Working Together

Ben and Noah have been working so diligently on Ellie's birthday present... I love that they are making it for her and I am oh-so-grateful that they are working together on it, just for her. ♥

Celebrating {a little early!}

Ellie's third birthday isn't until Wednesday, but we've already started celebrating. Today she got to open her birthday presents from my side of the family because they requested that she open them up on Skype with the whole clan. She didn' mind - it simply meant having more people to show her new gifts off to!  Thanks Nana, Papa, Aunt BB, Aunt Jessie and Uncle Bryan!

 

 

Shortly afterwards, our good friends, the Kauffmann's, came over for dinner.  Dinner with Mr. Matt is not complete for Noah if it doesn't include an epic Nerf gun battle.

 

I swear I'll be finding Nerf bullets and Legos hidden in random places for years to come!

An "Off" School Day | Glimpses

We've been taking it a little slow lately. School happens, three days a week and on the fourth day we do something "fun"... today, we learned how to use watercolor pencils. Both kids were in heaven. We watched a short video on how to use them properly, talked about how to use them, and they even watched me before they got to start. Their level of concentration while creating was amazing... and both kids seemed so much older to me than their almost-5 and practically-3.



Dinner with Daddy {and his Co-Workers}

We had a work dinner tonight at a local restaurant with most of the military and a handful of the civilians that Ben works with at APG.  Needless to say, the kids were super excited to see Daddy {especially since he and the Colonel were a little late getting there from their meeting!} and Noah was especially excited to get to sit with his new buddy, Shawn, another Lego-loving kiddo.

  

The only bad thing about a work dinner is that it started late, which means the kids got to bed a little late as well. Every night, before Ben and I go to bed, one of us goes in and take Noah to go potty one last time to help ensure no overnight accidents.  Tonight, the poor kiddo was so tired, he decided to lay down and take a break on the way to the bathroom!

 



 

{P.S. Please forgive the boxes and piles of stuff sitting in the hallway... between 7 and nesting, the house is in a state of upheaval!}

Lucky.

Lucky for me, I have a husband who completely understands that a long day + too many contractions means Mommy. needs. a. break.  After a nice relaxing bath, I came downstairs to find the three of them watching a video and eating popcorn.

The kids are pretty lucky too.

We *ARE* here!

We *are* here!

 

 

We've just been a little preoccupied... and while I can't promise daily updates from here on out, rest assured that there WILL be updates... and backdated posts. ♥

Baby #3 | Gender Reveal and More

First, my most sincere apologies that I am SO far behind!  It's been hectic trying to get the house finally finished up and prepared for company.  Hopefully I'll have it all updated soon!

The big news of the day?  We had the "big" ultrasound today and found out what we are having!  We told the kiddos on video, so here's a quick little video from when we told them I was pregnant and then from last night, telling them that they are having a baby...

BROTHER!

We didn't get an ultrasound picture of the money shot, but from what the nurse showed us, we're pretty certain it is a boy.  Both kids are excited.  At nap time today I asked Noah if he was excited to have a baby brother and he said, "Yes.  And I'm going to show him all about Legos and how to follow the instructions to make them."

Ben and I are pretty excited too - I'll admit that I was kinda rooting for pink the few days leading up to the ultrasound, but I'm excited for another boy and happy that Noah will have a brother. 

The ultrasound itself went fairly well - Baby Boy is measuring RIGHT on track {not ahead!}, but the perninatologist did express some concern about Baby Boy's heart.  Heart defects are the number one birth defect among children born to diabetic mothers.  Noah was in the clear, but, if you remember, Ellie had a small PDA that healed quickly after birth.  We've always known that it was a possibility and, like with both of the kids, we already had a fetal echocardiogram scheduled - just due to the fact that I'm diabetic.  The perinatologist was hesitant to say that there was something going on, especially since he was having trouble getting a good four quadrant view of the heart, but made it very clear that whichever way it went {heart defect or not} that it would be easier to see on the fetal echocardiogram with more sophisticated equipment and when the baby a little bigger in a couple of weeks.

Will you continue to pray along with us for Baby Boy Smith?

In addition to what we've already been praying for, for Baby Boy, we're now also praying for healing in his heart {assuming that there is a defect}, peace for Ben and I {okay, let's be honest - for me: I'm the worrier}, and for continued protection for him.

Thank you Friends and Family, for covering our Little One in prayer and for being just as excited about him as we are! ♥

My SuperHeroes

Today we got a box in the mail from a fellow blogger turned friend, Lisa. She sent some goodies from her son's birthday party for the kids {and a couple of goodies for us too! Thanks Lisa!}. The clear and immediate favorite?

The SuperHero Masks.

I couldn't love these two Super Heroes more. ♥

ABin5

A couple of weeks ago, Ben ordered Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day for me. 

Totally and completely worth it.

And I finally remembered to snap a photo of a loaf before it was devoured.

rest.

Between traveling, {still} trying to get things on the walls and settled, and attempting to overcome the extreme fatigue that I've been feeling with this pregnancy, resting has become almost a daily necessity. And the kiddos favorite way to do it?

