Just making it through today, then praying for baby to some soon!

Our better insurance kicks in tomorrow, on January 1st, so first cross your fingers baby won't decide to come today, and then cross them again she comes soon after the clock strikes midnight:)
No, I have no feelings she'll be here before the end of next week, but you never know about these babes:)

Just wanted to wish you all a Happy New Year before we head out to a New Years party (most likely I will be home early with the kids at least, but probably with Kevin as well). I tried napping earlier today to prepare, but no luck.

Have a wonderful evening and be careful!!

It is now 4:08 am, and I am ready

for it to cool down in my house!
Last night, for some reason, our furnace decided not to start when it got cool. We did some problem shooting for a while, and ended up moving the kids into the same room with a portable heater so they would stay warm overnight. Kevin and I figured we could stay warm with an extra blanket and each other.
After a while Kevin turned off the electricity to the furnace to let it "rest" and after turning it back on a few minutes later it actually kicked in again! Yay!
So, off to bed we went, and we were both able to fall asleep pretty quickly.
Several times throughout the night I woke up feeling uncomfortable, but being ready to pop a kid can do that to you, so I blamed it on the bun in the oven for heating me up too much!
Well, a little while ago I had to take another trip to the restroom (umpteenth time tonight) and I decided to check to see what the temp was at and it was a whopping 77 degrees in our house! No wonder I was uncomfortable! I am a 58 degrees at night or colder kind of person. I need it COLD to be able to sleep, and I woke up sweating!
So, here I am, wasting time on the internet until I can cool down enough :)
Shouldn't be too long with temps in the negatives outside.

Hope you all had a better night for sleeping!

37 weeks - 3 weeks left until D day

And lots of contractions overnight. I am guessing it is due to not sitting down other than to eat yesterday. They are not consistent, so probably just Braxton Hicks too. They did keep me up a lot of the night though. Although, I think that might have been a combination of caffeine, too warm room as we wanted to heat the basement up enough for the people staying there, and staying on my feet all day.
Kevin did not sleep well either, so he ended up playing on his computer a lot.

Here is another attempt at getting the pictures up:

The family putting the garland and lights on

Kevin and Michael trying to figure out the best way

Victoria knowing exactly what to do:)

Almost done!

All done!
With gifts under the tree!



Christmas Eve.

BFF's Victoria and Sophie on Christmas Eve at Sophie's house!



I think that is enough for now, so you will have to wait a bit longer for more pictures:) At least I got something up, right! I am off to take a nap now, while the boys and Victoria play board games, and MIL and SIL are shopping.

Christmas pictures and prep pictures

Here is my all out picture post. I have not had time to upload them earlier, so here they are, from the 23rd, which us Norwegians call Lille Juleaften - Little Christmas Eve -, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Pictures from the celebration with Kevin's family will be up later today or tomorrow as we have not taken any pictures yet!

Hm....For some reason I cannot upload pictures today, so it will have to wait. I keep getting a Bad Error Request!

So, for those of you wanting to see pics, you have to wait!

Sorry!

Merry Christmas to all!!

Last night, after the kids went to bed, I finished up my gifts (I have ONE more to get at the mall today, but I know what and where it is), and if I do not get around to it, it is ok too:)
Then Kevin and I were lazy and watched House while lounging in bed. Gotta love Hulu.com!

After work , we set up the tree per Norwegian tradition and decorated it while listening to Christmas Music. It was nice! Then the kids got to put out all the gifts (that I had wrapped already - still have a few left to go for that).

Today I am working at the Y until 11:30 (probably will head out earlier since it will be slow!) It will be a bitter sweet day though as one of my co-workers is going on to a full time job. I am happy for him, but he was a great asset to our KC team too! And, he was Victoria's boyfriend (one of a few, but always the one she fell back on when the other ones did not pan out).
So, I am heading out early now to pick up the treats I was planning on baking last night.

Just wanted to wish you all a Merry Christmas!
I took pictures last night and will upload them when I get time.

26 days not counting today - or less!

Man, less than 30 days left! It just hit me!
I better not do anything today. Just sit around, read my book, nap, cuddle with Victoria, watcha movie with the kids and so on......think it will happen? I guess you just have to wait and see:)

I remember that there was something very funny I was planing on posting about today - something Victoria said or did - but old age is getting to me and I cannot for the life of me remember what is was! I swear I need a camera (with a 24 hour loop) and a sounds recorder so that every day I can go back and document the things said and done in our house! So, think of that as an addition to my wish list:)

How weird is it

that I am more worried about not getting things done for baby than for Christmas?
Kevin and I have some more shopping to do today - anyone interested in watching our kids for a few hours after dinner tonight? But for some reason I am not worried about it. However, the fact that I am still waiting for the piece for baby's crib, stroller and car seat (which we're going to borrow), pump (borrow) and I have to buy diapers, wipes, bottles, bedding for the crib makes me freak out in the middle of the night! I have a bit less than 4 weeks left (maybe less than 3) but al of those things are things we can get after she is born. The gifts we need to get for Christmas really should not be gotten AFTER Christmas!

Oh well, I am sure it will all work out right:)

I am at work again today - nannying - and since it is so cold out, I am guessing we'll drive each other nuts by the end of the day, and then go and do it all over again tomorrow:)

Be prepared for multiple posts again today. Not much else to do. Although, I did just finish cleaning the kitchen here at work! I think it is my nesting instinct working on overdrive - thinking that any cleaning I do is better than none, even if it is not at my own house:)

Freezing cold!

Looking out the window it does not look bad at all, but it is now a frigid negative 3 degrees Farenheit and negative 23 with the windchill (-19 Celcius with windchill of -34 Celcius) here! It is way too cold! I am so glad I have a house with a working heater! And, I am thankful I don't HAVE to go anywhere today. We're even going to order pizza for dinner so that we don't have to go anywhere:)

I am planning on spending my day tidying up, doing laundry, wrapping gifts and making my step by step, place by place, last minute shopping list :)
We also have to make a meal plan for the next two weeks or so, and hopefully tomorrow we'll be able to get everything we need from all stores - gifts included - so that we can evade the stores until New Years!
I am trying to come up with what to make for dessert for the dinner we'll be having at my very good friend Karen's house. I am thinking Norwegian Caramel Pudding, Banana Cream Pie and maybe Dronning Maud pudding if we can find the pasterurized eggs this close to Christmas. Last year they were all sold out!


I was contemplating baking a bit more, but I will probably hold off since we really do not need anything else to eat in this house!

We do not even have to go out and clean out driveway. We are so blessed to have a wonderful neighbor with a snow blower who takes pity on us. Victoria just came back from their house after dropping off cookies and a card she made. We really do have great neighbors! Another thing that I am so thankful for!
What a wonderful day to be able to be inside all day, wearing pajamas all day, listening to Christmas music and hearing my kids count down the days over and over again:)

Victoria and I have also started a project that I really would love to have done by the 23. We're planning on having a Christmas tree (small one) decorated only with picture ornaments. The pictures will all be friends and family and those that we hold dear. I saw this idea in a magazine and totally fell in love with it! So, I have to upload pictures to be printed at Walmart, and then tomorrow I will pick them up and Victoria and I will put them all together. I also need to get a smaller tree to hang them on.

Well, I better get back to it:)
Have wonderful Sunday you all!

Belly pics for Elin, and some snow pics also

Snow storm number 3 coming through Rochester just in December.

Victoria chowing into her ginger bread house:)

My belly on November 29th.

December 14th belly

Elin,, bra nok? :)

Change of plans

So Parents' Day out was canceled due to the impending storm, so once more my plans were changed for me. It was nice though! I got to eat lunch with a friend, and also went shopping for a bit with her.

We have not decided if we'll be going to church or not. Depends on if Michael gets home in time, and how the weather looks at the time he does get home.

I see Elin wants belly pics, so I am thinking of putting some out here.......kind of scary though! I think I might have to think about it for a bit:) If only to make Elin more impatient:)

Hanne

36 weeks! 4 weeks left, or as little as 3 if they decide to induce me a week early! Yikes!

