Full Hands.

This is the announcement we used to share our "big" news with the Facebook World. While I really liked my boots in the picture below, I thought the above pic more clearly communicated the message. But back to the boots...I mean, who even knows how much long I'll be able to squeeze my unavoidably growing ankles into those cute boots? So, I will keep this picture and dream about the days when my pregnant body will once be manageable again...so vain, I know. 

This is how we told the older two. They were SO delighted to hear about their new baby. So much so that the next morning, as soon as McKlayne saw me she ran up to me and started kissing my baby belly as she gushed, "I just can't believe it, we're having another baby..." Followed by Asher who told me, "When I was laying in bed last night I just couldn't sleep...and tears were even coming out of my eyes because I'm so excited." McKlayne has told me no less than 6 times in the last 24 hours, "Oh, Mommy, your belly is getting BIGGER!!!" Yes. Yes, it is. And, it will continue to for the next 30 weeks...I have already begun warning her that it will also take a while to get "small" again after the baby is here.

Okay, this is a long video, but I thought that at least the grandparents might want to see it:

Speaking of growing...how did this two get so big? It just seemed like they were making this video. But  it's already been over two years!

Oliver or Adelae?

Will this baby be an Oliver Creed or an Adelae Grace?  It's time to cast your vote!  Go on over to the left sidebar and take a guess!  (Please be sure to leave a comment, so we know who guessed what!) (UPDATE: Poll issue has been fixed. Vote away!!)

Only a few souls hold the secret to what the gender of this sweet baby is! Remember my friend, Chelsea? She just so happens to be an extremely good little seamstress.  She sewed Chandler's carseat cover and his complete crib bedding! Chelsea agreed to sew our baby's carseat cover, gender specific with certain fabrics that I picked out.  We had the sonographer write down the gender on a piece of paper and stick it inside an envelope at my "big" 20 week ultrasound.  That little envelope was tucked away in a secret little spot in our bedroom for several months.  (I thought that for Chelsea to know for another 20 weeks would just be too difficult! I wouldn't want that kind of pressure.)  Right before Christmas, I gave Chelsea the envelope, and told her that, of course, she could tell her husband, Cody.  She has been so sweet and gracious and most importantly, SECRETIVE this whole time, as I've been making all kinds of remarks around her and many people have been pestering her to cave.  When the Hendrick's were back in Texas over Christmas break, I decided that Heather needed to know.  Since she is going to be far off in Haiti, and wouldn't be close enough for an up to the minute update during this labor and delivery (as in...in the waiting room at the hospital) I thought that it would at least be nice for her to know.  (Not to mention that she's far enough away from me that she wouldn't drive me completely crazy with a potential "power trip".  I still don't think she's even told her husband.  She loves having the power, that much.  I don't blame her.)

So....other than just a few people, no one else knows the gender of this baby! (Including Charlie and me.) Right now, we have a split vote in our house.  McKlayne and Charlie think that this baby is a girl;  Asher and I believe it's a boy.  Just for the record: I HAVE BEEN WRONG BOTH TIMES with the other two.  So, don't let that sway your opinion.

Some of us are more insistent about our opinions than others.  Surprised?  When we first asked McKlayne and Asher what they would do, if the baby was opposite of what they thought it was, here are the responses that we got:

McKlayne: I'm gonna push him!  (Which was followed by much instruction about how we treat babies nice just like we love and care for babydolls.)

Asher: I'm going to protect her!

Totally indicative of their personalities.

So...let us know what you think!  And, if you'd like, you can guess a date of arrival...my due date is February 17, and height/weight, if you're of the competitive nature.

Pregnancy #3: 37 Weeks 5 Days

It's been a LONG time since I've updated on this pregnancy, but the last few months have flown by so quickly!

Pregnancy Highlights for the Week:

How Far Along: Almost 38 weeks! So crazy!

Fruit/Veggie: Length of a Leek (more than 19.5 inches, nearly 7 lbs)

Baby changes: Baby has really plumped up. Baby weighs about 6.8 pounds and is over 19 1/2 inches long. Baby has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold baby's hand for the first time! Baby's organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb.
Best Moment this week: Going to our childbirth class with my friend, Rachel.  She's a Bradley instructor.  We've been reading a book and haven't attended the entire series of classes that she teaches, but she taught a "refresher" course for several couples who had experienced Bradley births before and she allowed us to join in.  It was so helpful and encouraging.  I feel more confident than I did just a few days ago.  I have now 100% committed to attempting this birth pain med free, though I do love me my epidurals!  But, considering my history, I know that this will be the best way to labor naturally for my body and not on my back to help get this baby out quickly!  

