At just over 20 weeks...

...my belly is growing at an alarming rate! :)

I saw my midwife yesterday and was able to hear the baby's heartbeat and go over the ultrasound results. Heartbeat sounded wonderfully strong and everything for the baby looked great on the ultrasound. The one concern is that I have a low-lying placenta. More than likely that will move by the end of the pregnancy and my midwife was not concerned. It is something to pray about, we would like to have this baby naturally as well and with no complications. I will have another ultrasound at 28 weeks to check on the location of the placenta.

Beside the already large belly :) I am feeling good. I have my energy (most days) and not uncomfortable (yet).

# 14,760

I am a bit of a sucker for a good blog giveaway. I have won one in my life and it was actually for some awesome blankets made by Aden & Anais. I actually won the heavier winter blankets which will work nicely for baby #3 coming in January but I LOVE their light weight muslin wraps too!

Anyway, back to my point...I love a good blog giveaway and I just entered to win one on thepioneerwoman. She is giving away 2 Le Creuset French Ovens! Last week she gave away 2 KitchenAid Stand Mixers. I entered that one as well but sadly did not get picked. I'm keeping my fingers crossed...pick me, pick me, comment #14,760.

And if you want to enter, just to give you an idea of your chances :) I posted my comment (#14,760, in case you thought I mistyped that) and 10 minutes later there were over 15,000 comments! :)

9 Years!

Today Kurtis and I celebrate our 9th Anniversary! A lot has happened in that 9 years...completion of Kurtis' BA and MA, a number of job transitions for Kurtis, a house (and major remodel), 2 beautiful children with 1 on the way, transition for me from full time teacher to full time mom...many challenges and a multitude of blessings!

We often think of what we were told by our good friend Sherwood Lingenfelter, that finding a good mate is looking for someone that you will have fun and enjoy working through all your junk with and dealing with the things life throws at you. Every minute of every day has not been "fun" and it has been hard work and takes great commitment but what a true blessing it is to enjoy the journey we are on together and I wouldn't want to be on it with anyone else!

We cannot forget to say...
Thank you to everyone that has stood beside us in support and love to encourage us on this journey!

For those who haven't heard...

We're having a GIRL!

Everything seemed to look fine on the ultrasound (I hate it that the tech can't tell you anything!), I will go over the ultrasound with my midwife on the 24th. We saw HER heart beating and HER little arms and legs moving around. How great it is to be able to refer to our precious baby as a HER and not an 'It'! The miracle of life never ceases to amaze me!

Now we just need to decide on a name...I'll keep you posted on that! :)

Boy or Girl?

Tomorrow morning I will go in for my ultrasound not only to check to see how the baby is doing but to find out if we are having a boy or a girl. I don't have a feeling either way, Kurtis and I are mostly concerned to hear that the baby is healthy. But it is a nice perk to be able to learn more about our little one.

I have friends that have decided to wait to find out but not us, no way! I think it's fabulous that we can have the opportunity to get to know our little one a little more even as he/she is in my belly. We have always chosen the names of our kids soon after the ultrasound so we can refer to them by name. I enjoy the attachment stuff that's able to begin as a result. Note: if you are one of these said friends, take no insult. I don't think there is anything wrong with choosing the surprise route, just not for me. ;)

When we had Zoe I think it was also great for Malachi to begin to prepare for a sister and call her by name. I thought it was helpful for him in his brotherly bonding as well. Speaking of Malachi, when asked what this baby is he has given the same response from the beginning..."It's a girl." When asked if he wants a brother or sister he responds..."I want a brother." Quite intriguing how his three year old mind works that he makes that distinction. :)

So tomorrow we shall see. I will post and let others know after we find out. When we choose a name, I suspect that will be posted as well. Then not only can we be praying for our little one by name, so can all of you! :) For now, our prayer is that whether a he or she this baby is healthy, strong and thriving.

Hi my name is Pamela and...

I'm addicted to allrecipes.com

Seriously, I think I could spend hours looking up yummy new recipes to try. Kurtis finds it amusing that I will make something tasty and then possibly not make it again just because I am so busy trying other new and exciting recipes.

So you know our crazy, huge tomato? The one I thought would make some delicious pico de gallo. Well, I used it instead to make a vegetarian version of this recipe...yummy! I had enough for the vodka cream sauce, the fresh tomato chopped up was an excellent replacement for the canned tomatoes if I can be so bold :), and more to top our salad. I sliced up our squash and tore up our kale and skipped the Italian sausage (cause I didn't have any). I also didn't have heavy whipping cream so I used half and half with a teaspoon of cornstarch (thanks for the tip from VBHOKIE). The reviews are a favorite part for me, they have helped me break out of that "I have to do exactly what it says" mentality. And about those reviews, it is nice to order them by 'most helpful' to get some of the best tips. We enjoyed it with these breadsticks that Malachi and I made earlier in the day, another new favorite food blog I have been devouring lately that you should check out.

So what have you been cooking up lately and where do you go to find inspiration and new recipes? And, I'm always game to try a new recipe so if you have a favorite don't be shy, share the recipe! :)

Spoils from our Garden!

Malachi helped me picked some things from our garden this morning: kale, tomatoes, chili peppers and summer squash.

Here is our crazy tomato! It looks like three large tomatoes that grew together, plus the little afterthought green one on top. I'm thinking some yummy pico de gallo is in our future.

My little readers

This morning I caught Malachi and Zoe quietly sitting near each other reading books. This is very common for Malachi, but Zoe is just recently having more enjoyment in books. I love it!!Note the upside down book :)

16 Months

Took this yesterday when Zoe woke from her nap. Typical scene, she puts her pacifier in (upside down) in an effort to tell me that she wants to take it with her out of the crib. She is now weaned from breastfeeding, it's been a whole 3 days :), and our next step will be getting rid of the pacifier completely. She is growing up so fast!
A few things about our Zoester...
Loves to put dirty clothes in the laundry basket and understands and follows most simple directions. Does not have very many words yet but still is able to communicate her desires. Loves to laugh and play with her big brother. Enjoys dancing to music. Affectionate...yet has a bad habit of pinching that we're working on. Fun loving and a pure joy! What a blessing she is!