LNO weekend away

I spent this weekend with my old friends I used to work with back when my brain worked and I got paid to use it. We left Friday morning and headed to Fredericksburg for shopping and lunch. It was fun to browse all the cute little shops. Would you believe I only bought two monster stuffed animals for my boys? Pathetic, I know. That afternoon we headed to Roddy Tree Ranch where we had rented a 4 bedroom house. It's a really neat ranch with two pools, petting zoo, tree house and dances in the summer. It would be the perfect place to host a family reunion. There were graffitied rocks in the kitchen of the house, so we had to leave our mark too.

We had dinner in Kerrville at a great restaurant called Jazz. They had the best fried shrimp and I got to watch everyone else enjoy the adult beverages. The fried shrimp helped to ease my pain of not having a margarita.

Saturday we slept in and spent the morning relaxing. It was so nice to chat in our pajamas as we leisurely ate breakfast. We finally decided to get dressed around 1 and headed to town for some shopping. We soon learned that there is no shopping in the ghost town of Ingrahm.

On our way back to reality, we dropped our leftovers off with the ranch animals. They were very happy to munch on our tortillas and pasta salad.

I had such a great relaxing weekend and I feel so lucky to have such good friends and a husband that's willing to let me go. I came home to a perfectly clean house with flowers on the table. I sure was lucky when I found Eric!

fun at the park

We met some friends at the park yesterday. As soon as we got there, the weather changed. All of the sudden the wind started blowing really hard, the leaves fell from the trees and the air turned cold. Too bad we were all in shorts and T-shirts! The kids didn't' seem to mind and had a great time running around playing together.

Ethan and Grace played together for the first time. They ran around together and had little conversations. It was so cute! I love the age Ethan is at right now!

Freezing mommas

blue no more

We repainted Lauren's room this weekend from blue to green. The boys had fun starting off the painting. They have a very brave daddy who helped them draw shapes on the wall. Eric painted the entire room and didn't complain once. He is not a painter, so this was a big deal. He is already spoiling his little girl and she is not even here yet!

Here is a sneak peak at her room. I want to have it done before the holidays so I can concentrate on that instead of obsessing over it anymore. We still have some work to do, but it's coming together nicely and it's been so fun!

Look what is blooming outside her window. It hasn't bloomed all summer and it just started this week. It's so pretty!

like father, like sons

breakfast of champions

queso, chips and donut holes

Some days

I'll admit it. Some days being a mom is harder than others. Some days I feel like the luckiest mommy in the world and just want to eat my kids up. Some days I feel like every other frazzled mommy out there who wants to pull her hair out.

Some days the kids cry about every little thing. Fighting over toys, crying for juice instead of asking for it and having temper tantrums sometimes fill my kids' days. Some days they play peacefully in the yard, share toys and have little toddler conversations with each other.

What makes the difference in the kids behavior? Sometimes their moodiness can be caused by hunger, sickness or being too tired. Or, it could just be the toddler years. The challenge as a mom is to figure it out and try to help them get in control of their emotions.

When the kids cry or whine to get something they want, I usually ask them not to cry and instead to ask for it like a big boy. I usually rephrase their demand in a nice way with a happy voice so they understand. It makes me smile inside to see my wet-eyed kid ask for something with a fake smile and voice just to get it. Hey, at least they are learning and I'm not loosing my mind as much.

Today I'm making a conscientious effort to play with the kids more. It's easy to give them half my attention as we rush through our day. Today I have uncomfortably sat on the floor to play with them a lot. It makes my day better and theirs too. Sometimes it's hard to get up with my ever expanding belly, but it's worth it. I sure love these kids even on their not so great days.

my first baby girl project

Any time I have made anything for a baby girl, I've always dreamed of making something for my own daughter. I've made lots of boy things, but there is just something about making something sweet, soft and pink.

I made these burp cloths out of pillow cases Eric's great-grandmother embroidered. She sent them to us when Ethan was born. I think they are so sweet and I've always wanted to use them for something special. I have many more projects to do before baby Lauren gets here!

sweet berry farm

Erica and I took the kids to Sweet Berry Farm yesterday. The kids had a blast, while Erica and I dealt with the drizzling rain, mud and carrying scared 2 year olds through the corn maze. It's a really cool place and I can't wait to go back when the weather is cool and Eric can carry Austin around if needed.

There are lots of fun things to do there like ride ponies, run through a giant corn maze, take a hay ride, paint pumpkins & feed goats. We learned that goats are pretty smart and don't like to be given "fake" food.

Lake Georgetown

This weekend we headed to Georgetown camping for the first time. It was a really nice campground with beautiful views. We had a lot of fun hanging out with 10 adults and 10 kids. We had so much fun we didn't head back until early Monday morning. Here are some of the fun things we did...

Woke up to beautiful sunrises...

Threw rocks in the lake...

Played with friends...

Watched entirely too much football...

Played with rocks painted like animals...

Created fun memories.

It's a ....

Today I had my 19 week appointment that included a diagnostic ultrasound. All day I was very excited and anxious. This pregnancy has been very different, so I wanted to make sure everything was ok with the baby.

As we entered the ultrasound room, I was a nervous wreck. I laid down on the table and we got our first peek at Baby. After we found out Baby was perfect, I immediately had this calm feeling come over me. Eric and I had prayed in the car that everything be ok and that God would be with us, and He definitely was.

As the ultrasound tech moved her way down the baby's body, I wasn't even anxious. I just knew I would be happy with a boy or girl. I love my two boys to pieces, so how could I not want another one? Then she said "well, your baby girl looks great!". I immediately started crying in disbelief and excitement. Eric in his own way was overcome with emotion as well as he got his first glimpse of the little girl that's going to steal his heart.

On the way home from the doctor we stopped off to get the boys a little something to give their new baby sister. We wanted to have something pink in the house so the boys would know she's a girl. I just couldn't resist this dress and the lamb was perfect for the boys to put in her crib. I am very excited about decorating a room for a baby girl. I need to get busy with my sewing machine. Even as I type this, I still can't believe it!

We are definitely still in shock that we are having a girl. The boys were very excited about having a sister, even though Ethan keeps saying jokingly that we are having a baby boy. They both jumped up and down with excitement when we told them. My sweet parents got us some baby girl balloons and the best piece of chocolate cake ever. We couldn't be happier and we are so excited about little Lauren Paige!

Lake Austin wedding

Our friends Brian and Ashley got married last night on beautiful Lake Austin right by the 360 bridge. The wedding was very sweet and the bride looked beautiful. We cruised down the lake in a big riverboat and enjoyed the scenery and spending time with friends.

The bride and groom

Our kid-free date night wedding fun

We had such a great time at the wedding. It was fun to hang out with old friends and meet some new ones. Thanks to my mom and dad for taking care of the kiddos so we could enjoy it!

overheard at the park

"What's your name?"
"Ethan. That's my best friend Austin. He's a good boy."
"Oh."
"I have a dog name Kirby."
"I had two dogs, but one of them died."
"I don't like it when a dog die. My dog not die. My dog is good."
"Come on, let's go play over there!"

I absolutely love it that my kids are talking well now. They actually have little conversations with each other and their friends. Nothing is cuter than the little things that come out of their mouths. I love watching them play together outside in their fort and using their imaginations. Of course, it's not as cute in the car when Eric and I are trying to have a conversation and Ethan says "MOM, I'm talking to you! You need to listen to me!".