Growing, Threats & Girl Stuff

24 weeks, and growing! I have been threatened into taking another one of these lovely pictures. You'll have to forgive my appearance, I have been cleaning up puke all day! And a special thanks to Jackson, (he's the sick one) for helping me take this and for achieving this awesomely flattering angle! :) I can't believe we only have 3 and 1/2 months left before she gets here! I have started panicking/freaking out a little bit! It's going really fast, which isn't all bad, I am SUPER excited to meet her! I am just really intimidated by the thought of having 3 kids... and one of them being small and fragile while the other two are like mini natural disasters!! ;) Although Jackson is so excited about having a baby sister, and Harrison is in love with all babies, so maybe this won't be so hard! We will have to wait and see.

But in the mean time, I get to start putting together my first ever "girly" room! WOOHOO! Patrick tried to tell me I couldn't do pink, but after I burned holes threw him with my eyes, he decided he probably wasn't going to be able to stop me! lol! Our cousin Jenny was SO sweet and let me have her girl bedding... it is freaking adorable! So here is a preview. (And a close-up for Mom.) I will for sure post pictures of the room, I am hoping to get it done pretty soon, before bending over becomes too huge a challenge!

PS. For Angie: I love that you left a threatening comment, threatening to leave more threatening comments! lol! You make me laugh!

Day 2

So today has gone much better than yesterday! (Thanks for all of the advice. I am going to start working on the thumb sucker next!) We cut back to only sleep times a while back, I'm almost sure that's why he has struggled with sleeping! But I think the exhaustion finally won this battle for me. He went to bed last night really well, without tears, and only woke up once during the night. And the truly amazing thing: he went down for a nap today at his regular time and went to SLEEP!! Alleluia! So things are looking up. He hasn't even asked about it! :)

Note to self: If I ever have to do this again, I will do it before he is old enough to argue with me about it!!! Or even remember it or say the word Binky! lol!

Day 1

We have almost survived our first 24 hours without a Binky! (We started last night.) And by survived, I mean barely! There have been tears and tantrums and a serious lack of sleep (by both mom and Harrison). Why, oh why, did I wait this long? Because it's always easier not to do it. But we are. He hates me a little bit, but I can handle that too. It's the refusal to sleep that is making me crazy! So if anyone who has done this has advice, I am all ears!

**Side note: I still prefer a Binky to the thumb!!! Jackson sucks his raw and I swear it's pulling his teeth forward! How the crap do I take that away??? Sigh. One battle at a time.

Stuff for Grabs!

I have some decor from the boys room that just doesn't match anymore (due to Jackson's request for green)! But it's all in good shape, so I hate to donate it if there is someone out there who might want/need it!

These are a set of (4) 8x10 canvases with Cars characters mod-podged on them.

The shelf is 36" long and 7" deep, it was painted and finished by me, so you could probably paint it different colors if you wanted to without too much fuss.
This bedding is like new, it's toddler sized. Cars (can you tell we went through a phase?!) characters with kind of antique looking quilt. It comes with a fitted bottom sheet, fitted at one end top sheet and a pillow case.
So let me know if you are interested or know someone who might be. It's not anything super special, but if you want a room with a theme, I have the stuff! lol! Oh, and I can ship it to UT, except for the shelf, that I could bring with me in December.

New Addition!

I don't know if I've mentioned it lately or not, but I LOVE my husband! He works so hard so that I can stay home and we can have the things we need! And then he does things I know he doesn't necessarily like to do... like spending an entire day off cutting and painting MDF for the boys room because I got an itch and started painting! Or helping me do laundry or dishes or whatever without even being asked! He has even had to "babysit" a lot so that I can go to the doctors or the store or wherever! He is pretty amazing! And I truly love him! SO much!

So the point of this rant? The weekend before Labor Day he just decided we were going to go out and shop/price some dining room sets! (If you could have seen my excitement, you would have thought I was a total dork! But you should have seen what we were working with! It involved a folding chair, 2 camping chairs and a table that was the size of a card table.) Granted, it wasn't high on the list of things I actually saw us getting before next year, nor did we absolutely NEED it! But man, did I want one! So furniture shopping we went, and lone and behold, we found something we really liked that happened to be on sale (thanks to the holiday)! And the biggest shocker... Patrick decided we should buy it!! What? Spending his hard earned money on a table? There are like a million other things I know he would have rather shopped for or bought! So not what I thought would happen, but I LOVE it and am so glad we have a place to sit and eat together! So anyway, that's the story! And here's the table! :) (It's bar height and has a leaf that folds into the middle! Awesome!) Thank you, my hunk of a husband! I promise to take good care of it! :)

Party Pics

We had a little party while Grandma and Papa were here and Dad was off of work last week. It wasn't too over the top, but we had a lot of fun. After lots of playing and swimming, we got the boys bathed (thus the pj's) and got ready for some cake action!

Tasting his cake!
Just blew out the candle, he was very proud! (With Jackson's help.) PRESENTS! (Trains, animals & Star Wars spaceship) He was very careful opening presents, didn't want to rip the paper or anything... it seemed like it took him forever! lol.
And after it was all over, movie night included, he tucked his new elephant in to bed with him (it's under his burp towel). He even managed to hold onto it all night!

Sweet boy! Happy Birthday!

HaPPy BiRThDaY HaRRiSoN!

