It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas :)

Technically Christmas is over but the tress (yes, plural) are still up, the house is still decorated, and new toys are still spread out in every room so the Christmas season is still alive in our house.  That is until the weekend after New Years when I go full on crazy trying to get all the holiday cheer packed up and stored until next season.  After hitting up the Target 70% off sale this morning I'm going to need a couple more storage bins.  I have a serious addiction to good deals....

One of my favorite things about the holidays is Parker's Christmas Spectacular dance recital.  Watching her months of hard work unfold right in front of my eyes, cute as can be dress head to toe in snow white sparkles is such an amazing treat.  Girl rocked it this year!

These little cuties are just too much to handle!

Pre-rehearsal shenanigans 

If you didn't think they could get any cuter, they just did. 

Have I ever mentioned that I love having girls?? ;) Hard to believe that next year Teagan will be part of the dance fun as well!

Another holiday must do is see Santa.  Our plan was to see the big man the Sunday before Christmas but poor little Teagan caught what seemed to be the flu.  Achy, fever, uncomfortable, cranky.  Poor pumpkin was not feeling like her normal, happy self.  Finally by the 23rd she was feeling a bit better so we took a trip over to the Frozen themed Santa land.  The girls both loved running around in the snow :)

The joy on their faces is so priceless. 

That joy quickly faded for mini me #2.  

Merry Christmas all! More pics to come...hopefully soon :)

Pregnancy Update

So here I am, almost at the half way point :) 19 weeks down, 21 more to go.  Though I'd take 20 or even 19!






How far along: (almost) 19 weeks. Technically 18w5d.

Weight gain: up about 7lbs.  Pretty much on par with where I'm typically at during this week. 

Maternity Clothes: seeing as how I'm busting out of everything I should probably get some new shirts.  And perhaps a maternity coat.  My current winter coats are practically belly baring.  Not a good look for a 31 year old prego.  

Best moment this week: feeling lots of little movements right when I lay down to sleep for the night.  This little one is already keeping me up from the womb!

Movement: I started feeling our lil pumpkin move and shake around 17 weeks.  Third time and it's still such a surreal experience.  

Food Cravings: Nothing.  Not a thing.  Food is pretty much my enemy.  Occasionally  I really crave something or am so starving, but for the most part I just eat because I have to. Sweets could not be less appealing to me and I pretty much avoid cheese like the plague--definitely not typical Stacie. 

Sleep: if I make it up past 10pm I'm a walking zombie the next day.

Milestones: baby is almost six inches long!

Girl or boy: internet quizzes tell me it's a girl.  We find out for sure on Tuesday! Ahhhhhhhhhhh!

Random: let's see...breathing is tricky no matter what I'm doing (sitting at my desk? I'm huffing.  Trying to sleep at night? I'm puffing).  My sole varicose vein has basically taken over my entire right leg.  I had to make a special visit to the midwife to make sure I wasn't dilated because it feels like the baby is going to fall out (I'm not dilated. I'm just damaged goods). Even with all the less than ideal body changes I love being pregnant. I'm deliriously excited to find out if we're adding a boy or girl to our family.    

And most importantly, I cannot wait to start shopping for our little one!!

end of November fun!

Hard to believe that November flew by and now we're off and running in one of my favorites months--December! With all the Christmas cheer, cookies, hot chocolate, sled riding, Cousin Eddie and Clark on repeat what's not to love? And when you live in Rochester you also have all the downtown lights to ohhh and ahhh over while getting manicured up.

My first gel manicure.  One week on and not a chip in sight.  I think that I like this. 

Can you tell she's happy about her bright pink sparkly nails??

Seeing these lights for blocks and blocks will never get old.

And look who met up with us--Kris (who is somewhere I promise) and miss T.  A little frozen yogurt went well with the freezing temps outside.

The morning after our downtown family fun we ventured into the car for a 9 hour car ride turned 14 to the hills of Tennessee.  All I can say is thank the dear Lord for the invention of in-car DVD players.  How anyone survived long car rides with young children before these things is a real shock to me.

Even though it took for.ev.er. we made it to my parents house.  Food, family and fun are always a good time, but poor Teagan was feeling really under the weather.  So much so that she threw up for the first time.  And again. And again.  And again on the way back in the midst of Detroit of all god forsaken places.  Poor pumpkin.    The stomach bug hopped on over to me (why yes, I'd love to be prego and sick) and now Kris.  Fingers crossed that Parker remains strong. 

Pre-puking sleepy cuteness.

Where Parker goes, Isabelle goes.

So sick and sleepy :(

If this girl is not smiling you know something is wrong.

