Thanksgiving 2010

We had a wonderful and relaxing Thanksgiving weekend. We kicked it off with Thanksgiving dinner with the Cassidy Family at Uncle Frankie and Aunt Ashley's house on Thursday. Then Friday afternoon after a morning of Christmas decorating and a 2 hour family nap in E's new bed (quite delightful), we headed to Hartsville to spend some extra time with Nana and Pa. Ohh let me tell you ... E got spoiled. He is loved so very much and for that I cannot complain one bit, but the boy is spoiled. That is for dang sure! We had a great time and have so much to be thankful for.

10 Things I Learned This Week

1. I am in love with Etsy.com! I recently stumbled upon this site when looking for a personalized t-shirt for Ethan's 3rd birthday and realized they have SO MUCH! If you need anything personalized or just cool fun stuff, check it out! You'll also fall in love.
2. Glee's sectionals are Tuesday night... already?
3. Ethan named his Elf Logan. Don't really know where he got that name from but hey, it's cute, and it's working! If he starts to act stank, we remind him that Logan is watching, and he shapes up pretty quick. Again, brilliant.
4. The baby is certainly kicking up a storm and I am so excited. Chris felt him kick for the first time this weekend.
5. Eclipse comes out on DVD on Saturday! Yipee!
6. This time of year I feel like I am going 100 miles per hour. With Christmas decorating, shopping, Ethan's birthday and party, etc, it's just insane. I certainly love this time of year but I do look forward to January too.
7. We are a bit closer to finishing E's bedroom. We just got the matching bookshelf that Chris is putting together as we speak. We just have to finish the artwork, make the chalkboard frame and make a shelf ... see what I mean about too much to do!
8. I'm getting very excited about the new nursery - it's going to be an outdoorsy/owl theme with browns, greens and blues. Can't wait!
9. We have a name for the little one .. but shhhh it's a secret!
10. I will be 31 on Friday ... jeez! But on the bright side, I am taking the day off, having a prenatal massage, lunch with my BFF Carrie at PF Changs and my mom and dad are coming up to see me Saturday! Couldn't ask for a better birthday!

Do What?!?

Last week sometime, Chris, Ethan and I were driving down the road listening to Christmas music and making conversation. I turned around and reminded Ethan that he shared a birthday with Jesus and we talked about that for a bit. Then Chris gently reminded me that Jesus wasn't actually born on Christmas Day and that no one really was sure when he was actually born. DO WHAT?!? How have I lived 30 years and not have known this or been taught this?!? I felt like my world was crashing down around me and that I was scammed! I actually felt dumb and uneducated for not knowing this fact. I got to work and Wikipediaed it and sure enough there was a lot of research done stating this fact. I just feel dumbfounded...now you're gonna tell me that Santa or the Easter bunny are not real. Please say it ain't so! ;) Just thought I'd share this latest revelation with you guys. Happy laughing!

A Lot To Be Thankful For

Every year when Thanksgiving comes around, I get a little nostalgic because I know how incredibly blessed we are for the many wonderful things God has given us. I am most thankful for my relationship with God that is growing more and more every day. I am so thankful for my wonderful, beautiful family. Without them, life certainly would not be worth living and certainly would not be interesting. I thank God for my best friend and husband, Chris and for the children we have. I feel so very blessed to be a mother and then to become a mother of two very soon! I am thankful for all my wonderful and faithful friends. There are so many material things I am thankful for but all of that pales in comparison to all the things above. I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!

