Hello Again

I hope everyone had a very merry Christmas. Ours was crazy busy seeing all our family and lugging around the gazillion toys my kids received, but it was great seeing everyone. Honestly, though, I'm just glad it's all over. I always feel like the year really ends with Christmas, and the rest of December is spent preparing for the coming year. I love a fresh start, so I'm excited to announce that I will be moving to a new blog!

The blog address is a little easier to remember, and it's going to be filled with all the things I love the most! I figured it was time since I spent the last 3 years at this one. Wow, time really flies when you have kids. Anyway, I'll be posting there on New Years Day so remember to switch over your bookmarks so you can keep up with all the fantastic stuff I have planned for next year!

I probably won't post tomorrow, since it's my birthday and everything (I'll be 25, crazy!) but Monday I'll be here getting ready for the big move and for my sister's wedding on New Years Eve!

Now I know what all the hype was about.

I feel like I just got hit by Colonel Mustard, in the Conservatory, with the Lead Pipe. I haven't gotten the blood testing done yet, but my doctor says I have all the symptoms of the swine flu. It's bad people, pray to Jesus you don't catch it. I'll be out for a while since my head feels like all the organs inside are on fire, and who knows when I'll be back to normal, so until then everyone should go out and eat some extra bacon just to spite those stupid pigs.

Wardrobe Wishlist

None of my own clothes fit me any more and now that I am officially in the 2nd trimester (already?) it's time to stay away from the jeans/pants and wear skirts/dresses exclusively. If I had an extra $500 lying around, and I could spend it on just me, I would buy these.



Dress & Shooties from Anthro, headband from Miss Ruby Sue.

A Nice September Saturday

Out of nowhere yesterday, Braden switched off the Tennessee/Florida game, turned to me and said. "Let's go have a picnic."
I thought I had fell asleep for a minute and was dreaming this conversation. "Um, ok" I said, and we got up to get the kids changed and packed up. All the suggestions for KFC and pizza didn't sound so great to me, so a brilliant idea popped into my head, and we drove to Agritopia.

Have you been to Joe's Farm Grill. It is awesome because there are a ton of picnic benches outside in the yard both in front and in back of the restaurant, plus a lot of pretty garden areas for your kids to run through. Our kids ran around outside for a while, and drank orange soda (they NEVER get soda, so it was a real treat for them). Then once we got our food, we went inside to their midcentury modern style eating area and our kids actually behaved. For the second time that night, I thought I was dreaming. I got the barbecue blue cheese burger (which was awesome) and my kids got a grilled cheese. They stuffed their face full of fries and we left content and in good moods. We drove to the park by our house, and played for 2 hours. While we were there Braden ran into an acquaintance of his, and we talked to his wife and his friend's wife the whole time. Turns out it's a small world after all. They had 3 little girls (two were Lala & Peepers age), and their friend had 5 kids, the last one twins. All 11 kids played like they were longtime friends and our kids got put to bed all bathed and really tired out.

I have a feeling that this is going to be the best autumn we've ever had. I think I'll go watch "You've Got Mail" and buy some more pumpkins today . . .

So many things are happening at once in my life, that I feel like I'm living in that house Dorothy traveled in to Oz. I closed my eyes and woke up in September. How did that happen? A lot of my life is lived like this, all the important things happening so fast that I barely have time to appreciate them before something else comes along that needs my attention. All the babies, and marriages, and graduations keep coming and coming to the point where I forget just how many kids and brothers and sisters and cousins I have now. Sometimes I wish things would just slow down so I can at least give everyone a big kiss.

Last night however, I was given a golden opportunity to do just that. My dad has an Aunt & Uncle who live here in Mesa who he was going to go visit, and he invited me to come along. My cousin Mindy, who is their granddaughter, had emailed me a while back and had asked if I ever had time, if I could go and take some pictures of her grandparents. I said, "Of course, I'd love to go" and got in the car with my dad to visit his beloved Uncle Harry & Aunt Delt.

