Cutie Pie

...Just some fun, random, adorable pictures of little Miss Anna Bell. I feel like I don't write as much about her as I do Joshua, but she really is developing a great little personality. Anna Bell is sweet and very affectionate. She is also quite the little pistol! She LOVES to tackle and hug her big brother and has a great adoration for her daddy. Her vocabulary is great- she'll pretty much repeat anything now. She loves to sing and can sing along to most of the songs on Praise Baby-- pretty precious to listen to her raspy little voice singing praises to Jesus!!!! She is not at all shy, but can be a little more stand-offish when it comes to trying new things than Joshua. She loves dolls, her bear (affectionately named "B") Elmo, to color (we're working on keeping it on the paper!) and Thomas the train. I would say that she's pretty girly- she loves wearing bows and will usually ask for one before we get out of the van to go somewhere. She also kind of "prances" around most of the time rather than simply walking. It's pretty cute!!! I don't think she has much comprehension as to how her little world is about to change in 6 weeks (or less!!!) with the arrival of baby brother. I remember being worried about how Joshua would adjust and then it not really being much of an issue. ...So, I'm not really concerned; I know that she will love her baby brother and may struggle with the change a little bit, but we'll get through it. We are so thankful for Anna Bell and can't imagine life without her. Our prayer is that God would grow her to be a woman of grace- who testifies of Christ with everything that she is. I already see a boldness and determination in her that excites me to think about how God will use her and who He will shape her to be. This parenting thing sure can be difficult and even a bit scary sometimes, but wow- what a privilege and blessing!!!!

What a Sweet Husband I Have!!!!

I could not go without posting some pictures of the absolutely fabulous getaway that my dear husband surprised me with last weekend!!! A week ago Friday, Fred left the house at around 7:45, saying that he had a "quick planning meeting" that he had to go to. Although I thought that this was pretty lame, being that Fridays are my husband's day off, I tried not to complain!:) At around 10:30, I got a text from Fred telling me to check under the mattress on his side of the bed. Hmmm. So...the kids and I ran upstairs and found a note that told me to get his work laptop out of the laundry room and open it and click on the video link with my name on it. Ohh....as you can imagine, I was pretty excited by this point!!!! (I ended up giving the kids suckers at the table just so they would sit still so that I could get the computer going!!!) On the video, Fred explained that I needed to go ahead and be packed and ready to leave in about an hour...that the kids were taken care of, and that just the two of us were going somewhere Friday-Sunday!!! Woooo Whooo!!!!! About an hour later, Fred came home with my mom who flew in from St. Louis to watch the kids!!!! So fun!!! Since Joshua was born, we have only gotten away for one night (...besides ministry stuff...which doesn't exactly count as quality time as a couple!) So this was really exciting!!!! I am so thankful for a husband that is so thoughtful and sees time for just the two of us as important!!! Anyways, Fred worked it out that we got to stay at a beautiful condo at Amelia Island that belongs to a middle school family for the weekend. It was so great...we really enjoyed our time together and away from everything.


Here is the view from our balcony....a little too cold to swim, but great scenery!!!

We went out to a way nice restaurant on Saturday...I even wore a dress...which is something that rarely happens...even when I'm not 7+ months pregnant!!!!

Here's a view of the downtown atmosphere...it was really fun to just walk around and look at the little shops!

We spent quite a bit of time sitting outside and reading...something that you really appreciate when the majority of your days are typically consumed with caring for little people!!!!

We walked on the beach several times as well...it was absolutely beautiful!!!!

*The only bummer of the weekend was that I had some really strange pregnancy symptoms that started as soon as Fred and I got to the condo. I started seeing spots and then pretty much lost all peripheral vision for about an hour. My arms were kind of numb/tingly and I had trouble putting words together!!! It was really scary!!!! After I rested, it seemed to pretty much go away (except for a headache) and I woke up on Saturday feeling great again. Unfortunately, it happened again once on Saturday afternoon and then again on Sunday on the way home. We were afraid that I was developing preeclampsia or something and I went in to see the doctor on Monday. They couldn't find anything wrong with me, and it hasn't happened since, praise God!!!! The doctor thinks that the baby may have been putting pressure on some nerve or blood vessel, which caused my blood pressure to bottom out and have such weird symptoms. Whatever it was, I'm glad it hasn't happened again!!! Other than the strange blindness episodes, Fred and I had a great time together. I am so thankful for my husband!!!! Fred is an incredible hubby, daddy, and leader of our family. I love him soooo much and could not imagine that marriage would be so wonderful!!!! Thank you, Fred Broome for being my husband!!!!! I am so blessed and proud to be your wife!!!!!

