It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

This four day weekend has been wonderful! We haven't done a whole lot of anything besides relax. Friday we put up our Christmas decorations which was a lot of fun! The boys are really starting to ask alot of questions about Christmas and once we were done putting the tree up they asked if Christmas was ready...lol. So the last few days I've tried my best at explaining to a 2 and 4 year old that it won't be here until for a couple of more weeks. I have a feeling we will be doing a lot more explaining until then.:) Yesterday we took the boys to the library which is always a lot of fun. They go straight for the dinosaur section and start filling up the basket with books. They recently have enjoyed watching Charlie Brown movies so I was on the hunt for a couple of them, but they didn't have a big selection to choose from. Today we are going to church and then over to Chad's grandparent's house for lunch. We called yesterday to remind his grandmother that we would eat before we came, but of course she had already bought a ham and hamburger for the boys. She is the sweetest person and just loves to make a huge meal when they have guests. Unfortunately I don't like ham and always try and eat a little something before going over there, but it's always wonderful to spend time with them. His grandparents have been married for over 60 years and act like they are still in their 20s...it so awesome! Chad and I hope we are just like them when we get older. Other than that I'll be studying for my genetics final when we get home. Oh I can't wait for classes to be done and for a little break!! Here are a few pics from Thanksgiving and Friday...

Thanksgiving

I'm so excited to be spending Thanksgiving with family! My mom, and three of my 5 siblings will be coming over to our home for Thanksgiving day. This will be the first Thanksgiving that all of my siblings haven't been here. My brother Mike and sister Nikki now live in Florida and won't be back until Christmas. We are having all of our Thanksgiving favorites and I can't wait to have my mom's Apple pie!! The chex mix is cooking in the oven as I type...oh how I love the smells of the holidays. I'll make sure to post pictures! We plan on just hanging out at home this evening and if I'm up to it, I'll start to bring my Christmas decor upstairs and start decorating. I'm sad to take my Fall decor down as Fall is my favorite season, but I love Christmas just as much. As Isit here and think about Thanksgiving and all that I am thankful for, I am humbled. I am thankful that I live in a country where I am free to worship God openly, where I can walk down the street safely, and my family has food to eat every day. I'm thankful for the men and women of our country who have fought to keep our country safe and free. My father was in the military for 26 years and I know what it is like for the families of our service men and women. The sacrifices these families make are profound and I am thankful for their courage! I am thankful for my mother, for all she does for our family. She has been a single mother for years and even though it can be unbearable at times, she is a woman of Faith and God's role in her life and heart is evident in all that she does. She has a strength that comes from God alone and I'm so thankful for her love and support. I'm thankful for my husband!!! He is truly my best friend and has a gentle heart. He loves me and our children unconditionally and I wake up daily thankful that God has brought him into my life. He knows what to say or not to say and is so patient!!! I can't imagine my life without him. I'm blessed to be his wife! There are so many other things I'm thankful for: my beloved sons, my baby in heaven, my siblings, my girlfriends, my job, our home, and so much more. Most of all though, I am thankful for my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I am humbled to my knees daily and thankful that he died on the cross for my sins and for the sins of everyone else. I can't imagine what my life would be like if I didn't know him. I am thankful for his unconditional love and forgiveness of all of my sins. I am so impefect and deserve hell, but by His grace and life I am saved and will one day see him. Today I will enjoy the time with family, laughter, and memories that come with these special holidays. Creating traditions with my family is something I get excited about and look forward to another special day.

It's Friday!

