Thursday, June 28, 2012

Swimming Lessons

A few weeks ago I signed Cory and Nora up for a Parent-Tot swimming Lessons course at our local YMCA. Tonight I went to watch my little fishies swim.

It was great! Nora is doing really well. The said she's ready for the next level, hooray!

What really amazed me is how willing she is to float on her back. She's still getting the hang of being on her front, but it won't be long I would bet.

Of course, it helps to have a rockstar Daddy that teaches very well! :)

Until next time . . .

Monday, June 25, 2012

Summer Bucket List Update

Well, first of all:

I married this stinker 7 years ago TODAY. (Lately I have been dreaming of Hawaii, so I thought I would post this honeymoon picture.) What a great 7 years it has been! I am so blessed to be married to him. Happy Anniversary to us!

I thought I would go ahead and update the Bucket List. Here it is:

1. Go to the museum of transportation
2. Build a swing set
3. Go to the pool at least ten times
4. Go to a baseball game
5. Go to a festival and ride rides
6. Go to the farmer’s market
7. Go to the library
8. Go to an outdoor movie
9. Nora/Daddy Date to the zoo
10. PB and J Festival
11. Nora/Mommy Date to Splash City
12. Celebrate Dad’s 30th Birthday
13. Celebrate Nora’s 3rd Birthday
14. Meet Nora’s new cousin
15. See fireworks
16. Have a yard sale
17. Get new porches
18. Drink a fun fruity or coffee drink
19. Go get Snow-cones or Tropical Sno
20. Have a movie day with a fort and pillows in the living room
21. Pick out a baby crib
22. Slip-n-slide
23. Visit all the grandparents
24. KBK
25. Pick Nora’s preschool
26. Go to TWIST
27. Do something messy with three or more kids
28. Go to the beach at least five times
29. Go meet daddy for lunch
30. Go up in the arch

So, we are right on track to finish this by the end of summer, barring any pregnancy or monetary complications. :) YAY!

I have been forgetting my camera a lot lately, so there's not too much I can show you from our Bucket List. But below are some random pics I have been wanting to post. Enjoy!


Family Reunion, June 2012



Our "little" Nora has learned to write her name! (The first picture she copied entirely on her own, the second one I only helped her with the "R".) It's legible too! We are so very proud of her, she worked so hard on this.

Until next time . . .

Monday, June 18, 2012

Summer Bucket List - Post Seven

Slip-N-Slide - Check!

It's finally got really hot around here. I have been awaiting hot weather with both anticipation and dread - dread because I know I will be swelling badly soon and hot weather just makes it all worse, and anticipation because there is a lot on the Bucket List that I can only check off if it gets warm enough! :)

I dragged out the Slip-N-Slide last week. We happen to have JUST enough of a hill to Slip-N-Slide. And I mean JUST ENOUGH. Nora mostly treated the Slip-N-Slide as a glorified sprinkler, but she still had a lot of fun . . .



. . . so did Daddy. :) He as kind enough to show her how to do it!

Until next time . . .

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Summer Bucket List - Post Six

Go to a baseball game - Check!

Well, I could not have picked a prettier day to take these kids to a ballgame! (And, yes, I was prepared with a back-up plan just in case it was too hot for me.) I took Nora and -L- to a Gateway Grizzlies game, and it was a GREAT time! We had a 75-degree day, and we just sat on the lawn (with all the daycare kids) and ate some lunch, watched the game, and then played in the kids area. The playground was being renovated, so we didn't get a chance to play there, but we still had fun. :)

Here are some photos:

-L- and Nora with Izzy the Grizzly. Nora was like "get away from me".


. . . Buuuuuut, she warmed up to him. :)


-L- and Nora sitting on the lawn. We had a great view!


Nora playing in the bounce house. I wasn't sure she would make it up and over the first hill, but look at her go!


Nora hitting the "air baseball".

This was so much fun! The girls can't wait to do it again sometime. :)

Until next time . . .

20 Week Update - "The Baby Files"

How far along? 20 weeks tomorrow

Maternity clothes? Of course. Recently I got some fall stuff on discount. Score!

The belly progress:

Sleep: Still sleeping well. This baby usually wakes up right as I am ready to sleep, so sometimes it's hard to fall asleep. It woke me up once by kicking my hipbone! It feels very strong for only being 20 weeks.

Cravings: No big cravings to speak of, although today I was really wanting some Cinnabon.

Best moment this week: 20 week ultrasound, and feeling baby move a lot!

Movement: Lots! It comes in half hour long spurts.

Gender: Not finding out! I am now kind of convinced it's maybe a boy, but who knows. I was dead wrong with Nora! The general public is very divided.

Labor Signs: Ninguno, gracias a Dios!

What I miss: Nothing really. I wouldn't mind a Lime-A-Rita though. :)

Weekly Wisdom: I have now reached the point where losing this baby would no longer be a "miscarriage" but a "stillbirth". It's silly, but that actually comforts me just a little because I am not "at risk" for the latter.

