All in a day

This morning we woke up to a bit of a surprise.  When I went to let our dog, Brooke, outside I ran into a minor roadblock.  Colin's little pool had been moved from its original location here...

to right outside the back door here...

For reference here is how far the pool moved.

There are a few things to note here.  1. The pool was empty and flipped upside down when we went to bed.  2.  There was a serious wind/rain storm last night. 

I can't believe that the wind was able to pick up the pool from the patio and move it all the way up on to the deck right outside the door.  And look how much water was in the pool when we woke up.  Crazy!  I can't believe it didn't make more noise.  I certainly heard the storm last night but I for sure didn't realize exactly how powerful the wind really was.

We have been wanting to do something special with Colin before the new baby gets here so this afternoon we went to the Cardinals game.  We kept telling Colin that we were going to the game but I don't think he really understood what we were talking about. 

Look how surprised he looks here.  This is right after he saw the field for the first time.

What is it about a Father and Son at a baseball game that is so stinking cute?  I just couldn't get enough of these two today.

Even when he isn't smiling I think he is still so cute!  This little face melts my heart.

Colin was so well behaved at the game!  We were able to sit in our seats for 5 full innings.  Actually it was Keith and I who were really ready to leave (well maybe more me... remember I'm 9 months pregnant).  It was pretty hot out today so it didn't take too long for us to get our fill.  I was really amazed that Colin was willing to sit relatively still for so long.  But even more impressive then that... he went pee on the potty not once but twice at the game!!  While we were watching the game he looked at me and said 'pee pee' so I took him to the bathroom as quickly as possible and he went!  So incredible!  He has been doing really well with potty training while we are at home but for him to do so well while we are out in public was taking things to a whole new level.  I know we have a long way to go before he is fully potty trained I have to say that I am so proud of our little guy and his big achievements today!

Our Little Baby

I came across these pictures today and they made me smile. 

This is Colin when he was less than 24 hours old. 

And here he is at 2 days old.

Seeing these pictures makes me so excited about the upcoming arrival of our little baby girl. I can't wait to meet her!  I can't believe we are going to have another baby in our lives in just a couple of days/weeks. 

Father's Day

I wanted to make Father's Day really special for Keith this year.   I thought I would start by making sure that he looked the part.



Please note the homemade tie from Colin (thank you daycare) and the very cool new hat from me.  (the t-shirt is courtesy of Grandpa Brooks.  The shirt Keith was wearing earlier got soaked at the pool.)

We started out the day with breakfast at First Watch.  Now I know I could have been a little more domestic here and cooked an elaborate breakfast at home but it just wasn't in the cards this year.  Besides we have pretty much become regulars at First Watch so it kind of felt like we were having breakfast at home.

After breakfast we headed over to Keith's parents house to visit.  I have heard that men learn to treat women the way they see their father treat their mother growing up.  Well if that is the case then I owe a huge thank you to Granddad Street because Keith treats me like a queen.  I also need to thank Grandma and Granddad Street for showing Keith what it means to be in a strong, loving, committed marriage.  In fact Keith's parents are celebrating their 41st wedding anniversary today.

Congrats Grandma and Granddad Street! 

We spent the afternoon over at my parent's house.  We got to go swimming up at Seven Pines Pool.  It is funny how little has changed at that place since I was a kid.  I used to spend every day there in the summer.  I still love going up there.  It is so fun to take Colin swimming.  He is for sure our little water baby.  See this photo as an example of what I am talking about.



We were trying to get a picture of all of the grandkids with Grandma and Grandpa Brooks so we had to get all of the older kids to surround the pool because Colin was busy swimming and the chances of getting him out of the pool and keeping him happy enough for a picture were slim to none.

Luckily we were able to get a photo earlier in the day of all of the Dad's and their Sons on Father's Day. 

My brothers are all really great Dad's.  Because of the large age gap between the boys and myself in a way it seemed like I had 4 Dads growing up.  In fact Keith has said he was more nervous to meet my brothers then he was to meet my Dad.


Seeing as this post is all about Father's Day I think it is important that I take a minute here to say a very special thank you to my Dad for being the most supportive Dad a girl could ask for.  He may not have always understood me but he was always there to back me up.  Dad is the one who is always making sure that everyone in the family is happy and he is willing to do anything to make sure we are all taken care of. 

It is very clear how important family is to him.  Whether it be our immediate family or Dad's extended family he is the one who is there holding it all together.



The best Dad I know and his very adoring son.

 

It would be completely impossible for me to put into words what an amazing Dad Keith is.  You have to see him with Colin to fully understand what I am talking about.  He makes Colin laugh more than anyone else can.  Seeing the two of them together is the sweetest thing in the world.  I hope you had an amazing Father's Day Keith!

A Baby Shower for our Baby Girl

Today my wonderful friends helped me celebrate Baby Girl Street's upcoming arrival with an amazing mini baby shower.  It was so great to be surrounded by such good friends and TONS of adorable baby stuff!

My beautiful friends!  Thank you for spending you Saturday afternoon with me. 

Special thanks to my best friend Kelly for hosting the shower.  Everyone was very impressed with her beautiful home and the amazing food!!  (Kelly would probably kill me if she knew I posted this picture but the chances of her looking at this blog are slim so I think I am safe. )

How cute is this onesie?! I know you probably can't read the caption under the baby chicken but it says "St. Joe Chick"  So cute!! I think someone might have her picture taken in this so I can send it in to the alumni magazine to announce her birth!

When I got home tonight I got to 'open' all of my gifts again to show Keith what we got.  Here are some highlights.

Pink everywhere, I LOVE IT!!

