Cutie Patootie Boots

I have the girls' outfits for Christmas all picked out, but I really didn't have any fun shoes or slippers or anything that really went with the rest of the outfits.  Since they are baby feet, I didn't want to spend a lot of money on something they may only be able to wear for a few months at the most.

I have seen several tutorials out there recently for making your own baby boots. There are some really cute ones on one of my favorite blogs Kojo Designs.  These ladies are amazing!!  If I can one day aspire to have half their talent, it would make me a happy girl for a long time!  :)

I was going to try out their tutorial, but I don't really have any shoes to sacrifice - much less TWO pairs of shoes to sacrifice - that really fit the girls and would work for that application.  But they did inspire me to find some other options.  That's when I stumbled across this pattern from ithinksew.com.  I love it!  Just what I was looking for with things I already had on hand!

So of course I had to make a pair for both of the girls.  I think they turned out alright!

The pattern is not only a really decent price, but it was easy to follow and comes with several different sizes. I also like that they offer adult size shoe patterns.  There are so many to choose from that I am sure I will be busting out some more shoes for the girls.

I did make a couple of adjustments to the pattern for these. They are really pretty nifty in that they just velcro close along the side.  The buttons are just for decoration.  But I found that while the flap closed just fine along the side with the velcro, it left an opening at the top of the foot.  It is probably just how I sewed them.  So I just tacked the flap to the top of the foot right in the middle.  That way the flap will stay where it should over the foot when it is closed, but I can still open them enough to get the girls' feet in there.

The other thing I did was used the smallest size - 0-3 months - for both girls.  Maddie's feet are the same size as our other little angel's feet even though they are 4 1/2 months apart.  I have found it rather frustrating in shopping for baby shoes of any kind that they tend to run very big if you go off of their age to size.  The 0-3 month size fits both girls just fine.  They may not have much room to grow, but in all honesty, these probably won't be worn after this winter anyways.

I also just used an old sweater turtleneck I had that was in the donation pile to make the outside of the boots. I used some fleece I had on hand to make the inside lining.  I didn't use any interfacing as it suggested as they hold up pretty well on their own.

So we shall test these bad boys out soon enough.  If nothing else, they will certainly keep those tootsies warm!

More Recent Projects

I think it is safe to say that I have rediscovered my love for crafting. It has been hard to find time to do anything worth posting about for a while now. And though if you are paying attention, you will see that I am writing this post at about 10:30 pm on a Wednesday, I am still getting to bed at a relatively decent hour....I mean, I can sleep when I'm dead right? :)

Honestly, most of my recent crafts and projects have been so easy that I can get them done in the hour or so after all the kiddos get to bed (and Maddie is of course generally the last one down!).

I have been finishing up a few Christmas projects I wanted to get done. I still have a handful that need my attention, but I wanted to play a bit first. So this last project was for me! I totally stole the idea from my Boss's Boss who wore the most adorable jingle bell necklace and bracelet to the Children's Holiday Party at work recently. I was in love! She told me where she got it and I am sure I could have bought it for what I paid to make it, but I like the colors in mine a little more. Sometimes crafting is not necessarily cheaper - but it does let you customize!

So without further ado...my festive Jingle Bells!

Of course they couldn't have been easier to make. You will need:

• A handful of jingle bells in the sizes and colors you prefer (I got mine at Hobby Lobby and used the bigger ones for the necklace and the smaller ones for the bracelet. The earrings are a combo of both sizes).
• Chain - I used chain I had on hand and just cut the lengths to the size I wanted for the necklace and for the bracelet. You could also make it that much easier and use an already assembled chain necklace and bracelet.
• Split rings or jump rings (I had split rings on hand)
• For the earrings you will need an pair of ear wires or your preferred earring and smaller chain to make the layers.

Assembly is simply putting the bells on the chain using the split ring or jump ring.  I spaced them out on the bracelet evenly, but I used different spaces in between on the necklace.  I wanted something that was a bit more "whimsical".  The earrings are just assembled with different lengths of smaller chain to keep the bells staggered.

I know that is not much of a tutorial, but I didn't take pictures as I was going along.  It really was a pretty fast and easy assembly (if you use jump rings it would probably go even faster.).

