Update!

I've had a request for a new blog entry, so, Heather, this is for you. It's nice to know that somebody reads this, even if it is because you're bored in the middle of the night and Cooper won't let you sleep! Maybe in a few days/weeks I can just call you up and we can chat at 3 AM!
Actually, come to think of it, I'm usually awake at that time already.

We've been busy again this week. I'm two weeks away from my due date and Erik is hoping that the baby comes sometime this week. I'm pretty sure he mostly just wants some time off work after being there for what seemed like 72 hours straight during the Fall Festival of Leaves.
Malachi loves the festival, especially the rides and cotton candy. Last year Aunt Meg told him that cotton candy cures the hiccups, so this year he started faking the hiccups as soon as he saw the booth with cotton candy!

I had two baby shower cakes to do this weekend so I wasn't able to help out in the store much. That was probably a good thing because after a few hours today my ankles have disappeared. Other than little things like swelling and difficulty sleeping, I'm still feeling pretty good. My next doctor's appointment is Tuesday. At this point I love going to the doctor to see how much closer we are to welcoming this baby - and finding out whether Malachi will have a little brother or sister. Any guesses?

I have big plans of cleaning the house all week. Nesting, maybe? In any case, my floors need to be scrubbed a bit before I have less time and more people around!

Less than a month!

In fact, we have just over 3 weeks to go until my due date! It's hard to believe that we're so close to welcoming another baby into our family - the past few months have flown by!

I had my 36 week appointment with my doctor on Tuesday. The baby's head is down and I am a little over 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced, which means that my body is beginning to make some progress to get ready for labor. The heartrate has been in the 140s pretty consistently throughout my pregnancy, but this time it was in the 150s. I guess the baby's getting excited about what's to come too!

I'm feeling pretty good overall, in spite of not sleeping very well and having some minor aches and pains. The most important thing on my mind right now is spending as much quality time with Erik and Malachi as possible. I want to really enjoy these last few weeks of our family the way it is now before things change forever!

Wedding season is officially over for the Cake Kitchen, too! This was my final wedding cake of 2009 and I'm looking forward to a bit of a break until January. Congrats, Matt and Stef!

One reason why...

...I love Fall and living close to my Grandma Litter - homemade apple butter! I can remember going to her house every year when I was little and helping (as much as they'd let us kids) make apple butter. She doesn't do this at her house anymore, but there's no doubt she's still in charge! (Have I mentioned how awesome Grandma Litter is?)
On Saturday morning I was delivering a cake and as I drove through Bourneville, I spotted Grandma and some others from her church stirring the big pot over a fire.
I knew my plans for the way home had to change! Malachi and I stopped to visit for a while, got some of Grandma's homemade veggie soup (the best) for lunch and sampled the fresh-from-the-kettle apple butter. I was planning on buying one jar until Malachi devoured an entire bowl as if he were eating applesauce. We left with five jars, but as Grandma assured me, "they keep for a long time." I'm not sure that it will matter if they keep or not - they're gonna be gone as soon as I can get to the Mennonite bakery for some bread! YUM!!

Kelsey's Wedding

Rain, rain, go away! After more than a month of only sunny days it rained every day last week - including Saturday, the day Kelsey had planned her outdoor wedding. But the rain didn't dampen her spirits - or her resolve to get married outside on the hill between Mom and Dad's house and Grandma Jane's. The week was crazy, busy and chaotic, but once Kels started walking down the aisle the rain stopped, everything worked out perfectly and she was able to enjoy the rest of the evening.

Because we were all so busy, I didn't think to take many pictures, so here are just a few of our day. I guess we'll all just have to wait and see what the amazing Cassidy, of Cassidy Dawn Photography, was able to get in spite of the challenging weather!

Our house served many functions this weekend - which you all know I loved hosting!

A breakfast for the bride and bridesmaids A play area for Malachi, Grace and Liza A nail, makeup and hair salon


A bakery for the cake
And a beautiful bride was produced!
Congratulations to the newlyweds, enjoy your honeymoon in San Francisco!

Run, Erik, Run!

As most of you probably know, one of the most important things (besides his family!) in Erik's life is running. This year he has been working with the boys' cross country team at Paint Valley - and even has a uniform so that he can feel just like one of the guys! Tonight Erik, the team and some of their family members ran in the Bear Run, an open 5K in Portsmouth.

Out of 800 runners, eight runners from Paint Valley earned medals in their age groups - Go Bearcats! Erik ran 18:32 and won the men's 25-29 year old division. He came in 32nd over all.

Good job, Erik! Malachi and I are so proud of you!

Party!

Well, another party is in the books for the Lloyd girls! It seems like we can't go more than a couple weeks without a party to plan for and host - but it's just because we love it so much! This time Kelsey was the guest of honor as she prepares for her wedding in just two weeks.

Our tables were decorated with fresh-cut sunflowers courtesy of Aunt Tweed and Uncle Art - thanks! - and I got to try out a lot of new recipes. The Pesto Chicken Salad, Italian Herb Frittata and Almond Crumble Twist were my favorites from the selection.

Instead of having the typical bridal shower games, all of our guests were asked to come prepared to say something special to Kelsey as she opened their gift. It was so fun to hear the wonderful advice and funny memories people shared. I know you all made Kelsey feel as special as she is! The party was completed with a video made by Kelsey's college roommates and bridesmaids, Kate and Melissa.

A very special thank you goes out to Mom and Megan, who spent Friday evening in my kitchen with me and then came back early Saturday morning to finish all the preparations. I had a lot of fun! And a special congratulations goes out to Kels! We love you!

Labor Day Weekend

We took advantage of Erik having two days off in a row by travelling to TN to visit Kevin and Becky this past weekend. It was a quick trip, but we had a great time and are so thankful that we're close enough to visit even if it is for a short time. We got to spend some time on the lake Sunday afternoon and visit with Isaac and Maggie. It rained Monday morning so we went to the mall and walked around and then Yaya and 'Buelo bought Baby Allsop some diapers at Sam's. Good thing someone is thinking about the necessities because we're getting close to the big day!!