I'm back....hope you have time to catch up!

Ok so I have been home for 4 days....and I FINALLY got my house mostly back under control. Now don't get me wrong, Alex does a great job of keep up w/ thing when I'm not here, he is totally capable. It was me catching up w/ ME, on sleep and from being exhausted! I am starting to feel like myself again, it took a few days. Needless to say, I haven't even been on the computer much, in fact I was in bed by 9:30 last night...normally prime time for me to be online!

So....here's EVERYTHING all at once!lol, what better way to do it right?

How was my trip? AWESOME, WONDERFUL, ENCOURAGING, WAY COOL and everything in between! We had a great flight there w/ no troubles. We arrived right as things were getting started....I loved the training, it was so right up my line of thinking and so so useful! I enjoyed being w/ new people who didn't know me or anything about me....and at the same time being comfortable w/ myself and who I am...as most of ya'll know that is something I have worked very hard to do! We spent the first 2 days learning about everything there is to know about $....then we started case studies. we split up and had to each take a part of the counseling session to present ourself...way fun. One night some of us walk to the mall and ate dinner....one night we went to ice cream and played card til late...(that was our last night)....mostly we spent our time in a chair listening to Russ, who is one of the founders of Lampo Inc. It was 10 to 12 hr days....hence the reason I was SO exhausted when I got back. I can't wait to start having opportunities to use my training...God is already opening doors....if you have never taken FPU, or don't know what that even stands for....let me know, I would love to tell you how it can change your life, no matter where you are w/ your $!...good, bad or ugly....and even if you have taken FPU and need some more hope, remember you can always take it again...!

How was camping?!...LOL...it was SO MUCH FUN...I am a little bumbed that it will be a good while before we can go again! We left here around 3:30 on Friday, and stopped and picked-up dinner on the way...the baby, HAD to eat....!lol!....we picked our spot...trying not to be to near anyone else!...we did have 5 kids w/ us! Todd, Susan and there crew met us up there....as soon as we had everyone out of the truck and Element they were off and we didn't hear from them again until we had to slow them down for bed!....Ian was dragging w/ droopy eyes, but wouldn't give up! I was worried about them sleeping in the tent, or more than that, how I would get them to go to sleep w/o coming out over and over and over!....but to my surprise and gratefulness...they went right to sleep, we put Ian down first then Emma after he was asleep. While the boys (Ian and Davis) we going to bed, the girls (Sidney, Madison and Emma) played in the older girls tent....they did great at being quiet so the boys would go to sleep. After we had all the kido down for the night we the adults had smores....YUMMY! and some adult time....honestly when we we planning our trip, I wasn't sure if it would include any "adult time" or just kids that wouldn't sleep!...but we had about 3 hrs after the kids were in bed to hang out and chat! On Sat...we started out a little cold, but we were good, the kids got as dirty as I have ever seen them...they had a blast...very little bickering, but you know there will always be a little w/ 5 kids!...nothing major at all!...they all did SO great!....THEN CAME THE RAIN! so the joke of the weekend for the adults was...when is it going to rain...Todd would say...it's coming....Susan and I would say NO IT'S NOT....Todd would say look at the clouds....we would say, "it's suppose to be a light rain!"...lol....needless to say, it rained, HARD, well not super hard, but more than the "light rain" they were calling for. and the whole time all Alex cared about was his smores!lol as long as he got them he didn't care about he rain, we had the only camp sight where the fire was still being started between every shower!lol. So the second night we turned in early...and it was a mess packing up the next morning, and that 2nd night, getting the dirt off our kids....not so easy...it took a lot of washing to get the rocks out of Emma's hair....at one point I was beginning to think it would be easier to cut it!lol!...just kidding! So packing up was a mess, everything was messy wet, we all got up, forgot about breakfast, pack up and came home! as I am sure you figured out by now, our first camping experience was a total success!...rain and all! We are ready to go again, but w/ everything going on in May I don't think we will be able to....:( Oh and I forgot, the boys even took there naps on Saturday, go figure....we love camping, it will most likely be a hobby we will take up! I am not sure what it will look like w/ the baby....so if you have camped w/ a baby, let me know how it went and what to think about!

