Fork Lift

Thursday afternoon we took Ryder out to watch our little Ketchum friends play in the baseball state championship. 

He had a big time with Reese.

Traditional Saturday morning blueberry muffins.

Saturday, Mandy invited all the girls and kiddos out to swim.

Ashlea and little Sofie

Courtney taking a break after Ryder dragged her all over the pool to play!

Mandy entertaining the boys

Snack time for Ryder and Levi

New mommy Kristen - being shy...

Can we all look like Kristen 6 weeks after giving birth?

Look at sweet Sofie!

Heading out for Anniversary Dinner

Apparently, pregnancy has turned me into a major log-sawer.  John Michael has mentioned several times over the past couple weeks that I have been snoring so loud it wakes him up.  As you know, pregnant people are not supposed to sleep on their back, but sometimes in my sleep I do wind up on my back, therefore causing very abrupt snores.  Saturday night I was sleeping very peacefully, and I heard my name a few times.  I woke up to JM looking over me and asking, "BRITTANY - Are you alright?"  I'm like, "Yeah.... why, what did I do?"  He started to reinact what he heard from me (it was quite funny).  Then he continued to tell me that he thought I was dying.  I replied, "Well if you hear me snoring like that, and you see that I am on my back, just roll me over to my side."  His response: "I don't have a fork lift."

I can take the jabs, they really don't offend me.  I mean, I am up 30 lbs, what can I say?

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John Michael really enjoys golf.  He looks forward to the day he and Ryder (and Rhodes) can set off for the golf course and spend the day together.  He bought Ryder his first golf club, like a real one.  Both of them feel pretty good about this.

Sunday night we cooked out with Nanni and Grandaddy and ate some watermelon too.  Also, Nanni picked up my fabric and cushions for the glider for the nursery and after I get that back, I think everything will be done!

 

I have started packing bags.  My bag, Rhodes' bag, and Ryder's bag.  I was considering letting myself just go into labor this time, but after reading Jill's baby story, I've decided I think I'll get induced again.  I can't risk getting to 10 cm with no epidural!  (Thanks for the heads up Jill).  So if everything goes as planned and I've progressed enough, I'll probably be having a baby in about 3 weeks.  I had my 36 week appointment yesterday and am 1 cm, so, I guess that's considered progress.

Pinterest Breakfast Night

Here is a super yum and easy breakfast recipe that we had for dinner last night. Ryder and I reheated and ate again for breakfast this morning.  We just added bacon to the side for a little bit of a salty taste.  I halfed the french toast recipe, FYI.

Cinnamon Roll French Toast

Ingredients1/4 cup melted butter
2 cans (12.4 oz each) Pillsbury® refrigerated cinnamon rolls with icing
5 eggs
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup maple syrup

Topping
Icing from cinnamon rolls
Powdered sugar
Maple syrup, if desired

DirectionsMelt butter and pour on ungreased 13×9 inch glass dish. Separate cans of dough into 16 rolls reserving the icing for later use. Cut each roll into 8 pieces and add to buttered baking dish.
Beat eggs in medium bowl. Add cream, cinnamon and vanilla and beat until well blended. Pour over cut pieces of cinnamon roll pieces.
Sprinkle with pecans and drizzle 3/4 cup syrup over the top. Bake at 375 for 20 to 28 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 15 minutes.
Remove the covers from icing and microwave on medium or 50% power for 10 to 15 seconds. (Should be thin enough to drizzle.) Drizzle icing over the top. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve with syrup if desired. Yum!

Quick Summer Fruit Salad

1 (5.1 oz) pkg vanilla instant pudding
1 (20 oz) can pineapple tidbits with juice
1 lb. fresh strawberries, quartered
1 cup fresh blueberries
3 bananas, sliced

In a bowl combine the pudding mix and canned pineapple with the juice. Stir until well blended and all the pudding mixture has dissolved.
Fold in the strawberries and blueberries if desired. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Just before serving, fold in the sliced bananas.