I am going to bust these babies out tomorrow at work.  I hope they keep me in the Christmas Spirit.  :)

Christmas Everywhere!

You know how you tell yourself every year that you are going to keep it simple and take your time and not stress when the holidays come?!? You know how you never listen to your sage advice at 10:30 pm the day before your kids Holiday parties at school or parties at work?!? Is that just me??? :)

Well, we have been busy the past couple of nights trying to cram in our last minutes crafts and baking and prepping and wrapping and taking care of babies and everything else in the mix. I was still trying to throw projects in to the mix last night on the way home. Patrick looked at me and said "enough!". So I had to cut a few things I really wanted to do, but since I was up until midnight last night anyways, I guess that was ok. :)

So we made ornaments, cookies, garbage candy, fudge, pumpkin bread and these adorable (or at least the idea was adorable!) Rudolph Sausage Balls.

(if you look closely in the background, you can see some of Alex's sugar cookies!)

I think they turned out ok. I would have preferred those Christmas Tree shaped pretzles because I think they would have looked more like antlers. I couldn't find them anywhere in my sprint through the Walmart. These pretzles kind of make them look like mice, but I guess they could also be Christmas Mice! :) Anyways, they were super easy to make:

Make your sausage balls (I made a double batch as Gabe and Alex were both taking these to their parties today). You can find a recipe online just about anywhere, but I use the following for a double batch:
4 cups of bisquick (I have also used pancake mix in a pinch!)
2 lbs of sausage (two small "rolls")
2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese (I actually just throw in a few handfuls until it looks right.)
mix, roll in to balls, bake at 350 degrees for about 15 - 20 minutes

Once your sausage balls are cooked, and while they are still warm, take a knife and cut a small slit in the top. Stick your pretzles in the slit so they stick up like antlers. If you do it while they are still warm, they "stick" to the pretzles a little better to keep them in longer.

Once your "reindeer" have cooled completely, you can put on a nose with one of those gel icing tubes or get creative and use just about anything (mini m&m's or red hots or anything red!). I used a glitter gel icing tube I found at Walmart and just put a smidge on the sausage balls where a nose would be.

Done!

You could also go a bit further and put eyes on with a black gel tube or mini m&m or something like that. I was already "in trouble" for not keeping it simple last night so I didn't go that far.

I think this wasn't a bad trial run. I may have to experiment some more to come up with some better ideas - you know maybe when I don't have so many irons in the fire!

I still have a few more things to get done for Christmas this year, but we are on the downhill slope for now - unless I see some more cute ideas I just HAVE to try out!

Merry Christmas!

Linking up to the following:

Projects I have been working on

I know it has been a while - a long while - since I have posted. But with four kids at home (two babies!!) it is the rare occasion that I can get online for even a few minutes, much less in enough time to make a blog post. But with Christmas coming up, I have been working on a few projects to keep my sanity - a little anyways. Here are a few things I have been working on...and a few things I will have up in my Etsy store once my "good" camera is charged. For now, you must deal with the not so great photos from my phone. :)

Leg Warmers/Leggings
RUFFLES AND BOWS!!

RUFFLES AND FLOWERS!!

Christmas Themed Clippies
Snowmen (one for each girl of course!)

Christmas Trees

I am putting the leg warmers up in my Etsy shop soon. I have a few other projects in the works that I will try to post about soon as well. I am linking up this post to the Ribbon Retreat Blog December Linky Party.
and

Madelyn Paige Pringle is Here!

Photo Card

View the entire collection of cards.

Virtual Shower....

So we tried to do a virtual shower today.  We kind of made it up as we went and my parents really put a lot of work and thought in to how we could do it.  In the end, the easiest way seemed to be to shoot a video and post it online...the idea being that we have so many friends and family that are either out of town or can't get out as easily.  So we thought if we hosted a shower online we could still include those people while making it as easily accessible as possible.  Thus the virtual shower idea was born.  :)

My dad created a blog to post the videos and the information and we just got the first round uploaded.  So feel free to stop by and take a look!

http://granddadsinsides.blogspot.com/

Perhaps we can expand on it some more as we progress and even get pictures and videos up of Ms. Madelyn when she gets here.  Which, by the way, is in t-minus 4 weeks!  My doctor is monitoring me closely and he will for sure induce at 39 weeks, but we may go earlier depending on if my blood pressure continues to misbehave.

