{{Somewhat}} Wordless Monday!!

We have had such a fun couple of weeks lately!! Summer has officially begun in our house as we've celebrated Johnny's birthday, Gammy, Nana, Aunt Amy and Daxton came to visit, experienced Mellany's first recital, went to VBS at church and we have been outside as much as possible! The next few weeks are just as exciting too as we will be headed out camping, traveling to KC, painting the house and Mellany has a super fun preschool camp coming up. With all the stuff we have planned, summer will be over before we know it! 

Here are a few pictures of the things we've been up to. 

Our kids FINALLY wanted to get on the lawn mower and ride. We've only been asking them if they wanted to since we got the mower and neither of them have been interested until now. 

Mellany's art work with Wiki Stix....a rainbow, a snail and a butterfly. I thought they were pretty accurate and was completely blown away with her artistic ability. 

Taking a breakfast picture to send to daddy while he was away on a trip

Freezing cold water with Mellany's neighbor friend

Surprise trip to the ice cream shop with friends

It's the TRASH TRUCK!!!

"Mama, I've got a baby in my belly just like you!"

Daxton is here!!!!

Cousin line-up

Strawberry picking and jam

Memorial Day fun in the water

Mellany's photography....she wanted a baby belly picture. She told me "mama, your belly's getting big, let me take a picture". 

Watching a video on Gammy's phone

Brownie making with Gammy 

Special eggs that Gammy brought with her

"Diva"

Picture for daddy to say we missed him!

The kids riding the "carousel" at the mall with Gammy

Ballet Recital 2016

Mellany's first year of ballet came to a close on May 29 with her very first recital! The recital celebrated Indiana's Bicentennial and her class represented "Fireflies" which are native to Indiana. She/her class had been preparing since right after Christmas and she talked about it after every ballet class. She was super excited and this mama was super nervous (would she get scared or nervous when she saw all the people watching? would the lights be too bright? the music too loud?). But she did INCREDIBLE!!! John and I were so proud!!  She did every movement like she was supposed to, she knew right where she needed to stand, her timing was perfect.....and when it came to the finale, she waved to her audience like she had never waved before! I could have cried!! The best part is that she loved it. She said she wanted to do it again next year and had so much fun dancing in front of everyone, she loved having her hair done in a "donut" and especially loved getting to wear makeup. 

Because Johnny's birthday and the recital landed on the same weekend Gammy, Nana, Aunt Amy and Daxton were all able to be here for it as well. It really was a blast! I see many more recitals in our future!

Recital Picture Day

Recital Day!

(I got to sit with her during the show because I had volunteered to be a stage mom) 

20 Weeks! 22 Weeks! 24 Weeks!

20 Weeks

How far along:  20

Symptoms:  Weight gain....and not just in my belly. I can see it in my face, in my legs, my arms....

Maternity Clothes: Jeans and many shirts--the belly is taking over! It won't be long before I'm in maternity clothes full time. 

Sleep: Sleeping really well. 

Movement: Yes. Movements are becoming more frequent and stronger....I'm in heaven!!

Food cravings: None and actually my eating has slowed down some. I don't seem to be as hungry as I was a few weeks ago when I would have (and pretty much did) eaten anything in sight. 

Aversions: No aversions lately 

Labor signs: No...and I pray nothing happens for many more weeks. We are super excited to meet our baby boy, but we want him to be nice and "cooked" before he makes his grand entrance. 

Best moment: John getting to feel our little man move! It was just a small movement, but he got to feel it.  

Emotions: Emotions seem to be pretty in check this week-minus a small amount of crying during a tv show. 

What I miss: I'm really missing some of my regular pieces of clothing and running. I mean I don't miss the actual action of running but I miss how I feel after running. It's just starting to get really difficult to run with breathing especially and I can only make it about half a mile....

What I'm looking forward to: Our next doctor visit. Getting to hear baby's heartbeat is such a comforting sound...AND...my mama will be in town so she will be coming too! 

