Truck-touching

My nephew, Aidan, had a birthday party at an event called Touch-a-Truck in Jackson. Emergency and military vehicles, big-wheels, and heavy machine equipment park in an empty lot and kids are invited to climb inside, ask questions, honk the horns, and explore. 

Easter 2015

Easter passed a while back, but I've been busy, so the pics are late. I got lucky and put the kids in blue, which just happened to match the Bunny.

We attended church and took the obligatory bricked-wall-background photograph with sun-too-bright squishy faces and fancy clothes.

Then I took the kids in my parents' back yard to take a few amateur pictures. I forgot to have Zac photoshop that ugly power line out of there, but he'll do that before I print these.

And pics from home.

Random Update

Jac was baptized March 22. While I'm not super religious, I've been talking to the kids about God and Jesus and reading a devotional book to them once in a while. Jac has been showing interest in Christianity, so we talked to the pastor about him being baptized. He was quite proud of himself and didn't even feel nervous about going under the water.

Last week, Zac had some job training in Louisiana, so we spent the week with Sean in his new house. I was able to trade baby clothes with Keara and visit with her for a while, talking about babies and living in the woods.

I made it to 20 weeks this past Sunday and while things are good with me (my placenta is no longer covering my cervix, yay!), he has two choroid plexus cysts in the middle area of his brain. While I'm told it's nothing to worry about, I'm worrying. With the technology today, compared to what it was when Jac and Leah were babies, it's so updated that things can be detected now that couldn't be then. I could actually see the shape of Eli's heart and see it beating instead of the black area that flutters. I like the details, but it still freaks me out knowing something is there that shouldn't be.

Zac and I have been considering Mom's request of living together yet again, but this time in a house that Zac and I could take over as our own. So, the house would technically be ours and they would be living with us on our terms, but with a comfortable arrangement that we can all be happy with to avoid confrontations. The decision is still up in the air. There are pros and cons, of course, but it would be nice to have a yard, maybe a garden (finally), more space, and knowing my dad is being taken care of with homemade food and a quieter environment. Jac wants his own room and a house note for a three-bedroom or four-bedroom would be cheaper than rent for a three-bedroom. I'm still not sure. We've flip-flopped back and forth with my parents so many times already. I don't think I can do it again. I don't have to have a backyard. I can take my kids to the park or something like we used to do. I still want my beach and if we're thinking about moving again, I want an ocean or mountains to look at.

St. Patrick's Day 2015

We made a special trip to Louisiana to see Jessie and Joey and go to the St. Patrick's Day parade. The kiddos really liked Jessie's bearded dragon.

We wasted money and life went to see the Spongebob movie... I'm not a fan. The kids are, sometimes Zac, but not me. No. But, the kids have been wanting to see it and there aren't many other kid movies playing, plus we haven't been to a movie with them since Frozen.

The littlest dude has been growing rapidly. This pregnancy is flying by so fast, but come July, I'll be wondering why August is taking so long to get here. He's so active, sometimes surprisingly so. Almost halfway there!

It's a...

It's a boy!

Pregnancy Highlights:
How far along: 17 weeks.
Size of baby: Turnip!
Total weight gain/loss: About five pounds gained.
Maternity clothes: Yes.
Gender: Boy!
Movement: All the time.
Sleep: Not sleeping well at night.
What I miss: Nothing right now.
Cravings: Snow cones.
Symptoms: Achey, tired, moody.
Best moment this week: Finding out my Bun is a boy and everything looks great.

My belly is large enough to keep my keyboard tray from sliding out completely, but if I lower my chair at all, it's awkward to type. Woe is me, right?
In unrelated news, it finally snowed. The funny thing is that Wednesday, the weather was around 80 degrees. I wore a tank top to the doctor's office, shorts, and was basically sweating the entire time we ran errands. Add that our AC doesn't work in our car right now. Thursday morning, I woke up to use the toilet and heard what can only be described as typing. Zac was asleep, so I decided maybe it was raining.

WRONG.

Snow everywhere! My frozen-faced pumpkins enjoyed crunching around.

In my hibernation, I've been crocheting things for the littlest pumpkin. Mostly blankets, one of which I made too small so it now belongs to Leah's doll. This is my favorite for now. I'm considering making a pair of booties that look similar. 

Also, I've been looking for a take-home outfit, but have yet to find something perfect. The Disney Store has this completely adorable ensemble and I'm thinking it is probably what I'm going to end up buying, unless I see something better. I wish I had looked for similar outfits when my other two were newbies.

Ten Years Later...

Hello, I'm Amy.

I'm 31 years old.

My husband is Zac. We've been together about 10 years and 7 months. He's my best friend, my other half.

I've been writing in this blog for 10 years, still focusing on the positives.

I still write about somethings, I still write about nothings. Either way, I still like writing and have gotten better at it.

I like playing the ukulele and crocheting.

I love rainbows, nature and alpacas.

My favorite movie is still Edward Scissorhands.

Where did I see myself ten years ago?

Happily married. Check.

Two (almost three!) children. Check.

Living happily ever after. Check.

Valentine's Day 2015

Valentine's Day has passed. It's our 10th. Zac cooked an amazing dinner of steak (my new obsession craving), twice-baked potatoes, homemade broccoli and cheese... oh my. And a nice glass of white grape juice. He's absolutely amazing.

And this year, we weren't able to celebrate Mardi Gras with friends. That didn't stop us from overloading on king cake. No beads, though. We have enough clutter.

The kids have been sick all week. What started out as assumed allergies turned into colds, coughing, fever, barf, and messy poop. It's been lovely. I took the week off homeschooling so they could rest. Luckily, I haven't caught anything yet, though my throat is feeling a little off. I hope it's all gone, like our disinfectant spray now.

I've started feeling baby flutters. It's recognizable compared to bubbles, and so very reassuring. My nausea is completely gone, which is awesome, but I'm still tired enough to take a nap sometime each day. I'm glad my kiddos can entertain themselves for an hour or two while I rest. It's much-needed. I'm also not stuffing my face every 10 seconds.

Random Update. 13 weeks

I've entered my second trimester finally. The nausea has subsided, I've been nesting, and the hunger is manageable. I had another ultrasound at 11 weeks and everything is right on track, but I've got partial placenta previa. My doctor is going to check everything again on the 25th when I go back. Hopefully, they can also tell me if this baby is going to be a boy or a girl.

Pregnancy Highlights:
How far along: 13 weeks
Size of baby: A peach!
Total weight gain/loss: About 2 pounds.
Maternity clothes: Soon. My pants are getting tight.
Gender: Not sure yet.
Movement: Yes! But it's subtle.
Sleep: Not enough. Frequent naps.
What I miss: Energy.
Cravings: Meat... salty meat.
Symptoms: Nesting, tired, moody.
Best moment this week: Hearing a strong heartbeat.

Mom turned 60 over the weekend. She's been thinking of getting her first tattoo. I'm a little hopeful to help her decide on something good.

We finally cleaned out our old apartment and everything is basically finished there. Next, we just need to have a walk-through with the landlady and we'll be set.