A few things we are doing and a little surprise!

So a lot of things have happened recently.  We took the kids to see the Christmas lights at the Washington DC Temple.  Those pictures are still on my camera so I will put them and a few cute stories about that trip on another post.  Last week I managed to show up at the church house to drop off food for a funeral at the same time the as the lady who does the music for Sacrament meeting.  She told me she had gone to call a few other people to sing and my face kept coming coming to mind.  So since we were there at the same time it was meant to be.  So here is the deal.  Our family will be singing, "When Joseph Went to Bethlehem" on Christmas morning.  I couldn't turn her down after hearing that my face came to her while trying to put the program together.  So I delayed by saying that I had to make sure Les was okay with it.  He wasn't exactly okay with it but he did say that we could do it. 

Oh and on our way to practice the song after church a member of the bishopric pulled us aside.  He asked me to serve in the Nursery.  As background a few days earlier I had felt that I would get a calling in the Primary.  In my way of thinking I wouldn't be put into Nursery because I am pregnant and there is no way I am going to risk my newborn being around a bunch of toddlers during RSV season.  Our last newborn got RSV and ended up at Priamry Children's for a few weeks.  So my thought is are they going to release me from this calling in just over 3 months?  I have never in my life turned down a calling.  I don't intend to start now.  I am, however, praying that they will find something else for me by the time the baby comes.  Les is so jealous.  The ideal calling to him is nursery.  Instead, he was put in as the Elder's Quorum secretary.  It has crossed my mind that I will be kept in the nursery because Les can take the baby while I am there.  But that would be just cruel to make me give up my newborn for even a little while.

Here is a little story that broke my heart.  When we moved into this house we gave each of the girls their own room.  We let them know it would be temporary because when the baby came they would have to start sharing again.  Emma piped up and said she wants to share her room with the baby.  We tell her that she can but first the baby will sleep in a basinet next to Mommy's bed for a little while.  This was all there was until Emma recently mentioned the baby sleeping in her bed with her.  I told her that the baby was going to be to small to sleep in her bed and that it would sleep in a crib in her room.  She cried alligator tears.  She told me it wasn't fair that the baby could sleep in my bed but not her's.  I gently explained that the baby would sleep in a small bed NEXT to my bed not in my bed.  I would be too afraid of rolling over on it or something like that for the little tiny baby to sleep with me.  I think she understands why the baby can't actually sleep in her bed but it is still hard on her.

So for the big news!  I went to have my ultrasound today.  To prep the kids for what I was hoping to learn I talked to them about how the baby is either a girl or boy.  I asked them which they would want the baby to be.  They all gave me their answers.  Then I asked them if it would be okay if the baby was the other gender than what they wanted.  I got all but Samantha convinced that either way would be great.  She on the other hand flat out told me, "I don't want a boy!  I want a sister!"  I asked her if she could love a boy baby just as much as a girl.  She shouted, "NO I CAN'T!"  So with that in mind we headed off for the appointment.

Here is a picture of our adorable little one's face.  So now for what you have all been waiting for.  We are having a . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Wait for it  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A little further . . . . . . . .

A BOY!!!! 

So now I need to figure out what to name the little guy. 

Half way there!

