Anne's Wedding

I know some of you wanted to see pictures from Anne's wedding. This is all I have so far. It was a gorgeous weekend and I had such a great time getting to know her other bridesmaids.

Rehearsal Night

Waiting...

Some of the Befores

Here are some before pictures of the house. It has been ours for a week and Chip has been working his tail off. He has had some great but sporatic help so he's mainly been working alone. The kids and I pop over a few times a day which is stressful because they are into everything. What is done so far is the floors in the den, playroom, hall and bedrooms plus the paint in all those rooms except the bedrooms. We need to get the tile done in the kitchen and baths before we move in. I really feel like I will be able to help more once we are moved in because I will be able to work while they are asleep. I will post befores of the kitchen and baths as I have some progress pics.

Bundled Beauty

Ella and I ran errands this morning. Since she is battling a cold I wanted her to be good and warm. This was her at Wal-Mart. Chip's mom and sister found this coat at a thrift store for about $2.50. I am just glad it is finally cold enough to wear it for a few days.

Live Nativity

Saturday was 82 degrees in the day. Then it rained and the wind blew and it was 40 degrees. However, we had planned to go to a Live Nativity in town with some of our friends. The kids had a great time but some of us are paying for it now with their runny noses and coughs.

Ella and Daddy waiting in line
Trying to get a shot of the two of them

Part of the group of kids. Jill told Streed to cover his ears so he didn't get an ear infection. He didn't let go of his hat for about 30 minutes.

Funny Streed #2

I stopped to get gas before the weekly library trip this morning. Before I got out of the car Streed said, "Don't put too much in, it might hurt the car's tummy." Where do they get these things? Seriously.

The QUEEN

We have known for a while that Ella has the perfect personality for being the middle child. There is no way she could be missed or left out! I took this picture of her the other day. I think I just got my camera out for some reason and she stopped to pose. It was too cute.

NEWS:
We are set to close on a house next Monday. I haven't said anything about it because I was nervous about it not going through. I think it just seemed too good to be true. It is a fixer-upper but it is SUPER CLOSE to campus and it is on the same street with some of our friends from church as well as right next door to some of our older girl students. I honestly am more looking fwd to being so near the students than I am about having built-in babysitters.

All that being said, the house is a 3 bedroom with one of the kids' rooms being a good bit smaller. Chip and I were beginning to think it would be so much easier to get Streed & Ella settled into the new house if we knew the sex of the baby. Not that we have to have their rooms all decked out right now, it would just be easier not to have to move them around later. Less transition the better. So...at my appt yesterday we found out it is...A BOY! So, little Miss Ella is most definitely the queen bee. We are so excited. It is just what we wanted! The name is yet to be determined.

Let the TRADITIONS begin

We started some family traditions this weekend. Streed is to the age where he really understands what is going on. This makes it fun to start traditions and I see a need to really heighten the true meaning of Christmas. We decided early in the week that Saturday would be the day to decorate the tree. Chip and I went out to eat Friday night and planned out the day. We then went to Wal-Mart to look at some toys.

We decided that on the day we decorate we will start the morning off with a yummy breakfast. French toast was the winner. We also got them new coordinating pj's that they will wear throughout the month. Streed was so excited to see all the decorations out. They each helped put on an ornament or two. I plan on getting them an ornament each year. I haven't so far this year but our old friend Mary got them one that they put up. My plan is to give them their new ornament on the day we decorate the tree. As far as gifts go, they will each get three--something to read, something they want & something they need. I figure if three gifts was good enough for baby Jesus it is more than enough for my children. This is something I am really excited about. It will help me too because I love giving gifts and I would be tempted to overspend. Plus, this will really help us keep the true meaning in check.

We put up our fake tree again this year. I understand this isn't very eco-friendly. But, rest assured, the pj's we bought are organic. I hope this is the last year for the fake tree. It is has been perfect for having small children. It is quite small (as is our house) and therefore it fits quite well atop a table. Enjoy the pictures.