Saturday Project

The pictures came out backwards, but here is the finished product!

Clare working hard!!!

Practicing sitting at her table

Before pic!

LD often gets scared when we don't have a full busy weekend planned because it doesn't happen often, and when it does, I usually have a secret plan! Like most families our summer weekends get filled up so fast, so when I know we have a weekend at home I usually send LD an email Friday afternoon with some thoughts on some projects and how I think our weekend should be spent :)

So this past weekend had two projects I wanted to get done. LD picked one and the other is being saved for when my in laws are here next weekend (sorry Dad!). LD's boss and his wife had offered us a wooden activity table that they had used for their children. (They also gave us a changing table and crib when we had Clare...we are SO thankful for them!!) So Mother's Day weekend we picked it up! Clare is moving to a bigger room this summer and we are in the beginning stages of changing her room and the little table is going into the new room, but I wanted to paint it white!

I did not realize at 9:30 am when we set out to Home Depot that the project would not be completed until 9:30pm, but we got it done!! We sanded, (I) primed and painted for many hours but the finished project is GREAT!! Clare loves it and I can't wait to get the rest of her big girl room set up!

Mommy's Birthday at the Zoo!

I think I love the zoo more than most adults. The funny thing is I really don't love animals all that much. I just love walking around outside, stopping at each attraction and watching kids as they see these animals they've only read about in books. It's a fun place to be! Anyway, I woke up on my 28th birthday to LD's alarm at 7am and he got up for a run. The past two years he has taken off work for my birthday but when he got up and ran I figured it was not happening this year. When I got up there was a card on the counter for me and inside was a map of both the NC zoo and the SC zoo! I told him I was so glad he knew me so well to know that spending the day at the zoo with him and Clare was the perfect way to spend a birthday and his response was "well you've asked me to go multiple times a week, so I figured I couldn't go wrong!" :) LD was also amazed that he can surprise me 3 years in a row with the same birthday surprise (taking off work)...hey, I'm easily surprised!!

It was a perfect day for the zoo, overcast and low 70s. We ended up at the NC zoo in Asheboro and it was so fun! Clare loved the animals, but only if they were far away. When the apes started moving around she was done! She walked a little, rode a little, and daddy even carried her a little, so she was in all her glory. I am trying not to carry her as much with baby #2 on the way, but daddy has a harder time saying no to her request.

We headed home and totally missed Clare's nap. She took a 30 min. snooze in the car and I knew it would be an early night for her. We went to our favorite bbq place, Mac's for dinner and came home to open presents sent from family and friends!! Not much better way to spend a birthday than with my sweet little family!!

Mother's Day

I am so incredibly blessed to be a mother. I am often in quite amazement that I am already in the motherhood stage of my life! Last year was exciting it being my first year as a mom and this year is so exciting knowing that I have one sweet little girl here and one growing little baby on the way! I can only imagine the joy that next year will bring with two children!!

I had a perfect day thanks to my great hubby and daughter! I had cards waiting for me in the morning before I left for church with a gift card to destination maternity, my favorite maternity store. Then the afternoon was spent reading a great book and napping (also two of my favorite things!). Then LD and Clare took me to a delicious dinner at an Portofino's. The whole day was great!

But I have to admit the very best part of my day was taking Clare to bed last night. We always rock, read a few books and sing a few songs. Her very favorite song right now is "whole world" and when she sings it she holds her hands out in front of her and says "mommy and daddy" until we do the same thing. So she asked if we could sing whole world and when I said "he's got mommy and daddy in His hands" she was not satisfied and also wanted "Lammie and Blanket" in his hands and of course "Bella" in his hands. So yes, our song got longer and longer. It is so much fun to see her sweet imagination!

I am so blessed to do this job called Mommy for the rest of my life!

Family Update

It's time for a family update! We have had such a fun and busy life the last few weeks that it just seems like a great time to document all that has been going on since it feels like summer is here and things are slowing down.

Clare: Last week Clare turned 19 months old. It's always so hard to believe when she turns another month older and I don't know why every month I feel so surprised how fast the time is going. This has been a big month for Clare. She is using 2-3 words together and can tell us pretty much anything she wants. When she has a big story to tell she still uses a lot of babble with tons of hand gestures and expressions. Her new favorite word is "Alright!" She loves to use it when she is imitating mommy and has a "purse" on her shoulder and is pretending to leave. She claps her hands together, holds her purse and says "Alright!" Since this little trick has started I've realized that every time I leave the house I do the same thing. Clare also loves her library class on Wednesdays. She really loves to be the center of attention and we have had to practice not talking to the teacher when she is reading the "class" a book. They also do bubbles every week which would send Clare into a hyper frenzy of excitement, but the last week Clare finally is comprehending that she can play with bubbles without running over the other kids in the class. Clare continues to be a little light in our home, making us laugh multiple times a day. We are so blessed to have her as our daughter! Not only does she bring us so much joy, but she really brings joy to everyone she comes in contact with...she is just so much fun!

Baby J: I am now 15 weeks pregnant and really wish time would slow down. I felt like with Clare time could not go fast enough and it always seemed to drag when I was pregnant. Not so with this baby! Everytime another week goes by I try not to panic that its going to be here so incredibly fast. I am so very excited to meet the next addition to our family...we just have a lot to do before his/her arrival. I think we will find out the beginning of June whether we are having a boy or a girl and thats incredibly exciting! So far I'm not feeling any movement, but I am getting a little tummy...yes, already. I am blessed that I am not tired, and never was sick...it has made chasing Clare a lot easier.

Daddy: LD has been so busy lately, but all good stuff! Work is going great, he loves what he does and who he works with and it is a huge blessing that he enjoys going to work everyday. We are both constantly so amazed at how God continues to bless LD in his work. Softball season has started and Clare and I attended our first game as daddy's cheerleaders last week. LD and I also decided in January that we would have a monthly date night. Yes, only monthly which sounds crazy, but its been realy good. With only having monthly date nights we can afford to do fun things and not feel so stressed about how much we were spending. The rest of the weekends we have movie nights, etc at home. But LD has done a GREAT job planning some fun dates (We take turns each month and he's much better than me!). February of course was spent in Charleston, March we went to see Ingrid Michaelson in concert who we both love, this weekend we went to dinner and a movie (we saw Date Night), and next month we are in the front row of Wicked! It's been really fun to have something the two of us can look forward to.

Mommy: We just finished our 3rd Xtreme Home Makeover at church which is always a big project for me and my family. It's such a joy that God has allowed me the opportunity to work on such a fun and rewarding project with so many incredible volunteers. I love being part of a church that gives love away so freely and with such dedication. Hopefully I'll be able to post a video of the event next week. Now that the Makeover is over I have been going to prenatal Yoga classes at the Y, getting back into my meal planning and coupon clipping mode. I love being a mom and love being a wife. I am blessed to have a family to love!

So excited to start the summer!!