy; I really wish the restaurant was closer! That night I taught a Grocery Smarts class while Elliott stayed home and took care of everything else.
Wednesday I decided we needed to catch up on alot of housework, especially when Elliott asked when I was doing laundry next. Boy, what a productive day! I opened up the house and aired it out, enjoying the 72 degree weather. Six loads of laundry, all of the hand-dishwashing in the kitchen, cleaning out the fridge, and the kitchen counters completely cleared and scrubbed. Even Elliott noticed how clear everything was "it looks so much bigger!". We treated ourselves for all of the work to dinner at On the Border (yes, I am really on a Mexican food kick at the moment!). Yum! I must also tell you how good the girls were that day too. Ava played nicely by herself all day, with no whining spells - or SUGAR via juice or snacks! - and Lily too found ways to keep herself entertained. It almost felt like the perfect day - well-behaved, autonomous children; a clean house; projects done; fresh breezes; and dinner not prepared by me. Yep, that might be the perfect day.
Thursday, once again we stayed home. Vacuuming, ironing, dusting. Ah, the house is coming together. Amazing what I can do when I have two whole days with no need to leave the house. That night I also decided to tackle another taxing chore - bathtime for the girls. Seriously, some people enjoy this time of day and believe me the memories of my daughters' joy while splashing around is enjoyable. However, I find it completely exhausting! Lily will not sit down, Ava likes to "help" bath Lily by dumping water on her head, and they both splash up a storm. I know, I know - I enjoyed splashing and playing in the tub as a kid. But wow, what a lot of work! Needless to say bathtime is not relaxing for mommy.
Friday we headed out for another day of shopping and lunch with Lisa. Yeah, yeah, I know. But I worked hard the last two days, right? Don't worry, we only hit Target for some essentials:(socks for Elliott) and birthday presents for Lily (new jammies, book), as well as a yummy candle for mommy (Tropical Mango) that I used a gift card for. Afterwards we went to Mimi's Cafe' with a 2-for-1 coupon, so all in all some pretty cheap fun.
Tonight I am headed out for some girlfriend time after putting the girls to bed, which is much needed and deserved (per Elliott). Yeah!
An Answer to Prayer
At the beginning of each pregnancy I have to take the standard blood tests. Simple tests to check for anemia and other things. This pregnancy another new test was added to the line-up: cystic fibrosis. This reaffirms my faith in the adage "ignorance is bliss." Turns out, I am a carrier. So genetic odds are that if Elliott is also a carrier, our children have a 25% chance of being born with cystic fibrosis.
Elliott's test results came back today and we are relieved to find out he is not a carrier of cystic fibrosis. This means that we have no chance of passing this disease on to our children.
I honestly haven't worried about it as much as I thought I would. Being the goal-oriented person that I am, I realized that I was more anxious to get the test results so I could chart a course of action rather than to put an end to my anxiety.
Of course, we never know what the future holds for either us or our children, but we are grateful to have this bit of science on our side. We will be going for a complete ultrasound near the end of March to get a sneak peek, so as more news comes across we will let you know!
Elliott's test results came back today and we are relieved to find out he is not a carrier of cystic fibrosis. This means that we have no chance of passing this disease on to our children.
I honestly haven't worried about it as much as I thought I would. Being the goal-oriented person that I am, I realized that I was more anxious to get the test results so I could chart a course of action rather than to put an end to my anxiety.
Of course, we never know what the future holds for either us or our children, but we are grateful to have this bit of science on our side. We will be going for a complete ultrasound near the end of March to get a sneak peek, so as more news comes across we will let you know!
I love my husband!
I just have to brag on my hubby for a second, especially for all to hear (or read). Last night I came home from teaching a Grocery Smarts class to find both girls in bed, the toys picked up, the dishwasher unloaded AND THEN RELOADED. I thought I would just pass out from excitement! So thank you Elliott for being so attentive and giving, especially when you have also had a long day at work. I couldn't do this without you!
