Mourning the passing of 2008? Nah - not really!

Let's just say that while 2008 has been a year of blessings, it has been a somewhat stressful, bloated, time-dragging year. Here is the recap as I remember:

January - got my new Rav 4 (which I still LOVE by the way)! Lee comes home one day and says, "Maybe we should move to Texas." We discuss it at length and decide to pursue the job opportunity there.

February through June - all our time is involved in going back and forth to Texas to job interview and look at houses. When we are not doing that we are getting our Colorado house ready to sell.

May - a good month. Found out I was pregnant with Mariele! Visited Little Rock and saw my brother graduate college.

June - Lee moves to Texas at the end of this month (without me or Analese - so sux!)

July - Analese and I join Lee in Texas along with our 2 cats (with the help of my mom). We are staying with friends temporaily until our house closes and gets painted on the inside. Whereas our friends were extremely hospitable and kept us very comfortable, there is still an element of stress involved with not living in your own home. That combined with my early pregnancy nausea. Just glad it is over.

August - Analese and I fly back to Colorado to take care of the closing of our house there. We were so glad that it sold in a relatively short time in a depressed housing market. Overseeing the movers is a memory I would rather repress from my mind. UGHHH! We finally move into (but not settle into) our home. We are waiting to get new flooring now.

September - take a vacation to meet some family in Gulf Shores. This was cut short by Hurricane Ike. We were evacuated off the peninsula so we went back to Houston to meet the real deal! Hurricane Ike ravishes everything around our home. We are actually living in a disaster zone. Trees down in the yard and my cat is missing. Can we say STRESS!

October - finally have our flooring in and we start to actually settle into our home. The end of this month brought a joyful reunion with the missing cat!

November - December - the holidays have been pretty good and happy. Had some nice visits from friends and family. Enjoying the extended pool season down here. Finally feeling more settled.

Thought on this pregnancy: I feel like I have had the gestation of an elephant! Hard to believe that I found out I was pregnant when we were both living in our beautiful Colorado home. Moved in the first trimester. Was not settled in the second trimester. Nothing about this pregnancy has gone quickly. I mean it! The LOOOOONGEST pregnancy ever!

SOOOOO - I am very optimistic about 2009!! We get a new prez (which I am happy about), we will be blessed with the birth our second daughter on the same day that we get the new prez.

Don't get me wrong. I don't mean to whine about '08. It was just factually one of the more stressful years of my life. But blessings still abounded and the Lord with His mercies took care of us and smoothed the way for us.

Happy New Year to ALL!

Still behind with the laundry, but whatever....................

Analese & I had to wait an excessive amount of time at the OB's office this morning for my 36 week appointment. It went well, though. My blood pressure is still awesome. I've gained 20.5 pounds so far. Last pregnancy I gained 22 pounds total. I think this pregnancy will be more like 25-26 pounds total. I'm keeping down way more food this time than I did last time. I think we chose a pediatrician on the recommendation of my OB. We also decided NOT to do a tubal at this time. We are pretty sure 2 is the magic number, but the finality of that decision was stressing us both out a little. We have time. I will have several months of natural birth control with breast feeding! I can't believe we will meet Mariele in just 3 weeks! Her little heart is beating strong. I was planning to go to Wal-Mart following the OB today, but after being there for 2 HOURS, I did not think Analese or I could make it through a whole shopping trip. So we went home and had lunch. She had a nap and I tackled the tall mountain of laundry. But Lee finished work fairly early in the afternoon. It was a pretty day so we went to the park, fed the ducks, and let Analese play on the playground. Then we went to Home Depot followed by dinner at Denny's (Lee wanted one of their Boca Burgers). So I still have a tall mountain of laundry staring at me, but it was nice to get out with my family today.

Yesterday I received the new nursing nightgown that I ordered. I tried it on and it very much accentuates my pregnant figure. But Analese told me I look like a princess and that I am cute! Bless her heart! She says, "You pregnant mommy?" I said, "Yeah I am." She said, "I not pregnant." I said, "I am so glad, baby!"

Here are some cute pics I took of her today with the giant reindeer she got for Christmas:

Putting Away the Christmas decorations..................

Analese and I spent a lot of the day packing up the Christmas stuff and putting it away in the closet for next year. All I have left is one "naked" Christmas tree and the Nativity scene. Analese was very helpful putting away the ornaments. She asked, "Mom, you gonna put away all my toys too?" I assured her that she can play with her toys year round. How sweet is that?

Time marches on.........

Christmas is over and mom and bro are gone. I did loads of laundry today and will be busy getting the house ready for the next set of guests. I need to take down all of the Christmas decorations. I have to do all of this so I can do the last little bit of nesting I need to do. I can't believe that the next set of guests arrive at our house in only 3 weeks because that is when my c-section is scheduled for Mariele! WOW our lives are all about to change. Lee and I will be parents of not 1 but 2 children! Analese will fall into the big sister sibling role. I think we are all ready. It seems a bit surreal. 2009 will blow in before we know it! And I think it will be a good year. Shows a lot of promise and excitement anyway!