I cannot believe you are 2! You have been a very balancing addition to our family, since the day you were born. Polar opposite of Jackson in almost every way, except that you want to do everything he does or at least do it with him. I love that your whole face lights up when you smile, and you have the most contagious belly laugh ever! You are also my cuddler and a bit of a mama's boy, but I am not complaining, I love it!
(1 Month Old) You are still our garbage disposal of an eater, except for Chinese food which is weird, but you were bound to dislike something. And all that eating is probably why you are SO big! You have been wearing a 3T since you were 18 months old, and size 8 shoe. Weighing in around 38 lbs. and about 36.5 inches tall. Our giant toddler. But it has come in handy when you are wrestling/fighting with your brother that neither of you have a weight advantage! :) And we can't forget those curls!! It took you a while to get them, but man do we love 'em!
(1 Year Old)
You're Obsessed with trains, specifically Thomas, but any train will do. Animals are a close second. You have to have one with you everywhere you go. You are talking more and more everyday, learning new things all the time. Your favorite word is "cool", which usually makes us laugh. You have started learning colors and shapes, and LOVE doing puzzles and reading books. You also love to be outside in the dirt or swim!
(18 Months Old) You are also our itchy fingered menace. Usually the instigator in most of the situations that end with me asking "why would you think this was a good idea?". Big brother just follows your lead when it comes to getting into things or making messes or emptying my fridge. So it hasn't just been all learning for you, you've also been an effective teacher. :)

(2 Years Old)
Completely fearless, you have been a totally new adventure for us! You are such a blessing, bringing so much joy and love into our home. You are Jackson's best friend, and I hope it stays that way for a very long time. Bubs... every one's little buddy. Can't remember the world without you in it! Happy Birthday!

New Room for the BOYS

It may not look like much (and I am horrible at taking pictures of rooms) but it made a huge difference! Started with the green Tuesday, and then we did the rest yesterday. That has to be a record for us and a room, seriously. ...They LOVE it! And I love that we have a room in our house that isn't the color of dirt. lol! I don't have a before picture, but the whole room was the color on the top half of the walls.

We have textured walls, so instead of trying (and spending hours) to paint the blue stripe, we went with MDF. Which also allowed for the decorative knobs on this wall....
and the hooks behind the door. (I can't tell you how much I love this! Out of sight and off my floor!!!)
The green was a little abrasive at first, but it's growing on me! (I swear the colors are right off their bedspreads and it's Jackson's favorite color!) So if they are happy, I am too! Thanks Patrick for all of your help!

...Now, I just have to wait for them to wake up from naps so I can start touch up painting and filling nail holes!!! What is it with home improvement projects never ending.

I think you have to be a boy!

We have a couple of open spaces above the cabinets in our kitchen, and I have yet to decorate up there. So naturally it's a great place for the boys to play!
Harrison would live up there, he thinks it's the coolest place on the planet! He kept standing up and jumping and leaning over the edge! (This kid is going to be the death of me!) Jackson went up I think purely to not be out-shone by his little brother. But he was ok just sitting there with his back to the wall.I wish I had pictures of him getting them down! But I was too busy cringing and covering my eyes! Patrick had to literally drag Jackson off, screaming and crying! Harrison we bribed with bubble gum (his new addiction, thanks to my mom). Down is ALWAYS scarier than up, remember that for the future boys!

Labor Day Week

Mom and Dad Salisbury came down for Labor Day week. We got to do some things and have some fun, but mostly we just hung out and spent time together. It was great. We live by 3 large mines, so we took the boys over to the visitors center one morning to see the big trucks. They haven't stopped talking about it!

We took them to church, swimming and soccer. Made a couple of trips to Home Depot and Lowe's so we could keep dad busy with power tools! :) For Christmas this year we asked them to help us get organized, so he built us some shelves in our garage. We were having a problem with space for the boys cloths too, the dresser is too small and we didn't want another one. So we put some basket drawers in their closet... which I LOVE! (These are Jackson's, there are 3 more for Harrison on the other side of the closet!) These are officially the coolest things EVER! Thanks mom and dad! Mom and I did go shopping and managed to make the first official GIRL purchase. :) Newborn footed pj's, they are adorable! She and I also started emptying out the many tubs of boy cloths I have been storing, can't keep what I don't have space for... and don't currently need. And to be honest, I won't miss the clutter! I have to say though, they lit a fire under me for sure! Since they left I have organized my sewing/craft stuff, emptied 6 boxes and 4 tubs and bought paint for the boys room (Jackson insists that we paint tomorrow, so wish me luck!)!

It's hard to believe it has already been 5 months since we left Utah, time (especially the summer) has gone really fast. We love our family and miss them all so much, it was so nice to have some of them here for a little while. But the week went too fast too! Thanks so much for making the trip, we loved having you! And a BIG THANK YOU for everything you do for us! Luckily, it won't be too long before we get to hang out again!

Swain Baby #3

We went in yesterday, boys in tow, and got to see our baby .....GIRL! The tech got a shot and told me to guess. I probably looked a good combination of surprised and confused when I said "Is that a girl?"! Having not ever seen one on an ultrasound before. No doubt about it. She posed for several pictures (I made the tech check a few times to be sure!).

Jackson was SO excited about all of it, and kept saying she was beautiful. (The tech was loving him!) Harrison was hungry and tired. But they both did great. And Patrick and I are still in a bit of shock! I had a feeling, but wasn't going to dwell on it and then be disappointed. After all, we were really just hoping to see a healthy baby. (And if it had been a boy I would have been done. Can't say I would have been too disappointed about never having to be pregnant again! :)) But thankfully all is well, she is healthy and growing and active and has all of her parts! So we will finally get to see what a Swain Baby Girl looks like! :) I am hoping for curls! lol.

(My scanner doesn't work, so the pics aren't great, but you get the idea.)