Babymoon

 

 

Ray had his 10 year work anniversary trip 2 weeks ago to Amelia Island in Florida, and spouses (me!) got to attend.  We have known about this trip since his first year on the job, and we always talked about how awesome it would be to go on a FREE VACATION.  It was every bit as fabulous as we envisioned, and his company really outdid themselves to reward their 10 year employees.  We treated this trip as a "babymoon" because we know it is our last couples vacation until baby #3 arrives.  There were about 170 people on this trip, and about 12 people from Ray's office. I had a great time getting to know his co-workers and their wives, and we also got quite a bit of relaxing couple time too.  The only activities that were planned were a fun scavenger hunt, where we drove all around the resort in golf carts, and a few really nice dinners.  Other than that, we laid by the pool, ordered room service, and took advantage of the "activities' we could choose from that were on the company.  Some people went horsebacking and deep-sea fishing....we went to the spa both days! It was really a great trip!

It has been nice that it seems that we brought warm weather back home with us, and we have had some gorgeous days these last few weeks!  Kenley started t-ball, and she is so happy that Ray is coaching.  He seems to be really enjoying it, and I'm glad it is something special that they get to do together. I love that she is up for trying everything and anything.  I was going over the summer activities with her and she asked if she could do everything! (soccer, dance, horseback riding, karate, etc!) Of course, I will have to narrow it down to just a few things, but I love that she is at that age where she wants to do it all.  For now, Charlie is too young, so he is on the sidelines, but he always finds something to do and someone to play with. I'm sure he will be out on the field in a few years!

We celebrated my sister's 30th birthday this weekend!  It kinda makes me feel even older knowing she is officially in the 30's club.  They had a party at her house since so many of her very close friends are pregnant, and we all have kids.  How parties have changed! It was such a nice day to be outside! On Sunday, we did some outdoor gardening/yard clean up, went to the park, and got ice cream.  By the end of the weekend, the kids were filthy and exhausted from all of the fresh air and running around.  It was the perfect glimpse of summer!

SPRINTER

Kind of funny that I was writing about Spring being so close. I should have know better! We did have a few nice days.  I took the kids to the park, we went in our hot tub, the kids rode their bikes and played with chalk, so it started to feel like the beginning of Spring.  We had a nice Easter, and the kids were able to find their eggs from the Easter bunny outside.  Then, it snowed again!  It was really crazy this weekend with bouts of sunshine mixed with snow, hail, and black/grey skies.  Kenley is starting t-ball today, but practice got moved indoors since it is only about 34 degrees out. So, were on a day-to-day basis with the battle over Winter/Spring.

A few weeks ago, we celebrated my Grandma's 90th birthday!  I can't believe it, and I really hope that I get her good health and genes!  My mom and uncles threw her a party, and it was the first time that we have had all of my cousin's together in a long time.  It is really hard for everyone to always make holidays with some of my cousins living out of state, going to other sides of the family, and having kids.  But, it was very nice that we were all able to be there to celebrate such a momentous occasion.  My grandma has 8 great-grandchildren, but we will be upping that number to 10 this summer.  My cousin, Carri, is also expecting a baby girl this July!  It is so fun to see our family growing and to see all of our kids so close in age.

If you can't tell from the pictures, my "Bump" is getting BIG!  Between 20 weeks and now, I (and baby) have grown a lot. I can barely squeeze into my warmer, long-sleeved shirts, that I have been wearing all winter.  Of course, I have to wear all maternity pants, but I was able to get away with most regular shirts up until now.  I went shopping this weekend, but I only bought spring/summer stuff praying that it will eventually warm up soon.  I've still been working out about 4-5 times a week, which I am proud of.  (But, I've still been indulging in some bad late-night snacks like all of the Easter candy...I steal the good stuff when the kids are in bed. Also, mega stuffed Oreos are amazing and bowls of cereal.) I'm feeling the baby move all the time now, and Ray has felt her kick several times.  The kids have tried, but they aren't very patient.

We have been trying to get a few projects done around the house the last few weeks.  We got a new walkway put in, Ray changed out a bunch of outdoor lights that weren't working, we cleared out most of our stuff out of the closets in the baby's room, and I've been trying to organize things and get rid of stuff we don't need.  We want to have a garage sale this year, but with everything we have going on in the next few weeks, and the time getting closer to my due date I really don't think I will be able to.  Maybe in the fall if I'm up to it.  For now, I'm happy just getting stuff boxed up and in the basement, thrown out, or donated.  Happy Spring(ish)!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Closer to Spring!

