Staying busy...

Staying busy is definitely the name of the game over here at our house. Every day I wonder what we can do to make sure we have a smooth and quick day, especially when we are cooped up inside being sick. Except on days when I work...those always fly by no problem! I'm always way too busy at school! :o)



(can you see the grass getting greener outside?? yay!!)

I bought Michael a huge bag of little cars at a consignment sale last week. The sale was crazy but I picked up a ton of new to us stuff to keep Michael occupied. Most of it is put away until the new baby comes but I had the cars out for our weekend away. I've been catching him playing so nicely by himself in the sunroom. He lines the cars up and moves them from one end to the other and makes little noises and talks to himself...it just makes my heart melt!

We've also been working on coloring with crayons. He usually gets a few scribbles in before he starts to gnaw on the crayons. Maybe I should try markers instead? He is also starting to like to do stickers but I try and save them for special times like a restaurant.

Busy boy...time for a snack!

Family Weekend

This past weekend Scott's mom's side of the family got together in Cedar Rapids to celebrate his grandma's 95th birthday. It was quite the celebration with family in town all weekend. It was so fun to see everyone and catch up with people we haven't seen in a long time. Some we haven't seen in 3 or 4 years!



All the great-grandkids, minus the two new babies and Andy who was sick.



We had the party at Betty's home. They have a nice party room in the lower level and it was perfect for hosting a big group. We brought in sandwiches and chips and had a great time. Michael loved the grapes!



Scott's aunt brought a pile of old photos to look through. How Boardwalk Empire is this one?

The night before we all gathered at the Amana colonies for a nice dinner. I wanted to get there early to walk around and visit some of the shops but we pulled in right at 5 when everything closed. Maybe we can head back there sometime this summer, it is something I really want to do!

We ate at the Ox Yoke Inn, which was where Scott and his family always ate growing up. Scott had a fun time showing Michael all the cool things in the restaurant like the stuffed bear upstairs. We had a family style dinner with fried chicken, pot roast, ham, corn and potatoes. It was awesome!!

It felt great to get out of town for the weekend and see lots of family. Hopefully we can all do it again next year!

Thinking Spring....

Is anyone else thinking spring out there? It is another sunny but chilly day here and it makes me want those warmer temperatures back! I have lots to do outside before May 17th!

My lovely coworkers at school threw a baby shower for me and another girl having a baby this spring. It was really unexpected and very generous! I loved getting all the new baby things and it makes me excited to keep preparing for the new addition to our family.

I've wanted to make these little bird's nests for something ever since I had them at an awesome shower for a friend. I whipped them up and took them to school as a thank you for the shower. I thought they looked so sweet! Obviously my food photography needs some improvement (how does Pioneer Woman do it-she is awesome!), but I wanted to share them with you also!

Michael and I are both having a sick day today. We got colds over the weekend and now we are trying to rest and get back to usual. We've spent lots of time snuggling in bed and watching movies and hopefully we will be feeling better soon.

Nursery Changes & 30 week update

Michael's nursery has gone through some minor changes as we get ready for the new baby. We are planning on having them share a room for several reasons such as: the room is huge, we don't want to buy more stuff, we didn't want to convert our office into a kid's room, eventually one of them will move downstairs, and I am lazy.

:o)

I am actually trying to do the least amount of work possible in preparing for this baby....I don't know if you have picked up on that or not! Kidding, we are getting there bit by bit.

We moved the daybed we had in the basement upstairs and this is what it looks like now:



Also- disclaimer: I took these photos after I read a tutorial on how to photograph room in your house well. I did not follow the rules!

The daybed is replacing the queen bed that was in there before. This bed has a trundle underneath so sometimes we will lay down on it when we are trying to put Michael to sleep at night. I think it is the cutest bed and I'm glad it is getting some good use!

I'm not 100% sure on how sharing a room will work, but I'm sure I will keep you updated. I'm not making any promises, and we have lots of space in our house if we need to be flexible where people sleep. So far Michael is doing great in his big boy bed and I love that there is more space in his room for him to play.

