Life Events

In 2 days (or less, ha ha ha) we will be welcoming our third child into this world.  Is that not amazing?  I cannot wait to meet him.  Guess it's a good thing I don't have to wait much longer.  My curiosity is trying to get the better of me, too bad there's no possible way he can win, at least not on his time frame.  

As I watch our 2 girls get bigger and taller and smarter and older...I am reminded of how different life is with a baby around.  But that's just it.  It's been 4 years since we've had a baby around and I know there are millions of things about life with Baby that I'm forgetting.  Not to mention the fact that this one will be different.  He's a boy, how could he not be?  And our lives are so different now.  We will have 3.  Got that?  T H R E E.  Wow.  

A long time ago, BJ read some article about big life events and we refer to it often, getting a good chuckle each time we think about it.  Big life events.  Things like relocating, starting a new job, a death in the family, an addition to the family, becoming vegan, painting the living room chartreuse, joining weight watchers, learning Mandarin...you know, big things.  So the article said you should really try to space out these big life events.  Like, put years in-between them.  Don't you think that's funny?  I do.  We don't work that way as I'm sure most people don't.  I mean, you do what you can, right?  

This time we decided it would be in our best interest to have a baby on Black Friday, 4 days after BJ starts a new job whilst in the middle of painting our bedroom.  Right before the holidays.  Right in the middle of undone laundry and untakencareof voles attacking the back yard of the home we have owned for less than a year (another Big Life Event).  Right before I had a chance to wash the hubcaps of the minivan we purchased several months ago.  Did I mention large purchases were considered big life events too?  They are.

Here's to you Mr. Big Life Events Guy (if you're familiar with Budweiser's Real Men of Genius, you'll think that's funny)

We are ready for you.

Cornbellys

So we have this little tradition in my family, new perhaps but tradition status nonetheless, to get together in the fall and go to some sort of fallish "thing."  Last year it was a "Harvest Festival" and this year it was Cornbellys, aka, the Halloween event/thing/festival/? at Thanksgiving Point.  So much to see and do and such beautiful weather.  I regret to say that I don't have very many pictures of all the cousins because I was mostly stationed with the younger kiddos and the older ones unfortunately were not interested in the bounce houses, princess play land, or climbing apparatuses.  

I'm not quite sure how I'd like to record my experience captured below.  All I remember is thinking that those funny bouncy horses reminded me of our old Hippity Hop which I loved and why in the world were there no adults bouncing on them?  I threw to the wind any and all caution, self-respect and pride.  Gosh darn it, I paid for my ticket and I was going to have some fun, never mind the fact that I was 9 months preggo!!!

This is Bree, poor soul couldn't move because her feet didn't touch the ground.  Someone charitable had to help her...might as well be her mother.  (That was my excuse.) 

A note: these pictures are sooooo not flattering but I just had to remember it all (a shout out to the cripple in the wheel chair who was generous enough to snap about 100 pics for me to choose from).  One more note:  I could barely walk for days and was sore for weeks!   This was probably due to the fact that I was indeed, with child, and my body was not up to a round on the giant Hippity Horse.

My cute sisters.  How I love my sisters!


I was also fortunate enough to find a balloon twister sympathetic to my situation.  After twisting/forming/whatever my kids' balloon creations he said he had one for their mother (who watched in awe while sprawled on the ground, exhausted and embarrassed from the aforementioned excitement).   All the moms and kids in line were not impressed.   After all, it was their turn and I hadn't technically been in line.  I understand.  But the dirty looks were worth it.  He made me a pregnant dog balloon. 


Insert picture.


Ok, so remember I said we haven't figured out how to get pics from my phone onto my computer?  Just know that it was awesome.  The "baby" was a teeny tiny balloon, not connected to the mom dog balloon but visible through her tummy.  HA!  Thank you balloon guy.  You made my day.  If I had the cash, I would have tipped him.  Instead I just thanked him awkwardly and limped away.

Cousins!

And then we have the Annual Edwards Family Halloween Party.  

We always plan on having fun at these.  You know, the good, not so clean, crazy kind of fun.  We always do.  Thank goodness for cousins, not to mention a wonderful Grandma for putting the whole thing together!

  Haylee was sick this time and only had her costume on for a couple minutes.  She wanted so much to be a part of everything but just felt yucky.  (Her horrible mother should have sensed something was off...poor kid had strep!)

Grandma helping the little ones...

Ari, annoyed that Cambree's hands were in the way of her cash collecting, and... 

Cambree: "What am I supposed to be doing again?"  I think she was wondering how long she was supposed to play with the cold noodle brains. 

The Butterfly Performs

Like I said earlier, the girls (well, mainly Cambree) had multiple opportunities to wear their costumes.  Cambree to her speech therapy group, preschool and dance class.  

These first pics are from her preschool Halloween singing performance.  I was so glad to go because she had been singing snippets of all the songs she was learning but it was hard to tell what was really what.  It was so fun to watch her perform with her class.  My favorite part was during a break in between 2 songs when it was almost quiet, she says 

"Hey Mom!  Take a picture of me!"

I did.  Several.

Next up is dance.  This I had been watching a bit the past couple weeks through the "mom window" in the studio and again, I couldn't wait to see it for real.  I was not disappointed.  I was also lucky that Haylee was home from school sick (did I just say that?) so that she could "make a movie" with my phone while I snapped some pics.  Cambree got SO into this dance!  I love watching her dance because it is one of the few times she is (almost) 100% focused on what she's doing.   I can tell by her face how hard she tries to follow her teacher and mimic her moves.   Ah!  Another proud parent moment!

And for your viewing pleasure, a movie.  Thanks Haylee.  (Poor kid.  Haylee had to miss her Halloween dance because she was sick.  One week of strep doesn't sound too bad.  But when you throw in a violent and very scary reaction to the first meds she took, losing about 5 pounds, and an extra emotional mommy....you get my drift.  It was rough.)

Riiiiiight.  So we can't figure out how to get the movie from my phone to the computer.  Hopefully I'll remember to add it to the post as soon as it does get figured out.

Edited: We figured it out!!!  Couldn't have been more simple, ha ha ha.  Thank you Jenna.

Halloween Day

Reverse order anyone?  This year I have even more Halloween pics than usual because the girls got to wear their costumes so many different times before the actual BIG day.  But I thought I'd start out with that BIG day first.   

I tried to low key it this year.  But things didn't really seem low key at all.  Why should they?  We have too many traditions that we/I weren't/wasn't willing to give up.  Costumes were definitely simplified this year but that's ok I think.  Know why?  Because both kids were thrilled with their costumes.  Never mind the imperfections I noticed with what I made.  They loved them and were so so so excited 

each and every time 

they wore them.

For the one who likes to make messes, it took some serious convincing to get her to get her hands in that guck!

At the school parade.  Horrible lighting + unready me = not that great a pic.

She was cold.  This was before trick-or-treating.

We had a peacock (with floppy, but cool, feathers) and a pink and orange butterfly.  Ok, so there's not really any orange anywhere on her costume unless you count her hair but that's what she told everyone she was.

" You want me to punch you with this ring?!?!"