260

That is the magic number of the days I have been pregnant.. wow 260 days! That is almost 9 months. Some days it seems like those days have flown by and other days I wish we were at the finish line already :/ I am so thankful this pregnancy has been so smooth and for the most part easy. Yesterday I officially turned 37 weeks and am now considered full term so technically baby could make its arrival anytime between now and 42 weeks. Eek I don't prefer that 42 week part, I am ready now. I can't imagine going beyond the next couple of weeks. I developed a cold over the weekend which does not make me feel any better especially since there isn't much I can take for it. Also last Monday night, I experienced false labor. I had quite a few hours of some serious contractions but eventually they subsided and have just been experiencing the Braxton Hicks since. I go to the doctor on Thursday morning and hopefully I'll get some good news. I don't necessarily need to hear "today is the day" but I'd love to hear that I am progressing and it won't be too much longer. So I am crossing my fingers for something positive because now its just a waiting game!

Sunday Review

Well I thought I'd share a post on how Henry's first movie experience went today. I titled it a Sunday Review because it was kind of a big deal for a not quite 2 year old to attend a movie in an actual theater.. and we all survived to tell about it, ha! We had seen the previews for the new movie, Arthur Christmas, for a few weeks now and it looked really cute. We had talked about going to see it especially since P has been to the movies a few times before we knew she could handle it fine. However, the question was Henry and how he would fair. This four day weekend was a good chance to go see it especially with Thanksgiving holiday and decorating the house for Christmas. It seemed fitting to finish off the weekend with a feel good Christmas movie. Today ended up being a great day for it since it was cold, rainy and just plain bah outside. We decided on the earliest show they had which was 1130. This way it wouldn't interfere too much with his typical nap time. We grabbed an early, quick lunch at the Wendy's in front of the theater. I also packed some snacks in my bag to keep him occupied. We got there just a few minutes before the movie started and got settled. We picked up one of those booster seats for Henry to sit in. And to sum it up, he did really well. We had our few moments of fussiness or not wanting to sit still but all in all he was good and enjoyed it. For an almost 2 year old to sit in a theater for almost 2 hours he did great with minimal stress and we were all able to enjoy the movie. Henry is at a good age and into all the decorations of Christmas as well as vehicles he would stop and point out things in the movie he recognized as well as say "ohhh" and "wow." He finished off the majority of the snacks I had brought but it kept him in his seat so it was a win win. Needless to say, we all had a good family moment and Henry was knocked out before we even made it back to the house. As for the movie itself, I recommend Arthur Christmas. It was a very cute movie that kept us all entertained as well as had a good message behind it. It was a great way to kick off this Christmas season!! :)

Weekend Randoms

Another four day has come and gone! We love the long weekends and soak up as much family time as possible even if its just spent around the house. Here are some highlights from the past few days:

• We tackled some Black Friday shopping. It wasn't as crazy but there were few deals of items we wanted or needed.

• We are now owners of a new MacBook Pro laptop. I guess you could say that was our big Black Friday purchase. Brandon went to the PX early Friday morning and although the laptop itself was not on sale, we saved on the tax by purchasing it on Post. However, the deal was a free Apple TV with the any Apple computer. We have needed a new laptop for a while. Our old Apple was used when we got it and has seen better days. This is our family Christmas present and we love it!

• We are keeping the old MacBook for the kids to use, mainly P. Don't know that we will put it in her room but she can use it to watch Netflix or browse her sites like Disney and such. Maybe down the road (if the old computer is still ticking) it would go in a bonus room.

• The Doggette house is beginning to look like Christmas, ha! Although on the outside it has looked like it for a few weeks but now the inside matches. Friday afternoon we put up our new tree in the living room and decorated it. We had to move a bit of furniture around to give the room better flow but it works for now. The little tree is upstairs on the niche and decorated with some of the kids' ornaments. I should mention Brandon put up our old tree on the porch outside so our house has a total of 3 trees.

• I love Christmas, just love it! Its my favorite holiday and I love this time of year. So excited for all that's in store this next month :)

• The kids both got new stocking this year. Henry needed one and of course to be fair to P she should get one as well. Hobby Lobby had cute ones and they were 50% off. Henry's is blue with a train and P picked out a Disney Princess one. Can't wait to fill them up with goodies on Christmas Eve for them.