I am thinking the next couple of weeks will fly and soon I will be on the doorstep of having another baby in the house!
I did not get anything done yesterday, but you know what, it actually felt nice! I even went to bed at 9:30 instead of staying up late making up for not checking anything off of my list! Yay me!
Normally this never happens.
Today I am going to try to get done the things I had planned for today and then after wards I will see if I can do another one or two of the things for yesterday.
We're in for another snow storm, but hopefully not with as much snow as the other two. I believe this one will have more blowing snow than anything.

I do work at the Y's Parents' Day Out program today from 1 - 5, so that will be fun. I am just glad I found someone to cover my normal Kids Care shift for me so I wouldn't have to work another 9 hour day. That was hard, and I send kudos out to all of those who work their entire day on their feet! I spend a good portion of my day on my feet, but at least I have the chance to sit down and take a breather!

Michael has a birthday party to go to today, and he'll get to watch the Tale of Desperaux. He is so excited! Victoria was bummed, but changed her mind when she found out she'd get to hang with her best bud - Pappa / Daddy -all by herself for hours!

Then, we'll all head to church and have a good time there too! This is bound to be a good day!

Last night I got news that a family friend who is in the hospital ICU (has been for a bit after heart problems, and they really did not think he was going to make it) is making progress and is being weaned off the ventilator. Praise God! I have been praying for him and his family and hoping that their Christmas celebration would not be one of mourning their loved one, but of celebrating the miracles in life - and is looks as though they can!

Oki, off to check a few things off the list before the kids get up, which makes me think, Michael is still sleeping and it is past 8pm! He is my early bird up before 7 every morning! Playing in the snow for an hour and a half last night must have tired him out! Yay!

Snow day part 2

It is so nice outside! How come I cannot convince the kids they want to play outside in the pretty snow? I am actually pretty upset I did not bring my own snow pants and boots to work!
Maybe the kids will want to playoutside after they fry their brains in front of computers and TV a bit longer:)

I did take some pictures with Sarah's camera, but found that her memory card cannot be read by my memory card reader.... so, I will just have to repeat the pictures when I get home and have my own cameras:)

Snow day - again !

So Wednesday the warning came out that we might have a snow day Friday due to a snow storm coming through late Thursday night. During the day Thursday it went from warning to advisory (good!) so I was not too worried, but then, when I woke up this morning I had emails from the teachers at the kids' school saying school was closed:( All day! Not fun! I had so many plans for today, and was hoping to finish up my shopping without kids since I have to be at work Monday and Tuesday - all day, and I really did not want to shop on the weekend. Oh well, I might just have to go late in the evening and finish up.

I also have a cookie exchange at work, but not sure if I will make it in for that.

I forgot to bring my camera again, but at least I did bring my laptop! Maybe I can borrow Sarah's to get some nice wintery scenes posted here:)

Monday and Tuesday the kids are out of school - they will have a whole 16 days (17 since they got today also) off from school! Christmas is next week already and I am totally not ready! Oh well, whatever gets done will be done, and the rest of the things can't be that important:)
I will make sure to get the last few gifts I need though.
I also have to get gifts for the kids from some friends and family, but can't until the money is here, so we might go do some after Christmas shopping too. The kids will enjoy that - more than me fore sure:)

Oh, I found this awesome thing on a friend's blog today http://www.blurb.com/create/book/blogbook. What a cool idea!
I am for sure gong to check that out, although, I would love to be a better writer if I decide to so that:)

I am sure I will post me today as the day is bound to be a looong one!

Dr Appointment and update

Early this morning I had my 35 week checkup and everything went fine. I did get to talk to a doc instead of a nurse though (I love my nurse!) and got some answers to questions I had.

• I have not gained any weight!! since last appointment 2 weeks ago, so that is exciting!

• We also verified that baby girl is head down, although she is still quite high.

• I am dilated to a small 1cm, so I feel pretty certain she won't be here in the next week.

• I am measuring right on track - 35 weeks - but since she is still high up my doc believes her to be quite a bit smaller than my other two (cross your fingers she is right!). My doc would not guarantee that though, so we'll see.
• Since my other two were bigger, they won't make me go over my due date
• And since Victoria came so fast they will make a decision whether to induce me or not at my next appointment (not induce then, but make the decision then) on January 2nd. They will probably set up an induction date for the next week as long as my cervix is favorable - whatever that means. It sounded like there is a greater chance for them to induce me due to the speedy delivery of Victoria than due to the big size of my kids. The doc indicated that since I was capable of delivering a 9lbs7oz baby without much trouble I should not have much trouble even with a 10lbs baby! Lets hope I don't have to even try!
  

So, it was an overall ok appointment. I usually feel like it is a waste since they don't do much, but oh well. At least I found out some things today:)
I have my next appointment on the 2nd of January, and will start going weekly after that if I need to.
Currently I am planning on working at my nanny job until I go into labor, and at the Y through January 10th (Saturday before my due date), so we'll see how that goes.
I am not sure I would like to be induced as pitocin is not something I enjoy, but it would be nice to be able to plan when baby comes too! I guess if I am lucky enough she'll decide to come on her own before any indcution date:)

Other than that, not much is happening here in MN. People are slowing down because of the cold. We got a beautiful snow fall yesterday, but there is a severe winter storm warning for tomorrow pm, so we'll see how that goes. I would feel bad for the kids missing out on school on Friday as it is their "winter"party (Christmas party), and the last day of school for this year!

Victoria was under the impression that she will be entering 1st grade when she went back to school, so I am glad we figured that out now rather than in January so that we could explain to her she has to be in K until the summer!

I still have shoping left to do. I am waiting for money to be given to me by 3 people who want me to shop for my kids from them, and I hope I can get it done before the weekend! I think Thursday and Friday would be so much easier to shop on than Saturday and Sunday! The stores are going to be crazy with last minute shoppers!

My to-do-list is dwindling down as well, so that is awesome! I was hoping to be able to bake some Norwegian Christmas treats, but decided not to. We have too many already and I have so many other things that are more important to get done. And, Kevin already got a pan and a half of his favorite treats, so he is all good. The kids don't care what they get, as long as they have some yummy stuff:)

I do have to make some more fudge for my work treat exchange on Friday, but that should be pretty quick to do. I am glad I found out why my 2nd batch did not turn out as good as the first though. I forgot to add the vanillla! The kids like the 2nd batch, so I am not going to tell them:)

Ok, back to tidying up.....wow, that sounds nice....to only have to tidy up and not clean and scrub! If only it would stay like that! Unfortunately, I am not great homemaker! I can cook and clean, I am just not a very tidy and organized person! If I ever win big in the lottery, I am SO getting a cleaning lady to come in every week!

5 weeks or 35 days (whichever sounds smallest) left!

I am 35 weeks along today and that leaves only 5 weeks (at the most) left before baby girl is here! I am so excited and scared at the same time!
I have decided (I think) to sew her baby bedding, so I better get cracking. I am hoping to head to JoAnns today to find fabric. I am thinking I will do a duvet cover for her blanket rather than a quilt / comforter, just because that is easier to clean and make:) I also want to make her sheets and such, but that shouldn't be too difficult. This way I can also find fabric that I can use for the girls' room drapes that matches without paying a fortune.

I am still dealing with a head cold, although it seems to have moved more down to my chest now as I am coughing up a storm. At least I don't have that pounding headache that comes with a head cold though. Victoria is also coughing a lot, but I am hoping it is getting better. We both napped yesterday afternoon for several hours. It felt so good!

The kids only have one week left of school before their Winter Break. I have to work through the 23rd at my nanny job and the 24th at the Y before I get my break. I will have almost a week off which is great since Kevin's parents are coming down! We're going to my friend Karen's for the 24th, taking it easy and eating light on the 25th, and then having a big Christmas meal again on the 26th when Kevin's parents are here. I was originally planning on working through the year since we were not having people in town, but I am more than happy to change that:)

So this weekend will be spent cleaning, baking for my cookie exchange and wrapping gifts. That should get me in the right Christmas Spirit:)

I also have to do some last minute shopping for an American Girl Doll for Victoria. I hope it will get here in time!

Have a wonderful weekend!