What do I think about baby boy? I am thrilled! As much as I thought girl before, I knew I wasn't convinced and when she said boy...my heart jumped and I realized that i always wanted it to be a boy!...Don't get me wrong, I love Emma we have a very special bond, but I think a boy fits us better than another girl, Ian needs a play mate....Emma has me!lol! Emma started to cry and at first I thought she was going to be upset, I wasn't sure why, she had been so back and forth, I figured she would be excited either way...it wasn't long that she was back to excited and I knew I would have to question the tears later....I went on to see the dr and then to get blood drawn....Emma was beside herself to get back to Grammy and Ian in the waiting room....she was so excited to tell, she took to pictures w/ her to show off. Ian didn't care, he just wanted mommy. and now if you ask him about the baby boy...he'll say "Ian's a boy" sorta like that's all the boy ya'll need!lol. poor thing! We left the dr's office and Emma, mom and I went to target to shop for the baby. Emma was SO funny, she wanted everything....so I got her to find the baby an outfit to wear home from the hospital. She picked out a onsie, a blanket, socks, a hat and passies(I think she thinks those are part of the outfit!lol) then she picked him a teddy bear(VERY important to her) and another blanket and hat.....it was SO much fun for her and me to go and do! I had a chance to ask about the tears and was told it's because she wants the baby in her room....yes, she wants the baby to share her room instead of going into Ian's room...so when she was told boy, she knew the baby was suppose into Ian's room and not her's....soo funny! I told her that her daddy and I would talk about it and decide now that we knew what the baby was....she was content w/ that...so we are now deciding what we want to do, I think we basically have decided and are happy w/ what we are planning to do.....BUT I need to leave something for the next post!~

I think that should catch you up on our world! you have to leave me a comment just so I will know you read the whole thing!lol!....next I have some house keeping to do, I have a tag from forever ago to do and another new tag from Jenny!...I will do them!lol! SOON....I hope!
ttfn!

check out the picture

there is a picture of the dirty crew from morrow mt. at the bottom of the blog. I'll post more when I get back, but I couldn't wait to show ya'll how dirty mine and Susan's kids can get in the right condition!lol

It's a ........

BOY....yes that is what I said....BOY! (NOT PUPPY...sorry Ian) LOL. I think most of us were wrong! and I know all the "gender prediction test" were wrong! I am thrilled, I know that God knows exactly what He is doing and I learned long ago not to doubt Him. I am now ready for the next step...planning!lol, sorry, I'm a planner. I think we will be doing some very un-traditional things in the near future....but then we wouldn't be us if we tried to fit in!lol.

well I am off, I want to spend some time w/ Alex before bed...we have the house to ourselves tonight...the kids are at Mimi's and hopefully asleep. :) I said my goodbyes (then cried in the car) I HATE leaving them...hate it! I know I will enjoy being in Nashville and the training, but I hate being away from my kids...right now Saturday seems like forever...pray I will be able to sleep and not cry to much!

what I think!....

Ok so I promised to let ya'll know what I think the baby is....well since today is the day, I don't want to be a lier!lol!

I think it's a girl....now I say that, BUT I am still not 100% confidant. Which is weird to me. I am totally going off of the fact that this pregnancy is very similar to Emma's and I know that really doesn't mean anything. I don't believe in any of those "gender prediction test" it was fun trying them out, but I just can't base my decision on that...if I did, I would be having twins and although I wouldn't be totally shocked if it was, I just can't go there unless I have to!lol.

SO that's my thoughts, I'll let ya'll know this afternoon what it is for sure! my appointment is at 1:30 and then Emma and I are going shopping! I have to take the kids to Mimi's tonight...so it might be late before I get to post anything...but I promise I won't leave for Nashville until I have posted!lol

Shannon the answer to you question

ok so I wasn't sure where to comment back to Shannon...but for whatever reason my office doesn't do ultrasounds early unless there is a reason....? I have never had an u/s b/f 17 weeks. and normally that is the only one you get. This time I will be getting u/s weekly from 34 weeks on b/c of both Ian and Emma having extremely low fluids at birth. I will also be getting a 4-d u/s somewhere between 28-32 weeks....but that one is just for fun!....but I do wish they did an early u/s....but I'm sure it's only one!...lol...???


