Memorial Day Fishing

A drive down to Chokoloskee was exactly what we needed on Monday.

Papa loaded up his boat & we hit the water.

This guy was content all day long.  All he really needed was a bait well full of shrimp, his Nana, and for Papa to drive the boat fast a couple times & he was good to go.

Holding on to his hat & ready to go fast.

Where Connor spent the majority of our trip---as lead Shrimp Hunter, along side his Nana.  He tried very hard to convince Nana to touch the shrimp with her hands and to "not be scared," which was very entertaining to watch.

Fish on!!

I think the total count was 11 fish for the day.  Papa did a great job of keeping the fish coming.  The goal when fishing with a 4 year old is that quanity is better than quality.

C asked for a picture with his Shrimp.

More fishing action.  I love his pudgy little arms reeling in all by himself.

We ran from the rain a few times, but made it back dry & not-so-hot which was great! 

Seriously, how did C get so big. 

Thanks for a great day Papa & Nana!

This week...

...has been eventful yet uneventful...

Matt had his ACL/PCL repaired on Wednesday.  Our day's have been long and we've had to make some adjustments around the house, but we're taking one day at a time.  May the next 6 weeks FFFFFLLLLYYYY by!  

Connor & I have also taken on the task of cat sitting at a neighbor's house.  While I find it to be the easiest job ever, I've concluded that, in fact, cats are boring as heck!  We stop by their house once a day to make sure the cat is still alive, say "HI," then go on our way.  Sorry cat fans---I just see them as a reason to vacuum and lint roll more.  No thank you! :)

As I quickly approach my 21 week marker, I'm growing and feeling ever so pregnant.

While I am surprised I even have the nerve to post this photo, I have to mark a milestone.  As of yesterday at Old Navy's fabulous swimwear sale, I purchased my first one piece. Ever.  Let me just tell you that if I did not have a waterbug of a 4 year old, you would not find me in a swimsuit during pregnancy.  Mom sacrifice # 1,256,359.  I've never felt sexier...

On a happy, non sarcastic, positive note--- Nana & Papa are home from their cruise vacation & we'll be going fishing on the boat tomorrow for Memorial Day.  Connor can't wait to see his Nana & Papa after a long week without them here!!

Noah's Nursery

We've been slowly tackling the nursery :)

What's nice is that I haven't bought a single baby item yet and check out this closet!

Matt & I took on the challenge of doing all stripes in the nursery last weekend.  Let's just say I am swearing off painting anymore stripes in our house... :)

Although I wasn't planning on registering at so many stores...I just had a hard time finding everything I like in one place.  We are registered at BabiesRus, Target, and Pottery Barn Kids.

I'm 20 weeks today! Half way there!!

Matt's finally able to feel when Noah kicks.  It's pretty exciting :)

More to come...

Last day of soccer!

My little Sonic ended his season strong.  He was hustling, sweating, and only pooped out once toward the end.  He came a long way since his first game.

*Photo courtesy of Poppy Charlie.*

He's the cutest little model!

Here's my proud little Peewee post game with his new trophy!

I asked Connor if there were any other sports he'd want to play now that soccer's over.  He threw out the idea of either "hockey in the snow" or "play golf when he's 17."

Hmmm....

If they had track for 4-5 year olds, I would definitely sign him up for that!  Maybe we'll focus on the sport of fishing for a while :)

What a weekend!

We're still coming down off of vacation exhaustion, so I'm going to let the pictures tell most of the story.  Let's just say we had a busy, exciting, wonderful family vacation (probably the last big one we'll have before our family grows by one).  I soaked up every minute of Connor's excitement.

Our first stop was the new Disney Cars' Hotel.  We didn't get a room there, but we enjoyed strolling the area & checking out all of Connor's best pals.

Lightning McQueen :)

Sally

Mommy's favorite--Fillmore

Guido!

And Peewee's fave--Mater!

We headed to our hotel next to find out to our surprise that the water park was still open (yes--our hotel had a water park & Connor didn't know anything about it until we got there...I was PUMPED to show him).  You literally stepped out our hotel room door to see water slides and more water slides.  Connor & Matt suited up & ventured out to the pool area.  Matt was a trooper all weekend, since I couldn't go on anything with Connor.  The boys probably did the slides a good 100 times this weekend.

Big guy went down the slides all by himself.

Then we headed into the other pool area to try some more slides out.  It was great with no one to wait behind in line!  My little fish could have stayed there all day & night if we let him.

We convinced him we had more fun planned for supper time & peeled him away from the slides.  Our supper date was the fabulous Auntie Katie!  We chose Dave & Buster's for supper/game time.  It was a little over stimulating for all of us, but Peewee had fun!