• Football Saturday did not bring the same excitement and shake up as last weekend BUT South Carolina played a great game against Clemson! YAY :) They finished up with a 10-2 season with 6-2 in SEC. Looking forward to their bowl game!!

• This weather has been crazy lately. I am not a fan. It was barely a high of 50 on Wednesday and by Saturday back in the 70's. Luckily, rain today will bring in some much cooler temps that are going to stick around. Highs for the week range from mid 40's to low 50's. Definitely more my speed especially considering Thursday marks the first of December.

• I love how Thanksgiving leftovers stretch out for so many days and are still good. I haven't had to really "cook" since Thursday. We've had leftovers, ate out once, and had pizza last night. Yesterday for lunch, Brandon made turkey salad with some of the leftover meat from the turkey we had saved. It was really good, yum!

• We finished our Christmas shopping for the kids this past week as well as all the wrapping. I did a little shopping for Brandon and need to wrap that stuff one day this week while P is at preschool. It feels so nice not to only be mostly done but also to have the majority of it wrapped. Its going to make the few weeks leading up to Christmastime less stressful :)

Hope everyone had a great weekend as well! Brandon reminded me that this week coming up will be a full work week and no more long weekends until Christmas Max Leave starts around the 16th. Maybe we will get lucky and paternity leave will start before then, ha!

Happy Turkey Day!!

Happy Thanksgiving from our house to yours!!!!

Hope everyone is having a great day celebrating and giving thanks!!

I personally have much to be thankful for this year and am blessed beyond measure!!

Brandon and I enjoyed spending the morning together cooking and preparing dinner. The house smelled fantastic! We all watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.. the kids enjoyed that! Henry unfortnuately could not stay awake for our meal and laid down for his nap. We sat down to a late lunch and everything was yummy! We were both full fast, even P enjoyed some of it. I cleaned up the kitchen then it was nap time for all of us :) We are looking forward to going to see the Christmas lights down on the Cumberland River Walk tonight!

Turkey Day Menu

Can you believe it tomorrow is Thanksgiving?!?! The start of the holiday season begins!!! :) I am so excited this year. I am beyond thankful for having Brandon home this year and able to celebrate with us. We decided to do Thanksgiving with just our family, the four of us. And we are looking forward to it! I have already been cooking/baking today trying to prepare some of my dishes today and have less to cook tomorrow especially since we will be eating a late lunch. I baked my pumpkin bread this morning, just need to ice it tomorrow. I also went ahead and prepared my sweet potato casserole as well as the broccoli casserole. Both just need their respective toppings and baked in the oven. This gives me a little less to cook tomorrow. Can't wait! Here is what will be on our table tomorrow:

Oven Roasted Turkey

Dressing

Baked Macaroni & Cheese

Mashed Potatoes

Sweet Potato Casserole

Broccoli Casserole

Green Beans

Cranberry Sauce

Rolls

Deviled Eggs

Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin Bread

Weekend Recap

I can not believe how fast November is flying by.. the month is already half way over with and Thanksgiving is this week! Craziness! Bring on December :) We had a good weekend. It was not as long as the previous weekend, but we are looking to another four day this week with the Thanksgiving Holiday. Short work week and long weekends are a favorite in this house!

Friday was a lazy day for the kids and I while Brandon was at work. I did some catching up around the house with laundry and cleaning. Brandon got off work semi early and was home around 3. Henry got up from his nap around 330 and we all got ready to head out. We needed to go back to the mall and go to Sears. The tree we bought last weekend was on sale even further this past Monday and Sears does a price match we just needed to bring in the receipt. So we did that as well as roam the mall some. I found the most adorable sweater vest for Henry for Christmas at Belk. Its from J Kahki and its forrest green with a holiday train appliqued. And it was 55% off so not a bad deal. Plus its not overly Christmas so he can wear it throughout the winter season. He will look so cute in it with his kaki cords and white button up shirt underneath :) P has two cute Christmas dresses also from J Kahki that she received last year for Christmas that still fit as well as a Rosalina smocked dress. Francis Scott has a few adorable Christmas outfits to wear as well. It was soon time to head to Old Chicago to meet a whole group from Brandon's work. Two of the Chief Warrant Officers and the 1SG and their families as well as us all met up for dinner. A total of 15 with all the kids! Thankfully the waiting wasn't too terrible.. we were seated at 630ish. It was a lot of fun and the food was yummy as always! The kids were very well behaved which made it more enjoyable. Henry did really good thanks in part to his long nap as well as I bought him and P a new little toy while we were at the mall to keep them occupy. Henry got a truck and he played with it for a good portion of dinner. All in all, it was a nice time :) We left there a little after 8 and headed home. We got the kids ready for bed and both were in bed shortly after 9. Brandon and I weren't too far behind them!