If you are thinking otherwise, please please don't scare me!lol...I thought at first it would be cool to have twins, but now, ummm....only one please!

another update....

ok so this has proved to be a great way to keep me busy these last few days before the ultrasound!...lol...normally I would be watching the clock! So here is the lastest info! It's sorta funny! We discovered a sorta problem w/ Ian's prediction! Gary realized last night that Ian predicts whatever sex you say last. So if you say..is it a boy or a girl, he will say girl, but if you say is it a girl or a boy he will say boy...if you ask him if it is a boy, a girl, or a puppy, he will say puppy!lol....and yes he was more excited about the idea of a puppy than a baby!...poor Ian, he will be disappointed I'm afraid!lol.

Also I got curious about the needle and string test so I looked it up online. There is a correction to the theory. The needle circles while "deciding" what the sex is and then moves across your wrest if it's a girl (like you would wear your watch) and back and forth (from hand to elbow) if it's a boy. It's suppose to circle in between each child. and stop when you will have no more kids!...lol...I must say, that is one smart needle!lol! It should work on anyone even if you have already had your kids, or haven't had any. It should also work on your husband. It does take into account miscarriage...so they say! I am not sure what I think about it, but it's fun to try! It worked on my mom, so we think, it said boy, boy, girl, but she had a miscarriage before Nick...so it's possible!

So what did it say for me!? Well that's the funny part. it said,, girl, boy, then girl/boy. it was funny, it went in a circle, then across, then circled, the back and forth, then circle, then across again, then it stopped and changed directions w/o a circle.???? NO ONE CAN SAY TWINS, or I'll scream!lol! So, I am not sure what to think about this "test" lol! Needless to say I was then very curious what it would do to Alex, so at 11 pm last night I got my needle and made him sit still!lol. IT WAS THE SAME...THE EXACT SAME PATTERN!LOL. So you decide...but no one can say twins!...got it!

the string test....

I did the string test today....w/ Sam to confirm what I was seeing! It said girl, boy, GIRL! Also my friend Anna told me the Chinese calender and the Mexican calender (who knew there was one!) both say girl....I am beginning to think that if this isn't a girl we are all going to be disappointed!LOL! It would be funny if it was a boy and I ruined all the predicting test! Sounds like something that would happen to me!lol

I am still not going to tell you what I think, I am going to wait til this Sun or Mon right before my ultra-sound!

keep checking!lol

another update....

Alex thinks girl!....he has never guessed before! The chinese calender says girl!...I haven't done the string test yet, I'll let you know! lol!....I am having fun w/ this too!

update on "what do you think"

My friend Brandy asked a question. "what does Ian think the baby is?" Her theory in asking is under the comments on the previous blog. So for the fun of it, I thought I would answer it, maybe it will help you decide what you think my baby is....lol!

Ian for the longest time refused to agree that there was even a baby in mommy's belly!lol. But once convinced he has always said GIRL when asked what mommy's baby was going to be. Only once did he waiver and that was w/ a lot of co horsing from Emma. Emma on the other hand, started out wanting a girl, then switched to boy for a while and is now back to wanting a girl....when I explained that if it was a boy we wouldn't be buying pink and purple, she now only wants a girl!lol....shopping is really all she is concerned w/!lol!

Melanie asked if I had done the drano test...the answer there is no, I haven't, we don't even have any drano....lol! I have heard about it....did you try it? So new question, what "test" are out there that ya'll have tried...and did it work?

This doesn't mean you can get out of answering the previous question....answer that one first if you haven't already!lol!
love ya....sorry if I sound bossy!

I gotta ask....what do you think?

Ok so in eight days we have our ultra-sound. We have decided to find out what we are having, my need for "planning" has won out....AGAIN!LOL....Emma is VERY excited, and I know she really wants to know...at least that is my excuse and I'm sticking to it!lol....

my friend, Chelsea did this really cool poll asking what everyone thought her baby was going to be, and of course I was wrong!...but, I have no idea how she did that, and I don't have time to figure it out....Chelsea, you'll have to show me how to make my blog as cool as your's!lol!

NEway, I do want to ask, w/ a week left to go.....WHAT DO YOU THINK BABY #3 IS GOING TO BE?....what is your guess? So here is what you are suppose to do....LEAVE ME A COMMENT!...TELL ME YOUR GUESS....COME ON PLAY ALONG!

I'll give you some thoughts about this pregnancy so you have something to use to make it an "educated guess!"...lol!

