Gingerbread House Building

Last year we started the tradition of building a gingerbread house and it really is so fun. Asher didn't get to participate last year as he was so little but he totally got it this year and of course couldn't resist to eat a good portion of his candy that was meant to decorate the house lol.

By accident, I picked up a pre constructed house, let me tell ya, I am only buying that kind again. Sooo much easier than having to build the house one night, letting it set and then decorate another night. Chase was thrilled he could decorate right then and there. I did all of the icing and the boys stuck the candy onto the icing. We make a great team :)

North Pole Breakfast

We kicked off the month of December and the Christmas season with a North Pole Breakfast bought by Santa's elves!!! Except we had breakfast at dinner as it was a week day and we didn't want James to miss out on the fun.

The elves also bought a Christmas box for the boys. They thought it was the greatest thing ever and were so intrigued as to how the elves got into the house...was it through the chimney like Santa?...did Cisco see them?...why didn't they (Chase and Asher) hear them? I love just how into it they are, and how they are such believers!!! The box contained their advent calendars (Which have been a huge help for Chase seeing he can count how many more days are left until the big guy comes), Christmas pjs, Christmas socks, Rudolph coloring books and a book about the Christmas Story.

Boo at the Zoo in Dcemeber

Boo at the Zoo did in fact take place over Halloween in the month of October but I've been slacking on editing my photos, so hence why I'm posting about it in December lol.

We had a zoo membership this past year and we have used it a ton!! We had never done Boo at the Zoo previously but seeing it was free for us this year we decided to go and check it out. We also bought Kaitlin, Corey and Laurel along with us for the fun.

Unfortunately the weather wasn't the greatest but it did mean it wasn't too crowded and the animals were really active. We hit the major exhibits; monkey house, reptiles, the goats and sheep, big cats etc and trick or treated along the way. The boys loved it and were very into filling their baskets to the max. They were the cutest Nemo and Dory around!!!!

Hayley Ann Mae: 34ish Weeks Pregnant

How far along: 34 almost 35 weeks
Gender: Girl!!! Hayley Ann Mae
Baby's heartbeat: staying strong in the 150's
Weight gain: 12lbs
Maternity clothes: maternity all the way
Stretch marks: No new ones
Belly button in or out: Out! It never popped with either of the boys but I'm carrying more straight out in front with Hayley.
Sleep: Other than waking every hour and a half to pee I can't complain
Best moment this week: getting her nursery together and knowing that if she decided to come early we are ready for her
Miss anything: being able to sleep on my stomach, also feeling like my back isn't broke would be great
Movement: going strong in there. We've been able to feel her feet a few times which is such a weird and cool thing.
Cravings: besides wanting to drink OJ around the clock, nothing, in fact I'm back to not wanting food at all

Queasy or sick: nausea has gone away!!!

Looking forward to: Christmas with my boys and relaxing before Hayley arrives

 

This last trimester has been flying by with all of the holidays and fun things we've had going on, which I knew it would but I can't believe we are down to the last month! A teeny tiny part of me is beginning to get a little sad this is the last time I'll be carrying a baby, buuut I'm mostly happy to just get her here and have our family complete.

I've been trying to get everything done for Christmas, that needs to get done but boy my energy has hit a major decline. At the same time my back pain and contractions have been picking up! We are so thankful for yet another smooth and uncomplicated pregnancy and are praying for an equally safe delivery of our baby girl!!!

Lights & Brunch

We are well into the Christmas season and I love finding ways to get us all in the Christmas spirit. The boys are both fully understanding Christmas this year and loving all things to do with the holiday. They thoroughly enjoyed putting up the tree, having been watching Christmas movies and working on their Christmas presents for the grandparents.

Saturday evening we bundled into the car, armed with munchkins and hot chocolate (or chocolate milk in their case), turned on the Christmas music (which must be playing 24/7 according to Chase) and went off in search of Christmas light displays. We used a website to find the best ones in our area and they were anything but disappointing. All of the houses had their lights synced to music and the boys thought it was the greatest thing ever! A couple of houses even handed out candy canes!!! We will certainly be revisiting a few of our favorites before Christmas is over.

Sunday we packed with Christmas stuff. We kicked off the day by heading to a Santa Brunch. We have gone for the past 3 years now with some of our closest friends and it is truly one of our favorites Christmas activities...endless food, mimosas (though I had to skip this year) and of course meeting the jolly guy himself, how could you not look forward to it. The kids have a blast seeing their friends, and the same goes for us adults. I love seeing our group photo grow each year!

