Closet Full of Cuteness

Pretty much everything bugs me right now... I'm huge, uncomfortable, cranky, can't sleep, no clothes fit, and I have absolutely no patience for the boys' never-ending shenanigans.  But enough about that... there are definitely some things that are a lot of fun and make me happy too. Here's a little list so I can focus on the positive during these last couple weeks...

• A closet full of cuteness...

 Maybe it's a little shallow, but I love just looking at all the girly stuff hanging in the nursery closet. We haven't moved Matt Mo out yet so it's still very "boy" in there, but at least the closet is all girl!

• I don't feel a bit of guilt about eating whatever I want...I'm already huge and ice cream is great for heartburn relief!
• As much as I want to meet this little girl, I know she's much easier to take care of while she's inside of me. Plus, feeling all the kicks and squirms in there never seems to get old.
• Just the thought of sweet newborn cuddles... the smell, the innocence, the fact that she won't be able to talk back to me... it all makes me happy.
• Getting my nest in order. The energy is starting to run out, but it's fun to get all the baby gear set up and get organized before the chaos and sleep deprivation begin.
• Even though we haven't done anything to the nursery yet (aside from filling up the closet), it's been fun making big plans for the little lady. I've really got the itch to get Mo out of there now that my mom finished her gorgeous quilt...

 The picture doesn't even do it justice... I love it!

Here's to happy thoughts for the next 12 days and then the real fun begins...wahoo!

Easter

We had quite the Easter weekend including 3 egg hunts, 2 yummy brunches, a visit from the Easter Bunny, and of course, lots and lots of candy!  The boys couldn't wait to check out all the goodies in their baskets...

 They wasted no time digging right in! In case that wasn't enough sugar for one day, we had our 3rd and final egg hunt later on with the cousins. We were especially excited to have cousin Mason in town to celebrate his first Easter with him...

He was content to just sit and play with a few eggs while the bigger kids were on "the hunt"...

The boys were excited to try out their fun egg grabbers from Granny & Pops.  Although, they were a little too competitive to use them for long... it's much faster to use your hands! Here are all the cousins enjoying their loot together on the porch...

And we're still enjoying our Easter candy a week later...3 egg hunts is as good as Halloween!

We are blessed to have spent this special weekend with so many friends and family. Hope your Easter was as sweet as ours!

Warm Weather Adventures

What a cold and blustery day!  Not exactly the way we wanted to end our Spring Break, but we really can't complain after the couple weeks we've had of gorgeous spring weather.  On that note, here's a look at some of our warm weather adventures...

Frank Buck Zoo:

The giraffes put on quite a show for us... neck wrestling, I suppose.

Always a favorite for the boys - feeding the goats:

Although Frank Buck Zoo is pretty small, they have a huge park right outside that the boys LOVE. It even has a train to ride (Ben's all-time favorite thing). Unfortunately, we didn't know its running season starts AFTER spring break (lame), so there were a few tears, but they didn't last too long...

Next up, Bethany Lakes Park:

According to my boys, throwing rocks in the water is just as fun as feeding the ducks, maybe even better...

Playing with cousins on the playground is always fun...

You can have plenty of adventures in the backyard too. We've been taking full advantage of our new picnic table... the boys think it's the coolest thing to eat outside and I love the easy clean-up!

Hope everyone else had a great Spring Break too!

Time Marches On

I've been a pitiful blogger - mostly due to laziness, but also the fact that I haven't gotten out my camera very much and, let's face it, blogs are just better with pictures. I need to do a catch up post on our silly boys before the little lady arrives and things really get crazy!

