2 more months?!?

Erick took this tummy shot (below) of me today. It is August 12th and I am scheduled for my c-section on October 12th...2 more months!!!! I feel huge! I don't know how I can go another 8 1/2 weeks!


Erick seems to think this one will be a nine-pounder...Will was 8 lbs. 3 oz and a little over a week early. I was so miserable that last month with Will because there was absolutely no room (I remind you I am only 5' 2"). I don't think my skin will stretch to fit a nine-pounder!


Natalie tends to remind me on an almost daily basis how "huge" I am getting. I know she is not being spiteful when she says these things to me, but it really is starting to get to me (blame it on the hormones). Last week, she said to me, "Mom, you're just like the queen bee." To which I replied, "Thank you!" (thinking this was a compliment) Then she comes back with, "You're just too fat to fly." (side note....Nat had learned from a family friend, who happens to be a beekeeper, that the queen bee rarely leaves the hive...she literally is too fat to fly...usually because she's pregnant) So, I'm glad my daughter remembers interesting facts from the beekeeper...I just don't like it when she applies them to me. : )


The summer heat is finally upon us! We had our first official 100 degree day yesterday. I am so thankful that these hot days are coming in mid-August and not mid-May like last year. However, with the heat comes swelling and being uncomfortable. I am praying for an early fall!

Mountain Memories

Last week, the kiddos went with my parents (Granny and Grandad) and my mom's side of the family to New Mexico. We usually go every July or August and stay in some cabins in the mountains about 30 minutes outside of Taos. I just couldn't make the trip this year....being so pregnant and no real good hospital nearby, so Erick and I stayed home while the kiddos headed off! Erick and I have to give a big "thank you" to Mom, Dad, my Aunt Sandy, my Uncle Jim, my Grandad and my cousins. They took it upon themselves to take care of these wild 'n crazy kiddos for a week and they all managed to survive! The kids had a blast and Erick and I were able to get so much done around the house (Erick took the week off so we could set up the nursery, clean and organize the kiddos' rooms, clean out the playroom, organize the garage, etc.). Thank you! Thank you!

Here are Natalie, Will and Granny by the river that runs right behind our two cabins. The kiddos tried their hand at fishing again this year, but they didn't have any luck. Last year, they caught some, but the fish were just being tricky this year!

Swinging! How old do you think that swing set must be?!

This is a picture of the clouds coming into the valley where the cabins are. They had several good, afternoon rains while they were there. One afternoon, the storm dropped the temp down into the 40's!

Making mud pies...a favorite tradition the kids have with their "Auntie!"

A family picture on the last day. Left to right: my cousin Stuart, my cousin Jeff, Jeff's wife Jen, Natalie, Granny/Mom, Will, and Grandad/Dad. Not pictured: Auntie, Uncle Jim or my Grandad, Harvy.

Just call them "Emeril" and "Rachael"

The kiddos enjoyed a "field trip" to a new place in town yesterday. It is called YOUNG CHEFS ACADEMY. The kiddos get to complete a recipe, learn cooking skills and kitchen safety, and then eat what they make. They had a blast! Of course, since they already cook with their daddy so much, I just knew they'd enjoy it!

Measuring their flour & learning to level it off...

They were making cheesy bread sticks for their recipe. Nat got to add the olive oil.

Will got to add the yeast.

After they rolled out their dough and sliced it into bread sticks, each child got to coat their dough strips with egg white and then add cheese. Will kept saying the whole time, "I'm hungry!" I had to convince him to wait to eat the bread sticks until after they were baked.

And here they are enjoying their cheesy bread sticks! They washed them down with some "Pirate Punch" they had made. We had a marvelous time and plan on heading back soon.

Tennis Camp

Natalie and Will
participated in a
week-long mini tennis
camp this week put on
by the city. They both
seemed to enjoy it pretty
much, although Will
cried part of the time
the first day. They had
some adults working with
them and then some
local high school tennis
team members helped
out, too. Thank goodness
it was inside! Momma
would have fried sitting
out in the sun that long!
Good planning on
someone's part.

