Halfway Baby Girl!!!

20 weeks down, 20 to go! Aw man pregnancy is long. But totally worth it. We love our baby girl so much already and cannot wait to meet her this fall.
I am feeling pretty good. I get tired easily but I'm not sick anymore.
This little one is a big mover. We can see and feel her kicks and flips from the outside now. She is actually dancing away while I type this. I love that she moves so much because it lets me know that she is growing strong in there. She is a little night owl though..
I am carrying her way higher than I carried Jack. Everything already feels squished and I feel like I am showing more. But because she is higher I've been able to stay in my regular pants longer. So that's been kind of cool.
The name hunt is so on. Parker and I have spent a crazy amount of time compiling a list of girl names that we like. Then we both put them in order from names we liked the most to names we like the least. Then Parker, my sweet husband who loves numbers and charts, put our lists into excel. He cross analyzed them and assigned a point value based off of how high they were on each of our separate lists.  And wa-la we now have a top five. I think we will pair them with some middle name choices and hopefully have a name sooner than later.
My parents were just in New York and my mom brought home super cute PINK Yankee gear. My sweet sister gave me several arms full of hand-me-downs. The cutest shoes, dresses and bows!! We may not have a name but we have a solid start on the wardrobe.
I will be ordering quite a few more Baby Lit books. She will get an early start to her Austen education.
Jack has no idea what is going on. We point out every baby we see because, I am not sure he even knows what a baby is. Last night he crouched over a baby doll and opened and closed her eyes a bunch. I am pretty confident that if this baby girl can survive Jack, he will protect her from everything else.

Grandparents

Parker's parents came to see us…. well they came to see Jack and Parker and I just happened to be there too.  It was so much fun! I'm so grateful for FaceTime because Jack recognized his grandparents instantly. He started waving and blowing kisses just like he does over FaceTime.

We packed in so many fun things while they were here. Jack was loving all of the extra attention and love.

Jack was having way too much fun to hold still for a picture. But here he is, my son in an Angels baseball tee. Who would have thought? Great Granddad is an Angels fan. And we are really big Great Granddad fans. So when he sent this shirt we were pretty excited about it. Jacks Grandma gave him those rocking high top all-stars. He looks pretty cute, and really grown up in them. 

Jack and his Grandpa at the shooting range inside of Cabela's.

This is a magical age when Jack can play every game in the arcade as many times as he wants because he doesn't know he needs tokens. 

Thanks for the fun visit Grandma Shell and Grandpa Chief! 

Good Mornings in Jackland

Mornings with Jack right now are the best. He has been staying up a bit later at night and sleeping in a bit later in the morning. He wakes up so happy and ready to go.

When I go in to get him he will have thrown everything out his crib. His quilt, any clothing he managed to get off, and Leroy. I have to hand Leroy back to him before he will let me get him out of his crib…. I can't quite figure out why he throws that dog in the first place. But every morning it is the same thing, he needs Leroy in his arms before he will get out. 

Recently breakfast is oatmeal and smoothies. Jack putters around the kitchen "helping with dishes" and "putting things away" while I get breakfast ready. Then we sit at the table together and eat. He chatters in gibberish between big bites of oatmeal while I agree with whatever he says enthusiastically. 

Then he feeds Daxter all by himself and it is adorable. Once he fills the dog bowl with food he runs around trying to find Daxter and insists that he eats right that second. Usually he ends up giving him a treat or two. 

Sometimes we play on the deck, sometimes Jack plays the piano and sings. 

We brush our teeth together every morning with our matching light up lightsaber toothbrushes. We say our morning prayers. Jack folds his arms and closes his eyes for about four seconds. Then he pokes my eyes until I open them. It is a work in progress.
I know we won't always be able to move this slow in the morning. So I am taking it all in and enjoying every second.

I'm All About Those Boots

This is how we roll these days.

Snow boots, shorts, and Leroy. What can I say? This boy gets his sense of style from his mama! 

My sisters assured me that the two year old wardrobe is a right of passage for every mom. Its kind of fun watching him stomp around in those snow boots. He is assertive and I like that he knows what he wants. Before we leave the house I will give him the choice "Shoes or Boots?" He grins from ear to ear and says, "Boots!" almost every time. Jack still isn't saying much, so it's a big deal. 

He loves the aquarium and seeing all the "ish"! He runs around saying "Wooooow" and "Ohhhhh" He can't get enough. He even put Leroy down to play in the play land. 

Fun little adventure with my best bud in his best boots.

Pink Balloons!!

We got the surprise of our lives today! A baby girl! Jack is going to have a little sister! Ahhh! Excited. Terrified. Shocked. I really really believed we would be picking up blue balloons today. But I am happy to be wrong!
She is as healthy as can be! Measuring right on track. We are so thankful to have a healthy baby.

This is not the best quality. I took a picture of the printed ultrasound picture on my phone in the car on the way home. So -blurry with a huge glare. But I love her little profile! That is her cute little nose and her upper lip. Her mouth is wide open…. maybe she was yawning??
We were truly expecting to have another boy. Maybe because we both come from one gender families? I don't know but, we really thought we would have all boys. I wish I had a picture of the look on Parker's face when they said- it's a girl! I wish I could have seen the look on my face. I asked the doctor to re-check... 100 % positive it is a girl. We were shocked. But honestly so excited.
Don't worry Parker has already found some Utah State hair bows.
Can't wait to meet this little one in October! Baby girl keeps surprising us in all the best ways!