What Stereotype I Embody: Complain-About-Every-Little-Pain-I-Have, Cry-About-Every-Little-Thing-That-Makes-Me-Sad

What I Bought This Week: Some bottles, diaper trash bags for my dispenser, a little layette set. Also some Dr. Seuss stuff.

What I Checked off my To-Do List: The above-mentioned purchases. Also I may have found a rocking chair pad that I like. I need to look at cribs again and pick one out!

20 week Ultrasound Photos:

Heart Rate: 148


Little foot! Maybe this baby will fit into newborn booties! :)


Profile!

This ultrasound was normal except there is a possibility that this child has an echogenic bowel. It was questionable on the ultrasound - the ultrasound tech didn't even mention it, and my doctor was entirely unconcerned. However, we have another ultrasound in four weeks to check on it, so please be in prayer for that!

Until next time . . .

Monday, June 11, 2012

Summer Bucket List - Post Five

Wow. Just wow. This past weekend was an absolute blast and I would do it again in a heartbeat, but WOW.

Our weekend went something like this:
*Friday - Make last minute decision to go to the pool, get a "Pedicure for a Purpose" while Nora plays at the park with Mimi, and then go out to dinner.
*Saturday - Go to an incredibly hot family picnic at the park, then a long - but super-fun - birthday party that lasts well past naptime.
*Sunday - Spend morning cutting fruit (and having to enlist the help of my husband to do it!), helping throw my sister's baby shower, and then resting for a bit before heading out again to get dinner at the festival in town.
*Sunday night - Sitting on the couch, sore as can be!

In the course of all of that, we were able to check three different things off the bucket list:
Go to the pool ten times - Check another box!
Go get Tropical Sno - Check!
Go to a festival and ride the rides - Check!

Here are some photos from the festival (which is the only time I remembered my camera):








Until next time . . .

Baby Shower and Some Hand-Made Gifts

I announced I was pregnant about 8 weeks ago, but what you may or may not know is that my younger sister is also pregnant right now. This is her first child, and I am SUPER excited - particularly because our next child will be about the same age as hers. I always hoped we would have children that were around the same age! Anyway, her shower was this past weekend, and I have been a busy little bee for the past 6 months or so whipping up some hand-made gifts for her. Here are some of the things she got from me:

1. Taggie Blanket/"Lovey"

I love making these for babies. I think they are so fun for them to play with. This one was actually the easiest one I have done yet! I love the way it turned out.

2. Crayon Roll

I know it's a little early to be making and giving away one of these to an infant, but I wanted to be sure I didn't forget to make it. This is one thing that has been very useful for us when we are at a restaurant or the doctor's office, etc. It was my very first time ever using bias tape for anything, and I think I did pretty well! I found a crayon roll tutorial online and changed it up a bit to make this one. It's filled up with triangular crayons (also a lifesaver) and some smooth-writing crayons.

3. Monthly Layette/Baby's First Year Photo Frame

This was the most time consuming of all the projects. I saw something like this on Pinterest and wanted to replicate it differently. For the onesies I cut vinyl out with my Silhouette and ironed them on the appropriate size onesie. I found the frame I needed at Michael's, and just added coordinating vinyl there as well. I love the way this looks, and I may even do it for myself as well. :)

4. John Deere Tractor Diaper Cake

This I could not resist trying. :) I have never made a diaper cake, and I wanted to try a tractor one for my sister. This turned out NOTHING like the picture I originally tried to base it off of, but I love, love, LOVE how it turned out! :) It's made out of over a half of a large pack of newborn diapers (about 70-80), dowell rods, a dishwasher basket, a blanket, a t-shirt, a spoon, a wipes case, a monkey, a binky, and Nora's Build-A-Bear John Deere hat. :) Oh, and a ton of rubber bands and pins!

5.) The Basket

This is the basket full of gifts! I wanted to get her some unique gifts that she would likely not get from anyone else. It has all the hand-made items in it, plus a few extras that I have been collecting since before Rachel even got married! I included gas drops, pain medicine, a temporal thermometer, a puzzle, a CD, a few layette sets, a cow rattle, a book, some burp cloths, and a blanket. LOTS of good stuff! :)

I didn't get a whole lot of pictures at the shower itself, but here are a few of the ones I took. It was a great shower!

Until next time . . .

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Summer Bucket List - Post Four

Go to the Beach 5 times - Check, Check, Check.

Technically we have a few more times to go to the beach before that part of the Bucket List is done, but oh well. We have three checks, so I can still post about it, right? :) Also I got some great pictures today and had to share.
The beach on a perfect day.


Eating lunch.


Her favorite toy: the watering can. (Also I love how she's holding her head in this photo.)


My stinkin' camera! - This was the 85th time we took this photo.


Picking up shells.


Digging . . .


Looking at what she's stepping on (it was a shell.)


A momma duck and her 4 baby ducks.


Friends!

Until next time . . .