Open House

This past Thursday Colby had an open house at his school. I was excited to get to go and learn about things he was doing. It was a family event so Austin, Colby, and I plus my parents all went. When we first got there we were able to go into the classroom. The teacher had hung up all their artwork that they have been working on for the past 2 months. I couldn't believe how much they have done! She also had pictures of them on the walls from the past 2 months. It was very interesting to see him in the pictures in his "school setting" and doing school things. I think he really liked having us all there to show his classroom too. We got to visit with his teacher some. We really love his teacher! I feel so blessed that he has had 2 great teachers in 2 years! While we were hanging out in his classroom the teacher had a craft for the kids to work on. Austin helped him with this. Colby enjoyed seeing all his friends and playing with them also! Next we were led to another room where they had juice and cookies set up. While enjoying the snacks they were playing a slideshow video of the kids. Again it was neat to see them in action. I was really surpised by how many activities and things they have already done. They even had live animals visit the school doing Farm week that Colby never told us about haha! After the video the kids performed the "Spooky Walk" and a few other fall/Halloween songs they had learned. Colby did some of it but he was more interested in eating and drinking. My little guy polished off 4 cookies while we were there. Its obvious we don't have treats in our house very often!

It was a wonderful night though! It was so nice to get to see what he's up to at school. We are very pleased with his little preschool. We feel like he's having so much fun but also learning too which is what preschool should be all about! He's loved and happy. We have even decided to probably leave him there next year instead of moving him to a bigger school. Still not a 100% but after seeing all he's done there and how much he likes it. Plus we have a dillemma with most schools being all day in prek 4 and I just don't want to do that. I want to have him 5 day a week next year but only 9-12.

The Van

So Austin and I finally did it...we decided to get a van. It all happened so quick! We have been talking about it now for a few months. My car was approaching 10 years and we knew with 2 kids we needed a bigger vehicle. Austin fought the idea at first but once we talked about all the positives he started to see that it might not be a bad idea. Well once we were both on the bandwagon we decided it would be even better if we could get it BEFORE Lindsay arrived. So we went to look last Wednesday while Colby was in school. Our first stop Honda...we told them what we wanted they didn't have it on the lot but said they could order it. By the time we left we had bought a van. It came in the following Monday. We went to pick it up Monday. I love it! Its a 2012 Oddessey. It has leather interior, dvd player in the back, and all the bells and whistles. Its so comfie and I know it will be so nice when we travel! Colby loves it too. He loves the power doors!
We were so happy to get a good deal and to go ahead and get this off our checklist! I will miss my little Honda Accord though! I have been driving that car since early college, its seen me through USM days, dating Austin, hurricanes, moving into our first house, brought our first child home. It was a great car...we would have kept it if we had the space in our garage! But for now we are happy with our new van and hope it runs as well for the next 10 years!

Boo at the Zoo & Halloween Party

Colby had a very exciting weekend last week. Friday night we took him to Boo at the Zoo. We have never been before. I have been wanting to go since his first Halloween when he was 3 months old. We waited though until we felt he was old enough to enjoy it so it would be worth the money spent. He wore his Superman costume and looked so cute! He was very excited about going to the zoo at night. When we got there we took him to the toddler area first. He played a few of the games and won a few prizes. We were going to take him on the train next but we found out that it wasn't really appropriate for his age...very dissapointing! I thought this thing was geared towards young kids so I felt like they should have had a scary/nonscary train ride. Anyway we let him play on the playground instead. We joked that we could have just brought him to a park in his costume and he would have known no different! After letting him play for awhile we decided to go check out the food. We all shared chicken tenders, fries, and jambalaya. After we ate we brought him to the Trick or Treat lane. He really liked this part. He racked up on candy and quickly learned to say "Trick or Treat" and "thankyou". I think he just liked going up to all the little houses. I had promised him a chocolate bar if he wore his costume so as soon as we finished up at the houses I had to dig out a piece of chocolate for him. That's really the only candy he knows about or likes. After all that we went around the next area that had inflatables and games set up. He got to do an inflatable slide. Then we took him to the Lowe's tent where they could build things. He got into it for a little but really just wanted to hammer the table he didn't care so much about the "project". Needless to say we didn't get the project completed. We promised him another round on the playground so that is where we ended the evening. He ran around for about 20 minutes. I think he enjoyed playing in the dark in his Superman costume! On our way out we saw some owls that they were showing the kids. Colby really liked that. For some reason he always talks about owls and hearing them at night...

