Just in case you were worried... We are still alive!

It has been a crazy couple of months in our neck of the woods. I'm not making any promises but I am hoping to make blogging a more regular task from now on. Here are a few things that have been keeping us busy and away from the computer...

(WARNING: This will be a long post but you will want to finish it because there is a big surprise at the end. Now, fight the urge just to scroll down to the end and enjoy it all.)

Let's start with our dear little Brooklyn. Just look at that adorable face. Don't let it fool you though there is another side to that sweet or should I say mischievous smile...

Oh Brooklyn, where to begin. The last few months have been eye opening with this one. Aside from the fact that she doesn't like to be clothed and we have a daily battle of changing her diaper and getting dressed ("Doesn't everyone like to run around naked mom?"), don't turn your back on this girl. We are definitely learning the true meaning of no two children are alike. More like opposites in our case. At 18 months Aiden was fairly calm, never threw tantrums, and we could convince him to do what we wanted or needed him to do. Brooklyn, on the other hand, has mastered the tantrum phase (I will spare you video we have to embarrass her with later in life, but cue kicking and screaming here). She has a very strong will, a mind of her own, does what she wants when she wants, and won't be convinced otherwise. If it is quiet in our home for longer than two minutes it is cue to find Brooklyn because she is into something, usually the toilet. Here are a few of those quiet moments I have captured lately.

Can you say sweet tooth? If it has sugar in it this girl will find it and a way to get it. Here she is helping herself to Valentine chocolates for breakfast.
Don't worry mom, I used the bread machine to climb up on and help myself to some sprinkles. YUM! YUM!

This was one of those quiet moments turned tantrum. She wasn't happy when she was told that she would have to put all the videos back after emptying the cabinet.
Brooklyn where did you get that lipstick and more importantly what did you do with it?

Oh I see you decorated yourself. How pretty your leg looks. Note to those who have not yet experienced a lipstick fiasco. Lipstick does not just wash off. Her leg looked like this for a week.
Even though we are learning lots of new parenting skills with child #2, Brooklyn brings so much joy to our lives. We love to watch her learn and grow. She is talking a ton and loves to sing. Her favorites are Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star and I am a Child of God. It is so sweet to listen to her sing herself to sleep in her bed at night. We love you Brooklyn!

Aiden has also had a busy couple of months. In January he started his first adventures in sports. Our YMCA has a great program that highlights a different sport every month so kids can try a little bit of everything to see what they like. Here is Aiden showing us his basketball skills. It was so fun, not to mention hilarious to watch Aiden learn to play basketball although this seemed to be his favorite position. For some reason he loved to run and slide on the floor.

Enjoy the video of Aiden shooting a basket.

After basketball it was on to soccer. Aiden had a good time playing this sport as well. He loved kicking the ball around and would dribble and trap it with his feet. Thanks to Aunt Mer he was already a pro at this. Here's Aiden with his certificate for playing soccer.Aiden is such a wonderful big brother. He is willing to help Brooklyn with whatever she needs and is always there to comfort and protect her. He is starting to learn to read and is a pro at math. His favorite thing right now is counting to 100 and adding numbers together. We love you Aiden!

Shae continues to be very busy with work, scouts, and getting the yard ready for spring. However, he was able to get a break and go fishing when his parents were here for a visit.

This is Shae's prize fish of the day (okay of the year). It is a beautiful fish had a blast fishing with his dad that day.

Grandpa also caught a very nice fish. We were all so happy for both of them. They will have to do it again for sure.

Lastly, here are few things I have been up to.

In February I celebrated my birthday. It so fun to go to breakfast with the girls. Thanks to all who helped me celebrate. I had a great time.
Now that is a lot of crab! Crab anyone? Almost a year ago Shae and I went to a Boys and Girls Club auction with several friends. We got a little excited and bid on a crab feast. Who knew we would be crazy to bid high enough to win but we did. It worked out that the couples putting the dinner on could only do it the weekend of my birthday so Happy Birthday to me. We were able to enjoy a very delicious dinner with some of our wonderful friends. Did I mention the food was AMAZING!

AND now for the drum roll....................................

SURPRISE! Baby #3 is on its way and will be joining our family sometime on or around (in our case give or take a week or two) September 1st. This new addition has been a big reason for the lack in blogging. Just as we are a learning no two children are alike, we are learning no two pregnancies are alike and this has been by far the most challenging. I am finally feeling less nauseous, although not completely out of the woods. There has also been the typical exhaustion, etc. etc. I will spare you the rest of the details. The important part is that we are very excited to add a new little baby to our family and can't wait to meet him or her.

Well, congratulations! You made it to the end. We hope you enjoyed catching up with us.