Back To School Style

 It seems hard to believe but back to school is quickly approaching! Liam starts the third week in August (so only two weeks of summer left) and Lyla begins her second year of preschool right after Labor Day weekend. I remember loving back to school shopping as a kid ... new school supplies, backpacks, and clothes! It turns out it is just as fun for me as a mom. I always picture buying long sleeves for the school year but the end of August/September are both still too hot for that so I've gotten them a few new clothes to transition into fall but they'll mostly use their summer wardrobes at first. I thought I'd share a little back to school style and wardrobe inspiration for toddler girls and for boys ...

Sweatshirt Dress | Heart Pocket Tee | Rust Dress | Boots | Denim Skirt | Tennis Shoes | Frill Socks | Oak Bluff Dot Pinafore 

Camo Tee | Hooded Flannel | Ringer Tee | Black Denim | Moto Joggers | Skinny Jeans | Nikes | Grey Sneakers

I'm looking forward to a daily routine that being back to school provides and hope both of our kids love their news schools! 

Swimming Lessons 2021

We missed swimming lessons last summer because of Covid so they were the first thing to make it on to our January "goals" and summer bucket list this year! This city is growing so much making it next to impossible to get a spot anywhere including restaurants, preschools, or even swimming lessons. I had this particular company recommended to me by a friend but she warned me that they fill their spots super quick. The day they opened registration back in April, I hopped on at 7 AM and the spots were filled in THREE MINUTES! Despite what I thought were fast fingers, I got an email that we barely made it in and only landed one session instead of two. I'm so grateful for that one session though because the last two weeks both of our kids have conquered so many fears and goals! It has been so fun to watch!!

This little lady had a rough time on her first day. She's had a lot of separation anxiety lately (we've seen it the most at church when we take her to her Primary/Sunday School). She cried and clung to me, refusing to get in the water most of the first day. It took slowly inching closer to the water (sacrificing my body because I got soaking wet haha) until her teacher finally reached for and pulled her in. Part of me felt bad because she was kicking and covering her eyes at first but then she calmed down and smiled the last five minutes when they said they got to do "jump-ins" off the side of the pool! Go figure my little dare devil. She also thrived during "free time" and this torpedo shark became her favorite toy to choose ...

Liam on the other hand jumped in the pool the second we got there and was devastated to get out every single time we had to leave! My hope for him was that he would finally learn to go under water without plugging his nose ... when they taught him the humming trick and to blow bubbles, you could literally hear him humming all over the pool as he swam all by himself to the other side! haha He even jumped off the edge and swam to the other side too and learned how to float unassisted on his back. It was all about sticking his belly above the water and relaxing, trusting that he would float. He passed the beginner class and will be moving on to intermediate next summer and I couldn't be more proud of him!!

Both of them loved wearing their goggles they got from Santa in their stockings at Christmas! Lyla refused to keep the strap high enough on the back of her head so they were always falling off her eyes and filling with water. haha She didn't seem to care ... 

I can't not giggle at these pictures of her adjusting her goggles and still squinting that one eye shut. haha

My hope for Lyla during swimming lessons this year was that she would get past her fear of getting her face wet ... not only did she accomplish that goal but she became obsessed with practicing holding her breath under there! 

She did not however love to take a couple of "ice cream scoops" as they call arm strokes by herself to get to her instructor. Every single time they'd say, "Ready to swim to me Lyla?!" and she'd say "NOPE!"  haha I loved that their response was always "Yes!" until she would do it.

She spent a lot of time with a couple other little ones on these steps practicing holding her breath. She was really brave though and practiced floating on her back with support and using the kickboard. 

They were the happiest little fish and are already begging to visit a swimming pool to keep practicing what they learned! Here's to hoping I have fast enough fingers again next year and can get them in to TWO different classes!

Summer in July

 I'm smiling so big right now to be welcoming August! I'm trying my best to soak up these last weeks of summer and our family of 4 but also simultaneously really looking forward to what is ahead. Like back to school, cooler temperatures, the start of fall, and a brand new baby joining our family! 

I'm doing my best to make our mornings productive and fun but then I completely crash by lunch time. haha Very little energy to nest during this third trimester. I'm trying not to be too hard on myself that this last month of summer will likely not be filled with constant trips to the park/splash pad, crossing off things on our summer bucket list, and play dates. My body is telling me to slow down and my feet are a little too swollen for that. Speaking of our summer bucket list, I'll share it here soon but a friend of mine made me feel pretty good about how much we've done together as a family this summer after I showed her what we've crossed off so far ... staying at a hotel, trips to Washington and Pocatello, floating the Boise River, Roaring Springs, and the Whale Beach to name a few. July was no exception and I'm grateful to be surrounded by family who have made it fun too!

