...more happiest place pics

We were able to do a character breakfast at Disneyland and the boys just loved seeing goofy, captain hook, chip and dale, minnie, eeyore and more. Cameron was particularly enamored with the characters and was sad when we had to go.

Cordon and his swords (straws)

Happy Birthday Mom. And Happy 40th anniversary mom and dad.

The whole reason for the trip!

A little teaser

I have a ton of pictures from our outstanding trip to DL. It was truly a fantastic trip even though I was well into the the third trimester. But here are just a few highlights of the trip.

Mary, Sara, my mom and Lance (all with hands in the air) enjoyed another trip on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. The boys opted out of it this time.

This was the very first ride of our vacation. The boys said they loved it but neither of them

wanted to ride the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad again. Of course, I got to sit out with Cameron and be photographer.

This pic is a little out of order but this is after splash mountain. the boys are soaked and a little TO'd that we tricked them into riding it.

This pic shows just how Darren felt about getting stuck in front and he got drenched. Cordon is in the back seat with my dad and also was not happy about getting wet.

Darren eventually forgave Mary and after the boys discovered Fantasy Land Darren said he wanted to live in DL forever. They honestly had a great time and we all had a great laugh at their expense.

First day of school. Ready to learn and get some knowledge!

Goodbye summer, hello fall!

School officially started today for Darren. Kindergarten. My babe is in kindergarten. It is kind of anti climactic for me though. Kindergarteners do not ride the bus at his school so I take him and pick him up three hours later. So basically the same as the preschool schedule for the last two years. Plus I have been so excited for this day. School, to me, means the beginning of fall. Which means summer is over. Which means I made it through summer being pregnant and now I am in the home stretch. But before I put summer behind me I want to document some of the highlights (and lowlights) of the season.

Darren and Cordon managing to get the car out of the garage....

....and into the bushes.

summer bbq's on the back deck

gator rides

family swims

cannon balls

(Darren has a thing with goggles)

Visits from Grandpa

fun family times

jet fighters at Hill AeroSpace Museum

Slip and slides

My horn: Toot toot

I can't say that I have been officially "nesting" since my house is still a disaster 80% of the time but I have been engaged in a project which, so unlike me, I actually finished. I have been getting #4's room ready for his arrival. It is funny because with the last one usually parents are the most relaxed and the last tends to get the leftovers from the ones before. However, this situation is a little different.

To preface, I tend to be a bit impetuous, I jump the gun on a lot of things and sometimes it works out sometimes it doesn't. So 31/2 months ago I was anxiously planning the arrival of our first little girl. The room was painted rosewood pink and I had everything planned down to the big bow she would wear home from the hospital. I had detailed plans for EVERYTHING. So when I heard "It's a boy" for the fourth time I was a bit stunned and unprepared for the news.

My big plans were no more and I needed something occupy that area of my mind that had been so busy before. I needed a distraction. So I decided that even though we already had Everything that you could ever possibly need for another little boy I needed something too make this one just as exciting, if not more, than the previous three. So I set to work. Shopping. Retail therapy if you will. I started at a high end baby boutique where my sister worked. I got some great ideas and in fact my inspiration came from the painting that I purchased there. But that is where my inspiration came to life and the rest of the room is completely made from scratch by my own two little hands. I know this sounds like bragging and you bet it is. My creative and crafty projects are so few and far between and mostly never accomplished that I just had to post. Afterall, day after day I read all of your blogs out there and feel like a complete loser.

This is the before picture. My BIL put in bead board and molding to give this room some style. It is nice to have talent in the family. This room was initially the guest room but switched to baby's room since the other is now painted pink.

We aquired this "changing table" from my parents. It is actually a butcher's block we sanded down and restained. Plopped on a changing pad and there you go. The color on the wall was initially inspiration for the guest room. But we made it work for baby.

These curtains are actually a shower curtain I found at target. I cut them down the middle added a coordinating panel on top and bottom to add length and hung them with the coordinating shower rod hooks.

I bought the matching towel at target cut out the corners, added some elastic and now we have a changing pad cover.

Made a crib sheet out of another shower curtain from a pattern off a blog I found by googling, crib sheet pattern

I figure I wasn't granted a girl because I can't tie a bow to save my life. Anyway, this is the outside of the bumper. I just cut up the old bumper to make the pattern for this one. I even used the same batting for this bumper so it wasn't a complete waste. The old one was falling apart anyway.

Crib skirt. Just straight, hemmed with gross grain ribbon. Matches the binding on the bumper and the throw pillow I made from an extra old pillow I had cut up.

This chair was handed down to me by one of my mom's friends. I bought the super plush material at Joann's. I cut up the old upholstery to make the pattern and reupholstered this myself. (I know it is white. No one is allowed to sit in it until the first time baby spits up all over it.)

Inside of the bumper matches the chair. It is super soft. I love it.

Finished product. Just have to hang the painting and we are ready for #4.

There is not an ounce of pink in this room but Im ok with that. I think. I just can't wait to meet little whatever-his-name-will-be. (Any ideas?) Oh and on a side note, except for the painting, everything in the room cost me just change over $100, including furniture. I love hand me downs.

when you gotta go, you gotta go.....

... unless you are too tired to go.

Late night trip to the toilet. I thought he was in there for a long time.

turned out pretty good...considering

It has been over two years since I have attempted to take the boys to a studio and have their pictures taken. But since Cord and Cam both had birthdays recently I figured I should get the official yearly picture since I did not even get one last year. The experience went as well as it could have. Which basically means I didn't leave in a humiliated huff and promise myself that I was not leaving the house with these boys for the next year. They were actually very cooperative even when the photographer tried to put Cordon in the basic "head tilt."

I may even have the courage to take them all back in a few months and add #4 to the mix. But then again maybe not.

Oh yeah, and this is the result of Darren's self administered hair cut. Just don't look close.

* for those concerned, we did buy the copy rights so this is perfectly legal. Print away.