Happy Sunday

Oh how I love little boys in suit coats and ties. 

 He said, "I look like a boss!"

 And then there's little brother... not so cooperative. The coat didn't actually make it to church and required some gummies just to get this pic. But it was so worth it!

Gold coins

The boys love to play "eye spy" with every book we own. They don't care about the stories, they just want to find things in the pics. Here was a little discussion I had with Austin about the treasure in a treasure chest one day.

St. Patty's Day

I did not plan on doing a darn thing to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. That was until Parker came home all excited because his teacher had been talking it up, and he was so excited that the leprechaun was going to visit our house, turn things green, mess things up, and leave gold coins. Uh... is this day actually a big deal? 

Oddly enough, when the day actually arrived, I noticed many friends on social media that also felt peer pressured into observing the holiday. How funny... anyway, I decided to keep it simple but do what I could to bring a little life to the day.... The boys woke up to green footprints leading to the toilet. And green water!

 Then they went downstairs and saw a photo turned upside down, Lucky Charms cereal, and a note from Leo the Leprachaun. Parker just said, "Oh yeah, I know that guy." Unimpressed. Later we went to the movies with a friend and came back for green pancakes and rainbow fruit. My friend also brought some craft stuff and the boys made Shamrocks. Bless the moms out there who let their kids use glitter:)

All in all, it was a fun day without going too crazy. Hope he doesn't expect me to up my game next year.

Growing boy

Parker sure is growing up and I really love it. His little personality shines more and more as he matures, and I love to hear his thoughts and opinions. He expressed wanting to try karate, so I told him I'd look into it. A center near us offered a "free trial class" which was essentially the ultimate sales pitch. They took us into a back room, helped him put on a uniform and did a little one on one with him. Then they told us it would be $140/month to come in 1-2 week. What?!?!?! For a five year old to develop the punching and kicking skills he basically already does everyday? Sorry Park. But he did look cute in the uniform. 

 How cute is this guy? I love seeing him becoming more aware of making good choices.

 And we are treasuring any good weather days. Good weather usually means about 50 degrees! Running races in the front yard is a favorite thing to do.

 And often Daddy gets involved. (And Austin cheats... but in all fairness... the kid doesn't stand a chance with his short legs and one arm pumping motion).

 Parker also received the "Self-manager" award in computer class, which means he was effectively self-regulating his behavior by listening, staying quiet, and following directions.

24 weeks

It's funny how things change with each pregnancy. With your first, you know down to the day how far along you are, you are hypersensitive to every ache and pain, you have much more time to cater to those aches and pains, and you try to wear maternity clothes way earlier than necessary because well... you're finally pregnant and maternity clothes can be so much fun! 

With the second you get a little less of all those things, and with the third, you are just looking forward to crashing in bed at the end of the day. 

All in all, I am super lucky with the pregnancies because I don't get overly sick in the beginning and things just move along smoothly. But at 24 weeks, I am starting to feel it! Since I've only had winter babies so far, I feel like I should be ready to give birth to this one any day now. Sadly, July is not exactly around the corner. Bummer man. But I am feeling big, though I am working out daily which is not something I did in my previous pregnancies. Mostly I do yoga, but then I have also found prenatal strength training videos on youtube that I like. Pete said it's made a difference... but I don't really see it. However, I know that working out will help me bounce back better following the delivery. I am pleased with my energy level, despite the aches and pains. I find that having wood floors has been especially unpleasant on my feet and legs. Anytime I make dinner, by the end my feet are swollen and in pain. Like all my other pregnancies, I also have sciatic nerve pain and neck pain, but yoga has really helped out with that. And the acid reflux... oh what fun. Sometimes I wake up with a raspy voice because of it. 

But that's the complaining part. I am so thankful that we were able to have a third baby, that he is developing normally, and that the boys are so excited to have a little brother. We are truly blessed. No name yet, but it's fun to talk about. Austin wants to name him Chesapeake Poopyface. 

Here I am at 23 weeks. 

 24 weeks along...

A little photo shoot

I rarely take non-phone photos of the boys, and due to a battery issue with my camera, I haven't done any good ones in a while. So I forced them into cute shirts and attempted a shoot in the front yard. Parker is so cooperative these days. Austin... not so much. 

 (A lot of these are redundant, but for blog book purposes you'll just have to bear with me.)

 And then we tried to get Austin into the mix. Even though this wasn't the look I was going for, it is an excellent representation of his moody-self these days. He does smile, but he also works the pout regularly.

 He told me if Dad would run a race with him, then he'd smile. Then he tripped and fell, and started bawling. Love a good puffy-eyed pic.

 Better...

 Buddies....

 Daddy making faces behind me sure helps out.

 "Stand up Austin... no, stand up straight. Put your legs together... your legs are still apart..."

 Parker trying to pose him didn't work any better than my directions.

 And then he felt like being a plane.

 Admiring a cute dog. There aren't many kids in the neighborhood but there ARE a ton of dogs.

 "I'm going inside mom. You can take more pictures outside."

Better luck next time.