Gender: Still feeling BOY and I am locked in now.  The only thing that I can recall that is similar this pregnancy compared to my other two is that this baby has been all up in my ribs.  Asher was the same way, where I had no complaints with McKlayne.  (So maybe that one little similarity is swaying my vote?  I know, I know...all pregnancies are different...we shall see in just a couple short weeks!)  Charlie is voting girl.  I'd love for it to be a girl, though, too, so McKlayne can experience that sweet bond of having a sister so close!!  Either way, I will be pleased!!

Movement: Tons!  So thankful that this baby has finally dropped and it's booty is out of my ribs!

Food Cravings: Grapefruit and homemade (or Blue Baker) chocolate chip cookies...can't get enough of them!

Sleep: Loving it for now!

What I am looking forward to: finding out what this gender is!

Symptoms: Feet are swelling.  Remember? Michelin Man!  I've been experiencing lots of lower crampiness and lower backpain, though, I know this could go on for days.

Pregnancy #3: Week 24/25

I have grown a LOT in the last few weeks:

I'm not sure how to title these posts anymore...I am getting confused.  I am a FULL 24 weeks pregnant but in my 25th week..so what should I be saying? That, Lord willing, I only have 15-ish weeks left!? CRAZY!

Pregnancy Highlights for the Week:

How Far Along: 24/25 weeks(?) Hmmm...let's go with 25...although, I'm not sure I am wanting to rush any of this along...I still haven't REALLY thought about how different my life is going to be with THREE kids.

Fruit/Veggie: Size of a rutabaga (13.5 inches, 1.5 lbs)

Baby changes: Baby is beginning to exchange his long, lean look for some baby fat. As he does, his wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and he'll start to look more and more like a newborn. He's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture.

Best Moment this week: Seeing my kids dress up for Halloween and come alive in their characters...more of that to come!

Gender: lately I have been feeling BOY...almost everyone has still been telling me girl, but I just have this "feeling" that it's a boy...which, remember, means nothing really since I was wrong with my other two pregnancies :)

Movement: Baby is still moving a lot. Charlie felt the baby move around 21 weeks for the first time.

Food Cravings: string cheese, fruit, Mel's chicken salad (hint, hint)

Sleep: I didn't get much sleep last week from all the sewing (6 stuffed monkeys-maybe I'll show those one day, plus 2 Halloween costumes) so when I am sleeping...I am not waking up for even a moment.  It is sound, peaceful sleep.

What I am looking forward to: getting started on Christmas gifts!  We're having a "handmade" Christmas this year, so I'm hoping to have all our gifts done by December 1.

Symptoms: My feet are GROWING again! (Not swelling...yet...growing...)  I think that my feet did this with Asher (maybe that's why I'm thinking boy? but they were DEFINITELY swollen with him, too) but I can't remember if they did that with McKlayne or not.  I started out before babies wearing a 7.5-8 in shoes....now...I'm approaching the 8.5-9 margin.  What gigantic size are my feet going to be once I am DONE birthing babies?  Has this happened to anyone else?  (Someone told me their feet shrunk back...mine did not after Asher...)

Pregnancy #3: Week 20

(Don't mind the pit stains...I'd just finished Crossfit. And, I seem to have a lot of those these days, even though the weather is cooler.)

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 20 weeks 

My baby is: the length of a banana...6.5 inches, 10.5 ounces

Baby changes: He weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana. He's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for his digestive system. He's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion.

Best Moment this week: We have had many "best" moments this week because of the nice weather!!  We've been taking complete advantage and have spent much of our time outdoors this week.  My favorite moment was probably the picnic we took to the Polo Fields...more on that later!

Gender: Before this week, I've been feeling "girl" (although, my feelings mean absolutely nothing b/c I was wrong with both of my others) but the crazy pregnancy dreams have really taken off and I dreamed that we had a VERY, hairy little BOY.  Even hairer than our "little Monkey" McKlayne.  (McKlayne was SO hairy when she was born...furry ears, hair on her forehead and her back...Charlie and I were definitely a little concerned at first...but, she lost it all...the body hair, anyway!)