I've Been Tagged...

My good bud, Tasha tagged me and because I love her SO much and am always SO impressed by her faithfulness to blog, I am participating!

THE RULES::

* Link your tagger and list these rules on your blog.

* Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog.

* Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.

* Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

...Here you have it, folks: 7 Random Facts about me:

1. I don't have any cavities, still have one baby tooth, and have never had braces...unfortunately the money we save on my teeth, we have to spend on my blind eyes!!!!

2. I take ridiculously long showers on a regular basis. This is a habit that I have tried to break myself of because I know it's a huge waste of time and water but can't seem to do it. Oh well.

3. Excessive background noise drives me CRAZY!!!! ...I cannot stand to have the TV on while trying to have a conversation or read a book. Whining children are like fingernails on a chalkboard. -And if that little wiener dog around the corner doesn't stop barking...well...I don't know what I'll do...

4. I love Sodoku puzzles and any other kind of number game. My dad's a CPA...I guess I've got some math nerdiness in me (love you dad!:))

5. My absolute favorite way to start the day is with a hot drink (tea, coffee, french vanilla cappuccinos (sp?) have been my pick lately) and reading the Bible. Ideally this happens before the kids are up but more often than not it's while they eat breakfast and watch Praise Baby.

6. The older I get the more introverted and homebodish I seem to become. I used to be soooo social but now crowds stress me out just a little bit. My favorite people in the world to be around are Fred and the kids.

7. Being a wife and mom are my favorite jobs in the world and (most days!) I wouldn't trade it for anything. ...But down the road when the kids are grown I think that I'd like to go back to school and get my doctorate to teach a women's studies sort of curriculum in a college setting. I don't know if that's what God has for us but it sounds pretty exciting!

Okay, there you have it. I tried to get as random and unknown as possible. I am now tagging:

*Kelli

*Shelly W.

*Shelly H.

*Constance

*Rhianna

*Erin

*Sandy

Pumkin Painting Parties...Georgia Style

We had some of our good buddies over for a pumpkin painting party a couple of weeks ago. It was so fun to see how their different little personalities came out during the activity. Some were diligent to paint the actual pumpkins...others were more interested in painting each other (ummm...both of my children would fall into the latter of the two categories...thankfully their mammas all love my children and are pretty laid back when it comes to that sort of thing!!!!) Anyways, we had a GREAT time of messiness and play...I am so thankful for great friends!!!!

Advantage of living in the south: ending a fall craft activity with a good 'ol hose down of all the painted children. It sure beats trying to get them cleaned off inside...:)

BIG THREE YEAR OLD

I can't believe that Joshua turned three last week. I know that everyone says it, but seriously, how do they grow up so fast?!!?? We had the best birthday celebration. We went back and forth about having a party and finally decided against it for at least one more year. We spent the day playing outside with Joshua's new bike and art set, had Joshua's requested spaghetti and meatballs for dinner, ate cake, and then made a quick trip to Wal-Mart where Joshua got to spend some of his birthday money on Thomas trains. All-in-all, a fabulous day in the life of a three year old!!!

Thanks for the bike, Grandpa and Grandma!!! Doesn't Joshua look like such big stuff on it??!!

I am so very thankful and blessed to be Joshua's mom. ...And as I say that, I have to laugh and be honest in saying that I just had to take a break from writing this post to discipline him for getting out of his bed during nap time (this is a CONSTANT battle at our house right now...any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!) Joshua is not the perfect kid. I am very very far from being the perfect mom towards Joshua. We are a lot alike in that we're both stubborn, strong-willed and a little bit "too full of life" at times! Joshua is constantly teaching me and reminding me of my need for God's grace and strength. He also makes me laugh a ton! He is such a funny little kid with such a big personality. He does such a great job of being polite and conversational with adults. He has become a great little helper around the house and I know will help me so much when his brother arrives. Joshua has a great memory; he does a better job of remembering names at church than I do! He has memorized quite a few Bible verses and is even learning how to apply them to his life. Like the other day: we had some friends over and the mom said something about obeying, so Joshua piped in with Ephesians 6:1 and how we obey because God says so! I overheard him playing with his trains the other day and he told Thomas "You need to obey. Do you understand? If you do not obey, you will get a spankin'. Yes mam? I need to hear you say 'yes mam."...HA!!!! Oh what great accountability their little hearts and voices are!!! I don't know what God has in store for Joshua. Our prayer is that he would be strong and very courageous and obey the Word of the Lord. I am confident that God is able to do great things in and through him! I am excited to see those plans unfold. Sometimes I loose perspective with Joshua and get caught up in the daily frustrations of discipline and training, but he really is such a blessing. I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the privilege of being his mom. Thank you, Lord for our precious three year old!!!!

