"I'm in a Hurry to Get Things Done"

I am still very much in shock that I will soon be the mother of two.  Carly has become relatively easy to take care of, so I'm realizing how chaotic life will be when Luke arrives.  Because of this realization, I've been spending my days being as productive as possible.  Other than some aches & pains, and some major head pain that the doctor has said must be cat scanned as soon as I'm no longer pregnant, I feel good enough to have sheer productivity during Carly's naps, and even sometimes when she's awake.  I went nearly 2 weeks without, so I haven't needed to nap when she naps.  That ended this week as I worked a weekend of closing, but oh well.  It just means that I wont get to be productive during her naps because I must, for the sake of my health, catch up on 4 hours of missed sleep/night.  Here are some of the highlights of getting organized before baby comes or before I feel too uncomfortable to get them done:

• Meal Planning:  It has been rather difficult to cook the past 18 months.  I really don't know how I do it, but somehow I manage to get food on the table each night.  Each day, however, it's a struggle.  I've been doing my fair share of trying new and easy recipes and writing down the ones that are a big hit.  I need to organize my meal planning into categories of chicken, beef, pasta, stews, etc., so that I can look at my ingredients and quickly scan my list of go-to meals.  Pinterest is really a wonderful thing, and if you don't have an account, you should (its not another social networking site...its a search function with photos for whatever you need to tackle)! My Mom is going to spend 2 weeks with us in November, so I've found hundreds of pre-made crock-pot recipes that you merely put in a bag and place in the freezer that I'm hoping we can make together.  The tricky part will be finding enough freezer space since we don't have a deep freeze.  Regardless, meal planning has been in my thoughts!

• Luke's Room:  I love to decorate, so designing Luke's safari-themed room has brought me nothing but pleasure.  Brian has been more than willing to help, and we embarked on painting this week.  We will transition Carly into a big-girl bed at some point before Luke arrives (or at least that's the plan), so his room will be rather empty until then...but at least the walls will look cool!  

• Carly's Clothes:  I hadn't been packing away Carly's clothes for the just-in-case that we were carrying a girl.  So...that had to be done this week.  We said goodbye to some clothes that are way too small and off into a box they went.  I'm grieving it...we have such great clothes and only God knows if we will ever get to use them again.  So many memories in them and thoughts of the people who gave them to her.  I have a few friends who are pregnant and if any of them are having girls I will definitely send some clothing lovin' their way.  We also brought out new clothes and organized into piles of "this can be used this fall/winter."  We discovered that she has next to no cold-weather clothes, so that was good to find out!  We've saved money already on not having to buy her heavy winter coats, hats, gloves and boots!  We just need to get her some light jackets that she can wear t-shirts underneath and she will be all set! ;) I will say, Carly was very helpful when trying on new clothes.  I showed her her Christmas dress for this year and she gasped, "Pretty!!"  I asked her if she wanted to try it on and she delightfully said yes. I even brought my full length mirror into her room and she did a 360 degree spin in front of it!  Oh my goodness this child is so much fun!  She proceeded to allow me to try on multiple clothes/shoes and enjoyed running around in them.

• Unpacking Boxes:  I have finally unpacked every single box we had stored (mainly in Luke's room).  It feels so good to know where everything is!  The only mess I have left to tackle is the storage space under the stairs...but it is largely filled with Carly's big-girl bed and Christmas supplies, so I am going to wait to organize until everything is out for Christmas.  That will be a treat!

• Scrapbooking:  I have very little time for photo projects, but I will have zero time come January, so I am nearly up to date on our scrap book.  It's always been a hobby and it feels good whenever I have the chance to relax and reflect on our memories.

• Christmas Shopping:  First of all, I LOVE Christmas shopping.  Sometimes it's hard to come up with an idea, but when I think of one I really enjoying finding it/making it.  I've begun to think about our family members and have picked up a few things along the way.  Hopefully I'm able to send many of them back with my folks when they are here the beginning of November.

