Can you say slacker?!

Man, I can't believe how long it's been since I've updated this blog. Our home computer has some sort of virus on it that makes it run slow as molasses (if it does at all) so I have no access to any of the pictures I've taken lately (the older ones are backed up, don't worry) and I've kind of just pushed off posting anything mostly because I don't feel like there's anything really to blog about. So here's a general update on our lives:

Scott: Scott has been working HARD at his office. The past week and a half have been really rough on him, but he's still optimistic and keeping his nose to the grindstone. We never expected that this would be an easy venture. And now for the plug: He can do insurance and financial services (banking, home loans, retirement planning, HSAs, college savings plans, etc) for anyone living in Oregon or Washington. He can do life insurance across any state lines. Call him for a quote: 360-882-4433. He's keeping super busy between work, bishopric and school. Fortunately he'll be done with school in May and he'll officially have his MBA. Can't tell you how happy I am for that to be over and done with. Not so happy to think about all the student loans that we'll have to pay back, but compared to most other programs, this one is pretty inexpensive. So all things considered, that's a good thing.

Marissa: I've been busy baking this baby and taking care of my 2 boys. The nesting instinct has definitely kicked in and I've got a long list of things on my to-do list that I need to get done before the baby gets here. I've given myself a December 1st deadline to get everything done. That's right, all baby preparations, new car buying (we broke down and decided to be practical and go the mini-van route), Christmas shopping, wrapping of presents, shipment of Christmas packages, and doctor/dentist appointments will be done by then or they won't be done at all. So that gives me just under 3 weeks to get it all done. My due date isn't until the 18th, but Pumpkin came early and if this baby follows his pattern he'll come in early December. I know every pregnancy is different, but I'll just feel better if I'm prepared. If he comes early then great, we're totally ready. If not, then I can just kick back and know that I'm ready and can just enjoy the Christmas season without extra stress.

Also, I've gotten so uncomfortable lately, the thought of having to endure 5+ more weeks of this has me both ready to cry at times and daydreaming of all the things I can't wait to do again. Here's a list of some of the things I'm looking forward to after the baby comes:

1) Meeting my new son (obviously)
2) Getting rid of the constant back/rib cage/hip pain
3) Being able to take something stronger than Tylenol again
4) Being able to read a book lying on my stomach
5) No more heartburn! Woohoo!
6) EXERCISING again! I can't wait to get back to my normal routine and activity level.
7) Baby portraits :)
8) Diet Coke/Diet Dr. Pepper
9) Sushi
10) Knowing that I'm done having babies if I want to be. Scott and I always said we wanted 3 kids, so unless I have some major baby craving later on down the line, this is it for us! I'm perfectly happy with 3 boys - I have no desire to try again for a girl.

And in case you were wondering, no we still don't have a name for this little guy. And we probably won't until after he's born. At the rate we're going we'll be lucky if we have a name for him by the time we leave the hospital.

Mister: Mister is having a great time in school. He had a bit of a hard time after the novelty wore off for a while, but it seems like he's back on the right track now. He's had good days for 2 1/2 weeks now, so we're hoping that he turned the corner. It's so amazing to see how much he's learning and how quickly he's catching on to the new things he's exposed to at school. Obviously my own teaching methods are lacking because I've tried teaching him these things before but he was never interested. Now he's on fire! He can count to 40 easily, and up to 70 with a little help. I love his teacher, she's very good with the kids and is great about communicating with me regarding his progress and his good/bad days. I got to volunteer in his class last week and I loved it. It was great seeing first-hand what his day was like and how the teacher taught the students. She is brisk and task oriented and doesn't let the kids get away with things, but at the same time she's very encouraging, helpful and seems genuinely concerned that they learn the things she's teaching them.

He's also getting very excited about having a new little brother again. He likes to put his hands on my tummy and feel the baby move. Last night he got to feel the baby when he had hiccups and thought it was pretty funny. He'll put his face right up to my stomach and talk to the baby too. He'll tell him about his day and tell him sweet things like how he can't wait to meet him and that he'll take really extra special care of him when he gets here. He tells him that he can't wait to give him hugs and kisses and he promises to be extra soft and careful with him. It's so, so darling and I can't wait to see how he is with him. He loves him so much already.

Pumpkin: Pumpkin is a little sponge. He's busy talking up a storm and learning new things every day. He misses Mister every afternoon, but I also think he enjoys the alone time with me. I try to special things with him while we have that time together but he's always so excited to see Mister when he gets home from school. He's still not very cuddly, but he's warmed up a bit lately. He'll ask me for hugs and kisses now and will lay his head on my shoulder and say in his darling little boy's voice "I love you Mommy." Melts my heart. :) He's getting to be quite resourceful too - he likes to push the dining room chairs around to be able to reach things higher up in the pantry or to get himself a cup to get water from the fridge.

He still loves to read and is getting to where he has whole books memorized now since we've read them to him so many times. There are 3 books in particular that he can sit down and "read" to himself. And he gets it right every time b/c he remembers what we say when we get to each particular page. It's amazing. I've gotten 1 on video, but he hasn't been cooperative enough to get the others yet. When I bring out the camera he gets really shy and refuses to read the books himself.

Well, that's my family re-cap for now. Sorry it doesn't have any cute pictures, but I felt like it'd been too long since I last posted. Hope you're all doing well and looking forward to a great Thanksgiving!