She's a Hugger!

Cole and I can't get enough of this sweet girl and her sweet love! :)

 

 

Special Papa Outing

A month ago Cole's Dad took Tavian to the movies.  He really enjoys taking his grandkids on special outings and he hadn't gotten to have one with Tavian yet.  They went to see Monsters University.  It was so fun packing Tavian's backpack with special treats and drinks for his fun time with Papa.  They had a great time together!

 

 

AttiTUDE

Just another fun day playing with the kiddos at the hill by our house.  You'll know exactly what I mean about attitude when you get to the end of the video!  Holy Moly!!!

 

 

I must ask to take her picture too much! :) 

Summer Movie Fun

This summer I took the kids to the movies for the very first time.  I found out that the movie theatre by our house has a kids summer program where they show a kids film once a week for $1/per person.  I was so excited that it would be a super fun and super affordable activity for us this summer.  Felicity is still pretty small to sit still that long but I knew I wouldn't be upset about having to leave early since the tickets were so inexpensive.  The kids have loved experiencing the special treat.  We don't watch a lot of tv or movies at home so they know it is really something special!  I even caved one of the days and got them popcorn and a slurpee because I just thought it would add to the fun.  And it did :)  We usually only make it an hour before Felicity gets to be too much, but it has still been totally worth it!

 

 

Maternity Clothes

Oh man, I freakin can't stand looking for maternity clothes.  Let me give you my reasons:

1) So unreasonably expensive

2)  They rarely fit right.  Most of them are way too big for me and instead of making me feel pretty, they make me feel ha-uge!

3)  Most of what you can find is online, but then you have to pay shipping and deal with the fact that often times it won't fit right!

My first pregnancy I did the usual first timer thing which looking back is a mistake, but I held off on maternity clothes until more then half of it was over, and then made it work with like 5 items.  The reason I think this is a mistake is because if you are going to have more pregnancies, you might as well enjoy the clothes longer, and because once you experience how much more comfortable maternity clothes are, you realize you suffered way more then you had to! 

 

As I have had more kid's I have reluctantly bought more, and each time realized I should  have just bought it all the first time around!  This pregnancy I needed to have maternity clothes from the get.  Even if I could fit into my other clothes it just really isn't comfortable, so why do it??  I really liked some of the items that I had bought at Forever21 but they have since discontinued their line.  (I get it, they don't' want teenagers buying pregnancy clothes or encouraging teen pregnancy.  But, on a side tangent, I don't think 21 is too young to get married and therefore I don't think it is too young to have children!  And I liked how the clothes were stylish and affordable...but oh well)

 

I was actually able to find two pairs of cute non pregnancy shorts at Khols for $10 and both had elastic so they are wearable throughout the summer.  I know elastic makes you think not cute, but I promise they are!  They are shorter then I would have liked, but ya do what ya can.

 

Ross is also a good place to look for maternity clothes.  It is definitely hit or miss, but occasionally I find little gems.

 

I wanted to share with all of you who are pregnant my latest online maternity clothes go-to.  They are actually closing at the end of the month so everything is super marked down and ships for free.  Wahoo :)  They don't have very much merchandise left, but it would be good to check it out, especially for some of the basic layering tops that are good to have  Their basics range for like $4-$8!  There extra small and small have been fitting well in tops, and then I just ordered a pair of their skinny maternity jeans for under $30.  They are super cute and I am so happy to have found an affordable pair!  If you are in the market for maternity clothes, head to Shade Clothing .  They actually have non maternity clothes too which are definitely worth taking a look at it, especially for the prices!

 

Anyone have another good place to look for maternity clothes??  Please let me know :)

Concert FUN

Last week Cole and I went to the Matchbox 20 and Goo Goo Dolls concert.  Goo Goo Dolls is one of Cole's all time favorite bands, and Matchbox 20 is one of mine!  I have wanted to see Matchbox 20 for the past 12 years, but for whatever reason something always got in the way of being able to.  The ultimate plan was to see them with my sister Andrea who is equally obsessed.  I had just found out about the concert in Denver when Andrea decided she was moving back to Virginia for the summer.  I basically said I would surely miss her but I would be going anyway :)  And I did miss her!  But I'm SO glad we went.  It was seriously one of the best concerts I have been to in a long time.  Rob Thomas is so yummy and talented and he totally rocked out all of his amazing hits.  Lets be honest, pretty much all of his songs are amazing hits!

 

We were able to enjoy the concert with another couple who we are really close friends with.  Tim and Katie go to our church and I met Katie at our Mother's Sharing Group.  It was so much fun going to the concert with them.  We made a big event of it and went to Bonefish beforehand (YUM!). and then stayed the night in a hotel nearby afterwards.  A huge thanks to my sister Sarah for watching the kiddos overnight! 