Poor lil' Miss Analese is sick today. She had a fever before her nap and we gave her Tylenol. She obviously felt cruddy. She wanted to be held all morning. I will give her lots of extra TLC this evening. It has been a cold and rainy day today. Very cozy inside our house, though.

Christmas in review....................

We are having a great Christmas visit from my mom and brother! They arrived on Christmas day. I will start with Christmas Eve. Here is Analese kissing my 35 week belly on my 34th birthday!



We went to Best Buy to buy a last minute gift. Here is Analese being a girl drummer (pics were taken with my iphone):





Then we celebrated my birthday with friends at Macaroni grill!






Then we went back to our friends' house to open gifts and take photos of them by their tree. Analese horned in on their family photo HA HA!




Here is Christmas day opening gifts at our house:





Here is one of Analese's favorite gifts: a Wal-Mart shopping cart! And that is her Baby Alive doll in the baby seat!




And here is Analese playing with her Meemee today:

A little regression?

I just found Analese on the diaper changing pad I set up for Mariele in the window of our bedroom. She had buckled herself in and everything. She said, "Look at me! I a baby!"




Yes, she still has bunny and paci at nighttime and no we are not fully out of pull-ups yet (due somewhat to Mommy's 35 week pregnancy laziness)!

The simple pleasures!

Here are two fun but very simple activities that I did today:

1) I washed all of Mariele's little baby blankets and clothes then I folded them and put them away. I remember doing that with Analese's stuff too. It is just a happy nesting activity.

2) Lee brought the mail in and we had a BUNCH of Christmas cards and letters. They are so much fun to read! I love reading everyone's letters and especially seeing pictures.

My 34 week 5 day belly!

Snowman Cookies!

Our project of the day was making these yummy snowman cookies! (in our jammies)  Here are a few pics:

After rolling all the balls:



The formed snowmen before they went in the oven:



Licking the icing off of the spreader:



Adding the buttons:






And tada! The finished product! I know it would have been cuter to have smaller eyes (those chocolate chips are HUGE) and a carrot nose and a hat. But we got the cookie decorating experience and they are for our personal home use, not for the general public so they are good enough for us!! We will only give them away to people who won't laugh at them!




Enjoying the finished product!







I also want to wish my mother and brother a very happy birthday today!! Yes, they were born on the same date! And my birthday is in 2 days! December is a birthday intensive month in my family. Brother-in-law's birthday was 2 days ago.

Edited to add: The first person to make fun of these cookies was hubby!!! He said they look like snow BUGS (as he scarfed one down) because their eyes are so huge!

What a joyful sound! And a bloggy award! Random post!

Here is a video that Analese and I watched tonight that really made her laugh!

And here is the video of her watching the video and laughing!

I played some catch up in the house today.  Our company is gone.  They made it safely back home to Colorado.  And we are the proud new owners of a great custom heating and cooling system in our home thanks to our hard-working friend!  

Today A and I met friends at the Children's museum for our weekly play date.  While A napped this afternoon, I did several loads of laundry and cleaned the guest bathroom and guest bedroom to get them ready for the next set of company coming for Christmas.  I really do like having company coming into our home.  We are kind of stuck here for Christmas this year, so I am glad that my family is coming to us!

And I got a bloggy award from Melissa at My little World: Choo-choos, cars, and lip gloss.  I am always impressed with the crafts and fun projects that she does with her very adorable son, Aiden.  Thanks Melissa!

The purpose of this award is to give it to someone who is showing gratitude or a good attitude ("if life hands you lemons, make lemonade") within their life or blog.

The rules:  put the logo on your blog, nominate at least 10 blogs that show great attitude and/or gratitude, link to your nominees, let them know they have received the award by commenting on their blog, and share the love and link to the person from whom you received your reward.  

Here is the award!

And my nominees:

1.  London's Calling

2.  Life as a Mom at 21

3.  Live well, Laugh often, Love much

4.  Sidewalk Chalk and Sippy Cups

5.   Making Memories that Last

6.  Housekeeping and Mommy Moments

7.  The M&M Show

8.  The Redfern Family

9.  Oh, I Likey Dat!

10.  The joys of raising boys

10 years ago tonight.................

Lee proposed to me!!



This was even before the digital camera era!

34 week appointment..........

These appointments are getting kind of boring and redundant. Although Lee said that is a very good thing and exactly how we want it to be! I did not have any issues to discuss with her today. I've gained 16 pounds to date. My blood pressure was 102/66. Mariele's heartrate was 140. My belly measured at 33 weeks, but she is not concerned about me measuring 1 week behind. Again, I don't know what I would do at the OB's office without Analese. How would I know where the speicimen cups are, where to put my sticker, what to do with the specimen cup or where to put the specimen cup?

Catch-up!