Five years of bliss

Saturday, John Michael and I celebrated 5 years of marriage!  I could not ask for a better life than what I have with this man.  I believe with all of my heart he was strategically placed in my life by the Lord and for that I am SO grateful!

June 23, 2007

Honeymoon in Jamaica

We have come so far over the past 5 years.  With the most precious 2 year old son we could ask for and a little brother on the way, how did we get so lucky?

Thank you Lord for Your many blessings!

Nursery in Progress

Friday night we ventured to the circus.  I saw more attendees who looked like they belonged in the circus... it was an odd audience.

The circus staff knows how to get you.  They prance around with their big trays of sno cones in little animal cups, and wave their flashy swords and lights around right in front of your children. 
I mean, Ryder "reeeeeeeeaaallllyy wanted a sno cone"

So we got him one, and ten dollars later he was happy.  UNTIL...

The next staff member proudly swung by with his tray of dippin' dots.  Do you think Ryder wanted those too?  Do you think he was tired of his sno cone after one bite?  Do you think his spoiling father bought him $10 dippin dots?  Yes, yes and yes he did.

Saturday morning Ryder and John Michael went to Vaughan to help grandaddy build a fence.  Ryder requested jeans and work boots like his daddy.  And he wanted to wear a John Deere shirt.

So what was I to do all alone with a majorly incomplete nursery, stuff to be painted, moved, hung, etc?  Get to work!  Off to Home Depot to start my alphabet art project.  First I had to get some plywood cut.

This was my inspiration, found here.  But I am using different alphabet cards and more of a navy color, it's in the Vintage Chic collection from Behr, called English Channel.

So first I needed three 19x19" squares.  So I got those home and sanded and painted them in 100 degree heat in my garage, 8 months pregnant.  It was bad.  Anyway, once that dried I put a minwax stain on them to give them a rougher look.  Since it was so hot and muggy in the garage, the stain took more than 24 hours to dry.

In the meantime, I cut these alphabet squares with the best tool ever invented.

Then, after I cut out all the alphabet letters and lined them up real nice on the boards, I hammered them into the plywood with carpet tacks.

You can't really see them good because they are sitting on my floor for now.  But they will soon be above the crib.  Only downfall, they're pretty gigantic.  All laid out they are exactly 57" across, the exact same length as the crib, so I guess it'll be fine. 

This was a VERY tedious project.  The hardest part was pushing in 108 carpet tacks (4 per card) with my right thumb, before hammering them in.  My thumb was still numb 2 days later. 

And those are the new curtains for Rhodes' nursery. I was real crafty and bought my own blackout fabric from a fabric store and just pinned them to the back, so now that room is dark as night during the day. Fabulous. Poor Ryder never had that luxary, I don't think I even know blackout shades existed when I was putting his room together.

I must admit, I am VERY glad I made this change.  It feels so nice and fresh when I walk in his room, and so bright!  All the furniture was black and now it's off-white.  I ended up having to buy crib bedding beacuse what I borrowed must have shrunk, and the bumper wouldn't fit all the way around the crib and the crib skirt was super short.  I'll post pictures once everything is done.

Saturday night we celebrated Father's Day for John Michael and his dad at Table 100, it's the first time we had been there and it was great.  Sunday was of course Father's Day. 

After church, my sister and I, along with Ryder took my dad to Keifer's for lunch and let John Michael get a little nap in and then 18 holes of golf. 

I was feeling like poo after a long weekend of working hard, so instead of cooking dinner for the father, he cooked for us!

Totally unrelated, Ryder's teacher emailed me this picture.

I seriously can't get over the stuff he's learning at school.  Last night I layed in bed with him in shock listening to him recite the pledge of allegiance.  Word for word, hand over his heart.  I got him to say it in the car earlier and I have to post a video because it's so dang cute:

Pregnancy update:  5 weeks til the due date!

3 Little Monkeys

Let's see, this past weekend we celebrated Sellers' third birthday.  Ryder does love to play with his cousins.

