Summer 2011

I am amazed we are already halfway through our summer already.  One word to sum up the summer this year....BUSY.  Super busy.  I just realized the longest we have been at home is a week since Aspen finished school on June 9th.  We have been on the go constantly.  I've tried hard to just embrace it and go with the flow because I know next year, with a baby things will be much different.

There have been many different beach trips, Twin Lakes, a trip to Diamond Lake (for Aspen - we went to the beach with Ryan & Christina and Bill & Diana), and a kid-free trip to Catalina Island to celebrate our anniversary.  We have now entered August and are here at the beach to stay for a while.  Our plan is to go home for at least a couple days in the middle of the month while the house is being rented, then go back until Labor Day....and school starts....and our fun comes to an end...  Okay, not really.  I'm sure we will be ready to get back home to real life by then  :)

On top of being on the move constantly, I am in full on nesting mode when we are home.  Every time I'm pregnant, I get the urge to redecorate, and this time is no different.  We are moving Willow to the guest room, the guest room to the office in the basement, the office upstairs to the dining room, and redecorating the babies room for our sweet boy on the way.  Whew!  Get all that?  Oh, I also ordered some new furniture for our family room, and have been redecorating and rearranging other furniture around the rest of the house to get ready for the new stuff.

I am repainting at least Willow's room and the babies room (and want to repaint our family room as well, but Mark is trying to talk me out of it.....so that's a we'll see at this point, lol).  I've been feeling crafty so I've been having fun making mobiles for the baby, and butterfly mobiles for both the girls rooms as part of the decorations for their new rooms.  It's been fun, but I'm glad to get away to the beach for a while.  It forces me to slow down, hang out with the kids, and listen to my body.  (And plan out my time very carefully for the next time I am home.  Shhhh, don't tell Mark!)

I am 27 weeks pregnant, and definitely feeling it.  Seriously!  How is it possible that I still have 1/3 of the pregnancy to go???  It's not easy being this big with 3 kids to care for, but I am doing my best to enjoy it and am really looking forward to meeting our sweet baby boy in November.  I feel him moving around a lot, and can't wait to hold him in my arms. 

Each of the kids has been able to feel him moving and kicking.  It's fun to see their faces light up, and I think it makes a new baby more real to them.  I'm especially excited to see the girls with him.  I think they are really going to love it.

Well, that's been our summer so far in a nutshell.  More to come later  :)