All Aboard! VBS 2012

Stratton with Bella and Al

Riding the Train with Barrett- he HAD to sit by her every night!

He loved his conductor hat and worn it every night!

Last night we had close to 220!

If you ever wondered why Pops is his favorite person. . .

. . . Just take a close look at this picture.

Grandparents?!!!

Yes, this is our child playing in the rice field with NO shoes and NO pants. Just a shirt and his undies.

They sent me this picture from my mom’s phone last weekend. They also let him play in the mud and he just loved that too. She showed me some more pictures she had taken and some video of him covered in mud but still asking “Gigi, can I get in the Mud?!” I’m sure he was still skeptical. I ‘m sure his little smart brain was telling him: WARNING!! THIS IS REALLY FUN AND NOT SOMETHING YOUR MOTHER WOULD LET YOU DO!! So he had to constantly be reassured that it was ok!

The making of Fiddle Fred

We took Stratton to Build-A-Bear Friday night so that he could create his very own “Fiddle Fred”. It didn’t take him long to decide he wanted the horse. There was even a Kermit the frog I really thought he would probably go for, but nope he wanted the horse! I was surprised how shy he was this time with the workers. The last time he got to visit BAB he was really into it, but this time he didn’t seem as interested in the “process”. Well not until they got him stuffed and sewed up, then he liked giving the horse a bath. He picked out a green John Deere shirt for his horse to wear. . . not surprisingly! Then when we went to check out the lady questioned the name, I think she thought that we made it up for him. Then I said “Stratton, tell the lady what your horse’s name is” and he clearly said “Fiddle Fred!” . Then you could tell she was surprised and said “Oh, ok! I have never heard that one!”. Haha! Yes, lady we know he’s got some kind of imagination!

Fiddle Fred is a Clydesdale horse (of course) who wears a John Deere Shirt!

Giving Fiddle Fred a bath

He carried Fred in his box “barn” all the way down the mall and to the car!

One HAPPY boy! He loves this horse! He has been sleeping with it every night!

Baby Fred now has a proper name!

The runner’s up were:

{ Charley ~ Elliott ~ Emerson ~ Harper ~ Scarlett }

We are relieved to finally have a name for our baby girl!

Now, let the monogramming begin!

On a side note: We will be taking Stratton to Build-A-Bear this evening, so he can make his special friend “Fiddle Fred”.  I’m sure it will be quite an ordeal!

Little Bookworm

Thanks to Aunt Christina for a bag full of new books!

I guess Christina and the girls were cleaning house and getting ready for a yard sale, and as they went through their old books they saved the ones they thought Stratton would like! How nice is that?! He loves books! In this newest collection of books, there is one called “Biscuit and the Baby”, he reads it or wants us to read it to him several times a day. Yesterday morning after he woke up he got it out of the living room and took it back to his bedroom got back in bed and read it. That’s my boy. There’s nothing better to me than to be snuggled up in bed with a good book! Now, to be fair, he usually only reads at night. Normally, he’s just too busy during the day to sit down and read, that’s why this picture is so funny to me! And ya gotta love his crossed legs. Funny Boy!

Let’s hear it for the girl!

Ok, I’m not doing a girly nursery, so I need an outlet for my need to design something pink and very “girly”. . .and so the blog just got a PINK re-vamp. I’m sure it won’t stay for too long, as my hubby will probably disapprove of the new color scheme! I have been thinking about doing this for about 3 weeks now and just got the overwhelming urge today. Ooh La La, I love me some PINK!

26 Weeks

The baby countdown has made it to 95 days! Wow. Actually that kinda sounds like a long time, however when I say, 12 and a half weeks. . . .now that is scary!! Here we are at 26 weeks. Things are going really well. I am feeling pretty good, I passed my glucose test, both are good signs and I’m not getting my hopes up yet, but right now it seems like things might be taking a normal course! I was 29 weeks when I was first put on bed rest when I was pregnant with Stratton, so as that date is fast approaching, I am getting really nervous and a little worried. I have no reason to worry, but then everything that happened with Stratton seemed like it just hit me with no warning, too. I am trying to take it easy and stay off my feet. I can tell those days when I stand or walk a lot really wears on me. My next Dr. appointment is next Friday, June 22nd.

Pregnancy Stats:
How Far Along: 26 weeks. . . AHHH!! Less than 100 days to go!!
Size of baby: About the size of an head of lettuce; 13.6- to 14.8-inch and 1.5- to 2.5-pound range
Gender: Girl, and yes she remains nameless
Movement: She is kicking and moving like crazy! I am constantly getting beat up!
Sleep: Sleep?? Am I supposed to be sleeping?
Cravings: None at the moment, I think my appetite might be slacking off.
Symptoms: Lots of pressure and some cramps. I am trying to stay off my feet as much as I can.
Best Moment This Week: While out shopping with Jarrod on Saturday, Stratton asked if he could buy a pink golf ball he saw for his baby sister! Aww! How sweet is that?

So we are trying to talk about “the baby” a lot more. Stratton, I think is coming to terms with it being a girl. . . I think. He has his moments. I try to get him to feel her kicking, but he rarely sits still long enough. The other night while I was trying to get him to sit still so he could feel, he decided he needed to see the baby. So he pulls up my shirt and “looks” in my belly button!? He said “I see her!” . . .I guess he thinks my belly button is a porthole to be able to see the baby! Silly boy! Then I told him he needed to talk to her. So he looks down at my belly and yells ”HEY, BABY! YOU READY TO COME OUT YET??!!”. Oh my. I think baby girl may need some headphones! Good thing she only hears muffled noises!

He is also still calling her “Fiddle Fred” and actually got rather upset one day when I was telling him that her name will not be Fred. I think he was on the verge of tears. We will be making a trip to Build-A-Bear soon so that he can “build” himself a “Fiddle Fred”. And if we can ever decide on a name, I’m sure that will help, too.

I am getting restless, impatient and maybe a little moody. . . . and I think the “nesting” tendency is starting to set in. I have bought quite a bit of newborn and baby clothes and I just want to keep buying. . .it’s like a disease! haha, not really but I am way more into shopping for her than I ever was for Stratton!  Jarrod has been working in her room. All we have left to do is paint. We are going to just put a fresh coat of the same color up, as the tan is a better color for re-sale. . .and who knows how much longer we will be in this house. So I don’t want to have to paint it again in a few months. We are using the same bedding and furniture that we had when Stratton was a baby. It’s gender neutral and of course like new, so I will for-go the temptation to go crazy with the pink and wait till we move and I can really go to town on her a girly room! Plus I still love the colors we used before. We just need to decide on a name so I can work on the art for the room! While I love the stuff we used before I need to girly-it-up a little!