Thanksgiving 2017

I can't believe by the end of this week it will be December! This year has flown by so unbelievably fast! With a new baby coming, I am guessing time won't be slowing down any time soon for our household.

Since we are 35 weeks pregnant with baby #3, we decided we would not be traveling for the holidays. My husband's family decided to join us at our home this year for Thanksgiving (and then plan to be back for New Year's). Not all the family could make it but we still had a full house with 6 adults and 5 children.

 Payton loves playing games and so her cousins (and aunts, uncles, and grandparents) were asked to play anything and everything on constant repeat. Riley plays until he loses interest and then he ran around checking out what everyone else was doing.

My sister and her family also stopped by for the afternoon as they made their drive to family they were visiting. We loved cuddling the newest member of our family and the extra time with them. My niece is about to celebrate her birthday so we gave her the present we got her (a doll and sand art kit) and then my children proceeded to convince her that we should all help her with her sand art kit.

We all had so much fun. My kids decided to turn their sand art into Christmas tree ornaments.  This worked out well because as soon as family left and our house quieted down we decided it was time to set up the tree.

Payton was convinced that both festive outfits must be worn for Christmas decorating. So, she picked out a Christmas themed outfit that she had been dying to wear and Riley put on his Christmas pajamas that were handed down by Payton. We played Christmas songs and had a blast pulling out all of our Christmas decorations.

The kids spend lots of time in the morning looking at the tree and exploring all the ornaments we have collected over the decades.

With a quiet house and nice weather, we decided to head out to our park and feed the ducks. I love freezing time:

The holidays mean so much to us and we enjoy celebrating those we love, spending time with friends and family, and recognizing how important our own little family is to us. Each year, we try to make gift packages for our local friends and Payton has already been planning what she will do this year.

We didn't get to see my parents for Thanksgiving (hoping for Christmas) but we did receive a beautiful package from them with festive turkey hats and some new supplies for baby #3. We loved the thoughtful gifts!

Riley may look upset but this is actually his "cheese" face.

Gobble. Gobble. We hope you had a great Thanksgiving as well!

Princesses, Police Officers, Tea Parties, and an Update on Our Kid's Sharing a Room

We have had a busy few weeks, so I am mostly going to just leave you with some pictures and a few details about what we have been up to. I used to be a lot better about doing weekly recap posts but between 2 kids, pregnancy, and all the other balls in the air I am finding almost no time (or energy to post lately). I hope this will change eventually, but until then, this is the best I can do.

 I have been trying to carve in 1:1 time with both kids over the last few weeks. It's easy to do with Riley since he's up before the sun and I get a few hours with him each day before anyone else rises. Earlier this week, I took Payton to tour the police office with a local homeschooling group. My mother-in-law and husband watched Riley during this time. Afterwards, we decided to take full advantage of our alone time and I took her out to eat. She was obsessed with this disco ball in the background and had to sit right by it. She also took about 100 pictures of it.

 The kids are really into picnics and tea parties. I have been trying to get creative and put together simple, yet fun snacks for them to use at their parties. I used a cookie cutter to make cheese shapes and it was a huge hit and requested frequently now.

 Payton was a princess for the day and had so much fun at this local fundraiser event. She got her hair done, nails painted, tiara, a special tea party, and a royal ball. She loved wearing her Cinderella dress to the event, made plenty of new friends, and danced the afternoon away. I may or may not have shed a few tears at how much she has grown recently. She is still dancing her days away but it looks so much different than it did as a toddler.

 You guys, when you find a friend that will play with your kids for forever, keep them. Seriously, don't ever let them go. They are the best. One of my lifelong friends came to visit us the other day and while we caught up she did anything and everything my little 4 year old requested of her, which mostly meant game after game of go fish. She is definitely one of Payton's favorites and mine, too.

Last month, we officially took the leap and had the kids move into the same bedroom. It's definitely been a transition but overall both kids seem to love sharing a space. Payton has spent a few nights in a different room at her request but then always ends up back into the same room with her brother after a night apart. I'll continue to keep you posted on this transition and how we make it work for us.

Our household is really starting to prepare for baby as we get his room ready and clothes out and washed. We are also contemplating setting up Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving as we will be hosting Thanksgiving at our house this year. Once we hit December, we will be nearing the finish line for baby so he could really come any time in December. I think it's all coming too fast and we'll have a new little one before we know it.

I hope you have a great weekend!