5 weeks 2 days and prayers for a friend

I heard from a friend today, who is due with boy/girl twins in February, that her baby girl is not growing like they want her to, so she is now on hospital bed rest at least until nest Thursday when a specialist can come check things out. It just really puts everything in a different perspective for me. Yeah, I have had a "rough" pregnancy - but nothing medically wrong - just stress, more stress, really bad back pain, stupid umbilical hernia that does not want to go away etc. This is nothing compared to what my friend is doing through. I guess I am just grateful for what I have and for how well this pregnancy has progressed.

For me this week has been pretty good. I am dealing with a head cold, but nothing I cannot manage. Victoria seems to be a little under the weather, but she can manage too:) School has late start tomorrow, so I get to hang with both kids until 11, when we send Michael to school. After that I will have fun just hanging with my favorite 6 year old! Most likely we will watch Ice Princess again and nap. That will feel good!

This weekend I might be working Parent's Day Out again so that will be interesting. We're also planning on taking the kids to see Santa and to decorate cookies at one of the grocery stores in town. Victoria is very excited to give Santa her wish list - which by the way, I still have not deciphered all the way yet. She wrote it all out by herself! I am so proud of her!
I will also spend time this weekend baking for my cookie exchange on Monday. I am hoping to be done by Saturday night at the latest - if I can get it done tomorrow night that is even better - so that I can be lazy all weekend (after I finish come laundry that is).

Last night I did some baking (when I should have been in bed) and everything turned out good. both recipes were new ones so I am glad they turned out. I made fudge and brownie creme de menthe bars.

Anyways, I decided that I was going to bed early tonight, so I better get moving before it is not early anymore:)

5 weeks and 6 days!!

We're down to 5 weeks (ok and 6 days) left! I am so excited! Things seem to be falling into place:)
Although, I wish I had more time to prepare for sleepless nights. I had a test for that last night. Victoria and Michael have friends over for sleepovers, and the boys are usually up way too early, so last night I told them no sounds until after 7:30! Never thought to let the girls know since they usually sleep later, but I should have! They were both up (the girls that is) before 5 am! I heard them chatting and walking around, so I got up to tell them to go back to bed, and found them all dressed for the day and ready to play. They were both able to go back to sleep though, so that was good. Unfortunately, I was not. So I see myself heading to bed as soon as the kids are in bed tonight. I hope that is at 8:01PM!

Yesterday I had a long day at work, and I am thankful I do not have to work a full time job on my feet every day of the work week! I worked at the Y from 8 - 5PM. First my normal Kids Care shift, and then right over to the Parents Day out Program - which was a lot of fun by the way. Then I raced home to meet Kevin and the kids before we left straight for church. Sitting in church was hard, my back noticed the strain of being on my feet all day quite well. After we ate at church we took the extra two kids home and crossed our fingers they would be in bed and sleeping fast. Our kids are usually down by 8:30 at the latest, but their friends are not, so it gets to be quite a bit later before they calm down.
After they finally went to bed (to the bedroom that is - fairly sure they did not sleep for a while yet, at least not the boys) Kevin and I finished up a movie we started the other day - Master of Commander - something, something (can't remember the rest of the title). It was good and we both enjoyed it quite a bit!

Today Kevin is going over to his brother's house to play a game and watch football. I am glad he gets to do that. He has watched most games at home this season, and while I enjoy being able to see him throughout the day or ask for his help when I need it, I know he really enjoys hanging with the guys (since I am not much of a football person) and I am glad he has that chance today. He really does not go out a lot to do things with others. I am blessed to have a husband who values staying home and doing things with me and the kids. I guess that makes it easier for me to be ok with him going out whenever he wants to. I think we are both considered homebodies. I do enjoy being with friends and family, but it is really nice to just be at home too.
What is even better about this weekend, is that my house is mostly cleaned! I usually spend Sundays cleaning (heavy duty cleaning) but I have done good at keeping up with the chores lately so it might take only an hour to get the whole house done!
I do have laundry to do, but since Kevin is not home it means I get free reign over the TV and can watch TV while folding laundry:)

I am also hoping to go to Walmart for a few errands and get a gingerbread house kit to decorate with the kids and a few last minute gifts that I need to send ASAP.

If I find more time, I am going to attempt digiscrapping today as well, but I don't want to put it on my schedule as I am not sure I can find the time.

I did finish up my Christmas letter the other day. Now I want to add a few pictures of the family and print it. We are not doing a photo card in addition this year as I am thinking we'll send out a picture birth announcement with all three of the kids as soon as baby comes.

Oh..once again I have another post with no pictures. I am sorry folks! I really do need to add pictures to my blog soon! If I get the gingerbread kit and we decorate it today I know I will get those posted!

Ta-ta for now!

Famous Blog Makeover Giveaway

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Good luck all if you head over to try out your chance at winning!

Hanne

6 weeks and 2 days until D day

Getting closer every day:) Duh!
yesterday I managed to shovel the driveway and sidewalk, scrub down my kitchen (ceiling to baseboards) clean the bathroom upstairs and do two loads of laundry. Nesting instinct is in full bloom!
I also had my doctor's appointment as everything is fine. I was told to take it easy (thus the major cleaning and hard work I am guessing) as my back pain is more of a constant rather than coming and going now. I just want things done! I was also informed that she is head down, which is good, and she is actually fairly low down. She is facing my back, sticking her butt out right at my belly button, which kind of irritates my hernia. At least now I know why I am having such a hard time after anytime I eat! I am measuring about 2 weeks behind - so I am guessing we're right on target here, since that is what happened with the other two as well.

I am actually less stressed about getting things done now than I was this past weekend when I had lots of contractions. There is nothing we need that we cannot get within hours of her being born (Kevin just has to do the shopping by himself). Only Important things we need before going home is carseat, diapers and wipes. Everything else we can wing it with:) Of course, that being said, there are tons of things I would love to have ready before that!
I am thinking I will have a big shopping day right before Christmas, so that after Christmas I can just sit down and relax and wait...read a few books or something, or nest some more:)

Tomorrow I am working 9-1 and on Saturday I will have a looooong day (so much for taking it easy, huh) working from 8:15 until 5pm. I am looking forward to it though as I get to do Parents' Day Out. That is always lots of fun!
After PDO we'll head to church and after church we'll bring the children of some friends home for a sleep over while they go salsa dancing! I will probably do some cookie baking Sunday afternoon with the kiddos, but not sure about that yet. I do know I need to bake something for Kevin's work's Christmas treat day on Tuesday though.

If everything works out I might even go get the stroller and car seat, and get some of the "want"items as well as "need"items for baby, but it might just be nice to have a slow day at home as well:)

I am now off to watch this week's epidose of House with Kevin. See ya!

Looong night

Last night I had some Braxton Hicks (BH from now on) earlier in the day, but I figured it was due to cleaning and putting stuff away.
In church they kept coming and going and it was hard to concentrate.
Then right after the sermon they went away though, so I was relieved. Hoever, when I went to bed around 11:30 they came back. I chugged water to see if they would go away and they kind of faded to not as many, but definetely often enough to keep me awake a lot of the night. The whole time I had my to-do-list running through my head! Not sure why as if she came now we'd probably have to spend extra time in the hostpital and I would have time to send Kevin to pick up the last of the needed items.
Anyways, around 4:30 or so they stopped and I was able to sleep until 7, so that felt good.

This morning Victoria helped me wrap presents and we'll probably attempt a little bit of Christmas Decorating. When Victoria realized it is only 6 weeks and 6 days until her baby sister will be here though, she got a bit stressed and demanded we prepare a little bit better! :) She is so cute! She is going to be the best little helper (extra mommy) when baby comes!

We woke up to a white layer of snow on the ground this morning too. I had no clue it was going to snow, so I feel bad about not sending Winter Gear with Michael when he went on his sleepover last night. Oh well....they will proably be playing Rock Band all day anyways.

So, that is how the first Sunday in Advent started for me. Hope yours is just as great!

Another week closer to holding our new bundle in our arms!

