BIG changes

Scott and I are moving! I am 7 months pregnant with a 20 month old! Am I crazy? Actually, NO I am not! We had an opportunity "fall" on our laps that we just couldn't pass up. We knew that moving was in our 2 year plan, but this house fell into place the first week we decided to "kind of start looking!!"

Scott's grandmother Mimi stayed the weekend with us

 We both wanted to move back to where we were raised so that our kids could go to the same schools. Actually, the house we are getting was not on the market. An investor bought if from the estate of the original homeowner about a month ago. The investor was in the process of painting/revamping the home, and I approached him with an offer. His plan was to "flip" the house and put it back on the market, but we negotiated terms that worked for all of us! The lot is great...14,000 square feet!!! That is pretty rare in this area, so Scott is excited that we will still have a large lot (the hardest thing for him to leave on our current house!) The new house is just a few minutes away from our current home, so we staying in our "bubble!!" It is also on a very neat culdesac street that sides to an easement...so the boys will have plenty of field and freedom to play!

Playing in the rain

 The house is zoned to Rummel Creek Elementary, Memorial Middle and Stratford High...the exact schools that I went to! My mom was assistant principal at Rummel Creek for many many years- so that school will always hold a special place in my heart! Mom and I spent a lot of time there together...great memories! A lot of the same teachers/staff are still there, and they have known me since I was 5! They are going to love my children which is so wonderful! And Hunter's Godmother and my sister-in-law teach at Rummel Creek... but, NO we will not get special treatment ;-)!!

Love my sweet Scott

The house needs some work, inside and out! The potential is fantastic...I see it in my head! We are going to do some work on it before we move in, just to make it more "homey." Then, we will plan to remodel the bathrooms in the next couple years, then eventually add on to the house...making it our "forever house!" I am excited to think that my kids will have this HOME for a long long time- maybe even their kids will be part of this home! I am ALL ABOUT creating a HOME, my hobby and passion is making my home a place that people want to curl up on the couch! I want my kids and husband to feel that "there is no place like HOME!" A home is just so important!! I am excited about this journey of creating our potential "forever home!"

Still has his mouth wide open...from day one!!

 Speaking of journey....we will be staying with Dad while work is getting done to the house. YEP, with a newborn and toddler! We will have a lot on our plate, but I trust that all of this is happening for a reason. This house just "feels right" and it also "feels right" to spend quality time with dad and my boys! It will be a challenge for me to not be settled...but I have a feeling that years from now, I will look back at this time with Dad and cherish it! I challenge myself to enjoy the moment, not get overwhelmed and take it one day at a time!! My dad is a wonderful giving man, and he looks forward to having "life, noise and chaos" in his home...let's hope that he means it!! ;) We close on the new house in August and plan to be moved in end of September? However, I think we are going to get settled in Dads in July before the baby comes. I have already started planning the "nursery" and Hunter's set up! I'm taking over!!!

Our wonderful "cottage" home for sale

 Our HOME

This leads me to...our house is on the market!!!! It has been on for a few days, and we have had showings but no offer yet! Praying that the right buyer comes into our path! We have loved our home!! Scott and I say that even if we are multi-millionaires one day, we will always look back as this being "our favorite HOME!" We moved in when I was just 23 years old, and the past 5 years have been amazing. SO many of our friends live in this neighborhood, it is bittersweet to leave this house/neighborhood! I want our next house to FEEL the same as this house....HOME!!

We have maintained this house with extra TLC! The kitchen floors are refurbished from an old warehouse...there is just so many special "touches" to this house that I plan to take to my next! It is very hard to leave, but we are embracing this next step!

ROUGH

Happy 19 month birthday to my sweet boy! Hunter is just plain-ole- ROUGH! Here are just some examples:

• He breaks every crayon while coloring
• He tears every page while turning pages in books
• He headbutts me every time he hugs me
• He digs my eyes out when he points to my eye and says "momma eye!"
• He slams cabinets, doors, drawers
• He SLAMS his cup down on table after every sip
• He hits Bentley while he thinks he's being "gentle!"
• Most of his plastic toys have cracks in them?!

That's just to name a few..... Surely, boy #2 will be gentle, right?

 Happy Easter! This precious outfit is literally in the trash from being ruined! He wore it for 2 hours...ripped off buttons, stains, torn, etc. He is NOT a linen romper kind of kid!

Moving along...6 months!

Time. Moves. Too. Fast! Spring is in full swing and I am 23 weeks pregnant! I will round up one week...I am 6 months pregnant!! WHAT?!

I still feel REALLY good. It's like my body excels with the pregnancy hormone...maybe there is a "pregnant hormone" pill I can take when I am not pregnant! Mom told me that she never felt better in her life than when she was pregnant- as of now, I have to agree with her! My energy is really good (Scott says TOO good!!) I can feel baby boy move a lot, and my body is changing. My baby bump is bipolar...comes out a night and then during the day- I still look like I have a beer belly!

