All Aboard

On Monday I took the boys down to Northpark mall in Dallas to see the trains. Every year they have a train exhibit as a fundraiser for The Ronald McDonald House.

They kept their hats on just long enough for a picture.

Jackson was bursting with excitement. I cannot explain how much he loved it. It is such a joy to watch your child love something this much.
Cooper, on the other hand, wasn't enjoying the train exhibit quite as much as his brother. It probably had something to do with the fact that he couldn't see anything from his view in the stroller. I was afraid to take him out, because I knew he wouldn't go back in without a huge fight.

All the little details were amazing.

This is definitely going to be a yearly tradition.

snips and snails, and puppy dog tails

Yep, I am soon to be really outnumbered! Boy #3 will be here in June. I wasn't scheduled for a sonogram until mid January, but I had a check up on Tuesday before Christmas. I decided ahead of time that I would ask my doctor for a sonogram. What did I have to lose, anyway? The conversation went something like this:

Me: "Dr. Robert, do you think, since we are all in the Christmas spirit, that you could, (motioning over to the ultrasound machine), well, take a peek, and see if we can tell if this is a boy or girl??? (looking pathetic)."

Dr: "Uhm, sure! Okay, I guess. I mean, you're only 16 weeks. (laughing). Have you been planning this conversation to convince me?"

Me: "uhm. yes! Will you really try???"

Dr. "Liz, (grinning) I am only doing this because it's you. And I like you. I can't believe I'm going to agree to this. "

Me: (SQUEALING WITH DELIGHT)

Dr. "Okay, Okay, but we might not be able to tell. Don't get your hopes up. And, I am only doing this because I like you."

Me: "okay!!! We found out with Jackson at 15 weeks, so I think we will be able to tell. But I won't get my hopes up. And I'll wait all day long if you are behind with your patients."

Dr. "Alright, let me see two more patients and I'll come back and try. But, I may have to do a transvaginal ultrasound since you are so early - don't know if we will be able to tell if I just do the one on your belly"

Me: "I don't care if you have to stick it in my ear. I'm so excited."

So, at this point she left, and I tried to read a magazine for 10 minutes, and couldn't get through one sentence. I started thinking about finding out, and telling Colin when I got home. I prayed again that I would be happy either way - and that I could be thankful for whatever God had planned.
When she came back, she decided to try the sonogram on my belly first - she got the wand out and the very second she touched my belly, there he was, spread eagle, showing off his stuff. I screamed, "Oh. My. Goodness. It's a penis." And we both started laughing. She said, well, Liz, I think you're right, let's look from another angle. sure enough, there it was again, clear as day. She was so funny and kept saying, "There's a really big penis, and it's NO DOUBT a boy."
I instantly felt relief to know. and disbelief. and joy.
I couldn't wait to get home and tell Colin. He and I just laughed and laughed. He was convinced that it was a girl, and after I told him, he asked, "Are you 100% sure?" And I said, "Oh yeah, I'm sure, and if it's a girl, we have big problems!"
I know that I would love a little girl one day. And this is why. I don't really care about the bows and pink dresses (I mean, they're cute, and that would be fun, but by the third kid in three years, their outfits really aren't my priority). What I look forward to is having the relationship with a daughter - especially later. I am afraid that all of my dear sweet boys are going to grow up and leave me. And they will marry some girl who wants to spend all of her time with her family (highly likely), and I'll never see my son or grandkids. I hope that if we have a girl one day she will take care of me when I am old and gray. And even before that, I can help plan parties, and showers, and teas, and a wedding. And I can help her when she comes home from the hospital with her first baby. You get the picture...
So, as my sweet friend Rebekah recommended, I should just start praying now for wonderful daughter in laws. And I am praying for lots of grandkids.
Colin and I both want a big family, and we both feel it is what we are called to do. And a big part of it, is so we can have alot of grandkids, and holidays (or any regular old days) can be spent with a full house.
God must have a plan for us with these three little boys. And I can't wait to meet this little guy. My prayers are that he is healthy. And that he is calm. And doesn't have reflux. Oh, to not have to clean up spit up several times every hour. And that he won't have colic.
It's hard for me to believe that he will be different from Jackson or Cooper. Will he look completely different, too? Jackson and Cooper look nothing alike now - brown hair and green eyes vs. blond hair and blue eyes. Plus, they're personalities are COMPLETELY different from one another.
We're so excited to meet this little boy, and thankful that God has blessed us with another child. Even though I get frustrated everyday with the boys, and most days I raise my voice many times, I also feel grateful everyday that we have them. There is no greater gift.
Enough of my rambling, I know that this is way too many words, and not enough pictures.

A White Christmas with the Daughenbaughs!

On Christmas Eve, my mom and brother finally made it here - even through the snow. They were so happy to finally be out of the car. We went to mass at 6 pm, which meant we fed the kids dinner at 4:45 so they could finish eating (they take forever), get cleaned up, get dressed, and we could load them in the car in order to get there at 5:30 and get a seat. Mass was really nice, and it made it a little easier since since there were 4 of us to entertain the 2 kids. I can't believe that in June, we will have three to keep happy. Whew.
Here is a picture of us after church. Photogenic as always.
Before bedtime, Jackson picked out some cookies for Santa, and helped fix a glass of milk for him, too. Oh, and of course, a couple of carrots for the reindeer.
Christmas morning began early, as every morning does, around 6:30am. Colin and I tried to keep Cooper entertained until Jackson woke up. He was playing with some sponge rollers from the bathroom, and when Jackson woke up and saw them, he wanted some in his hair. So, here is a picture that he will love as he gets older.

It's really a shame that Santa didn't bring any presents ...

Opening gifts didn't take ALL that long.

