Beach Day!

My sister and I finally made it down to the beach on Monday. It was a bit colder and gloomy than we had hoped but the kids still had a great time. 

I really don't want to let so much time go by before we go again and hopefully it will be much warmer out. 

Ethan's 2!

On Saturday our little man turned 2 years old. 

It's hard for me to believe that only 2 short years ago I was in the hospital getting ready to meet him. 

It was by far my proudest moment and favorite day of my life.

It seems crazy that only 2 days later we got to bring this little tiny person home with us and instantly we became parents.

We started off the day with presents from us. He loves tractors right now so that's what he got, plus some play-doh, which was not as interesting.

Later in the day we celebrated with our family by having an ice cream party.

It was a blast!

The kids ate tons of ice cream, swam in the kiddie pool and played til they were wiped out.

Here is a glimpse of the party...

It really was such a great day! I had been a little stressed earlier but by the time the party came around I was stress free and I got to enjoy myself. But the best part was that Ethan really had a wonderful time and you can see it on that little handsome face.
Happy Birthday!

Evening Sprinklers.

I love living in Southern California. 

In the summer, we get to do this at 7:30 at night.

We all ran through the sprinklers. 

The joy on Ethan's little face when Brett and I ran around the yard through the sprinklers was priceless. 

We will definitely be doing this activity a lot more throughout the summer.

Smile.

If this doesn't make you smile, I don't know what will. 

Do you run?

Are you a runner? Do you like to jog through the park on a sunny day? Do you find joy in lacing up those sneakers and hitting the pavement? 

Then head on over to my friend Rad Runner's blog and enter her awesome giveaway. 

And just for the record, no I am not a runner, but walking counts right? Who doesn't want to be comfy while pushing the wee ones through the park.

Inquisitive.

I love this face he makes.

He's questioning, looking for an answer, deeply thinking, and saying in his little voice, "huh".

I love the little guy. 

Hospital Already?

Last night Brett and I spent our evening at Long Beach Memorial Hospital.

I hadn't been feeling too good on Sunday afternoon and Monday so the doctor wanted to have me checked out. I was feeling light-headed, dizzy, really tired, and couldn't catch my breath. It made me a little nervous since I didn't do anything like that with Ethan so I gave the doc a call. She was concerned about my blood pressure among other things and told me to head on over to the labor and delivery floor at the hospital. 

Thankfully we got right in, they hooked me up, drew my blood and started monitoring me. 

While we waited for the blood test results and the EKG to be done, we got to hear the little guy loud and clear on the monitor. His heart rate was perfect and he was extremely active at times. We usually only get to hear his heartbeat for a minute or two at the doctor's office, so it was awesome being able to listen to his little heart beating for all that time.

After 3 hours we learned there was absolutely nothing wrong with me, except for the fact that I'm pregnant. 

They told me to make sure I drink tons of fluids, especially since it's getting warmer, and rest as much as possible. I had a feeling nothing would be wrong but it's always better to have everything checked out, just in case.

And aren't hospital gowns so attractive?

What a Difference...

...a door makes.

We had new doors put in our house and I am super thrilled. 

Our old doors were flimsy, crooked, didn't close well, had huge gaps at the bottom, and had some holes in them.

Our new doors are sturdy, close tightly, have small gaps at the bottom, and reduce the noise throughout the house greatly. The last reason was the biggest reason of all. We wanted to make the rooms as quite as possible for when the new baby gets here.

I love them! They are perfect and I couldn't be happier.

Summer Fire Pit.

On Friday night Brett decided to bust out the fire pit in the backyard. I'm not sure why he didn't think of this on the nights that it was actually chilly outside, seeing how Friday was the first night in quite some time that was warm, but it is what it is. It's how Brett works.

He had some wood pallets in the backyard that needed to be broken up and of course Ethan had to help.  

Whenever he uses his hammer or tools he says, "me working." I love it, my little carpenter.

I think Brett was pretty happy with his fire, don't you think?

Ethan got pretty comfy, said he wanted his blankie and then told us, "ni, night."

It was a nice evening. 

 Except for the one thing that was missing...s'mores. 

Next time, I'll be prepared.

Birthday Preparations.

Two weeks from today Ethan will be 2. 

We will be celebrating his birthday with family and eating ice cream. 

Where has the time gone?

7 months.

I'm 31 weeks today which makes me actually closer to 8 months than 7 but I thought an update was in order. I'm still feeling pretty good and the doctor says everything is looking great. My belly is growing at a good rate, although I am a tad on the larger side, and the baby's heart rate is at  about 145, which is great. My weight gain and blood pressure have been right on track and my glucose tests came back normal. I now have to go to the doctor every 2 weeks, which seems crazy to me that I already have to go so often. The only real bummer has been the back pain and lower pelvic pain I have been experiencing. I didn't do any of this with Ethan and let me tell you it is not comfortable. Also not so comfortable is the constant rolling and punching this baby is doing in my belly. I'm grateful that he's alive a kickin' in there but a little break would be nice. My bladder would be grateful too, I'm sure of it.

So now the waiting begins.

I'm becoming more anxious about the delivery which I find surprising. I never thought I would have these feelings since I've done it once before, but maybe it's because I know what to expect this time that makes me more nervous. You kind of go in blindly the first time around.  I'm also nervous that something will go wrong during the delivery, like the cord will be wrapped around the babies neck, or I'll have to push for hours on end with no baby resulting in a cesarean. Or that he's breach and I'll have to have a cesarean regardless.

I'm also anxious about how everything is going to work once the baby is here. I'm a planner and I like order. I like that I have a routine and a schedule, and Ethan flows very well with that schedule. I fear that everything will be turned upside down, which I know it will be for a little while, but that it will never return to normal. And that I'll be this crazy frantic wife and mother for eternity.

I know this all sounds a bit crazy and writing it out makes me laugh, but it's the truth. I also know this is what happens when pregnant. It's only natural for my mind to wander and worry, I just need to keep it in check and remind myself that ultimately I'm not in control. At the end of the day I trust that everything will be fine, even if it doesn't go according to my plan.

Over the last few days I have thought about Proverbs 3:5-6 which reads,
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight."

Finger Painting.

On the 4th of July Ethan finger painted for the first time. 

I was looking forward to what he would do and how creative he would get. 

I was not disappointed. He loved it and was very serious about his work.

Our 4th of July.

We started our morning off with patriotic donuts, of course.

The rest of our day was pretty much spent outside. We mowed the lawns, finger painted, barbecued and just played.

At the end of the day we were able to do fireworks in our own front yard. Ethan thought it was great!

And yes, we let him play with the fireworks and shake them and stack them. I'm sure some parent out there is having a heart attack right now. 

The last picture of Ethan laughing hysterically was when Brett lit off the illegal fireworks. He thought all the fireworks were great, but the illegal ones made him laugh uncontrollably. We might have a problem in the future.

We had a lovely holiday laying low and staying around the house. Hope you all enjoyed your day too.

Happy 4th.

Happy 4th of July!

We will be celebrating close to home, eating lots of food, playing outside, and lighting off fireworks in our own front yard. 

Have a lovely, safe holiday.

Fresh Cut.

He needed a new haircut so bad. 

Now he's ready for the summer.