newbies.

I. Love. Christmas. Ornaments.
I mean, sure...Christmas is my favorite time of year, so it's natural that I would love ornaments. But seriously, they're just so pretty. Each family's Christmas tree seems to tell a story!
We have 2.
Cale has his own in his room, filled with lots of "special" ornaments...dried playdoh star masterpieces, tiny glitter balls courtesy of Target's dollar spot, handprint turkeys...and several "stolen" ornaments from Mommy's tree (that I don't "need"). :)
Then, we have our lovely 7 foot family (Mommy's tree) in the living room. We've had this for 2 or 3 years now.
When Tim and I first got married, we purchased a teeny little "Charlie Brown" tree, complete with 'pine' that shed all over the floor and about 20 sparse branches that would droop whenever an ornament of even the lightest weight would be draped upon it. But, it was our first tree, and it told a story.
A story of wealth...or the lack therof.
And here's the song I "wrote" about it in 2004:

"Oh Christmas tree, our Nester tree...
Thy leaves are poor, like we are...
How lovely though - thy popcorn string, the twinkle lights, your color green...
Oh Christmas tree, our Nester tree...
Thy leaves are poor, like we are."

((Nice, right?? :))
Anyway, that first Christmas, my mom bought us a bunch of ornaments to help furnish said tree. I think I still have most, if not all of them.
Well, after several years, and a generous gift card to Menards, we decided to move on to bigger and better things. We "bit the bullet" and bought a beautiful fake tree that I very much like. This tree is heavy, and takes quite awhile to assemble...but it has lots of strong branches.
Problem is...now the ornaments look sparse.
As a tradition growing up, my mom got one new ornament each year and labeled it with the date. She also got an ornament with a small picture frame in it, and filled it with a picture of my brother, sister and I. Every 5th year, she got 3 of the picture ones, with our pictures individually taken.


Though I'm not as strict in the picture frame ornament department, I do hope to get more and more pics of the kids on the tree.
For now though, the object is bulk. We just need MORE!!
So, this year, I've decided I would splurge a little and get several new ornaments appropriate to 2010. ((Obviously, my favorite ones are personalized. :))

Mommy's pregnant belly ornament:

Gingerbread Nesters:The fellas - Cale, Megersa, Thaddeus, Zachery:

where were we?

6 years ago right now...Tim and I were at a hotel celebrating our wedding night!
WAHOO!! ;)
Our wedding was nothing spectacular. Our budget was $4500, and we managed to save $1000 of it, so you can imagine that it wasn't the lux wedding that some had. We had about 88 guests, and got married in a small church. The reception place was certainly not extravagent or anything to really write home about...but the food was good. Our cake was from Walmart's bakery, the bridesmaids dresses were from JCPenny and I wore my mother's dress...but it worked.
To be honest, I never grew up wanting to plan a wedding. Maybe because I was a tomboy...or because I was terrified to be in front of a crowd saying...anything.........
But seriously, I had no fairtale expectations, or colorful dreams about the day I'd say "I do."
When it came down to actually planning the day, I thought it would have been awesome to go away and get married. Somewhere fun, and sunny! Bring a few close family members or friends that would have wanted to come...and then came back for a party with everyone else we love!
That didn't happen.
Turns out, mothers and mothers-in-law HAVE had dreams and colorful visions of when their children get married, and feel they know best.
I kinda wish I didn't give in to them, but oh well.
It was a wonderful day - Kathryn Joan Dudick officially became Kathryn Joan Nester!
And truthfully, we couldn't have asked for better weather at the end of November. My bridesmaids and I were outside getting pictures taken in sleeveless dresses, and we didn't have to shiver once!
The wedding was at 11am, and we drove away from our reception at 4pm.

Seems like a long time ago...I wish I were the blogger I am now. It would have been great to have every detail written clearly so even if it did fade in the memory (as it is), I'd be able to relive it again each year.
Things sure have changed in 6 years. :)
2 kids upstairs asleep, and 2 in the oven.