Till then...Much Love!

Whatcha Doin?

Said in my best Isabella impersonation from Phineas and Ferb....those of you who know what I am talking about are either parents or like Patrick, secretly (or not so secretly) enjoy watching kids shows even though you don't have kids.

We don't have that "problem" in our house....not having kids I mean of course.  You know, because right now we have three with one on the way.  There is no shortage of kids in our home these days.  It's actually the reason this blog has been so neglected actually.  That and growing a baby takes pretty much every ounce of energy I have and turns it in to mush!  So between kids and pregnancy and working and trying to make sure said kids have food and clean clothes (though, if I am being honest, Patrick takes care of that by himself these days) I haven't been doing much of anything.  I pretty much feel like a bump on a log these days.  We are at 8 1/2 more weeks before my due date so I am avidly counting down the days while at the same time praying that Madelyn doesn't come early so she can be as healthy as possible - and so I can have a little more time to pack that silly hospital bag!  :)

So some other quick updates:

Gabriel turned 5 - YES!  I said F-I-V-E!!  Where has the time gone?  My baby boy is getting so big and becoming such an amazing little boy every day.  He will start kindergarten in September (something I am pretty sure I am not really ready for).  I tell him all the time that he has to stop growing and he looks at me and says "mom, can I just grow up a little bit?" and puts his two fingers together to show a little bit.  I tell him he can grow a "little bit" but no more!  :)  He is such a big helper and while he is definitely the fulfillment of my curse (the one your mom gives you when you are younger 'one day I hope you have one just like you!') he is such a great kid!  Funny how you don't have to share any common DNA for "the curse" to hold true!

Alex is....Alex.  It has been so fun to see his personality develop.  When we first got him at 9 months the thought that he would be a goofy, shy and outgoing at the same time, mess pot was the furthest from our minds.  To see him develop into this person is not only entertaining, but exciting - though I will admit that his 3's are way more challenging than his 2's have ever been.  We tried soccer class for both boys this last month.  While Gabriel excelled (the kid is a natural at all things sports!) Alex preferred to run around the gym until the instructor got there and then hang out with me and Patrick and Miss P on the sidelines.  I did get some "action" shots, but most of those are within the first 5 minutes of class.   He does love to play with Gabe and so we are going to keep trying different things with both of them to see if we can find that one thing that will break him out of his shell - of course, those that have had the pleasure of seeing Alex sans shell know that once that shell is broken, there is no putting it back together!  So we may crack it first and then let it come apart in small pieces - just to give the rest of the world time to acclimate.  :)

Miss P is just doing what any 3 month old does - eat, sleep, laugh at us being silly and making goofy faces, stare at any ceiling fan and become instantly mesmerized, etc.  I can't say much more about her as her being a foster placement still we have to protect her privacy more than even our own.  We have hit some challenges recently with the fostering thing.  When you have had a break between kiddos you tend to forget some of the more frustrating parts of being a foster parent.  You tend to focus on the good things only and so when you get that call for a placement you go in to it again with renewed hope that this time will be different!  And while each case is truly different, what stays the same is generally those things that were challenges all the other times.  Between visits to our home from everyone involved in the case to doctor's appointments and WIC appointments and paperwork and the blasted waiting with no inforrmation, it is not easy to be a foster parent sometimes.  Especially when it is a situation like our current one now.  Being pregnant doesn't help me to handle the emotional ups and downs any easier.  So basically I am a mess pretty much all the time.  Not because anything has happened, just because it is not easy.  And then I hold Miss P and love on her or see her grin the moment she sees me walk in the door or hear her giggle at Patrick's goofy noises or the boys' bieng silly and eveyrthing is ok - it's worth it.  Even if we don't get to keep her forever, it is worth it. 