Connor tends to be a ham when Auntie Katie is around, so he was all over the place at our table.  He was under it, he was in our laps, he was all over Matt...pictured here is Connor playing with Matt's earlobes.  It was pretty comical because you couldn't see Connor behind Matt's head---just these little hands flying about & wiggling Matt's ears! Oh my child...

We played many-a-games & when we got back to our room, we all crashed!  Connor slept soundly until 9:45am on Mother's Day morning!  I was able to get up, get ready on my own, and then wake him to tell him it was Seaworld day!

*I was having anxiety about deciding on Seaworld.  Connor has such a fascination with characters (Disney, Superheros, etc), so the fact that Seaworld only promoted having Sesame Street characters (Connor's almost out of the whole Sesame Street phase)--I was worried he would LOVE it.  I prepared him that we'd only see Sesame Street characters (just like we did at Busch Gardens) and got him all into seeing Cookie Monster & friends!  We headed into the park, checked out the sharks first....then C was asking to see the kid area with the Sesame Street gang (which only happened to be on the far other side of the park).

We made our way to the kid area & I was cautiously preparing him incase they didn't have all the Sesame Street characters he wanted to see (the Seaworld website makes it appear almost identical to the Busch Gardens set up where all the Sesame Street characters do a character show together & then there are random ones to get a photo with afterwards).  We trotted on over to the kid area & Mama asked a kind Seaworld employee about where we could catch the Sesame Street characters.  She nonchalantly muttered, "Oh, yeah.  The Sesame Street characters are usually only here for holiday celebrations."

My stomach dropped.  Oh dear God!  The Sesame Street characters won't be here & I got my child so excited to see them...  As much as I wanted to argue with this homely looking Seaworld employee, telling her that Mother's Day is a holiday celebration, I knew it wouldn't bring Cookie Monster running out from around the corner to greet my sweet boy.  She did mention that we can probably find "Franklin the Turtle on the other side of the park."  Oh great!  Who in the h*ll is Franklin?!?  If he's not related to Big Bird, I don't give a hoot!  I braced myself for telling my boy his Sesame Street friends may not be here today.  

I grazed the topic gently.  "The woman said she hasn't seen the Sesame Street friends today.  We'll have to keep an eye out.  Maybe they're driving here still.  Maybe they're on vacation."  We distracted my little guy with a few kiddie rides.  Stop #1 was the Shamu rollercoaster.

The boys rode this about 3 times before we decided to head on over to the Shamu show.  I was thinking 15 minutes prior to show time would allow us enough time to get a seat, but oh my... it was packed.  We made our way to a not-so-close seat & waited patiently for the show to start.  Connor wasn't too amused.  I'm not sure if he still had his mind on his character friends or if our seats were just too high to get into the show.  Whatever it was--the view of the whales wasn't thrilling him.  After the show, we thought we'd grab some lunch nearby.  Peewee exclaimed he really wanted to see his Sesame Street friends now.  I had no choice, but to bite the bullet & break the news to him.  It wasn't so much a tantrum, as it was just heartbreak.  There were tears.  There were boogers.  Mom did lots of hugging.  Poor kid.  We did a lot of talking and finally got past the "I'm angry" phase.  I knew we were in the clear when my little guy says "You know what Mom?!  Its ok that Sesame Street friends aren't here.  I still like Seaworld.  I have a great idea.  Wanna go on the giant playground?!?"  This was my Thank you Jesus moment of the day.

We watched Peewee through the giant kiddie play area (where I freaked out sending him in by himself, since I couldn't go in with him, in fear that he'd get to a point where I'd lose him or wouldn't see which direction he was going.).  I stationed Matt at one end and I stood at the other, staring at him like a hawk.  There were tunnels & rope ladders everywhere where kids could end up on anywhere from level 1 to 5 stories up.  I was able to breath easier when we left that area.  I hated feeling helpless, not being able to do things with him while I'm pregnant.

We caught a funny sea lion and otter pirate show which held Connor's attention the entire time.  We did a few kiddie rides, visited the Artic to see beluga whales, polar bears, and walruses, then headed to the stingray petting pool before leaving.  I was so glad we saved the stingrays for the end of our trip, because we were able to end our day on a high note before leaving!  Connor loved touching them & even fed them shrimp.