Movement: Movement has been increasing...I can still only feel it all internally, though.

Food Craving: Salads. Cereal and Salsa.

What I miss: that I can't wear my regular jeans and capris in this weather! I love Fall clothes...maternity clothes?  Not so much!

Sleep: CRAZY pregnancy dreams....did any of you women experience those?

What I am looking forward to: getting started on Halloween costumes so I can start on Christmas gifts!

Symptoms: No complaints!

Pregnancy #3: Week 19

How will I be halfway through this pregnancy in just a few days? I don't even know.

I must clear something up right now.  I have had several people tell me that I am, "not big enough to be this far along..."  Let me just say that, after my third pregnancy, I have come to grips with this...I am not begging for compliments or debates of any sort but...THE LAST PLACE THAT I LOOK PREGNANT IS MY BELLY.

I look pregnant in my butt, my arms apparently, my muffin top (this video makes me think of my brother, Jordan every time...if you haven't seen it, you MUST stop reading and watch it now), my face, (and some might even say my legs ;) but the last place to grow is my tummy.  (Though, I think it's grown quite a bit this week!)  I am content with all of this.  It is well with my soul. For the most part, things seem to return to the size that they belong after pregnancy (except that muffin top...thank you, McKlayne!) but EVEN that is worth the precious life that comes out at the end of 40 weeks of expansion.  I am even learning to become thankful for all of this.  Victory!

So...as I was pondering this over the last week, I was reminded of my dear, beautiful, and oh-so-talented "ditty" author, friend, Melissa's post from almost a year ago when she was pregnant.  Go look at her.  Isn't she just gorgeous?  (She's even prettier on the inside and I love this girl's sense of humor and appreciate how easily she can laugh at herself.)  I remember reading this post  last year and nodding my head, totally relating to her.  And...I think it's about time that she and I both have this same conversation with my back side.  This song goes out to all the pregnant ladies who's "buttocks" seem to grow, oh.so.profusely. 

I don't think she'll mind me posting this here, so in Melissa's words:

A few months ago, I shared with you from the deep recesses of my heart the little ditty that I had sung to my back side to get in line with my desires. 

Oh my buttocks, how do you do?
Oh my buttocks, how about you?
Though I feed you carbs galore
Please don't keep them in your store

Please remember my dear friend
We are nowhere near the end
As you see my baby showing
There's no need for you to keep growing

I know you keep things balanced out
But that kind of thing freaks me out
Just remember my amigo
You are not the one that is prego!

And, incase you've never been pregnant or just don't know remember what it feels like to get those pregnancy "compliments" Melissa can school you in these as well.  This girl is hilarious, and so right.

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 19 weeks 

My baby is the size of a: Large Heirloom Tomato; About 6 in., 8.5 oz.

Baby changes: His brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. He weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom. His arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of his body now. His kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on his scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on his skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.

Best Moment this week: I'm starting to feel like we're getting into the swing of things around here and I am getting caught up and completing my long list of unfinished projects. WHEW!

Gender: We won't know until the baby is here!

Movement: At night, lying on my back, I can feel this baby moving up towards the top of my belly...underneath my belly button.

Food Craving: Honey Crisp Apples (they're at Kroger for $1.77/lb...that's a steal for these apples so go get them before the sale ends...last day is Tuesday), Jason's Deli's Nutty Mixed Up Salad (my recipe below)

What I miss: losing any ab muscles that I had before...Crossfit is getting harder and harder without abs.  You don't realize how much you use them until they're gone...bodyrows and pushups are killer without them.

Sleep: Sound as a baby.

What I am looking forward to: seeing Asher and McKlayne with this new baby.

Symptoms: I'm feeling great.

---

(Our salad looks way better than the one pictured above, by the way.)

Nutty Mixed Up Salad-Apel Version
Mixed Greens
Spinach
Apples
Grapes
Feta Cheese
Walnuts
Pumpkin Sees
Sunflower Seeds
Dried Cranberries
Golden Raisins
Chicken Breast*
Balsamic Vinaigrette**

Mix it all together and you shake it all about!

