a crazy, good life.

Crazy. Busy. Insane. Joyful. Exciting. Change.

Those would probably be the best words to describe our life right now. We have somehow seemed to manage to find every big life changing event and squeeze it into about a 2 month time period. We have officially lost our minds but couldn't be more happy at the same time!

Baby 3# is officially due any day now. Are we ready? Umm...sure?!? I mean, the newborn part doesn't really scare me like it did when we were getting ready for Carter. We've been through that before and (sort of?!) remember how sleep deprived we were. But, my confidence with a newborn, nursing, and all the fun postpartum recovery has greatly improved. The transition going from 2 kids to 3 kids? I'll let you know how that goes later!

But, we did manage to fit all 3 car seats in the 2nd row of my car! We have a 3rd row but like having the extra trunk space for bikes, Costco runs and other random stuff so the kids are adjusting well to sitting next to each other.....sort of. I think I've said, "please keep your hands to yourselves!" about 10 times more each day, but we are making progress.  :)

 I'm trying to still keep some normalcy in our lives during these last few weeks. One of our favorite weekly trips is to the library. The kids just adore reading and will sit with me for at least 45 minutes every morning cuddling on the couch and reading books. I love that they enjoy finding new books to read and new things to learn about.

 Carter is so lucky to have a bunch of really great boys his age in our neighborhood to play with. We've made such great friends here. Sadly, there aren't a lot of girls for Lucy which just means more mama/daughter time when Carter has playdates. I don't think either of us seem to mind. There is a great park just down the street from our house that we got to play at the other day while Carter was with his friends.

 And Yoshi....our sweet, loving, arthritic dog turned 7 a few weeks ago. Hard to believe we've had him 7 years already! Even though he struggles to walk/run/jump at times he is still the best dog ever for our family.

 Both kids are in soccer right now and loving it. It makes for a super chaotic week since we have practice and games 3 times a week but it's been so fun to watch them get involved with their team, learn new skills and have fun. Lucy is a bit more timid but is finally starting to really find her groove and understand the sport.

 Me at 36 weeks. Feeling great, carrying really low and trying to soak up every little kick and squirm I feel until I finally meet this little one.

 Just them.....being them.

 And the really big news! We bought a house! We've been searching for a while now but the market around here is...well....horrible. Overpriced, cookie cutter homes that are pending literally within hours of being on the market. That wasn't what we were interested in and luckily found a really great house in the same neighborhood we already live in! It's a foreclosed fixer upper but has great potential and allows us to be in the same school district, same commutes, same neighbors/friends and super close (like 10 houses down?) from our new childcare provider. Best news is after losing out on the first round of offers to a higher bidder the buyer ended up backing out and we saved $20k from our original offer! God knew this was the place for us and we just needed to wait for the right timing. Unfortunately that means the timing of closing on it 3 weeks before my due date and fixing it up right in the middle of having a baby. Lucky us, huh!?!
The fun part is picking out new stuff for the house. We are planning a major kitchen remodel, new flooring, paint, partial bathroom remodels and lots and lots of other little projects. This is where the craziness comes in.
How will we squeeze it all in? I have no idea.

For Memorial Day weekend we headed up to the beach house for a few days to relax. Lucy got to ride on this vintage horse at the local grocery store. I think her face says it all. So happy!

 Carter and I decided to go on a date night before the baby came. He requested dinner and a movie which was so cute. We went to see Disney's The Monkey Kingdom and then out to his favorite restaurant The Old Spaghetti Factory (he calls it the Noodle Factory!).

 After the movie he asked to take some photo booth pictures to remember the night. Even though he can be stubborn and strong willed at times, he really has such a sweet, tender heart and little moments like this mean a lot to him. He remembers these little things for years, literally. I couldn't resist and just love these silly pics.

 "playing" the video games. Sorry kid, wasn't going to spend another $5 on some games.

 The next day Lucy and I had a little date day while Carter was at preschool. We went to the Children's Museum. Just us....and 3 other visiting elementary schools. Not awesome. Somehow we managed to find the exhibits that weren't super crowded and still had fun.