What I'm most nervous about: I don't really feel nervous about anything right now. I(We) am just enjoying time with our family. This is an exciting time of year for us as we prep for baby boy's arrival, Mellany's preschool wraps up, her ballet recital is coming, camping season is approaching, swimming lessons are starting, Johnny's birthday is extremely soon which means our families are coming to town....we're just really excited about all we've got going on! 

22 Weeks

How far along:  22

Symptoms:  More weight gain

Maternity Clothes: Jeans and many shirts. A lot of my regular shirts just aren't working anymore, they are way too short

Sleep: Sleeping is really hit or miss the past two weeks. Some nights I sleep great, other nights I'm up to potty or just awake for no reason tossing and turning. 

Movement: Yes. His movements are really becoming stronger and he loves to move right around my bladder.

Food cravings: None 

Aversions: No aversions lately 

Labor signs: No

Best moment: Mellany feeling baby boy move!! The look on her face is one I will never forget. She was so amazed!! Now, she is constantly putting her hands on my belly hoping to feel him move again but it hasn't happened yet. She tries to get him to "wake up" by shaking my belly or talking to him but he doesn't listen to her

Emotions: Doing pretty well, especially considering John has been traveling quite a bit.  

What I miss: Not missing anything new....just a few pieces of normal clothing and running long distance. I have been able to run on intervals which is pretty nice and feels great, but nothing longer than a minute at a time. 

What I'm looking forward to: I'm still really looking forward to the next doctor visit when my mama will be here! 

What I'm most nervous about: I'm feeling pretty laid back these past couple of weeks and am not nervous about anything. I'm getting anxious to get baby boy's room together and pick out his name, but nothing that I'm nervous about....just really excited!! 

23 Week Dr. Appt: 

Weight Gain: +12 from initial visit

Dilated: No

Effaced: No

Blood Pressure: 106/64

Heartbeat: We didn't get told what the heartbeat was this appointment because Mellany and Johnny were so excited about the heartbeat that Dr. Sinnott didn't even get a chance to say what the number was. Bottom line is that it was healthy and strong though. :)

This doctor appointment went great! To make it even better, my mom was in town and was able to make it. The kids also came too and were very well behaved which made it nice! (Mellany actually wouldn't stop talking to Dr. Sinnott. She just told him story after story about anything that popped in to her head. Dr. Sinnott didn't seem to mind thankfully; he has three girls of his own so I'm pretty sure he is used to it.)

I was weighed, had my urine tested, blood pressure taken, measured and heard baby boy's heartbeat. Everything looked great, we all LOVED hearing the baby's heartbeat and I measured right on track for 23 1/2 weeks. I did start swelling some over the previous weekend and Dr. Sinnott noticed right away; he wasn't concerned at all and said sometimes it just happens as a pregnancy symptom. Next appointment is the 2 hour glucose tolerance appointment. Crossing my fingers for passing the 3rd time as well as I did the first two. 

24 Weeks

How far along:  24

Symptoms:  Weight gain, swelling in my legs (mostly at 23 weeks)

Maternity Clothes: Just about all clothes are maternity at the point. I'm able to wear a few pieces of regular clothing (like sweatpants and bigger/longer shirts) but not many. 

Sleep: Sleeping like a rock, and even without my pregnancy pillow. By the end of the day I'm pretty tired. Between taking care of Mellany & Johnny and creating a little boy in my belly, it makes for a busy day ;)

Movement: Yes, feeling good movement. Times of movement are starting to become patterned too. Baby boy especially loves to move when I sit or lay down at night. 

Food cravings: None 

Aversions: No aversions lately 

Labor signs: No

Best moment: Mom getting to hear baby's heartbeat and be at the doctor with me. She got to be with me for an appointment when I was pregnant with Mellany and wasn't able to with Johnny; it was really nice having her with me. 

Emotions: Emotions are ok. I think that having everyone here for Johnny's birthday was a really nice change for me, but I did get pretty sad once everyone was gone. To make it even worse, John had to go out of town too once everyone left--there was definitely some crying involved with that. 

