Number three

Baby number three is on the way.

They are telling us it's a boy.
Michael says he still needs better proof.

Due date is August 26th.
At my rate, that will be around the first of August:)
We are all nervous, happy, and excited to add another to the clan.

Our Memorial Day

Our Memorial Day Weekend:

-Visit with old friends who are moving across the country

-Movie and shopping with sister in-law and the kids

-The brothers play a round of golf

-BBQ at grandma and grandpas with (a lot of) the family

-Fishing trip for the boys (and some of the girls)

-A boat ride and tubing, courtesy of Michael's brother (thanks so much)

Of course it was so fun to be together with family and friends.  

And it was a perfect and busy weekend.

(P.S.  Michael is not a fireman. However, he is currently the fire commissioner for city council.  I love it!)

Winter wear

The kids found our winter clothes box this morning.

It provided some entertainment for awhile.

 Of course, the most fought over item was the ski goggles.

I can't even remember the last time I wore those...or if I even wore them at all.

But Max sure liked them. 

      And by the end, he had little black flecks all over his face from the disintegrating padding.

      They are really, really old.   I ended up throwing them away when no one was watching.

And this was about the point that they both lost interest.

It was fun while it lasted.

Ten on Thursday

1.  Maxwell is very expressive.  Oh man can he pull some faces, and he LOVES to entertain.  He is also the Temper-Tantrum King at our house, which leads to even more expressive faces.  As one person recently commented, "Wow, he is really passionate isn't he?"  Yes, he is.

2.  Kathryn is getting ready to end her first dance class with a recital this coming weekend.  We'll see how that goes.  It's been an interesting experience, but I'm glad we gave it a try.  Her favorite part of class was "freeze dance" (along with all the other little girls).  My friend and I are considering opening our own studio called Freeze Dance.  And that is all they will do (j/k).

3.  I love spring at our house, thanks to the previous owners.  We had so many lovely and gigantic tulips all over the front yard.  Sadly, the tulip season never lasts long enough.

4.  Kathryn ambitiously volunteered to fold a pile of clean laundry that had been sitting on my washroom floor for about a week.  I was very touched by her thoughtfulness.

5.  And Maxwell helped with the toilet paper (PS- this was not my favorite Costco purchase).

6.  A city Kathryn built while watching general conference.  I know, I'm going way back now.

7.  Family movie night was highly anticipated a few weekends ago.  They patiently waited at the back door for daddy to come home, and then they cuddled him while watching the movie.  Our evenings have been so busy lately, so it had been a long time since our last family movie night.

8.  Breakfast at our house...Max is definitely the champion.  He can put down more food than any of us.  I'd even venture to say that it's his best food group:)

9.  Maxwell's favorite game has been Ring Around the Rosie.  But over the weekend, I think we found out that he has a new favorite...Duck Duck Goose.

10.  Lately, this doll has been the coveted toy for both kids.  They love taking care of the baby, dressing it, feeding it and putting it to bed.  Sometimes it's a girl and sometimes it's a boy, depending on what clothes are around.  Kathryn worked so hard dressing the baby in some of Max's old clothes one day, and she even completed his outfit with a pair of his old shoes.

Eight Years

We celebrated our eight year anniversary a few weeks ago.

It's amazing to think how much has changed in the past eight years.

In some ways, it feels like a lifetime ago...

(Anniversary 4 years ago)

I am so grateful for my man.

He's not afraid to stand up for what he believes, voice concerns and offer solutions.

He's not afraid to change diapers, bath kids and put them to bed.

He's not afraid to work hard.

Frankly, he's not afraid of many things, which is one of his greatest qualities.

I love you, and I will happily stand by your side forever.

Eat dirt

For some unknown reason, this child is attracted to dirt.

He gravitates to it. 

It's like there is a magnetic force pulling him toward it.

 And once he's there,

He plays in it

And throws it everywhere.

It always ends up in his mouth.

No matter how many times I tell him "No! No!",

It ends up right back there.

 

  But oh my goodness, he's just adorable with that mud-caked smile.

And he has so much fun...

Must be a boy thing.

P.S.  Michael planted my Mother's Day flowers the other night.

That should cut down on all the dirt snacking.  Hopefully.

Life Lately

1.  Kathryn had a preschool field trip a few weeks ago.  They visited a greenhouse filled with lots of different citrus trees.  It was pretty awesome and the kids had a blast.  They explored, ate oranges, played in the stream, went swimming and had a picnic.  It was a fun adventure for everyone.

 

2.  Maxwell has been sleeping  in his own bed during naps and bedtime.  Hallelujah!  We finally put him in the toddler bed several months ago.  I think I can count on two hands the number of times he actually slept in his crib over the last 22 months.  Sleeping has been a real challenge for him, no thanks to us, but I think we've got a good routine now.  He crawls into bed with his monkey and puckers up for a goodnight kiss.  It's pretty darn  cute.  Now, if we could just get him to stay in his bed all night long...that would be fantastic.

3.  Kathryn finished up her last day of tumbling class last week.  She loved it, and I loved it!  Mrs. Christy was an awesome teacher and she was great with all the busy kids.  On the last day, they all received an award certificate and a medal.  On the back of the medal it said, "If at first you don't succeed, then try try again."  What a good motto for kids who are learning something new.

4.  Last night, we were out in the backyard enjoying the nice weather.  The kids were playing with their toys and Michael and I were playing basketball.  Michael made a slam dunk, and noticed the basketball hoop falling towards him.  Luckily he was able catch the rim with his hands and set it down.  The base of the pole had completely rusted through and the hole was filled with water.  We thanked our lucky stars that our children, who had earlier been running back and forth underneath it, had not been there when it happened.  It was so heavy, it could have been a deadly disaster.  That night as we said our family prayer, we thanked Heavenly Father for protecting us.