Week(s) in Review
Hello everyone! The weather is just gorgeous today, high of 72, and the girls and I are heading out soon to enjoy a day of shopping with my friend Lisa. But I thought I would tell you a bit about what we have been doing recently.
Elliott and I have been productive the past couple of weekends, doing alot of odds and ends around the house that had piled up, like changing lightbulbs, tightening Lily's door, and organizing the garage. I also started to cultivate the bit of dirt along the sidewalk to the front door. There is just a narrow little strip that has been home to some very pathetic looking plants for the past couple of years and I have put my mind to making it a bit more useful. The drip irrigation system is already in place, so all I have to do is
dig out the rocks and sandy soil, add a few more dripheads to the irrigation line, refill it with a nice compost/soil mix and I am ready to go! I have decided to put some veggie plants (beans, cucumbers) in there and let them climb the wall. It is a good spot as it is sunny in the morning and shady in the afternoon, a great combo for the harsh Las Vegas sun. Planting season starts here mid-March, so I have a bit of time, but not enough to really drag my feet on it. So stay tuned!
Elliott did our taxes this past weekend and we are getting a hefty return, much to Elliott's chagrin. All of the taxes we paid on our new van past year plus the extra credits for Lily really added up. Oh well, it was a rather depressing thought in terms of how much more we would have had each paycheck, but now we can just take this chunk and put it towards debt so all in all it works out.
Recently I joined the Disney Movie Club. It's one of those where you have a commitment over the next two years to buy three more movies, but I did the math and it is a really good deal. I seem to have more of an issue collecting some classic movies for her to watch than Elliott does, but she is loving the selection I have amassed so far: Tinker Bell, Monsters Inc., Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (which is the same one I watched as a kid! Love it!), Finding Nemo, The Incredibles (ok, that one was more for me...) and Cars. I also picked up Madagascar 2 for free at CVS the other day and we have Night at the Museum on the DVR (which she LOVES!!) so we have a pretty good collection going right now. I do love watching her interact with the characters (oh, what's Pooh doing?) and seeing her enjoy shows that I too enjoy. She does tend to get a bit obsessed and we have to cut her off, but I figure it's worth it. There are just some days where I need her to focus on something for a couple of hours and I know (unfortunately) those days will still be with us when the new baby comes.
Can you believe that lily will be ONE next week?? I certainly can't! Just last night I thought "oh my, her birthday is NEXT WEEK!" I suppose I should start planning on buying her a present and getting a cake. Wow, time flies! She really is such a little person these days. Her hair is growing, which makes for the cutest little curls around her ears and a mop-top over the rest of her head. Our quiet, peaceful child is still peaceful but not as quiet - she squeals in delight over most everything, shrieking at the top of her lungs with utter joy. As much as I enjoy her happiness, some mornings I wish she would keep it down as Ava isn't up yet.
I will leave you with a few of Ava's thoughts over the past week:
Are you tearing it mommy?
Yes (I was tearing a coupon out of the newspaper.)
That's a no-no mommy!
Lily is so sleepy.
Lily no sleepy. She just fine!
Come play in the dining room with me?
No honey, I need to go sit down. Mommy's tummy hurts.
OK, you lay down. I tickle you!
(After being given some lunch): It's not yummy. It's delicious!
Elliott and I have been productive the past couple of weekends, doing alot of odds and ends around the house that had piled up, like changing lightbulbs, tightening Lily's door, and organizing the garage. I also started to cultivate the bit of dirt along the sidewalk to the front door. There is just a narrow little strip that has been home to some very pathetic looking plants for the past couple of years and I have put my mind to making it a bit more useful. The drip irrigation system is already in place, so all I have to do is
dig out the rocks and sandy soil, add a few more dripheads to the irrigation line, refill it with a nice compost/soil mix and I am ready to go! I have decided to put some veggie plants (beans, cucumbers) in there and let them climb the wall. It is a good spot as it is sunny in the morning and shady in the afternoon, a great combo for the harsh Las Vegas sun. Planting season starts here mid-March, so I have a bit of time, but not enough to really drag my feet on it. So stay tuned!
