Nate's 2nd Birthday

Big Nate had his 2nd birthday a couple weeks ago!

I love my Nate. He is the passionate, joker, carefree, friendly, chunky monkey of our family.

We just had the usual small family party at our house to celebrate.

There were so many new toys, Nate would be so excited about one, he didn't even care that there were more to open. 

 

Showing us his awesome throwing skills. He actually throws better than 50% of our family. But that's not hard to beat.

Super-giant elephant from Uncle Matt.

Ah yes, the awesome perfectly homemade birthday cake. Decorated to please the eye and the belly.

I know it looks like James' birthday, but I promise it was Nate's!

(How awkward is that "family" sign in the background? A little too perfectly placed.)

Nate loves the cupcakes.

A little too much...

Kenley gets her hugs one way or another!

But Nate and Claire are tight.

At the end of the night, John started popping balloons with a fork. James was scared and ran to the other room. But Nate wanted in on the action!

Hard to believe that this little guy is 2 whole years - and so full of personality!

Much more handsome too, if I can say that.

The Mom and Nate birthday picture -

Wait, this is more like us.....

Happy Birthday Mr. Natester! We're so happy you're in our family!

(This is where Nate would say -in his deep, manly voice- "OH! Oh-tay.")

Pre-Birthday Cupcake Testers

"Somebody" thought red velvet cupcakes would be a great idea for Nate's birthday this year. 

I guess I forgot how boys eat....

 Nate demonstrates how to eat yogurt like a boss...

The first bike!

We got James a new bike as a late birthday present about a week ago.

He. Loves. It.

James rides circles around the deck as much as he can. The first day he got his bike, he spent an entire hour by himself learning how to pedal and get himself unstuck.

James tells everyone about his bike and how he needs to wear his helmet to be safe so he doesn't crash.

Tonight, James taught Nate how to ride the bike.

Nate can't reach the pedals, but the boys had fun driving around.

These pictures remind me of what's coming next.....

Using the Hammers

Mondays we typically have an at-home day to catch up from the weekend. This means that the boys get to stay in their pjs for breakfast and playtime, then have a morning bath. This past Monday, I was upstairs and heard a loud banging sound coming from the playroom.

The boys had their hammers out and were crunching every last piece of cereal on the table. I didn't stop them because of the great entertainment, but I still haven't been able to get all of the crumbs out!

James' First Day of Pre-Preschool

You read that right. Pre-Preschool. Or as I like to call it: pre-pre-pre-pre-pre-school.

We're overachievers over here.

A few weeks ago a few friends and I started a little preschool coop for our 3 year olds. It's been a blast so far and James always looks forward to going.

Keri has a lot more pictures of the day.  Lots of fun!

James' 3rd Birthday - The Party

We had a great 3rd Birthday Party for James-Bug.   (On his birthday... Like, a month ago!)

James got a Nerf gun - it is still a big hit at our house!

Happy 3rd Birthday Jimbo!!

James' 3rd Birthday - The Cake

I'm going back a ways here, but let's be honest... naps are still my priority every time.

John has a thing about homemade birthday cakes for the family. Every year I beg him to let me buy birthday cakes and every year he begs me to make them. He wins, so I at least deck them out as cheesy as possible. Not all traditions need to be works of art!

This year the boys helped me make the cakes. And by make, I mean dump Pillsbury in the bowl and watch the magic happen.

And lick the batter.

Nate didn't quite get the hang of licking the individual beaters. He preferred sticking the entire thing in his mouth and drooling half of the batter down his shirt.

And the fabulous results... Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting - per John's request.

... And Chocolate Cake with White Frosting.

Beauties, eh?

A Carruthers Girl

Super exciting, last week we found out Baby #3 is a girl!

In one of the first ultrasound shots, John and I both definitely saw boy parts, so when it came time to check it out for real, we were shocked to see it was actually a girl. I'm sure the technician knows exactly what she's doing, but I didn't believe her until the second check at the end of the appointment!

