It's been a pretty good week so far. Nothing too eventful, but I kind of like it that way. The boys and I have gotten to spend a little time outside almost every day. I don't know if we will make it out today since the ground is a little wet, and our lawnmower is broken, which means our grass is getting a little taller than I would like. Hopefully the boys will be content with staying in this afternoon. Anyways...I decided yesterday to add a few pictures back into the living room, which I was very excited about. Sounds like a silly thing to be excited about, but I have hated not having any personal pictures up. I spent some of the boys nap time picking out a few of my favorites. I think it looks good without being too overwhelming. It makes me feel more at home to have a few pictures back up. We have a pretty eventful weekend planned, which should be fun. Saturday we are dropping the boys off with my parents for the night and going to a BBQ with some of our college friends and then Sunday we are treating Uncle Tom to lunch since he will be leaving in just a few short weeks.

The boys are doing good. Justus is talking more and more in short sentences...even though some of them are still pretty hard to understand. He is also getting so much better at listening and helping me when I need it. If I drop something and ask him to pick it up for me he usually will and if my phone rings and I'm in a different room he will bring it to me...he will even shut the TV or lights off when we are getting ready to go "bye bye". It's kind of nice because I know in the next couple of months those things (which seem so small right now) will really help me out.

Matthias has been a little on the cranky side the past couple of weeks, and rather sleepy too. He is waking up earlier than normal...usually between 6 and 6:30. He usually wakes up at least once in the middle of the night as well. He is taking good naps though, which I'm assuming is because he is pretty wiped out. I'm not sure if his teeth are bothering him or if he is going through a growth spurt, but hopefully it will pass soon. Matthias has also been getting nose bleeds about once a week for the past few weeks. It started out as just dried blood in his nose, but now he has actually gotten a bloody nose a couple of times, and usually while he is sleeping. I'm thinking I may need to dig the humidifier out and see if that helps.

I had my 34 week appointment on Monday, and it went well. I have an appointment in two weeks and every week after that. My doctor will be out of town the 4th-11th, which makes me pretty nervous, but I don't think it will be an issue. Right now I'm really torn between asking to be induced and just allowing things to happen naturally. I've been induced with both boys, which was really nice to be able to plan for the delivery. I'm also concerned that since Jon works close to an hour from home and my labor going pretty quickly with the boys that it will be an issue making it to the hospital before I get extremely uncomfortable. Not to mention having to deal with labor for an hour while also trying to take care of two boys. It just all makes me nervous. I'll probably just talk to my doctor about my concerns at my next appointment. In the next couple of weeks I will probably pack a couple bags for if/when I go into labor...one for the boys and one for Jon and I. It's so weird that we are getting to that point!

We've had a fairly productive week, and we had a great weekend as well. Saturday Jon and I dropped our boys off with my parents for the evening. We enjoyed going out to dinner and catching the new X Men movie...which I highly recommend. Sunday morning we decided to head over into Missouri to go to church with some of our friends and then got to enjoy lunch with them afterwards as well. Monday we had Charter come out and move our computer out into the living room so that we could fully devote our third (and smallest) bedroom to a nursery, which for the moment is being occupied by Matthias. We plan on transitioning Matthias back into the other bedroom with Justus once Charley arrives. I'm looking forward to turning the third bedroom into a little girl's room. Anyways...moving the computer into the living room meant we had to rearrange a few things, which took some time deciding where everything was going to go without it looking cluttered. Yesterday was a pretty normal day. The boys and I got to spend some time outside, which I think they loved! Jon is working a concert tonight, which has made for a pretty long day.

The boys are doing great...not too much to report with either of them. Matthias has officially cut all of his teeth. The only bad part is that he is now dealing with 4 canines and 4 molars working their way in...poor little guy. They don't seem to be bothering him quite as much though now that they have all broken through his gums though.

The pregnancy is continuing to go well. I go to the doctor again on Monday. It's hard to believe that I only have about 7 weeks left. I really have nothing to complain about. I'm still feeling really good...the occasional heartburn, but it's nothing too horrible. Jon and I have to go in for a pre-admin/epidural consultation on June 1st. I'm not 100% sure that I am going to get an epidural, but just in case I'm going to the consultation. I haven't had the greatest experience with having an epidural, so I'm not sure if I want to go through the trouble...last time I only had the epidural for 20-30 minutes before Matthias arrived, and it hadn't even fully taken effect. I guess we'll see what happens.

