GORMITI!!!

For those of you who aren't aware: I am quite girly.

As a kid I refused to wear anything but dresses until about 5th grade, and spent my time playing house or school, and barbies, my little pony, and anything else pink that you could dress up or brush its hair.

Saying that I am still a little shocked that my body knew how to create boys, especially ones that can be tough and that do and like "boy" stuff. (That must be ALL of Brian's genes) What surprises me even more is all that I am learning and the fact that I am writing a blog about action figures...but I feel Carson's first "toy obsession" should be documented. lol

Back in November, Carson made a visit to Meme's house with his cousin Austin. Austin brought along these strange little plastic creatures called "Gormiti." Carson was instantly enthralled. They spent the majority of their time in Grapeland searching for some for Carson and finally discovered a 2-pack at Walgreens. Upon his return we carted those little toys & their matching cards with us EVERYWHERE.

The way they work is there is a number stamped on their foot and another number on their card. You add those two numbers together and that tells you their "power." When they go to "battle" the one with the largest number wins.

Exciting, huh? Well, at least the math teacher in me is appeased.

My family and I have now learned more than we wanted to about Gormiti's... Like they live or battle at "Fire Mountain":

We got this for Carson for his birthday, and although Carson LOVES it, it is the biggest piece of junk that does nothing like the commercial shows...

Did you know they are also in different tribes?? I won't bore you with the names, but we have spent plenty of time categorizing in our house...

We tried to save it for last, but somehow Carson ended up opening a package of Gormiti's at the beginning of the unwrapping on Christmas, so we spent the rest of the time taking breaks from opening new stuff so that he could play with his newest additions.

He now owns 35:

And just this week we discovered that there is a tv show too that airs on Cartoon Network at like 5:30 in the morning. Thank God for DVR.

Christmas Cookies

Not sure if you knew, but Santa prefers homemade cookies. On the 23rd we baked and decorated at our house. We do store bought cookie dough, then make the icing from scratch. The fun of course comes from the decorating and laughing at each others creations...

Joni spent the evening eyeing Carson's chocolate milk shirt, he now makes me hide it just in case she comes to visit

We found that paint brushes make application the easiest


Someone got the blue icing spray that comes in a can- BIG mistake!

Brian got creative with his creepy 3D cookie

Needless to say we are NOT professionals...you would think each year our cookies would look better and better, I think our skills have declined with time. But they were quite tasty. Santa ate three.

8 Months Preggo

Deacon has officially been "cooking" (Carson's description) for 32 weeks now! Because I will probably be induced at 38 weeks, we only have about 6 weeks until Deacon makes his arrival!

He has gotten really good at making himself known by some strong kicks and squirming about, and Carson is really excited about getting to meet his little bro. Deacon is working on plumping up in there, has all 5 senses now, and can turn his head from side to side. He measures almost 17 inches in length and weighs right at 4 lbs (the weight of this pineapple):

The pregnancy is still going well, besides the frequent bathroom breaks throughout the day and night (I think I woke up 4 times last night). I have been extra tired this week, but I'm sure the holidays had a lot to do with it. My next doctor appointment is this coming week, and then my last ultrasound will be at 34 weeks. I am starting to have more dreams about Deacon and what he will look like and what kind of personality he will have.

I was 8 months on Christmas Day, so I thought it was appropriate to pose by our Christmas tree

How far along? 32 weeks

Weight gained: 28 lbs. ( I know, I know...still better than I did with Carson though...)

Mood: anxious, excited, overwhelmed

Maternity clothes? I have learned to layer so that I don't flash my belly at innocent bystanders. Some of Brian's clothes have also made their way into my wardrobe.

Sleep: **See above regarding bathroom visits
Energy Level: mentally I am raring & ready to go, but physically it is getting harder to do stuff without having my heart pounding in my chest and being out of breath.

Best moments in the last month: Finding out I passed the glucose test!! Thanksgiving & Christmas

Movement? He is an active little guy!

Cravings: PISTACHIOS!!

Belly button in or out: Depends on what position I am in...standing up-still in, laying down-kinda out

Baby purchases this month: Chair rail for the nursery (not very exciting)

What I miss: my face! lol I swear my face doubles in size when I am pregnant! Tanning would be nice too, I am SO pasty!

What I am looking forward to: finishing the nursery, taking Carson on the sibling tour of the hospital, baby shower, final ultrasound

Secret Stork

The thing I love about the internet is that you have access to things and people you wouldn't normally be introduced to. When I became pregnant, I found a group for women who are also pregnant and due in February just like me! It has be so nice to go on our message board and ask a question about the baby and getting immediate feedback, and to also see that they are going through the same symptoms. It is also fun to compare pictures of bellies, ultrasounds, and already for a few of the women, pictures of early-arriving newborns.

A few months ago one of the women suggest we do "Secret Stork," where we are matched with another preggo in the group, given addresses, and send secret gifts to their homes. We had $20 to spend, not including shipping.

I was given Ashley, who is pregnant with her second daughter and lives in Oklahoma. She hadn't registered anywhere, and said she would be happy with anything. I spent a couple of weeks searching the internet, trying to get the most bang for my buck. I finally decided on ABC Distributing, where they have tons of stuff to choose from, at really good prices, plus I could just ship straight to her home.

Being in a house full of boys, it was fun to have a girl to shop for! I found these ADORABLE ballerina socks:

...and a "My First Purse," which she said her 2 year old daughter has tried to claim:

I knew she, like me, already had another child as well, so I wanted to find something so that she could be included on the fun too.

