The Last of the Belly Pictures

Ok here are the last of the belly pictures. I realize that these photos are more for me than anyone else, but someday I hope to make this blog into a book so I put them here for posterity's sake.

I am not sure why I feel my posterity would want to see my swollen stretch marked belly but anyway...


These two are from June 23rd putting me at 36 weeks.

This is from July 7th a mere 10 days before he was born.



These three are from the hospital room where he was born. Not the most attractive photos as I am having contractions in two of them.

Next post...the birth!

A Sweet One

Just a sweet random one of Jacob!

Happy Birthday!

Ok here is how far behind I am. Aaron had his 31st birthday May 23rd. He requested a Strawberry Cake. For some reason I tried a lemon frosting and it was actually a really yummy combination.

Happy Birthday to the man who has fulfilled all my dreams, even ones I didn't know I had.

A Few Belly Shots

Ok so I am trying to take lots of belly shots because I am pretty sure this is our last child and I have a very bad memory and I want to at least remember my pregnant days. Here are a few of the shots. Some are clothed some are raw belly. Sorry if that is too much!

May 21st a little over 31 1/2 weeks. The bathroom mirror is filthy dirty...

June 3rd 33 weeks


Both of these are June 9th at 34 weeks. I just thought the one with Jacob in the bunny suit was a funny addition.

I have a few more I will add when I get them off the camera. Hopefully it will include the one taken the day that the baby is born! In fact I am certain it will.

Time Well Spent

Sophie wanted curly hair so one night we spent A LONG TIME, way past her bedtime putting it up like this.

She slept on it all night, woke up in the morning, pulled it all out and declared, "I don't like it, it makes my hair all poofy."

I thought of all the things I could have done with that time...you know watch a movie, play on the internet etc...If I could go back and do it all again I wouldn't change a thing.

p.s. I love Sophie's eyes!

Dancer Photo Portion

Here is Sophie on the eve of her dance recital. I have to say I was NOT fond at all of how they did the make-up, but hey you can't harass the free help right?

Dance Extravaganza Video Portion

Sophie had a recital in May for her dance classes. Here is the video of it for those that weren't able to attend. I am hoping that they are in order, but I can't tell as I am posting if they are. Sorry for those that get this via e-mail. Videos don't transmit.




This was their culminating dance. They were modifying it just the week before they performed it so it is a bit chaotic. I had to trim some of the beginning and end off so that it was only 1 minute.

FYI as a barter for the classes I made the dance skirts and tutus. It may not seem like much, but those dance skirts were HARD to make and took A LOT of time. I definitely consider my debt paid in full.

Ben's T-Ball

T-Ball season has come and gone. Ben was so excited to play T-ball, but after the first practice I think he realized it was just one more place he had to listen and pay attention.

At one t-ball game he went to use the port-o-let and was gone for quite some time. Just as I was wondering out loud what he was doing in there, I heard him belting out a tune from inside the port-o-let.

He finally exited and sat down on the far side of the field. Being pregnant I hollered across the field rather than walking to him, "Ben! What are you doing!!??"

"I'm catching peepers!"

"No Ben you are here to play t-ball!"

"I don't want to play t-ball any more!"

With the threat of no creemee on the way home he made it back to his position.

All in all t-ball was a good experience for Ben and he learned a lot. He will grow and mature a lot and we will probably do it again next year.

Building

Jacob built this girl a couple of months ago and I was proud of it so I thought I would photo document it.

As an after note...all you who think your life is too boring to blog about...I have either just proven that you are right, or I have inspired you to post about the little things in life.

Cakes

Here are all the cakes I have made in the last two months. A BIG thank you to Aunt Denise for the cake decorating supplies.

This one I made for Aaron's AP students as a reward for taking the grueling AP U.S. History exam.

This one was for Aaron's mom for Mother's Day, M being for Mother. However Leah's birthday was around that time. Her nickname is Wee so turn it upside down for a W and it is her birthday cake.

Aaron's birthday cake. It is a homemade strawberry cake with lemon frosting (I have to say an amazing combination.)

Ben requested an army cake for his birthday and this was the best I could do. In answer to Jennifer's question, no there was no metal detected in the cake.

Sophie requested an ice cream cake. This is an oreo crust with vanilla bean ice cream, whipped cream topping and oreo garnish (obviously.) I couldn't get it out of the pan at this point. I have pictures that I will post about her birthday that have it out of the pan. I have to say that I felt like I was cheating Sophie with this cake because it seemed so simple and easy to make, but it was SO SO YUMMY!!!!

Force

I finally forced myself to organize all the photos I have taken since we got a new computer. Now I have lots of stuff to post about. These are the last 2 "old" photos from April.

Aaron feeling silly at a family gathering. I still think he is drop dead gorgeous even with a flower in his hair.

Apparently Jacob loved the cake. He licked his plate clean.

New Computer

I have had a hard time blogging ever since we got a new computer and it has everything to do with my photo organizing program. I was so comfortable and familiar with the old program and it is really hard to want to get familiar with the new one. I'll get it eventually...

