It's A Boy!!!

Baby #3 = boy!!
We're thrilled! We would have been either way. Baby measured where it should and everything looked good. Wilson and Andy came with me while Luke was napping while Uncle Bill stayed over at our house. Wilson was really interested in the ultra sound jelly. Now we'll decide on a name!!
Andy, Alyssa, and the BOYS!!!

By the way, Wilson batted twice again at his game last night. I am such a proud mama! He overcame his fear! He even fielded a ball in the outfield!

Will's First Hit

(posting by Andy)
Saturday's game was Wilson's big breakthrough. During the team's second time at bat, Wilson's turn in the line up came. This has been the moment in each game that had gotten the best of Will. He wanted to bat, but it was too intimidating for him with the crowds. Saturday, the crowd was small and quiet, and Wilson slowly moved to the Tee dragging his bat in the dirt. At the Tee his coach got him in place and talked to him for a moment. Wilson swung the bat, hit the ball, and took off down the baseline with his hands covering his eyes. He got to first safe and realized how easy it was. Everyone was giving him high fives and he was just beaming.
The next time at bat he did even better.

After the game, Wilson was given the game ball by the coach for going up and batting.

HE DID IT!!!!

Awesome News...
Wilson went up to bat TWICE at his game yesterday!! He had no fans at this game, just daddy. Me and Luke weren't there. I guess that is what he needed to get over the fear of batting etc. Andy is going to post about the game and post pics too. I just couldn't make you wait to find out any longer!! Read about what Wilson earned here for batting!

Read an update on my mom's b-day here, I clearly forgot my camera and will just link you to Cara's post so you can see pics!

Yesterday I went to a wonderful shower for Jenn. You'll notice I also forgot my camera to this event. You can look at a picture slide show at her cousin's blog here. Clearly I need to always keep my camera in my bag!

Also, I've had 5 wonderful customers for my new business this week! I think I can do this Mary Kay thing! Visit my friend Tricia's site for info about our MK adventure!

Independent Beauty Consultant

Ok, so I really don't know enough (yet) to have this title! But it's official! I'm a Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant now. I went to a couple MK parties in the past month and really liked the product. I hadn't tried it since high school and really liked the new stuff they had to offer. I wanted to get lots of it but couldn't financially so I looked into becoming a consultant. One thing led to another and Andy and I decided this would be a good part-time business. I plan to do more skin care classes and facials in the summer time than during school year andhope to make some additional money for my family. I had to make a "dream book" to set goals for my business. Here they are:
1. Pay off Mary Kay start-up costs
2. Buy Andy a new cell phone. His screen was stepped on by a ladder and doesn't work. It's seen better days! He refuses to get a new phone so I'll present him with one!
2. Save money for hospital bills of baby #3
3. Save money for my big family vacation next year
4. Save money to buy a 4 bedroom house with a basement and fireplace :) (More than 1200 square feet for 5, please!!!)
5. Save money for a mini-van for our big family!

Let me know if you have any questions about MK, would like to become a consultant or want to host a party to earn free make-up! I also get to bring friends to events including make-overs, etc and would love to bring you! I took Jenn a couple weeks ago and she loved it. This Saturday Stephanie and Tricia are going to a Muffins & Makeover session with me!!

Couple incentives:
Host a party, earn free make up!
Free gift with $40 purchase- right now it is a sample microdermabrasion kit (one of my favorite products)
Save 10% with internet orders!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Today is my mom's birthday! We are meeting for dinner at my sister's house. We're having grilled chicken and vegetable kabobs with couscous. Sound delish! I'll try to post some pictures after the celebration!

T-ball Games

We've had our first 2 t-ball games and opening ceremonies in the last week. Wilson is doing OK. Game #1- Wilson played in the outfield for 1 inning (by his choice) and was up to bat twice. He was too embarrased to bat and after several minutes each time the coach took an out for the team. It was hard to watch him out there at the T, he was crying and hiding his eyes and all I wanted to do was rescue him and say He's Only Four!! So I didn't push it. After the game he ordered his "player's drink" (lemonade) and we told him we were proud of him and looking forward to watching him play in the next game. He had a pretty big crowd- my dad, maw and paw, Stephanie and kids, me and Andy. He did not want anyone to cheer for him.

