OMG! It's been way too long!!!

Yikes - it's really been almost 3 months since my last post???? Ok, so for months now I've been trying to figure out how to update the blog on what all has been going on in our crazy lives and everytime I think about it I start to cringe because I KNOW how long it's been and it will take sooooo long and too much information and pictures to post to catch everyone up. So, part of my New Years Resolutions (no, I actually do not make any because I feel that they set you up for failure and we have enough of that in life as it is - so my "resolutions" only serve as a "guide" for me to try and live by, but if I don't then NO SWEAT!) is that I would just start from a clean slate on the blog this year instead of trying to play catch-up! That way I'm not so overwhelmed with what I haven't blogged about and can focus more on the HERE and NOW (which is also one of my "resolutions")! And just maybe, if the mood strikes me and I have the time, I will digress back to some of important events of the past year and slowly get caught up. So, just know what that if you start reading one day and it sounds like I'm living in the past, don't be confused - I'm just catching you up!

So, to start this year of 2011 off better (blogging-wise), I am starting from what has gone on this past week! I am officially halfway through my pregnancy with Baby Collins #3...

**Oh yeah, I just realized that since my last post was in October (announcing Baby #3's arrival), some of you may not know that we were lucky enough to have an early ultrasound from a friend when I was 14 weeks and found out that we are having a BOY!!!!!! Sam is still awaiting more confirmation on this (I have another ultrasound this week) before he gets toooooo excited, but we've pretty much wrapped our brains around having a baby boy in the house by May!**

...and I'm finally feeling really good, for the most part! Everyone has gotten to feel him kick a little bit and he seems to already be a very active baby! We are pretty set on the name although we haven't settled on what we will call him - Samuel Kirby Collins! After much deliberation, thought, and conversations, we decided to stick with the tradition of using a family name (as we've done with both girls). Some of other considerations that were eliminated were Lane, Colt or Colton, Henry, etc.

We have had a FABULOUS Christmas and New Years - it has definitely been the best ones yet! I am usually the one that is quickly packing up Christmas decorations and getting my house back to normal (like Christmas day or day after), but this year was very different! I'm not sure if it was hormones or just growing up. The day after Christmas, the girls were playing at my in-laws with their cousins, and Sam and I had the house to ourselves until he left to go hunting, but I just couldn't bring myself to put it all away yet! I kept tearing up and when Sam asked why I was crying, all I could say was that I wanted the girls to stay this age forever because we had had such a fun year with them and that packing it all up made me feel like I was closing that chapter of our lives! I know - it sounds ridiculous, but I'm so afraid of them growing up too fast and not being able to enjoy the mystery and fun of Christmas! But, then Sam reminded me that we still had another baby coming along and that unfortunately the kids all have to grow up! He's such the realists!

Then we left last week for the beach to celebrate New Years with my parents and Sam's parents! We had a ball!!!! The weather was not bad at all down there - just really windy! We shopped at the outlets (great sales!), ate lots of yummy food (too much), watched lots of football (Roll Tide! Even Sam and Dad said they had had enough football for a while), and rang in the New Years! It was so fun this year though because this was the first New Years that we felt the girls could actually "stay up" to see 2011 - well, at least we stayed up to see the Eastern time zone ring it in, but don't tell the girls! We had a yummy home cooked dinner (by my mom), fabulous dessert (by yours truly), sparklers, and even some sparkling grape juice in plastic champagne glasses! Needless to say, we all napped the next day! We came home Sunday and it was back to the grind today (except for Mary Mac). Mary Mac does not start back to school again until Thursday, but it was nice to get the rest of us back on a normal routine. She told me when she got out of school for Christmas break that she would just rather not go back to school again (we were all ready for a break!)! I'm pretty sure that by Thursday, Mary Mac will be more than happy to go back to school after spending the week at the office with us!

So, that's where we are for this week! Like I said, just starting from NOW! I have my 21 week check-up Thursday and another ultrasound. So far so good with this pregnancy. We are praying for an uneventful pregnancy and birth for this special baby! I'll keep you posted as much as possible!

Oh, and YES, I did finally get the Christmas decorations all put away, but it wasn't until last week right before we left for the beach! The thought of having to come home and get it all done before getting back into the work week was all it took to get me over that little emotional attachment to the decorations! Also, I plan on finally posting more pictures on the next post. I may try and do a little collage of pictures from the fall and Christmas instead of overloading you with tons of pictures! Happy New Year to all you Bloggers - and even though I wasn't blogging, I was still keeping up with you!