Happy Thanksgiving

Well, I was going to post pictures this morning, I really was...BUT...John took off for work with the camera in the car. :) So it will have to wait yet again. We survived our move, although some days it felt like we weren't going to. We had a lot of amazing friends show up to help us move. They went way above and beyond the call of duty. We are loving our new home. Rayn said he likes it better than the old home, I think that's because we have set up a room for his little brother. There are some things I miss about our old home, mainly the proximity of dear friends, but our bedroom here is a little bigger and gets morning sunshine, so I sit by the window in my comfy chair with my cup of hot tea and wake up as slowly as Rayn will let me. :) There are still boxes to unpack and things to put away. I was on a roll with the unpacking until I became anemic, then it was all I could do to stay awake and upright on a given day. The iron supplements have been helping, but now I have a lot of catching up to do.

I am thankful for so many things this Thanksgiving that it is hard to express them all and do them justice. I am thankful that John has a job in this economy, I am thankful for our home (and our washer and dryer), I am thankful for my sweet little family, I am thankful for the baby growing in my tummy (who is a fearsome kicker....I'm thinking martial artist), I am thankful for my friends and family, and I am thankful for our health, I am thankful for you! There is so much more, but I think I will spare you all of them. :)

I am 30 weeks pregnant and doing well. Bug is a very active baby. I can feel him a little bit throughout the day, but then at night he wakes up and starts kicking like crazy. I never felt Rayn kick as much as I have felt Bug. John and I are still laughing about the time last week when I was hugging him from behind and bug actually kicked him in the behind! When I was pregnant with Rayn John was talking to my belly when Rayn hauled off and kicked him in the nose. I didn't think that could be topped, but Bug kicking him in the behind is pretty good. :) His due date has been moved up to February 3rd, one day after Rayn's due date, and my Obgyn isn't sure he will stay put even that long. I have reached that point in my pregnancy where I am just ready to meet and hold my baby boy. It has become hard to wait.

Rayn is doing really well. He has made so many adjustments this year with grace and humor. He is in his last year of preschool and loving every minute of it. He feels very at home in his preschool and runs in to start playing right away every morning. And in the afternoons when I come to get him he runs towards me with a huge grin on his face, open arms, and yelling "Mama"! It is a wonderful way to be greeted and my favorite moment of every week. After greeting me with such enthusiasm he then turns back to playing. He is starting to read with me at home, which thrills me to no end. I am such a book worm that it is something that I have always desired to share with my kids. Rayn's mind seems to be a bit more analytical like his Dad's. He loves things organized and ordered, he loves patterns, he loves figuring out the way things work. He has been solving simple math problems in his head for a while now. He has always been a physically some what cautious boy, slow to try anything new physically, but this year he is jumping from great heights, trying new things out and generally much more comfortable with his bodies abilities. He has had his first swim lesson now and loved that as well. We are hoping by the time our neighborhood pools open he will be swimming like a fish!

John is still working for the same company installing audio and visual components. He really enjoys the work, but sadly still struggles some with his boss. We are both grateful that he is employed and yet looking for a new opportunity for him. Something closer to home would be nice. He currently commutes about an hour and ten minutes each way. That makes for a long day on the road for him, and it feels like a lot of our income is spent on gas. His boss has been quick to promise him a raise and very slow to deliver. At this point we'd just be happy for a gas card so that his company pays for the commute. He does enjoy what he does and has programmed our home movie set up so that everything runs very smoothly and amazingly. He is also truly the handiest man I have ever known, I don't think there is anything that he can't fix or create. I love that about him. He is rediscovering his passion for and enjoyment in photography and would love to have a new camera for Christmas to explore that passion with. He has done hours of research on the best camera and knows exactly which one he wants, so now we are saving up for a new family camera.

This is probably more of an update than any of you ever wished for! :) Thanks for reading.
My love to you all, and a Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Andrea