Elliott did our taxes this past weekend and we are getting a hefty return, much to Elliott's chagrin. All of the taxes we paid on our new van past year plus the extra credits for Lily really added up. Oh well, it was a rather depressing thought in terms of how much more we would have had each paycheck, but now we can just take this chunk and put it towards debt so all in all it works out.
Recently I joined the Disney Movie Club. It's one of those where you have a commitment over the next two years to buy three more movies, but I did the math and it is a really good deal. I seem to have more of an issue collecting some classic movies for her to watch than Elliott does, but she is loving the selection I have amassed so far: Tinker Bell, Monsters Inc., Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (which is the same one I watched as a kid! Love it!), Finding Nemo, The Incredibles (ok, that one was more for me...) and Cars. I also picked up Madagascar 2 for free at CVS the other day and we have Night at the Museum on the DVR (which she LOVES!!) so we have a pretty good collection going right now. I do love watching her interact with the characters (oh, what's Pooh doing?) and seeing her enjoy shows that I too enjoy. She does tend to get a bit obsessed and we have to cut her off, but I figure it's worth it. There are just some days where I need her to focus on something for a couple of hours and I know (unfortunately) those days will still be with us when the new baby comes.
Can you believe that lily will be ONE next week?? I certainly can't! Just last night I thought "oh my, her birthday is NEXT WEEK!" I suppose I should start planning on buying her a present and getting a cake. Wow, time flies! She really is such a little person these days. Her hair is growing, which makes for the cutest little curls around her ears and a mop-top over the rest of her head. Our quiet, peaceful child is still peaceful but not as quiet - she squeals in delight over most everything, shrieking at the top of her lungs with utter joy. As much as I enjoy her happiness, some mornings I wish she would keep it down as Ava isn't up yet.
I will leave you with a few of Ava's thoughts over the past week:
Are you tearing it mommy?
Yes (I was tearing a coupon out of the newspaper.)
That's a no-no mommy!
Lily is so sleepy.
Lily no sleepy. She just fine!
Come play in the dining room with me?
No honey, I need to go sit down. Mommy's tummy hurts.
OK, you lay down. I tickle you!
(After being given some lunch): It's not yummy. It's delicious!
Brownies Plus+
Inspired once again by Bakerella (seriously, the most ingenious woman ever; remember the cake balls I told you about?) I tried her new recipe which uses two ingredients I seem to have coming out of my ears at the moment (thanks to practically free sale items at the store): brownie mix and a cookie mix pouch.
Although Bakerella used chocolate chip cookie mix, I decided to try peanut butter to make the flavor combination Elliott likes most. You just mix each one per the package instructions then drop the cookie mix into the brownie mix and bake. You can view the full recipe here on Bakerella. YUMMY!
Although Bakerella used chocolate chip cookie mix, I decided to try peanut butter to make the flavor combination Elliott likes most. You just mix each one per the package instructions then drop the cookie mix into the brownie mix and bake. You can view the full recipe here on Bakerella. YUMMY!
Happy Belated V-Day
Hello everyone! I hope everyone had a lovely Valentine's Day (even if it meant doing nothing, because that sounds pretty exciting to me!). Elliott and I took a break this year from doing anything fancy, but instead enjoyed lots of quality time with the girls during the day on Saturday and took advantage of the spotty naps to put them to bed early. Then we got some sushi take-out and enjoyed a romantic movie (NOT! We watched a sci-fi action movie Elliott had from Netflix). Even though I had been pretty worn down throughout the week and hence warned Elliott that I wouldn't be getting him a card or anything this year, he stepped it up and still got me the sweetest card - AND got a card for the girls to decorate for me (here's a picture of Ava continuing to color on it the next day). I got a little misty when I opened them, I will admit. (OK, I am starting to tear up right now thinking about it. Stop it Sarah!). All in all, a really lovely day!
