the story of our tree

so the saturday after we got home from the hospital, justin bundled up elise and isaac and took them to a local tree farm to get our christmas tree...

then isaac "helped" daddy and papa set it up...

 while maurice had a christmas photo shoot...

and there the tree sat...

it's been up for a week now, and on friday, mary and mom put the lights on for us...

while elise made funny faces for the camera...

(thanks you two!)...

this evidently wore elise out...

and maurice...

but not isaac (no surprise there)...

then last night, we finally decorated the tree with our gazillion ornaments...

isaac was more interested in the boxes and paper the ornaments came in...

justin was the ornament hander-outer...

elise was adorable and did a great job...

the kids stopped to read the Cat in the Hat book ornament (it's actually the entire book!)...

while morgan decided to take a nap on the bed elise made for her baby...

elise putting one more ornament on the tree...

all finished (so we thought)...

justin got the kids ready for bed...

and not long after, the tree took a tumble, crashing to the ground, smashing who knows how many ornaments...i admit, i cried...

so back up it went...with justin tying it in two spots...

and somehow, we still have a ton of ornaments (who am i kidding, thank you aunt ruth!!)

merry christmas!

maurice david is here!

maurice david baloche arrived early Wednesday morning at 5:14 am, weighing 8 lbs. 13 oz. and he was 20 1/4 inches long.  here's the quick break down...

1:15 am - woke up contracting; went downstairs to watch TV thinking they would taper off like the night before

2:45 am - texted justin from downstairs that he should come down; contractions had been 5 min. apart for last hour and half

3:10 am -  decided to start the phone calls to have his parents and sister come down because contractions were now 3 min. apart at times...this wasn't stopping!

4:20 am - we are loading kids and dog up to leave with oma and papa; vanessa arrives and her kids are loaded to go with oma and papa too; my contractions take a dramatic turn and start to increase in intensity and are now 3 min apart consistently...maybe even less

4:45 am - leave for the hospital now contracting A LOT

(imagine us flying down 295, then onto 73...and all three of us wondering if this baby was going to have to be delivered in the car as i'm starting to yell, "i have to push!")

5:10 am - pull up at the ER; water breaks; justin is flying down the hall pushing elevator buttons, vanessa is running behind him pushing me in the wheelchair

5:12 am - arrive in labor and delivery

5:13 am - continue pushing (not start...we've already been doing this!)

5:14 am - maurice is born!

whew!  just writing it is amazing...i can't stop reliving this in my mind...

 we are now a family of five!

and while we were making our mad rush to the hospital, 8 of the grandkids (and our dog) were hanging out with oma and papa (thank you both so much!!)...and here's what isaac was getting into (yes, that's powdered sugar)...he was evidently quite proud of himself

 we came home from the hospital on thursday, but oma and papa gave us one night just the three of us.  so the kids returned yesterday.  here's proud big sister calming her new little brother down by holding him and singing to him...

thank you to all who prayed and have played a role in helping us prepare for this new little guy.  we are so blessed to have him in our family and things are transitioning well thus far.  big question is...

who do you think he looks like???

little man 2

isaac has been my little man...but soon we will meet little man 2.  oh, contractions...they are such tricky things...as i sit here, i'm having them off and on...and i have the desire to post just in case this is the last time i get to do so before this little bundle makes his grand entrance.  the night before elise was born, i was awakened and couldn't sleep and blogged as well.  it was funny to look back and see the timing of it all.  anyway...this little guy has already been very different than his siblings.  for one thing, i think he's going to be bigger than either of them were! (and that's saying a lot!)  his time in the womb was marked by lots of ultrasounds and extra watching that the other two did not have.  he's evidently "overly active"...which just makes me laugh.  but even as far as his entrance...he's taking his time.  he seems laid back, if i can even dare to say that already.  contractions will come...then they go away.  pressure increases...then it disappears.  it's like..."hey mom, i can't wait to meet you guys..."... "oh, but it's really nice in here too..."  Lord, give me patience.  he will come when You have deemed it time.  these are random ramblings from a mama one week out from her due date with her third...anticipating great changes...trying not to get too excited but lay low until labor is totally evident...and seeking to trust the Lord with it all.  this little guy could have gotten hand, foot, and mouth and died months ago...but God protected him.  God, You have a plan for him.  i will rest in that tonight.

our two

while waiting for little brother to make his arrival, we're still busy getting in the christmas spirit.  the kids have been to the mall twice in the last two days (one time with each of us) to pick out gifts for jay and me.  seeing all the lights and decorations, while hearing bing sing in the background...nothing like it.  

isaac, we have discovered, loves wearing hats (as you can see).  he gets more compliments on this hat... and the best part is that i got it at the free table at Homeschooler's Day Out (Thank you to whoever put it out there!)  

then today, while isaac was napping, elise got to make her gingerbread house.  we got this kit at Trader Joe's and it's adorable!  everything was pre made (free of artificial everythings) and all we had to do was mix the icing.  a great first gingerbread house!   

i'm trying hard to enjoy this time with our two kiddos, before they become our three kiddos :) 

it's the most wonderful time of the year

christmas decorations are up!  all we need is the tree...and as long as baby boy doesn't come before tomorrow afternoon, we'll have our tree!  but in the meantime, here are some shots from around our house. i just love christmas.  and thank you mom for your help in learning to make bows!  martha stewart, i am not...but after watching a you tube video at least six times, i can now boast that i can make my own bows!  it's a worthy accomplishment.

my crazy preggo mind

this pregnancy has been odd lately...and for lack of any other appropriate response, i just have to laugh!  i've been slurring my words, emails and fb messages to the point where i feel like an awkward teenager.  the other day at the doctor's office, while giving a urine sample (i really dislike doing those this late in the pregnancy)...i dropped (yes, dropped) the entire cup into the toilet!  come on, kegels, come through for me so i can attempt another cup!!  and then today, while getting my primping-pre-labor pedicure and waxing, i almost cried as she ripped the hairs off my upper lip...you know...where the tears are there and she's asking me if i'm ok...and i'm trying to blow it off saying, "oh yeah, my eyes are just watering..."  ridiculous!!!  but like i said, i have to simply laugh.  and hopefully in sharing this to the blogger world i'm not crossing the too much information line, but simply giving you all something to laugh about too.  we'll see you soon, little man!!  10 days and counting...until then though...g'night!