Micah's first cinema experience

we took micah to his first cinema experience!! we went to see 'cars' and we all loved it!! it was a 11:30 showing so there were only about 20 or so people there, mostly children!! we sat in the first row where there is a railing in front of the seats so that micah wouldn't be blocking anyones views. there was only once that he wanted to walk around and we went up to the very front and i sat while he ran up and down the 2 rows of those seats. otherwise he went from andy to me and back again!

some of it he found scary, but i think that was more from how loud it is in the cinema! noah was with us too and he slept for awhile, i fed him a little bit and he sat on my lap for awhile, quite happily!! otherwise he was just in his carseat! just before the very end, micah started cuddling with me and then seriously one minute before the credits, he fell asleep!!! and didn't wake up at all as i carried him to the car and put him in the carseat!! it was so good!!! he seemed to really like the movie as it was all cars! and i know that andy and i really enjoyed it too!!

that's definitely one to get on dvd!!!

i know these photos aren't the best, but i didn't want to use my flash inside the theater and get my camera confiscated or something!!

monday and our trip to belfast

well here we are on bank holiday monday and we've not really done anything! usually its a day to go out somewhere new or just somewhere different! but for lack of funds and the thought of so much stuff left to do (from the list we made for ourselves of jobs to do around the house) we've just stayed home!! but its all good and tomorrow we may go out with some friends.

so we had a blast in belfast! feel like we did a lot of stuff and saw lots of people! it was really great!!! here are some photos=)

we took a train ride to bangor, grandpa, uncle steve (boy as micah calls him), andy, micah, noah and i!


paul, karen and luke were staying up in port stewart (along the north coast) and we went up for the day...there are 11 months between micah and luke!

we spent saturday night up at carnlough (along the antrim coast) with uncle david and auntie ruth. it was originally where nana and papa lived up until their deaths in 2004. it was so nice to sit out there in the morning with my cuppa and just sit and listen to the God's creation!!

this is their flower garden that you can see from the road down below and from the sea!! its a great witness!!!

waiting

well as i am sitting here, we are waiting for the post to come and praying that noah's passport will be in there! for as they say don't make travel plans till you have the passport, we didn't listen and now our flights have been booked for ages and we are suppose to fly out tomorrow morning at 6:50... so if its not in the post, which usually arrives around 10am then we'll call and if its still at the embassy or wherever they do that, then i think we'll be going down to london to pick it up if possible!!! otherwise we'll have to postpone our flight which will cost ofcourse!! oh well...this is life at#23!!! something like this always happens b/c we don't CAREFULLY plan ahead!!
we are also searching and searching for andys mobile phone! so if anyone knows where it is, let us know! as we have been looking for atleast 5 days now!!! and andy just had a load of tracts printed up with his mobile number on the back as a contact number...oh dear (i say a load, well i mean 40,00!!!) so say a prayer that we find his phone!!

***update***
no passport today, but we can sigh with relief as we called the airline and all we need for noah is a birth certificate as we are only going to ireland!! so, that was nice to know! the passport should come tomorrow or thursday as we received the birth certificate back today with the note of the passport to follow shortly!

found a free album

this is a free kit that i found at shabbyprincess.com called 'in the groove'! i was so excited to find it as it was so simple and i was finding that i had a little mental block when it came to scrapbooking! so here i didn't have to use my creative part of my brain, no matter how small that might be!!! this is so simple to put together, that as long as you have a program to work in, all you need are your photos and you just slide them in behind the paper and voila! i did this while i was feeding noah! so all it took is one hand!! so thank you shabby princess!!!

camping

we had a great time camping with the boys! micah loved it and noah didn't even notice! we pitched our tent along side our friends caravan, so we were cheating a little bit! cups of tea and coffee, and cooked meals! the best of both worlds!!
we went into newquay on the tuesday and had lunch on the beach. wednesday we went to chapel porth beach and actually went into the sea! atleast jemima, andy and i did!! micah still didn't really care for the sand between his toes! oh well...better luck next time??
thursday we went to trevano gardens then andy and i escaped and went to st ives without the boys!
friday we came on home the long way and it took ages!!! literally!!

some photos cornwall

  

