Running Our Race

Our Christmas was just great!!!! And to top it off, Christmas night we got a "dusting" of snow which made it that much more fun! Here are the kids after the Santa presents were found and they were patiently waiting to open up all the presents under the tree....you would think it was just torture...! Santa was very good to us this year...Emma Grace got the hottest new pair of Uggs , Christopher got a PlayStation 3, and Kate got a fancy makeup/jewelry organizer for the wall from PBTeen ...amongst a ton of other goodies under the tree....we are so blessed! Santa also brought Brett and I matching Frye boots....so cute! Christmas night we planned a great dinner. Brett....who dreams of being a full time chef...planned to cook a 14 LB standing Rib Roast...daunting to me, but Brett was so excited. He read that Thomas Keller (his chef idol) prepares his by carmelizing the outside with a blow torch before the slow roast begins...so needless to say we now own a blow torch..and not ...

Well...on this Christmas Eve....Brett's parents, Bob and Gina, came to town earlier and Brett's brother, Nate, is on his way. We went to Christmas Eve service at church, came home to some yummy soup, and built a great fire. Now, Brett and the 3 kiddos are curled up on the couch with the dogs underfoot watching Elf ....all is right in the world. We set out our cookies and milk for Santa and carrots for the reindeer. We also made our "no earlier than 6 a.m." rule go into effect for tomorrow morning! I just cannot wait! Life doesn't get any better when you can spend Christmas morning with family. What a precious time this is for us....like Mary and Joseph...we are our waiting on our baby too. Amazing...When we were singing Silent Night in church tonight with all the candles lit, I felt a complete connection to our unborn child in my belly. It was a feeling I will never forget. To burn off some anxious/"pre-baby"/nesting energy today I baked about 1...

Well first things first....I am officially 39 1/2 weeks and SO READY to have this baby!!!!! I go again to the doctor today, but last time I went I was 3cm dilated and still 80%....I mean come on baby!!! I am getting very anxious to meet him/her. My mom and I both are starting to lose our minds! Here is the last picture I could find that we took. I stomach feels like it is about to pop. My skin is so stretched it really is hurting now. I am putting all sorts of oils and lotions on it, but I am truthfully just really uncomfortable. I think the best solution is just to get this baby here. My doctor gave me an induction date of Monday Dec 27th unless this baby shows up in the meantime. He said that I was "ripe" for a great induction and lets just get this baby here!! :) I am off work this week-officially on "maternity leave"---it is great! A Little Back-Up on what the Scullens have been up to: My Dad and his friend Kathy came from Texas to visit us a couple...

So I am 36 weeks and a few days.....so far so good! I have gained 25 pounds and feel every bit of it!!! I went to the doctor today and he said I was 1 1/2 cm dilated and 80% effaced....yeah!!!! Even though this is my first baby and I know "it" probably won't come early....I would still just LOVE it if he/she decided to come a little early...maybe before christmas....one can hope!!! And now onto another fun subject....... Go AUBURN TIGERS!!!!! The Scullen Family (specifically Brett) is just beside themselves that they beat Alabama...They play in the SEC championship on Saturday and if we win then it is onto Arizona for the National Championship. We had a game watching par-tay at our house for the Alabama game. The boys had a blast. Here is Ben, Stan, Jeremy, and Brett The day after the game, the girls and I squeezed in some Christmas shopping. Here is a picture of Kate trying on some CRAZY sparkly high heels...too funny!!! Tonight Brett made...from scratch...split p...

I was 34 weeks this past Tuesday. I went to the doctor on Wednesday and everything is checking out great. I have gained 21 pounds, but it feels like a lot more!!!! Just getting out of bed is becoming harder to do. I am still working everyday and doing well. I have some good compression hose that I wear to help prevent any swelling since I pretty much stand up all day at the hospital and do a lot of walking. I am really having fun being pregnant though!!!! But---I cannot wait to meet this baby!!!

This past weekend was sooooo much fun!!! Brett and I are still recovering...:) On thursday night, my mom flew into Alabama and was picked up by Brett's mom and dad, Gina and Bob. They arrived at our house that night and the fun officially began. This past weekend 11 people stayed with us in the house and I loved every single second! Some people left on Saturday, and some stayed until Sunday. On Friday, Brett and I had a fun "gathering" at our house. We have been planning it for several months now and were so excited for the day to finally get here. It was a celebration of a lot of things....moving back to Opelika, finishing the house remodel, the holiday season to come, new baby, etc....basically just a bunch of reasons to celebrate with our best family and friends. I am not exactly sure how many people actually attended....Brett and I thought maybe 100-125....it was a blast!!! Since I am 34 weeks pregnant, we decided from the get-go this shindig needed to be ca...