Countdown to Gooey!

Since my C section is scheduled for November 5th (the day after the World Series), we decided to make a "countdown" of sorts until our baby boy gets here! I first saw the idea for the paper chain on Tiffany's blog before Hunter came, and I thought it would be a great idea for Wyatt and Reese to visualize how long it will be before the baby comes, and to work on their counting skills!

I decided to make the chain a "fall decoration" so I used red, orange, yellow and brown paper. I like that it adds a little festive flair to the rest of the decorations! It's now hanging from our new entryway shelves, which we absolutely LOVE. We're ordering the baskets for each compartment now so that we can clean up the shoe mess too!
Here are the kids checking out (well Wyatt's checking it out, Reese was aiming for destruction) the paper chain!

Wyatt and I counted to 36 (Reese tapped out at 20). I can not believe that we will be meeting our little guy in 5 weeks, 1 day! Absolutely crazy! I think our list of things to do is complete now, and I'm now crossing a few things off my list everyday when I get home. While I was looking forward to the naps that come with getting home just before nap time everyday, I also feel an incredible push to get things done. I'm pretty sure this is nesting. And yeah - I'm huge!

Wyatt got to pull the last link off the chain tonight. When I was tucking him in he asked me if his baby brother was going to be here one morning when he wakes up. I explained that particular scenario is actually (hopefully) not going to happen. I plan on using every spare second until the little guy gets here, and him coming early is just not part of my plan!

Cheap Thrills

I didn't sleep Saturday night at all. I fell asleep around 2 in the morning and even though it was Brian's morning to sleep in, he got up with Wyatt because I'm pregnant and need my sleep :). Thank goodness I married a guy who understands this stuff!

When I woke up the kids were playing in the...diaper box. Seriously, they were taking turns getting pushed around by their Dad sitting in a diaper box. And they had a blast. And while I still paid for the box of diapers, the actual box was pretty cheap. Maybe my house would be cleaner if I emptied out all the toys and just left a box in the corner for the kids to play in.

Hunt Club Farm!

On Saturday morning we all went to Hunt Club Farm for our neighbor Gavin's birthday party. It was a really great place to have a party and the kids had an absolute blast. They have a ton of bounce houses, a playground, a petting zoo and a lot of space for the kids to run around. There's also the pumpkin patch of course, but I don't feel quite so autumn-ish when we're picking out pumpkins in 92 degree weather! We'll have to save that for a different day. Fortunately Brian came because there is no way that I could have kept up with the kids that day.

Wyatt did a great job climbing up this bounce house/obstacle course.
Checking out the goats in the petting zoo. One goat kept "baa"-ing and Reese thought it was so funny. Wyatt seemed kind of creeped out by it.

Both kids ran through this little bounce house with a slide, but Reese needed some guidance. Her big brother was all about helping her though.

I wasn't surprised that Wyatt made it all the way to the top of the haystack, but Reese went up with him step for step!

My boys! (Missing one of course).

The kids played for about an hour and then had lunch and cake. We could have stayed for a lot longer, but we had to get home for naps before going to my parents' house for dinner. Oh, and it was freaking hot outside and I couldn't take anymore!

I am now 34 weeks (hopefully I'll post and update soon), and we're now 37 days out from meeting our baby boy. Who still doesn't have a name. We have lists. We have promises that we're going to figure it out soon. But he still doesn't have a name! There are a ton of things that we need to do before the big arrival, which include doing a lot of organizing and getting the baby's room set up. Fortunately we don't have to move either of the kids before we get Gooey settled because we decided that he will go in one of the upstairs bedrooms while Wyatt and Reese stay downstairs. I'd like for the baby to be closer to us, but upstairs is quieter and away from the hustle and bustle of our crazy mornings. Maybe he'll learn how to sleep through the night sooner because I won't feel like walking upstairs and crying it out will seem like the best option! Ha!

Toy Story on Ice!

As always, one of the perks of Brian's job is trade and advertising! We figured out that with all the concerts we went to this summer we only actually paid to go see Lady Antebellum. We get pretty lucky with the tickets we get to baseball games, hockey games and concerts. It's really awesome, especially since we're about to embark on the journey of being a single income family. Yikes! Gooey (who is in fact still nameless) will be here in less than 6 weeks, and this time I'm not taking maternity leave - I'm leaving and will be joining the ranks of Stay at Home Moms. The fact that Brian's job provides a ton of extra perks will make it easy for us to have fun on a budget - giving us all an opportunity to still do some pretty fun things without a ton of extra money!

This week we got to go to Toy Story on Ice. We got tickets for Friday morning because we figured it wouldn't be too crowded - and it wasn't. There were school groups there, but it was nothing compared to the kind of madness that it probably became over the weekend. We didn't tell the kids where we were going - we wanted to surprise them, and we also weren't sure that they would have any clue what we were talking about!