Now I Could Get Used To This...

Some of the sweet families at our church wanted to bless us and help me out with this whole ankle injury thing, so they sent a cleaning lady to our house yesterday!!! It was amazing! I didn't feel guilty or embarrassed that someone else was cleaning my toilets because 1. She was getting paid to do it and 2. I don't know the lady and will probably never even see her again! I can't remember the last time my house was totally clean ALL at the same time. You know how it goes-- one day you tackle a bathroom, the next dusting...I never have a large enough block of time to knock it all out at once anymore! It was great. I felt like I could really rest my foot once my house was clean. It was such a blessing! ...So; if any of you ladies read this: THANK YOU!!!!

FYI...

Just in case any of you were wondering:
If you ever find yourself painting a room when you are 6 months pregnant, there are some things that you should try to avoid. One of those things is using a printer as a step ladder. NOT a good idea. Printers are not necessarily stable pieces of equipment to stand on. They tip over easily when weight is disproportionately placed upon them. ...And when that weighted object happens to be a pregnant lady, ankles will likely be twisted. ...Especially when bellies are needing to be protected.
...Yep: I've learned my lesson. My ankle is thankfully recovering: it could have been a lot worse. I could not bear any weight on it until yesterday and already today I've been able to hobble around without crutches. I guess that it was just a good ol sprain. I've had tons of help from friends and church family and Fred's mom came last night to help. I'm so thankful for such great help and that it wasn't any worse!

What Does Sanctification Really Look Like?

...I know, TWO posts in ONE day...somebody stop me.
Here's what I read today from Holiness:
It's from the chapter on sanctification. I've been chewing on it all day:
"A truly sanctified person may be so clothed with humility that he can see in himself nothing but infirmity and defects. Like Moses, when he came down from the mount, he may not be conscious that his face shines."
WOW!!!! That's what I want to be like: so Christ-like that I actually radiate His presence, yet so humbled by His awesomeness that I don't even realize it!!!!

Could it Be The Broome Family Television Debut???

...Long time no post: many apologies to all you faithful bloggers out there...I have some catching up to do!
In the meantime, here's the CRAZY thing that happened at our house this afternoon:

HGTV producer, Matt (Okay, I don't even know his last name) came over and interviewed us for a show that will begin airing sometime in late October!!!! That's right, the Broome family may just become famous...at least in the world of home and garden television!! Ha!! Isn't that so crazy!!! Here's basically what happened: Our friend Shae went to college with Matt and just began his own major renovation project (Shae and his wife, Katie are totally remodeling their kitchen). Matt thought that Shae's project sounded like a good fit for this new show, so he decided to come on down to Macon and check it out. Since he was making the trip, he asked Shae if he knew of anyone else who would be good candidates for the show. So Shae set up for us to have an interview as well. Here's the idea of the show: Matt described it as a very "raw" production depicting the real life "drama" of home remodeling. Fred and I would be knocking out a wall in the familyroom/hallway and laying down hardwood floors throughout the downstairs. Here's the tricky part: the remodel has to all take place in one week and Fred and I would be doing most of the work ourselves! ...Yeah...I don't know if that's even possible. Particularly with me being pregnant and Joshua and Anna Bell around. We most likely will not even be considered for the show and even if we are, I really don't know if Fred and I would attempt it. You get paid to have the crew there filming: obviously that's the big upside for us, but even so- the stress of trying to swing it sounds a little unrealistic! Regardless, it was pretty cool to interview! I'll keep you posted on what we hear back from HGTV...CRAZY!!!!!

First Day of School!!!!

