Staying positive, and positively freezing...

Lots of good things are coming our way. A heat wave is not one of them, though.

The school year is officially half way over. Only 18 more weeks with these knuckleheads. This year has been the worst since my first year in this building, and I will be MORE than happy to wrap it up in June.

In less than a month, we will be in Disney. I am so excited! I think I love it there as much as any kid. My love for it will only be magnified by experiencing it through Ethan's eyes. There is a whole crew of us going. My mom, Ethan and I will be spending one day at Sea World, then meeting everyone else at the Disney parks for two more days. I'm hoping we have a better experience than we did this past summer at Sesame Place (Ethan was terrified of the characters; it was boiling hot and crowded, etc.). I think that since his cousins will be there to set the example, he'll be just fine. Now, if we can just make it through the plane ride without a meltdown....

His new favorite thing is to bring out

blankets & pillows & 'nap' together

In less than two weeks, we find out the sex of our baby. I'm calling it. Girl. I will be shocked if we see a hotdog and not a hamburger on that ultrasound! Christy and Aubrey are sending me girl vibes via a VERY cute dress, so I am ready! And, my mom just informed me that it will for sure be a girl because we are finding out on February 3 - the anniversary of my grandma's death. A bit morbid, but both she and my Aunt Ev said it at the same time. It's kind of sweet, in a way, and if my grandmother weren't named Margaret Dolores, I would consider naming Baby Girl Kovall after her :-)

And, FYI, before anyone gets all judgmental, we will be happy with a healthy baby, boy or girl.

AJ is calling a boy. Just to be difficult. Once we know what we are having and what room decorating we need to do (a baby boy will live in E's current room and E will move into the spare room; a baby girl gets the spare room and E stays where he is), we will be buying E's big boy furniture. It will be so strange seeing our little man in a big bed, but he's ready.

Torturing Daddy

The musical is 2 months away. AJ is already in the thick of rehearsals. He has chamber Monday nights, musical after school on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Did I mention how much I love this time of year? No? That's because I really don't. I have an hour drive, round trip, to get Ethan on rehearsal days. We come home to an insane dog. I am usually starving, as is Ethan. There is little time for me to change clothes, cook, pee for the billionth time, straighten up, etc. before AJ gets home at 6 or 6:30. Things are only going to get worse as we get closer. This weekend marks AJ's last free Saturday. The following weekend, all-day Saturday rehearsals start. This madness will continue until the musical is over. The only thing making me not stress out is knowing that I won't be all alone for the next three months. Once my mom moves in, I will at least have some company. That will make the time go faster! I can only imagine what it will feel like next year with two kiddos. Maybe my mom needs to make her stay with us a little more permanent than just a month or two. Or, maybe she will just need to move in every musical season. She can sublet her new place, right???

A few new things with E this week - he has finally discovered a love of peanut butter. Yay! He also has been doing well potty training at Christine's. She told me that I need to say the magic phrase when he says "No thanks" to sitting on the potty: It's not optional. Apparently, she said this once, like a month ago, and he remembers. When she tells him to sit on the potty, he says, "It's not optional" and heads over to the bathroom. Too funny! He also, while being tickled, said to AJ, "Daddy, don't tickle me. I'm just a little boy."

Ready for the game, thanks to

his cousin's old shirt

Now, onto the bad...he drew ALL over our basement walls with his chalk. He was in big trouble. He also took out every single diaper from his stacker and dumped them on his bed. While he was supposed to be napping...He's really in a testing phase right now, so he frequently finds himself crying in time out. I'm waiting for the day it will sink in. Maybe in about 16 years?

Helping me use my new back scratcher

We are anxiously waiting to see if we have a cold delay tomorrow. I think it will be 5 degrees at bus stop time, so hopefully. Granted, that means I still go in at seven, but two hours of peace in my room might do me good. Here's hoping the cars start tomorrow. My Honda is currently braving the icy temps outside of its home, the garage, because our stinking garage door broke. A cable snapped. No clue how that happened or how much it will be to fix it. Super. I will just re-read the beginning of this post and all the positives and forget about it.