Giveaways are GREAT!

So, I have been following this giveaway blog for a while now, and I have actually already won one of these awesome pillow pets. But, the latest giveaway is so fun I just have to share!

http://takeitfrom-me.blogspot.com/2010/05/downeast-basics-swim-review-giveaway.html

It's for a free swimsuit from downeast basics. Anyone that has lived in Provo knows this store, and how they have some fun stuff! Go check it out!

Easter Dress

As much as I love how cute my girls are in their Easter dresses, I am so excited that the next child will never be in that attire--he better not be. Finally having a boy is going to compensate for my inability to grow a beard. As I paused Project Runway for Megan to tell me the news I immediately felt testosterone run throughout my body which made me teary eyed--I didn't know testosterone did that either. My manliness had been confirmed, and I immediately changed the channel to ESPN and let out a manly grunt. The fact that this news had been confirmed a whole month before they usually check also added to my man ego--my mango (wait that sounds too fruity, don't use that, or if you do I didn't create that word someone else did)--and I'll let you fill in the reasons why that would be. There's about to be a lot more basketball and root beer around this house and I'm brushing up now on my acting skills so that when, or better yet, if I do cry during a commercial it will just seem like manly sweat fell into my eyes instead. Time to go out and buy my boy his first pink tie . . . so that he matches his sisters.

Also check out my photography blog to see a cool new technique I used on some of Hallee's Easter pictures.

Updates GALORE

So....where to begin??

Early in March we had Spring Break! Awesome! We even got to get out of town and go to good 'ol Albuquerque to visit the Payne family. It was great because even Val and Taylor were able to come down, and we got to meet little Kelsey Crandall (Val's baby) for the first time! We had lots of fun, ate delicious food, had constant babysitters, celebrated the big 5-0 for Mia and Gramps (Jeni and Jeff), saw a couple movies, and just relaxed. It was a really nice break, which is what spring break is for, right? Awesomeness....I am sure we have pictures from that week, but I don't know where Kyle keeps all the pictures here on this computer....so, my next post will be all pictures.

THEN, just 4 days after we got back, my parents came down for a quick little trip. There were some people in the stake that needed someone to drive their car to Baltimore, and if you know my parents, they LOVE road trips, so they hopped on that offer, and came out! We went to the Amish country, Kids museum, ate good food, and played. It's funny because we have been able to see them more since we have been here in Philly than we did in Utah!

After Grandma and Grandpa left, we were able to wind down and get back into our usual routine. Since then, we were just coasting along, nothing exciting, until last week! We had a play group out at Ocean City, Nj. SO FUN! It was when the weather was finally warm again, and we got to go to the BEACH!!! Of course the water was too cold, so Hallee just had a merry little time playing in the sand with friends, and Maddie had her share of sand eating and playing. The sun, waves, sand, friends, all of it was just perfect!

Then, of course, Sunday was Easter! Terrible mommy that I am, I didn't take any pictures....but we do have this one that Kyle took when we went on a little walk to enjoy the spring weather and BEAUTIFUL blossoms! Seriously, I can't get over how gorgeous it is! I have never seen HUGE flowers growing on trees before! :)

This coming sunday I will take some pics of the girls in their dresses! :)

Anyway, we spent Easter with friends, eating a delicious meal, talking, and playing. I am really grateful that we have made so many friends out here! It makes being away from family a little easier!

So, then there was YESTERDAY.....I am almost 16 weeks prego now, and my doctor had me go in a few weeks ago for an ultrasound, just to check on baby and due date and all the routine stuff. Then at my last appointment I mentioned that I started getting braxton hicks contractions at 9 weeks, and sometimes they are pretty painful....(but I got these contractions with both girls, the earliest with Maddie at 15 weeks) So, I wasn't terribly concerned, but the Doc kinda was, so he had me go in again for another ultrasound yesterday, and let's be honest, I was excited to see my baby again! I knew that there was a slight chance they would be able to tell what gender the baby was, and as she was going she said, do you know what you're having yet? I said....no. "Do you want to know?" YES!

"Well, it's a.......BOY!!!!"

