Family Fun!

For family night this week, we went bowling on base. It is so great to have it less than a mile from our house, so clean, and smoke-free! They also have programable bumpers, which only come up when it's the boys' turn, little shoes for them, and the handicap ramp for Gunner. It's so fun! In December we bought some bowling discount cards, and it has been a fun family outing to look forward too. Our boys get SO excited to go! Andrew and I enjoy doing it too (we went bowling on our first date over 8 1/2 years ago!). People gave me some looks with my big belly...and I have to admit I am not as coordinated pregnant, but the Gunner/Mom team beat the Cooper/Dad team still. :)
Cooper is turning in to a great bowler. He still uses the bumpers, but doesn't need them near as much. He knows all the terms (I think from bowling on the Wii), and does a great job at running and throwing the ball.

Gunner is amazing. Last time we went, he beat us all. This time, Andrew and I barely beat him. He got 2 strikes on Monday! He was so excited and could not stop telling us.

After bowling we had our Family Home Evening "treat" of dinner at Qdoba. I am in love with fresh mexican food this pregnancy...and am really missing Cafe Rio, but I love this place too! (You would think I would learn to stay away from mexican with all my heartburn...but no can do!) The boys all love their nachos. Nachos are one of Cooper's new favorite foods.

The other night we went to the indoor pool in Highland where they have the kiddie pool, lazy river, and the "Vector" (a toilet bowl that spins you around. Cooper and Gunner both had a blast swimming. They brought a few toys and loved playing "hit" with Dad (hitting a ball back and forth). We made Cooper practice swimming without his life jacket, but I think he has gotten way too comfortable and good with it on. We found out he is 4 months too young for soccer this Spring, so we were going to put him in swimming lessons. He was excited until he found out we wouldn't be swimming with him, and he couldn't wear his life jacket. He said, "I'll just learn to do that when I turn 5."

As many of you probably saw, the other night was a total lunar eclipse. We set the timer and went out to look every 30 minutes. It was pretty neat. Trying to explain it to a 4-year-old was kind of difficult though, but Cooper still thought it was neat. (For those of you who don't know, you can click on any pictures to enlarge them.)

Here are a few more Valentines Day pictures from our playgroup that I just finally uploaded. The cute little girl is Emma. She is Cooper's Valentine. :) I was reading them some Valentine stories, and Clifford gives Emily a kiss on the cheek, and Emma turned and gave Cooper a big kiss on the cheek. It was so cute. She is probably Cooper's best friend here.

February Fun!

Early this month, we had a "snow day". I about died when I heard they were only having "mandatory personnel" go to work at the Air Force Base for 6 inches of snow! Lucky for us, the Dental Corp isn't "mandatory", so we got to have Dad home for the day! We went to the newly remodeled Chuck E. Cheese and had a blast. Andrew and I even enjoyed the "Deal or No Deal" game. Then we played in the snow and made a snowman. Cooper found a good hiding place from Dad's snowballs...behind the tree.

Valentines Day was a lot of fun too. Cooper gets WAY excited for any holiday, so that makes it more fun. We went to a little party on-base, and a Valentines Day playgroup the next day. We made heart-shaped pepperoni pizza and cupcakes.

I took the boys to Walmart to pick a valentine for Dad. We got a brand new Walmart, and things were laid out really clean and fresh, and easy to see. Unfortunately, the fish were a little too easy to see for my boys. All they wanted to get Dad were fish! Finally, I gave in, we got Dad 3 fish and a fishbowl, and Cooper made him this fish Valentine that said, "You're a great catch Dad!" My boys got me Monopoly Junior to play with them and a Cold Stone gift card (way better than an overpriced box of chocolates!)

Pregnancy countdown!

Well, it's down to 11 1/2 weeks remaining! I have done a really bad job of documenting this pregnancy, so I thought I'd dedicate a post to the pregnancy so far.

