Just sharin'...

...a few of my favorites from today's session:

{Ahhh, these eyes!}

{And this cute little smile!}

{A boy and a ball!}

{Striking a pose!}

Isn't he darling?

****

It's kind of weird how little it occurs to me during the course of a day that I am pregnant. I am too busy and preoccupied to dwell on it now, when it seemed like all I did was think about it when I wasn't pregnant. Hmmm, funny how that works!

It is becoming more and more real to me though and I cannot wait to see the heartbeat on the first u/s very soon!  Once we get past that milestone I want this to be the longest slowest pregnancy ever :)

Camouflage, snakes and dinosaurs, oh my!

My mom sent me this picture this past weekend from her phone.

I was at a little kid's birthday party but immediately had to show a few people my awesome Mama, out in the wilderness hunting in the AK. And for a few hours after that I was feeling like I wanted to be there too, experiencing the outdoors, wearing camo, weilding a weapon...ya know.

The feeling persisted in a more subdued sense for a couple of days, right up until Nolan and I crossed paths with this:

Then I realized that, no, I am not really all that outdoorsy and fond of wild creepy crawlies. I'll leave the hunting to those with a lot more gusto than me! Way to represent, Mama (Grandma from Alaska!)

I am much more "in my element" at my house, doing simple little afternoon crafts with Jack, like making a T-Rex display. Hey, it kept him out of the Lego bin for about an hour! :)

New.

{Even the fancy digital test says so.}

This is my personal journal and the handful of readers here know what's up in my life and know we have been trying and trying. So, it wouldn't be right to string you all along for 5 more weeks until the "kosher" time to reveal such news. Plus I am just too darn excited!

I will not be robbed of this excitement by our loss earlier this year. I will not, I will not, I will not. No matter what happens, I am thrilled that we finally conceived and that I am free to happily daydream of our baby in slightly more than hypothetical terms.

I AM PREGNANT!

So, how am I feeling? Now that some of the initial thrill and adrenaline has worn off, I am admittedly tired. And oh so hungry! Other than that my gums are incredibly sore and swollen and I have this taste in my mouth like I'm sucking on a penny (how on Earth do I actually know that is what I'm tasting??) and my boobs are sore and I might cry at the drop of a hat.   Waves of nausea too, but not that bad in that department yet.

Overall just happy and excited. And nervous. Please please please be a healthy perfect Spring baby!

Friday Phone-fare! {better late than never}

{New paint color! Kinda sad to see these stripes go that I worked so hard on, but it is time for a change!}

{Love my new pink plant!  Planting some Paperwhites today too that I bought from Warren's school fundraiser.  Those are some of my favorite flowers.}

{This is my new huge soft living room rug.  It is kinda funky and fun and everyone loves it!}

{Sleeping in most morning, as the kids always tend to do this time of year.}

{Nolan makes a super cute spectator at big brother's games in his own little camping chair.}

{#7 taking a knee, waiting to go in}

Fun Fall Craft

Disclaimer: I totally did not come up with this on my own. Got it from a crafty mom online. But I do take credit for being open to the inspiration and acting on it! It is providing a nice touch of whimsy in our living room right now, and I plan to switch out to snowflakes soon enough!

Nolan helped me, and I have a bunch of really cute pictures of him doing so on my real camera that I am too lazy to get off my camera right now.

I have a minor cold. Sucks.

I am in the middle of a decorative overhaul of our downstairs. All of the sudden I woke up the other day and decided I was so sick of the orange. Got a "new" non-orange couch and am painting and rearranging and just generally sprucing up my little abode. I am so excited about the new color I picked! It is called Gray Wisp by Benjamin Moore:

It is a great silvery blue green that is very soothing and easy on the eyes. It was a close competition between Gray Wisp and Silver Sage, but ultimately went with the darker of the two in order to provide good contrast with the white crown moulding and window moulding Bryan will be doing as soon as the painting is done. Needless to say, our house is a war zone right now with painting and extra furniture waiting to sell on Craig's List. What a happy mess!

Making another attempt to potty train Nolan (this is our third start for anyone keeping track.) How I am not an expert at this by now is beyond me, but I feel just as frustrated and helpless as anyone. He has demonstrated time and time again that he is fully capable, but he is just not wanting to do it 99% of the time. I don't want to keep giving up, but I am not good with a toddler battle of the wills. Ugh.

