Baby It's Cold Outside

The first snowfall has hit. The kids were more than excited when it began to snow on Friday night. By the time they woke up Saturday, 8-10 inches had fallen, and they were begging to get outside. Much to my dismay, I bundled up and ventured out with them for about 30 minutes. Reese could not wait to make a snow angel, so she jumped right in. Preston enjoyed shoveling the whole time :)

I had my 20 week appointment last week, and baby looks very healthy! Kyle was in Paris, so I got to Facetime him during the ultrasound so he was able to see it. Technology is awesome! Here's a picture, which Reese told me it looks like a grandpa. Better than a baby animal like last time- lol. The baby has Preston's nose and lips exactly- leading people to guess a boy. I guess we will see!

This past weekend the kids got to have a sleepover at Kyle's moms, while Kyle and I enjoyed a night out with friends. On Sunday, my mom picked them up and we met them in Freeport for the Mistletoe Walk. Santa visited the library, their was carriage rides around downtown, and all of the shops were open with cookies and apple cider. It was fun! The kids really enjoyed going in all the antique stores and looking around.

Big news! Reese lost her first tooth on Friday. She lost it on the bus on the way to school. She was so excited to show me when I picked her up after school Friday. The tooth fairy visited and left 50 cents. She was thrilled.

Here are some pics from our Mistletoe walk adventure. 

Crafts at the library...

Carriage rides around downtown.

Reese asked for Shopkins and a new dog. A real one. Santa explained its really hard for him to bring new dogs because they don't make the sleigh ride very well. Its too cold and he cant stop to give them potty breaks because he is too busy that night. THANK YOU SANTA!!!! You saved me. 

Preston would barely get near him without me. Even then he wasn't a big fan :) He asked for a digger and a tractor, not surprised! 

When in Rome....

Or Paris. Despite the recent tragedy in Paris, Kyle has to fly there today for work. I was really hoping the meeting would be cancelled, but it wasn't. So, he flies out this afternoon and comes back Wednesday night. All air travel has resumed to normal, but he can't imagine how the security is going to be. It will be insane taking at least 2 times longer than normal (not what he wanted to hear.) So, prayers these next few days for him so safe travels and safety while he is over there.

This past week he was in Indianapolis from Monday until Thursday night. The kids and I kept busy with school and gymnastics on Tuesdays and Thursdays for Reese.

Yesterday we went and got the counter top, sink, and faucet ordered for the kitchen. Our cabinets are probably 1/4 to 1/2 of the way complete. The lady who is painting hopes to be totally done by the end of the week. We also bought all the pulls for the cabinets and my dad is going to drill the holes for those tomorrow. It's all coming together and should be all done by Christmas!

I am 20 weeks today!!! Halfway DONE! I have my appointment for the 20 week ultrasound on Tuesday (so Kyle will miss) but we are not finding out the gender, so it's not quite as big of a deal as it would be if we were to find out. People have been asking me about cravings this pregnancy. I never remember really have true cravings with either of the kids, but this one for sure has some distinct cravings. Back in September, I could eat at least 4 honey crisp apples a day. I would eat them as a meal. I also crave orange juice every morning. I am eating pickles (typical, I know) but I dont really enjoy dill pickles on a regular basis, so it's different for sure. I also crave a good salad with grilled chicken on it for lunch. I have eaten one every day for the past couple months. At least its healthy! I don't crave sweet or chocolate, but if given the chance to eat it, I won't turn it down :) That's about it for me now.

Hope you all enjoy a good week- AND GO BEARS! :) (They play Kyle's team, the RAMS today.)

Life Update

Well those past 3 weeks flew by since my last post. I am now almost 19 weeks along and feeling pretty good. I have days of nausea that come and go, but overall, I can't complain. My back is feeling so much better, and I haven't been to the chiropractor in 2 weeks, so that's a plus too. Here's a bit of what we have been up to!
-My sister and her kids came to visit the third weekend in October. Reese had her last soccer game that Saturday morning, so we did that and then headed to Madison to go to the zoo. After rest time, we then went bowling- the kids had fun! Here are a few pics from their visit.

The weekend after their visit, Reese had a 3 day weekend, so we packed up and went on a mini vacation to Door County. The trees were gorgeous! We had fun hiking on Friday and exploring the outdoors. The kids did SO great hiking for almost 2 hours in Peninsula State Park. Saturday it decided to rain- so we took a road trip to the tip of the Peninsula, and watched the cars load on the ferry to go across to Washington Island. That afternoon we went bowling. We loved shopping and exploring the towns too- Egg Harbor and Fish Creek are probably our favorite. Here are a few pics from our weekend. 

Probably the highlight of their trip- I think we swam 4 times in 3 days at the hotel :)

 Hiking in Peninsula State Park

Reese and I had a date afternoon and shopped in Egg Harbor

Pooped after a long day, a movie and popcorn- and the closest they have probably ever sat together without fighting!

Halloween! Wow, that approached really fast. Reese was a unicorn (she has requested now two years in a row) and Preston was a ninja turtle, well, he was supposed to be. Friday night we had a Halloween party at Preston's preschool and the kids had fun. Preston had no problem dressing up. Halloween afternoon we got Preston up from a nap to get ready and head to Monroe to meet our in-laws and nieces. After he woke up, he wanted NOTHING to do with is costume. Fighting and screaming so I gave up. At least I got him to wear the hat. They had fun trick or treating- and I have fun rummaging through their candy :) Sunday was Kyle's 37th birthday, so we had his parents up for the day. 

His mom made a cake that he had when we he was little 

We have been in the process of updating our house and making it our "own." So far my dad has painted the kids bedrooms, as well as my bedroom and bathroom. He also installed a new ceiling fan in our room, and Kyle and his Dad completed our barn wood headboard. I also found a dresser to re-finish with chalk paint and just got that all put together as well. Here are the before and after photos.

Finished! 3 coats of paint, 2 coats of top coat, and new pulls.

Think that's it for now. We begin our kitchen update on Monday. We are painting our oak cabinets, getting new counter tops, a new sink, and putting pulls on the cabinets. I'll be excited when it's done!

18 1/2 weeks. People keep asking if we are finding out gender at 20 weeks. the answer is No. We found out with Reese and Preston, and with this being the last baby, we want it to be a surprise. So we will have to wait until April to find out :)