what not

hi. how are ya?

it's me. janet.

remember?

i'll give you a minute.

remember?

i've been off the blogging bandwagon. blogging just wasn't and hasn't been fun. and i didn't want to do anything that wasn't enjoyable. i would sit in the corner where my computer was. and moan and groan about being over there. i didn't want to post pictures or try to think of anything to write. not that there WASN'T anything to write about.

because OH. MY. WORD. at all the blogging fodder going on in our home right now.

i just didn't want to. i wanted to sit with buz and watch shows together. i wanted to play polly pockets with goo. i wanted to build a sweet lego space ship with big h. or if big h was at school and goo was napping? i wanted to enjoy the silence and stillness.

i even got a new computer. a laptop. to encourage me to blog. still. haven't wanted to.

but i'm hoping to jump back on. but please don't feel the urge to "hold me accountable." i don't know if i can take the pressure.

again...not that there isn't anything to blog about.

nope. not like our SURPRISE PREGNANCY.

we’re having a baby probably in july. i say probably because i’m due august 8, but i’ve never gone past thirty-eight weeks. so probably july. yeah, goo’s birthday is in july too. and yes, july IS one THE HOTTEST MONTHS of the entire year. i’m just not destined to wear winter maternity clothes. oh well. poor summer janet.

and for the record, this will be our last child. our. last. child.

big h is beside himself. he is so excited to have a baby at our house. he’s told everyone he knows. and some that he doesn’t know. lots of strangers who’s in my belly.

goo? well, she’s neither here or there. which basically sums up goo in general lately.

buz and i? are getting there. this was a *bit* of a surprise, so it’s taking us a while to wrap our brains around the fact that we’re going to have THREE children. more children than parents. heavens. and we consigned every. last. thing after goo was born so our inventory of baby items is at what we like to call an all-time low. but we’ve heard that with each kid you have, you need fewer and fewer “things.” so we’re trusting that theory.

or the fact that i got rid of my FOURTEEN-YEAR-OLD 4Runner and got a minivan.

or that big h LOVES kindergarten.

or that goo got a new big girl bed.

or that she is a total pill at age three.

or that i ran a 5K and 10K before christmas.

or that i went to montana in march to surprise my best friend kelly.

i can't believe it. in our twenty-eight years of friendship, i have NEVER surprised her before. but i did last month. it was awesome.

i have been wanting to spend time with her for so long. but with tickets in the $700s, it's tough to do. i happened to be on travelocity's website, and there was a flight from dallas flying directly into her city. unheard of. for less than $250. even more unheard of. so i bought it. the week before i flew out. talked to her husband, who was all for it. buz said sure. my parents said they could watch H&G. and so i did it.

i had a friend of hers pick me up from the airport. i called joe (kelly's husband), and he said she was out running some errands. he told me the name of one of the stores where she might be. so i walked in, spotted her, and just stood in front of her for a minute. until she noticed.

and she started crying.

which i've seen happen TWICE (?) since i've known her.

i count that as a HUGE success. she left her stuff at the store and we headed next door for some mexican food. which was awesome. we purchased stuff at the store. and then went and ran errands together. like we lived in the same town or something.

it was perfectly awesome.

we've just hung out for several days. we went to church. she worked the nursery. i sat with joe. we went and visited her grandmother. we had dinner at a mongolian bbq place. we went to target, ross, and tjmaxx. she went to work one day, and i slept in, watched the today show, ate lunch with her on her lunch break, went to target again, went and bought big h a sweatshirt. and it was PERFECTION. because? because there was no catching up to do. just life to live. together.

or that i photographed my sweet friend's birth several weeks ago. her FOURTH child. i KNOW.

i can't even begin to tell you what an honor it is to do this. first of all, the miracle of life. wow, God is so incredible with the intricate details. but being able to share in this moment with a close friend? indescribable. thank you, casey and martin for letting me be a part of such a huge day for you. again.

sneak peak of little miss O.

or that i just got back from a trip to florida with some of my closest friends.

please go read this. or this. or this. or this.

i realize i'm taking the easy way out. but c'mon. cut me some slack. i haven't blogged in six months. just go. read. enjoy. be blessed and encouraged. i promise you will.

or did i mention we're having a BABY? right.

see? plenty to post about. just haven't wanted to.

i'm just starting where i am right now.

um, so i'm pregnant. TWENTY-FOUR WEEKS PREGNANT. as in over halfway there. and as i sit here typing, little doodle is moving like cuh-razy. i had forgotten this feeling. i am in LOVE with this feeling. i wish i could bottle up this feeling.

things i have craved this pregnancy? pepper. as in salt and pepper. i want pepper on everything. pasta. salads. everything. hummus with vegetables. french onion dip. tzatziki sauce. really...basically any kind of dip. salty, of course. pickles. i know...how cliche. the drink squirt. oranges. soup. really, really hot soup. and not necessarily hot, as in spicy. just hot in temperature. nacho cheese doritos. i want to eat at central market's cafe on the run all the time. schlotzsky's wisconsin cheddar soup. spaghetti warehouse's minestrone. spaghetti warehouse's side salad with blue cheese.

the first trimester. oh my word, i was tired. i can't even imagine how much dora goo watched. sad, probably. i slept as much as i possibly could. yikes. and i also can't imagine what big h told his teacher about his mom and her laziness. oh well. and for the first time ever, i had morning sickness. gross.

right now, goo is a challenge. i won't lie. it's been tough on me. i'm hormonal anyway. but lately? oh my. the constant battle of the wills. the grumpiness. the whiney stuff. whew. girls. period. but buz and i have been praying that we would stay consistent with her. which is what she needs. i don't say this lightly...sister needs to be reminded who's boss.

and then, there's big h. God love him. he's in a good place right now. the boy LOVES him some rules and order. and he loves that sister of his SO MUCH. even when she doesn't demonstrate love back. it makes me sad sometimes to watch him try so hard. but it makes me so proud i could pop.

the face goo makes on a VERY regular basis. and her twisted parents doing it with her.

see? told ya he loves her. and from the looks of it, she doesn't seem to mind.

a face that i would pay $$ to see on a regular basis. man, i love that girl.

and hello my melted heart.