Trick or Treat!

Our little "Alligator"!

Big Sis and Little Brother!

Our little "Funky Fairy"!

Posing with Daddy on the porch!

We had a fun Halloween this evening!  We took the kids out in our neighborhood, and they really had fun!  Asher learned how to say, "Trick or Treat", and remembered to say "Thank You".  He kept saying, "nice to me" after each house!  I think he thought everyone was so nice to give him "nandy"!  So cute!  Katie was a good big sister, and helped Asher up and down stairs! 

Baby update...we'll be 24 weeks along on Thursday.  Things are going ok.  I've had some problems with my blood pressure going up and down, but at least it's not consistently excessively too high.  I had to visit the doctor's office twice last week to check it. It was a pretty stressful week though, so it's not surprising that it was high. I guess I'll have to keep going weekly to monitor it.  My other labs and tests seem to be ok.  We only have about 15 weeks to go!  We're all getting pretty excited to meet the 5th member of our little family!  I'm feeling ok, pretty tired sometimes, but otherwise doing well.  My belly has finally started to look pregnant, rather than just extra fat!  I'm enjoying feeling the little kicks and wiggles of our sweet little one.

22 Weeks and good news at the doctor's office today!

My blood pressure was much, much better and my lab tests that they took last week were ok!  I feel so incredibly thankful and blessed!  I am really feeling our little one move around these days, I love that feeling...so wonderful!  We're 22 weeks along today, only 17 more to go!  We'll probably have the baby at 39 weeks somewhere around February the 16th-18th!  I still wish we could find out *for sure* that she's a girl!  We're just going to plan on pink and take one baby blue outfit to the hospital *just in case*.  Either way, we are so blessed to have this little one on the way!

We have some fun days coming up!  Tonight we're going to Bryce's last football game of the season in Altamont.  Tomorrow at 8 pm Kris starts vacation!  Saturday is our nephew, Tre's 3rd birthday party, and we're looking forward to using our new firepit a couple times this weekend.  Next week is Neewollah here in Indy!  Monday night Katie and I are going to honor our tradition of attending the Queen Neelah Talent Competition.  Wednesday the food boothes open, Friday is the Kid's parade, and Saturday morning is the Grand parade.  Then, of course, Sunday is our church's Homecoming and Halloween! We're planning to take the kids trick-or-treating around our neighborhood, and then we'll come home and have "Mummy" dogs for dinner!  Love it when we have such a fun filled calendar!

Doctor's visit...

I went to my appointment today, and was able to hear sweet Claire's heartbeat!  Such a beautiful sound!  After my appointment I had to have some additional blood work, to check my thyroid and creatinine level (which measures kidney function) and I am also having a lovely 24 hour urine test. Later this afternoon the nurse called and we got a little bit of bad news, though.  My blood pressure was very high, so the doctor wants to see me every week until we get it under control.  She also wants me to rest as much as I can.  She didn't put me on "bed rest" but she did ask that I take it easy, get help with housework, play with Asher while sitting down, and lay down if I become dizzy. I have had some dizziness and headaches lately, but I didn't think anything of it.  It has felt like normal pregnancy symptoms. I did pass my first 1 hour glucose test, though, so that was good news.  I am praying that through my diet, I can overcome these blood pressure problems.  I just need to be able to provide a safe little home for Claire for at least 18 more weeks.  If you have an extra prayer to spare, I will sure take them...

Our weekend...

Yesterday we headed over to my parent's house to have a work day, and help them catch up with some yard work and house stuff.  Lots of wood cutting, weed chopping, roof patching and fence building got done yesterday!  Then we sat around the fire and roasted some hot dogs and GIANT marshmallows!  It was a good day, and I think Mom and Dad were excited about all 6 grandkids visiting at one time.

I wasn't feeling too good this morning, and was up during the night quite a bit not feeling well, so the kids and I missed church today.   Even though I missed being "at church" there was a certain relaxed feeling and comfort of staying home today with the cloudy weather and little bit of rain this afternoon.   Asher and Katie got in clean PJ's and watched some tv, and played Littlest Pet Shop toys together in the living room floor.  We also caught part of the Chiefs game today, and it was exciting for a little while, but they ended up losing to the Colts.  I got a little bit of housework done including killing 1 zillion ants in our kitchen...yuck...so frustrated with those.  Later this afternoon we drove through Dairy Queen (in our PJ's) and got ice cream and drove through the park to see the animals.  Asher likes the goats and the buffalos the best.  It has just been a really nice day!  I only wish Kris hadn't had to work today...he would have enjoyed it.  This evening we're having Creamy White Chili for dinner, and just going to hang out and wait for Daddy to come home from work.

