Thanksgiving... has come and gone. We hosted a small dinner last Thursday. Mike smoked two turkeys and our guests brought a vegetable and three wonderful deserts so all I had to do was mash some potatoes and make the stove top. It was a nice day and the food was wonderful. The next day we made the four hour drive to Oklahoma City where we met my brother, Luke, and his family at the Holiday Inn. We arrived Friday around 5ish and, after unpacking and a quick swim, we all ate dinner at the Hotel restaurant. The next day we drove downtown to tour the bombing memorial. It was very impressive but I think we all left with some sad feelings after being at the site of such a tragedy... We returned to the hotel and all took naps. Later, after another swim, we drove back downtown and browsed the Bass Pro Shop. Mike and Luke were in heaven and I think the rest of us enjoyed it, too. Afterwards we ate dinner at Tony Romas and were all ready to retire to our room and watch movies. The kids were big into The Wizard of Oz this year so we viewed that a few times.

Traveling has certainly taken on a new meaning with kids. There is so much to enjoy, but it is also so much more effort on our parts. Macy and Sam were so cute together, but neither of them are able to sit still for very long, which made our meals out interesting. We ended up just letting them run around in the restaraunts. They stayed close to our table and, in fact, Macy is into doing laps so it worked out okay.

We returned home Sunday afternoon and were happy to relax. Macy and I have both been battling colds and I think with all of the traveling in the past month, sleeping in different places, she is confused during the night. She's been waking up a lot and calling for "mama" or "daddy." This morning was a rough one. She was whiny and clingy and I couldn't figure out what was wrong. I almost kept her home from parent's day out, but decided to try. Turns out she ran right up to her teacher so I left feeling better.

I came home and have been pulling Christmas stuff down from the attic and alternately bringing other stuff up to store. I think I may be nesting because I'm really wanting to "de-clutter" the house. I brought up a few extra chairs and a lot of wall-pictures that have been in the guest room closet. It will soon be the new nursery so I want it cleaned out.

In other news, I finalized my Ethics paper yesterday so that feels good, even though it's not my best work. I was uninspired. I've been in such a wierd mood. I'm getting sick of being pregnant and I'm getting nervous about mommying-for-two. I know everything will be fine, but I can't shake this stressed-out feeling and then I feel even worse when I ask myself why I'm stressed now, before the baby is even here. I need a little bit of therapy, I think.

my tummy hurts... We just returned from Austin this afternoon. Macy and I tagged along to another EMS Conference with Mike. I just love Austin. Out of all of the Texas towns and cities we've visited, it's my favorite. The only drawback this time was that it was rainy, foggy and dreary all weekend. Macy and I were stuck in the hotel on Sunday, but we enjoyed a night out that night with a group of Mike's co-workers when we ate Italian-style at Romeo's. Monday we did take the Durango out to explore. We drove to see the capitol and down the infamous Sixth Street and I couldn't help but reminisce about my old bar-hopping days and that night dinner was on Tony, Mike's boss. I was a little nervous because he took us to a very nice restaurant and I was worried about Macy's behavior. But my worries were unfounded because by the end of the night, she was calling him grandpa Tony and was on his lap feeding him her french fries and he was eatin' it up. The girl was ON! I just wish I was in better shape, emotionally and physically. I've been feeling a little icky lately. I think the little baby is changing positions or something and it's really throwing me for a loop. Things have been going so well and now... just in time for the holidays!! It was bad enough tonight that I skipped class. Also, I was unable to eat so you know it's bad! Alas, I'm sure it'll pass.

But about this delay in my blogging. I know it's been some time since I last wrote. I'm still feeling non-blonde although nobody has really noticed. When I brought it up at Bunco last week, everyone said I still looked blonde to them. Maybe I should go even darker and shock someone besides myself.

Other things you've missed out on... a couple weekends ago Mike and three friends constructed a beautiful patio in our back yard made of Colorado Red flagstone. It turned out wonderfully, but we've gotten so much rain since that day that the sand between the flagstone has really settled in. Once things dry up, we'll need to fill in the holes but by Spring, it shall be a wonderful lanai in which to sit, have a cold drink, and watch young children frolic and play...

