The Splash Pad

My first official Friday off work...(forever!!)...we took off to enjoy the Splash Pad in Hartford.  It was a blast of a visit!

The boys quickly discovered a set of buckets in the middle of the pad that dumped water every minute or two.  Once they got over their initial hesitation...it was their favorite spot!  And both of them enjoyed dragging me in!!

 Miss Lady getting her feet wet!

This kid smiles...ALL the time!

 Another favorite spot of Owen's.

 One of my favorite pictures from the whole day!

 After much playing, Owen requested a picnic!  We put down our towels to sit on (per his request) and sat down to snack on goldfish and cheese/peanut butter crackers :)

 Everyone got in on the party!

 I can't wait to take the boys back a few more times before it closes for the year!

My first couple days off and a June Cell Phone photo dump!

A little catch up is in order from the past couple of weeks...so I'll start where I left off!!  

My final week of work was a crazy one!!  I had lunch out every day of that week and took care of tying up all my loose ends!  My big group lunch was one of those moments in my life I know I'll remember forever.  Everyone in attendance meant something special to me. And I have so many great memories to take with me!!  My last day of work I felt like a kid on the last day of school before summer break.  So much lay ahead.  That day I enjoyed a lunch at Jilly's with Cindy...and it was a most marvelous send off!!

As a note for the memory bank, leaving Boeing for the last time was the strangest feeling.  It was a mix of excitement, sadness and anticipation of the next chapter.  It was freeing and scary.  I was walked down by two of the people I worked with the longest at the company...hugged, cried on, laughed at and told to get the heck out of there!!  

I drove off the lot and straight home to my waiting kiddos...and my mom, who also cried.  Both with excitement and sadness for the coming changes!

These two boys enjoyed a fun celebratory treat...I brought them Jilly's home for a snack!! Cupcakes all around :)

Pretty sure he's saying Oh Yeah!

To celebrate my last day at work, we had decided early on to go to dinner.  Originally we had Red Lobster in mind...and by the time the end of the actual day rolled around, this newly pregnant girl was ready for sweat pants and was craving french fries and some good ol' greasy food!  We took off to a local drive-in (the boys first time!) and then took bikes to the park :)  I think it was a perfectly fitting evening spent as a family celebrating our new chapter!!  Eating french fries, chocolate shakes and spending time watching the boys run around at the park!!

The rest is sort of history!! We went about getting ready for the 4th of July, our vacation and planned fun play dates to fill up the remaining weeks of my first summer off since I left college 9 years ago!!

A few highlights of that first weekend and week include:

My first official shipment from Melaleuca (a company that sells all natural cleaning, health and laundry products)...so far...I'm highly impressed!!  It's sold in concentrate and I love the way it smells, cleans and I love that it doesn't need to come with safety caps. If the kids get into it, they won't like the taste, but we won't have to deal with poison control!

After many years of debating, Jeremy and I bit the bullet and got our driveway re-done.  This was a pic the morning they started paving/asphalting!  We could not be happier with our decision!

The same day they start paving our drive, the boys and I took off for the splash pad in Hartford.  We had so much fun!! And a separate post is coming just for that event :)

Several of my friends from Boeing put together a happy hour/dinner for me.  Place of choice was Hendel's Market and Cafe in Florissant.  The food was delicious and it was fun seeing everyone!! This crew of ladies were most of the original group that developed and worked on with the Admin group I was a part of.  We had a lot of fun in our day!!

My first Monday at home was a sleepy, rainy type of day.  I did lots of organizing.  And to my surprise, my doorbell rang and I got a delivery of flowers from my co-workers.  They congratulated me again, but told me they missed me already!!  What a great way to kick off my first week of no work!!

I mentioned I did some organizing...

Linen Closet Before:

And After:

 Pantry organizing complete!

 Freezer, organized.  Check check and check!!

There was also a mountainous pile of laundry to be folded.

 Which I avoided and threw the kids in the car to go to the park to meet Aunt April and Isabel!!

We left hot and sweaty...but had a blast!!

My beach spikes for our vacation arrived!!  They turned out just how I imagined :)  There was a small snafu of me waiting for mine...but it finally came!

I think that about wraps up catch up on those first few days I spent not working!!  Stay tuned for lots more updating on the summer fun this crew has been having!!

Appt Number 1 and 2

June 4th was my first official doctor's appointment!  This time was different than my other two because I was seen at 7.5 weeks and they did an ultrasound. I will not lie I was a nervous wreck, but the thought of seeing our baby so early in the pregnancy was more exciting than anything else!!

The appointment was great!  The first thing we did was the ultrasound.  That is where we say YOU for the first time!!  Since it was so early we could not hear the heartbeat, BUT we could see the beautiful little flicker on the screen :)  There is nothing quite like that feeling!

We did find out that based on ovulation and the ultrasound there were exactly 7 days difference in how far along I was.  I was technically 7.5 weeks and measuring 6.5.  That being said, Dr. T left me with my would-be due date of January 15 the same and said if I'm still a week behind at the next ultrasound, we would bump me to January 22.

Our next appointment was July 1.  Jeremy went with me and we got to hear my favorite sound ever...a steady whirring heartbeat!!  Everything seemed to be looking good!!  Other than me feeling like I'd had a round of the flu for a month and a half, there were no concerns!!!  

