Getting ready to be a Big Brother and Big Sister

Today was get excited about the new baby day! Each of the kids has things that they like about the new baby, but we wanted to take a day early in the summer dedicated to learning about what having a new baby really means for them! After having pancakes for breakfast, they got to dress whatever doll or stuffed animal they wanted in Baby Reece's new clothes, then we took them to a Sibling Prep Class 

(I would highly recommend this to anyone bringing a new baby into a family with kids. They covered a lot of topics that I just wouldn't have thought to bring up for kids).

• They did a tour of this hospital's labor and delivery, so the kids could see what the room baby will be born in may look like. They got to see all around, and how this hospital makes mommy and baby comfortable. 
• They read books about being an older sibling
• They learned how to change, diaper, swaddle, and bathe a baby
• They learned the rules about holding a new baby
• They learned how babies eat
• They learned the importance of being clean and washing your hands before going around the baby. The kids really liked this part. One because they got to look at germs with a black light, and because it was decided that making sure other people wash their hands before they touched the baby could be their job.
• They also watched a video about how important it is for them to be a big helper is, and learned different ways that they can help. 

At the end they were awarded a Certificate of Becoming A Great Big Brother / Sister, and given a free frozen yogurt coupon...which they wanted to use right away ;)

Then we went to lunch, and shopping for them to buy their baby brother whatever gift they wanted! Kade picked a toy football that he wants to teach his brother to play with. Jenna picked a sunshade for the car that has different decorations she can change for her brother to look at while we are driving. 

On the way home we stopped for a snow cone... Kade had his 3rd snow cone this weekend, and says he wishes I would stay pregnant forever lol 

Next they had a snack (cantaloupe balls and lemonade) and made Baby Brother a personalized onesie while we talked about what they were like when they were babies! I made a collage of each of them when they were babies. We talked about how cute they were, and what they liked when they were small :) They are trying to guess what their baby is going to look like. 

Kade's onesie says "Too Much Awesome", and has a sunshine & waves. On the back it says "brother's are cool"!

 Jenna's onesie says "My Sister Loves Me", and has a park on the bottom. On the back it says "I love big sis"! 

Then we had dinner, and talked about how they will feel lots of different feelings when baby is born. We told them it is ok to feel happy, sad, mad, and even jealous... They promised they will tell us if they need more time with us or are feeling left out. Right now they both say they are super excited which makes my heart so incredibly happy! Kade likes that the baby can hear him now, and that he will get to teach his brother things. Jenna likes that the baby will love them more than anyone, and look up to her! 

They are finishing their night off with a bike ride, so mommy can rest in a quiet house for a little bit. It was definitely a long day for this pregnant mama, but a perfect one indeed! 

Thing 2 is growing too!

1st and Last Day of 1st Grade!

I honestly cannot believe that today is Jenna's last day of 1st grade! Just like Thing 1 is growing way too fast Thing 2 is right as his heals! She is my precious baby, in a big girl's body, with a full grown attitude! I adore being her mother in every way even when that means seeing me come out in her!
Last night Mike and I had a discussion about what a good kid she is, and how we are always so amazed with how smart she is! I am so excited to see all that God has in store for our girl!

*Each year I take a picture of the kids and ask them some questions, so some day when they are all grown up I can show them how they got there! I share the picture with all the moms/grandmas in their life each spring, so everyone can keep track and be as proud as I am to be a part of their lives!
(Here is Kade's if you didn't see them)

This is Pictures of Jenna from Preschool - 1st grade

Bump Update 9 - Week 29

How far along? 29 weeks (tomorrow)

Total weight gain: 13.4 lbs at my last appointment 

Maternity clothes: I bought my 1st maternity swimsuit, because there was no getting the twins ;) into any of my old ones! Other than that nothing new on the clothing front just wearing any of my dresses that I can, because they are way more comfortable than pants!

Stretch marks: No, but there is a red dot that I am pretty sure is going to turn into one. I was recently asked if that worries me, and I had to laugh... I did not go into this expecting to get sexier lol :) Being a mom comes with lots of sacrifices, and my body is one of them... I love being a mom! 

Sleep: The only thing that is problem with sleep lately is that my body forgot to sleep in?!?! Everyday I wake up by 7am no matter what... anyone who knows me knows that Saturday mornings and I don't go together! I love sleeping it :( Needless to say I am hoping this goes away soon! 

Best moment this week: I have just been having one amazing week after another lately! I still can't get enough of my husband being home, and can finally plan now that I know we are having a BOY!! I have posted about most of the fun, but somethings are just simply perfect for me like watching my baby daddy spend the evening playing basketball with our princess while I relax in the sunshine with our fur baby :) 

This weekend Mike and I had a little staycation in Downtown Boise

 for our 4 year anniversary! 

