I haven't blogged forever! Seems like there hasn't been much blog-worthy going on. Just the usual stuff - kids going to school, hanging with Hannah, Bryan working, Andrew playing baseball, housework, church, Young Women, car problems, going outside when the rain stops. (We actually had two days of good weather last week for Spring Break, so we played outside, went for a walk, hit the playground, had a picnic - exciting stuff! Ooh! We went to a drive-in movie too!) We've been staying fairly busy, but mostly, I feel like I'm just waiting.
I'm 36 weeks now, so we have less than a month to go until our little gal makes her appearance. The crib is up, the new stroller is ready, the diapers are stocked, the baby clothes are washed and folded. Now all I need is a baby.
I usually try to avoid preggo pictures of me, but I figured I better have SOME documentation that I was actually pregnant, so Andrew took these shots of me yesterday. Thanks, Buddy! I'm feeling pretty good, other than a couple of "down there" issues that would be too TMI to mention, but my energy is still up and I'm sleeping okay as long as I have a couple of pillows to help me out. Baby moves around a lot in the evenings, which is probably the funnest part of pregnancy for me. I talk to her a little bit and wonder what she will look like and what her personality will be. I keep thinking this might be my last pregnancy, but I guess we'll see.
Hannah talks about the baby a lot. She knows the crib and the baby clothes are for "Baby Claire," and says that "Baby Claire is going to sleep in my room!" She rubs my belly and tells me that she, "loves my big tummy," and "there is a baby in there!" She seems to get it, but I doubt she really understands the changes that will take place in our family. Logan was so sweet and affectionate to Hannah when she was born, but that's his nature. I hope Hannah is as accepting when this baby comes, and she is no longer the only princess in the house.
Speaking of Hannah, here's a little random Hannah-ness....
This morning, Hannah put my pink lip gloss on both of us. "There. Now we look pretty!"
It's been so fun to have some alone time with Hannah this school year! One of the reasons I LOVE the three-year kid spacing is because when one child goes off to Kindergarten and I am pregnant with another baby, I have a few precious months of one-on-one time to spend with the child in the middle before the new baby is born. I highly recommend it.
Other random things that are holding my interest while I wait...
Decorating Notebook - 
I feel like there are so many blank walls and empty rooms in our house that need to be decorated. Of course, I can't afford to do it all at once, so I started a little home decorating notebook to keep my ideas in. I've been filling it with magazine clippings, paint and fabric swatches, and little sketches. I love that there is plenty of room in the notebook to keep adding to it. It's been so much fun! Almost as fun as (and certainly a lot cheaper than) actual decorating.
Garden Dreaming-
Lilacs, hydrangeas, dahlias, magnolias, tomatoes, zucchini - I've got Spring Fever bad! All this rain is really starting to get to me and I just want to go outside and plant things in the dirt!
Spring Hill Nursery and
White Flower Farm have provided lots of eye candy for me these last few gloomy months. Especially these beauties -
Vanilla Strawberry Hydrangeas!
Gorgeous, right? I'm dreaming of a pergola covering our back porch flanked by hydrangeas and covered with climbing clematis to enjoy through the summer! I'd also love to try my hand at vegetable gardening here, though it might be tricky with as little sunshine as we get. So far, all I've planted are some Dahlia bulbs and a cabbage plant that Andrew received from school. It's a start.
iPad -
When the iPad 2 came out a few weeks ago, we planned on getting one for Bryan for his Birthday. He ended up surprising me with one also as an early Mother's Day present. I didn't think I would need or want one at first, but I have to admit, it has been a pretty fun and useful toy! It's amazing how many apps there are out there for just about anything! I've really liked reading my scriptures, keeping my calendar, listening to music, reading ebooks, balancing my checkbook, searching for recipes, looking at catalogues and store ads, and surfing the Net on my iPad. Of course there are plenty of fun games to waste time too (
Fruit Ninja!). It sure comes in handy with movies, games, and picture books when you need to entertain kids in a waiting room!
The
Grocery IQ app is one of my favorites. It allows you to scan the bar codes of products in your home or at the store to build shopping lists. It also finds coupons for you! Way cool! I also like
Home Routines, which helps you build housework routines and to-do lists. I love lists.
Okay, this post has gotten WAY longer than I intended it to be! I'd better go and get something done today.
Happy Mother's Day, Nana! We love you!
I was so lucky to get to spend Mother's Day with my mom today since she is here for Claire's birth. I'm really blessed that she is able to come visit often and stay with us for a few weeks at a time (thanks for letting her, Dad!). Not only is she super helpful with the kids and around the house, but she is also so much fun to hang out with! 
Another special thing about this Mother's Day is that it's my last day of being pregnant! I am scheduled to be induced tomorrow morning, so if all goes according to plan, we'll get to meet little Claire tomorrow! I am definitely ready! I am feeling just a tiny bit nervous because of how sick Hannah was when she was born. So I pray that Claire will come to us healthy and strong. I just can't wait to see her and hold her in my arms and kiss her sweet cheeks! 
I also just realized that Claire's B-day (May 9th) is going to fall on Mother's Day some years. How fun! 
Andrew and Bryan did an awesome job designing their car and turning it into the Delorean from Back to the Future! Andrew even won the award for Most Realistic car! Great job guys!!!
When we moved out here to Washington, I thought we'd be leaving all the white stuff behind! We were pretty convinced because we left our snow-blower and even our snow shovels in Ohio. But apparently we were misinformed, because it started snowing yesterday and it hasn't stopped since.
Naturally, school was closed for the day. All the kids in the neighborhood headed to the Neilsen's house to sled down their steep driveway.
