It's A...

(BIG?) BOY!!!!!
Our top 2 names are Joshua Matthew and Jared Benjamin.
I had my 20 week ultrasound this morning and according to the head and organ measurements, I may actually be about 22 weeks along, either that or we're going to have a big baby! So instead of having a St. Patrick's Day baby, we may be having a leap year baby:) . The revised estimated due date is February 27th... but I'm sticking with early March, because at the end of pregnancy feeling like your 2 weeks overdue is not fun!
So I guess I'll be changing out the short-lived pink polka dotted nursery curtains and decor that I finally got around to making after our 5th baby; And trying to round up some baby boy clothes since I gave away all the boy stuff during some low times during my last pregnancy when I was sure she was our last baby. This pregnancy has been so much easier than all the rest, now I'm wondering if I should hastily give away all my cute girl stuff, or keep it just in case:).

Differences

I had a good laugh after parent teacher conferences this week when I read a sample of Jacob's work.
When he was asked to write a story using all of his spelling words here is what he came up with:

"One day Wendel Floyd and Mona were walking home when they tripped and fell in a bucket. They got up and passed out. Then they got up again and said their spelling words smoke, huge, save, life, wide, come, mine, grade. Then they fell asleep. The next morning they got to school and hoped they got their spelling test. The End"

I guess he's inherited some of his dad's love for efficiency :) ! Jacob doesn't like to talk or write much, so I was surprised that his note to us about parent/teacher conferences was more than one sentence... until I read it.

"Dear Mom and Dad,
Thank you for coming to conference.
Please clean out my desk.
Please buy me a pizza and a soda and please get me a book.
Do not listen to my teacher if she said I was being bad.
Can you give me a shake or a donut?
From, Jacob"

A few weeks ago Rebecca ( who could write for hours) was complaining that her teacher expected her to write a one page scary story. "How does she expect me to write a good story that is only one page????" So she typed it up and had me widen the margins, minimize the font and change it to single-spacing so she could fit all of her ideas on one page.

But Jacob and Rebecca definitely have one thing in common... when the phone or the doorbell rings, they don't even budge. For the 2 of them its a fight for who has to get the phone - because no one wants to.

Fall Soccer

Emily tried her first sport this year (soccer) and loved it. Her team didn't win a lot of games but she had a lot of fun

School Lessons... Applied (Unfortunately)

This weekend I walked into my kitchen and found 3 or 4 long rows of mostly unripe/somewhat bruised apples and pears neatly lined up all along the length of the counter. So when I questioned the guilty party she insisted that she and her friend didn't pick any of the apples... they just gathered them off of the ground (which only had 2 apples on it the day before). But after further interrogation I discovered that the apples had a little "help" getting there. Emily just followed the instructions from this song she learned the first day of school.

"Way up high in the apple tree,
2 little apples smiled down at me
I shook the tree as hard as I could
Down came the apples, Mmm, mmm they were good!"

Good things:
Fruit trees w/ a plentiful harvest
A little Warm weather
Being Surrounded by Good Neighbors
Raspberries in our backyard
Apple Breakfast Cake
Sunday Afternoon Naps