Fall Backward

Once upon a time, I loved this night of the year. For people who are not mothers of young children (or members of the unfortunate staff who got stuck working night shift tonight at a hospital - those were the worst!), this is a great night. It's a night where a precious, wonderful, coveted, EXTRA hour of sleep can be gotten. For me, though, it's a night that wreaks havoc on my children's sleep schedules (which haven't been so wonderful lately, anyway, so maybe this is just what we need to re-set things). It's also a night that starts the sun setting way too early, preventing me from enjoying the outdoors in the evenings with my kids and making the nights seem painfully long. Do we really need Daylight Savings Time anymore?? I'm not getting the point. And wouldn't you know that tonight, of all nights, the ONE night of the year I would like my kids to stay up late, they are both sound asleep at 8pm (er... 7 pm). (I usually do not have this success until 10pm on a good night)! Nonetheless, I refuse to get upset that both of my children are happily sleeping at the same time, even if it isn't the schedule I would have picked. So I'm taking advantage and updating this blog!! (I figure I can do the dishes, fold the laundry, and pick up the toys at whatever horribly wrong hour we are awake in the morning.... not dwelling on that right now, however).

We have had lots and lots of Fall Fun this year!! More than usual it seems, and, in fact, I am feeling a little "Fall Funned Out." The weather in October was beautiful, and we soaked in every pumpkin patch, craft show, and Halloween activity we could. It was a blast, but I'm hoping for a little reprieve before Thanksgiving and Christmas activities begin! Enjoy some pictures of our October!

One of the several pumpkin patches we went to. The girls loved them all!

The girls love this 50s diner! Even Abby Kate plays with it as a favorite, and it is so cute to watch them acting like little adults.

We carved a pumpkin for the first time this year (to the left). Carving a pumpkin is hard work, so we stuck with a basic triangle/smile jack-o-lantern. Christa insisted on having her picture taken with her pumpkin and her Uga (to the right). She played with that cement dog like it was real, putting it in her lap and saying, "you are a fat little boy. Do you want to pet him, Mommy? Be careful; don't drop him." It was very entertaining.

We celebrated my sister-in-law's birthday at a pumpkin farm in Adairsville this year. The girls and I had a blast going through the petting zoo, riding the hay ride, and eating cake outside!

Christa mustered enough courage to pet the goat after Abby Kate did it and remained unharmed!

Abby Kate - my fearless child.

Christa was 3 different things for Halloween this year, and I didn't have to buy a single costume!! For her character parade at school, she wanted to be Cinderella. The outfit is a much-loved Christmas present from last year.

For the Fall Festival and MOPS Halloween Party, Christa wanted to be a 50s poodle girl. Abby Kate and I had costumes to match, so this worked out perfectly!

Cline actually picked out and ordered these outfits for my surprise 30th birthday party in September! Abby Kate is covering my big belly nicely, but apparently, I am an obviously knocked-up 50s poodle girl!

On Halloween night, Christa wanted to be a GA cheerleader! This worked out well, since that was all I packed. We spent the weekend in Jekyll Island for the GA/FL game, and improvised a little Trick-or-Treating in the hotel we stayed at.

Abby Kate is doing so many cute things right now! It's hard to remember what Christa was doing at 14 months, but Abby Kate is exceeding my expectations. I'm a little surprised, because I haven't read to her and actively tried to teach her things nearly as much as I did with Christa. (Not that I did a ton of educational things with Christa. We mostly just play and try to remember to eat at regular intervals at our house, and my standards are getting lower with each child we add to the family!) I guess she picks up a lot from her older sister.... or maybe she is proof that unlimited access to the television has it's benefits :) She can say several words, including dog, horse (orshe), Mommy (clear as day - it sounds like a 3 year old), Daddy, La-La, Mi-Mi, and Go Dawgs (doesn't quite sound like that, but I know what she's trying to say :). She tries to repeat almost anything. Lately she has been saying "Ba-Bi-Ba-Boo." (Bibbity-Bobbity-Boo). It's hilarious! She thinks she's a five-year-old. Whenever I leave her in a nursery, she's usually a class or two ahead when I pick her up, because that's where she was happy, according to the nursery staff. When I took her to Christa's school to have pictures made a couple of weeks ago, she joined in playing with the older kids like it was something she did every day. She will snuggle with me at night and take a bottle while I rock her to sleep, and that is precious time that I enjoy holding my baby and praying for my children and for wisdom as a mom. (By the way, I hope I'm not sounding like I'm bragging here. I know several other babies who are her age and doing just as many cute and clever things. I just want to remember forever what my babies were like when they were little, so I write as much as I can when I get the time to blog.)

