Baby Love.
	August 31, 2009 | Filed Under Being a Mama, Pregnancy | 268 Comments

Today was the third time we caught a glimpse.  But this time, it was different.  There were definite arms and legs, movement so beautiful and that heartbeat, oh my God that heartbeat that was beating at 162 miraculous beats per minute.  With each beat, our love for this baby multiplied over and over again.  Cliche…but true.

Today, when the baby appeared on the screen, we could see A BABY.  We could see OUR baby.  Deep inside me this tiny baby flipped and fluttered and although I physically could not feel it, emotionally, WE COULD FEEL IT.

I could hear Brian’s laughter that ended with the sweetest sigh, filled with relief.  I could feel his hand, reach over to mine and squeeze and not let go.

I can not believe how much we love this baby, OUR BABY.  This baby that is surrounded by our James and Jake and our tiny precious baby that we lost this past January…this baby is protected by the sweetest guardian angels.   We have so many fears being pregnant, but it won’t stop us from loving.  Nothing could ever stop us from loving the baby we saw today.  Maybe it’s our fear that makes us love even more.

Baby Fletcher – 9 weeks 2 days.  Due April 3, 2010.

	Links of the land
	August 30, 2009 | Filed Under Bloggityville | 18 Comments

*My t-shirt giveaway for Lovelyn ends TONIGHT, so hurry, HURRY, HUUUURRRRRYYYY and enter.  She has had the most amazing response to the shirts (THANK YOU!) and also had a rummage sale this weekend that ROCKED THE HOUSE.  (I can’t pull that off, can I?)  They are so grateful and so full of love.  Their love is contagious.  I’m sure you feel it when you just simply read her words.  REMEMBER: if you purchased a shirt, send me a photo.  (and aren’t they the BEST SHIRTS EVER?)

*Please forgive ALL OF THE CAPITAL LETTERS.

*My Mom is celebrating her 100th post with a giveaway.  *sniff*  Seems like only yesterday that she starting blogging.  She’s growing up so quickly.  Go there and celebrate with her.

*While in Minneapolis, Stephanie and I had the pleasure to sit down with Heather of the EO and have dinner.  It was HIGH-LAR-EE-US.  We laughed until we cried and I don’t say that often, so I mean it.    I met Heather at Blogher and fell in love with her.  Her only downfall is that she lives in Minneapolis and not next door to me.  But she makes up for it with her cute accent, I’m serious.  It’s cute.  Anyway, she wrote this post that I love.  You should read it and then you should read Heather forever and ever and ever.  AMEN.

*This week is going to be an exciting week here on I Should Be Folding Laundry.  So, check back…you won’t be disappointed.  And if you are, then you are evil and you must be destroyed.

*What movie is that last line from?  Anyone?

*Okay, so maybe it won’t be that exciting.  If you are not so eager to check back, that’s okay.

*It’s will be a little bit exciting.

*Okay.  Forget I said anything.  I would never come back if I were you.

	Always changing
	August 29, 2009 | Filed Under Being a Mama, Family | 30 Comments

I am back home in Indiana and so much has changed since I departed on Wednesday.

Anna lost her first tooth.  While I was gone.  Her first tooth.  I’m so sad that I missed this milestone, one that she has been anticipating since the dentist said “this tooth is a little bit loose” back in June.  We didn’t think it was loose, but that’s all Anna needed to hear and she brought it up everyday and had me check it everyday.

Three months later, it fell out, before I had even arrived at the airport.  Crazy thing.

The tooth fairy waited to come until last night so that I could see the tooth before she took it away.  (she’s a very nice, patient, little fairy)  Which means the tooth fairy came on a Friday night, which means Anna woke up too early this morning, AT 6:45 ON A SATURDAY because she was so excited.  DO NOT EVER DO THIS.  That is award winning advice.  You are welcome.

Another thing that happened was both of the kids caught colds.  I blame school starting.  Kids and school are dirty, germy things.  That in itself seriously makes me want to home school.

Also, Noah started wearing socks.  All of the time, “except in the bathtub.”  This is interesting because he has never enjoyed wearing socks.  He still had to wear them to school everyday, despite his feelings towards socks, but now he never wants to take them off.  Which makes me sad.  His toes are extremely cute.

