Winter Concert

Lexie had her Winter Chorus Concert last week. I was amazed at how good they were. I have always thought Lexie was a good singer. Lately when she has been practicing her chorus songs in the car, I have noticed she is getting even better. I guess her voice is maturing.

My parents and little brother came in to have Christmas with us, see Lexie's concert, and fly her back to Arkansas. We had a really good time with them. They had the worst flight home. (I am not sure they will ever come back after the flight home!! Just kidding.) They were supposed to fly from from San Jose at 1:oo pm, go to LA for a short layover, and land in Northwest Arkansas around 9:00 pm. The flight from San Jose to LA was fine, but when they got to LA there was a mechanical problem with the plane. So, they ended up flying out of San Jose at 1:00 pm on Wednesday (as planned), going to LA, then Las Vegas, then Dallas, and then finally arriving in Northwest Arkansas at 3:00 pm on Thursday.

My little brother will be bringing Lexie back to us next week. They have a lot of fun together, so I am sure it will be a fun trip. I just hope the people sitting around them don't kick them off the plane. They constantly tease each other (in a fun way).

I can't wait to get Lexie back. This is the first time I have never been with her on Christmas. We let her open a few presents before she left, but we will celebrate Christmas when she gets back. Monte is doing a nice job of putting up with my pregnancy emotions AND missing Lex emotions. I am trying to get more scrap booking done. I have a lot of supplies now thanks to mom, Doris, and Christy. (I actually look like a pro now, but looks can be deceiving.) I am trying to do a scrapbook for Lexie, too.

I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!


Lexie is on the front row, second from the left.


Matt (my little brother) and Lexie


My parents, Lexie, and me


Monte, Lexie, and me

I know... Lexie is gorgeous!! I think I may lock her up until she is 30.

Another Week Down

I have made it to 35 weeks. Hooray!! I am now allowed to pick Lexie up from school and do things around the house. I am so glad to be able to get off the couch for more than showering and going to the restroom.

There were some advantages to being on bed rest. Before the accident, I was so busy with work, housework, and family that I forgot I was pregnant a lot. I would look in the mirror and think, "Wow! I am fat. Oh wait, I am pregnant." I think the accident may have been God's way of making me slow down. I really bonded with the baby while I was in the hospital and on bed rest. I felt and noticed every time he moved. We even played games together. I would wiggle my belly and he would kick. I know it doesn't sound very exciting, but you find ways to amuse yourself when you are bored out of your mind. I also got a lot of shopping done without having to fight the crowds of the mall. But, I do look forward to going to the mall. I love Christmas, so I can't wait to see the decorations at the mall. (They build this huge Christmas display in our mall. It is really cool.) Also, I got most of the baby's scrapbook done. (It is my first real scrapbook, so it is a little basic.)

Here is my latest belly picture. (It was a bad hair day. I was experimenting with hair styling tools I don't use very often. It took me an hour to make my hair look like I just got out of bed. Plus, I burned my neck, finger, and wrist.) I am a couple of days shy of 35 weeks in this picture.

Happy Holidays!

Day 14 on Bed rest

I didn't forget about my blog, there is just not much going on here (which is a good thing). Warning to all of you out there: Be careful what you wish for!!! I used to say things like, "I wish I could be on bed rest. Just a week would be nice." It is not nice. I am tired of watching TV, tired of reading (don't tell my students that), I fall asleep out of boredom a lot. I wish I could rollover my sleeping minutes until after the baby is born, or at least share them with my sister (she needs them more than I do right now).

I went to the doctor a couple of days ago. (My big outing of the week!) Everything is good. Today is my last day of taking medicine every six hours. Starting tomorrow I will take it only if I have 6 contractions in one hour. I am sure Monte will enjoy not having to hear my alarm go off in the middle of the night.

I hope you all are enjoying the holiday season. Christmas is my favorite time of year. Monte and Lexie put the tree up, so I have a pretty view from the couch. Thank goodness for wireless internet. I am able to do some Christmas shopping. Although I think Monte is about to ban me from EBay. (It's better when you win it!)

Thanksgiving Blessings

It is Thanksgiving and we have so much to be thankful for. As many of you know we have had a rough week, but it has shown us how amazing our family and friends are.

