JuNe WRaP-uP

Whoa! The last couple of weeks have been CRAZY! Time is absolutely flying by and life is getting busier and busier.
I had a few friends that insisted on throwing me a baby shower. I tried to bow out of it because I thought that I didn't need anything since this will be our second boy. I have some pretty persistent friends though and I caved. I AM SO GLAD THAT I DID TOO! I went through all of Kai's old totes full of clothes and washed them for this new baby and was devastated that they were almost ALL stained. I was so shocked (and pretty emotional). Kai was a total spit up baby (for the entire first year of his life) and though I was able to get all the (visible) stains out BEFORE I packed the clothes away, the stains somehow set in over time and now would NOT come out. I donated most of Kai's old baby clothes and was not left with much.
The shower was so perfect. We had such YUMMY food and it was so great to get together with the girls and just be girls! I left the shower, feeling totally refreshed and had some new baby gear and clothes WITHOUT spit-up stains. YAY!
Thanks for such a fun night everyone!
Margot was one of the "ring leaders" for the shower and always makes such delicious things to eat! Thanks for hosting the shower, Margot!
The best part of the shower was how many people showed up to celebrate this little man. I felt so loved, it was quite humbling.


Can't believe this little man will be wearing these clothes soon!


Thanks everyone. LOVE YOU!!!

I have had to swallow my pride lately because the kids have been BEGGING me to go to the pool. Squeezing into a swimsuit at 9 months pregnant is not my idea of fun, but the kids are in HEAVEN at the pool so I have been doing it. Maybe I avoid making eye contact with any of the lifeguards or other parents, but I am there and we have a good time.
Every time we go, I leave happy that we spent that time together. The kids aren't going to remember how big I looked in a swimsuit, hopefully they will remember the fun summer we had at the pool.
Ben used a half day at work recently and took us all to the pool. It was great! The kids loved having him there and I loved having help around.
We went to the dollar store earlier that day and the kids both picked out some goggles to wear.
This picture of Cicilee is probably one of my favorites of all time.

Kai thought they were the coolest thing ever and wouldn't take them off even when they were so foggy that he couldn't see out of them.


It has been so fascinating to watch the dynamic change between Kai and Cic lately. Cic worships Kai. He is her best friend and she wants to do WHATEVER he is doing and be with him NONSTOP. She has turned into his shadow and they are so cute together. I used to worry that they would never be friends but now they are best friends...best friends who fight from time to time, but best friends nonetheless.

Every time I'm pregnant I compare myself to other pregnant women. Whenever we are out, I find myself asking Ben questions like, "Whoa! Do I waddle like that pregnant woman over there?" or, "Am I as big as her?"

I know that sounds bad, but it's true.

Ben usually replies with something non comforting like, "Ash, you're pregnant." or "You're pregnant."

...As if that answers my question. All I want him to say is, "No, you look great." Leave it to a man though...

We took the picture below yesterday (Sunday) at 38 weeks. I know that I am pregnant and I'm close to the end, but seeing a picture of myself really puts it into perspective. This is me at 38 weeks. This will be the last picture I post though... I am done seeing my growth. DONE.

As far as everything else goes...I am doing great! The baby is head down now and hopefully everything goes smooth. At my last appointment the nurse measured me and then told me she didn't think I had much room left in there. Truth is I don't. This little guy is totally up in my ribs all the time. I think my body has reached its limit. They are thinking about inducing me on the 6th. HOLY COW that's so soon! It's crazy to think that I might be holding this little man in my arms next week. Even crazier to think that Ben will have to say yes to a name soon.

