Violet's New Room

This weekend Violet's room really came together. Pretty much everything is ready except I am planning on putting some white, vinyl lettering on the pink wall that says "Curiouser and Curiouser". I'm not sure what will happen as far as the teapot lamp either. One of the walls has been painted pink.

Most of the crib bedding is done.

The pictures have been hung.

My little white rabbit has been placed on the dresser next to a white rabbit framed picture.

The dresser is stocked with clean clothes, diapers and wipes.

There are many cute outfits hanging in the closet, a new bouncer seat, and a baby bath tub. I purchased a few things from amazon and I'm just waiting on one more delivery this week. We are pretty much set for my little girl to come. I have even packed my hospital bag. I am 37 weeks tomorrow which is when babies are no longer considered premature. I have been cramping and contracting quite a bit today, but it is hard to say at this point whether it will lead to something real or if it is just my body practicing. It will be great to meet my little girl soon though, whenever she comes, and it is nice to feel prepared to some degree.

Thanksgiving

We had a great Thanksgiving this year. It was pretty low key and comfortable. On Thanksgiving Day Lydia went with her dad and in the evening Wes, Adelle and I headed over to Wes' parents home. It was good to see them, to hang out and to enjoy wonderful food. Adelle loved seeing her aunt Erica and Wes and I really enjoyed chatting with everyone. I haven't been so great at taking pictures recently, so unfortunately I don't have any.

Sunday we headed over to my parents home to enjoy another Thanksgiving dinner. Lydia was able to join us for that one. The girls loved hanging around the newly decorated Christmas tree. My father has a wonderful Christmas Village that he places around the tree every year. Adelle looked through every window to see what was inside. The girls also loved playing with their young cousin Cedric. There is nothing like spending time with family.

At each gathering we dropped of Christmas present since we won't know how December is going to shape up.

Here are a few of the things I am thankful for.

-My wonderful, loving family; immediate and extended.
-My loving husband who is my best friend and love of my life.
-My two beautiful girls who really are so wonderful most of the time :)
-My little, unborn child that I can't wait to meet.
-A cozy little home to take care of and to have as my own.
-A loving Heavenly Father and his Son, Jesus Christ.
-Being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints.
-A wonderful job that allows me to work from home 4 days a week.
-My health and the opportunity to live and learn every day.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

My Little Baby Shower

This past Saturday my wonderful step-mom and sister threw me a baby shower. They are so generous and wonderful. I love them! We started out with lunch and then after lunch we all sat down and decorated white onesies.

It was so great to see old friends and other women that I have come to love!

The grandmas didn't want to decorate a little onesie, but they enjoyed watching everyone else's creations. I wish we would have gotten some pictures of the finished products!

Julie not only decorated with cute pink ornaments and beads, but also with LOTS of baby clothes! Violet will be stylin' when she's born! My step-mom LOVES to shop! I am looking forward to capturing Violet in some of these amazing outfits!

Everyone got to take home soap from bath and body works. There were a few other prizes as well. There was a drawing for anyone that brought a package of diapers. My good friend Michelle who is due a few days after me won a wonderfully, soft blanket. There were card making kits that were given out to the people who made the best onesies. Lydia and my 12 year old cousin Christina were the judges.

Everyone was super generous and I am so grateful for their gifts. We got one of the most important items that we were needing, a car seat!! I had fun unpacking the gifts once I got home and setting up Violets room a little bit more.

Thank you so much Sarah and Julie for hosting the shower and thank you everyone who came!!! It was fun to be with you, to enjoy your company, and to have a special day for my little Violet!!!

Adelle's Thanksgiving Day Program

Adelle had her Thanksgiving program today. Her class has been learning songs for a while now and memorizing a special Thanksgiving poem. She was super excited, and a little nervous for the program. When Wes and I walked in she was fervently scanning the audience to see if we had arrived yet. When she saw us her face just lit up!

The kids did a really wonderful job and were on their best behaviour. It was a very short program, only about 20 minutes, but we did manage to get some video and pictures of Adelle's special day.

Adelle made these two hats in class. After the program we were excused to go so the Kindergartner's could have their Thanksgiving Feast. Adelle said she enjoyed ham, a roll, carrots and dip, a cupcake, and a cookie. She was offered pumpkin pie, but declined because she's never tasted it before. The funny thing is, that is my nickname for her :) She had a wonderful day and we were glad we could share a little part with her.

Thanksgiving Poem

I'm A Very Fine Turkey

Here is one of the songs from Adelle's Thanksgiving program today :)

Bad Kitty!