We have a busy weekend with two birthday parties and Warren's football game in Wheatridge.

I have FIVE picture sessions scheduled in the next few weeks. I am happy to be busy with that, but it is also just the tiniest bit nerve-wracking to find the time and energy and inspiration for my little hobby. Not complaining though...

Happy Friday!

Gotta brag

Because they are only my little guys to brag on for so long, and then their achievements and milestones will truly be all their own.

So...

While I can still take some credit ;)...

{Warren's first spelling test of 2nd grade. I work with him daily on his words in fun ways like writing them on our magna-doodle or aqua-doodle or using our magnet letters}

{Can you see my little guy? At baseball camp last night, Jack was scooping up balls with his mit, setting up and then throwing the ball back. He had so much fun}

{Jack is SUCH a little buddy. He eats everything I cook, like last night's slow cooker chicken that he gobbled up seconds and even thirds of, calling it chicken pot roast :)}

We are taking the "big boys" to the Bronco's game tomorrow. I hate to leave Nolan behind, but it is no place for a toddler. Soon enough, Bryan and all three boys will be going and I will be left behind. :)

And Warren has his third football game today! Go Outlaws!

Friday Phone-fare! {a week in the life of}

What can I say, this week has been all about Nolan. Although I will be taking lots of pictures of Jack tonight at his second day of baseball camp.

{Car-napping on the practice field sidelines}

{Having some down-time with PBS kids and his favorite snack, love the posture here :)}

{Here's a (really big) hint as to the handmade Christmas gifts I am doing this year.}

{Art time at the table...he's our first lefty!}

{So in love with my new fall shoes, these Dr. Scholl's suede booties with a chunky heel and metal studs.  So comfy and cute!}

{Eating a ring pop made from O.J. and the kit from Warren's ABC Fundraiser at school.  Kids love these!}

{What a treat!  Having breakfast burritos at school, see Nolan using his left hand again for his spork to eat his peaches?}

{Lays down in the ally behind our house and says "take a picture, Mommy!"  Okay then...}

{Playing xbox at the car wash place while the party bus gets its carpets shampooed}

I am majorly rejuvenating the minivan.  It was a gross disaster, but no more!  Spent several hours wiping everything down, got the carpets cleaned, tires rotated, and Bryan is changing the brakes this weekend too.  It has been such a good vehicle without a single problem...and...it is paid off.  Bonus!

no reason

Well, other than the fact that I just spent an hour untangling Warren's Newton's cradle after Nolan got ahold of it for all of 5 seconds.

So why not?

Put my camera in Tv mode and turned the shutter speed as fast as it goes for my first attempt to "freeze" water from the faucet :)

Yup! This is how I avoid housework on a Monday morning.

We are going to the Bronco's season opener tonight, so I gotta pace myself :)

This past few days...

...were a busy blurr.

Jack started his baseball camp.  He looks GOOD with a baseball glove.  I love these 6 weeks camps that are put on by a nearby high school retired coach.  Such a good introduction to a sport - Warren did the basketball one last year and loved it. 

We had the Outlaws pancake breakfast fundraiser at Applebees early (early!) on Saturday morning.  Watching my big boys hustle around carrying plates and saying things like "may I clear any of your plates?" and "may I seat you?" completely melted my heart and was reinvigorating after the major butt-whopping they got by the Golden team the night before.  As usual, my neighbors who showed up reinforced the fact that we have a kick-ass community who all supports each others' kids in a way that makes me swell with pride. 

Speaking of our neighborhood, we had our end of the Summer picnic/BBQ, wherein there are always many highlights like our tent nearly blowing away this year and the kids re purposing the corn hole game, shirts optional. 

By Sunday morning though, I was tired and so very crabby about keeping up the house. My {self-diagnosed OCD} was kicking in big time and all I could see was fingerprints covering the entire house. SO, we packed it up and headed out! Anywhere! Ended up in Nederland for a perfect day of awesome Wild Mountain BBQ lunch, underground thrifting :), eating blueberries right out of the clam shell, letting kids each pick out a toy (Nolan got a train, Jack got a dinosaur "fossil", and Warren picked a Newton's cradle) from a local "Science Store", riding the Carousel of Happiness, eating ice cream in a re purposed railroad car, and walking to Chipeta Park where the kids had a dirty all out blast before piling up in the car and making the trek home just in time for a big Costco haul. Whew. That had to be a run-on sentence but I am too lazy to proof read today.