Wyatt is such a Toy Story fan, and he LOVED every minute of it! He's a (slightly) bigger fan of Woody than Buzz, but he did a much better job sitting still and paying attention than we thought he would. He absolutely did not want to leave to use the restroom or anything (although at one point I basically had to make him).

This little girl didn't do as good of a job sitting still - but she's only two! That's the good thing about these kiddie events, no one expects the kids to be perfect angels. We actually had a large school group behind us (how this was considered educational enough to get kids out of school I'll never know), so she didn't bother anyone! We also had really good seats right on the ice, so the kids were really close to all the characters.

They were so good and had so much fun that it's definitely going to open up the opportunity for us to take them to do more of these activities in the future! I'm so excited for the next few weeks. We get to do some pumpkin picking, Halloween costume hunting and probably one last trip to Busch Gardens for Halloscream. After all that, we get to meet our new baby boy!

Second Soccer Game!

Wyatt's second soccer game was on Monday night. It was his first game using his new cleats.

He was kind of excited.
He um, scored six goals.

It was probably all the stretching he did before the game. Brian said that this was the first time he's ever participated in the question and answer session before the game. "We use our hands in soccer, right? Noooooooooo!"

I hope Wyatt isn't getting the reputation of a ball hog :)! He's one of a few kids who've played before so he just kind of gets the ball and runs to the goal. One little kid on the other team played with him last season and gave him a run for his money, but he's gone on the field with some kids who run after the ball, but don't kick it. Brian tries to rotate who Wyatt's on the field with so that he doesn't overshadow anyone, but I honestly feel ridiculous saying that about a three year old. I mean, he's three. We tell him to pass and share, but we also want him to have fun. There aren't too many three year olds who would just turn the ball over, or even get the concept of passing the ball when they're trying to play. So I just want him to have fun.

And he definitely is.

The Park

Brian worked for about 6 hours last week, and they were all days that Wyatt was in school. The kids went through what I've been referring to as "Daddy Academy" all week while I worked. I will get into more specifics on the interesting things that the kids learned while with Daddy all week, but he did some pretty fun things with them - they went to the zoo, out to lunch and to the park. Basically, Brian is a better stay at home mom than I am. And that became apparent when Wyatt told me today that Daddy is more fun than I am. Anyway, on Friday they went to the park and I'm basically going to sum up their day with these pictures...

Reese liked sitting on a hill watching boats go by.

Wyatt posing. He's been big on saying "cheese" and smiling for the camera lately. And taking pictures with the camera on his own.

Going on a hike through the walking trail.

Stopping to look at boats.

I LOVE this picture of them!

Reese really loved the hike and stopping to look at the boats...

And poop. It requires inspection.
And she likes to let us know she found it.
Wyatt was pretty obsessed with his walking sticks. Noelle was also pretty interested in sticks too. She always wanted to take the sticks that she found at the beach home, and frequently tried to get really big sticks in the Jeep. Even when they wouldn't fit!

He's gotten so big! He loves to jump off of the jungle gym. They've actually both gotten so independent now. Taking them to the park is so easy because they want to do everything alone - especially Reese. She is such a two year old now!

Wyatt's First Fall Soccer Game!

Wyatt's first soccer game of the season was on Monday! Yeah, I'm behind on this blog again. But we were having computer problems and Brian was off all week so we were constantly on the go. And if that doesn't work, well, I'm 33 weeks pregnant. So there.

Brian is coaching Wyatt's team again this season and the team is called the Gators, so he's wearing green this season. He was super excited to start playing again, and he couldn't wait to get to the game. He isn't one of the oldest kids on the team (the cut off to be three was September 13 - so I think there might be some young kids), but he's not the youngest by far. He is probably the only kid that has played soccer before. He had a lot of fun warming up and getting back into his soccer groove.


But he didn't "start." Brian had three of the other kids go out, and Wyatt went second. While we watched the first group of kids run around and try to figure out what exactly the needed to be doing, all I could think was that Wyatt was going to run out on the field and just start kicking the ball down the field. And that's what happened. He basically scored two goals in about 4 minutes (and it really was almost three, but one of the other kids on his team kicked it out of the goal). It was pretty crazy, but I guess that's what happens when they're young and some kids have played and some haven't. Plus, they're all learning which makes it really fun.

Running down the field the score goal number one.
And goal number two.

Wyatt during a time out. Brian referred to this as his "Brittney face." I have to say, he does kind of look like me here.

After Wyatt played he went and sat on the sidelines. Brian cycled through all the players and was ready to put Wyatt in for the last 6 minutes, but there was some kind of miscommunication with the referee and Wyatt didn't get back in. This is his sad face.

He had a lot of fun playing, and I know he's excited to get back out there tomorrow. He got new cleats today (we were finally able to find them in his size), and he's been practicing with the big kids on the court all evening.

I also have several posts to go up over the next few days (let's just say that the kids' week home with Daddy was "eventful"), so I shouldn't be behind for too long!

