and the verdict is in....

It's a girl!!!!

tomorrow....

Just thought I'd give everyone a heads up to be looking for a super important post tomorrow....because tomorrow is the day that we find out if our last baby is going to even out the boy/girl ratio in our house or if the guys are going to seriously out number the girls! We are so excited!

And, just for something to look at, a little more back yard fun.....




And Shiloh and Mommy....

our new house

We spent our first night in the new house on Fri., and it is so wonderful! We are far from finished unpacking/decorating, but the important stuff is done (kitchen, bedrooms, play room, most of the living room), and we are so loving what this house has to offer us! I went and got the kids a new pool (Domino had eaten our old one), AND a slip 'n slide (although the kids call it a slippy slide) for our backyard. That has proven a wonderful move as the boys can play out there, and I can see them from almost every room!!, and Shiloh goes out for an hour or a two at a time with me when I take a break.

I'm sure we'll put up pics of the house when it's closer to "done", but for now, here's a few of the kids' fav part, the outside!

moving

Well, once it started happening, it happened very fast. We are moving. Today. On post. I cannot begin to describe how excited we are. The house has four bedrooms, a dining room, a HUGE laundry room that does not double as the downstairs bathroom (yes, this house has that....so strange and not all that convenient). It has a backyard with a privacy fence around it and a bathroom in the master bedroom, so that the boys can have their own bathroom! It is also within walking distance of splash parks, at least 5 different playgrounds, a skate park, walking trails, an indoor playground, I could go on and on!

It is also so much closer to work for Tyrone! He will be able to come home for breakfast between PT and work, and for lunch if he has time. He won't have to wake up at 4am, and he will be home before 6:30pm! This is all so exciting. Oh, did I mention the attached garage? That's Tyrone's favorite part!

This is going to be a good thing! I might not be online for a few days, though. I'm not sure how long it will take the cable company to switch our service to the new house. Wish us luck, Tyrone is going to go pick up our moving truck shortly!

learning to be a big sister

water play date

We had a play date this morning that turned out to be a little cold for actually playing in the pool. There were 11 kids there and only Kaleb stayed in until I made him get out because he was shivering so badly! But, we had fun anyway....

This pic is hilarious. Do you see the 'fro? That's Shiloh sitting in the Power Wheel with 3 little boys pushing her. Don't ask me how she managed that!



Gabe, to cold to stay in!


Kaleb being tough!

Trip to Moira

Yesterday we headed up to Moira to visit Kim and Eddie, whom we hadn't seen in 2 years! We got a little lost, so we didn't have quite as much time as we had hoped, and hence my picture taking seems to have been hit or miss, but here are some pics from our visit yesterday

Kim and Tyrone around the fire


The boys checking out Gizzy the raccoon


Shiloh, helping with the kindling


When Gabe picks flowers, he goes all out!


They have 5 dachshunds that they have rescued from various places, and when Gabe tried to eat his hot dogs in the shade of the table. it was hot dogs attacking the hot dogs!


Kim with The Commissioner, we think

Kim with Gizzy, her foster raccoon this year. Gizzy is sucking Kim's thumb, and would hold on to her shirt with his little hands



Tyrone and Shiloh enjoying the music at a little concert we stopped by before heading home

baby update & happy birthday

I am 16 weeks pregnant today! I had an appt. on Monday, and got to hear the baby's heartbeat, a strong 152 beats per minute! Baby even aimed a swift kick at the doppler, Shiloh used to do the same thing :) I have been feeling the baby move, and a few mornings ago, Tyrone finally got to as well, which was great! Everything is going great, pregnancy wise. I'm having some headaches, but my morning sickness is gone, thank goodness, b/c I'm enjoying eating, LOL!!

But, the BIG news is that two weeks from tomorrow, (on the day before my birthday!) we will have the big ultrasound where, if baby cooperates, we will know if we'll have a 3rd rambunctious boy or a 2nd dainty girl! I can't wait! We have our names all picked out (but won't announce until the birth!) We will let everyone know the gender, though, so if you haven't already voted on my poll on the side bar about your guess for gender, go ahead and do it, I can't wait to see if everyone got it right!

I have heard the requests for a belly picture, and I will get one up asap....as soon as the camera gets new batteries! Love that camera, but dang it eats batteries!

And, last but not least, happy 29th birthday to my husband! He is hard at work today, but I may have some plans for his birthday this weekend!! :) Happy Happy birthday, Tyrone!!!!

a wednesday trip to the zoo

I woke up this morning to a beautiful day with the temp actually above 70, so the kids and I loaded up and headed to the zoo.

This pic reminds me of Jeanie and I at places like this as kids


There were chickens and turkeys running loose in the barnyard area, and Shiloh perfected her chicken imitation. Every time we saw one, she'd fix her little wings, start clucking, and would peck around. Too funny, here's the pic I got

"Mom, wouldn't it be cool if their ears were THIS BIG?!"