Baby # 3 is doing great! I had my 20 week ultrasound on Wednesday, and we did not find out the gender. Cline and I are so backwards on this idea - he loves surprises, and I can't wait to know things in general. But in this case, Cline is dying to know before the delivery, and I am having to put my foot down to not find out. I do have the gender pictures (labeled, so there would be no confusion) in a sealed envelope in case we (I) change our (my) minds. Cline has hinted that opening this envelope would make an excellent Christmas present. It's tempting, but I keep thinking about the delivery day, and how much fun it would be to not know beforehand. The super-organized side of me, the one who has been working like crazy to have my house clean and in order so that all I have to do after March 22 is keep 3 young children alive and reasonably happy, and the side that loves my husband and wants him to enjoy this time, too, is considering this compromise.

Well, I've officially been working on this blog for over an hour, so I'd better go do something else so I can get to sleep pretty soon. If you read this blog tonight, please remember the Newsome family in your prayers. Five years ago today, their precious baby girl went to heaven at age 8 after battling cancer. I was so honored and privileged to know Victoria during her illness, and as much as I still miss her, I can't imagine what her parents go through on these days (or any day, for that matter). Love you, Margaret Anne!

More Christa Stories (And Maybe an Abby Kate Story or Two)

Hello all!

We have been staying busy, continuing to enjoy the beautiful October weather! Christa and Abby Kate are at such fun ages right now - I am really having a blast with my girls, and have been enjoying some surprise hormone-induced energy for the last 4-5 weeks! I have accomplished many small projects that have needed to be done for some time, and I have a few more in mind - such as spray-painting some storage baskets and moving Christa's room to the guest bedroom so that we can make room for Baby J. We have a lot to get done to make things as easy as possible once the baby arrives, so I am hoping this energy will last at least a couple of more months.

We have been talking more about the baby with Christa, now that I am further along in the pregnancy. Christa loves to randomly say, "I have a baby in my tummy." The other day, Christa said, "I just have to go throw up because I have a baby in my tummy." She proceeded to go to the bathroom, cough into the toilet, and return a moment later saying, "I just tried." (Our popular potty-training phrase).

Christa also loves to play the, "maybe we can call the baby...." game. We have had many funny conversations on this topic, and I have heard suggestions ranging from "Baby William" to "Chick-a-Booty." She loves to say silly words that don't mean anything. About a week ago, I said to her, "If the baby is a boy, maybe we can call him Thomas." Christa replied, "NO! Let's have a girl!" As I was posting this humorous interaction on Facebook, Christa came up and said out of the blue, "You freak me out, Dad." I don't know where she picks up these things!

Abby Kate is learning a few tricks of her own, as well. She is now a pro-walker, and can keep up with Christa quite easily. They have started fighting over certain toys (mostly because Abby Kate usually wants to play with whatever Christa has - little sisters are pesky like that - love you, Alicia :) I try hard to strike a balance between teaching Christa to share and allowing her time and space to enjoy her toys without having to worry about Abby Kate moving them around. I have a feeling that we may be asking Santa for two of everything this year! At any rate, earlier today, as we were driving home from ballet, Christa decided to share her precious duck with Abby Kate, and promptly took it back. Abby Kate caught on like a little genius, and handed Christa her rabbit lovey, only to jerk it back when Christa reached out for it. This turned into quite the fun game!

In other news, the yellow blankie has been found! Cline spotted it behind the TV while he was standing upstairs, looking over the bannister 2 days after it went missing. Christa had tolerated Blankie's absence very well, but was so glad to see her little friend again. We had told her that Blankie went on vacation, and the first thing she said when Cline brought it back to her was, "Blankie is back from vacation!"

Well, I have a little 3 year old who needs my attention now, and I'm hoping to squeeze in a short rest this afternoon! Have a great day, and I'll try to post some new pictures soon!

Fall (and a little end-of-Summer) Fun!!

Alright, I'm finally getting around to posting the promised pictures! Enjoy :)

Go Dawgs!! This picture was taken during one of the first games, before we realized how awful the Dawgs were going to be this year. Oh well - we are loyal fans, and making plans to attend the GA/FL game!

The weather has been so beautiful lately, so we have been soaking in some outdoor time. The girls wanted to have a picnic not long ago, so we ate dinner in our driveway, and then went to play on the play set.

We had our first play date several weeks ago, without the child's mom present. Alyssa's mom had a baby about a month ago, so we brought Alyssa over to our house to play to give the new Mommy a break. Christa was fascinated by this concept and kept saying, "Alyssa is coming over, but her Mommy is not coming over." They spent most of the time at the diner, talking like little adults. Every time Cline or I would walk through the room, Christa would say, "I'm not talking to you; I'm talking to Alyssa." So cute!