Stretching out under the tree on the beach mats.

Moving into Zone Defense | #3

It's official. Ben and I are moving out of man-to-man coverage phase of parenting... and into zone defense.

That's right, Friends. We're having another baby. I'm pregnant!

We found out on April 21.  It was a surprise to be sure.  A welcome one, but a surprise, particularly after fertility treatments to have Noah and the anticipated issues with Ellie.  We had been discussing for the past several months how and when we were going to round out our family.  Our desire has always been for four children, but with my diabetes and the strain that pregnancy puts on my body {and the baby's}, we weren't sure if we were going to round out our family with another biological child or attempt to start the adoption process again.  And when either of those might happen.  But, after some symptoms that I had been justifying with other things {extreme tiredness = Lyme's disease [which I don't have! lol]; nausea = from my thyroid meds;} and a friend telling me about a friend of hers who was 20 weeks along before she found out she was pregnant, I decided to take a test.  It was positive before I even stood up.  God made the choice for us - one more biological child it is!  That was the first shocker.

The second shock came along once I was finally able to get an OB appointment on Wednesday.  The midwife's exact words were: "If there is only one, I think you are 15-16 weeks along."  Holy cow!  According to my rough calculations, I thought I was somewhere between 9-12 weeks.  Friday's ultrasound showed that there was only one baby and that the baby was 14 weeks 6 days!  Our due date has been set for November 10.  We'll find out more about the health of the baby in the upcoming weeks and ultrasounds.

Needless to say, this little bundle of joy is ever so welcome.  We're truly happy and very excited.  So are Noah and Ellie {I've got a cute little video that I'll post soon from when we told them!}.  But we're also a little concerned.  Concerned for the health of the baby, considering my diabetes control wasn't exactly in the "healthy baby range".  Concerned for my health, because even though little damage was done to my kidneys and eyes with Noah and Ellie, the concern is still there that it could happen this time.  And of course, concern because heaven knows that NICU time is not something I handle very well.

Would you join us in praying for Baby Smith #3? 

I've got a specific list if you'd like to join us in covering this little one in prayer: pray for the health of the baby - I'm more than a little concerned about the damage that could have been caused by high blood sugars in the beginning and formative weeks; for my own health - that little to no damage to my kidneys and eyes occur with this pregnancy; for an easy delivery - which will, of course, be a c-section again; and for no NICU time this time around.  I know it might seem a little ridiculous {and I'm well aware that our first priority is the baby's health and safety}, but I dream of being able to keep this little one in our hospital room with us. 

Thank you for joining us in our excitement and helping us cover this baby in prayer!  ♥

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all the Mommas out there!

But especially to my Momma, my Grami, and Ben's Momma - thank you for all that you've done for us!

{And Mom.  Seriously.  Thanks for the legs. ;)  }

Yesterday, we went to IKEA and got my Mother's Day{partial birthday?} present - bookshelves for the guest room/craft room.  One of these days, when we I finally get finished getting the house settled and everything on the walls, I'll take some photos and give a little tour.  But for now... well, as you can see in the background, it's still a complete work in progress.

So today, with a little help from his handy helper, Ben put them together for me.  Love that man.  Love that kid too.

He happily posed for a photo with me... and then turned the silly on when Ellie {reluctantly} joined in.  This was the best....

and this is how most of the rest of them looked.

Happy Mother's Day!!

{And, Happy day-early Birthday Daddy-Man!}

"It's a twain!"

We're getting back to our usual routines around here... and pointing out what we think the clouds look like with our friends.

Wordless Wednesday | From my Phone

♥

Headed Home

After a fabulous time in Colorado visiting friends and family, we're headed home.  ♥

Last Full Day | Ft. Collins

There seriously are no words.  We had an AMAZING time in Ft. Collins.  The kids, while excited to get back home, are sad to be leaving Baby Levi, Baby Paige, and Sylas.  And of course Grandma and Poppa.  Thank you, for everything Carol and Chris!  We love you dearly and can't wait until we get to see you again!

Avengers & Family Time | Ft. Collins

It was a pretty busy day in Ft. Collins. And, admittedly, one of my favorite parts was being able to go on an afternoon date with Ben... to see The Avengers.

I mean, seriously.  What other guy do you know who INSISTS on you taking his photo with your phone while he's trying to make the same face as Loki?

The remainder of the day was spent getting in some family time.  Kim and Tracy, Ben's cousins, brought over their little one, Paige.  I couldn't resist getting her dressed in Grandpa Crew's shirt dress.

There was lots of play time outside also.  The kids LOVED this little rocket launcher - both of them got pretty good at it over the course of the trip!

The highlight of the day for Noah {and Poppa too, I think}, was getting to take Poppa's "tractor" for a spin. 

I'm pretty sure Chris was trying to freak me out, but look who is driving - Noah!  He was SO proud of himself!

Ellie got a quick little spin also, but we couldn't tell if she liked it or was just trying to be brave because Bubby got to do it.

And, to top off the fun day, Sylas got to stay for a sleep-over! The boys "camped" out in the living room after watching some Avenger's cartoons and eating leftover popcorn.