After much prayerful consideration, Fred and I decided that we would put Joshua and Anna Bell in Mother's Morning Out this year. Fred was extremely supportive of the idea all along, but I really struggled with it. Many of you can relate I'm sure: it is such an incredible blessing and privilege to be able to stay home with the kids that I feel guilty paying for this time "all to myself." However, this time of rest and productivity is such a blessing as well! The kids leave with Fred a little bit before 9 each Wednesday morning and come home with him at around noon. Today was our first day and I really did not know what to do with myself!!!! I had planned on running some errands, but woke up to a VERY rainy, dark, cool morning. These are some of my favorite kinds of days, but not so much for running errands. Although resting and reading the entire 3 hours would have been amazing, I didn't want to waste such valuable time. Instead, I read and sipped some Chia tea for about 30 minutes and then got to work on some house projects. My prayer is that I will be a good steward of this time and not let it go to waste. When the baby comes, I'm sure that I'll use it for rest, but until then and as long as I'm up to it- I want to get things done that are challenging to do with the kids at home. I was able to paint some frames for the upstairs bath and almost finish touching up trim work in the downstairs bath. It was really fun to have this solid block of time to work!
Another "goal" that I have for my Wednesday mornings is that I would spend some time reading books that challenge me both spiritually and intellectually. I have read so few "seminary type" books since I finished up at Southeastern. One of my favorites that I read while in school was Holiness by JC Ryle. I remember reading it for Systematic Theology and wishing that I had more time and mental energy to process the great truths that Ryle writes about. SO: I read the first chapter this morning. It is a greatly convicting chapter on sin and how we can in no way have a right view of God's holiness until we have a both cognitive and spiritual understanding of our sin. Very good stuff. Here is my favorite quote from today's reading: "We shall do well to remember that when we make our own miserably imperfect knowledge and consciousness the measure of our sinfulness, we are on very dangerous ground. A deeper study of Leviticus might do us much good." Oh woe is me!!! Praise God for His loving grace and faithful refining!!!!!

*On a totally different and random note, here are some cute pictures of my wonderful family!!!:)
Both kids hopped onto Fred's lap before bed the other night wanting him to read a book!

Here is a picture of Anna Bell's first pigtails. Her hair isn't quite long enough for it to stay up for very long, but it sure looked adorable while it lasted! (Mom: aren't you proud of me-- that I was sentimental enough to capture this "first" on camera...:))

Thank You, Ellen!!!!

We had a little "photo shoot" at a friend's house last week. Here are some of my favorite pics!!!

The Atlanta Aquarium

We made a trip to the aquarium in Atlanta last Friday. We have been wanting to go since we moved to Georgia, but feared that our money would be wasted if the kids weren't into it. However, being that it costs 20 dollars for kids 3 and up, we figured we better go before Joshua turns three in less than two months. For those of you who aren't aware, this aquarium happens to be the largest in the world...which is pretty impressive. Some of the really cool attractions include Beluga whales and Whale sharks...both are pretty massive beasts. The kids had a great time and although it was MUCH TOO crowded, we're really glad that we made the trip. Here are some pics of our day...mostly of the kids because you all know what fish look like.

Drumroll Please.....

Well, we went to the doctor today and learned more about our little one:

WE'RE HAVING A BOY!!!!!!!!

We're very excited...I really probably would have guessed girl from how I'm carrying, but Fred thought boy all along. As Aunt Sandy put it: we'll have a Broome sandwich!!!!:) So exciting. Praise God that everything looked great as well. The doctor had no concerns so far about his growth-- he's tracking right on schedule for 19 weeks. Anyways, thanks for the prayers. Praise God for such wonderful new life!

Any Guesses?????

We have our ultrasound tomorrow morning! Does anyone have any predictions as to whether it is a boy or girl?!!? I'm really not sure...I keep going back and forth. Either way, we will be absolutely thrilled. Please pray that the technician and doctor see everything that they need to and that the baby is doing well/growing like he or she should. We will let you all know tomorrow!!!!