I'm so thankful the weekend is hear! I'm completely exhausted from work, school, and morning sickness. While I haven't had as much nausea issues as I did with Noah and Ky, I'm just constantly tired. God is good though and have given me the strength to get through the week. Kylan's sleep schedule hasn't adjusted since the time change so he is constantly getting up by 5:30, which isn't too big of a deal since i'm normally up at 5:00, but I truly enjoy my quiet time in the morning. He cracks me up though because he will walk into the bathroom and start to get changed out of his pjs right away. And can I tell that he is stubborn just like his mama and likes to do everything all by himself!! :) Tonight we had pizza for dinner and the boys are currently checking out a new computer they got at the library today with Grammy and Papa. I'm praying for enough energy to scrap for a little bit before crashing. I did my grocery shopping last night after I spinned with Jill so i'm thankful I don't have to get up early and go out tomorrow. Typically I get up every other Sat at 4:30 and head to the grocery store with my menu list in hand. Ever since I had Noah I love to go early on Sat. mornings and have the grocery store to myself. I get too overwhelmed with all of the people and their carts during normal hours. I beginning to enjoy my sleep though and am looking forward to sleeping in until 7:00. I'm spinning tomorrow morning at 8:30 and then it's family time with the boys. Chad and is going out with the buys tomorrow for dinner and I'm taking the boys to church. Our church is having a family fun night after church and are showing the movie Walle. I'm so excited to take the boys to it. We wanted to take them to the theaters to see it when it came out but are really nervous about taking Noah to a theater. He had many ear infections as a toddler and because of that has extremely sensitive ears now...EXTREMLEY! So tomorrow will be a good opportunity to see how he does with the noise level. My mom is taking my little sister to it so it should be a good time. Other than that we will do our normal Sam's club run on Sunday and I have a lot of homework to complete before Monday. I'm so excited though because next week is a three day work week for us. Year after year Chad and I have always worked the day after Thanksgiving and Christmas. This year we decided to take them off and enjoy time with our family. He asked if we would go out and partake in black friday...personally i'm thinking no, but we'll see. I do need to make a trip to the scrapbook store and pick up a calendar set that I am going to use to make my mother-in-law a calendar for Christmas. She has everything and I thought she would enjoy a calendar with pics of the boys. I need to get started on it though if i'm ever going to get it done before Christmas. I can't believe Christmas is a little over a month away. I just love the holidays and time spent with family and making memories.

Tower Tuesday

Today flew by so fast! I walked into work planning on attacking some issues that came up yesterday and was successful, yet they took longer than planned. I had a couple of meetings this afternoon and then it was off to class. I was unsure of what to make for dinner tonight but settled for mesquite chicken with potatoes and corn. It's always quite entertaining having dinner with the boys. I'm not a picky eater by any means nor is Chad, but our boys are..... Kylan, my youngest, only ever wants Peanut Butter and crackers..yep that's what he asks for at breakfast, lunch, and dinner...tonight was no exception. He cracks me up! While I always give him a little of what I make hoping that he will try it...he normally just says "I don't like it" and then good ol Skippy comes out of the pantry. Noah on the other hand decided he would mix his potatoes and corn and paint around his plate with them tonight while I ran to the bathroom. Of course Chad was sitting there the whole time and somehow missed it...lol. The boys and I decided to build a tower with their foam blocks and correlating garages for each of them. It was quite comical watching them put the "tower" together and how serious they took our little project. Now they are off to bed and it's quite time for mom!!! Yeah:) I think i'm going to attempt to make a few cards for some friends who could use a pick me up.

Spinning Saturday!

It has been a great day so far and it's only noon!! I got up bright and early with Kylan this morning..he decided at 5:30 that is was time for peanut butter and crackers (his favorite)! So we sat and the table and he had some with a glass of milk and downstairs to the playroom we went. I went to my spinning class with Jill at 8:15 and had a great workout!! I'm still a little sore from my workout yesterday and can only imagine how I am going to feel tomorrow, but it feels so great to get those workouts in. I might be prego now but i'm all about doing it healthy this time! I don't want to pack on all of the weight i've worked so hard to get off. Now i'm back at home sipping on a warm cup of cranberry apple zinger tea with a little bit of honey!! Yum. The boys are outside with Chad running around while he rakes the leaves. I'm getting ready to finish up my project for my genetics class that I have been working on for a while. I'll be so glad to be done with it!!! That's about it for my day thus far. I'm going to go get the boys lunch. I'm sure they are getting hungry.