Cosette was a very naughty kitty last night!! Wes and I were hanging out on the couch when we heard a startling sound from Violet's new room. Wes recently painted in there and set up the crib complete with it's new bedding and the new white rabitt I made. I went into the bedroom to see my cat just staring at me from inside the crib! We are pretty sure that she was attacking the white bunny. He appears unharmed, but what a silly animal. She ran off pretty quickly, but I brought her back to the scene of the crime and sprayed her a few times with the water bottle to train and remind her that she is absolutely not allowed in Violet's bed! I am hoping it never happens again. Of course the bunny won't be in the crib when Violet is for safety reasons. It makes me wonder though...was the bunny really all that interesting?

Family Date Night

This last Friday Wes and I decided we would splurge and take the girls out for a family date night. I sadly forgot my camera though :( Drat! We figured that we are running out of opportunities to go out and be together as a family. Pretty soon Violet will be here and going out with a baby isn't nearly as easy as it is for our family to venture out now. We went to McGrath's Fish House for dinner, which actually ended up being less expensive than we had remembered. Perhaps they are trying to bring in customers. Dinner tasted great for everyone! Adelle's cheeseburger off the kids menu actually ended up being the biggest dinner at the table, oddly enough. You should have seen her try to get her mouth open enough to eat that thing!

We all had a really fun time chatting and sharing stories. The girls especially loved stories of the stupid things that Wes and I had done when we were growing up. The stories ranged from Wes and his friends throwing gummy bears out his van at street signs when they were teenagers, and from me trying to run away by hiding under the stairs when I was about Lydia's age. Lydia decided to share some stories too, like when she used to stay up late on school nights by hanging out in the play room. Adelle confessed to sneaking food on occasion when she wanted a particular snack. It was pretty funny!

From there we walked over the the Hansen Planetarium and bought tickets to see a movie about Saturn in the dome theater. Adelle was quite impressed that the screen was on the ceiling. We all learned something new about the ringed planet and Wes had us share 3 things that we had learned on the way home. I think he shared about 15. It was a pretty cool movie!

After the movie we walked around the planetarium looking at all the different exhibits. The girls really had a wonderful time and were so excited about everything. Adelle loved the Moon and Mars exhibits that you can walk on, and she really loved watching the giant pendulum.

Lydia loved trying to lift the rock that is as heavy as a metal meteor, looking at how telescopes work, and how the seasons effect our position to the sun. Both girls absolutely loved the ball contraption that wound its way around the room.

Before heading home we stopped at Artic Circle for shakes and ice-cream cones. It really was a fun evening and honestly we haven't done anything like that in ages! If only I had gotten pictures!

Awards of Merit

So within the past couple of weeks or so both girls have brought home prizes from the Reflections contest. They both won awards of merit and were both very excited. They both got fun prizes ranging from watercolor paper, stickers, markers, crayons, coupons for free ice-cream cones and a show at the planetarium. I am especially proud of my girls for having the guts to even enter a contest and I'm glad that they were recognized. I think Lydia was the only one who even entered something in the 3D category, but that wasn't the only reason she got a prize :)

It is probably the first time Adelle has won anything of the sort and she could hardly contain herself when she found out that she had won. I love my girls and I'm super proud of them.

Making New Friends

So after my renewed outlook of not stressing about Violet's arrival, I decided that I would like to make something special for my little girl. I know that the cross stitch I have been working on unfortunately isn't going to be done for YEARS! I just have to face that fact. Wes had made all sorts of wonderful things for Violet's room. Bumper pads, sheets, a crib skirt, a quilt, and he is going to hopefully put together the Tea Pot Lamp. I wanted to have at least one thing that I have made in her room. After looking on Etsy for a white rabbit doll, I decided to make my very own. I didn't use a pattern. I just came up with my own. Yes, one leg is longer than the other and I did run into a few problems putting him together, but in the end I think he turned out pretty well. I hand embroidered his face.

Instead of putting on a tail I embroidered a little pink one on.

I used felt and lace to make him a little tunic. I hand sewed all the hearts on with my embroidery thread since I didn't have any red thread for the sewing machine. I didn't have to buy any materials. I just used stuff from around the house.

The tunic looks the same in the back as well. So there you go. It was really fun to work on and I really enjoyed it. He is "special" in his own homemade way. Hopefully he will be a fun addition to Violet's Alice in Wonderland, themed room. I wonder if I'll be tempted to make any more characters.