---

Marinated Chicken Breast
Salt & Pepper
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Italian Seasonings
Olive Oil

Coat chicken with olive oil and add COVER in seasonings.  Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes-ish (?) Just watch it.

---

Balsamic Vinaigrette 
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
½ tsp. spicy mustard
½ tsp. garlic
Salt & pepper to taste

(This may need to be doubled/tripled depending on the number of/size of the salads.) Mix dressing ingredients well and toss over salad &  toppings!

Pregnancy #3: Week 18

I will turn 19 weeks later this week.  Almost halfway through this pregnancy and this poor third child has not had much mention on this blog.

This has been a whirlwind of a pregnancy.  When I was pregnant with Asher the days couldn't go by fast enough.  I think I counted down to my due date by the hour.  Every single thought was consumed with the little life I was carrying and how my life would soon be affected by that little life.  With McKlayne, it seemed to go by much faster as I was chasing around my one year old.  Other than feeling so sick (in relation to my other two pregnancies) in the beginning, and having crazy cravings, and praying for this baby, it seems like I haven't had much time to even think about #3 or how they will fit into this crazy family.

With Asher, pregnancy was really just a license to eat.  I gained 50 lbs.  I know, people, it was ridiculous. (AND...because my husband loves me so much, he gained a sympathatic 40 lbs with me...so I never weighed more than him...that was good news...even though I was way closer to 200 lbs than I ever want to be, Charlie still had a good 20-30 lbs on me.) Thankfully, we did lose it all.  With McKlayne I gained right at 30 lbs and still probably had about 5 lbs I could have lost.  How does that work? How did I easily lose 50 lbs and only 25 lbs the next?  Maybe I didn't work as hard because I knew I didn't have as much to lose? Who knows.

Anyway...cravings...with my first two pregnancies I thought that they were kind of a myth and a good excuse to eat (guilt free) whatever sounded good at the moment.  This pregnancy, has made me a believer of pregnancy cravings...I have experienced them something fierce--especially during my first trimester.  There were days when I would call Charlie and tell him if he didn't bring me home a certain food, then the safety of our family would be at risk.  I needed it or someone was going to get hurt.  One day I emailed him right before my lunch break telling him that I needed some cereal.  I probably hadn't bought a box of cereal in 7 months and all of a sudden, I was willing to take some drastic measures to get some.  Shortly after the email, he called me from the cereal aisle at Albertson's and asked me what I wanted.  Raisin Nut Bran. He came home with a couple boxes and a gallon of milk.  See...this pregnancy has made him a believer of pregnancy cravings, too.

And if you aren't yet sick of hearing about Chelsea on this blog (from the last couple posts) I am going to totally copy what she did with the remainder of my pregnancy.  (I think she is super cool...okay?) I thought it was such a cute way to document and truly treasure this sweet time in my life.  So, here goes...I will try to be consistent with this every Sunday/Monday but if you've been reading this blog long enough than you know that life just happens around here and sometimes we have to let go...so without further ado:

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 18 weeks 

My baby is the size of a: Sweet Potato

Size: About 5.6 in., 6.7 oz.

Baby changes: Busy flexing its arms and legs. Blood vessels are visible through the thin skin, and ears are now in their final position, but they are still standing out from its head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around the nerves. 

Best Moment this week: McKlayne and I had an all girl day together this week.  We had plenty of time to cuddle, take each other in, giggle, read, play with baby dolls, and dress-up.  She is quickly growing up and becoming so prissy and proper...and sassy...maybe we've been hanging out too much?

Gender: Not finding out!  And so excited about it!

Movement: I have felt slight flutterings.

Food Craving: water with limes, chips and salsa, raw milk...yum!

What I miss: Easily finding something to wear.  I am still in the awkward stage of...I am too large to wear MOST of my regular pants/shorts (unless they're really stretchy denim like the ones in the picture...I will definitely being wearing those jeans a LOT post-baby, so get used to them)  but too small to wear exclusively maternity.  I wear a TON of (stretchy waisted) or cotton skirts right now.  And I've been living in the denim maternity shorts my sis gave me that have an adjustable waistband inside, just like my toddlers' clothes do! Ha! Most of my regular shirts are getting too short to wear and I just look more chubby in the middle than pregnant.  But...I am starting to look MORE preggo. Hallelujah! I do have  some tighter fitting Maternity shirts that are longer that are working for me right now.  Just an awkward stage to find a good variety of outfits.

