A Day Out with Thomas

Last weekend, we decided to venture out to Union, IL to the Illinois Railway Museum for "A Day Out with Thomas". It poured rain all morning, but luckily our tickets were for the afternoon and it was sunny, clear skies. Both of our kids are pretty into trains right now and are quite the Thomas fans.

This is a steam engine that will be up and running in September at the museum.

Both kids are pretty fascinated by electric train sets and they had a huge one!

There was a cute Thomas story time that Nathan really liked because the Thomas story involved a jet plane.

This was our first view of Thomas coming down the tracks! I wish I'd gotten Emie's response on tape. Nathan knew we were here to ride Thomas, but I don't think Emie really understood until we saw him. She just kept saying "I'm so excited!".

Both kids got Thomas tattoos that have held up to several baths and swimming trips since.

They were both excited to meet Sir Topham Hatt as well.

It was a fun family day, but as you can probably tell from the red cheeks, it was hot!! Especially when we actually went on our Thomas ride. Quite the sweltering ride!

One more month!

Today is officially one month until my due date with peapod! While it is likely I'll have a longer wait than that, seeing the date today still got me pretty excited! We still have a lot we'd like to get done before his/her arrival, but we're eager to meet our newest little blessing anytime.

This time around has been a little different as I have a very curious 3.5 year old who is full of questions about the whole pregnancy concept, and more recently, the birthing process. I thought I'd share a few recent conversations I've had with my deep thinking first born.

Nathan: Mommy, why does baby_____ sleep so much?

Me: Well, small babies get tired frequently and need to take a lot of naps.

Nathan: (while staring at my belly) I think peapod will be REALLY tired because it sure looks like A LOT of work to get out of there!

Nathan: Mommy, where will peapod sleep?

Me: Well, peapod will sleep in the small white cradle in Mommy and Daddy's room until he or she is older. Then peapod will sleep in the room next to yours.

Nathan: I think peapod would be happier in my bed. I'll go make room!

Me: I think peapod might roll out of your bed, a crib might be safer.

Nathan: Oh, you're right. Okay, I will go ask Emie if she can make room in her crib instead. (off he trots to discuss the proposal with his sister)

One day, I was helping Nathan get into his swim suit to head to the pool and I was sitting on the ground in front of him. He looked down and said "Mommy, (pointing to my cleavage) that would be a great place for peapod to come out! He could just stick his hand out when he is ready and I will grab it and pull him right out!".

Nathan: Mommy, I don't think you need to go to the hospital when peapod comes.

Me: I think it would be best if I go to the hospital. We will need the doctor to help when peapod is coming. Don't worry, you will have a lot of fun with Grandma and Grandpa and you can come visit after peapod is born.

Nathan: Superman helps people right?

Me: Sure he does.

Nathan: Well, I can put on my superman costume and then I can help you instead of the doctor!

He certainly keeps us on our toes! Emie just wants to know when she can have her own peapod in her belly. I'll let Daddy handle that one!

The soon-to-be big sister :)

Here is a video of Emie blowing out her candles at her birthday party two weeks ago. We all start out laughing at the beginning because as soon as I put the cupcake in front of her she said "Mommy, I need fire" and then started singing the Happy Birthday song to herself :)

A few fun updates about our very sweet and very loved little girl:

Emie talks non-stop! She is very similar to her brother in that she just loves to chatter constantly. We love hearing what she has to say!

She can play rough with her brother when she wants to and doesn't mind getting dirty, but she is definitely all girl. She loves all things pink, pretty dresses, mothering her dollies and she can definitely bring out the little girl drama when she wants to!

She loves to sing! Her favorite songs right now are ABCs, Itsy Bitsy Spider, I'm a little Teapot, and Arky Arky.

Her favorite foods right now are pancakes, blueberries and mashed potatoes. She made me mashed potatoes in the sand box today and while I was pretending to take a big yummy bite, she shoved a lovely shovel full of sand in my mouth. Interesting new experience for me!

In the last 6 months, she has become very cautious about new things. She needs a little coaxing to try out new playgrounds and stays pretty close to Mommy and Daddy in crowded or new situations. It takes her a little time to warm up and then her personality comes out. This is quite a change for us as her brother is 100% extrovert, but we sure love the snuggles!

Her favorite toys right now are her dolls, mega blocks, the train set and her play tea set.

Her current favorite book is "If you give a Pig a Pancake".

She hasn't really had a lovey to this point, but in the last 3 weeks has taken a particular liking to a green swaddling blanket that I pulled out to wash for peapod. She named it her "crocodile blanket".

She absolutely loves our neighbor and watches for him to come home so she can run out and give him a hug! He is the same age as my Dad and I think he really reminds her of her Grandpa (whom she is pretty crazy about too!).

She gave her Mommy the very special treat of potty training easily at 19ish months. I'll be forever thankful for the 6 month diaper break!

She is still a peanut, weighing in at a whopping 21 lbs at 2 years old. She is pretty average height though at 33.5 inches. She is currently eating like a horse though, so I'm sure a growth spurt can't be far away.

We think that Emie will love becoming a big sister in the next month. We are certainly expecting some jealousy as she is pretty into Mommy these days, but we can't wait to see her grow up into her new role. We certainly appreciate your continued prayers for our little Emie over the next year! We can't wait to see what God will do in her life :)

Baby Pool!

We've set up a baby pool for people to take some guesses on Peapod's gender, arrival time and birth stats. Click on the link and take your best guesses! There might just be a prize for the winner :)

Emie is two!

Emie turned two on August 8th and we threw her a little party on the 6th. Since our sweet little girl also has quite a sweet tooth, the theme was lollipops and sweets. Here is one of the cupcakes I made. Emie was insistent on having strawberry cupcakes, but when it came time at the party to choose her cupcake, she couldn't resist the chwocwate :)

Here is the house set up for the party, before the guests arrived. I had fun making this banner and Emie was pretty excited to see her name hung in the living room.

Here is the big birthday girl enjoying her cupcake!

And her goofball big brother who didn't want to smile for the camera.

Emie adores her Grandma and Grandpa and loves to just sit on the steps with someone she loves.

She had to take a turn with Grandpa too!

Emie received lots of wonderful gifts at her party, one of them being a pink tricycle. She can't quite reach the peddles yet, but loves to sit on it and pretend to ride. Another inch or so and she'll be ready to chase down Nathan!

The party favors were giant lollipops and our kids certainly enjoyed theirs. Nathan figured out how to bite it into pieces and was able to take it down over a few days. Emie has barely made a dent over the past week, but she enjoys a few licks each night.