Friday Photo Dump

Running out of words this week. Is that even possible?? Enjoy!

Austin loves his dinosaurs!

Batman's Block Castle built by Alex

Austin has a baby <3

Best friends at the Vulcan

Checking out all of Birmingham

Andrews loves his maps

We need coins!

Saturday mornings = laundry and coffee

Saturday afternoon pick-me-up / Cathedral of Saint Paul, Birmingham

Happy Leftover Pizza picnic Day! I can make up holidays, too.

Love this little man... / Mama at 22 weeks

 Have a great weekend everyone!!

The Backpack That Almost Made Me Cry

Attention: Grandparents who are not ready to see a rising kindergartner should probably wait until August to see these. You have been warned.

This is NOT a sponsored post. I just love Pottery Barn Kids and this is a big deal for us. Enjoy!

Who knew that something like this would make me say, "Take it off!! Take it off!!"

Pottery Barn Kids - Mackenzie Multi Shark Small

And then my 5 year old ask me what my problem is? Well, no. He didn't ask like that. But he could have... He was rather worried when he looked at me and said, "What's wrong?" Well, dear, it is just that you... You are a big boy. I love it!! But, wow. The time has flown.

Anyway, Pottery Barn Kids was having their backpack and luggage sale  a few weeks ago (thanks, Baby Cheapskate for the heads up!) and I figured it was best to go ahead and get these things now. High quality items from a company I certainly trust and couple of prints that Andrews really liked. He went with the Multi Shark one for his backpack and lunchbox. We chose the small size, too. It is a perfect fit for him. So, if you are wondering about which size to get, I totally say to watch the video they have on their backpacks. Help me to make a choice faster.

Andrew super excited about his backpack!!

Gasp!

Yes, we got the matching lunch box, too!

checking out the pockets for all his things

WOW. He is quite a big boy in this photo... 5.5 years old... <3

Now to just get the name labels for all of my children... But that will probably be on next month's to do list. Right now....I need ice cream after looking at these pics again!

Wordless Wednesday

Primate House - Birmingham Zoo: Is Social Behavior Important to You? LOL

Balls and Bugs

Check it out. I have a tiny soccer player in the house! He can and will try to anything and everything his big brothers do. And, I love it!

(click to make larger or click here if you have trouble viewing)

runnin'

chillin'

bug!!

no fear, that one...

And, yes. We had on hoodies last week. In the South. And, it was glorious! Cold. But, great!

Thought I'd Share Something {Different}

It's been a little chaotic lately...shocker...with all this "when are we moving" business. And, I will admit...I fell off the meal planning wagon. Actually, I fell off a lot of wagons. Maybe I should stop getting on them. They are dangerous, apparently. Ouch.

Anyway, I have got to regain that familiar sense of normal somehow. These past few months have been craaaazyyy. So, I jumped back on (I know...I just can't help it.) and made a menu for May 1-17. BUT! The best part...I put it in pencil. And, as you can see there have already been a few changes here and there. But, it's ok. This is part of learning to just relax. Which I am seriously bad at doing. But this is a start.

What do you think? What's on the menu at your place?

Oh, before I go....

Hahaha! We will be watching some Lego Star Wars in a bit. Sweet.

Little White Dress

Dresses, and bows, and sparkles... Oh, my!

There are many special dresses that a girl will wear in her life. And, each serves specific purpose. You cannot wear the same special occasion dress twice. Then, it's not all that special, you know? And, specific colors can mean different things. Especially when you are Catholic. White is a very specific color that girls will will wear for 3 very special Sacraments: Baptism, Holy Communion, and Marriage.

I remember before we ever decided to have Austin (baby 3), that I knew I wanted a daughter one day (even though I was still playing the denial act). I kept seeing posts from friends and some of my favorite bloggers sharing their excitement in purchasing a First Communion dress and, then, realizing that there is only 1 more white dress to buy. I wanted that, too. I remember seeing all the excitement with my mom as we went Wedding Dress shopping. I remember the smiles from when we went Communion Dress shopping (though, I'm not sure I was super in to it at the time... Sorry, mom!). But, I do remember it.

