the last few months in a nutshell-
- July 17th we found out we are having baby #2 due March 11th.
- Most of July and August was sick as a dog with baby and stayed in bed as much as i could with an active 3 year old :-)
- Started feeling better in September and went to Destin for a week with my immediate family. It was awesome to be there when it was not crowded and the beaches were beautiful despite the oil spill.
- Finley started preschool the week we got home from vacation. bittersweet.
- Went to the Alabama game and left heartbroken but it was a fun weekend in NWA with good friends.
- In October Richard and I took a trip to NYC to celebrate my 30th birthday! We had a blast and we even got tickets to the View (my favorite) and I got to meet Elisabeth and do the intro for the next guest! Also went to David Letterman and a broadway show. We ate at awesome places and just had time to be alone with my sweet husband!
- Busy the rest of the month of October with hayrides, pumpkin patches, Halloween parties etc. Finley decided to be a spider witch this year for Halloween(random?) but she loved it!
- November we found out we were having another girl and couldn't be happier! Finley is so excited to have a sister! Her name will be Ellis Mae Vanhook.
- We had our annual weekend trip to Branson with my extended family and went to Silver Dollar City and got to see the lights! So pretty!
- Finley and I flew to Charlotte NC with Richard for work and road-tripped back through the smokies. We made a couple of fun stops on the way back which helped break up the trip and keep it fun! We went to the Biltmore, which was decorated for christmas, and then stopped and spent the night in Nashville and went to see the Rockettes at the Grand Ole Opry- the total highlight of the trip as far as finley was concerned! The Gaylord Hotel had just opened back up that weekend after the Nashville flood and was amazing!
- We spent a rainy Thanksgiving at Richards moms where we had a great meal and wonderful time celebrating what all we have to be thankful for!
- We started out December with a trip back to Branson with Richards sisters and their families. We went on the Polar Express which really got us in the christmas spirit and finley loved being with her cousins... probably because she spends most of her time bossing them around even though she is the youngest- ha!
- Richard and I left straight from Branson to go to San Fransisco for a conference richard had there. We had fun but this pregnant girl was worn out by the time we got home. Finley stayed with her gigi and papa and loved every minute!
- December seems to go by faster and faster every year but I really tried to slow down and take it all in this year! We had lots of time with friends and family and looked forward to next year when Ellis will be here!
- Christmas was awesome... spent and ate too much but it's impossible not to i think! Finley was obviously really into it this year and got the whole Santa thing! We had snoopy, the elf, at our house all month which helped keep us ALL on our best behavior!
- We went out New Years Eve Eve with a group of friends which we all loved. It was not as crowded and not as hard to find babysitters! We had fun and on New Years Eve with just the 3 of us- we went and ate Mexican and then came back home and i think we were in bed, if not asleep, by midnight- ha! We are true party animals!
- The first week in January we went to Disney World with my parents. We planned this a while back and figured it was the last trip with just us 3 musketeers before Ellis came along. We knew we would need help so my parents went with us and they had a great time with finley! We had a wonderful week filled with wonderful memories and some pretty large meltdowns but all in all it was a successful trip despite the fact my ankles looked like watermelons by the end of every day! Ahh..... the joys of pregnancy!
- Last weekend in Januray Ellis decided she might want to make her debut a little early and scared us all when I started having contractions at 33 weeks. We spent the day at the hospital and they stopped them with meds and she is hanging tight in there so far!
- Spent the last week or so getting Ellis' room ready as well as us all ready! It's so hard to prepare for her but we are just praying for a healthy delivery and baby!