Saturday morning, the munchkins slept in a little.. both were up around 740. I got up with them and let Brandon sleep in a bit more since he had gotten up every morning this week at 4. I made cinnamon rolls for breakfast. We relaxed some then outside to enjoy some play time as well as do some chores around here. Brandon finished up some of the Christmas decorating outside while P and Henry played out front. I did some checking off the list in the baby department. I brought the bouncer, bath tub, and play mat down from the attic. I cleaned up all 3 and put them upstairs for now. I also washed up another load of baby clothes. So everything is ready for him to wear even down to his socks, bibs, and hats. I still have one more load to do with his bassinet bedding and some blankets. We had some leftover pizza for lunch. I cleaned up the kitchen. Henry and P watched a show on Netflix before Henry's nap time. While he laid down, P played up in her room, Brandon watched some football and I read my book. Way to go SC Gamecocks on another win this week! Only a few more weeks left of football season then the Bowl games begin! I also finally got ready for the day while Henry was napping. Some days it takes me longer than others, ha! That afternoon we headed over to the Battalion XO's house, MAJ Mitchell. He hosted a Battalion XO get together. We had a great time over there. Luckily, we all but one couple have kids so there were lots of little friends for P and Henry to play with. Plus the Mitchells had a bonus room for them to play in as well as a backyard full of activities. There was lots of yummy food too! The guys had plenty of football to watch and the ladies chatted. It was a nice affair! We left after 7 and came home to get the kids ready for bed. Another later than usual night for them but luckily they sleep in and adjust well. Brandon and I watched some college football. And oh my what a weekend for it! There were definitely some good games to watch :)

Sunday morning Henry woke me up around 730 and the weather was already dreary and rainy. It was a slow morning for us. We decided to go out for lunch and do some roaming in town. We ended up at Cracker Barrel but because it was Sunday we wait almost 40 minutes for our table. Our meal was good and we enjoyed it but it did take almost 2 hours out of the day. Next stop was Walmart. I needed to pick up some more wrapping paper and supplies so I could finish up the kids' presents. We walked around the store a bit then headed back home. Henry was getting tired and the weather wasn't getting any better. He was asleep before we even made it home and finished his nap at the house. Brandon put the bassinet together and I did up another load of baby's laundry. I believe we are now officially ready for his arrival :) After nap was over, the weather finally cleared up some (at least for a little while) and we decided to take advantage of it and took a walk around the neighborhood then the kids played in the garage some before dinner. We just ate leftovers since we had a big lunch out. P and Henry went upstairs to play in their rooms while I cleaned up the kitchen area. I read a few stories before giving them both their bath and getting them ready for bed. They watched one show on Netflix and Henry was in bed by 8 with Peighton not too far after that. I wrapped up some more Christmas presents while we watched football. Another weekend came and went but it was productive and fun and we enjoyed ourselves! Looking forward to the holiday week ahead :)

Weekend Randoms

• I heart 4 day weekends!! Its one of my favorite aspects of military life. It seems most major holiday is surrounded by 4 days off and we like that. It provides great family time :)

• I turned 35 weeks pregnant on Sunday :/ This pregnancy has really gone by quickly! Although I am very excited to meet baby and have a newborn in the house again, I also worry about how things will change for our family. I just pray for smooth adjustment and that P and Henry (especially) don't feel lost or left behind. I can't believe Francis Scott will be making his arrival within the next few weeks! :)

• I cannot wait to start celebrating Christmas this year! I hate skipping over Thanksgiving and I look forward to cooking the feast with the hubby but I also look forward to putting up the tree(s) that day as well!

