Mommy+Daughter; Father+Son

This phenomenon will be cut short before it really takes off! This past weekend we enjoyed the cutest date night. We split up (for the first time) and Evans took Van to a UNC soccer game and I took Jeanie.  Evans and Van had a blast eating hot dogs, watching soccer, and listening to the band. 

 (After witnessing the pep band at the soccer game, Van decided he wants a tuba. He was in heaven observing the drummers at the Hopscotch festival a few weekends ago).

Jean-Margaret and I have been enjoying some girly time. I don't exactly consider her to be prissy-- she seems to find equal joy in running around in a football helment as she does playing dress-up-- but there is something so rewarding about taking a little girl to gymnastics class and on shopping trips.  She loves toting around a bag...whether its a real pocket book or a plastic bag...and dressing up in my jewelry.

Only recently have we experienced how neat it is to have one child each to entertain and give 100% of our attention.  I thought about this blog post and how a little over 2 years ago I was sentimental about splitting my time between two children and how overwhelming that must feel.  Now that we have settled into life with two children, I am growing sentimental about losing our one-on-one dates! Baby #3 was measuring two weeks ahead of schedule today (but right on time in my opinion). We are potentially looking at 4 weeks to go. Clinging to each little bit of time with our family of 4!!

Back to School!

Today started off a little differently than the past two years! For starters--both of my children are in school today. Secondly, I realized Van is no longer a toddler.  Van dressed himself (in 3T clothes that are getting too small...how is he almost 4?!?), put on his own shoes, and fed Sophie. He has evolved into such a grown-up helper recently...he delights in fetching my newspaper from the driveway each morning, helps Evans mow/edge/leaf blow the entire yard, and his new skill is vacuuming our entire house! What a big boy. He has been accumulating quite a bundle in his piggy bank, although 3 pennies still means more to him than 1 quarter. ;)

Contrary to her sassy pictures, she is quite the sweet heart. She loves snuggling and yet at drop off today, she poked out her lip but did not cry!! She was trying so hard to be tough and it just broke me to pieces and made me proud at the same time!!

 

We spent  labor day on stay-cation mode in effort to nurture a shockingly exhausted momma (who labored on this...)

And laughed at our two budding musicians...

 

 

 

We love you two sweeties!!

 

 

Lake Gaston 2013

Thanks to the Morisey family we enjoyed a quick but fun trip to the lake! Van is already asking when he can go back :)

One...

Two...

Three!

Repeat.

As we have learned from the boat, little Jeanie is still not too wild about being "stuck" in a life jacket but its amazing to compare how much she has changed in just one year.

The Final Lap

Dear Pregnancy,

Next week marks my last trimester ever. I am grateful for the capacity you provide to bring children into the world and I know there will come a time in my future when I long for the sensation of nurturing our child in my own body...feeling the kicks, bumps, and wiggles--knowing that our child is safely tucked away in my belly. 

BUT. I am itching to get my energy back. I would like to enjoy a nice meal without feeling every centimeter of the digestive process. I would like to pack up every article of maternity clothing and pass it on to a lucky lady! I would like to chase my kids around without getting out of breath. I would like to sleep at night...

...Okay sleep is not going to happen for a while...but most of all--I want to meet our third baby!! I am literally counting down the minutes to find out if this is a boy or a girl, to give him/her a name, to hold him/her in my arms, and to introduce him/her to our family!! The last doctor's appointment scheduled November 6th for the big birthday...that's 12 weeks away! 

I hope Van and Jean-Margaret are as cute and sweet to the baby once he/she arrives home as they have been to the baby in my belly.

 

I will miss Jean-Margaret racing towards me with her arms stretched towards my belly shouting: "bay-beee! bay-bee!!" followed by lots of smothering kisses. I will miss Van patting my belly and asking: "Whats him sayin' now?" (Van--I hope you aren't disappointed if this is a girl!)

Thank you for allowing me to experience this process but I am ready for November!! :)

Sincerely,
Emily

Atlantic Beach 2013

I am not sure how to start off this post accurately. On one hand my memory is telling me:
27 weeks pregnant + a wardrobe of wet bathing suits + 1 year olds + 3 year olds + really hot days of nonstop activity= tough...

On the other hand, the emotions accompanying these photographs are love, excitement, and nostalgia.  I love spending such fun time with our family and I am so incredibly excited to meet baby #3! We spent so much time in the Atlantic Beach/Morehead/Beaufort area when I was younger--its a neat opportunity to revisit with my own family--to eat dinner at Clawson's, get ice cream at the General Store, and play on the same beach I grew up on. Somehow the love, laughter, and excitement compensate for the rugged exhaustion and discomfort I am feeling from the pregnancy.

A little update on the kids:

 From day one, we have never doubted Jean-Margaret's vocal abilities :) Now she is telling us "thank you" and "love you" which melt me each time! We lather both kids in sunscreen and Jeanie gets her daddy's tan. (She also has her daddy's appetite for red meat!) Her teeth are popping up too quickly to count which has made her pretty uncomfortable. She is a combination of feisty independence and sweet sweet endearing love.

Jean-Margaret and Van are both water bugs.Van loves all things water. We cannot get him out of the pool, the ocean, the boat, or the tub without some pushback. One of my favorite memories from the beach is Van and Evans out in the ocean in the tube. Van's head just bobbed in and out of the tube, splashed into waves, and swam to the surface with a huge smile each time. He is becoming so helpful and shockingly capable but is still only 3 and needs lots of snuggling and reassurance.

Baby #3 is incredibly active. At most points during the day and night I either feel kicks in my rib cage, bounces on my bladder, or hiccups! Its neat to feel the baby so active and a constant reminder someone is about to crash into our world in a few short months!!

Thanks to G-Mommy and Diddy for such a fantastic beach trip.

 

 

Happy Summer!!