Will had a tendency to
throw or kick
every ball that came
his way...we're thinking
he may be more suited
for baseball or soccer!
He also showed "left
hand dominance" which
Erick and I had been
suspecting. We won't
know or sure until they
test him in preschool
this year, but everytime
he went to throw the
ball or swing the racket,
it was always with his
left hand! This family
needs a lefty!

Natalie's favorite part
was checking out the
cute tennis skirts on
some of the female
coaches. She informed us
the first day that she
needed one of those so
she could be "stylish!"

On the last day, the kids
got to run through a
"tennis tunnel" (the coaches
holding the rackets up),
take one last swing and then
they each got their own tube
of tennis balls! They were
thrilled!

Stickers, Ponies and Spiderman

The kiddos behavior has been a little "shaky" this summer. I think it's a combo of being trapped inside with all the rain and just being on a different schedule than during the school year. So, to help motivate them to make better choices, we implemented sticker charts about a month ago. With each 5 stickers they earn, they get a small treat like a Happy Meal or a snow cone. Then, they each set a goal for a big reward when they completely filled up the chart with stickers (Erick and I are not above bribery). Natalie chose a pony ride and Will chose a Spiderman toy of some sort. Natalie completed her chart first and Erick scheduled a horse ride for her at a local horse park.

Here is Nat putting her final sticker on the chart!

Will quickly completed his chart after Nat, so it was off to Toys R Us!

Natalie was able to bring carrots and apples to feed the horses before her scheduled ride. Erick said she adored petting the horses and loving on them...she wants one of her own so bad! All of the horses and ponies were very docile and are very accustomed to having kiddos love and pet on them. Of course, she had to wear her pink cowboy boots and her red cowboy hat (which was a little too small to fit around her noggin...but, she had to wear it anyways)!

Natalie's horse was named "Crash." She loved all 5 minutes of the ride...you see, a few minutes after this picture was taken, a storm blew in and they were forced to cancel the ride early. They said they would reschedule Nat's ride. Funny thing...they have rescheduled twice since this first ride, and both times it has been cancelled due to rain! Crazy! As of this post, she is still waiting to complete her horse ride.

Brother and I headed to Toys R Us and he picked out a Spiderman outfit. He was so excited! He put it on right when we got home and was having a blast until Erick held him up to a mirror and he saw himself. He got a little freaked out and hasn't put it on since. Oh well! Maybe he'll adjust to it in the coming weeks!

Dad's (a.k.a. Grandad) Birthday!

We celebrated my dad's birthday this past Tuesday, July 3rd. We always do dinner together and then head over to the fireworks in Addison...Kaboom Town (they always do their fireworks on the 3rd). We had a great time and the kids enjoyed celebrating with their Grandad!

Of course, the kiddos had to help open his presents. What's more fun than ripping off papers and bows?!

The kids also helped to blow out the candles on his cake. I won't tell you how old he turned, but I bet if you take a pretty close look at the cake, you can tell for yourself!

We love you, Dad/Grandad! Happy Birthday!

Independence Day!

HAPPY 4TH, EVERYONE!

We hope you have an awesome day
with family and friends!

What is it???

I am so confused!! The entire first half of this pregnancy, I thought I was for sure having another little boy. Now, however, my feelings have switched and I feel like it could be a girl. Yes, Erick and I chose not to find out what we're having...we want the surprise since we know it's our last. I was actually so convinced I was having another boy, that I was going to buy some "blue" stuff and stash it away. I guess I'll have to wait until October now!

