We have this rule in our house that you can't touch the Christmas pretties, or you go to time out.  The ornaments on our tree are 99% unbreakable (and yes, the 1% that wasn't has already been broken) and almost all the other breakables are up high.  But one Christmas decoration has been the focus of the girls' attention more than any other--the Nativity.  It just breaks Norah's heart that she can't hold baby Jesus, and Olivia wants to arrange the wise men and the shepherd.  We felt bad that they couldn't experience the Christmas story hands-on, so Jon did some internet exploring and came up with a great solution:

Fisher-Price!

The best part was that it was 20% off!  (Sorry, sale ended Monday.)  It arrived via UPS today, and we set it up tonight after the girls went to bed.  Just in case you're wondering, it was a lot of fun!  If you push the angel on top of the manger, the star lights up and "Away in a Manger" plays.    We can't wait to see their reaction!  Jon is considering waking them up at 6:30 so he can see it too.  Here it is!

There are three separate sets included: the Nativity, the Inn, and the Wisemen.

The Wisemen, their tents, and their camels:

The multi-cultural wisemen:

The camels.  My favorites. 

The Inn:

The Innkeeper and his wife (and a chicken with one foot...):

The Inn.  Check out the sleeping loft and kitchen.  Wait, you don't know what it is?  Just look at the sign--food and a bed, LOL!

A cow, donkey, and shepherd.  And some food.

Another shepherd, and his sheep, that are much bigger than he:

The Nativity!

See how the star lights up?

Tomorrow's going to be just like Christmas around here!

...while I can still reach my toes, LOL!

Now the girls think today is Christmas instead of Thanksgiving.  LOL!

We had a Toyland event at work today and Chelsea brought the girls in to see all the hottest toys of the season.  There were also several real life characters; Dora, Diego, Little People, Batman, Red Power Ranger, Barbie, the Dragon from FP, and some Anime character(I am glad I have girls....).  The Tumbler from Batman was also there in the parking lot!  The girls could go from room to room and test out the toys.  The most interesting toy was Tanner, Barbie's dog.  He would eat this little magnetic pellet and when you lifted his tail he would pass the pellet.  You then had to put the pellet in the garbage can and it would go to the other side of the can, which was the food bin.  And the cycle continued.  Of course, Livi loved it.  Check out the pictures!  Talk to you all later!--Jon

Olivia did not want to pose with any of the characters...maybe because of the size of their heads!

Here's a picture of the wonder pup!

Norah fell asleep in the car on the way home tonight, so Olivia got some alone time with Momma and Daddy.  We were talking about the new baby and what an important job it is to be a big sister.  We talked about how we didn't know if it was going to be a boy or a girl, and how we wouldn't know until it came out.

Olivia said, "I wish I could go to the wedding when the baby comes out!"

Daddy and I explained that it's not called a wedding, it called birth when the baby is born.  Makes sense though, from a four-year-old perspective!  A very happy occasion where someone joins the family, plus you throw in the fact that one of them gets to dress like a princess, and Livi is in!

Later she said, "I wonder where the baby will come out..."

Jon and I looked at each other with the deer in the headlights look, and I was thinking, "What is the four-year-old version of this conversation?  Okay, don't panic!  Just answer the question she asked simply, and wait to see if she wants more information.  Okay, where will the baby come out.  I can come up with an answer for this."  I was remembering the exact same conversation that my sister-in-law Jenny had with her two little ones when I was pregnant with Olivia.  She had the greatest answer!  "God gives mommies a special hole for the baby to come out."  I thought she had it made until one of them asked, "But Mommy, where is the hole?"  I decided then that it was time for me to leave since they weren't my kids--guess I should have stayed in the room!

As I was giving myself the pep talk, Olivia quickly piped up with her next comment.  "I just turned the page on my calendar you know!"

At that point my pep talk went totally out the window and I had no clue how she switched subjects so fast.

Then Jon said, "Ohhhhh, you mean you wonder what day on your calendar the baby will come?"