• Yes that's right I said trees as in we have 2 to put this year and both are brand spanking new! We bought a classic 3 foot tree with multi colored lights for our landing upstairs. I plan on decorating it as the kids' tree. We also purchased a 7 foot GE Just Cut Grand Fir Christmas Tree with white lights. It is SO pretty! And for a bonus its got Easy Shape Technology so the limbs bounce back and there is no bending/shaping all those limbs. LOVE it, can't wait to get it up and decorated!

• The hubs wasted no time this weekend with the holiday decor. He has already put up some lights outside. He says he needs to do it in stages in order to get in all done by Thanksgiving weekend, ha! The boy loves this holiday :) We are so thankful that he is HOME this year and gets to enjoy all this season has to offer!

• I am loving this cooler weather. Thursday night the low was in the 20's! However, it will be back up to the low 70's by Monday. Boo :/ We are less than 2 weeks out from Thanksgiving, its suppose to be cold. No more warmness please! I'll take the 50's with sunny days anytime.

• I find it funny and a bit opportunistic that P's preschool has a book fair. And its in the hallway leading to her classroom meaning now way to bypass or ignore it. Now I am a huge fan of reading and books I never have a problem buying for the kiddos. I'd much rather buy a new book every week than a useless (probably forgotten about in a few days) toy. This definitely applies to P where she can get more use out of a book specifically ones that she can read or learn to read.

• The Llama Llama series are great books for preschoolers. P received her first one through the mail via the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. We both like them. They are fun reads and the words are easy enough that P is now learning to read them. P picked out the newest one at the Book Fair, Llama Llama Stays Home with Mama.. I think I've already read it a half dozen times :)

• I love football Saturdays! We are huge college football fans and enjoy watching any of the games. Hard to believe football season is coming to an end.. not too many weeks left before Bowl time. Kudos to the SC Gamecocks who pulled off another win against Florida!!! Only two games left in regular season.. Citadel and Clemson.. hopefully 2 more wins :)

• I'm not sure I like the time change. It has its pros and cons but I can see why people get the winter blues. Seems like the day ends too early and then you are stuck with all this time before bath and bed. Hence, we have been reading a lot of stories and playing upstairs.

• I was productive in getting ready for baby this weekend and washed up a huge load of his clothes. I love the smell of the baby detergent leaves behind :) I still need to wash up another load of more clothes, blankets, bassinet sheets, socks, etc. Brandon still needs to put the bassinet together, but were almost ready... just a few weeks to go!

• These windy days can leave now. I do not like 20+ mph winds and sometimes even worse. I prefer the cool, sunny days!

• It was so nice having a day date with the hubby over the long weekend. Since Brandon had off Monday as well and the kids went to Hourly Care for a couple of hours, we were able to spend some time together just the two of us. We had planned on going to lunch and the movies but decided to skip the movies in order to do some roaming/shopping. We had a very yummy lunch at Olive Garden. Its so nice to eat somewhere without having to feed, entertain, occupy little ones and then not really getting to enjoy your own meal. It was also nice too to walk around stores and the mall without pushing a stroller or again occupy children. Yes it cost a little bit more in order to pay Hourly so that we could have a day date but we both agree its worth it. It was a nice break and a nice time just to spend it together!

Sunday Review: Disney Vacation Part 1

Back in 2008, we were stationed in California and took P to Disneyland for a weekend. Neither Brandon and I have even been to anything Disney before and to say we were hooked is an understatement. We loved it! It was such a fun vacation and there was so much to do right on Disney property. We never even took our car out of the hotel parking spot. That weekend we stayed at the Grand California Resort and it was beautiful! We ate at yummy restaurants and spots. We were not disappointed by our first Disney experience!

Later that year in October, we headed back to Disneyland again for another weekend getaway. Brandon surprised us with this trip for our last family vacation before he left for OCS. This time we stayed at the Disneyland Hotel. It was another great hotel! Also including in the festivities that weekend was Mickey's Not So Scary Trick or Treat Party. It was lots of fun and a great treat for us too was that it was located at the Grand California Park adjacent to Disneyland. So we got to experience both parks that weekend! I loved seeing all the places on Disney property decorated for fall and Halloween. It was another great weekend that didn't disappoint!