Looking for turtles and minnows

Checking out the Grey Wolves


Gabe still looking at the wolf pack, and Shiloh dancing off down the trail, she did that alot :)


How much do I love them?!?!


Looking for bears


I could only get one to look at the camera at a time, sigh


Starting to wear out


Butterfly garden, a little girl paradise


I saw one, where'd it go?


There it is! (by her feet)


Showing the bubbas

kristy!

My friend Kristy wrote a book! I cannot wait to read it, and I thought that some of you may want to know about it, as well! Kristy is in the process of adopting her daughter from China, and her book is called "God Made Me in China" It isn't JUST about being from China, but about being different.

Head on over to her blog franceskasjourneyhome.blogspot.com to check it out! It's right at the top of her side bar.

Way to go, Kristy! So proud of you! And, again, my links aren't working. If you copy and paste the address into your browser bar, it'll get you there!

blood and glue: the first of many bloody er visits, i'm sure

Last night, after dinner, it was finally a decent temperature and the rain had stayed away, so I was letting the boys play out back. They were climbing trees and generally being little monkeys. Kaleb had a branch pulled way back, and, not realizing where his brother was, let it go. It whipped around and caught Gabe by his temple.

There was SO MUCH BLOOD. I did not immediately think ER and neither did Tyrone, because head wounds bleed alot in the first place, minor or otherwise. But when we got a little of the blood away from this CHUNK out of poor Gabe's head, Tyrone and I looked at each other "ER?" "Yep." Poor Kaleb was just in tears, apologizing over and over, while Gabe told him it was okay, he still liked him. Gabe wanted to know if there was alot of blood. I lied "no, a little" He couldn't stop crying, would he liked some of Mommy's sweet tea? Yes, he would, and that stopped the tears.

Tyrone stayed with upset Kaleb (and oblivious Shiloh) and I enlisted Tricia to go the the hospital with Gabe and I in case we had to hold him still for stitches. He was fine, although bleeding still, until the doctor looked at it. Glue would do, the doctor pronounced, which was music to my ears, but Gabe was not fond of the idea of being someone's art project. "I think I just want a band-aid" Tricia and I regaled him with stories of our own stitches and how we WISHED they would have let us have glue. He relented on the condition that he could lay his head down in my lap while they did it. He cried only a little, screamed and fought none at all, and we were out of the ER in a record setting 30 minutes. He also now has a cool story with a scar to match.....

But if you ask him about last night, what you get is "They put purple glue on my head, and I got to stay up later then Kaleb and Shiloh!" He did wake up at 3:30, his poor head throbbing. So I've been up since then. Everyone else is awake now and Gabe and I are on our way upstairs for a nap. I wish the pic was a little clearer, as Mom specifically asked for a "blood and gore" pic, but I took 5, this was the best, and I'm tired! Rest assured, that booger is UGLY. But Gabe was a trooper.

The first of many bloody ER visits with the children, I'm sure.....

celebrating gabe

We had several days of birthday fun, mostly because the massive amount of rain kept us from doing everything when we wanted to. On Friday, I took Gabe to the store with the money that Grandmother and Grandfather had given him....you would have thought they gave him gold, they way he was so proud to have that in his pocket. And then, it turned out that there was a toy sale going on, so Gabe made out really well! He got a remote control truck, cowboy & Indian action figures, and water balloons! He was so happy, and I was very glad, given the rain! He was perfectly thrilled to spend the day driving his truck around the house and lining up those little figures in all manner of battles :) He's even been very careful to put them all up so he can play with them again later, very unusual! Thank you, Grandmother and Grandfather!

We decided that instead of having a BIG party, Gabe would have a birthday adventure, so we took him the the Sci-Tech museum. We had never been, and it was alot of fun! Everyone, even Daddy, played! Here are some pictures of that!



Wishing well

Lasers

Optical illusions

Guess what you smell....

Being a scientist!

Sound experiment with Daddy

Giant chess!

Making a rubbing of a fossil

Wind tunnel!

Shiloh was fairly concerned about this velociraptor!

And then, FINALLY, the rain went away for 1 day yesterday so that we could have Gabe's cookout for cake and BIG present! We kicked it off with Gabe's water balloons!

Then, we ate and had cake....

Time for the present!! Mommy covered Gabe's eyes

Daddy brought out the present.....A SPIDERMAN BIKE!!! (which had been hiding in Nate and Tricia's house, thanks guys!)

Mommy and Mr. Nate helping Gabe get geared up!

Ready to go! He loves this thing!

Oh, man! First wipe out!

We ended up up bringing out the pool and everyone got into bathing suits. There was lots of splashing, playing, and bike riding. Guess who decided she had to try out the bike and got up here ALL BY HERSELF?!

It has been alot of fun celebrating Gabe and I am happy that he feels properly birthday-ed! Next up, Daddy's birthday in only 10 days!