Here is an update of what's been going on for those who don't know.
On Friday (Nov. 9) I was in a minor car accident. I was instructed to go to the hospital for observation since I was pregnant. An hour before I was supposed to go home, I started having contractions. The doctor started me on magnesium to stop the contractions and gave me a steroid shot for the baby's lungs. That is when I got scared. Monte was in Vegas and it was just Lexie and I here. I called a friend of mine that I work with, and at the drop of a hat she came and picked Lexie up and kept her all night. Monte couldn't get a flight out until Saturday morning, so he called some friends and they came and stayed at the hospital until Monte got there. They slept in the very uncomfortable waiting room chairs all night! Also, family members all over the country immediately started praying for us. On Saturday, I was transferred to another hospital and doctor that specializes in preterm labor and premature babies. When I got there my contractions slowed down and decreased in intensity. I got to go home that night. Everything was good, we thought. Sunday afternoon we took Lexie to a birthday party. When we got home I started bleeding, so we had to go back to the hospital. Our wonderful friends picked Lexie up from the party and kept her for us. My parents flew out to take care of Lexie because I was going to be in the hospital for a while. The bleeding stopped the same day it started, but I continued to have contractions every 2 minutes for a couple of days. My contractions slowed to just a few a day which is normal, so I got to go home. Luckily, the baby did great through the whole thing. His heart rate was perfect the whole time and his movements were strong. Now I am on bed rest until the baby is born. I always thought bed rest sounded good, but it sucks!! I am a teacher and a mom. It is not in my genetic make up to even sit down.

This would have been hard enough, but while this was going on Monte's dad had a heart attack. Poor Monte. I felt so sorry for him. He handled things so well. He was a rock during all of this. Again we had family members all over the country praying for his dad, and those that were able went to see him. He had a double bypass a couple of days ago. I just talked to Monte's mom, and she said he was doing well. Hopefully they will be able to get him up to go for a walk later, and his heart rate was good.

So here is what I am thankful for this Thanksgiving:
-Family: Our families were amazing during all of this. I am lucky that my parents had the ability to drop everything and come out without any notice. We are also lucky to have family that prayed for us, and called and kept us updated on Monte's dad since we couldn't go to him.
-Friends: Since we don't have family out here, it is nice to have friends that we think of as family. Our "California family" took care of us when our biological family was not here. Also, my friends (coworkers) have helped me tremendously. I was not ready for a sub in my classroom, and they immediately got everything ready for my sub. Luckily I had already picked my long term sub, so they contacted her. My principal was also very caring and told me not to worry about anything school related.
-Prayer and medical advances
-Lexie: She handled everything so well. She got bumped around between houses a few times until my parents got here, and then her routine was completely messed up because she had to come to the hospital every day. She has been very sweet. She cuddles up with me and sings to the baby. (Of course she sings Jonas Brothers songs because she knows he likes them.) He kicks a lot now, so she gets to feel him move and kick.
-Monte: I knew I married a wonderful man, but this really proved it. He slept at the hospital every night. He would only leave when my parents were there to stay with me during the day. When I would wake up in the middle of the night, I could look over and see him sleeping on the uncomfortable chair bed. I knew he loved me, but this was above and beyond love. He would not leave my side even though he was having a family emergency on his side of the family. (And going back to family, his side told him not to even think about leaving me.) My husband is a very strong man. He handled this week amazingly (probably not a real word). I am so lucky to have found someone who loves me so much. Just so you know, I love him so much too.

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Miley Cyrus (Hannah Montana) and The Jonas Brothers Concert

Tonight Lexie, her friend Mikayla, and I went to the Miley Cyrus/Jonas Brothers concert. We had a great time! (Lexie also went Thursday to the concert in Oakland with one of her friends.) I am thinking we should probably name the baby Jonas because he LOVES the Jonas Brothers. He was dancing the entire concert. I am glad it was dark so the people sitting around me couldn't see my tummy moving. Some of Lexie's friends ended up sitting next to us. Lexie was very excited about that. I actually sat two rows behind Lex and Mikayla because we couldn't get 3 seats together. (And that was 2 minutes after the tickets went on sale. As it turns out, I guess we were lucky to get them at all. At least we didn't pay $1000 each for them.)

Lexie and Mikayla

At this exact moment, I felt like I was transported back in time to the Ed Sullivan Show when the Beatles were on. I remember seeing videos of that, and all the girls were screaming hysterically. When these guys came out, it must of been what it was like when the Beatles came out. I have never in my life heard girls scream that loudly.

This was the Hannah Montana part of the show.

Cell phones are much safer than lighters to wave in the air (especially in California!).

This was Miley's encore. After the show she came back out and sang a song she wrote about her grandpa. At the concert Lexie went to in Oakland, she and Billy Ray came out together and sang their song. (Surprisingly, I was a little disappointed I didn't get to see the Achy Breaky Heart man.)

Lex and her friends swaying to the music.

