Absent Times

Little by little I'm starting to feel better so I thought today would be as good as any to jump on here and let you all know that our family is doing well! I've been a lot less sick this time than I was with my first 2 pregnancies but fatigue has definitely found me. I've been so tired that getting on the computer has felt like a thing of the past. I went to my first prenatal appointment yesterday and everything appears to be going well. Right now I'm in my 8th week and the expected due date is December 15th.

As far as John and the girls are doing - John took 2 weeks off of work to get some projects around the house done such as getting ready for our downstairs remodel he'll be doing in a few weeks (okay, okay...I'll be lending a hand or two as well!) and getting our pantry re shelved. I know it may sound a bit selfish, but it's been really nice having him home more to help me out while I've been feeling a bit sluggish. I think after his time spent down in North Carolina for 2 months, he's enjoying this time off as well. Aubrey's a busy bee as usual. Her soccer team made it to finals, which starts tomorrow. My intention in the beginning was to comment or recap on her games but it became too much for me to do. Her team has done such a great job though. All wins except one loss and one tie. We're really proud of her and how great she's doing. Two games ago, she scored her first goal as well as blocking one from going in the net when she played goalie. She's also doing really well with her piano lessons and has a recital coming up at the end of the month. You're A Grand Old Flag I believe is the song she'll be playing. Jocelyn is also doing really well and a busy bee herself. Constantly keeping us on the move, getting more molars in (which makes her NOT so pleasant to be around!), and talking more and more.

Well, I know it's not much to report at this moment but that pretty much catches you up to how we've been doing. I'll try to write again soon. Love, Leslie

The Big "29"!!!

So I'm another year closer to 30! WooHoo!! I hear it's not as bad as people expect it to be though so I'm not worried! :) I woke up this morning, got Jocelyn changed and dressed and then headed downstairs to get Aubrey ready for school. She surprised me with a few homemade gifts for my Birthday. It was so sweet. One of the homemade gifts was a poem she wrote to me and this is what it said:

Mothers are so sweet

And Mothers are so neat.

I love my Mother very much...

She is a Mother you can't defeat!

Mothers are so loving

With a kind and special heart.

Nothing in the world

Can pull us apart!

I love my Mother very much!

So no one even touch.

Can't you see we are a happy bunch.

If you stop us I will make you go crunch!

Love, Aubrey

I love how she made it rhyme and I had to hold back the laughter so I didn't make her feel bad when I read the end of the poem with "if you stop us I will make you go crunch!" She also surprised me by making her own lunch for school so I wouldn't have to do it. It may sound small, but it was a gift I truly appreciated. A break for a day??? :) What a treat!

For lunch, Jocelyn and I met up with some girl friends of mine for lunch at Red Robin. Of course I didn't know that one of my friends told the waitress that it was my Birthday so I ended up getting sung to. At least I didn't have to stand up on my chair or anything embarrassing! I had a great time though. And I had forgotten that they have balloons there. Jocelyn insisted on having one the minute we walked into the restaurant. That one balloon was her source of entertainment for the next day and a half. I kid you not! :) She even cried when she had to go to bed without the balloon.

My birthday also ended up being a great day because John was finally able to come back home from being away for work in North Carolina for 7 weeks (besides Easter weekend). About an hour after I returned home from being out at lunch, I hear the front door opening. I couldn't believe it because I talked to him earlier and he said he was still a ways away. He sure did trick me on that one! I didn't mind though. It was so nice to have him back home again. We all really missed him.

And to top off my Birthday and to make it an even MORE exciting day for me, my doctor called and confirmed my suspicions: I'M PREGNANT with baby #3! :) Of course when we shared the news with the girls, (Jocelyn's a little too young still to understand) Aubrey first reacted by saying "Are you kidding?" with a huge smile on her face. You could tell she was happy once the news settled in after a few minutes. I'm still pretty early in the pregnancy but I decided to share the news with all of our family and close friends and then I'll share the news with others when I'm comfortable or around the time I start showing. I have my first doctor's appointment in May and then I should find out how far a long I am. Right now, besides feeling tired a lot, I'm doing great. John and I just couldn't be happier to add one more little one to our sweet family!

