Picture a Day - May 31

27 weeks

Well, these weeks just keep truckin' on by.  I wouldn't say this pregnancy is going by quickly, but since I have more to keep my time occupied, it just seems to be going quicker. 

This kiddo is moving moving moving all over.  I could tell on Friday the he/she was in a breech position (which is really no big deal at this point) since I felt all the "not so little" flutters way down low.  But on Saturday morning it felt like this kiddo was doing some serious jumping jacks for about 5 minutes.  Then, whaddya know, he's head down.  It's weird to feel such BIG movements.  I attribute the move to all the pelvic rocking I've been doing :)

Other than that, things have been going really smoothly.  Probably the biggest adjustment is that Brooks has to sit next to my lap instead of on my lap during story time.  So really, no big deal.  With 13 weeks (or so) left to go, Chris is also getting prepared for his coaching role in labor.  "Will you give me a refresher course so I remember what to do?" he asks me.  Of course!!  So each week after I teach my class, we'll sit down and go through the Bradley® workbook together and review.  I love my husband and I can't wait to have another baby with him!!

Picture a Day - May 30

We've been to the zoo not once, but twice this weekend.  My boys love that place!!  Brooks was thrilled to have Daddy home an extra day and we spent the time well at the zoo.  My favorite part is listening to Brooks tell stories after we get home about what he saw there.  It wouldn't make much sense to anyone else listening, but we know what he's saying and I love it!!

Picture a Day - May 29

Reading is Cool!

Brooks still LOVES to read books (we'll easily sit for 45 minutes and do nothing but read with him) and he now LOVES to wear his "cool dude" hat.  He made Daddy wear his "cool dude" hat too :)

Picture a Day - May 28

Happy Weekend!!  Last night we strategically placed this basket of eggs next to Brooks' bed in hopes of keeping our early riser occupied while Mom and Dad slept in.

It worked!!!

Picture a Day - May 27

What do you do with three boys on a rainy day??

I have no idea!!  If you have any suggestions I'd love to hear them.  We had to improvise today.  We decided to make collages with paint dabbers and misc stuff I found around the house.  And once I convinced Brooks not to eat the raw noodles and not paint the dinosaur on his shirt, it went pretty well.  It kept them occupied for at least 20 minutes.  Now ... what to do for the rest of the day???

Picture a Day - May 26

Drew is officially done with Kindergarten and today was his first day of summer vacation with us.  We had a really good day!

Now Brooks has two "big brothers" to play with!!

Picture a Day - May 25

Brooks and Daddy (and Charlie) enjoying a little mini-golf around the house.  It wasn't your typical game because every time they hit the ball, both Brooks and Charlie went racing to see who could get to it first!  There were a lot of mulligans ;)

Picture a Day - May 24

This is a strangely common sight in our home each morning.  Any guesses as to what or who it is??

Picture a Day - May 23

Mondays are "guys nights" as I'm gone teaching my Bradley® classes.  Tonight Daddy made bean and cheese burritos ... clearly one of Brooks' favorites!!

Picture a Day - May 22

Me: I'm going to go clean the shower.

Chris: What are you cleaning it with?

Me: Comet, why?

Chris: Aren't you supposed to avoid cleaning chemicals while you're pregnant?

Me: Yeah, but the shower is disgusting and needs to be cleaned.

Chris:  Go sit down.  I'll clean it.

(sigh) I love that man!!

(and I guess he figured while he was cleaning the shower, he might as well get the ceiling too :)

Picture a Day - May 21

Well, the day started and ended with rain, but in between we had sunny, blue skies ... perfect for an afternoon walk.

Brooks has mastered the phrase "cool dude" and uses it often!

And what do we do while we're on a walk??

Collect sticks, of course!  Who doesn't??  Chris is kind of a bonfire junkie, so on our walks he's always looking for fire starters.

Picture a Day - May 20

Usually Brooks is a screaming mess after bathtime simply because he doesn't want to get out of the tub.  What a fish!  But tonight we got him laughing by giving him a "cool 'do"!

