Summer Vacay

We just got home from two weeks in sunny Central Washington. We had so much fun that Sophia tried to talk me into turning around and going back all the way home. It was sort of a surprise summer vacation because we only planned to stay the weekend, but Ben decided to fly home for work so the kids and I could stay for a long visit. Back home is pretty much the land of plenty when it comes to outdoor recreation, so we made good use of the time by finding lots of different places to go swimming, stopping for ice cream each time we passed Rusty's Drive-In and spending lots of time hanging out with my family. It was so relaxing and fun I'm already planning on doing it all over again next summer. Here are some picture highlights.

 

Keeping cool

Tangled on my Kindle + 3-1/2 yr. old girl on very long road trip = very good idea

My little travelin' man

Can't resist this boy!

Visiting Great Grandpa Baskin at Lake Wenatchee

Sophia with Cricket and Jake. She had the time of her life playing with and bossing around the animals.

Grandma Burdy has chickens and a duck on her "farm".

Smiley boy!

Babies

Self portrait

He liked the swings. 

Monkey girl

Baby Whisperer

Striking a pose on Grandpa Parker's hog. 

Henry with Grandpa Parker

Swimming at the Cashmere City Pool with my sister Stacy and Nephew Asher. Many a sunny childhood afternoons spent right here.

Awesome kiddy pool! Sophia had a blast.

Ice cream on a hot day

I can still hardly believe it that I get to be a stay-at-home mom and enjoy this kind of stuff on a regular basis. I'm so thankful for a wonderful husband who makes it all possible and for the years I had to work more than I played. It helps me appreciate every day. Even the "tough" ones. ;)

Expressions

 Here are some pictures from the past few days to show you what our boy has been up to. He's getting so big that he now has activity mat time each day. He loves how the lights blink and is becoming so much more alert, which means we get to see of him with his eyes open so much more often now. Even so he is doing a great job sleeping for me and I feel like we've settled into a somewhat predictable routine for now.

We've been having fun getting back to life as usual except with a baby in tow lately. I have been finding it a fun new challenge to figure out how to maneuver with a preschooler and an infant. Yeah, I double doggie dared myself to take them to story time at the library on Tuesday and then followed it up with a trip to the grocery store with only a short intermission for lunch in between. We live to tell! I'm so thankful for my totally cuddly and go-with-the-flow little guy.

p.s. ~ Aunt Stacy, as you can see we escaped Washington with Asher's frog jammies buried in our dirty clothes bag. I will get them back to you when we visit in June. Until then we are getting Henry germs all over them. ;)

Picture Update

Here are some pictures to give you a glimpse of the last few weeks around our house. We certainly are in transition here, but lots of good help from my family (especially you mom) has made it smoother and and more enjoyable than I imagined it would be. Henry is a really good baby. He likes milk and snuggling and milk and his fuzzy blankets and milk and when you carry him around in with a little bounce in your step and milk and ... well you get the picture. He's pretty easy to keep happy and we are officially head over heals for him. Here are some of my favorite pictures from the first three weeks.

 

Brother and sister meet for the first time. 

 

 After bath photo shoot. Feel free to chime in on who you think he looks like. 

 I love this picture. Great face, Henry!

 My sweet little girl enjoying her Easter basket. 

 Grandma Burdy, who stayed for 3 weeks to help me. Thanks Mom!

 Great Grandma Betty made a special trip to our house just to meet Henry. 

 The ponytail girls. Sophia got lots of good time with her Grandma Burdy. 

 Sweet sleeping boy. 

 Cousins!

 Out for a little fun and sunshine. 

 Sophia in her new sandbox. 

 Two cute boys. 

 Bath time! He mostly enjoys them. 

Loves from his big sister. 

My little Easter egg hunter.

Almost There

Guess what? My baby is due this week! My due date is Thursday and if he comes I will not be pregnant anymore! Not complaining, but towards the end it gets...interesting. I'm thankful for a good pregnancy, but I feel so ready to move on to the next stage of things. I just keep making plans and trying to cram as much of the stuff I know I won't be able to do for a while. Here's what I have been up to.

• Date night with Ben on Saturday night. Fancy pizza at Christos. Yum, yum!
• Miscellaneous craft projects to fill empty wall space in little boy's room. 
• Play dates with Miss Jenny and Jessie and their littles. 
• Reading The Help.
• Doubling recipes and stuffing my freezer full of easy meals. 
• Hair cut and color on Thursday and pedicure coming up on Wednesday!

My mom is coming on Wednesday which makes this all feel quite official. I can't wait to see this little guy and start learning what he's all about. Stay tuned for pictures of our new arrival very soon!

37 Down, 3 To Go

We are really getting down to business now, folks. My 37 week check up didn't indicate any action on the immediate horizon, but no matter which angle you look at it from this baby is coming soon! As exciting as that is for me I keep trying to distract myself by filling up my calendar with the kind of stuff a mommy with a newborn just doesn't have much time for, like coffee dates, movie nights, time with my kindle and of course the pre-push pedicure. I can't wait to meet my new little man, but I do sort of hope he waits until after I get my hair trimmed on Tuesday. Here are a few pictures of what life looks like lately.