10 Things I Learned This Week

1. Christmas gets started earlier and earlier every year. This year, as much as I hate to admit it, I think I may bust out the boxes before turkey day. Shhh don't tell anyone.
2. The cost of a custom made crib bumper is insane. I mean like really insane. I mean like $350 insane. Ummm thanks but no thanks. I think I need to take up sewing so I can learn to make my own stuff.
3. I think Ethan is staring to get the concept of the baby being in mommy's belly. Just this weekend he offered me a scoop of ice cream because he said the baby needed it. And yes... baby needs it. :)
4. One of my biggest pet peeves is when someone tells you they will be here at a certain time and they are 2 1/2 hours late ... and don't even call to tell you! ARGH!
5. In reference to #4, that was for Ethan's new mattress. Although he did get to sleep in his new big boy bed Friday night. But instead of being excited when he went to bed, he told Chris he didn't like it and wanted back in his old bed, his crib. By Sunday night, he was good to go though. Pictures soon to come when it's 100% complete - promise!
6. Ethan's favorite book lately is the Toys R Us Big Christmas Toy Book. He parks his behind on the couch every morning when he's all ready for school and stares at it while he's pointing out every single item that he wants ... which is every single item. He will get to the "girlie" page and say "That's for girls ... "
7. We have two presents down for E from "Santa" and we hope to get the rest of it tonight! I just don't want to be in that crazy mess of shopping while I'm with child, and I don't think Chris will want that either. Although I must admit being in the mall with the Christmas music playing and shoppers going here and there is very exciting. I'd just rather get my Starbucks, sit on a bench and people watch.
8. South Park has a BEAUTIFUL pictures-with-Santa-set-up. This Santa makes the Rock Hill Galleria Santa look like a chump.
9. I'm doing pretty good to have my Christmas cards already ordered BEFORE Thanksgiving this year. I feel like I am just on top of it! Must be the nesting.
10. I'm so excited for Thanksgiving this year. I have so much to be thankful for that I can hardly stand it. I am so sad I won't get to see my side of the family on this special day, but I will be with Chris' family which is equally as great!

Little Man #2 First Photos

I'm FINALLY getting around to posting these pictures from our ultrasound last week. Here is our little mans' first photos:

Profile

Yep ... no mistaking that is a boy!

We did not have a 3-D ultrasound with Ethan so when we saw this, we were blown away. Look how similar this picture is to when E was born ... freaky! We're gonna have a little Ethan mini me.

We're already boring him to tears!

Dear Santa ...

Now that the holidays are quickly approaching, as much as I hate to admit it, I have to start thinking about what to get Ethan. In the meanwhile, Ethan has started working on his letter to Santa ... wink wink ... so here is what he came up with so far:

Dear Santa,
I have been a good boy this year, despite the not listening thing, and the constant getting out of my bed (hey - it's their fault they put me in a toddler bed so early ... I liked my crib just fine), and the tantrums that I like to throw when they won't let me watch Phineaus and Ferb or a movie. Anyways, I think for the most part I bring joy to my parents. They are always kissing and hugging me really tight (I usually can't breathe) when they see me. Also, they are always telling me they love me very much. Last year I couldn't really tell them I loved them, but now I can shout it out loud ... and I do. I also tell them I love them THIS MUCH (with my arms out wide). I know they care about me and are trying to raise me the very best that they can so that I will grow up living in God's word. I love them for that. Let's get down to business. With all of this said, here is what I would like for Christmas:

LEGO DUPLOS
I love building things especially when it involves something with wheels or animals. I think that's why I would really like Legos that are actually in my age range like Duplos.

MY OWN LAPTOP
Mom and Dad are always on theirs posting pictures or blogging about me or Mom reading about Twilight (whatever), so I figured I'd join in on the fun. There are some pretty educational ones out there too so at least I won't be rotting my brain but I'd actually learn a thing or two.

MOVIES OR SHOW DVDS
Toy Story 3 is now out and that will certainly add to my TS collection. Plus I really like A Bugs Life, Pheinneus and Ferb, Curious George and Tarzan.

MY VERY OWN CHAIR OR FLOOR PILLOW
I asked for this last year and I think Mom is holding out for that new munchkin due to arrive in April, so we could have cutsy chairs that match side by side with our names on them. As long as I get one so I can watch a movie in our fancy new playroom I'm good to go! Chocolate brown please. Gotta be manly.

