Furniture

As requested, here are a couple of pictures of the antique furniture that we're selling. I forgot that we took the bed down a while back so we could use our other frame so I'll have Keith get it out and I'll post a picture of it later.

Wardrobe:

Dresser:

Nightstand:

Everything is in pretty good condition except the wardrobe has a small crack down one side and the wheels are no longer on the bed frame because they were causing the wood to crack. We really need to get rid of this furniture so we're selling it pretty cheap! :-)

Ultrasound today...it's still a GIRL!! :-)

We had another ultrasound today at my doctor's office to find out gender and do measurements. When it was time to say the gender, Miss Barbara, the ultrasound tech, said "Well you won't have to buy any new clothes!" Keith and I both misunderstood her and thought she said we would have to buy new clothes so we had a small moment of panic. But, she was quick to reassure us that there were 3 lines which she quickly pointed out to us so we breathed a sigh of relief. Could you imagine if we had a mix-up again like we did last time?? :-)

They said Anna measured perfectly (actually one day ahead) and that everything they check for is in exactly the right spot (brain, kidneys, heart, etc.). She weighs 8 oz. now. Miss Barbara also said that she is laying and pushing directly on my bladder which would explain the quite frequent trips to the ladies room that I do not remember having so early with Ella. Hopefully she'll move up and re-position soon! We are just so very thankful and excited about another healthy baby girl. I can't wait to start dressing them in matching outfits!!! :-) The great thing is that they'll be born right around the same time of year (May or June) so the seasons are perfect for handing down clothes. Keith is going to love all the money we'll save since I don't have to buy a thing...haha, yeah right! ;-) Thanks for all of your votes on the middle name...keep 'em coming! It looks like Claire is in the lead...I think I'm starting to lean toward that name too.

On another note, we have just about a month before Ella's big girl furniture arrives and we need to get rid of our guest room furniture. If you know of anyone who is interested in a full-size antique bed, wardrobe, and dresser from England dating to (I think) the early 1900s, please let them know that we have some for sale! :-)

Happy Birthday Jesus!

Our family had a fantastic time celebrating Christmas. I think having a child makes Christmas so magical again because you see things through their eyes. Even though Ella didn't really "get" Christmas this year and why we celebrate, she certainly got into the excitement (by starting our Christmas morning off at 5am!) and absolutely loved unwrapping presents and playing with her toys. She got a kitchen this year with lots of utensils and food and that has kept her busy since the minute she saw it. She loves it! Here are some pictures...I may have more to share later.

We went to Frazer on Christmas Eve for a candlelight and communion service. In past years it's been the Saturday or Sunday before Christmas, but I love that it was on Christmas Eve this year.




Christmas morning started early!!




Ella also got a new baby doll and baby gear. We asked her what her baby's name is and she said "Anna!"

Feeding the baby:


Another fun toy...Elmo live:

I got some new undergarments from Victoria's Secret which Ella promptly began pulling over her head...what a strange child. ;-)

My dad had my mom's engagement ring and some other diamonds put into a new setting for her big Christmas gift. Even though she designed the ring and pretty much knew what it would look like, Christmas morning was the first time she got to see the finished product and try it on. Pretty!

We started a new family tradition this year and everyone got new pjs to wear on Christmas Eve:

After much needed showers!

17 Weeks

Well it's either baby, too much Christmas dinner, or a combination of both, but my belly has grown quite a bit in the past week. I can still fit into my regular clothes, but they're starting to get uncomfortable so the maternity jeans in my closet are looking more and more appealing! Anna has been quite active in the past couple of days which has been so much fun to feel. We get to go back on Monday for another ultrasound so hopefully I'll have some pictures to share. And hopefully we'll get more confirmation that she is indeed an Anna! ;-)

She's the size of an onion this week!

Keith and I are pretty much set on the name Anna, but are undecided on a middle name. My favorite is Elizabeth, his favorite is Claire, and we both like Caroline. I added a poll to the sidebar on the right...tell us what you think! And don't get your feelings hurt if we don't pick your choice...hee hee. :-)

It's a...............................

