Ella's 1st "Camping Trip"

Mark and I thought it would be fun to take Ella "camping" in the backyard tonight. I was secretly hoping my water would break just as soon as we finished setting up the tent... but no such luck. I figured I would have to lounge in the tent with Mark and Ella until she fell asleep, but turns out I didn't even have to do that. By 10pm she STILL wasn't asleep, so we decided to abandon the tent in the backyard in favor of a good nights sleep for all 3 of us. (Especially me!)

Here are a few pics from our camping adventure:

I have TONS of memories of camping in the backyard with my own Dad and I hope that Ella and her brother will have lots someday too. Of course, my Dad would bring the TV out into the backyard for our camping "trips". I DO NOT plan on doing that with my kids. Haha! After a few backyard test runs, we hope she is ready for the real thing. :) We do live in Colorado, after all.

I have to say that it was really sweet lying in the tent with Ella between Mark and I and the two dogs at our feet. Every few minutes Ella would open her eyes to see if I was still watching her and then quickly squeeze them shut and smile. PRECIOUS! After a while I turned my back to her, hoping THAT would make her finally fall asleep and she started rubbing my back. Such a sweet girl. Maybe next time we can actually sleep in the tent!

PREGGO PICS

I seriously did not think I was THAT big this time until I saw the pics Mark took of me tonight.

FINAL Baby Update

It's so exciting to be writing my FINAL baby update! Next time I write a post about the baby, he will be here! I'm happy to report that the craziness of this pregnancy is OVER. Thank you all so much for your prayers. Our little guy seems to be just as healthy as can be and is actually going to be a FULL TERM baby! Never expected that one in a million years! My doctor actually gave me a hug at my last appointment and said "I'm so happy you are still pregnant!".

We are not so patiently waiting for him to arrive, but if he refuses to come on his own, we have an induction scheduled for July 6th! Less than 3 weeks to go!

Hoping to post some belly pics this week. Stay tuned!

Picture Update

We recently got a new camera and have been playing around with it quite a bit. Here are some recent pics of Ella.

School's Out For SUMMER!

This post is a little delayed... but definitely worth posting. Ella had her last day of school on May 25th. It's hard to believe that my little girl has already been to "school" 1 year. It started out a little rough last September with crying every time I dropped her off, but eventually Ella warmed up to her teachers Miss Pat and Miss Marsha and the rest of the kids in her class.

Here is a picture of Ella last fall before her 1st day of school:

And here is a picture of her from her last day of school:

I can't believe how much Ella has changed this past school year. She went from a baby to a total kid. Her last day was a bittersweet day, for sure. At the end of the day Ella said goodbye to all her friends and teachers with big hugs. It must be the pregnancy hormones but I was really getting emotional when we were leaving. I have loved my "breaks" on Tuesday's from 9:30-1:30, but even more, I love the school and her teachers. Sadly, Ella won't be returning in the fall. She is enrolled in a different Parents Day Out program at a school closer to our house. I'm sure it will be just as good, but it was sad to know we won't be seeing Miss Marsha and Miss Pat in the fall.

Every once in a while Ella still asks if she can go back to school. I just remind her that we will start at a "new school" after summer is over... and because it's so close to our house, I can point it out to her every time we drive by.

32 week ultrasound appointment

Today I had my 32 week ultrasound appointment. Baby Boy Herb seems to be doing great and we couldn't be happier. The doc was pleasantly surprised with how "stable" my pregnancy has remained over the last 10 weeks or so, especially after how rough the 1st 20 weeks of the pregnancy were. She says that while I am still considered high risk, I can probably expect to have a relatively "normal" last 8 weeks.

Here are a few pics from our appt. It's kinds hard to seem him since he had his hand in front of his face, but we think he is starting to look a bit like Ella with his chubby cheeks and lips. We know he has a big head (just like his big sister) and already a bunch of hair!

We can't wait to meet you little boy!

Mark's Half Marathon

This morning Mark got up bright and early to run the Colfax Half Marathon. This was Mark's 2nd half marathon and he was hoping to shave some time off his last one.

Here he is at the start, bright and early.

And running at about the halfway point... he makes it look so easy!

And finally FINISHED!

Mark finished the race with a personal best of 2:01:22, knocking over 23 minutes off his previous time! GO MARK!

Baby Boy Room

Last week Ella and I worked on the baby's room a little bit, taping up an area on the wall so Dad can paint a blue stripe over the crib. This brought back lots of memories of preparing Ella's room over 2 1/2 years ago. Hard to believe how quickly time flies.

Ella is visiting my parents this weekend in Kansas City so Mark and I took the oppourtunity to finish up the baby's room this weekend. Thanks to Kristie & Alan for coming over to help us with the finishing touches.

Here it is!! Only thing we have to add is the baby's name above the turtles on the wall.

To be revealed in about 8 weeks!

take me out to the ballgame

Rockies Opening Day was about a month ago (April 9th) so it's about time I share our pictures from the game. We almost didn't make it!! Mark had to beg, borrow, and steal just to score us some tickets from a scalper during the 3rd inning of the game! But it was all worth it. It was a beautiful day, Ella got to attend her 1st Opening Day (definitely not her 1st rockies game) and she scored a "Dinger" stuffed animal AND the Rockies won!

And now for something more recent (from last night)... I've been teaching Ella the song "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" with the help of a CD in my car that is starting to get annoying real fast. Nonetheless, it's now her favorite song and we can't wait to take her to another Rockies game so she can sing with all of us in the 7th inning stretch! (P.S. I promise Mark was driving while I was filming!!!)

Bay Boy Herb- 28 weeks

I am SO happy to report that we had a WONDERFUL 28 week doctors appointment and ultrasound today! Baby Boy Herb is growing perfectly and, although we are still on high alert for early delivery, we think he will make his appearance pretty close to his scheduled due date of July 11th.

It's been a rough road with this little guy and this was by far the best doctors appointment we have had... so we are in high spirits! Thanks all for your continued love, support and prayers. We can't wait to meet this him soon (but not too soon)!

A few pics from our appt:

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Opening his mouth for the picture

Pointing at something