Eggs & Donuts

On the Saturday before Easter, I was so excited to take LG to her first egg hunt! I found a hunt at a school in our town that was divided by age groups so our time slot was the earliest, but that worked perfectly since she's usually up early anyway.

I found a cute bucket at the Dollar Tree for her to use for collecting eggs because my childhood bunny basket is a bit big for carrying around.

I laid out her clothes with her bucket and a new bunny sippy cup Friday night before heading to bed and she was so excited to see it when she woke up!

We had our typical oatmeal and yogurt for breakfast and then got dressed and ready for the hunt!

When we arrived, we still had a few minutes before go time so we were able to see the Easter Bunny before the line got really long.

She wasn't too sure about him the first time around, but did sit on his lap without tears. He gave her a lollipop which helped, I'm sure!

Then she decided she really liked him so we got in line again! This time she gave him a high-five and a fist bump (the teens at church taught her how to do it!) then got a little teary when we had to say good-bye!

Then it was time for the hunt! 

She was ready to fill her bucket like we had practiced at home!

She really understood the concept and finished the hunt with at least half a bucket full! Not bad for her first try!

After all the eggs were collected, she sat and admired her prizes and candy.

She is a fan of sweet tarts! :)

After we were finished, I realized I had forgotten to put her bunny ears on that I had packed in the diaper bag so she wore them to our next stop, the post office.

Needless to say, she was quite the hit especially with an elderly lady in line ahead of us.

Once we finished at the post office, this pregnant mama was hungry so we stopped for a little snack at Dunkin before heading to the park!

LG picked a Peeps donut, and I had a breakfast sandwich.

It was a gorgeous day so we made the best of it and spent over an hour at the park!

This girl is a sliding machine! 

We ended up running into some friends from church while we were there and she had a blast playing with Faith and Ethan and their dad, Mel.

Later that evening, after a nap, of course, it was time for our final Easter themed activity!

Dyeing eggs!

I opted to do it on the porch just in case things got a little messy! ;)

Before we started, I let her draw on the eggs with crayons.

It didn't end up showing up very well after we dyed them, but she had fun so it was worth it!

She loved dropping the eggs into each color (a few times over!)!

Her finished product actually turned out really pretty!

She was so proud of herself!

After that it was time for a bath!

We had such a wonderful day!!

21 and 22 weeks with our sweet Liam!

I am 23 weeks today so catch up is definitely in order! 

So here's the bump date for twenty-one and twenty-two weeks!

Size of Baby:  Our little man is about the size of a spaghetti squash! He now has tiny tooth buds beneath his gums!

Total Weight Gain/Loss:  I haven't gotten on the scale recently, so I'm sure it's more than the +22 pounds I had gained the last time I did! 

Maternity Clothes: After looking at every store in town for an Easter dress, Daniel sugggested I try 

Easter Sunday! Next year, we'll have our baby boy for pictures!

Motherhood Maternity. I typically avoid it because it's usually pricey, but they had a buy one get one sale so I got my Easter dress and another dress, as well! :)

Gender:  It's a BOY!! Our sweet Liam Daniel :)

Movement: This past Thursday, he was finally moving enough for me to see my belly moving with him! I actually tried to catch it on video so Daniel could see it (since he moves so little and has yet to let his Daddy feel him!) , but of course he was finished by the time I got the camera ready!

Sleep:  Sleeping pretty well. 

What I miss:  Nothing! Pregnancy is such a wonderful thing!

Cravings: Nothing specific this week!

Symptoms: Other than nosebleeds and heartburn,  I feel great!

Bought this shirt on clearance years ago and never took the tags off until this week!

Best moment this week:  Seeing my belly move as he wiggled inside! So reassuring! 

He is Risen!

What a beautiful Resurrection Day we had here in Jersey on Sunday! The weather was gorgeous! The slight chill in the air was hardly noticeable since the sun was shining so brightly!

It's one of the few holidays that we aren't able to go "home" to visit with our families so that makes it a little less hectic and more low-key than any other holiday for our family.

Before heading to church, Londyn Grace was excited to see what treats were waiting in her basket downstairs!

I used my childhood basket for LG again this year. My Mom Mom made it for me years ago and I used it nearly every Easter until getting married! (Yes, my mama still did a basket for me when I was in my twenties! :) )

A girl after her Mama's own heart! She loves Peeps! 

