Another sweet, beautiful baby...

We are so excited for our new addition, and even more excited that he is healthy, growing, and everything is looking good.
Even I, who can only see a head and spinal cord when I look at an ultrasound could see that it was a boy! "Hey! I see it!" Thanks for the moment of immodesty baby.
In my quest to not worry so much about the baby and replace faith with fear, I feel that this pregnancy is going sooooo slow! Dr B assured me that the rest of the pregnancy would go fast. He also promised me something that I haven't been told I would experience the rest of this pregnancy: pain. Apparently the baby is sitting right on my spine. I guess it's the first time??? I remember some sciatic pain with Dillan, briefly, but I was never told to expect it!

Leah's reaction: Yeah, Dillan's a boy.
Dillan's reaction: That's the surprise??? Later: OK, I got a good name for the baby. Steven. Or Georgie.

So hopefully now I can relax the rest of the pregnancy, enjoy the cooler weather, and then relish in the holidays. Bring on the pumpkin!

Go Pythons!

Soccer is back. I don't even have to coax Dillan to get ready for practice. He's into it!
He has a great coach, and for the first time gets to play with a couple girls on his team!
It's new, and different. Sometimes he seems a little timid around them.




Saturday was his first game. He scored 4 goals. He told me later that he was very proud of himself for scoring 4 goals. Then he said that the coach told him he was proud of him for stopping the other team from scoring goals. He definitely shines as a defender.



After each goal scored by the team, the coach has all the players high-five each other. Even if you're resting on the sideline. I love it.
They are like soldiers in how they listen to him. Nothing like my coaching experience.
It's so fun to watch.

GO PYTHONS!

Three.

My name is Leah. My birthday is September twelf. I'm gonna be free!

I can't believe our little girl is 3. She has grown up way too fast. I blame it on her spunky little personality that is determined to do everything her big brother does. That's just the way she does it. Plus she simply will NOT be told to do otherwise.



Started out with red hair. Then no hair. Now it's a few different shades of blond, gold, and brown. Who knows what it's gonna do?

Leah loves all things princess, pretty dresses, fancy shoes, nail polish, necklaces.

She takes good care of her babies and her big brother.

Her newly-found love is school and her two teachers.

She talks about playing soccer, but we'll see.

She's sassy, stubborn, and sweet all rolled into a little ball of love.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LEELOU!

Soccer BOY!

And it's that time again.



Dillan is happy to have such a busy schedule.
We are trying out a new league, one we anticipate is more "serious" than the other.
So far we are greatly impressed with his coach and the fundamentals he is teaching the kids. He focuses on individual skills and ball touches, something Dillan has never really had before. Once the games start, it will be lots of fun to watch.



The best part is that I don't have to push him to go to practices or even get ready. He likes to go.
Leah even says she is playing. Well, she thinks she is. Maybe someday.

Weekend FUN!

Just another couple days in paradise!
Life doesn't get much better than this.

"Together is a wonderful place to be."

Papa's BOAT!

We're ready and sooooo excited for football season!

Game Day shirts. Check.

Game Faces. Check.

Go COUGS!

Our Street

After dinner, the kids and I set off down the street to the mailbox. Dillan on his scooter and Leah in her car. On the walk back up the street, we waved to some neighbors who were out front and the kids were suddenly surrounded by a bunch of neighbor kids. I went into the house and they followed Dillan to the backyard. They asked if they could ride his bike out front. Then Dillan yells "Mom, we're going out front to play with our new friends, OK?"
So this is a first for us. Playing in a cul-de-sac. At our condo, there was a parking lot, but not a lot of space with all the cars. More kids came out, more toys came out from the backyard. It was awesome. The sun just seemed to never disappear. Parents emerged and greeted me, welcoming me to the neighborhood.
A teenage boy kept watch over the kids while on his skateboard and was especially protective of Leah. He was right there when she'd get stuck pushing her car, or when another kid got to close to crash into her. I thanked him when it finally did get dark and we went inside. You're Welcome. Anytime. Genuinely nice and polite.
It was straight out of a movie. I loved it. I can get used to this.
Why didn't we do this sooner???

Home Sweet Home!

So after 16 months of trying to short sale our condo, we have finally ESCAPED! We were fortunate enough to find a new home and move out in just 2 short weeks. AND WE LOVE IT!
The kids have their own rooms, we now have 700+ more space to enjoy, PLUS a backyard!
We are still working on getting settled, unpacking boxes, moving furniture around, and filling up the space. Not so glamorous right now, but we hope to be past that soon.

We still live in the same school and ward boundaries as before, but it still feels like a big change!




Speaking of change, we are also expecting a big one around the end of January! ;)
Just not too big, hopefully.
We call it Baby #4.
Here's the math: 2 kids + 1 in heaven + 1 on the way= 4.

So far everything is going great. It has been a great test of faith and submitting our will to the Lord's will. We know it is in His hands. We have been so extremely blessed!