Pregnancy mash up!

Well here it is folks, my one and only pregnant picture.  Oh woops is my hair covering my face dang well I guess you can just guess at what my pregnant face looks like.  Angela told me today that if she didn't get to see a picture of me big and preggo than it's like it didn't happen.  I would reply that maybe the new addition to our family might be proof enough for her but whatever here is your picture Angela.
        So I tend to hibernate while I am pregnant.  My friend asked me the other day why I stopped blogging and I had no real answer accept that I just didn't really have the energy or the care.  I have taken a lot of pictures over the last year (come on that is pretty much how long you are pregnant for)  but the thought of finding a cord and plugging it into your computer and sifting through pictures and writing things bla bla bla.  The beginning of my pregnancy was pure torture the middle was ok but went by fast and the last few months has been not fun again.  I don't want to complain (well I sort of do)  but I am not a lovely pregnant person, I am grateful that I can be pregnant and I love being a mom but I h*te being pregnant.  So yah mix that all together and I quit blogging!
          I am now due in 6 days and part of my nesting phase has been to clean and de-junk my entire house and garage, some new furniture, lot's of totes and lot's of organizational stuff . It took me 3 months but I think I am mostly done.  This week I have been  all about keeping the house clean just in case my water breaks unexpectedly (yah right I wish, I will go over)  and catching up on blogging.  That is a perfectly normal thing to nest about right?  I think of this as a scrap book of sorts and I just had to catch up even if it is just mainly  millions of pictures.  I am slightly devastated though because I can't find my second camera.  I have a big one and then a point and shoot for when I just want to throw it in my purse, and I can't find it grrrrrrr!!!!!!!   I am so sad because that has a years worth (or more)  of random pictures on it.  Any time we are on the go that is what I take and I am actually near tears because I haven't put the pictures onto my computer forever.  SO if you think about it send good vibes my way that I will have a lovely delivery a cute oops I mean healthy and happy baby and that I can find my camera!
            So don't hold your breath but the next few posts are a really rushed way of blogging what went on during my pregnancy!

Luke the grad

I know that pre-school grad is kind of silly but I couldn't help but beam with pride as my little Lukey marched across that stage and got his diploma. This year Luke went to 2 different pre-schools each of them at a little church and each of them were only one half day a week.  Tuesday mornings when he was gone was when I did hair and Thursday mornings were when me and Lily girl would have some girl time shopping or whatever. 

These were his teachers at "My School"  Miss. Kym and Miss. Sheeba.  I still laugh cause until the last day Luke still called it "your school"  because I was always saying "Ok Luke it's time to go to My school"  and he would say "ok I like your school"  "No it's called my school"  "yah your school"  Whatever it was cute and he had lot's of fun.  He especially loved miss Sheeba and her Turtles.

Then there was the other pre-school called Building blocks.  And as you can see they made graduation a bit bigger deal haha.  It was so fun to see him walk out in his little cap and gown with all his little friends!

Note to self...don't put your son in shorts for his graduation cause it just looks like he has no pants on. Oops

A darling little girl named Bella who was in both of Luke's pre-school classes.  You have my permission to get married, look at her hair!

I'm not going to comment on how I look in this picture (big, preggo, chubby)  I am just going to appreciate how cute my Luke boy is.

He totally got into all of the songs.  We were like his own private paparazzi with the camera and the video camera going.

I seriously love this kid and it has been so fun to watch him blossom over the last year.  I don't have a ton of parenting moments where I am like oh yah Jacklyn you are awesome you totally got that one right but I did have one of those moments with Luke lately.  He was just a hard toddler, from 2-4 he was just hard.  Super sweet and them MAJOR melt downs.  The kind of melt downs that would rule my day cause I was just always trying to prevent one all day.  Plus he didn't talk forever and that was frustrating because he couldn't or wouldn't communicate to us what he wanted.  I worried about him all the time.  Well finally when he was almost 4 we got him into Speech Therapy with the amazing Miss Ellen.  Every Monday morning for a year we went to see Miss. Ellen faithfully and that is when the magic happened.  I would watch (behind glass with head phones)  as she would just un lock things in Luke's mind.  Week after week he got better and better and happier and happier.  He could express himself better and get out the words that he wanted to say.  Some weeks would be hard when she would introduce something new.  For a week or 2 it would be like pulling teeth and then all of the sudden he would just get it.  And since I got to watch I could practice all the things he learned there with him at home, we called it "home School"  It was amazing because I would explain something to her that I was concerned about but I couldn't get him to do and then presto she would figure out how to make him figure it out.  I could sing Miss.Ellen's praises all day I love her.  The thing this taught me was not to just stress about a problem all the time but to just see what you can do about it.