I had lots of morning sickness for the first 13 weeks.
I have already gained about 7 lbs....no comments please!lol
I am getting wider in stead of rounder! YUCK!
I out-grew my pants by 8 weeks.
I crave carbs and fried.
I normally LOVE salads and fish, but want NEITHER since I found out I was prego, except sushi.
I crave milk....everyday!
I can't eat spicy.

I think that's about all I can think of.....hope that helps.

My pregnancies w/ Emma and Ian were very different, this pregnancy does tend to follow one of them...not exact, but close....on Monday, I'll tell you who's pregnancy this one had followed...but I don't want to influence your guess!lol!

I will tell you, I am not certain what this one is, which is different for me, When I was pregnant w/ Emma, I knew it was a girl, I was convinced, every (especially Alex' s family) told me it would be a boy, but I never doubted, I told some people that GOd knew the desires of my heart....needless to say, I was right, I got my girl. And w/ Ian, I once again KNEW it was a boy! I brought his crib set before we had the ultra-sound to confirm it...I was once again that sure! This time, I have not been so sure....Alex joked the other day it's b/c it's twins, one of each.....NOT FUNNY! But I am sure it's not 2, just 1. I do think it a ......no no, not telling yet, but I will before the ultra sound...I sorta decided what I think it is, but...I am still not positive like I was w/ Emma and Ian. I will be OVER THE TOP EXCITED either way....ok enough about baby #3...which by the way either way will be a "E" name...in time, I'll tell that too, you know me, I can't keep a secret~

Ok a little info on name picking in our house....I pick girl names and Alex picks boy names...we both have to LOVE it. The first name is a name we just love, the middle name a family name. With both Emma and Ian we had our names picked before the ultrasound....I think that is really fun, every time we have left the ultrasound we not only know the sex, but we also have a name for the tiny face we just saw. Name picking has never been a fight for us....we both like the same kind of names....whew, that makes it easy!....we tend to like simple names, short like ours, weird I know, but that's just the way it turned out. every one in our family has 4 or 3 letters in our names!lol....what can I say!LOL....this baby will be on different, I can tell you that!....I sorta wish it was twins a boy and a girl so I could use both names!....I love them both so much! BTW, when I do tell, you better only love it, they are my names to pick!....SORRY, I've had some bad experiences w/ opinions on names!lol!

Oh, you better get to the comment you HAVE to leave me, I want to know what you think!
love to all, thanks for playing along w/ this pregnant girls wishes!lol!

can you keep up?? I can't!

Ok so once again, I have an unposted blog to finish!....yes it's the 7 interesting/crazy things about me.....sorry!, I'm behind...by like 2 weeks!

Here are some things going on that I want to post more about when I have a chance! I helped Nick and Sam move last week! SO EXCITING FOR THEM! I am only going to have Savannah 3 days a week now. I heard the baby's heartbeat!...I have an ultrasound in only 3 weeks! I am going to Nashville for a week in ONLY 3 weeks! I am going to Nashville to go through Dave Ramsey's financial counselor training....applying for that was harder than applying for college...I was so worried about not getting accepted! I had to do a phone interview while at lunch w/ 3 kids at Super Salad!(thank you Sam for all your help and understanding w/ that crazy lunch....and thank you Super Salad for ice cream cone!lol) We are going to attempt our first camping trip w/ Susan and her family in a few weeks!lol...are we crazy 5 kids and lot's of trees!lol! I am super excited about going!....any advice from anyone!? I've never camped w/ kids!...I do love to camp though!....ummmm Pawpaw has tilled up the garden!...again, super excited to get it started! Nick is doing AWESOME in school! Yeah for him, he's halfway! Our small group this past week was really really good! BSF was really really good this week! and last but not least! WE ARE GOING TO DISNEY FOR VACATION IN MAY! I am super duper excited about this!...last year we were planning to go this fall...well, this fall I am going to be having a baby, so we thought it was out for a few years!...but instead of waiting, we decided to go now and not wait!...Emma has her ballet recital on the 24th of May and we are leaving on the 25th!.....Emma is asking daily when we leave to see the princess'!

well, Alex wants to sleep now, so I must go! I'll try to do better and fill in some of those gaps!....lot's has been going on in our world lately!