The first picture I took at 16 weeks to send to my friends, because I couldn't believe I was already this big so soon! It has to be the fact that it's the 3rd baby, right?!



What is sad, is I hadn't taken another picture until these ones today...


I don't know about everyone else, but this 3rd pregnancy I feel like I have gotten SO big SO fast!

*DUE DATE: May 7th, 2008

*CRAVINGS: Cheerios, Grape Nuts, Reeses, Progresso Split Pea and other Soups, Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches, pop, Wheat Thin chips, pretzels, fresh Mexican food, Peanut Butter Fiber One bars, Thomas brown sugar and cinnamon mini-bagels with whipped cream cheese, pickles and tuna fish, red vine licorice, movie popcorn

*Got pregnant on our 5th month of CLOMID, and the month after Dad got back from 5 weeks at Officer Training in Alabama, and within days of arriving at our new home at Scott Air Force Base, IL near St. Louis, MO. They were going to make me take a break from trying after our 6th month of clomid, so we were really happy!

*SICK until 19 weeks (took Zofran and Phenegran...the magic pills!). Have to use extra-strength tylenol and caffeine pop to get rid of headaches. Zantac 4 times a day for heart burn, since about 9 weeks. Love our new Memory Foam mattress for comfort while sleeping!

*COOPER loves to remind us you are still there. He involves you in everything. When we landed in Spokane this Christmas he said, "Baby, guess what, we landed, how was your flight?!" After I eat he says, "Hi baby, how was your food." After I sleep, "Hi baby, how was your sleep?" He is always cupping my tummy with both hands and talking to you. It is so fun. He loves seeing other babies too, and saying "Our baby will be little like that, mom? The baby will go waa-waa, and I will hold it and say, 'It's ok baby'". I hope he is as big of a help as he is planning on being!

*GUNNER loves to "see the baby", which means I have to lift my shirt and pull down my pants, so I have a full bare belly. He loves to blow bubbles on my tummy (we call them zerberts).

*SEX: Dad thought you were a girl, Cooper and I thought you were a boy. On December 13th we had our ultrasound (just a short walk across the hospital parking lot from our house on Scott Air Force Base). You were a BOY! Cooper said, "I just knew it!" I said I wasn't disappointed at all, but I for sure wanted 4 kids now. Dad said, "I don't know if I can handle 4 boys!" (implying the next will probably be a boy too...which it probably will :) ). We celebrated with pizza that night. You can see the pictures and read more about it on an earlier post.

*KICKING: I didn't feel you move until I was about 23 weeks! I was worried, but at the 20-week ultrasound, they said my placenta was in front this time, so that is why I hadn't felt you move. You are a lot more active now, but I still don't feel you as much, or as early as I did with the first two.

*NAMES: We were considering for a girl Jersey, Dixie, Summer (Cooper and Dad's favorite) and others. But since you are a BOY! we have been thinking Easton, Beckett, Mitt, Parker, Wrigley (VOTE IN OUR POLL ON THE RIGHT COLUMN OF OUR BLOG!). Middle names we like right now are Leo and Jay.

*FAVORITE CLOTHES: I loved wearing the Gaucho pants from Aunt Brynne, the black valor jumpsuit from Grandma Larson, and my American Star Jeans from Aly's garage sale. :) Also loved the down vests I got from GAP.

*3D ULTRASOUNDS: the tech on-base did after-hours, 3D ultrasounds at 26 and 28 weeks to try and get a good picture of you, just for fun. At 26 weeks you had your foot in front of your face and your umbilical cord, and you wouldn't move!
{Click on the picture to enlarge}

At 28 weeks, you had your face in my hip-bone. We finally got you to move, and you stuck your face right in my placenta...so our 3D shots didn't make the "wall of fame" at the office, but we still thought it was fun to get to see you a few extra times! Cooper said, "I think he's got my nose!" Dad said, "Yep, your nose, and Gunner's twerpiness!" (since he wasn't cooperating :) ).

