Picture Dump

Last Monday Derek and I took the day off work. We woke up, got dressed for work, got Stratton ready to go to Mrs. Lisa's house and then packed in the jeep. Once we got in the jeep Derek and I looked at each other and just knew neither one of us really wanted to go to work. So, we both caleed in and took the day to spend it with Stratton.

We headed for Jackson park first to walk around the lake a few times and play on the playground. When we got there we were greeted by some protective momma geese. They chased Stratton but he laughed the whole time.

 Aren't they the cutest?

 You gotta love the delinquents of Jackson, Mo. Haha. 

 The geese followed us around the trail while we were walking. I think they were hungry.

 Stratton and I played a game while waling on the trail. It was called don't step on the goose poop.

 Stratton and Derek are so photogenic.

 I love when my boys rough house together.

Walking on the trail is such a great way to wear Stratton out. If only it wasn't so hot lately.

 Derek was showing Stratton how to do the "my tummy is fully" walk.

 Of course Stratton wanted some leaves once he saw Derek pull some off of the tree.

 It wasn't good enough for Derek to just hand Stratton some, Stratton had to get his own off of the tree.

 The playground is definitely Stratton's favorite part of the walk.

I don't know what it is but I remember as a kid putting rocks on the slide and sliding through them. Now Stratton does it and it still enjoys as much as I did. 

 Derek had to be the rock supplier. Stratton made him sit at the bottom of the slide and refill the rocks once he went through them.

 This little guy was munching on a june bug. Derek was happy to see this since he sits on the back porch with his fathers day present (a battery operated bug zapper tennis racquet) and kills them at night.

After the park we went to Burger King for breakfast and then headed downtown for the Discovery Playhouse.

Stratton loved the fire truck. Derek and Stratton sat up there for a while just pretending to drive around and put out fires. 

 Stratton made Derek drive for the most part.

 They had this awesome garden that you could pick vegetables from the "soil" and pick fruit from the "trees."

 Derek was in love with the grocery store. He was the cashier and wore the apron so Stratton could get checked out.

 Stratton wanted mostly produce. He's definitely like his momma.

 Stratton could even milk the cow.

 Montgomery Bank had a bank set up so Stratton was pretending to be like Grandma Brenda and be the boss.

 He liked answering the phones too.

 This thing was my favorite, it was an actual air tube thingy that they have at the bank.

 He though the mirrors were hilarious. He thought they were so funny looking.

 He's growing up SO much. Even though he's in the 25% for height.

 They had an awesome water table there too. I think Derek and I had more fun playing with the water table than Stratton did.

 Two thumbs up.

After going to the Discovery Playhouse we went to the water park for two hours and then headed home for a long nap. It was such a great day off with Stratton and Derek. It was well worth it. We enjoyed it so much. It was fun getting to spend some one on one time with Stratton.

Just A Note

Well, my first doctors visit was rescheduled. I was SO nervous about getting my blood drawn on Monday I almost made myself sick. We had a bad storm roll in right around the time I was supposed to leave for my apt so I wound up calling and getting the apt moved back. Unfortunately, the only day they have that works with my schedule is July 10th! I called the nurse practitioner to make sure that was ok and make sure there wasn't anything else I needed to do between then and now. Her answer made me laugh, "no illicit drugs or alcohol." I think I can handle that. Haha.

Summer school started on Monday and I have NOT gotten back into the swing of doing school work again. I've left my planner at home the last two days and I absolutely feel LOST! That planner is seriously my entire life all rolled up into one book.

I'm kind of sad that I haven't found a good pregnancy journal like I had with Stratton. I got one but I'm just really not a fan of it. It's not fun at all like the one I had with Stratton. I'll most likely find the same one and order it online. That would be neat to have the same book for both babies.

Speaking of baby...Derek and I...well mostly I... have been throwing around names for baby bean (as my friend Caprice has been calling it). The boy name that I kind have like is Foster. The girl name I kind of like is Abby. I'm not for sure that we are 100% going to stick to these names but it's definitely a start. I have been going over SO many names trying to think of ones that I like. I love the name Sloan but my friend Emily just named her little girl that and I don't want to take that name from her. So, we are going to throw some names around more in the next month or two and get serious about picking out a name around the time we find out what this little one is.