Needless to say, I highly recommend this place for a family vacation. I now understand why many so families flock to Disney for their family vacations. It really has something to offer for the entire family. And while it is a little expensive, I see it as an all inclusive vacation. We never left Disney property and still had so much to do, see, and eat. That's a huge plus of Disneyland is that is a much smaller resort versus Disney World. Both of the hotels we stayed in where in walking distance to Downtown Disney as well as the two parks. It was easy to go back and forth for whatever we wanted to do. On these two trips, we only stayed 2 nights/3 days each so we did not do a dining plan. We ate at a variety of places including quick service as well as sit down restaurants and snacks. The food is more expensive than the average but never having to leave the park is huge plus in my opinion. While P might not have been old enough both times we went to remember it now, we have lots of pictures and stories to share with her. And we remember it as great family time :) In fact, we were so hooked from Disneyland we planned and saved for a week long vacation at Disney World in FL for the summer after Brandon finished up all his OCS schooling. Part 2 will be on our two experiences with Disney World as well as a sneak peek look at our upcoming vacation next year!!!

Happy Veterans Day!

"Better than honor and glory, and History's iron pen, Was the thought of duty done and the love of his fellow-men." - Richard Watson Gilder

The American Hero

by Roger Robicheau

The American Hero always comes through To capture our hearts with a spirit so true Some proudly are soldiers who march in harm’s way Insuring our freedom, courageous they stay While others come forth as civilians so brave Determined in purpose, so steadfast to save We should always keep clear a place in our heart For each has a value beyond precious art Their duty to country will not be surpassed Please honor their courage, for some it’s their last We live in a world which can be hard to bear Thank God for these people, how greatly they care Do ponder new heroes and what they will face And pray for their safety no matter their place Our heritage brings out the best, we all know Our great book of heroes is destined to grow

Thank you can never be enough to honor those who past and present have defended our great nation! This country is home of the free, because of the BRAVE!!

OB Update

Well I had my doctor's appointment yesterday afternoon and everything still looks good! All of my vitals were good. I only gained 2 more pounds since my last visit making it a grand total of 25 since becoming pregnant. I credit that to being much more active this pregnancy and having reason(s) to be so much more active and on the go! My blood pressure was good and I've had no issues with any swelling. Baby had been measuring a week+ ahead but is now tapering off and measuring correctly with the number of weeks pregnant I am. My doctor didn't seem concern and said it could be due to running out of room to grow as well as at this stage but babies are not growing in length anymore, but adding weight. His heartbeat was still good too. No progress though but she did say my increase in Braxton Hicks contractions was a good sign. I do not go back until December 1 and I will be 37 1/2 weeks pregnant. There were no available appointments with her before then. I was a little nervous about having to wait 3 more weeks to be seen but she seemed that it would be okay. I don't think anything crazy will happen until then (fingers crossed)! Who knows that might be my last appointment, ha!

Countdowns Updated

40 days till my due date!!

5 weeks 5 days to go!!

I honestly don't think I will make it that long so that just means even less time remaining. I have an OB check up tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully it will go well! Both P and H were born during the 38th week so I figure #3 will follow similar suit if not earlier. I turn 37 weeks the weekend after Thanksgiving so as long as he bakes until then, I'll be happy. I'm going to predict the first week of December for his arrival. Cannot wait to meet the little guy :)

47 days till Christmas!!

Can you believe it? Are you ready? Less than that of shopping days!!! I'm very excited for this Holiday season!! Its going to a memorable, magical time this year! What a blessing to have my husband home this year and a new baby in the family!!! We have already been getting our decorations ready and have great ideas for inside & outside the house. I have completed all of my holiday shopping for the kids and have even made a good dent in the wrapping department. I look forward to this time of year... we have lots of plans on our agenda as well. We want to start some new traditions and revisit old ones. The kids (minus the newborn) are at a great age of wonder and imagination and I can't wait to see these next 40 some odd days unravel for our family!!! :)

