I'm an odd duck (or bunny for that matter)

Poor Matt has once again had to endure my need for artistic expression via crafting and using poor Aidan's upcoming arrival as an excuse! We can't seem to find any wall art that fits the ...."theme?" I suppose you could call it. We don't really so much have a theme as much as...just finding things that fit "us". As you can tell, we are odd folks who enjoy a different flavor of life. So I had recently set about finding things that inspired me to fill his room with, and that led me to this fabulous prints! Aren't they ....interesting? I love the baby skeleton riding the hummingbird, it's dark and odd, yet...the hummingbird is so pretty and the little flame is an unexpected light to the picture. The second print is an adorable bunny riding another bunny (why wouldn't a bunny do such a thing you ask?) luring him along with a carrot and fishing line, once again with fanciful color and a little light. The prints were far smaller than what I was looking for to fill the wall space I had in mind, and a regular picture frame with a mat just wouldn't do them justice "Rachael Style" now would they....noooooo. So, two art canvas's from wally world, black craft paint, modpodge (will there ever be something I can't find a use for modpodge for I wonder?) craft paper, ribbons and hot glue and tada. I get to feel artistic, useful, and thrifty all at once! No...we are NOT attempting to warp poor little mister Aidan from birth on. All my kids are just as...odd as we are and love, love, love all the strange little things we have done for his room and continue to encourage my need to decorate his room this way. Yes...I AM listening to a ten, eight and four year old, not to mention a very smart husband who smiles and nods and says he absolutely loves everything I've made. HaHa! Who knows what is to come next! Hopefully a baby! Sigh...he needs more time though. Hurry up incubator! INCUBATE!!!

Aidan's face debut!

Finally!!! While at our doctors appointment today, while the tech was doing her normal measuring of the baby and what not she very kindly gave us free 4d shots of his face! Every time she as attempted to be sweet and sneak us a glimpse of our little munchin, he hasn't cooperated, but today, there he was! His face bright and shining! He had his little hand across his mouth trying to suck on his fingers. Matt's face was PRECIOUS!! The glow on Daddy's face was just too sweet. I love seeing how happy he is to see his little man! They measured him and he's a tad smaller than normal, about 4 and a quarter lbs right now, the 30th percentile, so by the time of delivery he should be right up there at the normal range.

I am so happy. I love being pregnant, and all the excitement and aches that come along with it. Pregnancy and Motherhood are such amazing blessings even if they aren't planned. We can't wait for Aidan to get here!

Momma's a cheap skate!

I am cheap, and I love it! I keep coming across a bunch of baby things that are a little on the "rockabilly/punk" side that are FAR too expensive for me to justify paying $12.00-$22.00 per onesie just because it's so darn cute! So...my thrifty gene goes off and I think "gee..I bet I could replicate that, or make something like that for farrrrrrrr cheaper!" and I can!! Thank heavens. Two long sleeved onesies, four short sleeved, and a pack of fabric paint markers = 7 onesies that I can honestly say no one else I know of will have...haha! I have to say they turned out pretty fun! I can not wait to see Aidan in them!! I have a bunch of other craft projects I want to finish, but $$$ is the biggest factor, so come pay day I get to finish off a few. This forces out my crafty side, which I am loving and Matt's wallet isn't minding at all! HA, well that is until he see's the glint I get in my eye to start a new project and I see him just smile and give me the "Whatever makes you happy babe" look. Sigh, I love this man, and I love my son's who are so supportive and excited when they see Mommy make things for baby brother. Can't wait to finish these projects and get him here! Only 4-6 weeks! Can you believe it!!

Play Time

Over the last few weeks we've gotten some cute pictures of the "kids" (Matt is included in "the kids" lol) playing on their bikes/scooters, and other Christmas gifts, such as Cody with the Glow Dome being a gypsy fortune teller with a dish towel on his head...lol gracious! And one of Matty just being TOO cute, he fell asleep on the couch only moments before we left the house for us to go see the 2nd Chipmunks movies. I love having kids! It gives me an excuse to go see all those kiddie movies..lol

I LOVE the picture of Michael rocking the running man..lol, but my favorite so far is the picture of Matt..........helping Matty do stunts on his bike, and then Matt taking over the bike and trying to stunt it..lol NICE babe, NICE!