"C" is for "Clocktower!" About 2 weeks ago, the letter of the week was "C." Her class took a field trip to the Clocktower and had a blast!

I got to go with her...

...and we ate Cookies and Colored with Chalk! Such a fun day!

Christa loves to bake! Here we are making brownies (from a box, of course)!

Abby Kate is walking like a champion now and loves to get around. I love that she can walk! Despite what many said, it has made life much easier, now that I can put her down when we go outside or out in public. Christa loves it when Abby Kate walks "to her."

My sweet girls! I hope they always love each other this much!

So proud of herself!

On Tuesday of this week we went to the Pumpkin Patch for story time. It was great, and Christa loved it. Ms. Wendy, from Kindermusik, led it, and Christa was so interactive.

Abby Kate enjoyed the pumpkins, too!

3 is a Fun Age!

Hey guys! I'm hoping to get some new pictures posted this week. For right now, though, I wanted to tell you about a couple of cute things that Christa has done/said lately. It is so easy for me to quickly post this stuff on Facebook, but I want a record of it here, too, since I plan to print this blog out as a keepsake one day.

Christa's First Prayer Requests

Fall is Football Season for our family! We didn't get to enjoy the season by actually going to football games last year, because Abby Kate was just a newborn, and we were adjusting to life with 2 kids. This year, however, we are making up for lost time. Both of my girls enjoy the football games (Darlington and the GA Bulldogs). Christa is quite the enthusiastic fan, excitedly yelling, "GO! GO!! GO!! GO!!" whenever a team is running down the field. She sometimes cheers for the wrong team, but cheers at the appropriate times, nonetheless :) Anyway, we were at a football game several weeks ago, and one of the players got injured during the game. Everyone got very quiet as we waited for the player to get up. As time passed by, Christa started asking questions about the player. "Is he hurt?" We explained that he was hurt and that we had to wait to see what happened. Eventually, the player got up and returned to his team. That night, as we were saying our bedtime prayers, Christa said, "talk about... I want you to talk about the football." Cline started off a little confused, but after talking to Christa for a minute more, she said she wanted Cline to pray for the injured football player. She requested this prayer the next night as well. Such a compassionate child!

Last week, we got out the Fall decorations. Christa is fascinated with pumpkins this year, so we have been talking about going to the pumpkin patch. One night, as we were saying our bedtime prayers, Christa also requested special prayers for the pumpkins. "I want you to talk about the pumpkins." We're almost getting the concept :)

Opposites

About a week ago, Cline and Christa somehow got into a discussion about opposites. Cline explained what opposites were, and Christa very quickly caught on to the idea. She can plainly tell you that the opposite of "hot" is "cold." The opposite of "boy" is "girl." The opposite of "big" is "little," etc. Lately, due to my frequent vomiting with the ingestion of meat, we have not been going through very many fast food drive-thrus. Last week, however, I was in a bit of a time crunch, trying to get to church on Sunday evening after waking the girls up from their naps. I had to feed them somehow, so we went to Wendy's, and I told Christa that she could get a happy meal. Christa replied very seriously, "I want a happy meal and a sad meal." I cracked up laughing, and she repeated this request several times. When we got her food, I said, "here's your happy meal." She said, "where's my sad meal?'' :) (I told her I had the sad meal, since I didn't get anything!)

Missing: Yellow Blankie

We found out I was pregnant with Christa in the Fall of 2006. Cline's twin brother and sister-in-law were due with their first child (and the first grandchild) in December of 2006. Trying to be considerate, and not steal any attention away from them, we waited until their baby was born to announce our happy news. We told my parents right before they left on a December trip to Breckenridge, Colorado. While they were there, my mother purchased a precious, yellow, Little Giraffe silk and velvet blankie for our new child. Breaking a few of the SIDS rules, I placed the blankie with Christa while she was sleeping, along with a now-much-loved yellow duck that she was also given before her birth. I quickly bought an identical duck, once I realized she was going to be so attached to it, so that we would have a spare. Despite several attempts, I have never been able to find an identical blankie, so we made do with the one. The rule has always been that she can sleep with duck and blankie in her bed, but she can only have them in her bed. Our second duck lives in the car, and can leave the car only when Christa is being left in a nursery or going to school. This arrangement has worked out wonderfully.

