Nathan's New Trick

This was a while ago, but it was too fun for me to not post. I think it is so funny when kids are discovering the different things their bodies can do. I must say, he is pretty good at making those bubbles. I was gone shopping when he first did this and I was on the other end of the phone and was wondering what in the world that noise was he was making. I was so happy Nathaniel taped it for me. I hate to miss out on anything.

Tender Mercies

I love to hold my babies while they sleep...the only problem is that they only sleep while they are in their beds, not my arms. The other night Nathan woke up crying, probably because of his molars that are cutting. I went in and couldn't resist just giving the rocking a try. He fell right asleep in my arms and I just melted. I was soaking up every minute of it. I told myself I was going to rock him until he woke up and wanted to be back in his bed. Well he actually slept for more than a few minutes, so I fell asleep too. Nathan moved a little in my arms and woke me up and my neck was a little kinked so I put him back in his bed. I just love those moments when life slows down and everything seems perfect for a time. Nothing gets better than snuggling a sweet sleeping child...except for maybe that caramel popcorn that they were selling at Costco on Sat. It's a toss up.

Cravings

With every pregnancy I get different cravings, which I think is normal for most women. With my first pregnancy I wanted gluten- in forms of Top Ramen, Saltines, Pizza, Bagels, etc. You name it and if it was something I wasn't supposed to have, I wanted it. I actually broke down and cried (pathetic, I know) and then ate a bagel and pizza one night and then wanted to die as I hovered over the toilet for the next 3 hours. Another time it was lemonade. I am not usually a lemonade fanatic, but it always sounded good and hit the spot. With Nathan I wanted meat, and lots of it. For Thanksgiving I didn't care about anything other than the turkey and ham...okay, I did care about other things, just not nearly as much. With this baby grapes, clementines, and recently steak fries are my favorites. I have also discovered that I get headaches when I eat sugar. Not every time I eat it, but frequently. My doctor says just to stay away from sugar...yeah, 'cause that's easy! I don't think he understands my love for sweets. I may not be able to have gluten, but until now I could have 90% of the things in the candy aisle. Let's just say this is probably a blessing in disguise and hopefully I'll stick to it and be able to lose the baby fat I am gaining quickly after the little one is born...we'll see.

The Sweetest Thing

Tonight as I was sitting on the couch, Eliza came and knelt down in front of me. She put one hand on each side of my pregnant belly (which has popped out a bit the last week or two) and sang rock-a-bye baby while moving my tummy back and forth in a rocking motion. It was so sweet. She was talking to my belly a few days ago as I was lying in bed with her. I guess the baby has become more real to her since I have begun to show. I love the way she already loves her "baby sister". She really wants a girl and has a hard time if I tell her it might be a boy. I guess we'll find out Sept. 4th if she is right or not. I just love how excited she is. It is fun to have a child old enough to understand what's going on.

Kate's Birthday! (Just a little late)

I love Kate's facial expressions. This is her opening her presents first thing in the morning. Her birthday was July 13th.
She had a little help with the opening. Eliza and Autumn were right there to help her out. It must run in the family to love to open presents, huh, Nanc! I'm kidding, every kid (and Nancy) loves to open them.
Our picnic at the zoo. It was so stinkin' hot that we were all sweating just sitting there in the shade. Luckily the kids didn't care and had a great time.
The kids love the spouting frog and had to have a few minutes in the water before moving on. Eliza ended up moving on SOAKED.
This is my personal favorite at the zoo. I love to watch the polar bear swim. We were standing right behind the glass and watching him make laps right in front of us. It was so cool!
They were adorable sitting on the elephant statue right before we left. They girls had so much fun together. What a bonus for Kate's birthday to have Autumn here.
We went up to the sprinkler park for Kate since that is what we did for Liza. She wanted to do the same things. It was a little busier that day, but it didn't slow the kids down. They had a blast. Nathan was a little maniac. He was running around like crazy and kept running into things since he wasn't watching. One time a bucket of water dumped on his head and it didn't slow him down. Funny boy!
Megan and JD came over since they are part of the family and gave Kate a cute princess sticker book. The 3 girls had soooo much fun using it that night. The older girls thought they really lucked out with Kate getting that gift.
The cake and the fake blowout of the candles. She was too quick for the real shot...I missed it.
The birthday girl. I can't believe how big she is already. Where does the time go? She is so much fun and really keeps us laughing. She is such a blessing to us and I couldn't love her more.