So many of our close friends and family are dealing with so many other challenges and hardships these days.  It makes my pregnancy discomfort and frustration over "the system" seem so petty and selfish.  What we have to deal with is nothing in comparison by any means.  And while it consumes me so that I am walking around with blinders on, I have to remind myself that even my insignificant complaints are heard and God is watching over us.  So we continue to focus ourselves on taking this one day at a time - one foot in front of the other - checking in with God to make sure we are still on HIS path - and praying when we stray.  As my director said recently "I know God will not give me more than I can handle, sometimes I just wish he didn't trust me so much!"  :)  That which does not kills us, does literally make us stronger.  And it's all in how we roll with it.  So, we will try not to make it so long between now and the next update...till then God bless!

Madelyn Paige....and other stuff

I finally put together a little Pregnancy blog as an update to pregnancy stuff along the way.  Please feel free to stop by and check it out:

Madelyn Paige

It is just one of those free hosting kind of things that puts the thing together for you, but I thought it might be fun to have that up there for people to see our progress.

In other news, we do still have our foster placement.  I can't say much more as we are required to protect her privacy and the privacy of those involved in her case.  But I will say that things are progressing as expected.  This is strictly a foster placement at this time.  That doesn't mean things won't change along the way, but for now we take it one day at a time.  As always, we must put this in God's hands and pray that He will provide what is best for this little one.  We must trust in His will and accept that whatever happens, it is the right thing.  We will never understand what He does and to question it is simply unproductive - that doesn't mean I don't question the things He does or allows regularly - I am just saying it doesn't change things.  So we will keep on this path until He tells us otherwise.

We appreciate your prayers and support as we continue this journey and look forward to sharing more news and updates as we have them.

Much love!

Our Story

It's been a while.....you could say things have been a bit crazy in our neck of the woods....but mostly I have just been too tired to even think about updating the blog.  I thought an easy post might be what got this whole "Pringle Family Rocks" thing started....so here is the story about how Patrick and I met, fell in love, broke up, got back together and eventually got married!  Isn't it funny how life works out?
So it all started with one boy and one girl.  Not really, but I always liked that little saying.  It really all started back in Junior High - at least it did for me.  You see, I spotted this boy across the courtyard at lunch one day.  This blond haired - green eyed boy who always seemed to be the center of attention without trying.  He caught my attention and I felt a little something right away.  I was boy crazy, so I pretty much felt a little something every time I spotted a boy, so don't go getting all "love at first sight on me".  :)  Anyways, I knew who he was because, though he will deny it and say it was all just to do with who he grew up with, he was pretty popular even then.  I, on the other hand, was definitely NOT!  I ran around in such a different crowd that if it weren't for the fact that my entire grade had to go out to the courtyard after lunch, our paths would likely have never crossed ever. 

Anyways, as things tend to go, I saw him around and always "admired" from afar, but I set my sights on a few other boys (remember, I was boy crazy) that were at least in some of my classes and even though they were also WAY out of my league, I had more chance of being able to actually talk to any of them.  Patrick and I ended up in honor society together and we did Speech/Drama and that kind of thing, but we were always in different classes and never really interacted at all in Junior High.  So it is no wonder that he didn't have a clue who I was!  ( I still like to tease him about that a little!)

Fast forward a few years to High School where I actually SPOKE to my future husband!  You see, we were both in choir (yup - we are both Choir nerds!) and he was immediately accepted in to the Varsity choir our Sophmore year - because he has an AWESOME voice (and because he was a boy and the new program director was trying to build up the choir program).  I was placed in the Varsity choir temporarily due to a scheduling mix-up and met some of the people I would end up spending the majority of my high school time with - even though I didn't know it then.  But as it goes, the mix-up was corrected and I was moved to the Women's choir.  I actually flourished a little and became slightly less than a huge nerd by the end of my sophmore year (mostly just in choir, but I felt large and in charge there so that was all that counted!).  I auditioned for the varsity choir for Junior year and got in!  Of course, by that time Patrick had already made a name for himself in choir and was at the top of everyone's list anyways.

