update and some belly pics

OK, I can't believe it's been almost a month since I said I'd be back. I feel like such a slacker! I'm going to attempt to make up for my slackerliness today...
First, here are a couple pics of my belly (they're very current as I just took the pics a couple of minutes ago). Looks pretty similar to last time. I'm carrying the little fella higher than I did Kyra and I seem to stick out further (with Kyra I was wider). The pregnancy is progressing as it should (or at least that's what my doctor tells me). I'm feeling HUGE, I'm tired, and I'm out-of-breath most of the time, but that's how it goes! I'll be honest, I'm already counting down the days 'til he gets here (68 or 69 days unless he~or my doctor~decide he should come sooner). I know I will be getting less sleep and that life will just get that much more hectic, but I'm feeling ready to be done being pregnant!

Jeremy went elk hunting with my parents and some friends for the first time this year. He had a blast! They saw lots of elk and got off a few shots, but no one shot anything. So, even though our freezer lacks elk meat, he more than made up for it by getting to spend time with some great folks. Otherwise, he's hanging-out. I don't think I've explained our situation here before, so let me do that in a nutshell. The VA here has encouraged Jeremy to re-apply for his disability rating because they believe he'll qualify for 100% disabled (he's currently at 80%). If he were to get the 100% rating, it would be HUGE for us. He would get the equivalent of his base pay (Army pay) every month, we'd have our health insurance covered for life, the kids would get their college tuition paid, and a few other things. So, a big, big, big difference for us. The catch is, he has to be unemployed in order to qualify for the 100% rating. So, he can re-apply at the beginning of December and should have a decision within 3 months of re-applying. In the meantime, he can't work. But, once he has the 100%, he is free to work again. Typical government huh?!?!

Kyra has decided (why is my font bold all of a sudden???) to show us she can walk, but still prefers to crawl. If she's not in a hurry she'll walk, but most of the time she's in a rush to get to her book, torment~I mean pet~the cat, or what have you, so she crawls. She's got quite the vocabulary. The other day I counted over 20 words that she uses on a regular/daily basis. Most of those are words that only mom can interpret, but she says: mama, dada, hi, bye, belle (the dog), jessie (the cat), dog, kitty, quack, bird, cracker, no (this is her answer to every question you ask her), ball, book, go, down, car, teeth, and she'll tell you what sounds the dog, cat and car make, and she can show you where her eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and teeth are...I have to say, I enjoy her more and more every day!

As for me, besides being ready to be done being pregnant? I'm tutoring at the local community college for about 15 hours a week and doing some private tutoring as well. Thus far, my community college students are all adults which has been a fun change from the younger students I work with privately. This spring, I will teach an ACT-prep course for the college as well. I have found re-joining the work force to be both tiring and stimulating. Beyond that, my life consists of laundry, grocery shopping, and all the other day-to-day chores that we all just love! I will try to be more consistent in updating the blog, but I make no guarantees.