It was a fun evening and I am glad we did it. Things I learned though I probably wouldn't bring a child younger then Colby b/c there didn't seem like a whole lot to do for the toddler age group. Plus I don't feel like a child younger then 3 would even get it. I was a little dissapointed that they didn't offer more non-scary things. But all in all it was a great evening. We couldn't have asked for better weather. It was also nice just to do something special the 3 of us. I'm sure we will go back...I kinda doubt we would bring Lindsay next year if we do go although it would be fun to see them both dressed up!

Saturday was a pretty low key day for us...thankgoodness after the business of the week! We decided to stay around the house most of the day other then getting out to vote. It was nice to kinda relax and not go anywhere. Colby had a Halloween Party that night at his friend Max's house so we were saving up our energy for that! We went to the party around 5ish. She had a jump thing, bobbing for apples, music, and a firepit. It was again a beautiful evening. Colby enjoyed running around in her backyard. There were about 4 other friends from their school there. We stayed about an hour and a half. Colby also enjoyed eating pizza and cookies! I thought it was so neat of Honey (Max's mom) to host something like this! I think the party was going to go until well past 7 but we left around 7ish. USM was playing on tv and Austin was home so we wanted to get home and spend time with him! Colby had a blast though. The holidays are getting to be so much fun...I mean they are always fun with kids even since he was a baby but now that he's older and can understand and has all these little parties and things its so fun!

Grandparents/Revival

So this week Austin's parents came in town for a visit. We have had a very busy week but Colby enjoyed seeing his grandparents! They came in Wednesday. Colby had school that morning and Austin and I went shopping for a van...more on that later! We will be getting it Monday! Anyway we picked Colby up from school then met Austin's parents at Applebees. They haven't seen Colby since early September and were anxious to see him again. We will probably not be visiting them until early next year since we will have a baby in a couple months! Anyway it was good Colby got to visit with them. We enjoyed our lunch but Colby was definitely getting tired. We encouraged his parents to go visit with mine since they were staying with them this time. We no longer have a guest room since now we will have 2 children. We knew Colby would nap better if it were just us here. So we got to all come home and relax for a little while. Colby did fall asleep thankfully and slept until about 4. I was so glad he got that nap b/c naps have been hit or miss this week and he's had an off on cold junk since last month and I know he needs his rest! Austin and I weren't really able to sleep though. I guess just with everything going on and thinking his parents would come any minute. I laid down but was never able to sleep. Its always hard when I don't get a nap b/c being 8 1/2 months pregnant I am soo tired all the time!
After Colby's nap we decided to go outside and let him play since the weather was soo great this week. We finally had some real fall weather! He rode all his bikes up and down the sidewalk then we moved to the backyard and he played on his swingset while we all visited. It was really nice spending all that time outside with him! Austin and his dad and Colby ran to the grocery store to pick up some items for dinner...we decided on poboy sandwhiches since we had a big lunch. After eating dinner we decided to take a walk again with the nice weather. Colby was very excited! He loves walks...sadly we used to go so much more when he was a baby. I used to take him 3 times a day! But now with our busy schedules and me being pregnant we got out of the habit! He loves to check out all the sights and decorations and also say hello to our neighbors. The evening was pretty low key we bathed him and put him to bed then his parents went back over to my parents and Austin and I just hung out and watched tv.
Thursday Austin was off again. We had several things on our agenda we wanted to check off. Number 1 was a haircut for Colby. His hair grows so fast now. I usually only get his haircut 3 times a year. We go usually around Easter, his birthday, then the holidays...his last haircut was a few weeks before his b-day. There was no way this time it could wait much longer. Although I do like it when it gets long. We used to only take him to a children's haircut place but this summer when it was time for a haircut and we were so busy Austin took him to the barber shop and Colby loved it. He has always fussed at the children's place. I'm not sure if he just did well b/c he is older and understands...afterall he doesn't fuss at the dentist or doctor either anymore. Or if he just really liked going to the barber better! So Austin and I took him and Austin also got a haircut. I think he thought he was big stuff getting his haircut at the same time as daddy. He didn't fuss and left with a balloon so he was happy. Afterwards we called Austin's parents to meet us back at our house. We had also planned to take Colby to Metairie to do a few fall things. I really wanted to take him to the pumpkin patch over there since his school didn't do one this year along with go to Lakeside to ride the train. We didn't make the pumpkin patch due to time constraints. We did get out to Lakeside. I think he enjoyed the train but was a little shy or embarrassed due to all the attention of mommy and daddy and grandparents. We also let him go in his favorite stores the Disney Store and PB Kids. We didn't spend as much time shopping as we normally might do but we were trying to get home so we could all rest plus I am just getting miserable being on my feet for a long amount of time! We ate lunch in the Food Court then headed home. We were all really hoping for naps. We thought Austin's parents might get out and run some errands so we could rest but when we got home we missed a call from the Honda place about our van...more on that later. So we thought we might be leaving to go pick it up which we would have needed Austin's parents to stay at our house to keep Colby. It ended up it wasn't ready so that all fell through...needless to say no one really napped! We went over to my parent's house early to eat dinner. My parents were going to keep Colby that night. Originally we all planned to go to Revival but due to many things we decided it was best for Colby to just stay with them. It also gave all 4 grandparents a little extra time with him. So we ate dinner then Austin and I left for Revival. Our church was having revival from Thursday-Sunday. We hated that we wouldn't be able to attend some of the meetings that is why we made it such a point to go Thursday night. I was glad we did! It was an awesome service. It was also kinda nice to have a night to ourselves.

