Baby Appointment/Tres Date

Yesterday morning, I had my doctor's appointment. I got up and got ready, and since Tres was up, I asked him if he wanted to go hear the baby's heartbeat and then after I would take him to breakfast, just him and me. He quickly got ready and we were out the door.

He talked my head off the entire ride there! Just chatting about everything and nothing in particular. But somehow, I had agreed to take him to Toys R Us after breakfast. He's a little fast talker, that one!

Everything looks good with Baby #3! The heartbeat was 146 BPM this time... a little slower. I have lost 4 pounds since my last visit. The doctor didn't get on to me though. He thinks I'm loosing because I'm staying active through volleyball. I also just don't crave sweets that much. My struggle this time around is caffeine! Our sonogram to find out the sex is on April 18th. And we are planning to schedule the 4-D ultrasound for sometime between my 28th and 30th week. Tres loved hearing the heartbeat and could mimick it perfectly by the time we got in the car.

We ate at Cracker Barrel. We listed words that rhymed while we ate, and then afterwards we played checkers in the rocking chairs out front. Then we headed to TRS. It turns out that was a good thing though since Tres needed to get Bry a birthday present! He picked him out some TMNT action figurines, and found himself a small Transformer. Then we went and got Bryant and headed home!

It was a fun day date with my Tres-man.

The Job

We heard from the chief engineer in Pennsylvania early this week. We are not going to be taking that position or moving away! I'm a little relieved and little... ummm sort of wondering why all this stress had to happen in the first place! Hank and I both feel like God is getting us ready for things to come. And one good thing that came of it was that we were mentally prepared to move.

Thank you all for your prayers! They were needed and felt!

We had a pretty good weekend. Hank left us early Saturday morning to go and help my sister Tonnie and her family move into their new house! The boys and I went over around 2 to try and help unpack some boxes and get some order going... but it was slow going! I promised Tonnie I would come back on Tuesday to help her unpack some, and I loaded up my boys and Luke (along with a ton of boxes!), and headed home. Luke spent the night and the boys had a blast!

Sunday we went to church, and I must say that I felt like I looked pretty good. I wish I had gotten Hank to take my picture because I am most definitely looking pregnant and not fat these days! I'll get one on here soon!

After church, we ate at Del Toro then headed to my parent's house to borrow their weed eater since ours in out of commission. The boys begged to stay, and my parents were more than happy to let them. So Hank and I got to come home and get busy! :) Okay not like that people! He worked outside, weed eating and getting rid of stuff from our back yard that we don't need. I packed up a bunch of toys and a good bit of stuff from Tres's closet. All total, I packed about 15 boxes! Which is good...but our house is turning into a maze of boxes! We will start moving them over to my parent's basement later this week. Then we took the boys and Aunt Jennie to see Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It was okay. I'm not a huge TMNT fan, but the boys were enthralled! Then we took Aunt Jennie home and came home ourselves to crash!

I am still not feeling great. Allerigies are kicking my tail! I cough and gag all day. And the nights are just horrible! I can't breath unless I take medicine, which is taken sparingly since Baby Boemer 3 is on the way. I'm just kind of muddling through these days! Bryant also seems to be affected by allergies. He actually threw up in his car seat last night! Yuck! But he acts fine and there is no fever.

We are still praying and waiting on the job situation. We should hear sometime this week. Also this week, I have a doctor's appointment. I believe that I will schedule my sonogram appointment this time too! We are gonna look into the 3-D kind this time around since we know it will be our last!

Okay, later... I gotta get some cleaning done today!

The Boemer Brothers Shots

These are their Easter outfits. It's a sweater vest we got from the Disney Store. Aren't they cute!

Tres Shots

Tres got some individual shots done too... even though it wasn't his birthday! But I only packed him one outfit, cause I didn't think about grandma going hog wild!

He came up with this pose all by himself!

Photo Shoot with Grandma!

