My Birthday WEEK!!!

So I guess we know how to stretch out a good thing--birthDAYS turn into birthWEEKS around here! I have been blessed to be the birthday queen over the last few days...

CELEBRATING AT THE FARM--the birthweek kickoff--was filled with family, delicious meatloaf (I got to pick my b-day dinner!), WSU basketball, sweet nieces with strong imaginations, looking through my baby book (will our baby have fat cheeks like I did? light hair?), birthday boxes, Mamma Mia musical tickets, huckleberry-lemon cake, more stars to decorate our house, adorable baby clothes, and snow doing its best to melt.

CELEBRATING AT THE LOCHHEAD'S--filled with family stories and updates, Papa Murphy's pizza, silly cards, baby literature (Everybody Poops!) and drool-wear, dozens of pictures of Niece Janie, G'ma Dorothy's Huckleberry Pound Cake (catching the cravings pattern?), and a cool memory-box for our baby--ladybuggish, reading "My Life So Far..."

CELEBRATING AT WORK--filled with "love notes" from 10-year olds declaring that I'm the meanest teacher ever (I love this!), flowers and coffee (decaf--don't freak out) from co-workers, an updated computer from the tech guy (it just so happened to be my turn!)...

CELEBRATING WITH FRIENDS--So many phone messages and emails and cards from my dear friends! I was overwhelmed with their thoughtfulness.

CELEBRATING AT HOME--Jeff spoiled me with presents all week long! He had little presents for me each morning...books, CDs, flowers, car-wash coupons... Sweet, sweet husband!

It's been on our minds that the next birthday in our home will be in May or June...PLEASE be May!!!...and with her will come even greater celebrating! :)

Gone, Baby, Gone

Last night I stayed up entirely too late to watch the movie Gone, Baby, Gone. I didn't expect it consume my thoughts for the next 24 hours. I don't want to give anything away in this emotionally charged drama about the abduction of a four year old girl, but I would highly recommend this movie!! I will make it known that the movie takes place in rough neighborhood in Boston, and thus contains a onslaught of vulgar language with a wicked dialect. Gone, Baby, Gone is not a family film, but quite a think piece about the ethical issues surrounding neglectful parenting.

Mancation 2008

It has been a week since I was knee deep steak sauce, video games, and some of the best conversations about being a husband that I have experienced with friends. As I reflect on the weekend, here are a few moments that have risen to the forefront of my thoughts...getting to hold Troy's son Caleb for the first time (a future next-generation mancator), swapping high school stories with Robert on the chairlift after the backside of Steven's Pass humbled us, starting a movie after midnight with Joel (just like old times), pitching rocks to Johnny on the beach, and most importantly sharing and praying for one-another in our marriages and Joel's marriage-to-be. Needless to say, the 1st annual Mancation was a success!!

Girls' Weekend

Jeff has been gone this long weekend--he and a few friends are having a MANcation (which includes--but is not limited to--skiing, eating steaks, playing video games, and other manly sorts of activities). While he's been gone, it's been a GIRLS' WEEKEND here! My mom and my sister and her almost-4-year-old daughter Abby came to visit me overnight. Abby was so excited to have a sleepover at Aunt Ellie's house--and to be the only-child for 48 hours! (Brooke had a sledding party over the weekend and little Megan had to hold down the fort with dad).

The girls in my family brought lots of needed energy--we shopped and ate out and watched movies and stayed up late visiting (when we should have been sleeping). It was so fun! Included in our purchases over the weekend was our crib set that Jeff and I finally decided on--ladybugs are the focus of the pink, white, light green, and red set. And little ABBY loves to shop! She had us in stitches trying on bathing suits in the dressing room of Kohl's--each suit complete once the selected sunglasses were in place and a dance was performed in front of the mirror. She is a crack-up! I'll never forget her asking the Papa John's pizza delivery lady if she worked for Papa MURPHY'S--and then saying good-bye and "I love you" as she left. How's that for a tip?!? Such a fun time with them.

I was also blessed to have some girl time with my friend Rachel--more eating out and shopping--and I was able to have coffee with friends Cassie and Debbie. Saturday I got to celebrate our friend Sarabeth--who is marrying our friend Joel in April--at her bridal shower held at the Hits House!! Oh, and MORE fun playing Catan with Julie, Heidi, Rachel, and Matt (who was the token male, but said that it was okay if it was short-term, that it kind of reminded him of days living in Warren Hall). Needless to say, I'm resting today. :) (And though the weekend was fun, I am VERY excited to have my sweet husband back!)

Ferris Beuller...you're my GUITAR HERO!

(Jeff) Yes, it's true, I am a ten year old boy trapped in this decaying twenty-eight year old body. To only prove the point more I am currently sitting on the couch playing Guitar Hero with Ellie. Truly this is one of life's guilty pleasures.

(Ellie) So I knew he'd bought something expensive when I talked to him on the way home and he told me that he'd "done something bad." I guessed this purchase on the second try (the first guess was that he lost his job. I find that if I guess big with Jeff then things like buying Guitar Hero doesn't really phase me). After getting his new game system for Christmas, and the MANcation this weekend planned with the boys, it was pretty easy to see coming. At least he bought something that I can beat him at... I hear they have a karaoke hero game--now that would be even better!

(I guess you can see we're still not hanging out at the gym...)

February Fitness Month

Turns out we have spent more time watching sports on TV in February than we have pumping iron @ the gym. So much for February Fitness month...and even worse is that our local b-ball teams are breaking our hearts!! The Pargo dunk was a moment of ecstasy in a game that ended in bitter defeat!! I wish the Zags would just beat a ranked team already. We did the only thing we could do in response...we drowned our sorrows in a big bowl of French Vanilla ice cream!! We are currently watching the Cougs battle with the Bruins...hopefully it will end better than the games this past weekend, because we are out of ice cream!!

Snow-bound

Well, if you haven't heard, the Inland Northwest has been smothered with snow this week. Sunday night, after a foot of snow fell, Jeff and I were dreaming of a snow day on Monday--something that hasn't happened since Ice Storm 1997. Little did we know, that the snow that was dumped would give Jeff a WEEK of snow days and 4 1/2 snow days for me!

We've spent the week trying to find places for the snow--we have banks of it covering the neighbors fence, and our driveway and sidewalks look like mazes, with white walls on either side. Jeff has helped his dad and his grandpa shovel off their roofs, and I have energetically supported from the livingroom window (this pregnancy came during the right winter!).

The snow has been beautiful--and it's been a great chance to meet our neighbors, as we've all pitched in to help each other shovel out. It's been a memorable week! :)