Thursday, May 29, 2014

Memorial Day Weekend Recap

Ohhh how I just love long weekends! I took Friday off so for me, it was a 4 day weekend and it was perfection.

Friday started with taking the little man to his last gymnastics class, he sure is going to miss it, he had such a good time and learned alot.



The rest of the day was spent playing outside, naps, baths, a little computer time then bedtimes. It was a nice relaxing day.




Saturday we had our friends over for a BBQ, we hadn't seen them in about a year so it was so good to catch up.  Brayden was being a bit of crank while they were over but there were some good times in there too.  The weather was so perfect!




When they left, we made a fire and roasted some marshmallows and of course made s'mores, well actually I ate s'mores, Brayden ate tons of chocolate and Ella chowed on the graham crackers.  Ella only lasted a few minutes with the fire, she kept wanting to get up and walk around and would nearly fall into the fire each time - talk about stressful.






Sunday morning the hubby started cleaning the garage (which desperately needed it) and Brayden and I went with my MIL to pick out flowers for my birthday.  He was being a stink and not wanting to take a picture, which is starting to become a habit again.  Then it was back home and Brayden hung out with Daddy in the garage.  Our old couches make good seats for the TV that is above the fridge in our garage - hubby is obsessed with TV's.


         

Daddy was tiiiiired


Later in the day we headed over to my in-laws for a BBQ and the kids went in the hot tub - don't worry, my FIL makes it lukewarm for the kids.  They had a blast.




Ella made her way over to the neighbors house since they have tons of fun toys on their front lawn, she helped herself to their water table :)

Busy girl!



Monday morning I planted some flowers then we all headed out to run some errands.  Hubby needed some new work clothes, I just needed stuff from Hobby Lobby :) and we wanted to get little man his first real bike! (with training wheels) - then we had lunch at Portillos.  Such a fun little morning :)

When we got home, little man was so excited to try riding his bike.  I was excited too until I realized how frustrating it is to teach a kid to pedal, LOL.  I contained my frustration and kept cheering and guiding him on.  He did finally get the hang of it, once he stopped breaking every .2 seconds. I know we need to practice more but I think it was a pretty successful first day of riding and I was really proud of him.






Little Miss wanted to ride Brayden's bike so bad, but instead we pulled out his old tryke, she is still a little small for it but she enjoyed sitting on it, you know, for about 5 seconds :)



After naps we headed over to my in laws again for the hubs and kids to go "swimming" in the hot tub.




They also bought a water table so Ella doesn't have to invade the neighbors yard :)  Girlfriend was so happy!





Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Baby #3 - 29 Week Bumpdate







Due Date: 8/8/2014

How far along: 29 weeks!
How big is baby: Approx. the size of a butternut squash
Weight gain: Not keeping track anymore, but will find out at the dr this week
Sleep: My big belly seems to get in the way of me getting comfortable so that leads to alot of tossing and turning. Also my heartburn strikes the worst all through the night so that keeps me up.
Best moment of the week: Having a 4 day weekend and spending it with family and friends, BBQ'ing, swimming, gardening, and getting our little guy a new bike and watching him ride it for the first time :)
Movement: Oh yes!
Food cravings: I was craving pizza with ranch (so good) but we didn't have ranch so I opted for blue cheese dressing and hot sauce, it was the best combo ever

YUM

Food aversions: Nope! 
Maternity Clothes: Yep!
Wedding rings: Spent most of the time with it off, I tried putting it on yesterday and knew that probably wasn't a good idea so I took it off :(
Symptoms: Major heartburn this week, not so much sciatic pain which I am so thankful for, and some shortness of breath
Stretch Marks: None - praying it stays that way
Belly button: Well the top is out and the bottom is in, make sense?! <--- Same!
Gender: Baby girl!!
What I’m looking forward to: Nice weather and hopefully getting the little man out on his bike more this week 
What I miss: Alcohol!! Especially with this super nice weather we are having 
Next appt: 5/28/14
Thankful for: Maternity leggings, I lived in them pretty much all weekend, there is nothing more comfortable for me right now


