The Big One...

My big ultrasound is scheduled for next Friday afternoon.  I always notice that, like me, lots of people refer to it as the 'big' ultrasound.  For me personally, and I would assume for most other people as well, it's 'the big one' because that's when most people can find out the gender of their baby.  Sure, it's also the ultrasound where they take lots of measurements to make sure the baby is healthy and developing normally, as well as checking for proper function of the vital organs.  But somehow I think most of us would agree that the information we eagerly await most is the news of whether the baby is a boy or girl.  This is definitely the case for me.  Of course I'll be relieved to find out that Baby is healthy, but I'm also looking forward to finally calling him/her by name, and not he/she, his/her, or the worst yet, "It".  And for the record, I have not picked up on any boy/girl vibes, and I have no feeling one way or the other as to what gender Baby is.  But just for kicks, I thought it would be fun to add a poll (to the right of the screen) to see what anyone else might think.  I know these things might be silly, but they sure are fun to do while I endure the waiting for one more week!

Let The 'Tooth' Be Told...

In May of 2005, when Mason was 5 1/2 months old, he got his first tooth.  And today, exactly 5 years later, he lost his first tooth--that very same tooth.  It had been loose for about a month, but yesterday it was barely hanging on by a thread.  (Apparently that apple he ate for breakfast this morning finished the job.) At first he was excited, but then his excitement turned to sadness over the loss of one of his "body parts", as he semi-tearfully explained to me this morning.  :)  But now he is excited again, and can't wait to show everyone his new smile!

My Ellie...

Lately I've been having a hard time taking any pictures of Ellie.  She's developed some sort of camera flash phobia, where if she sees me coming with the camera, she runs off covering her eyes and saying 'no no no'.  So my most recent pictures of her involve me sneaking up on her and snapping a shot before she realizes what I'm doing.  This usually means that, instead of a smile, she's wearing a 'deer in the headlights' look on her face.  Well my friend Kelly took this picture of Ellie at Mason's t-ball game last night.  Somehow she tends to get better shots of my kids than I do.  Ellie still has an 'I'm-not-quite-sure-I-want-to-smile' look on her face, but I thought it was a great picture of her regardless.  Thanks again Kelly! My Ellie is 19 months old now.  She's always on the move, loves to be held, and is full of love, mischief and personality!

Graduation Weekend...

This past weekend, we had a great time in Austin watching Matthew's sister, Natalie, graduate from UT.  When Matthew asked Mason what his favorite part of the weekend was, without hesitation he said, "Staying at the hotel!" My kids love hotels! For them, it's like a vacation in itself!  Here are the kids enjoying the hotel pool:

With Aunt Natalie, the graduate:

Congratulations Aunt Natalie!

Checking out the UT campus, much to Daddy's displeasure :)

Pooped out after a busy weekend:

Game Ball...

After each of Mason's t-ball games, one player on the team is awarded the coveted 'game ball'.  This goes to the player who stands out during that particular game.  Well Mason is beyond excited because last Thursday, he was chosen to take home the game ball--mostly because of two great hits he got.  In t-ball, the coach pitches each player two balls, and if they are both misses, then they bring out the tee.  But both times up at bat, Mason got hits off the balls the coach pitched to him and never had to use the tee!  The first hit even went beyond 2nd base and resulted in a double!  He is so excited about this ball, he carries it around the house, and he has even made a special place for it on his bookshelf while he's sleeping at night!  He has really enjoyed playing ball this season, and we are so proud not only of his athletic accomplishments, but even more so, the character skills that he is acquiring through it--teamwork, patience, and even sometimes accepting disappointments.   All these things go into shaping the person he is becoming, and we couldn't be more proud of him!

Why I Love Having A 5 Year Old...

Reason #162:  Because at 5 years old, it is still very cool for a little boy to wave and yell, "Hey Momma!" from third base!

Baby Update...

...Actually there is no major news to update on Baby #3, although I did have another check-up yesterday and Baby's heart continues to beat strong...but then again, I guess for me that is major news.  :)  The kids came with me to the appointment, so my doctor got to see Ellie for the first time since the day she delivered her 18 months ago. 

We will hopefully get to find out the gender at my next appointment at the end of May.  I don't care one way or the other as long as the baby is healthy.  And as Matthew says, this is the "bonus baby" anyway since we already have one of each.  I just want to know!  But I won't even begin to speculate.  I was sure Mason would be a girl, and I had a strong feeling Ellie was going to be a boy, so my guessing history has not been extremely reliable.  And since all 3 of my pregnancies have been so symptomatically similar, that won't give me any hints either.  Nevertheless, I'll be anxious to share the news once we find out in a few weeks.  Since I haven't posted in a while, I'll leave you with this picture of the kids.  And yes, I do realize that it has absolutely nothing to do with this post, but aren't these more fun to read when there's a picture attached?!  She sure loves her brother!