Eight Year Anniversary

Matt and I celebrated our eight year anniversary last week. Our anniversary was on a Tuesday and the day after Nathan got back from a weekend trip away from us, so we knew we wanted to spend our anniversary as a family on Tuesday, and we planned a more elaborate date without the kiddos for the following weekend.

On our anniversary, we planned to eat dinner at home and then get ice cream for dessert and play at the park. It was simple but still special. We had a great time, until Nathan fell and bumped his head at the park. It was a pretty minor injury, but the first time we had really had to deal with blood in his three years of life (which is pretty impressive actually). He was most upset about having to leave the park to get cleaned up at home. After we got home and bathed, he was pretty clingy, so he and I lounged on the couch and watched a little TV, while Matt took care of Samuel. It was a picture of a real life marriage eight years in with little ones. We talked about how someday we will be by ourselves celebrating our anniversaries again, and we'll talk about how much we miss our crazy anniversaries with the kids.

 
My parents were kind to watch the kids for us that weekend so we could have a 24 hour date. We were both really looking forward to it. Friday evening we went to dinner at a new Mexican place we had been wanting to try. During dinner we made a list of our top five moments of year 8.


Matt's Top Five Moments of Year Eight:
5. Finding out we were expecting our third child
4. Weekend in Branson to ride the Polar Express
3. Receiving an offer on our house that we sold
2. Halloween with our little monsters
1. Beach vacation- Date night to Pensacola

Angela's Top Five Moments of Year Eight:
5. Tulsa zoo run
4. Weekend in Branson riding the Polar Express
3. Closing on our new house
2. Beach vacation- Date night to Pensacola (specifically driving along the beach from Destin to Pensacola), and playing on the beach as a family
1. Finding out we were expecting a healthy baby GIRL

After dinner, we went for a walk,  and then watched a movie on Netflix. Saturday morning we did a little garage sale shopping and then went to a late breakfast at one of our favorite breakfast places. We really enjoyed having a slow, lazy morning to ourselves. After breakfast we went to an early movie to see the new X-men movie.

After the movie, we ran to Hobby Lobby to get some supplies for a project we wanted to do. We aren't big on anniversary gifts for each other. Usually, instead of gifts we splurge on a vacation, but we are staying at home this year, and since we're still settling into our new house we decided to work on a house project instead of getting each other gifts. We have been wanting to decorate our stair well wall for awhile, but it's been low on the priority list behind several other big projects. For our anniversary we decided to go ahead and complete it together during our date. It was a fun project to do together, and we both love how it turned out.

 We spent the rest of the afternoon finishing it up and relaxing. That evening we picked up the boys from my parents who were also kind to feed us a steak dinner. It was a fun weekend celebrating our marriage. We are excited for the fun that year nine will bring!

Second Trimester Recap

It's hard to believe I am 2/3 finished with my 3rd pregnancy. It really has been flying by. The second trimester has always been my favorite trimester, and this time proved true as well. Most of the first trimester symptoms disappeared, and so many fun things happened in the last three months. I'm ready for the home stretch even if it means being hugely pregnant during the hottest months of the year, and even more than ready to meet our precious girl! Nathan told me the other day that he was ready for Elisabeth to come out of my tummy. I feel the same way, except I want her good and healthy and full term before we meet her. I also want to savor time with my sweet boys before life gets crazy again. We've been settling into a good routine this Spring. Samuel is starting to outgrow a lot of the needy baby things, so life has been a little more relaxed and fun lately, and I know it won't last much longer.

I've been feeling really good the last couple of months. The fatigue of the first trimester mostly went away. Sometimes I still get a little worn out in the afternoons and take the chance to lie down for a bit during the boys' naptime, but nothing near like the first weeks of pregnancy. There's also usually a culprit behind the fatigue, usually in the form of a baby boy who likes to cuddle in Mommy and Daddy's bed at 4:00am. Sometimes I've had a hard time falling back asleep in the middle of the night if I wake up to go to the bathroom or to the sleepy cries over the baby monitor. I'm not sure if that's pregnancy related or not, but it's frustrating to not be able to sleep when I have the chance.

