sunday best.

The best time to take pictures is on Sunday, right? Hair is done, faces are usually clean, and the clothes actually match! But, I never can get a good picture. I always have high hopes! Noah usually is silly, Jacob just watches what his older brother does, and Macie...well, in this picture she's showing her her cylinder...or what most people just call an apple core. That was the best thing of the day! 

I am in love with Macie's hair in curlers. I really would do it every night if she would let me! I always imagined having a blond curly haired girl. So, I'm glad her hair curls well. Although, those curls relax quite a bit by the end of the day! These three are the three cutest kids ever. I can't wait to see what their baby sister will look like! {and about that, only 5 more weeks!!! YAY!}

7 weeks left...

...I hope I can make it! This pregnancy has been so much different than the others. I'll spare you the details {and the visual} of what my midwife told me...and just tell you that each pregnancy, the body stretches, making each pregnancy a little different! 

Seriously, though, I feel like I could have this baby any day. I still have SEVEN weeks left. Goodness. I may just spend the next 7 weeks laying on the couch! 

Not only is the pregnancy different, but I don't remember the other three moving around so much. I swear this babe never stops moving. Well, I take that back. There are times, brief times, when I don't feel her moving, so I shake my belly. And then I quickly regret it. If it isn't kicking and moving, it's the hiccups. It's a constant thing! 

I have been told that I look small. I do not feel small. I almost get mad when people tell me this. Do they think I always just look like I have a basketball under my shirt? I'm HUGE! ;-) And I know I'll just get bigger. Just wait. I'm actually measuring 2 weeks ahead of schedule. So, we'll see where that leads us. I was measuring small with Macie, and the day after I was told she would be 5 pounds {because I was induced 2 weeks early}, she was 8 pounds 1 ounce...and never lost a pound until she was about 1 1/2! 

I am getting very excited about this baby though. I've made her bows and flowers, embellished onesies, made a couple blankets, sewn a blessing dress {or two} and gotten all of the pink out of boxes. It's different having a girl again! There are so many more accessories and things. It's fun! Now if I could just decide on a car seat, we'll be set! And I guess a name. ;-)

I am also very excited that I will only have one in diapers. Jacob still does have accidents, but I think it's a given with potty training. There will be accidents. I'll take the accidents over having to buy diapers all of the time, though! I can always wash sheets and clothes, it's not like I don't do at least 2 loads of laundry a day already!

So, 7 weeks. I can do it.

He's legal.

Happy Birthday, Cory. {I know, I'm a day late. BUT...you got your present on time. I can't do everything! ;-)}

I can't believe my baby brother is 21. That makes me older, dangit. I'm sad we couldn't be there to celebrate with you, Corihor. {and get to watch your fireworks. they don't play "Coming to America" at our firework show.} 

We love you a lot, and hope that you had a great day!

Happy Birthday, Alison!

Happy, happy birthday, Alison, dear! I hope that your day was wonderful! We wish we could have celebrated with you! {why didn't we think of celebrating while you were here??} I told Jacob last night that it was going to be her birthday, and the first thing he said when he woke up this morning, "Call Alison. Happy Birthday?" He has been talking about Alison all of the time! 

You're great, Alison. We love you!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY.

momentous

While at the park today, Jacob yelled, "I need potty!" Knowing that I didn't have much time to make the walk to the potty, we opted for the tree. We've tried it a few other times and he didn't like it. But, after seeing Noah do it, he thought it was time! And he did it! He was so excited! He was very proud of himself!

I don't know if I'm jinxing myself, but this potty training experience is a little better than I thought! He tells me when he needs to go...and goes when I tell him. We've had a few accidents, but that's expected. But, he's only in diapers at night time, and wakes up dry. It's a bit of struggle to change out of that diaper into underwear, but he's getting there!

Yay for potty training! And yay for no kids in diapers fulltime until August!!

happy father's day

We have a pretty special Daddy. In fact, Noah and Macie have been making pictures all day that say, "I love Daddy"! He's received many cards today! Adam really is a great dad. My kids adore him and countdown until he gets home. It's quite the occasion when Daddy does come home. When your six year old says that his Daddy is his best friend, you know you've got a good one! Thanks for being such a good daddy, Adam! We love you!