Other fun summery things that happened in July ....

Grams and Pa took Liam on his very own date to get a snow cone! He felt so special and loved every minute of getting to talk their ears off about all of his favorite subjects. haha

Liam has been working hard this summer to read his first chapter book (a third grade level one no less!) and is down to the last couple chapters. I'm so proud of him and how far her has come in the last year!

Lyla is loving being surrounded by baby things! Every time it is her turn to pray, she says "Dear Heavenly Father, I can't wait for my baby to come soon!" Man, it feels like just yesterday she was the teeny one in this crib ...

Summer = Ice cream! It has become a daily question from these two whether we can go get ice cream, they love it just like their parents do. ;) Big smiles the times we say "yes" ...

My sweet neighbor invited the kids over for a play date the other morning and Liam was concerned his beloved dinosaur would miss him while he was gone so he put together this set up by the front window just to make sure they could "still see each other from across the street" ... how adorable is that?! <3

My Aunt Wendy and cousin Amanda came to visit for a long weekend too! It was the best getting to see them twice in one summer! We got to have a girl's day with pedicures, shopping, and lunch. 

Then we got the whole troop together to spend some time in the sun ... Lyla loved the floaties they brought with them!

A childhood tradition ... covering yourself in sand.

Liam is getting so good at balancing on the paddle board!

It was a great weekend!

Lots of fun this summer and it's not even over quite yet! We still have swimming lessons, a baby shower, friends visiting, family pictures, back to school haircuts, and everything in-between ... all within the next 3 weeks! haha I better go take a nap to keep up. ;)

Third Baby Bump | Gender Predictions

In true third baby fashion, I haven't documented this pregnancy like I did with my last ones. I'm going to blame that on the two who already keep my hands full! haha

We are well on our way through the third trimester though and on the home stretch to meeting this baby in just 6 to 7 more weeks! Our kids have loved following along with the baby's growth through the Baby Center app I have on my phone and love getting to see the baby change from week to week. Pregnancy no matter how hard is such an incredible miracle!

Some updates ... my wedding ring sadly no longer fits. I think a lot of it has to do with this daily 100 degree summer we have been experiencing this year. I'm looking forward to wearing it again, along with he rest of my wardrobe. Physically I take things a day at time ... some days are easier than others. I'm sleeping pretty good, still waking every 2 to 3 hours to pee but am able to go right back to sleep. I've learned my acid reflux can get the best of me at night depending on what and when I last eat. My tail bone hurts a lot of the time like my legs catch as I walk which is something I haven't experienced before. Hoping it returns to normal post baby! The big thing lately is my energy is incredibly low. I was low on iron during my glucose test blood draw (passed the glucose test part!!) and have started taking a supplement for it which felt like it was helping my energy the first few days but I haven't noticed much of a change since. Supposedly vitamin c helps with iron absorption so I've added a cutie to my daily diet too to see if it helps. I've had my first experience with braxton hicks contractions this time. They were unnerving at first but after doctor reassurance, I'm not as on edge about them now. I've found myself taking a nightly bath before bed to relax my body and it feels nice to be weightless for a while. I'm still exercising daily but the movement has definitely changed ... more walking and lifting lighter weights than intense cardio. 

Some fun things!!! Lyla girl and I went through all of the the baby gear and clothing bins in the garage together. She loved every minute of it and it feels good to have most things set up! The crib looks so sweet in our bedroom and I just got a new crib sheet for it thanks to a sweet gift from my friend! Our dresser also has the cutest changing basket on top making our room feel like a haven for me and baby soon. I got the coziest robe to take to the hospital and I've lived in it every morning lately. I'm really looking forward to getting together with family and friends for a baby sprinkle my sister-in-laws and mom are having for me and baby next weekend! We also have family/maternity pictures scheduled in a week and a half and it is hard to believe this will be the last pictures as a family of 4!

The BEST part of pregnancy for me has always been feeling the baby move! It's the one thing I will miss and have noticed I'm hanging on to the most being that this is our last baby. Unfortunately, I have an anterior placenta this time so I don't feel baby as much as I did with Liam and Lyla's pregnancies. It has made it difficult for the kids to feel the baby move much or to document any videos of it. I swear baby knows when I put a hand on my tummy or hit the record button because the movement immediately stops. haha Little stinker!  

