Grandma's Visit

Busy, Busy, Busy!

I can't quite believe it's already been so long since I've updated our blog. Believe it or not, I've actually been keeping myself quite busy. I believe I have been going through a "nesting" phase. I never went through this with my pregnancies with the girls, or at least nothing to this extent. I have literally cleaned out and organized every closet and cabinet in our house, I think. I have also cleaned things that I wouldn't normally clean, at least on a regular basis, and some of them probably haven't been this clean since we've lived in this house.

We have also been working on taking the wallpaper down out of Abby's room. This has been hard work, but I don't think it is as hard as I expected. I was really dreading this project. We've got all of the wallpaper off now and my mom helped me this past weekend with going back over the walls and remove more of the wallpaper paste that didn't come off the first go 'round. This, I believe, is the worst of it. We have 2 walls to go and then we'll need to go through and spackle and sand and then, I believe we will be ready to paint. I can't wait for that! Poor little Abby is extremely excited to paint. She is living in a very "yucky" room right now and she can't wait to help with the painting. Once, we get the painting and decorating done, I believe it will be time to move Ally in to a big girl bed in Abby's room. That will be another exciting adventure!

Today, I've taken it easy. I've felt so lazy compared to how I've been feeling the past few weeks. I couldn't seem to pull my body off the couch or my head off the pillow. I guess I will be moving in to my 3rd trimester this week and to think I could deliver in about 10 weeks is pretty crazy to think about. It feels like so little time to get all the things done I would really like to get done. I'm sure it will happen in time, though!

The girls are both doing well and David is keeping busy as he begins to finish this semester of classes! The end is definitely in sight now and it won't be long for him now!

Late Valentine's Dinner with My Valentine!

Last night, David & I enjoyed a wonderful evening away from home. This was our Valentine's Day date...just a week late. We had both been looking forward to this evening all week. David had made reservations for a window or corner table (we always enjoy the quiet atmosphere when we don't have the girl's with us) at the White Dog Cafe down in Philly. We were also seated in the Piano Bar room, so we had live piano music as we ate. David had heard about the restaurant from some classmates at school, so this was our first visit. The restaurant was more than I had expected, and it was a wonderful evening without kids. I thoroughly enjoyed being away the entire evening. A lot of times when we go out, we have to go out after David & my sister, Emily, (the babysitter) get off work, which is 7:30 or 8 p.m. Last night we left at 6 p.m., so Emily was left to fix dinner for the girls and get them off to bed. It was a very nice break. After dinner, we drove back to King of Prussia and saw the movie 'Vantage Point'. It was opening day for the movie and it was really good. We both enjoyed it. We then made our way home and got home at midnight. It was such a nice evening and great to spend some quality time with David and have conversation without any interruptions.

Snow Day!!

We've finally had enough snow to get outside and enjoy playing in it. The girls had a great time, even though the snow wasn't sticky enough to make a snowman. :) I thought I'd share some pictures of the girls enjoying the snow!

Ready To Go Out & Play!

Making A Snow Angel

Climbing the Mountain!
It Taste's Sooo Good!

Update for the Family

Despite some up-and-down's the past month, we are all doing very well. Our family had a horrible case of the flu. It was absolutely terrible and highly contagious. This was a rough week with a lot of sleep lost.

This past Tuesday night, we had some snow (finally) and then ice on top of the snow, and then it rained all night. When we woke up on Wednesday morning, our basement was soaked and it only got worse throughout the morning. At one point we probably had a couple of inches of water covering the basement. We hurried to get all of the things up off the floor that we needed to and then David got to spend his day off working to wet vac the carpet. I know this is not how he wanted to spend his day off, but I am so thankful he was home when this happened and I wasn't the only one here while trying to manage 3 little girls. He's done a great job all week working on the basement. We did lose some things, but nothing that can't be replaced, if needed. The floor is still a little damp but we can at least come down to the basement now, and I know I will be very thankful for that when the week begins and Adrienne is back with us. I have decided that our house is much smaller when we don't have the basement. The basement is where we live during the day and all the girls toys are down here, so it wasn't as much fun being stuck upstairs.

I thought I'd also share some new pictures of the girls. Enjoy!

Our Little Princess
Ally Is Helping Daddy Make Blueberry Muffins!

More Pictures of Ally - One Very Happy Little Girl

For Valentine's Day, Daddy Made a Candelight Dinner for the Girls. This isn't the best picture, but it was very good and we all enjoyed it. We also each received a rose from Daddy!
This is Ally, pouting, because she wants candy, but hasn't eaten her dinner. She has a major sweet tooth & can smell candy if it's in the house!
This is a sandwich that we had gotten for Daddy & Ally decided to eat it, after she'd already eaten her dinner. She really does love to eat, despite the picture above. (These are also the roses Daddy got for us for Valentine's Day.)

Yesterday, David took the day off to spend the day with the girls, so I could go in to the CertainTeed office and work on a project. I guess he really wore them out, because I can't believe this picture. Ally fell asleep as she was finishing her lunch - she even has a piece of pasta in her hand!

Awesome Ultrasound Pictures!

Yesterday, we had an appointment for a 3D ultrasound. The doctor had sent us for this because the baby's head was so low at my 20-week ultrasound that they couldn't get a good measurement of it and they wanted to make sure their was no risk of me going in to labor. Well, it turns out all is fine and the doctor we saw yesterday had no concerns. Praise God!

We did get some pretty awesome pictures of our baby and we were able to find out the sex as well. Yes, my husband caved, and we found out. We are so excited and it's still hard for us to believe, but we are going to have a BOY! Abby has been telling me for a while that she was going to have a brother. (She also asked me if there was a baby in my tummy before we were ready to tell anyone. I'm thinking that she has some sort of weird sense and is able to know these things.) Anyway, we are so thrilled to bring a little boy into our family, and now we can prepare for the little guy!

Enjoy some pictures!

3D Profile of Baby's Face and Hand

3D Picture That Proves I'm a BOY!

(Follow the Arrow)

The doctor also took some 4D images of our baby. These are pretty awesome! Here they are:

4D Image of Face & Arm

4D Image of Baby Yawning & Rubbing Eyes

Great Recipe!

Well, I know I'm a couple days past the Super Bowl, but I thought I'd share a recipe with you. I made this for the first time at a Super Bowl party we went to on Sunday night and everyone seemed to enjoy it. David & I really liked it and have enjoyed the leftovers! It's really easy to make. Here it is...enjoy!

Easy Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Dip
1 pkg (8 oz) Philadelphia Cream Cheese, cubed
1 1/2 cups finely chopped cooked chicken
1/2 cup Kraft Roka Blue Cheese Dressing
1/2 cup Buffalo wing sauce
2 stalks celery, finely chopped

Directions: Mix all ingredients in medium microwaveable bowl. Microwave on high 5 minutes or until cream cheese is melted and mixture is heated through, stirring after 3 minutes. Serve hot with Wheat Thins Crackers or celery sticks. Makes about 2 1/2 cups or 20 servings, 2 Tbsp each.

This recipe is from one of the Kraft Food & Family magazines. This is a free magazine that I absolute love. I've made many recipes from these magazines and there hasn't been one that we didn't like.