Oh the places you'll go....

HAPPY 3rd BIRTHDAY my Mr. MOO!

The first time I looked into your eyes, I knew how special you were!

I admire the strength and the courage you have shown these past few years! As I watch your determined spirit get through the challenges you've faced, I'm in complete awe!

My son, I love you beyond words. I thank you for the opportunity to be your mom. God has showered you with many gifts and I can't wait to see what He has in store for you!

Oh the places you'll go! Oh the places you'll go!

Milestones

Where do I start?

There is so much that takes place in a month and I thought the easiest way to play catch up on our blog would be to highlight some of our latest happenings!

up first....

KENNEDY

my once timid little girl has been working up some major guts lately! With her main man (daddy) by her side, she has entered the arena of soccer! While at times I think ballet is still on her mind, she is enjoying the "fun" aspect of soccer and the fact that her dad is coaching is always a plus.
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another quite REMARKABLE event is that Miss K is training wheel free. Last month when Auntie Evi was in town she decided to take the plunge and ride her bike like a "big girl". It may sound a bit pathetic but I was a little sad about the whole thing...crazy I know. Maybe it's the fact that she is growing before my eyes but this milestone hit me a bit hard! I'm so proud of her!

Here is a link of her very first ride:
http://www.vimeo.com/11814695

on to the next one...

LANDON

my little moo is turning the BIG 3 this weekend and it seriously seems like yesterday that we were bringing him home from the hospital! As many know, Landon has been challenged in his speech and we are still continuing down the road with therapy. Although progress is in an upward direction, at times it seems very slow but I know that we are in this season for a reason! In the last month, God has shown us tremendous favor in his life. After a trip to the ENT doctor, we discovered that Landon needed surgery to remove his tonsils and adenoids. The doctor was shocked at how bad they were and is very optimistic about the long term results of the surgery (better sleep, less colds, and most importantly an increase in speech). We also found a new therapist that offers PROMPT (a speech therapy technique that is very successful with Apraxia). Through this new therapist, I found two women who share the same issues with their children. We will be starting an Apraxia playgroup in hopes of reaching the other parents struggling with the same challenges (I'm super psyched about it!!).

and last in line...

ME and my MAN

with baby numero tres on the way, we had to say goodbye to our good 'ole sedan and hello to the world of minivan! While I never quite pictured myself sporting a minivan (no offense to those die hard minivan lovers) I must say that it has been SUPER convenient! So yes, this means that I'm officially a Soccer MOM!


My mom came to visit last week for Mother's Day and we had a great week! Jared pampered us with pedicures and a beautiful brunch at the O Club. He is quite the charmer!

(sorry Beth! I know this is not that belly shot you were looking for! I swear it's coming soon! Just imagine a BIG dodge ball!)

The pregnancy is continuing to go great. It's hard to believe that I'm 7 plus months! Jared and I are beyond excited to meet our little man! The kiddos already love him to pieces....this includes a dose of belly kisses everyday!

Spring has Sprung!

There is something so amazing about spring. It brings a new found energy and makes those COLD wintry days completely worth it! Spring has arrived in DC and we have been soaking up all of these BEAUTIFUL days.

Going down...down...down

down to downtown

My well traveled Metro riders (the BEST way to travel in DC!)

Ready to dye some eggs mom?

The final producto!

Ice Cream LOVE

She's got that SPRING in her step!

Our first year experiencing the Cherry Blossoms was absolutely beautiful. The wind was blowing and it looked like it was raining flower petals...breathtaking to say the least!

This was the first Easter in three years that we had Jared home. I love... love... love being together and it was so great to see him enjoy all of our Easter festivities this year.

YIPPEE for Easter morning!

In Landon's world, there is no better toy than cars. He lives and breathes anything CARS! He couldn't be happier with the Easter Bunny this year!

We had a wonderful brunch with Papa Raftery on Easter morning

Before heading to the Anderson's for Easter dinner, we took a stroll on the Potomac. The kids adored the pier!

Here's to an amazing Easter weekend spent with family and friends!

Emotions....

If you know me, then you know that I'm extra extra filled with emotions! I've always been that way and at times I can be the biggest cry baby ever! I also know that God designed me to be sensitive and so I try my best to embrace that extra extra packed emotional package He gave me!

This past week, has been filled with just that....MAJOR EMOTIONS! (FYI: it doesn't help that I'm 5 1/2 months pregnant!)

For one, my younger sister Nicole got married last weekend. She was a beautiful bride and I'm so happy for her and this amazing journey she now gets to experience. It seems like yesterday that she came home from the hospital and to see her walking down the aisle was oh so BEAUTIFUL! While I documented the weekend as best as I could, I didn't get ANY pics of the blushing bride in her dress! SO SORRY SIS! I know you'll have a many pics coming your way!

Getting Ready for Rehearsal Night

Mr. Landon Was The Official "Ring Bearer Security"...he took his role pretty seriously!

The Flower Girl All Curled Up

Mr. Landon Flirting Away...he grabbed her hand and started dancing with her! It was seriously the cutest thing I ever did see!

