Holiday Weekend Wrap Up

Well, it is official. Our long holiday weekend has come to an end and we are pretty bummed here in the Zickafoose Zoo! We LOVE having our daddy home from work, sleeping in, and not having a schedule to keep. These past five days were just what our family needed after the craziness of the last few months we have had. During our break we enjoyed yummy mexican food and lunch at Panera Bread, baking pumpkin bars and turkey shaped sugar cookies, Thanksgiving lunch at Grandma's and playtime with cousins, shopping (we are 90% done with our gift buying!), playing games, watching way too many movies (with Elf, Santa Clause, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas being the girls favorites this year), snuggling, and decorating the house for Christmas. Such fun now that the girls are old enough to be in to it all!

This Thanksgiving it really struck me that I have much to be thankful for. Really I feel thankful every year, but this year stood out to me as feeling different. So many around me are struggling. Marriages are ending, children are fighting cancer, friends are facing job loss/financial struggles and infertility, and just this week friends were burying loved ones. If I think about all of the harshness that this world can offer it is easy to become overwhelmed. I don't know how people do it without the hope of God and His perfect plan! I am so thankful that this world is not where our stories end, and I am thankful for each day that goes by during this season of peace for my own family.

Without further ado, my list of 2009 thankfuls:

* Forgiveness and grace. I am thankful that each new day is fresh with no mistakes in it.

* For my marriage. I will not lie. It has been a tough year in this category, and we still have much to learn, but I am thankful that when we said "I Do", that we both meant it and that anything else that comes up is just a bump in the road.

* For Emma and Kate. They are a constant source of joy,

* For the son growing inside of me. For two years we have prayed for this baby, and I don't want to take one moment of carrying him for granted.

* For living in the same home for two and a half years. Never thought we would see that happen!

* For loving our jobs. Both bring a satisfaction that cannot be put in to words. I remember the not so long ago days where work schedules and finances were something that we greatly struggled with. We prayed, and God answered.

* For our families. Thankful that we are together. It would be much harder to raise our children without the weekly support that we recieve.

* Girlfriends, both old and new! Something I have prayed for often since becoming a wife and mother. God has provided richly in this category.

So there you have it. I am truly blessed, and every once in a while it is simply nice to stop and count my blessings. Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours!

Jack Ryan Zickafoose

That's right. Baby Boy officially has a name. After much deliberation (with the girls help), Ben and I finally decided that Baby Z Number Three will be Jack Ryan. Jack after Ben's mom Jackie, and Ryan after Nolan Ryan (you know, the famous baseball player). Sorry all of our wonderful friends with the name Ryan....this is not after you (but you can pretend it is if you want to!). Ben was absolutely determined that Jack's middle name be after one of his favorite athletes, and Ryan is far better than Tiger, Eldrick, or Kobe any day!

I absolutely LOVE the name Jack. I think it is cute, yet strong, and it goes nicely with the theme I have going of naming all of our children with four letter names. The only other names we considered were Luke (which Emma said made her tongue want to throw up) and Sam, but in the end Jack won out because I love naming our children after family.

Baby Jack is growing every day! The girls enjoy watching my tummy move when he kicks and they love giving brother kisses each night before they go to bed. I cannot wait to see the three of them together.

Thank you God for Emma Leigh, Kate Elisabeth, and Jack Ryan. I could not ask for more!

Fantabulous Fall

This November, as I think upon my many blessings, I am specifically thankful for my two precious girls. More than once a day I find myself asking how I got so lucky as to be their mom. Really, they are such awesome kids. Sure, we have our occasional meltdowns and moments of disrespect like any other family, but those are few and far between. More often than not, people compliment the girls on what good listeners they are and how well they play together. They are sisters, best friends, and two peas in a pod. I cannot imagine one without the other. They are without a doubt, mine and Ben's greatest joy and blessing in life! Some cute things that are worth remembering about them at this stage of their lives:

* Kate has recently nicknamed Emma "Chuggy". Not sure where that came from, but it seems to be sticking. Each morning when Kate sees Emma, she screams "Chuggy!" at the top of her lungs and then chases Emma around the table until she can catch her. Once she catches her, she yells "splat!" and tackles Emma to the ground. Can't you feel the love in our family? :)

* If the girls are wearing dress up clothes you can only refer to them by their fancy names, which are Emmaline and Katealine. They think if you add "a-line" to any name that that makes it fancy. Their two favorite names for their babies and barbies are currently Saraline and Lauraline.

* Several times a day, Kate will give a huge sigh and say, "It's so hard being three!".

* Emma has informed me that according to most humans (yes, she actually used those words), the more you ask them to do something, the less they want to do it. How right you are, sister! Too bad you have 13 more years of me asking you to do things! Ha!