I'm not sure what he is saying, but it looks like it's a good story to me.

My big boy being silly.

I just love this picture for some reason. I love Matthias' smirk, the yellow wall with his green shirt and white crib, and how he's reaching to get out.

He was actually sitting still and smiled for me. He doesn't do that very often.

Rain, rain go away! It's turning into such a blah week. It's actually not raining today...at least not yet, but our yard is a jungle. Oh well...hopefully next week will be a little nicer out so that the boys and I can venture outside a little more. The boys I think are in need of some fresh air. Normally when it is nice outside the boys get to go outside in the morning when we go to the Y and then again in the afternoon for a little while...until Matthias decides he wants to run into the street...that's usually our cue to head inside.

Things are going great with the boys though. I think Justus has just gone through a growth spurt because he seems a lot taller. We are going to try to buy him some pants for next winter at some garage sales, but I'm not even sure what size we should get him. I'm scared that 3T may be too small by winter. I think we actually have some 4T pants...somewhere, so I guess we will have to try them on him soon to see how they fit. Other than that Justus is doing great. Things have been going pretty smoothly since he has started being a better listener. He's not pushing as much...or really that often, and he will share when we ask him to. Not to say he doesn't still have his moments.

Matthias' two canine teeth finally popped through his gums this week. Now they just have to work the rest of the way out. I'm just glad that he only has two more teeth to cut before getting a little break...one canine and one molar. In other Matthias news...we have been noticing lately how many things Matthias picks up from Justus. He calls our cat "bees", he makes this funny noise when he wants a drink...kind of like he is sucking a straw, when he wants a bite he gets in your face and pants...the list goes on. It's just so funny how he has started copying Justus though. One thing Matthias has also started doing is throwing fits when he gets frustrated or doesn't get his way. I guess it's a sign that the terrible two's are coming. He will throw things and smack the ground or wall when he gets mad. The good thing is we know it will pass eventually.

The pregnancy is continuing to go well. Only 8 weeks left!! That seems pretty crazy. I start going to the doctor every 2 weeks now until 36 weeks, which is when I switch to weekly visits. I think we are possibly going to talk to the doctor about me being induced again since it will make childcare arrangements a little easier, but we are going to wait to see how things progress. With Matthias I was induced because I was already between 4-5 cm dilated at 37 weeks, and since labor with Justus was rather quick the doctor wanted to make sure I didn't deliver Matthias at home. I guess the same sort of thing could happen...we'll just have to wait and see. I'm still feeling really great...nothing to complain about except for the occasional heartburn, but it hasn't been that bad. I'm thankful that it hasn't been too hot out...and I'm hoping it stays that way for the next few weeks.

I will try to post some pictures within the next few days, so check back!

It's finally feeling like spring! We are super excited that the weather has finally started to feel more like spring. The boys love being outside, and Jon and I both enjoy being able to take them into the backyard to burn up some of their energy. Hopefully we will plan a trip to the zoo sometime soon, or some other fun outdoor activity.

Justus is continuing to learn more and more. We are still working on his colors and alphabet. He is a little stubborn and doesn't like to repeat things, so it's hard to know if he is catching on to the alphabet or colors. I guess no matter what he will get there eventually. His vocabulary continues to grow and he is able to put quite a few little sentences together. He is listening to me much better during the day...even though he still has his moments. We are still working on teaching him about the potty. It seems like he is starting to understand, but doesn't like to sit on the potty when he thinks he might have to actually go. He will come up to me and say "stinky", which I'm thinking means he has to go because a lot of times he isn't really stinky, but he usually is within 30 minutes or so. I try to get him to sit on the potty when he tells me that, but he won't let me take his pants or his diaper off. I guess at least it seems like a step in the right direction since he seems to be starting to understand when he has to go potty.

Matthias is getting so big. I'm just amazed at how tall he is getting. He is learning more and more words, which is kind of nice. He is becoming more independent and is getting better at holding hands and walking on his own. Up until a couple of weeks ago he would fight me if I wanted him to hold my hand, but now he will usually let me and will walk beside me instead of trying to get away. This is so comforting since in a couple of months I won't be able to carry him. I'm thinking though I may have to start using the double stroller a little more...even for short trips into the Y or the doctor's office or places like that. One of Matthias' canine teeth finally broke through this week. I'm hoping this means the end of teething is in sight. Two of the other ones should be popping through anytime. Matthias has been pretty sleepy lately, so I'm wondering if he is going through a growth spurt. He sleeps well at night and takes good naps, but seems to be tired way before bedtime. We have been trying to keep him up, but sometimes he is just too cranky to fight with.