Sleep: No trouble yet. The only trouble is I can't seem to get enough of it!  Char and I just completed Season 1 of House and have been staying up way too late watching it!

What I am looking forward to: Feeling this sweet babe move more and more.

Symptoms: Nothing really.  All the nausea is gone and I have that second trimester energy, so I've been feeling great!

***********

So...I want to know...what did you crave during pregnancy?  Did you really experience cravings or were they just a good excuse to eat?

Summer of Celebrations (Part III): Milk & Cookies Shower

Back to what we actually did this summer. 

Incase you missed Chelsea and Heather's posts about this baby shower, (who actually blog about events shortly after they occur) I introduce to you a Milk & Cookies shower...

(Isn't Chelsea beautiful at 8 months pregnant?)

I had seen several Milk & Cookies showers/parties on...what else but blogs? (here and here)...and thought it would be so easy (and unique) to pull off. And it was!

Each of the sweet hostesses baked several dozen cookies.

We had Chocolate Mint Cookies, Sugar Cookies, Ranger Cookies, Shortbread, Oatmeal Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Chunk, Molasses, Snickerdoodle, and White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies.

Charlie made our cute labels, of course.  And we used fabric (VERY, starched fabric...nothing else would work) to line the inside of the cookies jars. Some of cookies had to be stacked on bowls to make the cookies seem higher so they weren't too low in the jar.  Presentation is everything.

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

¾ cup butter, melted

1 cup packed light brown sugar

½ cup white sugar

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1½ cups chopped macadamia nuts

2 cups white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt and set aside.

Beat together the melted butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Beat in the egg, then beat in the egg yolk, then beat in the vanilla.

Gradually add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture until just moistened. Stir in the macadamia nuts and white chocolate chips by hand with a rubber spatula.

Roll into balls or drop by heaping tablespoons onto baking sheets, and press down on the cookies with your palm a bit to flatten (not too much!).

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the edges look golden brown and the middles don’t look quite set. Allow to finish cooling on the baking sheet. 

Snickerdoodles

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, plus 4 tablespoons for coating

1 1/2 cups Sugar

2 eggs

2 3/4 cups flour

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons Cinnamon

Preaheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar for 3-4 minutes, until light. Add eggs one at a time, mixing completely after each.

Stir together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Beat the dry ingredients into the butter-and-sugar mixture until well-blended. Refrigerate dough for about 20 minutes, or until firm enough to roll into balls.

Combine the cinammon and remaining sugar (you may need more of either of these if you're running out--I just kind of eyeball it)

For each cookie, pinch off enough dough to roll into a wallnut-size ball; roll into c&s mixture and place on cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes.

(Makes about 4 dozen cookies.)

Sandi's Shortbread Cookies

2 cups butter

1 cup sugar

4 cups flour

1 tsp. vanilla

(This recipe does NOT contain eggs...I always wonder if it was left out by accident on the directions...but, nope, the buttery goodness does not allow for them! ;) Mix butter sugar. Add vanilla. Add one cup of flour at a time. Roll into balls and drop on cookie sheet. Sprinkle top with sugar. Bake at 375 for 10-15 minutes.  (Thanks for this divine recipe, Mrs. Sandi!) 

 

I got this cute mason jar spigot from a garage sale but I've seen them at Hobby Lobby.

Of course, we needed several different varieties of milk in cute glass pitchers that used to hold HEB brand organic Apple Juice.

And mason jars...milk always tastes better in mason jars...these were from garage sales, too.

We always elect Kendra to create her precious prayer cards for our prayer showers and she was generous enough to share them here!

Extra cookies were sent home in a brown bag with the baby's initials...Chandler Owen Groves.  Don't you love that name?

And here is the precious little guy:



The Summer of Celebrations (part II)

Next up on the list...showers.


After the two weddings in early June, I helped host two showers at the end of June...a baby shower and a wedding shower.

The first one I want to tell you about is Chelsea's Baby Shower, but before I do that I wanted to highlight her Gender Party Reveal that we helped with in March.  (Heather blogged about it here, but some people have been asking me to put it on my blog so they could find it easier.)