And now it is my turn!! I have started the hunt for the perfect Little White Dress for Aria's Baptism. Only...there are a LOT of gorgeous Little White Dresses out there! A lot of beautiful dresses that are just perfect. I've narrowed it down quite a bit thanks to different price ranges. Some I came across had me saying, "Oooooohhhh!" and "Soooooo pretttttyyyyy!" Then I click on the link and nearly have a heart attack. I mean, really?! $800 for an INFANT DRESS?! Sure, I'm all about the importance of the Sacrament and all, but wow! So, yeah. There is a limit to the pretty. And there are some gorgeous dresses and the right price.

After two weeks of searching, I think I have narrowed it down to these choices. Also, I should point out that I don't do bonnets... I found the perfect thing to go with the dress which I'll share later. For now, ignore the bonnets.

Choice A

Cotton Christening Dress with Dobby Cross Design

Choice B

Circle Dobby Gown with Lace Trim

Choice C

Eyelet Organza Christening Dress

Choice D

Split-Front Christening Dress

There were a few others, but I had to cut it off somewhere. And, sure, I am WAY ahead of the game here since Aria will be Baptized sometime in the fall. But, with the moving situation and a kindergartner in the house... I just have to be on it here.

So, help a mama out! I know which one I am leaning toward, but let me hear from y'all! Which dress do you like?

Just 5: Happiness Found Within Chaos

With the chaos of buying/selling and all the unknowns that are stressing me out, it's good to take a breather and remember the things that are making me happy currently.

1. Trying to keep the house show-quality all day and every day is hard enough. Throw in 3 kids and a 22 week pregnant woman and....yeah. Crazy times, people. Crazy times. But, within the constant picking up after these little people of mine, I find things that make me stop and smile. Things that remind me of how happy these guys have made this mama.

Austin's collection of things on the kitchen window sill where he keeps an eye out for the cat and huge bumblebees.

2. Keeping everyone happy is not all that easy. It usually turns into complete chaos (trust me...I know this fact very well). But, when you keep that certain special handful of people that matter happy, then all is well. Sometimes it is still uncomfortable.... But in the sense that I have people all over me and I'm pregnant, so you are squishing me. Though, I try not to say anything. Just how long will I be able to hold them like this?

Yes. All 4 of them! Alex on the left. Andrew on the right. Austin in the middle mostly on my legs. And Aria is quite cozy in my tummy <3

3. My book club. Ok, well...it's more like the "It's not all about the book Book Club" and I love it. It is one of the best things ever. For one, getting into a really good book and forgetting about the house selling/buying madness is always a plus. The other awesome thing are the girlfriends. It is so, so wonderful to have friends who are there for each other and support each other. I love them all! We are currently reading this awesome book that I HATE putting down at the end of the night after realizing I should have been asleep ages ago. It is just so good. And I haven't even figured out the secret yet!! I'm almost there, though... I think... AHHH!!!

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4. Bows. Apparently bows make me happy. NOT the giant, obnoxious, satellite dish bows. The cute, sweet little bows that make me squeal, "Ahhh!! I'm having a girl!!" in the store. Well, sometimes in my head. Sometimes not. I know. I'm ridiculous! But, I don't care. Some of these bows sparkle. HA!

5. Little boys learning to read. Yes, 2 out of 3 of the boys in our home are right there on the cusp!! Andrew is doing an awesome job and I think it is finally clicking how the letters all have special things they do. And, Alex? Wow! He wanted to learn it all, too. So, all 3 of us are working on the same timeline and they are all doing really, really well! I plan on getting them this book in the next week or so. It is such a cute story. Basically, this pirate isn't allowed in the library because, well, he's a loud annoying pirate looking for treasure. The librarian explains to him that there is treasure in the library, but he must find it by cracking the code. The code is learning to read. I love it!!