Sweet Dreams

So my poor family has had to put up with me being less then civil recently. I haven't been monstrous, but I really have really been stressing. Perhaps it has been because of the sickness and the extra to do around the house, but I was getting wound so tight. Lists were circulating in my head of things that need to be done before Violet's arrival. Rooms that need arranging, cleaning, painting, furniture that needs to be moved. There are purchases that need to be made, baby clothes that need to be washed and put into drawers. The lists were piling up bigger and bigger, looming and towering over my head, and I was left with either no time or energy to even begin tackling everything. It was making me so frustrated. I just have to admit with my lack of energy, working full time, and the braxton hicks which are coming more frequently that I am not going to be superwomen and somehow make everything come together in a big, triumphant "TA DA" moment.

I like feeling in control. I like to organize and get things done. I like the thought of a natural labor because then I am still in some sort of control. When I was induced and had an epidural I felt entirely helpless to do anything for myself because I couldn't even move the lower half of my body or feel a thing. "You want me to push? I can't feel a thing or even sit up!" It's not that I want to be some amazing women, part of it really is that I don't want the control taken away from me. I guess you could call me a control freak. I'm really trying to work on it. Honestly being organized and getting things done can be a positive thing at times, but of course in everything there is an opposite side. Like when I'm grumping at my family to get things done because darn it it has to be done and I can't do it.

Anyway, I was reflecting last night on what is going on with me and why I have been so frustrated, upset, and less than patient. I asked Wes if I've been bossy recently and I got the quickest "Yes". I had already known it, but hearing it from his own lips just really cemented it for me. I was less than happy looking at this pattern that I have fallen into and honestly I was discouraged.

I decided to pray to Heavenly Father. It probably wasn't the best prayer. It was more a plea for help. To help me be better. To stop worrying and stressing so much. I didn't feel better after my prayer and honestly I hadn't probably given my prayer the time and energy that it deserved. I laid down in bed, my head still filling with lists, worries and concerns.

The most wonderful thing happened. I dreamed about my baby girl. She was born early, without a lot of fuss, in fact I think it was in a public place. She was beautiful and sweet. In my dream though Wes and I didn't have a thing prepared for her. We didn't have clothes, diapers, a car seat, na da, nothing. It just didn't even matter. Someone gave us a diaper and a onesie for her to wear and when she needed a new diaper somehow we had one there for us. The funny thing is she kept going through them like crazy, but it was okay. She was happy, sweet and we adored her. I was so happy and didn't have a care in the world because I had my beautiful girl.

Isn't it wonderful what God will give us sometimes. He gently takes us by the hand and reminds us what really matters. He wraps us in his arms and says "My darling daughter, why are you worrying about all these things that really don't matter. It is going to be okay". I am so grateful for my dream. It has really given me an inner peace again and I am so much happier. I am sure my family is grateful to see me happy this morning. It also reminds me of the birth of our Savior. He was born in the most humble circumstances, in a stable, and yet it was one of most glorious things that ever took place in human history. God will watch over and protect my family and I need to trust in him. Sure I can still prepare for Violet's birth, but if something doesn't get done, so what. It's okay. She'll still come and we will still love and adore her.

Trick or Treat!

Our Halloween started by taking Wes to an urgent care to get checked out. Poor Guy. Since he was down for the count, and since Lydia was out of town, Adelle and I had to celebrate on our own. Adelle dressed up as Belle this year. She actually let me curl her hair out a bit, which was great. She hardly ever lets me curl her hair. She was complimented all night on how pretty she looked and she just LOVED that.

I wasn't planning on dressing up, but as the time drew closer I just had to be something. It has been a tradition for so many years, I just couldn't stand the thought of not dressing up. I quickly threw together this silly costume and went as the Fertility Fairy. Cheesy, I know. It did get quite a few laughs and one husband even told me to keep away from his wife.

We visited relatives first early on in the evening, had dinner and then Adelle and I went out to trick or treat about 5:45. It was still pretty bright and warm, but I figured that way we could take our time.

We ended up staying out for about two hours. Adelle got a TON of candy!!! She had the best time too. She didn't complain at all and was really fun to hang out with. It was also fun to visit neighbors while trick or treating. I was so sore and tired by the time we got home, but I had a great time with my girl. It wasn't the same without Lydia, but we still enjoyed ourselves!

Lydia got home last night pretty tired from her weekend. She said she had to trick or treat in snow. BRRRRR! She also has a pretty large temporary tattoo still hanging out on her neck. I am looking forward to seeing pictures of her biker girl costume. She also brought home a TON of candy! It will be a challenge to not eat too much of it!

It was definitely a different Halloween, but next year will be even different. Little Violet will be joining us!