Snowing in Austin

So on Tuesday we got snow in Austin. It was crazy, we went from 71 degree weather on Sunday to 30's and snow on Tuesday. Brody loved it. I bundled him up and took him outside for a little bit. I think he would have stayed out there all day if I would have let him. I was also really surprised how interested Shasta was. He kept going to the door and scratching to go out. He would play for about 10 minutes and then he was ready to come back in. He did this about 10 times. Anyway it snowed all day and then it was in the 60's the next day and all melted away.

This is the house across the street and our front yard.

Our neighbors built a snowman, cowboy boots and all.

Playing in the snow.

Took him a little bit to get used to his boots.

Finally ready to head back in.

More Maternity Pics

So I was hoping my next post would be to announce the arrival of our new little boy but he is taking his sweet time. Instead I have a few more maternity pics to post. Shara's friend Melissa had asked if she could take some maternity pics for her book and I was happy to help her out. She brought the pics over last night and here are a few of our favorites.

The belly just keeps getting bigger.

In the nursery.

Brody loves the baby's giraffe.

Kisses for baby.

Ready to be a big brother!

Hopefully it won't be much longer!

Valentine's Day Weekend

So last weekend we had really nice family weekend. Matt and Abbey had invited us to go to a children's museum in New Braunfels but on Friday night I started to have contractions so we decided not to venture too far from home. So Saturday we took Brody to two different museums in Austin. One was more of a natural history museum. It had a cool dinosaur bones exhibit that Brody just loved. The 2nd one was the Dell Children's Discovery center. This was a more kid oriented place with fun learning things. He really liked both places for different reasons. Then we finished our afternoon off with burgers, fries and a milkshake. We really wanted to have just a special day all about Brody and I think we were really successful, he seemed to have such a good time. Sunday was Valentine's Day which is always special for Mark and I b/c it was the day we got engaged 8 years ago. I can't believe it's been that long! Again we weren't really up for going out or making big plans so we just made a really yummy dinner and hung out at home. We attempted gnocchi for the first time with a mushroom cream sauce. Everything came out pretty good. Gnocchi is a tough thing to make, it was a little softer then I would have liked but I think we learned a lot and can make it better next time. Mark made an AMAZING mushroom cream sauce. It came out so good, even Brody liked it. Now we are just waiting for baby #2 to make his appearance. I think the last few weeks of pregnancy are always the hardest. I'm very anxious to be done! Well hopefully the next post will be to welcome our new little boy.

Brody on Friday showing off his Stegosaurus.

Loving the dinosaur bones!

Something he could touch.

Looking at more bones with daddy.

He really liked this exhibit that showed different kinds of Texas wildlife.

Putting shapes into holes at the Dell museum.

He got this cool hat at the Dell museum.

The next day still wearing his new hat.

Relaxing after a long weekend, he cracks me up!

Photos by Abbey

So last Saturday Matt, Abbey and Kinsey came up to take some family and belly pics. I was really excited because I always love how the pics Matt and Abbey take come out. We tried to do some family pics on a trail by our house but Brody had just woken up from his nap and wanted nothing to do with taking pictures. Also, it was really cold out so we didn't spend a bunch of time trying to warm him up to the idea. After that we headed back to the house and Abbey got a bunch of pics of the belly. They came out really good. I haven't seen all the pics yet but Abbey put a bunch on her website so I snagged a few for the blog. There are more on her website which is http://www.photographybyabbey.com/ and she is going to give me a cd with all of the pics on it so I'm sure there will be more to come. Thanks Abbey, you did such a great job and we really LOVE all the pics.

He wouldn't look at the camera but at least we got him in a pic.

Me and Mark.

I thought this was cute.

The belly.

I really liked these ones.

I think this is my favorite.

8 Months Pregnant

So I've entered the final stretch. This pregnancy hasn't been that much different from my first pregnancy but I've been able to enjoy it a little more for some reason. I think in part you know what to expect with the second pregnancy so you can relax and enjoy the process a little more. Also, I'm planning on this being my last pregnancy so I tried to really relish every kick and flutter. The second trimester was definitely the best, I had lots of energy and really felt good. Actually I felt pretty good up until the last few weeks. Now I'm ready to be done. I feel like there is no more room left in my tummy. I have continued to do yoga throughout my pregnancy, something I'm actually a little surprised about. My goal was just to go as long as I could and so far I'm still going about 4 days a week. I also haven't gained as much weight this time around, which I don't think has affected my overall pregnancy, but I'm hoping it will make a difference after I have the baby. Mark and I decided to mess around with the camera and try to get a few pics of the belly. Also Shara has a friend who is a photographer and she needed some more maternity pics for her portfolio and asked if she could take some shots of me. She came by on Monday and took some pictures. She said she would give me a cd of all the pics once she edits them so I'll share those once I get them. In the mean time here are some of the ones Mark took.

3 weeks to go!

Brody was helping.

Big belly.

Kisses for the baby, such a sweet boy.

Using the Potty

So we are SLOWLY making potty training progress. We bought Brody a potty for Christmas hoping to start the process. Well from the moment we took it out of the box every time he sees it or we ask him if he wants to use the potty he throws himself on the floor and cries "no, no, no". Well the other night before bath time Mark got him to sit on it. That was step one. Then finally he was sitting on it waiting to get in his bath and I got him to pee in it. It was a very small amount but he did it! Then a couple days later the same thing. So like I said we are slowly making progress. I'm not totally pushing the process because I hear a lot of kids revert back to wetting themselves when a new baby is introduced to the family. So I thought we would start out slow and really focus once the baby comes and Brody has had some time to adjust. We'll see how it goes. Wish us luck :) Here are some pics of his 2nd time using the potty.

I almost got a smile.

He always sits down with his clothes on first.

I'm sure he will love me for this when he is older, but here he is showing us where his butt is.

Takes lots of concentration to use the big boy potty :)

To My Amazing Husband

I really wanted to take a minute to thank my amazing husband for all he does. I know he constantly worries about taking care of us. Because I stay home with Brody he is the sole provider for the family and I know this brings him lots of added stress. He does a wonderful job not only providing for the family but also just helping me with day to day stuff. Especially with me being pregnant. He works all day then comes home and plays with Brody. He has been making dinner, giving Brody a bath and putting him to bed. I don't know what I would do without him. And on top of all that he has been doing a great job at work. He had a really good final quarter and was able to finish out the year number one in his position for the entire state of Texas. Way to go honey we are so proud of you and love you so much!!!