Half-way There

It is hard to believe we are just 4 months away from our due date. We had an anatomy scan done at 20.5 weeks last Monday. We had taken a few peeks in the month before at Marc's office and had an idea about the gender of this little one, but we really just needed to hear someone else say it. :)

This is the profile of our baby BOY!

Eli and Hailey both said they wanted a girl, but they seem to be getting along just fine now that we officially told them a brother was on the way. They are both very interested in babies these days and are surprisingly calm and gentle with them as well. I am hoping those are good signs of what is to come.

We started taking belly pictures every few weeks at 10 weeks with Eli, around 17 weeks with Hailey, and well....here is our WEEK 21 picture with #3! So life goes. :)

Eli and Hailey decided they wanted in the action as well.

I can say that this week was very bittersweet for us. While we were celebrating a healthy little boy who will soon be joining our family, we were grieving immensely for our dear friends who lost another little baby, so soon, to go and be with Jesus. I am asking you to pray for this precious family this week. While I am not meant to fully understand God's ways, I trust fully in His faithfulness to His children and that He bestows a crown of beauty for ashes.

Those the Lord has rescued will return. 

They will enter Zion with singing;

    everlasting joy will crown their heads.

Gladness and joy will overtake them,

    and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

Isaiah 51:11

Our School Boy

Eli started school last week and absolutely loves it. He is attending twice a week for a full day and is doing great! His teachers asked after the first day if he had ever attended a day center before because he adapted and played so well. We have some great teachers back in Wichita to thank for that praise report. :)

I was so excited about this daily report card that he gets...

There is so much detail on this sheet that it makes me feel like I was there with him all day long! I am thankful that he is enjoying it so much and that he is already being challenged more than I had been challenging him at home.

Hailey really missed Eli the first day. She asked about him all day and then before I could even answer her question, she would remind herself out loud that he was at school. It was pretty funny. I have loved getting to spend some time with my sweet girl one-on-one. Hailey's personality is different from her brother's and it is nice to give her some space to grow on her own.

We enjoyed a lunch out to Panera last week while Eli was in school and then went shopping for a Minnie Mouse Halloween costume.

We had lots of fun together, but we were both ready to see Eli again by the end of the day! He just brings a lot of life into our house. :)

I am so proud of our little Eli. He is going to have a great first year of preschool!

Traveling with the Kids ALONE

A few months ago Marc found out about a medical conference he would be attending in Minneapolis. I thought his trip away would be the perfect opportunity for me to catch up with some of my family in Arkansas, most of whom we have not seen since returning home from Africa. I knew that flying would be the best option with Eli and Hailey, but certainly not an easy task by any means. :) Whew! They did wear me out, but I have recovered enough to share our weekend moments.

The biggest job by far all weekend was getting myself, the kids in their stroller, our carry-ons, and a 50 lb. suitcase into the airport from the long-term parking area. There were supposedly shuttles running but I sure didn't see one! Marc was unavailable to help since he was already in Minnesota at that point and I didn't feel like burdening someone with the simple task of helping us get into the airport. Eli kept asking me on the way in why I was stopping so much to rest. I reminded him that he and his sister weighed A LOT and I was 19 weeks pregnant. Ha!

I decided the double stroller would be the best way to contain both kids in the busy airport terminals and it did work out fairly well. We have a compact, side-by-side, umbrella type stroller that is easy to push, even for a  pregnant lady. :) I had checked our large suitcase so we each just had a back pack to carry on the plane. Marc and I have learned lots in the past few years about traveling with kids and the biggest tip I could offer anyone is reduce your carry-on and personal items! It makes it so much easier to grab the toddler who is running down the airplane aisle away from you when you aren't getting caught on each row because of your bags. :)

After a connection in Chicago, we arrived into Little Rock and were so happy to see Papa D waiting to meet us. I sure didn't want to lay hands on that 50 lb. suitcase again. Thanks dad! :) While we were in Little Rock, we managed to spend some brief time with my cousins and then went to see my mom's dad who has recently moved into a nursing home because of his worsening Parkinson's Disease. I thought Pappaw looked really good and it was nice to get to visit with him.