The night before last, Cline and I went out on a date and left the girls with a wonderful babysitter. Christa was napping when we left, but was awake when we returned home. We noticed that she had Abby Kate's pink blankies, but not her yellow one. We searched her bed, and then looked in every drawer, cubby, trash can, and behind every piece of furniture, as well as every other location that could possibly hide a small, silky blankie. After a solid hour of searching, and a couple of late-night phone calls to everyone who had seen Christa that day, we decided that we had looked everywhere we could. Christa fell asleep with Cline snuggling next to her. I frantically searched the internet for a replacement (and a spare this time), and I think I found them. We'll see if they arrive this week.

When blankie still didn't turn up yesterday, I decided to take Christa to a local boutique to see if we could find an acceptable "new" blankie to love. (I'm still hoping the original turns up somewhere - I have sentimental attachment to it!) After looking at several pink, blue, and green silky blankies, the nice lady at the store showed us a soft, cream colored (yellow :) blankie. Christa immediately grabbed the "yellow" blankie, and said she wanted that one. I showed her the other choices to make sure that was the one she wanted, and she curled up the end of the "yellow" blankie in her fist, letting the rest hang down, and said, "look, we can stick our thumb in our mouth like this," demonstrating that this new blankie worked just as well as the old one! It was pretty hilarious, and the nice ladies at the store laughed along with me. She has been very satisfied with her new yellow blankie, so far, and I am one relieved mommy!

Alright, I'm off to church for the evening. Have a great week, and check back for pictures in the next few days!

Eat For A Cause!

Hey guys! My Childhood Cancer Awareness post is a bit late this year, and I apologize. For those of you who don't know, September is Childhood Cancer Awareness month. I have had the privilege of knowing and loving several children who have been affected by this terrible disease, and I continue to keep up with the blogs and websites of even more children and families who I have never met. Most years, these websites have a lot of information about Chili's (restaurant) fundraising efforts and other organizations who are actively raising money for better treatments and cures. This year, however, I am seeing less information about these great organizations and more information about the surprising numbers of children and families who are affected by childhood cancer. Did you know:

*46 kids are diagnosed every day with cancer.
*9 kids die every day from cancer or complications from treatment.
* Only 3% of government funded cancer research goes to pediatrics.

(taken from www.victoryforvictoria.blogspot.com)

I keep a year-round list on the sidebar of worthy charities that you could get involved in, if you are moved to do so. If you're short on time and/or money these days, there is one simple thing you can do to raise awareness AND money to battle this horrible illness. Take your family out to eat next Monday night!! That's right - on Monday, September 27, Chili's will be donating ALL of its profits to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Your children will have a chance to color a chili pepper, and for a donation as small as $1, Chili's will proudly display your child's artwork in the restaurant. We colored a pepper tonight in memory of our sweet friend, Victoria, who died of brain cancer at age 8.

As I do every year, I invite anyone who is local (or willing to travel :) to eat dinner with our family at Chili's next Monday. E-mail or Facebook me for more details!

Abby Kate is One!

Hello all! We are doing well over here, and I thought I'd take a few minutes to update this blog. I am officially 12 weeks into the pregnancy, and had a great doctor's appointment on Tuesday. After one final sonogram (until the 20 week one) to follow up on our earlier complications, my doctor has "cleared" me of those complications, and we have every reason to expect that this pregnancy will continue normally until delivery. Praise God! I did not love those early scary moments, but it has been fun to get the frequent ultrasounds. We got to see our little gummy bear jumping around this last time, which was pretty cute!

Abby Kate turned one last Thursday, September 2!! We had a small, family party which was just right! I'm a little partied out for the summer - Cline, Christa, Abby Kate, and I all have summer birthdays, so I'm very happy the new baby is due in March! I don't think I could handle one more party to plan during the summer months! Here are some pictures from the party.

Happy Birthday Girl!

I found this outfit at a local store, and almost didn't get it because I already had a shirt for her. Then, I thought about what cute professional cake pictures that outfit would make, so I rushed back out and bought it. We'll see how those professional pictures turn out!

Getting ready to party!

Christa and I made the cake together. We have always done large parties for Christa, so I have always ordered a cake from a grocery store or baker. This time, I decided to try and make one myself, since we were having a small party. Christa loves to help me bake, so I thought it would be a fun mother-daughter activity. I was right! I didn't save any money, by the time I purchased all of the frosting, ingredients, cake pan, etc., but we had fun making it!

Abby Kate devoured an entire cupcake... and started in on a second one!

Christa had her first ballet practice on Tuesday. She is so excited to be a ballerina, and we were pleasantly surprised to find out that a good friend of ours is in her class!

Have a great week!

Happy 1st Birthday Abby Kate!!

