A Weekend in Virginia

     This past weekend, Mark, Marcus, and I drove to Virginia for a time with family.  Saturday morning we met my mom, her husband John, my sister Olivia, and her husband TJ at my Papa's farm to take maternity pictures.  In case you didn't know, my sister is 10 weeks behind me, pregnant with TWIN BOYS and we're just so excited all around.  She and I are close to the same size as far as our bellies go, so it was fun to take pictures of this wonderful time in life.  I only have a few to share now, but will share more when we get the cd.
     Saturday evening, my dad and his wife Sonya had a cookout to honor mine and Olivia's pregnancies and some close family came over to eat BBQ and the fixings.  It was nice to see some uncles and cousins that I don't normally get a chance to see.  While visiting at my dad's Marcus had a grand ol' time riding the four wheeler and playing on his new "surprise."  My dad built him a small baseball diamond where they played ball lots.  I can't count the number of times Marcus ran those bases, but boy did he like it.
     Sunday morning, the three of us went to church with my cousin Shad and his family, came home and ate leftovers for lunch, then headed out.  We stopped in Winston Salem to see our dear friends Matt and Mary Clark Hauser and Marcus' future wife, baby Madison.  She's just over a year younger than Marcus and we hope and pray for an arranged marriage. ;)  We got home super late, but luckily Marcus and I were able to sleep in until 8:30am which NEVER happens.  I usually have to wake him up at 7am to go get Matthew for school, but Matthew's last day at pre-school was last Thursday, so we no longer have that obligation.  It was a great experience but I'm glad to get a little break before baby gets here.
     So that's all for now.  Sorry for the delay in this week's blog, but here it is, nonetheless.  Until then, have a wonderful week and enjoy this beautiful weather! :)

"Shape Roads"

Running his car on "Southern Square"

"Triangle Terrace" was really full of traffic!

Putting his shapes in their proper place

This morning, he stripped, put on his hat, grabbed his glove, and wanted to play ball with Mark.

 

Loving his "new" tractor with a bucket

Thankful for Grandma B and Papa John for this "new" easel

33 Weeks (and 2 days)!
-Baby is continuing to grow & be BIG!
-Low blood pressure = no energy
-Allergies are still kicking my butt
-Above all, still thankful to be pregnant :)

Just a few pictures this week

Daddy reading the Bible to Marcus before bed.

Mark told Marcus that they had to take a break from playing ball since he needed to study the Bible.  Marcus then insisted that HE needed to study the Bible, too.  I love Mark's Godly example for both Marcus and I.

Adding baking soda & food coloring to cups of vinegar.

Needless to say, he LOVED this activity.

More "school" time - sorting different colored items into the proper section.

32 Weeks!
-Allergies in full bloom (pun intended)
-"Ice crunching" is my favorite pastime
-Cleaned out the whole pantry and entire fridge this weekend (more nesting)
-7 weeks or less left!!! (Yes, I can do math. :) If the baby doesn't come early, I'll have a c-section at 39 weeks due to baby's size & my previous c-section)

Canadians Come Down at the Perfect Time!

     No, we didn't have the baby, but it sure was a good week for Mark's parents to come visit.  This past week, Mark's fever & sore throat came back, but the worst part was the extreme swelling and pain in his wrist.  He felt so bad on Tuesday that he didn't even go to work or get out of bed until his parents got here around 1:30pm.  They were obviously surprised at his condition, but as the week progressed, he got better... well, except for his wrist.  It's been years since we saw it this bad, if this isn't the worst ever, but that's why I say it was perfect timing for his parents to come down.  Mark's dad worked the route with him every day, so that took a HUGE load off him, physically and mentally.  And besides, I think the two of them really enjoy each other's company. :)
     While the men worked, Marcus, Mark's mom, and I did different things from going to the park, visiting the flower gardens & farm at the Biltmore House, & going to the mall.  In the evenings, the boys enjoyed the nice weather by throwing & hitting the baseball.  It was nice to just spend time with them.  I know Mark's parents loved their time with him, but Marcus especially loved the spoiling from his Canadian grandparents.  As always, we were grateful that they came down and were willing to spend so much time with us.  A good time was had by all.

