Happy 2nd Birthday to my Bean

It is hard to believe that our baby Bean turned 2 today. How is that even possible, I was just complaining about him taking forever to come like yesterday. It surely has been the fastest yet most rewarding 2 years of my life. Adding Bean to our family and watching Tman and Jbird become amazing big brothers has made this experience so beautiful. I am so happy to be celebrating our sweet baby's 2nd birthday today and I look forward to many more birthdays.

Our birthday boy being goofy and running around the house :).

We started the morning with his favorite meal for breakfast: pancakes. Hubby decided to be creative and make it in the shape of his age. Pretty good huh

I think he liked it :).

His brothers immediately asked to get pancakes in the shape of their ages too :). They loved being just like Bean. Are you loving Jbird's cheese like I am :).

It's so hard to believe that we now have children aged 5, 3 and 2. Wowza, where did time go

Since my brothers are still in Cameroon and we only got back a few days ago, I didn't plan on having a big celebration. We invited hubby's parents and my mom over and showered our baby with love :). It was super low key but I think he loved it.

 Tman's smile on this picture just cracks me up :)

 I had to sneak in a pic with my boys before the chaos

 Poor Jbird was so tired but he had to join the crew for the cake

 A family picture is always in order :)

 We also got a picture with hubby's parents

 Then it was time to blow on the cake

 Bean was so proud of himself

 After the cake we opened some presents

 Everyone was super excited to help Bean

It's nice having big brothers that always want to hang out with you :)

I tried to get a picture of my 3 sons together and chaos ensued. I do love these shots that capture this bunch so well.

 These three are the cutest bunch I tell you. I am loving the "brother bear" shirts. I got them in preparation for our maternity shoot in May (I am such a planner), Bean also has one but we wanted him to be different on his birthday.

Happy birthday sweet Bean, you've only made our lives sweeter since you joined us 2 years ago. May the Lord grant you many more happy years. I look forward to watching you grow into an amazing gentleman.

A baby update - month 4

The baby is growing and it's about time I did another update on our little finale :). The last month has been hard but the baby is growing and we are so happy about that.

I am so happy to be pregnant again  and I am totally relishing in this being our last pregnancy. But let me tell you, this baby is killing me softly. The nausea is still here in full force, no vomiting but just a never ending feeling all day long. The exhaustion oh my, I think we spent the last 3 weekends cooped up inside because I have zero energy once we survive the week.

I was hoping the second trimester would bring me some relief but it's not looking like I am ever going to get any relief. We are trucking along though and baby girl is growing strong healthy, praise the Lord. I hate being a downer when it comes to pregnancy because it is such a special time that yields an amazing result but this pregnancy is my toughest for sure. I guess they always say girls are harder on their mamas ;).

Oh and the aches and pain are already here in full force. How is that even possible, I am barely at the halfway point. Maybe I am just getting old and chasing after 3 very active boys is just not helping. I am not going to lie, I am so glad this is our last pregnancy and not the first because I don't know how I would have been encouraged to do this multiple times.

To add insult to injury, we are taking a transcontinental (20+ hour flight) trip with the kids and we leave tomorrow. We planned this trip way before I was pregnant and I based everything off my last pregnancies. I had a great track record with 3 fairly easy pregnancies. I am just dreading the long flight but I know we will survive or at least I hope so :).

Ok, let's say goodbye to negative Nancy and bring the old cheerful happy Pegster :). Despite all the nausea, tiredness, aches and pain, I wouldn't trade this for anything in the world right now. I am so looking forward to July when I hope I get to hold my 4th baby, my last baby, and my 1st daughter :).

Look at that profile from our 12-week appointment. Doesn't she look like she is waving at us :)

I have been taking front and side pictures of the bump. From the front it doesn't seem like much is happening but it is really obvious from the side that there is a baby growing in that belly

15 weeks with baby #4

16 weeks with baby #4, the blizzard of 2016 was in full effect. I actually took the pictures while it was still snowing :)

 Honorable mention of hubby working hard to clear our driveway during the blizzard :)

17 weeks with baby #4, it was a sunny day a week after the blizzard but we still had snow on the ground

18 weeks with baby #4, the snow was completely gone at this point

My babies decided to run out on the deck with me so I included them in the picture :). Hanging out with Jbird, Bean and baby girl in the belly :).

