Last weekend....

We were so blessed to have Scottie's only weekend off be the last one before Jude makes his arrival on Thursday. Not only does it help me avoid doing last minute preparations by myself, but we get to spend some quality time as a family before things get a little crazy for a while.

The residency program at one of his hospitals sponsored a family event a Youngs Dairy Farm. We had a really good time. They fed us lunch, gave us bracelets that allowed us to do all of the activities for free, and we were able to get a free pumpkin. The weather was perfect and the girls really enjoyed it!!

The first thing Grace wanted to do was the miniature golf. I was having some stomach and back pains from all the walking we did from the parking lot to the lunch shelter, so we only played four or five holes. Grace wasn't too happy about that, but she got over it pretty quickly since there was a lot more to do.

Avery jumped right in there and started playing. It was so cute!

Getting a little help from Daddy.

Oh my word, that woman swallowed one of the pumpkins!!! Oh wait... that's me. (I'm not sure why my back end looks deformed.)

Grace loves to slide on the big slides. Avery wanted to go, but she wasn't tall enough. Maybe next year, but I doubt it. For some reason she likes to stay on the tiny side.

First time up to bat. We put her in the slowest cage, but it was still 30 mph. She said it hurt to hit the ball, but she kept going.

Here it comes, I can see it!!

Yeah... not even close.

My poor little baby got hit in the finger with a ball. It happened in the middle of her turn, but she was afraid to turn around and tell us because she thought she would get hit again. So she kept hitting the balls even though she was in a lot of pain. She said, "I just told myself to be tough." It broke my heart to know she was in pain but didn't say anything. She has a pretty nasty bruise on her knuckle, and has declared that she will not be going to the batting cages ever again!!

Waiting in line for the bucket ride.

Avery was suppose to ride with her big sister, but she told Scottie "I ride wif Daddy." That wasn't a part of his plan, but he did it anyway. Such a good Daddy.

Ready to go!

We never have trouble getting the girls close to animals. They feed and pet goats every chance they get. They are both farm girls at heart.

Avery said, "he likes me!"

She thought the goat food was free for the taking. Better learn early girl, nothing is free!!

You can't go to a dairy farm and not get ice cream!! It was good ice cream, but Scottie and I both agreed that it's better to eat it plain. We both got some with candy pieces mixed in, but the ice cream is good enough on it's own. Avery's strawberry was the best.

Does that look like one scoop to you? Next time we'll get the kiddie cone!

Avery kept mooing, so I couldn't get a good picture of her face.

I know I say it a lot, but I love these girls!!

I know exactly how that pumpkin feels!! But just a few more days and we will become a party of five!! Can't wait to bring our little guy with us next year!

Pweety Eyes, Taa-Daaaa

That's what Avery said when we discovered that she had gotten into my mascara.

She loves everything that has to do with make-up. You can't take her through the make-up aisle at the store because she will open the lipsticks and try on the samples. She's our little girly girl.

Showing Daddy her "pweety eyes."

Lately

Here's a few pictures I've taken over the past couple of weeks. Sadly this is one of the only ones I took of Grace. I have a ton of Avery, but that's because she is home with me all day. By the time Grace gets home I am totally wiped out and taking pictures doesn't even register with me. I need to make sure and take some more of her so she doesn't feel unloved. ;)

I love this picture of the girls. Avery has to do everything Gracie does. Sitting on the couch? Check! Eating a snack? Check! Covered up with a blanket? Check! They are so sweet together.

I was on the computer one day and I heard Avery playing behind me. She was just talking to herself and then I heard "my gasses." I just had to laugh when I turned around and saw her with the doctor glasses on while holding her kitty. Too cute!

This girl is OBSESSED with lipstick!!!!! It's so hard to tell her no when she asks for it, but she makes the biggest mess every time. She found this bottle somewhere around the house, and it took a while to pry it out of her hands. I'm telling you....obsessed!!

In the words of Avery- "Pwetty!"

I've introduced Miss Avery to the fun entertainment of the swivel chair. I started spinning her around and she kept yelling "Again!!" It's the simple things in life, isn't it?

Swing-swing with Papaw.

Jeff tried to take Avery on a ride with my bike, but the front tire blew. Boo!!! I'll have to get it fixed because Avery thought it was awesome.

Avery eating a pickle on Gracie's pillow pet.

So cute!

Getting Ready

I have finally washed all of the baby clothes. It may not look like much, but everything is stacked up pretty high. Unfortunately Daddy forgot to buy more hangers when he went to the store for me the other night, so that huge pile of clothes on top of the couch will have to wait a day or two until I can hang them. I washed them all in Dreft, and it smells so good. It makes me excited to think a little baby will be filling them out soon!!

Confession:
This is honestly one of the first times I have been truly excited about having another baby. I know that sounds awful, but this surprise has been hard for me to process emotionally. But now that it is getting closer, I'm getting excited. I've had a lot of thoughts go through my head since we found out, and I'm sure I'll talk about them sometime....