5 years

as we were camping with our friends, we were able to leave the boys with them for a few hours! we took off to st ives to have our cornish pasties and chips, sit near the ocean and walk on the beach!!! it was fantastic! st ives is a beautiful place with little streets, lots of shops, beaches and everything else to go with it! we loved it!! it was a beautiful evenging and andy and i enjoyed being on our own and thinking over our last 5 years and wondering where they have gone!!!

hooray for me!!

i've actually got some cleaning done today!! hip hip hooray!! the upstairs bathroom just needs the tub washed and the floor hoovered (aka vacuumed!!). i hoovered the stairs and the upstairs hallway, so for once there is nothing on the stairs or on the hallway floor!!! thats to make room for suitcases and camping gear so we can start our packing!! oh what fun =)

going camping...

well, we are slowly getting ourselves ready to go camping next week! i am excited to get away but a bit anxious as to camping with micah and noah! noah shouldn't be too much of a problem as he just sleeps wherever you put him down! but micah..well that is a whole other story!!
we've gone camping every summer since i was pregnant with micah. we put our tent up along side our friends' caravan! the stocks are fantastic with that and its so fun to be on holiday with other people i think!!
this year we have moved up to a 8-man tent from our 2 man tent! it has one big area with 3 smaller tents attached as little bedrooms! so andy and micah will have one and me and noah will have another! and maybe jemima will be brave and sleep in one too!!!
we will be in cornwall i think in truro(sp?) and we go to the beach called st. agnes... its where we were last summer, though we only stayed for 3 nights. we are hoping to stay monday through thursday and leave early friday, i think!! andys sister jo is flying home from romania on the friday and staying with us for the weekend!!
we will also be celebrating our 5 year anniversary while we are down there (on the 3rd)!! so hard to believe that its been 5 years already and that i have been living in england for 5 years too!!! its been so amazing and as you can see from the pictures below, we have been SO incredibly blessed!!!

weighing in

here is noah getting weighed this morning at the baby clinic!! we hadn't been for 3 weeks. then he was 10lb 5oz, now he is 11 lb 14oz!!! what a cutie!!!

another hot day in b'ham

micah has recently, well okay, like for the past 6 months or so, has NOT liked to take a bath! he just cries most of the time... and try and wash his hair! whoa, take screaming to another level! we don't know why this has started or what to do about it!
but yesterday and today we have been in our paddling pool and a public paddling pool! with no problems, micah wanted to get in and fell once, getting pretty much all the way wet, with no tears or anything!! so...tonight? we put him in the bath with minimal crying and even got his hair washed!!! pshew! what a relief!!
here are some pics from todays paddling pool in our garden!

2 in a bed

micah loves getting into noah's moses baskets. the proper one is up in our bedroom and the other is a pop up version that you can take outside. micah is still loving his wee brother and making sure he is ok!

attempting to blow up the pool!!

blowing bubbles

hot days

we are having a pretty hot summer here in england! very unusual for us!! beautiful weather, but when you don't have air conditioning in the house, its not very nice!!

gaining weight...

wow!! Noah weighed in yesterday at 10lbs 5oz age 4 weeks and 2 days!! when he was 18 days he weighed 8lbs 13oz...he's really gaining weight! and he's grown 5 cm in length (from 51cm to 55cm!!) he's so different from micah its amazing!! i had micah weighed as well since he hasn't been weighed since january. he weighs 24lbs 10oz which is up about 2lbs i think! so that was fine for him!! but i think that means that cousin luke is definitely bigger that micah!! though i think that noah will be catching up soon!! though i do hope that he slows down soon =)

here are 2 layouts that i did to send home but also for the scrapgirls july patriotic contest.. the background paper on the first one and the freedom tag were freebies from their website and on the second one i used some papers from papermaven (on scrapgirls) and a freebie brush from them too....

happy 4th!!

hope everyone had a great 4th of july!! we still celebrated even though we live in england!! i do miss the big celebrations...bbq's, watermelon seed spitting contests, the fireworks, outdoor swimming pools, volleyball and baseball games!!!! ahhh, maybe one summer we'll get over...well, i guess not with andy working in school! they go until the mid to end of july - yuck!