Until then, at a family gathering my nephew had the idea of taking pictures inside a kaleidoscope. These were the resulting pictures.

Small Break

Sorry I took a small break from blogging. No reason, I just didn't get to it. Unfortunately I don't have any really exciting pictures to share but I'll do it anyway.

This picture is from the end of April!!!

It may not look like much, but it is an almost flour-less torte that is pretty mild by itself, but combine it with the chocolate mousse center and chocolate ganache topping and altogether it is perfectly divine.

I made this for my sister in law Kristin and my Dad's birthday in the end of April. Don't ask about nutritional information, you don't want to know.

Apple Hat

My friend had a baby in March (sorry Martha I have a bad memory. If this is wrong please forgive me!) and I tried to make an apple hat for the baby.

The first one is a complete unusable flop. But if you do not first succeed, try, try again. So I did and it worked.

I don't like the stem, I wish I had done it in i-cord like the first hat. It took me three attempts on this hat to figure out the leaf (I can't remember how many times I tried on the first hat and finally gave up.)

So here it is. I really love it and hope I have the motivation to make one for my own baby!

T-Ball Season

It is t-ball season again. As a devoted parent I will have several photos and videos of Ben playing t-ball for you to view. The first is of his favorite part of t-ball, the helmet.

I am sorry if I sound like a gloating parent, but Ben in STINKIN' cute.
And of course we have a monkey see monkey do who is pretty darn cute too.

How did I ever get so lucky?

Spring Tradition

The kids have a springtime tradition of building a couch out of cinder blocks and then I have a tradition of photographing them on the couch. Here is the 2010 addition.


I was trying to get them to not cover their eyes in this one. 2 out of 3 isn't bad.

Ok I looked back in the files to add our previous photos and I found one from 2008, nothing in 2009. So maybe it isn't fair to call it a "tradition..."

2008

Bagels

I made bagels awhile ago and I had a funny thought as they were boiling/baking. Some people will remember that I used to put my fingers in a circle around my belly button and say, "Look! a bagel!"

Well as they were boiling I thought, "This must be what I look like in the hot tub."

And then when I pulled them out of the oven I thought, "This must be what I look like after a good vacation in the Caribbean.

I wonder what other exotic situations I can imagine my bagel belly in?

Country Life

The farmers delivered a giant pile of manure and for about a week the kids begged to go look at it.

So finally we took a field trip to the see the giant pile of poop. Jacob and Sophie had on regular shoes, but for some reason I felt compelled to make Ben wear mud boots. Sure enough the first thing he did was sink his foot into the edge of the pile.


Even the little piles of manure deserved inspection.

Then of course they had to wrestle right at the edge because children have no fear of falling into a giant pile of poop.

Awed and amazed (you have to admit it is a pretty amazing pile of manure.)

And then a family photo because doesn't everyone have a family photo in front of a giant pile of manure?

(Sorry new computer and I am having difficulty learning how to rotate and save a photo)
I was amazed by the number of these flies that were ALL over the pile. I did some research thinking they have some exotic name since I had never seen them before. If my research is accurate they are called Yellow Dung Flies.

Winds of Change

I went away to Virgina for a few days and when I came back Aaron had built these two utility items.

They are the first step of many to prepare the spare room off of the kitchen to become a laundry room.

This summer Aaron will bring the washer and dryer out of the basement, replace the floor in the spare room, add a door that will exit out to the clothes line and build a folding shelf/storage cabinet. We will also have a mud room! All this makes ME very happy!

Bargain

Last night we stopped at our old apartment to peek in the windows. It is being completely overhauled so there are no tenants.

The other day when I drove by there were no windows and doors and I could see right in. I thought I could see our old French atrium doors with the stamps I had stamped in each window panel still there, stamps and all!

So I had Aaron jump out and look. While he was out Ben was BEGGING to get out and look too. Because of the construction scene and the late hour I kept saying no. Finally Ben pleaded with all he could muster...

"Pllleeeaassseee?"

"No Ben."

"I'll give you 10 kisses!"

Words

Well, it is official. Our computer died. Technically Aaron could spend hours and days and money fixing it, but at four years old it isn't really worth it. A new one has been ordered and will be here in a few weeks.

Unfortunately all of my pictures are stuck on the old computer. Aaron has assured me that they can be saved, but until the new computer comes, I have no pictures to post. It will be just words for awhile. I'll try not to bore you

Video Portion

Here is the video portion of Nathan's Homecoming.

Back Track

In March my brother finished his stint with the Navy and we went to my parents to welcome him home. Here are some of the events of the day.

A rare photo of the adults belonging to this blog...and together too!

Ben and my Dad reading together. Ben read about half of a Dick and Jane book almost entirely by himself!

As the evening went on we got kind of relaxed about child care...and the boys started baking in the kitchen. This is their creation. Caution to those with a weak stomach.





The end product was a mix of water, cocoa powder, orange peels, sunflower seeds, and butter.