Other than that, we haven't really been doing a whole lot lately. Derek and I have been watching lots of movies at night and spending some quality time with Stratton. It's really weird to think that in 7 months I'm going to have to share my attention, love, affection, and life with another little one. It is still a little surreal to me. I got sad the other day because of something I've said to Stratton ever since he was little. I always always always tell him that he is my favorite. The first time I said it to him he thought I was saying that he was food. Haha. I realized that I can't say that anymore after this little one gets here. I really hope that we have a girl so I can keep saying it to him but just change it up a little bit and say "you're my favorite little boy" or "you're my favorite Stratton." I'll come up with something.  

Anyway, I hope everyone is having a good week. I know this weather has been absolutely beautiful lately so I think we are going to have a date with Jackson Park tonight.

7 Weeks

Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 7 Weeks
Size of Baby: Size of a raspberry (.5in long)
Total Weight Gain/Loss: zero. I'm still at my "normal" weight
Maternity Clothes: None so far - I've been wearing some stretchy pants and I'm now having to use a hair tie to keep my jeans up. 
Gender: Not sure yet
Movement: None so far
Sleep: I've been sleeping a lot better lately. Derek and I switched sides in our bed and I've been sleeping MUCH better. Stratton has been hopping in bed with us around midnight so after that I don't sleep very well. My allergies are still kicking my butt lately too. 
What I miss: Nothing yet. 
Cravings: I had some pretty strong cravings for hummus lately. 
Symptoms: A little bit of morning sickness and some pudge around my mid section.
Best moment this week: Stratton playing tag with the baby this morning.
How am I doing: I'm actually doing pretty well lately. Derek and I have been putting money back in the bank and we even bought a second hand crib from a friend of mine. I'm ready for the weekend for sure to get some well deserved  rest and relaxation. 
Bible Verse for the Week: Psalm 105:4 Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always. 


Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Watermelon and Babies

This weekend was a pretty easy and relaxing weekend. We stayed at home most of the weekend and enjoyed the downtime. We watched movies and kept the curtains closed. It was nice and dark and perfect for watching movies. I slept through most of the movies on Saturday and played with Stratton some too. I bought a watermelon on Friday and Stratton was just dying to eat some of it. Saturday before his nap I cracked it open and we all three sat on the back porch and gorged ourselves with watermelon. It was SO good!

 Stratton thought it was pretty cool that he could take a big bite out of the big slice.

 Daddy was eating his with salt so Strat had to give it a try too.

 Cheers to watermelon!

Sunday my friend Amanda and I threw a baby celebration for our friends Lauren and Alex who had a beautiful baby boy about a month ago. His name is Everett Dale and he is the cutest little thing.

He sleeps so well even though there were a million things making noise around him.

Stratton loved giving him kisses too while he was sleeping.

Alex and Stratton are best buds.

We had lots of yummy treats for everyone.

Amanda brought her new baby Lulu to the party to hang out too. Isn't she the cutest?

The boys played redneck golf in the front yard.

Stratton hadn't had a nap that day and was SUPER fussy.

Alex had quite the green thumb. This is one of his flowers in front of their house.

Look at that cute boy!

She is so precious. Stratton liked Lulu too. She kept giving him kisses.

Amanda with Everett. He is such a good baby.

Already sporting his cardinals gear. haha. We will have him dressed in Red Sox gear soon enough. ;)

Amanda spiked his hair. This kid has more hair at one month than Stratton had at one year.

Ice cream cake!

We love baby Everett.

These pictures of him are so adorable. These are his new born pictures.

Ashley came by to celebrate baby Everett.

Even Derek got to hold the baby while he slept. He said he could get used to this. Good thing! Because only like 7 more months and he's going to be doing this a lot.

This is Ashley's daughter Ella. She's 3 months younger than Stratton. They were definitely partners in crime on Sunday.

Our friend Lego and his girlfriend Sammy brought their puppy with them as well. His name was Weston.

He's a silver lab. Super cute! He had the biggest paws on him.

We say outside and soaked up the fresh air. Everett loved it.

Look at those cheeks!