Monday, May 19, 2014

Baby # 3 - 28 Week Bumpdate






Due Date: 8/8/2014

How far along: 28 weeks!
How big is baby: Approx. the size of a large eggplant
Weight gain: Last I checked, 27lbs, I'm sure it's more now :)
Sleep: Still tossing and turning, this big ol' belly is getting in the way of me getting comfortable. And this weekend I had unexpected energy and stayed up waaaaaaaaay too late resulting in only getting 5 hours of sleep between Sat & Sun and I am still so tired from that. 
Best moment of the week: There were lots, having Friday off and taking my little man to gymnastics, having a weekend full of family time, & my SIL's baby boy was born
Movement: Yep! Yesterday I lifted my shirt up so the hubby could see her from the outside of my stomach, she was going crazy in there :)
Food cravings: Chinese food this week and we got it and it didn't really satisfy my craving :(

Food aversions: Nope! 
Maternity Clothes: Oh yeah
Wedding rings: Still just my engagement ring and most days it has fit
Symptoms: Heartburn, sciatic pain, the usual --- Same!
Stretch Marks: None - praying it stays that way
Belly button: Well the top is out and the bottom is in, make sense?!
Gender: Baby girl!!
What I’m looking forward to: My little man's last day of preschool this week (tear!!) and then another 3 day weekend to hopefully get more projects accomplished since I didn't do too many last weekend. 
What I miss: Not having to pee all the dang time, I will go and then literally 20 minutes later have to go again 
Next appt: 5/28/14
Thankful for: My baby girl giving me lots of kicks and love, it makes me so happy and calms alot of my anxiety when I feel her moving around (she must know I need reassurance)

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Five on Friday

Friday is here again and I'm linking up with Darci over at The Good Life



*ONE*
I snapped this adorable pic of my little girl the other night while she slept - she is hugging her Giraffy Giraffe who she loves so much.  My heart melted a little when I saw this





*TWO*
Our new magnetic chalkboard wall is getting so much use, I'm so happy I finally took the time to make it!






*THREE*
My new knock off Stella & Dot Kimberly Necklace - The original is $89 and I found this one on Ebay for $29 including shipping (the link I shared is a new listing for $30) - I figured if the original comes from China why not just order direct and cut out the middle man and save me money?!



*FOUR*
My Ornamental Pear tree bloomed its first bloom this year, it's still a tiny thing but oh so pretty!






*FIVE*
This sunburst mirror is on my weekend project list - already bought the posted board (yes, it's made out of poster board, I couldn't believe it either!!) now I just need to find a small mirror for the center


DIY poster board sunburst mirror!



Happy Weekend!! 

Baby #3 - 27 Week Bumpdate


My 27 week bumpdate is late of course, but I still need to document it either way :)


Gross picture taken after a looong day of work




Due Date: 8/8/2014

How far along: 27 weeks!
How big is baby: Approx. the size of a head of cauliflower
Weight gain: Last week at the dr it was showing 27lbs! 
Sleep: Definitely not as good as it's been - I've been getting up 2- 3 times to pee which hasn't happened until now and I just can't seem to get comfy so I'm always tossing and turning
Best moment of the week: Of course celebrating Mother's Day! It was so much fun this year :)
Movement: Yes, tons and sometimes it actually hurts!
Food cravings: I was craving an italian beef so we picked up the best ones in town over the weekend, it was sooooo good

Food aversions: Nothing, I can eat just about anything and everything - yep this is still true
Maternity Clothes: Yes! I'm thankful my sister gave me her maternity clothes too so now I have options but I feel like I need more just basic tees and pants but I'm trying to hold off on buying anything. 
Wedding rings: Have been able to wear my engagement ring almost all week, had to keep it off a couple days because I was too swollen.
Symptoms: Heartburn, sciatic pain, the usual
Stretch Marks: None - praying it stays that way
Belly button: Just gross
Gender: Baby girl!!
What I’m looking forward to: a 3 day weekend and maybe getting started on some DIY projects for baby girls room 
What I miss: Not being in pain - I am pretty much in pain every day with this sciatic pain and now I've started getting a different kind of shooting pain in my backside that literally stops me in my tracks. 
Next appt: 5/28/14
Thankful for: A healthy baby, I saw her on the u/s last week and the tech kept saying things like "she is perfect" "gorgeous spine" and "beautiful heart" so that left me feeling oh so happy and thankful!!!

