We NEED One!!

Not even going to lie here. It's already insanely H-O-T! The rest of the world, is excited about summer. I'm well, not so thrilled that the temps are already in the 90s. Years ago, when I was in college, it was great! Welcomed actually. But these days, with 3 kids, it's tough. My boys want to be outside. 24/7! Never mind that it's 110 degrees. They don't care!

And I feel bad. I don't want my kids to be stuck inside. Not when our summer pretty much begins in May. And ends at the end of September. I want them to enjoy the summer months. And the nice weather.

But we need some activities that will keep us cool. And I'm not just talking swimming. So I took to Pinterest for some inspiration. Look what I found!

It's a sprinkler! Made out of PVC pipe. It might have taken me a week, to track down the original post. But I did! Mike told me, that he could make one. He's calling it the "Kid Car Wash." And after Mikey happened to spot it on the computer, I was writing down the supply list. Well it is essentially set in stone! Mike can't get out of it now. :)

I do have to say, we're blessed. Not only is Mike the kind of guy, that enjoys DIY projects. But the firefighters, are always excited to help us out. Especially when it comes to our kids. So guess what's on tap, for their next day off? This bad boy! My boys are so excited! They keep calling this, the "wimmin wower." If you didn't get that, it's the swimming shower. :) How cute! This momma might even have to run through it too!

♥Rach♥

I Can't Wait!!

Until Savannah is old enough, to play in the sand. I found this picture on Pinterest, and I just fell in love! I'm going to keep my eyes opened, for this little bathing suit. Isn't it adorable? These are the things I dreamt of, when I dreamt of having a daughter. Pink, ruffles, and the girly things!

I also can't wait, until Savannah is old enough, to go to Georgia. And play in the sand. Like I did, when I was little. When my baby girl, is big enough, to explore new things. And enjoy the beautiful state I'm from. :)

Yes, I'm counting down the days. When we can hangout on the beach. Our entire family! And enjoy building sand castles, playing in the water, and soaking up some sun. These are the things, I always dreamt of, when I dreamt about being a momma.

♥Rach♥

Trying Something New

Sometimes I feel like I get in food slump. I'm not the best cook around. Especially not in Mexican food. But I try. Every time that we go to visit Mike's family, I try to learn 1 more thing. Sometimes, it's simple things. Like beans. Or Spanish rice. And I have to say this, I have a very patient husband. Who endures it. Endures the same food every week. Who happily smiles, at the 10 or so dishes that I've mastered.

But even I get tired of it. And go hunting out simple and new recipes. Things that I can tackle. With success. And that we'll enjoy eating. Tonight, I'm feeling a little stuck. Like I can't endure the same tacos on Tuesdays, and Spaghetti on Wednesdays. So I went to hunt out a new recipe. And I found this one. For Shrimp & Garlic Pasta. Yum! It already sounds AMAZING!

We're also blessed, with sweet boys. Who aren't picky eaters. That will try, just about anything. At least once! :) That is truly a blessing. Ask any mom. But honestly, this is going to be a home run for our family. I already know it.

My sons adore pasta. I'm sure, all kids do! And shrimp, that's another favorite around here. I just showed Mike the recipe. And he asked if I can make it tomorrow. I can't wait for dinner. Do you have any other good resources for recipes? I'd love to hear about your favorites. :)

♥Rach♥

The Sweetest Thing!!

I'm due in one week! Can you believe it? I feel like this pregnancy has just flown by! Probably because for once, I wasn't pregnant during the "Dog Days of Summer." I mean, I was. But it was morning sickness. Not the "how many weeks do I have left" pregnancy. I'm sure, if you've ever been pregnant, you know what I mean. When you're just ready to have your baby.

But I'm not feeling that right now. I'm happy. And comfortable. Honestly, I don't feel like our baby girl, is coming anytime soon. I'm not feeling that same "feeling." I don't know how to describe it. But after having 2, it just doesn't feel like we're too near yet...

