3rd Annual Father Son Campout

Kenny, Xavier, Enrique, and Gavin all headed out for our church's father son campout to celebrate the restoration of the Aaronic priesthood.  The boys were just a tad bit excited.  Can you tell?

Big smiles from everyone.  Even Tim's ear is smiling in this picture!

They did some fishing this time.

Kenny caught a fish.  This was his first fish he ever caught.

The traditional s'more treat was a big hit!

It was a bit chilly over night and into the early morning hours.  But you'd never know these boys were cold.  They were meant to be outdoors.  Xavier and Gavin are sitting with Peter, Oliver, and Walter.  Another campout and another success.  Then my boys had to head home a little early because X-man had a baseball game.  

As for me, I won't lie, but I definitely was looking forward to some mommy time.  I managed to sneak in some girl time with a friend of mine.  I also got a manicure and pedicure.  And I finally watched Breaking Dawn Part 2.  I know Tim wasn't sad I watched it without him either.

2 Little Monkeys Climbing in a Tree

One climbed higher to make room for number 3!

Boy do I love these two monkeys.  I can't tell you the excitement they had when we came home from our ultrasound to announce they'd be getting another brother to add to our crazy, loud, and wild home.

It was not a surprise for me.  I was pretty sure the whole time it was going to be a boy.  Xavier and Gavin also put their money on it being a boy.  Tim on the other hand was certain this time it would be a girl.  Well, the boys and I won this one.  We will be adding another little boy to the mix.  It will be so fun to see what he looks like and how he fits into this dynamic.  I am wayyyyyyyy outnumbered, but having the role as queen of the house isn't too bad of an advantage.  

The ultrasound went great!  He is growing beautifully and everything is developing as it should.  So we got an A+.  Now that many of my worries have been put to rest and I know my little peanut is doing great we can start picking out a name.  That will be the hard part.  I don't really have any list this time around so it's back to square one in the name department.  I plan on having something picked at least a few weeks before I'm due.  When we had Gavin it wasn't until the night before I was induced we picked his name.  This time I hope to be a little more on top of it.  

We sure can't wait to meet our newest little monkey.

Vegas

Tim went to Las Vegas for Mars' North American Commercial Division's annual conference.  I am proud of my hard working hubby and his group for winning an award.  They had a project this year to roll out a career pathing initiative.  The award was for the team's great execution in fulfilling the goals of the project.  

Tim has worked very hard this year on many projects!  I am proud of him for the great job he is doing at Mars.

Mars Chocolate Vegas Style!  Definitely bright and colorful.

Bunk Beds

The boys experienced one of the best days of their life.  (at least in their minds it was pretty awesome!)  They got bunk beds.  We've been talking about it for a little while and they were thrilled when the day finally came.  They couldn't help but jump for joy and break in their new beds.  

I am hoping that this will finally solve all of Gavin's not wanting to go to bed games.  (Well, at least for a little while until the newness of it wears off.  I'll take whatever I can get)

The ladder is definitely a big hit.  Xavier is on the top and Gavin is on the bottom.

Getting comfy!

The room looks a little scary right now.  This is the before mommy organized everything shot.

 Xavier's love of sharks is still going strong and has rubbed off on Gavin, so I stuck with that theme for their new room.  I added a red bookcase, some wall shelfs (the wall shelfs are actually spice racks that I got from Ikea for $3 each.  I painted them gray and voila they were instant shelves for books), and a bean bag for a little reading nook.  I got a fisherman's wheel for the small wall.

 Then I saw this plank board shark and had to have it to put on the big wall in their room.  The toys are now organized!!  

Then I found some matching bedding to keep the color scheme I had before.  This is definitely my favorite room right now.  It makes me want to live by the beach.

Next project: the baby's room.