And to my Dad, thanks for everything you do! We love you and miss you already! 

We are so spoiled to have such great men in our lives. We have so many great memories of dads and grandpas. Macie came to me in tears this afternoon and said, "I miss Papa." I was a little shocked. But, I'm sure as we're celebrating fathers it really became real to her today. I explained to her that we still have memories of Papa, which is something that we will always have. And we will get to see him again, we just have to be good. And then she looked at me gave me a big smile and nodded her head. She understands. We love you, Papa. 

So, Happy Father's Day to our Dads. And to all of the wonderful father's out there.

fluke?

I sat down with Jacob yesterday to count the diapers. We realized that there wasn't enough for the baby. So, Jacob decided to wear underwear. There were a lot of tears shed because of how the underwear felt, but he did it. He didn't want to the baby not to have diapers! I had been doing laundry and I heard his little feet running downstairs, and then he yelled "I did it!". Sure enough, he had gone all by himself. And then the second time I heard his feet running across the tile, he did it again! I was shocked! And then we ran a few errands. We made a stop at the bathroom in Target, and, like a champ, he went potty. And then we stopped at the Post Office {which always takes a while!} and Trader Joes. Still dry. We got home and had a minor accident. But then he stayed dry for the rest of the day, and even took a nap without a diaper! At first he was hesitant to wear the diaper to bed, but since he usually ends up in our bed anyway, I didn't want to risk it! And so he wore the diaper, but woke up dry and headed to the bathroom first thing in the morning after he told me "I go potty". So, maybe this time will be the time? I don't know, though, it seems too easy. But, maybe third times a charm.

curlers

I love curlers. I love Macie. Don't you??

disneyland with cousins

My entire family came down. Erin and I packed the kids up and headed to Disneyland to spend a day with them there. They stayed down another few days before heading north so spend a few days at our house. It was fun. We hadn't ever been with any cousins before, so they kids loved it! This was the first time Jacob got excited about being there. He didn't like the inside rides though. They made him nervous. He's more of an outdoor ride kind of guy! He loved Dumbo, the carousel, and the teacups...and Buzz. {because who doesn't love Buzz?} He got to ride Matterhorn for the first time, too. He loved it. The older two refused to ride, but Jacob didn't know what was coming! He had a permanent grin on his face after getting off. He talked about it for a long time. He's still talking about it. He does actions of what the ride did and gets so excited and starts talking really fast and very animated. He loved it. I'm hoping this means I may finally have another roller coaster rider in the family. The other two? Yeah, not so much. I have to bribe them to go on things. They won't even ride Pirates, silly kids. We had quite the funfilled day and actually did quite a bit. Including riding the two new rides: Star Tours and Little Mermaid. Star Tours was only a 15 minute wait, and Little Mermaid was about 45. Not too bad. 

However, walking to and from Disneyland twice, having three kids, and being 29 weeks pregnant was not a good combination. I was hurting for days after, but it was still a good time!  

{the pictures are in no order...and there are very possibly WAY too many pictures. But it's 2:40 AM, I don't care! ;-)}

I had to add this picture which shows off the belly. My mom tried to make me hide it for the pictures...so this one's for you, Mom!

last day.

It's official, Noah passed Kindergarten! I wasn't worried that he would, he's such a smart kid...and so ready for First Grade. I, on the otherhand, don't think I'm ready for all day school! I'm sure I'll get used to it.

Noah LOVED school. Nine times out of ten he would already be awake at 7 to get ready for the day. He may have taken a little longer some days, but he was a trooper. He asked me this evening if he still has to do his hair every morning! Ha, I told him that he didn't have to for 8 more weeks...he got pretty excited about that! He made a lot of friends this year and has learned so much. He loved his teacher. She was great. I look at how far he has come this year and it amazes me to think that this kid who could have cared less about learning, really, has learned to read, count way past 100, add and subtract, write complete sentences, sound out words to spell, and even write his long last name! He's done so well. And I'm very proud of him!

Good job, Noah!!