Summer...Finally!!

I am definitely a summer girl...no doubt about it. Yes, there have been a few moments since it started heating up that the warmth has been a bit overwhelming for me (which is only due to the fact that I have a furnace cooking away in me and it's no fun being pregnant and hotter than hot!). But still, I refuse to complain about the heat because I truly enjoy it and look forward to it all year.
A couple of weeks ago we broke in the pool at my parents house for the first time this season. I am yet to download all the pictures my mom took of actually In the water, but here are a few cute ones of the kids suited up and ready to go!

Makenna did a great job in the pool. Before we went over there she was not sounding very excited about the prospect of getting into a pool. And I was nervous for her to see how she did after so long of not being in the pool and the memory of last years events. But once we got there and everyone was excited and getting ready Makenna quickly forgot her fears and got right in. She was a bit clingy and nervous at first but she warmed up fast. Every time we have been in the pool since then she has been more and more brave and comfortable. She is anxious to start her swim lessons in a few weeks and is really doing great!
Kellen definitely prefers to hang out poolside right now than actually get IN the water. The only way he will go in is if you grab him and carry him in against his will (which I do of course!). He seems Okay with it once he gets used to it, as long as you are holding onto him tight. The minute your try and let him go or make his kick or use his arms or Anything of the sort, he just goes straight as a board and complains and whines. I am hoping that he gets more comfortable in the pool with more time and exposure and that he can learn to enjoy it. But I also think he just might not be much of a pool kid. We shall see. Either way he loves putting on his suite and floaties and looks totally adorable in them!

I think this is one of my favorite pictures of Todd and Kellen. Both of my boys...they just look so cute and happy together. I love this so much!

He is just learning how to really cheese it up for the camera!

Looking Back

I was working on some scrapbook pages and picking some pictures out when I came across this album. These pictures were taken very shortly after Todd and I got back from our Honeymoon. They were our Christmas pictures the first year we were married and looking through them just brought tears to my eyes. It was the beginning of our union, our family being formed and coming together. Seeing the three of us with each other, when it was so new and exciting and scary....it just makes me smile. It makes me feel so happy, to know the love and joy and fulfillment that being together has brought us all. I love my growing family. I love my husband- the lover and partner and best friend that he is to me. I love the father he has been to our children. The way that he has embraced his role as Daddy and grown and changed and given so much to our children. The best thing that ever happened to Makenna and I was having him come into our lives.

We are a happy family!

Prego Update

Well, we have moved over the 30 week mark which excites, amazes and intimidates me all at once. Seriously, pregnancy #1 moves at a snails pace. Then after that it has come and gone before you even know it. It's just nuts! I am sure that when I hit the 37/38 week mark and am chomping at the bit for this little boy to come out that things will suddenly come to a stand still. But as of now I feel I can barely keep up with things!

Thus far everything is continuing to go great! Baby Conner is rockin' and rollin' around in my belly all day long. I swear he hardly ever stops moving. I love his kick and pushes and nudges. And he seems to love to remind me at all times that he is there :) The third trimester has definitely hit hard in the last week or so. Things went from being great and very comfortable and enjoyable to all those 3rd trimester annoyances hitting all at once. I am up all night long with heartburn, full bladder, leg cramps, braxton hicks contractions, doing the 5 point turn to get from my left to right side, etc. But hey, that is what is supposed to happen, right? It is all part of the hard work it takes to get that amazing reward that you will have in your life forever. Most definitely worth it.

We are working hard on getting things ready and organized for this little guys arrival. Todd will be painting the nursery this weekend! After that it should be the fun stuff of setting it up and decorating. And then we will be painting Kellen's room to look like a big boys room. There is still a lot to do and I know that being busy will make the time go by even faster. We can't wait to see baby Conner. He feels like a big boy already....I am just praying he can stay in the 8lb range. I am sure I am bound to have a 9 pounder at some point. But the longer we can stay in the 8's the happier I am.

We love you Conner boy and can't wait to see you!

The Zoo and "Camping"

A few weeks ago while Todd was out of town my mom took the kids and I to the Zoo for the evening. Sadly when we got there we realized we only had a little over an hour before the Zoo would be closing (they close way too early!), so we had to rush our way through it a bit. But, given the short amount of time we actually saw quite a bit, covered a lot of ground and had tons of fun with the kids. Both of them were being total stinkers and not cooperating at all for pictures, but we got a few. I just love time out with Grammy. They kids just eat it up and there is something so fun and special about seeing my children with my mommy. I love it!

Aren't they just so cute to see playing together. It always makes me smile!

These were the only pictures we could get the kids to actually look at the camera during. So at least it is documented as to who was really on this outing. We love you Grammy!