Cicilee Jane

I can't believe our baby girl is now TWO.
These last two years have flown by with her. She has added so much life and happiness to our family. She has so much personality and is so fun to be around.
Kai is her best friend and they get along (for the most part) great. Cic and Kai now share a room (I will post pictures soon.) They love sleeping in the same room and waking up together. It is a constant party when you get to be with your best friend 24/7. They make quite the pair/team. I am lucky to have them both. Kai is lucky to have such a good friend in Cic. She is nurturing with him and always so concerned if he gets hurt. I must say though...she is tougher than Kai.
One thing is for sure...she LOVES being the baby. (Kinda makes me nervous for when she is no longer our "baby" of the family. She loves/DEMANDS attention. She knows just how to get it and how long she has to whine for before I will give in. She loves to cuddle. Loves to be held.
Cic is the eater of our family. She will eat just about anything and everything...at ALL times. We seriously finish breakfast and 15 minutes later she is asking for more food. She likes to snack all day long (like I do.) Monkey see, monkey do.
Her favorite foods are cheese, anything snack foods, and all things candy.
Cic has recently become obsessed with the color pink. She only wants to wear pink, wants her food to be pink and only wants to color with pink. Not sure where this came from b/c I am not much of a pink person myself...maybe it's because we don't have a lot of pink around the house. The only pink things we do have are hers.
Cic is still a hard core thumb sucker. I have tried everything I can think of to break this habit and NOTHING works with her. She is stubborn and won't give it up.
Cic loves to play outside. LOVES to go to the playground. She is a runner...running everywhere she goes. She thinks she is faster than me and is always running away when it's time to get in the car. She is our daredevil. Kai has always been more conservative but Cic just jumps right in allowing Kai to follow her lead.

Here are her stats for her two year checkup~
Height~35 inches (80%)
Weight~25 lbs 14.5 oz (40%)
Looks like we might have a little post player on our hands. Ha. Not sure I would know what to do with a post player.

We took Cic out recently to get some shots of our big two year old. I had an idea in my head of what I wanted the pictures to look like. Ben was in no mood to drive around and look for a location though, so this is what we got. It was not what I had in mind...AT ALL. Kinda disappointed actually, but it is what it is. Best I could do considering the situation.



Love this one.





I have so many pictures of Kai and Cic together that day. When I first went through the pictures, I was frustrated because I wanted JUST Cicilee. However, they are best friends and practically connected at the hip so it makes perfect sense. The pictures of them together perfectly illustrate Cicilee at age two.
Love.

With not a lot of luck at Ben's location, we then drove home. I was a bit deflated. Luckily the lighting was AMAZING in our backyard and I snapped some shots of the kids playing around.
One of my favs.
My little stud.

I can't even describe how much I love these pictures below.

34 Weeks

We took this picture last week so I am a bit behind. I have tons more pictures to upload because we recently took Cici's two year pictures but that's a whole different post all together.
I am still feeling good. This little guy is ALWAYS on my right side up in my ribs so it makes pretty much everything uncomfortable. The doctor thought he was breech for a while but at my appointment last week they did an ultrasound and he was head down! I nearly leapt off the table with excitement. The part that I am feeling in my rib is his bum. Poor little bum, I feel like I am constantly grinding against it.
One thing that is certain is that this is the most wiggly/active child I have had in my tummy. I am still awe struck to watch my stomach in the evenings. I feel so lucky to have such easy pregnancies. Hopefully this labor goes easier/quicker than the last two.
We still haven't pinned down a name for sure. Ben veto's every name I come up with. I know that I like some pretty "unique" names but hopefully he will agree to ONE sometime in the near future.
Here I am with #3 at 34 weeks. Six weeks left in this picture.

I've officially gained 21 pounds in this pregnancy. It's kinda scary to think that I only gained a total of 23 with Kai and 24 with Cic. I still have several weeks left. Hopefully I don't balloon up!

When Grandmother Comes to Town

Ben was in and out of town for most of the month of May and so my Mom decided on a whim to come and visit us to help out for the month. It was AWESOME! Mothers Day is usually a safe zone for Colorado's last freeze but a few days after Mother's day my Mom arrived in Colorado to snow! It was shocking but the kids loved it. We had crazy weather the entire time she was here. We had snow, hail, hurricane winds, and rain....rain enough to last a lifetime. We actually had the average amount of rain that May gets in one weekend alone. That didn't stop the rain though, it just rained and rained. Most of the activities that I had planned fell through but we still had a blast with her in town.






She was also here to help us celebrate Cicilee's 2nd birthday. Mom and I ran to the local doughnut shop where we requested a pink doughnut just for the birthday girl. Cic is obsessed with all things pink at the moment and was so happy to see her pink doughnut for breakfast.
We had her birthday party a day after her actual birthday so these pictures seem out of order but they aren't really.
One thing that my Mom and I love to do together is go to Garage Sales. We went garage sale-ing just about every weekend that she was here and got some GREAT finds. It was so much fun and so nice that the sun actually came out for a bit.




