It's a ...

baby!
If you haven't heard by now, we're having another baby. Friday I had my 20-week ultrasound. We decided not to find out the gender this time, but it was still fun to see him/her. At both ultrasounds (this and the 12 week one) the baby has been very active. It's a wiggler! I'm finally feeling better, although I still have some nausea. I can eat more normally--even treats and junk food a little. They have been making me sick, which I guess is a good thing. I usually crave salad, cheese and Chick-fil-a (chicken strips with sauce). Being older, the kids have been so fun about the baby this time. We are all really excited to meet the newest member of our family.

And now for an update on the rest of the kids...since it's been awhile.
I asked Audrey the other day if she was 2 and she yelled, "no." Dead give away, my dear. She still loves babies. She'll be a big helper when the baby comes. She likes to put an "e" sound on the end of one syllable words. So it's vanny, beddy, Paulie, Sammy, etc. She swings back and forth between being fiercely independent and completely helpless. She is very nurturing and likes to help in the kitchen. She attended her first birthday party for her friend Zoey. She was excited about her present and did a good job with the crafts and playing with the older girls. She's becoming more social and asks to go to the store often. I need to organize more outings and play dates for her. She loves pink and always wants the pink plate, cup, shirt, etc. She loves to sing and has a lovely little voice.

Sam graduated preschool and is looking forward to Kindergarten. He's very ready to go. He loves books  and is starting to read. I hope he will love to read as much as I do. Sam lives in bionicle world. He has been collecting the Lego Hero Factory guys (bionicles as he calls them) and he builds them, watches online videos, and invents stories about them all day. He is still very imaginative and also content to lounge in his pjs at home all day. He is playing soccer again this spring and scored his first goal last week. Mostly it involves him running around like a super-hero and anticipating treat time. Sam is very affectionate and my snuggler.

Paul is having a great year in first grade. His confidence is growing and he even played the piano at the talent show, followed by an encore performance on his pogo stick. We were very proud of his last report card. He made improvements in his hand writing and his teacher wrote, "Paul has amazing math skills. He is the only one to get 100% on the fluency test." He scored above the 90th percentile in math computation. He decided to try basketball this spring and is enjoying it so far. He is losing teeth, eating as much as me and finally gets to wear shorts and abandon his winter coat. He's counting down the days to summer.