Whirlwind!

That's what it feels like sometimes having 2 kids under 4. Nolan and Kiersten are getting along great. He grins like a Cheshire cat every time he sees her. I love watching his dimples deepen when we peek in her room after he wakes. He's sitting up, eating solids, and scooting backward. Kiersten is such a great big sister & is growing up to be a smart little girl. She's learning to count to 100 and is slooooowly learning to read by sounding out words. She gets frustrated and impatient, so gives up easily. She likes putting on plays & dancing around the house. She has learned quite a few songs from my iPod, and knows the words to Beatles songs. I started singing "I am the Walrus", and she started in with "I am the egg man" and made my jaw drop. And she chose to wear her Beatles shirt yesterday, when she had the choice of wearing that or a brand new halter-style shirt she just got last week. My little fan!

Richard & I are still looking for jobs & hope to stay as close to Asheville as possible. We still feel like there's so much of this city yet to explore, and would love more time to spend here. It's quite frustrating sending out applications and emails without receiving any word from anyone. My one interview ended in a rejection. Not exactly doing anything for my faith in my career choice!

On a positive note, Richard & I have our 6th anniversary coming up next weekend. We're taking a staycation, making the most of our limited budget. We're going to be tourists for a weekend, even taking a trolley tour of downtown. We cannot wait. A big thank you to my mom (and Elsa, though she's not been informed yet) for taking care of the kids so we can have our romantic weekend. It's been WAY too long!!

We have a son!

Life has been interesting these last 2 weeks. On November 23rd at 10:50 a.m., we welcomed Nolan Richard into the world. The first thought and words the minute I saw him on the screen as they cleaned him up: "OMG - He looks just like Kiersten!" You spend months speculating which parent he'll look like, and it turns out you've made a clone of your first child. Truly amazing. We love him to pieces. He's such a great baby and we can't wait to see how his personality is going to play out.
Kiersten has been such a great big sister to Nolan. She's always trying to find ways to help us out, which is great, since I'm a stay-at-home mom. She's constantly fawning over him and runs into the room whenever she hears him cry.
We're looking forward to Christmas. It's going to be a tight one, but Kiersten is finally really into it, and knows what she's going to ask of Santa whenever we visit him. She's ready to help decorate for Christmas. It's so wonderful to look into her eyes and get excited right along with her.

We have a date!

Nolan Richard will officially be here on Tuesday, November 23rd. We're so excited and happy to know exactly when he'll be here (unless, of course, he decides he wants to come sooner). We got to see him in 4D on September 25th, and he looks to have Richard's nose. The rest looks like Kiersten. It's incredible! Kiersten is ready to be mommy & daddy's helper. If she doesn't get bitten by the green-eyed monster, we're going to have quite a big sister here!

Winding down

It feels like I've been pregnant forever, but now the time is starting to fly. With a cesarian date scheduled for November 23rd, it's all starting to sink in. We're going to have our family of 4, with one boy & one girl! Nolan is feisty in the belly - even more so than Kiersten. And he's been more stretched out. She curled up throughout the entire pregnancy, and he's been making use of the room he has. She's so excited to meet her baby brother and help us do anything we need. Let's hope it continues once he gets here!!

A world turned upside down!

Hard to believe, but now neither Richard nor I are employed as teachers. He's working as a driver for Givens Estates, and I'm working on unemployment. We're expecting a baby boy, Nolan Richard, in November. He'll most likely arrive Thanksgiving week, via c-section.
I've always wanted to be a SAHM (stay-at-home mom), but never like this. Praying that I get unemployment so we can stay afloat till at least January. Also not sure how exactly I can say I'll be physically able to work during the week Nolan is born! Should be interesting. Have to take that up with ESC. Well, with the extra down-time, I'll hopefully be able to keep up with this blog more often!
Mom was planning on permanent retirement, but with my joblessness, she's heading back to Harnett County to interview for a couple of translator positions. I'm going to miss the help after I deliver!
Kiersten is as hyper and clever as ever. She can now open all the doors in the house - no more privacy!! She's constantly expanding her vocabulary and saying things that crack us all up. She never fails to amaze me with her constant learning and intelligence. I hope Nolan is as smart and beautiful!

Kiersten, Baptized

We knew baptizing a 2-year-old would be different. Interesting. She didn't disappoint. We called her on everything that happened. The clinging to daddy, not wanting to go to Pastor Rob, the dislike of the water on her head. What we didn't count on was her calling out for Elmo during the prayer. She always manages to surprise us.

The Season is Fast Approaching

Settling into my job at OMS. I should find out within a few weeks if I'll be there next semester. My biggest wish is that if I AM back, they'll make the position a permanent one, rather than an interim. Benefits, sick/personal/annual leave would be a nice thing to have. I've basically had mandatory perfect attendance!
We had our last nice, sunny, warm weekend last weekend. I took advantage of it & snapped a pic of Kiersten in the church garden. Unfortunately, the camera battery died before Susan could get a family pic. D'oh! Next weekend she'll be baptized, so I'll make sure the battery is full-up for lots and lots of pics!
My little girl is growing in every way except size. Her vocabulary is expanding, her curiousity is blooming, and her imagination is really kicking in. The other day she was even using different pitch-leveled voices, speaking for a frog on her keychain. The conversation went something like this: (deep-voiced Kiersten):"Hi, I'm a frog." (high-pitched Kiersten): "Hi, frog, I'm Kiersten". I almost fell out of my chair. Hilarious! I cannot wait till she really gets into make-believe play. I just wish we had a bigger house so we could set up a play room for her.