As to avoid a riot...

(Quick disclosure- this ended up being REALLY long and I didn't go back and proof read it- sorry ahead of time!)

So I get crap on a VERY regular basis about my lack of posting. Depending on the day that I've had (and how hormonal I'm feeling that day) I have very different reactions to requests/demands that I update my blog. These reactions range anywhere from "ok well if you want me to take the time to do that, you're welcome to come to my house and take care of the girls and make dinner and do my dishes and sweep the floor and do my laundry and all the other many things that I do on a near daily basis AFTER I get home from an 8+ hour day at work." Or when I'm not crazy exhausted when someone has requested an update (which has only happened like twice in the past year) then I actually feel really guilty about not having posted and like the fact that I actually have people following my blog who care what's going on in our lives. But then I think about the fact that if I'm going to actually sit and post then I have to give ALL of the updates that I've neglected to post- and when it's been months- do you realize how long that post would need to be? Then, I'm back to being exhausted by the very thought of it. Do you feel bad for me yet and want to forgive me for not updating more frequently?

I've actually gone to sit and write a post multiple times and gotten pulled away from doing it. Or I realize that I don't have pictures to attach to the updates. Tonight, in fact, I almost didn't sit to write anything because Ryan took his laptop to school with him, and that's where all of our recent pictures are loaded to! But I was actually motivated to it, so nothing will stop me!

I'm not going to let myself be overwhelmed or feel guilty about all the things I should go back and update you all on, I'll do it little by little as I can. (FYI- I'm saying this more as a commitment to myself than for your benefit.) But here are a few little things going on with each of us...

Me- I've been back to work full time since the last week of September. Other than just being insanely exhausted 24:7, I've been feeling SO much better than I had been several months ago. I'd heard in passing that your body tends to get a little more tired with each pregnancy- but holy cow! I'm sure it doesn't help that I didn't have Katelyn all that long ago, but I'm so ready to not be pregnant anymore! Everyone asks if we're going to have more to shoot for a boy and the answer is- we don't know! We kind of feel like maybe we're done- but neither of us feel strongly about that. What we do know is that it will be quite some time before we even entertain the idea of a #4. The idea of #3 is still a little (or a lot if I'm being honest!) overwhelming to me.

Other things going on with me- I'm working on planning our Relief Society Enrichment Christmas Dinner, and then trying to come up with a good idea for our March Relief Society Birthday activity. I know that's a very far ways away, but I want to at least have a plan floating around in my head so that I'm not trying to plan something RIGHT after having #3. So I'd welcome any ideas of what your ward may have done in the past!

I'm also trying to get my house organized and the "office" cleaned out and distributed throughout the rest of our tiny house so we can have a nursery. The computer is now in our bedroom ::grumble grumble:: but there is no where else for it!And much to Ryan's disappointment the TV will probablly have to return to the family room. Once all this is done, I plan to decorate the nursery in pink and brown (trendy, I know, but I love it!). I'm on a VERY tight budget for decorating (like $5 tops :-) ) But my inspiration room comes from the Restoration Hardward Baby & Kids catalog and I have lots of creative ideas as to how to many the room cute with craft projects. Now I just need to some time (and some husband man power!).

Ryan- Other than being my honey-do handyman, Ryan has been very busy with the class he is taking this semester at Yavapai College. It's a website design class and he's absolutely loving it. The class is only once a week (tonight)but there's quite a bit of homework involved. I'm not really sure though if he's always doing just the homework or if he's playing, since he really does enjoy it. He was working on a scouting resource website (since he's a scoutmaster). But he didn't feel like it was creatively challenging enough so now he's working on a family website that I've already let him know that I am not committing to updating at all :-)

He's also reading Twilight which makes me smile. He already knows all about it from every woman in his life having read it and discussed it, but he wanted something to read and it was there so he's going for it. I totally forewarned him about the annoying teenage girl narrative and he has had to laugh at it a few times, but he does agree that the writing sucks you into the story line regardless of "how beautiful Edward is."

