I'm a POODLE

So Ella cracked me up this Halloween because my mother in-law so kindly made ALL the girls (cousins) adorable "poodle skirts".  Well I forget we live in 2011 where the 50's and poodle skirts are just NOT relevant at all and she had NO IDEA what we were talking about when we tried to explain what their costumes were. So every time someone asked her what she was going to be for Halloween she would say, "A Poodle".   We finally showed her a few costumes and explained and she was so happy, and then would say a poodle girl...

So here is our Poodle girl and Asher was Pirate for most our Halloween outings and a Monkey for the other half...

Mommy Daughter Date- Riverdance & BJs

Most of you already know how sweet and thoughtful Ned is. Really he is the BEST dad and husband a women or child could ask for!  My girlfriends even tease and call him "Our Ned" be good to "Our Ned" etc. So just to give him credit, this was ALL his idea and doing.

Ella has had an adjusting year. Starting kindergarten, mommy's pregnant, and a lot of changes which have been hard. So a few months back Ned thought it would be important for us to do special nights out with each kid, just us parent & child. So he surprised Ella and I with tickets to see Riverdance.  I have seen it and loved it, and Ella loves dancing. So on Nov. 5th Ella and I had a special date thanks to Daddy.

And a date is not complete (too Ella) without DRESSING UP! So here is our fancy date pictures!

Looking SO grown up to me lately..makes me sad!

She also has forgotten how to smile suddenly, its so funny. So I told her to think of something funny....

Exhibit A of forgetting how to smile....

I HATED all the pictures of me in them, but Ned said I had to at LEAST include one!

And here was Asher's PRETTY pose!  My boy!

Piggy had to come along on the date too...he had a napkin and everything...

At BJ's with our Pizookie

She told me to take this picture and send it to Daddy's phone, so we could LAUGH! :)
I guess she meant to make him jealous!

We had SUCH a nice time. She was Celtic dancing all night, even in front of people at the theatre (NOT like Ella). She loved the dancing and we had a fun day.  For sure something we will keep up.

Now on to Asher. (Worm catching day, any ideas?)

Hello Our Big Boy (20 week ultrasound)

So we were able to have our 20 week ultrasound (to confirm our 13 week ultrasound that it was a boy) and YES it is a boy our tech adamantly said (she said she didn't even need to label some of these pictures, for obvious reasons).  It was nice because Asher & Ned were able to come with me this time (Although Asher now thinks there is also a monster in my tummy, he kept saying the baby is scared because he sees a monster, a little confusing for a 3 yr. old, I guess).

Thanks again Kim for picking up and watching Ella, your a good friend!

Me thinks its a boy!

Asher's 3rd Birthday (My BIG BABY boy)

So Ned corrects me ALL the time because I call Asher my "baby" or "baby boy" which he isn't now that he is 3 and since we have another little guy coming. But he is just such a sweet little Mama's Boy. I have to admit him wanting me, hugging me, loving me (most the time) I just LOVE IT!

He always offers me kisses and hugs. He once told me, "Mom, you are MY princess!" Ned thought that was SO cheesy and sick, I melted.  He often knows when I am upset or sad and he will come next to me, pat my back ever SO sweetly and then say, "Mom, its OK, I love you" and then kiss me gently on the check.  It is so sweet and rewarding for all the trials he also brings to our family (he is a rascally boy). But I sure do love that little guy!

My MIL has a tradition of taking them to Rainforest Cafe and then Build a Bear...the kids love it. Cant you tell by Ella MAKING Asher smile!

love his face in this one...

Asher is know for crazy antics and silly faces (he doesn't usually smile for ANY type of photos) but he at least brings something original!

BUILD-A-BEAR: 

He picked a little doggie and named him (JAWVIN)??

He has his heart in his hands making his wish, with his SUPER SHORT HAIR that Daddy did!

Intent on making his wish worth it

Of course Grammy couldn't let Ella not have one 2...

Catching Up....starting with Ella's crazy hair day

So like I mentioned on my last post I have been OUT of commission with no computer, so now I am playing catch up...so here we go.

Ella has spirit week at school. One day was PJS, costume, favorite sports team (Angels), and her favorite was: CRAZY HAIR DAY!

The kindergarten girls: Ella & Alejandra (our neighbor we walk to school with everyday)

William Antonio Todd: A FUN CELEBRATION of LIFE and a HUGE THANK YOU!

Some of you already know that my home computer crashed, so I have not had a computer since Will's Party, so I cant tell you how EXTREMELY happy I am to have my home computer back.

Anyway one of the first things I wanted to do was update the blog from my nephew's "P" Party Celebration. So excited to actually be done with that blog, not because I haven't seriously enjoyed doing it, but BECAUSE he is healthy, home, well, recovering like a CHAMP and now we are just celebrating life. So check it out!

(and more personal blog updates to come soon)

William Antonio Todd: A FUN CELEBRATION of LIFE and a HUGE THANK YOU!:

Here's the slide show preview, but check out the blog for the full thing...

Only 13 weeks and we ARE HAVING A.......