Finally, Brian bought a van.  HE DID!  WITHOUT ME!  I need to go on record saying that I am SO.THRILLED that I missed the rest of the experience.  To me, buying a brand new car is fun, buying a good, used car is hard, really hard.  But I am so happy with the way that we did it.  Tons of investigating, ridiculous amounts of shopping around and we came in right at our budget.

And the car?  Is beautiful.  While I was in Minneapolis, Brian drove over 600 miles total looking for cars, all while dropping the kids off, being home for them when the bus drops them off, taking care of homework. lunches and dinner.  Oh and also while WORKING FROM HOME.  He turned into Super Man.  Well, he was always Super Man, but he turned into Super Man times SIX THOUSAND.

We bought a Toyota Sienna in perfect condition…it’s beautiful.  I’m serious.  It’s beautiful.

And the trip to Minneapolis?  Was so fun and we really did eat the entire time.

More on that to come…

	You Capture – Food
	August 26, 2009 | Filed Under you capture. | 35 Comments

I’m just going to say it.  I think photographing food is HARD.  I mean, it’s easy to just take pictures of food, but to take them so they are interesting to others, besides to those people who are starving to death, it’s not easy.

Also, I’m in a hotel right now and my battery is about to die and I could plug in my laptop but then I’d have to crawl underneath the desk to plug in my computer and well, I just don’t want to get on the hotel floor.  You understand, right?

(Dear Hotels, please place extra outlets by the beds, kthanksbye.)

So, here are my shots.  Celery and my fifty trillion dollar lunch today at the airport.

I’m not going to lie to you.  That pizza was good.  Real good.

So, I’m excited to see your photos of food, but I’ll need to do it on a full stomach, otherwise I’ll become very grouchy.

It’s your turn to share!  Please read the rules, friends!

1.  You can join in on this challenge at any time!  We welcome & love new participants.
2.  ONLY SIGN MR. LINKY IF YOU ARE PARTICIPATING IN THE ACTUAL CHALLENGE.
3.  Please make sure you are linking directly to your specific You Capture post in Mr. Linky (and not just your site, for instructions, go here) and please make sure you are linking back to this challenge in your post.  If you don’t abide by this, your link will be removed.  (I know, I’m so mean.)
4.  Try your hardest not to reuse a picture from your archives, the goal of You Capture is to get you moving with your camera, get creative!  Challenge yourself!
5.  Do your best to visit the other participants’ site – everyone loves the traffic, the comments and the feedback (not just you!)
6.  And finally, post as many pictures as you want on your post.

I will be deleting links for those that aren’t complying, which is annoying because deleting links is annoying.

Now this one is going to be a little bit of a hunt, or at least it could be, but it’s a good one, ready?

OLD SIGNS.

Happy Capturing!

	Up North
	| Filed Under stupid crap | 27 Comments

I just kissed my kids goodbye as Brian drove them to school.  I won’t see them again until Friday because I’m going on a trip to Minneapolis in a few hours.

General Mills is hosting a group of bloggers for a few days.  I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go but they were all like “it’s called an Eat & Greet” and I said “like eat as in I can eat?”

“Yes.”

“and the greet part, I can do that with cereal in my mouth, yes?”

“uhhh….sure, actually, I think there was a mistake, you can’t come.”

No, seriously, I’m slightly infatuated with the whole Fiber One line of foods where they make food that makes you poop and it still tastes good.  Also, I’ve never been to Minneapolis and also, I get to travel with Stephanie and Ivy, so it’s a WIN WIN WIN.  Except not so much a win for Stephanie on the way home because of the whole FIBER ONE smorgasbord I’ll be partaking in.

Enough about that.  (sorry, Stephanie.)

We still have not found a van but I decided that I’m done with it and told Brian he could buy one while I’m away.

I’m serious.

I did.

If you know me, your jaw is on the floor.  PICK IT UP.  I’m just so sick of LOOOOOKING and figure that Brian is a smart guy and if there is ever anything wrong with it I can be like “really?  This was the best car out there?”

I’m kidding.

But I’m not.

Honestly, we have decided on THE TYPE OF VEHICLE, we just have to find it and we have found plenty, it will just include lots of driving (for Brian) and haggling.  God, I hate haggling.

So, wish us luck.   or wish Brian luck.  Whatever.