3 little monkeys jumpin on the bed...

And one DID fall off.

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If you remember, we put our house on the market in December, right after I found out I was pregnant, and then in March we found out we were having another boy.  Since I didn't know if we'd be in our current house, a rental house, or our new house when the baby got here, I just decided to use the same nursery stuff we used for Ryder until we got settled in a new house. 

Well, I think I knew all along there was no way I was going to be able to do that.  So, I had the bright idea on Friday (6 weeks before my due date) that I am totally re-doing the nursery.  The light bulb went off Friday morning at work, and here we are 7 days later and JM has already painted the crib, two dressers, a tall cabinet, and in the process of painting the glider.  I've bought fabric for curtains and I have bedding that was given to me by a cousin of mine.  I am looking for new fabric for the glider now.  And working on a pinterest artwork project.  Nothing is put together, everything is in the garage being painted or drying.  The room is a disaster.  I had already washed all baby clothes 0-12 months and had them in drawers.  They are now all scattered all over the room.  It's just insane.  But I'm nesting like no other, so I have to get this done before I go looney.

But let me really brag on my husband for a minute.  I was seriously nervous telling him I wanted to make this change.  I expected him to huff and puff and be totally against it.  But he has been so great, I'm not sure he's complained once.  Even when he came in from spray-painting the crib, looked in the mirror, and saw that all his nose hairs were painted white.  He's been coming home from working nearly 12 hour days, eating a quick bite and sitting in the hot garage painting furniture. He's the best!

Changing everything from black to white.  Ryder wanted to help SO bad.  Bless his heart, he loves a project.

I got Ryder this nap pillow for school, he feels big time having a pillow with "his very own name on it"

 Strolling around our olde towne market

Water Day at school

I have noticed since Ryder has started in his new class he has come home with lots of funny things that I know he's had to have learned at school.  For one, when we read books at night, he always goes to the first page and says, "Mommy, this is the title page."

Then, we were playing outside and Ryder starting collecting things from around the house and yard.  He said he was packing for "grandma's house."  We've never called anybody grandma, I've probably never even used that name.  So I think they must've talked about grandma's house at school.  Then, when JM got home from work, Ryder ran up to him and asked him if we could eat dinner outside "at grandma's house."

On to pregnancy news...

I am at the point of experimenting when it comes to what I'm going to wear to work.  This particular morning I pulled out a dress that looked quite roomy, I remembered it being pretty flowy when I wore it to that wedding back in 2007...

Yeah, not so much.  This beauty normally comes right above the knee.

I love to walk out in things that are hideously tight and short and act like that's what I'm going to wear to work that day to get JM's reaction.  I always get a double take.  Then it takes him a minute to say anything.  Then, when he can't resist any longer, he'll ask, "You're not wearing that are you?"

I am 34 weeks. Feeling fine, just always hot. I freeze JM out at night. Rhodes is so active, much more than I remember with Ryder. He's constantly moving around and I love it.

34 weeks

I think Rhodes is going to be very large.  Everybody, and I mean everybody who sees me and doesn't know me, assumes I'll be delivering any day now.  When I tell them I have 6 more weeks, they think I'm lying.  Ryder was 8lb and a week early, and I've heard the second baby is usually bigger.  We shall see.

Wednesday night our good friends, Jeremy and Allyn Ann came to visit.  They moved out to Orange County, CA a few years back and are home visiting.  Allyn Ann has a sweet baby girl, George Claire, due in September!  They were so sweet not to forget big brother Ryder when bringing Rhodes' present over.

Ryder is absolutely in love with Chick-fil-a.  He asks to eat there every meal.  He even knows they are closed on Sunday, except he calls it "shut."  He will say, "Is chick-fil-a shut today?"  Well when we told him Jeremy and Allyn Ann own their very own chick-fil-a in California, plus, live right down the road from Disney Land, he was sold on them!  And he is really to hop a plane!