Me at 37 weeks...

Well, I promised a friend that I would take a picture to document a little bit of this pregnancy...here it is! 37 week along with #4! I was about to post some pictures of my swollen feet but I decided that I would have to put a disclaimer first...they are pretty crazy swollen!!

Grandpa and the Orchard

Well, we had Grandpa come for a visit this weekend and boy did we have fun! From the moment the kids got home from school on Friday until we drove him to the airport Monday night we kept him busy! Elise was loving having someone new to read to and show off her school work to. Zachary and Thomas had him wrestling, playing board games (the kids rules of course...very hard to beat them!) and reading stories. We spent Saturday at the apple orchard and had a blast. The weather was cool but not too cold, just a crisp fall day.

They tried their hand at milking a cow (a wooden one).

They had fun running through the corn maze...for a minute or two.

Then there was the train ride.

Thomas was so excited...but once it started he kept saying "can we go SO fast?". I guess it wasn't quite his speed...until he saw all the apple trees!

Here's the family, before the new addition... (WOW! am I ever puffy!! but happy to be there none the less!)

Well Grandpa, we had so much fun having you here! The kids are still talking about how much they miss you...Zac says " I really like Grandpa, I think it's because He's so funny!". Can't wait to see you next time!

Iowa, Here We Come!!!

Well, Josh had to give a residency presentation back at Des Moines University so we all decided to come along for the ride. We LOVED our time living in Iowa and were excited to be able to see some old friends again. The kids were so excited to get to pull a suit case and stay in a hotel! This is the kids before checking in to the Hotel in downtown Des Moines. It was BEAUTIFUL!!

This is the view of the atrium from our room on the 8th floor. So fun! The kids just kept saying "this is SO SWEET!! Don't you think this is SWEET?!". I have to say that, while I may have an increased appetite being quite pregnant, the made to order omelets and hot breakfast was MY favorite part of the hotel!

We were able to relax and visit with friends. I didn't seem to have my camera out for any of that except this one of Elise trying her hand at pool. We loved seeing everyone! Thank you for the delicious dinners!!

While Josh was giving his presentation at the school the kids and I decided to hang out on campus and play around outside. This picture of the 3 kids cracks me up...both boys have the same expression on their faces!

They had some fun playing in the mist too. Actually, every time the mist came back on we HAD to run outside again!

We were pretty hungry by the end so we ventured to the nearest Olive Garden, knowing that there was something for everyone on the menu!

However, both boys were fast asleep by the time we got there and didn't even wake up when we moved to the table!

Thomas will usually wake up happy if there is tasty food waiting for him (in this case it was cheese pizza). Zachary...well not so much! He needs to eat right away or the emotions start in...

I'm sure he won't appreciate us including this little glimpse into our "real" life...but we aren't always a pretty pose! Thank goodness for ALFREDO sauce! Zac's latest love. This picture is blurry but he was shoveling it in so fast I couldn't get a good picture...you get the idea though!

Our evenings were spent walking around downtown Des Moines. I laugh at the thought that this area used to intimidate me! Here are the kids pretending to ice skate on the outdoor skating rink (minus the ice).

What a pretty little garden!

We had so much fun. I don't think we realized just how much we missed it until we went back. It really did feel like we were visiting home again.

Project Overload!

Well, there may be a little picture overload as well. I still have a lengthy "to do" list but I have decided that some things can wait a little longer! Here are the last of my completed projects. First off was my kitchen table and chairs. The chairs had been painted a while ago but the table was in DESPERATE need of some TLC! It had a broken leg (thank you to a handy friend who fixed that for us!). We bought this table at a garage sale when we moved here over 2 years ago and the previous owners had it in storage...which left it with a black end.

There were stamps (like the hula girl below) and plenty of marker stains from our kids that needed to go!

