Can we have a Camp-out?!

Finley has a new-found obsession with using out fire pit. We haven't used it since last summer but as the weather started getting warmer and Josh and I started the (arduous) process of removing the leaves from the back porch, Finn has started the incessant questioning of "When can we do a camp-out????" While irritating, he is quite effective because he doesn't stop until he gets his way. And he got his way.

What Finn doesn't understand is that we aren't actually camping out...just using the fire pit. But he loves marshmallows (aka "shmarsh-mallow-ows") and this is really all he cares about. So Josh and I decided to do dinner over the fire pit (hotdogs) and then have s'mores. What sounded like a great family adventure to kick off the beginning of summer was actually a pain in the rear end, and the boys have zero patience to cook anything. Good thing I snapped some pictures right at the beginning of the adventure because less than 5 minutes in, they were not interested at all. 

While Josh and I cooked, the boys drove all around the back porch. We begged them to come help. No way.

Because of their lack of interest in helping roast anything, we basically let the fire die down. By the time dinner was over (they take a sweet-forever to eat), we basically made s'mores over a smoldering fire. The marshmallows roasted beautifully and tasted great. But again, the lack of patience meant Josh and I did most of the work, and Finn basically decided un-roasted marshmallows were good enough. So he ate them straight from the bag (occasionally putting them on the "stick" first, but not in the fire).

Everyone looks thrilled in this first picture. Ha...that about sums up the "camp-out" adventure. I did tell them all to look a little happier in the next series of pictures!

AND then there is this...

32 weeks!

Believe it or not, I have less than 8 weeks to go before I meet this baby. I had a doctor's appointment the other day and all seems to be going well. It was pretty uneventful of an appointment. Except that I had to take the boys with me, which was very unnerving for me. But the boys were fantastic...more on that in a bit.

Josh ended up having to work during the day shift (which is why I took the boys with me to the doctor) and I had planned to have him take a 32-week picture but that fell through. Finn wanted his picture taken, and was actually quite irritated that I was in the picture. I think he missed the point of why the camera was actually pulled out. But I think it turned out pretty good!

At 32 weeks:

• I am finally feeling better in the nausea department. It only took 8 months...
• but I am feeling huge, stretched to the limits, and have some serious tailbone pain
• I am bigger than I have ever been. Ever.
• The baby moves like crazy, I don't think it sleeps really, and I know it doesn't let me sleep.
• I get up 3-4 times at night and am struggling to get comfortable.
• I have a pretty serious case of TMJ pain for some reason...may or may not be pregnancy-related, but I have never had it before and when I did a google search a lot of people apparently have found a correlation with pregnancy and TMJ pain

So...I had to take the boys with me to my 32-week appointment. If you will recall, my last, and only other, experience was with Keagan alone and it was not exactly the best. Josh and I drilled into their little heads how important it was to behave, listen, and most of all BE QUIET. And I bribed them with a trip to Toys-R-Us and a toy if they could be good.  Well, they were perfect. PERFECT.  I did bring iPads, which they never get, so they were super entranced the whole time and that helped. Listen, they were so good I had people in the waiting room complementing them, and telling me how sweet they were, etc, etc. I have this self-conscious "fear" that someone will see the behavior of my boys and then my giant belly and think, "Yeah. The last thing she needs is another kid." But not this day!

For their fantastic behavior we went to Toys R Us and I just let them go nuts. They never get to go, so it was like the.best.day.ever, and they excitedly ran from aisle to aisle and told me what toys they wanted for their birthday or Christmas. I told them they could get one toy, and they chose to go into the Lego aisle. They did a pretty good job picking out their toy and then sticking to their choice, and not asking for anything else. I'd say they had a great time...as evidenced by the constant motion in the pictures!

After running a few errands around Paducah, we ended up at Chick Fil A for lunch. The boys were so well behaved (where did my normal kids go?!!!) and ate well, used manners, and helped me out...so I let them finish up by playing in the playplace. Seriously, these kids deserved it. And it was fun to watch how much fun they were having.

The boys and I had a great time together. I hope they remember this day...especially since their little worlds are about to be rocked by a new baby. I hope they know how much I love them, together and individually.

Another Milestone! (first lost tooth)

Keagan is hitting milestones and growing up too quickly...I feel like we are flying through this stage of life just like we flew through milestones when he was a baby.  First graduation, now his first wiggly and lost tooth. And then just the other day he crossed the monkey bars, swinging from his hands, several times and got the dreaded palm blisters. He's getting so big.

Keagan came to me probably a month ago and told me he had a loose tooth. I thought he was just pulling my arm because some of his friends had also lost teeth. But he did, indeed, have a loose tooth. Fast forward to this past week and the boys had a dentist appointment. We were shown the permanent tooth behind the loose baby tooth in Keagan's mouth, and told that we needed to encourage him to wiggle it. We were even given some numbing gel to make that more comfortable for him. Well, a couple nights later this tough little guy just decided to pull that tooth straight out. It may have been because I encouraged him to wiggle the tooth by telling him that we should try and get the tooth out before we got to Grandma and Grandpa's the next week. I didn't anticipate it actually falling out, it wasn't quite ready.

