Pregnancy... I am still sick at 14 weeks (technically tomorrow I'll be 14). I am more tired that I remember ever being. I feel like I just woke up, in a daze, almost all day. I feel big and bloated. I don't want to eat ever again! Ugh...can you tell I'm ready to be feeling good again? I am craving fish and vegetables and water though. I have eaten so much celery and lettuce this week! I don't know why but veggies are the only things that don't make me sick. My cravings are a lot like they were when I was pregnant with Phoenix. I remember feeling really sick and only wanting veggies. Bread and Pasts are the worst! Sweets too...I get sick from just one bite. I always think I want chocolate then after the first bite I realize that an orange would be much better. Hopefully this goes away soon!!!

Belly pic!

It's likely that I have the 2 cutest kids ever...so far. Here is what they look like today. This is my belly. Yes I am not supposed to be showing yet at 13 weeks but I am and I did with Atti too! I kinda like it because I love people knowing that I'm pregnant! I don't like it because it makes me feel fat...as you can see though...it's clearly not fat. This week we got a sticker book from Grandma Diane (my Aunt). The kids love them and were so cute when they played with them. They shared really well!

A package arrived!

We got a package in the mail today and we were thrilled! Well...Nix was when she saw what it was. She has 2 cousins that love to send her dresses. Nix never used to like girly things and princesses until we had a summer with Trinity and Melody. Here is what she got...A gal can never have too many dresses right? Especially when she has to wear one every day!

Maternity Clothes

Here is the deal. Most girls brag about when they started wearing maternity clothes... "I didn't have to wear them till 6 months!" "I had to wear them at 12 weeks!" I have been feeling screnched in my clothes. Starting to get a muffin top and having to put away a few smaller sizes. I havn't wanted to start wearing maternity clothes because I felt like it would mean that I'm getting fat or that I would just allow myself to get big faster. Since I am 13 weeks with my 3rd kid I thought that I'd get out my clothes today and see what I have that's still wearable. I got my bin down and took it all out. I filled the bin with the small clothes that I've already grown out of in the last few weeks. I decided to try on a smaller pair of maternity pants. Brandon said, "You look much more comfortable." That translated means..."Wow! Your muffin top is gone!" It's true too. I feel so much better. I was starting to cramp and feel pressure from wearing my jeans too tight. Not I'm happy that I got my clothes out! I have been eating much healthier this week and I hope that it will help with the weight gain. I have already gained 7 lbs but I'm sure a lot of it's water weight. I was getting so bloated because of slowing digestion that my stomach was always full and hard. It was causing pain so the Dr gave me a pill to take at night to help food move along. I havn't had to take it a lot but when I'm feeling yucky it sure helps. I hope with getting rid of the bloating and eating healthier I will slow the weight gain and avoid gaining 50 lbs this time. We'll see. Either way I'm happy to have big healthy babies and I have been blessed to lose the weight each time (although it takes longer each time).

Pumpkin Carving

When Brandon's parents came to visit a few weeks ago they asked why we hadn't decorated and carved pumpkins for Halloween. I hadn't even thought to even though I do every year. Maybe it was the morning sickness...who knows. Today I had a hard morning so I decided to have a fun afternoon. We chose which pumpkins we wanted out of the garden then I took off the tops and told the kids to clean out the seeds on the inside. They didn't want to and chose to go play. I got them back and we had a great time carving and even making pumpkin seeds. Last year I made the seeds with kids oil and salt but this year I added sugar and cinnamon. Here is the recipe...

Ingredients

• 2 cups raw whole pumpkin seeds
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/2 cup white sugar, divided
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon, divided

Directions

1. Remove all the pulp and strings from the pumpkin seeds, then wash and thoroughly dry the seeds.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Place the melted butter in a bowl, toss the seeds in the butter to coat, and pour them onto the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon over the seeds, stir the seeds around to mix the coating, and spread them into a single layer. Bake the seeds in the preheated oven for 5 minutes.
4. Remove the seeds from the oven, and sprinkle them with another coating of 2 tablespoons sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon, mixing the seeds together and spreading them out as before. Bake 5 more minutes. Repeat the coating and baking step one more time, and bake the seeds for 5 more minutes.
5. Sprinkle the seeds with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar, mix, and bake the sugar coating onto the seeds, about 10 more minutes. Let the seeds cool on the baking sheet before eating.

YUM!! They are so yummy although I can's eat many. ENJOY!

Email to Brandon

Brandon, I went out and got some air and I feel a little better now. The kids had broken the mirror in the shed and atti got a cut. His blisters were also filled with dirt. I cleaned his hand up and not he's in bed, probably trying to get the band aid off. I was able to get a few dishes done too! Sorry about all the phone calls. I know that you're busy and you worry about us when you're gone. Today is a hard day but you haave to go to school and I have to care for the kids. no way around it. I love you and appreciate all that you do. I know that it can't be easy doing work, school and caring for us. I love you! Brittany

Update Time!

