What a drive!

I had a very interesting drive today.  I ran into a complete highway shut down in Trophy Club when the CareFlite helicopter sat down right off of Hwy 114.  The wreck looked horrible, and the wreckage was unrecognizable.

 

 

Just a few short miles down the highway, I ran across a Kia on fire on the service road.  At this point my short trip had completely made me forget all about what I was doing.  I immediately had this overwhelming feeling of relief.  My rough morning was all of a sudden put into complete reality.  It wasn't so bad after all.

Bike riding

We have been taking the boys to the neighborhood park to practice riding their bikes.  We wanted an open space with enough grass to break the falls.  The first day started off pretty rough with lots of crying because Ryland couldn't immediately ride without training wheels.  Reed gave up too, and he headed to the swings and slides to play. 
The second day of practice was a little better, but it still ended with frustrated tears.  After about a week of practicing every day, Ryland was riding pretty well.  He had moved to the concrete sidewalk and only had one tough fall.  Reed was learning to peddle and seemed to enjoy it much more. 

Birdhouses

It was time to do some inside crafting since the temperature outside was over 100 degrees.  The boys painted two beautiful birdhouses, and we talked about birds, homes, and blessings. After they dried, the boys picked out the perfect tree in the backyard

 

 

 

They look very welcoming.  It was really sweet that the boys wanted to hang them beside each other, so the bird family could be close.  Awwwww.

It's a GIRL!

It is confirmed.  It is a baby girl!  I had my big ultrasound appointment today at my doctor's office, and it is now official.  I still can't wrap my head around the news.  I think this is shock.

 

If you "mustache"

Ryland's buddy, Charlie, was spending the night, so we thought we would eat pizza for dinner.  We ended up at Aleda's for some fun shaped personal pizzas.  The boys all selected pepperoni snowmen.  While we waited on the pizzas, the boys played with pizza dough.  John Chris and I would tell them something to make, and they would shape the dough into their interpretation.  The mustaches were the funniest.  I love these boys!

 

CHCS Summer Enrichment

Ryland attended Chapel Hill's Summer Enrichment program this week, and it was a great chance for him to brush up on learning and the school routine.  He had a great time and made these adorable Texas themed pages.

 

 

While Ryland was at school, Reed had great one on one time with Lizee.  They ran errands, cooked, and played. Thanks for a great week, Lizee!

Toe injury

I was eating dinner and catching up with my MOPS mommas at our first Third Thursday of the year, when I got a text from John Chris.  He stated that his toe was hurting even worse than earlier today, and he was about to drill a hole in it to relieve the pressure.  I took a few minutes to think about what he is about to do, and I realized that I just didn't feel comfortable not being at home while he operated on himself.  I told the girls that I should probably call it a night. I could only imagine that he was at home with the electric drill, and the boys are his surgery assistants. 

I made it home in time to supervise, and the boys were already in bed.  The electric drill was plugged in and ready to go.  Gosh, I know him too well.  It all ended well, and he was able to finally ease the pain.

 

Another look

We headed back to Stork Vision for the second gender ultrasound.  We had a different ultrasound tech, and she immediately said that we were having a girl.  My first reaction, "WHAT?"  I think John Chris and I both were in shock.  She easily pointed out the three white lines and no penis. 

So now we are clueless.  After we examined both sets of ultrasound pictures, we can definitely see the three white lines, but we just don't want to get really excited about it until we have confirmation.  We will wait until I go back to my OB before decorating the nursery.

 

Hideout

Ryland's imagination has taken off, and I love watching and listening to him play.  He builds forts and hideouts and likes to put lots of toys inside.  He can play for hours while his toys have extensive conversations. He is growing up so fast.

 

Pity Pantry

I have been complaining about my pantry for years.  The shelves are pulling away from the walls, and there is no flexibility for larger or smaller items.  I have been planning on starting over and installing an Elfa system, but I just hadn't pulled the plug and made the investment. 

After the ultrasound appointment, I guess John Chris was feeling sorry for me since chances are we are adding another boy to the family.  He actually suggested going home and starting the pantry project.  I lovingly call this my pity pantry.