I still had some lingering nausea during the first weeks of the second trimester, which was really weird for me, since that didn't happen in my other two pregnancies. It was nothing major, just enough to be annoying. It went away around 22 weeks I think.

Feeling baby kicks is one of my very favorite things about the second trimester. I started feeling flutters around 17 weeks and full blown kicks and wiggles by about 22 weeks. I don't notice much movement from her during the day. I don't know if that's because I'm busy and don't have the time to focus on her, or if she's sleeps more during the day when I'm on my feet. I look forward every night to crawling in bed to relax and wait for her to start doing acrobatics. She usually never lets me down. Matt and I had a date night in a couple of weeks ago, and watched a movie in bed, and she put on a show for us for the entire two hours. It was so fun and Matt enjoyed feeling her move around so much. Nathan has felt her once or twice but doesn't really seem to get it. After I told him that he kicked her, he started asking who he could kick. Feeling my babies move is the thing I miss most about pregnancy after it's over, so I'm soaking it all in now.

Finding out we were having a healthy baby girl was probably my favorite moment of the second trimester. Since that day, it's been fun looking at bows and dresses and all things girly. I think after having two boys, I'm having even more fun! I did start to panic that she might not really be a girl after our anatomy scan. Matt still thinks I'm crazy, and I probably am (or I read too much on the Internet about girls turning into boys on delivery day). But after my doctor confirmed that the ultrasound revealed a healthy baby and that she isn't planning to need any more ultrasounds, I decided it was worth the money for my peace of mind to go to an elective ultrasound studio and get some more confirmation :). My mom went with us, and I now feel 100% confident that we'll be meeting a daughter in three months. It was fun to get a few new pictures of her too, and since my mom hadn't been to an ultrasound with us, she was really impressed with everything we got to see.

I've also had fun planning her nursery. I've had a color scheme in my head since my pregnancy with Samuel (before we knew he was a boy), and shortly after we found out we were expecting a girl, I ordered bedding that I had fallen in love with. After Matt painted her room and we got Nathan new furniture, we were able to move Samuel into Nathan's crib, and get Elisabeth all set up with Samuel's furniture. The nursery is really coming together already. I think since we had a crib ready to go instead of waiting to buy one like we had to with the boys, I'm getting a head start, and I'm loving the way it's coming together. I have a few more projects and odds and ends to get together in the next couple of months, and I'm really excited to have a totally girly room in our house and to start making room for baby dolls and doll houses in the play room!

With her impending arrival, we decided we should probably find a vehicle that we could all five actually fit in. Our Escape wasn't big enough for three car seats, so we sold it, and purchased a Toyota Sienna a few weeks ago. I'm loving the conveniences of the van and all the room we have for car seats and diaper bags and strollers. Maybe I will actually venture out of the house with three kiddos sometimes :).

We've known about this pregnancy for over five months now, and it's amazing how much my perspective has changed in those several months. I laugh sometimes about how freaked out and worried I was when we first were surprised by a positive pregnancy test. All the fears I had seem silly now, and it feels like this is exactly how our family is supposed to be. God's plans are obviously better than anything we could have planned, and all four of us are so excited to welcome another member into our family. I had been praying for a daughter for years, and God graciously answered those prayers. She is a perfect gift from God coming in His perfect timing, and we can't wait to meet her and be a family of five!

She is definitely growing! Less than three months until we are holding her in our arms!

 15 Weeks

 20 Weeks

 22 Weeks

 24 Weeks

 25 Weeks

28 Weeks

14 Months Old

Samuel,

You are 14 months old and as fun as ever!