                  The part where I get to pat myself on the back as a mother comes when I decided not to send him to Kindergarten last year.  He was old enough but he would have been one of the youngest in the class and I just did not think that he was ready.  So we decided to wait and sometimes throughout this last year I would second guess our decision.  I just didn't want to mess up my first kid haha.  Seriously though I look back on the last year and how much he has grown and matured, how much more at ease he is, I am so happy and I know that we made the right decision.  At speech a few weeks ago She tested him because she hadn't since we started, and he totally aced the test.  Areas where last year he was wayyy below on, now he was wayyyy above.  He is more that ready for kindergarten and he is just happier! Which of course makes me happy, I am sooo excited for him and I just don't worry any more!(well about that)

Maybe it's because I am having another baby boy so it makes me think of Luke as a baby but I just can't get enough of this kid, he is so sweet.  He tells me everyday that I am his best friend and that he loves me, he still loves to snuggle, and he is always looking out for me.  Don't get me wrong he can still drive me to drink at times but I just can't get enough of him these days.  And even though it freaks me right out to just send him off at 7:15 every morning and not see him till 2:30, I know it's time for school and he's going to LOVE it!
We love you Luke CONGRATS!!!!

Random Spring pics

Does anyone remember our tiny swimming pool from last summer? Well apparently my kids only like tiny pools cause the coolers filled with water were a hit!

At a Kentucky Derby party at Nancy's house or as Lily calls her "Mancy"  When in Rome right?  I did not know one horses name but hey we are in Kentucky and you have to celebrate the little things right?

Oh here's the pool back for round 2.  Luke does cannon ball's into this bad boy!

Easter, Easter

We love Easter at our house.  When I was growing up it was a big deal cause that is when we got to see my Mom's side of the family in Idaho and we loved it.  So here are the kids dying Easter Eggs

Making our traditional Bunny cake.  We make the exact same cake every year and it never get's eaten, the kids just pick off all the candy and frosting but hey it is a tradition.  And if I felt like it I would link you to the last 3 years post's and prove that our cake never changes but whatever just take my word for it.  It's fun though cause this year Luke actually remembered it from last year and was excited to make it.  The only problem is that my children are exact opposites and where Lily just likes to go all Picasso on the cake and ice the ears blue and pink swirled.  Luke is my OCD child (he comes by it honestly)  and he likes it to be neat and perfect.  SO when a giant blue stripe went across the Easter Bunny's face we had a bit of a melt down but I fixed it and some how they both ended up happy!

Easter Sunday!!

They loved finding their Easter Baskets

And I loved trying to get them to make a normal face for a picture.  Seriously I don't know what got into them but I took 5000 pictures of them trying to get a normal one.

Then the tackle hugging began...ahhhh cute

This is my favorite and most Random, don't even ask me why Lily has gone gangster on me and Luke thought that this weird neck pose was soo cool.  Crazy kids

A trip with cousins

In April I needed another break. I just needed to escape my house, I was going stir crazy for some reason and so were my kids. So when Ramsey told me he had to go to Pittsburgh for 5 days for work I said ok I'm out of here and I packed up the kids to go to Emily's house in Virginia.  The only pictures that I have were of Layla's birthday party because the day we went to Washington DC I used my small camera which (I know I've mentioned it a time or 2)  I CAN'T FIND!!!!!   Anyway we had a fun day celebrating Layla's 5th birthday with Em and my cousin Jessica and her little Girl Gracie.  Cute girls!!!

A couple days after the party Jess came over again to hang out and she told us of a conversation that Layla, Grace and Lily had when they were playing at the party.  When Jess was driving home Grace said
"Mom guess what that girl Lily said"
 Lily to Layla and Grace:  "You guys, I'm in charge"
Layla:  "Actually Lily it's my house so I'm in charge"
Lily:  "No Layla I'm in charge"
Layla: "No Lily"...you get the drift
Lily:  "Layla LOOK into my EYES...I'M IN CHARGE"

Uh huh that's my girl, the youngest one of the bunch bossing them all around.

Then I was talking to her about not bossing Henry around and that even if he's doing something you know he's not suppose to do you can't get mad at him because your not the Mom and you need to come and get me or Emily.  She sat and thought for a minute and said
"But mom I know how to talk and get mad like a Mom"
She is going to be so much help with the new Baby!

What? Who doesn't like a big group shower? and go Logan the gangsta

When we got home the blossoms were out and I had to snap a few pre church shots of Lily seen as the purple lasted only a few days

Catch up

In March we celebrated Ramsey's 31st birthday.  Every year all he wants is an angel food cake or an ice cream cake.  This year I decided to try a homemade angel food cake and it turned out great,  Ramz doesn't like toppings (weird I know)  but Luke was insistent that we needed to decorate Daddy's cake so we decorated the edges with army men and zoo animals.  Happy Birthday Ramsey!

