What's been going on...

Not much has been going on. My belly is growing by the day it seems. Sorry I'm not comfortable with posting pictures of my belly so you are just going to have to take my word for it! On Thursday we find out the sex. Last Tuesday I came so close to finding out the sex but our little peanut just couldn't sit still long enough for our doctor to get a good look. But this Thursday I will stay in that office as long as it takes to find out the sex. There are a lot of theories, Chris is convinced it's a girl....he said if it was a boy, they would have been able to see the penis with no problems. Typical guy to think that way. I took this test from Walgreen's and it said I was having a boy, so I actually have NO idea or any feelings on either or. I will be equally excited for a boy or a girl. I have my boy bedding picked out, and would love to girl shop, so either way I'm ready to shop! I just need to suppress my urge a bit and begin spoiling this baby!! Baby steps....no pun intended!

So in our prepare for baby stage, our home has been turned into one giant organization project. First step was to tame William's playroom. That little boy is incredibly blessed and has so many toys coming out the wazoo...and the attic. Since he will be sharing his playroom with the baby we have decided to give it a little make over and begin organizing. Below is our finished product. Chris did an awesome job of building this awesome shelving system that holds all his books (big and small), TV and tons of toys. My next task is to find more attractive totes and to clean out a few of his toys. Right now I just put what he had out already in totes, but every couple of months I like to rotate his toys. Needless to say I've got my work cut out for me. He's got a tight inventory on all his toys, and if one is missing I have to come up with some sort of clever story to tell him. Perhaps I can convince him a superhero wanted to borrow a few of his toys, I wonder if he would buy it.

So today we asked William what are some things he was going to teach the new baby. His answers were so cute, I loved his responses.

1. How to play cars

2. How to scoop his food on his spoon

3. How to have good table manners

4. How to sing his church songs like Away in a Manger

5. How to hold down his pee pee on the toilet (he said that the other day, I was cracking up!)

6. How to run

Then he asked where is the baby going to sleep. I said the new baby will have his/her own room. Apparently that was not what he wanted to hear, William insisted that the baby sleep in his room. Something tells me he will quickly change his mind once he hears the baby crying all the time.

To prepare myself as a type of refresher course I have been watching TLC's Baby Story and I'm not alone, William is a fan too. Which cracks me up! I think it helps him comprehend and understand this pregnancy and baby prep a little better. Every time he watches a baby being born he screams, "Mom, you are going to have a baby too!"

Chris and I have this feeling that William will be the best big brother. We are of course anticipating some jealousy, but William is so darn curious. He constantly rubs my belly, he is always kissing my belly and loves talking to my belly button. William continues to tell the baby who he is and that he is going to be a big brother. Oh my heart still melts, I don't think that will ever get old.

Superhero in training!

There just aren't enough superheros in the world! Lately William has been on a huge superhero kick. He is in love with all things Batman and Spiderman, and recently Star Wars. His imagination cracks me up and recently it's been on overdrive. He insists on wearing some sort of superhero pj's to bed each night. This special request has caused me to do his laundry more frequently and he's dressed as either Spiderman, Darth Vader, or a Transformer almost each day. The other day I was in his room cleaning and I walked into the living room to find Darth Vader with a Dirt Devil vacuuming....yes I was cracking up! Yesterday William was watching Spiderman and I walked by to find him dressed in his black Spiderman costume upside down on his chair imitating Spiderman sliding down his web. But this story is his imagination at his best. On Sunday he tried to convince me and Chris that he was bit by a "radio spider" (not a radio active spider) but a "radio spider". He said that he will be able to climb up walls and he'll have webs coming out of his hands. Chris and I didn't have the heart to tell him it wasn't real, so we told him just to be careful when he's jumping from building to building. I swear, William's imagination is so stinking fun...I hope it never fades away!!

Recently I added a lightsaber to his costume...which he LOVES!!