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January in St. Louis

I really can't believe January is over, but I have to say I am not too sad to see it go. We did do some fun things, but I am itching to get outside more, and so are the boys.

We actually got lucky today though. It snowed about 5 inches last night, and they only made "mandatory personnel" go to work today at the Air Force Base. So we got to have Dad home! We went to Chuck E. Cheese (which just got remodeled and is huge and fun now!), and the mall to do some returns and lunch.


Cooper has loved spending Saturdays playing Mighty Ball Basketball! Yes, they do basketball for 4 and 5 year olds with smaller balls and 8-foot hoops. He gets so excited for his games, he can't sleep the night before. It is so fun. The only disappointment has been we missed the first week, and the coach has forgot his team shirt 3 weeks in a row. :) His coach actually does a great job with the kids! He is a high school basketball player. Cooper does get better each week, but it is funny how literally they take direction. I told him to put his "hand in their face" on defense, and he literally stuck his hands in a little boys face. :) He loves to steal the ball and run the length of the court (without dribbling), and shoot it up. They spend about 40 minutes practicing and about 20 minutes playing a game. It has been a perfect introduction for him to organized sports, and he already can't wait for soccer and t-ball!

We love watching him too, except that our cheeks hurt from smiling and laughing by the end. :) It just kills Gunner to not get to play too, so Andrew and I play on the side with him.

Our boys are playing better and better together, and it is cute seeing them defend each other. Cooper often says, "be nice to Gunner Mom, he just meant to...". Cooper loves to teach Gunner how to do things. They also get into trouble together too. :) They love to sneak treats in the kitchen, and we often find them sitting inside a cracked fridge with chocolate chips, cheese, juice, etc.

The "skeleton skateboard" shirt Cooper has on in this picture has been hilarious (thanks for the hand-me-down Riley!). He loves to wear it so much. He wore it two days in a row this week, because it wasn't worth the fight. As soon as we got in the grocery store, and Costco, he says, "Mom, will you take my coat off? I want people to see my cool shirt. If other kids see it, they will want one like it from the Easter Bunny." Too cute.

Another cute story from the other day, was Cooper was trying some more recent hand-me-downs on from his cousin, Tate (thanks Waites!). He said, "Mom, I smell something." I said, "do you need to go potty or something?" He said, "No, I smell my cousin Tate far away!". He was smelling their clothes that he was trying on, and remembered it smelled like them! So cute.

Cooper and Gunner do their "quiet time" before naps and bedtime on our bed watching the shows they pick at the library that week. Gunner has been wearing this visor to bed for a week. It is fun to go in and see them both asleep next to each other...often times holding hands. Aren't they cute when their sleeping. :) Gunner has to be moved to his crib still though, if we want him to stay asleep very long.

**I have to add that we recently got a memory foam mattress topper from Costco, and we LOVE IT! We had a down mattress pad before, but this beats all! Andrew used to wake up with back aches, and we thought we needed a new mattress, but this solved all the problems. I am so much more comfortable pregnant too!**

We have had a few fun family outings this month too.

We went to Family Story Night with Frosty at the library on-base.

We also went to the "Magic House" children's museum on MLK Day. The boys got to meet Clifford there. They also loved fishing in the fake pond, the lego race track, the ball experiments, the water room, and the sand. It is an amazing children's museum and huge! They also have lots of fun facts all over the walls. One of my favorites was "The average 4-year-old asks 437 questions a day!" Cooper is average. :) We went with our friends the Whittles, and then had a great lunch at Uno's.

Playgroup last Friday was a Family Swim Night at a rec center nearby with an "indoor waterpark". The big slide was too big for the kids, and they didn't let the kids in the hot tub, but they loved the toddler area, the "vortex" toilet bowl area, swimming the lazy river, and jumping in. Gunner actually got really cuddly at the end, and when we got home he had a 102 degree temperature! Poor guy was shivering some, but we had no idea! He was a good sport though.