Christmas is almost here!!

So uh...it's been a while. I'm busy and behind. Yada yada yada. I'm sure this is what you've all come to expect of me, so it's no surprise to any of you! :) We've been keeping ourselves pretty busy - Jason with work, Kristin and I with school, Katie with destroying the house (while I'm doing school with Kristin) - on top of the usual Christmastime errands...mailing out Christmas cards, baking cookies, mailing packages and Christmas shopping. It's easy for me to get so busy that I almost lose sight of what Christmas is really all about - Jesus!

So anyways - here's a quick recap of what we've been up to since we got back from our trip to Portland. I'll try to make it quick anyways... :)

After our trip - it took a little while, but we eventually got back into the swing of our usual routine - school, keeping up the house, cooking dinner and going to the gym. Keeping up the house is getting more difficult though...Katie seems to thouroughly enjoy destroying each room in the house (right after I've cleaned them up of course). Ugh. I can't wait until she's old enough for me to reason with!!

I'm 30 weeks and a couple days preggers! Less than 10 weeks to go!! Woohoo!! I know I have more work ahead of me with 3 kiddies, but I prefer to have my babies out of the womb (after they've baked long enough that is)! I like being able to see that they are okay - instead of waiting for movement and kicking. Not that this little boy hasn't been kicking the heck out of me lately!!

A few days after we got back, we found out (from a couple of friends of ours), that the YMCA offers free membership to military families!! We ran right out and found the nicest YMCA in San Antonio and found out it was true! We signed up that night and were back the next evening to try it out! It's really nice and it's only a year old! It has a kid watch thing for babies 6 weeks to 6 years old (and that's included in the free membership)! It has an outdoor pool too (that's obviously not open right now - but it will be when it gets warmer)! Jason is a little disappointed that they don't have heavier free weights (to work on his gi-hugic muscles) or a pull up bar, but I love it! It's free and I have someone to watch my kids while I workout, so I can't complain!! I love the YMCA!! The girls and I have been going about 4 times a week now. I've only been using the treadmill, but after the next baby comes - I'm definitely going to try out the different exercise classes!

At 26 weeks


This shirt isn't going to last much longer...


We decided to get Katie's bangs cut. I couldn't bring myself to get an actual haircut (not yet anyways), but I went ahead with getting her some bangs, so she could finally see!! I loved putting her long bangs up, but after 10 minutes, she'd always rip it out! The rest of the day, she'd go around looking like a crazed animal with no eyes in sight! So she may look like a nerd now, but at least she can see! :)

I'm sure I could have done her bangs myself, but I didn't want to cut too much by accident! I'm more of a bang-trimmer, not a bang-giver.


Surprisingly, Katie didn't protest!


Aw! There's my little nerd girl!! She has eyes after all!!


Kristin's birthday present from her Grandma and Grandpa Capra came in the mail the day before her actual birthday, so Jason helped her rip it open (with his usual screams of excitment). We already had her birthday party at my Mom and Dad's house a couple weeks early, so she was excited to get another present!

Kristin's present from her Grandma and Grandpa Capra (Katie has apparently learned the rare art of the cheesy smile) ;)


Jason reading the girls their bedtime story. Why does he always outdo me?! It makes my storytelling seem so much less...over the top... ;)


Jason was on call at the hospital on Thanksgiving Day, so he didn't come home 'til the morning after. Jason's Aunt and Uncle up in Dallas (Shelley and Jim) were sweet enought to postpone their Thanksgiving celebration a day, so we could drive up after Jason got off work on Friday and celebrate with them!! The food was SOOOOOO good!!! Uncle Jim never disappoints when it comes to cooking yummy food!! Thank you for waiting for us!!!

Uncle Jim and Aunt Shelley


Becky, Kristin and Rissy


Uncle Jim, Kristin and Katie relaxing after our Thanksgiving gorge (spoiled little girls...) :)


Me after Rissy got a hold of me with her hair straightener and curled my hair (I didn't even know you could curl hair with a straightener)!


Jason and his brother Michael (who also came down for the postponed Thankgiving feast) in wrestling singlets ready to fight...but who can take them seriously in such tight spandex?! ;)


The next day, Becky, Rissy and I (and my monsters) went out for a little shopping. I really had to find something to wear to Jason's Anesthesiology Christmas party. I ended up getting something, but it wasn't anything I really liked - it was just something that fit this gi-normous belly of mine! Before we headed back to the house, we took a horse-drawn carriage ride around the outdoor mall. The horses were so cute!

