A Few Photos for Fun

lunch date

they loved this arrangement

Happy Birthday Kaylee!

roping

country girl

she loved the horse ride!

so happy

horsey!

going for a ride

she nailed it

playing games

singing with daddy

Happy Birthday YaYa! You have cake?

dueling piano

drums

yes, they were comparing toenails

PopPops bebes

helping Pape plant shallots

digging with her shovel

i plant it? not eat it?

Hard Day of Work

I am so thankful for our hard working family. Today Mauro III, Cody, and Jenne came over to help us work on our house. We have 3 major projects to finish before Cinco comes- and we got a huge chunk done today!

Second Bath- plumbing almost done today! left we have to clean up, lay floors and walls, and install tile and fixtures. picked out the tile this week for the walls. the floors will be a textured 6 inch brown tile. haven't picked out fixtures- need to get on that!

Entryway- hung the closet door. left is texture, a few spots of tape and mud, and paint! we are thinking orange, which we will carry into the kitchen

Master- got it cleaned, trim kilzed, and first coat of paint on. need to put second coat on, paint trim, pull up floors, and paint floors. and paint closet doors. then move in! I have to say, this room used to embarrass me. It was an ugly, dirty, storage room that was ignored. now it feels like a part of our home! amazing what some myers clean day, paint, and lots of elbow grease can accomplish! we picked a shade of green- again! we always go that way. this green is more relaxing and serene then the living area and Amali's room

Here is the progress we made...

bathroom progress!

they worked so hard on the plumbing

door is securely hung!

what can I say, we love green!

master paint

love my big windows

tile we picked for the second bath walls

Opossum!

look what we found!

Sweet Valentine

Valentines Day was not as celebrated as I usually do, because this year we are so ridiculously busy! But we wanted to make the day special for Pape, to show him how much we love and appreciate all of the hard work he does for us. So we went and got him a plant from each of us, a balloon, and drew him some pictures. Fun day! Then made him a delicious supper for our hard working daddy to come home to.

Jenne's Afternoon Tea

To celebrate our beautiful bride Jennifer, we threw her an afternoon tea party with all of her friends! It was a wonderful day in every way. Jenne enjoyed the afternoon sipping on different teas, munching on yummies, and surrounded by the women in her life who love her. We are so excited for her to officially join our family!

SUCCESS is sweet!

At just over two and a half years old, our silly little Bubbs is POTTY TRAINED! It has been a week and a half of pure wonder. Yes, there were accidents. But gradually, she has learned. For the past week, she has had either no accidents, or one or two understandable ones each day. She thought for a while that pottying outside was okay. Even in her panties. She has realized that feels yucky too. So we solved that. Thursday we ran errands- Accident free! Friday we did a million things all day, 2 accidents, both poop. I wasn't paying enough attention. Yesterday we were at YaYa's for the shower- all day accident free! Today has been accident free too. I'm so proud of her!

So what worked? Reminding her constantly. Asking her instead of demanding. Letting her do it by herself. Getting excited when she is successful. Treats and rewards (in this house a lot constitutes a treat, not just food.) Leaving the light on in the bathroom. Starting early in the morning. Having her help me go potty too. Watching Elmo's Potty Time. She was ready to be a big girl.

What are we still working on? Nap and bed time. I put her in pull ups. She has woken up dry for the past few nights. So we'll try panties soon. Naptime though is the trick. She has abandoned the conventional nap. Opting instead for "quiet time." Fine by me, as long as it's an hour. Unfortunately, she poops about this time. So if I put a pull up on her and put her in her room, she poops. I have told her to let me know if she needs to poop and we will go. And I put her on the potty before nap time every day. We'll see how this works out. I have a few more ideas.

Overall, our baby girl is growing up. No more diapers, and now putting a diaper on her seems like a punishment. And really strange. I am so glad that she was ready and we are diaper free, at least for the next few months.

Update Feb 19- Still going great in panties! How excited am I? VERY!!!!! Be warned, she really enjoys talking to others about butts, poop, panties, and penis. Just saying. It's what she's learning so wants everyone else to share in her knowledge. Appropriate conversation is a concept she is still not grasping.

Pregnancy with my Baby Boy

Today I am officially in my third trimester- 26 weeks! Wow this pregnancy has gone by so quickly! We are excited to meet our baby boy, and Amali asks about him every day. She tells me "I can hold him when he is born. Yep, I have to wait until he is born." She loves when Cinco kicks her, and gets giddy with excitement. Then says "Hey brother, don't kick me!" Silly. Care to read about my pregnancy symptoms? Read on!

good morning!

Nausea/Vomiting- extremely consistent until about 13 weeks. sad. so glad that is over!

Headaches- pretty much since I stopped throwing up, I've had daily headaches. some days worse than others.

Sleeplessness- From about 1-4am I am unable to sleep. annoying! especially when Am decides to wake up early the next morning. I get a lot of thinking, reading, writing, and planning done during this time.

Hip and Pelvic Girdle Pain- Since about 22 weeks I have been in constant pain. Ouch! Mega pain. Didn't feel this with Am until the very end. Got a super maternity belt, not just one of those little strap numbers, but a big one that really holds my belly. It helps a ton. That plus stretching daily has relieved a lot of the pain.

Food Cravings- So hungry. Up until last week I needed tomato sauce a lot. And pickles. That has subsided and now, it's ice cream. Do you know how fast you put on weight when you eat ice cream every other day? Yes, I make myself skip days. Going to have to make it a twice a week thing soon. Already switched to the "churn style" which supposedly has half of the fat. Still tastes yummy if you get the right flavor. Favorite right now is Cherry Vanilla. Plus Teresa brought me some Pistachio Almond this week too. Man, mix those, and I am in heaven. Okay that is enough love for ice cream in one post. I also, as with Amali, am a super fruit eater. I eat so much fresh fruit I should have a farm in my stomach. Watermelon and blueberries are my current favorites. Just this morning I ate two bananas for breakfast.

Itchy Feet- So strange. But I looked it up and it is a pregnancy symptom. The bottoms of my feet itch slightly for several hours at a time. Not the falling asleep kind of feeling, but an actual itch. Lotion kind of helps which makes me think it's from being dry. But it's not a normal dry skin itch. Ah Pregnancy....

Forgetfulness- If it's not on my calendar with a reminder alarm set, I don't remember. Pregnancy brain is a real thing.

HUGE- yes, I am huge. I have gained 16 lbs so far. I hope to only gain 20-25 overall. I look full term already. I get a huge belly, and get asked frequently if I am having twins. No, I just have a petite torso, so my belly has no where to go except out! Geez. Last Sunday a friend sat by me and said, I just want to sit by someone who is bigger and farther along then me. Yeah she is 28 weeks. She was stunned when I told her I am only 25, She was embarrassed, but I knew she meant well. Lucky for her I like her. Otherwise the conversation that followed would have been inappropriate for a church setting. She did use the term "healthy" way to often. But I forgive her.

Next baby appointment is February 24! We get an ultrasound and to check out how Cinco is doing and make sure my placenta has moved up into a better place. I am excited to see my little man, hopefully he waves to us again!