 

Creepy-Little-Thumb-Sucker... Who is beautiful in EVERY way!  ;-)

I have to admit, it took me a good 36 hours to get over the shock of having a girl. I prayed for a girl, I asked other people to pray for a girl, I was hoping for a girl, but when it came down to it, a girl adds a totally different vibe to the crazy-Carruthers-testosterone-driven family!

That first night, I was awake most of the night (all of my rational conversations with myself happen in the middle of the night). I was freaking out about choosing a name - we've never considered girl names. I thought I needed to have her entire room decorated and organized in my mind. And I was trying to figure out how I would parent a girl differently than a boy and everything crazy that goes along with that. Eek! Completely rational thoughts at 3:30am, I know.

We've decided she already has Nate's belly.

Now, a few days into this brand new feminine world and we are both STOKED! I can't wait to have a little girl in the family... bring on the new gender-dynamics! And most of all, I'm thanking God for answering my prayers even if it took a few hours for it to really sink in!

New Baby is How Old?

 

14  15 16  Weeks!

I've tried to start this blog post several times over the last few weeks, but every time I get going, I realize I'm too tired - and take a nap instead.

September has been good thus far. New Baby is 16 weeks now. Eek!! I've been on medication for nausea and am slowly not needing to take the drugs. With Nate and James I remember feeling great at 15 weeks, but this baby is taking a little longer. I had also forgotten some of the physical changes a pregnant body goes through. With back-to-back pregnancies last time, I think my body just stayed in baby mode for the entire 2 years.

The exciting part is that I started to feel Baby "swimming" last week. I've only felt it a few times, but it's the best! Next week I'll set up the appointment to find out the gender. Hard to believe it's already that time!

This picture has been edited for your viewing pleasure.  ;-)

In other news, I'm getting life back together. For 13 weeks I was kind of in "survival mode" around here. Children got fed and changed, dog hair got vacuumed, and dishes got done at the last minute so John thought I did something all day... that was about it! Now, lists have come out in full swing and Fall cleaning is well underway.

John and James got hit with a nasty stomach flu bug last week. I felt terribly sorry for James, but I think it may have been good for John to feel a little of what I've been feeling. (I'm SO EVIL!!)  I'm just kidding, I felt bad for John too... really.   :)

James still talks about getting to throw up in the "green bucket". Throwing up, or "coughing in the potty", has become a non-issue at our house. James knew just what to do!

We've implemented a new discipline system also. Time outs taken to a whole new level:

With New Baby coming sooner than we realize, we've also been in the market for a bigger car for me. I adore my Jeep, but it feels small even with just the four of us. As we've test driven some SUV's, the boys have already chosen their spots in the very back seat and have labeled New Baby's spot, Baby Landon, Kenley, and Claire's spots.

James-Bug turns 3 this Saturday! I also realized that this week he moves up into the next Sunday School class... like the one with an actual lesson, craft, songs, and snacks. I remember my days of being a little Jr helper in the 2's and 3's class at church.... kids make you feel so old!

And Nate.... Nate, Nate, Nate. That little man makes me laugh SO MUCH. Right now, he's in the phase of learning to string words together and copying what other people say. Every day he catches me off guard. "Wait, did you just say ....... ?" He's so proud when we hear and understand what he's saying. Just last night, he started singing, "Happy Daaaaay to you!" But, his favorite word by far is: "UN-cle Reed"!

I've also been loving this weather we've been having recently. Cold, foggy, and rainy in the morning then afternoons in the 70's. Perfect introduction to Fall!

Hope your summer was great, because I think it's technically over! Right? I'm pretty sure school has started.  :-)

Wedding Festivities

John's brother got married yesterday. We are SO excited for Reed and Katie. The wedding was beautiful and truly God-honoring. John was best man, I was a bridesmaid, and the boys were ring bearers. Unfortunately, in all the craziness, the only thing I have to prove the entire weekend is an awkward family iPhone photo. :)