"Rough" Prego Week

Well it has been one of those weeks.  Surely people recognize a pregnant lady and know pregnant lady etiquette, but alas no.  Andrew who is old enough to know better, yes I will name his name to be ornery, said that I sure was getting bigger.  Not the right way to say the "baby" is growing.  He back-peddled of course, by saying I have a second person growing in me, but the damage was done.  Later that week I was bemoaning to an older lady at church how I seem to be a lot bigger with Levi than I was with Haven.  I said I couldn't believe that I had 12 weeks to go.  So she proceeds to suggest that maybe I should go on a diet!!  Not the thing to say to a pregnant lady.  My sister-in-law is due and she sent pictures of her cute 9 month self and I was bigger than her!  Okay, a rough week right.  Well it wasn't over, because when I went to get my haircut and the girl BUTCHERED it....as in uneven, no bangs, with chunks shorter than others.  I look like a boy.  This picture is deceiving, it really is a very bad cut and WAY TO SHORT even though I was going for short!  I really want to cry every time I look in the mirror.

Anyway, here is a picture of the fat pregnant lady at 28 weeks along.  

Christmas in the Burbs

This past weekend Jonathan, Haven and I took a trip to the KC burbs.  I had a Christmas party to attend Saturday morning, so we took the opportunity to see as many people as possible.  Let me tell you, we were booked solid and I still did not get a chance to see everyone!  I was late to every "appointment".  My cousins Don and Margaret let us stay at their house.  It is the perfect set up. They have grandchildren, so there was a crib and plenty of fun toys for Haven to play with!  We drove up Thursday night and came back Saturday night.

Our first stop Friday morning was at Carla and Matt's.  Carla had her third little boy in October, and this was the first time I got to see little Carter.  She has Keegan, who is Haven's age and then Jackson, who is turning three.  Wow, she is one supermom having three boys three and under!  We had such a short time with them Friday that on the way home Saturday we stopped back by for a visit.  Matt is usually working when we are there, but he happened to be home, so Jonathan got to talk fantasy football.

After Carla's we met up with Dale and Kathy at Panera.  Dale was the senior pastor at the church where Jonathan had the privileged to be an associate.  Dale had to scoot back to work, but we had a wonderful afternoon with Kathy.  They got Haven the softest bear for Christmas and she loved it!

Haven was all play and smiles.  For the length of time we were at Panera, she was great.  Jonathan and I discussed it later and sometimes Haven gets giddy from lack of sleep, so we think she was giddy that weekend due to lack of sleep.  I will take that over her normal tired cranky any day!

We squeezed in a couple of stores to finish Christmas shopping and then headed over to see my Aunt Martha in the nursing home.  After the nursing home we headed over to my friend and ex-roommate Rachel's house for dinner.  She has a little boy that is a couple of months younger than Haven and we found out right before we came that she is expecting again!  I didn't get a picture of their family :o(  We had a wonderful time!  After that we headed to a Christmas program at my cousins church where I used to attend before meeting Jonathan.  I got to see some cousins and then went out with my friend Beth and my cousin Ericka.  We did the "college day" thing and stayed out until 1:00 AM talking at Perkins. We had a great time.

Saturday was my GNO day with my ladies.  We had a wonderful time of fellowship and fun.  Each year we exchange our "favorite things" gifts.  Pam added my dream room (a sun room) to her house and so I was in heaven.  It was a wonderful time as always.  I sure do miss them.  What a bunch of wonderfully fun and classy ladies.  We are all different and add so much to the group.  This was the first time in many years that all seven of us were together at once.

Haven enjoyed the old horsey.  She was so cute "riding" it.

Try, Try again

Okay, Sunday we decided to try and take a Christmas picture for this year's letter.  Mom and Dad were here so we thought that would be much better than a tri-pod!  So after a ton of pictures we came up with one that will be doable :o)  Pictures with a 19 month old is kinda challenging!  

Here are a few of the "nope, not the Christmas picture".  I thought the oopsies were funny.  Haven with her sweater in her mouth..a bit blurry too.  Thank goodness this wasn't the one.

Haven getting a bit tired of us trying to get her to smile.

Do I have to smile?

I am done with all of this nonsense!

I finally had to tickle her feet to get her to smile!  The picture that was the best will be in the letter.  Stay tuned to the mail. 

