I Can't Sleep!

Good morning all!  I am closing in on my 38th week of this pregnancy...which means I can't sleep!  I wake up a few million times a night to use the restroom, but when that 5 am potty break comes around, I am up for the long haul.  No complaints on my end...I know it comes with the territory.  This morning, I've paid bills, ordered stuff off of Amazon, sent a few emails and spent some sweet moments with this active baby.  Hopefully a nap will be in my future today!

So, in the interest of time and convenience, I'm going to go for a photo dump from my camera, so I can be caught up before Baby O arrives.  David has tons of AWESOME pictures on his camera from our beach trip, so I'll blog about that once I get his photos downloaded!

David and I enjoyed our first (of many) Mother's Day and Father's Day celebrations at school this year.  It is so special to spend that one on one time with our kids and the preschool did a really nice job of honoring the parents.

 Since Noah's birthday is in the summer, we had a "school birthday" for him in May!  The kids enjoyed the cupcakes and Noah enjoyed a little extra attention!

 My good friend Rebekkah threw me a diaper dinner in May.  We had a great time chatting about all things baby, and David and I got a great start on our diaper collection!  I am so thankful for my friends!!!!!  Notice how many of my friends have baby bumps.  There are going to be so many newborns around these parts!

 My baby boy's last day of preschool.  He'll turn 5 this Friday.  I don't want to talk about it!!!!

For Noah's birthday, we took him to Georgia Aquarium.  We will do a little pool party on his actual birthday, but we wanted to make this 5th birthday extra special.  He loved the aquarium!  I mean, the kid was upset when we had to leave. It was so nice to see him interested in every fish there.  He was a bit concerned before we got there...he doesn't like the unknown, but he settled right in and enjoyed every minute of it!

The sharks were the on both of the boys' priority list.  Noah really wanted to see the shark's teeth.  There were plenty of sharks for them to enjoy!

 Waiting for the 3D Show!

 My big boy!  Gavin was done at this point!

Our aquarium group and our family photo op!

I am 30!

I know everyone says they never thought they'd be a certain age or they can't believe this is what a certain age feels like.  Well, I never thought I'd be 30 and I certainly didn't think this is what I would feel like, look like, or think like at 30.  I guess I never thought I would be out of my 20's...I figured I'd stay 27 or 28 forever.  I don't feel like I look any different than I did at 23...I am wrong.  I don't know what I expected, but I don't feel as old as I know some (younger) folks think that I am.

I do know that God has incredibly blessed me at this ripe, young age of 30.  Jesus has saved my soul. Period. My husband rocks.  He is my soulmate and my best friend.  Noah and Gavin light up my life.  They are both so different, but they are each such a part of me.  I have a sweet angel watching over me in heaven and another on the way.  I want to hold this baby SO bad!  My parents are my biggest fans and best friends.  They know me so well and love me better than I can imagine.  My big brother is one of my dearest friends.  He challenges me to think about things in different ways and from different perspectives, can play a mean game of Rummikub, and can make me laugh like no other.  I truly enjoy and appreciate both of my sister-in-laws and would consider them two of my best friends.  My nieces and nephews are such treasures to me, and I wish I could see them more than I do.  And yes folks, I really do LOVE my in-laws and enjoy being around them.  I know there aren't many people that can say that!  The list could go on and on about the blessings of my extended family, my close friends (near and far), and my church.  God has SO outdone Himself with blessings that I do not deserve.  I pray that as a look ahead, I will relish and dwell on these blessings and leave the pessimistic part of me behind.  God is good and I am grateful!

I had a week of celebrations for the big occasion.  It started with the traditional trip to Skips and the Braves game.  Then, I had a great birthday supper with friends and family!  I asked for money and manual labor for my birthday and everyone delivered.  A couple of weekends ago, dad and David worked tirelessly in the front yard!  It looks amazing!

Thanks again to everyone for making my 30th extra special!  You've made the trip out of my 20's a little easier.  