In high school I dated a few guys... It's actually kinda scary to look back at my "relationships" and think that I could even call them that. When I observe teenagers now, I think they look like children, but are trying to act like adults in the love department.
My boys will wait until college to date...I'm sure of it. :)
Before going to college I prayed and asked God to help me find the man he would have for me. And I swore that the first guy I dated seriously (meaning more than going to dinner or a movie) would be the guy I would marry.
In May 2002, Tim and I started dating, and 4 months later started discussing when we would get married. I remember Tim's mom being alarmed that we were so serious so quickly (and I ended up getting a "sex talk" as a result)...but it seemed very natural to us.
There was never a question in my mind that Tim wasn't the one. I think I can speak for him too about me (since he had been desperately chasing me our entire freshmen year). :)
On December 27, 2003 we got engaged.
On November 27, 2004 we got married.

God's blessings are awesome.
Here we are...with 2 wonderful boys, and 2 more on the way...
Tim has a job that he loves, and I'm able to stay at home with my children like I always wanted.
We now live closer to family and have been given wonderful friends wherever we've lived.

So, as I sit here with my tiny babies kicking me, I have nothing else to do but smile.
I'm 19 weeks into this pregnancy and I'm feeling good.
Belly is BIG...but hey, Thad and Zac are 10 1/2 inches, and 10 1/2 oz!! :)
I hope the next 16-17 weeks fly by...because it doesn't seem possible that the boys can continue to grow for another 4 months while allowing me room to breathe, but I guess it's been done before.
On the other hand...are we ready to multiply our children by 100% in just 4 months?
The thought is as frightening as it is exciting. ;)

I wonder where we'll be in another 6 years...

What do you think?

...do blondes have more fun?
I don't necessarily think so.
But I do like having some blonde in my hair.
Not all the time, of course...but as it turns out, I have embraced highlighted hair several times throughout the last 10 years or so of my life.

I can remember the first time -
I must have been 16. I was not at home. My childhood best friend Sterling has grandparents that own a bed and breakfast. OH! What fun we had spending time in the different rooms...the "bird" room, the "lace" room, the "blue" room. Honestly, what kind of kid doesn't want to have a sleepover in a mansion?! It was the most awesome place with an East and West wing! Each room had it's own bathroom and television! We'd have privacy, our fair share of free chocolate hersheys nuggets (with, or without almonds), and every morning would be welcomed to join the other guests to a steak and eggs breakfast! Yum!
I can't seem to recall which room we were in on that particular night, but it was one of the larger ones with a gigantic king-sized bed where my sister Elizabeth, and my friends Gencina, Sterling and I slept.
For whatever reason, that night we decided we wanted to put highlights in our hair. Probably because Sterling's grandparents did not really supervise us the way parents do. ;)
We bought 1 box of do-it-yourself highlights and shared it among the 3 of us (Gencina gave in to her mother's threats).
The kit we purchased was the kind of highlights that you "apply" with one of those specialized 'brushes' they put in the box.
I know NOW (after having gone to beauty school) this is NOT a good method of highlighting.
I think my sister only did a streak or two...carefully following the directions as any first-born big sister would do.
Sterling and I did a bit more.
We also didn't followed the step-by-step directions for application.
What you should do, (if you still feel compelled to lighten your hair this way) is take the piece of hair you want lightened...separate it from the rest of your hair...scoop a small amount of product on the comb, and gently apply it from top to bottom.
What you should NOT do - is scoop an extra large amount of lightener on the brush and rake it through your hair...starting from your bangs to the back of your scalp.
This will give you one giant skunk streak down the middle of your head and you will not achieve the look you desire.
Naturally, I did the second.
My mom was not pleased.
She was mad enough that I dyed my hair. I was told that I should "be happy with the hair God gave me." Ironically, she's the one who gets her hair highlighted every month to "cover the grays."
Of course, "that's different." ;)
Sure, it is.
Anyway...fast forward many many years, with a degree in cosmetology and my wits about me, I
have yet to mess my hair up quite that bad. I've had my share of extra shorty-short bangs and perms that didn't take (but yanked my hair from the roots)...but nothing I couldn't hide.
I'm actually not really a daredevil with my hair.
Odd that I went to beauty school, I know...but the knowledge that allows me to be able to change my hair on a wim, also gives me the knowledge of what happens to hair that is overworked and overprocessed.
One day in beauty school a girl came over from the "advanced" side...to the side where I was being taught as a "basic" and busted out crying to our teacher. After she calmed down, she pulled down the towel that was covering her hair...and we all gasped in horror to see a head full of light gray hair that was hinted with lavendar!! I have seen green hair, and hair that has fallen out in clumps.
So while I appreciate the cutting edge hairstyles...I happen to think "bald" is not a look I ever want to sport. ;)