Mikayla, Juliet, Lexie, Colby, Serina, and Logan

My Birthday Weekend

What do you get when you have a baby that loves to dance, a daughter that loves Tiffany's, and a husband that is really into cool gadgets? Awesome presents!!!! My birthday was Friday, and Monte and Lexie surprised me with great gifts.

I knew it was going to be a great day when a kid in my class brought me organic chocolate. I thought, "Oh my gosh! This kid really knows me. It's chocolate AND organic, how perfect." Then the homeroom mom brought me beautiful flowers and a gift certificate for a super deluxe mani-pedi. My grade level team also brought me flowers. (They are the best group of ladies I could ever hope to work with. EVERYONE on the team is wonderful and helpful.)

Back to Monte and Lexie... They tricked me at first. There were two Tiffany's bags on the coffee table, and I said, "Ooh, my favorite color bag." Then Monte said, "Uh oh, we just used old bags because we needed them." Of course I thought they were joking. Then I opened the first one, and guess what was in it? An iTunes gift card. (I loved it, but it wasn't quite Tiffany's.) That was from the baby. I guess that was his way of telling me to give him some new music to dance to. Then I picked up a big gift bag from Lexie, and inside was a little blue box. She got me a really cute necklace that has a cursive "s" pendant. I have wanted it for a while. She knows me well. I can't believe she hid the fact that she went to Tiffany's from me. She loves that place. She did a very good job of keeping it secret. Then I open the other little blue gift bag from Monte. And oh my gosh, guess what was inside!?! An iPhone!!! It is the coolest gadget ever invented!! I can't stop playing with it. I have wanted one since the first time I played with one at the store. It was voted the best invention of 2007, and I agree. This thing is awesome.

Then today, we went in to the city to eat at The Slanted Door. It was so good. If you are ever in San Francisco, you have to eat here. (Make reservations before you come.) It is a really hip restaurant right on the bay. It has a gorgeous view. It is a favorite eating spot of many celebrities, but we didn't see one today. (Although Lexie swears she saw the High School Musical director. But of course, she also thinks she saw Paris Hilton at Safeway.) Tonight we saw "Martian Child." It was a really good movie, but it is a serious movie. I was expecting a little more comedy. This was an awesome birthday. Monte and Lexie treated me like a queen. I am lucky to have such a wonderful family.


Here is the necklace Lexie got me. She has great taste!


Monte, me, and my iPhone (box)


Monte and Lexie at The Slanted Door. (This picture was taken with the iPhone.)


This is what my mom and dad got me. My other Bible is in several pieces, so I really needed a replacement. The other book is the sequel to "90 Minutes in Heaven." It was a great book, so I can't wait to read this one. And this is the best smelling candle in the world. It is called Christmas Eve, but I burn it all year. My parents and Monte's parents also gave me money. I plan on treating myself to something I would not normally buy myself. I am not exactly sure what that is yet, but I'll know it when I see it!

Halloween

My little girl is growing up. This is the first Halloween since 1995 that I did not go Trick-or-Treating. Lexie decided that instead of hanging out with mom and Monte she wanted to go out with her youth group from church. She really had a good time. They went "candy gathering" in a neighborhood around the church, and then they went back and had pizza and played games. Monte worked at home and handed out candy to kids. I went to the gym, and then I came home and ate the candy that he didn't give out. (I have no self-control!)


This is Lexie and Alex. They went to the church thing together. (He is not her boyfriend. His mom and I are friends, and they are the same age.)


This is my class. (The parents took a million pictures, and my eyes were closed in every one!) We had a great party at school. All of the parents kept commenting on how good my class was. They really are a great group of kids. I got lucky this year!

Another Niece!

My sister had her baby this morning. We have another niece! Her name is Lydia Grace. She was 7lbs 13oz and 20 inches long. I can't wait to see her.


This is my sister when she got to the hospital. She looked great! (That's my brother-in-law behind the mask. Apparently he gives really good epidurals. I hope he is free to travel in January!)




And just three hours later, we get Lydia. She looks just like my nephew Harrison. I can't wait to hold her.

Busy weekend

We had a busy weekend. Friday night Monte, Lexie, and I went to "Now We're Cooking." It is one of those places where you go and make your meals, and then you bring it home and cook it whenever. We had so much fun! Tonight we ate one of the meals Monte and Lexie made, and it was delicious!!! One thing I like about it is that all the ingredients are fresh, so it's not like a frozen dinner. I think we will make a lot of dinners before the baby is born. Then we will have a nice supply when I am too tired to fix something.

Saturday morning, Lexie and I went to San Jose to see High School Musical on Ice. It was really good. The age range was funny. There were girls there from age 3 to girls in their teens. (Plus moms like me that actually go to watch the show and not just chaperon.)