Here is a bump picture to mark the progression. I expect to POP out in the next few weeks!

I literally do not sleep! Pregnant or not...I hardly sleep. Scott says it is a sickness!! Not pregnant...I sleep about 4-5 straight hours and then I am wide awake. Pregnant...I sleep only 2-3 straight hours then 30 min here and there (probably a total of 4-5 hours.) But going without straight sleep leaves me frustrated in the middle of the night!

 However, I do not feel tired during the day. So, I wouldn't say it's sleep deprivation. My mom used to say that I was never a sleeper. In fact, she took me to the doctor when I was little because she noticed that NO MATTER what time she checked on me at night- I was wide awake! I wouldn't cry, I would just lay there with my eyes open. And I still do that hours a night- every night! The doctor said "Your body is getting all the rest it needs as long as you do not feel tired during the day."

 Bottom line is that SCOTT is the most frustrated because every time he moves or breaths loud...I get mad at him "for keeping me awake!!" He will open his eyes for one second in the middle of the night, and I will immediately say "hey, you know what I was thinking....?" His response, "no you freak, go to sleep!" hahahahaha!!!! I am hoping that I become a better sleeper- for may sake, and for Scott!

 Other than sleep- I have no complaints- not one! I am so excited about sweet baby boy 2!

It's a....

 BOY! My instincts were right! What a gift....what a gift that my boys will go through each phase of life together. Boys being 22 months apart!! They will really experience life together! There will be "love times" as well as "hate times"...but they will always have each other to be best friends through it all!! I can't imagine the friendship Scott is going to have with these boys, and the love I am going to have for my sweet/adventurous boys!!

Let the fun begin...................

18 months

Weight: 25 lb

Height: 33 in

 How is Hunter 18 months old...a year and a half!?! That is crazy! When I think of words that describe him, here is what I come up with:

• Fun
• So goofy
• Joyful
• Easy going
• Free spirited
• Adventurous
• Independent
• Outgoing
• Accommodating (can "fit into" any situation with a smile!) 
• Content

  He's such a special, unique little guy! Here is what Hunter is up to:

•  The only two words he has ever put together.... YA BOY!!! His favorite expression ;)!
• Rarely ask for help...he has the "I can do it myself attitude!" 
• HUGE appetite, at any time!
• Nap about 12:30-2:00
• Sleeps 7:00-7:30ish
• Still drinks his warm milk from bottle at night ;-)!! 
• He tries to jump by putting his hands in air, holding breath and lifting heals!
• He doesn't hesitate...he dives right in. This makes me a little nervous about his teenage years!
•  Pacifier used when we drive and sleeping
• He is FUNNY! I promise he tries to make us laugh!
• Makes an "ahhhhhh" sound after he has a sip
• Dances a lot...he spins in circle with his hands in the air
• Loves Ingrid Michelson's song "Take me the way I am"...it immediately calms him when fussy!
• Scott still gives him a bath- every time. I've only done like 5 baths...Hunter LOVES this time!
• SUCH a daddy's boy. He lights up when Scott is around!
• Has the easiest smile and laugh- priceless!
• Has most of his teeth!
• Can be so wild, and also so laid back
• Bold and daring!!
• Could live outside...he's an outside baby for sure!
• Loves dogs- especially his Bentley!
• Very athletic...unbelievable throwing skills. He's agile and has wonderful motor skills!
• Hunter's words: momma, dadda, ball, duck, dog, Zoe, Bent, frog, car, outside, deer, cool, sip, more, bath, no, eye, nose, mouth, ear, toe, book, tree, shoe, pappy, cat, uh-oh, bye-bye

Hunter, we love you so much. You are such an inspiration to me. Your joy for life is admirable. Your ability to make the most out of every moment is amazing. You have taught me so much! Your pure happiness is a gift from God!!!

This sweet face is too much! xoxo!!

Hunter update

BIG BOY...I feel like I no longer have a baby this past month! He is an extremely independent 17 mo old! He is "communicating" pretty good and has no problem making a point! We are going to start working on his big boy room this weekend. I still haven't decided if I am going to do a twin bed or toddler bed?

Weekend with Scott's family

He understands when he is being disciplined...I get on his level and talk directly into his eyes while holding his wrists. He gets very still and looks down at the floor, and 9 times out of 10 he won't do it again! My "system" for discipline is I give a casual warning, then the "face to face" talk, then next is time out! He gets his feelings hurt BIG time when I put him in time out, but it works!  I let some things slide...but I focus on disciplining a few consistent things like screaming, throwing/playing too rough with dogs, throwing at TV/computer, throwing at people's faces when they are not "playing" with him.

Playgroup pictures are getting hard!

