Bad blogger...

I'll admit I've been a bad blogger, not updating my posts since last week. With Justin leaving on Sunday, I haven't had as much free time to get on the internet.

I promise to be better over the next few weeks and through the holidays. For now enjoy a new video of Jamison & JoJo!

Happy Birthday Uncle Doug...

Happy 27th Birthday Doug!!! We hope you have a great day & look forward to seeing you this weekend!

Christmas is in the air...

The day after Thanksgiving, we had a little visitor arrive at our house. "Max the Elf" flew in from the North Pole to keep an eye on Jamison this year. His book, "Elf on a Shelf" explains all his magical abilities. Each night Max (Jami named him) flies back to Santa to give him a report on how Jami was that day, & by the next morning he's back at our house. Each morning when Jami wakes up she has to find Max's new spot, as he never lands in the same place. We're having a lot of fun with this new tradition, & it comes in handy to remind Jami that Max is watching when she acts up. :)



Yesterday Jami girl received a package from her Secret Santa. My Mommy group (online community) does a Secret Santa exchange between the kids, & a little girl named Ava from Texas had Jami. Our girl was so excited to get a new monkey, a very fun puzzle & a new book. When I explained who sent her the presents Jami said, "I go to Texas to tell Ava thank you". I wish it was that easy!

A pretty princess & baby boy update...

It's hard to believe, but I'm halfway through the pregnancy with baby boy Love. I had my 20 week appointment yesterday & all went well. I found out I have to have another ultrasound in a couple weeks, as they weren't able to get a view of the umbilical cord attachement. They need to see how many blood vessels are in the cord, & baby boy was moving around too much for them to get a good shot.

This boy really does like to move, making it hard for the doctor to find heartbeat yesterday. Whenever she found it, he would move or flip over! I'm enjoying all his flips, kicks & jabs since it lets me know he's doing well in there. :)

One of the things I'm enjoying the most about this pregnancy is watching Jamison get excited about her baby brother. She talks to him every day & believes she has to talk through my belly button for him to hear her.

Speaking of our girl, here are some photos of Jami playing princess. Give her a dress, her princess shoes & jewely & she is content for hours on end!

Thanksgiving Recap...

We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving & has been enjoying their weekend! We sure have, though Jamison came down with a cold yesterday. It was a rough night, but she's pretty upbeat this morning eating nine mini muffins.

Our Thanksgiving was spent in Mascoutah, enjoying a huge meal at my parents' around 12:30. It was just the Walter family (parents, siblings, spouses & kids) & Grandma Walter. We had great food & enjoyed relaxing while all the kids had fun running around & playing the Wii in the basement. We missed you Liz (she had to work)!

Later that evening we headed out to my Aunt Peggy's for a turkey sandwich & a dessert extravaganza. It was fun seeing more of the extended family, & we had too much fun playing round robin Christmas word games.

The day after Thanksgiving was spent finishing up the Christmas decorations, which I am so relieved are done. Jami girl loves all of her Christmas trees, but has had trouble leaving the ornaments alone. She picks out her favorites & tries to carry them around the house.

Happy Thanksgiving 2009...

This is the first time that Justin & I have celebrated Thanksgiving together, & I am so grateful to have him with us today.

Next Thanksgiving with God's blessing we'll have our baby boy with us, but for now I'm so thankful to have the 3 loves of my life pictured below.

We wish all of our wonderful family members & friends around the world a very blessed & Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm a Cowboy...

The other morning Jamison was watching a cartoon on TV when she came up to me & said, "mommy, I want to be a cowboy". She ran to get her pink boots & found her pink beanie (stocking cap).

After I helped her put them on, she went looking for Daddy's jumprope for her lasso. With lasso in hand Jami girl played "cowboy" for the next half hour. She even asked me to take a picture of her as a cowboy.

So what do you think??? Does the outfit below remind you of a cowboy??? ;)

Go Billikens!!!

On Wednesday night we headed over to St. Louis to watch the Billikens take on Nebraska. It pays to be a Billiken basketball alumni, as Justin was able to call & get us great tickets for the game.

This was Justin's first time taking in a game at the new arena, while Jami & I were there last season when Justin was inducted into the Hall of Fame. Not having been able to go to a game in at least 3 years, Justin enjoyed catching up with some of the SLU staff & radio announcers (as well as a few former Billiken players).

Though it's been 10 years since Justin's last season with the Billikens, it was fun to see that many people still remember his playing time there. It's hard to believe it's been 10 years since SLU has been to the NCAA tourney. Hopefully they can change that very soon, as the Bills came out with a great win!

Here are some photos of Jami enjoying the game. She's a huge fan of the Billiken & watched him wherever he went. Throw in some popcorn & a band & Jami girl was in heaven!

P.S. Thanks for the awesome sweater Auntie BeBe!

Big day today (UPDATED)...

At 10:00 this morning I will be having an ultrasound to measure the baby, check out all of his/her organs & make sure he/she is healthy. Please say a prayer or send good thoughts this way that we have a very healthy baby in there!

Also, if the baby cooperates we'll be finding out if a baby boy or baby girl will be joining our family. Check back for an update later today!!!

UPDATE!!!

We just arrived home from the ultrasound & breakfast. The ultrasound went great! The baby was moving around all over the place. The heart, brain, spine & all organs were healthy & baby is measuring 4 days ahead of schedule at this point.

We cannot wait to meet our baby BOY in April!!!

Baby boy's profile with arm up by his face.

Looking straight on at his face & you can see his healthy heart.

The "money" shot!

Big feet like Daddy!

Rainy, lazy Monday...

Most Mondays around here are pretty laid-back days, recovering from a busy weekend. I'm busy cleaning, doing laundry, etc., while Jami enjoys some TV time & a long nap.

These photos are from another Monday, when Jami found a swim toy in a bag in our closet. I found the toy on clearance at Target for 50 cents, so I bought it for next year. Of course Jami girl had to have it blown up right away, even though swimming weather is over for quite some time.

Our resourseful girl found another good use for the swimming ring. It makes a great neck pillow while watching Max & Ruby!