Prayers answered

This week was particularly crazy because Tim was in Vegas all week.  The boys were great for me for the most part, but man was I physically and emotionally exhausted by the end of the week.  I think every time Tim goes on a trip I mentally prepare myself days before he leaves and during the time he is gone I feel like I have to put on this Super suit to give me extra powers while he is gone.  By powers, I mean I have to be stronger physically, happier to compensate for the missing person in our home, more fun so that we have a good positive environment, and yet still enforce house/family rules without my kids completely defying me.  Well, no matter how hard I try to make the weeks go smooth and perfect while Tim is away they never quite turn out that way.  And I end up exhausted and zapped by the end of his travels.  But there were so many moments in my week that carry me through.  The kids and I made a trip to Target one morning, but had to get back before Xavier had school.  The road we normally take was blocked off so we had to take a detour that took a little longer.  On the way home for some reason I couldn't quite find my way.  So I turned on my GPS hoping it would re-route me to a different path and eventually get us home.  It kept routing me to the road that was blocked off.  Xavier was getting worried that we wouldn't make it home and he'd be late for school.

Then I heard him say, "Mom turn the radio off. "  He proceeded to say a prayer asking Heavenly Father to help us find our way home.  Within minutes I found the road I needed to get us home.  I couldn't help but reflect on how I kept relying on worldly gadgets to get me home, even when they weren't working.  And yes, even technology isn't always right.  But my 6 year old put his trust and faith in God.  He didn't even hesitate.  Yet I failed to consider this option.
Our Heavenly Father will always lead us on the right road.  The world does not.  What better GPS could we have than our Heavenly Father's guidance given through the Holy Ghost.

Also, after school that same day Xavier was building something with his Legos as he often does.  He couldn't find a specific piece he needed to complete his model.   Instinctively he stopped looking for the piece, knelt on the floor, and asked Heavenly Father to help him find his piece.

Oh how rewarding it is to a parent to see the faith of their children grow.  I am so grateful to have these little moments where I see my son's testimony and faith and relationship with his Heavenly Father grow.  It's moments like these that help me during the times when Tim is gone and help me to know that my Heavenly Father is sustaining us while Tim is away.

Baby News

I am 21 weeks pregnant already.  When I was in my first trimester it seemed to be never ending.  I was tired and felt nauseous all the time (and my nausea was worst in the middle of the night).  My stomach felt like I had a stomach bug constantly.  My hormones were going wacky and I was moodier than normal.  That's never a good thing. Plus, I was still trying to seem normal to my kids and everyone else around me.  I don't usually tell anyone I'm pregnant until the first trimester is over.  Now that I'm 21 weeks it's almost hard to believe the horrible parts of the first trimester are over and I'm halfway through.

Once I passed the 13 week mark it was time to share the happy news with everyone we love.  

First we told the boys!

 I placed a letter inside each balloon and they had to pop them to find them all.

 We learned that Gavin is VERY afraid of popping balloons, so he kept his distance while Xavier enjoyed the popping.

 Then when we had all the scrambled letters, I had Xavier try to arrange them to discover the secret message.

He was able to decode our happy news!

Tim recorded their reactions which were priceless and if I can get my computer to upload it I will try to post it.

Next, announcing it to both of our families was a little tricky.  I could call 15+ families and share the news.  But getting a hold of everyone by phone, coordinating convenient times across time zones, and the sheer volume of people it included seemed a little daunting. 

When we found out we were pregnant with Xavier and Gavin we lived in Michigan and were able to announce to all of Tim's family when we were all together.  This time was a little different.  Since we live far from any family I wanted to announce it in a creative way.  I found these amazing quail egg announcements on Etsy and instantly fell in love with the idea.  Each egg was cleaned by hand and a small message was slipped inside.  Ours said, "We're having a baby.  Due to hatch September 21, 2013.  Love, Tim and Ashley".  It was perfect since we announced it right at the beginning of the Spring/Easter season.

Each box was individually wrapped like the picture and then packaged in an indestructible mailable box.  So when the package came to me all I had to do was address each box and mail them.

