This week has really blown by. I can't believe it's been a week since my last post. Nothing really exciting happened this week. Typical week. Jason was able to work from home quite a bit this week which was really nice. Except when he did go to this office I missed him. I probably called him 5 times within an hour with nothing to say. As much as I'm enjoying working from home I do get lonely sometimes.

Christian got an alarm clock from Santa for Christmas and I would have never imagined what a brilliant gift it would turn out to be. While I still get up at the same time as him all I really have to do is make sure his alarm woke him and I can get back in bed. Sweet!! We have typical 12 year old boy problems with him but he still amazes me. Jason told me yesterday (Friday) to ask Christian about a project he volunteered for. Turns out there is a boy in our ward who is working towards his Eagle Scout and needed some help building picnic tables. Christian said he would help. When I picked him up after the project he was beaming. He was so proud of himself and I have to admit I was beaming as well. I probably don't tell him enough how proud he makes me.

We did make progress this week for our little lady. Her crib bedding came in. We had to order it because there is no store in Jacksonville that carries it. We bought Mariposa made by Kidsline and it is so cute. We also got her room most of the way cleaned out and just about ready to start painting. Every decision we have tried to make for her has been difficult. No reason for the difficulty, just making final decisions has been interesting. I've said it before, my brain is mush so I can't make a decision on my own and then I have one of these husbands who say, whatever you want. Normally that is the perfect kind of husband, but right now, in my mental state any help would be wonderful! We haven't even chosen a name for her. We want to give her a name to be proud of. I want to give her a name that helps to instill a sense of the importance of geneology. We are focused on our grandmothers. My grandmothers are Ethel and Vivian and his grandmothers are Anne and Joan. My grandmother Ethel has a middle name of Lee so my came up with Ellee. I really like that one. She also came up with Eva as in Ethel, Vivian, Anne. There is another one we are tossing around. MaeLee (Maley, Maylee, however we would end up spelling it). As I said, my dad's mom is Ethel Lee and my mom's mom is Vivian Mae so MaeLee would be both of their middle names. We are almost settled on her middle name. Jason's mom has an Aunt Grace and we really love Grace as a middle name. We've also tossed around Gracie as a first name but I really would love her middle name to be a part of our grandmothers. My first and ultimate choice for her name would be Vivian Grace Clarkson but Jason's isn't in love with the name Vivian. I guess it's fair to say he likes Vivian as much as I like Joan as a first name. Do all parents have this much trouble choosing a name for their child?? I wonder if our inability to settle on a name is leading to our inability to make a decision on anything else.

Jason, Christian and I went to some friend's house for a sushi party last night, and for those who know me know why this is so funny. We had a really nice time. There were a few of us there with our kids. As soon as they opened the door to their home one of my kids from last years primary class came up and gave me a huge hug. Then as I walked in one of my kids from this years class came up and gave me a hug. I really really love my primary kids, past and present. They are amazing and I hope one day they truly understand how much I love them. I had a primary teacher in Arlington one year and she would always tell us she loved us. Now I know how much.

We have decided to add a puppy (or two) to our family. After Murray's passing we have looked but understand the true commitment this will take. We are getting a little boy and a little girl. We are going to call them Bonnie and Clyde. Funny, we had a real easy time picking out theie names. Our daughter, not so much. We hope to add these beautiful little pups to our family by the end of next week.

At some point I will figure out how to add pictures and all that other good stuff so until then, bear with me.

Christian's Scout of Honor went smoothly. They asked us to bring some type of finger foods such as chips or cookies and to be honest, I'm tired of always having those things. I get it, they are trying to keep it simple and not have a need for forks, spoons and knives but really, there are other things. I decided I was going to make egg salad sandwiches, one of my specialties (thank you Mama!!) and some mini cupcakes. I know, cupcakes are still sweet but at least I balanced the sweet with the egg salad. Then I found out my parents were coming. I didn't even think to invite them. I blame my pregnancy brain. Truth is, my son is the only grandchild they have who is active in the church so anything he does within the church they are sure to be there for. They have other grandkids, lost of them, and they attend as many school and sports functions as they can but these church things are always especially sweet for them. More on my parents later. I made it through the Court of Honor without shedding a tear. Jason was a little disappointed. He loves to see me get emotional about small things, even though this isn't small. I have never been overly emotional about most things so he's really getting a kick out of me right now. I have to admit. I am so proud of my son and his accomplishments. He has learned how to handle a knife and the proper way to use one and he reecived his tenderfoot. (I'm ashamed to admit I don't really know what that means but Jason does and they do scouts together so I'll have to ask him.) My egg salad was gone! Everyone loved it. Especially Christian. I can't tell you how many little triangles he had but it was enough to fill him up.