Oh my goodness...we are having a boy! I mean, it's definitely what we wanted this time, having 2 girls already and all, and we are so so so so excited!! The only thing is that our house is ALL GIRL! We have zero boy things. The carseat is the only thing that is unisex. It will be so fun, though, finding and picking out all new boy things! AND we got to find out so early! I really can't express how grateful and excited we are for this new addition to our family. Sometimes I get a little scared and I think I am crazy for wanting another one already, but I know this little boy was supposed to come to our family now. Hallee is finally understanding that she's going to have a little baby brother too, which is so fun! She said she's going to give him his binky and if he cries she will hold him. This little man will be well taken care of by his big sisters! :)

Anyway, I think that's the jest of what's been going on lately. Life is great! We are healthy and happy! And it's SPRING! No more winter!

The NEWS

So....the big thing we did when we were down in Cali, was announce to my family that (if you haven't already heard)

WE ARE HAVING ANOTHER BABY!!!

That's right....Somewhere around September 28th, we will be expecting baby number 3 into our home! We are so excited to welcome another little spirit into our family. Having Hallee and Maddie has truly been a blessing and we are so grateful for them and the joy they bring us. I couldn't ask for a better job than to raise my kids. It is definitely not easy all the time, but the good moments far outweigh the not so fun, or poopy stinky, or exhausting moments. I love my little family and we are so excited for baby #3!!!

Vacations are so wonderful

Ok, so I am sure some of you have noticed that I have not blogged in quite some time. I am not sure why...I just have had little motivation. So, you have had the pleasure to hear all about Kyle's latest and greatest, including his masterpiece self portrait!

Anyway, last weekend...wait, 2 weekends ago, we went out to Malibu to visit my brother and sister-in-law who had just had a baby in december and they were blessing the little cutie, Luke. So, my entire family (excluding Kristin and kids, we missed you guys btw) went out to be there for the blessing and be able to see each other and spend a little time together. We hadn't all been together since Maddie was born, back at Thanksgiving 2008. So, it had been a while. It was so nice and so fun to see everyone! And it was so great to be there when Austin blessed his baby. It was a very wonderful moment to be there all together for that. He mentioned that Luke is their miracle and I know that he wont just be a miracle to them, but to lots of people he meets in his life. It is so crazy how much our family has grown! It is also so fun for my kids to have cousins to play with. And it's so fun to see how much they love their grandma and grandpa! California was also a very very very very very very (you get the point?) nice change from the snowy Philadelphia weather. (If you didn't hear, Philly got more snow this year than ever before recorded, in the HISTORY of the CITY......EVER........awesome. Of course it's the year we move here) Anyway, we were able to wear shorts, go to the beach, have a picnic in the warm sun, and not be freezing! That was pretty amazing. Let's just say I didn't want to come back home. We also got to see my old college roomie, Val, and her family. I met her cute baby for the first time, and I couldn't get enough! She is super squishy and adorable!

All in all, it was wonderful. I really wish we could see our families more often. Friends are fun and all, but they're not family. Well, that's about it! Thank you so much mom and dad for making that fun weekend possible! There was something else we did while there, but only pictures will do it justice, and I haven't gotten them uploaded yet. But here are a few that we have:

The house we stayed at had horses!

And a trampoline!

Went to the mall and rode a carousel

Then the beach!

All the relatives of the happy family!

Hallee with her best friend, Brooklyn

In Front of the Camera

I needed a photo of myself for the J. Reuben Clark Law Society application. Most often I am behind the camera so a photo that represents my sexiness to the fullest could not be found. That's when I decided to bless the world at large and do a photo shoot with myself. There were some cropping difficulties as seen here, but I finally got a winner. You're welcome.

Snow Day

So during the last big snow storm I may have criticized Philadelphia for being ill prepared to handle snow. I now stand corrected. In anticipation for this huge storm there was a lot of "prep." And by "prep" I mean the city still shut down, but they let everybody know they were going to in advance. In fact if the storm would have changed course it would have been a little awkward for everybody that closed up shop. But lucky for us the 100% chance of snow forecast was correct and we were able to go out and play. This was the first time that we have really played in the snow with Hallee. Today we decided that inadequate snow gear was no longer a valid excuse to put it off. With Megan's gloves on the wrong hands, Hallee finally got her chance. We all had a good time, for about 10 minutes and then decided we liked having feeling in our limbs. So we went back in to cap the experience off with some delicious hot chocolate (and by we I mean everyone but Megan because she doesn't like chocolate when it's hot).