Friday morning I went to pick up Colby for school. Austin's parents had already left at that point. I had to go grocery shopping while Colby was in school. It was nice though to know we were going to sorta be getting back into a routine! I was able to have a little time to myself after grocery shopping before picking him up!

Busy Week Ahead!!!

So this is going to be one of our busiest weeks of the year I feel other then I guess when Lindsay is born! The week began Sunday with church as usual. Austin was working and I honestly planned on just going to Sunday School and coming home. He woke up with a runny nose plus I knew how busy our week was going to be so I figured we could use the break. Well Colby had a blast in Sunday School and really didn't want to leave so I hated to push the issue....I love that he loves church. So we stayed and I am glad we did since I got to go into the worship service. We ate lunch and came home for naps but Colby had other ideas and really didn't nap.
Monday Colby ofcourse had school. I was very thankful to not have anywhere to go during his school time. I was able to come home and relax and get a few chores done. This rarely happens so it was quite nice. Plus I knew I needed to enjoy the quiet and alone time b/c it would be the one of the only times I got that all week! I picked him up from school and we came home to eat lunch and I hoped take nice long naps. He is usually pretty tired after school and will nap most days for 2-3 hours. Well ofcourse again he had other plans! I did get a nap though but I really wished that he did. He can go without a nap some days and he does ok but he was cranky and easily set off the rest of the day plus with our busy week I want him to nap when he can b/c I know the week is going to wear us all out!
Today Tuesday I have Bible Study and Colby is going to spend the day at my parent's house. This has become our Tuesday "thing". It is helpful that he will be gone all day and I will get most of the day to myself. Although today we have our housecleaner coming which don't get me wrong I am soo thankful for especially since it is getting harder for me to do those type of things but that also means I won't really have the house to myself and getting a nap probably won't happen. I also hope that colby will nap at my parent's house. Its usually hit or miss...sometimes he sleeps really well over there and other times not. I pray since he hasn't napped in 2 days and was also up from 4:30 this morning that he will be exausted and get one! I also didn't sleep well last night or Saturday night due to thinking about all the upcoming things we have on our agenda!
I am praying for calmness and patience this week. I know part of it is the devil working hard to get us out of revival b/c its already happening. I literally am going to have to take the week day by day which is what I am trying to do but may even have to go minute by minute. I want to enjoy the week and all it has to offer without driving myself crazy!

