Recovering.

So far two days on antibiotics will do this preggo sicko good. 
I'm beginning to feel like me again. Hurray!
Thank goodness for an OB who gave me drugs and boo to the ER doc who would do nothing because of my baby bump.

Still have a few more days on antibiotics and pink eye ointment.
But I think we are on the downward slope.
There are healthy and happy days ahead of us.
In the near future.

In the meantime.
I took down the fall decor and last night busted out the Christmas decor.
Out with the orange, in the with the red and green.
I'm giddy with excitement.
No tree yet, just about everything else.
I usually don't do this before Thanksgiving, but with the sickness for so long I thought we all needed a good morale and happy boost.

This morning I was back at it.
Another Boot Camp class with my largest attendance yet.
Which was great!
Only downfall was that the mic did not work.
So I had to yell, project and pretty much garantuee my voice will not be returning for several more days.
So worth it! A good sweat and a great class.
I hope everyone comes back.
I kind of love this fitness teaching thing.
It makes me happy.

You know what else makes me happy right now.
Christmas Movies.
Christmas Music. Loving this cd.
A toddler who continues to tell me, Santa says "ho,ho, ho" while patting his tummy.
A clean house.
A warm shower.
Hot Chocolate.
Homemade mac and cheese.
Twilight Woods Body Spray.
And... Nap Time.

Hugs, A

Pitty Party.

Day 6.
Still Sick.
Started as a cold and morphed.
Voice is finally coming back- that was gone for two days.
Now I have a voice, but I also have Pink eye in BOTH eyes.
Still sore throat and cough.
This has not been my week.
I feel like crappo.

Owen now has pink eye too.
Carter had a little goop in his eye this a.m. so now he's on pink eye antibiotic too, just in case.
We think Mike tore a muscle in his calf and has been limping all week.

I believe it is safe to say the Dille's are out of luck this week.
We deserve a pitty party.

The few highlights I can share.

We are surviving. 

Hosted a playgroup for Owen and his three year old buddies.

Talked about Thanksgiving and made Indian headresses.

I taught two boot camps.

Spent an entire day with no water at the house due to watermain break on our road.

Went to a craft caravan and ate delicious cinnamon rolls for two days from show.

Then it all went to crappo and I've been hunkering down at the house ever since.

What I'm grateful for among all of this sickness stuff.

Recieving a priesthhood blessing reassuring me I WOULD indeed get better.

A husband who is worthy and willing to give me a blessing.
A husband who took the boys all day yesterday so I could just be sick and rest.

A home, that I can hunker down in.

Netflix and seasons of tv shows available to entertain the sicko.

A washing machine that works and is busy. Five loads just yesterday.

Losing my voice, perhaps I needed to learn to be more gentle in my tone to my boys.

The doctor who last night at urgent care, gave Mike double the dose of pink eye cream for Owen and his mom.

Lastly, I am grateful for a baby girl who continues to dance in my tummy while I deal with being sick.

I can miserable, but I'm glad she's still doing well.

Please send good healthy, get better vibes our way.

We need em.

Hugs, A

Stay-Cation Wrap Up.

Well the holiday is over and today we got back down to business as usual. Mike off to work, Carter off to Pre-K and camp is starting to bustle with people again. Time seems to fly here, I can't believe an entire week of stay-cation is gone. I'm a bit sad about it actually. But then again, the idea of routine is pretty appealing right now too.

The boys have been non stop.  It's wrestle mania in our house these days usually ending in some kind of tears. So I can't decide which is better, the quite, because you know they are into something- like Owen "painting" his nails and face and arms in marker. Or if the loud is better, because I know what they are actually doing, but that means someone is about to get thrown down. Yeah, I think these boys could use a little break from each other and some time with their friends back at school on our normal routine.

We managed to get a few things done over the week. Some long afternoon naps, checks off the to-do list, a few mini trips around town and a whole lot of Dille family fun time.

One night we took the kids out to Fridays. First time we've been there since moving to KSA. Actually not too bad. Pretty much the same as back in the States. Decor to a tee was the same, food close too, although I was missing the half sandwich and soup combo. We sat in a booth that had a tv right above us. Carter colored, Owen watched cartoons. Hence the smile on Carter and the eyes looking up on Owen.

 Carters getting better with the camera. Imagine that, Mike and I were able to sit next to each other in the booth at dinner. That alone, was a treat.

The next day just hanging out playing with the camera. 

"Mom, take a picture of me!"

  Outdoor movie night thanks to the Nelsons on the Cricket field. We watch Cars 2, snuggled under blankets and munched on popcorn and cookies. I even busted out my scarf for the night. After the movie the boys chased a the Christensen twins around the field and wore them out. Some days it's just nice to be outside.

