Did I forget to mention?

We're having baby #3!!

I kept waiting for the perfect way to announce it -- Ok, that's not true, time has just flown by taking care of my 3 and 1 year olds that posting it on the blog kept falling off of my To-Do list.

Poor third child.

We are due at the end of September with another little BOY! (No name picked yet)

We are all thrilled and it is really fun because Trip really gets it that he has a baby brother. He already kisses my belly and tells me that he loves his baby brother. This baby will be 18 months younger than Anna Kate, which I know will be a challenge, but we are excited that all of these kiddos will be so close in age.

It is hard to believe I am already 20 weeks. This pregnancy has been the easiest of the three. Maybe because I am so distracted. Maybe because the Lord knew that I would already have my hands full!

ballerina beach baby

 

 

Anna Kate was modeling her new ballerina bathing suit for me. Even in the 18 month size, it is a little snug. But I can't get enough of those chubby baby arms and legs! This summer should be interesting with this little one and her fair skin. I call her my vampire baby because she is so pale!

By the way, Trip is going through a "I refuse to have my picture taken" stage. So, this little bathing beauty has been my muse. This is the best I could get from him ...

 

 

 

Sissy Lou Hoo

Anna Kate's hair has gotten long, especially in the front. And it naturally falls straight forward into her eyes. So, the other day, I came up with this solution since most of the time she will take a bow out of her hair within 5 minutes.

Trip's reaction ... "Mama. What did you do to Sissy's hair? I do NOT like it."

I sent a picture to J, and he dubbed her, "Sissy Lou Hoo" since she looks like the character from the Grinch movie.

I think it's hilarious, and stinkin' cute!

Anna Kate was obviously hamming it up for the camera :)

 

 

 

 

Monkey Girl

Anna Kate is my little monkey. She can climb anything she sets her mind to. Just last week I found her on top of my desk and then on top of our dining table. She's been climbing the couch, stairs, and playground equipment for a while, but it seems like we have entered a whole new stage of fearlessness with this girl!

Above is a picture of AK after she decided she wanted to paint with her big brother and just could not get the job done from the floor or a chair.

Easter

Easter this year did not turn out exactly as we had planned, but we made the most of it and spent some good quality time as a family of four celebrating that Jesus is alive!

My parents and sister had planned to spend Easter with us, but unfortunately their flight was cancelled after the bad weather that swept through the DFW area damaged their plane. We had planned a fun-filled weekend with them and were excited to see them for the first time since Christmas. Let's just say, a few tears were shed when we found out the flight was cancelled.

Both kids have been under the weather this week, so rather than wake them up for our typical Easter sunrise service, we let them sleep in. They woke up to lots of Easter basket goodies, followed by some family time reading the Easter story.

After reading the story, we asked Trip why Easter is important, and his emphatic response was, "Because we get lots of toys and candy!" (Obviously not the response we were hoping for). So, we tried to explain again in very plain, 3-year-old terms that the reason we get fun toys and candy is because we are so excited to celebrate that Jesus rose from the dead. Easter is exciting and we celebrate it because Jesus is alive!

After reading the Easter story, we had a "naked Easter egg hunt". We are still potty training around here, so many of our activities have turned into "naked booty activities"!

 
(Trip searching for hidden eggs inside his "fort")

(Anna Kate hanging out on the porch while Trip hunted for eggs)

After our egg hunt and a big breakfast, we headed to church...

(Family picture after church - Easter outfits courtesy of the Cupcake :)

The rest of the day was spent taking naps, watching golf, playing outside, taking a walk, and playing outside some more. The weather was beautiful, the naps were wonderful, and just hanging out was the best.

Happy Easter! Jesus is alive!

The Creator On His Knees (Maundy Thursday)

Below is an excerpt from the Desiring God blog,
The Creator On His Knees (Maundy Thursday)

The Maundy in Maundy Thursday comes from the Latin root mandatum, or commandment, taken from Jesus’ words in John 13:34:

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.

Just prior to speaking these words, Jesus knelt down to wash the disciples’ feet, a model of love for the disciples. But Maundy Thursday celebrates more than a new mandate of sacrificial love, it points to a sacrifice of eternal significance.

... On Maundy Thursday Jesus dropped to his knees to scrub away every ethnic and economic hierarchy from the church. He upset cultural norms. He now calls us to go low in foot-washing-like service to one another. But most importantly we are reminded that the Son of Man came to earth as a slave to serve us, to be crushed for us, to free us from our own slavery to sin that leads to eternal death, and to open the way for us to enjoy and delight in God’s presence now and forever (Matthew 20:28; Psalm 16:11)

On this Maundy Thursday, I am not washing feet. I am cleaning up potty messes. (I will spare the details, but if you've ever potty trained, you know what I am talking about.)

Reading this post was such a good reminder that this service of cleaning up number one's and two's should point my heart to Christ's "sacrifice of eternal significance." And it is a great reminder, this Thursday before Easter, to demonstrate Christ's love for us by serving my children and husband as mother and wife. This is the "foot-washing-like service" that I have been called to.

And the reward is eternal. Because of Christ's great sacrifice, we "enjoy and delight in God's presence now and forever."

bubba and sissy

(Watching Trip out the window. So exciting!)

(Sweet kisses)

As I've written so many times, Trip and Anna Kate have such a special bond. While they are not without their fair share of sibling conflict, the majority of the time they play really well together and truly want to be near each other. Anna Kate adores her big "Bubba", which is something I expect from a younger sibling. But Trip also genuinely cares for his "Sissy" and when she is not playing with him, he will come to me saying, "Mama, I want Sissy to play with me."

I'm not sure why their closeness surprises me, but it does. In all honesty, when we first found out we were pregnant with number 2, I hoped for a boy so that Trip could have a little buddy. Turns out, he got the little sissy that is the perfect friend for him.