Mother's Day Fast Approaching

I cannot believe this year I will be celebrating my 3rd Mother's Day! I certainly don't feel like I have been a Mommy for that long, the time really flies. Three years and in a few short months, three children. Never did I ever see my life playing out this way, but never would I ever change it.

When Jonathan and I got married almost four years ago, we had talked about kids but were so preoccupied with work, the wedding, classes and being a couple that we didn't really plan how many or when we would start having kids. I guess that's why life is full of great surprises.I never could have imagined I would be one of those moms who has three car seats at once....three kids under three...but that is soon to be my reality and I love it!

Of course, with our new little one on the way, the most common inquiry we now get is..."How many do you want?" My answer, "I don't know!" We'll see what happens once we have three. Life changes drastically with each new addition and when our family is finished growing, we'll just know...as of right now, we are eagerly preparing to be a family of five.

I got my first, of soon to be many, non-compliments this week....it went something like, "Hey! You're looking really pregnant!" I'm sure it was meant as a compliment but generally when someone says "Do I look pregnant in this outfit?" What they mean is "Do I look fat?" So, I wouldn't really categorize that compliment as such, but I guess there is no avoiding the fact that I have gained nine pounds and have a pretty prominent basketball protruding in my midsection. Well, at least I made it to 21 weeks before being told I looked pregnant! I have finally come to peace with the fact that I will not have my body back to the way I want it until sometime next year! Amazing what we sacrifice for our children, right? 

Well it will be a busy few months as we have several trips planned and a few holidays and birthdays along the way. May 13th is a big one...my little brother (the baby of the family) turns 18! It is also Aunt Brandi's birthday and her son, Junior's birthday...lots of celebrating in order. Mother's Day is this weekend and no slowing down next month with quite a few birthdays, including Jonathan's and we can't forget Father's Day! 

So, hopefully I will have lots to blog about...it's just finding the time to actually do it :)

 

Gender Reveal Party

I feel so blessed to have so many great family members and friends! My sister completely outdid herself by throwing an amazing gender party! I am going to have to get really creative when I plan her baby shower.

She made me leave the house for a few hours before the party and I couldn't believe all the beautiful things she had created when I got back. The decorations were beautiful and handmade, we had tons of unique and fun games and the food was phenomenal. The actual reveal was very unique and well worth the wait. Party planning definitely runs in our family! 

My favorite game...by far...was watching the dad's compete in a diaper changing contest! Hilarious!!!! Jonathan, Antwuan, Frate and Mark all had to change a very messy and very disgusting diaper...the fastest and cleanest won the prize. I am sad to say that although my husband got the new diaper on the baby fastest....it's leg was covered in poo so he was disqualified, lol. Frate took home the prize by both changing the diaper quickest and having the least residual poo left on the infant! It was quite exciting! 

Although it felt like more people were leaning towards boy, the board of votes showed a pretty even split. Katelynn's statistics showed that 71% of mothers intuition guesses are correct and in this case they proved right. For the actual gender reveal, Katelynn passed out chocolate bars with custom wrappers and inside one lucky wrapper was the golden ticket with the baby's gender...It's a boy!!!

I had been pridicting boy from a week after I found out I was pregnant...Jonathan was hoping for another mild mannered girl but I kept warning him not to get his hopes up. I have had a feeling/instinct with all three of my pregnancies and so far am 3-0 on predicting them! We are so excited to welcome another little man into our family...this will give Paisley many more years of being spoiled and Sebastian another best friend, this one will actually like to play cars.

Thank you to our guests: Kate, Josh, Emma, Lilly, Mamie, Pops, Sam, Kelly, Mike, Nicole, Peyton, Vaughn, Jackie, Frate, Addison, Autumn, Holly, Kayla, Ansley, Cristin, Carter, Garrett, Maruja, Amy, Colt, Antwuan, Ava, Victoria, Mark, & Chase! 

Chunky Gazpacho

This is simple, delicious and so perfect for summer!

Chunky Gazpacho

Ingredients:
2-3 Cucumbers, peeled and chopped
1 Tomato, chopped

1 Red Onion, Chopped

2 Green Bell Peppers, Chopped

1 1/2 Cans Tomato Sauce

1/4 Cup Red Wine Vinegar (more if needed)

Salt and Pepper

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and stir thoroughly. Taste to see if more red wine vinegar is needed. Chill, if desired.

Enjoy!

Paisley's 1st Birthday Easter Celebration

Wow, what a celebration we had...thank you to everyone who came to celebrate our baby girl! We all had a wonderful time! I can throw the greatest party in the world but without guests it means nothing, so thank you for taking the time to celebrate her birthday with us!

We are so very thankful that Jonathan's brother and family were able to come all the way up from Florida to visit and celebrate with us. We really enjoyed their company and it was the first time they were able to come and stay with us for the whole weekend! Their son, Junior, is almost two so it was really nice for Sebastian and Paisley to have someone their age to play with. We can't thank them enough for making the trip! 

Paisley's party was a huge success. We themed it after Easter since it was her first Easter celebration and seemed like a perfect fit for a little girls party. Finding decorations was easy and fun. We didn't go over the top with anything, just simple and cute. Naturally, we had to have an egg hunt for it to be a true Easter party. The kiddos seemed to really enjoy the hunt. Sebastian had a whole basket full within a minute or so! Paisley was content with just a few.

Unfortunately, Paisley was exhausted by the time we were ready to eat cake. She did not want any of it and barely made it through the birthday song...but her brother helped her blow out her candle and we all enjoyed the sugar rush. 

Everyone helped open gifts...they all enjoyed testing them out thoroughly. 

All in all it was a terrific 1st birthday celebration! We are so thankful to everyone who made it fantastic! 

Thanks to our guests: Mamie, Aunt Kelly, Uncle Mike, Aunt Janet, Aunt Brandi, Uncle Ricky, Hunter, Junior, Aunt Kate, Emma, Lilly, Nicole, Peyton, Vaughn, Bob, Rachel, Josh, Becca, Allison, Annika, Abigail, Chase and Brooklyn!