Other than that I think our week went fairly normally, i.e. slow and predictable. I was thinking the other day about how our weeks always play out, so here is what happens to us every day/week:
- Monday - Go the the grocery store for our Freegan pick-up
- Tuesday - If I ever have a midwife appointment, I schedule them for Tuesday and then meet up with Elliott for lunch
- Wednesday - Music Makers class for Ava with other moms at a friend's church, sometimes followed by a park visit
- Thursday - My Bible Study in the morning
- Friday - Our second grocery store Freegan pick-up
Of course, other things pop up, but these are the activities that we have on the calendar each and every week. I try to keep our activities limited to the mornings, as by afternoon I am tuckering out, to say nothing of the girls energy level and need for naps. Usually by Friday I am quite ready for a break!
Just a little update
Not a whole lot is new around here, but I thought I would share some cute photos I took of the girls on Friday:
The only other big happening on Friday was that I had a huge hankering for a sausage, egg, and cheese biscuit. We were out running errands that morning and I thought "just go home and make them!" I had already bought sausage earlier in the week because this craving had been ongoing, so I actually busted it all out. I made biscuits from scratch, cooked up all of the sausage into patties, and made an omelet that I cut apart. Oh boy, were they ever good!!! Here is a picture of how busy my kitchen got during this enterprise:
Yesterday was sweetly uneventful. It rained here in Las Vegas, turning the day into an overcast excuse to nap all day long. We ordered in some Chinese take-out for lunch (again, an odd craving on my part) and ate it for leftovers that night as well. Ava loves the beef from the Beef and String Bean dish I sometimes order, and chowed down. She asked for more "black chicken" several times. Of course once she discovered daddy dipping eggrolls in sweet and sour sauce, she had to dip everything in sweet and sour sauce too, ending up a slightly sticky mess. Lily was on the tail-end of a little stomach bug, so she slept alot and snacked on Cheerios throughout most of the day. (This morning she is better and kept everything down overnight. Yeah!) I wish I had more to report, but I am pretty sure the rest of the day consisted with movie-watching and couch-sleeping. Ahh, a good, old-fashioned kind of Saturday.
Our last Ava moment of the day left Elliott and I in stitches. Elliott was finishing up brushing her teeth and said "Ava, how did you get to be so cute?", to which Ava replied "I so smart!". We think so too sweetheart!
The only other big happening on Friday was that I had a huge hankering for a sausage, egg, and cheese biscuit. We were out running errands that morning and I thought "just go home and make them!" I had already bought sausage earlier in the week because this craving had been ongoing, so I actually busted it all out. I made biscuits from scratch, cooked up all of the sausage into patties, and made an omelet that I cut apart. Oh boy, were they ever good!!! Here is a picture of how busy my kitchen got during this enterprise:
Yesterday was sweetly uneventful. It rained here in Las Vegas, turning the day into an overcast excuse to nap all day long. We ordered in some Chinese take-out for lunch (again, an odd craving on my part) and ate it for leftovers that night as well. Ava loves the beef from the Beef and String Bean dish I sometimes order, and chowed down. She asked for more "black chicken" several times. Of course once she discovered daddy dipping eggrolls in sweet and sour sauce, she had to dip everything in sweet and sour sauce too, ending up a slightly sticky mess. Lily was on the tail-end of a little stomach bug, so she slept alot and snacked on Cheerios throughout most of the day. (This morning she is better and kept everything down overnight. Yeah!) I wish I had more to report, but I am pretty sure the rest of the day consisted with movie-watching and couch-sleeping. Ahh, a good, old-fashioned kind of Saturday.Our last Ava moment of the day left Elliott and I in stitches. Elliott was finishing up brushing her teeth and said "Ava, how did you get to be so cute?", to which Ava replied "I so smart!". We think so too sweetheart!