Weeks 30&31

Wow I can't believe we are into week 30 something! Time is really flying by with this one for some reason. I am still feeling pretty good. Some days are harder then others especially days I am on my feet or do a lot then I feel pretty crummy at night but honestly I think I feel pretty good for being this far along. I think I feel better then I did with Colby. I don't know if its b/c I have a 3 year old to raise so I make myself feel better or if its b/c I am not working I can take more frequent breaks throughout the day. I am still pretty much doing normal stuff but luckily with being a stay at home mom and with Colby in school 3 days a week I am able to work on not staying on my feet for long periods of time. I have had no swelling with this baby unlike Colby. I think part of that is I am not on my feet and the other part I was 8 and 9 months pregnant with Colby right smack in the middle of summer. It still isn't "cold" here but atleast its not 100 degrees!
I went to the doctor yesterday and everything is still looking great. My weight, blood pressue, measurement of my uterus, and baby's heartbeat were all great! So thankful for that! I have finally found a doctor I love! I have seen a total of 3 doctors this pregnancy. My first one I liked ok but wasn't totally sold, I liked the other one better, then the last one I started seeing I really like. I finally feel comfortable with this one delivering the baby. So I am praying I get her for the c-section. I think I get to schedule it assuming I don't go into labor before the set date ofcourse.
We had our 4D ultrasound last week. That was so neat! We couldn't tell exactly who Lindsay looked like but I would say she looked a little like Colby and the face shots I thought she looked like me as a newborn but we'll see!
Colby and I also attended big brother class this past week. He seems to be getting it more and more. He talks about baby Lindsay a lot and talks about reading and singing to her. I think he's going to make a great big brother and will always be protective of his little sis I'm sure. I look forward to the sweet relationship they develop!
I can't believe we have 2 more months left. I have stocked up on clothes, bottles, pacifiers, diapers, breastfeeding supplies, bibs, hats, etc. I still have some more stuff to buy. We also finally got Colby's crib out of storage which will become her crib. Its not set up yet though. The room is almost done we still need to clear out the closet. I feel like with this one its so much harder to get stuff done. I guess our life got busier then when we were just a couple.
I am hoping at my next doctor's visit we will be able to set the date! That will be exciting to know her b-day!

Big Brother Class and Muffins w/Mom

Since Austin has been working all weekend Colby and I had 2 special days together. I really treasure my time alone with him b/c I know in a couple months it will be harder for me and him to have little dates. I have been so blessed to have had so much time with him in the last 3 years. I will always treasure my days at home with just him and mommy! We love daddy days too but there's something sweet about a momma and her baby boy! He has always seemed very sensitive and sweet when its just him and I and the older he gets the more sweet he gets as he tries to take care of me!


Yesterday I had signed him up for Big Brother class at the hospital where Lindsay will be born. I was very excited about taking him to that. It was neat for him to get to see where mommy will be and where he will meet Lindsay for the first time but it was also special b/c it is the first place we met him! The class didn't turn out the way we expected but it was still worth it and I feel like it was a good experience for us both. Basically in a nutshell the teacher didn't show up and we were the only ones in the class but we got a 1 on 1 tour of the mother/baby unit then a private class in a postpartum room. The highlites of the day were: we were able to peek in the nursery and Colby could see newborn babies and he also saw where he will get to stand to get the first peek at baby Lindsay. She also showed us a triage room which is where I will go before and after the csection. I think the one she brought us in was the same one I was in with Colby. Talk about a flood of memories! We also walked down to the family waiting area where Colby will be waiting with my parents before Lindsay is born. I hope that walking around and seeing all these places will help him to be more comfortable and less apprehensive the day we go in. I still know that he will have some of those unsure feelings when he sees his mommy lying in a hospital bed but I hope we took away some fears.


The second part of the day we were brought to a postpartum room where Colby watched a Sibling video with tips and things to look forward to with having a new baby in the house. He also got to put a diaper on his teddy bear and feed it a bottle. He really liked the bottle part. He was so sweet the entire time too. Since there was confusion about the class we were there for 2 hours but he did soo great. He never fussed or acted out once. He stayed by my side and listened to all that was going on. I pray that all this will be an easy adjustment for him. I think he will be a great big brother. I know he will be very protective over his little sister as well. Anyway I am so glad we chose to do this together and he got to see and hang out at the hospital and see all the nice people that work there.


Today being Sunday it was church ofcourse. We had a special event Muffins with Mom/Donuts with Dad in the preschool/nursery area. I was sad that Austin wouldn't be there to enjoy it with us. It was hard being nursery director and mom though. I did get to spend about 15 minutes though with Colby in his class. He loved the donut holes! I think he ate almost 20! We had a really good response from parents and kids so I hope to do this atleast once a year! Colby did really well in Sunday and church from what I understand. After church we ate our usual lunch at McAlister's then came home to rest! It was a pretty busy weekend but a fun one! I really enjoyed my one on one time with Colby but missed Austin the same as well!