Ketchup on Everything

Jack still loves ketchup. He would dip anything in ketchup. I'm serious. The other day he came out of the pantry with these giant ketchup bottles, ready to party.

We go on a bike ride once a day. Rain or shine. He is really getting the hang of steering. His feet almost reach the pedals now. I think by the end of summer I'll be able to stop pushing him.
The other day he did a kind of plank and an almost push up for his morning work out. Then he just laid on the floor for a long time because sort of working out is exhausting.

He abruptly decided that he is too old for a highchair. He eats at the table just like everyone else. It is a way bigger mess but totally worth it because he is so much more pleasant at meal time. 

Too old for a highchair, but don't worry he still carries that stuffed dog we call "Leroy" around everywhere. Leroy eats with us, comes to the store with us, and absolutely has to be there at bed time.

A few days ago I took my eyes of Jack long enough to sneeze. He ran into the bathroom, dunked Leroy in the toilet and then ran back into the kitchen dripping water everywhere. When I took the sopping wet Leroy from him and put him in the washing machine Jack stood in the laundry room and sobbed. I am kicking myself for not buying an extra Leroy for emergencies. 

Jack loves his real dog too, although not nearly as much. At least once a day I laugh at myself that I ever worried about Daxter being too rough with Jack. That poor dog. He is such a great sport. 

I hope our Little Robertson comes out with some thick skin ready for some big hugs. We are really working on being "gentle" … You can see how well it's going. 

Little baby in my belly is kicking away night and day. Just like big brother, always on the move.
These small moments make up our very best days. I never want to forget the time Jack dunked Leroy in the toilet. Or that from the time he could eat solids he wanted to have ketchup on everything.

Mothers Day 2015!

Loved celebrating all of the mothers in my life over the weekend. Specifically my mom and my mother in-law, and my sweet sisters who not only act like my mom from time to time, but Jacks mom too. I am also lucky enough to have grandmas, aunts, and terrific neighbors and friends that are great examples of loving mothers and strong women. I am so thankful to have so many wonderful women in my life! And of course I loved being able to celebrate being a mom myself. Because it really is the best thing in the world. My heart is so full of gratitude everyday that I have been given the opportunity of motherhood.

 His after church look is my very favorite. 

Afternoon bike ride

 My mom, her mom, the kiddo who made me a mom. 

 Playing. Probably the best part of motherhood. 

My Mothers Day gift from Jack. Could not be more perfect. 

Snuggling with the worlds biggest mamas boy. 

Great end to a great  day. 

May 9, 2015

Today we ran through pouring rain in and out of baby stores. At first I thought we wouldn't have to get anything for our second baby. But actually we do. We cruised around as a family of three in and out of the rain like it was no big deal. Right now we have a system down, we can handle one. This baby is going keep us on our toes. We are going to need a whole new system, a system for two. But we are up for the challenge. I am so excited. And so nervous. I can't sleep at night because I lay in bed feeling the baby move and I am too thrilled to fall asleep. But even with the nerves and the excitement I feel this incredible sense of peace. I know things are happening the way they are supposed to. Everything is just right. This little baby, our little baby, is coming into our lives at the perfect time. I am so so grateful to be a mother. I am so so grateful we get to do this again.
We are getting ready for you little one! As ready as we can be. I won't be a bit surprised if you are as rambunctious as your brother, you are already so wiggly. I can't wait for this wild ride. I already know it is going to bring more joy than I can imagine. 

Sons of Baseball

Parker and I had one of the most amazing experiences this past weekend. We were able to attend a Sons of Baseball Foundation fundraiser. This is an incredible organization bringing joy to some very special kids and their families. We had met Nathan Glad before at a golf tournament, it is truly an uplifting experience to be around him. He has a huge love for life and of course baseball. Hearing him talk about his trip to Anaheim to see the Angels play puts the biggest smile on my face. He reminds me why I love baseball so much.  

Ozzie Smith "The Wizard of Oz" was the keynote speaker at the fundraiser. Which was particularly exciting for me. When I was about five my family went to a Cardinals game. It was my first MLB experience. Being so young, I don't remember much. But do you know what I do remember? A player doing a back flip on the field. We actually got to meet Ozzie Smith and he was so so nice. While walking up to meet him Parker instructed me not to "geek out" at him. I did my best. 

Showed my true Utah colors when I pointed out to Parker who Jerry Sloan was. It was basically a huge deal because I knew something sports related that he did not. We also got to talk for a bit with Frank Layden. Who is really incredible and turns out has quite the singing voice. I think someday I'll make Parker a Jazz fan. 

As if I wasn't already on cloud nine… we walked out of there with two baseballs, one signed by Ozzie Smith and one signed by Mark Teixeira! Best. Date. Ever. 

But the very best part was seeing how happy all of this makes these kids and their families. There was actually a baseball diamond set up at the event where the kids were playing. They had a young local baseball team come in to play with them, they were also passing out crackerjacks.  

Because when we were looking through pictures, we realized good old Coach Sloan totally photo bombed me.