Fun with Tropical Storm Fay

As you know, Tropical Storm Fay came through this weekend and dumped massive amounts of rain on us. After a day of being couped up inside, the girls were getting cabin fever. So, they donned their bathing suits along with Daddy and went outside to play in the rain. They had so much fun, I don't think they even noticed their shivering from the cold. Of course afterwards, they came in to a nice hot bubble bath. :)

Sorry the video is sideways, I am still new to this blogging thing!!

Hannah is a Big Girl now!

At the beginning of August, Hannah got to move into Abigail's room and sleep in a big girl bed! She was very excited about the transition and loved that her bed matched her big sister's. We rearranged the room some and weeded out some of the toys to make room for the other bed. We had purchased a bunk bed and painted it white, but instead of bunking them, we decided to put them side by side and let Hannah sleep in the "top bunk" since it has some low rails around it.

Needless to say with our daredevil little 2 year old, training her to stay in bed has proven quite difficult. The first night they shared a room, Hannah kept getting out of bed and walking over to Abigail to give her hugs and kisses and make sure she was still awake. The temptation to get out and play has been too strong for her to resist and we would find her "cooking" in the kitchen at 9:00pm or thumbing through a book in the closet.

Now that it has been a few weeks, she has gained considerable self control and is staying in bed, even if she doesn't fall asleep right away. Of course, I think it helps that we turned her bed around so that the spot to crawl out now faces a wall! :) She really is a great little girl and tries hard to obey and do the right thing. We are so proud of her. Now the girls are inseperable and love sharing a room together. And the nursery is empty and awaiting its new occupant in January!

Here are the bouncing sisters -- so excited about sharing a room!!

And here is Hannah, finally tuckered out from all her nap time antics. Isn't she precious?

My baby is going to Kindergarten!!

It is official! Abigail started Kindergarten on Monday. It was a big day in the Stake household and we spent a long time preparing her. She was so excited about going. We had gone to the Orientation on Friday morning where we got to meet her teacher (who she already knew from church!) and see all her new friends. We played for about two hours in her classroom and on the playground, so all her nerves were gone come Monday morning. Hannah loved the Friday morning Orientation as well, and she promptly informed me that "I go Kin-garten with Abidail, too. I big girl."

Of course, Mommy was camera crazy on her first day, documenting the big day. Here she is all set to go at home. Daddy was armed with the video camera, capturing her reactions.

We walked her in to her classroom and got her all settled in. She sat down to color a picture and then said, "Bye, Mom! See you at lunchtime!" And that was it. :) The school hosted a Boo Hoo Breakfast for all the Kindergartener's parents, which Scott and I went to. I wondered if I would get emotional sending my eldest daughter off to school, but I was just happy to see her enjoying her new adventure. I still went to the Boo Hoo Breakfast though, because a pregnant woman does not turn down food for any reason.

Here is a photo of our family in her classroom right before we left:

Baby #3 is on the way!

It is hard to believe that I am already 18 weeks pregnant with our third little bundle of joy! The time is flying by. I am slowly starting to show and have been feeling the baby kick for about 4 weeks now. We will have our big ultrasound next Wednesday to find out what we are having. Will it be a boy this time? Or another precious girl? At this point, only God knows!

But I rest assured each day that He knows this little one completely and has planned every day of his or her life even now, before he or she has lived yet one of them. This child is fearfully and wonderfully made by the Creator of the Universe and He has gifted this little one to us for a purpose. He has a perfect and mighty plan for this child, and we are honored to be a part of it.

Please continue to pray that our pregnancy and delivery go well, and that this little one is healthy and strong. I have been feeling really well and have only been plagued with headaches and fatigue now and then. I am so thankful for this blessing, so that I can concentrate on caring for Scott, Abigail, and Hannah.


Here is a photo of our first ultrasound at 10 weeks. The baby was really on the move that morning and our doctor was earning his pay trying to keep this sweet child in the picture!