It's A...

healthy baby...girl. Bet you never would've guessed by looking at my current family. So, let me introduce you to princess #4, whom I will no longer call big foot cause that's just not lady like. We're trying out Babe & Little Bit for the fifth "B". This is an old picture from our first ultrasound of Babe at 8 weeks. You can see where I got the "Bigfoot" from right ;-)

Here, she is showing us what a future Drama Queen she may be with the arm on the forehead. It was at the end of her ultrasound and I'm sure she was tired of all the poking and prodding.

Here's just a simple profile picture.

I can't believe how tiny she looked in her ultrasound. I guess since it's been almost 3 years I'd forgotten how small babies really are.

Sunday, we learned that we are indeed expecting another little girl. We have a first name, but are in need of a middle name. Thankfully we have about 21 weeks to come up with one. Little Bit is a perfectly healthy baby. The one thing that was 'off' in her measurements was the length of her legs. She's got long legs, which isn't too surprising, considering I'm tall, and so is Bug. All of her measurements, head, length, and whatever else was checked, except her legs measured exactly 19 weeks as they should've. Her legs on the other hand are a whole week ahead of the rest of her body.

I have been feeling pretty well. Up until we had the swine flu visit last week, my energy was decently returning. Now I'm just sleep-deprived from mid-night/early morning wakings. Babe has been active for probably a month or so. Her favorite time to wake up is right about bedtime....reminds me a lot of Bug. Nausea is no longer my constant companion, but the bouts of morning sickness seem to still hit at the oddest times. I am looking forward to recovering my energy.

The kids weren't too disappointed to learn that they were going to have another sister. The Boy asked what happened to baby Sammy as we'd been calling Babe. I told him Mommy was wrong about our baby being a boy. It had been a girl all along. I have to say the best response though came from Bean. I asked her if she was excited about her baby sister and she just looked at me, stuck out her pout lip, dropped her chin to her chest and collapsed into the floor in her typical pout/unhappy pose. It was too sweet. I know she really won't care once Babe is here.

Monday's Menu Plan 11/9-15

Well, it's another week. Here's what we're hoping to eat this week.

Monday~ Ravioli, salad, cheesy garlic knots

Tuesday~ Breakfast for Dinner--pumpkin pancakes, sausage, eggs

Wednesday~ BLTs, macaroni salad, fruit/veggie

Thursday~ Chicken Salsa & Black Bean soup, cornbread & salad. (freezer leftovers)

Friday~ Fish & Chips (or maybe onion rings...not sure what's in the freezer)

Saturday~ Pizza, Stromboli, or calzones

Sunday~ ?? we'll see what we're hungry for.

Choosing Thankfulness

It's been one of those days. The middles, Bear and the Boy, have been sick since Saturday night. High fevers, sore throats, coughing, and the Boy is terribly congested. It wears on a Mom...worrying about the kids. Yesterday we were able to get them into the pediatricians. Our diagnosis was the one feared by most parents this winter. They have H1N1, the Swine Flu. Last night, the Boy's fever peaked at 104.5. I panicked and rushed him off to the Emergency Room, where we were given the run around by the doctor. Unfortunately, my sleep deprived, stressed brain didn't put two and two together when he said "Oh it's just bronchitis." 5 minutes before he saw the Boy, the nurse told me his lungs were fine, echoing what the pediatrician had told us 6 hours before. I was half way home before I remembered....if you have bronchitis, your lungs aren't going to be clear....

Any way, I am choosing to be thankful. I am thankful that the Boy was able to come home with me last night and he did not need to be admitted. I am thankful that only Bear and the Boy are sick. Not the other 4 of us. Please Lord, let it stay that way. I'm thankful that even though it seems that so many things went wrong today, some things went right. Dinner for example. We had un-stuffed pork chops, scalloped potatoes, and butternut squash. Bug even tried her squash and found that she likes it :-) That is a HUGE victory for me. Bug is the first to declare something unfit for eating before she even tries it. I am thankful that the fevers today have been below 101. Hopefully, they will stay that way through the night. I am thankful that even though we heard rumors of Tamiflu costing $500, and our insurance not covering it, they were just that...rumors. In actuality it was well within the "normal" co-pay range. Lastly, I am thankful that, as my mother-in-law is fond of saying, This too shall pass, and we will be well and healthy again soon.

This post is linked to Gratituesday at HeavenlyHomemakers.com

Some Giveaways

I stopped over to the $5dinner Mom's website this morning, to see if Erin had posted any great new recipes. I was delighted to see that she had several fun giveaways currently running.

The first is the Curious Chef giveaway. It is for a 27 Piece Build a Kitchen set and a 6 Piece cookie set. It would be perfect for my Bug who is always asking to help in the kitchen. Mostly with cookie baking and dreaming up recipes of her own.

The Second, The Land of Nod Breakfast in Bed playset. This Playset is ultra cute. We need "fresh" Kitchen toys and this would just be awesome for the kids. Plus, I would probably save it and let "Santa" give it to the kids on the Big Day. :-)

And lastly, Erin also has 2 other give-aways. One for the book Happy Baby Book, and the other for a Mod Mum sling. Either would be great, and as she mentions, you don't have to be pregnant to enter. They'd be great to stick in the closet until you get an invite to a babyshower.