 Later that day we met up with Matt to sign all the documents for our new house. So.much.paperwork. It was exciting to have it all official...until she reminded us just how long it would take to pay off the house! Still, very happy and blessed to get to have this next adventure for our family.

 More soccer....love her game face!

 The first night we officially owned the house we headed over to just run around in it. I love our new front porch, it's so much more open and welcoming than our current house. Can't wait to get some flowers and a comfy bench to put there!

 And finally, more soccer! Carter had a great game yesterday and got to play goalie for over half the game. His coach said it was his best game yet. He was focused, prepared and really got into it. I loved watching him play. After 4 games his team (which really is a good team with a great coach) still hadn't scored any goals. All of us parents were really hopeful they would finally score. Carter came literally inches away from scoring the first goal of the season! Sadly it just barely missed. Luckily another kid scored a goal a few minutes later which resulted in a huge celebration for all of us. Next week we get a double header, can't wait!

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a weekend at the beach.

This past weekend we took a 4 day trip to the ocean to celebrate Mother's Day, our last getaway as a family of 4 and just a much needed time away as a family for some relaxation and fun. We had originally planned to go to Disneyland with Matt's parents but when baby #3's due date came along, it just wasn't ideal to fly on a plane and walk 5 miles through Disneyland being 8 months pregnant.

Luckily, Disneyland will always be there and the charming little town of Seabrook still made for a perfect little getaway!

Seriously though, Seabrook really is the cutest little beach town. About 15 miles from Ocean Shores it has these adorable cottages, all beautifully decorated inside and out, a community pool, walking/biking trails, a few cute shops, a luxurious spa and the beach, just a 5 minute walk away. 

Right when we got there we instantly fell in love with the house. 3 stories with the bedrooms on the top and bottom floors (Matt's parents were more than happy to have a bit of separation at times from some louder than life children!) and a quaint sitting room off the main level to look out on the neighborhood while cozying up with a good book. We loved that room!

 Not the best picture of our house but here it is. Centrally located in town and just the right amount of space for the 6 of us.

 Seabrook also has this cute Town Hall which can hold weddings or parties. It reminded me of an old church building.

 The kids loved walking and exploring each time we went out.

 Another cute house!

 The community pool was a big hit. We went swimming every day we were there and had to drag the kids out of the water each time we were done. On our last day we had the entire pool to ourselves, which was so fun!

 The beach was so nice. It was mid 60s all weekend, a slight breeze and no loud cars or horses or mopeds like you'd typically see in Ocean Shores. It was perfect for flying kites and to let a very energetic 5 year old boy run until he was exhausted!

 The kites were so fun....until Lucy was super bored and done. Haha!

 I can't believe both kids ventured into the water. I kept my distance...after all...I wouldn't want to freeze our baby!  :)

 The funny thing was we told them to stay dry and not "too" dirty since we were headed out to dinner immediately after the beach. What the heck were we thinking? Take 2 kids to a huge beach and expect them to stay dry? Parent fail. But lots of giggling and smiles were all around!

 On our last day we headed back to the beach, this time much more prepared with swim suits and towels. Sadly, Lucy fell on the walk down and scraped her knees pretty badly, which then led to her quickly changing her mind about playing in the sand. Grandparents to the rescue! Matt, Carter and I enjoyed some time at the beach while Lucy napped on Grandma Kathy back at the house.

 We had promised the kids we'd make s'mores while we were there, since they have a bunch of community fire pits spread throughout the town, ready to use. Instead of waiting until it got dark (and late!) and then giving the kids endless marshmallows, we decided to make a mid-afternoon campfire to allow time for the sugar rush to decrease well before bedtime.

 Carter wanted to help the big boys so badly with the fire. And, of course, just play in the fire with any stick he could get his hands on.

 Us girls just waited patiently.

 Then it was time to roast! I think Carter ended up with 8 or 9 marshmallows, Lucy at least 6. And lots of chocolate.

 Matt's parents enjoying the craziness of sugar loving grandkids.

 And one last picture of the kids enjoying a snack before a very long car ride home (thanks traffic!).  It was such a fun weekend and a special memory we'll all have before the craziness of baby #3 begins. Can't wait to visit again soon!

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