Our main goal of each day, however, is to love on each other and enjoy the stage we are in.  I've loved having a family of three and we have some fun times together.  I've been a bit envious of everyone up North talking about fall, but we've tried to be in the spirit here, too.  We've been eating pumpkin flavored foods, but we are still in our tanks and shorts.  I don't care how nice our Florida winters our, I will always carry the opinion that having 4 seasons is the most exciting way to go. The temp has dropped from about 93 on average to 87, so that's made a difference for my running, but this morning gave me a true taste of what's to come when I stepped outside to run and it was only 78!  The downfall was that it was so humid my glasses were foggy most of the run!  HA!  And yes, I am still running.  Last week I logged 12 miles, so I was pretty happy with that.  It's interesting, you'd think I'd be a stud at running a 5k by now, as often as I run 2+ miles, but it truly just gets harder.  Running has been my saving grace the past 23 weeks and I'm dreading the day I have to stop.  It's been my way of self-medicating my nausea, head pain and lack of energy.  It's caused me to have strained ligaments in my pelvis, a hyper-extended IT band and a pulled hamstring muscle, but has still been totally worth it. ;)   I haven't actually talked to my doctor about it, but everything I've read says stop at the 3rd tri.  So...only three more weeks of running. :(  One highlight of being pregnant and pushing a stroller is that I get lots of cheers from people walking by.  You just don't see a woman with a belly pushing a toddler in a jogger all that often. ;)

I feel like there is quite a bit to get done around here in the next 3.5 months...and definitely feel pressed for time.  I was in no way prepared for what life would look like after Carly arrived so I have been mentally preparing to essentially be out for the count until at least next summer once Luke arrives.  I'm so thankful for the growth that comes with being a mother!  Lord willing, expectations are set up correctly for January, which is why I'm in a hurry to get things done now. ;)

"Go State"

In the last year, I have been blessed to have 4 of my bestest friends stop by our parts of the country for a visit.  Exactly a year ago, I got see miss Meg as her and her family were here for vacay.  In January, miss Nikki made her annual trip with her hubby, in July Carley flew down alone just to get some quality time with us and last weekend miss Annabelle (or has Carly referred to her, "Nanners") spent 20 hours on the road so she could get hugs and kisses from me and from the littlest Weiss lady.  Holy cow I've been spoiled and SUPER grateful!  I regret not taking getting out my camera while Carley was here, so I made an effort to do so while Anna visited.  20 hours on the road for a weekend...I felt so bad but hopefully she thought the 2 1/2 days we got together was worth it!

Anna arrived about 2am (only a few hours after I'd gotten off work) Friday evening to start a very busy weekend.  We were both rather tired when morning hit, but excited to get going.  We went for a jog, then showered and headed to the Winter Garden Village for some shopping and lunch.  We all laid down for a nap, then it was up with anticipation for the Iowa/Iowa State game Saturday evening.  We all wore our Cyclone gear, made some yummy food and cheered loudly for our Cyclones!  My Dad taught Carly to say, "Go State!" when he was here, and she probably says that at least once a day while pounding her fist in the air.  Oh the things we instill in our children...

Sunday morning we took another run and visited the pool before nap time.  As soon as Carly woke up, we were out the door and on our way to Magic Kingdom.  We let Carly wander around and chase the ducks before Brian arrived.  I think the real fun began when he set foot in the park.  The two of them rode Space Mountain, Splash Mountain & Thunder Mountain in an hour and half time.  That is certainly a new record for us!!  The park was empty and it was a lovely night!!

Waiting for Dada & Nanners to come down!

Carly's favorite attraction, "the horses"!

We let Carly stay up past her bedtime to watch her first ever Electrical Parade (actually I take that back...she saw it when the Voss' were in here January) and she enjoyed ooing and awing at the lights.  Brian took her home while Anna and I rode a few more attractions and watched Wishes, before also calling it quits.

Monday morning we were able to get to the outlet mall to do a bit of shopping, enjoyed a walk and a nice lunch before Anna had to get back in the car for her treacherous journey back up to North Carolina.  She will only be there for 3 more weeks, so it was certainly now or never!  Denver is her next stop and that's quite a bit further than 10 hours one way.

I'd say we had a fabulous weekend, and packed as much as we could in with a pregnant mama and her toddler.  Anna probably felt like we moved slower than snails but C and I were pretty proud of ourselves for accomplishing as much as we did. ;)  Thanks for visiting, Nanners!! We love you!!