Another Kay baby is on the way!
Well, I suppose this would count as our official announcement:
We are expecting our third child in August! Elliott and I are completely over the moon about it. The first trimester was a breeze compared to my other two children (especially when I hear about what some other women go through). I have been mostly extremely tired, but not nauseous. Sometimes the housework seemed to suffer, but we have mustered through.
I confess that when we found out we were expecting again (right before Christmas) the first thing I did was put up lots of freezer meals. And I do mean first thing - Sunday, take a pregnancy test; Monday and Tuesday, put up freezer meals. I remembered how tough mealtimes were with my other pregnancies so I wanted to be a little more prepared. They have come in really handy over the past few months. And now I have also been invited to join my freezer group full-time (you may have remembered I subbed for them in the past) so we will be really stocked up with meals now, taking a bit of the pressure off. That has been a real blessing!
Ava hasn't been told yet. I think that when I start to get so big that she notices on her own, then we will tell her. But since every day she repeats something five million times, I really don't feel like hearing "you having a baby, mommy?" for the seven months. Can you blame me? But I have been so grateful for Ava's self-sufficiency over the past several months. She really likes to take care of me ("Your tummy hurt? Can I kiss it?") and can even help me take care of Lily a bit. One day I hear Ava holler from the other room while I was laid out on the couch "Lily spit up!" so I hollered back, come and get a washcloth to clean it up. She knows where the washcloths are in the kitchen, so she came and got one and cleaned up the spit-up. She is such a great helper.
We already get asked "are you hoping for a boy?" and we will be happy of course either way. This pregnancy has been so different thus far that it leads us to wonder if indeed it will be a boy, but many a friend has said their pregnancies were different and they had two girls (or two boys as you will). Of course, we already have all the girl paraphernalia. And my sisters-in-law have tons of boy stuff. So either way we are covered. A happy, healthy baby is all we are looking forward to. (And for those of you keeping track, that will be three under three.) Yeah!
We are expecting our third child in August! Elliott and I are completely over the moon about it. The first trimester was a breeze compared to my other two children (especially when I hear about what some other women go through). I have been mostly extremely tired, but not nauseous. Sometimes the housework seemed to suffer, but we have mustered through.
I confess that when we found out we were expecting again (right before Christmas) the first thing I did was put up lots of freezer meals. And I do mean first thing - Sunday, take a pregnancy test; Monday and Tuesday, put up freezer meals. I remembered how tough mealtimes were with my other pregnancies so I wanted to be a little more prepared. They have come in really handy over the past few months. And now I have also been invited to join my freezer group full-time (you may have remembered I subbed for them in the past) so we will be really stocked up with meals now, taking a bit of the pressure off. That has been a real blessing!
Ava hasn't been told yet. I think that when I start to get so big that she notices on her own, then we will tell her. But since every day she repeats something five million times, I really don't feel like hearing "you having a baby, mommy?" for the seven months. Can you blame me? But I have been so grateful for Ava's self-sufficiency over the past several months. She really likes to take care of me ("Your tummy hurt? Can I kiss it?") and can even help me take care of Lily a bit. One day I hear Ava holler from the other room while I was laid out on the couch "Lily spit up!" so I hollered back, come and get a washcloth to clean it up. She knows where the washcloths are in the kitchen, so she came and got one and cleaned up the spit-up. She is such a great helper.
We already get asked "are you hoping for a boy?" and we will be happy of course either way. This pregnancy has been so different thus far that it leads us to wonder if indeed it will be a boy, but many a friend has said their pregnancies were different and they had two girls (or two boys as you will). Of course, we already have all the girl paraphernalia. And my sisters-in-law have tons of boy stuff. So either way we are covered. A happy, healthy baby is all we are looking forward to. (And for those of you keeping track, that will be three under three.) Yeah!
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