Our family is taking this time, to just relax. Enjoy being a family of 4, for a few more days. I'm loving being a "Boy Mom." In fact, we added a few fish, to our family. And we're just enjoying life. This time of year, is just so nice out. The boys and I, have been going on daily walks, through our neighborhood. It's the first thing we do, after breakfast. And I think our neighbors are enjoying it too. Many, have started to wait for us. At 7:30AM, you'd be surprised how many people are out, and enjoying the weather. :)

But I've also been looking for some inspiration. For our baby girl's newborn pictures. And I've found lots of things, that are going to be fun to try out! I've also been looking for some cute clothes. Cute little things, that would look darling. On our little girl. Let's just say, Pinterest and I, are becoming BFFs!

Isn't this the most darling picture? Oh, I can't wait! I'm telling you, I just can't wait until we get to meet our little girl. I can't wait to dress her up. And recreate fun pictures like this one. I just feel like our little girl is the final piece, to our family puzzle. The one person, that is going to make our family whole and complete. I can't wait to meet our sweet little one!

♥Rach♥

Exciting!

In just about a month, we get to meet our daughter. I'm super excited! What's one of the things, that I'm most excited about having a baby girl? All the cute clothes! Pinks, purples, peaches. And the ruffles and bows. Oh, and the dresses!! This is going to be such a different experience.

I found this picture on Pinterest. And it just got me thinking about my precious little girl. How fun this is going to be!! I love my boys, with all my heart. But I'm so excited to meet my precious little girl. I have a feeling, being a "girl Momma" is going to be very different, from being a "boy Momma."

♥Rach♥

What a Sweet Peach!!

I'm starting to think that God, reads my blog. That he's been listening to little 'ol me. Praying that our last baby, will be a girl. Today, I'm 20 weeks, 1 day pregnant. And we had our gender ultrasound. I wanted to be 100% sure. Being our last baby and all.

Listening to our babies' heartbeats, long before we meet them, is the most AMAZING thing in the world! I still can't believe, that Mike and I, made these gorgeous little souls. With our love. Wow! It is amazing.

With every pregnancy, I've totally embraced every second. Every small kick, movement, and even morning sickness. But there's something about this pregnancy. Maybe because I know, this baby is our last. But I've embraced every second. I'm trying to record it all. So that years from now, I'll have these little memories. Of "growing" my sweet babies.

And with our amazing appointment, came our great news! In March, we'll be welcoming a sweet little girl!! Can you believe it? Even our boys are excited. "A sisa? We gonna have a gurl? When her come home?" They are excited! We are excited!!

Before we had kids, Mike and I agreed on 2 very important things. 1. He'd name our sons. I'd name our daughters. 2. Whoever named our baby, had to pick our baby's Godparents. Oh boy! It's all on me now!! :)

Actually, I've had 2 girl names picked out. Since I was a little girl. Now I just need to decide between Georgia and Savannah. Before you think I've completely lost it, I'm originally from Georgia. And I knew, I always wanted my daughter to have a connection to my home state. Especially since now, we live in the southwest.

And Godparents...I've known for years, who'd I pick. Now, we just need to get them in 1 place, at the same time. :) I'm really excited about this too!

Oh, and since we're having a sweet girl, I want to do something a little different. Especially when it comes to her nursery. I'm thinking, I want to use the theme "Georgia Peach." I've been looking everywhere, for the perfect crib bedding. But haven't had much luck. But I am positive, that I'm going to use peach, with a little bit of pink, for our daughter's nursery.This picture, is my inspiration!

There's so much to do, in the next few months. But I'm so excited! This is going to be such a fun chapter in our lives. And our daughter, is going to completely change our home. Right now, I'm totally outnumbered! There's my hubby, our 2 sons, and our little dog. All boys!

Mike and I, are planning a little shopping trip. Probably Wednesday. I now realize, we don't really have anything for our daughter. With Danny, we had lots and lots of "hand-me-downs" from Mikey. But honestly, I think Mike is super excited! On the way back from our doctor, who is an hour away from where we live, we stopped at Target. Each of our sons got a new little car. Our daughter, her first Barbie doll! How cute! Yes, we are so excited to be adding a little girl, to our little family!

♥Rach♥

Bad News

I should have known. When I saw the news yesterday. And there was another fire. Mike is heading up to the fire. He should be there no later than 9AM today. I feel so bad for the people up there. They are already evacuating the area.

But we miss Mike. It's been weeks since we've seen him. Mikey asks about Mike every single day. And I feel just like him. I can't wait until Mike is safe at home. But we know, as a firefighting family, that sacrifices have to be made. And we're OK with that. Because we know, Daddy is doing good work.