I see the doctor this week on Thursday morning, can't wait to hear sweet Claire's heartbeat again.  We have been calling her Claire, but we're still working on that middle name.  I am really feeling lots of movement now, and can kind of feel those individual limbs, when she stretches or kicks...I love that...so very much...it's the best feeling.

I think that's all for now. I hope everyone has a blessed week!

Baby Girl Name Possibilities...

Claire Veronica Alexander

Claire Elyse Alexander

Claire Alise Alexander

Claire Naomi Alexander

Avery Claire Alexander

Ava Claire Alexander

Clara Mae Alexander

Myah Claire Alexander

Avory Claire Alexander

Ella Claire Alexander

These are my favorite names so far!  Kris keeps calling her Claire Annette (get it--clarinet?)  Ha!  We can't name her that, although I do know a sweet person named Annette!  :o)

20 weeks-we're half-way to our sweet baby today!

Yay!  We made it to 20 weeks today!  I'm so happy!  I feel so blessed!  I still can't believe it's happening!  I'm feeling the baby move now, just tiny little bumps, but I love it.  I still don't look too pregnant, because I'm such a big girl, but I am wearing mostly maternity clothes now.  I still haven't gained weight, only lost about 3 pounds, but again, with me being overweight already, we're doing ok.  I'm feeling ok, with morning sickness still *pretty much* gone.  I'm just still tired a lot, but I think that has to do with just taking care of Asher and the house.  We've been thinking about names a lot, even though we don't know for sure if it's a girl.  We have Palmer James picked out for a boy, and Claire_______ for a girl.  We need name help!  We love the name Avery Claire, but Kris really truly wanted the first name to be Claire...so we'll see!  Maybe we will just need to look at her face to know for sure.  We're trying to decide whether to pay for another sonogram on our own, maybe a 3-D one, to find out for sure if she's a girl.  The insurance and type of clinic only pays for one unless ordered by the doctor.  Hopefully we will know before we go to the hospital so we'll know what to pack!  We just can't wait.  It's nice, though, that during our waiting time, we have so many holidays and other things to keep us busy!  :o)  We can't wait for our little Valentine!

Tissue Paper Garland

Hi!  I am linking up to Frugal Friday at The Shabby Nest! I am always so inspired by everyone's craftiness there!  I have been wanting to try one of the rag garlands or a wreath, but haven't been able to make it out of town to get fabric.  I was trying to think of something I could "try it out" with that might not be so expensive.  I thought about tissue paper, but wasn't sure I would be able to find a "muslin" colored tissue paper.  Then my wheels started turning and I remembered the adorable candy corn tissue paper I had seen at Wal-Mart...lightbulb moment!  So here are the steps:

1. Probably the most time consuming part of this project-Go to Wal-Mart and buy tissue paper 2/$2. I bought two packages.

2.  Unfold the paper and refold so that it fits in your paper cutter, cut 5 inches wide.  You can also cut with scissors of course!

3.  Stack two sections of tissue paper together and sew a straight stitch all the way down the middle of your tissue paper.  You can keep going with the next set of tissue paper so you will have one continuous garland.  I used three bunches.

4.  Cut into the tissue paper about 3/4" wide and almost to the sewn line.  Be sure not to cut your sewn line!

Then do the other side!

 5.  Then start scrunching and gently pull the little fluffies apart!

6.  Hang and enjoy!

The possibilities of this little craft are ENDLESS...you could use pink and blue for baby showers, red and green for Christmas, specific colors for birthday parties, etc!



Just so thankful...

...for all of the blessings in my life!  I just have so many things to thank the Lord for this morning...my little boy who keeps giving me random hugs and squeezes this morning, for my pretty girl who tried so hard to have a better attitude last night and this morning, for our home, for Kris having a good job, for our sweet puppies laying in the sun in the backyard, for groceries in the pantry, for our church family, for this new sweet tiny baby growing inside me...so many things...I am just blessed beyond measure!