24 Weeks

I'm still feeling great but just starting to feel slightly uncomfortable when I have to lean forward for a long time (like during the boys' bathtime) or get up off the floor.

I am very obviously pregnant now, even strangers have started asking me. I've definitely popped out in the past few weeks! At my last doctor's appointment I had gained 9 pounds from the previous appointment. Yikes! I was expecting to gain a lot since my belly had grown so much, but 9 pounds is a little much to gain in 4 weeks.  I blame the smoothies! I was hoping to gain less than 30 pounds total during this pregnancy but I'm already at 19. Uhhh, it's not looking good for me...

In other (more exciting) news, Brandon is thisclose to finishing law school!!! He had his last class ever on Monday, now he's just got 2 finals and 2 papers to write and he'll get his degree! I'm so so SO proud of him! He still has to study and pass the bar afterward which is going to be a ton of work for him too, but that's the final hurdle before he will officially be an attorney. He's going to take the bar at the very end of July and after that we'll have a couple weeks of downtime before the baby comes.

 I'm so looking forward to August when, for the first time in 3 years, my husband will not have to study for hours each evening. He will come home from work and just be home with us. It's what we've been waiting for and working towards for so long now and we're finally on the homestretch! I'm really able to see all the ways the Lord has sustained us over the past few years and we are so thankful He has carried us through it! God is also opening some really cool and exciting doors for us in the future but I'll share those a little later :-)

Heat Wave

Last week it got up to 85 degrees, so of course we filled up the pool in the backyard! We all put on our bathing suits and spent the whole day outside, it was lovely. Then this week, it plummeted back to 55 or 60 degrees and we're back to wearing jeans and sweaters. Strange weather! That's ok, we probably only have a handful of cool days left before the scorching summer arrives. At 24 weeks pregnant, I'll happily enjoy the cooler spring weather while it lasts :-) But here are some pictures from our heat wave last week:

The boys can now write certain letters all by themselves (A, C, E, H, I, J, L, O, T, U, V). Here's Cullen practicing his H's

Jack's a pro at riding his tricycle now! Cullen is still hesitant about peddling but he's slowly getting the hang of it.

I gave the boys a spray bottle from the laundry room, it kept them occupied for hours! They used it to wash down everything they could find.

Watching airplanes land with Daddy and playing catch at the airplane park

ABC's

It's the simple things in life...

Like having a blender again. Ours broke last summer and I've been meaning to find another one but didn't want to spend $50 at Target for a new one. Well, I went to Goodwill last week to check for one like I do everytime I'm in the neighborhood. They didn't have any... But, as I was unlocking my car, an employee came out and asked me why I was leaving empty-handed. I told him that I'd been looking for a blender but they didn't have any. He told me to wait while he checked in back. So I waited... for like 5 minutes. I considered leaving because I had a lot of other errands to run but I didn't want to be rude after he'd been so kind to check for me. Then he came around the corner, beaming and holding a blender. I jumped out of my car and asked him how much it was. He said "No charge. Take it. God bless!" Totally made my week! It's a great blender too, probably about 15 years old, but it has a good, strong motor and works great!

I think I've had a smoothie every single day since I got my new blender. Just making up for lost time. On Friday, I tried putting spinach in my smoothie for the first time ever... and it was fantastic! I put about 2 cups of baby spinach and mixed it with lots of berries and a little Greek yogurt. Now this machine is no Vitamix- there were definitely some large green flecks in my drink and it was a brownish color. I wasn't so sure about it at first glance. Thankfully, it tasted much better than it looked. I made a big batch and gave some to the boys too. They gulped it down and were begging for more "milkshake." It's the perfect mid-morning snack for this pregnant lady and her two growing boys. I am so thankful to have a new blender!

On Friday afternoon, the boys and I dyed Easter eggs for the first time. Can you see how Cullen's face is all smooshed up in the picture? He was SO. EXCITED. to dye his eggs. The first time I let him stir his egg around, he could barely control himself. He screamed, made his excited face (see below) and nearly flung the egg right out of the bowl. I love this kid.
Jackson was also super excited. He talked about it for the rest of the day.
He told me to take a picture of his face like this. Then he turned his back to the camera and told me to take a picture of that also. I love this kid too.