Baby Update: 24 Weeks

Today officially marks 24 weeks of pregnancy.  So far this pregnancy has really been flying by so fast. I go to the doctor for my monthly check up on Thursday.  He is going to do a quick scan to (re)check the gender since Baby Girl wasn't very cooperative last month for my big 20 wk ultrasound.  I'm still feeling great.  My feet have been swelling a bit, which they've never really done with my other two pregnancies.  She is a very, very active little girl.  I swear she's doing cartwheels in there.  She kicks non stop.  Her movement has been more forceful.  You can definitely feel her move while placing a hand on my belly.  There is something about feeling a\your baby that is just so special.  I absolutely love it!!!

Here is my 24 week belly shot...

 Comparison shot from month 5 to month 6!



Scarecrow Day

Today is scarecrow day in Mackenzi's Kindergarten class.  Instead of dressing in costumes for Halloween, they dress like scarecrows and do lots of fall/scarecrow centers.  She was thrilled.  She woke up super excited to start the day!!  Right now she's probably having a blast with her classmates!!  Isn't she the cutest scarecrow you've ever seen???

To make this day even better, after school we're heading to Boppa & Nana's house.  The kids are having a sleepover there tonight!!  We're having our pumpkin party tomorrow afternoon!!  Busy, festive weekend coming our way!! We can't wait!!!

Perfection

We spent the weekend in Lake Havasu with some of Matt's family.  His grandpa had a heart attack while spending the month there and was recovering (and doing great!).  We all went out to spend the weekend and celebrate his birthday with him.  It was a perfect weekend!!  We had such a great time.  There's something about the lake in the fall that is so beautiful.  The weather is perfect (mid 90's), the colors are so vibrant, and the shadows that the sun casts are amazing. 

When we got there on Friday, the boys practiced fishing....in the rocks.  They had so much fun.

Saturday we spent the day on the water.  We took a ride up river to a great beach where we had a picnic lunch and the kids played a bit in the chilly water.

 Baby Madison (our niece) loved the boat and slept like a champ.  She was a very happy girl.

 Here's a shot of Baby Sister.  I'm not shy, I rocked a bikini...bump & all!!!

 On the trip back, we enjoyed the beautiful views and even stopped to take a dip in the cold, cold water!!

 There was no one on the water and It was as smooth as glass, so Matt wake boarded for a bit!!

We can't wait to go back to the lake.  The kids just love it there.  They all cried when it was time to come home yesterday!!  What a perfect weekend!!!

Flashback Friday

Halloween 2005

Faith Hill, Daisy Duke, (Something About) Mary, Nut (hubby had the bolt)
AKA: Me, Emily, Melissa, and Sarah

Warren (Mary's Brother), Tim McGraw, Spiderman, Bo Duke, 80's rocker, Saloon Guy
AKA: Eric, Matt, Brandon, Dusty, Joe, and Jeremy

Tim McGraw and Faith Hill

We aren't dressing up for any Halloween parties this year so I thought I'd throw out some old pictures from back in the day.  I was about 6 weeks pregnant with Mackenzi.  Matt was wearing my (smallest) jeans...and he rocked them.  We went to a Halloween party with our favorite friends and had a blast!! It sure doesn't feel like that was 6 years ago!! There were some great costumes that night, but I think Mary and Warren (Mel and Eric) won for best costume.  When they walked in we all CRACKED up!!  So creative!!!

One Proud Mommy & Three Bike Riders

There are some things that Matt and I really excel at when it comes to parenting  (ahem...if I do say so myself).  Teaching kids how to ride bikes is NOT one of them.  When it comes to teaching our toddlers/preschoolers/kindergartener how to pedal, steer, and ride...we flat out suck!!! 

So imagine my smile from ear to ear when my boys finally figured out how to pedal their bikes.  Oh, did you think I meant riding without training wheels??? NO, I meant just pedaling their bikes with training wheels on!!  Don't laugh, it's a really big deal!!!  Quinn figured it out about a week and a half ago.  In true fashion, Jace followed a week later (that's how it's been for all milestones in their life: rolling, crawling, walking, climbing, jumping, etc.).  So this past Saturday, we had two bike riding boys in our front yard, with HUGE smiles!!!

Jace

Quinn being silly for the camera.

This is his normal smile when he sees my camera.

 Mackenzi saw the big deal I was making about the boys riding their bikes.  This kicked her into high gear to learn without training wheels on.  She busted out her helmet and pads and asked Daddy for help!!  She was doing so good!!  She still has a lot of practicing to do, but we were all so proud of her.  Here's a picture of her first time all by herself.