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Mother's Day 2014

Of course I have re-cap this years Mother's Day as it was so special to me.  I seriously cannot even put into words how happy/grateful/thankful/blessed I am to be a Mother. It is by far my most favorite "job" I could ever imagine having.  I could have never dreamed just how awesome being a Mommy is until it happened to me.  Becoming a Mommy has made me a total mush-ball (clearly!) and I now say the cheesiest things thanks to my little babes, but I truly cannot help it!



Ok - now back to our weekend - we started off celebrating Mother's Day on Saturday by heading out to my sisters and BIL's house and spending the afternoon with them and my Mom.  It was a gorgeous day outside and the kids thoroughly enjoyed themselves. My BIL is into meat smoking and he smoked cornish hens (so yum!!) and we picked up a Poritillo's chopped salad and my sis, well actually my mom, ended up making garlic mashed potatoes at my pregnancy craving request! :)


I love this picture of my hubby with my nephew, so cute!



Little Miss was having a ball with the bubbles, it was so cute the way she would just fling them around :)




Of course I couldn't get Brayden to smile, let alone even look at the camera!!



While trying to attempt a picture of the 3 of us, this is what my Mom captured, I love it



And this was the horrible attempt at a picture of Grandma with all her grandkids :)





I somehow managed to not get any pictures with my Mom or my sister, hate when that happens, but it was still such a nice day and I'll always remember it.


On Sunday morning, the hubby ran out and got me my favorite - Dunkin Donuts coffee and some donuts. Brayden was so cute about giving me my presents, he told me to close my eyes and then when I got downstairs and he said "open!" and then threw his arms out and said "tada!" He was so excited and so was I. The kids got me new planters and painted them and also put their handprints on them.  Brayden told me that one of his handprints kind of got messed up, but I told him that it was perfect.  The hubby got me some gorgeous flowers and a super nice card.  Soon after that it was time to head over to my in laws for brunch.


This is the only picture I got that morning





After brunch we headed home and the hubby finished my raised garden (more on that later!) he made me for Mother's Day and we filled it and planted - Brayden was my little helper and Ella was napping. 



He was such a good little helper :)



 The rest of the day we spent outside just hanging out - we planted a few flowers then Brayden washed all of his toys that were thrown in his sandbox and I finally cleaned out the sandbox of old pinecones, leaves, etc. 







A selfie with my favorite little boy!












They literally are my EVERYTHING - I am so honored to be their Mama!




And I'm so lucky that this is the guy who made me one, he really is the best Daddy to these little ones!



Thursday, May 8, 2014

Our Magnetic Chalkboard Wall!

I finally did it! We now have a magnetic chalkboard wall in the playroom and I couldn't be happier! I realize I am late to the game with this as so many people already have one, but that doesn't lessen my excitement! I always knew that was the plan for the playroom once we moved a year and half ago, but I wanted to wait until our remodel was complete to make one, you know after the walls were painted the color we wanted, got new toy storage, etc.

I made sure to do my homework on how to get the wall magnetic, so many things I read said their wall was NOT magnetic even after 2-3 coats.  I knew this meant I needed lots of coats.  I started the project on a long weekend when the hubby went out of town.  Before he left he taped the wall off for me and made sure the lines were perfectly leveled.  He knew if he left that up to me we would definitely have had a lopsided chalkboard wall.




I used Rust-Oleum magnetic primer and Valspar chalkboard paint (I had the chalkboard paint on hand already and have read that Valspar is much better than Rust Oleum)

Valspar 1-Quart Interior Matte Black Latex-Base Paint


When the magnetic primer directions say to stir before use, that is an understatement! Get ready for an arm workout.  It took me probably close to 20 minutes just to stir the primer around and even then it wasn't perfectly stirred, but I couldn't stir anymore! I did 5 coats of the magnetic primer because I wanted my magnets to stick!  I waited 30 minutes in between each coat and I did this over 2 nights while the kids were sleeping.