 We are all getting so excited to meet this baby! It feels so real to see the daily countdown now be at 52 days left! The biggest question besides when will I go into labor is who will we get to meet in the end, boy or girl?! We are all so curious and excited for that surprise! Liam and Lyla are set on a girl. Liam, because he wants to keep him and dad as the only boys in the family (which I think is really sweet that he'd want another little sister and loves his time with his dad so much) and Lyla, maybe because she already has a brother? Wants to dress up her sister like a dolly? Wants a best friend who loves all the girly things she does? I'm not sure! haha I do know however she is loving testing out all of the baby's things just like Liam did when she was born. She also needed convincing that we weren't having one of each gender ... dad wasn't carrying the boy baby in his tummy and mom, the girl baby in hers. haha It's so hard to understand at that age. We are just crossing our fingers that there is no disappointment from either of them if this baby is in fact a boy! 

I thought it would be fun to look at some gender predictions like I did before Lyla's 20 week ultrasound and see if they turn out to lean one way or the other?!

- Gender Predictions -  

Nausea ...

Lots (girl) None (boy) | GIRL

Baby's Heart Rate ... 

Above 140 bpm (girl) or Under 140 bpm (boy) | GIRL

Chinese Gender Calendar ... 

Based on age and month of conception | BOY

Mayan Predictor ...

Based on age and year of conception, both even or odd (girl) or one even and one odd (boy) | GIRL 

Carrying Baby ...
High (girl) or Low (boy) | GIRL

Cravings ...

Fruit & sweets (girl) or Meat & cheese & salty (boy) | GIRL

Chest ...

Not grown (girl) or Has grown (boy) | BOY

Ask a Little Boy ...

If a little boy (ahem, Liam) shows interest in my pregnant belly (girl) or Not interested (boy) | GIRL

Observe Your Curves ...

Face is rounder (girl) or Bum is rounder (boy) | GIRL

Ring on a String ...

Swings in a circle (girl) or Swings side to side (boy) | BOY

7 predict baby girl and 3 predict baby boy so we'll see! Last but not least ... all of my baby's ultrasound pictures in a row! Who do you think baby looks more like, Liam or Lyla?!

Pocatello

 Last weekend we did our final trip of the summer and visited family and friends in Pocatello! In the 10 years I lived there, I thought I had pretty much seen the whole city but then my father-in-law suggested going for an evening walk after dinner on Friday night and took us to a path I'd never been before. It reminded me so much of the Eagle greenbelt which runs alongside the Boise River. Instead, it was called Sacajawea Park and it was a paved figure eight path that followed the Portneuf River. It was so beautiful! It was still fairly hot out so Lyla quickly asked for a ride. haha

We saw baby ducks and found tons of walking sticks. ;)

I have to give a quick shout out to my father-in-law ... he has lost 65 pounds from walking 4 miles a day with their puppy and I'm so proud of him!! This baby bump and I were having to sprint to keep up! 

Liam was totally in his element!

"Come on Bella, follow me!"

These two shared a bit of a love/hate relationship during our visit. Smothering love from Lyla and constant retreating from Bella. haha

Saturday morning we visited another new-to-me spot, Edson Fichter Trail and Nature Preserve. It had a few ponds to check out and ran right along the railroad tracks. 

They opened a Children's Museum in the mall and we got to check it out with some friends. We met the Southworth family there and our kids had a blast together building this car ...

How cute is she with her tape measure?! And Liam's face as he hammered ... haha

Teamwork makes the dream work, helping him hold up the car so he could attach a wheel ...

They loved climbing the rock wall too!

Saturday evening we went to a few stores (real life: it turned into a total souvenir fighting match with our children) and had dinner at Winger's with my mother-in-law. I loved that I was able to get a picture of Nic with each of his parents this time! 

On Sunday we got to see our friends, the Bradley family, who we haven't seen in 4 years! They live in Arizona but still have family in Pocatello like we do. This year we happened to time our summer trips at the same time! Our kids got along so well and had the best time "swimming" in the pool-temperature hot tub, watching Angry Birds 2 on Netflix, and testing out their virtual reality goggles. I'll give you one guess what Liam is now begging for. ;)

Love these friends so much! No matter how much time has passed, we always pick up right where we left off last time ...

We ended up driving home Sunday evening. My body was ready to be done traveling until this baby comes. I had my first braxton hicks contraction in the middle of the night while we were there and it was definitely unnerving. I've had many since and am glad to be home trying to rest up for the remainder of the summer. Everyone was sad to say goodbye, especially Lyla to Bella! Looking forward to them visiting us when the baby is born!

We spotted a deer on the way out of town!

Shockingly enough, we drove 8 hours to and from Washington without any car sleeping but 10 minutes into this trip, Lyla fell asleep with her uneaten dinner in her lap. She slept all 3 hours and woke up just as we were rounding the corner to downtown Boise. Bless her heart, I think even the kids were worn out and need a break from traveling. Until next time, Pocatello! Can't believe we'll have 3 kids the next time that comes around!!