This Week

Ahh, the month of October. Probably my favorite month of the year. The colors of the trees are just stunning, the weather is perfect for bonfires, bugs are at a minimal, I get to live in jeans and sweatshirts/sweaters and pull out fall jackets. *sigh*

This October is going to look a little different, though. On Wednesday I'm having gallbladder surgery so I'll be in recovery for 2 weeks after that. I'm expecting to feel better a few days after the surgery but the "not-lifting my older 2 kids part" will be hard! :) I have lots of help including a husband who knows what he's doing so I know I'll be fine though.

Then, we have a closing date for our house and it's the last week of October (which is plain AWESOME!! Don't get me wrong!) but packing up and moving is a lot of work! But, the light at the end of the tunnel is SO close for feeling better and getting moved into a slightly bigger house that accommodates our family....so I'll take the crazy October!

So, October, I'll try to enjoy you this year....but I absolutely cannot wait for November :)

Finally!!!

WE SOLD OUR HOUSE!!!!

 Yesterday we received an offer on our house and although they lowballed us (and I doubted that we would ever reach an agreement), after an entire day of negotiations, they finally accepted our final counter offer!! They're happy, we're happy and it's DONE!

We're so happy about it but I think until we have the keys to our new place in our hands, it won't be real to us. If everything goes as planned, we'll be moved into our new house in a month :) Right in time for the cold winter months ahead....Thank you, Lord!

Family PIctures

It was time to update the family pictures now that we have an addition in our family! I wanted to get these done before my surgery just in case the recovery takes a while.

 

It took us a full HOUR to get out of the house to even start these....and since we do them ourselves, we were wondering how the kids would hold up. BUT, they did pretty good once we started bribing them with suckers :) Go ahead, judge away :)

I'll share just a few of our favorites!

Random photo tip I learned from Pinterest: With active children, have them hold hands to give them something to do. It worked like a charm!!

All 3 of them

 

Pictures with our kids individually

 



 

So, there are a few of our day. I can't WAIT to hang them up someday....maybe in our next home whenever and wherever that is. Thanks to my little family for bearing through these...as much as I like the finished result of family pictures, they sure are hard work and frustrating at times :) But, glad that they are done and we have a few memories of this time in our life.

Such a gift

Today I fell sick yet again so I made a decision to take the earliest possible surgery date to remove my gallbladder. Less than ideal (we were hoping to wait until our house sold) but I feel relieved about getting it out of the way and finally feeling somewhat normal again. *sigh* I think we've figured out a plan for my recovery and our house selling can wait! (or maybe it will sell before then?? Hmm...) So, next week it is.

In 2 days, this guy will be 2 months old. Wow! That went SO fast! His little life has been such a gift and has been a source of comfort to me. I don't have any wise words or deep thoughts today...just that I'm so thankful for the last 2 months with him :)

In the Next Few Weeks

Remember when I mentioned how brutal the recovery from Connor's birth has been? I've been sick off and on since then and was starting to wonder what was up. Well, in the last week I got some answers as to why I've been so sick.

I need to have gallbladder surgery.

Not that I want to have surgery but it's nice to actually have an answer for my constant sickness.

As you can imagine, it's a bit overwhelming. Trying to take care of 3 kids and keep our house spotless while recovering from surgery would be just too much. So, we're putting off the surgery as long as we can and hoping our house sells in the meantime. It would make everything just a little easier!

My friends and family have been so amazing throughout the last 8 weeks since Connor's birth. I think I've cooked only 1-2 times in the last 8 weeks because of all the meals people have dropped off and the freezer meals that have been made for us. Friends have taken our older 2 kids for a few hours and have been a listening ear for us....I'm so grateful for all the support.

We were able to squeeze in a bonfire on Sunday evening. SO perfect. There is something so therapeutic about bonfires! It may have been the first time we've actually relaxed since putting our house on the market :)

Cuddles with this little guy! He liked his first bonfire :)

Conversation with my Firstborn

Tristen: Mom, can I read to Connor?

Me: Sure, bud.

Tristen: Okay. Once upon a time there were lots and lots and lots of animals. There were sharks and tigers and llamas and (on and on and on....flipping through every page in an animal sticker book)

Tristen: See, Connor? See? (as he took a sticker off the page and put it in front of his eye and then proceeded to stick it on his cheek)

5'ish minutes later.....

 

Tristen: Do you like that, Connor? Mom, does Connor like sharks?

Me: He probably does, Tristen.

Tristen: Connor's so cute. He's such a cute baby, Mom. (to Connor) You're so cute.

Tristen: Mom?

Me: Yes, Tristen.

Tristen: I like my brother Connor. Can I hug him? Can I give him a kiss?

This was yesterday's conversation before naptime. It was pretty precious and I got some of it on video as well. Tristen was so little when Aubrey was born so doting upon a younger sibling just didn't happen. So, Tristen has especially surprised me with his gentle and caring ways with Connor. He loves his younger brother and it's amazing to see his firstborn qualities coming out. He's a leader and it's starting to show in our family.

 

Anyway, you may have noticed a significant increase in the number of posts recently (writing more than once a month! What!?!). With my husband's new schedule and half my house packed in my garage at the moment, I've been trying to figure out what to do late at night while waiting up for my husband. I packed away all my hobbies except my camera and computer....so here I am, on my computer posting pictures :)

 

On that note, it's time to go back to being a mom and putting my newborn to bed. Thanks for reading!

6 Week Smiles

I've been getting smiles from this guy today! LOVE!!

I like the newborn stage but I must say that I love LOVE the 2-4 month stage and I have been eagerly awaiting his first smiles!

 

Preschool

On Tuesday we started preschool!!! I did a loose preschool schedule last year (a trial run!) but this year Tristen is ready for an actual schedule. One thing I learned last year is teaching preschool to 20 students is WAY different than teaching your own child! I held myself to a crazy high standard....this year I'm following a basic curriculum and getting as many things from Pinterest as I can (as opposed to trying to make everything from scratch last year!)

I'm excited for the fresh start!

This little one LOVES to learn at the young age of 2. She's into letters and wants to do everything that Tristen does. I decided to just include her as well and already she's loving it!

Our attempt at a first day of school picture :) Maybe I'll try again next week! Ha!

 

The first day we filled out an "All About Me" booklet. It was so fun to hear the kids tell me what their favorite things were and Tristen decided he wanted to work at a Zoo when he's older. Speaking of the Zoo, we went to 2 Zoos in the last week. My kids LOVE the Zoo!

 

At the Zoo on Labor Day

 

We still have house showings and are still patiently waiting for our house to sell. Having preschool and fall activities starting up again has helped but it would be SO great if it sells before the winter months! I'll keep ya'll posted. Happy Friday!