Peter Luke

He's finally here! Peter was born at 4:34 am Sunday July 22nd. Weighing in at 8 lbs 9 oz  and 20 1/4 inches long, he was over a lb heavier than the other two were. What a difference a pound makes! The new born clothes that Sammy swam in are snug on Peter. We also realized after looking at pictures that we don't really make babies, as much as clone them. They could have taken Peter from the room without me ever seeing him and I could have picked him out of the nursery in a second. Let's play a game. Here are pictures of all three of the kids moments after birth, in no particular order. See if you can figure out which one is Peter, and no looking at ancient posts to figure it out.

Ridiculous right?! Peter has been the calmest, quietest baby ever. There will be plenty more pictures and details to follow, but for now Thad has the week off and we are all enjoying our time together.

Floors!

Okay, so the floors have been done for a couple of weeks now, I don't know why it's taken me so long to post pictures. They are everything I hoped for a more, and just open up the rooms so much. Here are some before and afters. . . a little fuzzy, but you get the idea.  Here's the entry when we first moved in.

And today with the new floors and half wall, which still needs to be sanded and painted.

The dining room with carpeting, and the beginnings of box mountain.

And today!

And probably the biggest change, from d inning room into kitchen.

So much more open!

I love them so much I don't even mind cleaning them. Yet ;)

Dear Journal

This baby is almost here, and before life starts revolving around him I wanted to write down some things about Andi and Sammy before I forget.
Sammy has really become a little boy in the last few months. He talks constantly, and is in the "what's this do? Why?" phase of life. The fun part is that when I answer his question he likes to contradict me. He would seriously argue with me that he was ever born just to be contrary. Andi can't say anything without him immediately responding "No it doesn't." or saying the complete opposite of what she just said. It makes her crazy. She was actually almost in tears the other day thinking about how Sammy is going to teach Peter to be a stinky little boy and how she'll be out numbered and pestered all the time. It's funny how quickly reality hit her and how she's not super excited about this baby anymore. Speaking of stinky little boys, did you know that toilet humor is just part of male brain programming? I have always thought that it was more of a learned behavior, but it's not. Sammy is just gross and no one had to teach him to be that way. He loves to announce "I tooted!" even in public and then laugh about it. The other day I heard him giggle in the front room followed by "Andi, I tooted, smell it." Seriously!? On a sweeter note, he could not be more excited for Peter to get here. He's always holding my belly trying to feel peter, and talking to him, and asking if he's big enough to come out now. I think he is, but I'm still pregnant, so what do i know?! Although, then the slightly creepy comes out: Sammy walked up to me a few days ago with a pen and told me he was going to poke a hole in my tummy so Peter could come out and play. That's when you take the pen from him, and walk away backwards keeping a close eye on him the rest of the day.
Andi has really grown up this summer. We came up with a summer schedule for her that includes chores and activities and she has to have them done before she gets to play with friends. She now get's up in the morning get's herself dressed and fed(and a lot of the time get's Sammy dressed and fed too). She cleans her room, including making the bed, and either cleans her bathroom or loads breakfast dishes. Not bad for a 6 year old. She is doing summer dance this year and loves it. Cathy really pushes them in the summer ballet and she is making so much progress. And since it's challenging she is dancing around the house practicing all the time. Life is going to change for these two pretty shortly, so we'll see how they adjust!

Celebrations

It has been a lovely week. The birthday festivities started Sunday with family dinner at my brothers house. Always a good time. Thad has been telling me for several weeks that he was going to be out of town the 2nd & 3rd of this month on a work trip, so I thought that Sunday was going to be it as far as birthday fun went. Monday morning Thad got up and left like he was going to catch his flight, but came home 20 minutes later with flowers and cake and told me to get dressed so we could go shopping. Not clothes shopping of course, that's just not fun right now. But he wrangled the kids in the stores while we went to World Market, and Home Goods, and BBB looking for things I've been wanting around the house. Then that afternoon he stayed home with Sammy while I took Andi to dance and finished putting in the wood floors! They are beautiful! Perfect birthday surprise. Although I do think it funny that he made up a pretend trip so that him taking a day off to hang out with me would be more dramatic ;)
The 4th was pretty low key and we had a great time. We started the day a little early with a pancake breakfast at church. Then we grabbed our things and headed over for a lunch time BBQ at Thads Grandparents. The kids put on quite a show on the diving board this time. We've been working on diving with Andi for a while now, but it just wasn't working. Then yesterday all of a sudden she's doing front and back flips off the board. Here she is mid front flip.