But pregnancy tends to change my outlook a bit. I mean, my body is changing...at a drastic rate, and for WHATEVER reason my nose gets bigger (or at least I think it does)...so I feel like I need something different. Something to draw people's attention away from my ever-growing belly and my tired eyes.
When I was pregnant with Cale I got over 12 inches cut off. My hair was way down my back. Only one other girl and I had long long hair, and we took turns rolling each others hair in curlers, big and small.
Here's my hair about the time I pregnant with Cale:
But, about 1/2 through my second trimester, I had it chopped and cropped to give it the "stacked" look.
And here I am, pregnant with Cale...shorter hair with a bigger nose. :)Was I nervous? No. And I didn't cry (as I know so many who do with that kind of length cut off). I always think about my hair for about a week to make sure I'm ready before I actually do something to my hair. I was ready.
But since I had gone almost the entire year of beauty school without allowing anyone to change my long locks, everyone was stopped dead in their tracks, surrounding me as I sat in the chair for my appearance change. It was pretty fun.
Well...I'm in my second trimester again....and my nose is looking quite a bit bigger in pictures, so I changed things up.
I love highlights, but I hate when the roots come in...so I have taken my skills to hide some blonde under the brown so as not to showcase the brown roots when they come in.
Voila!I know the blonde isn't that obvious, but when I pull it back, you can see it alot more. Plus, I'm totally digging the look, and I know that over the next few months I'll be adding more to it, so I didn't want to start too strong. (See what I mean about my nose?)

Oh! And as an added bonus that day, I found one of my many missing earrings. This one was particularly awesome for me, because I got those earrings in Ethiopia, and I lost them the first week I was back! (I've worn them every day since. ;)

events to date.

Today is November 13, 2010.
#1. 8 months ago I stepped off the plane with Megersa!

#2. I am 17 weeks pregnant...my uterus is measuring 21 weeks...so I like to think I'm 1/2 way there!! :) ~Most twin pregnancies are delivered at 35 weeks.

Twin A: (as evidenced by the first u/s pic...he is very proud of his manhood. :) Twin B: (a little more shy...bending his knees, but still...a boy :)#3. Our 6 year anniversary is 2 weeks away! ((And if this picture doesn't explain it enough...we are getting ready to leave our wedding reception. Wahoo!! :))

But no...nothing special is planned this year; but since we'll be in PA visiting family for Thanksgiving, maybe we'll get some free babysitting! :)
Exciting stuff, right? I think so!

boy, oh boy...

...oh boy, oh boy!!
Have you guessed?

We're having TWIN BOYS!!

Fewf! That was a hard secret to keep - and I didn't even keep it from everyone!

I'm no good with hiding news, but I wanted to wait to make the announcement until our ultrasound at 16 weeks.

12 weeks IS early to make the prediction, so I thought I'd wait until 16 weeks.

So...there ya go!

2 more boys.

Add it up - that's 4 boys!!

I gotta say, with the 2 I have (plus my husband), I feel like I'm grocery shopping all. the. time.

I can't imagine feeding 4 teenage boys!

Are you dying to know how I feel about it?

Most people are...at least the ones that I've told early on.