*Some pictures from the beach and home....my mom is sending me a CD with her pictures from vacation; I'll post those when I get it:)

Back From the Beach

The Prosser Family Beach Trip '08 is officially over. We are home. Laundry is washed. My tan is already fading. The kids are sleeping again. And although I'm thankful to be home and in our normal routine, part of me longs to be back at the beach. For those of you who know me, I am seldom "emotional"...as far as crying goes, but I was really sad to leave on Saturday morning. As my parents, sisters, brother, and niece piled into their SUV, I really had to try hard to hold it together. After they left and Fred and I were packing up the rest of our stuff, I quietly cried as I thought about what a great week we had and how terribly blessed I am to have such a great family. We're not perfect. We get on each other's nerves. Eleven people can be way too many in one condo for a whole week... but I have a wonderful family. We have tons of fun together. Each of them challenge me to love Christ more. I am like each of them in different ways. Joshua and Anna Bell share a very special bond with their Grandparents, Aunts, Uncle and cousin. All that to say: We LOVE you: Dad, Mom, Luke, Laura, Becca, Ash, & Maddie Grace!!!! We miss you and are so thankful for you!!!!!

6 Bucks and Some Paint

One of my favorite "hobbies" is decorating my house. I love looking through magazines, shopping around Target, choosing paint colors...and all that fun stuff. I do not, however, enjoy spending a lot of money on decorations. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have a house that looked like Pottery Barn, but it's just not going to happen. There's too many other more important things to spend money on.
This is my latest super-cheap decorating project. I found these letters at Michael's for a dollar a piece and just used the paint colors that we've already chosen for each of the rooms downstairs. What's even better is that the letters are pretty big, so they decorate an entire wall! I'm wishing that I would have bought more letters while they were on sale for other rooms/words...oh well. Do any of you have any creative/affordable decor ideas? I'd love to hear about 'em...I have plenty of walls left to decorate!!!!:)

My Little Fishies

Here are some pics of the kids at Papa's house in North Carolina. We are off to the beach in the morning--Yippeeeeee! We're more than excited! Mom has a super-cool high-tech camera and we're bringing the laptop, so I hope to update while we're there! If not, have a great week!!!!

Anna Bell and her Papa

Whoever invented water wings was a genius.

Anna Bell is more interested in her water bottle than an entire pool full of water...go figure.

#1: Joshua jumping off of the diving board.
#2: The reason for buying a camera with a decent shutter speed.

Best Fwinds

We were able to go swimming at some church friends' pool on Friday morning. It was so fun! Like I said in an earlier post, Joshua is a swimming champ. He loves it! Fred actually threw him up in the air off of the diving board and he couldn't wait to do it again! He eventually got tired with all the jumping, swimming and climbing out. He started to call out for Fred to come and get him once he jumped in and was "stuck" in the middle of the pool. After a couple of times of Fred coming to his rescue, Joshua wrapped his little arms around Fred's neck, looked him right in the face and said "Daddy, you're my best fwind." So precious!!!

Noah's Ark Zoo

We made a trip to a local zoo about a month ago. I first went with some friends and their kids, but it was so great that Fred and I went back a week later. The zoo is called Noah's Ark and is actually a rescue park for injured animals. It is about 40 minutes from our house, but free so that makes up for the drive. We had a great day there. We saw ostrich, warthogs, monkeys, a bunch of different birds, llama, lions, and bears. The kids had a fun time and were content to ride most of the time...which was a good thing because the park is very spread out.

The kids weren't that impressed with the peacock as he fanned out his feathers,
but Fred and I sure were!!!

This poor turkey was so ugly!!! His feathers were all scraggly and his hairless head was gross. No wonder he ended up in a rescue park. He was really struggling!

I love this picture! Anna Bell is at such a fun age! She sings and dances and laughs most of the day! She's quite a little charmer too...especially towards her daddy!