Hailey- She's grown up so fast! She'll only be 4 next month, but her vocabulary and her mannerisms can be so mature sometimes that I feel like I have a little teenager. I also feel like I have a teenager due to her attitude and talking back- but we'll stick with the positives for now :-) Tonight after we got Katelyn to bed, we made chocolate chip cookies (remind me that even though it only takes 5 minutes, the little pouch mixes you can buy at the store for a $1 jsut aren't the same as real cookies). While the cookies were baking we played Yahtzee together and she made sure that we both won and told me what a great job I was doing. I love her! She is so encouraging of everyone.

She isn't doing piano right now due to having to tighten up our expenses, but she is still practicing with daddy and enjoys the time spent with him more than learning piano itself. We hope to get her back into lessons though- or find another teacher who will take kids her age that isn't so far away and so darned expensive!

She is still doing gymnastics though and graduated up to the Tot 3 class with the "big girls". Her coached has discovered that she needs to work on her upper body strength though. (She must get that weakness from her momma- I always sucked at pull ups in P.E.!) So now she does push ups with daddy everyday which is a hilarious sight to see. I'm interested in seeing if other 3 years olds can do proper push ups? Let me know if yours can. I'm not trying to compare kids- but maybe you'll get the same laugh out of it that I do!

Katelyn- She's now 15.5 months and still only has 4 1/2 teeth! She's been 'teething' for SO long now and there are multiple teeth trying to break through. The poor girl has been miserable. But to make up for being miserable with pain she has found many other distractions. Such as: climbing on EVERYTHING including my kitchen chairs which then make her tall enough to climb onto the table, having splashing contests with her sister in the bath tub, changing the channel or volume on the TV if Hailey is watching a movie, pulling out her pony tails,and my least favorite of all...going to Hailey's clothes drawer and pulling out her underwear and carrying them around the house with her no matter what she's doing. I'm constantly picking up little girl underwear! At least they are clean!

She hasn't descided to be much of a talker- which a one word exception. Everything is "dadda." That girl loves her dadda. She can definitely say other words and has been able to for many many months, but I don't think she really feels the need to talk. She manages to get everything she wants without the effort- so why bother really?

If you ask her where's mommy's baby, she lifts up the bottom of my shirt and points to my belly button (which is now sticking out) and gets really happy. I know she doesn't actually understand what it means that I have a baby in my tummy, but sometimes I wonder if their little minds do understand because she'll lay her head down all soft on my tummy and give me a sweet smile like she knows what's in there.

#3- You may have noticed that I've referred to our baby as #3 a few times. This was my friend Hilary's idea. We have yet to make a final decision on a name- so for convenience sake she needed to be referred to as something- so #3 just worked :-) She's fairly close to having a name- we have a couple ideas that are pretty solid we just don't have that definite confirmation that THAT'S the name, like we did with Hailey. But that feeling never really came with Katelyn, so who knows if we'll get it this time around. I'll be sure to post if we actually decide before she's born.

I get to have 3-D ultrasound the day before Thanksgiving. I'm pretty sure they put it on a CD so hopefully I'll be able to post a picture of her soon! Otherwise, only 65 days left to go and we'll get real pictures! She's doing great though, strong healthy heartbeat, VERY active, etc etc.

I'm feeling a little bad for her being the third child in such poor economic times. We all know that youngest children tend to get a raw deal on stuff anyway, but with our budget as tight as it is the poor thing just doesn't stand a chance! Of course she won't know any better, but she's getting pretty much all hand-me-downs from sisters #1 & 2. I'm definitely thankful though that I am having another girl and don't have to worry about getting new stuff- but I'll admit that I've had a little bit of a hard time coming to terms with what are "wants" and what are "needs" when planning for a new baby. Especially because one of my BFFs, Hilary, is expecting her first at the beginning of April and they just found out it's a boy so they're in that fun 'go out and buy everything and start decorating' mode (and they have the $$ to spend since they don't already have 2 at home!) but I, of course, would LOVE to everyday get to be in 'go out and buy everything and start decorating mode'. I know that she'll be just fine though! And don't worry, there's nothing that we NEED that we don't have!

Well those are our "quick" updates. For anyone still reading, thank you for actually caring about us enough to endure all of my randomness- you're a wonderful friend! Leave a comment and let me know that I still have some loyal readers and it might inspire me to keep posting! Next time with pictures!