 

Before

 

After

 

 

Before

 

After

 

Before

 

 

After

 

I love the final product.  The shelves are all adjustable, so I can move them depending on what we have in stock.  This will be really handy after a trip to Sam's.  My favorite part has to be the drawers on the left.  I love the flexibility and the accessibility they offer.  Everything is off the floor, which makes it easy to sweep and mop, and we now have a spot for the broom and dust pan inside. No more walking out in the garage.  John Chris added a light in the back of the pantry, so I can see all the large serving pieces and appliances.  I love it!

Gender ultrasound

We couldn't wait to find out if a baby boy or girl will be joining the family in January.  Our gender determination ultrasound was finally here.  The baby was awake and moving around but pretty happy in this position.  The ultrasound tech was able to get a few shots, but she couldn't get us that full on money shot of the private areas.  We got a few quick glimpses over 45 minutes.  After trying tons of poking and wiggling, she was 80% sure it was a boy. We were expecting to hear it was a boy, so we weren't shocked.  We both just had this little thought that it would be a girl this time. She set up an appointment for the following Thursday to confirm.

Reed's new haircut

Who is this little boy?  Reed was such a big boy today, and now he really looks big too.  I am really pleased with the cut, and he is so proud.  I can't believe he is growing up so fast.

 

Self photos

 

I told the boys their hair was getting crazy long, and I started playing with it to be silly.  They wanted to see what it looked like, so we started taking pictures.  Ryland styled his hair and took his own picture.  The one below was with his funny smirk.

Reed joined the fun and took a sad face picture with his hair all brushed to his face. 

These two are way shaggy. Time for a trim.  



Lake fun

We spent the afternoon and evening enjoying Lake Grapevine with the Bunch family.  The kids were ready to get on the water, and the parents were ready to relax! 

We played in water, cruised around the marina, ate dinner on the boat, and watched the firework show.  It was awesome! 

 

Crafters

The boys are serious crafters.  This pile of awesomeness is from just a few hours of activities from Adventure Kids.  I was told the boys were very excited about the underwater theme, and they loved crafting. 

 

Rough day

It was one of those days!  One of those that just doesn't stop.  I thought I had just about made it until my second string was home, when I overheard the sound of the dog puking.  This is a wonderful sound, especially when you are working on potty training and in the middle of coaching a little one on the potty.

 

National Dance Day

I was so excited about the fun dance activities planned at the gym.  One hour of Zumba followed by one hour of hip hop.  So much fun!  I knew I had to keep my eye on my heart rate, and that I probably wouldn't be able to complete the two full hours.  There was a huge turnout, and it was great to see the whole crew.  The event was complete with free prizes and drawings.

I was doing great until the second hour kicked into high gear.  The music went a bit more ghetto fantastic, and the intensity was a little too much for my preggo status.  The heart rate spiked well over where I was comfortable, but it felt so good.  It killed me to stop, but I did.  Oh, you little bambino, you are cramping my workout style. 

Test results

The test results are back for Baby #3, and it is negative for Down Syndrome. 

Pretending

The boys found a new place to play this afternoon.  They grabbed their folding chairs, gathered a snack in their chiller bag, and set up in the back of the pantry under the staircase.  They thought this was the coolest place to pretend like they were camping out.  It is great to see their imaginations in action.

 

Doctor Appointment

Even after my 8 week check up, I have been a nervous wreck.  I just keep thinking about all the what ifs.  I made a big decision to change OB/GYN doctors after several problems kept happening.  So after 10 years, I made the change to Dr. Flowers in Grapevine. 

 

My first appointment went extremely well, and I feel very comfortable with her. 

I elected to have the non-invasive genetic test to screen for Down Syndrome.  It wouldn't make a bit of difference to us, but it would give us time to learn and prepare.  I had an ultrasound, and I was thrilled to see our little baby doing so well.  The heartbeat was still strong at 160 bpm.  The ultrasound tech made a few measurements, and I had some blood drawn. The results will be back next week.