Game #2- I was dugout mom this game. Fought him many innings to get him in the outfield. He was being a BIG baby about it, whining and carrying on. He played all but 1 inning in the outfield which was much more than game #1. He only had 1 turn up to bat. I walked him out and tried to encourage him (as everyone had done all week). He didn't bat but as soon as we got to the dugout he started crying because he wished he had batted. I now know that I'm supposed to block the crowd when he bats. I told him "I know mommy's belly is getting big but it's not THAT big!!!". His aunt Stephanie had told him if he would bat he would get to go out for icecream with just her. That was pretty motivating and he hopes he can still earn it!

Last night was opening ceremonies. Like a pep rally to start off the season. Wilson enjoyed that because our team ran through streamers and smoke bombs and a tunnel made by the parents. He thought that was pretty cool. He has a new T in the backyard and he has been practicing. He is actually pretty good for a 4 year old when he hits the ball and throws the ball. Hopefully over time he'll warm up to the t-ball game. This morning we drove by lots of soccer games and were talking about that. I asked him if he wants to play soccer or T-ball next year. He said T-ball! So I guess he is enjoying it at least a little bit!

Lazy Saturday Morning!

For this dreary day I took the boys to the Red Box Shawna taught me about and let the boys pick a movie. I had a free code and they picked Bee Movie. So they are eating popcorn and watching the movie right now! I also rented Enchanted for me to see later tonight. I tried to get Juno first but it was out. The Red Box is pretty cool and only a $1 to rent a movie!! I've been given 3 codes from people's large Mcdonald's drinks at school so there is still one more for Andy to pick a movie out with. Buy a large coke from McDonalds and you get a free movie code! I wonder how long that will last? I'm excited about this new way to rent movies because our local movie rental place went out of business. I've been thinking about joining Netflix, but we just don't get a chance to watch that many movies so it probably wouldn't be worth the money. If you haven't, try the Red Box!

You've got to listen to this!

You've got to watch this video of Luke sleeping! We realized while we were camping that he is a heavy breather while asleep. In the camper he snored so loud Andy and I had trouble sleeping! Now that he is in his toddler bed we're leaving his door open at night and when I'm up after he's in bed I can hear his sweet breathing down the hall! Precious.

Lukie had his first accident yesterday. He was walking into the Y with Wilson and Daddy and somehow bumped into the door. Andy turned around and blood was dripping down his face. The Y was so kind and provided first aid and called today to check on him. Luke did go to the doctor and did not need stiches. He has 3 steri strips under his bandaid to help it heal. We are supposed to keep the bandages on and keep the area dry. Andy said Luke cried for about 2 minutes even though blood was dripping in his eye and down his face. He was a brave little guy. His daddy is very smart about first aid so he had a clean diaper against the cut, applying pressure in no time while the Y staff was getting the first aid kit. By the time they were there with the kit the bleeding had stopped. We're so thankful it wasn't more than a bad cut.

You do the math.

# of times puked while on Spring Break : ZERO (0)

# of times puked in the 4 days I've been back to work : FIVE (5)
(Yes you read that right. 3 separate times on Monday and 2 times on Wednesday. 3+2=5)

Hmmm...maybe my body is trying to tell me something!

A perfect afternoon!

Okay here was our afternoon :)

4:30- Met with our financial advisor and opened 2 Roth IRA accounts that will serve as retirement and college fund. (Next step is a will.)

5:20- Picked up Chinese takeout

5:30- Enjoyed a picnic with my new Market Tote (Thanks, Jenn!!!) and a picnic blanket at the park. (We had wanted these totes for a couple years but they were too expensive. Jenn found them at TJ Maxx for $10!! Ours are black :) I love it!)

6:00-7:00 - Was a proud mama as Wilson PARTICIPATED in the voluntary (very low key) t-ball practice out in a grassy field with his coach and 5 other teammates. Hung out with Heather.

7:00-Played at the park

8:00- Boys in bed!

We made the most of this nice day before the weather changes. Sorry no pics! We didn't bring the camera.

Movin' on up!

What a big boy! Luke is now in a toddler bed! We took off 1 side off the crib and now it is a big boy bed. Luke loves it. Wilson didn't get to use the crib this way because Luke had already arrived! Wilson just had his twin mattress and box spring on the floor. Which he really liked and was quite cozy. Luke helped daddy with his tools to make his big boy bed. When I mention his new bed he says "Daddy make it." His little sentences are so cute!!