I only have 7 weeks left. For some reason 6 weeks seems like the point of no return for me, and I am guessing I will be stressed out of my mind at that point!
We hosted Thanksgiving in town, and had friends over which was great. That is. I ate so much (I thought) I started feeling sick. Pretty normal at Thanksgiving, right? Well, turns out I actually got the stomach flu. It was bad! Thankfully no throwing up until our friends left, but I still felt bad! I was just uncomfortable the whole time they were here, and I was certain it was because I ate too much. Looking back though, I did not eat that much at all. I did not even finish the dessert. And I only had dessert because it was my birthday! So, on my combined birthday and thanksgiving I was pretty sick. The kids did not get it at all thank goodness, because in the middle of the night Kevin got it as well. Pretty depressing.
I had made big plans for him to shop for me Friday morning while I stayed at home with the kids. When we left Thursday night to get the newspaper with the ads though, they were out all over town! So I had to sit down on the computer and write out a list. I decided to only stick to Walmart. When he got sick, I figured all shopping was out. He did get up in the am though, and got most of the things from the list! What an awesome husband I have!
I slept most of Friday until later in the day, when we decided to head to Lights of Bluff Valley for their light show. It was really neat, and really cold! We most likely will make Bluff Valley a tradition for our family.
Today I slept in again, and awoke feeling tons better. This must be the first Thanksgiving I have not gained any extra weight due to overeating! I cannot guarantee there is not a weight gain as I am pretty sure my baby girl is growing steadily:)

When I dot up this morning and realized the weekend just started (YAY!!) I got all into nesting mode again. I only have 7 weeks left was the mantra repeating in my head. I got the crib all taken apart and brought it upstairs only to find that I am missing 4 vital parts of the crib. I don't have the four pieces needed for the drop side thingy. Talk about annoying! I am sure they are somewhere in the house, but being that it has been 4 years since we took the pieces off, your guess is as good as mine as to where they are.
So, I took to the handy dandy internet to look up replacement parts for the crib. Well, in doing so I found that the crib had a recall on it, and guess what, the parts replaced for free are the drop side pieces! So, I put in an order for those, and I guess I just have to wait a bit before putting it together, but at least I have the safer parts on the way. Baby will be sleeping in a bassinette in our room for a few weeks until we have the nursing down anyway.
So, that lead me to my next thin on my to do list: organizing the clothes etc. Well, I am certain I need a changing table (for storing clothes under) or a dresser. I might not have to do any laundry with this baby! At least until she is 6 months. Then I need to go out and buy all outfits as I only have 3 in that size.
So, my organizing plan was cut short too. On to number 3 on the list. Making a shopping list of things we need before baby comes. My friend Karen has offered to throw a shower, but with December being so busy we'll probably wait until after baby comes, which means I need to get the essentials before. That is ok though. I hopefully in the next week or two I will convince Kevin to go baby shopping with me. At least for Diapers, wipes, bedding (although that can wait until the crib parts are in too), pacifiers, diaper bag, car seat and stroller ( I think Kevin's mom is getting this for us), diaper ointment as well as a few nursing nessecities. That is not too much.
I would also love to get all my Christmas shopping done soon - and might convince Kevin to take me to the cities for that. Just need to find a babysitter. Can't have the kids with us when we get their stuff:)
I am not supposed to sit in the car for very long (that is, sitting in general aggravates my back) but I am thinking that if we go up to the Cities and stay over night it should be ok. If not, I guess I am the only one paying for it (unless I keep Kevin awake at night with my complaining about hurting).

I already cleaned the whole house (still need to do daily cleaning I am afraid), but I need to set up the guest bedroom for Kevin's parents coming down after Christmas. I should have time for that still though.
I also want to deep clean my minivan, and somehow get Kevin's "spare" car out of the way so that I can park in the garage. Although, unless I can fix the garage door opener, that will not be too high on my list. No chance I will be getting in and out of the car to open the garage door in the middle of the winter. I am sure as soon as it snows a lot, I will change my mind though!

Oki, better get ready for church. Maybe tonight, after church, I will put my whole to-do list up here. Oh what fun you will have following me as I check things off, right! ;)

Have a wonderful weekend all!

Only 8 weeks left...or less!

I am 32 weeks along today, so that means no more than 8 weeks left of being pregnant! This pregnancy has been so much harder on me than the other two! My OB told me there is something about the third being harder, without it meaning you are older, in worse shape etc. Glad to know that!

My back pain kinda comes and goes, as do the headaches. Today was one of the worse days I have had in a while, and all I really wanted to do was to stay in bed. However, Michael had two friends over for a sleep over last night (meaning an early morning for me when they get up at 6am!) and we took them to the free movie at Chateau. This week is was Kung Fu Panda. It was pretty good, but I think it is probably the last movie I will be going to until after baby is born. Since my back was already hurting quite a bit, sitting for another 2 hours did not do anything good at all.
I also had problems in church getting comfortable, and as much as I hate to say it, I know we've made the right decision to stay home this Thanksgiving.
I have had such a hard time coming to terms with family not coming down even though they are able to, but I am working on it. I have told Kevin over and over I can handle the pain of sitting in the car for 6 hours, but he has already made up his mind. And in all reality, he is probably right that we should not go. I would be miserable the entire time. I just really want to be with family, even if that means it will hurt and even if the decision we made to stay at home really does seem like the best.

What makes me sad is that my Black Friday shopping won't happen either. I for sure will not go by myself, and there is no one to watch the kids. Not that I think that I would have made it many places before having to give up. Maybe I should look at it as a different way of saving money:)

On to brighter things:
I did have my appointment on Wednesday and will not be going every two weeks! I measured right on track which kind of worries me as I measured about 2 weeks smaller with both Michael and Victoria and they came out over 9lbs!
With this bundle I seem to look smaller (or maybe that is just wishful thinking too) and so far I have only gained 15lbs. Just wait until next week and I will pile the pounds on!
She is already face down, however, she is facing my back, so I am kinda worried about back labor. She could still turn though, so that is good. Currently her butt is sticking out right above my belly button, and it is quite obvious every time I sit up. She does make me look kind of lopsided.

This girly sure is an active one. She moves so much, almost like rolling around, and there are times when I expect to see her hands and feet stick out of my belly. She tries to stretch to the point where I cannot sit up, but have to stretch my body out to give her enough room:)

I remember earlier in the pregnancy saying I did not want to go early as it would put us in the middle of Christmas, but now I would not care if baby showed up on Christmas Eve:). I am more than ready for her to arrive, but know she'll need a few more weeks in the oven to be able to arrive without complications of being premature. Knowing that, I will probably go until my due date, just because I am so anxious to be done being pregnant! Don't get me wrong, I love being pregnant, but this pregnancy has been more stressful and painful than anything else.

I have not taken many pictures lately, and I really should get on the ball. I really dislike blogs without pictures, and now mine has become one!
I am also hoping to find a way to change my layout on my blog t make it prettier. There are so many pretty blogs out there!
I have actually been toying with the idea of going back to school to get a Digital Arts Degree and also take photography classes. I would love to have my own company where I can design layouts, photo greeting cards etc. We'll see when I will ever find enough time to take that on though:)
When baby comes I will only be taking 3-4 weeks off from my nanny job, and I guess I have to take 6 weeks from the Y (although I can do all my paperwork from home. I just cannot bring her in to Kids Care until she is 6 weeks old). I am guessing I will be going nuts while at home (after week 2). I just need to have something to so. Maybe I will take up crocheting:)

Well, have a wonderful weekend all!

Free Hairbow giveaway - check it out!

My friend Amanda - online friend from when I was pregnant with Victoria - is starting up an Etsy shop and makes these adorable hair bows. She is currently having a give away going on, so check out her blog!

http://amanda-ritter.blogspot.com/2008/11/giveaway-in-honor-of-my-100th-post.html

The bows she posted are super cute! I am hoping my baby will have lots of hair (don't see that happening since both older ones were bald) but if she does not, Victoria can wear them if we happen to win!:)

Hanne

SNOW!

So we got our first snowfall today. Victoria has already spent time outside playing and made a snowman. Unfortunately I did not have my camera with me and the man melted before anyone else could take pictures:( Oh well, we all know that living in MN gives us plenty of chances to make snowmen! More chances that we want, really!

