some thanksgiving pictures.

Following is a bunch of pictures from our Thanksgiving adventures.

First, from my MIL's in Fayetteville, Arkansas:

Hayden

my MIL with Hayden
Hayden and his Uncle Jason (my husband's brother) Jason and his girlfriend Megan
Jason with his mom Randy - my husband - with his Thanksgiving plate

And now from Jacksonville, Arkansas where we did Thanksgiving with my side of the family:

Hayden with his new friendRandy and Hayden me and Hayden

old wive's tale - dime test.

While we were visiting with my grandma this weekend over Thanksgiving, she had to do the old wive’s tale gender prediction test in which you tie a piece of string to a dime, hover the dime over the mom-to-be’s belly, observe how it moves, and then depending on the movement find out if the baby is a boy or a girl (people also use a ring or a needle instead of a dime as the object of movement).

If the dime moves back and forth in a pendulum motion then it’s a boy. If it moves in a circular motion the baby is a girl.

When I was pregnant with Hayden she also did the test - and it said he was going to be a boy (obviously it was right).

This time the dime moved in a circular motion - indicating that the baby is a girl.

My grandma is convinced that I am having a girl. She wants to start making a pink baby blanket. I told her to hold off on the afghan until the ultrasound provides proof of what the baby is - whether that be a boy or a girl. And fortunately I don’t have to wait too much longer for the ultrasound - only 2 weeks from tomorrow (December 13th).

my pregnant belly.

People have been asking demanding me to post pictures of my expanding mid-section.

So without furter ado, this post is for you.

It really isn't all that much considering how big I am going to get; however, it is something.

First, we have a "starter" picture taken on August 25th.And now here we have a more recent picture taken yesterday - November 25th. (NOTE: I am a little over 17 weeks pregnant.)Honestly, I think it looks more like I have just gained a little weight (think 10 or maybe 15 pounds), but whatever: there definitely is a difference (in my opinion) - although again, not much considering what I'll be looking like in a few months.

17-week appointment.

Today was my “17-week” OB/GYN appointment.

I took Hayden, which was interesting.

We had to wait a little longer than usual in the examining room and he definitely got antsy. 10 minutes he can handle - 40 minutes, not so much.

Anywho - the doctor found the heartbeat easily - it was 150.

Hayden could have cared less. I don’t even think he noticed. Although he did think the doctor’s equipment was pretty spiffy.

He also told the doctor that he preferred a sister - which is very true. I am just trying to prepare him for the fact that this baby may not be a girl. I hope if it’s a boy that he (and I) aren’t too disappointed.

I’ll go for my “big U/S” in a little less than three weeks on December 13th. Hopefully we will be able to find out the gender at that appointment - and also make sure that this baby is healthy. We plan on bringing Hayden to that appointment as well - hopefully he will be a happy little trooper for it and not too rowdy and rude (we’ll see).

My next OB/GYN appointment will be December 22nd.

decorating for christmas.

Today we decorated our house for Christmas - we put up the tree and hung the ornaments on the tree, we hung up our stockings, we put out our Christmas lights, and we got out all of our other assorted Christmas accoutrements.

It was a lovely day.

And I know some of you might think it's too early to go about decorating for Christmas, but whatever.

We are heading out of town after Thanksgiving and this was the perfect opportunity to decorate - and so it was done.

I didn't really take any pictures - only three. But they were cute (in my opinion).

I whipped out my camera to take some pictures of Hayden standing on the ladder hanging some ornaments.

He never gets to play stand on the ladder, so this was a special treat.

christmas cards - anyone want one from me?

I am not sending out Christmas cards until mid-December this year, but I am already working on my address list to make sure I have all my addresses correct and what-not.

I would also be more than willing to send a Christmas card to any of my blog friends who would like to receive one.

SO... if you would like to receive a Christmas card from me then give me your address either by commenting on this post or emailing me directly at melner18@yahoo.com.

Our Christmas cards are pretty darn awesome by the way (you can click here to see what our Christmas card looked like last year). My husband designs the card and I write a letter. Now you want one, huh? I think so.

fun at the zoo.

This past Sunday, we went on a roadtrip to the Tulza Zoo (which is 2 hours away) with the Nix family - Don, Leslie, and Jack.

We had a fantabulous time. Seriously.

I am going to let the pictures "do the talking" - so here goes:

Hayden on a turtle with his "fishing pole" - a stick he found that really did resemble a fishing pole. Hayden with Jack and the "penguin rock."

