Auntie Manda and Uncle Wris Tie the Knot!

This past weekend, Jeremy's little sister, Amanda, and her fiance, Chris, got married!

The boys were ring bearers...

...and enjoyed every minute of the attention! (And believe me there was a lot of it!)

Cousin Evie was the flower girl and although numerous people told her she looked like an angel she was very adamant in her reply that she was NOT an angel, rather, she was a mammal! Not bad for 2 1/2, eh?!

I love this boy and how serious he is. Reminds me of his daddy!

Me and Jer looking a little tired and windblown but you can see that the bump is coming along nicely!

The beautiful bride and lucky groom!

Naughty!

But revenge was sweet!

The daddy/daughter dance had us ALL crying our eyes out!

It was a busy, busy day but filled with much love, joy and celebration!

Congrats Amanda and Chris! We're so excited to see what God has in store for your new family of two!

19 Weeks

Almost half way there! A little tired (okay, a lot!) but still pretty comfortable. The baby has been moving a ton and I feel myself smiling every time that wee one gives me a good kick or roll. We have our 20 week appointment and ultrasound scheduled for next Tuesday and I absolutely cannot wait to see this one on the big screen! I'm hoping we get some good pictures and maybe even a little video!

I posted this weeks 19 week picture and the one from when I was pregnant with the boys. I wish I could say I notice a huge difference but I can't! Looks like my body is a lot better at remembering how to expand rather than how to shrink!

Heartbreakers

Just a sneak peek...more to come soon!

Bring On the Rain

With flash flooding, thunder, lightening, hail and wind raging outside our living room window this evening, this is how The Deuce choose to spend most of their night. And even though our unending quest these last few weeks has been teaching them to "sit" and not "climb" on the couch, tonight was undeniably an exception to the rule.

In my opinion, one of the most endearing aspects about small children is their perspective. They view the world, life, and all that it holds, with such wonder. Be it a pebble on the back porch or the garbage truck making it's way down the street, it all equally captures their attention and fills them with amazement.

Too often I am guilty of hurrying their curiosity though. Too impatient to stop. Too busy to watch. Too task oriented to appreciate. And it's not until the moment passes by that I realize that it's even happened.

That is why I am so grateful for a patient God who is gracious to provide a renewed perspective. He uses moments like tonight, where you can't help but stop and be drawn in by the fascination that your children have towards His magnificent creation. Where you're reminded that no matter how numerous the chores or how much of a handful those little ones might have been that day, we should still stop. Stop and enjoy our children and joy that they take in learning about our Creator's world that we so often take for granted.

"Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Yours is the dominion, O LORD, and You exalt Yourself as head over all." 1 Chronicles 29:11

Brotherly Love

17 Weeks

I had another doctor's appointment today and all went well! I measured at 18 weeks, have gained a pound since the last appointment, and heard the baby's heartbeat (147 bpm). I also had a chance to ask the doc about why I haven't been feeling much movement. She gently reminded me that this is only ONE baby and that it's not uncommon to not feel much movement until 20 weeks! So different, this single pregnancy thing! I feel like I have no idea what to expect! By 17 weeks with the boys, I felt like a boxing ring, had heartburn so badly it was hard to eat, had gained nearly 15 pounds, and was measuring in the third trimester. This time at 17 weeks, I struggle between wearing maternity (which are too big and look almost silly) and non-maternity clothes (which are tight and often uncomfortable), still can sleep on my stomach somewhat comfortably, and have to think really hard about if what I'm feeling is movement or just dinner talking back. I just don't feel very pregnant. Plain and simple.

Plus, it doesn't help that yesterday a lady told me that she thought my baby pooch was just stretched out muscles leftover from a twin pregnancy. Nice.

WHY? WHY DO PEOPLE TELL YOU THESE THINGS?!

Anyway, our next appointment is scheduled for August 4th, at which point we'll have our 20 week ultrasound. Lots of pictures and hopefully a little video to upload! Exciting! And in the meantime, if you feel so inclined, feel free to vote in our little baby poll in the upper right hand corner. No rules, just vote as much or as little as you like, and we'll see if your guesses are right!

Lavender Festival

It's been awhile since our family spent a day, strolling in the summer sun, accomplishing nothing but eating and spending some quality time together. So this weekend, Jeremy and I decided to take the boys to the 5th Annual Lavender Festival. Although extremely hot, the sky was clear and beautiful, and the giant Cottonwoods provided enough reprieve to keep us sustained. Not to mention it was an excellent excuse to enjoy the festival's infamous Lavender Lemonade!

We all enjoyed the grand entrance this row of Cottonwoods made up!

Lavender fields this way!

Part of the fields

Ben and Dada checkin' out a pig!

My guys

More interested in the little girls next to us than the calf!

GIANT lily pads on the farm

Enjoying the lavender lemonade

Ben couldn't get enough!

And this is what The Deuce thought of...

...these guys!!

Headed home!

Demo Detail

Inspired by my friend, Sally, and her sunroom turned playroom...
...we have a little construction of our own going on over here.
After much consideration, Jer and I have decided to create a space dedicated solely to the boys and the growing mass that is known as their toys. Since our sunroom and accompanying hot tub have gone rather unused this last year, we thought this would be the perfect place! So this weekend, after our buyer came and hauled off our hot tub, Jer spent some time pulling up the bricks in preparation for the new tile. Part of me is excited to see this 250 sq. ft. FINALLY get some good use and the other part can't believe we are pulling up completely good flooring and starting house demo at this point in our lives! Either way, the giant hole in the floor tells me it's probably too late to look back now!

Couch Potatoes

My little Benny-Boy has been fighting a high grade fever for about the last 24 hours so needless to say, he's been a little down and out. As an extra special treat for my sick boy and his consequentially home bound brother, I set them up on the fat sack for a super rare treat, TV. Today's showing was Horton Hears a Who and The Deuce absolutely dug it! As for me, I dug how sweet they looked, side by side, watching their movie. I can't tell you how tempted I was to disrupt them and take the spot in between!

Our 4th

We had a fabulous 4th celebrating with some family friends at their house and then later moving on to our street's block party! The boys had their first dip in the pool, ate hot dogs, chips and watermelon, experienced their first sparklers, and stayed up entirely too late! Aside from not loving the pool and the bigger fireworks, I'd call it a successful evening!