Outside!

We finally made a house-break on Friday. I couldn't take it anymore, and the Mouse was going a bit stir-crazy, as well. We headed out to the mall around 3:30 since Daddy had to preach at church that night and wouldn't be home until around 7:30-7:45. We spent a couple hours just cruising the mall, doing a little shopping, looking a the huge fishtank, and browsing the pet store. Miss Mouse was pretty excited about the bunnies and puppies at the pet store. She thought all the bunnies should be called "Louie", apparently in honor of Auntie Laura's pet rabbit, with whom Miss Mouse has a close bond. It was good to get out, even though it wasn't exactly "fresh air".

Saturday brought a massive dose of fresh air, though. We spent 40 minutes outside in the morning and another 20 in the afternoon. It was marvelous! Just to see the sky again, cloudy though it was, was wonderful for both of us!

Sunday was an exciting day for the Mouse as she woke up from her nap to find her Grandma and Grandpa visiting! They took her on a sled ride around the block which made her day. The ride was especially fun since Maggie, their dog, was in the lead with Grandpa. I tagged along for the fresh air, too. Even a walk around the block at this point, when we haven't been out hardly at all for a month, is incredibly refreshing. Sad, in a way, when I think about how many times each day we walked around the block and up to the park in the spring, summer, and fall! I still wouldn't trade the seasons for anything, but we certainly are enjoying this break in the subzero temperatures. Grandma and Grandpa took us out to eat before they headed for home; the Mouse did everyone proud, eating some vegetables and a whole bunch of shrimp (i.e., 7 fairly good-sized shrimp...these were not the "popcorn" variety!).

We ended the weekend with dessert at our friends' house; what a nice day of visiting and catching up!

Today I had quite a treat. Daddy watched Miss Mouse all morning while I scrapbooked with my friend Mandy. I think it has been at least 3 (?) years since we have had a chance to get together and just visit and drag out our scrapbooking. Very fun. It was a really nice treat to relax and just concentrate on getting a few pages done and visiting with a friend....before the chaos of the addition to the family arrives! Of course, I'm looking terribly forward to meeting our new little one, and I wouldn't trade my time with Miss Mouse for the world. But it was fun to have a couple hours to not vacuum, mix up more milk, set up the ball pit, etc. Especially when I knew her Daddy was home to do all that! :)