"Mommy and Me"

With the impending arrival of our littlest sibling, I have been trying to pack in as much fun as I can for these little fellas (especially since we won't be able to go as much with three kiddos :-) We made a trip to the local library last week, and the boys loved it! They are both avid book fans (we can borrow/return 50 books each trip; but seriously, who has room for that many!?)

And they also enjoyed the puppet corner!

AND story time (we were there over two hours :-) We will be going back in the months to come, especially in the summer months when we can't get out of the house much thanks to triple digits!

That same day Blake accompanied  me to my late afternoon doctor's appointment (after his nap, thank goodness). He looks so big here! Tear.

And then we hit up Cabella's for one special one-on-one time

He really was besides himself that he was not having to compete with big brother for attention, and he kept asking where Bubba was! We treated ourselves to some ice cream before we headed home  The next day, my step-mom watched the little guy for a bit so I could take our oldest on our date. We went to see the highly-acclaimed (by everyone else who has already seen it!) movie, Frozen. Jameston gave it two thumbs up!

And he even paid for our popcorn (well, part of it, that stuff is expensive at the theater :-) 

We had such a special time, since it has been about a year-and-a-half since I last took him to the movies! He went with Brett to see Despicable Me 2 a couple months back. Big boy had a blast!

He was SO silly when we got to Petsmarts, dancing down the aisles and telling me, "Mommy, come look at this!" about fifty times. It is fun to get each child out on their own to see their personality come out in an even bigger way!

Since Brett has been working a lot (12-15 hours days) this month, they have had a lot of mommy time, and it has been fun to get to spend this special time with them before the baby arrives. This was during our target to Target after church on Sunday (without Brett)...silly straws!

I know they will adjust just fine because they do play so often and well together. One afternoon they were wrestling on the trampoline, and I overheard Jameston whisper to Blake, "I will always take care of you." My cup runneth over! Excited to see them interact with their newest sibling, and praying there is a smooth transition for all of us :-) 

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Baby Winters #3: A little brother or sister?

It has been SO much fun waiting on finding out the gender of our littlest Winters, who will make his or her appearance next week at the latest!!! Never did I ever think I would be up for this when we began planning on starting our family in 2008! But, alas, I've become a little more lax about "needing to plan" and here we are...less than a week away from meeting little brother or sister!

So, as one last hoo-rah before the baby's birth, I thought I would add a little more fun to the mix :-) I took pictures of the boys with "Little Sister" and "Little Brother" onesies one morning. Blake was not having it...but he was in his booster seat, so I knew I could get a still photo, ha!

Jameston has been SUPER excited about having a little sibling, So much so that he keeps asking what he will get to do to help when the baby arrives. Love it!

From the beginning I have thought that this pregnancy was different than my last ones, but EVERY pregnancy (and child) is different, right? :-)  I was definitely more nauseous in the first trimester, but I was also running after and chasing around a newly-walking 15-month-old and not-quite-4-year-old, and very active boys in the middle of summer :-) There have been some other  "old-wives' tales" that have fallen into is it a boy/girl categories, so I thought it would be fun to write 'em down:

My thoughts: I do feel like I am carrying this baby as I did with my boys (more out front than on the sides), although I am not as big as I was with Blake! And I do notice this baby is in my ribs more than my boys were, so I guess I am carrying a little higher.

And I have fallen into the "craving sweets" trap, although I was known to eat ice-cream more when I was pregnant with the boys as well :-) I baked a lot during my second trimester with this little one, so who knows! My aversions were similar to previous pregnancies (burgers, coffee, etc.) I have also craved more sour stuff this go-around! And I never, ever turn down cheese these days, just like when I was preggo with JW and Blake.

We will see if the heart rate truly indicates gender...my boys always had higher heart rates, according to the doctors, and they came in around the 160's during the first trimester. THIS child had a rate of 178 at the 9-week appointment and stayed on the higher end ever since.

My skin has been worse this go-around, but my allergies (and headaches) have been better!

Time will shortly tell if we are having a mister or a little sister! CANNOT WAIT!!

As Jameston tells everyone who asks him, "We will be happy with either." We have always hoped and prayed for three children, and God has truly blessed us!

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A friend's "Little Mr." baby shower

My best friend, Becca, is due with a boy, her first child, at the end of April!

I had the privilege of helping host her shower at my home two weekends ago. It has been so much fun to be pregnant at the same time. And, as I said on Instagram, I know our kiddos will be close since we've been so close for almost 25 years!

The theme was "Little Mister"

My contribution, besides the decor, were the cupcakes. Can ya tell? :-) Not the prettiest but they were pretty scrumptious...my tastebuds are not very discriminatory these days though!

The beautiful and glowing momma-to-be!

And our dear friend, Leslie, who was also a hostess!

Our fun photography!

So blessed by our friendship and looking forward to sharing in this special time in our lives together!!

The displays...Mustache bash ties, glasses and mustaches for pics, the cupcakes, the registry, and the "Wet your Whiskers" drink stand

Mustache straws!

and lollipops!

Lots of loot!

And the boys had fun playing with the cupcake toppers that night :-) They love their "Aunt Bea!"

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Full term!

Can you tell the boys are excited to meet their little sibling (and that Blake copies everything Jameston does? :-)  How Far Along? 37 weeks yesterday! Baby will be here in less than two weeks!! I am trying to soak up everything about being pregnant at this point!

Maternity Clothes? Duh. And I'm at the stage where I've outgrown some of my tops! Hard to cover this belly!! Thus, long tunics are a go-to piece these days (and hopefully I don't stretch them out where I can still wear them next year :-) 

Weight Gain? 30-ish lbs. Bring it on, seriously. When will I have the excuse to eat what I want/when I want again?

Gender?  ???!! Little Elise or Will!

Sleep? Harder to come by these days. Tossing and turning these nights, trying to get comfortable, and trying not to think about all the stuff running through my mind! 

Food Cravings? Anything with cinnamon. And salads! Not together, of course.

Movements? Oh yeah, baby's head is down and his/her feet are in my ribs quite a bit! Again, soaking it up! But...I am at the point of being pretty uncomfortable. Feels like he or she is trying to dive out sometimes!

Symptoms? Heartburn still. And just this week, swelling of my hands and ankles. Ugh. Thank goodness it's a cooler time of year!

Best Moment(s) of the Week?: Being with my boys. When I told them baby brother or sister will be here in two weeks, these were their reactions:

Haha, seriously though. It is tax/busy season, and Brett is working 12-15 hour days (12 on the weekends :-) Poor guy! So between work and being on my own at home with these two, I am tired. But I am so blessed and thankful for this life!

What I am looking forward to: My mother-in-law ever-so graciously offered to come and get the boys for a few days, to give me some "me" time. A "calm before the storm," so you'd say? I've got a pedicure and massage planned, appointments scheduled, and lunch/dinner dates booked with good friends and my handsome hubby (oh, and some final nesting around the house), while our oldest two soak up some grandparent time! They're pretty awesome!

Oh, and be on the lookout for a "Gender Prediction" post!

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The Heard Museum

Meant to blog about this but it got lost in the shuffle! In early December, we headed to The Heard Museum in McKinney on a Thursday morning

Even Daddy was able to join us!

They had an indoor exhibit with a lot of amphibians and a marine lab

Blake had fun pointing to his teeth after seeing the lizard's!

Then we hit up the great outdoors for their dinosaur exhibit!

And nature trails!

The dinosaurs were operating on animatronics! It was really neat to see their reactions; although, at times, it caught them off-guard, especially the one that spit water at us! 

For my active boys and myself, this field trip was a hit! We would highly recommend going there if you live in the area

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