Lots of things have been going on around here although I don't know how interesting they all are... 1. I'm 13 weeks pregnant! Still sick but I think it's letting up. 2. We got 4 more cats. We'll see how they do here. They make it a total of 10 cats we've had in a year! 3. Apple Harvest. I canned apple pieces and everything went well. I didn't make as much as I would have liked but I'm atleast happy that I was able to do any with the way I'm feeling. On Saturday Jessica and Eric (I knew them from gradeschool.) came over and we canned more. I don't know why but 6 of the 22 apple pie fillings didn't seal. Not I have apples and a messy kitchen. :( 4. It's getting cold which means firing up the stove! Brandon is chopping wood on the weekends for us so that we can have a fire in the mornings. On Saturday Atti grabbed the stove and burnt his hand. The palm of his hand was dirty so we cleaned it and put medicine on it. He still cried and cried but we didn't understand because we couldn't see where it was hurt. Hours later we realized that he burnt his fingers and they were blistered up. I felt so badly! 5. We got a new armoir from craigslist. They were selling them out of a hotel so we actually got 3 for $50 each! They are HUGE! 74in tall, 68in wide, 28 in deep! So we can barely fit one in our house...I think we should buy a new house to go with the armoir, what do you think? 6. We're still looking for a car but still don't have enough money saved up. I am going insane because I have been in the house without a car for ever a year now. Brandon doesn't want a car loan...We are butting heads on the matter. ugh. 7. Things are getting really crazy busy around here with Brandon in school. He is doing well but I know that he's tired and already looking forward to graduation...in 2 years! As for us...the kids miss him all the time and I miss having his help around the house and with the kids. I feel like right now we are leading separate lives.

Potty Trained...I think. Here's how I did it this time....

I don't really know exactly this time except that she was probably ready. I told her that she can't wear a diaper anymore but if she needed to go #2 I would put one on her. She did great but eventually had to go #2. I told her to sit on the toilet and I would come put a diaper on her. Well she "accidentally" went poo. She has been doing great with a few accidents here and there for 3 weeks now. I noticed that when she does have accidents it's either because daddy tickled it out of her or when she wears undies. I just have her wear little shorts under her pants so it feels different. Weird tricks but they worked. I thought having her potty trained would be all fine and dandy but there are cons with the pros... Pro- save money, she's a big girl, no more wiping poopies! con- having to stop the car and take her potty, the reward system (I hate giving her candy but it works), she drips on the toilet because she won't use a stool. - When her reward jar is empty she knows that she'll be big enough to go without the candy.

Pregnancy Update

I am now 11 weeks pregnant which is exciting because most likely I will be feeling mostly better next week when my placenta is formed. I have been feeling a lot better then I did with the other pregnancies but more tired I think, it's hard to remember. The nausea isn't that bad..about what it was like with Atti. I am still learning a lot on how to keep the nausea down and still can't have much sugar. I am starting to get really excited to have the baby. I remember with Atti and Nix that I was just excited about the pregnancy but nervous about the newborn. I feel opposite this time. I feel like I'm getting too tired for pregnancy. We still havn't decided what to do about finding out the sex of the baby. Brandon really wants to find out and I am not sure. We have one of both sexes so I don't think it matters much. I like to think that he can find out and I will wait but I know that in 8 weeks I'll be too excited and won't be able to wait! Although Brandon is naming the baby we have I have been thinking of a few names but have been vetoed...here they are Girls: Charlise, Emily or Emmaline Boys: Keenan, Cade, Koda, and believe it or not Archamedes and call him Archie I have been wanting a little girl named Miss Mabel for a long time so we'll see. I know he's not a fan of it. I know that I am only 11 weeks but it is taking everything I have to not rearrange the rooms and paint. I can't wait to have a little boy room and a little girl room! YAY! Anyways, that is about where I am with the pregnancy.

Recent Funnies...

Phoenix-Mommy, what is this? Cheesy Goodness? Me-It's a grilled cheese sandwich Phoenix-A girl cheese sandwich? And a boy cheese sandwich! Me- No GRILLED, because you gRill it. Phoenix-But Atti likes cheese too... Here is another one but I emailed it to Brandon... Phoenix grabbed her handbag and said that she was going to work with you. She then yelled across the house that Atti cant go because he's a girl and only boys go to work. Yes, that's what she said. When she got back she said that she had to get you from the school bus. She then walked up to me with "you" in her hand but you were in trouble because you needed a diaper change and a nap. Now, hours later, she just went in and checked on you and changed your diaper again. I think she needs some daddy time...