The first official day of Spring is just around the corner, but we have been able to get outside a few days already, so that has been nice.  This past weekend, we took the kids to Keylime Cove indoor waterpark.  The kids had a blast, and it was nice to have some family time away.  We went shopping at Gurnee Mills, ate at the Rainforest Cafe, went to the arcade, painted some pottery, and spent several hours between the days at the waterpark.  This is my "Spring Break" from work, so Ray took Monday off so that we could be there from Saturday night-Monday, which was nice because it wasn't so crowded Sunday and Monday.

 The kids had parties at school for St. Patrick's Day, and I took them to Lake Katherine to see the waterfall dyed green. The weekend before, we also took them to a local St. Patrick's day parade.

Kenley also had her Spring Musical at school this week, which was cute.  It's hard to believe that this was her last preschool performance. I commented to Ray though that we will probably be hearing these same songs for the next 4-5 years since Charlie will be in the musical starting next year, and by the time he is done, baby number 3 will be at that age.

I had another doctor appointment, and everything went well. We had a little scare at my 20 week appointment last month, and the doctor heard an abnormality in the heartbeat. We had to follow up with a specialist and had another ultrasound, but everything came out just fine. I was pretty nervous for a day or two, but very relieved that everything looked okay.  Now, I hope the rest of my appointments are uneventful! We already got our baby furniture last weekend, and now, I have some time to get the rest of the room and other necessities ready.  I can't believe that I'm almost in the 3rd trimester, and if it's anything like the first two, I know it will fly by!

We celebrated my Grandpa Voight's birthday with him a few weeks ago, and it was nice to see them.  We had a little luncheon for them, and it was nice to get together with the family.  This weekend we will be celebrating my Grandma W's 90th birthday!!

I'm so happy that it will be warming up soon, and I know the kids are too. Easter is already coming up next weekend!

My loves

We took the kids out and just kind of had a family date for Valentine's day on Saturday and went to Woodfield mall for some shopping, playing, and lunch.  Then, on Sunday, we stayed home and watched movies in our pajamas all day.

We have all been a little sick at some point over the past month, but poor Charlie seems to have gotten the worst of it.  I finally took him to the doctor on Tuesday, his 3rd day of fevers, and it turned out that he had ear infections and strep throat!  The poor guy has just not been himself for the whole week.  He is currently back in bed while Kenley is at school.  I did go to work this week while my parents watched the kids, but other than that we have done nothing.  I really hope he feels better soon, of course because I hate to see him not feel well, but also because I have been cooped up in the house with him! (As you can see, he was feeling better by the weekend)

Kenley had her valentines day party at school, which Charlie and I missed, but she seemed to have a good time.  I'm glad she still got to go. This weekend is the one year anniversary of us moving into our house!  I'll never forget the date since it was Friday the 13th, and the day before Valentine's Day. It took a little while for this house to feel like home, but it certainly does now.  I can't wait for the weather to warm up again so we can enjoy our backyard. I have loved making our house a home over this past year, and I'm pretty excited to start working on finishing our last bedroom to covert it from "the guest room" to a nursery. We are in the process of picking paint colors for the babies room, and we have already ordered furniture!  I can't believe I'm already more than 1/2 way there at 21 weeks pregnant.  And, the belly is really starting to come out.  It could have something to do with the fact that I've been stuck home all week, so I haven't been able to go to the gym, so I stayed home and ate instead :)

Other than that, one thing I am really excited about is that we have a vacation coming up!  It is Ray's 10 year anniversary with his company, and they plan a get-away for employees and spouses.  What a great perk!! We were able to get our date re-scheduled because originally we were scheduled to go in early September, which would be really hard having a newborn.  So, we just found out we will be going in April! I am pretty excited since it is in Florida, and I know the weather will be nice.  I keep day-dreaming about just laying out by the pool/beach during these days when it has been like 2 degrees. I think it will be a great time to go for a little "babymoon" since it will probably be a while before we can take another vacation like that.

I'm excited for my doctor's appointment tomorrow, and I'm having an ultrasound, so Ray will be coming with me to the appointment.  I can't wait to get another sneak peak at this baby, (and I really want to confirm that she is a girl!)