Random Pic of Luke and his play dough creations

Blanket forts always a hit

This was actually really funny because Lily wanted Luke to have a tea party with him but she said he had to dress up.  So we ended up with a blue had and some sort of blue fur wrapped around his waist...nice


Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I am lucky that on Ramsey's way to work he said be sure to wear green today or you'll get pinched!  The kids thought that was weird seen as I hadn't mentioned the Irish holiday and they didn't know what it was.  We rallied and they both wore green that day and I stopped at the store bought pre made cookie dough and we made St. Patrick's day cookies.  My kids didn't know that I forgot right?

I don't remember what happened January or February but on December 29th Lily Girl turned 3!!!!

This little girl is just pure fun.  Her actual birthday was spent at Mike and Shannon's house over the Christmas break but when we got home we had a little butterfly birthday party for her.

Lily is so much fun in our house, she is as girly as you can get but then she will play guns with Luke's friends longer than he will.  She never and I mean never stops talking.  She sings songs (some real some jibberish)  reads books (she can't really read)  and asks questions all day long.  And you can't just give her some random explanation to things cause she remembers what you say and if it doesn't make sense she will figure it out.  Watching a new movie with her is hilarious cause the first time she watches it she asks questions about every second of the movie.  "Mom why does Rapunzel have such long hair" "Oh I know cause then she can catch things and swing on them"  (she answers her own questions most of the time)  "Mom Bert is so funny" "Why is he up on the ceiling? Oh cause he laughs a lot and him and that crazy guy are stuck up there"  She regularly sings "Cast off the shackles of yesterday...our daughters daughters will adore us"  So yah she likes Mary Poppins.  She also loves Harry Potter with Dobby cause he's crazy.

 She never stops at home and is anything but shy but you put her in primary and she is a mute.  Her teachers tell me that they got her to say a couple of words...sometimes.  It is so funny cause on the way home from Church she tells me everything that happens and she sings all the primary songs but for some reason while she is there she will not participate at all.  Oh well what can ya do.

Lily is just Sweet and Sassy and I have to say that it is so fun to have a daughter especially one that is so much fun.  We love our Lily girl and it is actually good that she is not going to be the youngest in our family cause she may be a bit spoiled.  Ramsey has no defenses when it comes to Lily and can pretty much get her Dad to do anything.

One of her favorite things to do is to do hair (I wonder why)  and when I got a new blow dryer that came with a mini "Real" blow dryer she was thrilled.  Suddenly her little battery powered princess blow dryer just wasn't cutting it and she loves the real one.  She sits in the hall with a spray bottle, mouse, brush and whatever else and blow dries her dolls hair as she sits and talks to them.  " Oh this looks so great, jabber jabber jabber I know I was like jabber jabber jabber hold still, turn your head"  Anyway mix in her raspy voice and the fact that she is my own and it's pretty much the cutest thing ever. 

She's really into posing

December

Proud Luke was a master decorator

We set up our tree even though we were not here for Christmas just because why not, I Love Christmas!

Lily being helpful in the kitchen as usual

Grandma Rhonda sent Lily this Christmas dress and she was so excited to wear it to the ward Christmas party.  She called it her "Party Dress"   She had another Christmas dress that I got her but I think that the only pics of her in it are on my lost camera...tear
 

Christmas Morning  at Mike and Shannon's house in Ontario.  It was so fun to spend Christmas with cousins.  It was also quite nice to have Shannon and the girls take care of us.  I was just coming off of 3 months of hideous first trimester pregnancy and honestly I just need a break from my house and a brake from everything and it was SO FUN. 

Lily wanted a Baby with a suie (a soother/binky)

And cute little Luke, all he wanted was Buddy and Tiny from dinosaur train.  How lucky for Santa...done and done.

Not a lot of Christmas morning pics but there was also a lot of fun Cousin Time!

Gotta love Great Grandma Bridges home made choke cherry syrup, yum

Clair is magic and could entertain these 3 kids for hours...they loved it.

Please be careful Ramz

This was how we celebrated Lily's real birthday.  A day playing at the gym and a good old Tim Hortons doughnut.  She thought this was great and loved picking out her own doughnut covered in sprinkles!  Good ol Tim's.

Chelsea, Clair, Hali, Luke, Lily and Jacob...cute cousins

Lot's of fun in the snow when you spend Christmas in Canada!



And Randomly here is Luke at his Pre-School Thanksgiving program.  Cutest little Indian I've ever seen
                                                      Happy Thanksgiving! 
                                                 2010