We are expecting a....

bouncing-off-the-uterine-walls, healthy, very immodest baby BOY!?!? I'm in complete shock. I've been calling him a "her" all this time! So much for maternal instincts, aye? But, as T says, at the least the Force will be in balance in our family now. Is that a StarWars reference?

Our Family Vacation Part One: Toronto & Niagara Falls

Well, we did it! The trip that we have been planning for the last 3 years finally happened last week! We covered 8 states, 2 countries, and 3 hotel swimming pools in 6 days. Pretty impressive, is it not? Last Monday we got in the car before the crack of dawn and drove all day until we made it to Toronto. The most memorable part of that day was, as Avandra put it, "That was the first time we ever got to watch 5 movies in one day." Desperate times call for desperate measures. But those kids were amazing! I was really proud of them.














The next day we went to Casa Loma, a big modern castle that gives a good moral against greed and living beyond one's means, since the rich owner went broke and the castle was never finished. although he and his wife did get to live in a portion of it for 9 years before having to move out and die in poverty and obscurity. It was beautiful though, and I definitely got my exercise climbing the stairs to the top tower.















We were hoping to go to Yo Yo Ma's Music Garden, but mapquest failed us miserably and by the time we figured it out, we were halfway to Niagara Falls, so we just bagged it. Our first real view of the Falls was from the hotel restaurant, where we got to enjoy the view while eating. It was a beautiful evening and mighty breath-taking. It was just a pleasant evening together.

It was a good thing we enjoyed such a lovely view that night, because the next day dawned rainy and windy and a little bit miserable. It's a shame I didn't have my camera at dinner. I'm sure those pictures would have been so much better.















We used Hotwire to reserve our hotels for the trip, and found that in general, we were put in 1-star rooms, even in 3- or 4-star hotels. I was highly disappointed. Yes, we are cheapskates but we like a good deal, so does anyone have a better way to do this?

Crazy? Yep, Crazy in Love

Photos Courtesy of AMB. http://ambphotocompany.com/

Joyful

The kids are back in school... *sigh*. Isn't it wonderful? This last month has been one of the best months of my life--so renewing for me. I love all of my children so much. I really do. But I am not a multi-tasker and that includes parenting. I am a much better mother with one child at a time. I get too overstimulated and overwhelmed when they are all with me. But when we're one-on-one I can slow down enough to look them in their eyes and see their precious spirit shining through. This month has been so beautiful for me and my 2 1/2 year old Little Guy. I am so lucky to have him in my family!

Last Friday we went on a walk and it felt so rejuvenating to crunch leaves together, to stop and inspect berries, or see if there were walnuts on the neighbors tree. (There weren't. Our squirrels are efficient and quite fat.) We lolly-gagged a the library, and then I took him to lunch, where we practiced winking at each other across the table as we ate our yummy burritos. It's nice to ENJOY my kids, instead of just HERD my kids.

My girls are loving school though. We have full-day kindergarten here. I am not a fan, in principle. I had spoken with the teacher and the school principal ahead of time, and we had worked out for me to pick Couscous up after lunch if she seemed to be having a hard time transitioning. (Big sister Avandra took 4 months to adjust.) Well, Couscous just made me look like an overreacting mother, because she comes home each day with joy and energy and a desire to keep hanging out with her friends all evening long too.

I'm grateful that we are able to have some fun family times all together too, though. Last night all 5 of us sat on our sofa with bowls of munchies and the lights off, and just watched the lightning storm move in. It felt so cozy and safe. I am so grateful for my family. They are so precious.

I am looking forward to this week, too. Life has gotten slower with my girls in school, and I'm glad for the relaxing times. But I'm also grateful that my schedule allows me to be where I'm needed. There are people in the hospital to visit, a lady from church who needs help packing to move. Avandra helped me take flowers to a home-bound woman on her birthday on Saturday. It's such a priviledge to feel like I'm able to use the gifts of time and body God has given me, to be able to be an instrument of of sharing His Love with others. I also love including my children in those opportunites. Pres. Eyring's talk at the Saturday's Relief Society Women's Conference just intensified those feelings. It was a wonderfully inspiring evening, wasn't it? Life is joyful.

