100% sure it is a ...

GIRL!

We are thrilled and beyond excited to know for sure that it is a girl! I scheduled another ultrasound at a place called Prenatal Peek to determine whether our 80% sure it's a girl, was indeed a 100% girl! My favorite part of the ultrasound was seeing Matt's huge smile when they said they were positive it is a girl. A lot of my excitement  for having a girl is seeing him with her. She will definitely have her daddy wrapped around her finger. I also have such a wonderful relationship with my mom, that I can't wait to have fun and have a close relationship with this little one. We got some awesome 3D pictures of our little peanut. She was just moving around the whole time. I know for sure at this point, she will have plenty of energy to keep up with her big brothers!!

80% chance of... rain?

80% sure it's a..... GIRL! We are cautiously excited as we had our ultrasound and the technician said she is 80% sure it's a girl. The reason for this is that we were in that appointment for 1.5 hours!! Our sweet little stinker had her legs crossed the entire time and would not give us a good peek. She is just practicing being modest already, so good girl! We did get several peeks in between the legs and we never once saw any signs of boy parts, but there was never really a great shot verifying that it is a girl. So for now, we are 80% sure it's a girl. We are debating on getting another ultrasound next month to confirm, because you know I already have 2 boys and if I just need to buy some pink things, then I NEED to KNOW! :) I love being a mom and i'm so thankful for my blessings in children and a hot stud of a husband.

Baby Gender

Tomorrow we find out! Tomorrow is the only day where our baby is allowed to spread eagle for the world- or Matt, the ultrasound technician, and I to see whether this baby growing inside is a boy or a girl.

People ask me what I want. What I want is for the baby to be healthy and my c-section to go well. Ultimately I want God to be glorified through the life of this child and for our best to be taken in mind. The gender has already been decided and is already formed. Do we want a girl? Yes. Do we want a boy? Yes. Truly I will be happy with either. I try to picture our life with either gender... if it's a girl I will have some pink things around this house and love every minute of it. Ethan prays for his "sister" all the time and I get no greater joy than picturing Matt snuggling a precious baby girl. If it's a boy then I will love having a house full of boys. Our schedule will always be divided between sporting events for them and their daddy. Having a boy is "easy" because we have all the clothes and items we need and I truly believe there is a special bond that exists between brothers. I will look forward to all of them wrestling and for there to NEVER be a quiet moment in our house.

So either way it is a win for us. I think if you set yourself up for one gender then it leaves open the possibility for disappointment. I will not disappointed. I just want to know! Tomorrow morning can not come soon enough! And yes, I will post it on facebook as soon as I get the chance, haha!

Magic Kingdom

Yesterday we went to the most magical place on Earth! Magic Kingdom! We had an absolute blast and the kids were wonderful! We got to the park when it opened at 9:00 a.m. and headed straight for Frontier Land. On the way we stopped at Ethan was able to wait in a short line to give Daisy Duck a hug. Caleb hugged Daisy and then realized he did not want anything to do with her. And said, "no, no, no" when I tried to get him to pose with her for a picture.
The boy's first ride was Pirates of the Caribbean, where we just walked right on. Next we hit up Splash Mountain. Ethan rode with Matt and loved it. Then I took him and went on. Again, just walked right on! When we were getting off the ride we noticed Tigger and Pooh were out so we hopped in a small line to say hi and get a picture with them. Caleb wanted nothing to do with them, but I was able to convince him to give Tigger a quick high five as we were leaving. Next we headed over to the Haunted Mansion where Ethan thought it was silly and Caleb just sat quiet. After Haunted Mansion we headed over to Small World which had a 20 minute wait. We decided to quickly grab lunch before it got too crowded and were able to walk right into the restaurant connected to Small World where we enjoyed a nice lunch. I thought it would be way more expensive, but wasn't too bad. We enjoyed pizza, grapes and yogurt that came with the kids pizza, and sides of fries.
When lunch was over we walked around because Ethan wanted to see Cinderella's castle. We decided to head over to Tomorrow Land and see how long of a wait there was on Space Mountain. Matt & Ethan hopped on the bumper cars while I took their tickets and got a Fast Pass stamp where we would be able to return in an hour to ride. After bumper cars we hopped on the People Mover to take a little break. When People Mover was over we walked over and Matt & Ethan jumped on Space Mountain. While Ethan came off with a smile, he said it was a little scary because it was so dark and there were "big turns" and he couldn't see his daddy. I was super impressed with him going because I did not go on that ride until I was in college!! After Space Mountain we needed to take a little break so we sat in some shade (it was absolutely gorgeous-sunny and high of 75 degrees!) and enjoyed an ice cream. We were talking about leaving then (around 2:00 p.m.) but decided to walk and do some shopping. When headed back towards Cinderella's castle when we were able to catch a parade! Caleb fell asleep during the parade. It was so fun to see Ethan's reaction to all the characters and wave! When the parade was over we walked down some shops and Ethan was able to pick out some things to buy. He decided upon a donald duck stuffed animal and a big lollipop that he had been eyeing in the hands of kids all along the park! We discussed what to do next and decided to jump on the train that goes around Magic Kingdom. At this point Caleb woke up so he had about an hour nap in the stroller which wasn't too shabby! The boys loved the train, especially Caleb who kept saying, "all aboard!". When the train ride was over we asked Ethan what he wanted to do and he said he wanted to try the Snow White ride which he had talked about throughout the day. Ethan and I went on Snow White while Matt and Caleb tried to hunt down a snack. Ethan didn't know the story of Snow White so I was trying to give him a quick summary while going through the ride. He liked it, but the witch can be a little scary. After Snow White we asked Ethan what he wanted to do and he said he wanted to try the Buzz Lightyear ride which he had spotted earlier in the day, but at that time it had an hour wait. We walked over and it was only a 20 minute wait so we all jumped in line. This was one of my favorite rides! Ethan and I took a "car" and Matt and Caleb took the other. While on the ride we all have lazer guns that shoot at various targets throughout the ride and when you hit them you get points. So it was an interactive ride, then you could spin a lever which enabled you to spin around however much you wanted. I kept trying to spin the ride, but Ethan grabbed it to line up some good shots to shoot! As we walked out of Buzzlight Year Ethan noticed his third and final purchase- a Buzz Lightyear space gun that lights up and makes shooting noises. How fun. (Note the sarcasm!) We then decided to walk back towards Main Street where we could look for a prize for Caleb when we were able to catch another parade and get a front row seat! All the boys enjoyed a popcorn and we sat on the curb and watched the fun parade pass by! When the parade was over we walked through the shops where Caleb found a stuffed Tigger that he wouldn't let go of! So we purchased Tigger and slowly walked out. It was such a fun day!! We were there from 9:00 a.m. until about 7:00 p.m.! Like I said, the boys did incredible which made the day so enjoyable. Ethan seemed like he never tired and walked everywhere! Caleb was mostly content after a few fusses in the beginning about getting in and out of the stroller so much. He wanted free reign! We were so thankful to be able to go! I think we are going to try to go to Animal Kingdom tomorrow. If you are a "friend" of mine on facebook you can check out all my pictures on there!

