Christmas Card season
We had holiday portraits this morning and are starting to think about holiday cards!  This year I am planning to do a Shutterfly card, in part because of a great promotion for bloggers to get 50 free cards if we write about their holiday collection (Thanks, Karyn!).  The major dilemma is how to match their beautiful offerings (Shutterfly holiday cards) with our potential photographs.  Too many choices!  Some options on our side from today:

Or from their session at school:

 The odd blessing of this year is that we have fewer cute portraits than last year (when choosing between them was just impossible).  Still, I think that we have some wonderful options.  I am also quite amazed that I have so many good pictures of them looking wonderful together- perfect for a Christmas card.  I am thinking that we will have to go with one of the multi-photo cards on the Shutterfly site.  And just for a quick trip down memory lane, here are two photographs from last year: 

They look so much more grown up this year!  How fast that happens.

Another cool thing to share about the Shutterfly site is the other gift options that they offer, like calendars or mugs.  We have also done stationary notepads before, which were very cute even if my mother in law was concerned about using them up because  they were so cute.

Happy Holidays to all!  Look forward to your very own card in the mail someday soon-

Thanksgiving
Here is a brief run down of our Thanksgiving, in pictures.  There is no pictorial evidence of tantrums, fights over baby dolls, or me falling asleep on the couch at 6:30, which I am sure means that none of those things happened.
Morning craft project (with a very serious Noella):

 Mariel's turn:

 Some of the results:

 Another project:

 Snack/ lunch during the Patriots' game.  Mariel ate most of the cranberry goat cheese, Noella focused on the gorgonzola.  Patrick and I got a few bites in, too.

 The girls.  And yes, if you are one of the few people that Mariel did not insist on calling to tell the news, that is snow outside.  We went from tornado warnings in the middle of the night to snow in the afternoon.  

 Relaxing and cuddling in front of the TV.  This was actually an affectionate moment, as opposed to our normal wrestling. 

 A (not so great) photo of the Thanksgiving table.  The ghostly hound in the background is Hudson, wondering how she can get her share.

Happy Holidays!

Third times a charm
There are a few things that are different about my third pregnancy.  For one thing, when people ask how far along I am or similar questions, I often have no idea.  I know that I am, in fact, pregnant and that I will have a baby in the spring, but the interim steps are a little vague.  Not quite the same as with Mariel, when I diligently read up on what was happening every week and sometimes every day. 
Patrick is much more accustomed to some of the ongoing annoyances of having a pregnant wife.  He is not surprised when I become deeply overwhelmed by tasks such as finding my phone charger or getting a humidifier out of the basement. He is also taking my total absentmindedness much easier this time around. On Saturday I took the girls to the mall, telling him I would be back in an hour so that he could take Mariel on another errand.  The second I got in the car I promptly forgot, returning over two hours later with starving, tired children and surprised that he had not already accomplished said errand.
As for me, I am generally less worried about the pregnancy than I ever was before.  For a constant worrier, this is a new experience.  But now it seems silly to worry- from weight gain to changing tastes to nosebleeds to ligament twinges, I have been there before.  And recovered just fine.  And my babies turned out just fine.  Twice.  And if something is not going to be fine, I have somehow realized that it is absolutely beyond my control, and worrying about it will get me nowhere.  I only wish that this sense of assurance and faith could somehow expand beyond the arena of pregnancy!  Perhaps on my third time through life?  Maybe I need to consider a conversion....