And the back flip is more of a back dive, but she finishes it under water.

This is the face Sammy makes every time he jumps in.

And his favorite way to jump in the pool.

Sammy discovered Grandma's veggie dip this party and ate a ton of what he kept calling carrots & salsa.

Then we headed home and everyone took naps so they would be able to enjoy the fireworks later that night. The show we usually watch was cancelled last year, so we made due with stopping by a stand and making our own fun. Our little street came alive about 8:30. We bought a ton of glow sticks, and our kids ran around passing them out to the other kids on the block, and we kinda took turns lighting our fireworks to make the show last longer. This is what happens when Thad says smile, and keep your eyes open.Nice.

Sparkler fun.

We also got some new friends for the pond over the weekend. Thad has been wanting some Koi and found a great deal on craigslist, so Saturday he brought these big guys home.

Proud of his catch of the day.

We are now on the three week countdown, and I'm crossing my fingers Peter comes sooner than later. 

Farewell

Sadly, the ducks are no longer with us. Last week the kids came running inside yelling that one of the ducks was dead. On closer inspection he was not dead, but was definitely not doing well. I'm pretty sure birds aren't ever supposed to lay on their sides, it just looked wrong. So we got some food and water over to the duck and he perked up and waddled on his way. But as we then started counting the herd we realized that one was missing. We found him floating in the pond. At this point Thad and I realize that something is going wrong and we need to move the ducks to the park, where; even if the extra space and feeding ground don't improve their health, at least they won't be dying in our backyard. So we planned on trapping and moving them in the morning. A few minutes later Thad watched as another one of the ducks started freaking out and running in circles and then had what looked like a seizure and flopped on it's side like the other duck had. At this point we realized that they needed to go that night, so we loaded up the ducks and took them to a park nearby with a pond and said our good-byes.

The kids were pretty sad to see them go, but after finding the dead one they understood why they needed to leave. We went back a few days later to the pond to visit them, and though we didn't find them all, the ones we saw had grown so much. The kids were happy that they were getting their grown up feathers and doing well.
Thad has been busy working on the floors this weekend and it is so close to being done! I'd post a picture, but we still need to get the fridge moved back into place. Right now it's basically living in the middle of the dinning room. Even with the fridge out, and no baseboards, I love the floors!
In other ridiculous news, I have proof now that when I talk, all my kids hear is the Charlie Brown teacher voice. Wah wah wah wah wha. I told Sammy he could take off his shirt and play with the hose out back, and I looked out to find this.

Really?! I guess this is his interpretation of what I said.

Recital Week

The recital is over and I feel like summer can really begin now. There was just so much going on last week with tech rehearsals, dress rehearsals, and then the shows that we are just vegging today. Recital week is always a bit hectic and stressful for the parents, but Andi loves it. She loves hanging out at the theater for hours on end, because she has lot's of playtime and lot's of little girls to play with. She did really well in both her dances this year and loved all the "presents" she got from her adoring fans. (Flowers, trophies, jewelry, goodie bags).  Here is her ballet class back stage getting ready. They were the Lullaby Munchkins (this years ballet was the Wizard of Oz).

Remember those little hand games with all the different rhymes. I think the rhymes have changed, but they still play those games!

With her tap class waiting to go on. Notice no one is actually looking at me, they are watching the action on stage. Loved those costumes.

With Cathy right before the show. Love her!