I had only met these two a handful of times, but I do remember being a little girl and going to their house up in the white mountains to visit. I must have been under 10 years old, but I do remember Aunt Delt's smile, and Uncle Harry's laugh. I also remember my dad's stories of how Uncle Harry had gotten struck by lighting 10 times or so, and other funny things about him.
When we got to the house, we were greeted by their sweet nurse Marsha, who presented us to Delta & Harry. They looked just like I remember them. Aunt Delt with her chestnut hair and beautiful smile, and Uncle Harry with his laugh and fiery disposition. All my memories came flooding back, and we spent the rest of the afternoon reminiscing and looking at a big photo album one of their granddaughters had made. There were so many pictures of them in there, just about my age. Aunt Delt was gorgeous. Like really really gorgeous and young chasing 2 little girls around. And there were pictures of handsome Uncle Harry and my dad's grandfather Poppa, his dad Paul Jr., and my Uncle Paul III. There was pictures of his cousin Joanne, who looked just like her grandson Kai. There was even pictures of my dad and his mother Rosemary. It almost took my breath away how much it reminded me of me & my own little boy, who is the spitting image of my father. The time finally came however, to go home, so with a hug and a kiss, we told Uncle Harry & Aunt Delt goodbye, with tears in both our eyes.

The weight of the evening didn't really hit me until we were driving home. My dad played his music, as I tried to choke back a flood of tears. As we drove west on the freeway, I looked at the sunset barley glaring in the sky, almost letting the twilight take it over. It seemed a perfect metaphor for life. Every now & then, we need to stop and take a look around us and appreciate the moments we are given on this earth; for they are, like the day, over so quickly. Don't get so caught up in the day, that you forget to appreciate the sunset.

Aren't they just lovely?

It's Official

Rosemary Watson is now a Real Estate Agent. Woot Woot! Yay me! I'm excited to announce that I have joined Keller Williams Legacy One and I can't wait to start selling some homes! I have been going to meetings, classes, and seminars that my company has been offering, and it's getting me revved up to start my business. I'm working on all my marketing stuff, so soon you'll be able to check out my own personal real estate website. I'll be sending out all kinds of fun stuff so stay on the lookout! If anyone has any questions for me, or know anyone else that is interested in selling their home or buying a new one, now you guys know who to call!

Babies Update, Presents, and more fall

We went to another ultrasound yesterday, and lo and behold, everything is fine! There are 2 distinct sacs, one placenta, and 2 healthy, strong little babies hanging out in my belly. They are about an inch each, which leaves me wondering why my belly looks like it is housing two 5 pound babies already. Doesn't make any sense to me. And unfortunately, I have only gained one of my 40 pounds I am supposed to be gaining, so I'm not too sure about the belly situation. I think my body is shifting, so I walk with my hips forward already and I don't hold my stomach in all day, so it's kind of deceiving. I think I need a peanut butter milkshake. Oh, and the picture below is at 36 weeks. I am sorry, but that just does not look right. It kind of freaks me out.


Anyway, on to my present. Christmas came early for Rosemary & Braden, and we are IN LOVE with our iphones. I mean in love. I mean like we are texting each other nonsense all day just to use our iphones. It's seriously changing our lives. We have an ongoing scrabble game, that I am losing miserably, but it is so so fun.


And guess what! The Pumpkin Spice Latte is back at Starbucks. I got mine decaf & iced today, since it's 102 degrees, but hey, it's September. I have my pumpkin pie candle lit in my house, and I'm starting my pillows today. I'll share once I'm done.

Ask and ye shall receive

Remember how yesterday I was feeling all mopey and blah and had no inspiration coming to me. Well, I forgot, I hadn't checked out what Nie was up to lately. Have you read her blog, and her post on a year anniversary of her plane crash, and her unveiling of herself? Honestly, that is one strong woman. She literally takes my breath away. There are a lot of people I look up to (you know, my mom, my grandma, my father, etc) but if I could end up with a fraction of the heart that Stephanie Neilson has, I'll be satisfied. Please, if you haven't read in a while, and you have some time and tears to spare, go read her blog. She really has a knack for putting your life into perspective.

Much love for Nie and her darling family.

Ready for Fall

I have literally read 3 different blogs today that state everyone has lost their mojo, and man I'm I there. I feel like I've been a zombie this whole week. I did pass my last Real Estate test so Wohoo! on that. These babies are seriously kicking my booty though. I am pretty exhausted most of the time (especially today since Peeps decided to wake up at 1:00 am and not go back to bed) and having to eat ALL DAY makes me be in a constant food coma. Plus I can't exercise at all so I feel super gross. Not that I really did that much before, but knowing I can't makes it worse. I am working on a couple of projects that should be done soon, but I am a chronic procrastinator. Hopefully I'll feel better tomorrow and have something worth talking about.

