Chicago!!

Last weekend I did something fun and crazy that I've always wanted to do - a trip all by myself (ie, no children except for the one in utero) for a roommate reunion weekend!! I met up with two of my most favorite people in the world, Rach & Tiff, and we spent a jolly holiday in the Windy City.

Here's the reflection of the city (and the three of us!) in "The Bean" (I'm in the middle taking the picture)

The view from the top of the Ferris Wheel on Navy Pier

Chicago deep dish pizza with my internet/digital scrapping buddy, Alison who just happened to be in Chicago the same weekend - good timing! It was so fun to get to know her in person.

Walking back to the hotel after our wicked night (Joseph told me not to pick up on any guys while I was away, then laughed and said, "Nevermind, you're pregnant!" So our wicked night was just the musical, a lovely dinner and a stroll through downtown Chicago).

The three of us roomed together and/or next door to each other for the first three years of college, and each got married the same spring/summer before our senior year. I just adore them! It was so great to take a break from everything here at home. Thank you, thank you, Joseph, for supporting my little adventure, and many thanks to my in-laws for taking the kids!

Easter!

We had a great Easter - egg decorating and hunting with cousins, Grandparents, aunt/uncles & friends on Saturday and a quiet and mellow Easter Sunday (in between sugar highs).

Spring time!!

I can't believe it's the end of March already - time is flying by.
We've been busy with the usual - my endless projects (finally finished my taxes!!!!, a sewing project I began over a month ago, new pictures for the walls in my room, organizing and re-organizing closets, etc), Joseph enjoyed a rural rotation (pediatric clinic in a Winnebago, anyone?) and a Spring break (working on HIS projects - car maintenance, cleaning the storage shed, studying school work, fishing and playing with the kids, camping with scouts, basketball with buddies, etc). K had Spring Break the week before Joseph and is now back into the swing of piano and preschool, and J-boy just goes with the flow.

These pictures are from a Sunday afternoon trip to the park at the beginning of the month - still chilly, but SO good to be outside in the sun. Oh, and I had to add one Joseph took of J-boy cleaning his room. Anyway, pretty normal stuff -- just truckin' along.

Quote of the Day

J-boy came downstairs after he woke up, climbed up on my lap (I was checking email), caressed my hair and said,

"Hey mom, your hair looks hot."

I don't know why he thinks my hair appears to have a temperature. I've decided to just take it as a compliment. :)

Ultra Ultrasound

We got to go take pictures of our baby yesterday - K was sure it was a girl, and J-boy was sure it was a boy. The rest of us didn't have a clue. :) Here's what the technician discovered:

K-lady

I realized a few weeks ago that I've posted quite a few pictures of J-boy, but not so many of K. Why the discrepancy? Aside from the obvious (it was J-boy's b-day, and it happens to be J-boy's baby book I'm working on), K's been a bit of a pill the last couple months about getting her picture taken - you have to catch her in JUST the right mood to even get a smile! She can be a complicated little person, and sometimes her natural reactions and my natural reactions contrast sharply. But under her tough girl act is my sweet little lady - I just need to remember to reach out to her in a way that works for HER. She's growing up fast - usually faster than I prefer! I feel like I start to get her figured out, then she hits some other phase and I have to start all over. :)
Parenting is a bit complicated, isn't it? It usually takes more patience than I have on hand, but there are those quiet moments that make it all worthwhile.

Digital pages

Lovin' that digital scrapbooking! :)