5.28.2009

80 Pecent Sure...

...We're having another BOY!

I'm only 15 weeks along, but had some initial internal bleeding that the OB wanted to keep his eye on, so we got an early peek at the baby today! The tech said she may not be able to see anything, but that she'd tell me if she could. Even I could see that there was a suspicious little "something" that kept appearing around the legs and tummy!

She told me, "Don't buy blue yet, but I'd say there's a little boy in there!" I said, "Don't worry, we're not buying ANYTHING!" (PTL) ;)

Caleb is SUPER excited, I'm very excited, a boy is what I guessed based on comparing this pregnancy to my previous two. Cam will have a baby brother and Elly will reign as House Princess :)

Thank you, Lord, for a healthy baby!

5.21.2009

Love Them


They're perfect, no?

5.19.2009

Popsicles On The Deck

I was so proud of Minnesota today...we made it to 97 degrees! This is the warmest it's been since July of 2007!! And in May! We soaked up all the Vitamin D we could today, first a playdate with friends Jackson and Anderson, then an afternoon outside.

The temp was still hovering around 90 at 6:30, so after supper, I gave Cam & Ells each their own popsicle to enjoy! I don't know that Cameron ever got a popsicle all to himself (to have and to hold) last summer, so he didn't know what to do at first! Elly got the hang of it right away, and 10 minutes later, I had two incredibly happy, extremely sticky babies to pop into the bathtub. I gave the deck a little shower, too. :) Summer fun!

P.S. My popsicles of choice: Target brand Tropical Pops! $1.79 for 24 pops without icky flavors like banana and root beer (think strawberry kiwi, pina colada, pineapple, etc.!) Yum.

This is the life!

If I eat fast enough, can I have another?

Mmmmm! The messier, the tastier :)

5.17.2009

Why Today Was Great...

...My husband didn't have to work! Church, lunch, playtime...all day with Caleb.

...It was baptism day at church. L-O-V-E water baptisms and hearing people's stories. I am always blessed, I always cry. Good, good, good.

...Prepared lunch last night - just re-heat and serve!

...Found out that my sister's BFF and bridesmaid ordered a dress TWO SIZES too big for Laura's wedding, so we can switcheroo and my belly is accommodated, and this mistake turns out to be a huge blessing to the ever-expanding-sister-bridesmaid who ordered her dress before she knew she was pregnant :)

...Great deal on a comfortable, supportive pair of sandals at Kohl's, plus an extra 30% off! An hour of [solo] window shopping and browsing included. Happy continued Mother's Day to me :)

...A walk to the park and happy kiddos playing on BIG slides (Daddy is tall enough to assist).

...Grilled chicken ceasar salad for supper -- a warm weather family favorite. YUM.

...Cameron stays dry ALL AFTERNOON and goes legitimate potty on the toilet before bed. I know, it's probably a mere flash in the ongoing blackness...but today is a great day and this just made it better!

...Malts before bed :)

...Husband and I watch NBA playoff game before peacefully drifting off to sleep (OK - not a perfect day...I'm not gonna complain!)

Hope your Sundays were as fantastic as mine!

5.16.2009

Twins Win!

The day after her first birthday (May 14), Elly got the chance to go to her very FIRST Minnesota Twins game! One of Caleb's co-workers got us free tickets in the 32nd row - perfect seats because we were right next to a staircase and in the back of the section so we could stand up if needed! Thanks KK, it was such a blessing!

We were close enough to the field that Cameron could identify Joe Mauer when he came up to bat and caught!! The Twins made an awesome comeback in the 7th inning and won the game, 6-5. Caleb made us stay and I was so glad! Cam & Elly got a little fed up around the 6th inning, but then Elly fell asleep on me and Cam got really into the cheering and whistling everyone was doing to fire up the team!

I had the backpack so stuffed with snacks that the security guard laughed at me when he searched it before I went in! Let's say the kids didn't get too hungry :) We got a beverage and a hot dog for Cam & Elly to share, but didn't deal with any other stadium food (too expensive, and too close quarters to guarantee non-spillage!)

We truly had a blast! Like I said before, Elly fell asleep in the seventh inning and stayed asleep almost the whole way to the car...so she got quite a few "Awwwws" along the way! She looked so precious in her Twins shirt and white bow! We got home that night and ate grilled steaks (we saved them for a special night!), salad and red potatoes. We finished the night with strawberries and ice cream! It was a wonderful celebration and great to spend a whole day with Caleb as he's been putting in mega hours at work lately.

Thanks again, KK (and Kris) for the tickets and for being such a good sport sitting with the CraSiehs the whole game! We had an awesome time celebrating our sweet Miss Ellly!

All dressed and ready to cheer on the Twins!

Uh...was I supposed to be enjoying this baseball game??

Elly with the right hook to brother's face!

My plan worked, haha! Now I have the seat ALL to myself...

The joke's on you, Elly! I got fruit snacks!
(Check out these seats, amazing!!!)

Now we both got Daddy. :)
Getting sleepy...

The Twins-loving fam! Great memories!

The Life Of A Princess

Living the life of a princess...our Elly has had quite the week when it comes to celebrations. This past weekend, we were in Iowa with family and friends for a party at Papa & Mema's house, where Elly had her first cupcake! After much initial hesitation, she decided it was indeed delicious and she should continue to chow down! We also munched on fruit pizza, Grandma Shouse's breadsticks and pickle wrap dip. We were blessed with so many adorable gifts, from books and pajamas to dresses and dollies. What a wonderful day!

Yes, I suppose I could eat some more of this... :)

On her actual birthdate, May 13, Elly had a fun day at home with Cameron & me. Caleb worked an open to close (not to worry, he was home the next day), so we just spent the day doing all of Elly's favorite things! I made her favorites for each meal: homemade waffles with LOTS of syrup for breakfast, hot dogs and ketchup for lunch (and strawberries for dessert), and spaghetti and meatballs for supper! I also made a lemon cake (hey - when the child is to young too express her wishes, the [pregnant] mother shall choose for her)! We played with fridge letters, bubbles, balloons and had a bath at the end of the day - Elly's MOST favorite! Another fantastic day :)

No time to get dressed today, Mom!
We've got more important things to do!


As if that weren't enough...we thought we should maybe do ONE more thing to celebrate...

Baseball game, anyone?

My Excuse

I am dreadfully sorry for my lack of posts lately. I blame it on first trimester exhaustion and this. My brain ceases to carry out many normal functions when I'm pregnant...so creativity is at the bottom of my list. Notice that I didn't even BEGIN blogging until Elly was 4 months old??

Nonetheless, I'm going to try my best to keep churning out info, at the very least to keep you updated on how the babies are doing. I have an arsenal of videos and pics from the last month or so, so that should keep me rolling for awhile!

Here's the first installment. Love so strong it can't be withheld...even in the bathtub :)



Happy weekend, everyone!

5.04.2009

Party Time!

I tried my hand at designing invitations for Elly's birthday party, and they came out OK! All those Layout & Design classes I took in college are thankfully stickin' with me. :) Caleb helped with the logistics, too, thanks babe!


I'm making mini fruit pizzas and some kind of cupcakes (can you say red velvet?) as well as some snacks for her little party this coming weekend. I just love the pics of babies tearing into their first piece of cake on their birthdays! Can't believe my baby girl is going to be ONE in less than two weeks!!