Mountain Man

Able to scale tall mountains. Strong enough to climb to the highest peaks. Wear-er of 'backpacks' on both his front and back. And, yes, all while wearing only underpants under all that armor (and sunglasses under the Lone Ranger mask). Don't ask me where he came up with this new character. With the very limited amount of television Logan views, his imagination works overtime inventing new personas... and I love it!

Death to Dust Bunnies

Yes, it is true.  Dust bunnies to longer lurk in my corners.  Bread crumbs do not grow beneath the kitchen table.  And dog hair does not dance across the hardwoods.  I have found the answer to my quest for clean floors.  Thank you Electrolux for creating my new best friend: the Ergorapido.  

Okay, maybe that is taking it a bit far.  But really, anything that will fight the constant battle with toddler crumbs and assist me in my nesting habits is welcome to reside in the corner of my kitchen.  

Similar to a dust buster on a stick, this puppy has 12 volts and a constant charge and it is ready any time you need to suck up a mess with no cord to get in your way.  It is light, so us pregnant women do not regret vacuuming for the rest of the day, and easily manuevers under tables and around chairs.  It even has a dust buster built in!  I could go on, but I will spare you.  After reading rave reviews, I was delighted to receive this vacuum/sweeper as a much hinted for Christmas present and I am happy to say it meets and exceeds my expectations.  Yes, I do actually enjoy keeping my floors clean now!

Fireman Travis

After much anticipation, we finally made a trip down to the fire station to visit one of Daniel's buddies, who just happens to be a much sought after fire fighter!

We could tell right away Logan would not go near the truck easily.  Like most things that he finds scary, we knew the fire truck would become a point of obsession.  After much silent observation of Travis and Thad checking out the truck, Logan decided to get a little closer.  He eventually let me talk him into sitting in the driver seat on my lap (don't ask how I fit up there with my pregnant belly and a 3 year old on my lap).

Travis in the breathing mask...

and the boys' stunned reaction...

Here we are in the driver's seat.  I'm still not sure how I climbed up there with Logan!

One of the boys' favorite parts--turning the lights on.  I think they made Travis turn them on 3 times.

Thad man saying "cheeeese" in the driver's seat.

and my favorite part....Logan's homemade fireman helmet and firetruck.  For the rest of the night we were demanded to refer to him as "Travis."  Seriously.  Even when he was done being a fireman, he asks "mommy, should Travis go be the lone ranger now?"

Thank you Travis for the fun experience!  I think Daniel and I had just as much fun as the boys checking out the truck and having a tour of the station.

Praise!

We just recently heard back from our doctor regarding the last blood draw monitoring my antibody levels and it is GOOD!  I have been a little on edge about this one since this is the time in our pregnancy with Thad that we discovered I have KELL antibodies that could harm the baby and any future babies.  Thankfully, Thad was okay (my levels topped out at about 8:1, which is considered watchable, but not dangerous -- at 16:1 we would start seeing a specialist).  My last blood draw at 28 weeks showed a titre level of 1:1 (which means my blood could be diluted 1 time and the antibodies would be undetectable) -- that is about the lowest possible!  Thank you Lord!  It seems that this little baby most likely has the same blood type as his mommy and therefore will not be harmed by the antibodies in my blood. 

If you are unfamiliar with our lovely blood problem, here is my explanation in a nutshell:  Daniel has a rare blood type (Kell) that through giving birth to Logan mixed with my blood.  My body could not recognize the Kell antenna and started making antibodies to fight this cell.  Every child that we have has a 50% chance of inheriting Daniel's rare blood type.  As soon as my body detects the Kell antenna in the fetus, it will start developing antibodies to fight against the baby's blood (thinking it is something dangerous), eventually causing anemia which leads to other serious problems and possibly death.  Our hope, if we have an affected baby, is that the doctor can catch my body making large amounts of antibodies and then take steps to prevent harm to the baby through in vitro blood transfusions.

All that to say, we are very thankful that the Lord is protecting this little guy.  You never know what trials you will go through in life.  My experience with this blood problem and the last 3 pregnancies has strengthened my faith and helped me to lean not on my own understanding, but to trust in Him.  Also to really appreciate and be thankful for a healthy pregnancy.  Each new life is truly a gift to be treasured and not taken for granted.

Emergency in Aisle 9

I sometimes forget the attention you draw when you are obviously pregnant (as opposed to the before-pregnancy-waddle).  Today at Costco, while walking through the produce section, I had a sudden stabbing pain.  Now, don't worry, I was sure I wasn't going in to labor.  BUT, when you are caught off guard by intense, uncomfortable pain during pregnancy you can't help but display a painful expression -- which is exactly what happened, accompanied by closing eyes, gripping stomach, and waiting for pain to pass.  Ready to resume my shopping, I selected a bunch of bananas and glanced over my shoulder as I placed them in the cart.  Watching me intently was a young couple I noticed walking towards me before the pain hit.  It struck me as funny since they looked ready and willing to call 911 at any moment.  I suppose before you have children any pregnant woman displaying pain is cause for immediate action.  It is good to know there are people out there ready to help a stranger in need, but lets hope that doesn't happen for another good two or three months!  