 

The concert was at Fiddlers Green and we had such a fun time getting there early
and playing Farckle and eating candy :)

It is getting crazy!

Cole was bummed Goo Goo Dolls didn't play a little longer

Singing and Dancing to every Song!

Love you Boo!

 

Early Ultrasound

We ended up having an ultrasound last week when I was 16 weeks.  Normally you don't have one until 20 weeks, but for whatever reason I was feeling super anxious and just felt like I needed to.  My doctor is the best and was fine giving me one to calm my fears. 

Looks like everything is going well so far.  Such a blessing and relief!  The due date got moved up from January 3rd to January 1st.  This made my husband very excited because he is set on getting this baby to arrive before January!  He has already calculated the savings from a tax right off as well from an insurance perspective, and there isn't a whole lot he isn't going to be willing to do to make sure we have  a December baby.  I'm pretty sure he would even prefer a Christmas birthday to a January one.  Lol, he makes me laugh.  He even asked our Dr. at our first apt. if it was ethical to induce early for insurance purposes.  It was pretty funny...especially cause he got a big fat no as the answer.  Let me just say that I have absolutely no interest in being induced, and since I have my babies right when they are due, I told him to start saving :)

We brought the kiddos with us to the ultrasound, which seemed like a pretty crazy idea, but it actually was really wonderful.  We brought the Ipad and the headphones so the kids could watch a movie and that made things go really smoothly!!  I can't express how special it was to be looking at my unborn baby move around on the screen, and then look over and see my already born blessings right beside me.  I had seen them both for the same time in the very same ultrasound room.  Made me totally emotional and totally happy.  I can't help but count my blessing often this pregnancy.  I just feel like God is so very good and I don't want to take a second of it for granted.

The fun part is that we now have the original guess of the sex in a sealed envelope on our counter!  We will have them check again when we go in at 20 weeks, but we figured it wouldn't hurt to have two opinions!  I will give both to my sister Sarah, who will be helping out with our gender reveal, and she can let me know if there are any discrepancies.  Some would probably find it really hard to have the information at our fingertips, but for some reason we are completely satisfied being patient.  It will be super fun to find out in a few months with our friends and family :)  Technically we could have the party soon, but a certain sister isn't moving back here until early September, so plans have been put on hold!!!  Love you, Andrea :)

My fibroid has grown again (as it did with the other pregnancies) so we will just continue to keep an eye on it.  Hopefully it won't cause much of a problem.

Trying to kill time with Daddy before the appointment started.  Unfortunately we waited for 45 minutes
before the hour long ultrasound appointment.  These kiddos were troopers! :)

 

My Little Nurser

Looking back I never would have thought that Felicity would have nursed for 16 months.  Many of you probably don't know about the specifics because I probably never blogged about it, but seriously the beginning of breastfeeding with Felicity was true Hell!  Of course I loved every second of the bond, which is why I fought so hard for it, but there are few things that I have done in my life that have been harder.  And maybe it really takes the cake...probably comparable to the Hell of nursing Tavian in the beginning.  I thought the second time around would go much smoother but unfortunately that was not the case.  I was on round the clock motrin and vicodin just for the pain.  A little TMI but I had completely open wounds on both nipples.  I even drove with my newborn and a friend to Wyoming to meet with an amazing lactation consultant.  I was set on trying anything@  I ended up getting mastitis so terribly that I had to get a shot of antibiotics and an ultrasound on my breast.  My Dr. literally got to the point where he basically told me I wasn't allowed to breastfeed anymore! 

Yet by some miracle of God, after horrific suffering for two straight months, things slowly began to fall into place and I was able to nurse Felicity until a month or two ago.

The ironic part is that she ended up never taking a bottle or sippy cup again after the age of two months, and she never would have stopped nursing if I didn't' push the issue.  It was definitely a hard decision to make, because there are truly few things I love more and because she loved it so much, but I hardly had any milk still available because of the pregnancy and I knew without a doubt that I wasn't interested in tandem nursing.  I also wanted to wean her with enough time before the new baby so that she wouldn't remember nursing and therefore wouldn't be resentful of seeing her baby brother or sister nursing.

I cried many many times as the end approached.  And, truth be told, if she sees me without a shirt she comes looking for some boobie!  I try to stay clothed :) and for the most part I think she is slowly forgetting.