getting along

micah loves noah! every time noah cries micah wants to go and see if he's okay!! he calls him no-e or sometimes it sounds more like noys (rhyming with boys!!) its so cute though! he gives noah lots of kisses on the forehead and like to hold him or lay down next to him!
have noah has been good for diaper changing time! i change noah on the changing mat, then later on, micah will lay down it and want to have his diaper changed too!!! which means, no chasing him down or having to pin his kicking legs down!! its fantastic!!
i am definitely missing my mom and dad!! as of last wednesday i had to do my own cleaning, washing and everything else!! but we got on with it and for the first 2 days, micah didn't require to much attention (i.e. he played happily on his own) and noah was good too. friday was a bit of a trying day but i had 2 people pop in for a visit that was unexpected! one in the morning and one in the afternoon so that cleared up some time for me to get on with stuff while they played with micah and/or held noah!! what a blessing our friends are from church!

Boys X 2 = FUN!!!

Its been fun to go back through Micah pictures and his clothes to see how Noah fits them and the comparisons!! We have enjoyed these past 10 days with the 2 boys and Micah seems to have taken it all in stride!
Noah was weighed on Monday at 8 days of age and weighed in at 7lbs and 9oz!!! That is 6oz that he gained from birth!! What a comparison already! Micah lost 6oz in his first week of life!!! Maybe Noah is going to be like his cousin Luke!! Who knows!!

See the similarities and the differences?

This is Noah at 9 days.

Micah

This is Micah at 17 days....

Our Happy Little Family

we are having an absolutely gorgeous stretch of weather and it has so been good for us!!! with my mom now here, andy off of school for his paternity leave and a new baby in hand, we are enjoying the out of doors as much as we can!!! its great! this photo is from wednesday when noah was 3 days old! we took a similar one with micah when he was a newborn too! thats just a blanket that we had as a wedding gift! very cute!!

Born June 5, 2006 at 17:30. Noah weighed in at 7lbs 3ozs and is 20 inches long!

Welcome to Noah Craig Mullan

1 day to go...

how i am so hoping not to go into labor tonight! andy has a fever of 103...micah too has been in and out of a fever!
although in a way it would be nice to go sometime in the next 24 hours as then we still might be able to squeeze andy going up to manchester to pick up my mom!! what a crazy, crazy schedule we'll have the next few days or so! i just really really hope that this baby isn't any longer than the end of this week! i will be ever so glad to get rid of this bump, meet this beautiful baby and be able to sleep on my stomach again! and not have to pee 5 times a night!!!!
okay, so off to bed now! we'll see what the night and/or tomorrow brings!!!

2 days...

well...unfortunately, no news! i am still here and still waiting!! this is terrible! i liked it so much better when micah just came and surprised us all at 3 weeks early!!! this waiting and anticipation is dreadful!!!
my mom is going to be here in 3 days and i don't even know if there will be someone to collect her from the airport....because i might be in labour!!! its so frustrating! but alas, here we are! i even was outside yesterday playing cricket with the neighbors!! first just standing about in the field (aka. street) but then i caught a hit by andy and got him out!! too cool! then after awhile i decided that i wanted to have a go at batting! i haven't played cricket...ever, but i haven't even played softball in ages!! i thought i'd make a fool of myself, but instead i was quite impressed!! i hit all but one ball and only got out when one of the boys caught the ball!! it felt great to swing the cricket bat and wack the ball a few times!!!
BUT it didn't help to bring on contractions or anything! oh well =) gotta keep trying!!! atleast i can say that the bump has dropped down some so hopefully that is a good sign! don't worry! someone will keep you all posted!!!

4 days....

so this is from yesterday....but here i am! still waiting for this baby to arrive! i'm saying 'still' and i am not even overdue yet!! hopefully i won't go past my dates as my mom is ever so anxious to be here when the baby is and not before!!!
our friend avril has this theory about cycles...and since micah was born on the 2nd (september) this baby should be born around then too! so we'll see...maybe something will start off tomorrow! or tonight!
we had an awful night with micah last night! he went down fine but then woke at 2 and would not go back to his own bed! i was so tired as we had only gone to bed at midnight (after watching the lion the witch and the wardrobe!) and so i wasn't very patient with him! he wanted to go down stairs....so we went but i only gave him some water as he couldn't possibly be hungry! he ate loads for dinner! finally after a lot of whining he finally settled down...in OUR bed! so i didn't sleep very well as i was uncomfortalbe! but then he slept till 8 so that was almost 2 hours of sleeping in!
today is a rainy day so we are kinda stuck inside. will have to find an alternative!!!

first month of micah completed!!

this is the final LO for Micah's first month! jo, karen and paul came over by the night ferry got to ours at around 4 maybe, slept for a few hours, then we had the day to play! well, really they just wanted to see micah...as it was their first time to meet him! their first nephew! we had a fun time...as you can see!! they are watching a clip thats at the end of shrek 1...the dvd came with the 3D glasses!!!

