Sunday Funday

Good times with good friends ... it doesn't hurt that they have a boat and live on the lake.  :)

Summer mojo

Lately I feel like I am losing my mojo to write anything in this space that is mine.

Maybe it's because summer is in full swing, and with that has come swimming lessons, splash pad fun, library reading club, etc., or maybe it is because I am just losing interest in writing regularly?

Whatever the reason, I will pop in from time to time when I do get the urge.  I feel quite certain that I am not going to abandon this space entirely.  :)

Until then, I am trying to keep my sanity while dealing with a puppy, potty train an almost three year old, and will be back at work tutoring two days a week for the next month.  We are staying busy, but it is the good kind of busy that keeps me away from this blog and with my family.

Home Depot kids workshop

Last weekend my new neighbor friend (I will just refer to her as NNF from now on, mkay?) gave me a heads up about the free Home Depot kids workshop on Saturday morning.  Ummm, yes, please!

The first Saturday of every month, Home Depot hosts a free workshop in their stores where kids get to make a craft (adult assisted, of course... unless your kid is old enough to follow the steps on their own).

R stayed home with the pup to do some work while G and I ventured off to get our craft on.  Except this craft was much more daunting upon first appearance than the typical scrapbooking crafts that I'm used to undertaking.

It was actually really easy.  And fun.  G especially enjoyed getting to use a real hammer and painting.

NNF gave us a veteran's tip -- if the project involves paint, head towards the paint counter and use their hair dryer to give your project a quick once over.  Genius!

Besides the obvious free craft, Home Depot also hands out little orange aprons for the kids and a specialized pin to go on your apron.  Seriously adorable.

Lawn mower pencil holder, duh!  ;)  Also, we didn't get our apron yet because they were all out.

G was so excited about his craft and kept asking me all day long, "Is it dry yet?"  I wanted to save it for R's Father's Day present, but G was too eager to show it off.  And honestly, I'm not sure if he wants to share it with his daddy just yet since he carries it around all over the house.  :)

Just what R's desk was missing!  G has since reclaimed it as his own.

Thanks, Home Depot!  We'll be seeing you again next month!

**I was not compensated for this post in any way -- I just happened to love the workshop and wanted to make sure other mamas and papas knew about it!  

WILW: Nursery Inspiration

I haven't linked up for a WILW in what feels like ages, but I'm baaaaack!

Today I want to share a few things on Baby Boy's nursery inspiration board that I am loving!

As soon as we found out we are having another boy, I immediately began looking for ideas to spice up the current nursery.  It has been set up as you see it since we moved in ten months ago (wow, time flies!), but G Man never slept in it here.  He was either in our room or in his big boy room (former guest room that didn't last long).

Everything in the nursery is basically the same at our new house, minus the awesome custom mural that we had painted at the old house.

You can see more pictures of the nursery at the old house here.

Without the mural, the wall seems like a blank canvas.  

Bad lighting, sorry.  We painted the walls gray with the accent wall a darker shade to make it gender neutral.

We did have the same muralist come out to the new house, but ultimately, we felt like G's big boy room was the number one priority at the time and decided to wait on the nursery mural once we were actually expecting and knew the gender.  Since then, I've decided to change things up a bit this time around and do a gallery wall instead. 

Among other things (I don't want to share too much and not have anything be a surprise!), here are some of the goodies that I have my eye on...

Top left, middle left, bottom left, middle, top right, bottom right

I am loosely sticking with the safari theme and incorporating "Where the Wild Things Are."  Besides the obvious pinterest and etsy, I also am loving all of the eye candy and amazing inspiration boards at Lay Baby Lay.

I have big plans for this room and can't wait to make it unique and special for my second little man!

Bows or bow ties?

Last Friday evening we had our big gender reveal with my family.  Everyone came over for dinner and then the main event, the gender revealing cupcakes that my sweet new neighbor friend offered to bake for us.

We look awesome - ha!  This is right before I dropped off the envelope with the incriminating evidence at my neighbor's house.

The beautiful cupcakes.

It did take some will power not to peek inside the envelope, but I stayed strong and I'm so glad that I was able to muster the strength - the surprise really was worth it!

We asked everyone to come over for dinner wearing either pink or blue, and after a hearty dinner of baked ziti and salad, we let G bite into the first cupcake.

Baby #2 is a ...

BOY!!! 

We are over the moon excited to welcome another sweet boy into our family come October!  I have already starting pinning away and perusing etsy looking for some special touches that I want to add to baby boy's nursery before he gets here.

Brothers ... I can't wait!

Bumpdate: 20 weeks

**This post was written on Thursday but not published until now.  

• How far along: 20 weeks!
• How I'm feeling: Overall, great!  
• Size of the baby: The size of a SMALL CANTALOUPE! (Disclaimer: This is the smallest cantaloupe I could find at the store.)
• Total weight gain: 9 pounds. 
• Maternity clothes: Oh yes!  
• Sleep: Not great but not terrible.  
• Gender: Your guess is as good as mine!  We had the big ultrasound this morning, but we had the tech seal the incriminating pictures in an envelope for our big gender reveal dinner with my family tomorrow night!  Eeeeek!
• Movement: Feeling baby move more and more.
• Food Cravings: Fruit salad, tator tots with cheese, chips and dip.
• Food Aversions: None.  
• What I miss: My feet not feeling so tired by the end of the day.
• Best moment of the week: Finding out the gender TOMORROW!
• Big Brother: G is becoming more interested in the baby and any baby we happen to encounter.  He uses a baby voice while talking to them - hilarious!

We survived the big anatomy screening ultrasound, for the most part.  My doctor did reveal that the ultrasound tech found a small bright spot on the baby's heart, indicating an echogenic intracardiac focus (EIF).  Basically, this is sometimes a soft marker for Down's or other chromosomal abnormalities.  

Since I already did the quad screening, which found my chances of any of those things are 1 in 20,000, he told me not to be concerned at all.  In fact, he told me that the only reason that he was telling me was because is he legally obligated to.  I do not show any other factors of a chromosomal abnormality - the bones all measured exactly where they should be, the neck fold measuring was perfect, etc.  Most of these go away on their own (a simple calcium deposit) or could also possibly evolve into a heart defect, which he also is not concerned about.  They are not uncommon findings and he kept stressing not.to.worry.

Of course I came home and googled away, and I really do feel at peace with everything.  We will have a follow up ultrasound at 24 weeks to check on baby's heart and growth.  Until then, grow, baby, grow, and know that mama loves you no matter what. 

Life lately

Oh goodness.  Life lately has been fun, hectic, stressful, and wonderful all rolled into one.  Sometimes Often I wonder why we I thought a puppy was a good idea when I'm pregnant with a toddler in tow.  Oh.Em.Gee.  At least he's cute and G loves him.  Don't worry, Zeus is not mistreated in any way and gets plenty of love.  He's just a handful at times.  A thirty-two pound handful that requires a lot of attention.  At least it's good practice for baby #2, yes?

Proof that he is still alive and well.  Also, proof that R needs new work socks - ay!

We've been finding ways to entertain ourselves...

He crawled into this box and told me he was going to Sunnyside.

and have been indulging in some culinary treats...

Cupcakes to celebrate pooping in the potty (should there even be another reason?!?)!  He wanted the one with the heart.  :)

Enjoying some of Gigi's delicious jalapeño ranch dip.

It was a tough decision, but I obviously went with the enchiladas.  

My little man moved up into a bigger car seat...

and now insists on picking mama a flower on every walk...

Be still my heart.  

Especially during the frustrating moments, I'm trying to take a cue from my toddler and take the time to smell the flowers.

Namaste.