Man, I love these girls and am so thankful they are mine!!

Baby Bump

As per many requests, this is the baby bump as of 20 weeks........

** See post below for a 20 week update!**

20 Weeks

Well, we have recently reached the milestone where I have been pregnant with Baby Boy for 20 wonderful weeks. I truly am enjoying everything about this pregnancy. It is so different! To date I have gained 3 pounds, I still have ankles, I have lots of energy, and everything has been great health wise. Baby Boy moves everyday, and while I have felt his little kicks for weeks, you could see them from outside my stomach for the first time this week. I had forgotten how awesome that is to witness! We truly are blessed.

Baby Boy's belongings are growing, too! Above are the outfits that Mommy and sweet friends have bought for him thus far, and the bottom picture is of the outfit he will wear home from the hospital. Ben had chosen a three piece suit with a purple bow tie for the special day, but thankfully I won, and Baby Boy will come home in the sweet little blue gown and his Little Sport hat. So precious! We have also decided to purchase one big item a month before Baby Boy's arrival, and this month we bought our stroller/car seat combo. Man, have those things gone up in price since we had the girls! Crazy! But the one I chose has bright orange trim (I am a fan), so I pretty much think it is great.

What else? I went ahead and got the swine flu vaccination this week. I was completely nervous about it, not wanting to hurt Baby, but also not wanting to get the flu this season and all of the complications that seem to be going along with it for pregnant women. So I went ahead and got it and then went to my car and cried like a baby, hoping that I had made the right choice. To date I have had no weird side effects and we have an ultrasound on Tuesday to make sure that baby is still doing well.

The weather is changing here, getting colder every day, and I am ready to settle in to the long winter months that come upon us here in Ohio. I forsee many days at home and much nesting in our future! I believe that is all for a twenty week update.We are so excited about the future for our little family! Children are such an amazing blessing!

P.S. We believe Baby Boy has an official name now, but you will have to check back for the announcement! I know, I know. You will be waiting on pins and needles....

Halloween Costume Fun 2009

Wow! It has been quite the busy October here in the Zickafoose Zoo, and this past week has just about done us in! In one week we had Kid Fest at church (Trunk or Treat), a Halloween dance performance at ballet, our children's home annual Halloween party, Ben's families Halloween bash, and Trick-or-Treating in Grammy and Da's neighborhood the old fashioned way. The girls have had a blast, the costumes were well worn, Mommy and Daddy are exhausted and Halloweened out, but I have no doubt that fun memories were made!This year the Zickafoose Girls dressed up as Tinkerbell and Rosetta (the pink fairy from the Tinkerbell movie) for Halloween. Emma had decided last year that she wanted to be Tinkerbell this year, and once Kate saw the movie, she was hooked on Rosetta. My amazingly talented friend, Candy, sewed the girls costumes this year, so they were extra special! Enjoy some pictures from our Halloween fun!

Second Times a Charm

Well, go ahead and say it. I am spoiled! After Thursday nights gender ultrasound disappointment, I was completely spoiled this morning with another fancy schmancy ultrasound. That's right. I did not even have to wait for 48 hours! See? Spoiled! I woke up early and started my day by drinking the nectar of the devil (Mountain Dew). Gasp! I know, not so great for me but I was determined to get this little one moving. I followed that with a protein bar, and then headed on my merry way to my ultrasound. Unfortunately, Ben could not go with me because someone had to wait here to get the residents off on their visits, and Emma said she was too tired to go, so I dragged my friend Angie with me so that I would not have to go alone. The ultrasound tech was SO nice and the experience was so fun! Today our little one actually LOOKED like a baby. I could see the entire spine and all of the ribs, the bones in the legs, little one sucking his/her thumb, and most of the facial features, to boot. So cool! And then came the fun part. Ms. Ultrasound Tech Lady said she thought she knew what baby was but wanted me to roll on my side to be completely sure. I could tell the minute that Angie gasped that I was having a BOY, so I whipped around and the tech confirmed that it was true. Of course I responded with many tears :). There is one sweet little boy growing inside of me. I can't tell you how excited I am. Boy things have just been calling to me from the beginning of this pregnancy and I just had a feeling. Ms. Ultasound Tech Lady gave me several pictures on a disk so that I could go home and share the pictures with Ben and the girls, who of course are pumped as well. I think Ben might be a little nervous about raising a son, but I am so convinced he will be a great dad to our little boy. And hey, as Ben says, this is one less wedding he will have to pay for! Ha! Little baby BOY Zickafoose, we are so in love with you and can't wait for you to be a part of our family. Bugs, balls, dirt, and dinosaurs HERE WE COME!!