SURPRISE!!!

I'm actually updating my blog! I was going to wait until the one-year anniversary of my last post, but I had a few extra minutes tonight after folding all of the laundry :)

We've been busy the past 11 months. I am going to try to update more frequently now. You know, for my non-Facebook friends...all two or three of you!


Brennan started preschool last month. He goes three times a week for two and a half hours. He seems to like it and we've noticed some positive changes in him. For instance, he actually lets us read to him now! He's a cool kid and he keeps us on our toes.


Gracie is the sweetest little thing on the planet. She adores her big brother and loves watching him act like a giant goof ball. She isn't crawling yet, but we're not encouraging that type of behavior. We want her to stay in one place for as long as possible! She says "Momma" now, she waves hello and goodbye, claps her hands, and has the best belly laugh.

Here are just a few, random pictures since I haven't posted in almost a year...

Princess Gracie - 8 lbs. 12 oz, 21 inches

B played soccer. He hated it, but it's a cute picture!

My sweet angels

Baby Grace - 28 weeks

I'm 28 weeks pregnant today. Hello third trimester!

We had a 4D ultrasound this morning which was really fun. We didn't have that opportunity when I was pregnant with Brennan, so it was really exciting for us. Brennan was fairly well behaved...you know, for an almost 4-year old in a room full of gadgets! He sat next to me and held my hand, and played with the "slime" that was all over my belly. Apparently the slime is much more exciting for him than actually watching the baby on the television. But, he did ask for his very own picture of his baby sister.

Baby sister seemed more interested in playing with her hands and keeping her face squished against the placenta than posing for us. I guess if I was stuck in a uterus with nothing to do I would find my hands amusing too :o) Here are some of the pictures that the tech was able to capture (don't mind the black blob next to her face, that would be the placenta!):

Not me! Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

As for me, I did not allow my son to wear eye shadow because he insisted on primping while I was trying to get myself together. Furthermore, I didn't think it was hilarious when my brother's friend referred to it as "guy shadow"!

I did not buy Pillsbury sugar cookies with ghosts on them as a fun, indoor activity for B because the cute pumpkins and black cats contained too many "bad colors" (Red #40, Yellow #5, and Yellow #6).

Even if I did buy ghost cookies, I certainly did not eat some of them for breakfast yesterday.

I am not secretly relieved that B hasn't chosen a Halloween costume therefore letting me off the hook from having to parade around town this Saturday and visit friends and family; and also making it easier for me to warmly dress him for the Fall Festival at the Nazarene church near our home.

Oh, and I did not go to the store specifically for coleslaw and buns last week and somehow manage to forget the buns. My darling husband did not proceed to laugh at my expense for about 5 minutes when I arrived home bun-less.

How about you - anything you care to admit?

It's a...

GIRL!!!

Brennan was very excited to find out that a baby sister will be joining him in February. Everything looked great during the ultrasound and she was quite active - which seems to be a trend with my children :o) Maybe she'll have a chance at keeping up with her big brother.

Today, I am 21 weeks pregnant. I can't believe that I'm more than halfway to the finish line!

Goodbye Summer, Hello Fall

I don't know about you, but I am so glad that the hot, humid, hazy, mosquito-infested days of Summer seem to be behind us. I am not a Summer person (in case you couldn't tell). I'm much more of a Fall/Spring type person. Cool, crisp mornings/evenings and warm days with cool breezes. Yes, that's my type of weather. We've been spending lots of time outdoors - which I don't mind doing now that the mosquitoes have disappeared. We even had an impromptu bon fire on Saturday night. Unfortunately for Brennan, we only had mini marshmellows so we couldn't make s'mores.

Speaking of, not really but I needed a transition, Brennan has learned how to ride his balance bike (video/pictures coming soon). A balance bike is a two-wheel bike without pedals that teaches kids to ride without training wheels. Three weeks ago he would only attempt to ride it if we made him, and now we can't get him off of the bike! He calls it his "motorcycle".

Here is a video of Brennan enjoying the gorgeous Fall weather at the park on Friday. Enjoy!



In other exciting news, I'll have my 20-week ultrasound next Wednesday (9/30) and we will hopefully find out if we're having a girl or a boy.

Remember me?!

It's been a while since I posted - sorry! We've just been enjoying a lazy summer at our house...meaning I've been too lazy to do much of anything let alone blog about my laziness! Here are some pictures from the annual Hammett/Biffel Family Picnic that took place over the weekend. B had a blast swimming in Grandmommy's pool, but after a couple hours exhaustion took over and he turned into a bear!

B and Uncle B

Big, blue eyes!

Picking crabs with Pops and Momma. No, that's not his beer!

Lean, mean, swimming machine!

That's My Boy!

I love my son. He never ceases to amaze me with this creativity and fun-filled spirit. Tonight, he wanted to go swimming in his semi-new pool (bigger than the dino pool). But it was after dinner and neither Josh nor I was really feeling like a dip in the freezing cold pool. So, I told Brennan to grab his floaties from the pool and bring them in the tub so he could "swim" in there. I washed his hair and lathered him up with soap as usual (we get the "business" part done first so he can play the rest of his time in the tub). I then left him so that I could change the laundry, etc. I called to him to make sure that he was doing alright and walked into the bathroom to find...

Look at how brown the water looks - ewe! Boys are gross!

Wordless Wednesday

Making space

In an attempt to make it look like I had accomplished something this weekend, Josh and I rearranged what was B's playroom into what is now more of a bedroom. He liked sleeping in the playroom anyway, so it was time we moved his bed in there. Josh and I waited until B was in the bath tub and then we scrambled to move the bed while he was preoccupied and contained (read: out of the way!). He was pleasantly surprised when he got of the tub. Actually, he's been playing quietly in there for the last hour.

Not me! Monday

Inspired by MckMama to be brutally honest and live to tell about it! Check out her blog for other amazingly funny stories from mothers who don't claim to be perfect.

As for me, when asked how I was doing one day at work I did not claim it to be a "good day" because I didn't dry heave once during my shower that morning. That is just completely disgusting and embarrassing and *TMI for a coworker.

*too much information

I am not ashamed that I just realized that I have not updated my blog since June 13th. Afterall, what is the point of having a blog if you don't update it? I did not also just realize that my comment about dry heaving in the shower will only make sense to those who already know that I'm pregnant since I never made that announcement on my blog.

I did not wear pajamas for all but an hour and a half of yesterday. My son did not come to me at 4:00 pm and say "Uh oh. Why am I wearing this?" when he realized that I had never gotten him dressed either.

I am not proud that I can still fit in my regular clothes at 7 wks and 5 days along. I do not have a personal goal of making it to 8 wks without wearing maternity clothes when most woman can go much longer!

How about you? Anything you care to admit?