What Is It

about pregnancy that causes you to not only clean out your laundry closet, but detail your washing machine with a toothbrush??

You know it's silly, even while you're doing it, but you aren't satisfied until it's all done. 

Is the baby going to care? Are you after the baby's here? It's crazy!

In other (more practical) preparation news, I made a baby sling!

I used this tutorial and made it completely lined. Brown and green because we don't know if we will be blessed with another son or daughter. I love how it turned out and can't wait to tuck a tiny babe in it!

Lee-Lee Turns Three!

Yesterday was Leah's birthday!

Leah's a BIG Wizard of Oz fan, so when I asked her what cake she was going to want, she said, "Dorothy! Somewhere over the rainbow!!" Ummmm, yeah....

Me-"How about a rainbow cake?"

Leah-"Yeah!"

Me-"Whew....."

A rainbow it is!

As is her personality, she was the most gracious of gift receivers! A big thank you to each giver for each present, piling her carefully torn paper into a neat pile.

How old are you now, Leah?

"Three!!"

What a little sweetie!

Happy Birthday, little one!

Down To One

In diapers, that is.

My gentle spirited, lovely Leah is potty trained! Yay! It took all of four days. Day and night! She's quite proud of herself! 

What The Macks Had For Dessert

After seeing a recipe for blueberry cheesecake bars, I really wanted to try them! But I didn't have all the ingredients for the recipe I found, so I made up my own! Mmmmm, and they turned out so good!

Blueberry Cheesecake Bars

Start with a shortbread crust:

1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) butter, cut into 1/2 in. pieces

2 cups flour

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350. In a food processor, process all ingredients until small lumps are formed. Sprinkle mixture into a 13 X 9 inch pan and press evenly into the bottom. Bake 15 minutes.

While the crust is baking, prepare the topping:

2 packages (16 ounces total) cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

6 Tablespoons lemon juice

2 cups blueberries

3 Tablespoons flour

6 Tablespoons packed brown sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

3 Tablespoons butter

Combine cream cheese and sugar and beat until smooth. Add eggs and lemon juice. Beat well and spread over cooked shortbread crust. Sprinkle with blueberries. In a small bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle streusel topping over blueberries. Return to oven. Bake at 350 for 50-55 minutes or until filling is set.

So how was it received?

Molly- "Mmmmmm...."

Abby- "Yummy!!!!"

Leah- "Take my picture too!" (But I'm not going to smile!)

It was a big hit, really! :)

A Few Things

As this baby continues to grow, I start to feel the pressure to get prepared.There are always more things on my to-do list than get done, but somehow everything that really matters is ready. So far:

I made 5 diaper covers,

all made from my favorite pattern, especially for a newborn, available here. Easy to make and only soft fleece around those tender legs and tummy!

I also made one teeny, tiny all-in-2,

filled with squishy goodness.

And amongst it all, Sarah wanted to do more cooking. So she made some rocky road bars (minus the nuts).

Mmmmmm, they were delicious!

A Couple Teeth Lost

Abby lost her second tooth last night, after losing her first about a week before. After a little help from Daddy and struggling for a while, she finally was able to free the stubborn little tooth. As we all cheered for her, she cried.

Me- "Abby, what's wrong? You got it out!"

Abby, still crying- "Now I don't have any teeth down there!"

Nothing a special crazy straw and the promise of a pack of gum and tooth fairy visit couldn't fix!

Growing up can be rough, but I think she looks adorable!

To My Husband,

Thank you for taking us all on an outing yesterday for your birthday. The cheese factory was so fun to tour! Thank you for buying us the 38 scoop special (one scoop of each flavor). It was delicious, except for the white licorice...., it was just weird.Thank you for being so understanding and allowing me to retreat to the table when they all lined up to sing. I'm so glad you are ok with me not wanting anything to do with such public spectacles.

Thank you for spending all the extra time driving down the beach to find an uncrowded place for us to play. I know that you couldn't wait to put your new barbecue together, but that you put all that effort into our beach time first.

It was a beautiful day,

and we all enjoyed it.

I hope you know how much you mean to us,

how much we love you,

and how much I thank God for you.

Happy Birthday, my love!