So I am 20 weeks along.  Well actually as of tomorrow I will be 21 weeks.  It is amazing to think I am so far along.  In fact, I had a lady at church who found out at our ward christmas party and she told me she couldn't tell that I was pregnant.  My thoughts were so I just look fat huh?  Good to know.  The next day at church she came over and told me that she could tell now and that it must be dependant on what I wear.  I'll admit that I am no where as big as I thought I would be at this point.  I shouldn't be so surprised.  I have carried all of my babies in toward my back.  Good news I don't look so front heavy that I could fall over at any second.  Bad news that gives the baby great access to my spine, stomach, lungs, and bladder.  Also, when I have trouble getting up I get these looks from people that clearly say, "Exercise! Then it won't be so hard for you to sit up." 
So I had thought about doing the weekly profile shots that others have done.  I really don't think I am much bigger than I was the last time I took a picture.  So there really isn't a point to the weekly ones.  I may do monthly ones though.  We will see if Les is willing to play photographer for me.  He really is a good sport when it comes to things he thinks will make me happy.  How could I ask for anything more?  I have a great man who loves to make me happy.  I am so blessed.  I know I went off on a tangent but he is such a good father to our kids.  When I run out of patience he steps and is ever so patient with the kids. 
Les is so excited about having another baby.  We are going to find out what we will be having.  I wondered if it mattered to him what we end up having.  He told me that he would of course love to have a boy.  On the other hand it would be so much easier to have a girl what with all the girls stuff scattered all over the place.  In either case this baby will be loved.  I couldn't agree more.
The other morning I rolled onto my back and partly removed my blanket.  I am use to the sight of my belly sticking up into the air.  So of course, I was confused when on this morning it wasn't.  I felt my tummy thinking that my eyes were deceiving me.  They weren't.  I felt around some more and there off to one side was this lump.  There was my little baby curled up into a ball snuggled almost literally into my side.  It was the cutest little lump ever.  I had slept so long on the one side that the baby followed gravity down to be wedged between the bed and I.  I gently massaged the lump until it was slowly swallowed up in the mass of the rest of my abdomen.  I love this evidence of the precious little life that is growing inside of me. 
So I need to tell of a few cute things the girls have said lately.  On December 3rd we had our ward Christmas party.  Emma sang a song with the rest of the primary as part of the program.  She was so nervous.  Then after the program we lined up to go to the Primary room to see "Santa."  My kids have little to no experience with Santa.  They do know who he is but I wasn't thinking so I didn't prepare them for "the" question.  Samantha went first.  When asked what she wanted for Christmas she said, "Jesus . . . to come for his birthday party."  Oh my little love.  I was prepared for her to be shy and not answer him at all.  Instead, I was in awe of her. 
On Sunday night we went to the bishop's home for family home evening.  He was calling Emma "Bacon."  Emma of course was thrilled and laughed hysterically each time.  Khloe on the other hand would yell back at him, "She not bacon.  Her Emma.  Bacon at home."  We still aren't sure what she meant by bacon at home but is sure was cute that she was trying to stick up for Emma.  I could tell that she was a little disturbed by the whole matter so I told her that Emma liked it and that the bishop was just teasing Emma.  She seemed to calm down over the whole thing after that.
Emma will often come whisper things in my ear.  At the end she tells me not to tell daddy cause it is a secret.  Yesterday, Emma came into my room early and crawled into bed with me.  After a while she whispered into my ear, "Mom I have a secret.  Don't let Daddy know that I am a Mommy's girl."  She knows how to melt my heart that is for sure.  Don't let her know but it hasn't been much of a secret for a while.
Last night we headed to the store as a family to pick up ingredients for some cookies I am making for a RS meeting.  While we were in the car Emma pipes up and starts talking about how she stayed at Aunt Jana's when I had gotten on an airplane (she was referring to the time I flew out here and looked at houses with Les).  Then she reminded me of how we stayed at Aunt Jana's again after we left Logan (before we flew across country to live with Les).  Finally she got around to her point and told us she wished she could stay the night at Aunt Jana's again.  I of course was feeling guilty that I couldn't give her what she wanted.  Les was a few steps ahead of me.  He told Emma that if she earned $500 we would stick her on a plane and she could have her sleepover.  Then he amended it with, "Better make that $550 so that you can pay tithing on it too."  Emma commented, "We sure do pay a lot of tithing." (Background: every few weeks Les sits the girls down to go over what they owe in tithing.  Then he asks if they would like to donate any money to any of the other church programs.  They usually donate to the Temple and the Book of Mormon.)  So Les asked her what tithing is for.  She thought about it for a little bit and then she said, "It is to buy Temples.  I bought one before cause I pay tithing."  I love how her mind works.  It makes me laugh everytime.  After posting it on facebook a friend asked us what temple we had bought and which one was next.  Les replied with, "The Brigham City Temple and we are hoping for a southern Maryland Temple."
I love my little family.