It's obvious that they are related.

Marcus enjoyed Grandpa pushing him on the swings.

This week I did a few "colors" lessons with Marcus.  This was one of them.

Marcus enjoyed his new puzzle from Grandma right away.

Pretty flowers at Biltmore.

Beautiful!

Walking through the flower gardens, all he wanted to do was play baseball.

Actually stopping to smell the flowers.

Photo opp

Cute little fella

My favorite flower of all time - hydrangeas.

Marcus' favorite animal of the day - donkey

Checking out the ducks.

Looking at the chickens.

Running down the lane to see the big horses.

Petting the goat with Grandma.

Grandma showed him how to feed the goat.

3 generations playing ball.

Even though his wrist hurt, he still had the ability to show Marcus the proper way to hit.

You can see how puffy & stiff Mark's wrist is in this picture. 

Big hit!

Friday's colors lesson included food coloring, vinegar, & baking soda.  Way fun!

Reading books with Grandma.

Big smiles by all three of them.

Grandma, Marcus, Daddy, & Grandpa (Marcus said to be sure to tell you that he was holding his new Teddy Bear).

31 Weeks!
-Feeling enormous nowadays
-Waddling is in full effect
-I WANT to nest, yet lack the energy
-Grandma was able to come with us to last week's doctor's appointment and hear her next grandbaby's precious heartbeat. :)

After Mark took my weekly belly shot tonight, Marcus wanted a picture of him taken, too.

A Rough Week

     I apologize for the lack of blog last week, but it was definitely a "not-so-easy" week.  Mark got sick on Sunday and I took him to the doctor at 8:30am Monday morning.  After getting a prescription, his body didn't respond as well as we'd hoped, so he felt rough most of the week.  He had a high fever, extremely sore throat, and now that he's just starting to get better from that, his wrist and foot are starting to hurt.  I feel bad for my man!  I am, however, thankful, that Marcus nor I have caught his germs, thus far, and hopefully we won't.  Marcus and I did go to work with Mark every day this week and help on the route.  Marcus was WONDERFUL and didn't have ANY accidents (his first full week), so looking for the positives in a hard week, that was definitely it.
     Hopefully this week will be better as Mark's parents are coming down for a visit and his dad definitely helps out on the route, while I'm sure his mom will spoil and entertain Marcus while they're here.  And besides, it's always good to see family. :)
     Here are some pictures taken from the last two weeks and last.  Enjoy!

On March 26th, Mark's birthday, it snowed almost a inch.  CRAZY!

Marcus looking at the Resurrection Eggs for the first time.

These eggs help tell the story of Easter.  The last egg is empty because the tomb was empty.  JESUS IS ALIVE!

Nice warm weather, three days after the snow.

Helping daddy on the truck.

Showing off his new Braves cap.

29 Weeks!
-Passed my glucose test (whoo hoo!)
-Braxton Hicks pains have started, randomly
-Sleep...what's that?
-Dr. Jackson said this baby was measuring bigger than Marcus at this time and he/she will definitely be bigger than he was.

Painting with Q-Tips = fun with less mess

The other night, Marcus fell asleep clinging to his Bible.  I hope that holds true both literally and spiritually as he grows older.

This week we're going to be working on sorting colors.  He KNOWS his colors, but we'll see how well he can sort them with the different lessons I've planned.  The teacher is coming out in me for sure.

30 Weeks!
-Belly button is fully protruding
-Kicks & jabs are turning to pushes & rolls
-Sleep deprivation is showing through my eyes
-Let the countdown begin! 10 weeks or less!!!

Our little monkey

Mark brought this home for Marcus and it was a BIG hit.

Thanks to Amy, the goldfish lady, for this free toy.