Drained of Creative Juices

...As much as it might seem in the blogging world that I have fallen off the face of the earth (or at least into a permanent place over the toilet...HA!) I am actually starting to feel better! YAY!!!! I was able to go with the students and Fred to Fuge Camp in Mississippi two weeks ago which proves that I must be over the worst of it. It was such a blessing to be able to join Fred and the group for the week. My mom, Laura, and Maddie came to stay with the kids at our house which really was the only way that I could go. Thank you sooooo much, fam!!!! It was a wonderful week for our group. We experienced a great time of growth both in intimacy with the Lord and one another. I was also able to get to know many of the girls on a deeper level. I missed the kids like crazy and was really ready to get home and see them. They on the other hand, had a blast with their Grandma, Aunt and cousin. I don't think that they even missed Fred and I at all...which I'm thankful for.
SO, like I said, I am starting to feel better. I'll be 14 weeks along on Thursday, which is the point in which I felt normal again with Joshua and Anna Bell. I have been greatly convicted of my selfishness and focus on my own comfort over these past few months. It's made me wonder what Paul's "thorn in the flesh" was and how there are so many people that live their entire lives with physical pain much greater than pregnancy sickness.-And yet they push through living life and worshiping God in the midst of pain. There have been so many days over the past two months when I just get through without authentically worshiping God because I feel some sort of entitlement to feel bad. Woe is me!!!! God is so much greater than that!!!!
Anyways...on a completely different note, we traveled to North Carolina over the weekend. Fred officiated a college friend's wedding on Saturday afternoon. It was a crazy weekend as traveling always is when you have little people. To summarize the weekend, I am going to muster up enough creativity (which I have been severely lacking lately) to give you a TOP TEN LIST of exciting or amusing things that happened over the weekend. Here we go:
# 10: We left the house at 5 am on Thursday, only to discover as we were trying to get out the door that our water heater shut off. My blessing of a husband climbed up into the attic above the garage at 2 in the morning on Sunday, so that we would all have hot water the next day....um...happy Father's Day, dear:)
# 9: A friend on mine from here rode with us for the first 5 hours of the trip along with her 18 month old daughter. She is also 13 weeks pregnant and has worse sickness than me. This could have been awful- 3 toddlers and 2 puking women at 5 am, but it actually was great. I'm so glad that we could give her a ride. Please pray for her- she is visiting her 18 year old sister who was just diagnosed with cancer and started chemo on Saturday.
# 8: We stopped off at Fred's dad's house for the lunch and a quick swim on Thursday afternoon. You would not believe what a champ of a swimmer Joshua is becoming! We put his water wings on and he is all over the place! His favorite thing to do is jump off of the diving board and swim to the edge all by himself! The boy is fearless! We have prayed that he would be strong and courageous as Joshua 1:7-9, but he makes us a little nervous sometimes!!!
# 7: We were able to see some great friends during our quick trip. Hands, Bibles, Nelsons, Brad, & Hollands- it was wonderful seeing you all!!!
# 6: The timing of this trip was a little rough, being that the kids had just spend an entire week apart from us and with Grandma. We like to call this period of time "Grandma Detox." Mom does a great job of loving and entertaining our kids, but Joshua is a kid who NEEDS consistent discipline and routine. For those of you who struggle with the idea of spanking, let me just tell you, Joshua is a completely different and happy child when he is within the bounds of consistent and biblical discipline. Needless to say, we are having a quiet week at home this week where we can get back on track:)
# 5: I felt the baby move for the first time this weekend. I think that even if this was my tenth child, I would still be in total amazement and awe at this awesome work of God. The fact that I can feel this little one as he/she moves inside of me is truly amazing! Praise God!!!!
# 4: I got an eye infection on Saturday that caused me to be extremely sensitive to light. This was not so fun as we were on the road most of the day. I spent a good deal of the trip back with my eyes closed. No fun. It's better now, thankfully.
# 3: Joshua got a fever on the way back home. Of course he did. The good thing was that this made him pretty mellow and sleepy for most of the way back. Anna Bell, was not sleepy however. She REALLY wanted to wear my sunglasses for a good bit of the trip. I could not let her because of the eye troubles. She of course, did not understand this.
# 2: Joshua decided to ride on the elevator in the hotel ALL BY HIMSELF as we were leaving. Our room was right outside of the elevator and on the fourth floor. He and Anna Bell got to take turns all weekend pushing the buttons and I guess that he just got really comfortable with the idea. As we were leaving the room, we weren't paying close enough attention and he stepped right on, pushed the first floor button and down he went! Fred took off down the stairs only to find our little fearless wonder making his way around the lobby!
# 1: Drum role please........ I think that this is the funniest thing of the weekend. Many of you will totally relate to it: So, the hotel bathroom was just big enough to fit AB's pack-in-play which is ideal when traveling with two kids. Joshua's pretty good about going to sleep with us in the room and falling right back asleep if one of us wakes him up. But it really is a lot better if we can put Anna Bell in another room. This works pretty well. The only annoying thing is that you have to go down to the lobby to use the bathroom, which is inconvenient, but it works. ...Except for Friday night when Fred didn't get back from the rehearsal deal until 11:30. By 10:00, I really had to go to the bathroom. I couldn't leave and go down three floors with both kids in the room. So: I did what any resourceful mom would do- I peed in a diaper! Ha!!!!

All in all, it was a great weekend...but I'm really glad to be home for a while!