Great Wolf Lodge

Before I went back to work, we headed up to Grapevine again but this time we were going to experience the indoor waterpark, Great Wolf Lodge.  Jarrett and I went up on Friday and spent the night in a hotel, ate, relaxed and hung out at Grapevine Mill mall until the next day when my parents and nephews came to join us.
 

First stop was lunch as The Rainforest Cafe.  It was a ton of fun and all three boys loved all the animals and the thunderstorms and the food was actually really good.  We sat right by a big gorilla, and Lawson was scared of it at first, but warmed up to it and started making monkey noises. 

We left there and headed to Great Wolf Lodge.  While mom checked in and the guys parked, I wrangled all three boys in a crowded lobby.  Luckily, Wolfy was there and the three boys hugged him and gave him "five".  I was surprised Lawson wasn't scared at all and he gave him "five" like the big boys.  Once we got checked into the room, we changed into our swim suits and headed to the waterpark.  It was a ton of fun and the boys had a ball. 

The boys had fun on the slides in the kid area.  Lawson even went down one of the bigger ones a couple of times.  Daredevil Asher also did two of the big tube slides with his Uncle Jarrett and Abram did these balancing lily pads that most people fell off of but he made across every time.  Lawson loved the water and wasn't scared of anything.  And I've got to admit, the adults had a great time too.  Indoor waterpark meant, no heat, no sun, no sunscreen and no worrying about sunburns!! 

That night after dinner we took the boys to story time in their pjs.  They sat with Uncle Jarrett and loved listening to the story.  After that dad (papaw), Jarrett and the big boys headed to the arcade and played for HOURS.  I'm pretty sure ALL four of them had a great time playing until after 10:00.

 Lawson inside the "kid's cabin" in our room.  The big boys enjoyed the bunk beds. 

The next morning we woke up and headed back to the waterpark.  We played and then headed in to clean up and go have breakfast/lunch.  After that we made one more fun stop at Bass Pro Shop.  Once again, the boys loved looking at the animals.  Lawson would point at all of the deer and say "dee"  That ended our trip and it was time to head home and relax. 

 

Lawson's First Haircut

Lawson had his first haircut today.  It wasn't really a planned thing, but Papaw had picked Lawson and I up to run some errands and go out to eat and suggested we take him to get a haircut.  So, we did it.  We've been putting it off for far too long.  There have been numerous comments about our little girl!  His hair was so long and curly and reached all the way down his back when it was wet. 

Before:

When we pulled into Sports Clips Lawson had fallen sound asleep in his carseat.  We debated whether or not to wake him up, but Dad and I decided to go ahead and go for it.  So I woke him up, and we headed in.  Thankfully there was no wait, and the lady cutting his hair has done tons of first haircuts.  He wouldn't sit by himself, so he sat in my lap.  He was a little upset at first, but I grabbed a couple of dum-dums before I left the house thinking that might distract him if he was upset and it worked!  He ate his dum-dum, and she cut away his precious curls.  I was so focused on keeping him happy that I didn't have a chance to get emotional about it.  He did great and looks like such a big boy now.  I miss the curls, but it was definitley time. 

After:

Happy July 4th!

Happy Hot and Sweaty July 4th!

20 Weeks Half Way There

I hit the 20 weeks mark and can hardly believe that we are half way there.  Up until now, I have barely even felt pregnant (other than a few symptoms mainly in the first trimester).   However, it seemed like once I reached 20 weeks, it all of a sudden hit me. 

The worst symptom I have experienced in the second trimester has been terrible headaches that hang around for 3 days.  It has also recently gotten harder to keep up with Lawson.  Of course, he is everywhere!  I have started sleeping on my side rather than my stomach and I get up a million times to use the restroom at night.

I definitely feel like I'm gaining weight differently this time around.  I've gained 10 pounds, but I feel like it is more "all over" than it was with Lawson.