Weekend Recap

Another great weekend for the Doggette family!! :) Some people may find our weekends boring but that's how we are and what we like to do. Our weekend began early on Friday since Brandon got off work earlier than usual. We decided to do some roaming around town and look at Christmas decorations. Yes, we are those people who decorate the weekend of Thanksgiving. If it wasn't considered tacky, I'd probably do it sooner, ha! Our first stop was Hobby Lobby who currently has most Christmas decor 50% off. We were in Christmas heaven! We contained ourselves though and picked up just a few things. We purchased a new angel tree topper for our Christmas tree as well as some garland and 2 boxes of white lights. Brandon wants to do the traditional, classic look outside as well as inside this year for our decorating theme. Then we headed over to Lowe's to see what they had to offer. I want to do wreaths on all the front windows of the house. I found some gorgeous ones at Hobby Lobby but even at the sale price, they were still around $30 a piece and we need 4 so that's quite a lot just for wreaths. Lowe's had some plain but pretty, classic wreaths with just the red bow and only wanted $10 each so that was much more budget friendly. However, they didn't have too many to pick from so we went ahead and purchased them (otherwise knowing our luck we would go back and no more available or not enough). Brandon also picked up a six plug power stake that also has a timer. This will come in handy for all those lights outside and we wont have to remember to plug them in and out. I can't wait to start decorating... only a few weekends to go! After that it was time for dinner so we stopped at Zaxby's and ate a yummy meal before heading back home. We took Murray on a short walk. Then upstairs for bath time and story time for the kiddos. Both were in bed by 8 :)

Saturday morning, we all slept in until 8. I am so lucky my kids are great sleepers! This mama really appreciates a good night's sleep :) We had a mixed morning of laziness and productivity. I made cinnamon rolls for breakfast. The kids played upstairs some in their rooms. Then we headed outside while Brandon finished taking down the Halloween decorations, cleaned out the garage, organized all the Halloween decor, and loaded up the truck for a dump run. P and him went to the local dump while Henry watched shows and I got ready for the day. The garage looks so much better! We had sandwiches for lunch and watched some football. Henry laid down for a nap and we cleaned/organized the attic. Brandon got all his Christmas lights out to see which ones worked and how many bulbs & fuses he would need to replace. Yes our house will probably be decorated in the next few weeks, ha! I guess that's what happens when you have a husband who loves the holidays and missed last year! I got Henry up from his nap and we all got ready and headed into town to do some more roaming. We went to Target first and looked at all their Christmas stuff. They had a few things we liked but their selection wasn't as big as I thought it would be. We purchased a new countdown to Christmas calendar and found Murray a little Christmas doggie sweater :) Next stop we went over to Babies R Us/Toys R Us. I was itching to spend my gift card I had received at my baby shower and the kids of course wanted to look at toys. Too bad they don't know we are DONE Christmas shopping for them :) Then we headed home to get ready for dinner. Since football was on including some important games, I fixed us a pizza and some wings. It was good & yummy!! Too bad the SC game didn't end up so well :/ The Kansas State v. Oklahoma State was quite a game to watch as well as the LSU v. Alabama game! I always enjoy a good football game. I even was productive in my TV viewing and wrapped some Christmas presents. I was able to make a little dent in the stock pile up in the attic. Crazy again I know for already wrapping presents but there's only a limited amount of time left and I know I'm not going want to wrap with a newborn to take care of. All in all, a good Saturday for us!