Some of you might think that our Junior Year is where things really started to take shape for our relationship.  Well, they did.....kind of.  They took shape in that I started dating one of Patrick's close friends and so we started hanging out more - as a group.  We were all basically inseperable and if we weren't running around doing Choir stuff and other productions, then we were hanging out on the weekends very maturly TP'ing each others houses.  (there is a funny story about that one where we did that to Patrick's house and his parents watched us from their bedroom window the whole time - we thought we were being so sneaky!).  From choir trips, to plays and musicals to Prom and all the other "rights of passage" you go through in high school, our group of friends became connected in a way that only the best of friends can become.  And Patrick and I were definitely close friends - but no more. 

Relationships come and go and people move on when they graduate from high school.  I went away to East Texas Baptist University on a vocal scholarship (don't be too impressed, I think they felt bad for me and decided to take me under their wing!) in Marshall Texas.  Patrick stayed in A-town and moved in to an apartment with one of our friends (Shadowbrook!) I would like to say that is a time that he and I both matured and our friendship blossomed in to something more.  But that would be a big fat lie.  I don't even want to know what craziness went on in that apartment and I only made it one semester before I went completely mad and had to move back to the "big city"!  I LOVED Marshall and ETBU and everything about living in a dorm and all that, but I missed my friends and family and the familiarity of being home.

It wasn't until I had been back home for a few months that Patrick and I really started hanging out again as much as we did in high school.  The SWAK House became the "hub" for all of our activities and if I wasn't home or at work, I was there.  I had been home about a year when things started to change.  I spent a good portion of the time Patrick and I have been friends either helping to set him up with his current girlfriend or giving him advice (or razzing him about something or other) on those relationships.  But one day I was jealous. I mean, super jealous of the girls he was hanging out with.  I was even jealous when he took a friend of ours out to dinner to just catch up.  It wasn't a date, and I knew that, but I was so jealous!  I realized then that I was in trouble....again.  :)

I guess about that time things started to change with Patrick too.  We started hanging out with each other exclusively and there didn't need to be an excuse to do anything, we would just sit and watch TV or go to dinner (little did I know we were actually going on dates - I was so inexperienced at the dating thing and really, it was Patrick, so I just thought we were hanging out - that I didn't even realize we were actually dating!  I even paid for one of our dinners out and used a coupon - and he LET ME!) I remember thinking "it would be fun to date Patrick" and that was kind of it.  And then it wasn't. 

One night everything changed.  One night Patrick worked up the courage (after a LARGE alcoholic beverage) to actually ask me to be his girlfriend.  And by ask me to be his girlfriend I mean he asked one of my girl-friends to find out if I would be interested in being his girlfriend and then one of his guy-friends played messenger back and forth with us for a bit...Yes, we were both old enough to not be so immature, but it was kind of fun to be a little goofy about it!  Needless to say, we started "officially" dating that evening (even after the silliness) and things progressed from there.  This would be a good place to stop and say we fell madly in love and have been happy every since.  That, again, would be a lie. 

The first time around, our relationship just didn't quite take.  I mean we lasted almost a year as a couple before we just had to go our separate ways and while there are plenty of wonderful memories in that year, there are a few good months of some rocky times.  It was really inevitable that we were going to break up when you look back on things now.  About 9-10 months in to our relationship of "more than just friends" we broke up.  (I will spare you the major details about how I broke up with him and we agreed to be friends and blah, blah, blah).  It is hard for me to even write about that time period.  I pretty much just shut down.  It was by far the hardest thing I ever had to do in my life.  It truly crushed me.  I would wake up, go to work, come home, cry myself to sleep and start all over again.  I was mean and hateful and irratable with everyone and my family just learned to keep their distance.  I was certainly not handling it gracefully.

And since there is no such thing as a single Pringle, Patrick, of course, moved on...at least for a little while.  We really had decided that we would try to still be friends despite how difficult it was for me to do that.  We had dinner a few times and attempted to hang out occassionally, but we mostly kept our distance.  About a month and a half after we broke up, Patrick called me to go to dinner.  He was a little different....it wasn't as awkward as it had been and he seemed genuinely intersted in spending time with me.  It was a wonderful evening that ended just as it had started...as friends. 