Ella thought it was pretty fun to throw water at the boys.

Derek was her target for a few minuets.

I think Alex needs a little Lulu too.

Let me just go on record for just a minuet and say that I was actually dressed nice in a pretty dress with my hair down and no glasses but my son decided to spray the entire back side of me with the water hose before we got any decent pictures. So yes, I look like a slob but that was only because my son decided I needed another shower.

We are so blessed to have such great friends. We really enjoyed getting to see everyone and are so thankful for everyone that came and joined us celebrate.

6 Weeks

Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 6 Weeks
Size of Baby: Size of a blue berry (.25in long)
Total Weight Gain/Loss: zero. I'm back at my "normal" weight
Maternity Clothes: None so far - but stretchy pants are definitely going to be in the near future. My jeans are already starting to get tight
Gender: Not sure yet
Movement: None so far
Sleep: I've been sleeping horribly. My allergies have been horrible and I refuse to take anything while I'm pregnant. Any home remedies you all can send me would be MUCH appreciated. 
What I miss: Nothing yet. 
Cravings: None so far. 
Symptoms: A little bit of morning sickness and some pudge around my mid section.
Best moment this week: Stratton and I laying in bed and him playing with my hair until he fell asleep. 
How am I doing: This week has actually gone by really quick. Monday we were off work for the holiday and so we spent it with family. Both sides! My parents came over to Jackson to spend the day with Derek's family and us. It was really nice getting the whole family together. Tuesday I wasn't really feeling great, so Derek and I took a half day and lounged around the house. It was nice to get to spend that quality time with him. Lately I've been mulling over the decision to go to school next semester. I would have to do something online but I think it would be worth it to just get some online classes so I don't lose my pell grand and so I don't have to start paying on my student loan. Keep me in your prayers so that I can make a decision quick that is good for me and my family. 
Bible Verse for the Week: Psalm 27:1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?


Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Hello There Pregnancy Symptoms

Oh my goodness. I have no idea how people don't know they are pregnant until the baby is falling out of them. I have had morning sickness like it is nobody's business the last couple of days. I'm trying to eat small meals throughout the day so I don't get full and feel even more sick and it seems to be helping a little bit. I've also been drinking 64oz of water while I'm at work. I've timed it out to do 8oz of water every hour. It seems like a lot when I have my two huge nalgene bottles FULL of water every morning but when it comes down to it, I usually have to pace myself so I don't drink all my water before noon. Of course I'm going to the bathroom every couple of hours but to be honest, I actually feel pretty good about drinking that much water. My skin last week was definitely showing signs that my hormones are changing. My chin completely broke out with tiny little white heads and then I got a huge deep under the skin pimple that just hurts ALL on my chin.  I'm trying to go au natural lately so I don't have to wake up super early and do my makeup. I've been SO tired lately it seems. I'm also trying to do the aluminum free deodorant lately too. I picked up an all natural kind from Sephora that smells like Lavender Vanilla. It's smells amazing. The only down side I have noticed so far though is that I sweat like a PIG from my pits. I wind up still smelling a little "ripe" by the end of the day and wind up having to at least rinse off in the shower.

After reading back over that last paragraph it makes me sound like a sack of yuck! Haha I don't know how Derek can stand sleeping next to me at night. Planning for Little Bit #2 has been pretty fun lately. We have been  mulling over names the last couple of days and we have been trying to think of what we are going to do with Stratton's room and Stratton's play room. Stratton has his own room (which he hasn't been sleeping in lately) and he also has the room next to his (for his massive amount of toys). We are trying to decide if we want to

a) move Stratton into his toy room and make it his toy/bedroom and make his old room the nursery
b) move Stratton's toys into his bedroom and make toy room the nursery
c) move Stratton's toys into my office downstairs and make his toy room the nursery

Our problem is that Stratton has WAY too many toys that he doesn't play with anymore. Stratton also has a lot of "stuff" in his room that doesn't necessarily need to be in his room. i.e. drum kit, book shelf, random lamp. Over the next couple of months be prepared to see renovations to our house. Also, if you know anyone who needs some kids toys let me know. I think we may have to have  garage sale to get rid of most of them.

Hope everyone had a great weekend. I know we did.