Hello Fall

Well, hello blog.

I am still alive and well and pregnant.  I took the summer off from blogging as we became busier and busier with camping trips, a visit to Lake Powell, and a road trip to the incredible Yellowstone National Park. We had a great summer.

 

These two pictures make me laugh. 1) Charlotte is eating in both pictures. 2) We thought having all three girls in the back would be awesome until we realized that Eloise (age 2) likes to put her foot on Charlotte's lap and leave it there until both of them are screaming. 

We had to make some adjustments.

I never could have imagined the situations we have found ourselves in as parents on road trips and the things we have found ourselves saying over and over again:

"If you quit sucking on the twistable crayons, your cheek won't get stuck inside of them!" (As my husband carefully pries the plastic crayon off of the inside of our six year old's cheek, while she screams in pain. Has this happened repeatedly to anyone else??)

"Watch the movie. Stop talking to mom and dad and just watch the movie!"

"Mom, I just threw up, but I caught it in my hands. Now what do I do?" (True story.)

"Keep your hands in your own carseat."

"Stop smiling at your sister."

"Where is the d#%* binky? Do you have it? I thought I just gave it to him. He threw it. Pull over."

Here's some pics of Lake Powell.

 

I spy a baby bump.

 I love this picture of my brother jumping off the house boat.

And Yellowstone!
Lots of driving, lots of walking...

 "Look mom! I have a baby in my belly like you!"

 Yes, I did all 328 steps there and back with my heavy belly. But it didn't seem as bad when I saw my husband in front of me, carrying our 18 month old AND our two year old.

 In between our travels, we signed up for swim lessons, started a pretend summer school where my name was Mrs. Clover, and I tried really hard to convince my husband that our house is too small and too old and it's time to move.

But moving wasn't in the stars for us, so instead of continuing to burst into tears every time I walked into my kitchen and reach for the chocolate chips in the fridge, I decided to get to work. (Three cheers for the nesting phase!) I have since re-vamped my office space, painted and wall-papered our dining room, and completely re-decorated our living room. Change is good! And possible on a limited budget. Check back soon for LOTS of before and afters!

We have resumed our letter of the week activities, so I have a lot to share. So good to be back. Hope your fall is going smoothly and that you're enjoying the good weather before it gets COLD. I am now 34 weeks pregnant, so we are just weeks away from baby #5...