...and one for the baby:

The girl who chose me lives in Iowa, has a 2 year old son and a little girl on the way. She got Deacon a photo album and two adorable outfits:

This "baby-in-a-bag" outfit is my favorite b/c it keeps the little ones covered all night & makes diaper changing in a dark room at 3am much easier:

The other outfit also has little footies, and it is hard to see from the picture, but a cute little monkey embroidered on it and the matching cap:

The baby book will be perfect for storing Deacon's monthly pictures!

Busy Saturday!

The weather was so gorgeous this weekend, and we were really able to take advantage of it by spending a lot of time outside. First we went to a birthday party at an animal safari. Carson had a great time.

Here he is snuggling up to the most easy-going deer I have ever seen:
After seeing animals, Brian & Carson enjoyed cupcakes. After seeing the staining power of those things, I took a pass:

Later that afternoon we went to Moody Gardens with Brian's family. Carson & Brian had never been before, so they were especially excited! Moody Gardens has an event called the "Festival of Lights" every year around the holidays where you walk through the park and look at the Christmas lights. We arrived early, so we were able to go to the Aquarium as well before it got dark.

We all had such a good time looking in the tanks, and getting to touch some sea creatures.

I think the penguins were Carson's definite favorite. There was even a mural painted on the wall with different types of penguins. We were able to find one comparable to all of our boys...

Deacon is about the size of a Fairy Penguin:

(Yes, I am getting HUGE, and was looking a hot mess w/ no makeup & glasses)

Jakob was closest to an Emperor Penguin, and Carson matched up almost exactly with the King Penguin.

The boys got a little rowdy and had to be put in time-out...

...and then fed to the fish.

Next was the Festival of Lights! We had to feed our starving child, so we ended up separated from Brian's parents, but still had time to stop and take a couple of pictures.

It was so beautiful out there, and it was just cold enough to feel like Christmas, but without being unbearable.

We finished up the day with dinner at Cracker Barrel.

Carson's 4 Year Collage

(Click on Picture for larger view)

Tacky Christmas Sweater Day

Teachers have always been known for their, ummm...colorful and unique holiday sweaters. Our school thought we would commemorate the millions of you out there who have worn or been given the gift of "god-iness" by wearing the most hideous Christmas sweaters we could find.

I purchased mine for under $5 at Goodwill. It is a home-made creation with iron-ons, puff paint, and rhinestones, I thought it would be best to accessorize with a matching gold headband. Due to the growing belly, I had to also sport an undershirt to cover the pooch.

I know you are amazed by its beauty from the front, but you can tell the artist wanted the Christmas theme to be present as I depart as well: (don't be jealous...)

This sweater may be hard to top, but I have a whole year to find one that competes!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas - Part 2

...well not a TEXAS Christmas! A Texas Christmas, consists of wearing sweaters and jackets one year, then shorts and flip-flops the next.

All week long Houston has been anticipating the snow that had a chance of hitting our area Friday. Well, it came!!

Brian was off work on Friday, so he was able to stay home with Carson and play in the snow (I was at work and played with my students!). I am glad I remembered to leave the camera b/c Brian took some WONDERFUL pictures, I am VERY impressed! And he did a great job of bundling up our little guy.

This is one of my favorite pictures of Carson EVER! He is just glowing with excitement:

It appeared as though our area received more snow than most areas in Houston, b/c the snow actually stuck to the ground when it landed, instead of just melting. The boys got to have a snowball fight and Carson was even able to make a snow man:

Carson's FAVORITE friend James was home too! Brian said they spent hours playing together in the snow. They are too cute:

Brian looks like he had just as much fun:

This is the second year in a row that our Christmas decorations have gotten snowed on. I think they are getting spoiled...

The craziest part is that it isn't even Winter yet, which hits later this month. So it technically snowed in the Fall in Houston, breaking all kinds of records.

I spent all night last night trying to convince Carson that it wasn't Christmas day. He was determined that if it had snowed, it MUST be Christmas. Anything to get his presents early...

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas - Part 1

Last year was the first time I have ever gotten a flocked tree, and we loved it so much, especially the contrast it gives our bright ornaments, that it will probably be the only type we get from here on out.

Earlier this week we chose the tree that will be staying in our house for the next month:

We only do live trees. I love the smell!!

...and my dad used to say when we were kids "it's not a REAL Christmas, unless you have a REAL Christmas tree." He threatened my mom to put "fake" presents under our "fake" tree if she ever bought one, so under NO circumstance can I have a fake tree in my house. We will just suck it up and deal with finding needles 7 months from now in our carpet! :)

Carson also wanted to pose (well, more like dance)by the "Baby-Deacon-tree." (No, he didn't talk us into buying this one)

We were so exhausted by the time we got home and drug all the stuff out of the attic, we decided to wait until the next night to do the decorating.

When I get all of the ornaments out of the box, I like to group them into their categories to see what we are working with. This pictures doesn't make it look like a lot, but it took us like 30 minutes to get them all on.

Carson was a big help, he really focused on "centralizing" the ornaments.

I LOVE how our tree turned out!

I realized while hanging them, that our favorite ornaments all revolve around Carson...

I bought this one in New Orleans a couple of months after I found out I was pregnant with him:

His school made us this one last Christmas:

Brian's parents gave Carson this one for his 2nd birthday, when he had his baseball birthday party:

...and my VERY favorite, Carson painted this at his 1st birthday party (Winter Wonderland):

We still don't have the house completely decorated, but I did get the fireplace decorated, so at least we have the two major decorative Christmas staples: tree & stockings.