THREE!!!!

This past Saturday we had a great birthday party for Cooper. I can NOT believe that my baby is three years old. Crazy. His theme was Thomas the Tank Engine. We had almost the entire family there and it was a fun day of celebration!

The cake was good. Although very blue. :)

The guests were delightful...

and the presents were fun!

And I found out what happens when you ask a three year old to show me his shirt. LOL

It was a great day. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY PRECIOUS LITTLE BOY! I love you Cooper!

Somber

While I am fully intending to write all about Cooper and his third birthday, I feel like today I need to pause to honor the four officers that were killed just down the street from our house. I took the kids out in the 20 degree weather this morning to stand on the side of the road and wait for the procession of over 2,000 cars going to the officers memorial service. We were all horribly cold and Cooper was crying from the cold by the time we left (we left after standing their for an hour - it continued after we left for another two hours). But it was so worth the sacrifice. I kept reminding Kaelyn that we are sacrificing a couple hours of bitter cold to honor them, when these four officers sacrificed their LIVES to protect us. This loss has affectecd our entire community. It has brought a community together like I have never seen before. I'm torn deep down to the core about the pain these families are feeling. And feeling so much more grateful for those who serve us every single day.

Part of the fire department that was standing next to us.

The beginning of the procession and the first of the fallen officers caskets.
The families of the officers. Tears just gushed as these cars drove by. I squeezed my kids a little tighter too.

So from us to all of our officers, fire fighters, military personnel, and their families...

Three years ago today

I promise to post more later tonight about the weekend's birthday festivities. But in the meantime, I wanted to post something remembering our day three years ago.

Double Digits

So, if you take a peek at my "ticker" at the top of my blog you'll see that I'm down to 99 days until my due date. How in the world did I get to double digits! Eeek! That makes it seem so much closer. I realize it's still a ways off, but its definitely approaching at a rapid pace.

So, feelings about this pregnancy thus far...

I feel pregnant. Really pregnant. In multiple ways. I'm getting bigger by the second. I'm sure of it! I'm also feeling the aches and pains of pregnancy start to set in. I've had a lot of lower back issues, but I'm hoping and praying they will go away as soon as this baby comes out. At that time I'm sure I'll have other "issues" that will take over from the lower back pain. LOL The positive part about feeling really pregnant is that I'm feeling this little girl moving a lot more than I was awhile ago. It's such a creepy yet amazing experience. This is one of the parts that I'm sad I missed with my other two miracles. When I tuck the kids in to bed at night and sit down in my chair and start relaxing she starts to go crazy. A couple nights ago I was kind of slouching in the chair and all of a sudden I saw my belly JUMP out of the corner of my eye. She did it again about 4 times. It was so funny. Of course, Jeff couldn't see any of it no matter how hard he tried. I'm finding that while I don't enjoy the kicks to the bladder, I do really enjoy feeling that movement all the time. I like know that she's safe in there, that she's "still kickin" and that all is well.

I only have another week until I enter the third trimester (well, there is some debate over whether it starts with the 27th week or the 28th week but I'm going with the former). I really am finding it hard to believe that I'm already that far along. And I know that with the holidays and all the birthdays that are cramp packed in the next two months that life will speed by and then it will be almost time!

I also am not feeling very prepared for this little one. And actually when I really think about it, that's not true. The only thing we really NEED is another car seat, other than that everything else is just a perk. But I think that because I'm not preparing a nursery this time around (we're not even bringing the crib back to the house) that its making me feel like I'm not preparing enough. But truthfully, I only have a few more things that I want to get.... A bouncey seat, a swing, obviously a car seat, and a boppy. I really need to get started on making all the diapers I need, but I've gotten a great start on covers and wool for the diapers which is nice. Of course, there are things that I'd *LIKE* to have too - like a double jogging stroller - but if that doesn't happen its definately not the end of the world.

So, I guess I really am more prepared than I think I am. Now the hard part... to MENTALLY prepare myself for baby #3. That's gonna take a little bit I think. :)

Thanksgiving 2009

We have so much to be thankful for this year. This Thanksgiving we celebrated with a big dinner (I know - shocking, huh?) at my parents house. It's been awhile since we've been with my family for this holiday as we usually go to my inlaws. But we were expecting out of town family to come so we all planned to be at my parents house. Unfortunately, the family that was coming had last minute car issue and couldn't make it :( but we had a nice time celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday nonetheless. Kaelyn spent the night at my parents house on Wednesday night and helped my mom prepare and decorate for the occasion. Here are some pictures of the special table decorations.

The kids and grandma made turkeys from their hands and feet (a tradition we hope to carry on throughout the next several years)

And the kids just had fun playing together. Yeah, these boys don't like each other at ALL! :)

So, from our family to yours - HAPPY THANKSGIVING! What a perfect way to start the holiday season!