My classes have pressed on. Only three more weeks, can you believe it?! I've only registered for one class next term because of the baby. I have a feeling I won't have much energy for a few months. And although I'm hoping for the best, I can only make minor preparations for some tiny baby blues because I did have them with Macy. Maybe this time'll be different, but I don't want to sign myself up for too much just in case of an impending nervous breakdown. People keep telling me how different it will be with two kids. They're scaring me!

But anywho. I'm looking forward to this week. We're hosting a small Thanksgiving feast on Thursday and Friday we're heading to Oklahoma City to meet my brother and his family for a couple fun-filled days at the Holiday Inn! Two men, two pregnant ladies, two toddlers and a six year old - can't get much better than that!!

And most imporantly, I had a wonderful phone call from my mom last week with miraculous news.... Her x-ray and breathing test revealed a 40% improvement in her lungs. Her doctor was speechless and said that this type of recovery is almost unheard-of. I'm thankful for so many things this year, but mostly for that...

blonde no more... I actually tried to lighten my hair yesterday with a home lightening kit, but after I had the solution on my hair for 10 minutes I realized I had forgotten to mix in one of the ingredients. So I rinsed it out quickly and luckily there was no damage, but there was an orangy tint through the middle part of my hair. So there I was with dark roots, orangy mid-section and bleached ends. Yuck! I went back to the store today to get another box of blonde color but I decided instead to go back to my natural color and then later, probably in the spring, go blonde again. Turns out the color I used - Clairol 6N Dark Blonde - is a tad darker than I expected. I'm a brunette! But it looks okay and I'm just pleased to see one color up there. Maybe now I'll score better on my finals (hee hee).

no time like the present... to get caught up on my posting, that is. I have a lot to catch up on and even though it is early, I'll give it a try.

Macy's second Halloween was a nice one. We once again attended the Schwartz's party but this year it was quite a bit smaller with only four families there. We had a nice dinner (I brought eggrolls and they were a hit!) and later, of course, we were off to trick or treat. Mike, Macy and I were soon left behind of the big kids but that was okay. We ended up just going up the block and back. Macy had a hard time saying, "trick or treat!", but once she figured out what happened each time she rang the doorbell, she did start requesting, "bite?". She ended up getting a lot of good stuff for her and for Mike and I.

The more intimate party was nice and I enjoyed meeting a new couple who just moved from Massachussets, April and Joel. Joel and I had a lot to talk about because he just finished his degree in Psychology and took a position in Shreveport. We talked school and the process of certification, etc.

The following Tuesday (11/2) Mike and I had lunch with a long, lost second cousin of mine. It's an interesting story... He took the ETMC paramedic orientation class and Mike always welcomes all the students. He tells about himself, how he's from Nebraska, etc. At one of these class welcomes a student approached him and asked if he knew anyone from Sterling, Nebraska. Of course, he said his wife was from there and it turns out the student, Tim, is my second cousin. His grandpa Lorin was my grandma Helen's brother. She had three brothers and one sister and the brothers were always a mystery because I never met them or really heard too much about them. So we met for lunch and we both brought pictures. It was such a wonderful feeling to be sitting next to this man who was a relative on my dad's side. I learned a lot about my grandma's brothers and we both had similar experiences being raised. We're now going to stay in touch via email. The whole experience gives me a happy feeling. I think my dad and grandma would be happy, too.

Otherwise, last week was uneventful. I was in roller-coaster form, emotionally. I was tired a lot and I had a cold that lasted a couple days. I'm still a bit stuffy but I attribute that mostly to being pregnant. I remember feeling this way last time. The stuffiness, coupled with the general breathlessness, makes for some crabby moments. But as any cognitive behavioral therapist would tell me... I'm choosing to be crabby and I must change my thinking. Easier said than done.

The weekend was uneventful, too. On Saturday Mike washed his car and I washed laundry - 6 loads! I didn't do any all last week and I now wonder what in the world I did do. But, alas, it's all done. On Sunday we went to church. We're still shopping for one we like and this time we tried Trinity Lutheran. The service was a lot like my home town church. We have decided to start going regularly beginning this month.

With that I'll sign off for now. I"m feeling pretty good this morning and I have a list of things I need to do - including going to the mall. Yay!