Getting Closer Every Week!

First, this note from our friends at WebMD...

Congratulations, Holly! You're 33 weeks pregnant! Your baby measures about 19.4 inches from head to toe and weighs about 4.4 pounds. In the next few weeks, your baby will be growing rapidly. He will gain more than half his birth weight in the next
seven weeks. Baby begins to move less now as he runs our of room and curls up with knees bent, chin resting on chest, and arms and legs crossed. Of the pound a week you're gaining now, roughly half is going to your baby.

Sorry...no witty comments this week. It's been a long week with Chris as school, and waking up at 6:00 AM has sapped my creative spirit a little bit. Maybe next time... :-)

Kindergarten: Let's Get It Started!

OK, OK, OK...I know this is basically a re-hash of the Pre-K video, just with up-to-date video and pictures, but the music is just too perfect NOT to use again! In fact, I think I may start using the same music every year for the beginning of school. This is mostly because I'm lazy, but also because - once again - the music is just too perfect!

That said, Holly and I officially have a kindergartener in the house! Chris started his first day at Chestatee Elementary this morning at 7:50. What? You think THAT'S early?!? HA! How about THIS?!? His school bus gets to the stop at about 6:45! YOWZA! We woke up at 6:00 this morning to have a little bit of breakfast, then cruised on up to the bus stop. We were lucky this morning to have Annie with us, which made the day all the more special. We've been seeing Annie and Hope off to school for 14 years now, and having her here was a really cool continuation of that tradition since we weren't able to see Hope off to her first day of her senior year (!!).

All in all, it went pretty smoothly. Matthew even woke up (mostly) for the trip to the bus stop - even if he DID cling to me most of the way there and back. :-) The bus finally showed at about 6:55, and the kids climbed aboard with a minimum of fuss. There was some slight jostling about for seats, etc., and then the bus was on its way.

The funny thing? No one cried... I guess we've just been steeling ourselves to the moment for so long that we were excited rather than emotional. Still, it's a pretty cool thing to know that Holly and I have raised such an incredible kid, and that he's off to school on the next big journey of his life. We can't wait for The Moo to start Pre-K next fall...WOW! We're getting OLD! :-)

The Great Outdoors

So last week, the boys and I decided that it would be fun to camp out in our front yard. Actually, our next door neighbor suggested that a campout with him and his little girl would be fun, but he ultimately ended up bailing out (sucker!). So...


...on Thursday afternoon the boys and I set out to pitch our tent in the front yard, and immediatedly called in friend reinforcements for a great time in the great outdoors. Chris's friend Griffin joined us for the festivities, and we couldn't have had more fun! The boys played in the yard until about 10:45, then we hit the tent for some shut-eye...yeah, right! Ever tried to get two five-year-olds and a three-year-old to go to sleep when YOU want them to? IMPOSSIBLE!




Instead, the boys decided they'd take turns telling scary stories. Chris (of course) started off with the tale of a witch who had lost her powers, and was searching all over for a new source of power (no idea where this came from!). Naturally, he had a flashlight under his chin, and ended all sentences with long, drawn-out woooooorrrrrddddsss...oooooohhhhh! Spoooooky! When he was done, he passed the light to Griffin, and the stories continued.





At about 11:30, we heard a strange growling coming from outside the tent. Needless to say, the boys were pretty freaked out, and all huddled against the side of the tent to see what was going on. The growling continued, and grew in both volume and ferocity, until... I shined the light outside to reveal that our neighbor, Alan (the one who bailed on us!) was the culprit! Sneakly little monkey, that Alan...


Anyway, the boys got a great kick out their little scare, and immediately incorporated the "bear" into the scary stories. I'm pretty sure I passed out somewhere in the middle of story time, but woke up at about 12:15 to find myself surrounded by conked-out kiddos. Needless to say, a great time was had by all...even if we WERE exhausted the next day!




You can check out more pictures from the evening by clicking here. Enjoy!

First, this note from our friends at WebMD:

Congratulations, Holly! You're 32 weeks pregnant! Your baby measures about 18.9 inches long from head to toe and weighs almost 4 pounds. It fills almost all the space in your uterus now. A layer of fat is forming under the thin, wrinkly skin. Baby's practicing opening his eyes and breathing. Most internal systems are well developed, but the lungs may still be immature.

We're getting closer and closer every day, and it seems like Tyler just keeps getting bigger and bigger. This note cracked me up because of the layer of fat that's forming under his "wrinkly skin." Makes me think of an old, fat person! :-)

Holly's doing great, and continues to amaze me with her perseverance. I don't know how you ladies do it...you're truly incredible! By now, I'd have been reduced to a quivering mass of jelly, and I'd be complaining nonstop.

Until next time...