One of my favorite parts of the weekend was getting to love on Bailey, our new niece. She is so cute and a really happy little baby. Eli had brought her a toy that he had picked out at Target before we left. Girls can play with footballs too, right?

All the grand babies clean and ready for bed. I'm sure my mom will be framing this one. :)

After leaving Little Rock we headed southeast to where my dad's family lives. Since my grandparents live really close to Ole Miss (on the Arkansas side of course), I enjoyed many relaxing weekends on the farm in college when I needed a break. It was fun to take Eli this time now that he is older and more aware of things like TRACTORS. :)

 I love the expression here on Eli's face. He's like, "No worries mom. We've got this all under control."

My dad thought Hailey might like to ride as well...

...umm, not so much she decided, so off they went.

It still takes Hailey some time to warm up to people she doesn't see often. Memaw worked on Hailey all weekend, and eventually by the end, they were buds much to Memaw's delight. :)

It is so much more apparent to me when Marc is not with me what a great help he is and what a great parenting team we make together (though I had some great fill-ins this weekend from family!). Although the weekend was busy with these two toddlers, I am SO glad we made the trip. It was wonderful getting to see everyone and I am already thinking about when we can manage to get away again (but definitely with daddy next time!).

Labor Day

It is always a treat to get to spend an extra day with Marc. :) We decided to make the most of the holiday and take the kids out for a picnic and explore some more of the many hiking trails we have within a few minutes of our house. Peoria really is quite beautiful. We were yearning so much for green landscape when we left Africa and Peoria has not disappointed us. I think there are around eight nature preserves just in the Peoria area.

We decided to try a new area out today called Robinson Park Nature Preserve. We really didn't even make a dent in the hiking trail, but Eli and Hailey had so much fun. They love seeing all the different plants, picking up sticks, and listening to the birds. They seem to be nature lovers as much as we are. Today, I had Eli searching the path for a snake skin. We talked all about snakes and how they shed their skin every few months. We didn't find one but he sure had fun looking!

Hailey was convinced before we left the house she was ready to wear her big girl undies for a full morning out. I kept trying to put her pull-up on her and she would shake her head at me and say, "No pull-wup mommy. Panties!" She did great and was even willing to take a potty break in the great outdoors. :)

We took a picnic lunch (that Marc volunteered to pack all by himself) and enjoyed some PB&J (except I am the only one who likes the "J" part), chips, apples, and grapes after our little hike. I could tell Marc packed the lunch when he threw a bag of Dora fruit snacks at me and said, "I packed us some, too." Ha!

We headed for home after lunch to put the kids down for their nap. I started working on some dinner while Marc went and visited with some family for a little bit. I made Swiss steak and mashed potatoes tonight. Not really a Labor Day meal, but it still tasted good. This was one of my favorite meals growing up. I never actually watched my mom make it, but I have followed the recipe she gave me fairly closely and I think it tastes similar. I started doubling the recipe in the past year because, well, our family just keeps growing in size and appetite. :) This makes enough for us to eat for two nights. I am a big fan of meals that make enough for leftovers the next night or that make enough for me to cook for our family and another family at the same time.

Swiss Steak
Serves 8
2 1/2 lbs. eye of round steaks (1/2" thick cut), trimmed and cut into small pieces
2 green peppers, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 cans of tomatoes
1 small can of tomato sauce
pepper, salt, and garlic powder
flour
oil

Sprinkle the meat pieces with seasonings and coat with flour. Cook meat in large skillet in hot oil until brown on both sides. Remove meat and drain on paper towels. Return meat to skillet. Add in green pepper, onion, tomatoes, and sauce. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover. Simmer for 3 hrs. or until meat falls apart with fork (can also be cooked in the crock pot all day on low). We like this with mashed potatoes but you could also serve it over rice.

Happy Labor Day!