Olivia said, "Yes! How many more pages is it?"

Phew!  Three more calendar pages, honey.  Much simpler answer!  Thank you Jon, for figuring out what she meant!!!

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Norah came into my room today and snuggled up to me on the bed.  She wanted to feel the baby and put her hand on my tummy.  She said something about it being a little girl, and I reminded her that it could be a baby girl, but it could also be a baby boy, and we just didn't know.  She was confused for a minute, then said,

"But it's not two!  It's just one!"

I agreed with her that it was NOT two babies, only one, and she said,

"'Cause there's not room in there for two!"

I could have just agreed with that too, but sometimes there is more than one, you know?  So I said, "Not this time! There's just one."  So of course she said,

"Nope!  Not this time!  There's just one."

Olivia's Birthday Party

Held at Grandma & Grandpa Rustad's house with Grandpa John here from SD!

Halloween at the Wal-Mart Home Office

Norah was a frog.

Olivia was a pumpkin.

Jon's team dressed up from the '80s.

We met up with the Mitchells to get candy!

Tired frog in an elevator...

Revived at Grandma & Grandpa Rustad's!

Did we tell you this was Jon's costume when he was six? 

We put up our Christmas lights on November 1st--it was 75 degrees!

A Day in the Leaves at Grandma & Grandpa's House

Baby Rustad #3 plays in the leaves too!

In the backyard

"Mom, I don't want to take any more pictures!"

Last but not least, a belly shot.  26 weeks 1 day!

As the title promises, here are a bunch o' photos, with a little narration.

First up is Olivia opening her first birthday present of the year.  Who would have thought that it only takes five days for a package to go from Alaska to Arkansas??  Thanks Auntie Jessie & Uncle Leighton!

Next we were off on a trip to Minnesota!  We did lots of fun stuff and saw lots of people in a short amount of time.

Norah reading her favorite book from Jenny & Tim's--they gave it to the girls to take home. 

Jon playing basketball with Ben.  Apologies to the rest of the Stoeszes, and the more than majority of people we saw but did not photograph.  I don't know what I was thinking, but this is all I have!

Walking to North Commons with Steve & Tara

Tara calling 311 on the graffiti at the park

The big Rustads playing on the make-you-dizzy-spinny-things.

And one little Rustad, who didn't go very fast, lol.

My attempt at fall artsy photography.  I'm so pathetic!   

Eating dinner with Joel, Courtney, Avery, Steve, & Tara at Chili's 

Celebrating Chad's birthday with the Flip-Flops and entourage

"Little" baby Charlotte 

Mary and Olivia discovering the fun of Barbies

Olivia practicing being a big sister... 

and loving every minute of it!

The two pregnant flip-floppers.  I always think pregnant ladies look better in sepia.  Ha ha!    P.S. We are due three days apart!

Norah holding and carrying Elaine's kitties.  Apparently she is not scared of them anymore, and she lugged them around for a good half hour.  And they kept coming back!  And they have claws and didn't scratch her!  Gluttons for punishment...

No, Norah is not trying to strangle the kitty!  Livi finally picked one up, so I said, Livi, look over here and I'll take a picture!  Norah said, Oh!, and tried to turn the kitty's head so she would be in the photo.

My real work of art for the weekend:  Steve & Tara's "engagement" photo

 Grandpa John flew in Thursday, and today we went to Tulsa to visit my Great Aunt Mary Ellen and take the girls to the zoo.

For some reason all the fences at the zoo are right at child eye level.  Really dumb.

Grandpa the train engineer

Norah playing with the cheetah statue.  She kept calling it Scar (from The Lion King). 

And that's it!  Hope you enjoy!! 

So.....see if you can guess what this is a picture of.  The answer is below, so don't scroll too far!

It is a drawing of Mama with a Baby in her tummy!  Chelsea just wanted everyone to know that we are not having a monkey!

Talk to you all soon!