Bay Day.

On Monday we went to the bay for the second and last time of the summer. 

It's so sad that we live so close to the beach and only made it there twice this summer, but it wears this mama out. So we're done for this year and hopefully next summer we'll make it at least a few more times.

Swim Lessons.

I had mentioned before that Ethan started swim lessons this summer.

He has done wonderfully. He can do big kicks, sometimes blow bubbles, jumps off of the step, and will go underwater with no problem. He loves his wonderful instructor Danielle and I'm sure he is going to miss his time in the pool with her. His last lesson will be next Tuesday so I thought it was about time I shared some photos.

The girls get to swim first and Ethan patiently waits his turn.

Ok, well maybe not so patiently. He usually runs around the dining room screaming "poooool". 

Doing his big kicks.

Blowing bubbles.

Jumping off of the steps.

And him going underwater and staying under by himself for a few seconds gives me a slight heart attack, but he likes it.

See, I told you likes Danielle.

I really do think he's going to miss her.

Sunday Morning.

We made eggs.

I had coffee.

We played with Play-doh.

I started our dinner menu and grocery list for the week.

And we played outside. 

All before 9am.

Nine Months.

This is for my mom.

This picture was taken exactly 3 weeks until my due date.

I go to the doctor today and I'm hoping she tells me I'm dilated to like 5 and she'll want to induce me. Wishful thinking...maybe? 

I'm very excited to meet little Jacob.

Baby Shower.

I have beautiful pictures of the decor from my baby shower.

I have no pictures of me or anyone else actually at the shower.

After I took a couple of photos I put the camera down and didn't think about it again. 

I feel like my brain is sometimes not in my own head.

Since I loved the details and the cupcakes, I'm going to share a few photos. 

Thanks Mom, Erin, Emily and Amy for a wonderful shower. 

I had a great time and I loved all of it. 

Aquarium.

We had a great time at the aquarium. And it was even better that we were able to go with my sisters, my nieces, my mom, and my grandma. The kids had a great time, but they were not up for any picture taking. Maybe next time.

Updates.

I've been so busy lately, although you would think with me not working it wouldn't be that way. I've been filling the days with doing fun stuff with Ethan and preparing for Jacob. 

So here's a brief overview of the last few days, and I'll be posting pictures later.

*We went to the aquarium on Friday and had a fabulous time. Ethan really loves the fish and runs around the place like he owns it. 

*My mom and sisters threw an intimate shower for me and Jacob on Saturday. It was small and fabulous!

*On Sunday Ethan woke up in a terrible mood so Brett and I decided to head over to the park were there was an old car show, for free. Bonus! It calmed him down for a bit but what he really needed was a good nap. After he woke up the rest of the day was relaxing.

*The garage and kid's room is almost done. I just need to add a couple things here and there and the kid's room will be done. Brett just has a little more organizing to do and then the garage will be finished. 

*We're having a small garage sale on Saturday morning. Brett says he's going to get up early enough but I have my doubts. I'm just going to make a huge pot of coffee and place a cup right under his nose. That should do the trick.

*I forgot to do an 8 month pregnancy update, opps! So here's the latest...I'm now going to the doctor every week since I am a little over 36 weeks. I got the blood work for my platelet count back and my numbers were back up. Hallelujah! This means I can get the epidural with no problems. I'm getting really tires, cranky, and irritated more easily. I'm pretty much ready for this to be over. Plus I am extremely uncomfortable and I just want to be normal again, which I know will still be a long time from now. Yesterday I was having contractions that were all over the place. Sometimes 30 minutes apart, sometimes an hour or two. I had a doctor's appointment, and she checked me out and said I was dilated about 1-2 centimeters. So nothing to get excited about. His heart rate is still really good and strong and everything is looking great. We're just waiting since it could be any day now. Brett and I both think I might have him on the 28th, so we shall see.

I think that's it for now. Pictures are coming soon!

Bedroom Updated.

I'll start out by saying that I have always loved our bedroom. The color of the walls, the furniture and the bedding. I haven't always loved the decor in our bedroom. When we moved into our house we threw up some artwork we already had, put some random frames here and there, but nothing really matched or flowed. 

In redoing the kids room I came to the conclusion that the framed artwork I had in there was not going to work. Two big wooden frames with glass hanging over Ethan's head while sleeping is no good since we live in California. 

But I love the artwork and didn't want to get rid of them, so I moved them to our room.

I love it. They match perfectly and add so much to the walls. We only had one framed picture over the dresser before and nothing on the other wall. This has made the room so much cozier.

(Sorry no before pics, but my pregnant mind is not thinking clearly lately.)

I added a new lamp...$30 from Pier 1 on sale, deal!

 

I found this cute little dish at an estate sale this weekend, perfect for Brett's watch and miscellaneous stuff.

Then I filled these 2 jars with some shells I had left over from Ethan's 1st birthday and placed them on our bookcase.

And last but not least I ordered this cute little pillow from Pottery Barn to add to our bed.

I had some money left over from a gift card, and I waited for it to go on sale, so I only spend about $10. 

I can't wait for it to get here.

It's amazing how just a few little additions can drastically change the look of a room.

I'm really happy with all of it.

And Ethan is too!

Drumroll Please....

We have officially decided on a name!

Jacob Nathan Lewis

We can't wait to meet him and put a face to his name!