I am having Sarah send me some of the pictures she took, so I will upload for those of you who like that kind of stuff:)

The kiddos are currently watching a movie and eating popcorn. What else can you do on a wet and cold no school day?

I am working on my Christmas cards - need to talk to Karen to get ideas on backgrounds though:)

No school

for the kids tomorrow, so I will be spending all day at work (my nanny job) while the kiddos do their thing. It will be nice to not have anything I HAVE to do, but also annoying I cannot finish my project I started yesterday.
I have been reorganizing in the basement, and I have gotten all the stuff in our storage room into rubbermaid containers so that it now looks way better. On the other side, in doing so, I made a big mess in the family room that I need to clean up. Tubs to take to the Goodwill store, and heaps of stuff for the dump. Oh well....it will probably serve me well to have a day "off"that I did not pick:)

Tomorrow night I am co-hosting a slumber party with my friend Karen at her house. I can't wait!

Only 11 more weeks! Or thereabouts....

Yesterday I was 29 weeks, and only have 11 weeks left before out bundle joins us. Victoria is a very excited and started checking off the calendar as a countdown method.

This past week has been pretty slow, but with a weird work schedule. I did not work Monday due to my 3 hour glucose test - which I did not fail but I am borderline on my first draw, so I have to watch what I eat, have to cut down on carbs and sugars, and eat more protein. Thankfully I don't have to check my blood sugars unless I gain tons of weight over the next few weeks. Kevin is very protective and help keeping me accountable and not sneaking foods I should not have!
Tuesday was normal and Wednesday I was at an all day training for the Y with an awesome speaker. Only bad thing was that I had to sit for so many hours straight which totally messed with my back again. Thursday was normal and Friday was Halloween and busy. I got out of my nanny job early and got home to get the kids dressed before we met Karen and Nate for dinner - Little Ceasar's Pizza - before Karen and I took the kids trick or treating. The weather was awesome! No need for jackets or anything. Not normal for October 31st in MN I tell you! I think all the walked, though fairly painful after a while, rocked the baby to sleep quite well as she has been very slowgoing today.
The kids scored big times with their Trick or Treating, and have been pigging out this whole weekend. Tomorrow the candy goes bye-bye to daddy's work so that we can get it out of the house. I am not supposed to have any of it and it makes it hard to not eat any when there is so much yummy stuff left!

Saturday Karen and I took Sophie and Victoria to High School Musical 3 after we were done working a the Y. It was nice to hang out with the little girls!
When I got home I finished clearing out in the garage, and there is now room for my mini-van in there! I am hoping to get all our storage out on the shelves in the garage over the next few weeks. Only thing it that I need to convince Kevin since I am not supposed to lift that kind of heavy stuff.

Today I spent cleaning and doing laundry with small breaks on the computer. We also handed Ally's cat back to her and will now be able to open the basement door and air it out a bit. I had forgotten how much a cat would smell up the house!
The Vikes won and made my husband the happiest camper, especially since the Packers lost too!

This coming week will be normal except for Friday which is a no-school day so I have all four kids all day. I am not working at the Y though, so that it good.
Saturday if Evan's dedication at church, and I was able to find someone to swap counter and weekend with me, so I get to go watch! Yay! I miss the two boys as I have not seen them at church in so long!

Other than that, not much is going on. We're trying to find a day to work a babyshower out, planning for Thanksgiving and figuring out what we really want to to, getting Christmas presents that need to be sent done etc. I am sure that even though it feels like 11 weeks is plenty of time, I will be running ragged the last few weeks as I have so much to do! I keep making lists of things that need to be done, and instead of shrinking, they grow! So now, instead of dorking on teh computer I realy should be doing other things. Oh well.....it will get done eventually, although I am certain my house will NOT be as clean and organized as I pictured it being.

I hope the weather stays nice too, for as long as possible. It is nice to still be able to air out the house during the day! I love the fresh smell!
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Three days of pigging out on sweets

So, when I talked to the nurse about my Glucose test she said that three days before my 3 hour test I needed to start adding sugar to my diet so that I would not get sick when drinking the glucola. I guess the glucola for the 3 hour test is much sweeter than the 1 hour test, so if I do not prepare my body with extra sugar ahead of time, I will most likely get sick. So, Kevin and I have been indulging in sweets we normally do not. My favorite - Strawberry-Rhubarb pie and chocolate milk, not together though:) Sugary stuff, however, is not as exciting as I remember it being! I am getting headaches from the extra sugar - that is how too much has affected me since we did the low carb diet 5 years ago.

Then, on Monday I have to be in at the clinic between 8 and 9 and stay for 4 hours! That will be a great day. I have to fast for 12 hours before the test as well as no eating during, so I am guessing I will be starving by the time I am done! Please cross your fingers for me Monday AM!

On the brighter side, my back does feel better as long as I follow their reccomendations of staying off my feet as much as possible, limiting my lifting, and not sitting for long periods of time. Sleeping with a pillow wedge (shaped like a triangle) is helping as well. I cannot make it the whole night with the wedge, but anything is better than nothing. Thank you Karen for letting me borrow it!

Tonight we're having kids over for a sleepover while their parents are in the Cities for a wedding. Each time I am reminded how great eaters and sleepers my children are! And I am so thankful! I guess getting up at night with other people's kids will prepare me for late nights with the baby though. It just takes a while to get used to as I have not had to deal with this with my own kids for many years. So far tonight I have had to deal with a pee issue in the bathroom, tantrums (in the form of crying) because they did not get snack. The rule at our house is that unless you eat your lunch and dinner there is no snack. And it is not like I pile the plate full of food either. My kids are used to it, but it does take other children some time to realize I am serious when I tell them! In my honest opinion though, any snack is a priviledge and unless you eat real food, there is no need for snack foods. If all you can eat it one spoonful of noodles (which you requested) before you are full, you are entirely too full for any kind of snack. But then again, maybe that is just Kevin and I. At least we agree on it though:)
I remember the first time we had kids over for a sleep over, I was asked what their treat for eating some of their dinner was. I was floored! Is this common? Please post a comment if it is. Maybe Kevin and I need to change our food policy:)

Anyways, I am going to head to bed. It is 8:38pm and I am all tuckered out. The cold I am fighting is taking everything out of me. I am hoping that by the time the work week starts again, I will be ready to go:)
Have a wonderful weekend!

Failed my 1hr Glucose test:(

So, I had to spend an hour in the doctor's office yesterday taking my glucose test to rule out GD (Gestational Diabetes). I passed with flying colors with both older kids so I figured this was not going to be a problem. Then I got home from work today and there was a message for me to call my doc back for test results. Not good!
I was slightly over the limit, so they need me to take a 3 hour glucose test which entails 4 hours at the doctors. And it has to happen within the next week!
I have to be in between 8 and 9 and stay on for 4 hours:(
I have heard many people pass the 2nd one, but it is still a hassle. And if I fail the next one I am going to freak out! When I have babies over 9 lbs around their due date without GD, how big will she be if I have GD?
Anyways, just had to vent a bit before my 30 minute nap (I hope).
I will update you will results after the test next week!

I found the sleep!

Friday night I found the sleep I had been missing and slept 11 hours in a row! I woke up just in time for lunch. It felt sooo good! And I was still able to go to bed at a decent time and sleep well the next night as well.

Since Thursday I have been off work from both jobs and got tons done! So much for taking it easy and relaxing. That just is not something I can do! Thursday I spent cleaning out our bedroom - tossing junk and filling bags for the Goodwill store. Friday I worked on the rest of the upstairs. We had a whole van load to bring to the Goodwill store. Saturday I more or less cleaned. Kevin was awesome help. I think mostly because he enjoys seeing junk leave our house:) He mopped the kitchen floor and helped load the car. The kids helped too, and their rooms are now very clean.
Today - Sunday - we moved Michael into Victoria's room and Victoria into Michael's. That will be the new sleeping arrangements from now on. When the baby comes she will move in with Victoria. The kids are still working on putting some of the kids away, but it took less time than I thought it would!

