Turtles Galore!

Mom and Mimi came down yesterday and we set our minds to shopping. Our goal was primarily for a dual purpose pack 'n play. The one I liked at Target was out of stock but we found a comparable one at Babies 'R Us. I was even treated to a few nightgowns since my enlarged self no longer fits into pj pants. ha

And did I not say that I had no intention of starting a theme for my nursery?! I was afraid that people would start giving me too many turtle items and it has happened. Who, might you be wondering, is purchasing all of the turtle motif imaginable? The person I was most afraid of doing so...ME! Now my pack 'n play has a turtle mobile that attaches to the bassinet. Actually, it's merely happenstance that it has a turtle mobile...I picked this particular one b/c it seemed gender neutral so that I may reuse if we are blessed with more 'chillrens' in the future. But now I see turtles everywhere I go. Coincidentally, our ultrasound tech even calls his peepee a "turtle." Do you see it??? lol

We had another ultrasound to check on my placenta status and it is still previated. The doc is optimistic that it will correct itself, however, the ultrasound tech said that it would've moved some by now. This all means that signs point to a c-section some time in early-mid December. On a positive note, we get more ultrasounds and a scheduled birth! Hope you enjoy the new pics of Bennett!!!

Football and Babies!

Football season has begun and we have season tickets this year! wde. I was extremely hot for the first game against Utah State. Not to mention the walk to the stadium on preggo...B loves to sit low on my right side so it was super uncomfortable making the hike to Jordan-Hare. We opted to stay home today since we have the kids and have other home projects...speaking of which...

Over the long Labor Day weekend, Russ and I embarked on the adventure of "get this house painted." The walls are still white from the previous owner; I'm sure there is no need to mention how white walls, animals, and children clash--Big Time! Anyway, we decided that this month we will dedicate ourselves to painting inside and next month (October) will be nursery set up! We trucked up to Lowe's and picked out a pale yellow and proceeded to paint the kitchen. It looks marvelous--not too yellow but yellow enough to notice!

Since we had 3/4 gallon left, I took it upon myself to paint the guest/children bathroom in the same color. We have green accents in there so the pale yellow compliments beautifully. It was my top secret project yesterday and I surprised McChuckles with a freshly painted bathroom (good wifey, right?!). I was super proud of my handiwork! :)

In other news, I went to a consignment sale last night. Let me just start off by saying these women are some power shoppers! I pulled up on time and the line was already around the building to get in. They all had their arms loaded down with empty bins and baskets, ready to hit the sales. I wandered around aimlessly, not really knowing what I needed for B. I feel somewhat clueless when baby shopping: what brand is most durable, is this product a waste of money, will I really use this??? I finally settled on a seat that vibrates, a Noah's Ark picture frame, and a smocked outfit. BTW, I totally need to learn how to smock b/c I could not only make my own but charge others an arm and a leg!

PS: Russ and I finally found bedding for the nursery. Montgomery has a cute little store in Eastchase that sells a whole bunch of high end nursery items. They are fairly pricey but we found our stuff on mega clearance! I was so proud of us. In reality, I wanted to avoid a nursery theme but this stuff was too cute to pass up. I am sure we will now buy every turtle item possible, ha. Anyways, it even came with wall art, valance, mobile, and throw pillows! Now I just have to be patient and wait for October to get here...

PPS: Look at this Lazy Bones kitty hamming it up for the camera!

Our Weekend

So I am finally blogging about last weekend (mainly b/c I've been a little sickly this week).  Anyway, we had a full weekend of fun!  First, we went to the dean's house and hobnobbed with all of the professors from AUM's SOE (school of education).  It was interesting for me to hang out with professors that I've had during my time at AUM.  Now I was there as the wife of a fellow professor.  ha

Next up, we got to see some of my friends from AU on Saturday night.  My friend, Angie, is getting married and we were invited to their engagement shower.  To top it off, I got to see Jay's little boy, Nicholas.  He loves to take pictures with the camera and he just learned how to say "War Eagle."  He is just precious!

Finally, we made our way to the Ham for lunch with the girls.  We sprinkled LaLa with some fun baby gifts.  I had a blast picking out baby girl clothes for the twins, Addie and Emma.  Can't wait to meet those precious little angels.  Speaking of shopping...I could def do some major damage if I was having a girl.  Baby girl sections in stores are never-ending, loaded with countless cute outfits. 