Her new adirondack chair was a steal at Wal*Mart for only $4.97! Her basket was filled with bubbles, sidewalk chalk, fruit pouches, a necklace and bracelet, a small magna doodle, Peeps, and easter eggs with jelly beans inside. She also got a puzzle and bath cups along with a new dress. 

After she played with her goodies, we had breakfast and then got dressed for church! 

How precious is her smocked bunny dress?!

She is such a sweetheart!!

It's amazing how much she has grown since last Easter!!

After church we came home and had our Easter meal. 

Tulips on the table make me happy! Especially in a mason jar!

Londyn Grace actually slept through dinner and had hers after her nap, but Daniel and I enjoyed the ham, homemade mashed potatoes, crockpot mac and cheese, and corn I prepared. I also made a chocolate pudding pie for dessert.

After evening service, a sweet friend was able to snap a family picture of the three of us. Goosey wouldn't smile, but I still love it!

Daniel took these pictures of LG and I! It's so rare that I'm actually in a picture with her since I'm usually taking them!

I love my girl!

It was a beautiful day celebrating our Risen and Returning Lord!

It's exciting to think about us being a family of four next Easter!

Milestones

Little Miss Londyn Gracie Girl has been sleeping in her crib a lot lately and several nights has made it all the way through without waking! This is a huge deal for all of us as we have always co-slept. Lately she is going to sleep between 8:30-9:00 and sleeping until around 7:00 each morning! Her room is only a few feet from ours and we have an adjoining doorway so she's still very close, but being in her own bed is a big milestone for her! We've loved every minute of having her snuggled between us, but as August is quickly approaching I know we don't have much time before another little joins the party!

Along with sleeping better, we are preparing to hit another big milestone! We are ready to tackle potty training! 

Monday, LG asked to sit on the potty twice, and while she didn't go, I was excited that she was showing interest! I had planned to start training this month so that we have a few months to work at it before Liam is born, but I was nervous as to how she would respond! 

I grabbed a nine dollar cushioned potty seat at Wal*Mart since she doesn't seem to like the feel of the handmade super cute wooden potty chair my grandmother bought for her. I guess comfort is a priority for this girl!

Yesterday after breakfast, she was showing signs of going so I quickly sat her on the new seat with her It's Potty Time book that my mom found at TJMaxx several months ago. 

She loved that there is a ducky in her book and duckies on her new seat! 

How precious are those little feet crossed like that?! 

Can we stop for a second and talk about the bathroom?! Circa 1970's mustard yellow!! Floral linoleum on the walls, matching mustard tile and toilet! Well the toilet did match until the toilet seat cracked and we had to replace it! Let's just say that mustard yellow is no longer in production so standard white it is! It's the only room in our house that hasn't been updated and we actually don't use it very often since it's an extra bathroom just off the laundry room, but it's just more convenient to have her go in there so we are not making the trip up and down the stairs a million times a day! 

She was so proud of herself when she went in the potty! Mama was pretty proud, too!

I'm sure she will kill me for snapping (and sharing!) these pictures when she's grown, but I just couldn't help myself!

How did you ladies tackle potty training? Any tips or suggestions?!

20 weeks {halfway to meeting our baby boy!}

Here we are at 21 weeks, and I haven't posted an update since 17 weeks. I did type my 18 and 19 week posts, but they are still sitting in my draft folder unpublished! Anyways, last week marked a big milestone in this pregnancy! We are officially halfway to meeting our baby boy! Actually if he decides to follow in his sister's footsteps and come early, we are over halfway! 

Size of Baby:  Our little man is about the size of a banana. He's practicing his swallowing skills! We actually saw proof of this during our last ultrasound! 

Total Weight Gain/Loss:  +22 pounds

(0ne day shy of 21 weeks!)

Maternity Clothes: Wearing mostly maxi skirts, tanks and sweaters. This week's challenge will be finding an Easter dress!

Gender:  It's a BOY!! Our sweet Liam Daniel :)

Movement: FINALLY!!! After the Gender Reveal was over and all of our guests had left, I sat down in the recliner to rest when I finally distinctly felt Liam moving for the first time!! What a relief! He is still much less active than Londyn Grace was in the womb, but I'll take what I can get!

Sleep:  Sleeping pretty well. 

What I miss:  Nothing! Pregnancy is such a wonderful thing!

Cravings: Nothing specific, but eating a lot!

Symptoms:  Really feeling good! Praise the Lord!

