Opening ceremonies

Last night we went to the Nickell's for dinner and the opening ceremonies for the Olympics.  Heather planned and made a yummy dinner that included food from different countries to help us get in the spirit!

Here is the menu and where all the food is from.

Although I was dissapointed in the ceremony it was still a fun and enjoyable evening.  The kids had funny comments to make about some of the things in the ceremony and had us all laughing. It is crazy to think that last Olympics Natalie had just been born and now she is 4 and that is how Emery will be when the 2016 Olympics come! Speaking of Emery today is her due date and so far it doesn't seem like she will be making an appearance.



Pirate Ship

This happened a couple weeks ago but I thought it was so cute that it was still worth sharing and seeing as it's 1:00am and I can't sleep, now seemed like the perfect time to post! Jonah had been playing with the boys in the other room one Sunday evening and suddenly the boys were transformed into pirates! They proudly came out to show off their best pirate impressions and costumes to the rest of us.  We still had the big box from our stroller in the house and Jonah soon had it fashioned into a pirate ship! Right before the Nickells had to leave for the night Micah some how talked his Uncle Jonah into getting dressed up and into the boat too. What a great uncle!! 

The Waiting Game

It is officially one week until Emery is due!! I've been having dreams about her recently and they've all been short but so good, she has just been the sweetest, squishiest little girl ever and I all want to do is squeeze her! I can't wait for that to actually be able to happen. So far I haven't noticed any "signs" that she's coming soon but I'm hoping it will be sometime this week! She has been moving around like crazy the past few weeks and finally figured out how to kick my ribs.  I was hoping I would make it through without her doing that but at least she waited this long to start doing it.  Over all I think I'm doing pretty well and while I'm eager to not be pregnant any more I have a better attitude about it now then I did a couple weeks ago. But I still hope she comes sooner rather than later!!

A New Addition!

Nope, she is not ours, but we love her all the same. Last night at around 10:50 p.m., my little sister Monique gave birth to a beautiful baby girl! Her name is Marlynn Grace Garner, she was 8 pounds 6 ounces and about 19 inches long. This morning we stopped by to drop some lovin' on her and snapped some photos. So enjoy the cuteness!

Full Term!!

Today I am 37 weeks! This is what the website we've been looking at for our weekly updates says for this week: "Your baby is now considered "full term," even though your due date is three weeks away. If you go into labor now, her lungs will likely be mature enough to fully adjust to life outside the womb. Your baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard)." We can't believe we've finally made it to full term, many times it seemed like I would never get to this point! I've almost finished packing our hospital bag, we're planning on putting the car seat in tomorrow, we've taken our birthing class, and all her clothes are washed and organized, now we're just waiting for her to come!  

Fourth of Julys

That's right folks. You heard me correctly. Multiple Fourth of Julys! The Fourth just happens to be my favorite holiday of the year. Taking a bunch of hoo-ha from Christmas lovers is of small consequence. So, in order to maximize my Fourth intake, we have two celebrations! Our first is the annual Visalia Rawhide fireworks display on the third. It has become tradition that we have dinner with the family then head to the baseball game. We enjoy sitting in the pasture which is a patch of grass out in right field. A little bit of baseball, some snow cones, some family time, and some fireworks. Not a bad way to start the holiday!

Some treats and a ball game.



Then, the fireworks begin!

The stadium does a great show every year, it is always fun to watch.

The finale at this particular show is one of my favorites.

Then the official Fourth of July party begins! The family cooks up some great food and we hang out in the pool waiting for the sun to go down.

Of course, no party is complete without the God Bless America fruit bowl.

Heather cooked up some yummy pies! Apple and blueberry.

She also made some fun cups for the kids to drink out of.



Since it is my favorite holiday, I have fun hanging out with Isaac and preparing the fireworks for display. We start off with the smaller ones of course, and end with a bang!

That pretty much concludes the celebrations. We always have fun and the next day I am off in my own world trying to figure out how we can make the next day bigger and better. Tune in at this time next year to find out!

Baby Shower #3

On Saturday Heather hosted my final baby shower! It was a nice enough evening to have it outside in her front yard and was a pleasant time all around.

 Emery got a lot of cute clothes, two homemade quilts (the one shown is from Aunt Heather), and other practical things.

I was happy to have some of my closest friends there.

Thanks again Heather for a nice shower and all your support and excitment!