To be honest, initially I was a little bit upset. Not upset at my babies or the fact that they are boys, but I did have a little bit of hope at least one was a girl.

But that quickly passed...because honestly, if I were to have all of one gender...I'd MUCH prefer all boys.

I can totally see myself with teenage sons who think they're mom is "the coolest."

(And, I guess I am!) :) haha.

I'm pretty sure we'll adopt a little girl (down the road of course!)...if God provides!

One name is nailed down (strictly because I won't budge on it)...and the other is kinda being tossed around.

For whatever reason, I'm really anxious to finalize his name in our minds, so I can start "talking" to them/about them. It's the main reason we find out what we're having. I bond really easily to names and the child becomes the name, so I'm super excited about the one I've picked!

So, baby A - who is anterior (meaning in the front of my belly) is named. We'll call him T for now, since I wanna wait until we have the second name and share them both together.

baby B - posterior (toward my back) is awaiting his father's choice.

an ocean of thoughts.

Does anyone else feel like there is a special love that is reserved for when your kids are napping? I mean, I love my boys all the time...but when they're BOTH napping - at the same time....it's bliss. I often find myself close to tears as I thank God for them, the fact that they're sleeping, and for few hours I'll be able to get things accomplished.
OR nap myself.
This has been the choice for the past few weeks. I'd blame it solely on the two people I'm growing, but they shouldn't have to take ALL the blame...their Mommy is a night-owl.
I've certainly toned it down since having kids.
Before Cale, Tim and I would be up until 1 or 2am playing games or watching tv and I'd sleep until 11am.
(I can't myself think on it too long or else I'll start to yearn.... ;)
As it is, I would LIKE to say that I try to get in bed by 10:30p. To have this accomplished I need to start getting ready at 10p...which rarely happens. For awhile, I had my phone alarm set to 10p and continue to ring every 10 minutes to produce guilt. I gave up on that because it rarely worked.
However, mentally the goal is still lights out by 10:30p, but it rarely happens.
For goodness sakes, Project Runway doesn't finish recording until 10:30!! :)
So...with my late nights and my body working overtime, after lunch, I choose to join the boys in taking a nap.
Napping. OH, how I love napping!
I love my pillows, I love my comforter, I love rainy days that make everything dark...I love everything about naptime...so long as I can fall asleep. This generally takes me a good 20-30 minutes, but if I hit the pillow shortly after the boys go down, I have ample time to let my mind wander my forest of thoughts until all is dark.
With today being especially rainy, and the boys sound asleep within minutes, you'd THINK right now I'd be napping...but as I allowed my thoughts to ebb and crash (in the hopes of putting me to sleep), I found my mind wanted to stay awake.
The flow of thoughts went something like this:
"I love my bed...I love when the boys are sleeping...I wonder how much longer I'll be able to get a nap out of Cale when the twins come...Am I really gonna be 16 weeks on Saturday?...I'll only have 20 weeks left!...20 weeks - that's about 5 months...Cale will almost be 4...I can't believe how grown up he is...How old will Megersa be when the twins come home?...How long has he been with us?...It feels like a year already...but we brought him home in March...hey! I think our first "referral anniversary" is coming up...when was it?...November 5th?...What is today, the 4th?...WHOA!...Tomorrow will be one year since we got his referral...Man, he's changed!...so last year at this time, we were preparing to bring home Nester #4, and this year we're preparing for Nesters #5,6!...I wonder if the ultrasound was right...I guess we'll find out Monday...then we can finalize names...but I'm still gonna think of them (obsessively)..."T" and ??...How can I persuade Tim to pick the other one I like best?...Holy Cow, I'm hungry!...I could go for some homemade soup...we have leftover ham...I could make Farmhouse Chowder...I bet we need more ingredients though, I'll have to run to the store....when is Tim getting home?...what time is it?...I guess my mind or belly have decided I'm not gonna get any extra sleep today...I should get up...I should blog about this...it IS funny...and I am funny...yesterday my sister told me that I am." :)

Treats!