In between all the cleaning and junk throwing we also found time to watch four movies, make bread pudding Famous Dave's style, go to church and just enjoy each other as family. I took great care not to carry anything too heavy, although Kevin would probably say I still lifted things I was not supposed to. Oh, and I got many loads of laundry done too!
Now I have told myself I am done cleaning and that I am only allowed to to laundry the rest of the weekend.

We were hoping to go out of town this weekend since we had a long weekend due to MEA, but since that did not happen I am glad that things worked out the way they did. I do wish that I had the capability to just sit down and do nothing tough! Oh wel, sooner or later it will happen, whether I want it to or not.

Tomorrow it is back to school and work for us all and I am sure the break will not seem like it lasted long enough. For now, I will enjoy the time we still have left of the weekend.

Yesterday I was 27 weeks and it hit me that I only have 13 weeks left before baby is here! I am not sure I am ready for that! I have The Y Spooltacular, Halloween, a slumberparty, Thanksgiving, my birthday, a cookie exchange, babyshower (somewhere in there), Christmas and hopefully New Years to deal with before baby is here, and 13 weeks just does not seem like enough time to get all of that done! I also have to do all the Christmas shopping. So, if anyone finds a way to stop time for a bit, let me know!

Sleep, where art thou?

For the past few months sleep has come easy, but also left easy, so I am in search of a good night's sleep. Anyone have one to borrow me just for one night? I tend to fall asleep very easily when I finally put my book down, but for some reason cannot sleep for more than an hour at a time. Then I will wake up and toss and turn for an hour or so before falling asleep for another hour. This is getting very old. I am not sure if it is being pregnant that does it, or my back bugging me,
I was told to take a sleeping aid, but I am hesitant. I guess as long as I can function throughout the day I can make this work. I am thinking that I will end up crashing one weekend though, and sleep the whole weekend through.

Anyways, other than that, not much is going on. I work 9-1 at the Y 5 days a week and every other Saturday, and nanny still, so there is not much down time. Victoria loves going to Sophie's house after school!

I am counting down days now, and seeing that my to-do-list and to-get list grows I am kind of getting stressed out. I really wish we had kept everything for babies after having Victoria! We're also working on getting Michael moved to a new room - but that room needs a lot of work, and currently we have a visitor staying there, so that is put of for another week.

We have decided to stay in town for Thanksgiving (it was our year to stay in town anyway) as sitting in the car for over 5 hours just is not going to work for me and my back. The 40 minutes I have to sit each day is already too much. The only thing that works is laying down or walking, so long car rides are out. Although, I am hoping to get up to the Albertville outlets soon to finish up some shopping.
We're also staying in town for Christmas as it is too close to my due date to be going anywhere. Last thing I would want is to go into labor early between Rochester and Moorhead!

Short update here, hopefully I can get better at keeping you all in the loop!
Have a wonderful week!

Happy Birthday Michael!!!

My baby boy is 9 today!!! I am feeling old!
He is thrilled, and of course was the first one up this morning.
We'll have his party on Saturday night with only a few friends. It is his choice though, so that works fine for me:)

Happy Birthday Honey!

Birthday party Central!

Victoria turned 6 on Saturday, and celebrated with some friends at the pool at the Y. It was great! We had 7 girls and Michael along with grandma, Karen, Chloe's dad, me and Kevin.
Brian and Chase met us in the pool after we all finished having cake and ice cream in the party room.

Sunday we had a family party for Victoria, Kevin and Michael along with grandma, grandpa, Brian, Lisa, Chase and Evan, and of course out whole family. I had made Dronning Maud pudding for Kevin ( a Nowegian treat he has adopted as his favorite), Death by Chicken (aptly named such after we realized exactly how unhealthy it was!) and Lois made them all a chocolate cake shaped as a football that Michael helped her frost. It was a great time even though I did run out of a key ingredient at the last minute. Lois was kind enough to run to the store for me, and we were able to save dinner!

Kevin's birthday was actually on Monday, and that day he came home early from work with a bad headache. After I got home we all ate dinner and he went back to bed. What a way to celebrate turning 30! In the middle of the night he got sick and started throwing up, so he spent yesterday at home on the couch.
By the time I was done with my Norwegian class (which went well by the way) he was feeling a lot better and we finished watching Batman Begins together.

Now I only have one more party to plan - Michael's for his friends - for next weekend. He want to have a Pirate party with a few friends at our house, so that is what he'll get.

Right now I am sitting in the cafe at church waiting for the kids and Kevin to finish at Awana. I am so glad they have wireless! I am also working on backing up all our work CD's (kids' music) on my laptop for next time the CD's get scratched. Things are not handled very delicately at my work!

Hope all is well with all of you out there! Gotta get back to work.

Dr. Appt today

So, I had my monthly checkup today and everything is fine. I am still not gaining a lot of weight, but enough to keep them happy! I am still below where I started and I am almost 23 weeks. The baby is growing though, and that is all that matters.
I also am allowed to not be as strict with staying off my feet as long as I take a break if I feel like I need to. I am still not allowed to lift anything heavy though.

I had ultimate plans to clean a lot yesterday, but instead I did nothing! I am sure Kevin is proud of me. Doing noting is very difficult for me!
I also learned today that I have until Friday afternoon to have everything clean, so that is great. I have done smaller things around the house every day, so the major things won't be as bad.
Tonight is Awana at church, and Kevin and I have plans together. Seems like I have not seen him a lot this past week, so it will be good to catch up.

Well, i better get off my behind before it grows stuck on this chair:)
Have a wonderful September day all!

I just fell in love!

I was reading on babycenter.com and saw the most beautiful name! I am not sure Kevin will like it, but I am totally in love! The name is Viviana.
Kevin is out with the guys, so now I am anxiously waiting for him to come home so I can tell him all about it!
Maybe if I clean some more time will go faster:)

The name is Latin and means alive.

I know Kevin wants a Norwegian name that is more or less Americanized, so we'll see what he says.

Norwegian class starts today

and I feel very unprepared!
The book I have used for the past few years and know by heart is too difficult to get ordered in time from Norway, so we had to make a last minute decision to change the curriculum. Yikes!
I feel like I have to learn the whole thing before I an teach it, but today is the first time I had to sit down and work through the first few pages.
Also, I have a lady in my class who took the beginning class last spring and signed up again. She paid for the old book, and now has to get the new book:( I feel bad!

At least it is a beginners class though. I just wish I had had some more time to work through it.

My house is still a mess too, which does not help my stress level. I need it cleaned by Thursday am, or at the latest Friday am. Tomorrow I have part of the day off so that will help. I had to take the whole day off from the Y due to an appointment I scheduled a month ago, so I guess that is good. That will give me some extra time to get things done around the house before the weekend. Victoria will be at school so it should go smoother. She loves to help, but sometimes it is just easier with no children around!
I am also hoping that at my appointment they will lift my restrictions and let me at least not worry about staying on my feet all day:) No issues since that last Friday, so that is good. My back is still sore, but as long as I can get through this week and weekend I should be able to take it easier!

Wow, I really am nervous! Cross your fingers my class goes well! I gotta eat an early dinner and head out. I am kind of relieved my intermediate class did not go through!
Have a wonderful night everyone!

Gettin in done!

Wow, I am amazed at what I have accomplished this last week! I totally trashed my house, got stuff ready for a garage sale while still trashing the house (and mind you, not doing anything cleaning whatsoever), started paperwork for my new job, finished the new schedule, moved stuff to the garage sale venue (still have about two van loads to go), scrubbed my fish tank and accessories (for the sale), did two loads of laundry (should have done me though) and just now I am blogging:)
I have a lot left to accomplish, but just knowing that I did as much as I did this past week makes me feel better about the coming week and crunch time before party weekend. Next week I will have less time as I will be working many more hours at the Y, but at least the majority of my junk is gone!
I never got to go through my own room, but that is ok. I will save that for a day when I am nesting and everything else is spic and span clean (yeah, right, never gonna happen!).

Tonight I am babysitting my two nephews while their daddy and my hubby go gaming at the gaming club(board games) and I am also watching our friends' two kids (who are my kids' best friends) overnight.
Saturday am I have to get up early to get to the sale - 4 kids in tow as they are planning on selling lemonade:) Then, right after the sale I have to rush home, shower and get ready for my nursery duty at church. Then, straight from church to a slumber party at my good friend Melissa's house. It will be a very busy day, but I am sure tons of fun as well.
Sunday am I have Cafe duty at church, so up again early!
I feel bad for leaving Kevin alone for almost a whole weekend, but he is tough and can handle it:) I will make up for it the next weekend when it is his BIG 30th birthday!

