The Rest of Fall

Once again proving my inability to maintain my blog, I have to lump everything together in one post to get back on track. I really think if I could lose my addiction to Bejeweled, I would have time to work on this blog? (I guess that's just the competitive nature in me, wanting to be at the top of the "leader board".)  So, here we are, with my last post in mid-October and it's already into December with snow on the ground. You might think we just had nothing going on, but indeed we did, so maybe I can use that as an excuse that I was just soooo busy, but then we are back to the bejeweled thing... a vicious circle!

We celebrated a Halloween party with the Miller's and got all dressed up, it was in a way the dress rehearsal for Halloween which Brad and I missed. Glad we got to do it though and get some pictures of the kids.

Brad and I went on a cruise to the Eastern Caribbean at the end of October. We left on the 30th and returned a week later. Flying into Miami, we stayed there for a night and then took off on our cruise Saturday, October 31st. We had a great time and slept a lot. I think we were both so tired from everything that has happened in the last 18 months that we were worn out. Brad had a little motion sickness, but I was fine. Everyone kept asking how I was feeling, thinking I would have issues being pregnant, but it didn't bother me at all. Our favorite stop was in Grand Turks. The water was gorgeous, the weather was beautiful and we had the most fun on our Catamaran Sailing and Snorkeling expedition. I wish we would have stopped there first, but then the rest might have been a disappointment? At any rate, it was nice to get away and get rested. I figure it's the first time since we have had children that we have spent that much time together alone. I think next time we do something, we will pick a resort and just stay in one place, but now I can say I have been on a cruise.

The first day on the ship, Carnival Liberty

We rented a scooter when we arrived in the Bahamas. It was a Sunday and most of the shops were closed in the morning. We were able to drive all around the island and even went to Atlantis. It was a lot of fun and turned out to be the best place to rent one.

A view of the ship from a lookout in St. Thomas

On the catamaran in Grand Turks. My first time snorkeling and it was a little difficult to get used to. Once I got the hang of it though, it was pretty spectacular. The area we were at was next to a drop of over 8000 feet in the ocean floor. Brad managed to dive down and get a shell for me, no idea what it's called, but it's the one genuine souvenier I have from our trip that I liked the most.

A few days after we returned, we had our ultrasound to find out we were having a baby GIRL! Honestly, Brad or I did not mind either way. As you might imagine, the girls wanted a girl and the boys wanted a boy. We had all the kids with us in the room when we found out. That was a handful, they all wanted to watch the screen at the same time, but it worked out okay. As I was laying on the table, Anderson looked at me and said, "Mom, you doing okay?" It was so funny and sweet. I remember they all were pretty freaked out last time they saw me in the hospital after my back surgery, but they did well at this appointment. Now we need to think of names. I am welcome to any suggestions, but I have a few requirements, no common names, no names that start with "B", no names that are food, plants, or seasons, no unisex names - that sounds easy enough, right?