Ahhh......Summer

I know that it's only the end of May, but for us, today was end of our "year". Thus, begins summer!! And a summer with no responsibility, which is what I'm looking forward to the most. Sleeping in any day we want, going wherever the wind takes us, and spending enough time outside so all or some of us can get a slight tan are definitely in the agenda for the next three months. Why was today the end of our "year"? Last week was Hannah's last day of preschool and also the last day of my MOPS group for the year, which also marked the last meeting that I had to decorate for. (Enter big relieving sigh here.) Today was the last day of Caleb's preschool and they had a graduation ceremony for the kids. (I'll post pictures later---I have a bunch to show.) I started to tear up when the kids sang their "Good-bye Song" for the last time. It's a song they sing at the end of each school day and hearing that for the last time really made the year seem final. Plus, we've been with all of his teachers for two years so it was really hard to say good-bye to them! I guess we'll have to spend a lot of extra time at the Y this summer just to run into some of his teachers...

On that note, I should probably mention that I'm feeling even better than the last time I posted. The first trimester is a distant memory! Okay, not so distant....just a week behind me...but I feel like I have so much more energy lately. I even got new gym cards for the kids and I (since I lost ours about five weeks ago) and have really been getting a lot done around the house. Plus, now that summer has arrived, I need this energy to focus on "problem areas" in our house (aka areas where I tend to throw stuff and it piles up to the point where we can't find a darn thing in that area). Chris is thinking "thank goodness" that I'm finally able to focus my energy and motivation on these areas since it's usually him that says, "Umm....what's going on with all this stuff over here?!" :) Also, I forgot to mention that we had our 12-week OB appointment this week and it included an ultrasound, which was so awesome! We had some genetic testing done as well, and it turns out that the testing and the ultrasound all came back with flying colors. Well....the ultrasound was in black and white, but you know what I mean! (Okay, bad joke.) Anyhoo, the baby looks like a baby and I look like I have a bowling ball under my shirt. SERIOUSLY. I'm only 3 months along and every where I go, people are asking me when I'm due. My neighbor saw me last week and grilled me about why I hadn't told her I was pregnant yet. Turns out, she thought I was five months along!! I had to assure her that no, it's very early in my pregnancy, and since she has four kids of her own, she completely understood. With the big belly getting bigger, I was kind of freaking out about how much weight I'm gaining so early in this pregnancy. What a relief (and a nice surprise) it was when I found out at my doctor appointment that I have only gained one pound so far. Whew! I guess this really IS a third pregnancy kinda thing. Craziness!!

On a little side note, I'll leave you with a silly conversation I had today. Hannah and I ran into Caribou (a local coffee shop) in a town about 20 minutes away from ours. We were in that area and both wanted some "Caribou". After I ordered, as I waited for the cashier to get my coffee and take my money, the lady in line behind us said, "Are you having another girl?" I asked her to repeat herself since I wasn't sure if I heard her correctly. Then, I said, "Ummm....no. We haven't found out what it is yet." The lady smiled and said, "I see! Well, I think you're having another girl." Nice to know the opinion of a stranger. I assured her that my husband shared her belief. :)

Pool Fun

Today, while Hannah took her afternoon nap, Caleb and I spent some time in the backyard so Caleb could get some "pool time". (I'm sure I'll be posting a lot more pictures this summer of the kids playing in the pool so consider this your official warning!) Here are a few cute pictures I took of Caleb while he was soaking up the sun:

Chillin' in the pool


Caleb's newest invention: the bubble cup-holder


He poured a whole little bottle of bubble solution into a cup-holder on the blow-up pool. It was mostly so he would have easy access to the solution as he was sitting in the pool.

Bottoms up!


Caleb was very proud to show me his "climbing up the slide" trick. He said "Daddy taught me!"


The perfect ending to a perfect afternoon...

Gearing up for summer!

Today is going to be in the 80's (and sunny) so to prepare for the summer-ish weather, our family did and pulled-out a few things that always help us get into a summer mood:

The Pedicure


It was such a nice day yesterday and Chris asked me why the heck I would want to get my toe-nails painted when it was so sunny outside. Well, because it's sunny outside, of course! I wanna show my toes and wear flip-flops! Hence, the fantastic pedicure from my favorite nail salon. (Thanks for understanding, Chris!) :)

The Backyard Pool


We filled up our new family-sized pool yesterday and are hoping it warms to a nice temperature by this afternoon. (We'll see---Caleb keeps running out to dip his toes into it, just in case it has magically warmed up already!) The only downside to have a blow-up pool in the backyard is a wet dog!! Jack literally thinks we put these pools out just for him. Therefore, he takes a dip in the pool every time we let him outside!!

The Funky Hawaiian Shirts


Caleb has been quite independent with his choice in clothes lately. He really got in the summer-mood by putting on a new Hawaiian-style shirt that was hanging in his closet, as well as some new Hawaiian-style swimming trunks. (I purchased them for an up-coming vacation but he might as well get some use out of them now, right?) Now, I just need to find a funky shirt for Chris, too....

Bike Rides

I couldn't get a picture of the bike ride because I was on a bike but we tried to break in the summer by taking a ride around the neighborhood. We went to a bike-shop in the afternoon and got Hannah an adorable bike helmet that fits her well (it's pink, of course!) so we're ready for some bike-riding fun as the warm weather continues!! (And, I'm happy to report that I finally cut the tags off my new bike and helmet and broke them in. Thank you, thank you very much!)

These are just a few ways that we are preparing for our summer and it looks like it's going to be a good one! ;)