A little while ago we were driving in the car and Makenna informed me that she has never been camping before. I asked her what camping was and she told me that it is sleeping outside in a tent with a sleeping bag and making smores. I told her that was right and quizzed her on what smores were and how they were made. I told her that I could not take her to sleep outside in a tent right now, but we could definitely make smores. So a couple weekends ago we were at my parents for a bbq and decided to make smores over their fire pit outside. Makenna loved it. She really enjoyed helping mom roast the marshmallow and assembling the smore. Though when it came time to eat it she was a bit reluctant. She took a few bites, but ultimately she just wanted to eat chocolate. What can you do, right? It was still fun, we all enjoyed our smores and in the end Makenna was happy to be able to say that she has now been camping. I just went with it and figure as soon as I can I will fulfill part 2 of camping and have us all sleep in a tent in the backyard or something. I just love kids! :)

It took her a little while to go for the first bite and then some more time to decide what to make of it all. I think she was a bit distraught over the marshmallow being smashed.

Conner and I on the other hand had no hesitation with our smores. Neither did Daddy ;)

Or Grammy. Who needs the smore though when you can just have the marshmallow??

Kellen opted for chocolate and then a banana. Silly boy.

Blog-worthy

Why is it that when your kids are asleep they look so much like the little baby you once held and rocked in your arms all day. I just love sleeping kids. Not just because that means my house is quiet and clean. I just love to watch them sleep. There is something so sweet about it.

Kellen Loves to be wrapped up in the towel after his shower or bath. It always just looks so cute to me!

Kellen can be such a little love bug. He has always been such a cuddler. And he Loves to cuddle and hug and kiss his sissy. If she is ever sitting or laying down he will usually go and lay on top of her and say "Awww" and give her love. When he is not in the cuddle mood he goes for something else, like trying to ride her like a horse or wrestle. It is good to be well rounded.

Climbing. Yup.

Cousin Love! Kellen seriously Adores Brooke, his little baby. He has always known to be sweet and gentle with her. It is nothing I ever had to teach him. And he is so good at sharing with her. It's so fun seeing her big enough to actually Play with them now!

Our new morning activity....sitting by the sliding glass door looking for bugs (or as Kellen refers to them...."Eeewww!!") We hardly ever see any just sitting there in the morning, but that doesn't stop him from laying there and looking and talking about them!

SUCH A BOY! I don't know what the heck he was doing outside, but he came in looking like this. Dirt on every inch of his body. He washed most of it down with a little watermelon snack. Maybe I should have washed his face and hands first, but really, is there a point? Silly boy! I love you!

Kenna has graduated from toddler bed to her "really big girl bed" and she LOVES it! As do I because she is sleeping soooo much better in it. Though she still just looks so tiny when laying there at night. It always makes me sentimental to see her sleeping.

She just adores her little brother, and she also thinks she is pretty cute herself ;)

Kenna and Rah Rah cuddling during toons with the snuggie. Ha! Maybe we can invent a snuggie that is made to share with two people. That way you and your hubby or child can cuddle and snuggle together in the same one.

I don't know what to do with this girls crazy hair anymore than I know how to get her to back off on the silly faces. Whatever. I just embrace them and love them both!

Mama's Day

I think that Mother's Day just might be my favorite holiday. And not because of the reasons you might be thinking. It's not because my husband woke up with the kids and let me sleep in until 8. It's not about the delicious coffee cake that Todd made me for breakfast. It isn't because seeing my daughter up with the primary kids for the first time ever singing to the mothers about how much they love us made me sob and totally touched my heart. It isn't about the yummy dinner and dessert I didn't have to cook or the gift certificate for a pedicure. Yes, all of those things are wonderful. What woman (or man for that matter) doesn't just love being pampered?!

For me Mother's Day makes me think about and appreciate my own mother. It gives me another moment to stop and remember and think about all the things she has done and continues to do for me. All the things she has taught me. All the love she has given me and how our relationship and friendship is one of the most important things in the world to me.

It is also a day for me to appreciate my husband and my children. To reflect upon them, the joy and happiness they bring to me. The honor it is to be a mother. There is nothing in this world that compares to the love that you feel for your children and the feeling of receiving their love for you. Being a mother is so much more than I ever even dreamed it would be. It is the most amazing, rewarding, fulfilling thing I have ever done. It is such a pure and honest love, it always amazes me. A love and feeling and responsibility that comes from the core of my very being. I am so grateful to my husband for being my partner in this amazing journey and sharing this incredible responsibility with me. I am thankful to him for the children he has given me. I couldn't be a mother without him. And I am so grateful to my children. Grateful to them for choosing me to be their mother. For bringing such happiness into my life. For loving me and trusting me and putting up with me.
I love Mother's Day because it reminds me of how deeply blessed I have been by the Lord. I feel humbled and honored to be blessed with these souls to raise and teach and lead and be able to receive their love and adoration.