Finally.

25 Weeks and continuing to Bloom.

*Side note, see the pretty purple flowers on our vines. Looking out the back patio window makes me smile each day.

Carter is our little photographer. Not too bad, although man, I'm looking pretty big from the front too. Hard to imagine what another three months will look like on me.

Hitting 25 weeks has been a dose of reality. In general, I'm feeling good and am just grateful to be pregnant with our little girl. I'm starting to really feel pregnant and am slowing down a lot. I imagine the days of painting my own toe nails are limited. I've officially taken all of my maternity clothes out of storage. I'm bouncing out of bed atleast once a night to fight off a calf cramp. I have officially decided I dislike the scale. Yup, I do.

Still teaching Boot Camp, but even that is becoming more of a challenge. I want to do more, but this body of mine has other things in mind, like I don't know, growing a baby. So I'm taking a step back, but still pushing forward.

The boys are so excited for our little girl to arrive. Just the other day Carter asked me how the baby will come out. I used a line from Lindsay, "it's magic." Yeah, I'm not ready to go there and really, he's not that interested. Instead I think he was more worried about who would watch him and Owen while I went to the hospital, because that was his next question.

Another dose of reality that has hit this week is the actual timing of this pregnancy. We are on the downward slope now. Three months and there will be another little person in our family and that thought is overwhelming to me. The traveling and coordinating, the birthing and planning, the preparation and nesting, the, well, the EVERYTHING is overwhelming right now. Should I just chalk this up to hormones? I feel a bit all over the map these days.

We're happy. We have our moments. But we ARE happy.

We feel blessed and are grateful everyday for the life we have been given and the opportunity to live. Recently a good friend of ours lost her sister to cancer. It's been a battle for their family and my heart breaks for them and my prayers have been filled with concern for them. The gift of life is so precious. It can all be taken away in just a moment, so what are you doing with your moment? I want to do more, enjoy more and stress and worry less.

This morning I took the boys out for a ride in the "new to us", Bob Stroller. It was awesome. The sun, the birds chirping, the blue skies, the chit chat back and forth, this is what life is for. To find joy in the journey. Find joy in the small moments when the sun finds your face and you know the Lord put everything on the earth just for you.

When as you walk and talk to the boys about the color of the flowers or the sounds of the sprinkler and you feel the other little person inside of you move. My heart is full of gratitude. The Lord is so loving and all knowing.

Hugs, A

Beach in November.

A little Stay-Cation Beach Trip to Half Moon Bay Yacht Club.

It was a little chilly that morning with a good fall breeze, can you believe 'fall' is still here? Well enough fall to wear long sleeves and enough sandbox to still hang out at the beach all morning. We went with a few other stay-cation families and the boys had a blast. Mike was a trooper and got in the water them, this preggo lady did not brave the cold water this time.

Mike and Carter. Still amazes me how pretty and clear the water is here.

Owen, pointing to Beach Rule #9. Yes, that rule still makes me laugh too. Although this week, with it being Eid it was a good rule to have. Could you imagine that as you pull up to the beach with the kids?

 He doesn't look very happy here, but he had a great time! As we were getting ready to go I spotted him checking out his shadow.

 Another just for fun. They use the banners below pretty often around camp to decorate for events. Today they were lining the entrance to the beach.

 And perhaps one of the greatest things about spending the entire morning at the beach are the naps that follow.

 I was attempting to wake everyone up. My mom called and then the baby bump became the pillow.

Hugs, A

Roasting.

 The sandbox has been good to us the past 24 hours. Last night we had a rain storm. Complete with lightening and buckets of rain. It's been a VERY LONG time since we've seen rain here like that. Maybe since last February. Now, I do say 'rain' because there is water coming from the sky, it sounds the same, only when you look outside you realize it is really just raining mud. We were still glad to have our rainy mud storm. It was refreshing to hear the pitter patter of raindrops beat against the window. It felt familiar and homey.

Then today, after last nights rain I wasn't expecting much. Maybe more humidity. But the exact opposite. It was cool, the sky was blue, the wind sweeping across the yard. It felt like fall. Here in the sandbox, it felt like fall. I am welcoming the change of weather with open arms. I am thrilled with the thought of long sleeves and jeans (don't get me wrong I still want flip flops- so not too cold.)

We caught a movie, did a little organizing and Mike started the bunk bed. Tonight we ended our night sitting by the fire pit roasting marshmallows and grilling dinner. We ate on the back patio, we embraced our light jackets, we took in the smell of burnt marshmallows and savored the taste of somewhat stale smore's. (Hey you take what you can get here- even stale Graham crackers are a treat.) 

