Merry Christmas!!!

Merry Christmas to all of our friends and family who follow our blog! This year was a great Christmas and also a little significant. This will be our last year without children in our family. We are really looking forward to beginning the next chapter in our lives. After May 20th our lives will be officially dependent on the life of our little human being! How amazing the journey is going to be!

We started off the Christmas season by first celebrating a week early with my Dad and Barbie. We went to dinner and later over to their house for presents and dessert. The boys were quite happy with their gifts as well as the girls...perfume!

The following week one of my best friends and I made Christmas cookies together. I have to agree with her...I don't care if I see another Christmas cookie for a long time! We did have a great time though. Let me just say, next year I will not attempt the hardest fudge recipe ever. I think it is a wise idea to try simple fudge. I almost had to replace her pot I used. Thank god she was able to get the solid, science experiment out!

Christmas Eve is always one of my favorites and we always spend it with Matt's family. It is a full house of laughter and loudness. This year I was introduced to the families competitive side. I think it may have been Eric or Danny's idea to play SPOONS! Either way, I thought without a doubt, I would have a chance. Yeah right! Aunt Cathy almost threw me down in the first round. My hand is still bruised...just kidding...shhh! I decided for the safety of my baby, I better not play since these Mahoney's take their game very serious. I wanted to post some pictures just so you could see what I witnessed. You will see Colleen in one (or her rump anyway) and yes she is on top of Roger (not her husband) fighting for a spoon. You will also see Cathy pouting after she lost. Let's just say the game ended with spilled red wine!

Boy/Girl Pizza Party

Someone had told us about having one of these parties when we found out the sex of the baby. So Matt and I thought it sounded like a great idea. The only caviat was when we put both of our quickly expanding families together, we have about 16 of us! Since our house or my sanity is not quite equipped for that many people at one time, we decided pizza was the best solution.

We had a great time sharing our news and also seeing what everyone's predictions were. I have to say, my Dad and Tony were both entirely wrong! Sorry Tony that you spent money on a pink shirt, but it is actually a nice color on you! Ami, Sarah, Chad, Matt S., and Jordan won! It was fun sharing the evening with our family and talking about how our boys will all grow up very close together. Levi (Sarah's son) will be 10 months older than ours and Mason (if he ever makes an appearance) will be 5 months older. Not to mention...Ally, Ashley, and Kristy who are also all having boys due in February. We are going to have one wild group of boys running around.

Best part of the night was the gift my Mom bought for our little guy. His first pair of Justin cowboy boots...ahh, a little COWBOY!! We can hardly wait!!

It's a BOY!

Matt and I got the greatest early Christmas present ever...you guessed it...It's a BOY! We went to the doctor three days before Christmas and received the news. Without a doubt, and spotted in seconds, he is 100% BOY! The best part of the appointment was sharing it with very special friends and family. Both Grandma's were in the room, as well as my Aunt Sandie and Esther Moreno. Needless to say, there was a lot of screaming! One thing is for sure, the baby was definitely overwhelmed by the amount of estrogen circulating around him. Thank goodness he had his Daddy to share some testosterone with!

Next came the ultimate test...asking Carol to not share the sex until 2 hours after the appointment. Matt and I planned to meet our entire family for pizza and we wanted it to be a surprise! I have to say...Carol did a great job, but I think that may have had something to do with the fact that she didn't have her cell phone with her!

Next on our plate...NAMES! Any suggestions out there? We are having a hard time, but have narrowed it down to two that we like. Also, who thinks the 3D picture looks like me? So far, Carol and Ally say it does! Hmmmmm..............

Ugly Sweater Party!

Matt is probably going to kill me for posting this picture, but guess what? What he doesn't know won't hurt him, right? So...last night we went to our first ugly sweater party. Just let me tell you, it was ugly. We had a great time though and were able to catch up with friends that we don't get to see very often. The party was filled with holiday cheer, laughter, and I can't forget to mention yummy desserts. Thanks Kevin and Maggie for having us over!

4 Baby Showers + 4 weeks = 1 Broke Girl!

November 6th we got started off with Ami's shower, followed one week later by Ally's, soon after Kristy's, and today, FINISHED with Ashley's shower. They were all great showers with great food and company. But, let me just say, if I don't go to another shower for a couple months I will be just fine. I am so blessed to have great friends and a beautiful sister. It is so much fun watching them open all their gifts, but just knowing that the best gift to come is what god has created inside of them. I know they will all be great parents. If their kids are anything like their parents, we are going to have an amazing generation of little one's.

(In the picture: Ally 32 weeks, Ashley 30 weeks, Kristy 30 weeks, Me 17 weeks.) Just missing Ami 37 weeks, but she had to get home to watch the Bears lose---Sorry sister!

16 Weeks Vs. 36 Weeks

Well, last week I decided I better start taking pictures of my growing stomach. I still haven't decided if that is a good idea yet or not!?!? One day I will have the pictures to look back at and show our little one what mommy looked like when he/she was growing inside of her. Also, if my stomach never looks this flat again I guess it will be a good reminder of what it USED to look like.

Last Wednesday we went to see the doctor hoping to find out the sex, but after 30 minutes of searching for any defining characteristics, the answer was "sorry...next time." Needless to say, Matt was a bit bummed. He has really been looking forward to finding out. I on the other hand was still okay with not knowing. But since Wednesday, I am also very eager to know. So that goes without saying, the rest of you all have to wait two more weeks with us until our next appointment on the 22nd.

Most of you know who the other pregnant girl in the picture is, you're right, it is my sister. She is now considered full term, which means Mason could make his appearance any day now. Every time the phone rings at night or in the early morning I think it is going to be her, but so far no luck. Instead of dreaming about my own baby, I am dreaming about Mason and his delivery. I am looking forward to having the first few weeks of his life off so I can really get to know him!

I can't wait for you guys! Ami and Tony you are going to be great!