Best moment this week:  Finding out that we are adding blue to our household in August, finally feeling our baby boy move, and starting on the nursery now that I know the gender! 

His Name & the Reveal Video

We've had a wonderful Sunday! After church this morning, we celebrated the news of our little boy with a yummy lunch at the new Italian place in town. It was the first time in 18 months that LG fell asleep somewhere other than in my arms being rocked or in her carseat! She was literally eating spaghetti one minute and zonked the next, fork in hand! She slept the afternoon away which is also unheard of for her, but meant Daddy and I got a nap, too, before heading back to church tonight!

It is slowly sinking in that we are having a son, so I wanted to share his name tonight! Choosing our boy's name was easy this time around because we both loved the name we were going to use for Londyn Grace had she been a boy. We stuck with it as a first, but debated a bit about the middle name before settling on the middle name we were going to use for her as well. 

So without further adieu, baby number two's name is 

Liam Daniel

Liam is a name we both loved, and Daniel is of course after his Daddy!

We are so looking forward to August and meeting our little man!

Here's the video from the big moment in case you're interested! 

Thank you so much for all your sweet comments and love on the reveal post from yesterday! Be sure to check it out if you haven't yet!

It's Time {Baby #2's Gender Reveal}

As soon as I saw those two pink lines back in December, I started thinking about the gender reveal party! Londyn Grace's reveal was such an amazing experience and the pictures and video we have from it are such treasures! I knew we would definitely do it again with this babe!

I scheduled my ultrasound for this past Monday, and we went as a family since it was Daniel's day off! Seeing our sweet baby again was so much fun. I took an envelope along that had a card tucked inside of it for the tech to check little miss or little mister off on so we wouldn't know the gender until Saturday with everyone else. She found and was certain of the gender pretty quickly making Daniel second guess his certainty of adding more pink to our household! With LG's ultrasound, it took the tech awhile to be certain.

I spent the rest of the week preparing for the party! The theme was "It's Time!"

I used clocks as decor and my sweet mama made the precious clock cake!

I chose navy blue and pink for the color scheme and added polka dots and chevron for interest. Of course, I had to add in our beloved Scrabble tiles and burlap as well!

I hung this wreath on our front door and guests had to cast their vote as they arrived!

For favors, my sweet little cousin helped me get a box of Hershey bars into theme! We then tied them with baker's twine and stamped a clock onto "burlap" scrapbook paper to finish the look.

The menu consisted of BBQ chicken sandwiches, mac and cheese, meatballs, potato salad, pasta salad, veggies and dip and pretzels and hummus.

We had several family members make the three to four hour drive from back home and then had lots of our church here as well! The house was packed, but the fellowship was sweet!

We even got a picture with both sides of our immediate family!

Londyn Grace had a wonderful day basking in the attention everyone was showering upon her!

After we ate, if was finally time to head to the backyard for the reveal.

I wanted to do something that would be fun for LG so we decided to do balloons and confetti in a big box! We bought a large box from Staples and took it to a party store in town. I also took the envelope and two bags of streamers cut into squares for the confetti. I told the sweet girl at the store to throw away whichever bag she didn't use and to fill the box with whichever color balloons the card inside the envelope indicated!

It ended up being a gorgeous, but windy day so getting the box secured in the tree was a bit tricky!

I was just happy that it wasn't raining since we had a pretty wet week here in Jersey!

Daniel and our dads were able to get it up there and ready for the reveal so it was go time!

Everyone was ready with their phones and iPads! :)

We had the bottom taped with masking tape so we could pull the string and the tape would pull off easily. The top of the box of secured with packing tape since it wouldn't need to be opened and it would need to be stronger in order to keep it in the tree.

As Daniel and I pulled our strings, the string came completely out apart from the tape, but we managed to get it open and confetti started flying!!!

The balloons ended up coming out last and then flying to the side instead of down on us as I had planned, but either way it was perfect!

We are having a baby BOY!!!

Having our family and friends gathered around for this moment and capturing the joy on film (or on a memory card, you get the point! ;) ) means so much to me!!

After we cleaned up the mess (a very BLUE and beautiful mess!), we headed back inside for cake and to open the envelope I had been dying to open!

The tech was kind enough to include proof of her discovery! 

I still can't believe we are having a tiny little mister!!

Stay tuned for a video from our reveal festivities and for the revealing of our son's name!!

(If you haven't already seen it on Instagram!)