After watching a recent 'Pirate' episode of 'Backyardigans', Hayden has been mimicking Pirate behavior and lingo. Here he is saying "ahoy matey." AWESOME picture of Hayden and Jack (taken by Leslie - Jack's mom)

Hayden really liked the petting zoo. He kept saying, "hey little fella."Monkeying around

Don (Jack's dad) with Jack

Hayden as a giraffe (which he now claims is his favorite animal)

Hayden pretending to be a giraffe (I think he is pretending to eat grass)Hayden with a cute little hat on (that we did not buy because in reality it wouldn't get worn)

picture day.

October 20th was Picture Day at Hayden's school. I was hopeful that one of the "poses" would come out a winner - that Hayden would smile, but not smile too much (AKA over-smile), that Hayden would look like himself, and that he would be willing to even have his picture taken.

I was more than pleased when I picked up the picture packet Friday and lo and behold one of the "poses" was a keeper. The other two poses - not so much, but it only takes one and one of them was definitely adorable.

And here it is: I know that the background is super cheesy, but whatever. Hayden sure does look cute.

And for reference - because it sure is fun to look back and see what Hayden's previous school pictures looked like - here are Hayden's prior 'Picture Day' pictures:

October 2008

May 2010

random ramblings.

• I almost told someone I was 27-years-old last night. I could not for the life of myself remember how old I am. After thinking about it for a minute, I realized that I am 29-years-old. It seriously took me a minute and I only realized how old I am after remembering that next year I will be 30.
• Everyday, as soon as Hayden gets home he takes off his shoes, socks, and pants. He doesn't wear pants at home. Ever. He only wears pants when we go out in public or when we have company. He has now come to the conclusion that "we don't wear pants at home" and that he "doesn't need pants." Those are his words - not mine.
• I am obsessed with Hamburger Helper. They have these "individual packets" you can make just like Easy Mac and I make about 5 per week. Good stuff!
• I am a little over 15-weeks pregnant and I had to wear maternity pants yesterday. I didn't have to wear any maternity items until I was at least 20-weeks when I was pregnant with Hayden. I also had to pack up two boxes of my "normal clothes" that no longer fit. I have to say - that was a little depressing. (But the maternity pants are super cute AND I have a wonderful friend who has offered to let me borrow her maternity clothes - how awesome is that?!?)

an interview with hayden.

I LOVE interviewing Hayden. This is the 5th interview we have done (the last one way back in February)(go here to see the prior interviews).

I really enjoy doing this. It is so neat to see what his mind is thinking.

So here is the interview in its entirety (note: this is the EXACT wording of both what I said and what he answered… although the items in parentheses are my thoughts/comments regarding his responses - not anything that was actually said). Enjoy!

• What is your full name? Hayden Samuel Werner
• How old are you? 3-years-old
• When is your birthday? January 23rd
• What is your favorite color? red
• What is your favorite thing to watch on the tv? Backyardigans
• What’s your favorite thing to eat? Popsicles
• What is your favorite candy? starbursts
• What is your favorite thing to do? Go to the park
• What is your favorite toy? Firetrucks and Popi’s boat – like at the lake
• What is your favorite book? My new firetruck book (Firehouse! by Mark Teague)
• What do you want to be when you grow up? Firefighter
• What is your favorite game? Baseball
• Who is your favorite friend? Jett
• What is your dog’s name? Alfie
• What is your favorite animal? Elephant (I have no idea where this is coming from – I did ask him why and he just said that he likes elephants.)
• What is your favorite number? 42 5 (spoken as forty-two five: I have no idea why but this truly is his favorite number)
• What is your favorite letter of the alphabet? O
• What is your favorite shape? Circle
• Are you a boy or a girl? boy
• How are you feeling? good
• Are you sad or happy? happy
• Where do you live? Arkansas
• Where does mommy live? Fayetteville
• Where does daddy live? Fayetteville
• Where does Alfie live? Fayetteville
• Who is your favorite person? Jett
• Is there anything else you want to tell me? No thanks
• Anything else? Nope
• Was this fun? Yes. This was fun.

halloween 2010.

Halloween in Pictures

Hayden with the Pumpkin Family (October 24th, 2010)

Trick-or-Treating on the Square (October 29th, 2010) Carving our Pumpkin (October 31st, 2010)

Picture-Time prior to Trick-or-Treating (October 31st, 2010)

i know this picture is goofy - but whatever.

me and Alfie

fireman on the run

alfie

Trick-or-Treating (October 31st, 2010)

all the pumpkins (October 31st, 2010)