Sunday morning the kids woke up around 730 which was the old 830 since time changed over night. I was a bit worried they'd wake up too early and then it would be a LONG day. We had a quiet morning then we all got ready for the day & headed out. We went to the nice, big Walmart over by exit 11 to see what they had for Christmas decor. They had a much larger selection than Target. We picked up two plug in candlesticks for the upstairs windows and a few other small things. I saw a Christmas tree I really liked there and it was reasonably priced but not sure we necessarily need a new tree especially since we've had ours since '06 but have only put it up a few times. I did see a 3 ft. multi colored tree I am going to get for the upstairs landing and make that the kids' tree. I saw some cute ornaments at Target for it. After there we ate some yummy lunch at a sandwich place we had never eaten at before, Jimmy John's. It was really good, something different for a change. I recommend their tuna, very tasty! Then we drove down to the Riverwalk and walked that trail as well as let the kids play at the playground for a bit. It was a nice day weather wise and the kids had fun exploring a different park for a change. On the way home, we had to pick up dog food for Murray. Henry fell asleep in the car and continued his nap at the house. Brandon, P and I piddled outside some. I vacuumed out my car and cleaned the inside some. Henry woke up around his usual 3 o'clock. We then took Murray for a long walk around the neighborhood and let the kids play outside some in the front yard. Need to take advantage of the nice weather and daylight while we can. This time change is going to hard to get use to! Brandon fried up some chicken tenders for dinner; and I made baked macaroni & cheese and corn to go with them. It was yummy! Unfortunately, Murray was out back unnoticed and drank up some of the cooking oil in the electric skillet. Yuck! So we spent the rest of the night cleaning up after him and trying to make sure he was ok. He spent a few hours outside until it seemed the worse had passed. Poor dog but he should know better! I think he learned his lesson and we did too, ha! Sometimes I feel like having a pet is like taking care of another child :/ On an update, he is doing much better today! Hope everyone had a great weekend as well!!! :)

Baby Shower

Yesterday, my good friend Christina hosted a baby shower for me at her house. It was a small group with just three of us ladies but it was still a nice time. My friend Nicole that I've known since our days at Fort Irwin and is now stationed here at Fort Campbell was able to attend and it was great seeing & catching up with her! Christina created a delicious spread for lunch. On the menu was pimento cheese sandwiches, egg salad sandwiches, chicken salad sandwiches, crackers & spread, chips & dip, cupcakes, and punch. It was all very yummy!!!! We spent the majority of the time sitting around and chatting like women know how to do, ha! I opened my gifts and was blessed with some goodies! I received a gift card to Babies R Us which is always nice to have :) I was also given the Moby wrap I have been lusting after. I got it in the color black since its a neutral color to wear and it also matches my stroller and diaper bag. I also received some products for at the hospital and my postpartum healing. These will come in handy for sure! My aunt and mom weren't able to attend to but sent gifts anyways. They are so thoughtful! My aunt purchased a few items off of my Amazon wish list. I received 3 new great products I've been wanting... the Boppy Newborn Lounger, an ear thermometer, and the Happi Tummi Removable Waistband (to help with gas & colic). My mom sent me a Target gift card which I am already itching to spend on the last essentials I need to pick up. Francis Scott and I are beyond blessed to have such good friends and family!!! Looking forward to using all my new items and gadgets as well as for Scott to meet all these amazing people!!! :)

Happy Halloween!

Hope everyone had as spooktacular holiday as we did!! It was so much fun and the kids really enjoyed themselves trick or treating around the neighborhood. Henry really got into this year and loved walking around holding his pumpkin bucket. And of course P made great strides this year and actually said "trick or treat" to every door we went to... so proud of my typically shy child! They both looked adorable in their costumes!! P went as Princess Belle from Beauty and the Beast and Henry went as a Train Conductor since of course one of his favorites is TRAINS! The designated hours for trick or treating were from 5 to 8 pm so I fixed them an early dinner of grilled cheese sandwiches so we could get them dressed in time. Brandon came home from work around 5 and we got them all decked outside. But it wasn't quite dark yet nor did we see any other trick or treaters walking around, so we hung out in the front yard till closer to 6. I ended up taking them around one of the short loops by myself so Brandon could be at the house to give out candy and scare little kids, ha! We survived the first loop but I did have to carry Henry a few times. The space between houses with porch lights was spaced out and he got tired of walking. When we got back to the house, our friends the St Johns were there. They had come by to see our house all decorated; and Christina and I loaded up the boys in the wagon and took them and P around another short loop so the kids could load up on more candy! Needless to say by the time we were finished trick or treating, both P and Henry had their pumpkin buckets full! I let them pick out something each and both decided on a bag of Cheetos. Once I had gotten Henry cleaned up and in his pajamas, I ran up to BK to get Brandon and I a late dinner. By 8 we had no more candy, all of it had been given out. We had a few stragglers after that and we just had to tell them we were out of candy. Good thing I bought two jumbo bags!! All in all, we had a great night and made some great memories :)