Thank you to all of my friends and family for making my Birthday a day to remember! Love you all! :)

Game No. 2

{Aubrey is in the black shirt running in the middle}

Aubrey's team won another game! Score: 4-0. Aubrey got hurt in the knee at the very end of the game and sat out for the rest of the time. She luckily didn't get hurt more than a bump. Their team played really well against this other team, who happened to be really good themselves, so the Rockets were very proud to win this game today. :)

Go ROCKETS! - Game No. 1

Aubrey had her first Spring soccer game today and they did a GREAT job! Their coach was especially proud of how hard they worked both as a team and individually. They had a great goalie and they all did their very best. With hard work, they won this first game 2-0. "Good job today Aubrey. We're so proud of you!!" With Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins and friends not living close by...I thought I'd document her games this season so you "felt" like you were there along with us to share the excitement and to "see" how Aubrey's doing on the field. In the beginning of the video I took, you can see Aubrey step in and kick the ball towards home. After that, it's kind of hard to know where she's at with all the players huddled in one area but she's there. :) I was holding onto Jocelyn with one hand and recording with the other, so my apologies for the video shaking around a bit - it was pretty windy too. Jocelyn kept running past the blue line towards the field and I had to drag her off before she got too far. She also made a friend with a 7 year old greyhound named Cassie. Used to race a few years back in Florida before her owner bought her. Jocelyn petted her a few times but was content just starring at her for the most part. She is becoming a very active toddler. (Not complaining!) Glad she was having fun. :) And thank goodness it didn't down pore during the game like the weather forcast predicted. There wouldn't have been the video OR pictures if that had been the case. Enjoy! (Oh, and by the way, she's No. 54 and her team is black with orange lettering.)

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

{I snapped this photo of Aubrey eating her post-game snack without her knowing until AFTER I took it. She said "Oh MOM! You're so silly...don't keep that picture of me chewing my chips. Delete it." I just couldn't do it though. She looked so cute - I couldn't resist keeping it. "Sorry sweetie!"}

{Jocelyn enjoying Aubrey's game. Future soccer player? Maybe! :) }

To The Bride And Groom...

My brother and now sister-in-law got married today in England, where the bride's from and where my brother has been living and going to school. It was too big of an expense for our whole family to fly out there for their special day, as well as John being in school currently, so I wanted to post this in honor of the Bride and Groom!! Welcome to the family Michelle - although you were already considered family to us from the start! :) We love you both so much! God bless you today and always. xoxo

Spring Break in D.C.

Well, Spring Break has rolled around again and we all wanted to do at least ONE fun thing this week (besides Aubrey's weekly soccer and piano of course). So we drove up with some good friends of ours (my visiting teacher and her family) up to Washington D.C. to go through the Air & Space Museum. Their oldest daughter is close to Aubrey's age and they had a blast all day paling around. I could tell she was enjoying herself. Especially when she got to ride with her friend and her friend's dad in front of the rest of us in the Lexus convertible. You should have seen those two sweet girls in the back seat swinging their arms around with the top down on the freeway. I should have taken a picture - it was really funny to watch. It looked like they were having the time of their lives! And I'm sure they felt like it. When we got to the museum, it was very crowded. But I expected it, being spring break and all. Not to mention already that it's a huge tourist attraction. We spent a few good hours there, saw some really interesting things and then decided it was time to get some breathing room and jet out of there. Before going ALL the way home though, we all made a pit stop at the Cracker Barrel for some yummy breakfast for dinner. YUM. Never been there before but it sure won't be our last!!!

Happy Easter

This year, Easter snuck up on us really fast - we didn't dye eggs or have our own Easter egg hunt (which I know isn't what Easter is all about anyways but it's still so much fun). We did enjoy going to church and remembering what this day is all about: Christ's resurrection. Makes me really grateful for our lives and all that we have to be thankful for individually and as a family. We were invited to our friend's home for Easter dinner, which was really fun, and then topped the day off with a huge Easter egg hunt in their backyard. (about 15-20 kids). Boy did they have fun! And just look how adorable they look in their pretty Easter dresses! :) They sure do make great sisters.