Above all I just want to thank God for the miracle of getting to breastfeed her.  No one in my life would have thought this was possible at the time.  Letting go is necessary in order for her to grow, and I truly have nothing to be sad about.  I have 17 months to rejoice over :)

*On a side note, the breastfeeding topic is already what I am most anxious about when thinking about having this next baby.  If you think of it, please say some prayers that things work out...preferably quickly and painlessly :)  Thank You!

The Five Year Itch...

...Decorating itch, that is!

Has this happened to any of you?

Cole and I have lived in our beautiful home for five years now, but I have started to have this incessant feeling to switch things up, redecorate, renovate, etc.  Part of it is probably the desire for some sort of change, but I think there is a practical aspect too.  The carpets, for instance, neeeeed to be replaced.  We just are being lazy about it...and don't want to put money towards it...and recognize that we still have small children and therefore have many carpet disasters in our near future!  But we bought the house as a foreclosure and we still have the original carpet.  I'm thinking it's time for an upgrade!

Cole is great about helping me tackle the things around the house that I would like to have changed.  A little more then 6 months ago he completely redid my closet.  It used to be our closet, but he refinished it beautifully with custom shelving and then moved his wardrobe to an armoire in our room.  A definite improvement!

With the new baby coming I have really had the desire to get our basement finished.  We are lucky to have the 4 bedrooms upstairs, and therefore no immediate need for more space, but I would just love a big finished area for the kids to play around in.  I know I will easily tire of saying "shhh" to Felicity and Tavian when the new baby is napping all the time!  Cole has said that we could finish it, but of course he wants to do it himself.  I know he will do an amazing job but I also know it is a huge time commitment and at the rate we are going, it won't be done by the time baby is here anyway!!

Another area I would love to tackle is the kitchen.  I actually love a lot about our kitchen, but I wish our island had an overhang so that I could put stools there for the kids to sit at.  I think it would be nice to have them participating in an activity close by me while I am preparing the meals or doing dishes.  We also will need a new table pretty soon and I am trying to find one that has corner bench seating.  There are some really cool pictures on pinterest, but again, it all comes with time and money!! 

http://pinterest.com/pin/133278470195743032/ http://pinterest.com/pin/133278470195743031/

I would also love to redo our master bedroom.  Nothing too crazy just change the wall color, new bedding, and I have some decorating touches that I think would make it a much more relaxing and romantic space. 

http://pinterest.com/pin/133278470195421893/ 

So yeah, anyone else feeling the need to change things up a bit??  With all the crazy changes on my wish list you think I should maybe just be in the market for a new house....

and I'm not entirely opposed, but my husband has told me it won't be happening for at least 5 years!

These are just some "wish list" items...don't' go thinking I'm not grateful and satisfied and happy with what I have got.  I truly am!  Sometimes it's just fun to think about :)

The Best Part Every Night

Somewhere along the line, probably like 6 months ago, Cole and I started telling Tavian when we tucked him in that we would come back in an hour to give him more loves.  It was a way to help him feel better about us leaving at bedtime, knowing we would come back in a little later.  It is usually closer to three hours, but we always go in every single night.

It has honestly become one of my favorite parts of the day.  We have started going into Felicity's room too and it is just wonderful.  I feel like the real life mom from "I'll Love You Forever" (one of our favorites) as I climb in bed with Tavian each night for some extra cuddles.  He never wakes up, even though I am holding him and smothering him with kisses and telling him how much I love him, but I know he knows I'm there :)  Cole and I share this special time each night, staring at their beautiful little bodies and thanking God for the blessing of their lives and it just never gets old.  I tear up most nights thinking about how little Tavian was when we first would comfort him at night in his room.  It is amazing to think how fast time is flying by.  We always cover Felicity with her blanket and rub her forehead.  She does "wake up" sometimes but she just looks at us, we stroke her head, and she closes her eyes and drifts back to sleep. 

So thankful for these little moments.  I probably will still be doing this when they are in high school...lol :) 

Sharing the News

Cole and I had some fun with telling people this time around that we were pregnant.  Unfortunatly we had to tell a lot of people over the phone, but we took advantage of the opportunity of those we were able to tell in person :)

Enjoy!

 

Telling Papa (Cole's Dad)

 

Telling Bapa (My Dad)

Telling my sister and her family...although the kids are a little anti-climatic, haha!

My dear friend Erica is pregnant and so Cole thought it would be fun to tell us to smile for the picture, and then say he was taking one of just the four of us.  It took her a bit to get what was going on, but these are the pictures as it unfolded!

Cheese! (waiting for her to catch on)

Wait...what??



Ahhh!