I have also decided to have fun with my hair this time around since I will lose it all in a few months anyway. We added some layers and turned the bangs into side bangs. I like it a lot

Totally loving my hair right now

My heart is so full right now. I am literally on cloud nine and just soaking in every minute of our last pregnancy. In the midst of all the nausea, fatigue, and just overall harshness of this pregnancy, I am just so thankful for a growing baby. Everyday I pray for a safe delivery and healthy baby come July.

The blizzard of 2016

Last week we had the craziest snow storm. When they predicted 30inches of snow I thought they were joking but the snow came down and it came down hard. We got about 26inches on our deck. Our lives came to a screeching halt for almost a week. The boys loved the break and the fact that we took them out to play in the snow. I just loved the much needed break.

The week before the snow it was cold but definitely sunny. We got to hang out with my niece for a few days and the boys just loved having her around. Good practice for us with 4 kids :). We were surprised how easy it was to get at least 2 down for nap time. We definitely had a ball and should do this more often.

The boys got these awesome 4wheelers for Christmas so we took them out to give them a try

Tman really loved his 4wheeler. We got him a smaller size but later realized that it was just too small and ordered a bigger size

 I think Jbird wants a bigger size too :)

Milk time was always so funny, they would all sit in the playroom in the same position and watch cartoons :)

Dinner time was the trickiest, they could never sit still for more than a few minutes. When I saw them all sitting there, you know I had to take a pic :)

Taking selfies with my baby the day before the blilzzard was scheduled to hit us, I love the look on his face, he is so adorable.

 Once we all got home on Friday, we put our feet up and were ready for all the blizzard craziness

The snow did come down, and there was a lot of it. We woke up to our front yard being completely covered

 The boys loved watching the snow falling and spent the day doing this :)

We also got lots of cuddle time. Every time hubby went upstairs to put anyone down for a nap, he ended up sleeping with them. I loved this pic of Jbird and hubby passed out

On Saturday, we decided to go outside and check out the snow. It was gloomy and still snowing but the boys just loved going out there to help my brother and hubby

 I of course had to go out there and take a family pic with my favorite :)

  Hubby working hard while the boys frolicked in the snow

More snow fell overnight covering the hard work from the night before. We woke up to this craziness

Luckily, the snow fall was over and by the afternoon it was sunny and nice. I convinced my mom and grandma to come out with the boys for a little photo op. I love that we were snowed in with our peeps

The boys were so done with pictures at this point, all they wanted to do was run around in the snow :)

So we let them and they were like animals in the wild. Check out my little Bean over there trying to climb too

They were loving the freedom of jumping and running in the snow

 They definitely had a ball

Tman was climbing on every snow bank and the other two were right behind him

The next day, only the big boys went outside. Bean was taking a sweet nap so we didn't want to bother him. Tman and Jbird climbing on snow banks and feeling like they were on the top of the world.

Jbird wanted to try that snow so badly

 My handsome model Jbird walking on ice with such poise

 My goofy Tman throwing snow ballls

 My brother J came out to join us and started a snow ball fight with the boys

 Tman was loving it

 Until he got hit of course :)

Uncle J was just pretending but I love the look on Jbird's face like "wow, that's a huge snowball" and Tman hiding from the shot

The boys had so much fun with the snow

Later that night the boys were wrestling with their father as they do and though this picture is blurry, it captures them in action :)

Bean and I were just chilling on the couch. Me and my babies, Bean almost 2 and baby girl in the belly at 17 weeks

The blizzard of 2016 hit us hard but it also provided a much welcomed break from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Most of the snow is melted now and life is back to normal. I wonder if this will be our last big snow of the season. Were you guys affected by the blizzard of 2016? did you make the most out of it?