Family Fun

Totally behind on posting this from last weekend! We went back to Kimballton on Saturday morning for Cadence's 3rd Birthday!!! During the day I had a hair appointment and Brady and Cadence played hard together all day long. That evening was the party full of presents, cake/ice cream, singing Happy Birthday, some yummy food and fun times with family. It's so hard to believe our two munchkins are both 3-years old!
On Sunday morning we had a little Easter Egg Hunt for Brady and Cadence (since we won't be back for Easter) and the kids had so much fun finding their eggs. We age lunch and then headed back to Ankeny. We made a stop at Costco and of course Brady had to bring his Easter Eggs with him...what a goof!
All in all a great weekend!

37 Weeks...

Thursday marked 37 weeks and also started our 'Oh Man, we only have 14 days (now 13) left until this little peanut comes'....now I start panic mode. Not for the usual reasons like, we're having a BABY and how is Brady going to react...no, it's more of a 'We don't even have our carseats out, swing put together, ANY bags packed and a whole slew of other To Do's that aren't done. My usual OCD self/Type A personality has been ahead of the game most of this pregnancy (early hospital papers turned in, maternity leave paperwork completed early, every closet and drawer organized, etc) but for some reason the past couple of weeks have just seemed surreal and maybe it's because I feel this pregnancy has gone SO much faster than Brady's but now I find myself scurrying to get things done that the usual me would have had done months ago and are now keeping me up (even more so than usual) and giving me some serious anxiety...guess what our projects are for the weekend??

I'm really looking forward to next weekend. We are having a 'Brady' weekend. On Thursday night we are going to the Ramada to stay the night and play at the indoor water park, we're going to take Brady to The Lorax movie, go to some Easter Egg Hunts, maybe try SkyZone, eat pizza, go to Easter church service and just spend time as a family of 3 for the last time...should be a fun weekend! We decided on no traveling for the holiday (way too close to 'go-time') and we wanted to do something just the 3 of us...

I'm so excited to bring this baby into our family and I know Brady will be an awesome Big Brother but a part of me is sad that this chapter in our lives is over...no more family of 3 and I'm a little nervous how Brady is going to react. In time, he'll totally be fine and will love his new baby brother/sister but he's been SUPER attached to me lately and things are about to change for him. But he'll be great and I should stop worrying. :-)

Friday Favorites

Here are some of my favorite things I've found via Pinterest this week...

Favorite Recipes:
Chewy Cherry Almond Granola Bars
I used 1/2 cup mini semi-sweet choc chips instead of the dried cherries this time and they are AWESOME!! Brady Loves them and I can feel a little better about giving him these than the nasty store bought ones!

Monster Cookie Dough Dip
I made this for our night with friends last Saturday...it was a hit...and so yummy!

Favorite Funny:

Seriously...just looking at Will Ferrell makes me laugh uncontrollably for no reason at all...

Favorite new project:
I really want to try this one next...


That's all for this week!

My How Things Change...

Never once in my early 20's during my care-free life did I foresee that one of the greatest things that could happen would be getting a picture text message from my daycare provider of the poop that my son so proudly pushed out into her toilet this morning...but I gotta tell ya--I let out a little yell (was subconsciously cheering for Brady in my mind and saying things like 'We're so proud of you' and 'Good Job Buddy') in my office and made me want to pick him up early from daycare to celebrate this HUGE accomplishment! Ha ha!
We've been battling the #2 issue with his potty training...everything else has been golden but for some reason no bribery trick, motivational technique or scare tactic has worked (not that we really tried to scare him by any means...). Little stinker knows when he has to go #2 and will ask for a pull-up and will sneak away to some corner of the house, do his business and want his Thomas, Percy or James underwear back on and proceed like everything is right in the world...he's thinking 'at least I didn't have to go on the potty'. Oh he has us trained so well!
We'll see if he will continue with this new-found trick...at daycare all of the kids cheered for him after he was done and I think he was feeling like pretty big stuff when all was said and done and not to mention he was treated with a Skittle or two...guess I better stop at the store for some Skittles on my way home today.
Never once in my life did I think I'd be sitting here blogging about poop...but here I am...My how things change...

A fun Saturday

On Saturday we got up and went for breakfast at this great spot in Polk City called Reising Sun. They have great breakfasts, lunches and coffee! We've gone a few times for coffee but decided we needed to go for breakfast. It was so good! It's a small town kind of place and we love it!
After breakfast we loaded up and headed to the zoo. We thought it would be a great way to get outside and Brady loves animals so we thought it was a win-win. Well apparently everyone else in DSM decided to go to the zoo...but the wait wasn't too bad. I will say it was a little disappointing...hardly any exibits were open and many of the animals were still inside. To us it was a bust. But Brady had fun and we were able to get in some fresh air. The rest of our Saturday was spent running errands and playing outside. Then we headed to Norwalk to see Mike & Kristin (and their two kiddos) and Jeff & Amy (who are expecting a little boy about 9 days before Baby C gets here). We ordered pizza, got to catch up, watch some March Madness and the kids had fun playing! It was a great night and a great conclusion to a fun day!