Why I think it might be a boy:
-face broke out real bad at first like it did with Will
-had little to none morning sickness like I did with Will (I was "sick as a dog" with Natalie)
-craved some of the same things I did with Will
-the way I was carrying (straight out in front) the first 20 wks. was like I did with Will
-lots of back pain like I had during Will's pregnancy
-lots of kicking going on in there...just like it did with Will

Why I think it might be a girl:
-I have started carrying this baby like I did Nat (more rounded...not straight out)
-I have started retaining fluid and gaining weight quicker like I did with Natalie
-At my appt. on Tuesday, my OB looked back at my charts and said this pregnancy seems to be
resembling Natalie's more than Will's
-The heart-rate has been consistently high (usually a girl...it was that way with Nat)
-Chinese Lunar Calendar: In 2001 it said Nat would be a boy...WRONG! In 2004, it said Will
would be a girl...WRONG! Now, for 2007, it says this one will be a boy...will it be WRONG
again?!?
-Having killer heartburn like I had with Natalie!

So your guess is as good as mine! If you would like to take a guess, please feel free to comment at the end of this post! I am curious as to other's opinions on this. Who knows? Maybe we'll all pool our money and make a bet out of this!! Ha!

Fathers Day 2007

Happy Fathers Day 2007!

We had a great day yesterday going to my parents' church in Dallas and then we all headed to Pappadeaux's for lunch.

Below is the #1 daddy at our house. The kiddos love and adore him (as do I)! For his special gift, we gave him a winemaking kit in order to make some Italian Sangiovese wine (it makes about 30 bottles). I can't wait to try the wine (although it will be a while)!

This was picture #1 that I took of the 3 of them yesterday morning...

This is picture #5 I took of them yesterday morning...I gave up on getting the perfect shot! They sure look cute, though!

Here is the whole gang at Pappadeaux's for lunch yesterday. Starting with Will in the center-front and going clockwise around...my dad, my brother, my mom, Natalie (leaning back), my mother-in-law, my father-in-law (just peeking out) and Erick. We had a good time and some great food! I hope all the "Fathers" had a great day!

Potty Party

Will got to participate in a "Mida Family Tradition" this past Thursday evening. We went to Chuck E. Cheese to celebrate his "potty successes" of the last two weeks. Will seems to have FINALLY got the potty-thing down...we have been having lots of rewards and treats! Thursday was an super-excellent day for him, so we decided to head to Chuck E. Cheese for dinner (just like we did with Nat when she was going through this 3 1/2 years ago). Chuck E. Cheese is always the Mida's ultimate reward for a fabulous day of going to the potty!

Of course, we had some pizza and salad first. Although, Will was jumping up and down in his seat begging to go play games and ride rides!

Will had a blast playing games! He loved getting the tickets and saving them up (he's my little hoarder). And, he didn't have any accidents while we were out...yea!!!! We are so proud of you Will!

My Little Fishies

The kiddos finished a two week course of swim lessons this past week. Natalie needed some serious refreshing and basic skills help and this was Will's first experience with swim lessons. They both did awesome and grew so much more comfortable in the water during the two weeks. They took their lessons at an indoor facility in Plano...Emler Swim School. I would HIGHLY recommend it to anyone! They are huge believers in positive reinforcement...lots of praise and rewards. Natalie was in a class with two other girls. She was "chatty-patty" the whole time! She started wearing goggles because one of the other girls did...now, when we go to the pool, she has to have them.

Below is a picture of Natalie and her instructor, Mr. Devon. She started out with Ms. Tracey, but she left after one week due to illness. They were both wonderful and Natalie seemed to really respond to both! By the end of her two weeks, Natalie could swim (head under) one length of the pool, float on her back, and do the doggie paddle one length of the pool. This is fabulous progress considering she really didn't like to put her face in at the start of the two weeks!

This is Will with his instructor, Mr. John. Will cried the whole first week. He would go to class and participate, but he whined the whole time and didn't seem to be enjoying himself. Then, the next Monday we went in, he started to do great...he seemed to be having fun and he was anxious to go and get in the water! Mr John said Will probably realized that he wasn't going to let anything bad happen to him (trust factor) and then he was able to relax and enjoy himself.

By the end of the two weeks, will could go about 8 or so seconds under the water holding his breath, he could get up and down out of the pool by himself (crucial), and he could do a 5-second "rough" swim under the water (with the instructor guiding his head).