Prepareing for Baby!

We are now at 32 weeks, and so glad to be that far along, espcially after all of the stress and health issues we experianced back in November. Each week that progresses gets us closer and closer to having our little son in our arms! The last trimester really is so hard, the impatience kills! Fortunatly we have a nursery to prepare and that keeps us at least a little bit busier, keeping our minds on decorating for just a bit. Matthew's room was closest to ours, Michael's is the smallest and Cody's the largest. Matthew was originaly going to switch rooms and bunk with Cody but Michael and Cody decided it would be more fun to share again as the older boys, where they can stay up later, reading and what not, than having Cody shareing with Matty. So while they were away at their Dad's for the holidays we went about switching all their toys and furniture around. Michael moved into Cody's room with the bunk beds and Matty moved into Michael's smaller room, leaving the room next to ours for the nursery.




We had to start from scratch getting baby things together. A few years ago, during a military move, I gave all of our baby furniture and clothes away to a young mover whose girlfriend was going to be having a baby any day, and they seemed worse off than I was at the time, and not planning to have any more kids, I thought, "Hey, I'm decluttering and helping others out in the process"......that however means that with this baby, we've had to start all over! OUCH. $$$.
As of the 1st of January we ran out and bought a crib, the mattress, the playpen/bassinet (the bassinet we wanted was $150, the playpen/bassinet combo was $130...Two for one! ) and the Stroller/carseat combo. Then over the last few weeks have hung curtians, put down a rug and started some craft projects to add to decor.
It's been pretty fun.



Also seeing the kids faces on our belated Christmas when we showed them Aidan's room and their newly remodeled rooms.
(Don't mind the large peice of couch standing up in the corner of the boy's room..lol Matt refused to let me try and help move it out to the trash, as it's got some broken boards, so it had to stay there until a friend came over to help vamoose it, and ignore Cody's unmade bed.....untidy beds drive me CRAZY!)

Belated Christmas!

I really was so sad this Christmas without my son's home! I loved having Matt home on leave, and getting some quality time with just my sweet husband and I, but the Christmas holiday is centered around our family and without all of us here to enjoy it together, it just didn't feel like Christmas to us! We spent Christmas day attempting to watch the boy's open gifts on webcam at their Father's house. The Internet decided not to cooperate and I was so upset, but luckily Their Dad was nice enough to let them call and put me on speaker phone so I could hear them opening gifts. We had all their gifts under our little tree's waiting, waiting, waiting for them to come home. They were supposed to come home January 2nd, however two weeks was far too long for them to take and they spent Christmas day and the days following calling home to cry that they missed us. So Jon caved and brought them home on New Years Eve. I was NOT so ok with him driving them on rainy roads on the drunkest night of the year, but I was thrilled to have them coming home! Despite the fact that it was raining, and it was after 9 when they got here we decided to let them open gifts as soon as their Dad took off to head back to Houston. They had a blast! Especially since Santa brought them bikes and sparks scooters! Nana and Grandaddy got them the glow dome (which Cody used as a crystal ball. It was quiet funny!) and plenty of arts supplies!! They got home made blankets from Aunt Brittany, Aunt Amber and the family, which they LOVE, and so many other awesome gifts! They were rather spoiled this year and we were SO excited to have them home and see them opening gifts!! Sigh, Christmas, better late than never. I love my son's! I love my husband! Next year....they are home and mine all mine!!

Christmas Jammies pictures!

Finally they loaded! It's taken me weeks now to get these to load, and unfortunately I had to load them one at a time. UGH...Now to go upload the Christmas pictures .............Send in the cadaver dogs if you don't hear from me in the next two weeks, because I will still be here..loading them...one...by ....onnnnneeeeeee...