The only regret I have for the day was not bringing a stroller.  I talked myself out of it thinking that Connor was big enough to walk.  I mentioned the idea of a stroller to Matt, since I wouldn't be able to carry Connor at all & it would all be on him.  I told him I really thought we should rent a stroller when we got into the park, but Matt figured we'd be fine.  Fast forward through the day of Connor on and off Matt's shoulders or back...and I got a "You were right.  We should have used a stroller," out of him!  I love when I have 'told you so' moments! :)  When we got back to the hotel, Connor turned to me at about 7:00pm and said "Mom, I'm gonna take a little nap now for a little bit."  For the child that never ever admits to being tired, I knew he was completely exhausted.  I talked him into getting a shower, reading a book, and then just going to bed early.  He was sound asleep by 8:00pm.

We then woke this morning & had to check out.  We were able to utilize the water park area even after checking out, so that is where we were!  My little guy mustered up the courage to go on this slide (the giant yellow one pictured below).  If Matt wasn't able to go down with him, I wouldn't have been okay with hit.  They tried the slide out one time to see how Connor would do.  When I greeted the boys at the bottom, Connor exclaims, "Can we do it again?!?!"  Glad he wasn't scared :).  Matt tried to talk me into sending Connor on the yellow & blue slide (the freakishly high one seen in the picture below) and I couldn't do it.  He'd be all by himself and it was too much for me to accept.  The boys rocked the yellow slide a good 4 times.

The boys enjoyed some more little slides in the pool (and Connor talked us into a few more of the big ones again) before hitting the road.

Our trip was wonderful!  Having a water park at our hotel was a great choice by yours truly.  Nice work, Mama :).  I'm a little sad its all over, but loved it while it lasted!

Happy! Healthy!

This past Wednesday was my long awaited Dr's appointment.  I had a long night of no sleep the night before, because I was just nervous to hear if the baby was ok.  I kept thinking to myself which gender would I really like deep down & I honestly couldn't come up with one or the other.  

A girl would bring a new challenge.  I would have to get used to doing hair pretty, the art of matching hair accessories & cute colored shoes, and playing with things like tea sets & Barbies.  Since my parents reassured me many-a-times that I was the sweetest, quiet little girl, I thought God might gift me one with the same temperament.  It would really only be fair, since C was not-the-easiest of babes.  I then grew anxiety.  Lots of anxiety.  I would have to teach a girl to overcome the pressures to look perfect.  I would have to decide what shorts were too short for her, or when she could shave her legs, or when she could go out with a boy without parental supervision.  I then feared that if one day a boy broke her heart, I would very well kill him.  Literally kill him.

Then my mind started imaging our baby being a boy.  I had no fears.  Not one.  Well except that this boy be really petite--getting my tiny hands or something-- & getting picked on, since his big brother is a giant.  Not sure that even qualifies as a real fear.  I was confident I could raise another boy.  I love the bond boys have with their Mamas.  I saw Connor taking his little brother under his wing & teaching him everything he knows about swimming, Star Wars, and CandyLand. I imagined the baby wearing Connor's hand-me-downs & it got me excited.  We got thrown a few curveballs when Connor was a baby, so I feel like I get a chance to relive having a sweet baby boy with no speed bumps along the way (when I say speed bumps...they were more like massive mountains, but you get the idea).  I felt happy knowing that Connor will have a brother to bond with, horse play with, and share things with.  I knew Matt would enjoy having another boy in the house to watch 49ers football with and to teach about soccer.  I knew the chances of my kids having a broken bone would be higher with two boys, as well as having to deal with teaching the boys how to treat girls, not to drive with their car stereos too loud in high school, and that 'tooting' around girls is rude.

Matt & I went into my ultrasound appointment that morning.  Matt carried himself like it was just a regular appointment, but I was dying inside with nervousness.  What if there was something wrong with the heart? The brain? The spine?  What if there was a problem with the bloodflow through the umbilical cord?  The unknown was killing me.  When the tech began my ultrasound, I quickly & kindly asked her how long she'd been at her profession.  When she said 12 years, I felt a little better knowing her measurements might be a little more precise.  I knew she couldn't interpret any of the measurements/findings, but I did my best to read her facial expressions.  She didn't appear to be concerned.  Slight relief.  I made sure all the fingers & toes were accounted for from the blurry image.  A few tears ran down the side of my face-- the whole idea of us staring up at our baby inside me was incredible.  I could see Matt's face just looking amazed.  When the tech asked if we wanted to know the gender, we agreed.  She took pictures from a few angles & confirmed 'he' had 'boy parts.'  As she typed, "ITS A BOY," across the ultrasound monitor, I remember the same feeling I had when I heard Connor was a boy.  It didn't seem real.  Like in the very moment, it wasn't sinking in that I really know now.  We finished up with the tech & went back out to the waiting room to wait to see the Dr.  As Matt & I sat and I picked up my phone to call my Mom first, it came over me.  It sunk in.  I bawled out of no where.  The tears wouldn't stop.  Matt was worried I was upset, but I reassured him I was just excited & it was just hitting me.  My beautiful pregnancy hormones just made my happy cry more like a giant tear-fest.  Since I couldn't get ahold of myself to call my Mom, I texted her.  Even through texting, just reading out loud to myself that "Connor will be so excited to have a brother," made me blubber.  Poor Matt!  I've cried so much this pregnancy & he just looks at me (and usually laughs since he knows I have no control!).  

