For unto us a child was born

It's a boy! Gabriel Keith was born at 6:09am AZ time (37w1d), 7lbs 9oz, 18.5 in long.

7 Quick Takes Friday - November 25, 2011

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We had a lovely Thanksgiving. I roasted a turkey for the very first time, and it turned out well. I also made homemade stuffing, sweet potato casserole, green beans, homemade rolls, and mulled wine. Collin's grandparents, sister-in-law, and niece came over, and after stuffing ourselves we lit the firepit and stayed outside visiting while the kids played. (Thank goodness I had help with the clean-up, because I was wiped out! I went to bed around 8pm.)

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I do not, as a rule, participate in the Black Friday madness. No money savings is worth being trampled. I woke up at 5am this morning and couldn't sleep, though, so I started aimlessly surfing the Internet and stumbled across a 7-ft. pre-lit Christmas tree at Joann.com for $39.99 (originally $129.99)! As the top tier of our current (secondhand) Christmas tree didn't work last year, this sale was appealing, so I went so far as to wake up Collin to ask his opinion. He was grumpy but after a long discussion he gave me the the green light to buy it, and I did! I even had a coupon for free shipping. Yay for a working Christmas tree!

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I also dropped by Half-Price books the other day and got some great bargains:

A dozen Star Trek: Voyager books for $5!

A hardcover box set of the Lord of the Rings trilogy for $30!

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Wednesday's drive home was my last time commuting until my maternity leave is over (probably sometime in February-ish). Hooray! That drive was getting tough.

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As has become our Black Friday tradition, we went to see a movie this afternoon (we saw Tangled last year), and it was fantastic:

The kids loved it too! Violet was dancing along with the opening number; it was so adorable.

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In pregnancy news, I'm full-term today. As much as I'd hoped for a December baby, s/he may come sooner than anticipated. I think I lost some of my mucous plug this morning, and I've started timing contractions just in case. It could be prodromal labor (I had a ton of it with Violet), but we'll have to see what happens. I'm going to take a warm bath with Epsom salts shortly and see if that makes the contractions fizzle. On the up side, at least it's kicked my butt into getting my hospital bag packed and all my newborn-sized baby clothes washed.

--- 7 ---

Ready for the first Sunday of Advent and the new Roman Missal? I am! I downloaded the "iMassExplained" iPhone app from the Daughters of St. Paul and I'm looking forward to using the new translation for the first time this weekend.

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

7 Quick Takes Friday - November 18, 2011

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36 weeks today! We're heading into the home stretch. I had an appointment yesterday; everything looks great. I had the GBS test and the NP attempted to check my cervix, but it was so high up that she decided not to try. So, seems as though Baby is content to stay where s/he is for now. :)

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I went to a blogger meet-up last weekend!

From L to R: Me, Alison, Danya, and Leila. We had lunch at the Arcadia Cafe (yum!) and gabbed for hours. So rejuvenating! HUGE thanks to Kara who watched Violet for me (Collin was overloaded with homework and needed a toddler-free day) so I could go.

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I start working from home November 28, thank goodness. I got everything squared away with paperwork and etc. this week. The commute is really getting difficult.

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We are hosting Thanksgiving at our house this year! Eep! Have I mentioned I've never roasted a turkey before? I'm thinking of using this recipe, but I'm not sure. Is it important to have stuffing actually in the turkey, or is it okay to make separately? Is it redundant to have mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes? (I love 'em both!) We're going to do our ingredient shopping this weekend so I have to get this figured out...

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I've done a bit of Christmas shopping already but there's still more to do... I did pick up a Christmas present for Señor/ita Cuatro yesterday, however:

I love the little reindeer on the feet!

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Collin has Wednesday through Monday off of work!!!! (Well, technically, he's working for a few hours over the holiday weekend, but no more than 2 per day.) It'll be nice to have him around to run kid interference while I'm in full-bore "decorate for Christmas and get everything washed/ready for baby" mode.

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Encyclical on the Feast of Christ the King, His Holiness Pope Pius XI, December 11, 1925

The faithful, moreover, by meditating upon these truths, will gain much strength and courage, enabling them to form their lives after the true Christian ideal. If to Christ our Lord is given all power in heaven and on earth; if all men, purchased by his precious blood, are by a new right subjected to his dominion; if this power embraces all men, it must be clear that not one of our faculties is exempt from his empire. He must reign in our minds, which should assent with perfect submission and firm belief to revealed truths and to the doctrines of Christ. He must reign in our wills, which should obey the laws and precepts of God. He must reign in our hearts, which should spurn natural desires and love God above all things, and cleave to him alone. He must reign in our bodies and in our members, which should serve as instruments for the interior sanctification of our souls, or to use the words of the Apostle Paul, as instruments of justice unto God.[35] If all these truths are presented to the faithful for their consideration, they will prove a powerful incentive to perfection. It is Our fervent desire, Venerable Brethren, that those who are without the fold may seek after and accept the sweet yoke of Christ, and that we, who by the mercy of God are of the household of the faith, may bear that yoke, not as a burden but with joy, with love, with devotion; that having lived our lives in accordance with the laws of God's kingdom, we may receive full measure of good fruit, and counted by Christ good and faithful servants, we may be rendered partakers of eternal bliss and glory with him in his heavenly kingdom.