We're Nesting.

Yes, we're nesting. All of us. 

There has been much to do around here for the upcoming arrival of baby number 2 and everyone of us is pitching in. 

My first project was the kid's closet. I had been throwing stuff in here for the last 2 years and it had become somewhat of a disaster.

I decided that I would need more drawer space for baby number 2 and instead of installing shelves, we bought a dresser that would fit inside. Then I cleaned out and organized the heck out of the closet. Everything has a place now which makes me a very happy Mama. 

I've also cleaned out just about every other closet and cupboard in the house. I'm definitely on my way to having this baby. 

Brett was busy the other night building Ethan's new big boy bed. 

He has yet to sleep in it, which is fine by me. I'll have more pictures later on, once the room is complete. We're almost there. 

Another huge project for Brett has been re-organizing our garage. We had very little shelving and as Ethan has gotten older the garage has become more and more non-kid friendly. 

So we went to Sear's and came home with all this. 

And my backyard has looked like this for the last few days.

But it's almost finished and complete!

And what has Ethan been doing while all this work has been taking place you ask? 

Well helping of course.

And playing with lots of Dad's tools.

My Last Day.

Tuesday was my last day of work.

For good.

For as long as I can remember I have wanted to be a stay at home mom. When I was younger and people asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up I would reply, "a mom." I never wanted to have a career. When it came time to go to college I had no idea what I would go to college for. I pictured myself staying home, cooking dinner and raising kids. They don't offer Home Economics any longer, so I was out of luck. I decided to go into Early Childhood Education since I figured I could use everything I learned with my future kids at home. I planned on getting a job as a preschool teacher until the time came that I would have children.

Life ended up giving me some unexpected turns and I needed to make enough money to live. I wanted to be independent and not rely on my parents, and the field of Early Childhood Education was not going to help me out in that area. 

So it was at that time I decided to work for my dad. He owns a construction company and at the time, 5 years ago, the company was growing and his controller needed help. I was a perfect fit, well except for the fact that I knew nothing about accounting or finances or anything regarding running a company. But I started to pick it all up quickly and to my surprise I loved it. I slowly began to take on more and more responsibility and formed a position that was all my own. I really liked it and I thought to myself, "maybe I do want to have a career after all."

After Brett and I got married and we bought our house, I slowly started to realize my dreams of staying home with our future kids were diminishing. I became alright with the fact that I would have to work, I mean, I loved my job and I knew that I could have some flexibility since my Dad was the boss and all. Not that I took any advantage of that fact. (insert sarcasm)

When the time came for me to go back to work after Ethan was born it was harder than I thought. I knew deep down I still wanted to be a stay at home mom. I knew that I had settled into believing this was the way it had to be and nothing could ever change. I wasn't completely unhappy, but I wasn't happy with working either. Luckily, I was able to cut back from five days a week to three, which made a huge difference. We were also fortunate enough to have Ethan stay with family while we were working. Our situation was ideal. 

When I became pregnant this time around I instantly wanted to stay home, but thought there was no way. Brett and I talked about it but it was not making sense. I cried, a couple of times and I was only 4 months pregnant. I again resigned myself to the fact that this was how it was going to be and really our situation was ideal. 

Then one day out of the blue Brett came home and said, "You need to stay home with the kids. We'll make it work. You need to quit your job." My first instinct was to laugh, which I did, and then I told him there was no way we could make it work. He suggested that was look at our financial situation differently and just give it a try. I was now hesitant. Our roles had become reversed. What was going on? I thought about it for a few days and finally said yes, lets give it a try. I instantly felt a like a weight had been lifted. I knew this was the right thing for our little growing family at this point in our lives. 

As the days became closer to my last day at work, I grew more and more upset about leaving for good. I liked the people I worked with, I had basically created my position, and I loved what I was doing. My job had become such a huge part of my everyday life and being involved in a family business made it even tougher to leave. I liked being "in the know" and over the years my Dad and I have become closer because of it. But it was time for me to move on and start this new part of my life as a mom.

 

It may not be permanent but we've got to give it a shot. Our short term goal is for me to stay home a year, but our long term goal is for me to be home until the kids are in elementary school. I'm praying that we find a way to make it happen. I believe we can since it truly is the best thing we can do for our kids and for us as a whole family.

And so far I'm settling in nicely to my new role as a full time stay at home mom.

A day at the park.

Today we went to Irvine Regional Park. 

But this was no ordinary park like the one down the street.

There was a little zoo, lakes, pony rides, train rides, and much more.

You could probably spend an entire week in this park and not see everything. It was beautiful!

So we loaded up and headed to Irvine with my mom, Erin, Abby, Amy, and Radley.

We started out at the zoo, which was a hit!

There were reptiles, lots of birds, small furry animals, bears, and a petting zoo. 

Then it was time to eat! The only downer of the day were the bees in the park. They were everywhere and they wanted our lunch. Luckily no one got stung and Ethan thought swatting them away was hilarious.

 After lunch we headed over to the train ride. It took us through a small part of the park and it was perfect for the kids. 

They were all being goofy, as you can tell, and by the end of the ride Ethan was getting a tad bit tired.

But of course not too tired to ride a pony.

It really was a great park to go to and we will definitely be back. Plus it was cheap, all of this was just 14 bucks for the two of us. You really can't beat that.