I went down to visit my grandmother in the hospital.  My grandparents lived in Rockport, TX.  It was a solid 8 hour drive all by myself and gave me plenty of time to think.  You see, that weekend was my grandparents 50th wedding anniversary.  I was actually supposed to be singing "their song" at their anniversary party as a surprise.  But those plans had to be put on hold as my grandmother quickly deteriorated and was put in the hospital.  I was on my way down there as a final goodbye.  I remember my grandpa tirelessly at the hospital by her side - never saying a word, just being there by her side - the entire weekend.  He was there from the moment he could be until they kicked him out.  Grandpar was not in good health himself, but that didn't stop him from being there for her until they turned the machines off that Monday morning.  It really struck me.  They spent over 50 years together.  That kind of love and devotion is so rare these days and it really stuck with me the whole drive home.  I kept thinking of my heartbreak over mine and Patrick's breakup and how it affected me.  I remember driving along and listening to some CD's and reflecting on the weekend when it hit me.  Patrick was my 50 years.  It was one of those strange "aha" moments that come out of nowhere.  He was supposed to be mine and despite the fact that it wasn't working out in my timing (you see a recurring theme with me and an incessant need for things to be about my timing???) he was promised to me.  I just needed to let Patrick get there too. 

So I did what any good christian who has been given a glimpse of things to come from God would do...I pushed it.  :)  I called Patrick that night and told him that we had to meet up.  At dinner - at On the Border! - I told him that we needed to just go ahead and get back together and just stop all this silliness with being friends.  It had been about two months since we had broken up and we had a good break, but it was time to get things moving again.  I guess Patrick was either too shocked with my blunt demands or he actually agreed with me because we have been together ever since.  :)

A few months later he "unoffically" proposed - that story is pretty cute and while it does not involve him using his friend to run messenger for him, it was pretty close - Patrick doesn't like to committ to things without testing out the waters to see what the reaction is first.  :)  We were married September 29, 2001 a few weeks after 9/11.  It was certainly a scary and exciting time in our lives and frankly, neither one of us have looked back since....

That's our story.  I know it is long and probably way more detailed than any one who is reading this blog cares to know.  And since most of you that read this blog already know our story, it is a little silly to post it.  But I liked the idea of having a history interspersed with our family updates and such.  Plus it is fun to reminisce...till next time!

New Paracord Stuff

I will have to follow up with some pictures but I have been branching out on my paracord stuff. I made a couple of wrist lanyards and I have been working on what is called a monkey fist knot that you work over a marble/ball bearing/some other type of small sphere. It looks pretty cool and makes a good key chain. Most of the stuff that I experiment with I get from either Stormdrane's Blog or from Fusion Knots. The Fusion Knots site is run by a guy named JD who has a book available on Amazon with step by step instructions and his site has links to all of his Youtube videos. Both have great examples of stuff that you can do.

We were finally able to get our tax refund in so we are having some much needed work done on the van and we are getting an estimate this weekend to have insulation and a radiant barrier done in our attic. I am hoping that they not only help with the TXU bill but also keep Kellie happy as she will be VERY pregnant during the hottest part of the summer.

I now have 2 more reasons to think that I have the best wife ever. As our Christmas/Valentine's gift to each other this year Kellie bought me an Xbox 360 with Kinect and I bought her an Ipad 2. If you haven't seen the games that use the Kinect they are pretty sweet. We had a chance to play a dancing game at a friends house and had a great time doing it. My second reason is a much needed vacation. Kellie has okayed a "guys" trip to Vegas in April and I am wicked excited. If all works according to plan we should be able to stay in comped rooms and fly using buddy passes from Southwest Airlines. This will be my 3rd time out there and I am looking forward to getting away from some of the "touristy" stuff and doing things that (at least for now) only the West coast offers. Namely my first trip to the In-and-Out Burger and the Fat Burger. I have heard both are awesome and I can't wait to see if they rank up there with Al's and Chapp's/Simply Burgers.

We will keep you guys posted on all the other goings on... until next time.

Don't worry, we didn't completely disappear!

I was looking at some blogs that I like to follow and realized my last post on here was FIVE WEEKS AGO!  Oh my!  It is funny how times flies and then how it doesn't. 