We went to dinner, a comedy show, and for a walk to people watch & get dessert on Friday night. 

Saturday we went to breakfast and the street market before swimming at our hotel and going to Hyde park for lunch and SNOW CONES!

(hey I am still pregnant even on romantic weekends)

Then that evening we had a picnic dinner in the park then went to see Death Trap at The Idaho Shakespeare Festival! It was so much fun I definitely recommend it for all my fellow theater lovers! 

I had such an amazing weekend just enjoying the man that I love I didn't want it to end, but I did miss our daughter & our bed so it is nice to be home! 

Miss Anything? The days when I could eat anything, and not getting heartburn! Other than that not a thing! 

Movement: All the time! At night when I relax he just goes crazy, so Mike gets to feel him and see him move which is my absolute favorite! The other time I can go from feeling no movement to tons is when Big Sister Jenna talks to Baby Reece which makes her feel pretty special :) 

Food cravings: Snow cones! Strawberry Daiquiri Snow Cones with cream!!! Seriously though I love ice and all of it's related friends, but Snow cones are just the yummiest and easiest to eat! Lots of other cravings come and go, but that one is pretty constant... the lady at the Hawaiian Ice shack knows my order ;)  The only other constants are cantaloupe and fresh veggies with ranch! 

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope still doing good on this! 

Labor Signs: Braxton Hicks... I hate you! 

Belly Button in or out? In, but I am pretty sure it won't be long :(

Wedding rings on or off? On! Mike says he will buy me a bigger stand in ring if this one gets tight, but so far no problems there! 

Happy or Moody most of the time: I have two modes tons of happy energy and lets take a nap! lol  

Looking forward to: Next weekend Friday night is girls night out with my girlfriends for Sara's Birthday, and then we have fun plans with the kids to get them excited for their new roles with baby coming! Other than that just for spending time in the sunshine with my little family! 

Happy Anniversary

Laying in bed talking to my baby daddy while he had his had on my bump feeling our son kick I  felt overwhelmed with thankfulness and joy, because 4 years ago today I married the man of my dreams! It has been an amazing time, and I truly can't thank God enough for this life I get to share with my best friend! I can say without a doubt that May 29th 2010 was the best day of my life, and I would do it over again everyday if I could! I always expected that after the 1st year of marriage things would slowly get less exciting, but I think each year gets better as we become closer! 

I am glad that I get to know without a doubt if I am having a bad day I have a strong man who will not only try to make it better he will pray for me, pray for us, and the thing that was going to make things worse will end up bringing us closer together. And during the good times he is the person I want to share them with, the person cheering me on, and the person who makes them better!

Thank you Michael for choosing me!

Here are some pictures of the day I became
 Mrs. Reece the happiest girl in the world!

Photos courtesy of Rebecca Anne Photos

2nd Trimester Must Haves

I honestly cannot believe that it is the end of my 2nd Trimester! 

Here are a few things that have helped me make this amazing time more comfortable.

1. With my ever growing belly, and the discomfort of stretching skin I have fallen head over heels for Bump Oil! It keeps my skin soft and provides immediate relive with my skin gets itchy. I also like their Body scrub and Tummy butter!

2. Reading about babies and pregnancy is something most pregnant woman can’t help doing, but I have honestly had a hard time not reading too much. With all the books warning you of what can go wrong I can get stressed. Then my sister in law gave me Belly Laughs. It is perfect for putting pregnancy worries into perspective, and you can't help but laugh out loud while reading it.

3. Before pregnancy I struggled to get the 40 grams of protein per day I needed, and during pregnancy that number increases to 70 grams of protein daily. That’s a lot of protein to consume! I craved meat so much in my 1st trimester I wasn't worried about it, but I have fallen back into being a snacker and am craving more fruits and veggies during my second trimester. That being said I have found the BEST protein bars in the world! They have tons of flavors, but the Chocolate Chip cookie dough is my all-time favorite. I have it with fruit and yogurt, and it makes for a very happy mommy and baby!

4. Maternity Long Tanks are the best! Sara got me a few to cheer me when I was having a bad day, and I talked about how comfortable they are Mike ordered me 5 different colors for Mother's Day. You can find them at Target, and there is a lot colors to choose from. They have a little bit of spandex in them so they stretch over your growing baby bump, and should last all the way through your pregnancy.

5. I would say the one thing that has been the same about this pregnancy to my last is Heartburn, and it has been the only constant problem I have had in my 2nd Trimester. The best thing my midwife has ever recommended is Zantac. It works so much better than Tums, and lasts all day!