The nursery. I tackled this project with gusto right after Christmas. I am so very thankful I did because there is no gusto left in me now. I had a blast transforming the ugliest, most untouched corner of our house into a very cheery and welcoming nursery awaiting its crowing piece, the baby.

Fun stripes thanks to Pinterest.

My little cookie baker.

37 weeks

Miss Jessie at 21 weeks, Me at 37 weeks

I'm thinking/hoping that I will start using this blog again to keep family and friends in the loop via pictures once Henry gets here. So if that interests you check here for posts filled with lots of pictures of my two little cuties, but most likely very few words.
 

The Things That Keep Me From You And Other Nonessencial Ramblings

Today the chore of vacuuming shouts at me in sheer necessity rather than polite suggestion, yet after a long dispensation of silence on my blog I find myself compelled to post. If each day I tossed a coin to determine whether I should vacuum or post on my blog one would imagine the vacuum lines scarcely have time to vanish before being re-fluffed around here. However, shamefully I confess that vacuuming and other respectable chores do not keep me from my blog but rather catapult me to it after every other excuse has been exhausted. I am pleased you see the tidy wallpaper of my blog rather than the potpourri of bark bits between my wood stove and sliding glass door.

November and December went as quickly as they came and I wouldn't stoop to complain about it either because all the scampering around was for fun and festivities. I've been to Washington to see my family twice. The first trip was to help throw a shower for my younger sister, Stacy and the second trip was to meet my handsome new little nephew, Asher Parker Kazenski and celebrate an early Christmas with my family. Right on the heels of that we celebrated our own Christmas baby, who is now three very colorful years of age. Almost before the garbage man had time to haul off the birthday wrap we filled the garbage can with Christmas wrap. It was one of those rare years where I thoroughly enjoyed Christmas shopping and didn't feel at a loss for what to get anyone on my list. After all of that I was ready for a few naps on the couch and then quickly decided to launch into painting and setting up the baby's room, which after a handful of late nights is now approaching it's final state of being.

One night about a half-hour after Ben went to bed I decided to follow suit. I made my usual rounds. There is almost a rut in the floor marking out my path each night as I gather my cellphone, check to make sure all doors are locked, the porch light is on and Sophia is slumbering peacefully. Everything was progressing quite as I expected until my big toe came into sudden and abrupt contact with the bedroom door rather than the soft carpet I expected. The door flew open, banged against the wall and bounced back at me threatening to leave a mark on my forehead. Ben sat up with a start as if the Marion County Swat Team was after him and understandably so did not greet me quite as warmly as usual. Being just as startled as he and with my big toe a throbbin' I let him know I did not appreciate his very unfortunate and unannounced decision to close our bedroom door after seven blissful years of marriage in which the bedroom door had remained peacefully open. I stormed off to brush my teeth while Ben caught his breath. When I came back my teeth were very clean and after observing a brief time of silence sheepish giggling cut through the very stiff air and I am happy to report we are back on speaking terms now. Some days I wonder how Ben manages anything beyond enduring me.

This week I encountered a ripple in my pond that I was not anticipating. My doctor called and asked me to come in for a more thorough glucose screening because my previous blood work showed the sugar levels in my blood were elevated and they were concerned I might have gestational diabetes. I scheduled an appointment to be re-evaluated for the next morning and then I did what any respectable 31-year old woman does; I freaked out and called Mom. She comforted and consoled me as I belly-ached about how I didn't think I fit this profile and how could this happen? She said all the things that mothers of dramatic children become very versed in and I hung up feeling reinforced and encouraged. The next morning I rose early and pointed my tires in the direction of the clinic, peanut butter and honey sandwich in hand. Three hours and four blood draws later I was delighted to be told  I do not have gestational diabetes. False alarm. In fact the doctor said she was more concerned that at points my blood sugar dips too low and encouraged me to keep snacks close at hand at all times. Now that's a prescription I can follow without fail.

Benj bought me a Kindle for Christmas, so I've got a few books under my belt this year. Currently I am reading The Adventures Of  Tom Sawyer out of the lending library and wondering why I never attempted reading it before. I find it highly entertaining and pity anyone who can't relate to Tom Sawyer as they reflect on their childhood. However I must confess that I also find myself identifying with poor Aunt Polly who works so hard just to maintain her sanity while trying to stay a step or two ahead of Tom. I feel it's actually a little prophetic that I should choose to read this book at such a time as this. If I didn't know better some days I'd mistake the bouncing baby boy within me for a small, kicking mule.

Have you read anything worthy of suggesting lately? I'd love any recommendations you may have.  I really have not determined a specific genera that I would wholly devote myself to, although I'm not much for thrillers.