Great Great News!

We are having another baby boy this coming August! Geoff and I can't quite believe it, we both had been thinking we were having a girl, but we are both very very excited! The days leading up to the ultrasound were kind of stressful for me, so it was such a relief to see a healthy baby on the screen! The technician knew what happened last time with Daniel and was very reassuring and kind. She showed me right away that he had a strong heart beat, so I didn't have to worry about that anymore. He is a very active baby and made it hard for the tech a few times, but that's a good sign in my mind. He is measuring about a week ahead and has a big head! I think he is going to take after Sam...

The kids stayed with a good friend of mine during the ultrasound and were so excited to find out if they were getting a brother or a sister. I made them wait until we met Geoff at Olive Garden for dinner. I asked them on the way for their guesses. Sam said boy right away, and Anna said "I think boy, but I am really really really wishing for a sister!" Henry said boy, too, but I think he was just copying the other kids... They were all right, and Anna is not too disappointed, even though she is getting yet another brother! Now we are trying to think of a name...

Fun in Florida

We spent our spring break in Santa Rosa Beach with my parents and my brother Jeff. What a great vacation- and just what everyone needed! I started out driving down with the kids on my own (Geoff couldn't make it out until later in the week), and met Mom, Dad and Jeff about 2 hours along the way. After that, I didn't need to drive at all- thanks Dad and Jeff! The drive went pretty well- I think Henry was the only one who had any issues (one pretty big tantrum that involved him trying to escape from his car seat and ended with him falling asleep). A highlight of the drive was our pit stop in Metropolis, IL - HOME OF SUPERMAN! We didn't want to take the time to go to the Superman museum or visit the enormous Superman statue, but we did get to see lots of Superman and Wonderwoman stuff at a gas station and get some pictures with Anna and Sam in front of Superman and Wonderwoman figures. This totally made Sam's day! Maybe someday we will get to the museum.

We spent the week going to the beach, the pool, taking long walks, and biking on the nice quiet road outside my parent's house. We didn't, unfortunately, spend much time sleeping... The kids were up by about 5:30 practically everyday, but they did get to sleep usually around 7 since they were so exhausted by all the outdoor activity. The weather most of the week was great- not that warm, but sunny and beautiful. It was so nice to see all the green grass and trees! The kids loved the beach, although Henry did not like how the ocean seemed to keep coming back... He tried yelling at it to STOP! but the waves just kept on coming. He spent most of his time at the beach running away from those waves. Sam and Anna both loved the water at the beach- Sam especially! So much fun to see them having such a great time, at least until they all of a sudden got so so cold! After the beach we usually made a stop at the "warm" pool. All the kids loved this- Sam and Henry liked to jump in the water over and over and Anna spent her time swimming around the edges within reach of the sides and trying to keep her face dry. All the kids got very comfortable in the water through the week- Henry wore a life jacket and would happily float in circles all by himself. Sam wore some water wings and attempted swimming on his own with great success. Anna would swim with a kickboard in front of her across the shallow areas- as long as she knew she could stand up if she needed to, she was fine. Swimming lessons this summer should be a lot of fun!

On Thursday, Geoff joined us, although a little later than he expected to- his flight had mechanical trouble and got delayed big time. He was supposed to arrive at 9:30 and Henry and I picked him up around 3... That was too bad- I know he didn't want to spend his short vacation in the airport! The kids were so excited to see him and happily showed him all the fun things they had been doing while he was stuck working. On Friday night we went out to dinner at Fudpuckers restaurant- a really fun place that had an alligator preserve! We got to touch and hold a live alligator. It was really neat and a highlight of the trip!

Jeff was kind enough to drive back home with us on Saturday morning- so I didn't need to drive yet again! I love not driving! The kids were happy watching movies and reading books (Anna finished the Narnia books "The Horse and his Boy," and "Prince Caspian" on the way). We were all pretty tired when we got back, but happy to be home again. Many many thanks to Grampy, Grammy and Uncle Jeff for a wonderful, memorable week! They were such a big help with the kids, giving me some much needed breaks, and, as always, there was plenty of wonderful food courtesy of Grammy! I hope we get many more chances to visit down there!