My sister and I had lunch today and then went to my parents house. My niece Madi was there. My brother had a pipe burst at his house and understandably couldn't have Madi around. She is the sweetest little girl. I can only hope my daughter has a similar disposition. When Casey and I got to my parents house my parents were sitting at the kitchen table, dad holding Madi and mom feeding her. This is very typical at their house. They both jump right in and take care of her. I lost my paternal grandparents at a very young age and while we visited my maternal grandparents as often as possible, we weren't able to see them as much as my parents are able to see their grandkids. I have to admit, if I could choose a "type" of grandparent I would choose them. They love with everything they have. They are so concerned with every grandbaby and what they are doing. There isn't a day that goes by that they don't think about them or call to check on them or just generally need to be around them. I wonder if their grandkids know how lucky they are.

I just got a call from a neighbor of a brother of a friend (if you can follow that) and set up an appointment to go and look at her Beagle pups tomorrow after church. How exciting. They are 4 weeks old and will be ready to go to their new home in two weeks. Jason and I are still toying with the idea of getting a new puppy. I can't wait to meet them.

Here we go again....

It started out as a nice day but man has it turned cold. Jason is cracking me up. He acts like he's never sat through a cold evening before. This from the man that made fun of me when he first imigrated here because he was from cold scary England and could handle anything. Christian went to a friend's house and it was the first time he had to climb a fence to get there. He was so proud of himself. He's 12 but I think I've kept him relatively sheltered. Mean Mommy!

We had a nice dinner tonight. We sat together as a family and ate. This seems so normal and it really is for us, NOW. Before Jason came into our lives I worked like crazy trying to provide for my little guy and we would eat on the fly. It's so nice to be able to sit as a family and enjoy each other. I remember dinners growing up and most of the time it was all of us. As us kids got older we started going our separate ways at dinner time so this time as a family, before Christian gets too much older, is precious. I'm not sure if he or Jason realize how I savor every moment spent with them.

Christian has his Scout Court of Honor tomorrow and I'm a little nervous. See, last time was back in October. I was newly pregnant and when the boys started lighting the candles I started bawling. I'm not even sure why. My poor husband. He just laughed at me. I think he may have even said something like, yeah well, she's pregnant. The men in the room understood. I literally had to walk out of the room so I could focus on something else. Christian didn't get an award last time but he is this time. What on earth am I going to do??

Our little girl has been moving around a lot recently. As I'm now in my 6th month this is good news. I've started to freak out just a little because we don't even have a name picked out yet but thankfully we do have some things now. We also registered at Babies R Us so I'm calming down just a bit. Here's hoping for a full night's rest. No getting up for the restroom!!

First Blog

Ok, so everyone else is doing it and yes, if they jumped off a bridge I would too! I've seen people use blogs as weekly/monthly updates on how their family is doing and I've seen people use it as more of a diary. I figure somewhere inbetween is where you'll find me. So, ok, an update on our family.

Our family is GROWING. I am pregnant and due in May. I've been wanting to take pictures of my growing belly and post them but my belly hasn't grown. Not more than it already is at least. I've lost some weight and for my size that's great news. As I'm sitting on the couch typing this I had to unbutton my pants. Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining. I'm so thrilled to be at this point in my life. I have a wonderful husband who loves and supports me. I have a beautiful son who is so funny and keeps me laughing and soon, I'll have a wonderful daughter.

I am a Primary teacher so every Sunday I get to teach the 4-5 year olds. They always have something really funny to say. I am still amazed at how smart these little guys are. I love them so much.

Jason, Christian and I are contemplating a puppy. We brought a beagle puppy home in November. His name is Murray. On January 3rd Murray passed away (not even 5 months old) and we allowed ourselves enough time to grieve as losing him was one of the hardest things we have ever gone through as a family. I'm still shocked at how hard it was to lose him. But time heals most wounds and now we are pondering a new puppy. A beagle of course because I fell in love with the breed. Jason was already in love as his parents had a beagle while he was growing up.

My in-laws are coming February 12th and I wonder if they realize how excited I get when they come to visit. I know, I know, you're supposed to not like your in-laws but the truth is, I love mine. I think it has a lot to do with their son. How on earth could I feel anything but pure love for the two people that produced a man that I am completely in love with? He is the person I fell in love with because they raised him to be such. They will be here for 2 weeks and we have some really neat things planned while they are here. We are trying to move my babyshower up as babyshowers are not that big in England. My sister-in-law never had one when she was pregnant with her daughter so as this is my Mother-In-Law's second biological grandchild we thought she would enjoy it. Not to mention how much I would love to have both grandmothers there to share in the celebration. Also we are going to have a 4D Ultrasound done. Jason and I were going to have one anyway but moved it up a week when we found out his parents were coming. That way they can be a part of it too. When I told my Mom they were coming even she got excited. That's just my in-laws though, every body loves them. I'm so lucky to be a part of this family.