Dear Abber-Dabbers,

One year ago today, I had not gotten much sleep the night before! Despite our attempts to meet you on September 1, you decided to do your own thing and entered the world at 5:12 am on September 2. That extra 5 hours and 12 minutes will delay Kindergarten for you one whole year!!! (I'm really happy that you'll get to be home an extra year!!) As with your big sister, I had a great delivery with you (after a bit of a rocky start) and a great doctor who took amazing care of both of us!

Our first days home were a little rough. You wanted to nurse constantly, and wouldn't sleep at all unless someone was holding you. We found out after almost a week that my milk supply hadn't come in, and so you were not getting what you needed! You were so sweet and good-natured about the whole thing. You didn't cry a lot, as long as you were being held. I'd always been told that a baby will not let him/herself starve. That statement wasn't true for you, my dear, and it took me several long months, and a couple of stressful doctor's visits to figure out that I should just feed you often because you don't cry when you're hungry!

You were sooooo snuggly for the first few months. You and I spent many sweet hours rocking in the rocking chair and snuggling in bed. A few days after you came home, I was so tired, so I got in bed and snuggled you right next to my face. You looked so incredibly peaceful and content to be so close to me. That is one of my favorite memories! You ended up sleeping just like that for about 6 months, once I learned that was the only way I was going to get any sleep. You liked to grab and touch my right hand while I was holding you with my left, and it comforted you so easily during those early days

Your big sister loved (loves) you sooooo much, and was so fascinated by everything you did. I learned quickly that I had to watch her constantly when you were in a place where she could get to you. She thought it was perfectly fine to sit on top of you or poke you in they eye. She also liked to bring you toys and bounce you, sometimes a little too roughly, in your bouncer. She loved it when you sneezed and would laugh and say "more please sneeze."

You learned how to smile very quickly - around 5 weeks. You haven't stopped smiling since! Getting great pictures of you has been so easy. You have a huge smile, just like your daddy, and some of the people who help in the church nurseries called you "the happiest baby in the world."

You started rolling over around 3 1/2 months. It was a happy, happy day when you could roll over to your tummy. I tried hard to follow the SIDS guidelines and make you sleep on your back, but you would have none of that. As soon as you go into the crib, you immediately turn to your stomach.

You started crawling and sitting up between 6 1/2 and 7 months. I was afraid you would start walking shortly after that, as quickly as you caught onto moving around. You didn't, though, and now I think I'm ready for you to. It's getting hard to take Christa outside, because you want to get down on the ground! You got a little less snuggly after you could move around and are a lot more active! You don't sit still for a second now, which makes diaper/clothes changes a back-breaking and exhausting job! You smile so much, though, that it makes it hard to get frustrated with you for being so squirmy.

You try hard to keep up with your big sister, and would much rather play with her toys than your baby toys. You're not walking yet, but you can stand for a few seconds by yourself. You climb the stairs in no time at all if I forget to close the gate, and if I catch you in the act, you laugh and climb faster. You eat "big-people food," and like to feed yourself, which is such a mess. You can say a few words: "Daddy," "Ma-ma," "Boo," "Go," and "Ba-Ba" (whatever that means)! Daddy recently taught you how to bark like a dog, and you are so cute mimicking him. Christa is still crazy about you, and often claps and says, "Good job, Abby Kate," when you do something well. Last week, Daddy and I thought you were happily playing together on the kitchen floor. When we took a closer look, we realized that you and Christa were having a ball spreading a can of powdered formula around the floor, and you were eating it by the fist-full with a huge smile on your face. It was really hilarious, but I chose not to grab the camera, because I was afraid it would contradict Daddy's effort at discipline:)

You and I just started taking Kindermusik classes together. I love this time to give you my undivided attention for a little while - it's not something that happens often. At our first class, I wondered if I should switch you to gymnastics because all you wanted to do was crawl around and do your own thing. You did really well at your second class, though, and smiled through the songs and activities.

You have added so much joy to our family! We definitely wouldn't be complete without you. It hasn't been the easiest year ever, and I don't think I fully understood true exhaustion until I began parenting two children. But I know that these sweet days will not last forever, and I am treasuring every moment that I get to attempt to keep up with you, even if I'm a tired mess at the end of the day! I love that you and your sister are both girls, and the 26 month age difference has been wonderful. I am having a great time dressing you in matching dresses and cute, girly outfits and watching you play together. Your sweet smile has lifted my spirits on many occasions, and still can't believe how laid back you are. You definitely didn't get that trait from me, but I'm trying to learn from it.

I love you, sweet angel.

Mommy