My sister, Kyle, first told me about Gender Parties.  She'd seen several blogs about them...and how they were the new way to celebrate and reveal the gender of your baby to family and friends.

Instead of finding out the gender at their appointment, Cody and Chelsea decided to have the sonographer write it down on a piece of paper and put in an envelope.  After the appointment, they brought the envelope over to my house.  I was oh, so honored to be trusted with the big surprise!  (I didn’t even tell Charlie, though he tried to get it out of me…and then pretended like he didn’t want to know, anyway, after I refused…I was reveling in all the power I possessed for the few hours that day.)

I made the actual cake balls a few days before and doubled this recipe.  To half of the batch, I added red food coloring to the crumbled cake and frosting mixture until it was a bright pink and to the other I added blue.  My friend, Lindsay, helped me ice the cake balls on the afternoon of the party…okay, I’ll just be honest and say that I tried to ice several and they looked so sloppy...I think icing cake or cake balls is a gift and is definitely not one I possess…so I just let Lindsay ice the rest.  As she was icing them, I pulled two blue cake balls and two pink cake balls aside and labeled the plates they were sitting on, since we iced these before "the envelope" was dropped off.  I was so afraid I was going to get them confused and ruin the whole evening. 

As guests arrived, they gave baby name suggestions for both genders. (And this baby was actually named with one of the suggestions given by Heather! How neat is that?)

Guests were instructed to wear BLUE... 

or PINK according to what they thought this baby's gender was.

The pink and blue fare included:

I'm unashamedly copying the recipes directly from Heather's post.

Coffee Punch (dyed blue)
3 cups strong coffee

2 cups sugar

1 pint cream or half and half

1 quart milk

2 t. vanilla

Dissolve sugar in hot coffee. Cool. Add other ingredients. Freeze. Remove from freezer about 30 minutes before party. Mix and serve very icy.  (I've mentioned this recipe before.)

Raspberry Limeade

1 can of raspberry lemonade concentrate

1 bottle of cold, carbonated lime water

1 bottle of cold, carbonated raspberry water

Mix those ingredients and enjoy!

(This Limeade is Aaron's specialty, except he uses all lime everything instead of raspberry...but Chels needed a pink drink so she substituted, accordingly.  This was my beverage of choice when I was pregnant with Asher and it was responsible for 28 lbs of the 50 lbs that I gained with him.  Thank you, Aaron.)

You can see how the inside of the blue cake calls were kind of oozing out, Lindsay triple-dipped the cake balls that  Chelsea and Cody would be biting into, so they'd have no idea until they bit into them.  These were just for all the guests to eat so we weren't as particular.  (Recipe at the beginning of this post.)

Jello Squares

3 small boxes of Jello

(3 watermelon for pink, 3 blue raspberry for blue)

3 Knox Gelatin envelopes

heavy whipping cream

Mix the Jello and the Knox Gelatin together (this will be dry). Add 3.5 cups hot water. Add 1/2 pint heavy whipping cream. Stir. Pour in a 9x13 pan. Refrigerate. The cream will separate and go to the top. Cut and serve.  (To say that these were a HUGE hit with the kids would be quite an understatement. Chelsea's carpet can attest.)

Pink Party Salad

1 can strawberry pie filling

1 (8 0z.) cool whip

1 small can crushed pineapple (drain)

1 can eagle brand milk

1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Mix all of that together and refrigerate a couple hours before you serve it.

Blueberry Dump Cake

2 cans of blueberry

small can of crushed pineapple

1 yellow cake mix

butter

Pour the blueberries and pineapple in the bottom of a pan, then pour a yellow cake mix on top of that mixture. Melt 1 stick of butter and pour on top of the cake mix. Don't stir. Bake at 350 for about an hour.

Chelsea bought the pink and blue packages of white chocolate chips from Hobby Lobby to coat the pretzel rods.

Then...the moment everyone was waiting for...after all the guests arrived, I handed Cody and Chelsea the appropriately colored cake balls as everyone gathered for the big reveal!

And it was...

This was McKlayne's favorite part of the party.

And my favorite part:

(Oh, how I miss moments like this with that one on the right...)

(I would thoroughly being pregnant if this is how I looked...too bad my tummy is the LAST thing to grow.)

And...this is how I will feel in 5 months.