I feel like time is really winding down before the baby is here. There is only about 4 weeks until my concert at school which is kind of my next big check mark to make it to now that spring break is over. Baby is starting to feel a lot bigger in my tummy and I can really tell when it is up in my ribs! Michael and I took a walk yesterday and it took me about 40 minutes to go as far as it normally takes us 30 minutes so it is safe to say I am slowing down a little bit. For the most part I am feeling really great and I just try to keep reminding myself that there is lots of time left! Blood pressure is still looking good and I haven't had any swelling yet. I had a short and sweet appointment last Friday so I guess that is good news! I'm sure I'll keep you all updated...thanks for your nice comments!

Friends Weekend Recap

Since our weekends are gradually winding down before we'll be a family of four, we took the free weekend we had and invited friends to stay for the weekend!

It was super fun and I had a great time. Thanks everyone for making the trip to our house! We did a lot of relaxing, some wii dancing, and lots of eating. On Saturday I had my neighbor girl come over to watch Michael and we got out of the house for a little bit to walk around the downtown sculpture park and see a movie. It felt so nice to be out without Michael! I think I am spoiled after having two days to myself over spring break week.

The group (minus Scott and I)!

I had never been to the sculpture park before. It was a nice time and we were glad we got some fresh air and a chance to stretch our legs for a bit.

I think you can probably tell which sculpture was my favorite!

We saw the movie "The Adjustment Bureau" and I recommend it to anyone! We went to a nice local theater which was much better than fighting the crowds and the teenagers at the mall. Scott and I haven't been there in forever....we really need to get out more!

Thanks for the great time this weekend! :o)

St. Pat's

We had a great St. Patty's day here at our house. Michael wore his green tshirt (a generous hand me down from his cousin Ellie) and went to the pararde downtown with his daycare friends. Meanwhile, I went to a lovely prenatal massage! I cashed in a gift card that Scott gave me for Valentine's Day and it was the best massage I've ever had! My hips have never felt better!

We tried to take a few photos before Michael left for the day. He is a goofball!

And the reality of my life....most of the time my precious son is acting like this. :o) Good thing I love him anyway!

It was the most beautiful day out yesterday. Lots of sun and warm air to enjoy!



Michael had fun exploring outside while I got a little bit of work done in the yard. So far I've been able to work in 30-45 minute chunks for a few days and it seems to be making a dent in the clean-up. I did a big burn on Tuesday when Michael was at daycare but on this day I just piled it up in the pit to burn another day. It felt good to get outside and work again. I even saw some green popping up!



As you will see from the photos- there was a lot to keep Michael busy!









After naptime, we headed to the park to go on a short walk and do some playing. Michael was having lots of fun watching the big elk! Doesn't he look funny with just one antler?

It finally feels like spring outside and we are so happy! Michael slept for over 13 hours last night so I know he was a tired boy after so much outside playtime yesterday!

New Developments

Michael's newest development is pushing our kitchen chair to anywhere he wants to go and getting right into whatever he wants to get into! This is a familiar sight I see often:



At least I can give him credit for being resourceful, right? There isn't a lot he can get into on the countertops, except for our cooktop which has lots of fun buttons. I am so thankful for the "control lock" feature!

We've had a whirlwind past 24 hours here with Michael refusing to nap yesterday and to go to bed last night. I think it ranks right up there with one my hardest days of parenting ever. I spent almost 3 hours trying to get him to fall asleep!! I think we are really spoiled after having a good sleeper for over a year. We're not ready for a newborn yet!!!
Poor Michael was so tired today and luckily Scott got him to take a nice long nap while I took one also. We all woke up a bit happier and had fun making cookies. Maybe they helped the happiness factor, also? I'm hoping this sleep strike is just a day long thing and nothing more serious.

Running, running, always running!

An ton of geese have been visiting our pond over the last few weeks. Michael likes to see what they are doing and can say "geese!". I am hoping a few of them are laying eggs (do they do that this early?) because I love the fluffy little goslings that are born in the spring. I feel like usually we have a few geese families that hang around.

I am ready for some green grass!! Anyone with me?