11:00 hit and our Flower Girl officially called it a night

All my beautiful sisters!

OK...on to the other EMOTIONAL event!

Wednesday of last week (the night of my sisters bachelorette party) I received a call from our OB doctor. I knew from the moment we started talking something MAJOR was up. She proceeded to tell me that they found a potential sacrococcygeal teratoma tumor on our baby's last ultrasound. If that news wasn't scary enough, she told us that the kidney's were enlarged as well! I was shocked to say the least and the last thing I expected to hear was that our normal pregnancy had turned abnormal.

While I tried my best to enjoy the wedding, I knew we were faced with potential problems ahead. When we got back to D.C. we were refereed to a specialist to do another ultrasound. It was scheduled in a day and I did WAY to much research before hand. I knew exactly what this tumor meant and I was SCARED! I prayed that this would all just go away...I prayed that God would get us through this...I prayed that our unborn child would be ok. As we walked into our ultrasound I was filled with emotion. I knew that in the next minutes and hours we would be faced with either good news or bad news.

The doctor confirmed that one kidney is enlarged but more importantly there was NO tumor found!!! Seriously! Jared and I were thrilled! The kidney issue is common and is a minor abnormality that can be handled after birth. To hear there was no tumor was AMAZING!

OH...and I can' t leave out one other MAJOR emotional detail....

WE ARE HAVING A BOY!!!!!

Sounds pretty crazy I know! But there's no doubt about it...the boys will officially outnumber the girls!

"So do not fear, for I am with you; for do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous hand" ~ Isaiah 41:10

No Ordinary Apple

This past week, we welcomed Granny Smith to D.C. It was a wonderful visit filled with fun, fun, and more fun. Granny Smith is a person that makes us all smile and I'm incredibly blessed to have her as my mother-in-law. She showers the kids with love and has a way of making the most of each and every moment. Although my camera was absent for most of our trip, I managed to squeeze in some pics from our Capitol Hill visit and some park fun.

This captures Granny Smith perfectly!

The Capitol has some amazing architecture...I was especially intrigued with the dome

Two peas in a pod!

We headed to our park where Granny had the kiddos finding rocks. It seems pretty simple but Kennedy and Landon soaked it up.

Lining them up one by one

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Thank you Granny Smith for a wonderful visit. You are truly a gift to us and I enjoyed every minute of our time together! You are no ordinary apple! Love you!

GIRL or BOY POWER

I've been the WORST blogger over the last month! In all honesty, I think we all go through seasons of pure busyness and the last thing we have time for is reflection. It sounds terrible I know! I've taken pics over the last month only to find I never get to uploading them let alone doing a blog. I miss it so much but there are times when priority's take over and unfortunately this has not been one of them! Long story short, I hope I can take the time to blog about our life because it's something that "Sam" truly enjoys doing!

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On a WHOLE other note....I'm officially 5 months along and feeling great. My energy is back and we are sooo sooo excited about numero tres. Kennedy has been convinced that we are having a girl along with everyone else except ME. Before I told my mom I was pregnant she actually saw a pink embryo in the moon (it sounds a bit crazy but in some way extremely fascinating)! So while everyone was saying girl, girl, girl I had my own ideas that it was ALL boy. I'm carrying low and from previous ultrasounds I swore I saw a little you know what! Well the anticipation ended today with a bet between Jared and I. If it was a BOY, I got my Chinese lunch and if it was a GIRL, Jared got his beloved Chipotle.

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drum roll please....

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CHIPOTLE it was!!!!

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We are proud to announce that we are having another sweet little girl!

If your not an ultrasound tech, this picture may look a bit off. Our midwife only printed the picture of the "girl parts" so there is no head, arms, etc. in this image. Her leg is on the left side with her rump on the right (the part that looks like a circle). We originally thought we were 18 weeks at this point but our midwife confirmed we are 20 weeks along.

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Baby name game here we come!

"Snowmageddon"

It's hard to believe that we've had TWO HUGE snowstorms in the matter of two months! The first dumped 2ft and this weekends storm (or as Obama likes to call it "Snowmageddon") showered us with 27 inches!

It seems like yesterday that I was that 5 year old little girl building snow forts with my dad and to be able to witness our kiddos soaking up the same winter fun is quite amazing! I'm sure I can be a bit biased at times but it's in these quality times that I see how awesome of a father Jared truly is....they simply ADORE him!!!

Q: What is this you ask?

A: A car buried under snow (not our car thankfully)!

Daddy-o started building our very own mountain on Friday and it's become multi-functional...a sledding hill, fort, and a manly masterpiece all in one!

My little man

Geared up and ready to go!

Love these 2!

This was taken before another 6 inches came for a visit!

"I'm smiling because I have too mom!"

Yet another Landon classic smile!

27 inches of FLUFF!

Miss K and her friend Ana

Tonuge licking GOOD!

Cheers to hot chocolate, sitting by a warm fire, and spending time with the ones we love the most!