Celebrating My Husband's Birthday

With little children, birthdays are big. They are such an exciting event and kids make it so much fun. My husband's birthday this week was no exception. Payton had been planning his special day for weeks and Riley sang to his daddy the birthday song and practiced saying "Happy Birthday" any chance he could. Both kids made cards and picked out toys they wanted to give as gifts to their daddy. Payton has found a passion for planning a good surprise (I think thanks to my birthday surprise party earlier this year) and is constantly thinking of surprises we should do.

My husband's parents were staying with us so they got to join in on the festivities. I like to make the day extra special right from the beginning. This year, the kids helped me make confetti pancake cake for our breakfast. So not healthy but totally worth it!

Both kids loved putting the sprinkles on the cake and picking out the perfect candles. I made a double batch and threw the leftovers in the freezer. We are hosting Thanksgiving this year and will use them as a special Thanksgiving breakfast that we know all the kids will love.

Birthday confetti pancakes. You really can't go wrong. Except for the sugar high and the inevitable sugar crash. That was fun.

My husband took the day off so after spending some time with us he headed off to hunt with his father for the afternoon. He requested tuna casserole for supper and so we made that for him when he returned. We normally make a cake homemade for birthdays and the kids decorate it, but this time I let Payton pick out a cake at the grocery store. Our week had been so busy I didn't know if I could guarantee a home made cake. As long as there's cake, everyone is typically pretty happy.

The kids were so excited to help their daddy open his present, a jig saw. We can't wait to see him put it to good use.

To my husband, I hope you know how important you are to our lives. You work so hard for us and have created a beautiful life for us. We love you so, so much.

Our Secret to Saving Money

If you met my little family of four (soon to be five) out in public, you probably would not think we are that different from any other families.

We love to be outside and therefore spend a lot of our time at the park, community events, and playing in our own backyard. Our two children will fill you in on their most recent adventures or their current favorite topic of the day. My husband loves hunting and fishing. I enjoy reading, baking, and running (although running has taken a back seat since finding out we are pregnant with baby #3).

We aren’t like all the other families though....

We have a bit of a secret in managing our money that goes quite a bit against the grain for many financial bloggers and influences out there. And you know what? We are still doing just fine.

Want to hear our biggest money secret? Read the rest of this post here that I wrote and had posted at Six Figures Under, a financial blogger that I love to follow.

Tell me, what's your secret to saving money?

32 Weeks Pregnant with Baby #3

Well, I feel like we are starting to round our way to the end of this pregnancy. I'm still not entirely sure I have accepted that baby #3 is coming... or that he could be here very, very soon. Time goes fast.

We got a 4D ultrasound done a few weeks ago and loved seeing our baby. The kids thought he was the cutest thing. Payton packed baby books to read to him during the ultrasound. Riley packed snacks and proceeded to eat the entire appt. My hubby ran late to the appointment due to a flat tire on our vehicle, but was able to be caught up quickly when he arrived. Baby #3 slept almost the entire time.

Here we are now at 32 weeks. I just posted a few weeks ago (read here), so I'm doing better than I thought about keeping everyone updated. This is a good time to get another update going just in case I lose my stride and what you see next is a birth announcement.

How far along: I am 32 weeks, 2 days. This may be the only time ever that I have been exact.

Maternity clothes: All maternity clothes and definitely feeling large. I'm hoping I don't outgrow the clothes I have as it sure seems to be a possibility. 

Sleep: Insomnia seems to have kicked in during the last week and I am in and out of sleep frequently at night. Around the 3/4am time I am normally awake and, after unsuccessfully trying to go back to sleep, I get up for a bit. 

Best moment this month: Pulling out baby clothes and starting to wash them. My kids are so excited and it was good for me to take a bit of a trip down memory lane. Why do babies grow so quickly? It seems like my daughter was just born last month.

Worst moment this month: Moving around is starting to get a bit more challenging. Depending on how baby is laying, I lose my breath easily when talking. I am really starting to struggle with putting shoes on.

Miss anything: I really miss keeping up with my kids. That is getting harder and harder but I know this isn't permanent. 

Movement: Each baby has been so different. I would say this one moves the least out of my 3 babies. I'm hoping this means this will be my most go with the flow child, although Riley is already in the running for that!

Cravings: I don't know that I really crave anything in particular, but am hungry all the time.

Queasy or sick: Feeling good.

Looking forward to: I am looking forward to the relationships my children will have. I can't wait to see how my children bond, whether its for the better or worse. 

Baby #3, we can't wait to welcome you to our family! We just want you to stay in there as long as you possibly can!