Waiting on Baby Pat

She's almost here! She's almost here! I am SUPER excited for our new arrival and thought I'd post a bit on the boys' most recent reactions.
Matthew:
He is absolutely shocked & upset that the baby will be born NAKED. (NO CLOTHES, Mom????)
While he is excited about a baby, he has this idea that she will be quite a bit more mobile & exciting than a newborn.
Every day, he asks if she is "coming tonight".
With every Dr. appointment (which have been weekly for a month), he thinks THAT is the day the Dr. will "take her out".
Matthew has every intention of sharing his monkey with the baby. No, not his REAL monkey, but "new monkey". The one he never really liked anyway.
He is VERY confused about the car seat. The base is installed, but we keep the actual seat in the house. He is perplexed about how she will sit in the base.

Nicholas:
He really has no idea that the baby is "almost here". He is in complete denial that he will soon have his life turned upside down.
His name for the baby is "Emily". That's what he wants to name her.
Nicholas is VERY into "helping" me get everything ready. He spent nearly an hour helping me hang clothes & put away blankets, etc.
He is always telling me what outfits, decorations, etc. he likes for her. "That's cute" or "I don't like that at all".
He hasn't really asked the questions I thought he might (how did she get in your tummy, how will she get out, etc.). He did ask when she "started" in my tummy, but that is the most we've had from him.
He is still a bit worried about this "girl" business - what if she plays with all his toys? What if our house becomes overrun with girl toys? I tried to reassure him that the 6.5 year age difference will pretty much rule out them being "buddies" in the way he is with Math.

The end/beginning of T-ball

Last Saturday was closing ceremonies for T-ball. The season is over and we move on to coach pitch next fall. Nicholas was a little bummed - he truly loves playing baseball! At the "ceremonies" (yes it was a MAJOR to-do. everything IS bigger in TX) Nicholas was surprised by the announcement that he made an All-Star Team! So, here is our new life: we had a 1.5 hour practice Sunday to open the "season", now we have practice every Tuesday & Thursday for 2 hours, every Fri/Sat/Sun in June he has a tournament! Wow. Are we CRAZY or what?!?! Add a new baby to the mix & WHAT WERE WE THINKING?!?!?! Nicholas LOVES it. He has the opportunity to play with (yet another) GREAT coach and some really talented players. As the high for today is 99, I worry about the heat during this "season"... hopefully he can handle it! The hardest part (so far) is the little one... he wants to go to practice too!
Enjoy the pics from above. The top pic is his "participation" trophy from our spring season, the middle picture is of N with BOTH trophies, and the bottom pic is N with his All-Star trophy (just a "congrats for making All-Stars).

New Pics of the Boys

I may be the world's cheapest mom... I LOVE new pics of my kids, but hate paying a photographer. They grow & change so quickly! So... my mom & mother-in-law helped me out by finding a white sheet & black sheet for me to use as "backgrounds". (Side note: I do NOT believe in ironing. These sheets were SO wrinkly!!!)
Here is my attempt at cute kid pics.

Updated Mother's Day Pic

So... not the best. I am overly critical of myself, to be sure. But I adore having pics with the boys on Mother's Day. So here are my two "favorites" if you can call it that!

Happy Mother's Day!

My intention was to post a completely adorable picture of me + the boys. Unfortunately, one has a fever and isn't wearing "real" clothes today, the other has his eyes closed in most of the pictures, and the Mom is feeling pretty gigantic compared to her little dudes. So... maybe we'll try again later!
Being a mom is the hardest job, but I wouldn't trade it for the world. Today I wish my own mom a VERY Happy Mother's Day. It's amazing how much more you appreciate your mom after you become one yourself... :)
We've had a pretty great day - homemade cards + an incredibly confusing puzzle created by N, breakfast tacos made by Dad, church with the non-sicko, chocolate covered strawberries, time with hubby, movie with friends, and then grilling with the family. Great day. Love my family.

T-ball Rocks!

On Saturday, Nicholas had potentially the best game of his oh-so-long t-ball career! I am so proud of him and how much he has improved! He was partially responsible for all 3 outs in 1 inning, and also had a hand in several other outs during the game. Much to our joy, the little dude loves baseball!

Easter Fun

The boys had fun searching for Easter Eggs in the backyard! It was a bit impromptu... I've had a hard time gearing up for these things!

Breaking My Heart

Nicholas is really into "making books". I give all the credit to his Kindergarten teacher - she has really inspired him to the point where he wants to become an Author/Illustrator. A month or two ago, he brought home some paper with holes punched in the side and asked for a way to "put it together'. We found some yarn, and his newest creation was born.

This book is called "Big Brother Nicholas and Littel Brother Matthew". (spelled like he wrote it)
I previously read the first chapter, and beginnings of the second chapter, but the book is now finished. After reading the words he wrote, tears were unavoidable.

I still have many moments where I contemplate packing it all in & heading back to our old life & friends. I miss them. I miss the comfort and familiarity of our old life. There are some girls that I would give just about ANYTHING to hang out with - grab some coffee, watch the kids play, try on swim suits and give honest opinions. I guess I never thought my kiddo still had moments too.

Here is the text from Chapter 3 (referring to our "big move" and life in preschool with "no friends" in his class - specifically no best friend "R")
Then I made some friends. It was a very long year for me. It allso was a very fun year. Now I am in Kindergarden. Only two of my friends in my class are my real friends.

(I included some text from the next page, Chapter 4).

Oh the tears. Real friends? Long year? He is only 6. What should he know about these things already?
Sigh. So we move on. It was a long year for me too, buddy. I, too, have found out a lot about real friends. And I miss the ones who aren't close in distance anymore, but still very much in my heart.