6 days and counting...

well another day down and i am still here! apparently i haven't even dropped yet..so who knows! i may even go over my dates!! mom won't like that as she wants to know what the sex is before she flies out here!! she leaves next monday and is soooo excited!!!

i talked to her sunday night and requested old navy flag tees...and she had already gotten some for me and andy! smart woman! i then ordered some for micah and the new baby! what great family photos we'll have!!!

yesterday was bank holiday monday and we decided to go to the severn valley railway! micah likes his 'choo-choo's' and we've never been!! so we saw the steam train come in. the engine then had to come off and go around the train to the opposite end so it could go back out again! micah clapped when it came in puffing its steam!! very cute!

i'll add pictures later as i am too lazy to go downstairs and get the camera!! we rode the little toy train that runs along side the railroad tracks...and well, it would have been fun if it hadn't started pouring down with rain!! we were absolutely drenched! but micah was a trooper and didn't cry at all!!! we then had a cup of tea to warm up and some chips!! i am loving my chips at the moment!! maybe a craving?? or what??

7 days and counting....

one week and counting! goodness! i didn't think this pregnancy would go this long! just figured that i would be the same as micah and be early again! but here we are with 7 days remaining and no sign of the baby!
i am feeling fine and all seems well. the baby must be pretty comfortable in there!! sorry for the non-matching outfit in the photos..but well, they are my comfortable clothes!!! i'll try and keep this updated more often since we are now so close to the date!
andy has this week off as it is half term...and we were hoping that the baby would decided to come sometime in the week and then andy gets 2 more weeks off for paternity leave! so that would coincide with my parents flying over!! i guess we'll just have to wait and see =) its so hard to plan anything as you just never know when its all going to start! i am so thankful that i didn't have this predicament with micah! he just came early and we were never in the waiting stages!!!

micah at 4 weeks

here is another layout for micahs first month! i should probably say that all the papers and embellishments that i have used all come from scrapgirls. it is an awesome site for scrapbooking, both paper and digitally! that are very friendly and have an awesome design team there!!! so have a look if you are into scrapbooking or would like to start! its great fun and very addictive!!!
my friend mandy whom i went to college with, got me started and i am ever so thankful! i have loved everybit of it!
www.scrapgirls.com

2 weeks to go...

well, i've made it another week (just about)!! tomorrow i'll be 38 weeks! just 2 weeks to go!! yesterday i went to the baby show at the nec with my friend fiona who is due in august! we had good fun and i only bought 2 things! so i did good!! i bought a new stroller...although i already have 2, i have perfectly good reasons for buying it! our first stroller we bought early on during my pregnancy with micah. before we had shopped around and before we had researched what we wanted and what would suit our needs! its a 3 wheeler but not a swivel wheel which isn't very helpful! its also quite bulky and not easy to fold up while holding a baby. our second stroller, an umberella stroller, the brakes have gone all funny. if you stop or try to go backwards, they just come on....so i am constantly kicking at them to go again...being summer, its not very great with sandals on! and its not newborn friendly. SO, those are my reasons and now we will have a brand new graco mosaic, user friendly, newborn friendly and wonderful brake system!!! i am very excited and can't wait for it to be delivered on friday!! yippee!!!

after the babyshow (of which i went to without a husband or child and was absolute bliss) i met andy and we went to the birthing center for a tour... its a midwife run unit that sits along side to the delievery suites and is much nicer! its for us woman who want as natural birth as possible. there aren't any doctors around although you just go to the next corridor if the need arrives...its a bit more homey and less lighting, more comfortable. i really liked it! since micahs birth was straight forward and i had no pain killers or anything i am a perfect canidate...and i would like to give the birthing pool a try!! so i am definitely going for it after seeing it and being able to talk to the midwife about it! so now...this baby just needs to come!!