Here is the "after" shot. It was a little darker stain on the top than we planned. Our sweet Zachary wanted to "help" with the staining after I had finished the first coat. We had to put an extra coat on just fix all the "helpful" brush strokes that were going in every different direction. So, it looks almost black unless it is in the sunlight...still a better look than the hula girl though!

Next was the Baby's dresser. We had no extra drawers to squeeze this one's clothes into so I needed to get creative! Once we found the dresser, I realized that I already had what I needed to refinish it. So, with the help of a friend (who must have been inspired to call when she did...THANK YOU MARY!!) I was able to get the dresser moved outside, sanded, primed and painted in record time.

The funny part is that the hardware was more expensive than the dresser and refinish put together... but the dresser worked out perfectly for what we needed!

Now for the sewing part. I found a tutorial for a really cute (and easy) nursing cover on a friends blog http://sewmuchado.blogspot.com/2009/02/description-stylish-and-practical.html
I have never worked with boning before but I had so much fun putting this together!

After I finished the nursing cover I moved on to the rag edged receiving blankets (the tutorial is from the same friend's blog http://sewmuchado.blogspot.com/2009/09/rag-edge-receiving-blanket-tutorial.html). Once I cut out the blankets I decided I had enough material to make some matching burp clothes. All together I did 3 receiving blankets and 6 burp cloths and I think they turned out pretty cute! They are nice and big (my babies seem to out grow the usual ones pretty fast)...and SO soft!

Well, that wraps it up for now. Like I said, I still have a lot more on my list but that will have to wait until after baby I think!

Zac's 1st day of Preschool

Zachary was SO excited for his first day of school. We were counting down for quite a long time it seamed. Once the day finally arrived He was beaming from ear to ear! We had planned out his outfit (he calls them his "hip hop" clothes...and was dancing all through the store when were trying them on...where was my camera!!), he picked out his "Army" backpack that is half his size but no other backpack would do! and he posed for all the pictures I asked for (not necessarily the "pose" I wanted but he let me try to take pictures while he ran around on the step). I think it rubbed off on Thomas...he HAD to wear his backpack like Zac.

This is Thomas after trying to run away to school...he was a little jealous of all the school attention on his older siblings that he packed his backpack with a fruit cup and a toy gun and took off on Elise's barbie scooter. It was a scary few minutes, but thankfully we caught him before he got too far off! He wasn't too concerned about it and he came home peacefully once I explained that the schools were closed at 7:30pm. What a monkey!

Elise's 1st day of Grade 1

This is Elise before leaving for her 1st day of grade 1. She was SO excited! I'm not sure what she was more excited about...starting school or not having to deal with her brothers teasing her all day!

While Elise was at school all day her brothers kept busy building forts and "beds for the baby" like this one below...

They were collecting EVERY single blanket, quilt, pillow and couch cushion in the house for this "project"...what a mess! But the laughs were worth it.

By 10:00am they were asking if we could go and get Elise, by noon Thomas was just tuckered out! He took a quilt to the love seat, set his glasses aside and was asleep in about 15 seconds! What a sweetheart! (we don't actually have naps anymore...but how can you say "no" to this little chocolate mustache face?)

Double Trouble!!

I realize that the picture is a little blurry but it turns out that it's the only one I have. Just before school started up again Elise informed us that she had, not one but TWO loose teeth. I was trying to let them stay until after pictures but quickly realized that that battle was already lost. So, I convinced her to let me wiggle the teeth before bed...there was a lot of panic and tears on her part (before I even touched her tooth!). Before we knew it the tooth was out. Now, on to the next one right? WRONG! Elise was not about to let me "wiggle" that second tooth...even if it was hanging forward! So, we left it alone and let her finish getting ready for bed. She went to open her water bottle with her mouth and out popped her tooth! She said she couldn't even feel it fall out and was beaming from ear to ear for the rest of the night. Two teeth at a time! Now the middle two are loose as well as two on the bottom. Poor Elise, has had to give up eating apples, corn on the cob and well...pretty much anything solid that requires biting down!