Lorelei, missed wearing her Easter dress on Easter a while back. These pictures are for Nana who wanted to see her in her dress! We have a knack for getting sick during important events lately.

 Lately, Lolli has been saying the funniest things. Her latest has been "My pardons my princess." She'll come up to me and say this as she curtsy's. It took me a few times to realize what she was doing. It totally made me laugh. I also know that I posted this in facebook, but I need to put it here as well. 

A morning conversation between Lolli and Bo.

Lolli "can I have a small puppy?"

Brandon " well, your getting a baby sister instead."

Lolli "Okay, next time make it a puppy." 

 Lolli has also reverted back to baby talk. She knows that another little girl is joining us soon and it's putting her through a loop. There are days where she says the baby is hers and other days where she is the baby.

Her favorite thing to do everyday is choose her outfit. Most of the time she wants to wear a dress. Occasionally, she'll pick a shirt and pants. Of course they never match, which drives me nuts, but I am beginning to let that go. Sometimes I'll try to make a couple of outfits for her to choose from. This usually appeases her. We definitely live in a girly world with her. 

Game Day!

Brandon and I grew up in a state where the major leagues really don't exist. Now that we are in Denver, Brandon and Riley decided to take advantage of the season to watch the Rockies play the Dodgers. Of course they had nosebleed seats, but they had a blast non the less. I'm glad they got a day to bond!

Pre-K Graduation!

We are back tracking a little, because I need to post Riley's graduation! May 20th was his last day in Mrs. Morris's class. Riley loved Mrs. Morris. Every week he would ask me what day was Tuesday and Thursday so he could go to school. His favorite things were show and tell, snack time, and learning the sounds of the alphabet. He asks me constantly how to spell things and has begun to read. One night I spelled out ice cream to Brandon and Riley said "I want ice cream!" It's a sad day when spelling things out no longer works. Another thing Riley loves is numbers. When he draws everything it's either a word, shape, number, or arrows. I can't wait to see how he does in Kindergarten!

 Riley made Mrs. Morris a bouquet of flowers as a thank you.

 The short walk to the ceremony.

(from left to right) Madison, Riley, McKenzie, Violet, Josh,  and Olivia

 Riley's whole entire class except for Olivia who was blocked by a dad.

 Receiving his certificate

 Getting to throw his hat!

Showing off his progress report, while sporting chocolate and frosting all over his mouth.

Below, are pictures his teacher took over the course of the year. I love that she made each of them an album. It gave us a little glimpse into his year. 

 Riley also learned how to cut paper. He REALLY enjoys cutting paper and I can't get him to stop. Some pictures and important papers have fallen victim to this new found hobby.

Every day Riley would act like getting to school was a race. Below in the picture you can see their to do chart. Riley, always wanted to get the first pick. He would always run out of the van saying "I won, were the first ones here!" After that and few times of him plowing over Josh, I started to show up a little later to give other kids a chance. He did not like it much in the beginning, but then he learned to adjust and share with others.

Now that school is out, Riley is constantly asking me if he can play school. I tell him, "sure you and lolli can play school all you want," he then turns to me and says, "but you have to be the teacher!" I guess it's time to crack open the summer work books and frequent trips to the library. 

Emotions running high!

 We are exactly 3 weeks away from meeting Natalie and emotions are starting to enhance. We realize that a lot of people have no clue what emotions are present in this situation. Actually, a lot of people down play it and act as if it's just doesn't exist in our life. I am thankful for my immediate family, and the medical team who say we would not be human if we didn't have the feelings we are going through. The support I have felt from my family and perfect strangers has been incredible. I find people who don't know you seem to be more compassionate and giving. I hope through this experience, that Brandon and I can pay it forward to others who face hard situations. We have faith, but with that faith still comes anxiety and fears. 

35 weeks!

During this pregnancy my grandpa's health had begun to decline. I joked in the beginning that he would most likely pass as soon as I had my baby. Really, I was hoping it would not happen until I could travel again. However, life throws some interesting curve balls.  Over the memorial day weekend he passed away. I was happy for him to go. His life had become prison bound on this earth. He could no longer remember anyone, do anything, and began to starve himself. It was hard to hear the updates, but even harder knowing I could not attend his funeral. He is my favorite Grandpa and the only one I really knew on this earth. He had a way at making girls feel special. Everywhere we went, he flirted with someone. He always told us granddaughters that we were beautiful and gave us huge hugs. He loved taking us out for ice cream, sharing cans of Pepsi, outings to the zoo and enjoyed going to the park with us. I will miss this big teddy bear, but I know it is not the end. I am glad he is now in a place where he can support and be one of the many angles fighting for us on the other side. I love you Grandpa!

 During all of this I realized that both my Grandma and Grandpa passed while I have been pregnant. My Grandma passed when I was 3 months pregnant with Riley and now my Grandpa at 34 weeks with Natalie. 

After grieving for my grandpa Brandon and I got to celebrate our 8th Anniversary on June 3rd. Actually, we started to celebrate it over the weekend, because the 3rd was a Tuesday night. That and with everything coming to head we decided to keep it simple. With no fun trips this summer and a new baby on the way we decided to play hookey. We skipped church on Sunday and went to a splash pad and a much needed trip to the Rheinlander Bakery. We had a blast!