We've had the swing down in the living room for a couple of weeks now. Avery likes to push it and say "baby brother." It's about the only thing she has said was his, everything else is hers. Even today as I was folding the new blankets she grabbed one, rubbed it all over her snotty face, and said "my bankie." It's sad, but all I could think was - it won't smell like dreft if you do that!!! I think I have issues with Dreft.

Below the swing is my "new" boppy. I got it at a great baby resale store called "Once Upon A
Child." These are great places to buy children's clothes and accessories for a good price. I know we have sold clothes there before and got a good price for them. It really depends on the area of the store. The one down the road from us doesn't have much at all, which isn't surprising since we live in a not so classy part of Dayton. But 20 minutes away, in the nice part of town, they have awesome clothes!!! Mom found this boppy for $10.00, and it is in great condition!!! I love a good deal!

I'll post more pictures as we get things organized. Hopefully we can get his room a little more organized and decorated soon. But since he's the third, don't expect too much. We've learned our lesson and know that babies don't really care how much you decorate their room. ;)

Updated

I updated my pregnancy ticker so it shows the accurate number of days left until the baby comes!!

Avery Singing

I tried to get Avery singing on video a few weeks ago. Grace was listening to The Phantom of the Opera, which she is belting in the background. I got her to sing a couple of times, but she wasn't doing it like she had earlier. You will also get to witness her ability to eat anything she finds on the ground. It's seriously becoming a problem. She will eat just about anything she finds. Crazy kid!!!

Grace and Avery

This is my second attempt to catch Avery singing, but she stopped as soon as Grace started talking. Of course Grace isn't camera shy, and wanted her chance to talk on video. I have no idea where she got this saying. Another crazy kid!!!

I Hope This Lasts!!

We finally got a day of nice weather. While it was still warm, it didn't suffocate us when we went outside to play. I have felt really guilty this summer because I haven't been able to do much with the girls. We stayed inside quite a bit due to the heat. My body just didn't handle it very well. So when the humidity went down yesterday we spent the afternoon in the backyard after school.

Grace has finally mastered the art of riding a bike without training wheels. She is loving it!!!! But I think she is getting tired of just riding up and down the sidewalk next to our house. I told her after the baby is born and I recover we can take walks around the neighborhood while she rides her bike.

I'm so glad our neighbors have full grown trees to give us some shade. We have never lived in a house with any kind of shade, which makes playing outside a little too hot sometimes. But we have plenty now and I am loving it!! I wish we had trees in our own yard, but we will just have to make due with what we get from the neighbors.

Lounging in the grass eating baked lays.

They are the sweetest sisters.

I'm not sure why this picture didn't flip. But it shows Avery pointing at "air-pains."

Grace is pointing out bunny rabbits in the clouds. Avery didn't get it and started looking for bunnies in the yard.

I guess Avery thought it was still too hot outside because she started pouring water on herself. Actually she does this about everyday, inside or outside, it doesn't matter. She is the messiest kid I have ever encountered!

I really hope this weather lasts for a while. I want to enjoy the girls before I have to start giving a lot of attention to the baby!! :)

First Day of First Grade

Gracie is officially a first grader. I can't believe it!! She was so excited and nervous this morning as we got ready for school. Avery was excited too, she just didn't know what she was excited about.

She's been trying to smile with her mouth closed since she still has that big tooth hanging sideways in her mouth. But it is starting to get really loose, so I hope it falls out soon. It's making her feel a little self-conscious. I think she will feel better when she gets to school and sees other first graders with dangly front teeth. ;)

Backpack drama!! We bought a backpack a few weeks ago when we were at the mall with Dad and Carol. They bought her the dress she is wearing for the first day of school, and I bought her a gray and pink backpack that she wanted. But three days ago we were at Target buying a few things and she saw this monkey backpack. She fell in love with it and it's matching lunch box. Scottie said no way, but I was wavering quickly. I have a feeling that this might be the last year she will want to carry a pink monkey backpack. I know that may seem silly, but I definitely feel like she is growing up so quickly. So we came to a compromise, she could get it by giving us her money that she earned from her Papaw, and with the knowledge that the pink and gray one will be her backpack next year. She was so excited, and I felt like I get to keep my baby girl for one more year.

Waiting at the bus stop. It was so hot and humid!!! If you have naturally curly hair, don't come to Ohio. It won't do you any favors. I have had the hardest time with Gracie's hair. Everyday we deal with frizz and tangles. I am really ready for fall, for many reasons. :)

The girls were singing Wheels on the Bus while we waited. I think Avery is going to be a little lonely without her big sister to play with her.

I told Grace to wave at me, but I didn't get the picture in time. She was really nervous by the time the bus got here. She told me she had butterflies in her tummy. So we prayed together right before the bus came. In fact I prayed all morning that she would have a good day, and that good friends would come into her life. I was really happy to see that she got to sit with a little girl that lives down the street. We've talked to her a couple of times this summer and she seems really nice. I hope this is the start of a good friendship!

So now it's just me and this little monkey. We've already read a couple of books and will have to find things to do until Sesame Street comes on at 10:00. Avery is not a big t.v. watcher, but she LOVES Sesame Street.

I'm counting down the hours until Gracie comes home and tells me all about her first day of first grade!!!!