"The Bun"

Today was my first OB appointment and ultrasound of the baby! Collin and Moira were both home for Veteran's Day, so we all got to go see the baby as a family. The "bun" looks great, everything is developing how and where it should be, and he/she is measuring at 9 weeks, so just a few days bigger than our best-guess due date. Both Moira and Ian measured bigger all the way through the pregnancy (we make big babies), so this was no real surprise for us. We all enjoyed getting to see the baby, even though the kids had a hard time seeing a baby in the blob on the screen! The heart beat was strong (at about 165 beats per minute) and he/she measured at just about 1 inch long. It was so amazing to see little arms and legs (and even an ear!) with a strong heart beat, all from a tiny being only an inch in length!! So cool. Here are the "bun's" first pictures in 4-D:

I thought it would also be fun to post the video of the ultrasound, since it's a truly amazing experience, and I thought some of you would enjoy it too! I edited the video to include just the good stuff, so it's only about 3.50 minutes. At about 1 minute, you'll see the heart beat monitor on the screen, but unfortunately you can't hear the little "whoosh whoosh" of the heart beat after editing, like we can hear on the original. Then, she switches to the colored 4-D ultrasound, which is super cool. That's when the baby really takes shape and you can see all the neat little details! If you watch closely at about the 3 minute mark, you can see the baby start to move his/her little legs and arms and wiggle around a bit!! Again, absolutely incredible - it's the 3rd go around and it still blows my mind! :o) I hope you enjoy the clip, almost as much as we did!

GratiTuesday

This week I'm thankful that Collin is back home after his 5 day business trip to Vandenberg AFB last week. Their mission was a success, he made it home safely, and we're all happy to have him home. I'm also very thankful for the sweet friends that we've made out here, that took it upon themselves to help me while he was out of town!

The kids and I were invited over to the house of one of our friends from church (Misty & Stephen, and their two kids Eli & Liza) on Monday night while he was gone, which was wonderful because the kids got some play time, and I didn't have to cook! Then, our friends/neighbors across the street (Jeff & Vicky, and their two kids Nathan & Joshua) brought over a huge dinner on Wednesday night for me and the kids to help out. I was so blessed by everyone's generosity and helpfulness!! Here's a picture of what we were treated to Wednesday night:

On the menu was roasted chicken with German-style red potatoes, onions and carrots, rice pilaf, rolls, an awesome salad, AND yummy fruit salad with sugar cookies for dessert!! Talk about a feast for the 3 of us - what a blessing!

Better Late Than Never?

Yes, it's far past Halloween now, and we're well into November and all things election, but I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to post our pics of my sweet little ones in their holiday spirit... despite being a few days behind!

Moira wanted to make treat bags for all her classmates again this year, so she helped me make these simple tags and signed the backs of all 18 of them. She also wrote each recipients name on the front of each bag. She's such a gift-giver!

Her class had a "Harvest Day" party with a cowboy/cowgirl theme, so this is how Moira attended school Friday. We made the shirt with iron-on rhinestone letters, found the bandanna and foam hat at Michael's... and voila - a genuine Cowgirl!

Ian dressed up to, since we went to the school for her party and younger siblings were welcome to participate. What a cutie!

At the party, Moira and her friend Celeste played up to our camera with their cute ways.

On to Halloween night and getting ready to go trick or treating! Moira was a Queen (I thought she was a princess, but she sternly corrected me) and Ian was a Ninja. Thanks to Uncle Stephen & Aunt Dara for the cute treat bags - they definitely worked out well!

We had perfect weather, not to hot nor too cold, and the kid's made it around most of the neighborhood before calling it a night.

They scored lots of candy, but we took a page out of Aunt Suzann's book this year, and gave them a choice. They could keep all their candy, or trade it to the "Tooth Fairy" for a new toy. After pigging out a bit Halloween night, they both decided the next morning to opt for the toy! Bye, bye to all that candy that we really didn't want around the house anyway!! :)