Have a blessed Christ the King Sunday!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

Broken Fortress giveaway week!

Edit 11/16/11 - check out today's giveaway featuring a gift certificate to Hand Knit by Cara. I am in love with this Christmas stocking!

The very talented Allison over at A Broken Fortress is hosting a Holiday Giveaway week! Today's giveaway features items from her wonderful Etsy shop Lila's Locker. Check it out!

7 Quick Takes Friday - November 11, 2011

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Thank you to our Veterans! I'm very proud of the two servicemen in my family. This (middle) is my cousin, Sgt. Adam Walsvik, who serves with the 188th Engineer Company in the North Dakota National Guard. He's currently serving in Afghanistan. Here's an article about an award that Adam won last year. (Incidentally, I had no idea my cousin knew General Hammond. LOL!)

This is my uncle, Command Sgt. Maj. Joel Walsvik (he is also Adam's uncle). I am his namesake (I was named after him and my great-grandmother Anna). He's also with the North Dakota National Guard, and has served several tours of duty in Iraq and one in Kosovo.

Here's an article about some awards he recently bestowed to fellow ND National Guard soldiers.

--- 2 ---

Speaking of the North Dakota National Guard, I read this blurb at the bottom of one of the above articles: Since the 2001 terrorist attacks on America, the North Dakota National Guard has mobilized more than 3,500 Soldiers and more than 1,800 Airmen in support of the Global War on Terrorism. Currently, about a dozen North Dakota Guardsmen are serving overseas while more than 4,000 remain in the state for emergency response and national defense. For every 10,000 citizens in North Dakota, 65 serve in the North Dakota National Guard, a rate that’s more than four times the national average. Wow! So proud and thankful for our troops, no matter where they are. Here is a great prayer for veterans that I read today.

--- 3 ---

Anyway, back to more mundane topics. I try to restrain myself from being snarky to total strangers on Facebook, I really do, but there are some occasions where I just can't resist. Case in point, from Kohl's FB wall:

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Elanor's first T-ball game went really well! I'm so proud of her.

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I met Kara in person on Saturday, at her sweet girl Tessa's 2nd birthday party! We were both so busy running after kids that we forgot to take a picture together, but she got a great one of our oldest daughters together:

(My daughter Elanor is on the left; Kara's daughter Amelia is on the right.) They became fast friends!

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Violet particularly enjoyed the cupcakes at the party:

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By the way, did anyone else know that Google released an official Blogger iPhone app back in September? It makes posting on the go a lot easier, especially when it comes to uploading pictures! That'll come in handy for updating my blog after Senor/ita Cuatro arrives. Plus, it's free.

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

My three blondies

7 Quick Takes Friday - November 4, 2011

1. I turned 31 yesterday! Other than that, it was an average day. I went to work, got off at 1pm, prayed at the abortion clinic for an hour, did some browsing at the St. Vincent de Paul store (I found a Spiderman coat in William's size for $1.29! Woohoo!), drove home, picked up the kids, took them to Elly's T-ball practice, and then went home. (Whew!)

2. However, I took today off of work, and Collin already has the day off. We went to my OB appointment together, then out for brunch, and we're going to go see Courageous.

3. My OB appt went well. Baby's still head down and has a heart rate of 140. I mentioned the near-constant back pain, and Dr. N recommended a chiropractor he knows who works with a lot of pregnant women, so I might try that. He also recommended a support belt.

4. When I was at the St. Vincent de Paul store yesterday, I handed my debit card and ID to the cashier. He looked at my ID, looked at me, looked at my ID, looked at me. I thought he was going to make a birthday comment, but he said, "You're even more beautiful in person." It was a sweet compliment and made my day!

5. Elanor has her first T-ball game tomorrow morning! She has a uniform and everything. I had thought they were just getting T-shirts, but no - she has gray pants, a blue shirt, blue socks and a hat. I'll be sure to take pictures. Her team is the "Kansas City Royals." (All the teams are named after professional baseball teams, and the real Royals train in Surprise.)

6. I'm terribly excited for tomorrow night - the Knights of Columbus are hosting a "Wives Appreciation Dinner," and Collin and I are going! By ourselves! To a fancy restaurant! With other adults! (My BIL and SIL are watching the kids.) I might even wear make-up, which is usually a once-per-year event.

7. On Sunday the kids and I are going to meet Kara at her sweet daughter's birthday party! I can't wait!

7a. I had hoped Collin could come with us to the birthday party, but his stupid employer has required mandatory overtime on Saturday AND Sunday. Boo, hiss. I think I just need to resign myself to the fact that he will have mandatory overtime for the rest of our natural lives, because there's no end in sight. At least when I have the baby he can take a week or two of FMLA leave and get a small reprieve - even his slave drivers at work can't deny him that without violating federal law.

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