BOOKS, PUZZLES, AND ART SUPPLIES!
I still love books, puzzles and art stuff. I still get so excited when I get my monthly Highlights magazine from Nana and Pa! And that new moon sand is pretty neato.

NEW TRAIN ACCESSORIES
I'm still digging my train set you gave me last year Santa, so some new accessories would be a lot fun. I even like the new Chuggington collection or the remote controlled GeoTrax ... especially the Radiator Springs version. Those are pretty cool too!
ANYTHING WITH ANIMALS OR DINOSAURS
I love reading or watching anything about animals or dinosaurs, so some cool figurines or playsets would be a lot of fun. My parents particularly like it when I roar like a T-Rex, which I do quite often. Even in public just to embarass them! :)

MY VERY OWN PLAYGROUND IN MY BACKYARD

I do realize this is a very tall order but I sure do love playing on a playground whenever I can. It would be pretty neat to have one right there in my backyard ... especially when I wake up Christmas morning.
GUITARS, DRUMS OR A PIANO
I am constantly singing or "playing the drums or guitar", so I need to practice since I AM going to be a rock star when I grow up, much to Mom and Dad's dismay. I am in awe of the worship band at church! Then mom can have her wooden spatulas back ... ya know, the ones I broke because I was rockin' out so hard. PS - Mom asks to NOT get me a really loud drum set or she will not believe in you anymore, whatever that means!

Well St. Nick, I think those are the main things I'm really wanting this year. I can't be too greedy because that 's not what Christmas is all about. I know that for sure seeing that I'm pretty tight with Jesus and all. We've got something in common - we were born on the same day. Thank you for taking time to read my letter and I promise, once this toddler phase passes, I'll listen to my mom and dad a lot more. I'm going to be a great kid - just you wait and see! Say hi to those cool reindeer for me and I promise to leave you some really yummy cookies this year. And I know that little sneaky elf will be watching me too. I haven't forgotten.

Peace out,

EG

10 Things I Learned This Week

1. Winthrop's new and updated campus is AMAZING! I told Chris I want to go back to college again. We went to WU's homecoming this past weekend and toured around the new student center. They even have a Starbucks! What the ...?!?
2. How can your child be technically speaking potty trained, both day and night, then regress? E has had accidents every single day at school last week that we just got frustrated and told him no TV, aka "Phin and Ferb", until he has no accidents. I thought it sounded harsh when Chris told him, but knock on wood, it has worked so far. He did great all weekend - no accidents, until church, but then he did awesome at school today. He gets Fin and Ferb as a reward so let's hope that helps. Any of your kids regress after a while?
3. I love feeling the support of friends and family when going through hard times. Love and friendship is amazing.
4. I cannot wait for Thanksgiving! I can't wait to spend time with my family and my mouth is watering at the thought of all the yummy food.
5. I am loving keeping up with http://www.twifans.com/ and the latest info on the taping of Breaking Dawn. Currently they are taping the honeymoon and it's fantabulous. If you're a big fan, check it out. There are some crazy fans out there who stalk these actors, but thank God for them. :)
6. Ethan's mattress for his new full, yes FULL, bed is being delivered on Friday! Yipee! So that means he'll be sleeping in his brand new big boy bed / room for the weekend. Let's hope this keeps him in his bed, although I certainly loved snuggling up to him last night at 2 AM.
7. Ethan sneaking in our room at 2 AM every night is wearing me down quickly, but I don't think I'd trade it for anything in the world. I'm sure I'll look back when he's a teenager and wish he would come snuggle with me.
8. I am loving this misty rain we have right now. It makes me want to snuggle up with a good book.
9. Speaking of books, I need a list to give to my Secret Santa. Any suggestions?
10. I will be 31 in three weeks. Yikes!

Friday Randomness

Happy Friday Ya'll!

