Weddings!

Thursday, wow has this week flown by.  Tomorrow we will be heading to Kansas beginning around 6am to make it there in time for Adam and Kate's 1pm rehearsal for their wedding on Saturday. Matthew is a groomsmen in their wedding but Noah and I just get to sit back and enjoy!  Then Saturday after the wedding we will be driving back, getting some sleep, church on Sunday then moving all our stuff to our new house!  Such an exciting weekend!  You can most likely count on the fact that I will be one very worn out pregnant woman next week! 

Last weekend, we had my sisters wedding, and everything went great and I think everyone had a good time. Randi was a beautiful bride and everything was cute and ran smoothly! It was a lot different for me than any other wedding, can I just say, that when kids are involved it makes them so much more stressful.  Saturday was a happy but stressful and rough day with Noah.  I felt like I couldn't really enjoy the day with my sister because Matthew and I were always taking turns with Noah leading up to the wedding.  He was one tired little boy since he missed naps all day.  He looked so cute in his tux but  I never had the chance or a happy boy to take a picture of.  I hate that I missed snapping a cute picture!  When it got time to walk down the aisle we had one cranky, and fit throwing boy since we had to take him off the stairs.  I had a mini panic attack of not knowing what to do with him.  Randi just said do whatever you have to, so instead of him riding down in the wagon, Matthew, Noah and I walked down the aisle together.  Once the doors opened and he saw all the people he got calm and let us walk him right up there without making a peep.  He even stood up there with us for a short time before we passed him off to Matthew's parents who helped out with him so much the rest of the day.  Afterwards we gave up on pictures with him, and let him go home to try and get a quick nap.  He never went to sleep so he went to the reception still sleepy but after awhile Papa Bob got him to sleep.  After that he stayed for awhile but was still just too sleepy so we had my sister Taylor come get him and bring him home until we left a little while later.  When we got home he was finally peacefully sleeping and we were beat as well and went straight to bed.  I could of slept so much later on Sunday than Noah had allowed us too! 

Baby Name

Well I think we have a name picked out, notice I said think!  We have been tossing around names for the last month and Carson is the one that has stuck so far.  I think we are set on it, but with us you never know. Since we used Matthew as Noah's middle name I kind of wanted a special middle name for this boy too so I was  thinking of using Robert, since it's my dad and grandpa's first name as well as Matthew's dad and grandpa's first name as well.  What a family name, right?  Well problem is I don't really like Carson Robert, it's okay just not my favorite combo.  Matthew likes Carson Riley, but I think he also likes the idea of using Robert too.  So middle name we are really unsure of, which seems to be  pattern.  We changed Noah's middle name many times and even last minute in the hospital so we  might just wait again and see what happens.  Carson doesn't have the coolest meaning or anything it means "christian"  which is good but not the ideal name meaning.  However, it is better than any other name I liked, I think that is why Matthew likes it since it is a name that actually means something besides "son of Hudd"  like Hudson does.  (that was the name I really liked, minus the meaning) So for now I'm saying we are going to name baby #2 Carson ??? Jones.

Crazy May

Well if you haven't heard, we have sold our house!  Wahoo!!  We really were trying not to talk about it too much until everything was more finalized and after we worked through the inspection and other fun processes that goes with buying/selling houses!  We pretty much are almost done and will be closing on the house we are selling and buying on Tuesday May 24th.  Not to far from now.  Since we have to give our buyers keys at closing we will be moving our stuff into our new house on Sunday and Monday so it will be ready for new owners.  Hard to believe that is less than 2 weeks away and boy do we have some work to do!  I started packing on Monday but only got 5 boxes done during Noah's nap.  That is nothing compared to what is left!  These next two weeks will fly by considering there we have 2 weddings in between as well.

My younger sister Randi is getting married this weekend!  So hard to believe it is almost here!  We are very excited for them, except for the I have to give a speech at the reception part!   I am terrible at stuff like that and get way too nervous!  The next couple days we will be busy with stuff for the wedding between decorating the church and hall and the rehearsal.  She has been planning for so long and everything is going to look so cute!  I can't wait to see it all put together!  She is going to make a beautiful bride and we are blessed to get the chance to share in their special day.  Noah is also a part and will be wearing a tux.  Hoping he cooperates because he is going to look so cute!!