Then I did 3 coats of the chalkboard paint - this needed much more time to dry in between (1 hour) so again, I did it over 2 nights.

After the last coat of chalkboard paint I let the wall sit for a day before I prepped the board.  Once I was ready I used a piece of yellow sidewalk chalk turned on its side and rubbed it all over the board.  Then take a paper towel or cloth and rub the chalk into the board, in circular motions. 

**Warning** this gets messy!! I had a drop cloth put down below and yellow chalk dust still went EVERYWHERE, so just be careful and be ready to vacuum.





Once the wall was prepped, it was time to have fun with it!! I went to Joann's and had the kids pick out some cute little wooden pieces to turn into magnets - I had to use 2 little magnets on the back of each.  I was happy to see that our magnetic letters & numbers that we already had stick to the board just fine.


And here she is!!!!!




My 4 day project is finally completed!! And of course, when the hubs came home I begged him to add the rod and buckets below it to finish off the look.

The rod, hooks & buckets can be found at Ikea.

Monday, May 5, 2014

Baby # 3 - 26 Week Bumpdate




My cute little guy wanted to pose with me, gotta love that cheesy smile!


Due Date: 8/8/2014

How far along: 26 weeks! <---- WOW!
How big is baby: Approx. the size of a head of lettuce
Weight gain: Will be weighed at the dr this week
Sleep: Still sleeping pretty good, I'm noticing way more heartburn at night so that kind of keeps me up, as well as just tossing and turning - and as you can see from above, baby girl likes to move a lot at night :)
Best moment of the week: The hubby coming home after being on a little guys vacation for 4 days, we definitely missed him!!
Movement: Yes, still loving it! :)
Food cravings: I made these amazing quinoa burgers yesterday, now I am addicted! Brought them to work for lunch today as well.

Food aversions: Nothing, I can eat just about anything and everything
Maternity Clothes: Yep! Still can fit in some of my regular tops but not for much longer, and I have been living in my new maternity leggings since I got them!
Wedding rings: Down to just my engagement ring - thinking this will end soon too.
Symptoms: Still lots of heartburn, more sciatic pain, shortness of breath and lately I am feeling "puffy"
Stretch Marks: None - praying it stays that way
Belly button: Not even sure what I have going on can be called a belly button....
Gender: Baby girl!!
What I’m looking forward to: Seeing our baby at my next u/s appt in 2 days!! Also Mother's Day :)
What I miss: Alcohol again, we were at a Derby party this weekend and it would have been nice to have a cold beverage!
Next appt: 5/7/14
Thankful for: The hubby being home (see above) - My mom for putting together our new toy boxes and hanging out with me and the kids while the hubby was gone, seriously Mom's are the best!

Friday, May 2, 2014

Baby # 3 - 25 Week Bumpdate

This bumpdate is a little late, but I figured better late than never :)




Due Date: 8/8/2014

How far along: 25 weeks! 
How big is baby: Approx. the size of an eggplant
Weight gain: Still not really sure....
Sleep:  Good, starting to notice I'm getting really tired again early at night. 
Best moment of the week: Our kitchen counters getting put in!!!! 
Movement: Yes, little girl moves around so much
Food cravings: Again this week was taco dip, thankfully it's homemade so I don't feel that bad about eating the entire thing

Food aversions: Nada
Maternity Clothes: Yep! Just got some new leggings, can't wait to live in them
Wedding rings: Down to just my engagement ring!
Symptoms: Heartburn, tons of pressure in my lower stomach, and I have developed a weird rash on my legs, it's not everywhere but it's ugly nonetheless, going to check with the dr next week
Stretch Marks: None - praying it stays that way
Belly button: Just plain ugly!
Gender: Baby girl
What I’m looking forward to: Seeing our baby at my next u/s appt! I feel like it's been forever!
What I miss: Caffeine, I still drink 1 cup of coffee a day but it's half reg/half decaf, I can't wait until I can drink more coffee!
Next appt: 5/7/14
Thankful for: Overall a really good pregnancy so far, I only hope & pray it continues!!  
 
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