The medical assistant called me back shortly after.  I felt the need to explain to everyone that I was crying happy tears.  Matt was worried people would think he did something to me to make me cry!  Before we knew it, we were in front of the Dr. & he interpreted the ultrasound images, saying that all looks great and as it should be!  It was the news I'd been praying for.  Relieved was an understatement.  The only thing the Dr. noted was that my placenta is very low.  He said 9 times out of 10, as the baby grows, the placenta will move upward with the baby.  He said they will keep an eye on it, because if 

my placenta remains low--we will need to resort to a C-section at delivery (since if I dilate for a regular delivery, it will actually tear away at my placenta).  He noted that if I begin to bleed at all, to come in right away.  The news caught my attention, but still didn't worry me too much.  Matt was more concerned than I was.  I was still riding high on the news that our baby boy looked as he should.

So since Wednesday, I've rummaged through Connor's baby clothes (that I stocked away in two giant Rubbermaids) and got all giddy!  I also tried to compile a list of nursery wants at Pottery Barn Kids.  If we weren't leaving tomorrow for a Mother's Day Weekend aka reason to take Peewee to SeaWorld for our last family of 3 vacation, I'd be buying paint for the nursery & getting that ball rolling.

It's probably a good thing we're going away for a few days!  I may just overdo it & try to finish everything ASAP now that I know we're having a "Noah." :)

Yay-Katie-Yay!!

Its been a busy last few days for my little sis.

Thursday kick started the beginning of her graduation festivities!  Mom, Dad & Nicole traveled up to Tallahassee to represent the 'Yay Katie' team.  Thanks to the beauty of technology, we've been staying on top of what they've been up to 6 hours away.  After 7 years of working her tail off, Katie is graduating with her DNP from FSU.  I was right there with her at our childhood medical checkups when she kicked our nurse clear across the room on her wheelie chair after screaming in fear for getting her finger pricked!  To think that the same little girl is now going to be a Nurse Practioner... I could not be happier for her!!

 Kater's Medical Board had a presentation on Thursday

Then on Friday, she had her 'hooding' ceremony.

I seriously have the prettiest sister ever...giant Harry-Potter-looking-robe and all!

The graduate and her cheering squad

Two goofballs that appear to be meant to be!

Mom & Dad's corny sense of humor with their award for Kater :)

I'm awaiting more photos via text message soon after the big graduation ceremony this afternoon!  My little sister is all grown up!!  I sooo wish I could be there with her to celebrate! 

While they've been busy in Tallahassee, we've been trying to stay busy here.

I've been on the 'hurry and get projects done around the house before the baby comes because Lord knows I'll have no free time then' mindset lately.  I've been meaning to finish the playroom, so I put Matt on my Pinterest task.  I love Matt tons, but he's not the handiest of fellas.  It took him about 3 different trips to Home Depot, but he completed the project like a champ!  Now we have a place to hang all of Connor's school projects, etc.  High five, Honey!!

Yesterday was our haircut, library, and playground day!  With Nana being out of town for a few days, Connor's been going through withdrawals.  

"Mom, you know Nana brings me to this playground."

"Mom, you wanna take me to get a strawberry sundae after the park?!  I do that with my Nana!"

**Somebody misses his Nana!**

Since it was the first soccer game Nana & Papa would be gone for, they sent one disappointment Sonic a video via text wishing him good luck (along with a special appearance from Auntie Katie, Eric, and Auntie Nicole!).  Boy, did that pump this little guy up!  We watched the video before the game and again, at half time!  Poppy Charlie came out to cheer on Peewee as well, so it turned out to be a great day!  Connor was taking a lot of 'water breaks,' so that Connor could make frequent Mommy breaks & hang on the sidelines...so I didn't have high hopes for Connor lasting the entire game.  

Then about 5 minutes before the game was over, Peewee had a shining moment!!

Connor had an opening on the field and started at one end of the field with the ball...and kicked it on his own down the field to kick it in the goal and score his first official goal!!!!  He may have scored in the other team's goal, but when you're 4...it doesn't matter!  The crowd cheered anyway! Mommy clapped with joy!!  My little Sonic was pretty proud!!

Although he asked the entire game if it was time to do 'the tunnel' yet, he ended the game strong & happy!

Yay for a happy weekend so far!