She has a name

Sorry, I have meant to post this announcement since Saturday, but things are getting really busy really quick here! So (drum roll please) SHE HAS A NAME!!!! Woo Hoo. Of course, we still aren't sharing until she is born but her initials are R.K.M. I have already painted the R and M in her room and plan to finish the K by Friday- then I will post pictures of the nursery. (It is really the last incomplete thing in for the room.

Beside picking her name, we finally finished taking all the old wood from our old deck (yes, the deck we replaced in October) to the dump! Our backyard is debris free and I am so excited for that. You would not imagine how many loads we have taken and I have to give props to Steve, because I haven't been able to help the last three times, so he has had to load everything by himself. I do help unload at the dump since you are just throwing it and not having to carry it far, but still. It has been a huge task for us and I couldn't have done it without him.

Also, my sweet mama friends in the Pacific Northwest, hosted a baby shower for us this weekend. It was a wonderful afternoon getting to spend time with the ladies (minus kiddos) and get to celebrate and focus on Baby R. She got a lot of wonderful books, some clothes and other small things, but mostly books. I was so excited because our current book collection consists mainly of trucks and farm animals- things I know baby girls will love too, but I wanted some more tender books as well. Mason is thrilled with the addition to our collection and continues to take them off her shelf, so needless to say, I pick up her room once a day! HA!

Well, he is done for a nap, and I need to get going on my to do list. Only a few more weeks to go....

double trouble

Well, we finally did it! We bought our double stroller. I know this may seem like a silly purchase and not a reason for a whole post, but for us, this has been months coming so I am excited we made the leap. We have been researching double strollers since around December. We have gone to look at them, test drive them, try out our car seat with them. I even made an excel spread sheet with the pros and cons of our final two- the bumbleride and the BOB revolution. Then came the fun part- looking for the best deal. This proved to harder than I thought as I loved the bumbleride but we looked at the 2010 model and since it was just released it was 1)hard to find and 2)not on sale. Well, we finally found it and I was able to order it and get $85 off my order! (plus free shipping and no tax) I AM PUMPED!

It shipped yesterday. I feel like next week will be Christmas when it arrives. It's an all terrain stroller so you can use it kind of like a jogging stroller, although it's not meant for runs like the BOB, After reviewing both, we decided, we don't really run, more walk with Mason and I have the feeling that is what we are going to do with lil sis too. So the bumbleride fit us perfectly! It has super large sun shades to block the Seattle sun (when it comes out) and it comes with a rain shield (again perfect for Seattle) and the adapter bars for the car seat and snack tray. Oh what more could a girl want. Oh that's right a healthy, happy, baby girl to put it in. We are working on it!
Here my new love (minus Steve, Mason and lil sis, oh and Bay and Jack) You get the point. Here she is!

Dear Mason

(I wrote this post about 3 weeks ago, just in case Baby R came early. As I read over it again tonight, my eyes filled with tears. I can't believe tommorow we are meeting our little girl. See you soon, baby.)

Tonight is your last night as our only child. I have said this a million times before, but you have no idea, sweet boy, how much your world is going to change in the next 24 hours. But I want you to know, mommy and daddy love you, and that will never change. You might be worried that grandma Kathy is watching you while mommy and daddy are away- afterall tommorow will be the first night we are away from you. You might be scared when you go to the hospital and see mommy laying in a bed. You might be nervous when we bring in your sister for the first time for you to meet, but just know we will make it through this as a family.



I can promise you there will be times that you wish it was just you, mom and dad again. I can promise you that you and sister will have good times together, but you may also have some rough times. I can promise you, you won't always get along or see eye to eye. But I can also promise you that from now on, you will forever have a friend, a compainon, someone to talk to, and share childhood memories with. Someone who will one day help you make decision concerning me and dad. I can promise you that after tommorow your life will forever change, but I am hopeful that this change will only make your life better!



Get ready to meet your little sister.

All my love-

your mommy!



"Brothers and sisters are as close as hands and feet." Vietnamese Proverb

Baby L.O.V.E.

Friends and family have given us great advice on ways to prepare Mason for the upcoming arrival of his little sis. One of the best ideas was to buy a baby doll for Mason so he could practice with a baby and also so he would have someone to love on when the real baby comes and I am occupied with her.
Last week I went and bought Mason his baby sister. Much to my surprise- he LOVES his baby. He pushes her around in his shopping cart, (like I push him in the stores)he snuggles her, gives her kisses, and also will check her diaper if I ask him if she has a dirty diaper. He isn't the best at holding her, usually by her neck or upside down, but we are working on that, and it's not like we are going to let him carry her around by himself anyway! I asked him if he wanted to hold her on the coach and he said yes, so I placed her in his lap on the coach and he began loving on her. I snapped these pictures before she was upside down!

Mason snuggling his baby!



Mason giving her a kiss!


I think he is going to be a great big brother and any small worries I had are starting to fade- little sister is going to know her big bro loves her!

On a side note, we have narrowed the names down to three! This is a huge step for us. We are spending the next 3 weeks using the names to see if we can come up with a final decision. Even if we do, we won't reveal the name until she is born, but we are happy to have made progress. Personally, I love all three names so I think whatever we choose we will be happy with.

In John Deere Green

Mason has always been a hat wearer, especially since he hasn't had much hair until this point! But for some reason he has never liked ball caps. He got this John Deere cap for Christmas and every time I put it on him, he rips it off. Well, I came up with a Halloween idea for Mason and Beanette (I know it's early but I like to be ahead of the game) anyhow, for their Halloween costumes to work he needs to wear a baseball cap. Luckily he has lately started to come around and like to wear the hat! Here he is in his John Deere Green!

Me and my buddy

Mason has always loved Bailey and Jack, but lately he loved showing them how much he loves them through snuggles, cuddles and kisses. It is the sweetest thing to see our little guy showing so much love to his pets- although they sometimes don't appreciate the love. They tolerate it and in their own way I think they know he loves them. Here he is snuggling Bailey in the morning.