Thad & The Terrible 1.8's

Before 11 a.m. on Thanksgiving day at Great-Grandma Carter's:

1. Put fingers in the butter dish ready and waiting for Thanksgiving feast

2. Get into (and somehow open) bleach and windex while mommy is in shower -- thankfully none ingested

3. Crush a dried flower arrangement in guest bedroom all over the carpet

4. While mommy is cleaning up said flower arrangement, take bites out of pear in Thanksgiving centerpiece 

5. Put fingers in butter... again

6. Pull a statue from bookshelf causing it to break

7. Take more bites out of centerpiece (along with a few grapes for variety)

8. And lastly, look so darn cute and innocent that mommy won't be able to do more than scold and try to keep up even more!

Family, Food, and Dog Bones

Is it too late for a Thanksgiving post?  Nahhhh.....

We had a great time in Seattle visiting family, eating lots of food, and getting in some shopping.  Thank you Grandma & Grandpa Carter for putting us up (or putting up with us) through Thanksgiving, and Grandma & Grandpa Gulke for after that.  We had a great time both places and Logan still talks about all his great-grandparents!

Thought this was a funny picture.  I came downstairs to find all three little ones sitting contently with Grandpa Carter watching CNN (it didn't last long).

Enjoying a fabulous dinner of BBQ Baby Back Ribs.  Yummmmmmm......

Tip for all you with young boys:  Tell them you are having dog bones for dinner.  They were a HUGE hit with Logan!

What a fun and memorable time we had.  Both Thanksgiving dinners were delicious.  I wish I had taken more pictures, but I was too distracted keeping track of the kiddos and catching up with family members!  

Apple Cup

Its been a little over a week now from the big Washington State Apple Cup between the Cougars and the Huskies.  Can you guess who our family was cheering for??  Logan insisted on going to Nana and Papa's house as a football man and performed various football-man moves for us throughout the game.  We were all expecting a boring game considering each team had a terrible season, but it turned out to be a great game!  

Logan and Thad hanging out with Uncle Peter and Rosie who came for the fun at the Carter house.

The "guys" engrossed in the game.  My dad was greatly outnumbered (being a Husky fan and alumni).  But he is a good sport, and considers the Cougs his second favorite team (probably has something to do with his daughter marrying a big Cougar football fan and alumni).  He has even turned Daniel into a Husky fan -- that is, when they are not playing his team.

Here is a shot of the expression on his face when the Cougars won in double overtime.  You'd think he could look a little more disappointed than that!  

Advent

The season of Advent begins with the fourth Sunday before Christmas.  "Advent" is a Latin word meaning "the coming."  During the season of Advent, Christians across the world prepare for the celebration of the coming of the Lord into the world through the birth of his Son, Jesus Christ.  Advent is a time to celebrate light in the midst of darkness, as symbolized by the Advent wreath (or log in our case). 

Daniel and I decided to really focus on the birth of Jesus Christ as the purpose of Christmas for the boys beginning this year.  Tonight was the beginning of Advent, and we decided to start a tradition.  After dinner, we sat around the table and listened while Daniel read various scripture about the coming of Jesus and Him being the light to the world.  Logan was fascinated with the lighting of the first candle and spent most of the time seeing how close he could get to the flame before mommy reprimanded him.  

Above is the Advent Log we made for a Women's Group at church -- actually 3 of our awesome husbands sawed and drilled the logs for us women to take home  (one being my incredibly manly husband).  Who knew when I married him he would be so versatile -- able to cut wood, design municipal infrastructure, and play various Christmas carols on the piano and guitar?

Since the boys are so young, a friend passed on to me a cute little Advent countdown for kids to accompany our weekly Advent.  It starts December 1st and goes until Christmas.  Everyday has a little gift to put in an Advent calendar or wrap up as a present with a corresponding scripture and story about Jesus from the Bible.  I know Logan and Thad will love the day they receive grape gum, but after our last post we may replace it with another form of grape!  Below is a copy of the Advent Countdown.  If you are interested but cannot read it clearly, let me know and I will email it to you.  I am super excited to start it tomorrow morning with the boys!

One for the books

Just had our first experience of gum in the hair. What makes a 3 year old and almost 2 year old think it is funny to put their precious gum in younger brother's hair while mommy is otherwise occupied??? For that matter, what makes a mommy think it is wise to give gum to a 3 year old and almost 2 year old. Go figure.

In case you are curious, it ended okay. Most of the Green Watermelon Bubblicious came out easily with Daddy's help, a small snip with scissors was needed for the rest. And Thad's hair does smell fruity-licious.