We also bought our baby furniture this weekend. (That was the highlight of Lexie's weekend. Just joking!) I'm starting to freak out a little because I feel like I am running out of time quickly, so it was nice to get that out of the way. As soon as it is delivered I will be able to get the baby's room set up, and then I will feel much better.

Self portrait--Lex and I at HSM on Ice.


Here is the furniture we picked out. We also got a glider and ottoman, but I forgot to take a picture of it.


Yes, I know. I am HUGE!!! Monte was in London for a week. When he got back he said, "Oh my gosh. Your belly is big." (He said it in a not mean way.) My belly literally gets bigger every day. The problem with being short and having a short waist is that the baby has nowhere to go but out.

Halloween Party

Lexie had a Halloween party last night. It was her first coed party. She had a blast! Well in true Lexie party tradition, it sprinkled most of the night. The kids didn't mind the wetness. They stayed outside most of the time. It started getting cold at the end, so the party moved inside. Lexie and her friend, Kelly, have been planning this for over a month. The guest list started out with 25 people, and by the end it had grown to 50 kids. Luckily, only about 40 could make it!! I am so glad I teach 2nd grade. After spending 3 hours with 6th graders, I was exhausted! Monte and I dressed up as doctors, we even had a real epipen as part of our costume. (It actually belonged to one of the guests. There are a ton of severe peanut allergies out here.) One parent asked me if I was pregnant or if that was part of my costume. I thought that was funny.


Lexie is a Greek goddess this year. (I am glad she went for the generic goddess and didn't ask to be Venus or Aphrodite.)


The early stages of the party. The kids were still too shy to dance. When Soulja Boy came on, everybody got over their shyness. I think we could have played only that song all night and the kids would have been happy.


Boys will eat anything!! At this point the food had been sprinkled on for about an hour. YUMMY!!

Seriously mom, another picture!!

Bedding

I really didn't want a theme for the nursery. I wanted to do a modern type bedding in blue and brown. When Monte and I saw this, we both loved it. So... I guess we are doing a theme: "A Day at the Zoo." Luckily (or not depending how you look at it) Lexie has a ton of stuffed animals. I stole a few monkeys and lions from her to help decorate the room. We are still looking for a crib. I will post pictures once we get the nursery set up.

Here is a link to our baby bedding selection.
http://www4.jcpenney.com/jcp/ProductImageview.aspx?IT=G&ID=128c3a0&MD=&GRT=ENS&E=&SA=F&VT=ZV&I=0900631b81079f40M.TIF&VAS=&AV=F&HM=T&RGB=&AS=&AST=&BID=&VID=&RU=HOME%7c42249%7c42342%7c%7c%7cENS%7c128c3a0%7c%7c%7c%7c%7c%7c%7c&CmCatId=EXTERNAL423304234142342

I fixed it!

Okay. I know I am insane, but this is for those of you who are OCD like me. Every time I looked at the previous belly pic, I noticed that the picture in the background was crooked. It was driving me nuts!!! I had to put a picture of it fixed on here just in case it was bothering anyone else.

Pop goes the belly!

I new I had gotten bigger, but I didn't realize how much bigger until I saw this picture. HOLY COW!!! (By the looks of me, I should be giving birth to a full grown adult.) I think the baby has hit a growth spurt. I am starving and exhausted all of the time. I feel like I eat constantly, but I have only gained a pound since the last picture. I guess he's using it all up for me. I went to Motherhood today. I put the little pillow on that is supposed to add 3 months to your belly. Well I have decided that once school gets out for Winter Break, I am not leaving the house. I will be way to big for anyone to see me. The same thing happened to me with Lexie. I was barely showing, and then one day I woke up with this huge belly.

Yesterday, I was sitting on the couch. I asked Lex and Monte if they wanted to go to the gym with me. They said no, so I stood up to go upstairs and change. When I stood up, my shirt was above my tummy. It was all hanging out for the world to see. They were laughing at me. I turned around, rubbed my tummy and said, "You can't get a body like this if you don't go to the gym." (It was really funny. I guess you had to be there.) Then that gave me an idea of what to be for Halloween. I thought I might wear black boy short underwear, a black bra, and black boots. Then I could go as Britney Spears.


26 weeks--one week until the 3rd trimester

Monte gets kicked

Monte got to feel the baby kick for the first time over the weekend. He was very excited. When the baby starts kicking I have Monte put his hand on my tummy, but he usually kicks where ever Monte's hand is not. I was so glad Monte finally got to feel him. Now I think he believes there is something in there, and I am not just getting a big belly. (And it is BIG!)