"WE DID IT!" This is a picture of the kiddos celebrating their last day. They were so excited because they got a t-shirt and a ribbon for completing their class! Will asked if we could celebrate with lunch at "Taco Bana"...that would be Taco Cabana. Mommy and Daddy never say no to Taco Cabana...so off we went!

Half Baked

I am 21 weeks pregnant today. My little one is just a tad bit over "half baked!"

I am really starting to stick out...it's hard for the baby to have anywhere else to go but out when you are only 5' 2" tall. I am already getting the comments of "You must be due any day now" and "Wow! You look big to have so far to go." Lovely, isn't it?!

I thought I would bravely share a belly shot (clothed, of course).

Last Days of School (belated)

Natalie has been out of school two weeks now and Will has been out for three weeks. I thought I'd go ahead and post some pictures from each of their last days of school (better late than never). Both of them missed the majority of their last weeks due to illness. Will made it back for his last day and Nat made it back for the last day and a half. Here are the pictures starting with Will.

Will's last day was Friday, May 18th. He has attended his Mother's Day Out program for the past two years. His wonderful teachers pictured below taught his 1 year old class and his 2 year old class this year. They are so special to us...we love you Mrs. Monica and Mrs. Alice! We are really going to miss them next year when Will joins Natalie at LCA.

To celebrate Will's last day, we headed to the snow cone stand after we picked his sister up from school. Luckily, the crowds weren't too big (this place is ALWAYS hoppin' during the warm weather) and we were able to get our cool treats!

This is Will enjoying his "White Hawaiian" snow cone...coconut and cream! YUMMY!

Here is Natalie on her last day...May 25th. I cannot believe she will be in kindergarten this coming fall. She had a fabulous year in PK5 thanks to Mrs. Redden (seen in picture below). What a great woman...an excellent teacher, encourager, and Christian example for my little girl! We will miss her sooo much next year when she heads to another school in the area to teach kindergarten. We wish her the best!

Natalie received two awards the last day of school. One from the librarian for "excellent library behavior" and one from Mrs. Redden for being the "best hug giver." Natalie was so thrilled to get this special recognition!

The theme for Nat's class party on the last day was a "Pancake Party." And guess who the world's best pancake flipper is?!? Erick got nominated to cook all the pancakes for the kiddos and he did a wonderful job. Look at that griddle...8 flapjacks at a time...those kiddos were scarfin' them down!

To celebrate Nat's last day of school, we headed out to a baseball game that evening (we have a local minor league team). We had no sooner picked up our hot dogs and cokes, then it started to rain (see next picture).

Luckily, we had prepared for the rain with umbrellas and ponchos. We waited for about an hour and then they called the game. The kiddos seemed a bit dissappointed, but playing in the rain was fun too! We are going to go to another game tomorrow night...we are praying there will be no rain to keep us from the fun, food and festivities!

Sista got a new shirt!

I found this shirt for Natalie
this past weekend at Canton.
For those of you who know Nat,
you KNOW how appropriate
this shirt is!!!

Sono Pictures

This past Tuesday (5/29) we had our 20 week sono. Everything looked fabulous! The heartbeat was strong, the organs looked great and the baby measured right on track for a mid-October birth! We held out and did not find out the sex...I know everyone thought I would cave at the last minute and find out...but, I resisted. This pregnancy is going by so fast, we will meet our little bubba or sissy so very soon! I am going to share a few of the best pictures from the sono below (with some helpful commentary for those of you who are not used to looking at sono pics).

This first one is of the baby looking right at you. The head is on the left side of the picture and the abdomen is on the right side. The two dark spots at the top of the head are the eyes and you can somewhat make out it's nose and mouth below. This is a side-view of the baby. You can see one of it's arms right in front of it's face. You can see the other hand sticking out right above the head.

This is a fabulous shot of the baby's ribs and spine! You can see the tail-end of the spine on the right side of the picture.

I think this last picture is so neat! The baby extended it's leg fully and the sonographer got a great shot! The foot is on the left side of the screen...the leg extends all the way up to it's bottom on the right side of the picture. My baby's already getting cramped in there and needed to do a little stretching!