Since that second appointment I've started feeling kicks and bumps.  I don't think it will be long before others can feel the baby too! I'm out of the first trimester fog which is a blessing, but have been battling headaches and upset stomach!!  This baby is picky about me eating every few hours or I'm completely off my game!!  I have also been in nearly full maternity clothes since around week 12.  I'm bigger earlier than I ever remember being!!  Oh and Owen has consistently asked for a sister!! I secretly love it! And it's so fun to share this with him in a whole different way this time around!!

We set our next appointment for July 30 and we are hoping we get to set an ultrasound date at this next check up.  

Stay tuned for more on Baby Linley!!

Dear Baby Number 3...

**I wanted to post this so I'd always have it to look back and remember!**

Dear Baby Number 3...

I wrote this the morning after we found out I was pregnant with you. I wanted to get my thoughts out before this moment slipped away.

Wow. To say I was shocked is the ultimate understatement.  Your Daddy and I were not sure if we were going to have another baby...in fact we had just got done telling everyone...oh we think we're done...as we breathlessly chased your VERY busy older brothers around at your Uncle Josh's wedding.  But oh how little we really knew...that God was at work in our lives.  Making sure our plan for 3 children was seen through...even if we didn't think it was really our plan anymore.

So now, there is going to be you.  Beautiful, blessed you.  Today you are the size of a seed, but all too soon, you'll be a part of our family.  It's pretty darn amazing.  I'm scared for us both.  But mostly excited.  You mean big changes for our little family of four.  But as I learned when going from one baby to two...our hearts will grow bigger than we can imagine and make room for the love that will fill our lives and be you!!

So that is how i'm feeling on this first full day of knowing that the Linley 4 will become the Linley 5.  God am I glad this unplanned surprise is a good one :)  There are so many not so good ones in life!!

Here we go.  Another exciting adventure awaits us.  I know we can rock it!

Love,
Your Momma

Life Right Now...and a BIG announcement!!

June 27 I jumped into stay-at-home-momdom with both feet...and I can say without hesitation that there is certainly no looking back.  BUT, between the drastic change in schedule, the fourth of July holiday and a family vacation...I'm still working on keeping it all balanced.  I feel that will be something that changes weekly!  However, one of the biggest things that is tipping the scales in terms of balance is something I have yet to post about on the blog.  I have no earthly idea why it has taken me this long.  But regardless, before I post another single thing about summer or our life or any more changes for us...this one is a doozy.  And I'm gonna bust it out...right...now...

January 15 or there about, this family will go from a family of 4 to a family of 5.  If you are thinking wow...you are not alone.  Some days...even 15 weeks in...Jeremy and I are still looking at each other and saying that very thing!!

Let me take you back to a fun weekend in May where we celebrated my brother and Katie's wedding nuptials.  That weekend and a few leading up to it were chaos!  Good and wonderful chaos but chaos none the less.  That particular weekend, as I have mentioned, our whole family of four got gussied up and stepped out to celebrate!  During much of the weekend, there were snickers and laughter in our direction (particularly after the ceremony and during the reception) from lots of people. People said things like:  "So you think you'll have anymore?"  "Hahaha...You guys having more kids?"  Jeremy and I breathless and exasperated at chasing four little legs from one thing to next said...You know...we actually think we are done.  We have not made it official, but two is a good number.  We are pretty sure 2 is good with us!  Laughing and exhausted we scooped up our crazy twosome and went about our business.  As I said this happened throughout the weekend for us.   The response was the same from both Jeremy and I.

This people...is where God sat back and had a BIG FAT LAUGH at our expense!!  Little did we know that at that very moment, sparks of life were already happening inside my body and our world was about to get a little bit crazier!!

That Monday after feeling like I'd had the longest hangover of my life and not hardly drinking enough to be hung over for a single morning...I started thinking.  A quick look at the calendar and I realized something was missing from my monthly schedule.  A test confirmed I was right...and 3 tests later (because Jeremy was so sure I wasn't pregnant!!) I called the doctor.  The rest, as they say, is history!!!

Linley Baby Number 3 will join us in January!!  And while we are still reeling a bit at the idea of adding another tiny human to our family, we are overjoyed and ecstatic too!  No this wasn't in our plan...but this is how I feel about it (after much reflection and talking with my husband!). Ultimately, God is the planner of our lives.  We can try to make our own plans.  Sometimes he even lets us think that we are in charge.  But how wrong we are about that!  Also, I think Jeremy and I's original plan to have 3 babies was the right plan for our lives.  And though we thought maybe we weren't going to be able to handle it, God saw otherwise.  And most of all...after burying a parent less than 9 months ago...Jeremy and I learned first hand that life is short.  So very short!  And truly?  How many good surprises in life are there??  I think we only get a few.  So though I'm scared, though I'm 100% sure I have no idea how I'm going to mother 3 precious babies and be what they need, I'm trying to soak this up. Thank God for this kind of surprise...b/c there are so many other kinds that are not like this!!

Ready or not world...this crew is gonna get just a little bit bigger...and a little bit crazier!!  The Linley 5 are gonna be making their world debut in just a few short months!!  Hang on to your seats everybody.  I know I'm going to be hanging on for dear life!!