6. Mike surprised me with a Snoggle Pillow in January, but it wasn't until my 2nd Trimester that I fell in love with it! It makes getting comfortable at night (when you are shaped like a Pear with legs) so much easier!!

A fun 3 day weekend to end my 2nd trimester!

 We got Kade back this weekend, so it was time to celebrate his birthday in style. We spent Saturday from open to close at Roaring Springs with friends!
It was a great day to go, because there was no crowd which meant the kids could go on all the rides over and over again with no line! Baby and I were mostly excited for the snow cone shack :)

After the water park we went back home for pizza, rainbow cake, ice cream, and presents! 

Kade got a new bright green bike and helmet! 

Sunday after church we went to settlers park for lunch with Grandma Sue and Auntie Mandi!

 Then we headed to Auntie Grace's Graduation party at my parent's house where the kids had fun roasting marshmallows and playing in the fire! 

Congrat and Happy Birthday little sis we are proud of you! 

Today we had a relaxing morning at home, and talked to the kids about why we celebrate Memorial Day! This evening Kade is having dinner with his grandma to celebrate his birthday with her seeing he doesn't get to spend the day with her like Jenna does every Monday this summer while Mike, Jenna and I finished our registry at Target and got the baby a snow cone :) 

Here is the link to our Target Registry 

Now I am watching Mike and Jenna do their nightly summer basketball drills, and loving this sunshine!

I want to take a moment to thank all who have served our country and sacrificed at all, so that I could have fun times in a Free Christian County with family! 

Thank you!  

My Airman is home and Our 27 week Midwife appointment

My Husband is finally home! It's amazing how complete I feel when he is home! We go right back into being this well oiled machine I don't know how I do things when he is gone! Thursday afternoon we picked him up from the airport! The kids were so excited :) they hid behind a trash can and then attacked him as he walked through the doors! We took the kids to go get snow cones (mostly because baby wanted one), and then went home for a quite dinner at home just the 4 1/2 of us ;) Daddy and the kids played football while I watched my heart felt so full it could burst! That night daddy got to feel his baby and even see baby move around the bump :) it was the most wonderful bonding moment for the 3 of us! I love that whenever we cuddle now he gets to feel our baby!

The next day Mike spent the day with his girl swimming and playing basketball! She counted down $1 bills for each day he was gone for them to use to go on a date with when he got back :)

That night was just me and my man! We always go to the melting pot for our Anniversary... yes it's a few weeks away, but we have other plans that weekend so we figured why not start the celebrating early. We had other plans, but ended up just talking all night! It was so perfect! I feel like we stay close while he is gone, but there is nothing like being next to your best friend to make you feel so safe and loved!

Saturday we got to sleep in and have breakfast in bed which is one of our favorite weekend traditions! Then we picked up Thing 2 to go see Thing 1's soccer game! After we went to lunch and for a walk to enjoy the sunshine!

Sunday was our gender party here is the link

Baby Reece's Gender Reveal Party

I posted about that! It was perfect, and I happy beyond words to be giving my husband a son! Though I did tell him seeing Jenna is a daddy's girl 100% our little guy will be a mommy's boy ;)

Here is some of the fun notes our friends left for us on diapers at our party!

Monday was equally as great! We went to breakfast at our favorite place that morning before our appointment, but our Midwife got called to Labor and delivery so we rescheduled for afternoon! I am so ok with that, because I plan to do the same thing to someone in a few months ;)

At the appointment she measured me and the bump is measuring at 29 weeks! I told Mike I was big :) Our Midwife says that its totally normal, and we may just have a tall boy which daddy is all to pleased about!

His heart beat is perfect and all is great on the pregnancy front! My next appointment I will be checked for Gestational Diabetes... I am so glad Mike will be there to keep me company :) Again I am loving having my baby daddy home!

That evening seeing we now know we are having a boy we registered! We went to Burlington 1st but didn't like their selection, so we went to Babies R US! It was so much fun I am not going to lie! Big sister loved getting to be a part of the whole thing and loved the scan gun! My favorite part was all the cute little things, Jenna's was baby toys, and Mike literally read safety ratings on everything we picked lol

Here is a link to our registry :) Baby Reece Gift Registry

We finished our evening having dinner and family time at Big Als!

Tuesday after school Mike and Jenna spent the afternoon together. Then we had a relaxing movie night and enjoyed yummy cheese cake thanks to the amazing Shawn and Chris!

We are all settled into life again and looking forward to having Kade this weekend! I want to thank everyone who supported us through Mike being gone again!

Now I think I will go kiss my Airman just because I can!