I will be ready for this little girl to be here, but I am also just trying to relax and cherish each moment with Lawson.

Grapevine, Texas Vacation

We decided last minute to take a little vacation to Grapevine.  We planned it last minute, but it turned into a great trip.  We didn't plan a lot, just wanted to do some fun things and eat some good food. 

We stayed right by the Grapevine Mill Mall.  The first day, we headed to the mall to take Lawson to Legoland.  He had such a good time looking at everything and taking it all in.  The first part of it was a little ride where you go through a tunnel and shoot the bad guys with a gun.  Lawson loved it (so did Jarrett).  We did the movie, which Lawson wasn't too into.  The coolest part for Jarrett and I was looking at all the places in Dallas/Fort Worth that had been recreated with Legos.  It was pretty impressive. 

Lawson played in the Legos and climbed up the big slide by himself and slid down.  The boy has no fear right now!  It was a fun little place, and we will definitely take him back when he is old enough to do everything.

We spent the rest of the day shopping in the Grapevine Mills mall.  Of course I shopped mostly for Lawson and Baby Girl E.  We let Lawson ride on some of the little cars and trucks and he had a ball.  We ended the day at P.F. Changs.  I was amazed at how much Lawson ate!!!  He had carrots, cucumbers, the middle of a lettuce wrap, crab wontons, Orange Chicken, Beef, and rice.  And then at the end he had a fortune cookie and was still grabbing pieces of it off of the table as we were leaving.  I really hope he always loves everything we give him this much...especially the vegetables! 

The next day, we tried to sleep in (not easy for me) and relax.  Once we got ready, we headed to eat breakfast at a place I found on UrbanSpoon.com, Old Timers Cafe.  I had the BEST french toast I have every tasted. 

After that, we headed to downtown Grapevine.  I loved it.  We went in all the shops and boutiques and had a great time.  Jarrett actually likes doing that, which is so nice.  Then we headed to Bass Pro Shops.  Jarrett and Lawson had so much fun playing the tents and sleeping bags.  Lawson loved looking at the animals and he makes the cutest "bear" growl when we ask what the bear says. 

We ended the day at Love and War in Texas eating another good meal. 

I loved spending time with my boys away from home.  Lawson had a great time in the hotel room, just running around like crazy and Jarrett and I got lots of reading and relaxing done.  We were happy to find a place close to home (2 hours) to have some fun.  It was a great 3 night trip!

The Day We Found Out We Were Having a Daughter

We decided on Saturday, June 4th, to have a sonogram at Stork Vision and Lawson, my parents, Jarrett's mom, Ashley, Abram and Asher were going to be there to see our baby for the first time and to find out if it was a boy or a girl.  The morning of I was just a ball of excitement.  Either way, I was going to be excited. 

First things first, I always look for the heartbeat before I relax into the sonogram.  There is just something about seeing that beating heart on the screen that confirms the precious life inside of me.  We saw the baby's profile, arms and legs.  The sonographer, Kristie, made her way to the babies lower half and let us know that she was about to try to see if it was a he or she.  My heart was pounding, and the baby wasn't cooperating (or she was being lady-like).  Kristie tried to get the baby to open its legs, but it just wasn't happening.  Jarrett said, "its a boy"  mistaking a foot for a boy, but she said no, we still can't tell.  She then had me roll over on my side, and again made her way to see if she could get the baby to cooperate.  And then she said, It's a girl!  My mom squealed embarassingly loud, and everyone was happy and excited.  Lawson had no idea what was going on!  It was such a fun moment and I loved sharing it with my family.

So the moment I found out we were having a daughter, I started to cry a little.  Silly, I know, but I have such an incredible relationship with my mom, and I was excited that I would get to share that kind of relationship with a daughter.

It's a.....

GIRL

We found out on Saturday, that our precious baby is a girl!  My family was there minus Aaron and Jarrett's mom was there as the sonographer revealed that we are having a little girl.  We are thrilled!