We just ask that everyone keeps Mike and all the firefighters in your prayers. They need all the support they can get. We love them all. And we hope that they are able to get their work done quickly and safely. Because they all have families who are waiting for them at home.

♥Rach♥

Welcome to Our Family Danny!

Mikey has a new baby brother! Daniel (Danny) waited for his Daddy to come home! Mike was able to come home for a week. And he arrived early on July 14th. The night before, I had begun having some fierce contractions. And I labored well into the morning of July 15th. But it was all worth it. Just to meet our little man! Danny we love you so much. Our family was definitely not complete without you. I see an entire lifetime of fun ahead for our family! But for now, I'm going to be spending lots of time with my boys!

♥Rach♥

Happy Memorial Day

We had a pretty amazing day today. And none of it could have happened without all the men and women who have sacrificed so much for our freedom. Thank you all!



We took Mikey to the park. Mike wanted to take the wagon. So we loaded it up and left early. You know, before it gets hot out here.



When we got back home. Mikey napped. And Mike got to grilling. Can I say it? My hubby is an amazing cook! He didn't just grill all the meat. But he made some amazing food too!



And of course, Memorial Day is all about remembering those people who sacrificed so much for us. For our freedom. And just to allow us to be safe. Thank you!

♥Rach♥

2 vs 1

Lately, I've been stressing a little bit. About going from 1 little boy, to 2. You know, this is a big adjustment. I was almost in a panic by this time during my 1st pregnancy. But we had a ton of support! And I did OK. Mostly because of Mike.

Now, I'm really stressed out. 2 little boys. Am I in over my head? Fine time to think about that. I'm a nut! Mike keeps telling me to just breathe. That it's going to be OK. I know he's right. But I also know it's going to be a little challenging.

For one, we're definitely not going to sleep. That's not new. All new parents lose tons of sleep! My worry is whether or not we are going to have enough time with each of our kids. You know, will Mikey feel neglected? Will we pay enough attention to the baby? I always feel like parents don't take the same amount of pictures of 2nd and 3rd babies. They forget to document all those things that they did with their 1st baby.

I want to be a good mom. But most of all, I want for my kids to feel loved. To feel special. And know that we love them so very much! I just hope I'm ready for everything in our future.

♥Rach♥

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter! We had such a nice day. The Easter bunny definitely spoiled Mikey this year. And he really enjoyed his Easter much more than last year. :)

We started out with church. Which was a lot of fun. We all got dressed up. And then they had an Easter egg hunt for the kids. Lots and lots of fun! Then we headed out for breakfast. Where we met up with some of the guys from the fire house. They had this for Mikey!



Thanks guys! I don't know if he needed another Easter basket. But he loved it! He got a total of 5 baskets this year. Spoiled little guy, huh?

The guys come over with some of their families. Most of the guys are still single. And we had a nice dinner and Easter egg hunt for the kids. It was really a lot of fun! And before he went to bed, Mikey asked to his Jesus stories. :) We read from his Children's Bible in the morning and we usually read a book at night. I guess he just knew today was about Jesus. :)

♥Rach♥

Guess What

We're expecting baby #2! I've hinted about it. I mentioned something here. And tweeted something back in November. But no one really said anything. I think they thought I was joking. Or maybe slightly crazy. Probably more of the later to be honest.

But after Mikey was born, I was told that it was going to be tough to get pregnant again. For lots of reasons I don't want to bore you with. But soon after Mike went to fight the wildfires last year, I found out we could start trying for baby #2. Ya, I know. At the time, Mikey was not even a year old. But it was good news for us. Because we want to have our kids close together. We want them to grow up together.

I didn't think I would get pregnant so quickly though. ;) By the time Mike got back from the wildfires out west, I was off of my birth control. And we honestly thought it might take a few months. No way! I was pregnant right away. We should have remembered how quickly I got pregnant with Mikey. ;)

Yup, that's our news! I'm actually 12 weeks today. Pretty cool if you ask me! Mike insists that we're having a girl. I don't know where that is coming from. But I would be happy with either a boy or a girl. As long as our baby is healthy.