Well, I better go run some errands while I can, although sitting here blogging feels kinda nice!

Oh, and I really want to change the look of my blog too, so if you know where I can find someone who does blog makeovers, let me know!

Hanne

Garage Sale

So a friend of mine offered to have a garage sale at her house so that we both could clean out our houses. My main goal was to get the garage cleared out, and then maybe some of the junk in the house too. Well, the sale is this Saturday (one day only) and I just started working on the garage yesterday after work. I did get a lot done, but with my restrictions on being on my feet and lifting it made it difficult to get much more done than I already did. My house is an utter mess as I empties closets in both kids' rooms and the bathroom, emptied out my laundry/storage room and brought all the junk out to the living room and family room. I am so embarrassed to have people see my house right now! I know it is all for the greater good, but seriously, I need to get better at organizing and getting rid of stuff as we go, not once every few years!
Kevin is thrilled with my "get rid of" pile as it is huge. The kids did an awesome job clearing out their rooms, and Michael actually has a whole side of his closet all empty!
I still have not even started on my own room, but if I don't get there that is ok.
My worry is that I am not going to be able to get the house back together for the next weekend when we'll be celebrating Victoria's 6th birthday, Kevin's 30th and Michael's 9th. Kevin's parents, his brother and our sister-in-law are coming along with their two kids for a dinner party Sunday evening, but Kevin's parents, I am guessing here, will be staying with us that whole weekend for the kids' celebrations so I need to have it ready by next Friday. Wish me luck!

I am currently 21 weeks (will be 2 weeks along on Saturday) and I am feeling good other than my back issues. We did have a scare on Friday and I had to talk to the Doctor then, which is when I got my restrictions as far as lifting and staying on my feet for too long. Being halfway through the pregancy makes me feel a litle rushed though, as we have nothing ready for the baby bean. I am hoping that whatever money I can make during the sale I will be able to spend on baby stuff as we are in need of everything but the crib and mattress!
Another good friend of mine is having a sale at her house the weekend after mine, and she is selling her little girl's clothes, so a lot of the money will end up at her house I am sure:) The biggest problem will be the time of year for clothing. Her daughter is a summer baby while our will be a winter one, so we'll se how that works out.

Sorry for not updating earlier. I have just been too busy getting things ready for this sale!
On Friday I am babysitting my two nephews until late in the night, and our friends' kids for a sleep over while they are out celebrating Jen's birthday! I am hoping it will be possible for the kids and their parents to at least venture into my house without stumbling over something when they come over on Friday! At the least, I want to have all the stuff I haven't already brought to the sale venue stacked in the garage ready to be transported. I need help for this though as most of the buckets are too heavy for me to lift ( I am capable, but will be dealing with a mad hubby and some very upset friends if I do). It is not fun being helpless I tell ya! I am not used to asking for help. I usually just do things myself.

Well, better get back to work! I have this week semi-off, meaning that I work my nanny job and then at the Y 2 ams a week, but starting next week I will step into my AM Lead job in the Kids Care and will be working longer hours, leaving not much time for cleaning and resting. So things that need to be done, should be done this week or weekend! I guess I need to work on organizing my schedule to allow for some down time too!


Have a wonderful week all!

Hanne

Fishing

Michael is out fishing with his best buddy Ben today. We were supposed to have him up and ready by 5:45, but when the doorbell rang a few minutes before 6 we were all still sleeping! I had accidentally set the alarm for 5:15pm!
We got him up though and off to go fishing at Lake Peppin.

We're crossing our fingers that he catches us something good to eat for dinner:)

Hanne

Hurricane Gustav

Just wanted to let you all know that we're praying for all of those who might be affected by the Hurricane expected to hit land overnight tonight. I hope that all of you evacuating will be ok and those of you staying also safe! Be Careful!

Here's a place to track Gustav (via Wunderground)

http://icons-pe.wunderground.com/data/images/at200807.gif

Hanne

Helpful kiddos

Wow! If I had had any inkling how helpful they would be, and how they would not whine when asked to tidy up their rooms, I would have told them before I knew I was pregnant! Today (I have the day off) they have both been busy puttering around in their rooms, putting things away, cleaning up and putting away toys they no longer want. Maybe it is because they usually do this at this time of the year (birthday's coming up in a few weeks), but I am more likely to believe it is because they actually want to help out!

They kindly asked to have a break when daddy came home from work to eat lunch, and said without prompting that as soon as he leaves they will work again.
Little do they know that I am not gonna let them back at it today:) We're taking the afternoon out just for tons of fun! Library, parks, feeding the geese etc. I feel soo blessed to have such wonderful kids, who, when put their minds to it, know how to please their mama:)

I am in total nesting mode today (probably because it is all official) and have hit the house with a vengeance. Kitchen scrubbed down, kids' rooms (where they needed help), laundry, and working on the living room again (I stored a ton of junk there when cleaning other places). My net friend Keela inspired me. Thanks Keela!

They didn't believe us.....

Kevin and I finally got to see the kids again Friday afternoon at Kevin's aunt's lake. When the kids got there, and after we got the tents up, we asked them if they would go on a walk with us. Of course Victoria had other plans and was not very happy that we made her go on a walk. A short diatance into the walk we stopped and I said :"Victoria, in January you are going to be a big sister, and Michael a big brother". Victoria's response: "Naha". Me: "Um...yes, you are. There is a baby in my belly and it is a girl". Michael's response: "Are you telling the truth?". Me: "Ask Dad then". They both turn to Kevin and say: " Is it true?"
When he told them it was they started getting excited and both were ok with the fact that the baby is a girl, thank goodness:) It was so funny though!

We asked Victoria if she wanted to tell Grandma and Grandpa and she said yes, so we started back to the lake. Both kids ran ahead of us and since they had such a weird first reaction I thought maybe they forgot about it all. But not so. Victoria did run over to grandma to tell her. They were all thrilled and I am sure quite surprised:)

Then at night, Victoria kept telling me over and over again that she is so excited and can't wait to be a big sister! Michael is more reserved but you can tell he is thrilled as well. He secretly hoped Victoria will be too busy playing mommy to the baby to be bugging him:)


I did take a lot of pics this weekend and I will upload another day. The first night we spent there it was so windy I thought we were going to fly away in our tents and I stayed up most of the night. Kevin was also awake as I kept him awake by shivering extremely due to fear! I have only been me afraid once in my life! The second night was much better. A bit chilly, but I always prefer to be cold when I sleep anyways.
So, now I am off to the couch for a nap while Kevin works on his fantasy football rankings for the draft party tonight:)

Have a great Sunday!

Announcing our new addition

Baby Girl Lucier is due to arrive January 17th, 2009! A total surprise for all of us!
The kids still don't know (we'll tell them when we see them again tomorrow) and neither do Kevin's parents. Many other people don't know either, but I am guessing this post and my facebook pictures will spread quickly:)

Here is a picture of the little one. She was calm the majority of the time until towards the end when she was probably sick of being pushed around in there.





My pregnancy has gone well. Not much morning sickness at all. Did not have much of an appetite either though, so I lost weight in the beginning and have just now started gaining it back. My back has been bothering me a bit, but if that is due to pregnancy or slipping on the ice earlier this year I am not sure. I am currently 18 weeks 5 days, so I am almost half way there. The ultrasound put me at 19 weeks 3 days, but since both Michael and Victoria were big babies I am guessing that is the case for this one as well.


Anyways, that is about it for now.
I have to head to bed so that I can be ready for a weekend of camping, and to hang with my kids again. I have missed them tons!

Home alone. Yikes!

Oki, so good times did have to come to and end, and my parents left for Norway again last Thursday. The same day we headed out to Kevin's parents' house for the weekend, and to drop the kids off for a week. No, Kevin and I did not go on a trip without the kids. We both had to be back at work Monday am.
We did however, get to spend some quality time together Saturday and Sunday, as well as most evenings this week. On Friday we're heading out again to meet the kids and grandma and grandpa at grandma's sister Carol's lake for a weekend of camping.