Recital week always brings back so many memories and I love that I get to share them with Andi.
In other news, the ducks have doubled in size. Momma duck never came back and we were worried for a day or two that they'd be lost without her, but they seem to be thriving. They are also becoming a little more confident. They still don't like to be alone, but they don't move as one solid huddled mass anymore. It's more of a casual line going in the same direction. They have almost completely wiped out our snail population, which we love, and we have not tracked in a single mulberry from the yard because the ducks eat those too. They are kind of like mini cows. They really just wander around the yard and eat all day.
The heat is here to stay and I am counting down the days till this little one arrives. Seriously, any day now would be fine by me. Fathers day was yesterday and though I have no pictures it was a nice day. The kids and I made Thad waffles for breakfast, which is a big deal because I don't eat cooked breakfast, and it's hot. Then they gave him a funny new t-shirt and BBQ tools and we headed to Church. Sammy fell asleep on the way and we just laid him on the pew once we got there to continue his nap. But once the primary kids started singing to the dads toward the end of the meeting he shot right up, almost falling off the bench, and was so irritated about being there that Thad had to take him out and then home because he would not calm down.
I also taught my first Relief Society lesson yesterday. Teaching adults is so different than teaching primary. Primary is much less intimidating ;)

Wildlife

So a couple of weeks ago some friends of ours noticed a duck in their backyard. The duck wouldn't leave, and then one day the duck was swimming in their pool trailed by 8 little ducklings. Apparently she had made her nest in their yard. Well, a few weeks of ducks in the pool was doing a number on their pool pump, so Thad decided we should take them off their hands. Here they are at 3 weeks old in our yard.

They are really cute, for now. The theory is that at about 16 weeks Momma duck will teach them to fly and they will just fly away. So they are temporary pets, more of a nature science experiment for the summer. They were all over the pond and waterfall last night, but today just keep hiding behind bushes. Also the Mom is gone this morning. I'm really hoping she is just out scouting around and will be back to take care of them soon!

Swimming and Floors

I'm a little late on the Memorial Day post, it's been a busy week. Thad started the long weekend by finishing the last bit of demo that needed to be done before the floors could be installed, so for the last week it's looked like a serious construction zone around here. On the plus side, I do not have to mop concrete.
Monday we gathered at the cemetery as usual with Thad's family. It was a much smaller group this year, but we had a great time as always.  Andi all set to head out.

Sammy and the traditional pilfered flag. We made some progress this year though, there were no screaming fits when we took the flag away, and we actually got it back in the right place!

The little group this year.

Then it was off to the Richards and straight into the pool.

After several hours of swimming and eating too much, we headed home for a rest before the next BBQ began that night.
Thursday Sam and Steve came over to help Thad set a couple rows of flooring and figure out exactly how to make this magic happen. Here's what the entry  looked like that night, with the new half wall Thad built.

And here is what things were looking like about noon today. It's moving along!

Changes

Saturday Thad went fishing with his dad and brought home "pets" for the kids. Meet Sally and Copper.

The kids tormented them all morning before church and then we put them in their new home, the pond. Well either they don't care for the pond, or they are really good at hiding, because we haven't seen them since. Pet failure!
I noticed after the pictures I posted of the crib paint job how bland the nursery was, so I decided the room needed some paint too. Only one wall, and I just happened to have some blue left from painting the wall in Sammy's old room. I've still got curtains to hang, and some "art" to put on the walls, but it's coming along.

This picture makes the letters look so crooked, but I swear they are straight!
It was time for the end of pregnancy hair chopping today. I don't know why, but with all three I have just had the urge to chop all my hair off. This time my excuse is that it's stinkin hot, and my hair is ridiculously heavy.  And this time around, after three and half years of growing it out, I had enough to donate to locks of love. 14 inches to be exact, I thought about posting a picture of the braided mass, but it just looked creepy. So here's a picture of the new do instead. Excuse the self portrait, but it was better than Andi's attempt.

Counting Down

The crib is done! I borrowed Thad's Dad's paint sprayer this week and got to work on priming/painting/clear coating the whole spindly thing. I may have a new callous on my hand. And I may have hijacked the kids swing set for a few days as my painting zone. Thad had this great idea to take the swings off and hang the crib pieces so I could paint all around each piece at once, instead of spray, wait, flip, spray, wait, move. It worked beautifully, and went so quickly I've been wondering why I paint anything by hand. I should have used the sprayer for the dresser too! Anyway, here are a couple before shots of the crib and dresser a few years ago when Sammy was using them.

And what they look like today!