First order....

So I just placed my first order for maternity clothes! :) I gave away the majority of my maternity clothes this summer and don't have much to work with....especially for work clothes. I know I won't be needing maternity clothes for awhile but wanted to start looking at sales right away and try and find some good deals and boy did I ever. I received a friends and family coupon for Old Navy, Gap, and Banana Republic where you save 30% off your total purchase so online I went. I found four adorable tops and with shipping and the promo code I only paid $39. Can't beat that!!! I'm stoked. I just hope they look as cute on as they did on the web. Today was an ok day....I have been soo incredibly tired this week and today was no exception. The day flew by though which helped but I took a nap right after dinner tonight and am now wide awake. Tomorrow I'm taking a spinning class with my friend Jill at the Y and am looking forward to that! I have a DNA extraction project I have to finish for my genetics class and then of course there is laundry and chores that we'll need to attack as well. My girlfriend Amy, and her two kids, Ava and Quinn, came over for a playdate tonight and it was a lot of fun to hang out and catch up. We've known each other since we were 18 and she is one of my dear friends. It's actually kind of funny because I met her when I first moved to Wisconsin and was going to college and working at Sears. She was working there at the time too. Her boyfriend at the time, Nick, who is now her husband, has been best friends with my husband Chad since they were 3. At the time I didn't know Chad and while Amy and I were friends for 3 years before I ever met Chad I always heard about Nick's friend Chad. Well then I met Chad's sister through the church I was going too a year after I moved to WI. We were good friends for 2 years and I heard more about Chad but never met him. Then one summer I started a young adult Bible study and a group of about 20 of us hung out all summer and got together multiple times during the week to hang out. And that is where I met Chad. We became friends and after a year started dating, then got married. So now Amy and I are dear friends and our husbands have been best friends forever! Isn't it funny how God works things out. Anyhow Nick is in the Army and is overseas and has been for 14 months. He was able to come home in July for 18 days when Amy had Ava. He should be home for Christmas if all goes according to plan. I don't know how Amy does it with a 2 year old and 4 month old all by herself, but I'm glad she was able to move back home while he is away. My boys and Quinn have a blast together and Amy and I were able to catch up a bit which was nice. She is my scrapbook partner in crime and normally we get together on Friday nights after the kids go to bed. I drag my stuff over to her house and we take over her dining room table and scrap for a couple of hours. So that's my evening in a nutshell. I have a feeling i'll be up for awhile puttzing around on the web. I'm in seach of a cute baby sling.

Be still.....

I survived my mid-term and quite honestly I'm pretty sure I aced it! I'm so excited and pleased with how well it went. I ended up taking the afternoon off of work to spend more time studying and am so glad that I did. I finished my mid-term and met my two favorite boys at home. I took them to Mocha Moments to meet my sweet friend Jill, from work, who is going to be watching them on Sunday while Chad and I go to the Bears/Packer game. They have never met her before and I wanted them to be able to interact with her a bit so they wouldn't be worried when they were dropped off on Sunday. She is so sweet and has a huge heart! We have gotten to know each other over the past year and now take a spinning class together at the Y! Until last week she was also my Weight Watcher's partner in crime, but now that I'm expecting I will have to stop seeking to lose weight, although I have every intention of continuing to eat healthy and workout as I have been. So, tonight at dinner Chad told me he thought it would be neat if I was pregnant with twin girls, and you know what...I think it would be also! We have three sets of twins in my family and I'll always said it would be so neat if I got pregnant with twins during my third pregnancy. For some reason I just have this feeling that we are going to have a boy, which don't get me wrong would be wonderful! I know whatever God blesses us with will be welcomed into our family and surrounded by love!!! I desperately want to have at least one girl but we will see what God has in store for our family. His plan is perfect and in that I rest. I've learned so much these past few months about being still and listening to Him, and I mean really being still. There are many nights when I wake up out of a dead sleep and just sit and pray and pour out my heart to him in the middle of the night...and then I wait and be still. It's amazing to me How he uses other people to speak to us. There have been times when I am in prayer about something and then I will be talking with someone and out of knowhere they will start talking about what I'm praying about and I know that is God speaking through them and oh how wonderful it is to have Him as my Savior and be molded by Him! How I long to have a heart like His and to Love like Him....I have SO far to go, but am excited about the journey and all that He is teaching me. I can't imagine not having Him in my life.....My heart breaks for my dear friends and family who do not know Him.