Halloween talk started early this fall...

I regularly get the Parents and Parenting magazines, so I get a healthy dose of creative things you can do for or with your child. Of course the October issue (which comes out in Sept) was full of make-it-yourself Halloween treats, games and costumes.

Being the thrifty mom I am, when these issues came I opened directly to the costumes.

On Cale's first halloween 2007 he had his choice of costumes:

A pumpkin (borrowed from cousin Julian):

A penguin (purchased and given to him from a church friend) A dragon (from Nana)
In 2008, we must have skipped Halloween. I was actually wondering what Megersa would be wearing next year from Cale's hand-me-downs, and I could not find any costumes, or pictures of him that halloween. I guess it didn't happen. Oh well. MJ will get something new next year!

In 2009, he had 2 costumes (both purchased VERY cheaply at a consignment shop):

Buzz Lightyear - he wore on the actual day

Spiderman:

Megersa had a choice of hand-me-downs from Cale.

But for Cale in 2010, we had bubkiss.

Sure, we put on Spiderman from last year, and it DID still fit...though it was a little too snug for him to wear anything with warmth underneath it...so that was out.
Cale saw me looking through the magazine and asked why the kids looked like they did. I explained halloween and we strolled down memory lane from years past.

I asked him what he wanted to be this year. He didn't understand the question, but we continued to peruse the magazine articles. When I got to the page of the child dressed up as the giant donut; Cale was interested.

"I want to be a donut."

Ooookay! And I checked out the how-to portion (which didn't seem to difficult). Get an old inflatable swimming ring and paint it brown, then pink or white for the icing and glue construction paper peices on for sprinkles. Easy enough...

I bought the paint, and we had glue and construction paper.

I went downstairs and got a small tube and the air pump. As I continued to fill it with air, I started noticing how BIG the tube was in comparision to Cale's torso.

The costume is suppose to look like this:

But the kid in this picture is older, and if Cale wore the tube we had, he wouldn't be able to use his hands or walk up the many steps in our townhouse neighborhood.

Scratch (I thought.)

Not Cale. He was insistant on the donut.

When Grammie sent out my brother (Uncle Chet)'s old costumes - A KING! He wouldn't go for it. He told Grammie "no, I'm gonna be a donut." She spoke to him several times after that with the same question. I think she really wanted to see him in the costume she made over 20 years ago...

To make a long story short...I GENTLY convinced him that being a King would be awesome and that when people say "what are you?" he could say "I'm King Cale!"

I held my breath on Halloween day. I didn't have the donut costume.

((2 days before Halloween I did go to our local craft store in with the intention of buying some fabric to sew together a donut costume that it would sit on his middle, but A.C. Moore doesn't sell fabric.))

Trick or Treating started at 6:30p here. I layed out the boys costumes. Megersa happily complied with his pumpkin costume (and even left the hat on all night). I told Cale it was time to get dressed so we could get CANDY!!!

He wasn't so sure...BUT...when the kids started ringing our doorbell and he saw them walking away with candy (technically we passed out fruit snacks) he was sold. He couldn't get dressed fast enough.
Oh how I love that kid!

He wore his crown (from Burger King ;) the entire night. I thought it'd be cute to replace the Burger King label with his name. Someone thought he was suppose to be "old king cole." :)

He and I went out alone while Tim and Megersa stayed home to pass out candy.

Cale held my hand the entire time. He told me he "had to hold my hand because he didn't want to lose me." There really were a lot of kids around. The teens are not as polite as you'd think with candy afoot!

We went to so many houses and got so much stuff that we took a detour back home to dump our loot, take a potty break, and then reload!

By the end of the night he had a bucketfull of goodies and didn't say one thing about the donut.

Good day for all involved:

Mommy didn't have to spend extra money. Grammie gets to see her handmade costume recycled, and Cale gets the candy.

Win-win-win. :)

It surely was a highlight for him. He's talked about "when we went trick-or-treating" soooo many times since! Too bad it's only once a year!