Baby #3

Ok, we officially decided we are finding out the sex of the baby! As long as he/she cooperates we'll know on April 29th. On our way camping we happened to have one of those new tiny phone books in the jeep. Both of the boys had fallen asleep so I suggested names as I flipped through the phonebook. Honestly, I'm kind of expecting this to be a boy! It always has been. I will be very surprised if it's a girl. We'll be thrilled no matter what. I honestly would be okay with 3 boys or 2 boys and 1 girl. Honest! Oh, and I've felt flutterings for the last couple weeks! I kept telling myself there was no way this was the baby yet, that I was imagining things. BUT, at the dr appt they asked me and I told them what I just wrote and the nurse said "oh, with this being your 3rd you could definitely be feeling flutters by now!" So exciting!!

Boy names:
-Marshall Wade
-Ty (I just like Ty. Mom thought of Tyler Wade and call him Ty. Not sure if I want his name to be Tyler. No middle names we've thought of for just Ty yet.)
- Henley (Mom has already made her opinion clear here!! Plus we realized having a Finley & a Henley in the family is kind of dorky!! I still like it though!)
- Timothy Wade

Girl Names:
-Claire Ellen
-Lauren Claire

**We have a family name in each of the boys' names. I want this one to have a family or special friend name in it too. Wade and Claire are special friend names. Ellen in my mom's name! What name(s) do you like from these??

Season 3

The One with the Morning After

Okay, this epidsode is my favorite from Season 3. It starts out with a recap of the one where Ross and Rachel take a break. Rachel is frustrated with Ross because he is jealous of all the time she spends at work. In her frustration she says "maybe we should just take a break." Ross went out that night to a party and ended up bring the copy girl home. So, the episode starts with Ross in bed, under the covers. All the sudden he hears "good morning" and he sits up in bed with the covers still covering his face! It is hilarious. He remembers what happens and is upset. He listens to a message on his machine from Rachel saying she wants to get back together etc. Says she'll stop by on her way to work, which happens to be very soon. The copy girl is still there and Ross tries to hurry her out the door. When he opens the door Rachel is there and they hug and kiss. Ross is upset with himself and doesn't know what to do. He goes over to Joey and Chandler's to ask for advice. They tell him to never tell Rachel what he did. Then Joey asks him if he thought about the trail...which Ross doesn't even know about. They tell him the trail is from the girl Ross did it with to the girl he never wants to find out. So they figure out what the trail is and Ross runs all over town to stop the trail but he is too late. Gunther has already told Rachel and she is crushed. Meanwhile Monica and Phoebe are getting ready to be waxine girls with the new wax Monica ordered off an infomercial. They start to wax their legs and yell so loudly that Joey and Chandler run over to see what is wrong. While they are all in Monica's room, Rachel and Ross come home and fight for hours. Rachel keeps telling him it is over because she can't get over the fact that he was with another woman. Ross keeps begging for her to give him another chance. This goes on for hours while the rest of the friends are stuck in Monica's bedroom until after 3am. They are all hungry and have to eat the wax. The rest always makes me cry.

Rachel tells Ross she thinks this is it. He says I can't live without you. I can't live without these hands, your face, this heart, your good heart. They are both crying and it is so sweet. Ross says this can't be it, Rach and she says then how come it is??

It makes me cry every time. Do you remember this episode?

Camping Trip!

Here is the camper we used!

Two peas in a pod!

Hanging out around the fire on the first day.

We had a great time camping this past week. We went to our favorite spot with Danny, Steph & family and Uncle Bill. We had a nice campfire going the whole time we were awake! The weather was great (a little chilly) until Thursday morning when we were packing up. The kids had a great time being outside, hiking, and playing together. I'd say eating smores was a highlight too! We had good food and lots of fun! Enjoy the pictures!

Goin' exploring!

Man, the food you eat when you're camping sure tastes good! Luke gobbled up his green beans!

Ladies turn washing dishes!

We stopped for pizza at Miguel's on the way home.

Let's bring Silas home!!

