Growing

February vs. November

 Same shirt, bigger baby!

The Beginning of the End

30 WEEKS!

You know the end is near when...

it becomes nearly impossible to put any kind of footwear on (is it ok to wear flip flops when it is below zero?)

the crazy pressure on your bladder tricks you into thinking you need to use the bathroom even when you don't really need to

you find yourself sitting in the clinic waiting room every other week instead of every month

even your maternity clothes start to dig into your abdomen

it becomes difficult to stand for too long or sit for too long or lay down for too long or do anything for too long

you find the "crazy pregnant lady" from the first trimester making her reappearance

Yes, the third trimester's arrival, with its ups & downs, has made us even more excited to meet that little lady!!

Here Comes...

Too much Halloween candy?  No, that's not it (well maybe some of it).  We are having a BABY!!!  Our family becomes five this spring!

Halloween

This year it was Pippi Longstocking and the Beast...yes Connor being Beast again.  It is getting to be more about the candy and less about the costume for him as he ages.  Next year I might have to make him venture away from this mask.  Maari also wanted to be the same thing she was last year - a princess of course - but we talked her into trying something different.  At least one of them had to change costumes!  With that hair she just had to be Pippi at least one time in her life.

Poor Pippi was sick for the big night...so was mom.  But we still made it to the neighborhood pary/tractor ride/trick-or-treat.  Maybe all that candy we ate will make us feel better.

Maari seemed more excited about these pumpkin seeds than the candy.  She was so eager to bake them and then took one taste and declared a "YUCK."  Oh well, the rest of us are enjoying them!

The Operation

Yeah, I know it's strange... Why am I posting a picture of my child's Playmobil toys?  I guess I just thought it was cute the way she set this up.  Everyone watching this operation so patiently, everyone with the exception of the little girl in the corner turned the other way.  It must be her teddy bear on the table.  She just can't bear to watch.

The poor man with the gaping hole in the top of his skull.  You'd think maybe he should be first in line at the ER!  Happy Friday, happy playing!

Fall Flowers

Maari found for me the last of the wildflowers.

Until spring!

Princesses

Like many three year old girls, my daughter is crazy for princesses:  Cinderella, Belle, Princess and the Pea, Snow White, Jasmine...and now the Seven Nasty Princesses.  We went to a play put on by some local 7th-9th graders all about some pretty vain sister princesses.  I think the idea of naughty princesses (aren't they usually perfect?) was a bit confusing for little Maari.  Also, the ladies ended up learning their lessons from two witches and instead of living happily ever after with the prince, he fled from the whole lot of them.  None of this follows proper fairytale protocol.  However, I think she kind of got the gist of it.

The "real life" princesses were not at all nasty and were kind enough to pose with their most adoring fan.

And even share their beautiful head pieces.

Making our Maari the 8th princess (although not at all a nasty one!)