June 6 - Around Town

Went grocery shopping today.  Stopped to pull a Dreft Newborn detergent off the shelf, open it, and take several sniffs.  The smell of this laundry detergent is one of the things I'll miss most of all about having a tiny baby once we're done having kids.

Went to Summer Library at Andlie's school for the first time today!  The kids each made a button (Andlie - pizza button, Haze - sticker button, Nora - princess button) and they each got to take a sheet of stickers home!  We came home with five books to read!  We love Summer Library!

We also made a "Summer 2016 Bucket List" today.  Feeling pretty good about having so many check marks already!

Since the 5th was yesterday (on a Sunday), Andlie enjoyed her Special Night tonight.  She chose to take Daddy to The Little Mermaid at the local outdoor theater.  They left at about 7:30 and were out on the town having fun at the play and buying treats until 10:45!  Both came back very smiley and happy.  I am loving this "Special Night" tradition.

Meanwhile, back at home Haze made me a dirt ice cream sundae.  He explained that each stick had a different falvor on it.  "Mouthwash, sticky Rice Crispy, bananny, Junie Diaper Bash, and apple juice."  Couldn't have picked better flavors if I tried.....

June 5 - Sundays in Summer

Haze has really been drawing some very detailed boats during church lately.  This is his boat from today:

I wanted to take a picture of cute Andlie in her new dress and heels today.  She's looking SO SO SO grown up and beautiful.  Haze kept trying to sneak in on her picture and she finally just invited him in.  Andlie & Hazey are such cute friends.

Dorito face!  Haze loves him some Doritos!

Nora went ahead and got in the "cool" (as she calls it) in her clothes and took  a seat.  Ice cream in her hair and on her face and sitting down in the pool in her clothes.  And a smile across her whole face and a happy squeal to go with it!  Shows her personality perfectly.

Cute Andlie with her monster earrings.

Haze joined in on the "swimming with our clothes on" activity.  Except his shorts kind of just turned in to a swimsuit.  And then Nora wanted to copy him by taking her shirt off.  Summer really is the best.

June 4 - Pool & Snow Cones

Andlie was mad at me this morning for some reason.  (I think because I told her we'd have to wait until this afternoon to get her a Gatorade water bottle...)  She walked stomped up to the wall and rested her head and folded her arms with her mad face on.  And then Nora copied her.  And Haze followed.  And soon there was no more mad face - only giggle faces.

Giggles lead to Captain Underpants flying around the house!

Today we FINALLY set up our little swimming pool in our yard!  We've been waiting and waiting and waiting (for about three months now) and it was finally hot enough today!  We had lots & lots of fun!  After some resting and dinner, we went and got our first snow cones of the Summer!

Chandi: Tiger's Blood w/ice cream

Bryan: Orange Dreamsicle w/ice cream

Andlie: Half Bubblegum, Half Banana

Haze: Half Orange Dreamsicle, Half Strawberry

Nora: Banana & a sample of Blueberry Cheesecake

Delicious!  We LOVE Summer!!!

June 3 - Seven Peaks

We spent a couple hours at Seven Peaks with friends this afternoon.  Haze fell asleep face down on the carpet about 20 minutes in to watching ET.  I think it's safe to say we played a lot and had fun in the water!!  He woke up about an hour later with carpet marks all over his face & arms.

I should also mention that something pretty big happened today - we put an offer on a home in Orem!  (The first time we've ever put an offer on a home!)

June 2 - Power Ranger Kids

Hazey woke up before the other kids this morning which means only one thing - Hazey & Mommy snuggles in bed!  It occurred to me just yesterday that I may have already had my last snuggle in bed with just Hazey & me because next year, he's probably going to Kindergarten which means there won't be time for morning snuggles while the house is still quiet.  And during the Summer, there's usually two cute monkeys in my bed in the morning.  So I was extra happy that Hazey snuck in bed with me all by himself this morning so we could hold hands and lie close to each other.  I sure love my Hazey.