I know I have been MIA the last few days. Just because we are having too much fun with our company! Yesterday was really nice. We spent the morning at the park, then we had a nice lunch back at home followed by some AWESOME pool and hot tub time! The entire pool was heated to 95 degrees. It felt GREAT! Hot tub was 102 degrees!

Here are a few pics of the park:






The doggy is our doggy guest, Daisy!

Here is A all worn out taking a power nap on our bedroom floor before going to dinner at the Cheesecake Factory (YUM)!



And here is my 33 week 4 day belly:



A has been partying a little too hard and it is catching up with her today. We took our company to the playground this morning and after a good play A had a tired meltdown. So after lunch, she was MORE than willing to take a nap, and she is napping as I blog. She needs her beauty rest or she is a BEAR!

It is SNOWING in Houston, Texas!

I can't believe this! I left Denver to get away from the snow! I will take a pic if I can later. For now it is so fine that it would not show up on a photo.

Company is here!

Our friends from Denver came in late yesterday afternoon. I keep teasing them and telling them they also brought in the cold weather (it has been in the 30s all day here - very unusual weather for this part of the country). We did enjoy some pool and hot tub time last night, and Analese and their 7 year old son enjoyed playing the Wii. Slept in nice and late this morning (even A slept til 10:00)! Had some brunch and lots of snackies! I made some yummy crock-pot pinto beans and rice for burritos for our late lunch. We are getting new furnace/A/C units also. Our friend hauled them in from Denver and he will install them for us. That is his specialty and area of expertise! We are just enjoying the non-structured and relaxed vacation routine!

DECK THE HALLS................

So I was tagged with this Deck the Halls Meme by Melissa at http://mommyonthehill.blogspot.com/

Egg nog or hot chocolate?
Hot chocolate. The more chocolate the better!

Does Santa wrap presents or set them under the tree?
Usually wrapped.

Colored lights on tree or white?
Clear white lights. They look so pretty to me!

When do you put your decorations up?
Black Friday when the rest of the world is shopping!

What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?
Stuffing/dressing YUM!

Favorite holiday memory as a child:
Probably Christmas Eve at the grandparents. Christmas dinner then opening lots of presents!

When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?
I think I always knew the truth about Santa. I was the kid telling the other kids about this truth. Parents were not always happy with me!

Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
Birthday gifts, cuz it is my birthday!

How do you decorate your Christmas tree?
I'm usually very precise. I divide the tree into 5 sections and place equal numbers of ornaments in each section. This year I dropped the precision because Analese wanted to decorate, so I just let her take over. It is still a beautiful tree!

Snow! Love it or dread it?
It was nice to watch in Colorado, but I dreaded the driveway shoveling. No snow here in Houston and I don't really mind. We will be enjoying our pool and hot tub on Christmas!

Can you ice skate?
Not sure. I can roller blade, so I'm guessing I could ice skate.

Do you remember your favorite gift?
Probably Cabbage Patch kid doll.

What's the most important thing about the holidays for you?
Spending time with family for sure!

What is your favorite holiday dessert?
Chocolate ANYTHING.

What is your favorite tradition?
We are still developing traditions in our family. Hubby and I like to enjoy some hot tea and biscotti and listen to Christmas music.

Which do you prefer, giving or receiving?
Giving is more fun now!

What is your favorite Christmas Song?
Currently Away in a Manger, because Analese sings it so cute!

Candy canes! Yuck or yum?
Yum. Just one though.

Ever recycled a Christmas present?
Of course.

Don't Be A Scrooge! Tag 7 friends to Deck the Halls...
http://maddiesmommy06.blogspot.com/
http://ohilikeydat.blogspot.com/
http://redfernfamily5.blogspot.com/
http://domesticmoments.blogspot.com/
http://zoeysawesomemommy.blogspot.com/
http://bradenbunch.blogspot.com/
http://londonreese.blogspot.com/

Can't start too young!

In preparation for company coming in tomorrow, A was eager to help me clean bathrooms today. Turns out she LOVES to scrub toilets. I mean REALLY loves it! As in she BEGS to do it! I will remind her of her first love when she is 8 years old and old enough to really have a chore. Here she is cleaning the upstairs guest toilet:



She was so disappointed when we were finished in there that I told her we could go clean the downstairs bathroom. Well she darted downstairs all eager to scrub another toilet:

Looking back..............

This is Analese's 3rd Christmas (outside of my womb, that is)!

Here is her first. She was 7 months old!



Here is her second. She was 19 months old!



And her 3rd! She is 31 months old!

It was like pulling teeth.................

but I FINALLY got some Christmas poses with Analese smiling! And not the cheesy facial expression that she likes to call a smile lately!

So here are the family poses that I kept:







Here are some that I took of her and Daddy. Unfortunately they are blurry. I did not realize as I was snapping the pics that the flash battery was low and the camera was not flashing:





And for the REALLY difficult shots, the cute ones where she is smiling (and not like Chandler on Friends getting his engagement photos)!







And just a couple more close-up smiles: