Is it tacky to announce a pregnancy on a family blog

Just wondering. I know we announced Maddie via email. Baby #3 is due Dec 15. So, J, I'm not apologizing for pushing you for a wedding date. It kind of matters to me more than it usually would this time (don't be mad)...and I'm not missing the wedding. :) The doctor was willing to take Maddie a week early, so maybe we can have it on Dec 8, which gives me plenty of time to be ready to fly by Dec 27. Love, Angie, Brian, Ben, Maddie Mae and #3

Sound advice from Ben: Don't marry a monster!

The other night we were saying family prayer and suggested to Ben that there might be someone else who needs us to pray for them other than the Wiggles and the Big Red Car. He couldn't think of anyone. I suggested maybe Tio Jota could use a prayer about getting married. He said okay and prayed that Tio J wouldn't marry a monster. That the girl he marries won't have a monster face. Finally, that she won't already be married. We laughed so hard we had Ben call J and give him the advise himself. Congrats to Antonio and the Air Force!

Maddie's Motor Mouth

Maddie has started talking all the time now. She can form all sorts of words now and copies things we say all the time. She still signs for food and sleep but now says, "night night" "bye bye" "see ya" "binkie" "hi" "en" (Ben) "mommy" "daddy" "doggie". It is totally cute and fun to hear her vocabulary expand so quickly.

Nice Bedspread and other news

I found mom & dad's listing online today. I like the new bedspread and the garage looks so organized! Can you come do my basement storage. It's the only room left in the house that is a real mess and needs organizing. Dad, I think you should come see our place now. You'd be proud of me. I've finally gotten the organize bug the last year or so. I got a lot done before you came, but the odds and ends got thrown into the storage room and other corners over Christmas. I am proud to say that there is zero junk on the floor of my bedroom for the first time in 27 years or so. It is actually a little weird. It was so much work because I really have thrown out bags and bags of junk and been to the good will with a truck load of stuff. It does feel great though. I keep my motivation being our trip to Italy. I really don't want to take a boat load of junk overseas... :) In other news. I was called to the Stake YW Presidency this week. It should be fun. I was okay at first, but now I'm starting to get real nervous about it. I guess I'll find a way to make it work though. I really love YW. Maddie Mae is really starting to talk a ton. Today she did her first string of two words together. She walks around saying doggie all the time and loves to watch for squirrels, dogs and birds out the windows while she eats. She brings me her shoes and coat all the time so we can go play outside, even if it is 31 degrees outside. Cute girl. Ben loves his preschool and is doing really well with letters and numbers. That means we can't fool him anymore at dinner time telling him to have 5 more bites and keep changing the numbers to make him eat more. Oh well. It worked well while it lasted. Brian has a trip to Italy in March. He'll check it out and see if we really would want to go and try to network so he can make them want to hire him. Angie

My Favorite Christmas Picture

I love the picture of Shon & Juli, probably at the end of the capitol tour. It's a great family shot with Shon wrestling Caleb and Abby while everyone else looks happy as can be. :) I also like the Moellers with Santa and Parker's happy face. Lots of good pictures.

Christmas Wrap-up

Well, I've cleaned the house, returned all the extra bedding and searched all the dark hidden corners. Here's what we found: Sarah's left sock, Bryce's Newton's Cradle, Shon's Hawaii lizard, Caleb's black shoes, Parker's baby Jesus (in 3 tiny pieces), Mom and Dad's family calendar. We mailed the NM package on Saturday. I still am looking for the super glue to fix Jesus and I'll try to mail the calendar tomorrow. Ben enjoyed the morning after everyone left in the quiet house, but by lunch had mentioned several times that we should pack our suitcases today and go to the airport to go to Sarah and Abby's house in New Mexico.

My New Hobby

I've been having loads of fun experimenting with my camera this last month. I prodded long enough that one of the four photographers in our ward was finally willing to start a photography enrichment interest group. So I have homework and everything. Check out the best picture from my first assignment so far.