Baby Update

We went for our 2nd & 3rd ultrasounds yesterday & today and they all came back with pretty much the same answers: It's too early to tell anything for sure.

As of right now we still definitely have 2 babies, and they are sharing the same placenta (identical twins) but the ultrasound tech and doctor we saw today are pretty confident we'll be able to see the separation of the 2 sacs in two weeks. So we'll go back then, and hopefully have more answers. But everything was pretty positive today, so I'm confident they'll be fine.

They currently look like this:


Gross hunh? They look like little pollywogs. And yes, that is what my butt looks like. Thanks for asking. More updates to come in 2 weeks.

Big News

Ok, so after calling everyone on the planet yesterday, I figured I needed to post this on the blog so everyone stays updated.

I went in for my 1st doctor's appointment Monday. He said I am due April 2nd and I have to get bloodwork done this week and get an ultrasound Tuesday.

I went in for my ultrasound Tuesday, and got one of those terrific wand ultrasounds instead of the rollerball ones that go over your belly. During the ultrasound (which happens to feel like someone is playing supermario brothers and the joystick is stuck in your body) my technician says, "Ok, what I think I'm seeing here. . . ."

I'm thinking to myself, "Oh crap."

"I think I'm seeing TWO babies and one sac."

Silence.

"Ro?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you hear me?"

"Yeah."

"Are you ok Ro?" (Everyone at the office is super nice and we're all old friends since I'm 3 kids deep, so I'm on a nickname basis.)

"Yeah."

She proceeds to point to the blobs on the screen showing me Baby A and then Baby B. 2 heartbeats. 2 bodies. 1 sac.

"What does that mean?" I ask.

"Well, it's not ideal. When there's twins, we like them to have their own amniotic sacs so they can't hurt eachother, but I've seen it turn out totally fine too. I'm going to get Dr. T and have him confirm what I'm seeing."

This woman has been reading ultrasounds longer than I've been alive, so I'm pretty sure she knows what she's talking about. So my doctor walks in and is cracking up because of course I would be having twins the last time I want to have a baby.

"Oh my gosh, Braden is going to DIE" he says. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I think I just had a panic attack, when I was alone in here, but I'm cool now." My doctor is awesome.

Basically I'm only at 7 weeks so we aren't 100% sure if there are 2 sacs or just one, but there are definitely 2 babies in there. I'm going in for another ultrasound next week, so the membrane of the sac might show up better next week. If there ends up being one sac, then I would be put at an extremely high risk pregnancy, which isn't great, but you get what you get when it comes with babies. The whole thing is called monoamniotic twins, (which would also mean they are identical- so 2 boys or 2 girls) and it's dangerous, but there is a lot of new technology out there, so it could turn out fine. We'll see how it goes, prepare for the worst, hope for the best, and hopefully welcome 2 new little peanuts into this Watson Family. 5 kids under 4 years old wasn't exactly what I thought would ever happen to me, but my motto is "You get what you get and you don't throw a fit." That motto also works on the color juice cup you are given.

Hip Hip Hooray!

Yay Me! I took my first real estate test, and I PASSED! Wohoo! Now all I have left is the state exam and I'm good to go! I don't know what I'm going to do with all this useless information in my brain, like the acreage of townships. Or Pam's favorite flavor of yogurt. Which is Mixed Berry.

Really though I'm so glad I got through that, and now I can focus on all my creative endeavors coming up.

More fun stuff in store

Whew! I'm so glad to get that off my chest. I HATE keeping secrets. Bleh. I had to keep it for 2 whole days and it was the WORST. Braden took the news pretty well, I'm happy to say, so now we have to prepare ourselves for this 4th baby. It is definitely going to be my last pregnancy, so I'm going to try and appreciate everything this go around. And of course, lo and behold House of 3 came out with this adorable Baby Book Kit as if on cue. I need to get it and make a big book for all my kids, since they were all so close together.


We decided to throw a little announcement party for our family to celebrate the big news (I'll use any excuse to throw a party) so I made up little invitations

(front)

(back)

I also have more news tomorrow that I will share that everyone should get excited for. It's gonna be awsome.