Happy New Year

It's hard to believe 2010 is already here. It was a great end to 2009 at the Mannion's house. The kids had a blast watching the fireworks and doing sparklers. Chris got a few other fireworks for the kids to enjoy, it's hard to tell who had more fun, Chris or the kids. This is going to be such an exciting year! William is growing up to be such an awesome little boy and he's very excited to be a big brother...obviously Chris and i can't wait!!

Merry Christmas...finally

I finally got around to posting pictures from Christmas. It was a great time with family, William had so much fun this year. He couldn't wait to see what Santa left for him!

Happy 10th Anniversary

Wow, 10 years...I have tears of joy right now as I write this. God is amazing!!! Chris and I have had our share of ups and down but through the power of prayer and only by God's grace are we able to celebrate this memorable milestone. A few years ago Chris and I started to do away with cards and decided to write our true feelings to each other. I don't need a generic Hallmark card to express how I feel. Don't get me wrong, I love receiving them from time to time, but on a special occasion like this, Chris and I are better at writing or expressing our feelings. Ten years ago Chris and I were babies, I was 20 and Chris was 22. We thought we knew what love was and of course in our mind had it all figured out. No way did we have it figured out, not even close. That was what our journey was for, to figure marriage out together. We hit the usual speed bumps but always fell back on our faith to get us back on track. Thankfully we surrounded ourselves with inspirational people that always encouraged and guided us in the right direction. So here we are, 10 years of marital bliss under our belt, joined by a beautiful 4 year old son and another baby on the way.

This is a dream come true, our life is a dream come true. I never thought in a million years that I was worthy of love like this, and now I see that God has truly blessed my life! I am amazed that I married a man that isn't afraid to express his love for me. He is always reminding me through out the day that I am on his mind and that I am loved. I am so grateful for the spark we have, I don't see that fire dying out anytime soon. I am inspired by his faith in God. This past year I have seen Chris grow tremendously in his faith and we are both humbly brought to our knees in praise. I love the father he has become. There was a lot of fear on both sides wondering if we were going to be good parents. Just like life, we are learning as we go along...all I can say is we are trying not to mess William up too bad. He's definitely a fantastic child, our lives are better because of him. I can't wait to see what joy our new baby will bring. Life is so exciting for us right now. There is so much we are looking forward to.

I am so thankful for the past 10 years, I can't wait to see what the next 1o will hold....I love you Chris....I am in love with you! Happy Anniversary babe, you are the best husband a wife could ask for!

The Dash

I went to a funeral today and remembered a man that enjoyed and loved his life. This poem was read and I had to share it with everyone, such beautiful and true words. I'm so blessed to have the life I have, thank you God!

The Dash
by Linda Ellis

I read of a man who stood to speak
At the funeral of a friend.
He referred to the dates on her tombstone
From the beginning to the end.

He noted that first came the date of her birth
And spoke of the following date with tears,
But he said what mattered most of all
Was the dash between those years.

For that dash represents all the time
That she spent alive on earth
And now only those who loved her
Know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not, how much we own,
The cars, the house, the cash,
What matters is how we live and love
And how we spend our dash.

So think about this long and hard;
Are there things you'd like to change?
For you never know how much time is left
That can still be rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough
To consider what's true and real
And always try to understand
The way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger
And show appreciation more
And love the people in our lives
Like we've never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect
And more often wear a smile,
Remembering that this special dash
Might only last a little while.

So when your eulogy is being read
With your life's actions to rehash
Would you be proud of the things they say
About how you spent your dash?

Snow Day

What a magical day...especially to a 4 year old. Last night we told William it was going to snow...this morning he woke up at 5:00 am asking if it was snowing yet. Around 1:00 it finally started to come down and we lucked out! It was amazing! Chris, William and I all ran outside and had snowball fights and played in the yard. William was eating snow off the leaves and had a blast playing with the snow. It was pretty thick considering it was Houston. We even built a pretty good snowman / snowlady. I didn't prepare properly and have the required snowman gear, so I had to improvise. It was an awesome day and perfect start to December...I hope we get some more snow for Christmas...fingers crossed!

Throwing snow balls!

Crazy this is Houston right?

William putting the final touches on our um...snowman/snowlady