Well, we had a fabulous 4th of July, and, really, a fabulous long weekend. We got a lot done around the house, which also felt wonderful. We're feeling more and more settled in with each day. :) We love our place.. LOVE IT! I feel like that's an understatement.
We still don't have our sofas in our living room.. but that's another story.
So, we had absolutely gorgeous weather for the 4th. To kick off the festivities, we went to the 4th of July parade in town, our second year in a row, which was so fun.
Brooke & Daddy ~
Brooke & Lucy--a super-sweet parade neighbor ~
Brooke & Mommy.. and baby boy!
Getting a better view :)
Later in the day, we had a delicious cookout at my parents' house, and of course concluded the evening with FIREWORKS. :) We couldn't go last year due to rain, but we had perfect weather this year. We spread out our blanket, and waited for them to start. Brooke LOVED them--so much, in fact, that she was rather disappointed when they ended, and was trying to figure out why they stopped. :) We told her there will be more.. next year, that is. :) She was completely enthralled with them, and wasn't scared of them at all.
Brooke was also able to enjoy her pool on our deck... granted, these pictures were taken BEFORE Ryan powerwashed the deck, and let me tell you, it's like a brand new deck now! :) As you can see, it was all gray and black in places... so dirty, and pretty neglected looking. But I digress.
She decided it'd be a wonderful idea to dump water on Mommy's feet :)
Admiring her work..
Pretty soon, my loung chair was literally a pool in itself :)
Mischevious. So proud of herself!
All those toys, and all she wants is my kitchen spoon ~
In other news, I've just started thinking about Brooke's birthday party... really, it's only a little over a month away! This year we're just going to have it at our place, since it's bigger and can hold more people than our last place. :) (But that also means we need to get to work and get our kitchen painted!) So, I've got a bit of planning to do for that. I cannot believe she is nearly TWO. I'm in a bit of denial, I think. ;-)
I do have a few house pictures to share, but this post is getting long enough! So, look for those soon. :) I'm just taking pictures room by room as we get everything settled.. it's a process. :)
Just had to mention that I had a reality check today when I noticed my pregnancy ticker, specifically how many days we have left until he's due: 99 days! That is, we're now in double digits... as in, under 100. Of course, that's given he decides to show up before his big sister did. I have a feeling he may even come a little early, but am scared to say that out loud and have him be as late as she was! (10 days overdue, for those unaware) And? I'm a mere 7 days away from being in the third trimester. That's the last one, folks. How did that happen?!
So, to document this day, this morning I snapped a couple of pictures! Yes, I know, I'm not 26 weeks until tomorrow, but considering how badly I've been slacking in the belly picture department, I think it'll be okay.
26 weeks, from the side & from the front ~
I never took pictures from the front while expecting Brooke, but I probably should have. I carried wide with her, and didn't stick out very far in front. This time I'm definitely carrying more out in front.
Anyway, my brother in law, Jamin, will be hanging out and staying with us tonight, which will be a lot of fun. He's flying out EARLY tomorrow morning (5:45 AM) from a nearby airport to attend a wedding in TN, so it just made more sense for him to stay with us, and have Ryan drive him and drop him off vs. him driving all the way from where he lives in Maryland.
Tomorrow, I am so looking forward to my day with my girlie, and my husband, once he wakes up again after driving Jamin to the airport. :) I'm not sure EXACTLY what our plans are for Saturday, but we love the 4th of July, and will have a blast. We'll definitely be going to see fireworks, too, but of course will be near our car in case Brooke decides to completely freak out. :) She's never seen fireworks before, but I honestly think she'll probably like them.
Hope you all have a wonderful, long weekend, and a very Happy 4th of July! :)
Anyone ever watched that show on the Biography channel? I'm a little addicted, even though it scares me. And I definitely can't watch it safely if Ryan isn't home. :) It fascinates me, though.
We survived our move! It was absolutely exhausting, but everything is moved in.. well, except our two sofas, which are hanging out in the garage because we didn't have enough help to lift them up over the back deck. Like our last place, they don't fit up the stairs! They'll be moving to their permanent destinations tomorrow.
I love, love, love, love, love our new place. Love it!
I don't have pictures yet.. really, I don't want to post any until I have things set up the way we'd like. :) So, in the meantime, I'll leave you with these little tidbits:
Moving while 6 months pregnant isn't exactly what I'd call ideal.. in fact, if I can help it, I never want to move while pregnant ever again!
Of course, on a more random note, I'm not sure if I willget pregnant again. I feel like having one of each gives us at least the option of being done. But will we feel complete? No way to know yet. Time will tell!
If you mustmove while pregnant, get lots of help. Our families were amazing. Ryan's parents helped us move on Saturday while my parents kept Brooke at their house, and my brother helped us as well. Sunday, my parents came by to help out, and my Mom helped me get a lot of things in their place.
Mr. Clean Magic Erasers really are magic. I know everyone says this, but I used them on everything!
Coming back to work this Monday, as so not fun as that was, actually turned out to be a welcome reprieve, because it forced me to rest. If I had been at home, I wouldn't sit down aside from meals and sleeping.
Getting rid of our satellite service, and vowing not to get cable or satellite until the fall to save some money, is way easier said than done. Better to do during the summer, when you can spend more time outside, than in, say, the winter.
Two sinks in the master bathroom really must be the key to a happy marriage. Having never had two before, it's frightening how quickly we've become attached to the idea!
Two master closets is a very close second. I feel very spoiled.
Unlike our last place, blackout shades will be a must for both of the children's' bedrooms, due to early morning sun. Brooke's been awake at the crack of dawn! (and been cranky, thanks to not enough rest) I've ordered her shades (JCPenney, on sale!) and have put up two sheets over her windows to help out until they arrive. She slept MUCH better last night with them up. :)
As of tomorrow, we'll have 99 days until our baby boy is due!!!!! Wow.
I'm so thankful that it's a short week! I'm looking forward to our 4th of July weekend, and all of the festivities that implies. :) I will definitely have pics to share from our weekend!