Then next weekend, just one day before we move, Matthew's youngest brother is getting married to his sweet bride in Kansas City.  We will be heading that way for that wedding on Friday and coming home late on Saturday night.  You can just say those bags will be staying packed since we are moving the next day!  I am so excited for them as well and glad they will finally get the chance to live in the same town!  I remember those days!  

It seems so surreal that we are finally getting to move.  We found the house we wanted last November, and made an offer that was accepted and they have been waiting for us ever since to sell our house.  The timing was about perfect for them, but hit us during our busiest month.  It's okay though we will gladly take the sold house and finally get to move in, since we have waited so long!   I am very very very excited about our new house but will also probably get a little sad when we leave our current house.  We have done so much to it, and have made it our own.  There are so many memories here!  It was OUR first house, we brought Noah home from the hospital to this house , had some great times with friends and family and so many more.  I also know that our new house is waiting for us to create so many more memories though as well! 

Easter in Arizona

Trips like these really make you wonder why anyone chooses to live in Illinois.  Arizona over Easter weekend was beautiful.  The weather was absolutely perfect!  Sunny every day, no rain, perfect temps and no humidity!  I loved getting a break from changing temps and cloudy days.  We had a very busy trip, but a good one.  In the short time we were there we got to do a lot.  We did some shopping, got to check out my grandma' s golf ball business plant, ate at different restaurants, spent the day on a gorgeous lake on Saturday, more shopping, caught a movie, and just relaxed and hung out with each other at my grandma's house.  It was so nice to see everyone! 

Our first night there after a day full of running around, we went to a yummy mexican restaurant and had some pictures taken.

On Saturday we went to Lake Saguaro and boy was it awesome.  My grandma had rented a pontoon boat for the day and 2 jet skis for everyone to take turns riding.  I didn't take my turn but almost everyone else did.  The lake was so neat how it was in the middle of mountains.  Perfect weather and perfect scenery.  I have missed the sun.  I put sunscreen on twice throughout the day, however that wasn't enough.  I still managed to get very burnt!  That was the not so fun part. 

Can I say that I have a major interest in cacti after this trip.  I learned a lot about them and for some weird reason I found them very intriguing.  My grandma told us that you can tell when one is really old because of how many arms it has coming off.  They all grow different so it was neat to see all the different ones.  And did you know, under the green, they are wood?  Crazy, my grandma has a dead one that had been petrified on her patio and it is just the wood structure underneath. 

Also we learned about some that shoot off their spikey things when they sense movement.  Luckily we just saw them from the road and never in person.  What a defense mechanism.  Call me a dork, haha! I got made fun of the whole ride to the lake because I was so interested. 

 After a day on the lake we went to a neat marketplace with all sorts of shops and did some shopping, then we met up with Trevor, Amanda and Brandon for a little bit more shopping and dinner at the California Pizza Kitchen and then my favorite ColdStone Creamery.  Boy it has been way too long since  I have had it!  There was this really neat fountain, and fireplace in the middle of the outdoor mall and we couldn't help but stop for some photos.  Once it got later they also had a band playing in the middle, such a neat place.  I wish we had something like that around here.  I just love walking around and eating outside when it's nice!

What a great trip and visit we had.    We did miss our little boy very much, but it was also nice to get away and relax for a few days.  We were so busy it would have been so hard on him anyway so I was thankful he got to stay at our house and stay on a schedule and play like he loves.  We made it home safely and on time on Monday and made it home to see Noah before bedtime!  Now we have been playing catch up all week.  I was finally getting there but now am leaving again tonight for Randi's bachelorette party.  Matthew is also out of town for Adam and Jared's bachelor parties.  We have never really left  Noah much and poor guy has been left a lot this month.  We are excited to get to be a part of all of these events but also ready for life to slow down again!  

My Little Helper

Noah has just been such a little helper lately, it is just so cute!  I don't think he realizes that he's helping I think he just likes to do big things but either way I love it.  Some morning I will ask if he's ready to eat  breakfast and he runs in the kitchen goes to the fridge to wait for me to get the yogurt then he goes to the spoon drawer and waits for me there then he tries to move his high chair closer to the table.  Then most morning the dishwasher needs unloaded so after we eat we usually do that and he's ready to try and help me.  He loves to get the silverware out and tries to help me shut the door, most of the time before I'm ready. 

When we leave and are getting ready to get in the car he's ready to push the garage door button in the garage to open the door. 

He loves to help clean floors. 

When we go to the basement to do laundry there is a light right above the dryer and you have to pull that string to get it to go on, he always wants me to hold him until we get over there so he can pull the string then he wants down to help me unload the dryer. 