 You and Nathan are starting to play together more and more. You love to wrestle with him, and run up to him and knock him down to initiate a wrestling match. You both also love to play chase with each other, and you squeal with delight when he pushes you on the dump truck. There's definitely plenty of fighting over sharing toys when you want to be on your own, but the moments when both of you are laughing and playing together are the best! You are pretty jealous of him when he has my attention. If he tries to sit in my lap while I'm holding you, you shake your head, grunt, and push him down.  You want me all to yourself a lot of the time.

You are still taking two naps per day. Occasionally, you can get away with skipping your morning nap, but after you fell asleep eating lunch one day, I realized that you still need two naps :). You go down for your morning nap around 10:00, and depending how long you sleep during that nap, I put you down between 1:00 and 2:00 for your afternoon nap. 

We start bedtime around 7:30, and you are usually always asleep by 8:00. I'm still giving you a bottle at bedtime. I'm not sure how much longer I'll continue that. You usually sleep most of the night, but end up in our bed between 4:00 and 5:00. When you wake up crying, I just run up and get you and bring you down to our bed, and you go back to sleep until 6:30 or 7:00. It's probably a bad habit, but I'm savoring your snuggles for now. I know I'll miss your middle of the night cuddles someday.

You are walking (and climbing) everywhere. I never see you crawl anymore, and you're a pro at keeping your balance when you're standing up. Sometimes you just like to run laps around the house giggling the whole time. You have started shaking your head "no" when you don't want to do something, like when I tell you it's nap time or time to go inside, or if Nathan tries to take your toy. I actually think it's totally adorable when you do it :).

Your comprehension still astounds me daily. I can't get over everything you understand. You obey simple commands like, "throw that in the trash," "go find daddy," "put your paci in your bed." It's so fun to be able to communicate with you better.

You are still obsessed with shoes. Anytime you see any shoes, you start saying shoe and trying to put them on, no matter whose they are. I've caught you trying to wear Nathan's fire boots, Daddy's tennis shoes, even Elisabeth's new baby shoes.

 You are saying new words all the time. Your favorite new words right now are shoe- "shh," grape- "ggaa," and Bob the Builder- "bob, ba" Anytime we pull into the parking lot of Walmart you start saying Bob the Builder over and over. You also starting saying Joe for Papa Joe this month. 

 You are a good eater and easy to please. You love to snack, and I catch you all the time wandering into the pantry looking for a snack. You'll bring me a package of fruit snacks or a bag of goldfish and "ask"me to open them for you. You are wearing 18month clothes and a size 4 shoe and size 4 diaper.

You got two top molars this month (4/24 and 5/12)

We are working on learning body parts. Your belly button is definitely your favorite (and cutest!)


You love to give high fives and play patty cake. You'll start doing the motions all on your own when you want to play. Your favorite toys are still your kitchen food and you also really love Nathan's firetrucks.
 

Life is always fun with you in our lives!!

Mother's Day Weekend

I had a really great weekend celebrating with my three boys! My parents kept the kids on Friday night, so Matt and I got a date. We've had a crazy couple of weeks with sickness, back problems, birthday partying, house projects, etc., so we were both looking forward to a relaxing night, and that's just what we did. We ate popcorn for dinner while we watched a movie, went for a long walk around our neighborhood, ate a snow cone and fell asleep to Netflix. It was just what we needed.

Saturday morning we went to the Rooster Days parade in downtown Broken Arrow. It was the boys' first parade experience. They had a blast. We stopped at a chocolate store before the parade started for some treats.

The parade was really fun. Nathan said he liked watching the marching bands and getting candy. He took the candy getting very seriously :).

Saturday evening we had some friends over for dinner. We had such a good time visiting, eating, and the boys loved playing with their sweet daughter Emmarie. It was a really fun night.

We headed to church on Mother's Day. I'm so thankful for these two wonderful boys who brought such joy on Mother's Day. They and their daddy spoiled me with flowers and a new movie.

