"When are you due?"

It's obvious that Esther has heard many people ask me this question in recent months. Today we were playing store. I was the cashier, and she was the customer. This was our conversation while she was checking out...

Esther: "Ask me when I'm due."
Mommy: "When are you due?"
Esther: "Um, December."
Mommy: "Oh, December what?"
Esther: "December 22" (close--that's Peter's birthday, not my due date)
Mommy: "So, do you know whether you're having a boy or a girl?"
Esther: "No, I don't. God gets to decide."

Well, at least she knows who's in charge of that decision!

Baking with Grandma

Casey's Mom grew up in a baking family. Her Dad owned a bakery in East Grand Rapids and they lived upstairs. She is an incredible baker, and she's already passed down some skills and the secret family cake recipe to Casey. Now she's working on the next generation. Today while she was babysitting the kids, she and and Esther baked an apple pie. Esther was VERY proud, and we can't wait to eat it!

BIG CHANGE

Well, most of you think I'm about to tell you about an addition to our family, but no not yet. (There's still a few weeks; let's not rush it.)

However, just in time for the holiday family discussions, I will be making a job change. Starting in two weeks I will be the new Fundraising and Program Manager for Friendship Ministries. For those who don't know what Frienship is, take a look at the website, http://www.friendship.org/.

Though I will miss the SecurAlarm family, we are very excited about this change. I used to be quite involved with Frienship during college and early in our marriage. It will be great to be involved in this ministry on a full-time basis.

Now, many are probably wondering, "Will Daddy Donut Day continue?" The answer is YES. So, feel free to meet us at Marge's Donut Den any Thursday around 9 AM. I promise to tell you all about Friendship and hit you up for a donation after I buy your donut.

Esther's Room Redo

After finishing Peter's new room, we thought maybe it was time to update Esther's room since she still had several "baby" things on her walls that we'd just never changed. We bought some frames so that she can display some of her artwork and we can change it periodically. Here she is showing off her new walls...

Hablan Español in London?

We have friends who live in London. Their daughter Megan is Esther's age, so when they were here this summer, we spent some time together. Esther really liked Megan's accent and how she said their names "Estah" and "Petah." Today something must have reminded her of that, so she was saying different words that way. She informed me excitedly, "I'm talking in Spanish like Megan!"

Long Night, Little Sleep

Here is a run-down of our night last night. Is God preparing us for re-entering the infant world of little sleep?

1:51 AM Fire pager goes off, Daddy goes to fire station
2:36 AM Daddy is home, back in bed
2:59 AM Peter begins screaming
3:31 AM Peter still screaming, Esther joins in on the soprano lines of their duet
3:45 AM Preggers, I mean Laura, gets up with Peter
4:32 AM Preggers comes back to bed, Peter still screaming
4:59 AM Daddy gets up, has Man-to-Boy talk with Peter
5:01 AM Daddy realizes Peter wasn't listening, takes Peter downstairs and sleeps on the couch
5:59 AM Peter is done "sleeping," Daddy puts in VeggieTales video, falls back asleep
6:32 AM VeggieTales is over, Peter announces this to Daddy by throwing a book at his face
6:33 AM Daddy is realizing that his son has quite an arm, makes mental note to sign him up for Little League
6:34 AM All sleeping is over

Trick or Treat!

We had a busy but fun Halloween with our little giraffe and lion. We saw all the grandparents and Uncle Jeff and Aunt Renee. We trick-or-treated and enjoyed the extensive decorating job at Securalarm when we picked up Daddy. We also met up with some friends at Calvin's "Light in the Night" which was very fun. You can't beat getting candy inside on a drizzly night from college students who loved Esther's costume and thought Peter's roar was totally cute!

Daddy Night Home

So, Laura had a girls' night out tonight.

Daddy and the kids had a night out to Russ' with a friend and then tubby night!

(Mommy can never get them in the tub together....guess you just have to know how to ask!)

Relatives

This weekend all my Mom's siblings (1 brother and 3 sisters) are visiting. My aunt turned 65 a few weeks ago, so they all came to surprise her and celebrate her birthday. It's been fun catching up and spending time with all of them, and of course Peter and Esther have enjoyed all the attention since they're the only kids around! It's always good to spend time with family and be reminded of how important they are in our lives.

The Question

Well, it finally happened. As we were riding in the car yesterday, Esther asked THE QUESTION. Our conversation had something to do with the baby in my tummy, and she asked, "How do you get a baby in your tummy?" AHHHHHHH! I knew this moment would come, but it still caught me off guard. I gave her a very simple answer, to which she replied, "But what do you have to do?" I thought about saying, "Well, it's actually what you GET to do..." but I didn't. I came up with some brief answer again and she seemed satisfied. For now.