Introducing...

a furry addition to our family

Charly

(short for Charlotte)

born on July 25, 2009...I'm realizing as I write this that is the day we found out baby #3 was on the way-and it is my Dad and our niece Kailey's birthdays!
Charly is a shih-a-poo (part Shih-tzu/part poodle) and weighs only 3 pounds-I have to ask right now that you'd pray for her safety, because she's much smaller than Dan's size 14's and is constantly under-foot! She's quite taken with him and follows his lead like a little shadow. ;)
We've had her for 2 days now, and we love her already. She's super mellow for a 3 month-old puppy and her favorite spot is any lap that'll have her. She's doing her thing outside about 90% of the time (thankfully, the other 10% is tiny and not too much of an event!), and sleeps well and often. Her little mouth is still so tiny, we have to crush her dry puppy food so that she can eat it without choking, teeny-tiny girl!

Graham had a scary time with a dog about a year ago...ever since then both kids have been afraid of any dog, big or small. It seems that little Charly has proven to be good medicine for their fears. Here's a progression of the kiddos interactions with her in the last few days, you can almost see their confidence growing:

Home for the first time (after a little bath because she peed on herself in the car!)
Graham reading the book on how to train a dog "Charly, I'm going to train you, now...sit!"
How's that?
Reecie's new buddy Her favorite spot on Dan-right on his neckRiding in the car to pick up Graham from school
Yes, even sweet Charly is a naughty girl sometimes...she has an affinity for Hannah Reece's dress up shoes! Getting to know each other
Her favorite non-living things to snuggle with, Ellie the Elephant and Reecie's baby doll...
Can you tell, Hannah Reece is warming up? I had to teach her how to carry her properly today, because she wants to take her everywhere that she goes. A big switch from yesterday when she'd squeal if Charly came too close.

Charly found her happy place :)

Cravings

In the 1st trimester it was anything very salty/sour...potato chips (salt & vinegar), ritz crackers with peanut butter, grapefruit with salt, apples, popsicles, tuna fish with pickle relish and any time of the day or night poptarts?! But please oh, please...NO chicken or broth...that would just send me right over the edge. These foods were my staples, as I was so sick that mostly nothing sounded just fine to me.

Second trimester rolled around...feeling SOOOO much better now...my "sensitive dog smeller" (as Dan calls it ;) is starting to wear off and I can eat mostly anything...been making up for that lack of food in the first few months!

So last night, at 2 am I woke up with my first middle-of-the-night craving...and of all things, something I think I've only eaten a handful of times in my whole life:I'm tellin' ya, those puppies jumped right into my cart at the grocery today. Honest to goodness, they tasted SO good before bed tonight! ;) Hopefully, the excessive sugar and artificial flavors and colors won't damage this poor child!

Crazy Hair Day

According to Graham, this is his "chicken hair" look ;)

See those tears rolling down his sweet face?

After the 'do had been done (with the help of plenty of hair goo) he had second thoughts about crazy hair day at school. First he laughed... and then cried! I'm standin' there saying "honey, you've been lookin' forward to this day for TWO weeks!" Anyway, he seemed to feel better after we reassured him that there would be lots of crazy chicken hair at school today and that it really would be fun. We'd even been saving up those thick locks of his for a haircut later that afternoon so that there would be plenty of craziness up top ;) So, he was ok with that and posed with his silly face so we could remember our teary-cheeked, chicken-haired fella on this momentous occasion.

Letting Go

Something about pregnancy helps me to focus a little better on the things that are most important to me. I feel a little more relaxed than usual and able to let go of the little things that usually overwhelm my heart and mind. As the years pass, I'm finding it easier to release the things that just don't fit into our priorities as a family. When I start to slide down the slippery slope of involving myself in a myriad of plans and activities that I shouldn't (and I do!), it helps that my husband is willing to gently encourage me in another direction (I try to do the same for him ;)

Which leads me into my random thoughts for today.... getting ready the holidays. I get excited just thinking about it. This time of year awakens anticipation in my heart that Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around the corner.

Two years ago, I started keeping a notebook for the holidays...an idea inspired by this lady. This wonderful tool has done more to keep me focused on the important stuff than anything else. Now, I have to say I do not follow her ideas and format exactly, but the principle of being prepared and PURPOSEFUL about the holidays struck a chord in my weary heart! I have been known to work myself into such a frenzy trying to get it all in there and would end up exhausted, overwhelmed, cranky with my loved ones and physically sick. There are so many things I want to do each year to make this time of year meaningful and memorable, but I am a human with limited energy and resources...I want to make them count for what's most important in the long run.