The pregnancy is continuing to go well. I'm feeling really good, although I can tell that I am pregnant. I'm not sleeping as well and I get worn out pretty easily. I think it's chasing after two toddlers! My next doctor's appointment is next week and then I will go every two weeks after that. I never heard from the doctor's office about my glucose screening, which means it came back normal. I'm very thankful for that because the long test is no fun. In the next few weeks we will have to go in for our pre-admittance appointment, which just doesn't seem right. June feels so far away, but it's not at all. We are done clothes shopping for Charley now, which is kind of a relief. We still need to get bibs, socks and pacifiers, but those things are pretty cheap and easy to come by. Hopefully I will be able to finish Charley's quilt in the next few weeks. Jon and I have to go pick out the fabric to finish it.

We are still trying to sell our house, and have had a few people who have said they were interested, but still no offers on the table. We were hoping to have the house sold before Charley arrived, but it's looking like we probably won't be moving before she is born unless we get an offer within the next couple of weeks since closing usually takes close to a month. Hopefully the warmer weather will bring more people out to look at the house. It's such a weird market right now that it is so hard to say what will happen. We are in no rush to sell and are being patient.

Lots of Pictures!

I think Matthias looks a lot like Justus in this picture. What do you think?

Me at 27 weeks. I feel like my belly has gotten even bigger since then. I'm 30 weeks now. Only 10 weeks to go!!

Justus being cute.

The boys with Grandma K.

This is Justus' favorite movie. He refers to it as "donkey".

My preppy little boy.

Matthias somehow got Justus' sucker and was chasing Neifi around trying to hit him with the suckers. Matthias thought it was hilarious!

Charley's closet. We have bought very few things in here...most of it has been given to us, and the things we have bought we have spent less than $20.

Matthias is getting pretty good at using the spoon.

This was my little project. The dresser was pretty rough...it had been Jon's when he was a boy, so it had seen better days. I think it looks pretty good now though.

Sorry I've been absent for the past two weeks. All my free time has been spent backing our pictures up online. Jon and I both fear losing all of them if our computer were to crash, and so I finally got to putting them online. I don't know why I hadn't done it before, but that's okay...it's done now. We haven't really been that busy other than that though. We do have a busy weekend planned, but that's life I suppose.

So Justus has somewhat gotten over his clingy phase, which is very nice. He still will be clingy with me when I drop him off at the Y, but it's not everyday anymore...more like once a week, which I can handle. He has been very good lately, which gives me hope for actually being able to go out during the day with three small children. He has been listening much better and has been doing well with not pushing Matthias and with sharing. I'm hoping that we are turning a corner. He is talking much more...although he doesn't enunciate very well sometimes. I will probably ask the doctor about that if it doesn't get any better. He is able to put little phrases together, which will hopefully lead to short sentences soon.

Matthias is teething once again, so the past couple of days have been pretty rough. His canine teeth are all coming in and the top two are so close to breaking the gumline. He is also dealing with three of his molars pushing the rest of the way through. He's been taking ibuprofen the past couple of days, but he still is pretty cranky and will wake up several times in the middle of the night. I'm looking forward to him being done with cutting teeth! On Friday of last week Matthias went in for his 15/18 month check up. I totally forgot that he needed to go at 15 months, so we just combined the two. I didn't write down the exact numbers because his little book got wet in the diaper bag from a babywipe, so I will have to write them down next time we go, but I do know that he was in the 75th percentile on height, weight, and head circumference.

The pregnancy is continuing to go well. I'll be 29 weeks tomorrow...only 11 weeks to go...but hopefully more like 9 : ). I had a doctor's appointment yesterday, which went well. I had my glucose test done, so hopefully that will come back okay. I go back in 3 weeks...and then every two weeks after that. Charley is a mover and is getting bigger, so I can definitely see her moving around. She even wakes me up sometimes in the morning with her daily aerobic routine. We are still working on the winter wardrobe. We haven't really made it to many garage sales yet, but we will hopefully get that taken care of within the next few weeks. Even if we don't she is set for the summer months.

I will have to post pictures soon...I have to upload some from our camera, which I haven't done because I've been so busy upload pictures to shutterfly. I'll try to work on that in the next couple of days.