Block Nativity

Sorry, but I just wanted to show off my latest craftiwork.

 Block nativity: lambs, shepherd and donkey

 Joseph, baby Jesus and Mary

3 wise men and camel

My intention was to make this for myself and keep it with my decorations and so my kids could rearrange it whenever they wanted, but I decided last minute to gift it to my nephew for his birthday. He's got a lot of brothers and sisters who would love to play with it. Plus, I can always make another one for myself. 'Tis the season!



A Pain In The...

You could finish that title with any number of words. I know I can. My body has been aching more and more as the weeks in this pregnancy go by. The pain started early, especially in my groin area. That hit me around 3 months, and during my last two pregnancies it didn't come around until at least month 7. Not only is the groin pain getting worse, but I have pain in my lower back and my hips. I groan like an old person every time I get up out of my work chair, and when I walk down the halls at work I'm already waddling and swaying because I feel like my hips are stiff and don't want to cooperate. In spite of all the pain, I know things could be a lot worse. I would much rather have this body pain than be throwing up every day or constantly sick with something, or even be on bed rest. I need to remember to count my blessings, for sure!

The Thanksgiving holiday was very nice. We went to my in-laws and pretty much got 3 days of rest and relaxation, with lots of good food to go around. The kids love being at gamma and papa's house, and there were always so many people around that I could take a nap if I wanted and the kids could roam free. In fact, Uriah made a new best friend. My husband's cousin was very accommodating whenever Uriah wanted to play with him.

On Thanksgiving night, I went to Wal Mart with two of my sisters-in-law. At 10pm a very nice play kitchen would go on sale and I just had to have it for Jordyn. My in-laws had never been Black Friday shopping and I think they were a little overwhelmed, but I am so glad that they were there with me. They sure made the trip a whole lot easier. I told them to be thankful that they lived in such a small town because where I'm from, Black Fridays are MUCH worse. Aside from my Black Friday trip, I have gotten all the presents I need this year online for really good deals. I am glad to have all my shopping done, and having stuff shipped right to my door saves me a lot of waddling around stores.

Jordyn's birthday is coming up soon and while we were visiting for Thanksgiving, grandma decided to give her her birthday present early.

This adorable dress is a size 4, but it fits Jordyn just right at the top and it goes all the way down to her toes. She looks great in it. Sometimes it trips her up a little, but she should be able to wear it for a long time.

I am thankful for a husband who knows how to be silly. I just love this picture. The smiles on my kids' faces are just too cute. They sure love to play around and have lots of fun. (Notice the play kitchen in the background. I decided to give it to Jordyn early...she's not gonna know the difference between having it now and having it for Christmas, right?) Hee hee

Last weekend I threw a baby shower for my awesome sis-in-law. She is due two weeks before me. She and my brother are having their first baby (little boy!) and they are very excited. The shower was small but I think we still had a good time. She got a lot of cute stuff. I wonder how far apart our kids will actually be, since this is my third and her first, so it is possible that my little one could come early and my nephew could be late. Who knows! February will definitely be an exiting month.

 On Sunday, I finally decided it was time to try to spike Uriah's hair. Sometimes his daddy doesn't let me, but I think it turned out pretty good this time! Uriah thought it was fun to have spiky hair, and he even rubbed his head a lot and the spikes stayed. He is such a handsome little fella!

 Since all this baby stuff started I have been getting in a crocheting mood. This is the second blanket I have made from the same pattern. I really like the colors on this one and I think it turned out pretty well. I really like the feeling I get from making something and being able to enjoy it later, or giving it to someone who can enjoy it.

I am planning on taking this blanket to our annual family Christmas auction. The money goes to missionaries in the family, and I hope there is some relative of mine out there who has a baby who will enjoy this blanket :)

Backlogged

I realized I hadn't pulled out my camera in a while, and last night I was looking through the SD card and found some pictures I had taken a few months ago that I hadn't uploaded to anywhere yet. What a slacker I am! Anyway, here is one of those things I like to call a "picture post".

 It never fails...when mommy is doing laundry, Jordyn just wants to crawl all over my neatly piled stacks of clothes. But she sure is cute when she's making a mess!

 Jordyn sure loved trick-or-treating, even though it was windy and not very warm.