Carter told us how much he loved the fire and how much fun he was having. Owen devoured fresh marshmallows not waiting long enough to toast them.

 Hugs, A

Hunkering Down.

This week is Eid. A Muslim holiday lasting several days and one of the handful of holidays Mike gets off work. The US/Christian Holidays are not on our calendars here and Mike works for most of them.  Part of being expats I suppose. But it is a nice added bonus to have a week off.

Most expats travel the world. Literally, they scatter everywhere. Us? Plans? We thought about it and then decided we would be better off hunkering down at home for a stay-cation. We just purchased our tickets back to the States for Christmas and to have our baby girl. So really, that is our Eid Holiday vacation, or equivalent to almost buying a Toyota Corolla. Yeah, not sure if I will ever stop having sticker shock over international flight prices.

I'm now 24 weeks pregnant and feeling like it. Really today I think I grew an inch. This baby girl of ours is an acrobat it feels like, in constant motion mostly in the evening. One more word to describe this pregnancy, HEARTBURN. Enough said. So the idea of traveling and riding elephants in this condition isn't all that appealing. Now, sitting on a beach with my feet in the sand with an ice cold lemonade, now that is a different story. Back to the point, it's good to be home.

No where pressing to be, no specific time to be up and out, just a lot of family time. Oh, and a very long to-do nesting list. So really we hope to pass the week being productive here. On the list, Bunk beds for the boys.

Mike went into town today to pick up wood, no Home Depot here. He told Carter what he was doing and Carter is so excited. When Mike came home, Carter told him to go get the wood and bring it inside. He was ready for his bunk bed now! Only we don't think he realized Mike was only picking up wood and still has to make the actual bed. So Carter has put his bed on the TOP of the list.

I'm hunting for baby girl nursery bedding and ideas. Do I go pink, do I go non traditional? There are so many choices and so I scour the web. I've also decided that I need a certain diaper bag. I know I am normally not a bag shoe girl, but I am ALL about this bag. So I have been hounding EBay and the other night set my alarm for 5 a.m. to get up and make sure I didn't lose the auction. Yes, I did do that.

The boys are busy and miss school. They love having Mike home with us. They are pestering each other and are in constant motion. Most days our home feels like a race track.

Carter is on a hamburger kick and still spends most of his day with a crayon or marker in his hand. Owen still only has eyes for daddy and is a sassy three year old.

That's it for now. Back to our Hunkering Down. Hope all is well on your side of the world.
Hugs, A

Halloween in the Sandbox.

 Happy Halloween!

Hard to believe we celebrated our second Halloween in the sandbox yesterday. Our boys have been counting down days until Halloween and were so excited to dress up and trick or treat. The final costume decisions for the night.
Dad, the Pirate Captain.
Mom, an Angel.
A Pirate for Owen. Superman for Carter.
Then out the door went, but not without a quick photo. 

One had the muscles...

... the other with the mustache.

We went trick or treating with the Borns.

The Pirate and his Cupcake Princess. Anika and Owen. She was Owens motivation and kept telling him to hurry up as they ran up to each house.

Carter and Lawson.

Thank goodness Jen had an extra stroller. Owen was a lot happier hitching a ride.

A self portrait from the Captain.

Halloween is big here. There are a lot of 'visitors' that come in from off camp. The area outside of the Hills school looks more like a parade, literally hundreds of people walking around. It's a bit crazy.

Last year we avoided this area for a reason. This year we ended up walking right through it. Crazy, yes. Would not have been out there any later than 7 that's for sure. But really one of the funniest moments of the night was running into these guys...

You can decipher for yourselves who you think they are. Atleast they have a sense of humor about it all too. Comparing tummies. There's only one original in this group. Although the guy to my right insisted he was having twins.

Just for fun to let you know that not all holiday celebrations get the shaft here. One of the houses we trick or treated at. They did a great job. 

Last photo from the Halloween festivities, which really felt like two weeks of celebrations with Bunco, Halloween parties, preschool parties and then actual trick or treating, 2.5Dille Pumpkins.

Happy Halloween!

From our sandbox to yours.

Hugs, A

Aurgh!

 Every Pirate needs a good, "AURGH!"

Here are our Pirates practicing theirs before Carters K4 Halloween afternoon. Owen dressed up for the car ride to drop Carter off.

They were so excited about the "aurgh's" that there were no smiles to be had.

These were some serious pirates.

Carter making a pirate face (trying to hold one eye closed) with his 'hook.'

I hope your Pirates had as much fun as ours yesterday.

Hugs, A

*Behind the Suburban you can see Mike's scooter. His choice mode of transportation to work. Mostly, because with it he can park literaly RIGHT in front of his building.*