I love the mountain house. The fresh air, the coolness, the leaves, the mountains....it's all so great. Only wish Sean was up here with us. We spent today enjoying the house, sledding down the big hill on the leaves, hiking around their land, feeding the fish in their pond. The kids had a blast!

Here's a bunch of pictures of Asher at this precious stage and the leaves as a perfect backdrop:

Getting Nena

Dallas enjoying the leaves as well I LOVE his smile!!
Horses mommy!!He loved to go over and say hi to the horsey whose name is "Moo"

Here's Moo

Asher growing up fast. He's 2 and a half now and about to be a big brother. Not gonna be my baby anymore! Hiking at the mountain house

Asher sledding down the hillBoston playing in the leavesBoston found a worm while exploring. They could spend hours out there exploring the streams and the forest. It's like a boys paradise!!!!

Driving to the Mountain House

We left today to go up to my parents mountain house with my mom and dad. Sean couldn't get off of work but sent us on without him for a little R&R up there and see the leaves. With my parents, 3 kids, pregnant me and the dog it took us 12 hours! But we finally made it!! Stopped at Waffle House for dinner. I hadn't been there in years and I'm now addicted to their waffles and cheese eggs!!


Here's Dillard asleep inbetween Boston and Dallas
Asher typing away on his Thomas the Train laptop. I rented 20 dvds from the library and they kept the kids very entertained.

We also picked cotton on the way up there but those pictures are on my parents camera and I'll have to get them from them.

Disney in the Fall

Today we did school in the afternoon so we could go to Magic Kingdom in the morning, the joys of homeschooling and a flexible schedule! . It was a great time....very hot and unusually crowded...but fun! My mom joined us and we had a great time. The boys were excited that the people mover was open again and we got a little glimpse of Space Mountain with the lights on as they are referbishing it right now.

Riding the tram with Nena

My three boys and little girl inutero Space Mountain with the lights on

Dallas and Nena on the carasolBoston and Asher and me

Dallas update

Dallas had a follow up with his Neurologist today. She said she noticed big improvements in Dallas, and so do we! What a blessing!! He is still toe walking but we will continue to keep working on that and doing our physical therapies. He's muscles are tightened to the point where he will have to have surgery, and we are praying that doesn't happen. I think the listening therapy that we are doing through Occupational Therapy is working because he can focus for such longer periods of time!! And during school he's venturing out with drawing a coloring more and more each day, becoming more confident in his find motor skills each day. And he's learning to adjust to different circumstances regarding his sensory processing disorder. It's not perfect all the time but I'm so glad we were able to identify what is going on because I think since we have started helping so early on he will be much better off in the future!

Creative Boston

Boston wanted to make a picture of me today. LIttle did I know that he was going to go to such great lengths. He used several different pieces of paper to make my head, body, arms and legs. And he found a heart stamp to make my heart and glued on wiggly eyes for me. I was very touched! It was such a beautiful picture!

Backyard sledding

This is our version of sledding, the Florida version...and Asher was being initiated....his very first time!

Dallas and Boston racing down the hill.
Dallas mid air crash

Here is Asher after having begged to go down.

He LOVED IT!!

Pregnancy dreams

If you have ever been pregnant you know that dreams during pregnancy are odd, to say the least. They are vivid and I usually dream a lot more than usual. They say it has something to do with the big life change that is getting ready to take place. They usually always involve strange people from my life as well.

My latest dream...or nightmare...is that robbers break into our house in the middle of the night and Sean is at work late (he's been having to work very late with a new system they have put in at work.) I usually wake up in a panic. What will I do if robbers do break in? Do I grab the kids? Run to the neighbors? Hide in closet? Attach them with my stun gun? It also probably has something to do with all the break ins that have been happening not only in my neighborhood but many others around, even the gated ones with a guard.

At least I have the dog....hopefully she would attack them and not try and get love from them!

Balancing it all

As I was trying to edit a few photos from an engagement shoot Boston walked over to me and said, "Mom you're not a photographer. You're just a mom."

How do I take that. At first I thought it was so funny. But then it started to bother me a little bit. He doesn't want me spending time editing. I spend most of my day with him, especially since I'm schooling him. I don't usually edit during the day, usually once the kids go to bed, but with the boom in my business the last few months and a wedding and engagement shoot close together I'm a little behind. So as the boys were playing I decided to take a moment and play catch up. Oh well. I got two pictures done and quit to go play with the boys.

My Masterlife devotions this week are discussing Christ centered goals. I don't ever want to get that out of whack. I always want Christ to be first. And my biggest mission field as a mom is my children. I need to win their hearts for Christ.

I also know God has blessed me with a talent in photography. There's no other way to explain that. I am reminded everyday that it's only through him that I am talented in taking photographs. I acknowledge that and thank Him especially for the business he has been so greatly blessing my family with.

I guess finding the balance, wearing my Armor of God and going to battle against the evil forces that keep trying to wreck my day, my attitude and my faith and trusting God that I will get it all done through Him is the only way to look at it.

One step at a time. He will give me grace and as long as I keep looking up that's what's most important.