BumGenius 4.0.  There are no words for how excited I am for these.  As a mom who has used cloth diapers for the past two years I have to tell you that getting a new set of cloth diapers for Baby #2 is truly one of the best gifts I could get.  Thank you Grandma Brooks!!

After going through all of the gifts Keith wanted to prove a point to me.  He took a sampling of the clothes we have for Baby Girl and spread them out on the floor.  

Well, yes Keith, this is a lot of clothes.  (Mind you this was just from her closet, her dresser is already half full as well.)  While I don't think I will stop buying clothes all together I have to admit that he may have a point.

Today was really one of those days where I had to take a minute to sit back and think about just how lucky I am.  Of course all of the gifts I received today were wonderful but it was being surrounded by some of my closest friends that really made my day.  I love all of these girls and I am so greatful that they are in my life.  Thank you all for helping me celebrate! 

35 weeks

I had my 35 week checkup today.  Baby Street's current estimated weight is 6 pounds 8 ounces.  That seems pretty big right?  And with 5 weeks to go you are probably questioning how big she will be at delivery.  Well I had that same question.  The doctor looked back at the records from my 1st pregnancy and confirmed that at 35 weeks Colin's estimated weight was... wait for it... 6 pounds 15 ounces!  When Colin was born, two days before his due date, he weighed 9 pounds 3 ounces.  So what does all of this mean?  It means that I better not get my hopes up for baby girl coming before her due date, and that she will likely weigh right around 9 pounds.  I have been trying to prepare myself for going the full 40 weeks so that I don't get too anxious over the next few weeks waiting for her arrival.  As for now I am just happy to report that she is healthy and is continuing to grow which is exactly what we want!

On Monday night we had a friend of mine, Lissy Early take some photos for us.  We wanted to get Colin's 2 year pictures and some maternity pictures of me.  We met at Tower Grove Park and ended up getting some really awesome photos. 



Check out her blog and you can find more pictures from our shoot, http://missprissiness.wordpress.com/.  Lissy is pretty much my hero.  She left the corporate world and followed her dreams and has become a professional photographer.  She does some really amazing work. If someone can please tell me what my dream job would be and then encourage me to go pursue my passion it would be much appreciated.  

On a different note on Tuesday night we received a very exciting delivery at our house.


Well, Keith and I were excited.  Once Colin realized it was just a baby swing he lost interest pretty quickly.  He did however have a pretty good time playing with the box.  What is with the fascination that all kids seem to have with boxes?

Keith was able to put together the swing really quickly and I didn't hear him mutter a single 4 letter word so overall I would say the assembly was a success. 

For right now the swing is in the baby's room.  Eventually a rocker or glider will go in its place and the swing will likely make its way out into our living room.  If baby girl likes the swing half as much as Colin liked his then it will become a serious fixture in our lives for at least the next six months.

While I am thinking about it here are some pictures of the rest of the baby's room.

The inside of the frame above the crib has been painted purple and there are white letters that have been attached that spell out baby girl's name.  And yes, we are keeping her name a secret until she is born.  That being said if you really want to know her name you can always try asking Colin.  He knows her name.  The question is will you be able to interpret what he is saying?

      

 Our friend Maggie Kroepel did all of the painting on the walls.  I love the way it turned out!  If you ever want a mural painted in your home let me know.  I would be happy to pass along Maggie's contact info.  

Colin's 2nd Birthday

Colin turned 2 on June 3rd.  It truly amazes me how quickly our sweet baby boy has grown into such a little man.  The past 2 years have really gone by so quickly.  Although time seems to be flying by it is hard for me to remember a time before Colin was a part of our lives.  He has brought us more happiness then we could have ever imagined.

To celebrate Colin's birthday we had a Dr. Seuss themed party.  We decided to keep things simple this year and just had our immediate family over for some BBQ and cake and ice cream.  Here are a couple of pictures from the big day. 

                                        

Opening presents.

Playing with the stool that Grandma and Grandpa Brooks got for Colin that has his name on it!  I had this exact stool when I was growing up with my name on it.  Colin has loved playing with my old one when he is over at Grandma and Grandpa's house.  We are so excited that he has his very own stool now that he can play with at our house!!

  

Blowing out the candles on the cake from Lubeley's.  Keith and I may or may not have eaten all of the leftover cake ourselves.  (Hey things like that will happen when you are 8 months pregnant.)  

Check out Colin's Dr. Seuss t-shirt.  I ordered it off of etsy.  If you don't know what etsy it I suggest that you check it out immediately.  http://www.etsy.com/ Fair warning... you may become addicted.

 Riding his new awesome motorcycle from Grandma and Granddad Street. 

Hanging out in the pool!  (This is seriously the best $15 purchase we have ever made!)

Loving the sprinkler! He probably would have played in this thing all day if we had let him!  Thank you to Aunt Heidi, Uncle Ted, Addis, Evan and Hayla and Uncle Don, Aunt Jen, Nora and Luke for the sprinklers!  I have no doubt that they will get a lot of use this summer!

Thank you to our families for helping us to celebrate this special day! 

And Happy Birthday to the coolest 2 year old we know!  We love you Colin!

starting out

I have been thinking about starting a blog for quite some time now but wasn't really sure if I would have enough interesting things to post to keep it going.  Well now that we officially have a 2 year on our hands and have a new baby coming in just a few weeks (Baby Girl Street's official due date in July 20th)  I am confident that we will for sure have enough fun stuff to share!  I plan on posting things about our daily life including lots of pictures.  I have always been paranoid about posting pictures of Colin on facebook.  Somehow I feel like a blog is a little more secure and I like the idea that only my close friends and family will be able to see what is going on in our lives rather then the whole facebook community.  The way I see it far less people will stop by my blog then would stop by my facebook page.  I hope you enjoy this little glimpse into our lives!