Did someone say mac 'n cheese?!

Well, Bennett has definitely found the location of my bladder.  I also think he throws any and all organs off to whatever space he isn't using.  Thanks dude!  At any rate, I've been eating like a mad woman.  At first, my food intake was under control but now I just want to eat all the time.  I try to eat healthy snacks but it's becoming harder and harder...Must find some willpower!

I really haven't bought too many baby clothes yet, but I did get a good start during our tax free weekend.  I have promised myself that I will not purchase anymore clothing b/c I need to be focusing on nursery ideas.  To be honest, the thought of this overwhelms me b/c I am not a very good decorator. 

Anyroo, I have been spending most of my time working at the AUM Early Childhood Center.  It keeps me fairly busy and I occasionally get to see my hubs.  Since I am not an intern in the center anymore, I get the chance to really enjoy the children this time around.  Plus, I get to snack with them, heehee. 

Doodle Bear

Today was a big day for Dixie Doodle.  She went to the beauty parlor (aka Petco).  Since having the carpets cleaned plus the extremely hot weather, we decided to get Dixie groomed/trimmed.  Let me start off by saying that in my defense, I really had no idea what they were talking about when they were telling me the guard size of the trimmers.  My only concern was to do a good job fading at the head and tail.  Much to my surprise, this is what I picked up from the beauty parlor!!!

Yes my friends, we now have a white lab!  Even her face has been shaved!  Honestly, she doesn't look that bad once you get used to it.  Plus, they gave us a charm for her collar and a huge bag of tasty treats.  In fact, one of the treats looks just like a chocolate chip cookie (and tastes like it too--yes I nibbled it)...don't judge me!  :)

So, last Wednesday we had our first ultrasound- and yes faithful reader, we did find out the sex of our child- but you'll have to watch the videos to figure that out! In any case, we didn't tell our parents. They were all coming down on Saturday for Elisabeth's graduation. (BTW, I'm super proud of my wife!)
Elisabeth had read about a clever way to share the sex of a child with its grandparents. First, you bake a cake, then you ice the inside with either blue or pink icing. When it's time to let the grandparents know if it's a boy or girl, just let them cut the cake. So, that's what we did. Check out the video below.
Now I'll pass this off to Elisabeth so she can fill in more of the details!
- Russ

Hi y'all! So let me just start off by saying it was super hard to keep the sex of JBM top secret. Mainly I didn't want someone to accidentally say something on FB and spill the beans to our parental units. So on Saturday, I did my 'thang' and got my diploma...after which we went to The Olive Garden for lunch. My mom, Sister, Mimi, Nana, Pop, Cindy, Uncle Tony, Aunt Jane, and William were in for a big surprise, but I waited until lunch was finished to announce...

I thanked everyone for driving down on my special day and explained that we had a special treat for them (enter my super hard of hearing but beautiful Mimi who began talking-I guess she could not hear me, ha). I told them that we had been fibbing since Wednesday and we really knew the sex of Baby M. Needless to say, everyone was in total shock! Russ and I invited everyone back to the house for cake, explaining that the sex could only be revealed by cutting into the cake and looking at the icing inside. Would it be pink or blue??? I did calm some fears, telling all that he/she was very healthy...enter my mom sobbing at the table. haha

TGIF!!!

So I finally wrapped up my last and final day of class on Wednesday.  It was very bittersweet for me because I met a lot of great gals and became really close with them during my time at AUM.  So for now, I am looking back on my fond memories and looking ahead, dreaming of the adventures that await.  I can tell you that I spent yesterday catching up on laundry and getting a mani/pedi (thanks from my mentor teacher from internship).  We got the carpets cleaned this morning and I decluttered the kitchen...now I am BORED!  Russ wants me to relax and take it easy, enjoy my time off (sigh)...

There was a time when I would've loved being a SAHM (stay at home mom), but working for so long really puts a cramp in this plan, ha.  I can tell you that I will be working at the Early Childhood Center some starting in August plus some substituting at my surrounding schools.  I need the interaction plus work on getting my foot in the door in case I start working next year. 

Anyways, I graduate this Saturday!!!  My whole family is coming down and taking part.  We will be celebrating with lunch afterwards, and I cannot wait to see everybody.  My only hope is that I do not get overly emotional during the ceremony (that's how this preggo rolls these days).