Aren't you glad it's Friday? I sure am! I'm looking forward to a nice, relaxing weekend. Tonight, my BFF Carrie and I are scrappin'. We haven't done so in about two months, since before her newest little one, Noah, was born. So needless to day, I'm itching to get some stuff done and possibly even start on some Christmas layouts! Gotta stay ahead of the game. Tomorrow is Winthrop's Homecoming in which I'm not sure if we will attend, but it would be nice to run into some old faces possibly. Any of you WU alums going?

As an update, I PROMISE to get some pictures up very soon of what's going on in the house. It's been a while since Ethan's room has been painted and nothing has been done so far until this week when my parents brought the bed frame and dresser. Did I mention the steal I got at the PB Outlet? My mom and I found a full bed (we planned on a twin but this deal was too good to pass up) and an extra wide dresser at a grand total of $580 including tax and a 40% off sale! I was so excited! So, we still have a few accessories and decorating to do, as well as get the mattress then we'll be able to move EE into his new room. I'm excited to be able to show him his new bed and for him to sleep in it. I've got a few ideas brewing for the nursery now that we know it's a boy. We probably won't get started on that until January probably. We need to get though the holidays.

One other thing. We have struggled with if we should mention this or not and we need prayers, so we have decided to talk about it on our blog only - not publicly, like Facebook! After the ultrasound on Tuesday, the midwife came in and said there was one thing they saw that is raising some concern. The baby has what is called Choroid Plexus Cyst. I've copied this from a medical website to better explain - basically what it is is the area of the brain that makes the spinal fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord. There are two of these areas in the brain, one on either side. This is not an area of the brain that is involved in thinking. Once in a while a cyst forms inside the choroid plexus and is called a “choroid plexus cyst” or a “CPC”. Cysts can be found on one side or on both sides and they come in many different sizes. A choroid plexus cyst does NOT cause learning problems or mental retardation and are not cancer. Although it can be scary to hear the two words “cyst” and “brain” in the same sentence, these cysts are not known to cause any problems for a baby. Choroid plexus cysts are seen in approximately 1% (1 in 100) of all second or third trimester ultrasounds. They usually disappear during the third trimester but they don’t always. It doesn’t make any difference if they disappear or not. These cysts can also be found in adult brains and go unnoticed during our lifetime. The midwife, Jan, expressed greatly that she is not in the least worried about it and she thinks it will resolve itself by 28 weeks, which is when they want to have me back for a second ultrasound to make sure. If at that point it has not resolved itself, they will refer us to the Women's Institute. We are praying for it to resolve and we are asking for your prayers that it will too. Of course, when she told us the news, of course we are not prepared to hear anything bad so we were in shock and asked a million questions. It's hard to be so happy about the news that the baby looks 99% great, then to have a downer like this. We are blessed that everything else in the ultrasound showed great development in everything else so we feel confident that everything will be fine. The next 8 weeks will go by slowly. I woke up Wednesday morning with a pit in my stomach and a cloud around me all day but I've been praying and have truly felt God's hands around me comforting me and the baby.

On a postive note, enjoy the latest baby bump watch picture. I feel like a cornball because I took it of myself in the mirror at work. What a dork. We just always forget to take one at home in the evenings because we're just beat from the day.

Have a great weekend!

The Cassidy's Are Having ...

... ANOTHER BOY!!!

And boy was I so wrong! From the get go, from day one, from the moment I found out I was pregnant, I knew I was having a girl. People would ask me if I had an intuition and I just never gave it a second thought. This pregnancy has been different in all kinds of ways so I never thought any differently. Then just recently I started second guessing myself. Now that I've really started showing, people have said I'm "carrying like a boy", whatever that means! :) Then the picture came up on the ultrasound and it was as clear as day. The legs spread eagle with a thingy in the middle. I said it before the tech - it's a boy! Of course, I've had to let it soak in a bit that I'm now going to be a mother of two boys but to be honest, I could not be more thrilled and would not have it any other way! I am dreaming of the day where the two of them will be the best of friends, or at least I pray for that. I adore my sister and I'm so glad I have had this experience in life to have a sister. I think the same goes for boys in that brotherly bond. I do have some ultrasound pictures and 4D pictures to post when I can get to scanning them. I just wanted to share the news!