So fun :)

4th of July Fun

This was the first year since having kiddos that we decided to go to the Fireworks.  We never went before because the kids bedtime has always been 7, one of them has been too young, we were too exhausted, the thought of being in downtown Fort Collins was too overwhelming, or some combination of the above :)

I am so glad that this year we decided to go!  My sister Sarah and her family were going with friends to their usual spot on a golf course in Loveland.  It truly is a perfect spot to watch the fireworks!  It wasn't nearly as crowded as I thought it would be, or as it is in Fort Collins, and the area wasn't covered with drunk people...another perk! 

We got there at 7 and the kids loved playing with their cousins and all the other kids before the show!  We got some super cute pictures!  I know our baby Emerson will be pretty small still next 4th of July, but I think we will probably try and go again.  It was too much fun to pass up!

 

We started our 4th of July Festivities early in the morning with a bike ride to Panera. Yum!

Love these cuties in their helmets

The Kangaroo Rider is pretty much the best thing ever.  Tavian rides in the same thing on Cole's bike

Headed onto the golf course for the Fireworks Show

Teagan seemed to love the 4th of July! :)

Probably one of my favorite pictures ever!

This picture cracks me up!

These Days

Let me tell you a little about my life since finding out I was pregnant:

 

1) Tired all the time.  Tired like I have never experienced before.  Tired like I wonder about if it is safe that I am driving sometimes!!!  It basically feels like I have jetlag all.the.time!

 

2)  Because of the crazy tiredness, it also feels like I take a large lazy pill every day.  Cleaning?..um no.  Cooking?..ha, right!  Basically the kids are loved and fed (even if we are eating out the majority of the time)  You know it is bad when I find myself sick of eating out!

 

3)  Headaches.  All the time and I don't know how to fix it.  I see a physical therapist and just recently started acupuncture.  I am really hoping the acupuncture helps.  Sometimes caffeine helps a little too...but then I can't take an afternoon nap, and if you refer to number one, you know that is absolutely necessary! 

 

4)  Remember what I said about being lazy?..it affects my overall care for myself!  I find myself asking Cole pretty regularly, "Do you remember the last time I showered?"  I know.  Gross.  Can't help it.  Cleanliness just isn't a top priority when I am this tired!  Please still be my friend :)  I saw a Pin that talked about having three hairstyles: straight, curly, and homeless.  Lets just say I have been living in the homeless category for a long time now!

 

5)  Pregnancy brain has reached a new level!  Examples: -I went to the pool with my friend Sydnie and our kiddos.  We were there for two hours.  We walked out to leave and she laughed pointing out that I had never shut the trunk to my van.  Yup, that happened!  - I took the kids to the movies.  We lasted in there about an hour, but when we came back to the car I realized I had left the sliding door open the entire time!  I am seriously blessed I haven't been stolen from!  Maybe the trashed van of children's belongings doesn't appeal to a lot of people...lol.  - And, lastly, (please don't' think I'm a bad mom!) there have been many occasions driving down the road that my panicked son yells, "Mom, you didn't buckle me!!!!"  That is when I shout at myself, "Freakin-A you have got to be kidding me!"  Don't worry, I pull over and fix things immediately :)

 

*Hope this brought some of you a good laugh.  If you don't have kids or have never been pregnant, you may just truly think I'm crazy.  I know some mothers out there have got to be able to relate!!  And, on a side note, this is a good opportunity to recognize my hubs for how truly amazing he has been.  He has picked up all the slack, doesn't complain, encourages me daily telling me I am doing everything just fine and that I don't need to be doing more, gets off early from work so I can make appointments, and loves me and tells me I'm beautiful despite my homeless appearance.  He's a keeper for sure!

Finding Out

Man, I have actually had a lot to write in regards to this pregnancy, but since we weren't making it public in the first trimester I have had to hold off.  I will try and make up for it now :)

Cole and I knew there was a chance we were pregnant.  As it usually goes with NFP, you know your cycle well and you know when having sex will most likely or most likely not lead to a baby.  We were actually thinking it would be nice to wait until after the summer to get pregnant (a thought we apparently have a lot) but like usual God has better timing :) 

We laugh because this is always the exact time I get pregnant.  Just when I am close to having a summer without being pregnant or breastfeeding...bam!  Preggers!  I can't say I would change a thing, we just have a good chuckle about it.  Maybe God has a chuckle too!

Even though we knew there was a good possibility, every time the pregnancy test says positive it is a bit of a thrill (to say the least).  I had taken the test one early morning a few days before Mother's Day.  Cole had already left and randomly had taken the kids to his moms that day so I could relax a bit.  Let me tell you, once I saw the positive result, I can't say a whole lot of relaxing happened!!!  I called Andrea (typical) just in shock saying "I can't believe it...I cant't believe it" over and over.  Although, as I already said, I COULD believe it!  I waited to tell Cole until that night because I wanted it to be in person.  I was actually really emotional all day and I think it was because I hadn't shared the news with him.  The second I told him a huge rush of peace came over me and the anxiety left...that was a big blessing! 

