Do you want to hear a secret??

Before I get to the surprise, I have to blog about our Christmas fun and our eighth anniversary... I posted this slideshow to catch up at least a little. We went to Holly Days and the boys had a blast. Benson insisted on wearing his "Polar Express robe" even though it was cold. The next day we went to get our Christmas tree and while Benson napped in the truck, Kimball and McKay broke out the sleds. As an early Christmas gift, Papa and Grammy gave the boys the Polar Express toy train. THEY LOVE IT! It is the perfect gift for my three little Polar Express fanatics.

Today Josh and I are celebrating our EIGHTH anniversary. I don't know how eight years go by so quickly but they do. So much has happened in the last eight years that has made me love him so much more than the day we were married. I can remember thinking that I understood what love was and how much I felt for him. I did love him, so much. I guess that love just grows and matures and deepens with the experiences (both good and bad) that you go through. I know that is what I have to look forward to as the years come and go. So, for our anniversary, we went to Salt Lake over the weekend and stayed for a night while the boys spent the night at Papa and Grammy's. We had a lot of fun and I am so thankful to Josh for always trying to remember our anniversary and to not let it get lost in all the Christmas activities. I recognize how lucky I am to have a Josh. He means so much to me and I sincerely love and appreciate the man that he is for me and for our family. Today he suprised me with flowers...

I love you, Josh!!

And now, if you have made it this far... I guess you really want to know what our surprise is...
So... here you go. We are having a baby! We have kept it mostly quiet for a long time to keep the boys from waiting for SO LONG! It is actually fun because I have two sisters-in-law that are due literally within days of my due date. I am 18 weeks, and this ultrasound is actually a shot of what gender the baby is. The doctor is about 90% sure and I guess we'll look again at my big ultrasound in a week or two, but in the meantime... I am pretty comfortable with his 90% certainty.

SO is anyone super ultrasound savvy and wanna take a guess??

BLAH!

Do you ever feel like you are busy and you are running around crazy but then you wonder what has happened to all the time? I get frustrated when I feel like I am not getting things done but I know that I have been busy. Christmas is coming up way too fast. I don't feel like I am ready yet, even though I don't really have a lot more to do. I guess I just feel like it is coming up so fast that I haven't had the chance to really feel in the Christmas mood yet. Does that make sense? I am actually feeling quite blah and somewhat depressed. I keep getting mad over stupid little things and then frustrated that I am letting myself get upset. However some things that I am upset about can't be changed or won't be and I still find myself wishing they could be. Sorry to be all Johnny Rain-cloud. I guess it just helps to get a little bit of what I am feeling out there. Even if I have to keep it vague.

Rub-a-double, 'er triple trouble

Look at these cute, sweet, innocent faces...

     ...and then think again. These little boys can get into trouble faster than I can blink! A few weeks ago, we had an even bigger incident than usual.  Josh is always better than me at checking the basement to be sure the lights are all turned off. As he was down stairs he freaked out and asked me to come down there. And what was the cause of the freak-out? Shattered glass. All over. The window pane was completely shattered.  Not a small one mind you.  A big, tall, let-as-much-light-in-as-possible window.
     And, as you pass me the mother-of-the-year award, again (maybe I should just keep it) I should back up and tell you that earlier that day, I got out of the shower, dressed, and then came out to check on the boys. I saw a piece of glass on the carpet and asked them where it came from.  McKay (the sly little devil) told me that it was a "treasure." I asked them where they got it and jumped to the conclusion that they had found it outside. They didn't object, so I scolded them for going outside while I was in the shower and told them to stay indoors if I was busy and couldn't watch them outside.
    So... fast forward to that night when we found the broken window. We decided that I would ask them about the "treasure" again and see if we could get them to come clean. The next morning they were silent for a minute and then led us downstairs to what they called "big trouble." After a lot of questions and listening to McKay and then to Kimball we found out that during my shower they had been racing from wall to wall, running into each window as they reached it. The repetitive force must have been enough to crack it and then during the next "lap" broke it. Kimball said, "Well, actually... I had been doing that exercise (my elliptical) and it gave me really big muscles. So then when we were racing it made me go super fast and I didn't even know that I turned into a super hero with super powers. That's how the window broke. So, that's why I can't do that exercise anymore."
     It was really hard for me not to bust up laughing because poor Kimball was serious as a heart attack. He really thought he must have super powers. That was the only logical explanation his mind could sort out for why he would be strong enough to break the window.
     We told them they had to do extra chores to earn the money to pay for it. I feel kinda bad because it's going to take each of them 75 days of doing 4 extra chores (a quarter each) to earn enough money. That's actually less than what we thought it would be, but I also want them to understand how serious it is. Is it too much to ask of a 6-year-old and an almost-5-year-old?
     On a related note, Kimball was folding extra laundry for an extra chore. My sweat pants were part of the pile and he flashed me a really big, enthusiastic smile and said, "Mom, you are the BIGGEST mom ever and you have REALLY big pants!"
     Awesome.

Not so all alone

So, I know I've got three little monkeys to keep me company, but it just isn't the same. I miss Josh. He went to a meeting/training for work and won't be home until tomorrow. I had such a busy, run-around day yesterday and then Benson was up so much of the night coughing that I have just felt terrible today. My sinuses are all congested, my head hurts, and I am oh-so sleepy. Then, bedtime rolls around and I am thankful for the quiet but then it has started to feel too quiet, and it makes me feel lonely. Where's my sweetie to snuggle up to and talk about our days and the kids and christmas and bills? I really miss you, Josh! Love you.

Help me, help me!

So, I want to update my blog look again to something super holidayish... is it too early to ditch the fall look before Thanksgiving. I do love Thanksgiving, but I am super excited about Christmas. My kids make it so exciting. I am wondering if anyone knows how to get your page, after you add elements and all... to be bigger without upgrading photobucket??? Too cheap to pay for the upgrade! Hehe.

Annoyed

So, I tried for the second time to post some pictures of a girls' weekend that we had to celebrate my Grandma's birthday, and for whatever reason, it won't let me post the pictures. GRRR... on top of that, I am WAY annoyed that last night before I settled down to watch me some "So You Think You Can Dance" I cleaned up the kitchen/dining/living area. Now, here I sit and I feel like I live in a pigsty! It's not even like it's dinner dishes. I already did those. It's dumb Halloween candy from the library parade and the half torn wrappers that didn't get all the way picked up. It's what feels like a gazillion papers from school that I feel like I should keep but don't know what to do with them. It's the backpacks, and the jackets and the miscellaneous things I need to get done for work. It's the dumb decorative pillows that I like but then again I hate because they always get strewn around the room. It's Josh's work stuff that he sets next to the door every night for the next morning. AAARRRGGG!!! I am SO annoyed. And what am I doing? Cleaning it up to feel better? Nope, I am just ranting about it on blogger because somehow I feel like the harder I pound on the keys, I am going to suddenly feel better and have the energy to get up and actually pick up the mess that comes as collateral damage with three little boys. I don't want to be a Nazi nagging mom, but I feel like if I am not, this is what happens!!! I can't just sit and try to get work done in the late afternoon and evening without paying the serious consequences to my house. I feel like I have to constantly be after them to pick up, put that away, eat in the kitchen, be kind to your brother etc. etc. etc. Ok. Now I feel pathetic. I am going to clean up.

Honesty is the best policy!

I have been busy and so out of the habit of blogging, that I run out of time in the day and don't stop to blog.  Things have been challenging for us lately, especially because we were being honest and others were not, but it seemed they would be more than alright.  But, as He always does, the Lord blessed us unexpectedly, and we are so grateful that we can say we were honest and we will be alright too!