Phantom of the Opera at 10 Bucks a Pop!

I was so excited to hear that with the donation to the local food bank, we could get tickets to the traveling Broadway production of Phantom for 10 bucks! With a few hours to plan, a babysitter to book, and some other commitments to fulfill (or bail on), we made it by the skin of our teeth! The last time I saw Phantom it was in London about 15 years ago. Can I really compare this production to that? Well, as far as special effects, the London production took the cake, but this one was really quite good. I understood it much better this time too. We did take Avandra, and I kind of hope I did the right thing. I had forgotten about the gruesome parts and mild profanity. Oops! I was weeping during the final scene; T was trying not to fall asleep. As he later said, "Wicked's plot sure is more interesting." Anyway, for $10, I thought it couldn't be beat! (Although you add 3 tickets, parking, and babysitting, and we actually spent $70 for this spontaneous evening! Still fun. Still glad I went!)

Joining the 4-Kiddo Club

Yep, we are. In March. Had the preliminary ultrasound today and there is only one--hurray! When Debbi told me her mom had 7 kids and then her last pregnancy was triplets, I about had a heart attack. That's the third case I've known where the supposed last "one" was triplets!! And last night I counted at least 10 friends I know with a set of twins. So I'm very, very grateful for a single.

Is it a girl? The fatigue and nausea has been similar to my pregnancies with the 2 girls (hence why the few blog posts this summer. That and the fact T has been working 12 days on, 2 days off. Make those 12-hour days too). Is it a boy? All boys in our family are born in March. We'll see in about 7 weeks.

Many of you know that we have been hemming and hawing over this decision for the last year or so. Let's just say that it's a good thing we never tried to use the rhythm method before that last month.

I think it was Darcy who gave me the tip that you could buy reliable pregnancy tests at the dollar store. So, last month I went there. Just before I walked in, I decided that I shouldn't just buy a pregnancy test--I ought to kind of hide it under a few other things--just in case I saw somebody I knew. So I shopped for some socks and rain ponchos for Avandra's upcoming Brownies campout. Thank goodness! Because as I was browsing the sock section, I hear a big ol' "Hi, Henrietta!" And if it wasn't Katherine, with Gwen and Claire! I don't think she suspected anything, but I'm sure glad she didn't see me picking up the prenancy test!

Does this also explain why T and I didn't bother going out to Sanford for our 10th anniversary? Who wants to spend that kind of money on food that may just end up coming back up? I'm hoping to take a raincheck during the 2nd trimester. But Cheesecake Factory wasn't too bad though. I still look forward to reading our predictions from last year. I love that part of our anniversary tradition. I kind of wish we would have just read those at the Factory instead of waiting, but, oh well.

Anyway, congrats to us. Here goes our last hurrah!

Our New Pet, Wally

We have a new pet in our household! Don't tell our landlord, because that is strictly not okay with him. But considering Wally would live here, regardless, I figure we can skip the permission. It's kind of an accident that he ended up as our pet. It seems that when we neglected to clean our basement playroom for awhile, he found his way into a toy bin. The first time each of the girls saw him, he sent them running upstairs in fits of screaming, refusing to return to the basement until he was gone. I saw him downstairs, but I find him particularly disgusting, so I decided to just ignore him and he'd get himself free--or killed. 4 days later, he's still there. I guess that the inside of the bin is slippery enough that he can't get out, and that he's resiliant enough to not need food. Imagine my surprise when I got home from church yesterday, to hear my kids talk about their pet and wanting to do a search to see what kind of food he needs to survive. The first thing this morning, my kids wanted to go say "good morning" to Wally, and I saw that they have now decorated his bin with a toilet paper house and other play items for him. Anyway, I thought you might want to see Wally:

This really brings to mind that quote

Vice is a monster of so frightful mien
As to be hated needs but to be seen;
Yet seen too oft, familiar with her face,
We first endure, then pity, then embrace.

UGH!