This is a very active boy. He kicks me all of the time. Sometimes it is so hard that you can see it from the outside. His favorite thing to do right now is kick my bladder when I am trying to get that extra 5 minutes of sleep after the alarm goes off. He's already interrupting my sleep and he hasn't even been born yet! I guess I am getting prepared for sleepless nights.

Lexie's Birthday

Lexie's 12th birthday was Friday. I can't believe she is already 12!!! Time is going so quickly!! We started off the evening with annual birthday pictures. I will post some of those when I get them. Then we ate at Benihana. The chef was new, so that was interesting. I kept picturing a flying knife stabbing me in the belly. Yikes!! Later, we had a cookie cake and opened presents. It was a fun evening.

Lexie's party with her friends was Saturday. We had a planned a pool party at the neighborhood pool. Lucky us, the first rain of the season came Saturday! (Way too early in the season. We had very little rain last year, so I guess it is going to make up for it this year.) So, the girls just hung out at the house and played DDR Max, watched TV, and gave each other make overs. I am sure they would have rather been swimming, but I think they still had fun.

Lexie blowing out the candle on Buddha.

My baby grew up!

Yeah!! Presents.

The girls at the party.

Danielle, Kennedy, Tamara, Kelly, Lexie, and Lea

Make a wish!!

Uncle Monte

Monte got to spend the weekend with his new niece and Aidan. He got to practice changing diapers. Laura said he managed to not get peed or pooped on. What a lucky guy. I hope he doesn't expect all diaper changes to be that clean. I think he is going to be a great daddy. Check out the pictures and see for yourself.

New Niece

We have a new niece. Her name is Anna Gray Moore, and she is 6 lbs. 8 oz. Here are a couple of pictures. She is beautiful!




Baby Anna


Big Brother and Little Sister.
I think they look a lot alike.

Monthly Belly Shot

Funny, belly shot used to have a whole different meaning. In this picture I am 21 weeks and 5 days. We still haven't picked out a name. If you have any suggestions, let me know.




My butt is not really that saggy. My jeans stretch out very quickly, so I look like a gangsta after having them on a few hours.

Class Pet

I've learned to give Lexie my undivided attention when she is asking me a question. Last week she was telling me about the class pets in Science. (I heard her mention hermit crabs.) She asked if she could bring a pet home for the weekend. I said as long as it's not a spider or snake. She laughed and said, "I told you what it was mom." I guess I wasn't really listening. The next morning she asked me to write a note saying it was okay for her to bring home an animal, so I did. This is what she brought home!!!




A RAT!!!!! Meet Bella the beautiful rat. UGH!
(It actually wasn't as gross as I thought it would be.)







Tink is interested in her new playmate. Yummy!

First Week of School

Lexie and I just finished our first week of school. Thank goodness we have a 3 day weekend; we are tired!! Lexie is doing great. She is very organized, does her homework without having to be told, and loves her teachers. She is very mature now that she is in middle school. Yeah Lex!! So far I seem to have a very good class. We had a Back to School Night on Thursday, and I got to meet most of my parents (mainly moms). The parents seem to be nice. I think we will both have a great year.

It's a...

BOY!!!

We went for the ultra sound today and found out we are having a boy. I am scared to death. I don't know what to do with boys. I have heard they are easier than girls, but I have to deal with the whole circumcision thing. Eww! Now, all we have to do is agree on a name. Maybe that will happen before he goes to college. If not, he can name himself.

Lexie's First Day of Middle School

Lexie started middle school today. Here are a few pictures. I had to be at school early, so Monte took her to school. He was a little braver than I was. He actually got out of the car at school to take pictures. How embarrassing!! (But I am glad he did.)


My baby is growing up!


Picture of the backpack.


"Do I really have to carry a bag of Kleenexes into school?"


Lexie crossing the street. (Monte didn't miss anything. He's a good man!)


"Seriously, another picture?"

Celebrity Sightings

When we were in LA last week we ran into William H. Macy. They were having a DVD Release premiere for Wild Hogs. He was really nice, very uncelebrityish.

When we were in Hawaii, we got hooked on the reality show America's Got Talent. (It was actually a good show even though David Hasselhoff is one of the judges.) Well, we found out that the contestants for the show were staying in the same hotel we were staying at in LA. We got to meet some of them. The comedians from Last Comic Standing and the Big Brother contestants were also at our hotel.


William H. Macy


The guy with his arm around Monte was the winner. This picture was taken exactly one week before he became a millionaire and got a show in Vegas. Too bad Monte didn't give him a business card!


If you watched the show, these were two of the Glamazons. (A plus size semi-burlesque act.) They were much smaller in person than they look on TV.