Yuuuuummmmmm

Teagan was overly attached to her puke bowl.

Finally Teagan enjoys cuddling! Ahhhhhh.  I will never get over my babes wanting to cuddle up for naps.

Downtown Franklin shopping. 

Even through the sickness we still had to go out into the wilderness Clark Griswold style and cut down our Christmas tree.  Our artificial tree has been up since the beginning of November but you always needs a real one too!

After an entire hour of searching (no exaggerating) we stumbled upon this beaut.  It's massive and takes up a huge corner of our living room and I couldn't love it any more than I already do.

We're in the dressing ourself mode again.  All pink because "it matches."

Picture perfect and then...

This happened.

Do you realize that no one has coats on? In Michigan? In (almost) December? 55 degrees baby!

Heartbreaking and heart melting.  Heartbreaking that Teagan is so sad and heart melting seeing the sisterly love from Parker. 

Got er down!

On my sick day yesterday Parker helped out by dressing herself.  Do you think she's proud of her outfit and accessory choices?!

Later on that evening the girls decided to get creative with paint.  Washable paint mind you but paint nonetheless.  Walking works of art.  

Today I am feeling better, Kris is hanging in there, I haven't received a call from school about any sick girlies, and Charlie Brown Christmas is on tonight.  Win win win win all around!

Parker is 4!

Now, I haven't blogged about this yet....right?! ;)

Four years of loving on this sassy, goofy, caring little lady. The baby girl who made me a mama, who mirrors me from her looks to her silliness to her stubbornness,, who loves to cuddle, who calls me her "best mama."  My Parker Sophia!

At age four, Parker is into:

The farm.  And how could she not? Since she was a wee little thing we’ve been heading 30 minutes north for a little taste of the country life.  Chickens, kittens (her absolute, hands down favorite thing ever), horses, magic shows, farm shows, hay rides, pony rides, pumpkin picking, cider, donuts…what’s not to love? Our summers and falls are not complete without spending long days at the farm.

Friends. While we loved our old house dearly, the schools were just…mediocre.  Go a few miles north while remaining in the same town but within a new school zone and you’re into nationally ranked territory.  When touring our new house the first time I was pleasantly surprised to see the culdesac filled with young children and their parents, all socializing and having fun.  I chatted with one of the moms who told me that this area draws people just like us—moving solely for the excellent schools—and that we would fit right in.

And fit right in we did.  Countless days and nights have been spent in the court, in neighbors homes, in our backyards.  Everyone really is just like us and it warms my heart to see Parker building these friendship with her little neighbor friends.  On this particular evening, the neighborhood crew ventured out for a Halloween pumpkin lighting event and hay sliding.  Parker of course had a blast.

Being a princess J Because why not!    

Loving life.  Enjoying her birthday at a local indoor play place.  I can’t tell you how many times she went down that two story orange slide, or helped her baby sister up the structure, or had slide races.

American Girl dolls! Parker (and let’s not lie, her mama too) is obsessed with her new Isabelle.  Every night Isabelle is dressed in her jammies and every morning gets dressed into her clothes for the day.  Parker loves browsing through the American Girl catalog and measuring her Isabelle to the one in the magazine.  Now Isabelle isn’t all sunshine and rainbows.   She has caused a lot of drama between big and lil sis.  Teagan always wants her and while Pakrer is pretty good with sharing, she also wants to play with her doll on her own (and rightfully so).  So Santa may be bringing Teagan her own AG very soon :)

Whenever I ask Parker what she's going to ask Santa for Christmas, she replies, "An American Girl doll for my baby sister Teagan."  So sweet.  

Sweets.  Devouring my homemade number 4 birthday cake right here.  We’re semi potty training Teagan right now (she’s actually pretty much doing it on her own) and at first as a reward we’d give Teagan an M&M when she went potty.   Teagan ended up not caring too much about the chocolate motivation but who was quick to remind us to dish it out? Miss P.   

Present opening was a lot of fun..for Parker at least.  Poor Teags.

Parker has been looking forward to her Chuck E Cheese birthday party for months, ever since her friend had a party there this past summer, and it certainly didn't disappoint.

Seating for 22 kids...whoa!

Serious business at CEC

Game face

This cake...incredible, right?!

In all her glory

Spend thousands of dollars at Disney and Teagan wanted nothing to do with the stuffed characters.  Spend $22 at CEC and she's obsessed with the mouse.  Go figure.

Ticketblaster! Parker was very hesitant.  I was pumped. 

Other exciting times for Miss P.  Pumpkin painting and decorating.

I die laughing at this picture every time.  Parker! Painting her face lol.

So glad that we have these two little girls :)

Happy 4th birthday sweet thang!