 Then, after I hooted and hollered, she tried to hoot and holler with me and bit the dust!!

 That didn't stop her though.  She kept practicing. 

She was pretty proud of herself too.

We've spent a lot of time this week practicing.  I am so happy for my little bike riders!!!

Flashback Friday

I am in full planning mode for our Pumpkin Party in a couple of weeks.  We've done it twice before...so this is our 3rd time having one.  They always turn out to be so much fun for the kids!  I thought I'd post a couple of pictures from our first pumpkin party in 2008.  My how little my babies were!!

My head is spinning with pumpkins, bats, witches, games, treats, prizes, desserts, food, and fun!!  Looks like we'll have a beautiful NEW backyard to enjoy at our party too!!! 

** SIDE NOTE:  Don't you just want to pick up those 8 month old twins and squeeze the heck out of them??  I sure do!!!**

21 Weeks...Halfway There

Matt was out of town last week when I was supposed to do my 20 week picture.  Then, we were so busy this weekend that we didn't get around to taking it until tonight!  Oh well, better late than never! 

 It's been five weeks since my last belly shot and....well, Hello Belly!!!  I think I've grown a lot over the past month.  She sure is an active little girl too!  Her kicks are finally strong enough to feel from the outside.  So far, she has kicked Matt on the cheek (as he was resting his head on my belly) and kicked Jace in the back when he was sitting on my lap!  Mackenzi is dying to feel her kick, but little sister just isn't very cooperative.  This little stinker usually stops moving when you put your hand on my belly.  Stubborn already??  I'm feeling great and hungry all the time...my weight gain is up to 10 lbs. total.  Here is the comparison from last month to this month...

Like I said, Hello Belly!!!

Festive House, Successful Weekend

This weekend was a very successful one!  We got so many things done that I've been needing/wanting to get checked off my list.  Matt was so patient and helpful at doing the many things I wanted to do (even though I know he didn't).  Here are some things that we checked off...

1.  Birthday Dinner & Yummy Dessert at Cheesecake Factory

2.  Halloween Decorations put up, our house is festive and spooky (well, more festive than spooky).

3.  Halloween Costumes for the kids bought (a 50's girl, a frog, and a puppy dog).

4.  Picked up our Pumpkin Party invitations and got (some) of them delivered.

5.  Washed both cars.  We cleaned the leather & vacuumed mine too.

6.  Holes filled & wall repainted...hung rod and curtains back up (that the boys tore down).

7.  Wrote thank you cards for my birthday gifts.

See, I told you it was a successful weekend!  We also kept a close eye on Jace's tooth that Quinn knocked loose!!  Flippin' boys have too much energy!!  That's a whole post in itself!!  Quinn also FINALLY learned how to pedal his bike all by himself, so he rode up and down the street with a smile on his big boy face!!!

I hope you had a good weekend too!  I'll leave you with a picture of our festive fireplace!!

Happy Monday, friends!!!

A Yummy Homemade Treat

I got many wonderful gifts for my birthday!  One of them was a donut maker & lots of toppings from my parents!!  The kids were so excited.  They woke up first thing Saturday morning begging to make them.  They were quick & easy to make and sugary delicious!!

 I let the kids put on their own sprinkles, the kids were so happy!!

This is going to save us a lot of early Saturday morning trips to the donut shop!!!

Wordless Wednesday

Hey DJ Keep Playin' that Song...

 Thanks to our families, Mackenzi sold enough items in her school fundraiser to attend the "DJ Party".  It was after Kindergarten one day, so Grandpa watched the boys while I took her back to school to rock out!  I'm so bummed that I didn't bring my camera...I had to snap a few pictures on my (crappy) cell phone.  They had a DJ playing some of Mackenzi's favorite jams.  They also got a laser light ring and a bag of snacks, juice, and treats.  Mackenzi had a blast!!  There weren't too many dancing girls from her class, and the boys liked running with their laser rings rather than dancing.  But, she still got her groove on.  Here are a few pictures....

Fall Fun

We were invited to go to the pumpkin patch last Saturday.  Unfortunately, Matt was working in the back yard, so he wasn't able to make it.  My sister planned the day and we had lots of fun.  This is our third year going to Live Oak Pumpkin Patch.  It's awesome there!!!  It was smokin' hot...so much for fall weather.  We got to look at pumpkins, walk through the fields, pick our pumpkins, and even go on a pony ride.  By the end of our day, the kids were hot and tired.  The boys didn't want a pumpkin so Mackenzi's the only one who got one.  (Silly boys!! Don't worry, they will get one some other time!!!)

My sister's youngest son, Camden

Dana, thanks for planning such a fun day!!!