Ok, I can't take it any longer

Surprises in Store

Oh, good gravy, do I have some surprises for you coming up! I have to work out all the kinks, but I think I'll be able to share them next week. Until then, I'm going to try and study my head off so I can hopefully pass my real estate exam next week. I will share the link though, to the Ratatouille from the movie Ratatouille that I made for dinner. To be honest, I had low expectations for this dish, since there is literally no meat in the dish. I especially thought Braden would hate it. Oh, contraire mon frere, it was one of the tastiest things I have ever made up. You HAVE to try it, it is totally 100% healthy for you. I served mine with couscous like Smitten Kitchen did, but instead of the goat cheese (weird) I grated a whole bunch of parmesan on top and it was delicious. Watch the movie with your kids, and then let them layer all the veggies in the pan, so they get to be little chefs for the day.

photo from Smitten Kitchen

Insanity Week 2

Well, I have week 1 down for school, just one more week of school to go. My brain is about to explode, but other than that, I'm in one piece. Thursday is Landen's birthday too, so I got a lot of stuff to cram into the next 7 days. I'm going to take a kind of hiatus on the blog for the next 2 weeks, since I'm finishing up school, studying for the test, taking a school final exam, a state final exam, finding a broker to work with, getting licensed, and then starting up my Summer cheer practices for JV Cheer on the 20th. I'll still post, but not as often and they are going to be short & sweet. When I get back full force, I have a TON of exciting things to share that are in the works right now! I'll be putting up sneaky peaks in the meantime to get you all as excited as I am!

Sewing Inspiration

Woah guys, this school thing has kept me busier than I thought. I've been running around like a chicken with its head cut off, but Glory Be, Braden has been a rock star keeping things going at home. My children & home have been well kept these past 2 days, and Braden is loving hanging out with them. I miss my babies, but at least I get to come home for lunch so it doesn't feel like so long without seeing them.

As far as our inspiration week is going, I'm a little behind, but at least I can steer you to some other blogs to check out while I'm MIA


Look at the Purl Bee for some really good sewing, knitting, & crotche-ing (I don't know how to spell that, it always looks like crotch to me) projects. They are located in NYC and I love their style


Moda Bake Shop also has a lot of great project tutorials, check out this one and this one.


30 days handmade is full of awesome tutorials from sewing to crafting to cooking. There is always some awesome giveaways on the site too, so add it to your bookmarks.

Monday Blahs

I'm not really feeling all that great today. I've had a wicked headache all day and I can't seem to find where my weekend went. I don't even remember it happening. I know we went swimming on Saturday, and then we went and saw the Hangover (which was the BEST movie ever made. But not for the faint of heart, so I don't suggest you go if you can't abide male nudity in films) and ate at Grimaldi's. Oh, and yesterday Braden decided it was time to purge our entire house so we cleared out the kids closets, shoe baskets, and dressers and organized/packed it away/gave it to Goodwill. We said goodbye to a lot of baby stuff, which made me sad because I really want one more baby now. Braden, however is totally satisfied with the three we've been given, so for now the Watson Family is just going to consist of 5. I also mopped our house, vacuumed, cleaned bathrooms, did laundry and dishes so I think my body is shutting down from Cleaning Overload. I feel like a zombie today. I forgot to sign La La up for her 2nd session of swim lessons, so we didn't even make those today. I need to go take some tylenol, then drink a vanilla coke; then I might be able to make it to dance tonight, but the forecast is not looking sunny people.

So I leave you all with these photos from the Birthday shoot #1 we did, these babies make me smile

Here's how the shots turned out today Eryn. Thanks for taking my photo yo. I lub dem.

Do you want to get your feet wet doing digital scrapbooking? Come on over to my house, bring a cd with a bunch of photos , and we'll edit the photos how you want them, and create an awesome 20 page digital scrapbook that you can take home with you in jpeg formats. You can print them out (I like Ritz pix because they will do specialty sizes like 12 x 12 or 8 x 8 so you can just insert the pages in an album), put them on your blog, or get a Shutterfly photo book made! These make awesome gifts, and look great on your coffee table for guests to look through! $50 gets you the digital designs & the editing, which is a pretty sweet deal! You can check out my House Warming Digital Scrapbook to get some ideas for your own.