Love these shots.

I hope my kids always remember how much fun their grandmother is.



Cici's 2nd Birthday party~

We had a few neighbors over again this year to help us celebrate. We have the best neighbors and always feel so loved.
My Mom was in town to help make Cici's cake this year. Cic loves Tinkerbell and after seeing the music box on the first movie, I decided that would be my inspiration for the cake this year. I learned a very important lesson with this cake. I WILL NEVER USE A SPRAY ON COLOR FOR FONDANT EVER AGAIN. It was a nightmare. The cake did not turn out like I had hoped, but Cic was happy and that's all that really matters.

Our favorite neighbor, Jackie (and her hubby Nick). They have been to every single one of our kids birthday parties. Talk about dedication! We are so lucky to live next door to them and love them dearly!
Grandma with the birthday girl.
Cic with her cake.

Family shot before we sang "Happy Birthday".
Blowing out the candle.
It took a few tries.
Love this pic.
In case you are wondering...Yes, Kai is wearing a swimsuit. My mom is so thoughtful that she decided to give Kai a gift on Cici's birthday. It was perfect b/c he got pretty jealous when he saw all the presents she opened.

Cic was stoked about all her gifts!

I don't think she could smile any bigger.



Kai gave Cic her very own blanket (to match her zebra pillow pet). Kai has the puppy blanket that matches his and she has always wanted one. Lucky for us they just released her matching blanket a few days before her birthday. Perfect timing! She is so in love with it.
Took this shot one day after church. My Mom is such a big help!

When Ben was in town we decided to take advantage of my Mom's presence and went on a date! Yup, we haven't been on a date (without the kids) since Kai was born. I know, that's almost 4 years. We are terrible about it. It was actually really nice to get out and not have to worry about keeping anyone happy or keeping track of where everyone is. Ahhh, relaxation! When we got home the kids were already in bed asleep. It was a dream! Thanks Mom!
One of the things we bought at a garage sale was another lawn mower. We had gotten Kai a lawn mower a few days before Cic was born. It has always been a source of conflict b/c Cic wants to use it and we only have one. Mom and I found a matching one at a garage sale for $2. Now both kids are happy and love to "help" Ben every time he mows the lawn. They ask him everyday if it is time to mow the lawn again.








Just hangin' out with Grandma.
My Mom's trip wouldn't be complete if she didn't help me with my yard.

Luckily the sun came out and things started to bloom.

Love these iris' that we planted a few years ago together. We also planted this bleeding heart.
My peonies are about to bloom...CAN'T wait!
One of the trees in my backyard died this winter...so my Mom cut it down, dug out the roots, and even chopped it up for me. We then went shopping to find something to put in it's place.

We immediately fell in love with this metal tree. We opted to plant vines all around the base and in a few years hopefully this will be covered with vines. We bought two clematis vines, a trumpet vine, and a wisteria vine. It is one of my favorite things in the backyard now. I love it!
Here is the tree. It even has a bird feeder on top.
I have another tower next to it that has a few different clematis vines all over it. It is in full bloom right now. I'll have to post a better picture of it soon.
More shots from the backyard...
Columbine









For Memorial Day we looked and looked for local activities going on and couldn't find much so decided to head downtown. It was so much fun. We just happened upon an art festival at the 16th street mall. My Mom and I love things like this...Ben, not so much. He was a trooper though and didn't complain once.





The day before my Mom left the weather warmed up enough to take the kids to the fountain park. They were in heaven.





Ben even joined us during his lunch break for a bit.
We played in the water and even flew kites afterwards.








Played until the kids CRASHED!
It was a good day...
...but then again everyday with my Mom is a good day. I took her to the airport and bawled like a baby on the way home. It's never an easy thing to say goodbye to her. Lucky for me she will return for the birth of our new little man.

I'm so lucky to have such a great relationship with my Mom. She is my best friend. I talk with her several times a day and miss her terribly when she is not around. She is such a work horse while she is here and helps out with everything. She is one of those people who comes to visit and makes life easier while she is here. Pulls her own weight and at times I feel like she is the host and I am the guest at my own house. She is always serving others. I want to be just like her.

Can't wait for her next visit. Love you Mom!