Two days late and a whole lot short!

Ever get behind and then overwhelmed and then alternate between trying to forget the thing you need to catch up on and working on it a little bit and then being totally overwhelmed all over again?

Yeah... me neither.

So, I started this blog with intentions of posting pictures of my sweet boys and updates on the funny things they do.  Then I tried a few posts.  Then I got busy or tired or writers block or left the pictures on the camera or something and didn't update for a really long time! Then I thought, "Hey, in a couple months, it will have been a year since I last updated! Maybe I should just wait til then and do a giant-monster-year's-worth-of-stuff-update?" Then I missed it.

Ugh.

So anyway, let's try this again...

Thankfully, the past year has been absolutely wonderful and the lack of updates was not due to stress or hardship... We were just too busy having fun!

Maybe I should just do a list... 

Top 10 Significant Things That Have Happened Since The Last Post (In Somewhat Chronological Order):

1.  The boys turned 1 and 3 in November.  We were going to have a big combined birthday party at our house but (literally) when Eli was "helping" me make the invitations, he informed me that he really, REALLY didn't want a big party with lots of people.  He just wanted to go to the zoo with a few of his best buddies.  So that's what we did for him.  I had originally wanted to have their party at the zoo, but was too afraid of what the weather would be like.  It turned out to be a perfect day for a picnic and lots of fun at the zoo.  

Sam's party was the following weekend and since he couldn't tell me otherwise, we invited some friends over and had his little party at home.  It was sweet and fun to have all of our friends over and try to visit while all the kiddos ran wild trying out Sam's birthday presents!

2.  I turned 30 and lived to tell about it. We had a little family get together at my parents house (complete with my favorite meal and my favorite cake!) and Grant and my parents surprised me with a sewing/ embroidery machine that I had been coveting for months.  Then, the weekend of my actual birthday, we got to go visit Grant's family for Ms. Dot's 70th birthday.  1 sweet mom + her 3 kids + 3 in-laws + 7 grandkids = crazy fun!

3.  Sam got his first ear infection sometime in October.  He had been determined to walk but we noticed he just couldn't keep his balance, and although he never had any other symptoms besides being fussy at bedtime and a little clingy sometimes during the day, we took him to his doctor and found out that both of his ears were infected, but neither of them looked too bad.  

Well, after 3 months of no response to countless rounds of broad spectrum antibiotics, he got tubes.  I was not too thrilled with the idea of anesthesia for my sweet baby, but was so relieved to know that he almost instantly (after the anesthesia meds wore off!) felt much better.  After a couple days of letting his ears drain, his balance returned and he has not slowed down since!

4.  We found out we're expecting baby #3!

I actually took the pregnancy test one Sunday morning before church and was so excited I couldn't keep my entire face from smiling or my hands from shaking.  Grant was already at church, so I spent all day trying to think of a fun creative way to tell him but by bedtime I still hadn't found the perfect way and couldn't hold it in any longer, so I whispered in his ear, "I have a secret!" He immediately knew what it was and we spent a long time just laying there giggling and whispering our shared sweet excitement.

5.  A month or so later, after our first OB appointment, we were getting ready to tell our families and decided we should probably tell Eli first.  We weren't really sure how he'd react but his response was much like our own- sweet giddiness! The first thing he said was, "Oh, she's gonna be SO cute!" We tried to talk to him a little bit about the fact that we didn't know yet whether God was giving us a little girl or another little boy but he was pretty confused by that... He assured us that he'd be happy either way, but that this was definitely a baby sister!  He also decided that her name would be Rake.

After a few more attempts at explaining and reasoning with a 3 year old, we just laughed and decided to not worry about it unless we found out otherwise!

Incidentally, we've tried to tell Sam too but thus far he has remained seemingly oblivious.  We're still working on it.

Sure enough, a few months later, we found out that Eli had been right about the gender, so we quickly proceeded to convince him that her name was not Rake!  I had a few names picked out and Eli and Grant agreed that their clear favorite was Sarah Grace, so that's been her name ever since.

We can't wait to meet our sweet baby girl! Our official due date is January 4, but if you feel led to pray that she will come in time for Christmas, that would be fine with me *wink wink*.

6.  Of course the boys have grown and changed a lot over the course of the past year...  

Eli is still a big talker/ socializer.  He's always amazed us with his verbal abilities, speaking clearly and with a seemingly (to his adoring parents at least!) large vocabulary and more than age-appropriate understanding of parts of speech, grammar, and syntax.  I actually noticed a few months ago that he was using good/ well appropriately on a regular basis, saying things like "Daddy and I" appropriately, and experimenting with adding -ly to adjectives to form adverbs.  As the daughter of an English teacher, I have to admit that I was pretty proud of these.

He also loves meeting new people:  Anytime Grant or I am talking to someone he doesn't know, he walks up, extends his hand for a hand shake, introduces himself like a little man, and tries to strike up a conversation.  All I can say is G-R-A-N-T!

Sam, on the other hand, has been super active since before day one.  Seriously... he was already kicking so hard at 15 weeks' gestation that it could be felt (and sometimes even seen!) from the outside.  He has definitely been a climber so far.  He has great balance, coordination, and determination.  He loves to figure out for himself how to get what he wants and does NOT like unsolicited help. I guess the easiest way to explain Sam at this point in his life is to say that in his mind's eye, he is 10 feet tall and bullet-proof.

His favorite things are rock climbing walls, big twisty twirly slides, and jumping off of things like my bed and the stage at church while shouting "and beyond!" (a la Buzz Lightyear) as a warning to anyone within arm's reach to (please!) catch him.

These 2 sweet boys are wonderful together for many reasons, but the one that we have noticed the most over the past year is the way that playing together serves to develop the areas in which each of them is less-inclined naturally:  Eli's gross motor skills have really caught up with his verbal skills, and Sam is talking up a storm!

I also have to say that one of my very favorite things about both of them is how loving they are.  Although they are both very busy, they are both very affectionate and love to give their mama lots of hugs, kisses, and cuddles.

7. This past summer I was also offered a job that I had applied for years ago, a job that I thought would be PERFECT... A position as a school nurse! These jobs are few and far between, so I was very excited to not only get one, but one at a really great school with a really sweet faculty and staff.  Although I knew that the timing would be difficult for our family (with 2 little ones + one on the way), I accepted the position and decided to make it work. 

Well, we quickly realized that this just wasn't the right timing for our family and worked it out so that I could be a full time mommy! This has involved some major changes in our lifestyle but we LOVE LOVE LOVE it.  I am so thankful for my wonderful husband and the way he provides for and leads our family.  

I am one very blessed girl.

8. Now we're getting ready for the boys to turn 2 and 4! I told Grant the other day that I am so glad that Eli is starting to act more like a typical 4 year old (I've been told repeatedly by mommy-friends that 4 is easier than 2 and 3!) just in time for our already *ahem* determined Sam to start spreading his almost 2 year old wings.

9.  We're also so ready to meet Little Miss Sarah Grace! Now we just have to get ready.  So far, we've moved Sam out of the nursery into a big boy bed in the room he now shares with Eli and filled the nursery with items I want to sell in a yard sale.  

Yeah... not much progress!

I've decided to make new crib bedding and even selected a design and fabrics but have not actually done  anything on it yet.

I know.  

Up until this point, January has seemed so far away, but I just officially entered the third trimester this week and am now officially freaking out.

10.  I'd love to keep going but due to #9, I've gotta GO!

Sorry this was the most boring and bland blog post ever.  Maybe I'll pop back on in the next few days and actually post some pictures!