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Well, those are the things that are making me happy on these very chaotic days at the House. Things might be crazier than our normal level of crazy, but it is still perfect. I just have to remember why we are doing these things.

So, what's making you happy right now?

Exploring New Places

Sometimes we have showings that happen almost back-to-back or have a time slot blocked off. When this happens, we tend to take a longer drive - especially if some small people (and mamas) are a tad cranky. On one of those days, we drove over to explore things very close to the new house. We are so happy we did, too! The library is just minutes from the new place and the staff seems very nice, as well as the children's department (this is VERY important for this mama...see here on how we do the library). We can't wait to go there for story times and such in the very near future.

Behind the library, right outside the children's department floor-to-ceiling windows, is one awesome playground. We, of course, had to check that out! Another score! This place is perfect for all of my guys! It has all kinds of playground equipment that is spread out enough to where they can "run free" but fenced in perfectly for this mama of many! Oh, and the best part...no mulch! Ha! I know... But, it is that recycle tire material. It is awesome. I see many outings here coming up!

Andrew looking back at me from the "Sea Monster" area. Promise to get a better pic of that thing next time!

Watching Alex run all over the place from the Toddler area.

 

Austin loved this dinosaur - he is growling like one here!

Giving the alligator a pet. Gotta make sure he knows you're a good guy.

Hanging out with a hippo

Taking a swing break

This was a very cool place. We stayed for about an hour and didn't even realize it! Gotta love a place where you lose track of time! We can't wait to go back! Hopefully we can move before then!

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House update: Some have asked how it is all going. Well, we are no longer "for sale by owner" after trying that out for 60 +/- days. And, we have been with our realtor for 2 weeks. We  did an open house the Sunday after re-listing. We had 4 showings last week and are up to 2 this week, so far. April is still a weird month with the weather being unpredictable and all. But, we are all thinking next month will be the month. So, keep the prayers a-coming!! Thanks everyone!!

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Bump Update: We are doing well! I'm only really tired in the sense of "tired of waiting for a buyer" - and sometimes if it was a rough day... Luckily, the bigger boys have been pretty awesome since finding out they were getting a sister. They have been super helpful! Speaking of being helpful... Andrew wants y'all to know that I'm 22 weeks now which means the Baby Aria is the size of a grapefruit. He is so cute... He was talking to her earlier about something. It was all whispers, but he said she could hear him just fine. So, so sweet. He has always been a rockstar big brother!

Bubbles

Today was such a beautiful day!! The weather was just perfect for April...and it was the first day I think I could actually breath ok enough to join these sillies outside. This has GOT to be the worst month for allergies in the history of, like, ever. And being preggers doesn't exactly help the issue either. But, we got out this afternoon and had some bubble fun. Austin LOVED it!! He is quite the serious bubble-catcher!

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Need some suggestions! I am planning a play date for our moms and littles at our church. I'm totally making that a bubbles extravaganza, too! So, what are your kids favorite bubble items? Favorite summer things?

The boys had these bubbles today (but they were the Paw Patrol ones...same idea though). Though...I'm not a huge fan. Austin is going to have trouble, I know. But, Alex was getting mad when the wand part wasn't "refilling" like it should. Andrew he wasn't a fan of it spilling if he squeezed it just a touch too much. It was rather messy. But, eh, they are bubbles. What are you gonna do?

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And, I plan on sending the kids home with this sidewalk chalk. I will ONLY purchase this brand!! For real. Why in the WORLD was the idea of WASHABLE sidewalk chalk not invented sooner??? I can let the boys color over and over and over again with just a spray of the hose. No waiting for daaaaaaaays for that other chalk to finally disappear. Thank, Genius Crayola Person. You are a true rock star!

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Of course, we always have a stash of balls we bring to the park. So, what else??

Are you ready for summer??