Christmas Parade

We went to the Christmas parade today.  Our kids from church were in it, so we bundled up and braved the wind and cold.  This was our first Christmas parade in Rolla.  I was excited when we were able to meet up with my friend April and her family.  Ella and Haven are only about 7 weeks apart in age.  Here is Ella and Haven.  Haven had just puckered up for a kiss, but I missed that picture.

Here is Tom, Ella and April.  I met April when I worked at the Bond Clinic.  We really got to know each other when we both were becoming mommies for the first time.  We shared pregnancy stories and now we like to share little toddler "first" stories.

Haven was warming my heart on the cold day by putting her cheek up to mine and snuggling with me.

Here are a few children from our church on the float that they put together.

There was tons of candy flying everywhere.  Frosty, the Grinch, Santa and Mrs. Santa, lot of floats, bands and trucks.

Here is daddy trying to keep Haven warm.

Chef's Hat

A while back mom found this home made apron, pot holder and chef's hat at a garage sale.  Today Haven found the hat and kept trying to put it on her foot as a sock.  I told her it belonged on her head, so she put it there instead.  It was so cute!  When I tried to take a picture, she came to mommy and this was the first picture we got.

I asked her to turn around so I could take her picture and she literally turned around in a circle.  She was just to busy to pose.  So I had to get what I could.

I was making loud noises trying to get her to turn around and she thought I was singing.  So she picked up her phone to sing.  She LOVES to sing.

Thanksgiving Vacation

Thanks to mom and dad we were able to get away for Thanksgiving.  Mom called every day for weeks to see if Big Cedar in Branson had any cancellations.  Finally they did!  So we all packed up Thanksgiving and took it to Branson.  It was just so nice to get away for a few days.  And it was even better that we could do it with all the yummy Thanksgiving fixins.  

Jonathan, Haven and I went down on Wednesday night.  We tried a new place in Hollister, of course it was a pizza joint.  It was actually really yummy pizza.  Haven was deciding on what she wanted to eat.

She had a hard time deciding.

Dad brought the Wii with him and they had just purchased Mario Kart.  We had a great time playing.  We even convinced mom to play and she had a great time.  Haven of course just watched, but I think she liked the bright colors and the cartoon characters.

Jonathan had a rough Thanksgiving football day since his Seahawks got stomped by the icky Dallas Cowboys.  Here he is very frustrated.

Haven was so good.  The place we stayed was really big, so she had plenty of room to play.  She would push her baby stroller around or walk around talking on the phone.

Haven snuggling up to daddy trying to make him feel better during his football game.

Big Cedar handed out Thanksgiving t-shirts to all the kids.  Here is Haven posing in her t-shirt that was big enough to be a nightgown.

Haven hanging out with the boys on the couch.  We did do more than just watch TV.  The adults had a great time playing games like Hand and Foot and Sequence.

We went to the Landing on black Friday and the Bass Pro Shop was giving free pictures with Santa.  This is Haven's first picture with Santa.  I was impressed that she sat on his lap.

Here is Haven after a little bit of shopping.  We really didn't do much.  It was really crowded!

Outside of Bass Pro they had a cool old truck with Christmas Trees.

One of our new favorite places to eat in Branson is the Hard Luck cafe.  Their waiters and waitresses sing as you eat.  They are really really good!  When you walk in you think it is the radio, but it is live and fun.  Their food is great also...well Jonathan and I have had the same thing both times we have gone, so we know the chili burger is good and mom and dad said the chicken fingers were good.

Headed to the car were we would part ways with mom and dad.  We had a great time!  Thanks mom and dad for the wonderful get away!

Haven's first new doll

Haven loves dolls and her small bears.  She has one hand me down doll that she plays with a lot.  She has thrown a couple of major fits when she has had to give dolls back when we have left someone's house or the gym nursery.  Big tears, painful face, the works!  Well, thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Young she now has a brand new doll that is her own!  An early Christmas gift that we didn't wait to open...this was approved by the grandparents!  This doll can go into the tub, which we tried and was a bit of a mistake.  When we took the doll away to let it dry she threw a major fit.  So because she was so pitiful, I did what any mother would do and brought out the hair dryer.  Later that night she threw another smaller fit and didn't want to eat because she was separated from her doll.  

The doll also sucks her thumb and apparently so does Haven.  I would put the doll's thumb in its mouth and Haven would take it out and put the dolls thumb in her own mouth.  We had to nix that.

It is so sweet when Haven nurtures her dolls.