Happy Easter!

Matthew 28:6 He is not here; He has risen, just as He said.

Egg Hunt Time

We had so much fun at last year's Lembi Park egg hunt that we of course had to do it again this year. Mallory is all about candy lately so she was on board as soon as we told her where we were going. This year we brought along Uncle, Auntie, Nama and Poppa to join in on the festivities. It took her a second to remember what to do after they told us that we could start, but as soon as she picked up a couple of eggs she was on a roll. Her basket was overflowing with eggs towards the end so we left the remaining eggs for others to collect while we sat down to count our loot. We all had a great time once again, and look forward to many more Lembi Park egg hunts to come in the years ahead.

Around and Around

My girlfriend Annie is in town with her little one, Sawyer so we got together today for a play date - both for the kids and for us adults. She lives down in San Diego so I don't get to see her as often as I'd like, but lately she's been coming up every couple of months to visit with her parents so it's a win-win. Mallory was very interested in baby Sawyer (he's 4 months old) and wanted to hold him and touch him as much as possible. It was very cute to see and made me think of how she'll be with her own little brother.

I had a shirt to return so we all headed over to the mall for some window shopping and play time. Now that I'm no longer working and bringing in a paycheck I have to be more careful when I go shopping not to buy things that aren't a necessity. So I was proud of myself when I didn't even purchase something in place of the item I was returning. Besides lunch and a token for the merry-go-round, I didn't buy a thing. The last time Mallory went on the merry-go-round she didn't really like it, but she insisted that she wanted to go on it. It was either that or a picture with the Easter bunny, but with the cheapest picture package over $20 to sit with a weird looking bunny I felt the merry-go-round was a much better deal. After picking out the zebra for her ride, she was all smiles and laughter as we rode in our little circle. This time the tears came after the ride was over because she didn't want it to end. She still doesn't understand that all things must eventually come to an end and there's always a next time - we'll get there one day.

18 Week Update

Even though this isn't my first pregnancy I'm still surprised at how different the experience is this time around. Finding out that I'm carrying a little boy gives me more validation of why, but in talking with others I'm sure that even if we were having another girl it would still be different. The biggest difference for me is the morning sickness. Not only was it way more intense but it still hasn't completely gone away for me yet. With Mallory it literally stopped around 14 weeks - here I am at 18 weeks and I still have moments where I'm hovered over the sink or running to the bathroom. Fortunately it's not everyday (like it used to be) and it doesn't seem to last all day (most times), but I still hate it none the less. Thank goodness for Zofran; it's been my saving grace through all of this.

I do feel that the growth of my belly has slowed down a bit. Or maybe I'm just starting to get more used to the fact that it's big. But I haven't gained any weight since my last doctor's appointment so that always makes a girl feel better about herself. However, I love my pregnant belly so the weight isn't a concern for me - at least not until after baby Nolan is born. So I'm being mindful about what I eat and I make sure that I get some sort of exercise in. Now if only these sweet-tooth cravings would subside it would make things a whole lot easier!

18 weeks

It's a...

...BOY!!! He definitely wasn't shy about letting us see his goods so we could know for sure; they were out for all to see. We are very much looking forward to welcoming our little guy into the family and feel blessed to be able to experience having a boy this time around. Of course we already have his name picked out so now we can finally start calling him by name - we can't wait to meet you Nolan James!

Boy or Girl?

You'll all be shocked to hear that I'm not waiting until my next regularly scheduled doctor's appointment to find out the gender of this baby in my belly. I know, I know; it's so not my style...okay yes I'm being impatient, but to me it's worth it. I already know that my 20-week appointment will be delayed a bit because of the insurance switch so I'm getting ahead of the curve on the gender. Our appointment is tomorrow morning at 11 and I am so excited! I'll post the results tomorrow...

Baby boy?

Baby girl?

Which one?

17 weeks

Toddler Chat

Sometimes my conversations with Mallory can be quite comical. You know, those moments that remind you of the saying, "Kids say the darndest things" and that entertaining Bill Cosby TV show. This morning's chat was about breakfast.

Me: "Mallory, what would you like for breakfast?"
Mallory: "Eggs please."
Me: "Okay I'll make you some scrambled eggs."
Mallory: "No, I don't want scrambled eggs!"
Me: "Well then what do you want?"
Mallory: "I want mermaid eggs."

So I made her some mermaid eggs. They look a lot like scrambled eggs to me, but to her they're way yummier. I love that kids allow you to pretend again. Hope everyone has a wonderful Monday! And a very Happy Birthday to my BIL Steven, who is finally turning 30!

Bounce in Her Step

Mallory and I met up with the Peterson ladies this morning over at Skyzone in Rocklin for their toddler time jump session. This was the first time for Mal at a place like this (and for myself, but who really cares about me anyway), and boy did she have a blast. She's jumped on a trampoline before but it was a small one with a bar that she held onto. Skyzone is like a trampoline on steroids.

It was so much fun, not just for monster but me too. If there were no little ones around I would've gone nuts on those things. I wish there was something like it closer to us in Folsom, but it's totally worth the drive. Plus it's only $6 and parents jump for free, so how can you say no. She jumped nonstop for her entire allotted hour, and even stole some extra minutes. Lucky for me, getting her to agree to leave wasn't as bad as it could have been; I have the Peterson ladies to thank for that since they were leaving with us. Softens the blow when the whole group has to leave. It was so nice to get together with our friends to catch up on life, finally meet baby Harper, and get our jump on. We'll be back Skyzone, you can count on it.

Brynn showing Mal the ropes

Like a pro in no time

Following the leader

Trying some tricks

Peek-a-boo

Starting to get worn out

Lots of Play Time

Mallory and I went up to my mom's house for a couple of days. I had a nice time trying to relax (with a toddler there's really no such thing as relaxing), and monster had a great time playing. She had a play date with Jack from across the street, who she totally was enamored with. He kept wanting to show her all his toys so of course she was all about that. Especially when she found his Woody doll from Toy Story - the movie she's obsessed with at the moment. We also hit up Billie Park to take advantage of the updated playground and soak up the beautiful weather we've been having this week. Thanks Mamaw and Poppa for the fun!

This is Sam:

Sam is my SIL's new puppy and he is super adorable. I mean, look at that face. And he's so tiny and fluffy; enough to make anyone fall in love. Case in point: Mallory. She wouldn't leave this little guy alone. Wanted to hold him and carry him around everywhere. Wanted to crawl in his playpen and cuddle him to death. We had to teach her that we pick him up by the waist not the throat, and we set him down gently not throw him to the ground. She still has some learning to do, but at least she was showing signs of improvement toward the end of our visit last night. Poor Sam; he was being such a good sport through it all. Soon enough though, they'll have their own little girl to pull and prod at Sam with the birth of Lucy this May - might as well get him used to it now!

Adapting to the Position

Well, this was my first week on the new job - full-time, stay-at-home mom. I'm pretty sure the new boss - aka monster - thinks that I'm adjusting quite nicely. I didn't worry too much about tackling the 'never-ending list of items/chores/crafts/errands' and instead focused on getting used to our new routine of just the two of us. I've got plenty of time to concentrate on those lists. For our first week together we just had a great time going with the flow of things.

Being dramatic while eating our lunch

Tickle monster

Being cool in her sunglasses

Trying out pigtails

Loves to wear my shoes

Very stylish

Lunch at dad's new office

Being chased never gets old