Girl pregnancy vs Boy pregnancy

I know for some people there is no difference but for me this pregnancy has been night and day different from my boy pregnancies. Some of the things that are different:
Boys: hardly ever sick
Girl: still having morning sickness!

Boys: not many differences in mood
Girl: very hormonal with pregnancy mood swings

Boys: smooth skin
Girl: my face broke out a lot the first trimester

Boys: craved sweet things
Girl: crave salty things

There are a lot of other differences that I can't think of right now (pregnancy brain Ha!)

Fame: remembering where I came from and where I am

Tonight Sean and I went to see Fame. I really enjoyed it. Lots of talent showcased. And it sure did make miss my old theatre UCF days. So glad to have such fond memories from college and to have gotten to experience what I did and spend so much time with so many talented people whom I still call friends. And as my tap shoes lay in the closet collecting dust and monologue books and scripts are packed away in boxes in the attic I wouldn't change the path God has me on for anything. I can still sing in the car, dance around the house with my kids and my husband would say I'm always performing. Oh how blessed I am to have gotten to experience what all I have and to be where I am right now in my life. God is good!

Swine Flu vaccination

I had made the decision a while back that neither I nor the kids would be getting the swine flu or regular flu vaccination even though we are all considered high risk because of their age and my pregnancy. I don't feel comfortable with it and especially with the unknown effects of the swine flu vaccine. I would rather experience the flu itself than risk any long term effects on my children. Here's a video of an interview with a doctor on foxnews that confirmed all my fears. Stay healthy this season everyone!!

Restless Leg Syndrome

Not sure if anyone reading this has ever experienced Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS) but let me tell you its not fun. I usually get it when I'm pregnant (this was actually a clue to me last pregnancy that I was pregnant...the RLS started up.) My secret to making it go away at night is to put a bar of soap in the bed. I know it sounds crazy but it's always seemed to work....that is...until last night. I got it in my legs, my arms and my hands. I was going crazy. I finally just got up and walked around the house in the middle of the night and ended up sleeping on the couch. It was horrible! I'm just praying this isn't a sign of what's to come the rest of the pregnancy.

Out with the little and in the the big

The boys spent the night at my parents house last night and Sean had to work today so I decided this morning it was finally time for me to pack up all my regular clothes and unpack the boxes of maternity. After my maternity clothing craziness (I went to wear the regular jeans I have been wearing and although they fit last week when I put them on they didn't fit at all!) So I was rummaging through all the boxes trying to find my maternity jeans.

What an undertaking it was to switch out but glad to have it done....and fun to have an all new wardrobe. Now I'll just slowly grow myself into most of them.....

Theatre UCF Reunion

This evening some of us met up for a UCF Reunion. Unfortunately because of the economy a lot of people who had planned on flying in weren't able to make it. But we had fun none the less. First we met on campus at Wackadoos and our old professor Mark was able to join us before heading back to the theatre because a show he directed is currently playing.

(Below: Jason Moyer, Tim and Alina Williams, Mark Brotherton, Mindy Anders, Me and Dr Rinaldi)

Then we headed over to Froggers for dinner and such. This is were we would always go after opening night of any show. Lots of memories here.

(Mindy, me and Cindy Elavsky)

Me and my honey....who I met in the theatre department while he was there for 1 year before he decided one of us needed to get an education that would make us some money.....very smart babe!!

Me and Mindy
Cindy and I
Notice Tim peeking through

Dr Rinaldi and I. He actually helped direct a show I was in in high school (Fiddler on the Roof) and then later became my professor and director at UCF. He directed me at UCF in "A Shot in the Dark."

What a fun night catching up with old friends....look forward to doing it again soon!

Recess!

During recess today the boys found a new way to play on the swing where two go together. They sure had a blast, and I love watching their creativity to find new things to do and especially when they play so great together!

Gotta love their faces in this picture!

Dallas will on occasion just lay down in the grass and enjoy soaking up the sun. Maybe he's low on Vitamin D or something, but he really really loves it!

Pregnancy and a girl nursery

I am halfway through the pregnancy (turned 21 weeks on Wednesday) and the thought of another 19 weeks seems like a lifetime! I am oh so anxious to meet my little girl. On top of that the pains of the pregnancy are defiantly greater than any of the other three. It's amazing how uncomfortable I already am. I feel huge and really can't imagine that my belly can get any bigger. Maybe it's the fact that I feel like I'm carring her a little higher, although if you look at my belly it looks pretty low I think. But even with all the pains (ligament, sciatic, restless leg, sickness, tiredness, etc) I'm so happy to be pregnant!!

I have been eyeing this particular baby girl bedding for sometime and when we found out it was a girl I saw that it was on sale and so I bought it. Yesterday in the mail I got the sheets (still waiting on the bed skirt and bumper.) So here's a little sneak peak at what the room will look like. I'll make the curtains myself and some other personal touches but the colors will be this color pink and green. So excited! Now I just need to move Asher out of the crib and the nursery and into the room with Dallas and to the bottom bunk!