Baseball Fever

Baseball is here and I am feeling it!  I LOVE the Braves and have even enjoyed a going to a couple of Clemson baseball games since we have lived here.  It has been a recent tradition for us to go to the Braves game for my birthday.  This year the game just happened to be on opening day.  Wow!  We had perfect seats, perfect weather, perfect food, and we won!  It was a great evening...even though I was celebrating turning 30!

The festivities for opening day are awesome!  Chipper lead the team out onto the field during a fireworks display, the giant American flag...it was a great environment!

 The boys were ready to catch some foul balls!

 The men!  

 Mimi and the boys

Family photo op!

 Our silly pose...Gavin chose to act asleep!

I had to include this picture of a random stranger.  This man was at the game all by himself with a 3 month old baby.  He stayed until the very last inning (which was over around 11:15 pm).  She was an angel the entire time.  I can just imagine the conversation with his wife went something like, "You aren't going to the game unless you take her with you."  To which he replies, "We'll see you later!"  What a devoted fan!

Preschool Fun!

It's hard to believe that our first year of preschool is coming to a close.  Overall, the experience has been extremely positive, and I feel like Noah has grown a lot as an individual over the past year.  We are excited that he will be attending half day Kindergarten there next year and his best bud will be in his class again!

They have A LOT of field trips, extra activities, etc. at the preschool.  Here are some photos from the Easter egg hunt. 

Noah's teacher, Mrs. Kiser, is a phenomenal artist and jewelry maker.  Close to the end of the year, the students do an art unit that teaches them about different mediums, artists, materials, etc.  I was highly impressed at the work these 4 and 5 year olds created!

 Noah's favorite piece was his self portrait.  He is attempting to imitate the face he drew!
                                                           

Preschool has been a lot of fun.  I am definitely looking forward to less of a routine this summer, but know that by August, it will time for us to get back on a schedule!  

Jesus Has Risen!

We had a wonderful Easter celebration this year. We spent the beginning of the weekend at David's parent's house relaxing and spending time with some extended family. Then, after the Masters concluded on Saturday, we headed back to our house, so David could go to bed...he had to be up at 4:30 am on Sunday! FCC had 3 services that were Spirit-filled and powerful. A lot of David's family were able to join us which was extra special. We had a family lunch, then spent the day relaxing, watching golf and enjoying the beautiful weather!

We attempted to get a family picture before David headed for a much needed nap. I am glad we got it, but it won't be a framer. Does anyone else feel pretty decent about your "size" when you're pregnant, but then, you see a picture of yourself and that all goes out the window?

After nap, we had the traditional Easter egg hunt. Aren't they growing up? Noah is obsessed with belts and tucking his shirt in. He also loves a tie...that was a battle he didn't win today!

My THREE children...I can't believe we are only 10 weeks away from having our next one! Yikes! Some days I don't think I'm cut out for handling two. Lord, give me the strength and patience!

The traditional bunny cake. He was struggling this year, but at least the tradition is kept alive!

Dying Easter eggs with Grammy.

Jesus is so good to me and Easter is always a perfect reminder of why I worship Him. Thank you Jesus for your forgiveness, grace and continual mercy. We celebrate You!

Our Zoo Trip (Minus the Animals)

As I stated in Gavin's birthday post, we headed to the Atlanta Zoo for his 3rd birthday this year. The day was beautiful and the zoo was crowded. Thankfully, we have great friends that live close by, so they joined us for a celebration. David took a lot of pictures of animals, but I will not be sharing those...I always think that's a waste of a picture. I mean, I like the animals and all, and the boys loved the pandas, but I'm a people person at heart. So, here's our zoo trip in picture form.

Thanks so much to our friends and family for joining us. Gavin is a special little boy and y'all sure made him feel that way! It was so fun to have all of our kids together too. That doesn't happen as often as I wish it could! Happy Birthday Gavin, again!