Monday and Tuesday I worked as normal and then today I worked at the Y. I got to meet my new boss, who seems very nice, and catch up with all the parents, kids and wonderful co-workers.
Now, however, I am sitting here, home along! I guess it is as good of a time as any to catch up on my blogging too:)
Kevin and I are planning on going out to dinner tonight to Hubblehouse. Never been there but we've talked about it for years!
Last night we celebrated Sean's 2ns birthday. He is my wonderful friend Karen's youngest. They had a grill out, fire and smores. Gotta love me some smores:)
Monday we went to Outback and ate dinner way later than we ever have before:) See, we are pathetic! All we do when the kids are gone is eat:) I am not sure I want to be without my kids too often. They certainly liven up our dull lives:)
Tomorrow we're actually eating at home. We will have some pork chops and corn. yum!

Tomorrow I also go back to work for one day. The family I work for is heading to Disney for a long weekend. It is always nice to only have one work day between days off:)
I also have a couple of appointments tomorrow, but I will blog about that another day.

The weather in August has been awesome! For almost a whole week we were able to keep the windows open, no AC all day! Some nights it has actually gotten chilly in our room to the point where I had to use my big fat blanket. Nothing is better than being cold to the point of freezing at night!

I was planning on spending a lot of time back-to-school shopping this week while the kids were gone, but when we were up north last weekend Kevin's mom - who is a pro at finding good deals - gave me enough clothes for both kids to last them a while. Now I just need to get tennis shoes for them and maybe one outfit just for fun:)

I guess I could start planning their birthday parties, but I am sure they want to have a say in the decisions, so I will just enjoy my down time. Of course, what I really SHOULD be doing is clean my house, but that is no fun.

Anyways, enough ramblings from me:)
I will update with pictures after this weekend and hopefully get better at blogging when I have more time - not unlike today. Because what in the world will I do with my time when the kids are both in school?

Take care all!

Visit from Family

It has been a while since I last blogged and all I can say is that we've been busy!
Between the visit from my brother and Kevin's sister and the kids and now my parents our house has been bustling. the good kind of bustling of course!
I am working this week and next, but have a week off after that, so I will get to spend some down time with my mom and dad. Tomorrow they are taking Michael and Victoria with them to visit my grandma's cousin Fred in Milwaukee until Sunday or Monday. Kevin and I will be heading to the Cities on Saturday for a Twins game and hopefully a trip to the science museum.

Hopefully the weather will hold up for us when we have time off. So far this summer we have not done a whole lot of yard work, although I did put mom and dad up to some work just yesterday and we weeded my overgrown flowerbeds (my mom knows better than me what is weeds and what is flowers), sprayed down the patio and got rid of some moss and weeds coming up through the cracks in the bricks, as well as emptied some containers with dirt that I planned on emptying in early June!

Oh, and we also checked out my little vegetable garden. I now have a whole two tomatoes on one of my tomato plants! ?Yay! Kevin is happy about that. I also have three cucumbers coming up and some green beans! I am learning each day what is good and bad and vow to do better next year!

Another thing going on is that my parents offered to buy us a digital SLR camera! Yikes! Kevin is doing research (he is BIG into research) and I am anxiously awaiting his decision:) I am hoping to take a class through community ed later on this year so that I can fully use the plethora of options on the camera. And who knows, maybe by this time next year I will have some award winning pics on my blog:) I still have a long ways to go before I get to where my wonderful cousin Marthe is at. I just love her pics and hope that she is ok with me posting some of them on my blog. My favorite one is of my grandma and grandpa's house in Norway.
Hmm..for some reason I cannot post it, so I 'll have to wait until I have more time to work with it.
I just wanted to up update and let you know we're all still alive!

Hopefully we'll have some more pics to post after this weekend too, both of Kevin and I and the kids with my mom and dad.

Have a wonderful weekend all!

Amazing love!

Someone posted this link on a board I frequent and it is just an amazing clip!
I watched it three times and had tears in my eyes each time!

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=adYbFQFXG0U

Check it out!

Random Questions - You're tagged!

Amanda posted this on her page and I was tagged so here we go:
Oh, and by the way, if you read it, you are tagged too!

Do you flip your pillow to the cold side? No.

Do you like to hold or be held? I like to be held by Kevin and hold any child (especially my own kids)

Did you have a small or big wedding? I am guessing it would be considered small

What type of girls/guys do you usually go for? A loving, caring and honest man - which is just what I found and married

Would you rather be rich and unhappy or poor and happy? Poor and happy!

Have you ever churned butter? No

What is the most money you would spend on a pair of shoes? $50 I think, but usually they are less than $30 (except for my running shoes)

If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Green

If you could win a couple front row tickets to a game, any sport, any team? Hmmm......Team handball for one of the Norwegian National teams' games in the Olympics.

If you found out you couldn't have kids, would you adopt? Yes

What woke you up this morning? Unfortunately, my alarm

How was your weekend? It was good, but short

What's the weirdest thing someone said to you lately? Hm.....can't think of anything....must have been something Victoria said though as she always throws me for a loop with her weird comments

Did you kiss or hug anyone today? Not yet:(

When was the last time you cried? A few days ago when I just felt quite down

Would you take a bullet for anyone? Yes, for a few very loved ones

Where would you like to live? At the beach

What kind of house would you like? An older Victorian style house, or a brand new house with nothing wrong with it:)

What was the last thing you drank? A diet coke

Who do you miss? My bff Elin and my grandparents

What’s your favorite kind of soda? Diet Coke in the US, Champagne in Norway

How many times have you eaten sushi? Never

What do you want to do right now? Nap

Are you listening to music right now? well....I can hear the sound of Victoria's play laptop, but not quite music

What time is it now? 11:02am

Do you think anyone will repost this? Maybe a few people

Do you drink? for sure, lotsa water each day:)


What do you like to listen to before you go to bed? Any kind of soothing music, although I usually don't.

What are you wearing? White tank top and Aqua capris

Do you have a bad habit? Yeah,biting my nails, but I haven't for weeks now and my nails look sooo nice:)

Do you have any credit cards? No

Do you have bills? Doesn't everyone?

One wish you have? I certainly have one, but not for public display

Have a wonderful day all!

Hanne

Updates and pictures

Here are some of the pics taken in the past few weeks.
Many more were taken but it is so hard to pick which ones to post!

This week we have my brother, sister-in-law and in-laws staying in town with us, as well as some friends who used to live here but moved to North Carolina. We went to a get-together last night to hang out with our friends and it was great. Of course, Victoria hit the wall soon after bedtime and Michael was in that path within minutes. So, off we went home to bed:)
this am I volunteered in the Cafe at church and had a great time. Feel tired this evening though!

This evening after a delicious dinner Kevin made we went to Riverside Concert by the Civic Center. It was nice. The weather is amazing! Martha Reeves and the Vandellas (I think that was the name) were the main group and quite enjoyable. Kevin wasn't a fan, but didn't complain:)

Next weekend we'll be camping with the in-laws and brother and sister at Kevin;s aunt's lake. We camped there last year as well and it was great, all except for the fact that their neighbors were bear hunting and just the mere thought kept me awake all night thinking I heard bears outside our tent! I am crossing my fingers I do not hear about it this year:)

Tomorrow is the start of what will be a loooong week. the kids I watch have hardly anything going on, so I will be at their house all day trying to convince them to have fun rather than be bored. Quite a task when the kids are adamant they can't have fun if they can't watch TV.
My kiddos will get to sleep in though, so that is good. my mother-in-law is staying here tonight and said I could leave the kids when I head to work in the am. I truly appreciate it! It not only means my kids will get a good nights' sleep, but also that I can snooze one me time before getting up in the morning:)

Anyways, it will be a bust few weeks to come with people staying here until next Tuesday (over a week from now) and then my parents coming two weeks from today. It is all good though. I love that we get to spend so much time with family!

I better head to bed now, so that I can actually snooze once extra tomorrow morning:)



Hanne