These cute kids.  Andlie & Hazey dressed up in their fighting costumes and Nora immediately wanted her "outfit" on so she could join them.  I sure feel safe with this crew watching out for our house.

Nora had a brownie as her mid-morning snack.  The frosting is pretty darn close to her actual skin color.  Sometimes we refer to her as "our little Brownie."

June 1 - Ultrasound

We went & had our 20 week ultrasound today!  Bryan & I went by ourselves while Katie tended the kids.  As always, it was absolutely amazing.  This was the first time that the technician explained - in detail - each picture she was taking for the doctor to review.  She told us that the baby's heart is about the size of a strawberry at this point!  It was so neat to see four chambers of the tiny heart, a cerebellum in the brain, arteries and veins, the umbilical cord, my placenta, all four limbs and tiny fingers and toes.  Absolutely astonishing.  It's incredible that a tiny human that's only about six inches long can have all of these body parts fully in tact.  Everything looked "beautiful and healthy!"  What a relief!

Little baby didn't want to show his profile no matter how hard the tech tried.  She even had me sit up and drink some apple juice and she pushed around and shook my belly all around trying to get him to move, but his was too comfy using my placenta as a pillow and facing my spine.

The big news is that we found out that we're having a BOY!!!  I was 90 - 95% sure that it was a girl.  And I knew it was a boy as soon as she glazed by his bum to find his bladder.  I could see it.  And it left me breathless and a little teary.  We are both SO EXCITED to be adding a little boy!

Top to Bottom: Face & Arm, Footprint, Arm

Top to Bottom: Lower Legs, Boy Parts, Boy Parts

My favorite shot from the ultrasound is of his little face with his hand right by his face.  I love him so much already.  Can't wait to meet him!

The kids were so excited to find out what we were having when we got home!  We filled some black balloons with blue confetti and told them that if pink flew out when they popped them, it was a girl.  Blue meant boy.  When the balloons popped, Andlie exclaimed, "It's a boy?!?!  Yeeeesssss!"  Haze quickly followed with, "Yeeeeaaaaaah!!!!"

Official Announcement to family & friends.

Nora is happy to be having a baby, but she was kind of sad it's a boy.  She kept saying, "It's a gril baby!"  Haze was trying to correct her with, "Nom, it's a boy, Nora."  To which she would reply, "It's a boy.....AND a girl."  She came around to the idea through the day, but tonight said to me, "After we have a boy baby then can we have a girl baby next?"

Nora had a fun afternoon today.  We went outside to play with Roman and they put some sand in a water puddle and them dumped it on their heads.  I said, "Nora, what are you doing?"  She said, "We washing our hairs, Mom."

Our friend and neighbor left this sweet note on our driveway.  After we learned we're having a boy, we started accepting name suggestions from the kids.  So far, Andlie has submitted Packer.  Haze threw in Ronnie first.  And then while talking to this friend, he told her that we're probably gonna name our baby, "Julie or something."

Sweet Nora didn't get a nap today so she woke up with a night terror around 10:45.  It takes her a minute to wake up fully and then she usually wants to snuggle in the chair.  I'm happy to oblige.  It was pretty neat to sit in the chair and feel a warm little body hugging and snuggling me on the outside and another little baby squirming and wiggling around inside of me.  Motherhood is truly amazing and miraculous.  What a blessing.

May 31 - Cute

During my entire Pilates workout this morning, Nora lovingly combed my hair.  I'm not gonna lie - I skipped some of the moves because I didn't want to move because it felt so good.

Afterwards, she brought me matching headbands and hair ties for us both to wear.  So I put them on and we took a picture.  Because that's cute.

This afternoon, Haze set his transformers up in an epic battle.  Auto Bots (good guys - the actual transformers) vs Decepticons (ever other action figure he could quickly find).  Took a picture.  Because that's cute.