March 6, 2013

Pictures from a family trip to the park about a month ago!

Good heavens.

I don't know what it is about pregnancy and me and just living in a timeless blur for months without realizing it.  But anyway, we're still alive!

This pregnancy has actually been comparatively easy--no throwing up mainly.  But I have never felt so tired in my entire life as I have the past 4 months or so.  I suppose I've also never experienced having two boys at home while being pregnant, and I tell you what, those two take everything I've got, plus some! 

The past few days have been a bit better.  I've tried to be on more of a routine and planned more fun things for us to do, so we don't sit around all day being grumpy and ridiculous with each other.  But if I learned anything from being pregnant the second time it was that it's okay--life falls apart, but then you pick it back up at some point when your newborn starts sleeping through the night, and everyone moves on unharmed.  I'm just such a control-freak though, that's it's just so hard for me to let my house fall apart and watch my kids watch TV for hours because I just don't have the energy to break up the arguing and clean up the messes and so on and so forth.  But it's okay.  We'll figure it out.  

We've been doing the potty-training thing with Spencer the past couple weeks--(that's probably why every thing else just fell apart... potty-training does that.  Good grief.)--and it was funny to see just how much my two boys differ in their motivations.  Right now Landon is so achievement-oriented.  Give that kid a sticker chart--and he will earn tickets and coins and prizes all day long.  Spencer... just wants candy. That's it.  Which is actually sort of less complicated, and I completely understand his love for candy.  But it's just ironic how you think you have parenting figured out and then the second one comes along and you realize that 75% of the tricks you have up your sleeve don't actually work after all.  

Spencer is just a little bouncing ball of energy.  That kid never walks anywhere.  He's always bouncing, always dancing, always hopping, always galloping, always trotting, always running--going as fast as his skinny little legs will carry him.  He has such a carefree little spirit.  He doesn't really take anything seriously--but in a good way.  He makes us laugh every single day.  He's talking a ton more than he was--so much so that he graduated speech therapy!  It's been such a blessing in my life to watch his little timid and hesitant and clingy personality blossom into the happy-go-lucky little boy.  Despite his slow start to talking, he's a brilliant little boy.  He learns things very quickly--already knows all of his letters and how to count to ten.  He's a little sponge--just listening and taking everything in.  He is also the loudest two year old ever.  And he gives the best hugs.  Especially after he gets in trouble.

Landon is growing up faster than I can keep up with.  I'm really not sure when he all of the sudden started becoming this little boy, instead of my chubby 3 year old.  But he is very interested in being grown-up and mature and big and old.  He loves using big words and wants to do and say everything perfectly.  And he gets quite frustrated when he doesn't or can't.  He has such a tender little heart and feels things very deeply.  He internalizes and thinks about everything around him.  He's very thoughtful toward others, and I have appreciated him deeply the past few months for putting up with me being so lame.  He comes and gives me snuggles in bed when I'm not feeling like getting up, and he scratches my back and tells me he loves me.  He is highly opinionated--and defends his position to the death, even when he's blatantly wrong.  He loves to be goofy with his little friends.  He's obsessed with Star Wars, even though he's never seen the movie.  He builds "lego starships" with the legos Sara and Ian gave him for Christmas ALL DAY LONG.  We've started working on reading, and it's no surprise to me how quickly he's picking it up.  I can't wait to watch him be challenged in real school next year.  He's completely ready, and looks forward to it every day.  I have mixed emotions about it.  I think it will be so good for him, but at the same time, I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do without my helper all day long.  Landon tells me that Spencer can be my helper.  I'm doubtful, but we'll make do.

Baby #3 is growing and growing! We found out last month that it will be a third boy joining our family.  I ended up having to go to that appointment by myself that day.  Both of the boys were up all night throwing up, and so I couldn't take them to school/playdates.  BK had already taken the morning off to come to the appointment with me, but ended up having to stay home with the sickies while I went by myself.  On the way to the appointment, I had a strong feeling that this was going to be a boy, and that even if I was hoping for a girl, that he would bless my life in many, many ways, and so it was no surprise half an hour later to find out it was indeed a boy.  The older boys are ecstatic to have another "brudder" to add to the puppy pack.  I am hoping that somehow the Lord blesses me with more patience and a magical cleaning fairy to keep up with three boys--but I'm also extremely excited.  I've been having a blast picking out things for the nursery.  I've never gotten to decorate a nursery really because we've always lived in apartments before--so it's been a fun and new thing to do.  I'm also going to attempt to sew all the crib bedding, and hopefully that goes well!

BK also has some new things in the works as far as his job, but I'll wait till it's all official until I talk more about that! (No, it doesn't involve a move, don't worry, Waco....)

Overall, life is good.  It's busy and hard and crazy, but at the end of the day, it's good, and it's everything I always wanted.