GIRL!!!!! We had our ultrasound today and found out that it's another little girl in there! :-) Once we started, Keith said right away, "I see a little hamburger!" She was very active in there (thanks to the Snickers bar and Mountain Dew I had before hand...didn't want to take any chances on getting her to move around so we could see the sex!). We are just so excited and looking forward to her arrival already. We're pretty much set on the first name Anna, but the middle name is up for debate. I love Elizabeth, but Keith isn't sure about it. We'll keep you posted. We have another ultrasound on Monday with my Dr. and that's when they'll do all the measurements and everything. Here's some pictures...we were able to talk the tech into a quick 3D sneak peek.

The heartrate was 142:

Peace!:

The proud parents and big sister to be:

Christmas with the Williams Family

Our Christmas festivities began last night with Christmas with the Williams family. Keith's mom, dad, brother, and sister-in-law all came over for dinner, present opening, and a little bit of Wii playing. We had a great time and Ella really had fun opening her presents. She loved the chair that Meemaw and Pawpaw got for her, but the real fun was opening presents and playing with the wrapping paper. Typical 19 month old. :-)

Meemaw and Pawpaw:

Uncle Kevin and Aunt Trish:

Latricia and I received little flashlights last night that Ella thought were pretty cool:

Enjoying her new chair:

16 Weeks

16 weeks yesterday and only 2 more days until we find out if there's a Parker or an Anna in there! Yippee! :-) I've been feeling some flutters for a couple of weeks now, but I've started to feel little taps and thumps. Feeling the baby move is the absolute coolest thing! Such a miracle that there's a whole new little person in there. God is so amazing! Ella was super active in my belly which we've discovered in very true to her personality outside of the womb. I'm interested to see what this little one will be like. Baby Dos is now the size of an avocado.

Christmas Cards over the years

Since we unfortunately can't send a Christmas card to everyone that we would like to, I wanted to share our card from this year on the blog. See, I told you it's an action shot!

And just for fun, here are our cards from previous years. I think it's cool to look back and see how our family is changing and growing each year.

2007:

2006 (scanned):

2005 (the picture I included in our card. I had not discovered photo cards yet):

Little People Nativity

Cute story that I just wanted to share: Ella has a Little People Nativity set that she likes to play with. The other day I was in the foyer working on something and Ella was in the den. I heard her saying "night, night...night, night" so I thought she must be getting tired and ready for her nap. However, when I went in there, she had all of her Little People (Mary, Joseph, Jesus, etc.) lined up on the coffee table and turned face down. She was waving to them and saying "night, night...night, night." She was putting them down for a nap. It was precious! :-)

Here are a couple pictures on her playing with the Little People tonight before Saddlar came over.

Christmas with friends

We had a Christmas dinner tonight with Sonya, Jerri, and Saddlar. It has been a long time since Ella and Saddlar played together and it was adorable to see them together tonight. Ella is such a little bossy boots! Poor little Saddlar was so sweet and shared everything with her even though she didn't always want to share with him. That sharing is a hard lesson to learn! :-) Anyways, they enjoyed playing with all of Ella's toys and just got along marvelously. They even let us take a couple pictures of them together! Ella is really into shoes right now and she had the best time putting Saddlar's shoes on and walking around. It was pretty darn cute.

Frazer Staff Christmas Party

Frazer held their annual staff Christmas party on Thursday night. We had so much fun! It was a Hawaiian theme and some people (my parents included) really got decked out in Hawaiian shirts and sandals. We stuck with "Holiday Casual." My mom also works at Frazer so that's why my parents were there too. We got to sit with good friends and really had a great time.

Jennifer (about 8 months pregnant with her 3rd) participated in the hula-hooping contest and won!! (I should add that she hula-hooped on her arm :-)) Emily, in the middle, is Keith's boss's wife and a good friend. We're all in Sunday School together also.

On the left is Ken, Keith's boss, and Josh, the father-to-be for the 3rd time, is on the right.