So at the start of last week (Monday) I had an ultrasound at my 13th week. I went in (by myself) thinking that it was just a standard ultrasound, just to make sure things were OK and going smoothly, which they are!!! Most important thing right there.

Well as I am sitting with the technician she goes, "Oh, well, hello, so I don't know if you wanted to know what you are having or not, but you are getting a good little sneak peak right now."  And I look over and sure enough....So I said, "Well I did want to know, but even if I didn't I don't think it would be easy to not find out at this point."

There was our LITTLE GUY with his legs wide open and well, um, how do I say it appropriately, showing his "stuff".  She had a lot of great pictures and positions, but of course she actually had to hit the take button to get them, so I was sad we didn't get many great pictures (just so I could show Ned) but just a few pictures.

She then was very careful to say, "NOW I must say you are only 13 weeks, so I cant guarantee anything and I would for sure get another ultrasound, but I'm pretty sure."  Then the remainder of the time she kept saying, oh HE is waving, oh HE is flipping, oh HE is a wild one.  So though I debated announcing it to the world so early I feel pretty confident.

The main question everyone has & does ask me is...What did you want?  Honestly we didn't care either way at all, especially since we have both a boy and a girl. BUT we feel very happy we are having a boy for the following reasons:

• this baby will be closest to Asher (our youngest) so it will be nice they will have a play Buddie
• Ned loves hunting, camping, hiking, etc. So another boy for those boys trip will be GREAT!
• Scott (Ned's dad) is the only male left in his family, Ned only has 2 sisters so he is the only male, and Asher was the only male in our family, so we are very excited for another boy to carry on the BROBERG name!
• Asher is thrilled to have a brother!  (Brownie) yes he is STILL insisting that we name our baby Brownie.  That was the first thing he said, so we may have a nickname (whether we like it or not) for this baby.  Ella wasn't too thrilled since she really wanted a sister, BUT I told her she is just like Olivia, who she loves, and has 2 little "bothers". She thinks that is pretty funny.

So here's our BOY!

 

So I am now 14 weeks (in my 2nd trimester) still feeling sick but MUCH better than I have been. Still have a LONG way to go, and it has already seemed like forever!  But this news seriously made me glow and just SO HAPPY! It was wonderful to be so unexpectedly surprised with such fun news.  

(Thanks Dad & Maria C. for helping out with my kiddos for the day!  Grateful to generous people!)

Announcement Number Three

Announcement  Number Three..Or wait, is this suppose to say, "We have an announcement, it is baby # 3"

So yes if you have seen me lately and I look tired, exhausted, sick OR all of the above, it is probably because I AM tired, exhausted, and SICK!

We are just 12 weeks along (or 3 months pregnant) and I have never had such LONG weeks as these in my entire life!!!!

We decided to spread the news because people started asking if we were pregnant or when we would have another, etc.  And I have a really hard time lying to people...so some of my family & friends knew already and so the word started getting out AND I have been extremely sick this pregnancy, which has limited some of my time & activities.  Being so sick is also REALLY odd because I was NEVER sick with my other two pregnancies with Ella or Asher.  So on top of all the regular sicknesses our family has been blessed with, see HERE for more on that, I have also had extremely bad morning sickness. Except again it's pretty "funny" because I don't typically get sick in the morning, its usually late afternoon/evening time (so "nighttime sickness". My dinners haven't been staying down too well, and well life has been hard.

So we found out we were expecting the day we got home from our Yosemite vacation (so yes I was prego in Yosemite and didn't even know it) and then everything with my nephew happened, so it was just odd timing, but we figure after the amount of time we tried it must have been God's plan for this to happen now, so here we are!  And grateful that now Will is HOME!

The kids are pretty excited and actually get it. They also NOW like to pretend to vomit/dry heave quite a bit which is kinda funny, because they always suddenly need to "throw up, really bad!" they never do and just laugh after they pretend. Really fun for me.  Asher also decided that he wants a boy, and Ella wants a girl. But Asher wants to name our boy or girl BROWNIE!  We will have to see about that one.

So there you have it!

Trying New Things

So many of my (WAY to kind, generous, and positive) friends tell me, "You are such a great mom"  and my honest immediate thoughts are, "You really have NO idea, do you?!?!?!?!"

So with that being said, I wont elaborate much on my faults, shortcomings, and lack of patience (we could go on and on and ON) but rather on the positive things I have been focusing on and trying to change.

With the start of my first in school, things have really changed around our house, and one change I am trying to implement (which also makes me happy) is schedules.

So one of the first things this new "school year" we are working on is CHORES.  I grew up doing chores and think it is SO important for kids to have and UNDERSTAND responsibility in the home and family.  We all need to know we contribute and participate and work together as a family.  Yes this is harder to do when your kids are 5 & 3. But I have already found that they thrive on the responsibility and really step up, and (for the time being) actually ENJOY doing their chores. Go figure.

So check out what my kids age appropriate chores are, for ideas on how to implement this into your own family. (It is also editable, so you can make your own from this template).

My Kids 2011 Chore Chart