Once I got all the bedding  on the whole nesting thing took over and I pulled out all the clothes and blankets for the first few months and washed them all and put them in drawers. I know I've still got ten weeks, but now I'm ready. Okay, maybe I still want to put something up on the walls, but the room is now habitable.
Speaking of almost there, I really haven't posted much about being pregnant this time around. I've been busy with other things, but I wanted to write a few things down to remember, especially since this time around has been a completely different experience. First difference, I had morning sickness this time which I didn't with the other two. It was more of a sporadic all day sickness, but not bad at all. I wasn't nauseous or anything all day, but I'd eat, and then a little while later it would all come back up. Really though, I actually prefer it to the horrible heart burn I had with the first two. And my heartburn this time around has been minimal, and only recently. Another huge difference, braxton hicks! I'd never felt them before, but this time I've had them since about week 22. Lately they are so sensitive. All I have to do is vacuum my house and they are in full swing to the point where I have to lay down on the couch till they go away. Lame. This kid has been camped out on my sciatic nerve since week ten. With the other two I'd get occasional twinges when I'd stand up too fast, but this time around anytime I sit or stand or bend or pretty much anything, I get a shooting pain. When I get out of the car it's like I'm totally gimpy because it takes me a few steps to straighten out and walk normally. So it will be nice to have that done soon. I have craved two things with this kid, fruit and chocolate. I actually e-mailed Thad one afternoon and told him he needed to let me know what he wanted for dinner because all I wanted was cantaloupe.And that's what I had. I don't know if it's because I'm a few years older now or what, but I get worn out easily these days. I get stuff done in the mornings, but by lunch time I am completely out of steam. Which wouldn't be so bad, but there are still two monkeys running around my house thrashing it, and I don't have the energy to even care. And then there is dinner to be cooked, we've been eating later and later these days. For the most part though I feel good, and just hope the next ten weeks fly by.

Camping Extravaganza

This weekend was the annual Father & Sons camp-out. Sammy was so excited all day Friday and walked around the house with his flashlight and backpack on, waiting for Daddy to get home. I wasn't there, but from the pictures and the little details I've picked up from Sammy he had a great time.

"I had smarshmellows"

 "I got an alamander!"

"There was a fire, and I slept in a tent wif Daddy!"

 "I fell off a big rock!" I guess after the photo was taken Thad kept telling him to stay off the rock, but of course he kept climbing it and ended up falling off the right side.

"I play wif flashlights wif Brody."

They came home filthy and smelly, which means it was a success. They also came home bearing mothers day gifts, Thad had flowers and Sammy had a cake. "Hey Mom, I found you a cake." And then he ran to the kitchen and got himself a fork and sat down.
 While the boys were gone Andi  and I had some girlie time. After dance we got ice cream and I let her pick any movie she wanted to watch. So we had a night of High School Musical(Yes, it's in my collection) and me answering all kinds of questions about it. Andi talks constantly during movies, and asks questions the entire time. The next day we had some errands to run, which she normally hates to do, but since this trip involved Jamba Juice and getting her toes done she was very cooperative. Once a year when the boys are gone we go get pedicures, and even thought Andi is still really young I figure once a year will not spoil her too much. I was a bit surprised when I walked in to the nail place over on our new side of town and saw all kinds of little girls there with their mommies, and two child size pedicure chairs. What?! People take their little ones to do this on a regular basis?!  And you could tell these 5 year olds were regulars. Andi was all nervous and sat right by me, and these other girls were wandering around picking out different paint colors, totally at home. Weird.
That night Thad decided that since Andi had not been able to go camping they would all camp out in the backyard. So we let them stay up late and chase frogs in the backyard. We discovered a few nights ago that there are a bunch of them back there that come out to play at night.

These kids are scared to death of insects. Anything with lots of legs or wings sends them running away screaming, and forget trying to get them to hold a rolly-polly. But apparently frogs are no big deal. They each caught about 8 before we called it a night and made them wash their hands.

I participated in the camp-out long enough to read bedtime stories, then Mommy went inside ;)

Sunday was mothers day and it was a very nice relaxing day. My parent's were out of town again, it's their new tradition I think. But we had dinner with Thad's family and I ate way too much cake. But it was from Jake's Tex-mex, I couldn't help myself!