Yes, yes it's true

Yes, my friends and followers, we are pleased to announce that we are expecting a new baby boy (our third, poor me!) in April.

Baby boy #3 came as quite a shock to us! Everything sort of snowballed onto us in the month of September. You all know I took a new job that started mid-August and then about Labor Day weekend I got really sick. I had a horrible migraine and lots of vomitting and for some reason, the thought popped into my head that I might be pregnant....of course I immediately dismissed it...that wasn't in the plans! Surely I was just light-headed from spending so much time bent over the toilet. But the thought persisted until I found a pregnancy test at the very back of my bathroom cupboard. Lo and behold, two lines appeared. But the positive line was REALLY faint, so I thought....nah, must be an old test that's expired or something. I'll go get a new one and wait until tomorrow and try it again. Four positive tests later...I faced the inevitable, we were having another baby. Of course the panic immediately set in. All those things you think about, like just where exactly was this baby going to SLEEP? In our room until it's 5?? And things like, I don't WANT to have two in diapers and how is my new boss going to feel about a maternity leave so soon after me just starting and for the love of pete HOW are we going to pay for daycare for three??? I am not ashamed to say it took me about a week to get over the panic and embrace the thought of another baby. First, my boys are so good-natured that they'll be able to share a room for awhile longer. We'll find a bunk bed or a daybed with a trundle and they'll be more than happy to share a room until Kaitlyn goes to college and then we can move Jax to the basement and the little ones can stay upstairs for a while yet. And two in diapers, so what? Nothing lasts forever. And my boss was thrilled that I was pregnant. Okay, thrilled may be an exaggeration, but he was happy for me and concerned for my health and told me that everything would be okay and not to worry. It's probably a good possibility that when I do come back it will be for three days a week instead of five and then my mother-in-law would take the boys one day while I work and they would go to daycare two days. In the fall, Jax will be in kindergarten for a half day so that will help too. Lastly, I couldn't help but hope that this would be the time that we would have a GIRL! So, I was humming along and coping well and then we find out that the project Shane worked on at American Express was closing the Utah office and he would have to find a new job. It was really bad for awhile. But, he found a job still with AmEx and he's still looking for a better job and we're okay with that. So the only hurdle left was that magical gender ultrasound at 16 weeks. I kept telling everyone that I was okay with either, but I would rather have a girl. Even Jaxton told me that we were getting a baby sister. Alas, it was not meant to be. We had our ultrasound and after some prodding, there HE was, in all his male glory. And my hopes for pink and ribbons and lace were dashed again. I am destined to be surrounded by males. After a moment of disappointment, I was excited to see his little body and hear his tiny heart beating away. And to know that my boys will have another "little buddy" to play with. There are worse things than another boy and FAR worse things than a baby.

So here we go again, another boy to bless our home, giving us five children and giving my parents their 11th grandchild. Everyone is pretty excited and now, of course, begins the search for a new name and all the fighting that will occur over that. I just hope Grandpa Ken comes up with another nickname worthy enough to join the ranks of "Fred" and "Ralph."

Snow Day

It snowed yesterday and I finally had to say good-bye to summer, warm weather, the leaves on my trees in the front yard. And I was sad. I hate winter! I hate scraping windows and shovelling sidewalks and de-icing the front porch and all of it! There, I think I got all of the bitterness out. I was driving to work today and there's an elementary school across the street from the office. I drove along the street and I laughed at the little boys (I suppose girls do it to, but I didn't see any today) gathered in front of the school scooping up snowballs and throwing snow around. And then as I passed the school and got to the playground and fields that are behind the school I counted not one, not three, but 7 or 8! giant snowballs. Obviously the kids were enjoying yesterday's snowfall pretty much most of the day, while I sat at work and groaned every time I caught a glimpse of the outside world through the windows. Just one more part of growing up, I guess. Snow no longer holds a fascination for me. I only think of the grown-up things like driving in it, knowing that the heating bill is about to skyrocket, wondering if I need a new ice scraper for the car, wondering if the ice scraper is even still IN the car. And then, I arrived home, safe and sound last night and the minute I walked in the door, Jaxton met me at the top of the stairs and he said, "Mommy, it snowed all day today! Can we make a snowman?" And just like that, I remembered why snow is fascinating. It covers the ground with possibility. Maybe this weekend, Jax and I will see what possibilities the snow has waiting for us in our own front yard.