Growing by 2 feet in October

That's right.  We've been keeping a little secret-- we're expecting our 3rd baby on October 17.  I'm 11 weeks pregnant.  The kids are very excited about this development.  Of course, Ruby wants a sister and Wyatt wants a brother. :)  I've felt yucky a lot, but I haven't been violently sick like I was with Ruby, so I'm guessing that we're cooking another little man.  I'd be happy to have either a boy or a girl.  Since I now have both and find them equally charming in different ways it doesn't matter much to me.  We'll find out in 9 short weeks, right?

I'm growing quickly.  Seriously, I started wearing maternity pants at 9 weeks.  I can't make sense of my cravings-- they change rapidly.  Sometimes food sounds delicious and comforting and other times in the middle of making dinner I develop an aversion to whatever I'm cooking.  To date I've gained about 7 lbs.  Not going to lie, I'm nervous to gain too much weight, but I'm also enjoying not freaking out about my calorie intake like I typically do.  It's a balance I have yet to master.  I'm still working out 5-6 days a week.  I've been trying new things like yoga and water aerobics, but honestly, I love hiit training, barre, and weight lifting most.  I plan to keep working out as often and hard as I can-- not just for physical health, but also for my mental health.

For someone like me, who likes to be in control, pregnancy is tricky.  Your body is suddenly not your own anymore-- it does weird things, it grows in weird ways, you feel over emotional; and everything you go through is mostly out of your control.  While there are moments of bliss and wonderment about the experience there are also moments of discomfort and anxiousness. I'm going to try and give myself over to this process and enjoy the journey--soak it all in (the good, the bad, the awkward, and the miraculous).  Let it be will be my new mantra.  This is, after all, my last go around (I mean, never say never; but I'm 98% this is it, folks).

I'll never forget that at one point in our lives we weren't sure if we'd be able to have children.  It took nearly 2 years to get pregnant with Ruby and when she was born we were overjoyed-- at the very least we'd have one little person with whom to share our lives and love with.  2 years later when Wyatt came along we felt beyond blessed to know that now Ruby would also have a little friend to share her childhood with.  We have never been sure how many kiddos we'd be able to have and have been deeply grateful and excited to share our lives with each of them.  This new addition is no exception to the family rule.  We're in for a fun new adventure this October and we couldn't be more excited about it.

Birthday Photo Shoot

Every year I like to take a milestone picture of my kids on their birthdays.  Because their birthdays are so close together I typically do it in one session so that I can get some individuals and some of them together.

Usually, I get them done professionally; but since my husband gifted me such an awesome camera and I've been taking classes on how to use it I thought I'd try it myself this year. I invited my mother-in-law along to help and take some pictures as well.

All in all, we're not pros; but we got some good shots and the kids had an excellent time running around outdoors in this unseasonably warm February weather.

Vegas, Baby!

The day after Wyatt's party Brandon and I were able to escape to Vegas for a few days.  Since our anniversary was December 28 (right in the middle of family holiday visits) we didn't get much of a chance to celebrate and with all of the birthday and MBA school madness in January and early February the soonest we could get away to spend some time together was the middle of February.

We decided to head to Las Vegas so that we could see Love (The Beatles Cirque Du Soleil show at The Mirage).  I'm a huge Beatles fan and we've talked about seeing the show for years now.  We finally made it happen!  (And, yes, it was amazing and rekindled my love for all Beatle's music.)

Brandon's parents took care of our kids while we were gone (Honestly, they had so much fun with Grandma and Grandpa that I don't think they missed us at all. lol).
We cashed in his Marriott travel reward points and stayed at The Cosmopolitan.  It was very swanky, so that was an excellent choice.  We really enjoyed their state of the art gym and roof top pool.  If it hadn't been a little on the windy side we would have enjoyed it even more.

And, of course, we ate-- a lot.  We tried a few "must see" restaurants on the strip (Hash House A-Go-Go, Serendipity, The Wicked Spoon), but our favorite was some Vietnamese place off the strip in a ghetto-ish part of town-- soooo good!

After 2 days we were ready to road trip back home.  Vegas is fun for a short amount of time.  It's kind of a sensory overload experience, so I'm good for another 10 or so years.

Wyatt's Paw-ty!

Wyatt loves the Nick Jr show Paw Patrol (about a group of civil servant puppies who rescue people from dangerous situations), so naturally we had to have a Paw Patrol party.  Since he's still a little guy we decided not to invite every neighborhood child, but rather do something fun with his best pals-- Sera, Breck, and Ruby.

We spent the first hour at Airborne-- the trampoline park here in Draper.  It's probably Wyatt's favorite place.  He loves to jump.  And when he's there he can jump nonstop.

Then we had dinner (hot dog bar, of course) and cupcakes at our house with our family and the twin's family.  The kids had lots of fun playing together and the adults had lots of fun visiting.

Wyatt thought it was the best party ever (he's easy to please) and all four of the kids wear their paw patrol shirts that I made them religiously, so I'll call it a success.  Now for a party planning break...