Weekend Fun

We have had a fabulous weekend and start to the week. Austin has been off for 4 days which was so nice after he was gone all week! Saturday we planned mainly to stay around the house. I offered to keep Max, Colby's little school friend, so that his mom could do some shopping Saturday morning. It worked out well b/c we had planned to stay home but it would give colby something to do. He and Colby had a lot of fun. They ate a donut breakfast together and played cars and rode bikes outside. I enjoyed watching them play together. We even took a walk around the neighborhood. I have enjoyed seeing Colby develop this friendship and I am enjoying getting to know his mom even though we kinda grew up together. Since they live close by too I feel like we can hang out with them pretty often. After Max left Austin took Colby on some "man errands". Colby loves to go to Lowe's with his daddy. I was just fine staying at home although Colby told me that I was not riding with them I was staying at home. If only he knew I preferred that! I guess Lindsay and I will have to do "girl errands" when she comes and leave the 2 boys at home! It was nice having a low key day around the house. We grilled steaks that night and just enjoyed time as a family. The weather has been great too so we enjoyed lots of outdoor time!


Sunday was church day...Colby didn't seem quite himself that morning. He was still good but my mom told me during extended care he was very quiet I think his teachers were also worried about him and he still had a pretty bad cough. I think it turned out though he had to go potty he hates going to the potty in public but will pee but I think he had to poop and he was definitely not going to do that there! Poor baby I hate that he was probably uncomfortable. We came home and watched the Saints and relaxed then once again got outside and enjoyed the weather! I am loving this fall weather we are getting right now. Colby likes it too he has gotton to spend a lot more time outdoors then we did all summer !


Monday I know this isn't part of the weekend but since Austin was off Monday and Tuesday it felt like it to us! Colby had school ofcourse. We went to the hospital to preregister after dropping him off. I was glad to get that behind us! I can't believe the time is sneaking up on us though! We are at 9-10 weeks now! The paperwork was really easy and only took like 5 min so we decided to go up and get a tour of the mother/baby unit. Even though we have already had one child there it was 3 years ago plus they were in the middle of renovating when Colby was born. It brought back lots of memories but also seemed so different at the same time. I can't believe in 2 months we will be there getting to meet our baby girl for the first time though! After the hospital austin and I came home to work in her room. I feel like we still have a ways to go. I feel like we are running behind this time. It seemed so easy to fix up Colby's room but now we have more stuff to find places for plus we are so busy with Colby's schedule its hard to find time to work in there. We cleaned most of her room out now we will just have to set the crib up which we hope to do in the next week or so. After we picked Colby up from school we thought it would be a fun treat to go to the mall and eat Chickfila and let Colby walk around some. We try to go out to eat when we pick him up just as a treat when Austin is off. He loves going to the mall. We enjoyed our lunch then brought him down to ride all the rides and we got cookies for an afternoon snack! That afternoon we just stayed home and then ate red beans and rice. We all enjoyed some outside time too!
Tuesday I had Bible Study and Colby was going to my parent's house for the day. This was all planned before I knew austin had the day off. I thought about skipping and leaving Colby at home but my parents were already excited about him coming over and I really wanted to make it to the Bible Study. Plus I know Austin probably enjoyed a couple hours to himself. Its rare that he gets much time around the house alone. After Bible Study I brought home lunches from a fundraiser at the church so Austin and I sat out on our patio and ate them. It was nice to have some couple time. We then rested and that afternoon went to the 4D ultrasound of Lindsay! We didn't do this with Colby. The reason for not doing it with Colby and doing it this time is b/c this time you can have it done in the doc's office--I didn't want to go to a special place to do it. It was very cool though you could see so much more then you can in a regular ultrasound. We think she is going to look like Colby but also some of her pictures I thought looked like me. She was very stubborn at first and didn't want to show her face. She was sound asleep! After a lot of prodding and poking they woke her up but then I think she was just mad! Anyway I am glad we made the choice to do it! Its a nice keepsake to always have of her! After the apt we went to pick up Colby. We stopped at Chili's to eat on the way home. Colby was very well behaved better then usual in there. Its always fun to eat out as a family but also seems like a lot of work too with a squirmy 3 year old! WE came home and then got baths and ready for bed. I really enjoyed the last 4 days having Austin at home. We got spoiled. It will be hard to see him go back to work but then again its always nice to get back to a real routine. I feel like last week was so crazy with him being out of town and then 4 days of fun...Colby and I have a pretty busy end to the week though so it should go by pretty fast!