"Whoa, We're Halfway There"

This past week has been the most relaxed week we've seen in a while.  I was tending to pack my non-work days with lots of errands topped with daily scheduled play dates.  I think I have this expectation that life needs to look a certain way for a toddler, and feel that if we aren't constantly on the go, it's been a fail of a day.  I don't really know where these expectations that I set for myself, my husband and my daughter come from, but it's an area I'm aware of and asking God's (an their) grace on.  As far as business goes, it's just really important to me for Carly to have the "best day ever" like everyday.  I love seeing her sweet smile and know that field trips are great learning experiences...and therefore probably plan too much.  So amidst the crazy on-the-go-ness and hanging with friends, accompanied by an array of house guests, we decided to have a laid back week.  And...it's been delightful!  There was one day Brian came home from work and I said..."Guess what!?  We haven't gotten in the car today!"  He looked around the house and said, "Wow...you're really productive when you are home all day!"  And isn't that the truth!  I clean, cook, organize, unpack, do chores and get plenty of play time in with my sweetie when we have nothing on the docket (well..I did that day anyway).  I've also realized that I need to work with her on her fine motor and memorization skills, so when we are home and inside more, we focus on our letters, numbers, colors & shapes.  Learning those things are important, too. :)

We also haven't had tons of family days over the past few months, so we took advantage of that this week (I started this blog a week ago...and here we are another family day!).  I dislike taking pictures when I'm pregnant, but I gave in to document our time together. I have grown exponentially the past three weeks and feel totally chubby. I was really trying to enjoy the way I look during pregnancy this time around, but that's just not possible.  It just goes to show that a healthy diet and exercise still don't prevent the access blood and water gain.  I'm just a thick pregnant lady and need to stop wishing I stayed skinny in my face, arms and legs with only a basketball in my tummy.  Just not how I carry!

So...we woke up and headed to Magic Kingdom for our family day!  We rode Buzz, Pooh, Carousel and met Tigger & Pooh before eating lunch at Be Our Guest.  Carly went nuts when she saw Tigger & Pooh...and her expressions while meeting them are just priceless!

Brian & Tigger having their own private convo ;)

We ran home for a nap and then it was back to Magic Kingdom, only because the Move It Shake It Celebrate It parade hadn't happened earlier in the day and that's Carly's favorite park-going experience.  When going to Magic Kingdom, it has become a tradition to park at the Polynesian resort, service ourselves a dish-it-yourself Dole Whip, then take the boat across the lake to the park.  I'm getting rather good at getting the most for my money on my ice cream, wouldn't you say?? ;)

We made it in the park just in time for some dance party fun.  Jessie is a close second to Minnie & Mickey, so we chose to dance with her.

And then we saw Chip around the corner...so we thought we'd give him some hugs as well.  I do appreciate how well these characters balance giving the little ones attention!

There's that glorious belly!

We had a marvelous time spending they day at Magic Kingdom.  This was the first time we had gone back to a park after nap!  Usually we go either in the morning or evening, but never both!  Miss C was very tired and over stimulated by the end of the day; but it was worth getting the variety of food, attractions and characters!

Me & my sweetie on the people mover

Today has been a laid back family day.  We laid around this morning before jumping in the car to head to Blizzard Beach.  We had a lovely time playing at Tikes Peak, watching Daddy go down Summit Plummet and spending time in the wave pool.  Our evening will be filled with errands and an easy taco night.  I wish we could all curl up on the couch and watch a movie while we dip apples in pumpkin dip, but it will be a few more years before our kiddos are ready for that! ;)

Oh, and by the way...the whole point of the title was to share that we are halfway through pregnancy!! But now it's more like over half way through being that I'm 22 weeks. ;)

"Little Bit of Everything"

I'm not sure how to start a blog these days when I don't have something fairly important to share. ;)  Life has been so good the past month...as soon as the nausea and exhaustion disappeared I became a semi-normal human being again! I can somewhat withstand the heat and therefore spend the days outside with my munchkin, but most importantly I have plenty of energy to give to Miss C.  We've had three groups of guests stay in our home over the past month and in between have been enjoying many a days with friends!  We were so fortunate to find a mama who works part time who has a little boy three months younger than Carly across our alley way!  We have been spending time with them at least twice/week for the past 6 weeks and have become very good friends. 

Unfortunately for us, they are moving to Chicago at the end of the month!  Ugh! Stop leaving!!  This is the 5th family we've become close to over the past three years to move away.  So even though we haven't known each other long, it's still a big loss for both Carly and I.  Florida is just too transient.  I've always planned on us being transient as well, but for the first time in 3 years, I'm actually in no rush to move to back to Iowa.  Did you ever think you would hear me say that?  I don't plan to live here forever...but we are so happy there is no reason to leave yet, either.  It's amazing how much happier/busier/safer I am/feel now that we live in such a great area.  Our "quality of life" has increased and you can tell that I'm happier just by talking to me.  I'm also thrilled to be having another baby!  I have been watching videos of Carly in the first few months and looking at photos a lot...it makes me so excited!  BUT...I REALLY enjoy my time with just one child...so Luke is WELCOME to stay warm and cozy all connected to me for another 4.5 months.  But still, we're giddy with excitement.

