Nesting

Well, I'm into my third trimester. Time keeps ticking on. My belly is growing bigger and I'm enjoying every movement, kick, and punch that Pip throws my way. She also seems to be a hic-uper like her big brother N. He always had the hic-ups. A. not so much.

Recently I've been feeling the nesting bug more than I ever did with either of my other two. I'm anxious to get everything figured out and to start getting everything ready for Pip's arrival. I've decided to give cloth diapers another go. I started with cloth with N. but soon gave into the convenience of disposables. I'm convinced it's because I didn't do my homework and was trying to do things the "old fashioned" way. So this time around, I got on line and starting researching all my options for cloth diapering. I put in my order earlier this week and am now eagerly awaiting their arrival. Dan just laughs as he watches me do little things like crochet a "soap sack" for my diaper pins. That's ok, I don't mind. Every little thing I get done puts my mind a little bit more at rest. It makes me feel a little more prepared for what feels like such a huge change in our lives. Next on my list... go to Ikea and find something to put Pip's clothes in, the dresser we used for the boys has moved onto other things, and reorganize the changing table in the bathroom to get it ready to recieve all the fun diapers things I ordered. Yep, the changing table is still in our bathroom, but the towels have taken it over.

Meanings

I'm still in the search for the perfect little girls name.
While searching an online site, I thought I would type in my own name just to see what they said the meaning was. I have heard so many different meanings for my name, that I'm always curiouse to see if there are any other ideas of what "Emma" means.
This site also include the numerology of the name and this is what they said about people named "Emma"

"People with this name tend to be very active. They love to travel and hate to sit around in the same spot for too long. They are bold, daring, and persuasive. They love to try new things and take chances. Professionally, they can be successful as a public figure, in the media, or at developing new ideas for small businesses."

Ha!

Interesting. For those of you who know me well, what do you think?

A Big Deal!

I know it seems as though I've been blogging a lot about N. lately and how much he is growing up, but I just can't pass up the opportunity to share the picture of this momentous occasion.

Of course, for those of you who don't know, this is an even bigger deal because just a year or so ago he was determined that he was going to skip his sixth birthday because he didn't want his teeth to fall out. Now I have a big boy who is excited about this step in his life and is asking me, "mom, is the tooth fairy real?"

N.R.

Every day I'm reminded how much he continues to grow. He is doing so well with his school work. I've been enjoying the role of "proud mama" as his sunday school teacher, Gramma and others talk about how well he is reading and how neat his writing is. Last night was his first soccer practice of the season. We took a few sessions off, and you can tell how much he has matured in the last year and a half. He is so much more willing to do what his couch asks him to do, be more agressive and go after ball. I think this year will be much more enjoyable for all.

Labor Day

We didn't do a whole lot celebration/vaction wise on labor day. Dan spent the day finishing the scraping on the shed and putting the primer coat on. It's a project he's been working on and hoping to finish before the weather turns.

We did go to the park for a family picnic dinner and let the boys play for a little while. They love having their Dad along because he actually plays with them. This is a completely staged photo, but I was pleased with how it turned out. I sure do love my boys!

Names

Ever since we found out that we were blessed with another child for our family, I've been thinking about names. Well, actually I've been thinking about them for longer than that since I've been wanting another baby for a while.
The problem is I set such high standards for myself when it comes to naming another person. I love being able to sit down with my boys and tell the exact reason that named them what we did. Dan is not so concerned. So any time he suggests a name I ask what it means and he usually responds with, "I don't know".
It's funny, I like so many other girls, starting thinking about my children's names before their father was even in the picture. Then suddenly you have to match your preferences with his and things get more complecated. Not to mention the fact that if you want to use family names, you now have a whole other family of names to consider. This can be a plus and a difficulty. A plus in that it gives you so many more name options, a difficulty if you want to use your families' names.
You might think that since this is our third child and the first two were boys that we would already have our girl name picked out, alas this is not the case. For different reason each time we were not able to "hold onto" our girl name.
So here's my dilemma: we need a name that Dan and I both like, has a good meaning or significance to us, that we like the sound of, and that sounds good with our last name. Oh, and after that we need a middle name that fits all that as well with the added requirment that it goes well with the first name.
Any suggestions?

About 25 weeks

Fun pics

Just a few pictures I wanted to share.

We had a few pieces of birthday cake left over, so here are the boys enjoying cake together on the front steps.

The next couple are from this past Friday night. We had a family night out and went mini golfing. If you ever get the chance to take four or six year olds mini golfing, do it! It is a blast to watch them!