Two pretzels down, one up....

For those that missed the big announcement on facebook, this is why I have been MIA for the past several weeks.

After being completely shocked that I was in fact pregnant. So shocked that I called my oldest sister to see if she could grab me a box of pregnancy tests at Target before coming over. But not because I really thought I was pregnant, but because I get too antsy, and use up every single one if I am a minute late.

But surely, I was not pregnant yet...I had just weaned Bennett like two days prior. I had already taken several tests and they were negative. And I had convinced myself that this wasn't going to be "the" month.

She giggled, mainly because of how ridiculous it would look for a very obvious pregnant woman to be purchasing a box of pregnancy tests. But she did anyways, because she is like that. Always helping out her crazy, scatter-brained little sister. However, she had one condition....she had to be the one to read the test. So I did my thang, handed it to her and went to the kitchen, mumbling not to get too excited because it was going to be negative anyways.

And then she came out, and with a straight face said, "Well, I have the results".....and with some tears in her eyes, she half whispered, half squealed...."You're PREGNANT!"

And then we stood in the middle of my kitchen screaming, jumping up and down while hugging one another....all the while gathering quite the audience of little wondering eyes as to why their moms where making such a ruckus.

We're going to have another baby! Once again, God has completely blessed us with His timing, and we could not be any more grateful for this beautiful gift.

We shared the news with the boys later on. And Cole took it upon himself ti investigate where this so-called-baby really was. While Bennett just stood there saying "Mo" (No) over and over again....Mmmhmm.....just as I suspected. Someone isn't quite so keen on handing over his baby reigns just quite yet......hopefully we can warm him up to it within the next 9 months......

The first few weeks after finding out, was hard not to blurt it to everyone I passed. And I felt so good, like really, really good. I seemed to have leaps and bounds of energy. I kept thinking, is this normal? Maybe the test was a fluke. But my belly seemed to be expanding at a rapid pace.

And then week 6 rolled around...no more like hit me with a vengeance. I have never been so sick in my life! And that growing belly is no more, first time in all my pregnancies that the weight didn't start hopping on the second the test turned positive. Also, the first time I have actually had to rely so heavily on the toilet being within a close proximity.

And food....lets not even go there. I really didn't think it was possible to have aversions to absolutely everything that could be consumed. Except for pretzels and seltzer water. Those were my saving graces....that is, until yesterday. Pretzels are no longer on the good list and come up as quickly as they go down.

Bennett takes it upon himself to  follow me into the bathroom, squeeze between the wall and the toilet and mimic me...and then he laughs, like it's some kind of entertainment. And when I am finished he then resumes my position in front of the toilet and pretends to pick up where I left off. Oh Bennett, thank you for helping me find the giggles in the midst of this!

This little one is definitely making itself known, and despite the ick, it has brought us so much joy already. We have already started dreaming what he/she is going to look like, what they are going to be like, and whether they will bring lots of pink or more blue! And would you believe we actually have names picked, agreed upon, and ready to be written on that sweet birth certificate?! Usually we are going back and forth up until delivery, so this my friends, is kind of a miracle in itself.

Also, contrary to what many are thinking. No, we were not "trying" to have a girl. No, we would not be disappointed with another boy. And yes, we are ready to welcome whatever God has created just for this family. Either way, boy or girl, my heart could not be more joyous. The thought of a little girl with two adoring big brothers makes me want to burst! But the thought of another rough and tumble boy makes me smile with such delight. There just isn't an ounce of disappointment either way. How could there be...I mean, I will get to breathe in baby skin, and snuggle baby wrinkles, and have a milk-coma-baby sprawled all over me. I'm just so happy, and grateful that we get the opportunity to experience all of the firsts again. And soak them up, because they will probably be the last firsts.

So there, I spilled our secret that has been bubbling up in my heart for the past 3 weeks. I've never been good at waiting until the recommended 13 weeks. And I'm still getting over the shock that we will be a family of 5. FIVE. That's a good number, it just might be my new favorite number. 3 sweet babes, they have my heart.

Already.

Even the one that's making me all barfy. Totally worth it. :)

A little bit of life

That's what we've been doing around here. Living, breathing, loving, laughing.....and a little crying (or a lot per Bennett, I think he struck a new record for longest and loudest screaming fit today. And all because I wouldn't let him drink out of a water cup that was his friend's from earlier this morning....and it was most definitely the stupidest of stupid ideas for me to offer him a nice, sparkly clean cup of his own....)