We ended the day by going to see James' Dad's Christmas concert. As I said the boys was way into Christmas music so they were highly entertained and even got to see Frosty the Snowman, and Santa, Mrs. Claus and their elves made an appearance.

Of course no Christmas celebration is complete without far too much sugar than a 4 year old and 2 year old should ever consume in one day...but that's the best part of this time of year, am I right?

Asher James: 2 Years Old

 

Stats: Asher is basically the size of a 3 year old, at 2 lol!!! He and Chase weigh exactly the same 29.25lbs (65th percentile) but he is slightly shorter than Chase, measuring35.5 inches tall (75th percentile). He still wears a few 2t things but is mostly in 3t.

Sleep: I can't complain here as he goes down for a solid 12 hours at night. If he hasn't taken a nap that day (which he is slowly outgrowing) he will sleep close to 14 hours at night. He will sometimes take a little longer to fall asleep than Chase and can be heard on the monitor singing Happy Birthday or yelling at Chase to wake up lol.

Social: Chase's friends have become Asher's friends too and he loves getting together with them. He and Isabelle made quite the pair while we were on vacation with them. He is certainly more out going than Chase was at this age and has no problem going up to the older kids and joining in on whatever they are doing. Asher also happily goes into Sunday school at church now.

Diet: This is easily the most difficult area with Asher. If he is teething in any small way or isn't feeling 100% then he doesn't want to see food, let alone eat it. On days he does feel like eating, he doesn't stop. He is a little pickier than Chase but still eats more variety than most kids his age. His favorite foods are, yogurt, avocado on toast, carrots, broccoli, spaghetti, Chinese food, any kind of fruit and chocolate milk. He loves to go to Chick Fil A and Red Robin.

Skills/Milestones: It's crazy how much they learn between 18 months and 2 years. He was speaking in full sentences before he turned 2, which makes our life so much easier and the conversations he and Chase have are simply the best! He can run and jump with the best of them. Over the summer he learned to swim on his own (with a floaty of course), he just has new fear and always wants to be keeping up with whatever Chase is doing. He loves to color, can count to 14 and is starting to learn his letters.  

Favorites: Mummy, Daddy, Chase, grandparents trains, throwing and kicking a ball, dance parties, legos, animals, Lightening McQueen, Paw Patrol, accessories of any kind (sunglasses, hats, scarves)

I cannot imagine our lives without our spunky, loveable and light up a room, Asher. He can be a handful sometimes and certainly knows how to test our patience but is also the biggest lovebug around and is a sweetheart. He loves music and sports and to be moving all of the time. He is curious about everything around him and we are seeing each day that he is equally as smart as Chase. Speaking of Chase, he adores his big brother and wants to be just like him. I have no doubt he is going to be excellent with Hayley and loving on her all of the time. I could never express how much fun and love he has brought into this family and is truly one of a kind!

Chase Patrick: Four Years Old

 

Stats: He is our little peanut coming in at 29.25lbs (3rd percentile) and 39 inches tall (24th percentile)

Sleep: I am so, so thankful Chase loves his sleep! He sleeps an average of 12 to 13 hours a night and will sleep in if he's gone to bed late the night before! He is also a deep sleeper which is handy seeing Asher likes to sing and yell when Chase falls asleep before him.

Social: It has been so great to see Chase become more confident in himself and have the courage to talk to other kids on the playground, etc. He speaks up more in class and soccer practice. He's also gotten better at standing up for himself if another child is trying to take a toy or not being nice to him. We still get together with friends on a weekly basis and Chase also did swim lessons and joined the soccer team.

Diet: He's such an easy kid when it comes to food. He will eat just about anything and cleans his plate for every meal. His favorite food is yogurt, meatballs, Chinese chicken and broccoli, any fruit, carrots and buttered spaghetti. He tried calamari and loves it! We have eaten out a ton with me being pregnant and so his favorite restaurants have become Chilis, Red Robin and Chick Fil A.

Skills/Milestones: We lived at the pool this summer and he is now confident enough to go in the pool own his own, swim like a fish and jump into the pool! He can count to 20, his writing has improved incredibly (and he loves to practice). He joined the town soccer team this fall and has learnt how to trap a ball, dribble, pass, and shoot at the goal. He has also taken a love to coloring over the summer and has become an expert at coloring in the lines and drawing his own pictures. Jellyfish, minions and spiders are his favorites to draw.

Favorites: Mummy, Daddy, Asher, grandparents, Lightening McQueen, Thomas, trains in general, airplanes, playing with playdoh, running around, dance parties, singing, building things with Legos, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, playing soccer, swimming and anything related to space.

