One More Month!!

November. What a blur! But it has probably been the best (and hardest) month of 2021. Here's why:

• It was Kiersten's birthday! And unbeknownst to her, Scott planned a trip to Virginia just to surprise her. It was the most perfect gift she wanted but knew she wouldn't get.
• Thus Kiersten and Scott got to go on a real, actual date on the night of her birthday. No kids, other than the one in utero, and a fun evening make for the best birthday gift.
• The Sunday before the birthday we had a Pie Night birthday celebration. We kept it small. Just family and two dear friends from college. There were 5 pies in all and lots of fun.
  
  
  
• Mackenzie finished her very first soccer season. She learned a lot, made new friends and she and Kiersten still have a good relationship despite Kiersten being the assistant coach and not always being a "nice" mom.

  

  Scott got to see her first AND last games of the season and really saw her growth.

  
  
• Scott and Kiersten got their Booster vaccines this month. Just in time for more family gatherings and travel. Mackenzie was also brave and got her first vaccine. She really doesn't like shots but thankfully Daddy was there to help hold and comfort her.
  
  
  
• Finley got her 3 year checkup. Unlike last year she's doing great! Plus the pediatrician this time around was so much better. Same office, different doctor. Makes a big difference. She got a flu shot and had no idea what had happened. No tears or screaming. Just sat there and looked a little confused then it was all over.
• Finley and Mackenzie had a sleep over with Grandma and Grandpa Jackson one weekend. They had a great time coloring, reading books, going to the library, watching a movie and playing non-stop. Kiersten got 9 hours of almost uninterrupted sleep that night! It was amazing! They were a bit wild when they came home but everything settled in a day or so. 

  

  Look at that tired mamma!
  Enjoying her Peppermint Hot Cocoa and a Target run.

  
  
• Thanksgiving! Lots of prep work ahead of time but it all paid off. Kiersten's Mom hosted 20 people (including Kiersten and the girls) for the dinner and housed 15 of them. It was crowded but fun to see family after so long and the girls had a blast playing with so many other kids, but mostly Ashlyn.

  

  Kiersten made all the pies again. And a pumpkin cheesecake.

  
  
• The Saturday after Thanksgiving we drove to Grandma and Pop-pop's barn for a BBQ and bonfire. Finley got to see the first upside-down when Uncle Brad held her upside-down and she thought that was great. "Fire upside-down?!"
  
  
  
  
  

  

  It's a long drive. But we were all separately entertained.

  
  
• Scott was lucky with 2 Thanksgiving dinners. One on Thursday and the other on Friday. He got to go to the Ambassador's residence and then had a smaller work gathering. He said he enjoyed both.
• The baby gets hiccups EVERY DAY! It's crazy. And he's sooooo active. One day he moved almost non-stop for 6 hours in the evening and into the night. Glad he feels healthy though. Doctors say things are still normal.

More about Scott's surprise visit because it was pretty epic. The day he arrived, Mackenzie had the day off school and Kiersten had the brilliant idea of sending the girls to Ashburn to hang out with Grandma and Grandpa Jackson for the day. Kiersten was very much in need of a break. She spent the day shopping and eating with her Mom and got home with enough time to relax a little before the girls got home for Mackenzie's last soccer practice of the season. Kiersten wasn't sure when they would arrive exactly, just sometime before practice at 5:30. Well she was in her Mom's room which is over the garage and driveway when at 4:45 she heard a car door close. Wanting to make sure it wasn't the neighbors and not waste a trip going down the stairs (8 months pregnant is no joke) she looked through the window in the bathroom and saw a familiar head. An "Oh my gosh!" escaped her lips in a gasp and she bolted for the stairs, fairly flying down them and sprinted to the garage where she burst from the door and leapt into the waiting form of Scott. And then proceeded to sob all over the tired and weary traveler. Like I said, epic.

He was here for a wonderful week and then returned back to Kuwait for the last 5 weeks of this long and tiresome separation. To keep himself busy this time he's working on a surprise for the girls and getting the kid's bedrooms ready for big changes. As well as gathering the remaining items we need for baby's arrival like blankets, burp clothes, bouncy seat and nursing clothes for mamma.

The Mackenzie Update:

• She has been reading up a storm! A year ago we didn't think she'd ever get it or like reading but now she wants to try to read things all the time. We love seeing this change in her and her love of reading.
  
  
  
• She is going through drawing supplies like water. Mostly paper. She can't get enough. Too much creativity sitting in her brain she can't put it down on paper fast enough.

  

  She's always writing little notes. So far this one is my favorite.

  
  
• After a great parent-teacher conference Kiersten took Mackenzie out to lunch to celebrate her. She is such a good, smart, helpful, happy girl. How did we get so lucky?

  

  Enjoying her newly discovered favorite sandwich: BLT!

  
  
• The end of soccer season was happy-sad. She did improve through the season but developed a hesitancy that wasn't there at the beginning of the season. Maybe she'd been hit or pushed at one point and it left a mark in that she didn't want to go to the ball when there was a group of kids. It frustrated Kiersten to no end but she had to remind herself she was no Mia Hamm when she was 5 either.
• She is really stepping up her big sister skills. When we went to get her vaccine we told her she was being a super hero to protect Baby Brother. Since then she's wanted to help out more. She makes her own toast in the morning, cleans up her space and tries to help Finley with getting dressed or cleaning up. Sadly Finely doesn't always let her help but her heart is in the right place.

  

  Caught this sweet moment of the girls "making stew" outside.

  
  

The Finley Report:

• Getting so clingy. Hoping this phase wears off once Scott comes back so Kiersten can take care of the baby in a month.
  
  
  
• Potty training continues.... We bought some heavy duty training pants, like thick underwear, to encourage big girl underwear and what that means. She still doesn't quite understand that you go to the toilet BEFORE you pee but she knows when she's doing it. Honestly it's like 50-50 when she does it but it's getting real tiring. So much laundry.
• She is very loving and sweet to Mommy's bump. She seems to understand that Baby Brother is inside and will be coming out soon to meet us all. Not sure she understands that he's a permanent fixture to the family but that will come in time.
• We've been lovingly referring to her as the Bunny in the Middle ever since reading the same such book at Grandma Jackson's.

  

  The cutest s'mores pic ever. And she only nibbled at the marshmallow.

  
  
• Waking up 1-2 times a night! Sometimes for no reason other than to come in to Kiersten's room and wake her up it seems. Guess I should be thankful. She's prepping me for interrupted sleep in a month.

The end is in sight! Two weeks until Scott comes back for good. Three more weeks until we meet baby. One more month until Christmas. One more month until a whole new year! Pray for us. We can do hard things.