 

I also have to say that I have felt this baby was a boy from the very start.  Tavian thinks so too, and seeing as he was right with Felicity, I think he is trustworthy.  I truly don't have a preference either way but something just makes me feel like it is a boy.  We will be finding out in September when we have a gender reveal party.  Fun!

I also have to say that Cole has truly been a blessing this pregnancy.  Third time must be a charm!  He really has learned a lot since my pregnancy with Tavian and it has made things go really smoothly.  That isn't to say he wasn't great with Tavian...it just seems to get better and better.  Immediately after I told him he grabbed a pen and paper and made a list of all the things we were going to do to make this a great pregnancy.  One of the things included a babysitter once a week!  It was so thoughtful of him to make that list and really assured me that he was on my team and there to help in any way.  So blessed to have him :)

Vacation Bible School

Tavian attented Vacation Bible School this year for the very first time.  He just barely made the cut off at 3 1/2.  I was really nervous to send him, especially because it is three hours a day for the whole week, but I knew it would be good to at least give it a try.  It was only $25 so I knew it would be ok if he went the first day and then decided not to go back. 

 

He did pretty well the first day.  He got pretty teary eyed telling me "my eyes are getting sad".  Talk about breaking a Mommy's heart!  I knew he was in great hands as all of the leaders are from my Mother's Sharing Group at church and I knew they would keep a special eye on him.  After I left him I still waited around outside the church for awhile and had a friend check up on him half an hour later to make sure he was doing ok...and he was!  He was definitely excited to see me when I came and got him and he told me, "I only got sad sometimes because I missed my Mommy." 

Posing with one of his crafts after his first day!

 

The next day was the hardest.  I think he realized that he was in for a long morning without me and wasn't too thrilled about it.  That morning as we drove to the church he told me his tummy was feeling nervous.  Again, so hard to hear!  I assured him that he would have fun and everything would be ok.  This was the day he cried the hardest.  I literally left while he was balling in the lap of one of the volunteers.  So hard, but I had to keep reminding myself that this is part of the growing up process.

 

We took Wednesday off because I have a babysitter come once a week in the morning (a pregnancy must have!), and I knew he would enjoy just staying home and playing with her and his sister.  I think it was actually a really good decision to give him a little break.

Thursday went really well.  I told him I would only have him stay 2 hours and that seemed to help.  He was there from 9 to 11 and we went straight to the swimming pool as a reward.  When I picked him up this day he was having a great time and they told me he hadn't been the least bit sad all day.  It totally felt like the effort was paying off!  (did I forget to mention I rewarded him with ice ream the other days??...lol)

 

Friday went smooth as well!  We ended up coming to be with him an hour early because they were having mass with all of the kiddos and parents and families were welcome to participate if they would like.  Overall I am just so proud of my big boy.  I think it was a great introduction to being away from home since he will be starting preschool this Fall.  It is only going to be twice a week for a few hours, but I think this gave us both the confidence we needed for this next big step. 

As much as it was nice having a little less responsibility for the week and a little more availability to get things done, I have to say that I really missed my boy!!  I think Felicity missed her brother as well.  Even though it is such a short amount of time in the scheme of things, it was hard being away from him.  Makes me all the more thankful I get to stay home with him everyday.  Being a mom is so wonderful!

Mommy Daughter Date

While Tavian was at Vacation Bible School, Felicity and I got some extra special time together.  Many of the days I spent cleaning the house or running errands (both activities surprisingly easier without a rambunctious Tavian), but one of the last days I thought her and I deserved some special fun time.  It actually made me regret that I hadn't taken more advantage of the time the previous days.  Anyway, we headed to the library by our house (first stopping at the Panera next door so I could grab a yummy Frozen Carmel coffee).  It was so fun and so relaxing just getting to give her all of my attention.  We colored pictures, did puzzles, played with all the fun toys they have, and then my favorite part was when we picked a seat by the window and read book after book.  This little girl is already my bestie and I love getting to spend my days with her.  These truly are the days where I wish I could make time stand still.  I mean it when I say I just can't get enough!  Love you little lady bug :) 

Enjoy the pictures!



Silly Faces

Needed a picture of her cute outfit

 

Look at that face...

Coloring pretty pictures

 

This is what loves looks like

 



Warning

Just letting you know I will be publishing a lot of posts...in no particular order...and most likely not of recent events. 

 

 You have been warned :)