I have had another check up with the doctor (just the regularly scheduled kind) and everything is looking good.  Baby Pringle is right on target as far as size and heart rate and all that jazz is concerned.  I am 12 weeks along this week (that's 3 months for those of you mathematically challenged like me!).  I must admit that the last 5 weeks have really kind of crept along. 

I am going to say something here that may be a bit shocking and sound rather ungrateful.  But I gotta say it.  I am not one of those women who loves being pregnant.  I know I have nothing to compare it to really other than this one experience, but I gotta tell you, so far, I would not want to sign up for this again.  Of course this is where I sound ungrateful....this is a true miracle.  An actual, honest to goodness miracle.  To be pregnant is the most amazing Gift God could have ever given me aside from the two boys he already gave me (and my husband too!).  I know that when this is all over with and I have that sweet baby in my arms, I will look back and know this was all worth it.  But right now I feel pretty much like crap.  No, I haven't actually thrown up, but I almost wonder if dealing with the nausea is worse than actually throwing up - though I have come really close and I do all the deep breathing and tricks I can come up with to not actually throw up.  I am not in the hospital or on bed rest and I can come to work every day and do my job relatively normally.  (don't ask my boss to confirm that though!) My blood pressure is normal (though for me that is an improvement) and my overall health is pretty normal as well.  I have only gained 2 pounds so far and that was in the last week.

But I still feel like crap. (did I say that already?)  I feel like I have a stomach bug and the flu all at one time.  I am achy, tired, BIG (even though I am not really showing yet, things are starting to get uncomfortable and quite frankly my boobs are like a separate country all on their own!) I can't get comfortable and no matter what I eat I have some awesome gastrointestinal rebellions going on constantly (I won't go in to that much detail but let's just say that nausea is not the only thing I am dealing with).  So while I am not nearly as badoff as many women can be during pregnancy, this is NO walk in the park.  Not that I expected it would be, but I am still waiting for the glowing "ahhhhh, I'm pregnant and isn't it wonderful" feeling to take hold.  So far, nada.

Now don't get me wrong....I really do believe this is a wonderful thing.  I can't begin to express my awe and joy over hearing my little one's heart beat and seeing her (or him!) on the sono screen.  To think that a child, an actual human being, is growing in me right now is amazing.  I am blown away that God would give me and my family this blessing.  But I do feel a little like Job....I know, that's dramatic, but I am pregnant, I get to be dramatic if I want to.

The fancy app I downloaded on my phone tells me each week how far along I am and what size the baby should be and what I should be feeling, etc.  It also tells me (as of today) only 195 more days to go!  With an explanation point.  Like that is awesome news!  UGGGHHHH! 195 days!?!?!  I might not survive.  I know, being dramatic again....here is praying for me to have an attitude change and an ability to focus on the positives.  Till next time, God Bless!

Patrick is going to need lots of prayers....

If the last 7 weeks are anything to go by, Patrick is going to need a LOT of prayers for sanity, peace and understanding - and maybe even a few breaks.  Or he will never survive the full nine months!  Nine months???  What????  That's right ladies and gentelmen - a true miracle has occured - and I am pregnant! 

I am only about 7 weeks along (the baby is measuring at 7 weeks, but the magic formula they use to determine due dates says I am about 8 weeks.  But you never know with the way my system is anyways).  My tentative due date is September 5th.   We had our first sonogram last Monday and everything looks good.  There is definitely a baby in there with a heart beat and everyting!  I was convinced that the seven (yes, I said SEVEN) pregnancy tests I had taken at home were a false positive meaning that I had some kind of cancer or a tumor, but that sonogram says otherwise.  I even asked the doctor before the sono if he was sure I didn't have a tumor....his response...."well, its kind of like a tumor, but its a BABY Kellie!".  Ok, ok, I believe!