Merry 2016!

Christmas came and went in a bit of a blur, or maybe that's because almost a month has passed since then!  We had a wonderful Christmas, and we stretched out the celebration for about a full week, which was kind of nice.  It's always one of my favorite times of the year, and I really did enjoy everything leading up to the holidays.  All of the decorating, shopping, planning, preparing, trips to go see Santa, driving around looking at lights, school parties, and of course, the actual celebrations of spending time with family.  The kids were super excited Christmas morning, and they were so happy to see that Santa had found his way to our new house.  Charlie really got into Christmas this year, and he actually really liked Santa too. Kenley was just as excited, but there were already too many questions about the how's and when's and why's of Santa to answer.  She wanted to try to build some type of Santa alarm so that she would be woken up when he got to our house so she could see him. She's too smart!  I hope she still believes in Santa for a while, or that she at least plays along for her younger silbling(s)!

We celebrated New Year's Eve for the 6th year with our friends, the Rose Family.  They have 3 kids and are expecting their 4th!  We all agreed that next year we may need a nanny to help us manage 7 kids under the age of 6! We always have a good time, and so do the kids, and it's a little tradition that I hope we keep going for years to come!  I was just happy that I made it up past midnight, which is a rarity for me these days.  But, the good news is, I have been feeling SO much better the past 2 weeks!  Yay!  It sucks not feeling good, being so exhausted, and I felt like I was always complaining even though I tried not to.  Luckily, that is past, and I am hoping the rest of the pregnancy I am feeling this good.  I have still been working out about 3-4 days a week, not as hard as I usually do, but for now, I am still able to jog a little bit and use the elliptical.   I'm just trying to remind myself that even if I go to the gym and walk for a half an hour it is better than nothing!

We also just found out that we are having a GIRL!! We are very excited, and Kenley is ecstatic that she is getting a sister. Charlie seemed pretty happy too, although he is still so young that he doesn't quite get it.  Maybe that's a good thing so he's not disappointed he's not getting a brother! I can not wait to bring out (and buy!) the baby girl clothes.  I've always said that even when I was younger I always hoped I would have 2 girls.  Little did I know I would be blessed with the cutest, craziest, little boy in between having 2 girls. I am so grateful for all of my kids, and I can't wait to meet the 3rd one in the summer!

                      It's a GIRL!! 

Last week, we went to Las Vegas with my parents, sister, and brother-in-law to celebrate my dad's 60th birthday and retirement.  Instead of having a big party, my mom surprised him by planning this trip months ago.  We only let my dad in on the secret 2 weeks before we left.  We had a great time!  We went out to some really nice dinners, went to a comedy/acrobatic show, and of course, spent time in the casinos.  My mom, sister, and I also went to the Celine Dion show, which was truly fantastic. I know my dad had a great time, and it was the perfect way to celebrate 2 big milestones!!  Thank-you to Auntie Alison and Go-go who watched the kids while we were gone!



















We've had a few really cold days this week, so for the rest of the day we are staying home bundled up inside! It is 2 degrees outside.  Brrrrr!  Stay warm friends!

So Many Celebrations!

 We have been celebrating non-stop her since we got back from our vacation!  Thanksgiving weekend, we celebrated the holiday, and my Grandma's 80th birthday!  The whole family went out to visit my grandparents, and we had a nice little party for her.  My grandparents were surprised that we were able to come and bring all of the great-grandkids.  It was great to have everyone together for the first time in over a year.

Then, on that Monday, we went to my dad's work retirement party. He is on "vacation" now, and he only has to go back for one more day until he is officially retired!  He has worked 41.5 long years at Amtrak, and we are very proud of him.  My sister and I dressed the kids up in these little railroad outfits, and we made signs, so they were the hit of the party!  They had a nice luncheon for him with all of his co-workers.  He was very proud to show off all of his grandkids!

Last week, we celebrated Kenley's 5th birthday, which was a luau theme.  It was a fun party, and many of our family and friends came dressed for the theme.  We had a full house, and I know Kenley had a blast with her friends and family.  She had a busy week, and Monday was parent-viewing day for her dance class, so we got to watch her.  She did a great job, and she seems to really like doing tap as well. Then, Tuesday for her actual birthday, she had her holiday musical at school.  All the kids were dressed so cute for the holidays, and they did a great job singing their hearts out.


