The Last Blog

I anticipate this being the final post before I am the mother of three kids! It probably won't take me too long to get some pictures of our new handsome little man up here this coming weekend, but posting may be a little erratic over the next couple of months (surgery, newborn, Blake's new job with long hours, summer classes, moving...). Here are a few pictures from the last couple weeks (more sickness, but I think we're done now- whoo hoo!). Some key points:
- We went to the Overland Expo for Blake's birthday, which was super cool even if the babies ended up being sick.
- We celebrated Blake's birthday with friends, pizza, and strawberry shortcake. It was especially fun to see our good friends who live in Turkey- Lydia is Rory's age and they are so similar in temperament and interests; I'm excited for them to get to spend more time together this summer!
- Lots of perusing the MLS and rental listings of homes in Williams- there's not much there, but we're sure God will provide the right place at the right time. We want to minimize the amount time Blake has to commute to and from his new job.
- We're so disappointed that a recent injury is keeping my mom from being able to come down for the birth of numero tres. Our family and friends here have been awesome about volunteering to help but Mom will be greatly missed.
- I was given a fun baby shower last weekend! The theme was baby names, since I have been a passionate name lover my entire life!
- It's crunch time: Baby's coming Friday if not before (it's quite unlikely that it would be before since I would still be pregnant with Rory if the doctors hadn't intervened..."

A sampling of the vehicles at the Expo- people came from all over the world to this event!

Poor Bud-o wasn't feeling well. Rory was delighted with her lollypop.

Our snuggly boy

Aurora wanted me to take her picture with "Baby Bashy." Baby Bashy wasn't thrilled with that idea.

The awesome crepe bar at my shower!

How Bashy eats crepes

Sebastian looks so tiny here!

I managed to surprise Blake with his awesome birthday present! He admired this photo that a friend took months ago and I conspired with the photographer to get his this custom canvas. We know some of the cowboys too- it's an authentic scene on a local ranch.

Still Sick

Every time I think we're all finally healthy, someone else gets sick. Today it's me, Blake, and Bash. This is getting very old; to think I used to believe we were a hearty bunch.
We've had some random good days though. I was the only one sick yesterday and wasn't feeling too bad. We took a Mother's Day outing to Bearizona (a drive thru wild animal park) and then had a mildly French picnic (because we planned on watching Les Miserables afterwards- we made it an hour in before crashing) at a fun park by a lake. The kiddos enjoyed the playground too. We're enjoying the semester being done and I'm beginning to realize that if we don't get healthy soon my house is just not going to get clean before the baby comes, and that's okay.
In other news, to date I have won through the Albertsons Monopoly Game: $25 cash, a package of Texas Toast, and a carton of cottage cheese (gross). I am feeling quite victorious!

Here are some pictures of various happenings from the last couple weeks:

I determined that the children should paint. Despite the fact that I hate making big messes for activities that hold their attention for less than twenty minutes. They had a great time though!

Bashy decided to test the paint's claim to be washable.

Posing pretty before church

We stayed at a hotel in Williams when Blake had a job interview in the town. Rory caught a stomach bug and brought about another awkward parenting moment when she threw up on our friends' floor (sorry David and Rachel!). Even though they weren't feeling well the babies loved hanging out in the room watching cartoons.

We managed a quick trip to the indoor pool despite it all.

Such sweeties

Poor sickie girl loved having her own queen bed to sprawl out in.

Still not feeling well; at least snuggles made it bearable.

In my endeavor to be a mom who provides her kids with fun and educational experiences on occassion, I provided colored vinegar and plates of baking soda. It was a success!

We've been hoping the pleasant weather will take away the germies for good. So far it's not working, but at least it's nice to be outside.

All ready for church on Mother's Day!

Rory loved the racoons, pigs, and buffalo at Bearizona! When she saw the buffalo out the car window she informed us that she wanted to "Go roll on the buffalos 'k?"

Awkward bear with wilted flowers

We got a free ride in the open tour bus through the park- here Bash is observing some burros and showing off his bear paw tattoo.

We saw a black bear climb a tree! It was super thrilling! I also was astounded to learn that porcupines climbed trees; I thought the burrowed or something.

Cataract Lake park was great! Our French feast consisted of French dip sandwiches, berries, cucumbers, and cream puffs.

Rory discovered that cream puffs are a new passion of hers.

The play equipment was really cool and not pansified like most are these days.

Silly Sebashy had so much fun!

Isn't this a lovely setting for a park? And the weather was gorgeous!

Bash loved the crazy rocking trout thing.

Little Sinner

I think it's FINALLY safe to say we're pulling out of this eternal sickness. Blake's almost done with his antibiotic, the kids only have runny noses in the morning and coughs at night, and I never caught it too bad. It was not a fun couple of weeks. But we made it. And Blake bought me some new shoes I had been admiring at Landsend as an appreciation gift, thoughtful man.

Speaking of my husband, he's almost done with his ginormous portfolio for his non-credit course (hopefully he'll be granted a semester's worth of credits for his efforts). He has a big job interview next Tuesday; if he doesn't get this one he'll have to start looking elsewhere since his current job is ending. We're excited about this opportunity and are curious to know if it's what God has in store for us for the coming year!

Bash had his 18 months checkup and he is still in the first percentile! He seems so huge to me and eats an insane amount; I was sure he grew astronomically. He's holding steady to his curve and is wonderfully healthy, just tiny. I think approximately a quarter of his vocabulary consists of words along the lines of tractor, truck, car, ball... he's such a boy!

Rory, oh Rory. As delightful as she is she's given us some aggravation. Last night she had a disappointing milestone: we were at a party at a friend's house and when it came time to leave we couldn't find her. Marisa checked in one of the kid's rooms and discovered Aurora furtively devouring candy from an Easter basket. Marisa had put the basket on the dresser earlier and explained to Rory that it wasn't hers and she could not eat it. As soon as she was caught she threw an enormous fit; she knew she was doing something wrong and was angry about getting caught. After being disciplined when we got home Blake and I were able to have a talk with her about doing wrong things in secret and about all the people who were hurt by her actions. It was the first time she hid herself away and tried to hide her sin; before she would have gleefully announced to me that she had found candy. I suppose in a way it's positive since it indicates an awareness of doing something wrong, but I hate to see my baby girl losing any innocence.

Just a week and a half more of the semester; Blake needs a break and so do I! Hopefully we'll be able to go on a couple dates before the baby comes THIS MONTH and his summer classes start. We've had the new Les Miz for weeks and it's still in the wrapper sitting on the DVD player; it's time to remedy that!