Christmas Cards at Shutterfly

For special events, like the kids' birthday parties, I like to send out photo invitations. Mainly because we have a lot of family that lives so far away, I think it is nice to include a recent picture of the children as they grow. Christmas cards are no exception and is one time of year where I can send a card with a picture of both kids together! Of course getting the perfect shot of a 2 year old and a newborn is easier said than done.

This year Shutterfly is offering 50 free holiday cards to bloggers who write about their products. Pretty awesome, if you ask me! If you are a blogger and want to participate, here is how: Shutterfly Free Holiday Cards

I have used Shutterfly for creating photo books, and really enjoy their quality. So if you are in the market for photo books this year, take a look at Shutterfly and see what they have to offer! I have never used Shutterfly for photo cards so I am really excited to pick out our Christmas cards this year! I have had bad luck with holiday cards in the past (NOT with Shutterfly!!!) so I am looking forward to giving this company a try. They have a huge selection of Holiday Cards in addition to their Christmas cards. Oh, which one to pick!?!

If you are not in the market for seasonal cards, they have tons of great and unique gift ideas. I personally, love the photo mugs. Even though I am not a coffee or tea drinker, so many family members are, and who doesn't love starting their day off with a picture of those they love the most?

One Hot Mess Contest

A friend of mine over at Happiness With A Side of Havoc, Please is having a HOT MESS contest. With a toddler and a newborn (which I guess I need to blog about soon !), I can give one single thing my undivided attention for a mere 5 minutes and my house becomes a HOT MESS.

Not that I'm proud my house looks like this, but without a clone whose sole job it is to follow my 2.5 year old around, cleaning up after her and yelling at Lee to "PUT THINGS BACK WHERE THEY GO!", this is what you get for now. And hey, it might even win me some free swag!

Here ya go, Linds. I'm right there with you, girl.

Actually, this is somewhat clean for the office (a.k.a. Lee's domain.)

Update

As much as I had wished to be in labor by now, it just hasn't happened yet. So we are still playing the waiting game to see when this little guy picks his birthday. I am beyond ready: all the baby clothes are washed, the sheets, liners to things like the baby swing, pack n play, bouncy seat, etc. have all been cleaned, our hospital bags are packed, and the car has a full tank of gas. Now we just need some contractions!!

As excited as we are (and some of you are too!) we have decided not to let others know when I do go into labor, and we hope you will understand why... When Reese was born we informed everyone when labor began and the result was a bombardment of phone calls and people at the hospital. Believe us, we know everyone meant well. Everyone was just as excited as we were. Unfortunately, involvement from others quickly became a hindrance and labor stalled. While we do not think that involvement from others was the sole cause of the problems, we are certain that it was a contributing factor. It was pretty amazing how my contractions picked back up once the nurses asked everyone to leave and we turned off our cell phones.

So, in effort to achieve the VBAC we desire, we are doing as much as we can to not have the same birth outcome that we did the 1st time around. Please understand that this is not personal. I have come to learn that I am extremely affected when I think others are worried about me. I, in turn, worry about them worrying about me, and labor is just not a time for that to be a positive character trait. Rest assured we will let everyone know when the little guy arrives and we hope you will be just as excited for us at that point.

Thanks for understanding,

Sarah & Lee

Touch A Truck

I took Reese to Touch A Truck at the local library this week. It was super hot, but she had a good time. She was a little intimidated when the big firemen and dump truck drivers tried to talk to her or show her how to honk a horn so they just let her sit in the different trucks.

Reese in a big blue tractor.

"Driving" the trac ho.

Reese in the Ditch Witch

Crafts were being done inside, so we headed into the A/C to let me cool down and Reese make a truck. She was so proud after making this.

Not too impressed with the fire truck. She said she really wanted to see an ambulance.

Reese in her hard hat and fireman's sticker. She refused to put the hat on when we were actually looking at the trucks, but as soon as we got home she wore it around the house and even had to take it to Mammy & General's house to show it off.

It's A BOY!!!

Can you believe it?! We're having a little boy! His name is Jackson Lee and we will be calling him Jack. We are super excited! Reese said she is excited to pick out his clothes. :-)

Here he is in all his glory. He even pointed it out to us to make sure we knew he was a boy. Notice the fingers just to the left of his boy parts?

"There's no mistaking that!" was my 1st response when this picture flashed up on the screen.

Reese is TWO!!!

Wow! We can't believe she is already 2 years old. It really does seem like yesterday we were bringing her home for the 1st time. Her Birthday party isn't until Saturday, but we still managed to make her 'real' birthday a special one.

Wake up Birthday Girl!!!

I had made banana nut muffins the night before, so that was her special birthday breakfast (included with a candle of course!) We ran errands most of the morning and then met up with some friends for an impromptu pizza lunch at their restaurant. Reese enjoyed playing with the other kids her age and 'playing' some arcade games.

Reese has become quite a ham for the camera. She flashes a big fake smile and often says "That was a good one!" after the picture is taken.

After quiet/nap time, we Skyped with Gamma & Poppy so they could wish Reese a Happy Birthday and see her open a few presents. Reese is all set for the lake this summer and now has a luggage collection to start traveling the world. Of course, Reese had to wear her football jersey for the gift opening.

Her favorite gift was the "credit card" (aka Toys R Us gift card) from Aunt Anne. She immediately shouted "Ooooo, credit card, go shopping, yeah!" Lee instinctively reached for his wallet and made sure everything was right where it should be. We are a little concerned for what the teenage years have in store for us.

We met Mammy, The General, Sheppy & Kimbo in town for Reese's Birthday supper, complete with a piece of chocolate cake (which everyone shared.)

Reese had such a good birthday, she woke up this morning and asked for it to be her birthday again. We can't wait to see how she reacts for her party this weekend!

It's been a while.... SURPRISE!!

A blog post has been on my to-do list for quite a while now, but with all the holiday preparations, hosting Lee's parent's for a week (plus a few extra days while they were snowed out of Pennsylvania), and doing my best to deal with morning sickness and the sheer exhaustion that comes with growing a baby and taking care of an almost 2 year old..... I just never got around to it.

There is so much to catch up on. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year, but, by far, the most exciting change in our lives has been discovering that Reese is going to have a little brother or sister!!! The due date is August 5th.... give or take 2 weeks of course. I think it would be neat to go a few days "late" so the baby's birthday will be 8/9/10. Not much I can (or am willing) to do to see that happen though. :-)

Here's to a healthy pregnancy!