Alot of times if he's not too busy playing too and I'm doing something he will try to help however he thinks he can.  It's just too cute!!

It's funny to see how he's become such a creature of habit, like his momma and knows what we do each day!  I think he takes after me in a lot of ways, poor boy! 

Mini Vacation

Tomorrow we are leaving around 2:45 am for St. Louis and then on to Phoenix, Arizona and without Noah.  Wow what a weird weekend this will be.  We have only both left Noah twice and each time it was just for a short weekend and we were going on youth events each time.  While we had a great time, each time was with 50+ youth and that is not hardly what I would call a vacation. This time we are going on a mini vacation with some of my family to Arizona and will be staying with my grandma.  I'm excited to go and have some time away and relax but still going to miss my little boy like crazy. 

However he will be in great hands and he will be staying in his own house and sleeping in his own bed and will be watched by his "aunts Emily and Allison"  (they sure love him like a nephew) and then his Nana Jill for some of the weekend as well.  I'm sure he will be a little confused when he wakes up without us here but I'm sure he will do fine.  We debated back and forth whether or not to bring him and at the stage he is in now I think the flight would be enough of a trip for me.  He just hardly wants to sit still and we have a connecting flight on the way there.  Noah would want to run wild in that airport, I'm not cut out for that right now.  Also my grandma is a busy bee and has a lot planned for us out there.  Noah would be missing naps or bedtime or one of us would have to skip out to get him back to the house.  I just thought this would be good for us to get away and have some fun and try to be stress free.  We have crazy weeks/months ahead and I know once baby #2 gets here I will find it pretty much impossible to leave both of my kids for awhile.   With all the weddings this summer we also aren't taking any trips and saving our money so this is it for this year so we will make it all we can.

 We will miss Noah like crazy and this will be the longest we have been away but I know we will survive and hopefully he will be excited to see us when we get back.  Monday night I'm sure the flight home will kill me because I will be so anxious to see him.  Bad part is it doesn't get to St. Louis until 5 pm and thats if it's on time.  After we wait for luggage and get home we might have already missed him before he goes down for bed but will do our best to get home as soon as we can!  Have a great Easter weekend everyone!

It's a Boy!!

As you can see, we are definitely having another boy!  I am truly excited, I think so many people think I really wanted a girl since we already have a boy.  I see so many good things with having 2 boys though.  They will be close so can be great playmates for each other (hopefully).  I'm sure I will have days where they will have me wanting to pull my hair out but I can't wait to see them playing and growing up together.  Second another boy is so much better for our budget.  With buying a new house and stuff for it, and not expecting to have another baby this year things will definitely be tighter than other years so this will be good.  This baby might be able to wear some of Noah's stuff but a lot of it will probably be off seasons a little however after this year we should be set since Noah is now to the age where he is staying in stuff longer.  Plus girl clothes are so cute and irresistable so I won't be as tempted to buy as much.  Now we just have to come up with a name.. The hard part, I have a list of names I like but none of them have good meanings and that just really means a lot of Matthew so we will see what we come up with. 

On another note all looks great.  Baby was in a ball and at first she said she didn't know if she would be able to tell.. I panicked a little I just had to know but then she saw it almost right away.  That was the only thing he wanted to show off was his little boy part.  Everything else he tried to keep hidden.  They couldn't get a good look at the spine, brain and everything they really wanted to but said it all looks good from what they could see. Baby is 11 ounces and right on track.  I'm hoping he stays that way and doesn't grow into a 9lb baby like his brother.   I gained 3 lbs since my last visit 4 weeks ago, bummer.  I have already gained more than  I wanted.  Sooo frustrating.  I gained way too much with Noah and really wanted to keep it down this time, especially since I didn't loose all my weight from him.  We have been so busy and have had so much going on, I just haven't had time to work out like I wanted .  Now with the next month my time is still looking pretty slim.  Also I'm still extremely tired, I don't remember it sticking around this long and this bad last time.  However I realize this is a different pregnancy and things are different with each one so this one I think is just more calm and wants me to get more rest.  This one already seems a lot less active.  That could easily change in the next few weeks though.  My goal for the next few weeks is just to keep my sanity and get some workouts in and get my weight back on track for the rest of my 20 weeks.  I can't believe I am already halfway there and hopefully maybe a little more.  ( still hopefully for a baby a little earlier)