♥Rach♥

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween! We had such an amazing day. It really was fun. And my little man, he looked oh so cute! He was a fireman this year. Yes, my husband went out and bought him this costume!



But my little man sure did look handsome. We spent the morning at the Farmers Market. Where they had a parade for the kids. It was so cute! And of course, Mikey was a HUGE flirt. Only my son! He and Spot won for the 1 year old group. We were so proud!

This evening, we took Mikey trick or treating. Something we skipped out on last year. Oh last year, he was so cute. He was a dalmatian. Very cute! But this year, we went to a few houses. Actually, we went through 2 neighborhoods. And stopped to see some of the guys from the Fire Station. They were handing out trick-or-treat bags.

We had such a great time! And Mikey had a blast. We have candy for years. No lie! One of our neighbors dumped her entire candy bowl in a bag and gave it to us! Yes, my son was showing his cutie smile! Now, I'm going to go curl up on the couch with my hubby, and dig into our candy. :)

♥Rach♥

Spot

I don't know if I mentioned this. But we got Mikey a puppy. A real dalmatian. So cute! And they're already the best of pals. Spot, our dog, sleeps under Mikey's crib when he's napping or sleeping at night. I think it's adorable! And they are really best friends already. I think Spots is the best present we could have gotten Mikey for his birthday. :)

♥Rach♥

Lots...

I'm so exhausted! But it's great to have Mike home. :) And today was moving today. Lots and lots of stuff! How did we fit all this in our apartment? I still have no clue. But all the guys from the fire house came to help. Thanks so much!

Our house is in shambles. Complete shambles. But some new furniture was delivered today. :) And all we really cared to put up was our bed and Mikey's crib. Which looks adorable! It's nice that Mike got the painting done yesterday. That way we could start putting Mikey's room together.

Oh, and it's been raining. A lot. It's ridiculous! But there's nothing we could do. But get our stuff from our apartment to our house. And we did that. The next few days, I'm going to have to work hard to get our house in order. You know, I have 4 days...

But we have some good news. Our friend Jose is back from Iraq. He has been out there forever! And he is going to be getting out of the military soon. He was so happy to be home. And his wife Jelly, she was so excited to have him home. We all enjoyed a big "Welcome Home" dinner. So much fun!

Well, I'm falling asleep here. And I have so much to do the next few days. Please send me all your positive thoughts. I'm going to need them. :)

♥Rach♥

Happy Birthday Little Man!

Dear Little Man,

Happy Birthday! You turned 1 today. You are such a big boy. We went to your doctor's appointment earlier this week. He said you are perfect. Absolutely perfect! I already knew that!

Your Daddy surprised us all! He came home early this morning. With a big birthday cake too! We are so lucky to have him. And all the guys at the fire house. They made it possible for your Daddy to come today. :)

I still can't believe you're 1. It feels like I just found out I was going to have a baby. When I think about you, I still see your little newborn face. But my baby is growing into my little man. Too cute you are! I love to cuddle with you in the mornings. And I absolutely melt when you start to flirt. You're just like your daddy. Flirting all the time! :)

This morning you just loved tearing up all the paper. I think you liked the wrapping paper more than you liked your presents this morning. Daddy and you just loved playing with all your new fire trucks.

Other things that you are doing that just surprise me, well you've been walking for about 2 months. But you are getting a lot better at it. Definitely not falling as much. But when you fall, you usually just laugh and smile. And you are definitely a good eater like your daddy. Hmm, you really liked your birthday cake too!

This past year has gone too quickly. It really has. But it has been so much fun being your mommy. I can't believe how amazing you are...my little man! And I'm so happy to be your mommy. I can't wait to see what this year is going to bring for us! I hope you enjoy it all!

Love,

Your ♥Mommy♥

He's Coming Home!!!

All my fingers and toes are crossed! If no new fires start up, and if they continue to do progress, Mike gets to come home in 10 days!!! Yes, 10 days!!! I'm so excited!

I did change Mikey's birthday party. I guess I didn't think about a lot of things. Like our friends are going to be out of town. Mike was going to be working. And we're moving. Oh, and I'm just overwhelmed. So the party is set for October 25th. Now, I'm really happy!

My hubby is coming home. He's safe. My son is happy and healthy. Oh, and the packing is going better. Just keep us in your prayers. Please. We need a break here.

♥Rach♥