There are two things I especially love about this little notebook. One is the list called "traditions" which include subcategories: food, decor, activities and new traditions to try this year (also keeping in mind the things your family does NOT like to do). I also added a subcategory: things I want to try for next year. That last part just frees me y'all! ;) Without fail, about a week before Christmas, I will see ideas on a blog/magazine/tv and think, "oh I love that, I must try that!" And then I try to cram it in when things are gettin' crazy and it's just no fun...and not good for my marital relations, plain and simple! So this "try it next year" section is the spot where I just write it down. All of those wonderful last minute ideas now have a home...most importantly not on my to do list. :)

My second favorite part of this trusty notebook is "ingredients to buy" for those wonderful holiday recipes that we enjoy in November and December. She suggests buying everything you need for favorites way ahead of time. For example, when I was little, my mom used to make sugar cookies and we'd cut them out into shapes and decorate them to share or to save for Santa Claus. This is a tradition I wanted to continue with our children. So, I bought the ingredients ahead and then when we had a free afternoon, I had all of the supplies ready to go, without any stress or pressure-just plain fun. Little things like this are helping me to let go. Replacing the stress and unrealistic expectations I have with a little pre-planning and focus so that I can relax and enjoy making memories with my family and loved ones.

Please share: Do you have any ideas for simplifing life as we prepare for the holidays?

This might be what fall would smell like...

...Pumpkin Cookies!

My mom used to make these for us with raisins in them. Any baked good with pumpkin in the ingredients is a big winner in my book! I needed to bring a snack to church this week, couldn't find my mom's recipe, but used this recipe instead...soft, yummy and super easy to make!

EDITED:

Here's mom's recipe!

Pumpkin Cookies (FBC preschool: makes 3 dozen)

Cream - 1/2 C. butter & 1 1/4 C. brown sugar, add - 2 eggs, 1 can pumpkin & 1 1/2 t. allspice -

Mix well and add 1 C. raisins, add - 2 1/4 C. flour, 4 t. baking powder & 1/2 t. saltStir in 1 t. vanilla

Drop by teaspoon onto greased pan.

Bake 15 min. at 375 degrees

Reecie's New 'Do

Here's our busy girl posing for a few pics of her new 'do...but only if her buddy "Ellie" can be in the pics, too. I think it's still a bit crooked....but we'll have to wait till we get back to FL so that Ms. Diana can straighten up the damage done by Hannah Reece and I! ;)

If these look appetizing...

then you might be pregnant, too! ;) These funny goodies are given at MOPS meetings to congratulate expectant mothers.

Here's the first glimpse of our third child at 14 weeks and 6 days:

Well, actually it's not our first glimpse, here's our baby at only 4 weeks gestation. Do you see that itty, bitty, teeny tiny black dot?? Look REALLY closely...yup, there he/she is:

Isn't it miraculous?? In just 10 weeks, from what looks like a tiny speck of pepper to a person with arms, legs, a heart, a brain and the beginnings of every little part. We are thankful.

Here's what I wrote at the bottom of the page:

Dear precious tiny one,
After a 6 hour flight from Seattle, Washington to Fort Myers, Florida I decided to take a home pregnancy test…one that Daddy and Grandpa bought at the grocery store along with a lemon cake that sounded DELICIOUS! Daddy, Grandma and Grandpa all anxiously awaited the results…YES! We’re having a baby! We praised God for your life! We learned about you on Saturday, July 25, 2009, on Papa and Kailey’s birthday.

After a visit to the doctor and an ultrasound, we learned that you’ve been growing for four weeks. You are so tiny, we call you our little pepper! What a joy to see you at the very beginning of your precious life. Daddy is THRILLED (and that’s putting it mildly!) and I’m so excited too, of course wondering what life will be like as a family of FIVE….blessed, that’s for sure. It really is amazing to think that all the days of your life have been planned and ordained by God himself, even though the thought of you is still so new to us.

Your big brother, Graham, and big sister, Hannah Reece are over the moon excited about you! They think about you several times a day and have big plans for you little one. It is a privilege to carry you for the next 9 months… I love you.