Michael Ross Scroggins

Michael came hours after I stopped talking to Arletta and Claire on the phone and boo-hooing about how the baby was never going to come. He is very healthy. The children are thrilled to have him here. Abigail is the best baby monitor ever. She gives us a play-by-play of his moves and facial expressions. The only thing harder than listening to a baby cry is to have three other children screaming, "the baby is crying!" "the baby is hungry!" and "the baby wants you!" Luckily Michael is spending more time sleeping than crying these days. Yesterday Abigail wanted to play with the baby. She laid a blanket on the floor so I could put him on it. Then she got the soft bowling penguins and ball that Grandpa and Grandma Scroggins gave Allison. She lined them all up inches away from Michael and then "helped" him play bowling with her. She was so animated and patient with her little brother. I chose to enjoy watching her instead of getting the camera. Sorry! The first thing Scott wants to do when he gets home from school is hold baby Michael. Allison is much less interested in the new baby and seems to be glad for a distraction so she can spend more time unloading and reorganizing any drawers and bags that she decides needs a thorough perusal. Sam is being a great Dad. I am so glad he has this week off to help me. I love sleep, leftovers from the dinners that have been brought, and yoga. How did mothers survivor pregnancy and postpartum body changes without yoga?!

My New Jogging Stroller

The girls were having a great time helping me clean the mirrors today.

I should probably have photos of my old stroller so that the new model can be fairly appreciated, but the greatest improvement is the weight of the stroller and you can only appreciate that if you push and run with the stroller a lot. My old stroller had a steal frame and this new one is alluminum so it is over ten pounds lighter and boy can I tell. I was going to wait to open it until the baby came, but Abigail and Allison were just as excited about it as I was. I told Abigail that baby Michael was going to ride in the new stroller and she said, "but he can just walk beside it." I told her she would need to walk or ride her bike now. She decided to compromise, "We can take turns walking." Baby Michael needs to get here and do some explaining for himself.

Photography class

I went to a photography class last night for Relief Society enrichment. I decided to try a few things today with the girls.

March goes out like a lamb

We sold our home! Relief, but not the end. Now we just need to have a baby, buy a home and move in two and a half months. I have been plagued by a rash from laundry detergent that has kept me up many nights and pushed me to exhaustion. One day Abigail watched the Black Stallion twice, so I could get some rest. When I return to normal life I wonder if I will enjoy it again or will it be too blase. Sam had a conference in Atlanta which is where most of the pictures come from. We were able to tag along and went to the Atlanta Aquarium. It is the largest Aquarium in the world and we were definitely wowed by it. We were facinated by the main tank with over 6,000 species including three whale sharks. I asked how many creatures were in the tank and the aquarium worker couldn't say.

Allison at Corral Reef aquarium

Abigail, Me, Scott and Allison

Abigail at the jellyfish tank. Seeing the jellyfish was a big priority for her.

Scott at the Beluga whale tank

Home Inspection

Rainy days

We had a really rainy weekend and the children made the most of it. I should have taken a picture of Sam also. He played frizbee golf in the rain with the scouts Saturday and came back wetter than the children.

Scott is really enjoying the pogo stick that he found in our backyard and so far no one has been hurt!

Abigail and Allison play together so well! They couldn't be more different.

We are anxiously awaiting to see if our home will actually sell at the end of this month. We changed agents and in less than a week had a new offer and we hope (again) that we will be able to close at the end of the month.

Sam has finished his month in Atlanta, but will probably be going back for another two week round before he finishes at MCG. We enjoyed visiting him there. The children loved Dad's cable TV and visiting the zoo.

Match Maker Make Me a Match

We are moving to Jackson Mississippi!!!

This has been a lot like waiting to have a baby. At least that is the closest thing I can relate it too. I was mentally, emotionally, and even physically exhausted after finding out the news. A great wave of relief has been slowly coming over me and we are starting to be able to look forward. We really appreciate everyone who has prayed for us and even fasted for us.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

We were so happy to receive nativity costumes from Grandma Miller! Sam was on call through Christmas Eve and Christmas and the weekend after, but he didn't have to do into the hospital too much so we had a great time together.

Scott saw the girls playing dress up and he wanted to dress up too. Now he is asking for a knight costume because the girls have princess dress ups. Sam didn't want to get the girls the foo foo skirts and crowns, but now he admits that they are pretty cute. It was really difficult to get them to wear them at first, but now they love them.

We hope this holiday season finds everyone healthy and doing well!