Officially 2 and 39 weeks

Brayden officially turned 2 on Friday---although with the amount of celebrating we have been doing around here, Brayden probably thinks that birthday celebrations go on for at least a week :) On his actual birthday, we had his favorite meal...tacos and of course cake. And, his favorite part---blowing out the candles. We had to relight them numerous times....although he blew them out...the breathe from his mouth did not get the candles to go out---it was the amount from his nostrils :) He sang happy birthday to himself too. We gave him a balance bike for his birthday and helmet which he enjoys wearing. We also made him a little ABC book with family pictures. Here are some pics from the celebration:





We of course needed to take him to one more special place....sort of for his birthday, but also to really live up what may be the last weekend as a family of 3. So, we headed to Des Plaines to go to the Choo Choo restaurant. It is an old diner that has a train deliver the food to your table. As you can see from the pictures, he could barely contain his excitement there. And he is still saying Choo Choo toasted cheese---because that is what the choo-choo brought him :)






Finally to round out the weekend, we carved a pumpkin. Brayden got into it a little....although as we were cutting the pumpkin he just kept saying Oh NO....and then when it came time to pull out the guts....he said EEEWWWWWW the whole time---he was not a fan of the slimy guts. He did however, enjoy seeing it light up...and of course, then there was the candle to blow out!!!




The Baby is due any day now---Saturday to be exact---however, I am thinking that this little boy will be late too...so my guess is next week some time. The excitement and anticipation is really growing around here....and as excited as we are to meet our new son, Brayden is also seeming to be just as excited about meeting the baby. He waves to his cars seat, decorates my belly with stickers, toys and blankets any chance he gets, and also looks in the crib and basinet each morning to check for the baby. Here I am at 39 weeks. We cannot wait to welcome him...and become a family of 4!

Happy Birthday Video

Pumpkins, Choo-Choos, and Baby 2

This past weekend we were extra busy....we had family in town...so we wanted to squeeze in as much fun as we could. It was a BEAUTIFUL weekend...weather in the high 70's...so we took full advantage and squeezed in as much time outdoors as we could. On Saturday we headed to the pumpkin patch. We went to the same one last year...but this year it was a ZOO! There were TONS of people there...everyone wanted to soak up the great weather. He loved the pumpkin eating dinosaur, looking at all the pumpkins, and there was a HUGE petting farm/zoo---so he saw every animal under the sun! Here are some pictures from our visit...









Sunday we celebrated Brayden's 2nd birthday (a little early, I know, but I wanted to play it safe, with baby #2 due any day...and it was a long weekend---so it allowed for much recovery time!) We had a Choo-choo party. He was so excited when he woke up from his nap and saw the house decorate with choo-choos. He knew that we were getting a choo-choo cake....but the other decorations were a great surprise. Since the weather was so nice....we played outside, ate pizza and cake, and really enjoyed being with our families and close friends. Brayden was showered with gifts---he even let other kiddos help him open them. Every time he would open a gift, he would want to take it out and play with it....so it was good that we had others to help him unwrap. Here are some pictures from the BIG party....but the celebration will of course continue this weekend, since he will officially be 2 tomorrow. So more birthday pictures are soon to come!










On a side note...Baby #2 is doing good...this picture was taken at 38 weeks...he loves sharing stickers with the baby. We had an ultrasound last night (at 39 weeks they did one to check his size and such)...they are estimating that the baby is 7 pounds 12 ounces...and there is no sign of him coming any time soon. I am due next Saturday, however, I am thinking that this one will be late too...so I am guessing closer to Halloween. But we will see!!!

Turning 2...

Birthday time again!?!?! I cannot believe that our little man is turning 2 this Friday. This year, the countdown to Brayden's birthday was so different than last year----on one side I wanted his birthday to get here slowly---because I just cannot believe that my baby is going to be 2 and I want to soak up every minute of this one-year, but on the flip side of that---I also was on a countdown for it to get here...because I am so excited to meet our new little boy (and at 38 weeks, I am just so done being pregnant).
We had his party today---which was fabulous! We were surrounded by our wonderful families and great friends---which made the day so special for us. After the party was all done...the gifts were picked up, the cake was put away...we headed back to put the little man down for bed. And, of course, we had to read one of my favorite books to Brayden---which is a special book that we have read since he was born---"On the Night That You Were Born"...which is when it hit me....that our little baby---is no longer a baby but a toddler who is growing too fast. Don't get me wrong, I am enjoying watching him grow and change every day, and I still get plenty of snuggles in, but its hard to believe that they grow so much, and much too fast!
Here is a quote from the book....gets me every time...

"On the night you were born,
the moon shone with such wonder
that the stars peeked in to see you
and the night wind whispered,
'Life will never be the same.

Because there had never been
anyone like you...
ever in the world."

An "Apple Pickin Berry" Good Time

Yesterday we headed out to Woodstock, IL to go apple and raspberry picking. Brayden LOVED apple picking...all he said the whole time was "Apple, Apple, Apple". He rode in his wagon happily (which is a new thing for him---he likes our sitter's wagon, but for some reason was not a fan of his own--until yesterday). He got right in those apple trees...and had some scratches to prove it! Raspberry picking on the other hand was not as exciting for him....and I must say...it is a lot of work! Good thing, we only signed up to pick one pint...that took us quite a bit of time---now I know why they can sell those little buggers for so much! After all our hard work...we headed to our favorite little Woodstock eatery, the Creperie. So delicious!!! The whole way home, he held on tightly to his favorite apple. Now...what to do with a peck of apples!?!?!?

All Boy...

The little man will be 23 months tomorrow. I cannot believe how fast the time has gone and how much he has changed and grown. He is a REAL BOY these days...here are a few pictures to show his boy side, some family shots...and of course some shots of him being his sweet self.
A LOVE for DIGGERS...
At the Arlington Heights Racetrack

At a family reunion (when we were in southern Illinois) He played with these diggers for at least 2 hours...


At the Labor Day Parade...


A TRUE fish...
Here he is bathing with Clara...they were so cute together all day....and in the tub the fun continued, they took turns putting bubbles on each other's faces to be Santa...

At the Dells this past weekend...Brayden was such the daredevil...he saw the pool, the water, the slides...and OFF he went...He had a great time...


Rock Lover...
Also in the Dells, he and the other 8 kids that stayed in a cabin with us (thats right---there were 9 kids +1 on the way) had just as much fun finding rocks and throwing them into the pond. We also having a growing rock collection---some from southern illinois, central and northern illinois...I swear every time I open my purse, the car, etc...I find another rock!


We also went to a great birthday party for Brayden's friend Keira who turned one...



Here are some family pictures from our trip to southern illinois...




34 1/2 weeks...I think that this is how big I was with Brayden when I went in to give labor. We had our last ultrasound last week...and the baby at 33 weeks, was already measuring over 5 pounds...so they are predicting this boy is gonna be a BIG one! Everything looks good though....so I just want to keep him under 10 pounds!!!

Even though Brayden is such a boy these days, he has not lost his sweet side one bit. He still loves to give kisses...and every morning he checks in the crib and says "baby?!!?" I know that he will be a great big brother...here he is pre-kiss for the baby...