Behind the scenes

No, this is not some sneak peek into our lives or anything... which is impossible, because i'm pretty much an open book. This is a post dedicated to all the "behind the scenes" moments. What is kicking off this post is the fact that I (in assistance with many other great ladies) am planning the women's retreat for our church. It is less than 3 weeks away. I have realized more and more what goes into planning such things. Wow. From organizing a planning team, to figuring out essentials, to assigning tasks, carrying out those tasks, making phone calls multiple times to ask questions about where we are going and what we need to bring and expect. It's just a lot. I also realized this "behind the scenes" phenomenon whole heartily when we decided to help plant a church! WOW! It really opened my eyes to all the planning, preparation, decision making, and thought processes. I have a whole new appreciation for Pastors and teams that plan a church. I am not bringing this all up to toot my own horn, but to really pay attention to and thank all the people that are "behind the scenes" in daily living. To custodial staff who change out toilet paper and trash cans, to people that have put the heart and decision making behind corporations or events. Another example is a race that is coming up that a lot of people have helped team together to operate. My husband happens to be the head of this race and it is AMAZING to see what happens in the steps between "let's plan a race" to actual race day. From safety, route coordinating, sponsors, etc. There is SO much that goes in "behind the scenes". So I challenge myself, and you, to really think about every little thing to eating a restaurant, going to an event, or visiting a grocery store and think about what is happening behind the scenes and try to thank someone who helped! The words "thank you" speak volumes to people who seldom receive thanks for all the "behind the scenes" work.
Side note: for more information about the race we are putting on in memory of our good friend who passed away this past December, PLEASE visit www.getz5k.com

Vacation count down

12 days! 12 days until my little family goes on our first family vacation, just us! I am so excited! We are going to Florida for a week and will be going to Disney one of those days. Ethan is super excited as well. We have had a calendar countdown going since the beginning of March! We have looked at Disney.com and looked at pictures and videos of Disney and he is just super excited to go. It is so fun to see his face at a toy store, let alone the look I am imagining when he steps inside the gates of Disney. He will be ecstatic! I am imagining a little overwhelmed as well. Ethan is at the perfect age to go, have a blast, and remember it. Caleb will like it and have fun, but I am not sure how much he will remember. I am limited on some of the rides that I can ride (Space Mountain, Thunder Mountain, and Splash Mountain) because i'm preggo, but everything else we can all do together. We also had a recent surprise that adds to the excitement of the trip. We got a minivan! A new to us van that was a huge blessing! This makes me really happy when I think of packing up and driving the 10.5 hours or more it will take to get down there! I was not sure how it was all going to fit in our little Saturn, but now i'm excited! Even if our trip is awful (though I know it won't be), I am just excited to see all the blessings in this trip! From my parents letting us use their timeshare which is basically free for us, to upgrading from an efficiency suite to a 2 bedroom place with a full kitchen at a great resort! I am just too excited! We have plans to see some old friends of mine, swim in the resort pools and sprayground, maybe going to the beach, and just enjoying a relaxing vacation. But as I always say, vacations are nice, but sometimes we need a vacation from our vacation-- especially when it involves kids! Haha! Stayed tuned for more posts and pictures from our Florida vacation!

Recipe: Potatoes Au-Gratin

A friend of mine made this recipe for Matt and I when we were over for dinner. It was SO good! So I am attempting it tonight. This recipe is from Pioneer Woman. Try it, you won't be disappointed!

Ingredients
4 whole Russet Potatoes, Scrubbed Clean
2 Tablespoons Butter, Softened
1-1/2 cup Heavy Cream
1/2 cup Whole Milk
2 Tablespoons Flour
2 cloves Garlic, Finely Minced
1 teaspoon Salt
Freshly Ground Pepper, to taste
1 cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Freshly Grated


Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Smear softened butter all over the bottom of a baking dish.
Slice potatoes, then cut slices into fourths.
In a separate bowl, whisk together cream, milk, flour, minced garlic, salt, and plenty of freshly ground black pepper.
Place 1/3 of the potatoes in the bottom of the baking dish. Pour 1/3 of the cream mixture over the potatoes.
Repeat this two more times, ending with the cream mixture. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are golden brown and really bubbling. Add grated cheese to the top of the potatoes and bake for 3 to 5 more minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly.
Allow to stand for a few minutes before serving by the spoonful. Delicious!