 Guess who loves cantaloupe as much as mommy does? It must be inherited (^_^)

 Uriah likes to be a scene stealer!

A smokey Thomas the Train. Uriah and Jordyn got so much candy I just don't know what to do with it. I guess I'll just have to eat it all by myself ;)



Belly Dancing

No, I haven't picked up a new hobby/talent. I'm excited that the movements of my baby inside of me are starting to show on the outside. It's always fun to feel and see the little kicks and squirms. Baby #3 is very, very active, and usually when I'm not moving at all. I guess that's typical. I am going to have another ultrasound done next week because I was so disappointed with the ultrasound I had done at our hospital. I know you can't always get perfect pictures, but when I have pictures that say "arms" and "legs" and I can't tell that they are arms and legs, I think that calls for another try. I am glad that I have a relative who is an ultrasound technician. I know it has been almost a month since I last posted, so I will try to update as much as I can.

October ended pretty well. I had my usual Halloween party, and even though it was much smaller than it has been in the past, I was very relieved because I didn't feel a lot of pressure to keep anyone entertained. It was very simple and laid back, and we had good foods to eat.

 Jordyn was a lion for Halloween this year. Thank goodness for hand-me-down costumes. She really didn't like keeping her "mane" on but she eventually left it alone.

 Uriah didn't mind being Thomas the Tank Engine again this year. Thomas is still his favorite character, but I think that costume will finally be too small for him next year. The kids loved trick-or-treating and they got a ton of candy, most of which is still stuffed in a sack in a closet. I really need to pull it down and help some of it disappear!

A friend of mine has recently gotten me hooked on making craft blocks, and I decided that that would be the best (and most affordable) way to give Christmas gifts this year.

 These turkey blocks were my first set. I think they are so much fun. I just bought some wood at Lowes, which is thankfully cheap, and my friend's husband cut them for me and I used my cricut to cut out the letters and the turkey and then painted the blocks.  I thought they turned out so well I just had to make some more!

 This is a current project I am working on.

 February block (I sure wish the darned thing would rotate!)

 April block

January block

I offered to throw my sister-in-law a baby shower. We are all so excited that she is going to have a boy! I just knew I had to make the cards myself instead of buying general invitations, so this is what I did.

 How I love my cricut! I made 3 different kinds of cards to send for the baby shower. This is the first design I came up with.

 Dump truck card...design #2.

Dinosaur card...design #3. Did I mention I love my cricut? Ha ha.

The only downside to these cards is that I spent so much time making sure they look great on the outside, that when I put the shower information on the inside, I forgot to put a starting time. *sigh* This pregnancy has really been making me lose my mind. I can't find things that are right in front of my nose, and I have a hard time remembering things I've just been told. Thankfully, I know this is pregnancy related because the same thing happened during my last two pregnancies. Hopefully, my mind will come back soon!

Coming up, Jared and I have a choir concert this weekend. One of the many reasons I am so glad I married my husband is that we can sing together. We both love to sing...it really warms my heart...and getting to sing with my husband in church or in the community and share our talents together really makes me happy. We have been a part of Camerata Singers off and on since we were married. Dr. Anderson is really an amazing person and he knows how to instill a love of music in anyone.

Next week we will be going to the McCurdy's for Thanksgiving. I can't wait to eat all the yummy food! I am also excited because Wal Mart is starting their Black Friday sales at 10 at night instead of 4 in the morning, and that will be so much easier on my pregnant body. Staying up late is easy...getting up early is HARD!  I am very much looking forward to getting the shopping done at 11 or 12 and then getting to come home and sleep in as long as I want. I have so much to look forward to and be thankful for in my life!



Keeping Busy

I have finally found a way to stay busy during the very slow times at work.

 I crocheted the body of this blanket at work over the span of a few weeks. I used two giant rolls of white yarn. When that part was finished, my mom-in-law gave me a pattern for a border to do, so in about an hour I crocheted the border and then threaded ribbon around the edges of the blanket.

It's supposed to be a baby blessing blanket, but it turned out rather large because I wasn't using the correct size of hook for the pattern. I'm sure it will still be useful to whoever gets it. Right now, I am working on making another blessing blanket, but with soft baby yarn and the correct size hook, so when it is finished it will look more like it belongs to a baby instead of a toddler.