Wyatt Lightyear

Wyatt has been watching Toy Story 2 a lot this week! He's even perfected his Buzz Lightyear routine from the beginning of the movie, and has been acting it while wearing the Buzz Lightyear wings he got for his birthday. The other morning he was cracking Brian and I up with his in sync performance of the movie. So as usual, we taped it...

Reese's Birthday Party!

Poor Reese always has her birthday party pushed back into September. It's partly because the August/September time frame is so busy for Brian with the park closing, but also because August flew by before we knew it this year!

When I asked her what kind of party she wanted she said "Ariel." She loves her Ariel Barbies and dolls, and she was so excited about having her Ariel party. I decided to forgo the ordering of a cake this year and make it myself. I decided to do cupcakes as well as a regular cake, more because I hate the commotion of cutting up cake and all that at the party, and I knew I had no interest in it this year. If people wanted chocolate cupcakes and I ran out of the chocolate, then I would cut the cake. But I'm a big believer that it's a hassle, and I'm not a fan of knives around a bunch of toddlers. Cupcakes win!

So I made these (from scratch - I've become a big fan of "from scratch" baking lately).

And I made this.
The decorations were Reese's two favorite colors: pink and purple! She was so excited watching me blow up balloons!

She enjoyed her cupcake and the singing of "Happy Birthday" to her!

And then she ran outside to the bounce house!

This is her Ariel bib, but she did have several outfit changes. She had a "pre-party" Ariel shirt, and party Ariel shirt, and her Ariel bathing suit. I am so anti-character clothing that I don't even know how this happened, but she loves it, and it's not like she'll be wearing it to school next year or anything. Plus it will come in handy when we go to Disney World in less than three months!

Wyatt, Tyler and Natalie enjoyed the bounce house.

And Reese also wanted to stick her head through. Ignore the fact that it appears as if my child is beating up his friend. They were actually playing super heroes.

Reese opened all her presents outside - and she loved them all!

And then there was more playing and chasing. I think it was bubbles here...

At the end of the party the kids all ended up in the baby pool, and they had a blast! I changed Reese back into her shirt and then she ran off and got her Ariel sunglasses. And her party favors. And then she said "no pictures please Daddy."

She had a really great time at her birthday party, and she's asked me if she's going back to her party all morning today! Fortunately we had the party yesterday and not today because the weather has definitely changed. Yesterday felt like a nice end of summer day, and today is rainy and very fall-ish, which I am definitely welcoming! I love fall smell smells, fall decorations, cooler (but no cold) weather, and of course seeing more of my husband! Not to mention the fact that there are now less than 8 weeks until we get to meet and hold our baby boy! We can't wait!

Wyatt's First Day of School!

Wyatt was SO excited to go to school on Tuesday. He asked about going as soon as he woke up that morning and he was ready to leave! We really talked preschool up over the last few days, and he couldn't wait to go!

We had a camera malfunction on the way to school. Wyatt's been really interested in taking pictures lately (and he's been getting some good ones), so I passed that camera back to him. This is the last "normal" picture taken that day:

Excited on the drive to school!

Following that photo, Wyatt put the camera on panoramic. And basically, even though Brian and I both took like a million pictures walking into school, we got NONE!

Here he is showing off his "make shift" backpack. We're ordering him one from Pottery Barn, but I feel like Brian is holding out until Wyatt changes his mind about the backpack he wants. Wyatt currently says he wants a Batman backpack, and I think Brian would prefer Yoda or Darth Vader. Anyway, he needs his name on the outside, so I improvised with a cut up manila folder and some balloon string!

And of course, we made him a sign to hold up for his pictures! I did the coloring myself :). Ha! I actually did a lot of coloring on Monday night. I think its therapeutic and I'm ready for a coloring book!
He did SUCH a good job on his first day! We walked him in the door, and then Brian walked him in the classroom while Reese and I waited at the door. She was in my arms saying "Bye Wyatt! Bye Wyatt!," and he didn't even look back! Brian showed him wear to put his backpack and reminded him where the bathroom was. Then Brian said, "Okay Buddy, Have a good day!" Wyatt said, "Bye Daddy," and didn't even give it a second thought. Brian leaned down for a kiss and we left. I said good bye to him, and he didn't even turn around. We dropped off our check and looked in on him before we left and he was fine!

Brian, Reese and I went around and ran a few errands (measuring the back of the Jeep for a car seat, checking on car seats), and then did a "drive by" of the playground to see if we could see Wyatt, but his class wasn't outside. Reese and I came home to stay with the guys assembling our entertainment center, and Brian went to get Wyatt. He ran in the door and said he had a great day! I asked what he did and he said, "I colored an apple, I went outside to play, I had a snack, and I went pee pee ALL BY MYSELF!" He was so excited to go back today, and he had another great day. I am so happy that he is loving school!