Decaf Latte w/Whip

So I just got home from Mocha Moments and had a fabulous carmel latte! It was so yum! I went there after work to study for my mid-term on Thursday. I will be so glad to get my last mid-term completed! I'm taking a half day tomorrow so I can study in quiet...it can often be near impossible to study at home with the boys around....:) Plus I would much rather play dinosaurs with them then study... I'm so excited to pick them up after I'm done studying and have some momma time with them. Chad has to run errands after work so the boys and I will have dinner and hang out. This past weekend was a lot of fun. This coming weekend Chad and I are going to a Bears/Packers game in Greenbay and I can't wait. I'm a huge Bears fan and have never been to one of their games. One of my vendors invited us to come and we were thrilled to accept the invite. They have an amazing tailgate party at a house that is right behind Lambeau field and are tickets are right behind the Bears' bench. Of course I will probaly be one of the only Bears fans but that's ok. Chad will make sure to be decked our in Packer gear so we don't get egged...lol

And I saved the best for last....we found out on Saturday that I am expecting. We were quite surprised, but I'm excited to meet this little person that God is bringing into our lives. Chad and I had a good laugh because not even three months ago I sold most of my baby items in a garage sale because we weren't planning on having any more kids for another three years. I guess I should have waited a little longer to get rid of things, but luckily I didn't get rid of all of my maternity clothes... Regardless it's hard to believe that in less than 8 months we'll have another little baby in our home. I've already started making my lists of things that will need to be done...and am in search of boy names. I've had my girl name picked out since we became pregnant with Noah, but haven't had the opportunity to use it yet..:) And we spent months coming up with Kylan's name...so now the search begins again..oh and I should mention that my kids each have two middle names and I plan on carrying that over to our newest addition. Sorry for the rambling post I think the decaf coffee is getting to me.

Enjoying Fall!

I can't believe Tuesday is almost over! This week is just flying by for me. We had an awesome weekend! Friday, Chad and I took Noah and Kylan out for Halloween. I found these awesome T-Rex costumes that were 75% off (I love sales) and they looked so adorable. My boys are 19 months apart and often times it's like having twins...they want what the other has. Many a times I dress them in the same clothes just to keep the peace...this year they wore the same costume and boy did they look cute!! :) I will post pics soon. I'm still trying to figure out how to add a pic below my blog. Please let me know how to do this if you know. Anyhow we took the boys to both of our parents' houses and then to several friends' houses to take pics and load their candy bags. Overall it was just a great family experience for us. I grew up not celebrating Halloween, but would go to Fall Festivals at our church. After having our boys Chad and I were undecided on if we wanted to take them out trick or treating or not. We decided to take them out this year to a couple of our neighbors, and family and friends and are so glad we did. Saturday we spent four hours raking leaves and the boys "helped" and jumped in them. It was a blast and the perfect fall day to be outside. Sunday we had Noah's soccer awards ceremony and that was really cute, until he got his finger stuck in the trohpy on the way home!! Talk about panic. Here we are on the I about 15 minutes from home and he starts screaming that his finger is stuck. PTL I was able to manuever it out without hurting him. And so the week has continued. Kylan also decided to paint our bathroom with my mascara and then the boys painted the carpet in their playroom with Crayola paint while I was out yesterday. Boys will be boys and oh can they be funny! Overall it's been nice to have part of my life back after this last acquistion and i'm enjoying spending my evenings at home with my family and not at home working.... God is so good! Well I just put homemade mac and cheese in the oven and can't wait to try it as it is a new recipe. I love to cook!!! I hope you all have a blessed day! :)