While we were in PA, my mom took my kids to an appointment at Portrait Innovations I had set up before all this job craziness started! I try to schedule pictures at each of their birthdays. I get individuals of the birthday boy and get one of them together. I try to keep it reasonable! Well, this time... grandma was in charge! :) Here are some of my favorite Bryant shots:
He's still obsessed with firemen and firetrucks!

This one is probably my absolute favorite!
He is also still very much into wearing his cowboy boots...

It's about time!

That's probably what my faithful readers are thinking anyway! We made it back from PA safely Tuesday night. The trip there was nerve-wracking only because we knew his interview was coming up! We flew in around 10:30, got out little compact rental car, and were in Harrisburg, PA by noon.

Mark Olingy, Chief Engineer at ABC 27, showed us both around their station. Then they deposited me back in the lobby so they could begin the interview. About an hour later, they came out and we went to lunch. Mr. Olingy turned his questions on me at lunch! I felt like I was being interviewed! But I feel like I did well. I even managed to make him laugh a few times. Then the talk turned technical, so I focused on praying and eating my Ceasar salad quietly.

After lunch, it was back to the station, where I sat back down in the lobby, and Hank went in for another round for about 1 1/2 hours.

Overall, Hank felt pretty good about the interview. We were hoping to hear by today whether he got the job or not, but they called yesterday to let him know that the decision would have to be made next week. So we are still in a state of constant prayer and 'what if-ing'!

The city of Harrisburg is older and in that respect, has a lot more charm and quaintness to it than Birmingham. The previous weekend before we arrived, they had received 3-4 inches of snow, so it was really neat to drive around everywhere and see snow piled up, snowmen built, and houses covered with a white blanket. It was also pretty funny to me that I knew Birmingham would've been shut down for a full week if that happened! :)

We looked at several houses on Tuesday and gave the realtor an idea of price-range and what we were looking for. He gave us a super organized and thorough packet of information on the area (banks, libraries, mortgage companies, emergency numbers, schools, taxes, etc.). He showed us some local things as well, like a farmer's market in the city.

Then we said good-bye to him, and headed up to Hershey, PA which was about 10 minutes from our hotel. They have an amusement park, which was closed until it warms up, outlet malls (side note: there is no sales tax on clothes or groceries there), and much more. Hank and I went into the Gift Shop area of the Hershey Museum and got the boys a few items for Easter Baskets. It was fun! They had a place you could package your own candy. A place you could personalize the wrapper of Hershey bars. A place you could personalize the actual chocolate bar. They even had a place to eat, called the "Kit Kat Cafe."

From there we drove back to the airport and flew home. We've got pictures, but we need to download them after the disc has been finalized, so soon, I promise! I'll keep you posted!

"In his heart...

...a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps."
Proverbs 16:9

Well we have done all the planning we can do on this end. We fly into Baltimore Monday morning, where we pick up a rental car. Then we drive to Harrisburg, where Hank will go in for his interview sometime that day. Tuesday morning, we have an appointment at 9 am with a relocation expert real estate agent. She is going to be showing us the area and also some listings of homes in our price range. Then we will drive back to Baltimore, turn in our car, and make our way home.

Our hope is that whichever way God wants us to go, the choice will be crystal clear.

"Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying,'This is the way; walk in it.'"
Isiaih 31:20

We are still in desperate need of prayer support. This is so huge, I can't even begin to tell you.

Mr. Independent x 2

My boys like to dress themselves. I often hear, "I no need you help, Mommy!" from Bryant. Tres still likes me to put on his shoes... but only after he has chosen them!So what do you think? My personal favorite part of Bryant's outfit is his Mickey Mouse socks, pulled up to his knees. And I love the addition of Tres's Sunday shoes to this ensemble!

Note all the boxes in the background! We are moving one way or another... I've just stayed busy packing! It keeps my mind occupied!

Okay, we're trying to keep it together here. It looks like Hank and I will be flying into Pennsylvania this coming Monday. A week from today.

In the meantime, I'm making a checklist today of all that we need to do to get our house ready to sale. We are doing this anyway, so the timing couldn't be more perfect. I'm up to my eyeballs in boxes and bins. And every night I lay in bed thinking about what else I need to pack up.