My favorite part of this story was getting caught by our home teachers. Brandon and I had forgotten that we set up an appointment with them. When we got home they were still chatting in our driveway. It was a classic moment. We touched base with them and told them why we were playing Hookey. Brother Jacob graciously offered to for him and his wife to take our kids Tuesday night. With that being presented Brandon made big plans to take us to the Melting Pot for our outing. We were so excited until we got a message that brother Jacobs wife ended up in the ER from fainting. Understanding the situation Brandon and I cancelled our night to the melting pot. Instead we packed up the kids and headed to Tucanos. The night was a success! For the first time in our lives the kids behaved at a restaurant. It was the perfect Anniversary gift! We ended the night with a run to Sonics for half off shakes. Which made me one happy wife and mother. Did you know that they put nerds in shakes for you? Well, they do, and Brandon and I have been on cloud nine since. 

I love Brandon with all my heart. This year has been quite trying and we have seen sides of each other and learned things about each other that have brought us closer. Happy Aniversary, new year, new baby, and happy family moments! I love my little family!

Mark you Calendars!

6 weeks until this little angle arrives. This is a 3D photo of Natalie at 33 weeks. Really neat to see, but also looks really creepy. The OB doctors are more comfortable with me getting induced than going into labor naturally. This way they can control the situation and be in sync with the whole team. Instead of being a 4th of July baby, We are now looking at a June baby!

Funny side note. On Sunday I was sitting in Relief Society, when the President looked at me during opening exercises and said "Brandi, I am so glad to see you sitting there. This morning, in ward counsel the Bishop said you had your baby. It gave us all a heart attack. Please, let us now when you really are in labor!" Then an hour later the Primary President had the same reaction. The whole situation made Brandon and I laugh. We have no idea how the rumor got started, but Brandon and I got plenty of when are you due questions yesterday.

Mother's Day Surprise!

I had a great Mothers day despite the snow! Yes, you heard me right, we got snow and lots of it. Of course I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to cover all of my flowers.  It continued through the night, but the happiness it brought the kids was priceless. I'm also happy to report that my flowers survived. This weekend we are looking at 70-80 degree weather. I just love Colorado's bi-polar lifestyle. 

Bo's B-day!

For Brandon's Birthday we took him to the Zoo! He got free admission's for his special day. They even gave him a birthday package where he got to wear a Birthday badge, and a free ride on the carousel. We also splurged on a train ride where everyone wished him a Happy Birthday.  

 Brandon had so much fun being a kid for a day. The kids enjoyed it as well. 

 Our favorite part was visiting the Primates. They were very active. I'm sad I did not get a picture, but there was a Gorilla that came to the glass and started to interact with Loli and Ri. As soon as I went for my camera the gorilla noticed and left. However, I was excited to see the orangutan family. I love baby monkeys!

Brandon's favorite was the Lion. He sat proudly on his rock the whole entire time we were there.

After 3 hours of fun we headed home to make dad his Birthday dinner. This year instead of cake we made Bo fudge! I wish I had a picture of him enjoying it, but it was getting late, and the kids were falling apart. Next year, we'll get him blowing out candles. 

Easter!

Easter morning was fun and full of surprises. The kids loved seeing the eggs hidden around the house. Ri made stock of every egg he saw and Loli found one that she had to eat. When Bo and I finally got up it was a mad dash for Ri. Loli just sat near her basket and enjoyed the eggs we made him share. She kept saying that Nana was the easter bunny.

After a fun morning we all started to to get ready for church. This is where the surprise comes in. We've had a nasty virus of some sorts and poor Loli ended up with the runs. She was crushed when I told her she could not go to church. She cried and kept saying "I want to wear my Easter dress!" I felt so bad, but promised her she could wear it next week. 

Instead Bo and Ri went to sacrament meeting and returned as soon as it was over. Bo told me that they had to make two potty runs for Riley while they were there. Whatever this virus is, I hope it is gone soon. It has made potty training and going places very rough.

This week has brought some funny little stories as well. 

Loli "can you please get down my squirrel house?"

Me "Not until you clean your room"

Loli "I don't want to clean my room. My room is too messy for me to clean."

I love how kids think so logically. 

While getting ready for school one morning Ri said "My tummy is stinging. I swallowed a bee outside with daddy while playing. It keeps stinging inside my tummy over and over and eating my bones."  I'm not sure if he was trying to get out of school, but it made me laugh. 

Nesting!

We are a little less than three months away from Natalie's due date. With this knowledge comes an overwhelming need to be prepared and constantly busy. Not only am I due soon, but so are three of my friends. Did we plan to all get pregnant within 5 months of each other? NO. My first friend Marty is having her baby at the beginning of May. I have always wanted a cover for my car seat. The wind here in Colorado is awful and I can't tell you how often poor moms loose blankets to the wind. So as I began to plan Natalie's I decided "why not make them for all of my friends!" Now, I am not a novice sewer. If you look close at Marty's I did not know how to make a correct inseam. Hence the crooked line. After completing hers, I did a little research and learned a sewers secret. You do not watch the needle but match the edge of your fabric to an inseam line. Genius! After fallowing that rule, my lines (though not perfect) looked so much better on Natalie's. Two down and two more to go!

For Marty's sweet boy!

My Natalie's car seat cover! I fell in love with this fabric. It's Riley Blake's red riding hood line. I am so happy I found a vendor on Etsy who still had yards of this fabric. Sadly, it is no longer in season and  has been discontinued.

In the gleeful words of wheezie from dragon tales "I LOOOOVE IT!"