All aboard... to OUR Christmas Break Madness!!!

Christmas 2008 came BIG and has now been wrapped up and put away until next year!  I am always ecstatic for the Christmas MADNESS to begin, that when it finally gets here, all I can think about is how it will soon be over.  :-(  So jump aboard the Crazy Train of Our Christmas Break!

We start off with a last minute trip to Dallas with Joey & Nicole.  We were lucky to get tickets to the Farewell Cowboy Game. (Thanks Dad)  Description of the game - Atmosphere: Perfectly FREEZIN and Exciting, Food: Greasy and Delicious, The Actual Football Game: Comically HORRIBLE!!!  Would it have been to much to ask for them to ACTUALLY play like they DESERVE the $ million dollars they are PAID every year???  I mean come on...

Anywho, we decided to leave at Halftime so we could go to... ICE!!!  Oh yeah, ICE, ICE, BABY!!!  We're talking 9 degrees and 2 million pounds of ICE people! A Winter Wonderland in TEXAS!!!  Whoo-hoo!!!  Here are some pics from the weekend...

You're never to OLD to SLIDE on ICE! (Thanks ~ Nicole)

Tuesday Night we had Christmas at my parent's house...

Christmas Eve at the Kraus House!

We spent Christmas Day with my Mama's Family...

 The Cox's!

Last, but not least, the day after Christmas we spent with my Dad's Family...  The Green's!

I was so happy to see Paige and Erin, (two of my GREATEST friends since 5th grade,) this past Saturday before they headed back home. It was great to be able to catch up" IN PERSON," which is so much better than on the phone! It was just like old times! Here is a pic, from our Great Breakfast, at none other than the International House Of Pancakes (IHOP)! Can't wait to see ya'll again!

As you can see Christmas Madness can be quite exhausting.  I am now ALL caught up on my rest and ready to BRING IN THE NEW YEAR!!!  Bring it 2009...   I am awaiting great things and LOTS OF 2009 BABIES!  Here is a shout out to all my fellow "Baby Bump'n Mamas" (Michelle, Katrina, & Ashley) our little guys will be here before we know it! 

Happy Holidays Everyone! 

Love, Amanda Laine

Just when you thought elections were over...

Alrighty people... I want to know whatcha think!  Take it for what it's worth... because usually "I DON'T CARE!" (just kidding :-)  No really, I am taking a gender poll which is located on the right side of your screen.  If you wouldn't mind please put your two cents in and vote!  :)    

Baby Bump Update...

So let me take you back to last Thursday.  We had another doctor appointment... which I find myself looking SO FORWARD TO these days!!!  Ha!  Who would have ever thought that a doctor's appointment would be the HIGHLIGHT of OUR month?   During this visit, we were going to get to see how our little miracle had grown since our 1st sonogram.  Our last sonogram was 6 weeks ago... remember the "Lil Kraus Blob?"  Anyway, Beep and I have been reading and keeping up with how the baby has been developing, but that still did not prepare us for what we saw.  I think that we both still thought we were going to see this blob with a fluttering heartbeat... again! 

"HELLO!!! There is a BABY in my TUMMY!!!"  A real baby... not a blob... A PRECIOUS BABY!!!  When the tech put the wand on my petite (lol) belly immediately we could see the BABY... I sat straight up (don't do that) to get a better picture of the screen.  I was then asked to lay back down and relax.  RELAX!!!  Are you kidding me... I wanted to say "look lady - - I haven't felt pregnant, I don't get sick, the only time that I truly know that I am pregnant is when I come here and you put THE WAND ON THE BELLY!"  I didn't want to ruin the moment :) so I kindly laid back down and strained my neck to look at the screen.  

I wasn't the only one who perked up... ole' Beep straightened that LONG BACK of his straight up.  I think that he grew 5 inches!  He thought it was amazing... to say the least!

As we peeked in on our little one... he was just chillin!  Laid out on his back... like "yeah, glad ya'll good drop in, this is where I stay!"  (Of course he talks LIKE HIS MAMA...)  We also learned that Baby Kraus (like his cousins) loves the camera and is very photogenic.  He laid there long enough for the tech to do all the measurements and then some.  We were able to see him: yawn, have the hick-ups and do some backward caterpillar rolls (look out Uncle Joey, you've got competition coming June :).  Apparently, we had stayed to long, because lil Kraus rolled over and showed us his bum... PARTY OVER... EVERYBODY OUT... and that was it!!!

So here is our "STAR of the Show!"  I have also posted little labels for those of you that do not know what you are looking at when looking at sonograms!  No need to thank me!!! :)

Yes, I feel the need to explain that I do STRONGLY believe that this child is a little boy. Whoo-hoo!  I actually do not care the sex... it will just be great to know what IT is.  So when referring to Lil Kraus I naturally just say him. Hmmm... maybe we need to start a gender pole!  I will get on that!!!