4th of July

Family addition

We're expecting our 4th baby this year, due on Christmas Eve!!! I'm over 2 weeks into my 2nd trimester now and feeling much better than I was in my 1st. I had constant nausea from week 5, so I'm very happy and thankful not to feel that anymore. It's awful to be on the verge of vomiting, and still all I can think about is what food I can put in my mouth (without making me run to the bathroom). Hormones completely took over my stomach and I'm embarrassed about some of the things I ate. The thought of anything green or fresh made me gag...processed carbs is all I wanted. Greasy chinese, frozen taquitos, frozen egg and sausage biscuits, casseroles, LOTS of mexican. I stopped by Sonic several times to eat a large tator tots and slush, I bought and prepared a box made by Velveeta that was some hamburger helper-type meal, and I made my family wait in the car while I stood in line with 5 or 6 construction workers at a taco truck.

Now that I'm getting a little back to normal, I'm able to truly enjoy this pregnancy and be more grateful for this wonderful gift. I know that having 4 kids under the age of 6 will be chaos sometimes, but I love how the girls play together now because they are so close in age. Their teenage years will be interesting as they are 13, 15, 16, and 18. It will be a very loud home, but I know it will be entertaining and full of laughter. As for the immediate future, I'm loving this stage of our lives and so looking forward to this new baby. I love having a baby on my hip, wanting to be held and rocked. I love having a toddler, learning to talk and still wanting lots of lap time. I love having a 3 year old, trying to spell and write, and constantly making us laugh with every expression or thing she says. I love having a 5 year old, learning new things outside our home and lovingly teaching her sisters, growing so big and making me so proud. God has given Sam and I so much!

Cheeky

Swiss Chard harvest

We now have enough swiss chard (Grace calls it chopped swiss, for some reason) in our garden that we can live on it for a week.

Wellcheck

Visit with Mimi

Mimi came up for Grace's dance recital and spent a week here before we went down to Corpus Christi for a few days at her house. We all had a great time with her, and the girls never want to leave her house!

Grace's dance recital

Grace has been in a ballet/tap class since September, and this weekend she had her studio's recital at the University of Texas at Arlington. Her tap routine was to a "Someday My Prince Will Come" remix, and her ballet routine was to "I See the Light" from the movie Tangled. She did such a good job and I was so proud of her! She had a big smile on her face long after her performance.