What I miss: I'm not missing anything new at this point. 

What I'm looking forward to: I'm looking forward to getting things set up for this little guy--his room, gathering clothes, etc. I'm also really looking forward to deciding on his name. I love getting to call our babies by their name while I'm pregnant and feel a little bummed that we haven't completely decided on a name for this baby. 

What I'm most nervous about: Passing the glucose tolerance test. I'm sure I will be fine just like I was with the other two, but there's always that thought you have about "what if". 

Mellany and Johnny wanted to be included for this week's picture

{{Somewhat}} Wordless Friday!

It's been an awesome couple of weeks minus John's busy traveling schedule. We're playing outside, we're playing inside, Mellany has started swimming lessons, we found out we're expecting a BOY, Mellany and Johnny are really enjoying playing together, we celebrated Mother's Day, Johnny is really coming into his own and growing out of the "toddler" phase and into a little boy and we are just loving spending time together as a family! Here are a few shots of the things we've been doing. 

Mellany's photography at our 18 week doctor appointment where we found out we're having a boy! She was in heaven that day and having so much fun! 

Cardboard box coloring and chalk drawings

Pre-church selfie

We voted! Teaching this little guy how to vote at an early age. 

Waiting on Mellany, taking off his shoes....one of his favorite things to do in the car. 

Mellany's photography/selfie

Mellany's photography: before heading to the church for some community service work 

Swim lessons!!! I was super impressed with how Mellany did at her first lesson. She did everything the instructor asked including going underwater!! She stated that she loved swimming lessons but did not want to go under water again. :) I think that she most loved the lessons because she was with a few very good friends of hers. I can't wait to see how well she progresses throughout the rest of the sessions. 

Playing at gymnastics

Passing time at the car dealership while the Buick gets worked on

Mellany's Photography

Hot Diggity Dog

Haircut Torture

Mellany the Brave

Mellany the Brave: Part 2!!

HAPPY FRIDAY!!! 

Mother's Day 2016

This year's mother's day was amazing!! I was treated to the Cheesecake Factory the weekend prior and then on Mother's Day I was gifted with lots of great gifts all picked out by my husband and Mellany (including a very special hot pink soccer ball!). I was absolutely spoiled this year! After spending the morning at church, we made a trip to the mall for lunch and some shopping and then spent the rest of the day being lazy with John and the kids! It couldn't have been more perfect!! I'm so thankful, every day, for the incredible husband and children God has blessed me with!! This is truly the best job in the world!

Mellany's Photography while shopping at the mall 

End of Year: K-3 Preschool

Once again, we are at the end of another preschool year. It was really a great year for Mellany as she learned a TON--sounds of the letters of the alphabet, how to write each letter and number 1-10, she is coloring in the lines and is very particular about the colors she chooses to use, she is "tracking words" while reading, she can write her name better than she could at the beginning of the year, her vocabulary has expanded, she is counting to almost 40 and identifying numbers up to 20 and to top it off she learned even more about Jesus. She is super excited to go to preschool camp over the summer for a week and already can't wait to go back to "big kid" preschool next year where she will be in school three days a week from 9-2. I think it will be a great transition for everyone as she will get familiar with longer days as prep for Kindergarten and mama will get more used to her being gone for longer periods during the day (have I mentioned I am so not ready for this?!).

Jump Start's Graduation Program was this past week. John was working out of town and unable to make it so the kids and I tackled it alone and I think we did ok for the most part. Each class got to sing a few songs, the teachers put together a skit and slide show (Mellany LOVED seeing her picture up on the big screens), the kids got a certificate and there were cupcakes and snacks after it was all over (which we enjoyed at home-I wasn't feeling brave enough to tackle messy cupcakes in the church). Mellany really enjoyed singing on the stage and showing what she had learned. Johnny did pretty well sitting still and being quiet for the program, though he didn't really have a desire to sit next to me. He either wanted to sit in front of me or behind me....he's already "too cool"! :(  All in all, it was a great night!!