One step closer to our camper...

I don't want to be too excited.

I don't want to post this prematurely.

But, I just can't help myself because we are one step closer to realizing a dream come true.

We MAY have found a camper.

One that we can afford (sort of).

One that is in really, really good shape to be a used, 10 year old camper.

One that is way, way, less expensive than we thought we'd find.

One that is used but only by people we know which for some reason makes us feel better.

One that has lots of storage.

One that I can not wait to stock up with pots and pans and brightly colored measuring cups, and towels, and tablecloths, and whatever else I might manage to find laying around in my house, my mother's house, at Walmart, or Target that screams "CAMPER!".

I wrote all of the above a few days ago.

Before we actually BOUGHT THE CAMPER!!!

Now, I'm posting it. Just so you know.

Pictures will be coming soon.

Pictures of, as Tate says, "Our very own camper..."

It's a girl!

Yep. That's right. Another girl.

We had our ultrasound today and everything looks perfect. The ultrasound goes something like this...

Head. Check.
Heart, 4 chambers. Check.
Kidneys. Check.
Bladder. Check.
Spine. Check.
Arm bones. Check.
Leg bones. Check.
Feet. Check.
Sex. It's a girl! Check.

Or, something like that. I am sure it is much more technical than I described but that's pretty much how it goes. Everything looks great and she's growing right on schedule, and we are just so happy that we had such a good dr. visit today. Thank you Lord for our sweet healthy baby girl!

She had the hiccups and she moved her arms quite a bit around her face. Other than that, she was just laying around, hanging out, very laid back (those were the ultrasound techs words). Craig and I were like - "Oh, maybe we will get a laid back one this time". Then, we saw our Dr. and he dashed those hopes with " Oh, yeah, babies will sleep like that for 40 or 45 minutes at time in the womb.". Come on Doc, give us some hope, will ya? We want a calm baby, a relaxed baby, a laid back baby. We can at least PRETEND that she is that way, right? All kidding aside, we will take whatever we get and be very happy!

The kids were happy about the news. As Tate says, now we will have 3 Mommies and 3 Daddies!

Lolly

Camper Fever

Remember a few posts back, I referred to the way Tate gets obsessed with something and that he gets that adorable trait from me and Craig?

I thought I'd share one of our current "crazes". It has actually been around for some time now. We have camper fever. We really want a camper. The problem is that the campers that we want are, well, let's say, they are a bit out of our price range. Why is it always that way? Why do we always want the things that are not quite in our reach?

Regardless of the fact that we really aren't at the point of being able to purchase our dream camper, we (mainly Craig) continues to look online at them. We even went to the camper show which was probably not the smartest thing to do because then you REALLY want what you can't have, if you know what I mean.

So, Craig and I have come up with a slightly attainable goal of what me MIGHT be able to spend on a camper. HUGE emphasis on the MIGHT. HUGE emphasis. I still think we might be just dreaming. Anyway, though we know the number in our heads, Craig continues to look at the ones that are WAY out of the ballpark. He says it doesn't hurt anything because it's just fun to look. But, I disagree. I am on the side of why even look at them if we can't get them and just get our hopes up for something that will never be. Plus, it makes it that much harder to look at what we MIGHT be able to get because then they just don't measure up. Are you staying with me here?

And, because he enjoys a good road trip (He is out of his mind), he looks at campers that are in far away places, like Minnesota or Ohio or Sascatchewan (?). Ok, maybe I am exaggerating. He usually does stick to the United States. There are some really good deals on faraway campers but what if you get there and it is not quite what they said it was? I say to stick close to home. Craig likes to look elsewhere. He likes to show me all of his "finds" on campers. I have finally instructed him that I will only get up and look at ones in the South East, preferably within an hour (or two, or three, maybe four for the right one) of our home.