Becky and the girls after our ride


The next afternoon, we drove back to San Antonio. It usually takes 5 hours to get home, but with all of the holiday traffic...it took a grueling 10 hours... Eek! It was horrible! We could almost have driven halfway to Virginia in that amount of time!

Not too long after the Thanksgiving weekend, we put up our Christmas lights and decorated our Christmas tree. One of these days we'll start getting REAL Christmas trees, but for now - we're going the lazy route and doing artificial.

Kristin was very excited to help with the lights


For some reason the girls thought this was a good spot to sit and watch us work


Jason putting up the icicle lights


Kristin and I also decorated our gi-normous tree out front. We wrapped about 6 strands of lights around the thick trunk. I wish we could have gone all the way up the tree and into the branches, but that would have taken a lot more lights and a huge ladder. Since we live on the top of a hill, everyone who drives onto the base can see our lights from the road. The tree I covered in lights looks like some sort of beacon or lighthouse from the road, so Jason makes fun of me and my gaudy tree every time he comes home at night. He keeps asking when I'm going to put out some lawn gnomes or something equally tacky. He finally admitted that my tree actually looks nice. :)

All done!


Here's my Christmas beacon...


Jason's primary job - the star on top of the tree


Kristin admiring one of her ornaments from a couple years ago. I'm sad that I haven't bought her (and Katie) a new ornament each Christmas, but I either forget or have a hard time finding anything I really like. :(


All finished!


Kristin happily sharing her Christmas wishlist (at least it isn't as big as last year) and one of her art projects for school ;)


Almost a couple weekends ago, we got our babysitter next door to watch the kids and we headed out to Jason's Christmas party. It has been a while since we've been out on our own, so it was nice to enjoy each others company (without someone talking, begging, screaming or crying at us)! I think the last time we went out alone - was when we went to the IMAX theater to watch The Dark Knight. When was that? It must have been a while ago - because that movie just came out on DVD a few days ago!! Man! We planned on going out alone maybe twice a month - now that we have a more than sweet neighbor girl to babysit for us - but I don't know what happened!! We need to hurry and get out a few times before this next baby comes - because he'll be sort of leech-y (for a while anyways)!!

Poor Jason didn't have anything to wear to the party, so he wore his suit from our wedding! He kept gasping for air on the way to the party - because his neck has grown a couple sizes since we married almost 12 years ago!! His pants were a little tight around the tushie too (probably from all of those ridiculous squats he does at the gym)!

Me and Jason (that is one gi-normous belly if you ask me!)


This past weekend, we took the girls to SeaWorld to see Shamu Claus, catch the Polar Express 4-D showing and watch a Christmas Shamu show. The 4-D show was great! I've never seen the full length Polar Express movie, but I loved that they sprinkled down snow (half bubble-ish half flake-ish) when the 20-minute show was over! The girls loved it! It's nice that we don't have to freeze here in the wintertime, but it's kind of sad that the girls don't ever get to see snow! Before we left the park, Jason somehow convinced Kristin to ride SeaWorld's newest water ride (Atlantis). She has always been too short for it, but she somehow grew a couple inches in the past few months and now she's tall enough! I thought she'd be too scared (it almost feels like a free fall), but she ended up liking it so much that they stayed on and went a second time (one of the many benefits of an almost empty park). Jason said she didn't even scream! She just held on tight and smiled! What a brave little cutie!

Katie's ready for her 4-D experience!


The girls with Shamu Claus


Katie went back for another hug!! She can't seem to get enough of big fuzzy creatures (like the Disneyland characters)!


Jason and Kristin going down Atlantis the first time around...


Then a second time... (they had the whole boat to themselves!)


So that's it for now. That wasn't really as quick as I thought it would be. I don't know why I ever bother saying I'll be quick - it'll never happen! I obviously enjoy rambling on and on way too much to ever be quick. :)

I'd say I'll post something before Christmas, but we all know that's highly unlikely given my track record! So if I don't get back on here before then (like I most likely won't), I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and a happy and blessed year ahead!!