**Silas is on the yellow toy! Isn't he cute?!**

The yard sale for the adoption was a HUGE success! Cara and Jason had tons of stuff to sell. So many family members and friends donated to the yard sale. They had a lot of stuff. Between yesterday and today they have raised somewhere over $1200. That is not the final total! Their goal was $1000 and they definitely passed that up. The tables were looking sparse when I left today around 1:45. The crowd that shopped today was so generous. Cara had made posters that were hanging all over with Silas' picture on them with things such as "100% of proceeds support my adoption" and "thank you for bringing me home to my forever family". People today were giving many dollars over their total to support the adoption. It was amazing! I was so impressed that strangers were so kind to people they did not even know. Madelyn had a bake sale and a lot of that sold today too. It was great! All the big stuff sold! I am so happy that they raised so much for the adoption. It was a lot of work, but I'm sure Cara would agree it was totally worth it!

Children's Museum

Spring Break Update

* National Board box has arrived and was checked into the system before we left for camping on Tuesday!
* Baby appointment was good. I went by myself and thankfully it was pretty quick. About an hour. Which is unfortunately a quick visit. All of which I saw the dr for about 5 minutes! Gained 1 more pound. Listened to heartbeat. Scheduled for my ultrasound April 29th!
* Camping was fun! We unfortunately woke up to rain on Thursday and it didn't stop. So we packed up in the rain. Not fun. We then went to eat pizza at Miguel's and then came home. More camping details and pictures later.
* My sister is having a HUGE yard sale adoption fundraiser today and tomorrow. I was there yesterday from 6-11pm helping. Plus we made dinner together. It was all set up when mom, Terry and I left. All the boys are still sleeping but I'm getting ready to head over and help.
* My house is a wreck! All the camping stuff is everywhere. I did clean the kitchen up this morning so I could go to Cara's all day without feeling too guilty about the house. I'll have all afternoon/evening to work here.

**Happy Birthday, Jason!!!**

Ahhh...this is the life!

I love Spring Break! Although, I will admit I was in a bit of a bad mood Sunday night and part of Monday. Why you ask? On a week off? Feeling like crap. But the second half of Monday, yes, even into the evil time of day (late afternoon/evening) I felt pretty good. I guess I don't know what it feels like to feel normal anymore. But I'll take pretty good. So yesterday I had my hair trimmed and highlighted, lunch at my grandparents, planned our camping menu, and started laundry. Then we took the boys to their first ever movie theater movie! We went to see Horton Hears a Who. It was cute! Wilson was in a trance stuffing his mouth with popcorn. Luke sat in Andy's lap the first half and switched to my lap the second half. It was fun. We wrapped up the kid evening with dinner and playing at Mcdonald's! Talk about Andy and I being awesome parents! Movie with popcorn and McDonald's with playland! We totally rock.
Today I have baby appointment #3. I've been to both of the others alone which is fine, just totally different from the first two pregnancies! I think Andy had missed 1 or maybe two appointments with Luke. None with Wilson. But, that's what happens with 2 kids! I don't want to parade in with the whole family for every appointment, that's for sure!! (Hi, yes, I'm here for my appointment. We don't have a baby-sitter or birth control. All said while smiling big so the lady doesn't think we're loony). All around the appointment we're getting ready for camping! I've planned the menu, still working on the laundry, made trail mix. Which I have been craving and wanting to make. Now I have my excuse. It has yogurt raisins, almonds, honey roasted peanuts, sesame sticks ( I LOVE these!), craisins, and M&M's. It is yummy. Wilson and I made it this morning. Then I made Andy's- honey roasted peanuts and m&m's. That's all he liked out of what I chose. He would want peanut butter M&M's, dried pineapple, pretzels. He does like the yogurt raisins I think, but they are all in the big bowl.
We're taking my grandparents old camper. Which I am excited about! I think it will make camping a little bit easier with the two boys. We're going with Danny, Steph, Meghan, Lily, Trey, and Uncle Bill. It will be fun!
Here is the menu:
Dinner #1- Marinated BBQ Chicken grilled over campfire, potato packets (potato slices, onions, butter, salt, pepper) all wrapped in foil and cooked over campfire, green beans, and french bread
Followed by smores later!
Breakfast #1- Pancakes, Sausage, Eggs, Hot Chocolate - It's gonna be cold!
Lunch #1- Sandwiches, chips, fruit
Dinner #2- Hot Dogs on campfire, mac & cheese, fruit
Follwed by smores later!
Breakfast #2- oatmeal, hot chocolate
We plan to hike! Play in the dirt! Sit around the campfire! Nap! Read! Enjoy the outside. I think I'm finally excited!
P.S. The National Board box should arrive to it's final destination today!