It's a.....

Boy! My cravings were right on...grease, sugar, and anything unhealthy seems to be my prelude for having a boy. Poor Natalie, I know from experience that having brothers can be tough, and I only had two....little Natalie will definitely be a girl who can hold her own...and she already proves it through her toughness now! Next, we'll have to start coming up with some names, though Nolan has already decided on Nathaniel....so we'll see!

Ahh....The Beach!

It's been a long 3 years since we've been on vacation, and we finally were able to go this year.....what a wonderful time we had! I had no doubt that Nolan and Natalie would take to the ocean, but I was a little apprehensive that Nathan wouldn't dig the water at his age, but he proved me wrong! All the kids enjoyed every bit of our beach trip....from the sand to the ocean, the pool to all the fun outings....we had a BLAST!!!

We went to Myrtle Beach (well, Cherry Grove to be exact) last week with Matt's parents. Thank goodness we had them with us, cause it would have been chaotic keeping up with the 3 kids on our own. We spent a few hours each day at the beach playing in the sand and ocean. I was really surprised at how warm the ocean water was for this time of year, but it was just perfect! In the evenings, we planned some outings to the aquarium, the amusement park, the arcade/ice cream shop, and Build-A-Bear. One of the things we did twice was the arcade....which was fantastic because it was the cheapest....and I think the kids enjoyed it just as much as anything else. We had dinner out every night except for one....cause the kids were just too exhausted.

For the most part, the kids were on good behavior all week. Natalie had some issues at the restaurants because she is just 2 years old. One night we went out to eat and sat across from an older couple who were probably in their 70's. Natalie started up her fussiness, and to Matt and my surprise, the older woman across from us started shushing Natalie. Matt and I were appalled by this woman. We did take Natalie out of the restaurant to let her regroup, so I don't know what else this woman expected from us. I guess some people just don't understand that a two year old doesn't act like an adult in restaurants!!! Nathan spent his restaurant time finding people to flirt with. He had so many people to choose from, and won everyone he looked at over with his bright eyes and charming smile!

We ended up doing a couple loads of laundry while we were there, which tickled Nolan. He even offered to help the woman across the hall from us do her laundry as well. He was fascinated by the coin slots on the machines, and insisted on doing that himself. I laughed when I read the directions on the machines, because they said "Never let children operate the machine"....yeah right, Nolan probably could do a complete load by himself, except for the folding!

We are glad to be back home and are settling back into the routine of things....but really hope to be able to go back to the beach in the next year or so! Here are some pics!

Our first night. Flying a kite with Natalie and Nathan.

Nathan figuring out what this sand "stuff" is all about.

Nolan standing in the middle of the sandcastle that Pops built.

Natalie taking a break to have a snack.

Nathan wanted to add his apple to the sandcastle.











Mom-o and Natalie going to find seashells.

Nolan checking out some fish at the aquarium.

Nathan getting a good look at the fish overhead.

Our group...minus Pops, he was the photographer.

Riding the rocket at the arcade.

Fun at the amusement park.

Nathan's favorite ride was on Pops' shoulders.

Another Dr.'s Appointment

I had a doctor's appointment this morning at 9:30, and Nolan was to have an appointment following mine at 10:15. Once again, I must say how disappointed I was with the treatment at the office. I was called back around 9:40 which had me very hopeful. I checked the time at 10:12, and still had not been seen. At 10:30, I went out and found a nurse, to inform her that Nolan was to have an appointment on the Peds side at 10:15, and asked if she could let them know we were running behind. No one came to fill me in on what was taking the doctor so long. Then, Nolan decided he had to go to the bathroom for the third time. While we were in the bathroom, the doctor had come to my room (which was next door the the restroom). Instead of waiting for 30 seconds to see me, she went on to another patient. So, I wasn't seen until 11:00. The doctor was going through my chart, and didn't have my EKG report, so she had to get it. At about 11:15, a nurse came in to inform us that Nolan's doctor would be leaving at 11:30, so we needed to hurry. My appointment turned into a big rush. The doctor did explain why she was running behind...there was another pregnant patient who had been bleeding....so I totally understand her tardiness, but it would have been nice to be let in on the situation. Maybe they could have let Nolan be seen while we were waiting. Baby and I checked out okay. I'm measuring on track, and heartbeat was on track at 150 bpm. I'll have my ultrasound on the 23rd, so I'm anxious for that. I have a strong feeling that it's a boy, but we'll have to wait and see!

I felt so impatient today, because my neighbor was keeping Natalie and Nathan for me, and I told her I would be back around 11:00. She doesn't have baby gates up, and I was concerned that she was having too much work chasing Nathan away from the steps, considering my neighbor is due with her second child at the end of this month and is probably just exhausted from being so pregnant. When we finally got back around noon, my neighbor said the kids were great for her. Nolan and I hadn't eaten anything all day, so I offered to run to McDonald's to get us all some lunch. Natalie and Nolan stayed with my neighbor while I took Nathan with me to pick up our lunch. So this morning has been super hectic, and I'm so tired right now that I feel sort of light-headed. So I believe I will wrap up this posting and lay on the couch for a bit.

Soccer's Over & Jenn's Wedding

After a soccer season filled with stubbornness on Nolan's part, the ending was great. Last Monday, we went to soccer practice only to find out that our team was not practicing that day....however, there was a lady handing out medals to the kids. Nolan was so excited to get his medal...he slept with it for the rest of the week. There's a fall league as well, but after this season, we're not going to enroll him for the fall. Practices would last for an hour, and Nolan participated for only about half the time. He also had yelled "I don't like soccer. It's boring" on a few occasions while standing on the field in the middle of practice. But, I can't complain, cause he was the only 4 year old on the team, and the other kids were 5 & 6. So maybe next Spring, we'll try again, or try a different sport. I think after receiving his medal, though, he may have a different attitude next time around.

This weekend, my best friend Jennifer got married. I was fortunate to be a part of the wedding, and was tickled pink to see her so happy on her wedding day. The wedding was very nice. After the wedding, we headed to the reception, which was outdoor. It was extremely hot that day, but at least the sun wasn't out in full force...so it was bearable. We had planned on taking either Nolan or Natalie, but neither came since they were enjoying the pool with Mom-o and Pops. Here are some pics.

The beautiful bride getting ready for her big day!

Jenn and Aaron at the rehearsal dinner.

Matt and Nathan taking a dip in the pool.

The kids having a blast in the pool.

Natalie drinking hot chocolate, but pretending it was coffee.

Nolan with his pet fish, Hornet. (for you Kelly) :)