After we opened our presents, we got all bundled up, and went outside to play in the snow. Both boys LOVED it.

I'm not sure what we were all wearing. We divied up all of our winter gear among everyone. Long Johns, gloves, hats (on top of hoodies), and oversized coats.
It was quite a fashion statement.

(weeeeee!)

Jackson thought Uncle Daniel was crazy for making a snow angel.
But, it looked like fun, so he joined in himself...

Uncle Daniel and Jackson also had a snowball fight. I'm pretty sure that Jackson won.

And, finally, our snowman. He's cute, right?

After all the fun and excitement, we put the boys down for naps, and had a delicious Christmas "feast." Cooper woke up in the middle of it and was not all that happy, but we still enjoyed it.
We had beef tenderloin, which we hadn't cooked before - since, well, it is really expensive. Also, you have to buy 6 -8 pounds of it, so it really adds up. Anyway, it was DELICIOUS. Oh my goodness. Colin used a recipe from Pioneer Woman. Oh. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. I think it might have to become a Christmas tradition. I also made a Crab and Corn Bisque from Emeril's cookbook. Oh yummy! Thankfully, my mom brought the crab meat from Lake Charles, so we didn't have to hunt any down here in Texas. Mashed potatoes, salad and green beans on the side. And chocolate mousse for dessert. Mmmmm!
We finished off the day by driving out to look at Christmas lights.

Christmas with the Daughenbaughs is over, and now Christmas with the Delaneys begins on Wednesday. I'll be posting more soon!

Christmas Party

We had our Christmas party last week for our mom's group. The boys had so much fun. It was nice to get out of the house - we had been stuck inside with colds for so long.
Cooper's favorite part was playing with the balloons.

And Jackson let all the other kids do the work with the pinata.

The best part of all was decorating a cookie, of course!

And he didn't leave anything behind.
Colin and I spent the weekend baking away. We made cheese straws, christmas cookies, and caramel corn. It took all weekend, and we did it when the kids were occupied or sleeping, which wasn't often.

On Sunday, my cousin, Paul, came over to have dinner. We went to see the Christmas lights at Frisco Square, about 15 minutes from our house. I tried to take some pictures, but they didn't exactly turn out.
This year, my mom and brother are coming to spend Christmas here. They arrive tomorrow, on Christmas Eve. They were gracious enough to agree to traveling here. I'm so thankful not to be driving with the two munchkins right now!
Colin's family will come in Wednesday/Thursday of next week and spend New Years here.
We can't wait to see the boys' faces on Christmas morning.

Gingerbread House Party

Yesterday, we invited a few friends over to decorate Gingerbread houses. Actually, they were "graham cracker" houses, but, same idea. I had the houses ready to go before they got here, so the kids could start decorating right away.

I put out all the candy ahead of time, and everyone brought a few bags, too, so we had plenty to choose from. I have to give a little shout out to the Brignacs for the next pictures. When Colin and I got married (six years ago this Sunday), my maid of honor, Emily, and her mom, gave us these Christmas dishes. I always love getting these pieces out of the bins every year. You probably have to click on the picture to see them better, but each dish has a cute little figure - they just put a smile on my face, and I think about the Brignacs everytime I see them.
Jackson finally fell asleep about an hour before everyone arrived. He'd been up since before the sun came up, so he needed a nap. He woke up and came downstairs just as we were getting ready to decorate.

Can you tell that he just woke up??

Hey, where is my candy??

Here are the talented decorators. The three youngest, Cooper, Natalie, and Nathan, just played with toys while these guys made masterpieces.

Some of the crew watching the Christmas train go around the tree.

Here are all ten of the munchkins. That's quite a few kids between the four of us!

L to R: Julia, Jackson, Cooper, Nicholas, Natalie, Abigail, Emma, Nathan, Kenna, and Auston.

And, finally, here's the big reveal of the most amazing gingerbread houses ever made:

Nick


Emma


Abigail


Julia


Auston


Kenna


Jackson
(saying "cheese")

Four of a Kind

This morning, a friend of mine Heather dropped off her two little boys to play. She is also pregnant, and due just a little later in the summer than me. We've decided to help each other out for our dr. appts this month. She'll be watching Jackson and Cooper next week when I go for my checkup.
Anyway, her two little boys are the exact ages as mine. Nathan, her oldest, is just a week or two younger than Jackson. Or older. I can't remember. And Austin, is just a few weeks younger than Cooper.
Soessentially, I had two sets of twins this morning. They played great together. Jackson and Nathan ran off and chatted away. The toys were spread around the house twice as fast as usual, but it was also great because they entertained each other. No one even fussed, until Heather got back, of course. Then everyone started screaming and not wanting to share, etc. I managed to get a few pictures of the silly little guys ...

Ornament Painting

Yesterday was a little crazy. I spent the majority of my day wiping Cooper's runny nose. It's really running. like a faucet. eek. It doesn't help that it has been in the 20s the past couple of days.
Colin had a haircut in the afternoon, so he was home around 3. Hooray! We worked on dinner together, and then Jackson and I took off together to go paint ornaments at Studio Art House, here in McKinney.

Before we left, I got Jackson all bundled up for the weather. He was going outside to help Colin with some Christmas lights.

And when we arrived, he got all smocked up -

Surprisingly, he didn't get ANY paint on his clothes. How is that possible?

Here is Jackson concentrating on his artwork, and our friend, Emily looking on. She's adorable.


They were very focused on their work.

And Ta-Dah! Here is the candy cane of many colors. Now, it's finally dry, and hanging on our tree. It was fun share this with him. And I am so thankful it was at the Art House, and not our house. $5 to make an ornament, and have someone clean up the mess! Wow!