Random Shots

Yes, that is Ashlyn sucking her big toe! Where she comes up with these things I have no idea. But she has been doing this randomly for the last couple of weeks now. I guess that double jointedness makes it oh, so easy to do. :)

The Diva makes Gavin chauffeur her around in this jeep. There is just one small problem, he can barely cram himself into it anymore. Check out his knees! I was laughing over this sight yesterday afternoon. This jeep was his third birthday present. It has been well loved as you can see from the following picture.

What a difference 4 years makes!

This one I took last night because it is just so sweet! It is very rare for Whitney to fall asleep on the sofa. She'd been to a sleepover party the night before so I'm pretty sure she didn't get a lot of sleep. Ashlyn-the-Snuggle-Bug couldn't resist joining her.

Out of the Mouths of Babes

Tonight Gavin and I went out on a date just the two of us. We started off the evening at Ruby Tuesday's where we dined on mini burgers and french fries with lots of ketchup! I wanted to talk to him about how when I have the baby I will be at the hospital for a few days and where he would stay and so forth. I also, mentioned that I would not feel too well for awhile and wouldn't be able to do a lot right away. To which he replied in a very puzzled tone of voice, "So you'll lay on the couch and watch TV and Dad will do everything?" I couldn't wait to get home and share this little nugget of wisdom with Chris! Next we were off to Fun Factory where we enjoyed a game of glow-in-the-dark miniature golf. And we capped off the evening with ice cream at Smooochies. Where Gavin requested a double scoop of cookies and cream. The sales girl kept asking him if he was sure he could eat it all. He insisted he could and he did eat every last drop of delicious goodness!

Funny Question

Yesterday as Whitney and I were driving home from her piano lesson she asked me this question. She said, why is it that when a woman is pregnant her belly looks SOOOO BIG but then when the baby is born it is SOOOO TINY? I was chuckling to myself, thinking someday when that baby comes out of your body, you won't think it is quite so tiny! It is all about perspective, isn't it? Instead I gave her the more scientific answer that I knew she would like better and just explained that the pregnant belly isn't just baby but also amniotic fluid, placenta etc. This seemed to satisfy her but I am still chuckling over it. =D

Toranado Warnings & Mud

The hill Sadie drug Gavin down.

Gavin didn't want me to take this photo. Can you tell?

There is nothing like emergency sirens blaring away at 6:00 am to start the day off right! I am not a morning person and I need my sleep, lots of sleep. Saturdays are pretty much my only day to sleep in and I look forward to them immensely. I wasn't too thrilled to find myself crammed in the downstairs half bath with all three kids, reading poems from Shel Silverstein's "Where the Sidewalk Ends". Where was Chris? Oh, he was outside hoping to see a tornado while fighting the urge to hop in the car and try to track one down. His need to protect his family was a little stronger though and he resisted the temptation. Thankfully the storm passed us by and we were eventually able to leave the bathroom.


The day might have started out with wicked weather but ended up in blue skies and sunshine. The kids and I took Sadie for a walk since she had been housebound for the last couple days due to the torrential rains. I'm not sure what came over Sadie because she is usually very mellow and scared of everyone and everything. She literally dragged Gavin (knocking him down onto his tummy) down a muddy hill in order to confront someones berserk dog. Poor Gavin had his hand looped through the leash. Whitney had to rescue him since I was waddling along behind them with Ashlyn.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Craving

I uploaded these pictures in reverse order but I'm too lazy to start over. Here's Ashlyn enjoying the best part of baking - the clean up!

Whoopsie!! Look closely, notice the oats that are spilt everywhere. Such a big help.

Mommy's Little Helper. The first photo I took because she just looked so cute. That chair is her best friend and my worst enemy.

Whitney was giving me grief the other day about how I needed to post something new on my blog. She loves reading my blog and finds me sooo amusing! She laughs and laughs and even likes to revisit old favorites. I know this won't always be the case so I have to enjoy it while I can. =) Not much of interest going on hence this cookie post.

Yesterday, after intense deliberations on my part, I decided to make oatmeal raisin cookies just for me since I have been craving them for quite some time. My kids won't eat them and Chris is on a particularly strong health nut kick so I have to hide them from him or suffer through yet another "are you trying to make me fat" lecture. Last time I made them he made a healthy version that tasted like cardboard and I was forced to sample them. And I really didn't want Whitney and Gavin to know or I would have to hear them complain about why I didn't make chocolate chip. Sheesh! The twisted mind games I have to go through just for a cookie. Though I did give some away to my neighbors so they won't all be going straight to my behind. If anyone has a great recipe, I would love to have it. I don't make them very often so I just try a different recipe every time but have yet to find one I love.

Little Question Mark

Whitney has taken to referring to the baby as Little Question Mark as we are still nowhere near to choosing a name for this little guy. Gavin votes for Bear, in honor of Bear Grylls of Man vs. Wild on the Discovery channel. My main worry with this is that we would have a nudist on our hands. As anyone who has seen the show knows, Bear seems to have a hard time keeping his clothes on. =D Whitney votes for Zachary, she says if we don't use it she will someday. This one is actually a pretty solid choice. And Ashlyn likes Jesus. Hmm...Jesus Weaver...uh, no. Somehow it just seems sacrilegious to name your child Jesus not to mention pretty daunting for a child to live up to. Meanwhile Chris and I keep hoping for a lightning bolt of inspiration but so far it has yet to strike.

I am 29 weeks along now so only 10 more weeks to go! (My doctor has already said we will go ahead and do the c-section at 39 weeks, so he should be arriving around May 14th.) I had a high definition ultrasound yesterday because they wanted to get a really good look at his heart since Ashlyn was born with a bicuspid aortic valve. Dr. Dobak pronounced his heart "gorgeous" though so no worries there. This was my second high definition ultrasound during this pregnancy and they are so much clearer, its amazing! His face was so clear and we could even see the individual hairs sticking up on his head. In the past I've just had the routine ultrasounds, no 3D's either so I was pretty impressed. The technician said he is weighing in at 3 lbs. 1 oz. All my babies have been very active but I think he takes the prize for the strongest.

A couple of weeks ago we finally started buying baby gear and I think this has really made the whole thing seem more real to Ashlyn and Gavin. Ashlyn loves to carry around an outfit or put a stuffed animal in his swing and push it. Or basically just fiddle around with all the baby stuff. She informed me that she wants her baby brother NOW! I think she honestly expected me to hand him over that instant and was pretty disappointed when he wasn't immediately produced for her enjoyment. Gavin keeps asking how much longer and talking about feeding him his bottle. (He loved to snuggle Ashlyn and feed her a bottle when she was a baby.) Chris is obsessed with finding the perfect crib bedding and is torn between the age old battle of price vs. the bedding of his dreams. With the added catch of matching Gavin's bedding with it. He has literally spent hours online searching.

Snow!?!

Big fat snowflakes too!

What is this stuff!?!

Snowing=Scooter Time!

Yesterday we woke up to Snow!!! Okay, so it was more like snow flurries that didn't stick but still a very, very rare sight in lower Alabama! The kids were pretty excited. Especially Gavin who really misses snow. He always says he wants us to live somewhere it snows next time we move. Just try to ignore the fact that my children look like urchins and know that Whitney picked out that outfit all by herself. =)