It was so fun to hear everyone's reactions when the called or texted or emailed.  Some people were afraid to open it because they weren't sure what was inside, some new exactly what it was before cracking it, and others just had fun opening a fun piece of mail.

Now that I am in my second trimester I am busy enjoying the new found energy.  I'm trying to get a lot done around the house, enjoying time with my two boys before baby #3 arrives, and trying to find time to connect with the new life inside of me.   I am anticipating our ultrasound in two days and trying to picture what our little baby will look like, what the name will be, and if we will continue our blue theme or change it up with a little pink or purple.  Any guesses as to what we will be having?

Conversations with a 6 year old

So this morning was a rare morning where I was up long before the kids got up.  I was able to get ready without interruption.  It was so nice to have some peaceful time in my own thoughts to begin my day.  I came downstairs to get a little breakfast.  As I was eating and going through my to-do list for the day Xavier came down with his sleepy eyes and bed head hair.  He was ready to chat.   It's also rare that I get some great one-on-one time with each kid.  So I took advantage.  We chatted about dinosaurs, aliens, Ninjago; the usual stuff for Xavier.  Then we came to the topic of Samantha.  I feel like their story is one of star-crossed lovers.

I'm going to rewind a bit to give some background on their story.  They met when we first moved to Pennsylvania in a tumbling class they took at the community center.   From their first meeting they hit it off and played so well together.  Within a couple weeks of their meeting Samantha was calling Xavier her boyfriend and Xavier was calling Samantha his girlfriend.  Mind you these are 3 1/2 year olds at the time.  I found it pretty innocent.  After a couple sessions of the tumbling class we didn't really see her.  Then a couple months ago we went to a bounce place by our house and she happened to be there too.  They instantly re-connected and didn't leave each others side the entire hour and fifteen minute bounce session.  At the end I commented to the girl's father how well they played together (not realizing this was "the Samantha")  The father said, "Yes, Samantha told me this was her boyfriend from tumbling class."  She hadn't forgotten.  Xavier's memory took a little reminding, but once I explained who the little girl was he was in heaven.  As we were getting our shoes and socks on he was already planning future play dates with her.  We both walked out the door and went our separate ways.  Samantha and her father turned to the left.  Xavier, Gavin, and I turned to the right. Then every couple feet we walked he would turn to look back and shout "Bye Samantha.  I hope to see you soon!"  He did this over and over until she was no longer in view.  My heart was mush at this point.  I almost felt like we were in a scene from a movie and I was tearing him away from his long lost love.  It was a weird feeling as a mom, but they just seem to be connected in some way.

Anyway, I never ended up exchanging numbers with Samantha's dad.   And I regret it a little bit.

Now back to our conversation this morning.  Xavier was still sleepy eyed and out of the blue said, "Mom I want to have a play date with Samantha."  Again my heart was saddened.  I had no way of knowing how to get a hold of this girl.  But I did know she was going to Xavier's school next year.  So I said, "Well, buddy I don't have her phone number, but she will be going to your school next year."  His face lit up like it was Christmas.  He exclaimed, "Maybe she'll be on bus 32.  I'm going to sit by her every day.  She can sit on one side of me and Jaden can sit on the other.  Jaden doesn't like sitting next to girls."
"Why doesn't he like sitting by girls?" I asked.
Xavier instantly replied, "Because they might kiss him."  His face smooshed like a horrible smell just entered the room and then he laughed as if that was a silly thing for Jaden to think.
I said, "What about you?  Do you like girl's kissing you?"
He quickly said, "ONLY you mom!"

That was the best answer I could have asked for and I'm hoping it stays that way for a while.  I mean he IS only 6.  But I'm sure in the back of his head he wouldn't mind a kiss on the cheek from Miss Samantha.  So my boy has a crush.  I couldn't stop thinking about 10 years from now sitting at the table talking about the same thing- girls.  Oh boy!