Best. Weekend. Ever.

Our amazing weekend started with hubby coming home on Thursday night since he had Friday off from the academy. Then my sister came in on Friday morning and we all started getting everything set up for her ENGAGEMENT party! We got a ton accomplished and had a great time catching up and playing with Brayden. Mike flew in that night and we all hit the hay to hopefully be well-rested for their big party on Saturday.

Saturday morning I headed over to my parents house to help set up for the party and make all the party drinks (Sangria, margarita, lemonade and fancy water). My boys slept in until 10 am!!! Sleepy heads. It was swim time at 11:20 and my sister and Mike came with us to witness the incredible cuteness that is Brayden swimming!

After swim class, it was time to get ready for the party!! Brayden decided a nap was not necessary for the day and continued to play. Crazy child! 

I made the banners for the party! So fun to get creative again.

"She said YES!"

My mom's friend made this amazing sign...hand painted!

The beautiful couple! 

The cousins all playing together!

Some of the family

Kisses!

Grandma and Grandpa were too far to kiss...awkward! Haha.

We broke out the cornhole and of course a tournament ensued! Go Grandpa!

After a long and exhausting day, we all crashed. It was seriously the best engagement party ever! We couldn't be happier for Sam and Mike. They are so perfect for each other and he fits so well into our family!

The next day we went back over to my parents house to soak up all the Sam and Mike we could get. Brayden found the drink bucket from the party to be extremely entertaining!

This was a weekend I think we will always remember and I am so glad (almost) everyone was able to make it to the party. I know Sam and Mike were so happy to see family and friends there to celebrate their engagement. Today I am officially pooped out and having a lazy Monday to get my energy back. 

Wordless Wednesday

I am really late putting this up but I had to share this amazing photo!

Could he be any cuter??

Beach Day!

Again, Brayden and I have become stuck in a rut with daily activities. Since hubby is mostly gone and everyone I know has a job, it's just me a Brayden all day. A park can only be entertaining for so long and the time has come where the park isn't as great as it once was. The only problem? We don't really have money to be going out and doing a bunch of fun activities every day. I need FREE activities that also get Brayden out of the house. So today I decided we would hit the beach. Brayden loves the sand so we were sure to pack his bucket and shovel. He was a happy camper and so was I. It was great to get out of the house and away from the TV for the whole morning. And it was FREE! Win, win!

Pointing at the birds flying away!

So excited to see a helicopter fly by!

Silly boy!

This is obviously something I should have thought of LONG ago but now that it's fresh in my brain, we will be making trips to the beach more often! It is only about 10 minutes away so it's kind of a no-brainer! I even told hubby about our trip this morning and he was pretty excited to go again this weekend. 

Any other free places to take a crazy toddler?!

Bumpdate: 20 Weeks!

Holy cow people...I am HALF done with this pregnancy! And from last time, I know the second half flies by unbelievably fast. Baby Madison is now the length of a banana which explains all the movement I have been feeling up toward my ribs. She is also about 10 1/2 ounces! We will be going for the full anatomy scan on Thursday and I am anxious for two things: 1) for the sex to be confirmed. There was a clear picture when we went to the doc last time but this will just be a for sure answer. 2) to see how well she is growing and to know that she is growing correctly!

On a side note, I LOVE my new, sparkly phone case.

-Due Date: September 11

-Weight Gain: I will find out at the end of next week. As of right now, still +6 overall.

-Gender: GIRL!! Name will be Madison Kay...Maddie for short. If you want to see how I told hubby the gender, click HERE!

-Movement: More and more movement and I love it all! She moves a lot when I drink something cold and I can feel her moving around every morning.

-Clothing: I am still wearing both my regular clothes and maternity clothes although my regular shirts are getting a little short in the front. We don't need any belly hanging out so those might get retired until after Maddie arrives.

-Cravings: I had a strong craving for shrimp tacos this week but I definitely satisfied that by going to Chili's for lunch with Brayden. It's rare that I take him out to lunch on my own so it was a fun little date for the two of us. Something I really want to do more often, especially after Maddie arrives.

-Overall Feeling: Great! I am so blessed to be having another smooth pregnancy and I just pray that it continues this way for the remainder of this pregnancy. I love being able to still interact and run around with Brayden. I don't take that for granted at all!! I know it will be difficult to run around with him once Maddie arrives and hubby is off to work. At least for the first couple of months.

-Fears: I am adding this category because quite frankly, pregnancy can be scary and thinking about all the changes to come is even more frightening. I am afraid for Brayden. I don't want him to feel like he isn't loved as much anymore when Maddie comes. I am also afraid of the jealousy to come. I know we will deal with it when it happens and try our best to involve Brayden so he doesn't feel jealous, but it always happens so I am preparing for it mentally. I also want to make a few small packages to bring out on particularly rough days. Maybe "gifts" from his little sister for being such a great big brother. Just a few simple either toys or books that will occupy him during a feeding or during Maddie's naps. I think these could really help in the long run and make Brayden feel like he is still very much loved not only by us, but also by his little sister.

So there you have it. Everything there is to know about my pregnancy right now and about my "pregnancy" state of mind!

Wordless Wednesday!

Me: "Hey Brayden, show me your muscles!"

HAHA!! I LOVE when Brayden does this!

Bumpdate: 19 Weeks!

Our baby is now the size of a large heirloom tomato and hair is starting to grow!! (In case you missed our gender reveal...click here!) Also, some research suggests that the baby can now hear voices...I guess it's time to start reading some books to my belly!

-Due Date: September 11

-Weight Gain: I am +6 from my original weight...not too shabby. Maybe I should cut back on the sugar cookies though!

-Gender: Go check out our gender reveal!! Click HERE!

-Movement: Again, more movement this week and it is becoming more consistent. I LOVE feeling the baby move! I have felt some small movements from outside so it shouldn't be long until hubby can feel it too!

-Clothing: I am still wearing my regular jeans and some of my regular shirts...the stretchy ones anyways! 

-Cravings: Well the sugar cookies I mentioned above have been sitting on my kitchen table since the gender reveal on Friday...lets just say there aren't as many left as there should be. Oops!

I am really starting to feel pregnant...not just fat so that's always a good thing! Also, I have been loving looking on Pinterest and figuring out how we will decorate the nursery! I will give a sneak peek soon!

Gender Reveal: It's A...

GIRL!!!!

We will officially have one of each! I was so surprised when the doctor said girl. I guess deep down I really thought we were having another boy. It has taken almost a whole day for it to sink in...a girl! (Okay, it might still be sinking in...)

Since hubby was working while I had my appointment, I decorated the house as a reveal for him when he got home from work. I think his exact words were "oh no!" Haha! Poor hubby is afraid of having a girl. He is psyched for the "little" girl but petrified of the "big" girl to come down the road. I think everyone is afraid of teenage girls! I guess it's about time he gets over his fear!

We have decided on a new girl name since my cousin (unknowingly) stole our choice! HAHA I guess that's what happens when you all have babies at the same time! New choice? Madison Kay. We love it! Hubby and I wanted to make the middle name special so we chose my mother's middle name to pass down. Madison is just a girl name we FINALLY agreed on. We couldn't be happier with the name...and this is amazing considering neither of us could agree on anything. I guess it was meant to be!

Now it's finally time to start preparing for a little girl!! Let the bows and frills flow!