The boys are aware but oblivious (if that makes any sense) to what is going on. Tres asked me yesterday if we moved far away, would he still see his cousins. But I think he doesn't grasp the concept.

The volleyball tournament this past weekend went pretty well. We came in 5th or 6th out of twelve teams. We definitely have played better ball... but I'm still so proud of those girls! We have another tournament in Pensacola this weekend, so it will be a long week, weekend, and beginning of the week for this already pooped mom.

When I got home yesterday, Hank and I took them to see Charlotte's Web at the dollar theater. I cried. And Tres has been asking me "Am I dying?" ever since. Thanks Charlotte.

Well, I better get back to it! Everytime I feel myself starting to get anxious over this situation, I remind myself that God has our very best in mind. He isn't going to let us down.

Here are the highlights of our week:

My boys came home from Georgia in one piece... then immediately wanted to go and spend the night with my parents. After arguing for about an hour, I finally gave in to the tears, and called my parents who were more than happy to drive over and get the boys for an impromptu sleep-over! So... Hank and I had a date night! Unexpected but nice!

Tuesday night, we had an invasion of the pull-up head people!

Wednesday we went and picked up the boys plates that they painted last week at Painted By U in Vestavia. What do you think?

Also on Wednesday, Hank got a call from his direct manager. He told him about a Master Control Manager position open in Harrisburg, PA (approx. 700 miles from Alabama). He told him about it because he thought that Hank wouldn't be interested in moving. Well, Hank told him he was interested and by the end of the day had talked to the gentleman who would be Hank's supervisor at the station there. This guy had met Hank back when ABC 33/40 had just become a station and Hank was fresh out of college. He has apparently heard some good things about Hank and also knew that Hank has put some feelers out for a new position. So he told Hank that when he called our station, he knew he wanted to talk to Hank. He also said that they are prepared to offer him a sizable raise and a manager's position. On top of that, this gentleman informed Hank that he would answer only to him... and that he planned to retire in about 3 years and would be potentially grooming him for his position. So.... in about two weeks, they are gonna fly both Hank and I up there to see the city and the station and do a face to face interview. Hank's current manager told Hank that there was no way there were gonna let him go... so we'll see. I'm excited... and nervous... and scared... and so looking forward to where God is leading us. Right now, I am praying like a maniac. And packing a little more every day. And researching cost of living (an increase of 4.3%), housing (more expensive than here, but re-sale looks great!), schools (still looking into that), and hospitals.

On the pregnancy front, I'm still feeling nauseous a lot. Volleyball makes me super tired, but I love being active! I can feel little flutters when I'm laying down at night that I'm almost positive aren't gas! :) I still haven't recieved my new shirt... but when I do, I'm gonna take some pics and post them. This morning, I just HAD to have doughnuts! So Hank and Tres went and picked some up. Here are the boys with their powdered doughnut mustaches!

Wednesday and Thursday night I had volleyball practice. THis morning the boys and I made a trip into Alabaster to pick up some boxes that were posted on Freecycle. And now they are enjoying lunch while I pack my bag for a volleyball tournament in Atlanta. My team is picked to win! So here's hoping!

What's In a Name?

HowManyOfMe.com

There is: 1 person with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

I just knew there was only one of me!

"All By Myself... Don't Wanna Be...

All By Myself, Anymore!"

Well, the boys just pulled out of the driveway a few minutes ago and I feel a little out of sorts. Bryant came and woke us up before seven, so we went ahead and got up and got everyone dressed and everything loaded. Bryant kept telling me, "Bye Bye Momma!" the whole time. And Tres kept asking where this or that was to make sure he didn't forget anything. Then just before they left, Tres looks at me and says, "Take care of our baby in your tummy, Momma." Made me want to cry. I've not been alone and away from my guys in a long time. Any suggestions?

Look what I just bought...

It says "Pregnant (NOT FAT)"
I can't wait to wear it!