Big Boy Wheels

A week or so ago Andy put together Brady's big boy bike. He was so excited to get on it, wear his helmet and go for a little spin. I have a feeling that he's going to spend lots of time on his bike!


Someone has started to tilt his head when his picture is being taken...goofy boy!

Daddy showing him the ropes

35 Weeks

Last Thursday marked 35 weeks in this pregnancy (I'm a little slow on posting). I am going to the doctor weekly and all looked good. My hemoglobin is low so I have been taking an iron pill (not so fun) but other than that, all is great! Baby is measuring right on track and we're just counting down the days until Baby C is here! I can't believe that by the end of the week I'll be 'full-term' but I'm not wanting to go any earlier than our c-section date so Baby C needs to stay put!

Where we've been...

We have been way too busy playing in sand, swinging on swings, going down slides, going on walks, running all over the yard, shooting hoops, throwing and kicking balls, driving small police cars, playing with friends, eating snacks outside, getting dirty, catching up with neighbors and having fun...no time to blog!!!
Everyday this week I've picked Brady up early from daycare and we've been outside until it's time for bed...it doesn't leave much time to sit at the computer and post blog entries. We really want to enjoy this time we have of just a family of 3 and play, play, play! Brady, Luke, Jackson and Joel have gotten to play together every night this week for hours and they just love it! Plus it gives us grown-ups some time outside to catch up. Love this weather!!!

I will try to do some real posts this weekend but no promises! :-)

Pinterest Finds

It's no secret that I LOVE Pinterest!! I have gotten SO many great recipes, house tips, nursery ideas, clothing ideas, and so many more ideas from this site. If you haven't checked it out before, you are missing out! Just google Pinterest to get a little taste and if you want me to send you an invite so you can join (yes, it's weird that you have to be invited to join but whatever!), just let me know!

Here are a few of the recipes I've tried and we've really enjoyed (just click on the heading for the recipes)!

Chicken Enchilada Pasta


I made this last night and I love it! It makes a ton so I plan to freeze some and we'll eat on it for a couple of lunches too!

Thai Peanut Noodles



I really liked this...I have been crazing Thai food like crazy lately so this definitely has helped with my cravings! And it's pretty healthy. I did make it without the tofu but have had friends make it with it and loved it too!

Green Monster Smoothie



Andy even really likes these! Trust me, you do NOT taste the spinach AT ALL! I've given this recipe to tons of people at work too and everyone loves it! You get lots of good stuff in this smoothie and it tastes awesome! This has been my go-to breakfast and I've even done it for lunch a day or two..it really keeps you full!

Caprese Salad on a Stick


You don't even need a recipe for this. Cherry (or grape) tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil leaves...put on a toothpick and drizzle with balsamic vinegar...YUM-O! Made this for a neighbor get-together and they were awesome!

And last but not least (I'll share more yummy recipes later)...

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cupcakes



I made these for Andy to take to work for some treats for his employees...there weren't any left so that was a good sign...we kept a few home for us and they were yummy!!!

Playdate

Last Thursday Andy had the day off (he has PTO to burn up before March 15th) and so he picked Brady and Dalton up from daycare so they could play at our house for a while and then Andy took them to lunch at McDonalds so they could eat and play in the play area. It was a fun little get-a-way for the two of them. They are such good friends and I think it was a successful play date!

Girls Day!

On Saturday I headed over to Omaha to have a Girls Day with Abby and Sunita. It was much needed and had been way too long since I've seen them! I headed to Sunita's house first so I could see their beautiful new house (although they've lived there for quite a while now) and then we headed over to Abby's to pick her up. Then it was time for lunch. We went to a great all natural restaurant and then went to a boutique that is owned by one of Su's friends (it is so cute and has so many great clothes...I can't wait to go back after this baby comes!). Then we went and had a cupcake at a bakery that was featured on Cupcake Wars on the Food Network...we got to chit chat some more and have an awesome treat! Then it was manicure time. We had a lot of fun and got pampered. After manicures we did some shopping and then went to Kona for Happy Hour where we had some yummy appetizers and even more great conversation. It was such a fun day and a nice little get-a-way for me! We can go a few months without seeing each other but once we're back together it's just like old times! Miss those girls!

33 Weeks

On Thursday I hit 33 weeks in this pregnancy. It really is going fast! I had a check-up on Thursday and all is going well, baby is head down and as active as ever. My hemoglobin is low so I did start on an iron pill last week in hopes to get my numbers up.
Brady is actually starting to embrace the fact that a baby will be coming to our house. He will find toys of his and say 'I give this to the baby' and then he proceeds to take the toy upstairs and throw it in the baby's crib. Too funny! He still doesn't totally 'get it' but in no time he will! Not too much longer and baby #2 will be here...we're getting very excited!

Last Sunday

On Sunday we headed up to Gowrie for the day. We got up there in the morning and spent the day there. All 3 boys were there so they got to play together and for the most part they were pretty good. We knew we needed to get back there one more time before baby comes and before I will no longer be traveling longer distances. Someone played really hard and didn't last longer than about 10 minutes on the drive home.


The boys had fun in the hot tub!

Feeding the birds

They make good floor cleaners

Dance Party

Looks comfortable, huh?