Some of our dear friends had their children dedicated at church. It was such a special time. We had prayed and prayed for those three babies for years, and it was so wonderful to see God's faithfulness in those two families and how he has blessed them with such precious children. I know Mother's Day has been a difficult holiday in the past for them, and I was just thrilled to celebrate with them on Sunday.

After church we ran a few errands and then headed to my parents' to celebrate Mother's Day with them. We had lunch, and Barry was kind enough to watch the boys so I could get a nap. That's usually my only request on Mother's Day. While I napped and relaxed with my mom, Matt worked all afternoon on another great Mother's Day gift, a freshly painted nursery.

He's the best to give up his Sunday afternoon to paint a purple room for his overly excited wife. It turned out so cute, and I'm ready to start decorating as soon as we get the furniture moved in :).

Not only did Barry watch the kids for my mom and me so we could have the afternoon off, but he also prepared the best Mother's Day feast for supper. The Miller's joined us, and we all salivated over the most delicious supper and chocolate dessert. It was a really great day. I'm so thankful for the gift of being a mother and to celebrate with the best Mom and Grammy around. Blessed indeed.

Sound the Alarm! Nathan is Three!

We had a great day celebrating Nathan's third birthday. He requested a firetruck theme birthday party, and I had fun planning it. My mom and I ran into a little trouble when we couldn't find any firetruck themed birthday supplies at our local party stores, so we had to be a little creative and rely on some Internet sites to complete everything, but it turned out really cute, and Nathan had the a great time, and that's all that matters.

I saw this idea on the Internet, and I thought the "matchsticks" turned out really cute.

We also served a fruit and veggie tray, sausage balls, donut holes, and cake and cupcakes.

Nathan was adamant that we had red bell pepper at his party. Other than cake it's the only food he specifically requested. When I would ask him what he wanted to eat at his party, he would always say he wanted broccoli because fireman eat broccoli (We get creative in how we get him to eat his veggies).  I would remind him that he didn't like broccoli and he would be stumped with what to eat. Then he came up with bell pepper. It's one vegetable he actually really likes, and he knows fireman have to eat lots of fruits and vegetables to be strong and put out fires, so it made sense to him I guess and he was fixated on eating it at his party.

Since we couldn't find specific firetruck themed party decor, we decided to decorate with reds and yellows, and black and white paw prints for the firehouse dogs. Since we had a firetruck cake, we decided to make Dalmation cupcakes.

I always have fun baking and decorating cakes for my boys' birthdays!

Nathan was so excited for his big day! He asked all morning when his friends were going to be there for his party.

My mom got him this firetruck tent as an early present so the kids could play with it at the party.

The big surprise for our birthday boy was a special guest at his party. My mom arranged to have a local firefighter come to Nathan's party. Nathan was absolutely star struck. He was just mesmerized at everything the firefighter told him. He stood so still and was fascinated.

He got to see and try on all the gear and learn about how fires get put out.

Firefighter Andrew was so good with Nathan. I was blown away with how he engaged and interacted with Nathan (It probably helps that he has a three year old son), but he was awesome. 

I think it was the best day of Nathan's entire life. He hasn't stopped talking about the firefighter who came to his party.

He stayed for about half of the party and just visited with Nathan telling him all about life in a firehouse, how they get ready for fires, what they eat, etc.

He even sat at the kids' table and ate with him, and told him to keep eating his bell peppers and carrots :)

After he left, Nathan turned around and said, "Now I'm ready to see the rest of my friends at my party." Cutest thing ever :)

A close second was listening to him sing Happy Birthday to himself

After Firefighter Andrew left, we spent the rest of the morning playing, eating, and opening presents.

Grandaddy got some practice rocking a baby girl :)

Nathan got so many fun new toys. He and Samuel have been playing with them constantly since Saturday. We have such thoughtful friends.

Samuel got a couple of presents too, so he wouldn't feel left out.

I laughed at the end of the party when I looked over and saw Nathan and Case playing with Samuel's present. I do have to admit that it was a pretty cool gift :)

It was such a great day celebrating my favorite three year old!