Our little Peanut - or as I like to affectionately refer to as our "smudge".  If you click on the photo, you should be able to enlarge it enough to at least see the arrow so you know where exactly our baby smudgy is in this picture!  :)

Of course with my history of infertility and PCOS, this is going to be a bumpy ride.  I know you are supposed to wait to tell people until you have hit the second trimester just to be sure the risk of miscarriage has gone down.  But there are two reasons we decided to spill the beans now....the first and foremost is this is an honest to goodness, totally true and completely amazing miracle.  I am not just saying that to use dramatic words or paint a picture because it really is a miracle.  A blessing that should be celebrated and enjoyed for however long it lasts.  An announcement should be made over every loudspeaker, off every building on every street corner - at least I think so anyways.  God is AMAZING!  To give us this gift is more than we could even ask for.  And far more than we deserve I think, but then again, I am not about to go second guessing God and His plans!  So we shout it out for His glory so others can see what He has done for us.  No matter our sin - our doubts, our fears, our lack of faith, our mistakes.  He still loves us and continues to bless us.  Absolutely Amazing!  Sure, I lost a bit of weight (so excited about THAT coming back on!  :( ) but I don't think that was what did it.  I think God did it.  Bottom line.  It may be that I had to go through the weight loss or other trials to get me ready to be here, but God did this....not me.

The second reason is simple - what happens will happen and me telling people or not won't change that.  And since I am a big fat open book anyways, it won't really matter if we have to tell 1 person or 100 if something bad goes down (I know I am sounding morbid by all this talk, but I am also realistic).  So in the mean time, we will trust in God to do His will in our lives and enjoy every second along the way. 

And since we are being honest now, I am trully terrified.  I am happy and excited and even a little giddy - I had given up on the idea that I would even get to say that I was ever pregnant - but I am also terrified.  So don't let all the exclamation points and happy words fool you too much.  This "growing - a - small - human - in - you" thing is scary stuff!  Plus add in hungry and nauseous at the same time, moody and exhasuted all the time and sprinkle in some aches and pains and I am not making a very pretty picture these days.  Which brings us full circle does it not?  You know, to the part where everyone needs to say a lot of prayers for Patrick?  Maybe a weekly scheduled candlelight vigil or something where we have some mass praying all at one time might be a good idea.  I mean, I cried over bagles on Sunday for crying out loud!  And I nearly took his head off for not stopping to get me a bacon, egg and cheese biscuit instead of just telling me we would get something from the cafeteria when we got to work - well his head and the stupid lady in front of us that would NOT turn so we could get to the parking lot and I could go get my food!  They should make warning lights for pregnant women - like big flashing neon signs for each "warning" - "pregnant woman hungry - get out of the way!" or "hormonely emotional pregnant woman could erupt momentarily - be prepared for tears or venom!" or "exhausted pregnant woman - if you see this woman propped up against a wall or door jam sleeping while standing, cautiously approach to waker her up!"  I bet I could make a killing off of those things!

So there is our news (and the sublte request for help with Patrick's sanity) and our praise at the same time. We will certainly keep everyone updated - whether you want to know or not!  you know how I am! - and truly welcome any prayers you can throw our way.   Till next time... God Bless!

Say What? In the style of Mom Tried It

One of my favorite "mommy blogs" is Mom Tried It.  I check it every day just in case she has posted something new - and usually I love every post!  One of my favorite regularly occuring posts is the "Say What?" post she puts up every week.  It's something she has had to actaully say to her children that out or even in context is so funny - one would never have thought they would utter such words as a parent. 

So this morning I had a very "Say What?" moment with Gabriel.

"Gabriel, you will never have eat anything that causes baby kittens to grow in your belly."  Yup - I said it. 

Out of nowhere, Gabe lauched in to this story this morning in the car on the way to school about eating something and each bite turned in to a little baby kitten in his belly.  Then the baby kittens would grow and pop out of his belly.  Hence my comment above....

Don't ask me where he got that one from....I have no idea.  After being a bit blown away by the randomness of the story, I was slightly more impressed by his creativity.  Then of course Alex had to get in on the action and tell me that he had babies growing in his belly as well.  We had a little (very simple) anatomy lesson about how that was not going to happen (at least not without some serious medical advancements!) and he seemed to be ok with it at that point.

Some things you never expect when you become a parent....this little gems definitely fall in to that category.  But at least it isn't boring!  :)

Toddler Belt Featured Again!

So Cool!

Check out the  giveaway for The Ribbon Retreat + Fabric on Ucreate Kids......that just happens to feature the tutorial on the toddler belt I did! 

So Fun!