Names...

Now that we know what we're having I am dying to name HIM. But I just can't decide. I need help. Vote for your favorite name on the side or if you have any other suggestions I would LOVE to hear it. With my others I had them named from before I got the ultrasound. I don't know why I can't pick now but this kid needs a name.

We're offically having a...

Tu Tu Cute

Yesterday was Lizzie and Linnie's first dance recital. They were doing the "Doll Dance" and it was just too cute! They didn't get shy on stage (surprisingly) and did most of the dance. Paul and I were so proud. I forgot my camera for the show (but had the video camera luckily) so these were shots afterwards. Aren't they cute?These are their doll poses... too funny.These are some shots my friend Tonya got (that I stole from her blog... thanks Tonya!)

Baby ... boy or girl?

We still don't know! For those who don't know, I had the ultrasound tech write on a card I made whether it is a boy or girl. We will open the envelope tomorrow(Christmas Eve) as a family. It took everything I had not to open it at the doctors office but I did watch as he did the ultrasound and I have my suspicions (or you could call it wishful thinking I guess). I'll try to post a scan of the gender in the next few days but here's the first baby picture we got! The one that shows the gender is in the envelope. Any guesses?

Naughty or Nice?

f you ask Blake if he is naughty or nice, he is very insistent that he is nice. He goes around the house singing "you better watch out, Santa Claus is coming to town!" He's been obsessed this year. Last year, he wouldn't even go near a Santa figure we have so we were excited to see what he would do around the real Santa. He was thrilled to say the least. We braved the CRAZY Christmas Mall Shopping crowds the last Saturday before Christmas to see good ol' St. Nick. All three kids were thrilled! Blake looks grumpy in all these pictures only because he did NOT want to take pictures, he wanted to look at Santa. It was a drastic change from last year where I had to be in the picture so he would sit near Santa.Waiting to see Santa, Blake's trying to peek around the corner to see Santa some more...
Finally getting to sit on Santa's lap. The girls were shy but told Santa they wanted a Baby (again?) and Blake says tools. I just love this time of year especially since I've had kids! They make it all so much fun especially once they start understanding it all. I can't wait for next year when the baby is here and our family is complete!

Preschool Program

Being that Lizzie and Linnie have been in preschool for three years, we've seen their Christmas program before (its pretty much the same songs year after year) but it never loses its appeal. Its just so fun to watch them get more and more comfortable and actually sing. The first year, they played with their dresses, showing the world their underwear (oh yes they did!) then the next year they just sat still sometimes using the props (Linnie more than Lizzie). But this year, they sung most of the songs, used their props and not once did they lift their dresses up! What an accomplishment. I think keeping them in preschool one more year has been so good for them plus they have two great teachers that they adore!A clip of "I'm getting nothing" They do an imitation of their parents being mad.

Boy or Girl...

I can't wait! We find out on Friday whether this baby is a boy or a girl. Everyone seems to be taking their guesses...

Lizzie thinks boy because she wants Blake to have a brother (isn't that sweet of her)
Linnie thinks girl
Marcia thinks girl
Paul thinks Boy
(Blake has no opinion seeing as he is two and does not understand that there are such things as boys and girls).

So its 2-2. What's your tie breaking guess??

Temple Square

Temple Square is one of my favorite places during Christmas to see the lights. It's amazing to see how many lights there are and you just feel the Christmas spirit all around you. It's just gorgeous (and free!) and the kid's love it. It was freezing that night and we had a hard time getting into Salt Lake (the traffic reminded me of California!) but all worth it in the end!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

I love decorating for Christmas, everything but the tree. Its always so much work getting it set up (we have a fake one), wrapping the lights around every branch, then trying to control the kids. I've really got to learn to just let them decorate how they want, it will be so much easier on us all! But the end result was great! We had so much fun putting it all up. There were a few tears when I wouldn't let Blake sit on or step on the ornaments but besides that, it was great!

Lights up or not...

Every year, I ask Paul to put the lights up (I'm too big a wuss to do it myself) and every year he's exhausted due to Target. He usually just puts it off til it snows then "can't" do it. This year he had no excuses and I didn't even have to ask! Our house is a scary one to put lights on. It's steep and it was not designed for Christmas lights. Kent, being the nice brother he is, helped Paul come up with this grand idea (I think it was more Paul's than Kent's). Here's a picture of the boys at work.What you ask is Kent holding? That would be a rope. Yes a rope which is tied around Paul's waist. Yes thats right, a rope to keep him from falling off our very tall house. I am married to a crazy person but I have to admit, the lights look fantastic and I'm grateful my husband is still alive!

My Little Idea...

For those of you who don't know, part of what I teach is vinyl cutouts, meaning vinyl decor or lettering. I've been making vinyl for friends and family (and myself of course) for years and I love doing it. So I thought I'd put together some samples of stuff I have done and if anyone wants me to make anything let me know! My stuff is pretty cheap: $10 for 1 color, $13 for 2 Color, $16 for 3. I can do custom or whatever you need. Check out my website http://simplystickitdesigns.blogspot.com/ or email me at paulandmarcia@hotmail.com if you have quesitons!

Give Thanks to a Soldier

A friend of mine sent me some info about sending a card to a soldier for Christmas. I did this with one of my classes today and thought it was really cool so I wanted to share.

If you go to this web site, http://www.letssaythanks.com/, you can choose a thank you card and Xerox will print it out and send it to a soldier who is currently stationed overseas . You can't decide who gets it, but it will go to a member of the armed services. It is FREE and only takes a moment. Wouldn't it be wonderful if our soldiers received a bunch of these? Whether you support or oppose the war, our soldiers serving around the world need to know that we are behind THEM.This takes just 10 seconds and it's a wonderful way to say thank you, especially during the holidays. Please take the time to send a card and pass it on for others to do as well. We can never say enough thank yous. Thank YOU for supporting our military!