Me at 20 weeks!

Bikes, nests, and swings!

I thought I would write about some activities we have been doing outside. James has been working with Lucas on his bike. In the video he's a little wobbly but it was only his second day to try. Today he's been riding all by himself and I'll update you with another video. As a parent, you get this overwhelming feeling of pride when you see your child accomplish a new task. James and I were almost emotional watching him ride for the first time. Nothing is better than seeing your child figure something out and succeed. These are the times when parenting is so rewarding and I can't wait to see what other big events are ahead for our "not so little anymore" son. Of course another activity we enjoy is swinging on our new play set. I tried to get a few pictures of their happy faces. Then we took a picture of a bird's nest that Sidney has been buggin' me non-stop to get out of the tree in our backyard. I finally gave in and got it down. The kids thought it was so cool that the bird used our plastic popsicle wrappers they forgot to pick up to build it's nest. I guess birds can use anything! I was so blown away about how sturdy this nest was. It's amazing that God gives these birds the ability to make a sturdy home for their young out of plastic, mud, and grass. These are just some of the normal but fun things we're doing this summer? What kinds of things to you do outside? I would love some ideas if you have any!

Enjoying the Summer

I have really enjoyed the nice summer days lately. James and I have worked out a great work and kid schedule. I go to work in the morning, come home at noon and James goes in and gets off at dinner time. It's nice to spend time with my kids and do fun things together. Today they painted their arms and legs with shaving cream colored with food coloring. They had a blast and got clean at the same time! What could be better for a mom? So, I'm just really enjoying my laid back summer becuase I know that pretty soon my life will be a little hectic with the added bonus of a third child!

FINALLY AFTER TWO YEARS!

Last Saturday, six guys from the church came to our house to help James put up the swing set. It was quite the ordeal, with Jeff Tharp reading the directions and the rest of the guys trying to keep up with him! It was really fun watching how six guys can work together. I was very impressed with my husband getting right in there with the rest of them! The kids have been playing on it non-stop since we got it up. All the sweat and hard work was well worth it! Here are some pics of their progress last Saturday.













How many manly men does it take to put together three pieces of wood?








Lookin' good guys!













The final result: Pure Happiness!

Lucas turns 6!

Lucas' actual birthday was June 6, but I haven't had internet for several weeks so I'm a little behind. But, it was a fun day at Chuck-E-Cheese! Of course, any place where a kid can be a kid is fun! Lucas invited some good friends from church and our neighborhood to enjoy his day. I think the highlight was Lucas giving Chuck-E-Cheese a hug! He is usually scared of people dressed up in costumes. Even at Disneyland, he wouldn't go up to Mickey Mouse! This was a breakthrough. I can't believe my son is six, where did the years go and where did my baby go? I guess your thinking it's a good thing I'm having another baby boy, since my other kids are growing up too fast! Happy Birthday Lucas!

The Farmland Fair

So, this just tells you how new I really am to Farmland. I was going downtown to the bank and I noticed a couple fair rides right in the middle of the street, hard to miss! I didn't know Farmland had a fair! The kids and I came back that evening and had a great time with some of our friends from the neighborhood and tried Elephant Ears for the first time. Pretty tasty!

IT'S A BOY!

It's official, we are having a boy! I went to the doctor on Tuesday and they wanted to do an ultrasound, so in we went not expecting to find out if it was a girl or boy. The ultrasound technician asked us if we wanted to know what our baby would be and we said at the same time, "YES!" I thought I was only 14 weeks along and my due date was November 21. Our guess was wrong, which is okay by me becuase I'm 16 weeks along and due November 10, my mother-in-law's birthday! How cool is that? We heard the heartbeat and everything looked really good. While she was trying to find different organs, our baby boy put his hand on his head and it looked like he was saying, "Stop pushing on me, I'm getting a headache!" It was really cute. It's amazing to see the baby move on the screen, it just makes it so real to us that we are having another baby. Thank you God for this wonderful gift! Lucas is super excited becuase he wanted a brother. Sidney was just a tiny bit disappointed it wasn't a girl, but it's still all she can talk about! She is going to be a great helper. So here I am at 16 weeks. Stay tuned for more pictures when I get even fatter! Yeah!