Keagan came straight into our room late at night and his mouth was all bloody, he told us he pulled it out and he was sorry for doing that, but he really wanted to show Grandma and Grandpa! We finally got him cleaned up and found the tooth, and were trying to get him back to sleep so the tooth fairy would come. But he wanted to save the tooth for Finn to see the next morning. He was so excited!!! It was pretty cute. The next morning we had to take pictures, first thing, to send to Grandma.

The day he told me he had a loose tooth I didn't know how long we'd have this sweet baby smile, so we took some pictures. I already miss this sweet mouth with perfect teeth, but not so much for what it looks like but what it represents. Time really needs to slow down.

Oh-Oh-O-R-E-O

I have had 3 limited edition Oreo flavors in my pantry for a few months...and the other day I decided to open them up and give them a try. The boys have really enjoyed indulging in these new cookies! And they are all very, very good this time!

First up: Strawberry Shortcake Oreos. They are as yummy as you'd expect. The only thing I would change is to add more cream as the cookie kind of overpowers the strawberry flavor from the cream. But don't worry, I had a couple without even thinking about it. And the kids liked them, which is a plus. Another bonus: I found these at my local Wal-Mart!!  I think these are still available...get them, they are good and a nice refreshing summer cookie!

Next: Cinnamon Bun Oreos. I got these in a care package a while back from my Momma and was super excited! Of course, I believe I was still in the woes of severe morning (all-day) nausea and it wasn't something I craved so I put them in the pantry for a rainy day. Well, today is sunny but they sounded super delish so I opened them up. And they are very good. They taste just like a cinnamon bun, with a crunch! Admittedly, I have really liked all-things cinnamon this pregnancy so maybe I am biased. But they really are good. The taste is spot-on, as some other limited edition flavors really haven't been (see also: cookie dough oreos).

Last, but never least: Filled Cupcake Oreos. These are unusual. But yummy. And my boys literally demolished the package in an afternoon. Don't worry, I consumed several. But when I got up to get another cookie, the package was darn near empty! So I would say these were a hit with the kids. The flavor is good (though I have never had a Hostess cupcake so I cannot compare them to that), and when you open the cookie up you have a little cream surprise! I do believe this is what appealed to my kids just as much as the flavor...who doesn't like a little surprise? This was another surprise find at my Wal-Mart!

Now, if anyone comes across some Toasted Coconut Oreos, I continue to look for these. They sound incredible!!!

Keagan's Pre-K Graduation

Welp. My first baby is officially a baby-no-more. He graduated from Preschool last Friday and is starting Kindergarten in the fall. And he is beyond ready. I am ready for him to start as well. However, I had to shed a few tears first during his preschool graduation ceremony first. I was okay during the entrance (they played that Pomp and Circumstance song as the kids walked in), and I was okay as the kids went through the program and shared with us what they learned. I wiped away a tear or two when Keagan nailed his speaking part. I even did pretty good during him getting his "diploma." But...I all-out lost it and swollen-face-ugly-cried when they started a slideshow of the kids over the last year paired with sappy songs (i.e. Darius Rucker's You're Gonna Miss This, and the like).  I had to dig in my purse for tissues...and was thankful that the momma sitting in front of me also lost it. I shared tissues with her.

Time has flown. I swear it was just just yesterday, and not 6 years ago, that we were preparing for his birth.What is hardest for me to swallow is that in 13 years we will be celebrating a high school graduation. Thirteen years...seems so far off. But It will be here before we have a chance to catch our breath.

Class of 2029, get ready...the Preschool Class of 2016 is ready to take on the world!

When we got into the gym for the reception, Finn was beyond thrilled to see his big brother. It was pretty sweet!! A crazy bear hug ensued.

Then Keagan took off and wanted to hang with his friends. I followed him around with the camera like the Paparazzi. A glimpse of things to come, I suppose. Here he is with two of his very best friends: Maeci and Levi.

I am still swollen-faced from ugly crying during the ceremony slide-show. But I had to get a picture with my first baby.

Keagan and Ms. Stacey, his teacher. We are so very thankful for all that she does for all the kids and the program. She works very hard and it shows. 

Finn didn't want to be left out!

We got Keagan a cake for once we got home and continued the celebration a bit. This cake. Oh! This cake. I sent Josh out to WalMart to get a cake and asked him to have them write on it. I jokingly told Josh it looked like one of the preschoolers wrote on the cake. He said that the lady who was in the bakery told him upfront she wasn't very good, but did it anyways. Then handed the cake back to Josh after and told him there was no charge for the writing. Hahahahaha! Good thing! I don't know who would've paid extra for this! It was ugly, but it caused some good laughs.

In true Finley form, he was angry that he wasn't being celebrated. I can understand why he was upset, and actually expected a little kick-back that he wasn't the center of attention, but it still was pretty ugly. And just to show you our lives aren't all butterflies and unicorns, I included these pictures of Finley. Oh the temper. Real life, people.

Keagan, this is just the beginning for you. You have made us proud with your accomplishments already and we are excited to see where life takes you!

As Dr. Seuss wrote:

Oh the Places You'll Go,

Today is your Day! 

Your Mountain is Waiting,

So Get on Your Way!