Ben (at 4.5 years):

• Has grown up so much the last few months and is doing really well at preschool. He can spell lots of words and constantly goes around sounding out words and telling me what they start with. He's also getting pretty good at writing all his letters and numbers and can even read a few words. Miss Angela has taught him well and I'm feeling more and more confident that he'll be ready for kindergarten this fall!
• Has been showing a more sensitive side lately. He always used to laugh when we had to get after him for something (sometimes he still does), but now he'll occasionally burst into tears and act like his feelings are really hurt over it.
• Still making us laugh with some of his words... compluter (computer), I sink (I think), handsitizer (hand sanitizer), and others I can 't think of right now. He's also started using some funny hand gestures when he talks.
• Has become quite the back seat driver. He loves to tell me what the different lights and signs mean and wants to know the names of all the streets as we pass by.
• The other day I was taking some baby stuff into my room and he got a really serious look on his face and asked me if the baby was coming out of my tummy right now. If only it were that easy!
• Has started saying "I love you" and "I like you" a lot. If you don't immediately respond, he'll tell you, "Say I like you too!" He'll also tell you to "say what" if he calls your name and you don't answer right away.  (Hahaha... this kind of sounds like we ignore the poor kid, but I swear we don't...he's just really impatient!)
• Loves to play the "sword game" on Wii Resort and is starting to like Mario Kart as well. REALLY hates to lose though... major fits, but we've been working on it!
• Still fascinated by how everything works. He loves to take things apart, put them together in new ways, and "build" stuff.  A future engineer for sure!

Matt Mo (at almost 3 years):

• My sweet cuddle bug. Almost always willing to snuggle with me on the couch, especially after he wakes up or is about to go to bed. I love when he says "sit by me, mom!" because I know he wants to cuddle.
• Loves to follow Ben around and do/say things like his big brother... sometimes much to his mother's dismay since Ben is really into potty words lately.
• Will randomly burst out singing "happy birthday to ________" (some favorites are "baby Stella" - his newest cousin, "foot", and "stinky diaper"...like I said, random.)
• Still very attached to his "diapeys" (a cloth diaper and a small lovey blanket) and his binky. Hoping to rid him of the binky before baby sister arrives, but we'll see. Also has suddenly become attached to a little neck pillow that looks like a caterpillar. We have to take these things everywhere with us!
• Working on transitioning to a big boy bed (bunk bed in Ben's room). Would have been a simple change if Ben would leave the kid alone. Mom just doesn't have the patience to listen to them bug each other for 2 hours every night so we haven't made much progress yet.
• Had a serious iPhone addiction for a while there. We had to cut him off because he was asking to play games on daddy's phone from the second he woke up or as soon as dad came home from work. He gets to play occasionally now and still surprises us at how good he is at the games and navigating his way around the phone!
• He's getting excited to start preschool in the fall. He always wants to go to school with Ben and loves hanging out with the other "big kids" in the car when it's our turn to drive the carpool.
• Still not the most coordinated kid and often looks drunk when he's running. Despite this, he loves to dance and has a very distinct tippy-toe walk when he gets excited.
• He's the opposite of Ben in many ways... more sensitive and affectionate, very verbal, and not as coordinated. He's similar to Ben though in that he's very curious, stubborn, and just a wild and crazy BOY!

As far as an update on the little lady goes...

• Only 10 more weeks to go (hopefully a little sooner though)!
• Still nameless... we can't seem to agree on very many choices.
• Giving me heart burn lately... hopefully this means she'll have lots of hair!
• Getting very active in there and is measuring right on schedule so far.
• Has a growing wardrobe and shoe collection (much to her father's dismay) thanks to all those clearance racks her mommy can't resist!

Fat Tuesday

In honor of "Fat Tuesday" (and because my little sister asked for one), here's the only belly shot I have of my 3rd pregnancy (at 28 weeks)...

 

I know the stripes are not helping me any, but it was pretty much now or never since I was dressed decently, my hair and make-up was done, and both boys were still napping... what are the chances of that! Oh, and don't mind that the top of my head is cut off... a happy coincidence, really.   It's better that no one has to see the 4 inches of dark roots that have been growing out since becoming pregnant!

I'm feeling a little large, but not too uncomfortable yet. It's  getting harder to sleep, but I really can't complain of anything horrible at this point.  It's all downhill from here though... hope this last trimester goes by quickly!