Hunting.....and the dreaded "belly shot"

A few weeks ago, we went down to Ephraim for the deer hunt.  Needless to say, David was super excited, since we have been away for the last 3 years, so he could hardly sleep.  (no seriously, he was waking up at like 3:30am for a few days before the hunt....yah....great.....which means I was up around that time to since it is so hard to go back to sleep lately).  Anywho,  as you can see, he was successful in his hunt, and he had so much fun with his Dad and brothers and cousins.  We were able to go over and have a nice lunch with all the hunters and get some fun pictures with all the grandkids.

For some unknown reason (yah right), David just LOVES this picture of Brigham.  Something about a father and son and their love of hunting, he was just going on and on about how great this picture was.  Yah, he sure looks cute, but it is hard to overlook the DEAD animal he is crawling on:)  I have no doubt that David will be able to pass on his love of hunting to his children (I say children, because I know Isabel loves to be in the outdoors with her daddy already)

 This is Brigham's cousin who is 2 months older than him.  They were both very intrigued by the deer and had fun admiring his antlers. 
 

 Yes, that is Isabel's doll stroller.  And yes, that is my almost 2 year old sitting in it!  I can't believe it has lasted this long without breaking or tearing to shreds.  When they are actually playing nice together, it is so cute to see them interact and enjoy each other, so I will sacrifice the life of the stroller to enjoy these moments.
Here is a pic from when Brigham was 3 months old, and Isabel started pushing him around in it.  Feel free to let out an "oohhh", cause he was pretty darn adorable!

And finally.......the dreaded belly shot!  I am now 31 weeks....and feeling it!  I haven't taken a belly shot this pregnancy until now.  I kept meaning too, and everytime I thought about it, I was either too tired or looked too terrible to bust out the camera.  Not that this is much better, but hey, I am showered and not falling asleep after the kids are in bed, so I will take what I can get:)

A few weeks ago, I was feeling pretty good, and I thought, "oh the 3rd trimester is gonna go so fast".  Now I wonder how I am gonna make it to the end:)  I won't bore you with all the complaints, because they really don't matter.  What matters is that I feel so blessed to be able to have children, that I should have nothing to complain about.  I am healthy (even though I don't feel like it) and I have such a wonderful family, that I can't wait to see how this little one will bless our lives even more!  I am glad the holidays are coming up, because that is a great distraction and will help the time pass.
We are going to be home for Thanksgiving.  David is on call that weekend, so we have to stay put.  I talked David into letting me cook a small thanksgiving dinner for us here at our house.  He didn't want to burden me with all the cooking and prep work, and wanted to just go out to eat.  But then, I had visions of him getting called into the hospital just as we started eating, and didn't want to be left with 2 toddlers in a crowded restaurant full of hungry people.  So I would rather be stuck at home alone with 2 toddlers, and my favorite sweet potatoes all to myself:)

"sharing" pretzels

 So when we were out taking pictures with Kyle and Lisa a few weeks ago, we stopped to have a snack and these little photos followed.  Brigham was trying to take the bag of pretzels away from Isabel. Then we finally talked Brigham into sharing some with Isabel, and she took all the ones out of his hands he was sharing and he got all fired up again!  I love all the facial expressions he is pulling and you can almost hear what he is screaming just by looking at the pics.  Hope you enjoy the craziness that is our children!

I love this picture of Brigham and think it captures his innocent mischievousness so well:)

Here is my little helper!  I can't believe how fast she is growing up and how quickly she is becoming her own person.  I love to look at pictures of my kids because it is a great reminder of how innocent and sweet they are.  I need to take a step back more often and realize that they do not do things just to aggravate me, as much as it feels that way sometimes:)  Thanks again Lisa for such cute pictures!

Nesting??? ....What is "nesting"?

So I am a little frustrated with myself that I can't kick myself into nesting mode.  I have so many things I want to do before the baby gets here (organize the kids room to get another bed to squeeze in there, make a car seat blanket, make a car seat wrap, dig out baby clothes to wash them and organize them, clean out messy closets that have already been created after living here for less than 6 months, etc, etc.).  But I just can't do it. 

Maybe it is because there are two little maniacs running around my house, taking all my time and energy to feed them, clothe them, play with them, break up fights and....ah, finally...get them to sleep.  I can't find any extra time or energy to get all the things done on my "want-to-do" list and I wonder how that will change and get even crazier with adding a 3rd one to the mix???  Life just seems to get more hectic, and I feel like I get further and further behind. 

With a little over 10 weeks to go, I am hoping I can find someway to prepare for the arrival of this sweet little bundle (boy or girl??? can't wait to find out!!!).  I remember that every spare thought went to thinking/dreaming/wondering about little Isabel when I was pregnant with her.  Now, my spare thoughts are fewer and farther between and I am scared this little child will feel less loved because we won't take as many pictures, we don't sit on the couch every evening and wonder what each day of their future will be like we did with our first.  I know that being a parent is a juggling act, but I totally SUCK at juggling, never could do it.  I hope I can always give my kids the love and attention and care that they need and I pray that I can dig down deep and find a way to become better and fulfill my responsibilities as a mother to these sweet children.

Okay, now that that is off my chest, I am going to bed.  Sleep is harder to come by these days with heartburn, hot flashes and a belly that feels like there is a jackhammer inside whenever I try and lay down:)  I am so blessed to be able to experience all these things, and I know that all the hard things I go through, I would do again in a heartbeat just for that first moment they are placed in my arms and wrap their tiny hands around my finger.  Oh, I am so grateful I have something so special to look forward to in the gray that is known as January!!!

One of these days, I will try and post a belly shot.  Seems to always slip my mind on the days that I actually look halfway decent and don't have food or snot smeared all over my shirt:)