So yes, we are living a lot of life lately. And some of that living came in the form of Cole finishing up his first round of swimming lessons. He did awesome when it came to the swimming part.....and not so awesome in the listening and obeying part. Someone found himself sitting on the edge of the pool in a "timeout" because he wouldn't stop splashing his teacher. In his defense, there were 2 other boys that seemed to feed off of each other, but he probably should have wound up sitting on the edge of the pool more than just the once. Way to make your parents look good kid!

At least he did some flexing to warm up before class....kind of made up for the splashiness....

Or not, but his teacher kept commenting on how relaxed he was while floating on his back, and said that was pretty unusual for first time class takers.

And he passed, and now we are gearing up for round two probably within the next month or so.

Last week we had a day where we actually had no plans so we ventured out to go explore some of our new surroundings. And went to go hike a national wildlife reserve. Who knew there were so many cool places practically in our backyard. Cole loved it and kept talking about his "adventure" and grabbed a pamphlet, read the directions, and told us to be on the look out for Polar bears and Hippos.....not sure what wild, antarctic safari he thought he was on, but we went with it. And we all kept our eyes peeled, just in case.

While we didn't have much luck on hippo sightings we found lots of turtles, birds, a rat looking thing, and two beautiful deer that sat munching away just a few feet from us.

And here is our little adventurer, loving running wild in the great outdoors.

He was quite unhappy when we had to turn around and make the trek back to the car, and kept trying to convince us to go find more turtles, and no, he didn't need a nap, and that sure, daddy was perfectly fine hiking around with Bennett on his back and him on his shoulders (peace of cake).

And geez, you think Bennett could be any clearer about how he was feeling about the situation?

 

 And dad of the year award goes to.... this guy.

Seriously, I love living life with him and our boys. They make it so easy to do, and so not boring.

Always Macaroni

When you ask Cole what he wants for dinner, it's always macaroni and cheese. Whenever he asks what we are having for dinner, I will tell him, and then he says, "Macaroni and cheese?"

He also told me this morning that he was playing dress-up. He was buck naked, holding 3 chop sticks and putting on his boots...... (I refrained from taking pictures, as I fear I have already plastered that nakey boy on here more than I should...but know that it was a really hilarious sight!) 

You have to take a lot of what he says with a grain of salt....however, not with his mac and cheese addiction, when he says that's what he wants---that's what he wants.

He doesn't get terribly excited about anything other than those noodles and cheese. So, I actually serve it often. Only, I try to avoid the box when possible....and sneak in veggies when I can.  So far these have been some top contenders on the loveable scale.

The Pioneer Woman's Mac and Cheese......it's the Pioneer Woman for goodness sake, of course it's good. And of course it doesn't skimp on the butter, cream and cheese...but it is sooooo good! This is usually the recipe I bring to friend's after a baby is born (especially if they have other children) because it is a recipe that will be demolished by all. However, it is a bit labor intensive, which is why I usually skip this for a simple weeknight meal.Maybe it's just me, but I find it hard to make a good roux, without burning while simultaneously breaking up lego scuffles, convincing one child to share with other child, and wiping snot and tears every 5 seconds.....dinner prep time usually turns into war zone....

So then I found this recipe, and it solved all my problems.  You can even make it ahead of time (aka during nap time) and pop it in the oven for dinner. Plus, it includes some hidden broccoli--perfect!

Skinny Baked Macaroni and Cheese: I have yet to try a recipe on Skinnytaste that isn't great, and they are all nutrition packed meals. Both boys gobbled this one up.

But then, we tried this recipe last week. And it was a different take on stove top mac and cheese. And if you are looking for something that is just as quick and convenient as the boxed variety....this is for you! It's a little different tasting one, but was a nice change of pace for this mama. And the boys seemed to think it was pretty good.

Cole even asked me to take a picture of his after he dug in.....

I'm telling you, he has a future in food styling. :)

Here is the recipe I used ( Creamy Greek Yogurt Mac and Cheese), the only thing I did differently was I threw in some Parmesan and little extra cheese to please the cheese eaters, oh, and I forgot to grab some spinach so I chopped up some kale super fine (to which Cole quickly proclaimed that he didn't ask for salad....to which I said, it's not. And then threw it in all stealth like.) While boiling the pasta,  I quickly mixed up the rest of the ingredients so that I just had to dump it all in at the end, and mix just like you would with any boxed kind. See, soooo easy! 

I hope this helps those of you who are like me and get requests for mac n cheese and ONLY mac n cheese day in and day out. Makes it interesting, a little more healthy, and the kiddos satisfied.

Win-win.