yeah! 37 weeks today!

i have officially passed the time when micah came! i am now 37 weeks =) (micah came at 36 weeks and 6 days)
things are going well and i am feeling fine! though thinking to stay close to home this next week just to make sure nothing happens while i am out! i would hate for my water to break somewhere other than home...unless its the hospital!
here are the next set of scrapbook layouts that i did for micah! week 3 of his life! the second one is from our wfm group (youth group) which is why there are so many people holding micah! i am glad that i have been motivated to finish these before baby comes! and i'll keep going until baby comes!!! hopefully if baby hasn't come when my mother-in-law is here, i'll have a bit of a chance to do more!!!

beautiful weather and midwife appointment

so, i saw the midwife today and all is well! the baby is within the 'right' measurements. as i said, mom was wanting to know the heartbeat so this week is was 140 and two weeks ago it was 156 as it was moving the whole time the midwife was listening. so i asked mom what that meant...boy or girl, but she said that they are both right in the middle really. so my guess is as good as hers!

micah is absolutely loving this gorgeous weather that we have been having!! unfortunately for me, it means being outside like all the time!!! i haven't gotten any housework done!! ha ha, as if i mind!!! his only real word is ball and he repeats it over and over again!!! he even came into our room the other night at 3:30am and said ball? oh my gosh! i so can't wait till he learns another word!!!

36 weeks and 4 days....

well we are now 3 and a half weeks away from the due date! thankfully nothing so far is happening! we are looking forward to it, but still not feeling 100% prepared! but then again, how prepared can one be??!!
though my hospital bag is mostly packed and plans have been talked about incase baby comes before MIL gets here....i just need to get down to business!! i feel like i should be cleaning the house and getting it ready! but the nesting instinct doesn't usually happen to me! not really!! well, since this is only my second pregnancy i should say that it hasn't happened yet...
i think i'll not write anymore, but post tomorrow after my midwife appointment! then i can post all the statistics that they write down for my mom! she always wants to know what the baby's heartbeat is...trying to figure out what the sex is going to be! but we have no clue this time around. not an inkling! i'm thinking another boy, but wishing for a girl! so we'll see....

micah was so adorable (okay he is so adorable still)...especially in these photos!!

these are some recent scrapbook layouts i've been working on. i am trying to catch up on micahs baby pictures before the new baby comes!! so that we don't get mixed up!!!

Less than 5 weeks until my due date!

Well, its May already! I can't believe how fast time has flown by!! This year is going so quickly, but I guess that is only natural. I remember my first year in high school and one of the senior guys telling me to take every day as it comes because as you get older time moves on faster! It certainly has!!!
We are now just 5 weeks away from my due date and baby number 2!! Micah was 3 weeks early so I could possibly be just 2 weeks away....but I think that this baby will wait a bit longer to come out into the world. Well I think so anyway!
I can't say that we are totally prepared, but we are getting there slowly! I am just starting to pack my hospital bag (as I didn't have it packed in time for Micah) and I have a few bits and bobs for the new baby. Things that I would have liked to have had for Micah but didn't get a chance to get!
Andy's mum is coming over on the 22nd of this month, incase I got early and to help out around the house as we all know that I am a desperate house keeper! I hate cleaning!! But alas, I have been better recently! Atleast I think so! Then my mom is coming on the 6th of June and my dad on the 14th of June. They are both staying till the 28th!! We are very much looking forward to having them!
Well, I better go and get on with my day! Its a gorgeous day, so I have to make sure that Micah gets some outside time! It rained all day yesterday so we'll make up for it today!!!
God Bless =)

We also spent 2 days over past Cambridge in Bury St Edmunds, in Suffolk. Andy was best man for our friend Lloyd Stock as he married Sarah Coe on the 21st of April! It was a gorgeous day and a lovely wedding! When I find more photos, I'll put the on here!

A few days in Belfast

We spent a few days in Belfast just before Easter....we stayed with Karen and Paul in their new home! We took it upon ourselves one morning to get Luke out of bed and let Karen sleep in! So this was the breakfast scene that day! What fun =)