Picture a Day - May 19

Tonight we got all dressed up and went out on a "fancy" date.  Grandma Gale took Brooks and we enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Carnival Brazillian Grill.  Chris was in heaven ... all you can eat MEAT Rodizio buffet!

Picture a Day - May 18

Today was Cole's last day of preschool ... now he is a big Kindergartener!!  So to celebrate, we took a trip to the zoo!

The weather turned out to be much nicer than anyone expected and the animals were super active, which made it more fun!

Picture a day - May 17

So I know these pictures have been too far and few between, but here's a bump shot for you.  I actually was up and ready before Chris left for work this morning and was able to get a picture before tonight (when I usually look like a frumpy, tired mommy in stained clothing)

I am 25 weeks today.  These weeks seem to be just speeding by.  September will be here before I know it.  But trust me, I can wait.  I'm looking forward to enjoying every day this short summer brings.  We had a unusally warm day last week (85 degrees) and I realized that all my maternity clothes are not only all work clothes, but all winter clothes.  That's not going to work for this stay at home mom in the summer.  So I put a plea out on facebook, and my wonderful friend Bethany came to the rescue, and loaned me all her super cute summer maternity outfits!!  Hooray for sharing clothes!!

This kiddo has been sitting much lower than Brooks ever did.  Brooks lived in my lungs.  This one has taken up residence right on top of my bladder.  So needless to say I'm never too far from a bathroom.  And baby's been moving a lot lately too.  The last few morning between 7 and 7:30am, the kiddo finds his/her legs.  Chris loves to feel the baby too.  The other morning, Chris put his cheek to my belly and said "hello".  The baby said hello back by giving Daddy a good swift kick!  It was pretty funny.

Picture a Day - May 16

This is Cole and Brooks.  Cole is a boy I babysit during the week.  He's 6 and I'm pretty sure he is Brooks' best friend.  Most days they act like brothers.  They play, they laugh, they fight over toys.  Today Cole gave Brooks a ride in the laundry basket with several stuffed animal companions.  And if only I would've gotten the video camera out, you could have heard the belly laughs coming from my little boy :)

(no) picture a day - May 15

So I knew it would happen.  I didn't take a picture today.  Not even one picture.  I had grand plans of taking one during dinner with our good frends, the Gale's, but we got so wrapped up in a hilarious game of Apples to Apples that I completely forgot.  But picture or not, it was a good day.  You'll just have to trust me :)

Picture a Day - May 14

So Chris discovered that every time we flushed the toilet (the one toilet) in our house, it leaked in the basement.  Mmmm, not so good.  So this was today's project ....

I'm so proud of my ambitious, handy-man husband.  One new wax ring installed and we are good to go.  Which is good, 'cause this pregnant mama has to pee!

Picture of the Day - May 13

Today is Friday - Friday the 13th actually.  And although that date is kinda rare, this scene is my house is definitely not!

The moment Daddy comes home from work is a big deal in our house!  Brooks sometimes goes running toward the door and gives him a big hug.  But most often he scampers off to his room to find some kind of treasure - a balloon, ball, or in this case, a car - to show Daddy.  And as soon as Chris takes off his shoes, he's on the floor playing with his favorite guy!   I love my boys :)

Picture a Day - May 12

This morning Brooks' friend Ollie came to visit!  And when Brooks wasn't screaming about having to share his toys, they had a good time :)

How do you get two almost-two year olds to sit together for a picture???  You feed them, that's how!

Picture a Day - May 11

Tonight was Awards Night at church so in honor of that, here's a few pictures of my girlies I taught all year.  And since gathering eight 1st & 2nd graders is equivalent to hearding spiders, I snagged a bunch of individual shots.  Missing that night were Olivia, Kassidy and Jailene.  Gabrielle was there, but I somehow missed getting her picture.

Kaitlyn

Grace

Zoey

Angelique

Allison

Kaylee

Emily

Haylea

Miss Rhoda & I

Picture a Day - May 10

Choose your caption:

1.  Today Brooks got his first official scraped knee.  He was running on the sidewalk and, like his clumsy self, tripped and fell.  And despite what this picture shows, he never shed a tear.  He even wiped it off himself!