As you can see I am having a hard time with his throwing habits! I LOVE that he enjoys throwing and has an insanely good arm, but I am trying to set boundaries for peoples safety! It is hard to teach him to only throw when someone is playing with him...NOT to throw just whenever/at whomever- he has hurt people and broken things!  We have not encountered temper tantrums yet, but that will definitely be on my list of things to discipline...that will be a whole other story!

Hunter's great grandmother Mimi and cousins...Scott's lovely grandmother loves her family!

 He loves his dada so darn much! Every Wednesday we eat lunch with Scott, and we meet at his office building. Hunter has caught onto this routine and starts chanting "DADA, DADA, DADA" the second we pull into the parking garage! He says DADA in the elevator and RUNS to Scott when the doors open...he pushes his way through the other business men to find his DADA...it is so cute and stops people in their tracks as the watch the amazing father/son moment!!

My boys playing!!

 He still watches Fresh Beat Band every day...he doesn't take his eyes off TV for a solid 30 minutes! He dances, claps and LOVES this show! He is very active, yet can be very mellow! Still doing great at school, but his teachers are also working on the "no throwing at kids faces!!" They say they have never seen a 1 year old that has such a passion for throwing and is so accurate in his aim! It really is pretty amazing! The kid has NO FEAR- not an ounce! This scares me...he goes down the 30 ft slide at Monkey Joe's head first-by himself...with a HUGE smile on his face! He will try ANYTHING, again- this scares me!

FASTER MOMMY!

He eats like a HORSE...a starving horse! I keep thinking it's a growth spurt, but he hasn't stopped! No joke, it is not unusual for Hunter to eat more than Scott (Scott is 6'5 and 200 lbs!!!!) Scott had me call the doctor to make sure his eating was normal! He eats a HUGE meal- EVERY meal...more than most adults in each sitting!! At this rate, he may as well live in the grocery store for his teenage years! I am going to have to send him with food when he spends the night out- seriously, other mothers would not want him over because they would have to restock their pantry!

Cousin bath time

 He sleeps wonderful at night 7:00 to 7:30/8ish! I HOPE he sleeps this good in his big boy bed! He takes one nap a day, and it is usually pretty short (1.5-2 hrs). He plays hard and eats so much- I'm surprised he doesn't nap longer! We are going to start playing videos of newborns crying at nighttime so he gets used to hearing that noise while he sleeps. I want to try to prevent him from waking up many times a night when baby #2 gets here!

That's a Hunter update for now!!

4 Months

This pregnancy is really flying by! I can't believe I am 4 months! We will know the gender soon, but everything in me says BOY! I see a boy, I feel boy, and talk about boys. Ever since I was a little girl, I envisioned "lots of boys!!" When Scott and I agreed on a large family, I just knew boys were going to fill my house!We will see if my "gut" is right!

Most recent ultrasound

 Already Waving

 Thumb Sucker!

Do I want a boy? Yes, I would LOVE "my boys" to be this close in age! Do I want a girl? One day, if it's in my cards...a girl would be great! But, I believe that only God  knows what we want and need! Ever since I lost mom, I have come to fully accept the things I can not change. It's weird because I usually like to know what is going to happen, prepare, and control! But, when mom got sick...a peace about "letting go and turning things over" came into my life! If I can't control it-then it is not on my worry list!! Thank you mom for teaching me this lesson so early on! So, the genders of my babies are all in God's hands, and I will gladly take each one as they come! Having said that, I still see me with "my boys!!!" I am so excited about the journey of our growing family!

This doesn't look safe!! Scott pulling Hunter in the wagon with a rope! 

 Hunter LOVES his friends!

 I am feeling wonderful, truly amazing! I love being pregnant! I hope that it continues to be as smooth as first time around! No food cravings, great energy, and I usually wake once a night to go the bathroom. Hunter pats my belly and says "bebe!!" Too stinkin cute! Hunter is now 17 months old and running everywhere! He has lots of teeth, eats a TON, and is a pretty clear "talker." He is still loving school, has a wicked arm, and an easy smile! He is so adventurous and sweet!

 I already FEEL thicker than with Hunter...so I am expecting to show much sooner! As of now, not very much weight gain (a couple lbs), but I am not going to worry about my weight gain this time! I gained 17 lbs with Hunter...and 13 of that came in the last 2 months. So, it took a while for me to show. Let me tell you....people were pretty rude! Their comments made me feel like I was doing something wrong. My doctor did extra ultrasounds, fluid checks and blood test throughout the pregnancy to make sure Hunter was not "growth restricted." Such a waste of stress and time!!!! My doctor has already said, "I'm not even going to do belly measurements this time, and I am not going to worry...so you don't either!" I loved hearing that!! What a great doctor to recognize that everyone has their own "normal!!!"

Someone had to buy lunch!!! The children's museum in the woodlands is great!