So, you may ask why we have camper fever? We went camping a few times this summer and it surprised us how much we enjoyed it. Now, I will confess, I am not a naturey, outdoorsy, granola girl. I like air conditioning, T.V., showers, and my bed. That's why I like camping with campers. It is like a mini home. They have EVERYTHING. Showers, potties, running water, BEDS, a fridge, ELECTRICITY, even T.V. Camping has come along way from tents, BABY. That kind of camping is not for me. Just being honest. I like my creature comforts. Campers are the way to go. It's so much fun because the kids get out and play, you can ride bikes, you can take walks and hikes, and play in the rivers and creeks, and swing on rope swings, and read, and the list goes on and on. It is truly a way to spend more time outside being active with your family which is something I don't always make myself do otherwise. And, you can take lots of little "mini-vacations". Just go to a campground for a night or two. Come back for church on Sunday. You could explore National parks. It's endless what you could do with a camper. Camp on the river, camp on the lake, camp at Disney, camp at Lake Lanier Islands, camp in the mountains.

Camper Fever. We got it bad. Real bad.

Boot Envy

Not too long ago, I had a huge case of what I like to call boot envy. Everywhere I looked, someone would have a pair of boots on that I felt like I just HAD to HAVE. Ever felt that way?

I remember the day very well. It was the Sunday after Christmas. We went to church and I spotted them. Not one pair of boots but two pair of boots that were calling out to me.

The first pair happened to belong to a good friend of mine who shall remain nameless. She had on a pair of BEAUTIFUL brown Luchesse cowboy boots that she got for Christmas. Everyone NEEDS a pair of cowboy boots, right? That's what I keep telling myself. I NEED those boots so that once every year when I go to the rodeo, I don't feel left out. I could wear them with jeans, or skirts, or maybe even a cute dress. They are versatile, right? Right. Everyone NEEDS a pair of good cowboy boots. Just keep repeating it with me.

The second pair of boots happened to belong to the same good friend's teenage daughter. She actually WORKED for her boots, scrimped and saved, and then splurged on a pair of Classic Tall Chocolate UGG boots. That's right, UGG boots. I once thought they were hideous but lately I have fallen for them. You could wear them all day and your feet would never get cold. You could wear them under or over your jeans. They would last FOREVER, right? Right. And, with this extremely cold weather, they would be really handy right about now. And, I found out I could get a cheaper pair by buying the kids size. But, alas, the cheaper pair are still quite pricey.

I spent the whole week thinking of those boots, researching boots online, I even went boot shopping (or tried to anyway - the boot place was closed). I still haven't bought any boots. I'm trying to let the feeling pass but I just don't know if it will. I have Christmas money burning a hole in my pocket.

The next Sunday, PreacherMan preached on (among other things) coveting your neighbor's wife, house, etc.

Surely, it had nothing to do with my week of boot envy.

Surely, boot envy isn't the same as coveting, right? Right.

I'll just keep telling myself that.

Snow day

Snowball fights....




Snow pile jumping...


And, snow angels.

Yep. That pretty much covers the snow day.

Look who is turning 7 this week...

That's right, Tate turns 7 this week! His birthday celebration started on Friday with his party at our house. We kept it really simple with just immediate family coming over for supper (sandwiches, chips, dips- nothin' fancy), opening presents, and of course, cake and icecream.




This year Tate wanted a "regular" birthday cake opposed to my favorite "cookie cake" from the Cookie Company. After all, it is his birthday, so I conceded and bought a "regular" birthday cake. He loved it!

On Saturday night, he and Craig and a couple of their buddies went to the Monster Jam at the Georgia Dome. Tate is really into Monster Jam and monster trucks right now. He can tell you just about anything that you want to know (and a lot that you probably don't want to know) about monster trucks, the drivers, the manuevers, the tricks, the names of the types of crashes (because they don't JUST crash, there are technical names for what they do). He can tell you what part of the truck is most likely damaged during a jump and pretty much commentate the whole thing for you IF you want him to and even if you don't want him to.

He is almost obsessed with them. He gets this from Craig and I. We get something on our mind or start liking something and it is all we can think about. We will research it, read about it, talk about it, dream about it, etc. until the next interest comes along, or until we buy it, whichever comes first. Tate is much the same way. Right now, his "thing" alternates between monster trucks, BMX biking, baseball, and the Wii.

That pretty much sums up Tate at age 6 ALMOST 7.

He is a good kid. We love him. We think we'll keep him.

Happy Birthday Week, Tate!