Anyway, Mrs. Carley Hoben was here for 4 days toward the end of July.  We were very busy...hitting two parks and resort hopping one day.  She brought Carly to DTD to visit me the one day I worked while she was here which made time for Brian to get a round of golf in. He was rather happy about that.  Brian also let us have two girls' nights in a row...which was a first for me and quite a treat!  The first night he took Carly home from MK when it was bedtime and Carley and I stayed to ride some attractions, watch the electrical parade (which I haven't seen in years) and the fireworks!  The next night we escaped in the evening and had a wonderful dinner at the Rose and Crown Pub in the UK then explored the countries in EPCOT.  We were so glad to have her visit!

Next up was an unexpected visit from my cousin, Shayla!  She got a call one random Monday morning from her attorney and he said that Zola's biological mother had just delivered another baby (16 months after Zola was born) and wondered if Shayla wanted to adopt him.  A full biological sibling to her daughter!  Of course she wanted him!!  So her and Joshua jumped on a plane along with their 16-month old, Zola and 10-month old, Piper.  Joshua flew home with Piper and my Aunt flew down to help Shayla.  They didn't want to intrude (even though I invited them to stay with us on a daily basis) but by the end of three weeks Miss Zola was going crazy in a hotel, so they caved and came over.  My Aunt flew back to Iowa with Zola two days later, and Shayla was here with her new son, Ty, for a few more days before she got the clearance to go home.  Their story is an intense one and it's been neat to see God's faithfulness to them despite many trials.  He gives and takes away.  Carly LOVED baby Ty and gave him all sorts of soft attention and kisses.  I hope she still loves babies when her little brother is born!

Shayla left on a Sunday and my folks arrived late, late Thursday night!  Carly was more than thrilled to see them when she woke up Friday morning!  She saw Bapa first, and was quite hesitant, but warmed up in only 2 minutes.  When she saw Nana about an hour later she ran right to her with open arms.  I'm not sure if she just remembered my mom better or if by an hour later realized that they came as a duo.  She's been spoiled rotten and if one of them isn't giving her their undivided attention she throws a fit.  I was completely spoiled by both sides of grandparents, so I completely support it in most cases. ;)  We squeezed in quite a bit of fun while they were here, including many trips to the pool, multiple walks around the block, dinner out, a visit while I was at work, an evening trip to EPCOT and my Mom and I were able to sneak away for some shopping. 

Brian and I also got to go on a date!! We rarely date...in fact probably only 2-3 times/year, so when we get time alone it's really a treat.  I do love spending time with that man.  We stepped foot in a movie theater for the first time since August of 2010, when we were in South Dakota on a family vacation and saw, "Salt."  We were re-introduced to movie-going by seeing, "The Butler."  It was phenomenal.  I have multiple thoughts on this film, but something I realized was how sheltered I was from the effects racism had (does have) on our country from growing up in Iowa.  I was raised in the North with a small amount of diversity as a white girl, and reading about it in my history books wasn't the same as watching the KKK try to destroy a bus full of young life or seeing a white man who had just raped another man's wife shoot him in the face in the middle of a cotton field with no punishment.  There is no explanation for why so many people thought/think it's okay to treat another life with such hatred except for sin.  It just shocks me that multitudes of people bought into the idea that one race was/is greater than another.  At any rate, Brian and I both cried multiple times throughout the film and I would highly recommend it.  There was a preview for a film about Nelson Mandela that I am also interested in seeing.  I actually had the privilege of walking Mandela's childhood home when I was in South Africa about a decade ago.  After the movie we had an incredibly nice dinner at the Bonefish Cafe...a first for both of us!  Thanks, Nana, for being our daughter's play date so we could have a lovely night out!

I have been terrible about taking my camera out this summer, but here's a few pictures of my Dad chasing Carly around the house and a cute video of Carly interacting with my Mom.  I turned on the camera to film her running and instead she decided it was time for kisses.  So sweet. :)