{Looking leery of the Carousel of Happiness}

{Oh hello, Mama Lawson... future homesteader??... Hmmmm....}

We took highway 72 from our house to Nederland and that route offered a much more authentic peek into the mountain lifestyle. All the way there my mind was gradually letting go of the grime at home and marveling at all the rustic cabins we were passing. I couldn't help but wonder what that would be like. Having a homestead with some land. I spend so much time maintaining this house, it is exhausting at times. Wouldn't it be great to try on a different living arrangement for size?? Ahhhhh, or maybe I just need a vacation from the monotony of my suburban life ;) At any rate, I wonder if we would have still chosen this house and location had we known we would be a single income family with three (and I'm SURE we'll end up with a fourth boy someday soon, hi Roman! ;) ) rowdy rough and tumble boys. Maybe it's the third generation Alaskan that is coming out in me but sometimes I wonder if I am not more suited for a less cookie cutter existence. What would my Great Grandma, Nola, who homesteaded in gold mining camps in Talkeetna and authored Talkeetna Echos and Talkeetna Cronies think...

Anyhow, I'm definitely not done with this train of thought but the Sunday routine is calling and I've got three seriously filthy boys to feed and wash and put to bed!

at the beginning

It's fun to sit back and watch something great start.  Like Warren's love of football and how proud he was that they won their first game on Saturday against Arvada.  How the parents all made a human tunnel for them to run through and more than one kid asked "did we win, coach?"  So cute.  We are at the beginning of a long journey through our kids' years of games, practices, scrimmages, team pictures, pancake breakfast fundraisers, and team meetings.  I am a happy passenger on the journey!

{A journey that started many many years ago, when Daddy himself was in peewee football}

{Can you see #7?}

{So amazed how well these kids actually played the game.}

{Warren even requested the under eye black stickers that come with a pencil to write on them.  Wants me to write his brothers' names on them for Friday's game! Cuteness overload...}

{This is not relevant at all, but Nolan fell asleep at the top of the stairs yesterday and so that is where he napped. He is low-key about his napping venues.}

Another beginning? Watching these two starts their journey towards marriage, as I got to take some engagement pictures at the Broadmoor last weekend of Aunt Jenn and her fiance, Mike.

{Love her hair piece!  And the candid moment here.}

{Check out her gorgeous sparkler!}

{It was surprisingly cold and windy at the Broadmoor that morning, but the water behind is such a great backdrop!}

{He's a lucky guy!}

{I can see the cute little kiddos already :)}

I think it is the start of something good...and maybe some cousins on the horizon? :)

Warren Nicholas

...a peekaboo of naughty and sweet, sometimes more naughty...

I love your Siamese cat blue eyes

the blonder hair near your temples

your lightly freckled nose

your cutesy joker smile

your fullness of your lips

the flush in your cheeks from being all boy

the way I can still recognize my newborn Warren in your 7 year old face

::
Love you, Dubbs.

Friday Phone-fare!

iPhone pics and captions galore!

{Asked hubby to get me a drink on his way to football practice and this is what he chose...hmmm. By the way it tasted awful!}

{Lucky #7! Can't wait for his first game tomorrow.}

{Nolan's best friend let him borrow this toy, it's a hit!}

{But still nothing compares to his plasma car.}

{And he has a new found love of puzzles. Spent an hour at them yesterday!}

{Absolutely adore Warren's second grade teacher! How cute is this?!}

{Why, I ask for the hundredth time, do kids always put their sunglasses on upside down?}

I'll have to scan it to share later, but I got back Jack's beginning of the year assessment for Kindergarten and the kid is already surpassed all the END of the year benchmarks for each category (like letter recognition and sounds and oral language assessment)!  Hopefully I didn't do too much Summer learning so that he isn't too bored!  He is so smart and they have legos in the classroom so he should be okay :)  Gotta brag on these boys!