She's really 5 now.  Seriously hard to believe.  She will be going to kindergarten in the Fall, and she talks about it weekly.  The other day she told Charlie, "Charlie I'm not going to see you that much next year when I start kindergarten.  But, it's ok, I'll still be home at night." We talk about it a lot, and I know it will be a blink of an eye until she's getting on that bus. She's really turned into such a big girl.  The other night I took her to the grocery store to pick out a treat to bring to school for her birthday.  It was actually kind of fun going to the store, just the two of us, something that doesn't happen very often.  I was reminded of how old she is getting. Too old to sit in the cart, wants to push the cart herself, and pick everything out by herself.  Little Miss Independent, and I remembered back to her being just under 2 and always saying, "I do it!" I love this girl with all my heart!

AND....Last, but not Least....(maybe this is why I'm getting emotional writing this) I'm expecting baby #3!!!  Craaazzyyy!!  We are very excited, but I think it also hasn't really sunk in yet.  Partially, because we have been so busy with other things to keep us occupied!  I think I am still surprised myself because I always thought I would have 2 kids, and I was ok with that....until I was pregnant with Charlie and I started getting these feelings that maybe I wasn't ready to be done at 2.  It was something Ray and I spent a long time thinking and talking about.  Around summer, once were really settled in the house we decided it "good timing." And, Ray finally came around :)  I know 3 is going to be a game-changer since we will be outnumbered! The kids, especially Kenley, is every excited.  She has her heart set on a sister, so we will see.  We will be able to find out in January!

So, these are the things we have been celebrating in the last month, and Christmas isn't even here yet!  Looking forward to the next few weeks with many more parties to come.  I have my annual girl's night party with my high school girlfriends this weekend, a party with my former co-workers next weekend, celebrating Christmas at our house with Ray's family, and Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day!  Whew!  So, I guess this has just been the beginning of all the festivities!

So much happening, So much to be Thankful for!

We had a great Thanksgiving, and we celebrated with both sides of our families this weekend. We were very lucky to see our cousins, aunts, uncles, parents, and grandparents. The kids were able to see all 4 of their Great-Grandparents this weekend, since we saw my Grandma W for brunch on Thanksgiving, Ray's Grandma Kruse (G-Gma) for Thanksgiving dinner, and my Grandma and Grandpa Voight today to celebrate Thanksgiving and my Grandma's 80th birthday. We had delicious food, but most of all, just enjoyed time with our families.

I also got ALL of my indoor Christmas decorations up, which took just about 8 full hours yesterday!  Whew!  Lots of work, but now we have a whole month to enjoy them!  I love how festive the house looks, and now we just need to work on the outside. (tomorrow!)

Now, rewind about a month, and here is what we have been up to! We had a fun Halloween, even though the weather was crappy.  It rained most of the day, but we did catch about a half an hour where it stopped to go trick-or-treating with the kids.  It was fun since we all dressed up, and it was our first time trick-or-treating in our new neighborhood.  We were the characters from Frozen, since Kenley has not given up her love for the movie. It has really rubbed off on Charlie too, and he was so excited to be Olaf!

Just two weeks later we were off to DISNEY WORLD!!  We only told the kids a week before, even though this trip has been planned for months!  We had the best time.  We stayed at the Animal Kingdom resort, and we went to all 4 parks. We had a Savannah view, so we could see lots of different animals right outside our balcony every morning.

Our favorite memories were The Frozen Sing-Along, The Finding Nemo show, The Lion King show, Makeover for Kenley at Bippity Boppity Botique, Space Mountain (for Kenley and Ray), Expedition Everest, The Laugh Floor Monsters Inc, the parade and fireworks at Magic Kingdom, and the night show at Hollywood Studios.  I could list a hundred more things, but those were the ones that really stick out.  The kids were troopers, and they were going non-stop from 8am-10pm everyday.  They were actually up every day before us, and they were ready to go!  They loved seeing all the characters, and they loved the castle. 





















We had a very full week there, but it was truly an experience we will never forget.  I hope we are able to go back sometime again in the future.





















Next up, we will be celebrating Kenley's 5th birthday!  Her party is next weekend, and there is a lot to do between now and then! Like I always tell her, I'll squish her extra hard during hugs this week to try to prevent her from growing any more.