 3.5 to 4 years old has been such a sweet spot. While he still has the occasional tantrum he has grown out of them (I'm hoping it stays that way) and the talking back seems to have disappeared. I just love our little boy so much it hurts. He is sweet, thoughtful, doesn't do anything hastily, and tells me numerous times a day that he loves me. I love that he crawls into our bed in the morning for snuggles still. Having one on one conversations with him is simply the best, he is incredibly smart for his age and is at the stage of wanting to know everything...why the sun goes up and down, how does Santa get down the chimney, how do the plants grow, how is Hayley going to get out of my belly etc. I love his desire to learn and to know more. He is an incredible big brother to Asher, always willing to help him out and show him how to do things. They have the best time together! My heart bursts when I think how protective he is going to be over Hayley. He can . not . wait for her to arrive and snuggle her. I am so unbelievably proud of him!

Hayley Ann Mae: 28 Weeks Pregnancy

I thought the third trimester of this pregnancy would never get here! Don't get my wrong, I do love being pregnant and feeling your baby move around never looses it's magic, but running around after 2 boys while growing a baby is hard work and I'm kind of over it. Soooo roll on the day we get to meet our little girl and be a family of five!

How far along: 28 weeks
Gender: Girl!!! Hayley Ann Mae
Baby's heartbeat: staying strong in the 150's
Weight gain: around 10lbs
Maternity clothes: Maternity all the way
Stretch marks: No new ones
Belly button in or out: In
Sleep: I have some great nights and then some terrible nights
Best moment this week: getting my C-section scheduled, she will arrive no later than Jan 12th! Also getting her room painted.
Miss anything: Hayley is sitting pretty high and there have been days where I feel out of breathe without real reason
Movement: lots of movement, she seems to be a wiggler, not a kicker

Cravings: soup

Queasy or sick: nausea is getting a little better

Looking forward to: shopping for her :)

I know this final trimester is going to fly by with Thanksgiving and Christmas thrown in there so, with it being the last time I'm ever going to be growing a baby I'm going to try to sit back and enjoy these last 11 weeks :)

Birthday Trip: Air & Space

Each year, during the boys' birthday week, we take a little trip. Usually it's to the beach, but this year we got crazy and switched things up a little by heading to D.C. and visiting the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum. It did not disappoint! Both boys are fascinated with airplanes and since visiting the museum are equally as interested in spaces ships and anything space related.

We headed down on a Friday evening to D.C. so we would have the whole day to explore the museum. We stayed a few blocks from the museum so we didn't have to drive once we were there. Both boys love staying hotels and the adventure that comes with it. Both boys slept in Saturday morning with having a late night before. We got to the museum around 11am and called it a day around 4pm. There was so much to see and do there, we got around about half of the museum and we watched a 3D movie on space, which I think was the highlight for both of the boys. The number of airplanes exceeded our expectations, getting to touch a piece of the moon and the kids hands on area made for a wonderful day and lifelong memory for all of us.

We contemplated taking a bus tour of D.C. on the Sunday but the boys, and I, were completely exhausted so we scratched that idea. Instead we drove by the White House and some of the monuments before heading to Georgetown for lunch by the river to round out our trip.

Hayley Ann Mae: 24 Week Pregnancy

Now that I'm in the second trimester, and we are full swing into school and sports schedule, this pregnancy is flying by!

How far along: 24 weeks
Gender: Girl!!! Hayley Ann Mae
Baby's heartbeat: staying strong in the 150's
Weight gain: 8lbs. These two boys of mine keep me on my toes
Maternity clothes: Pretty much all maternity, so much more comfortable
Stretch marks: No new ones
Belly button in or out: In
Sleep: I have some great nights and then some terrible nights
Best moment this week: the boys feeling Hayley kick
Miss anything: a nice cold cider would be nice
Movement: compared to the boys she moves quite a bit less but still plenty of kicking going on in there

Cravings: apples and chili

Queasy or sick: as long as I keep taking the Zofran I'm ok

Looking forward to: painting her room!!

Fall Means Apple Picking

One of our favorite fall activities is go to apple picking, and this year we got to do it with some of our closest friends! While Asher attended apple picking last year, he didn't get to actually pick the apples, this was his first year partaking and he loved it!! For the past 3 years we have gone to Weavers Orchards, they have so many types of apples to choose from, have wheelbarrows for the kids to push through the orchards and have the yummiest cider donuts to finish the day with.

Now to bake some yummy treats with all of these apples. I'm thinking zucchini apple bread, apple pops and apple pie are top on the list