Meal Plan 11-2

Here's the menu of the week...I don't konw how well i'll adhere to it. I have 2 pretty sick kiddos but it gives me something to strive for right ;-)

Monday~ Chicken Noodle Soup

Tuesday~ Beef & Bean burritos

Wednesday~ Pork Chops, scalloped potatoes & broccoli

Thursday~ Frittata, toast and bacon or sausage

Friday~ Pizza--Mommy's off to a Women's Seminar

Saturday~ Special Pasta

Sunday~ Left Overs or Spaghetti and Meatballs

Menu Plan for 10-26

Here's what we're planning on eating this week:

Monday Roast beef with potatoes, carrots and parsnips, broccoli

Tuesday: chicken something...

Wednesday: Roast beef burritos, rice and corn (made from leftover roast beef) I'll try to find the link to the original recipe and post it.

Thursday: Pork chops

Friday: Soup, fresh bread

Saturday: Pizza, chips, root beer floats for our "un-Halloween" party.

Sunday: Tacos and all the fixins.

Today we have a crazy day. DH called from work and the hospital is doing a clinic for the H1N1 vaccines. I'm taking the under 5 set and hopefully we won't be too far down the line. Then lunch with my mom and a quick dr's appointment to discuss how to treat my seasonal affect disorder. Somewhere along the line, I'm hoping to finish up my fall post and hopefully a little relaxing.

And of course, I know you want my famous Roast Beef recipe cause it's absolutely delicious.

Susan's Roast Beef
Ingredients:

Beef roast of choice (tonight it's a chuck roast b/c dh bought meat. i prefer the lean bottom or top round roasts when they go on sale)
4 parsnips, peeled and roughly chopped
4 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
4 potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 envelope of Onion soup mix
cinnamon
2 cups beef broth
2 onions quartered
1 sm can of mushrooms

1. Peel and chop all veggies to a uniform size. Layer them in the bottom of a roaster or crock pot.

2. Sprinkle roast generously with the cinnamon. I know this might sound odd, but trust me, the cinnamon is what makes the dish, then place on top of the veggies and sprinkle the Onion soup mix on top of the roast and veggies. This is what my roast looks like after the cinnamon, but before the onion soup. I sprinkle both sides.
3. Pour the broth around the edges of the pan, but not over the meat.

4. Cook in a crock pot for 6-8 hours, or bake for 2-3 hours at 325.

Fall

I think fall is my second favorite season of the year. It comes in slightly behind winter which is my all time favorite. I love the colors in the leaves as they change and the musty smell of them on the ground mixed with the crispness in the air. Especially the crisp, frosty air in the morning. I love the urge I feel to wrap myself in blankets and just not move from the couch with a good book or movie. I love how fall ushers in a season of family togetherness. The memories I have of spending Friday nights at my grandmother's while my dad, uncles and grandparents would play cards starting with the end of football season through the winter. The many happy memories that were made with my cousins, or just being with the grown-ups on those nights. I love the foods of fall. The apple cider that I drink by the gallon, the candy corn that is consumed to an excess. (and it has to be the orange, yellow, white kind. The alternate colors provided for other holidays just doesn't taste as good!) I love the rich spicy pumpkin breads, apple pies and crisps, the smell of apple butter as it simmered on my gram's stove. The casseroles that warm our houses as they cook and their comforting goodness as we enjoy them for dinner.

I enjoy the traditions that have become a part of my married life, such as our annual trip to my in-law's for Flaming Foliage, the second week-end in October. Choosing pumpkins with the kids and the new this year traditions of actually carving a jack-o-lantern and playing in the leaves. This past week, I was blessed to be watching my friend Becky's daughters who are quite a bit older than my 4 kids. It gave me the chance to do something that I hardly ever have the chance to do...rake enough leaves in the front yard for the children to play in. Oh the fun my kids had in the leaves. My only regret is that I forgot to take my camera out and capture the joy they found in such a simple childhood ritual of jumping in the leaves. I enjoy the walks we take with the kids as the opportunity provides. Like the one we took 3 weeks ago with my parents who had come over for a visit.

I love how fall beckons me to snuggle down for the coming winter, but also tempts me out for the last few precious days of sunshine.

Here are our fall pictures:

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

There is one thing about fall that I do not like in the least since becoming an adult. I don't like Halloween. I know what I just said amounts to sacrilege to some of you, but it's changed so much since I was a child that I don't recognize the holiday. I think I have turned from the holiday bit by bit over the past few years. Starting with a Preschool Story Hour Halloween party several years ago when my children were subjected to a fellow preschooler dressed as an axe murderer. He was asked to remove his mask so that he didn't scare his fellow preschoolers. Unfortunately that seems to be most of what I'm seeing. Also, to keep the "running" to a minimum, we've made our only stop the old folk's home at the hospital. Last year, we were in line with several teenage girls (16-17ish) dressed as ladies of the night. It's not worth stealing my kids innocence to let them have a bit of fun dressing up and getting candy. I'll just buy them the candy if they want it that badly. Another reason, the bigger reason we have decided not to celebrate is because I really can't find any Biblical grounds for celebrating it. Halloween doesn't have any Godly ties...in fact, it's a distinctly pagan and Wicca holiday. No need for us to join the celebrate the hold that the Devil has on this world. Please don't think I'm condemning anyone who does celebrate Halloween. This is just our way of doing things. In stead, my children are anxiously counting the days till we go to "Wuild-a-Bear" as Bug calls it. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to do a fun trip to Build-a-Bear with the kids and make a completely different set of memories. I'm looking forward to it too.

Happy Fall everyone.