TODAY IS THE BIG DAY!

Today at 2:30 PM we will find out if we are having, God willing and blessed, a BOY or GIRL!!! Please say a prayer for our family and our unborn son or daughter today in hopes that we do find a happy, healthy baby in the tummy! Stay tuned for results!!!

10 Things I Learned This Week

1. Waiting is just agony. Especially when it comes down to just less than 24 hours before you know if you're going to have a new daughter or son.
2. I can make a killer carrot cake. I have the yellow nails to prove it.
3. Our house looks like it was in a snow globe where you shake it up and see where all the pieces land. In the past two days we have had our living room moved to the bonus room and our bonus room moved to the living room. Pictures soon to come. How soon - I can't promise.
4. Can I keep a secret for the next 4 months? Umm I'm not sure. Chris and I want to keep the name of our unborn boy/girl a secret until the day it's born but I'm not so sure I can do it.
5. Having all this leftover chocolate from Halloween in our house is not doing much for my figure. LOL what figure! I have a huge bump in the front!
6. Glee is going to rock it tomorrow night! See the next clip:
7. Blogger just frustrates the heck out of me sometimes!!!
8. Being preggo has it's upsides - I've always been one to bite my tongue on what I think about a certain something or subject, but lately I've just had diarrhea of the mouth. LOL It's kinda liberating.
9. Praying for a dear friend and her sweet baby girl is on my prayer list every single day.
10. Did I mention we find out TOMORROW IF WE ARE HAVING A GIRL OR BOY!!?!?!?
    
    

Happy Halloween!

Halloween was wonderfully low-key this year. Due to the confusion of which night to trick or treat, Saturday or Sunday, thankfully my friend and neighbor Abbie told me HOA said our neighborhood would do it Saturday. I for one was thankful it wasn't on a weeknight where we had to work the next day. We headed outside for a few pictures before the sun went down, had some taco soup then headed out when the sun went down. I found his Halloween costume for $5 at a consignment sale and was pumped! I knew I wanted him to be some sort of racecar driver or Buzz Lightyear, but I couldn't turn this deal down. Of course, as you can probably tell, I made the hat and checkered flag. Nothing like a homemade costume! :) This year E really got into the meaning of trick or treating. He understood that we only go to houses with the porch light on and we say thank you after we get our treats. We were really only going to go to a few streets but he wanted to keep going and going. We did the entire neighborhood! I was exhausted when we got back and I think he was too. It was a great Halloween!

Impromptu Pumpkin Picking

With Halloween quickly approaching last week, I realized that we have not been to officially pick out a pumpkin. We just had every weekend in October slam packed (I'm sure Chris is so thankful that November has very few plans) and never made time to do so. So, we met up with our friends, The Ledfords, and got the kids together to pick a pumpkin at the Kings Street Farmers Market in Charlotte. It was warm - so warm that Adam was wearing shorts and a T-shirt and I couldn't bring myself to put long sleeves on Ethan. But we went out around 6 so it was starting to cool down. The kiddos had a blast! Ethan and Kaitlyn get along so well together and they had the best time chasing each other around all the mounds of pumpkins. There were a million pumpkins all piled on different tables per size and then one big mound of pumpkins that they could choose from. There is a big sign that said "No crawling on top", and what exactly did the kids do? We finally just grabbed a pumpkin on our way out and went to eat dinner!

A Few Pictures & Videos ...

Uncle Frankie, Chris' brother, and Ashley got married October 17th and I FINALLY got some pictures and videos to share. Check em' out! Look at my little handsome fella!