2.  Yes, that would be my son wearing socks with his sandals.  He's kinda OCD (wonder who he gets that from??) about his feet.  He's tried on two different kinds of sandals and he refuses to wear either one.  He much prefers socks and shoes.  But shoes are SO hot and his feet get SO sweaty that I figure the sandals would breathe more.  So yeah, he looks dorky but it will have to do until we figure out a better solution.

3.  This crying face is pretty much what I deal with all day long.  We're entering the terrible twos!  And top that with molars popping through and seasonal allergies and we have a crabby, demanding, over-sensitive, whiney (did I say crabby?) little boy.

Picture a Day - May 9

This morning Brooks found his baseball hat from last summer and insisted upon wearing all morning.  So we went all through Target with his way too small hat on his head.  Then we decided to make a stop at Once Upon a Child to find this boy a bigger hat.  I dug through bins and tried hats on his head, but wouldn't ya know, that after every new hat he tried on, he still wanted to wear his old hat.  Must be hard to give up a good hat.

But finally, later that afternoon, after explaining to him that his old hat is "too small" and he would be a "cool dude" in his new hat, he agreed to wear it.  That, and I hid the old one :)

He and Daddy are both "cool dudes"!!!

Picture a Day - May 8

Happy Mother's Day!!  I was truly blessed by my boys today.  Daddy made breakfast and Brooks and Charlie helped me open my Mother's Day present.  We grabbed Caribou on the way to church and enjoyed a yummy sandwich at Camille's for lunch.  I just LOVE my family :)

Picture a Day - May 7

Today was busy day - shopping at the toystore for Brooks' birthday present (and playing with the toys too :), buying my ... errr, I mean Brooks' first cloth diapers, followed by a much needed nap and then a lovely walk to McKennan Park with my good friend Carol and her adorable little girl, Hannah.

It was Hannah's first time on the swings!

We finished up the day with a big turkey dinner ... because who doesn't cook a giant turkey on the first 80 degree weather day of the season??

Picture a Day - May 6

Today's temp reached 76 degrees!!!  That's summer weather, baby!  So after dinner we went for a stroll downtown.  Which basically means Mom putzes in the shops while Dad keeps Brooks entertained :)  And on our walk, the owner of the kitchen store gave me a flower for Mother's Day.  How sweet!

Picture a Day - May 5

Today was a big day in our house.  Today was the day we finally took the plastic off the windows.  'Bout time too ... it's May 5th for crying out loud!  Every time I was tempted to take it down earlier this spring, there would be snow in the forecast.  But with sunshine and the promise of summery weather in the future, we took a gamble.  And Charlie LOVED it.  The moment I opened this front window, he pressed his nose to the screen and just sucked in the spring air.  I'm with ya buddy.  I'm happy it's spring too.

May 4

This is the happy face I get to look at every morning as we ensue our daily battle over breakfast. If he has a banana, he wants cereal.  If he has a muffin, he wants oatmeal.  If there are pancakes on his plate, he wants eggs.  And since I refuse to serve a full continental breakfast to my toddler, I get this.

May 3

Today there was sunshine, blue skies and, oddly enough, no wind!  So we met Daddy after work at Sertoma park for a picnic supper and some fun on the slides.

May 2

My silly boy found his winter hat and put it on all by himself!  And you like that shiney, drool-covered chin?  Yeah, that would be 2 year molars popping through.  And we've been enjoying all the crabby fun that accompanies that.  Glad I caught him in this happy moment though.

Picture a Day - May 1

These are my boys ... ready for church in their brown plaid shirts and chuck taylor shoes!  Pretty sweet kicks, huh?  Brooks got these shoes as a Christmas gift a year and a half ago from his Uncle JD and Aunt Pamela and he finally fits into them.  He wore them prouldy and pointed out his "new shoes" to everyone!

Picture a Day for the Month of May

I know I know, it's pretty sing-songy, but it's my personal challenge this month.  In an effort to post more to the blog, I'm planning on putting up a snapshot of our lives every day this month.  Everything from the exciting (which doesn't happen too much) to the mundane (which is much more common).  But mundane or not, it's our life and we love it!