Holy, Exhaustion, Batman!

I forgot how sick and tired I get during pregnancy.

That's how I knew something was up. I was sick for days and couldn't shake it. Add that to my busy schedule and I am tres pooped.

Today alone I did all of the laundry, played with the kids, took care of the kids, made a backdrop, took promo pictures for Christmas minis, did social media on said minis, emails, phone calls, orders, post processing on images (I've got about 5 sessions in que from the past 2 weeks) that need to be finished before next week's sessions.

Tonight I'll be helping my husband teach a Bible study. Yesterday I had a 2 hour session and a client meeting and youth music practice. Tomorrow I've got to do more orders and process more images before youth service. Saturday I have a day off - YAY! - but I volunteered to work on the church Web site so it's not really a day off.

So far, baby hates gumbo and all things dairy. Chocolate is tolerated in large quantities and I fear will make my rear large as well.

But, I did make my appointment to see my midwife in a few weeks. Yay! She was my doula with T, so I'm glad that I'll get to have her care for the baby. The birthing center is about 2 blocks away from my husband's work, which is super convenient for him.

We're waiting to tell Auds and most everyone else until we hear the heartbeat and confirm that everything is okay. My bestie and a few select people know and that's about it. After the appointment, we'll be more open about it. I guess we'll announce to family at Thanksgiving.

The shock is starting to wear off and I'm starting to get excited - as excited as I can when all I want to do is sleep - about the baby coming.

In other news, check out how cute my oldest kid is:

That's the promo shots and the backdrop mentioned above. Gosh, I love that girl! Oh, and I dressed her, which explains the lack of accessories. She promptly changed after this into something more flamboyant. 

Well...

Looks like #3 is on it's way! It is a total shock to us, as we were trying to avoid for the time being. But I've been sick for a week and couldn't shake it. I knew something was up. I'll need some advice on how to manage two small ones with morning sickness. God obviously has a plan for our lives right now that are bigger than our own. :)

Annual Pumpkin Patch Trip

Ever since Auds' first fall, we've gone to the pumpkin patch. It is a necessity. The first two years we traveled back home to do it with my mothers since there is a great patch out there and I had some October weddings in the area. But, last year we found a really fun patch out here and that is now our place to go. It is just so much easier to not drive over 2 hours each way with two littles.

We had a blast! I swear it still feels like last year's trip was yesterday. The hubs and I had sooo much fun watching Auds and T run around. Makes me want a brood-full. Everyone I know either has a teeny squishy baby, is pregnant or is trying. Totally NOT helping the baby fever at.all!

Here are some pics of our voyage:

Auds getting our first two pumpkins

Tony checking one out...

And tasting it, in true Tony fashion

On the move!

This thing played peep eye. Tony LOVED it. His favorite game is peep eye.

Bunnies! These were so cool until T heard a "quack" and started yelling "duck!"

Checking some more pumpkins out.

A joint effort.

"I'm pulling the passengers, Mommy!"

Auds had to roll a pumpkin around.

T had to as well, naturally.

Checking out some more.

"I'm queen of the pumpkin mountain!"

Auds in the scarecrow.

"You put your head in here!" 

Melt my heart.

Me and my angels.

Checking out the sites on the "trakor" ride.

They held hands when they thought we weren't looking. AWWWWW!

Cheese!

So somber.

"Dat?!" He was very concerned with the decorations in there.

"I'm driving the pumpkins to the car!"

A Day in the Park

This weekend was incredibly busy for me. I worked Friday and Saturday at Tinsel and Treasures ( a large shopping event that is our Junior League's largest fundraiser - we were able to give over $80k in grants to local nonprofits helping women and children better their lives from last year's T&T). And on Sunday I went right back to the convention center for the Bridal Expo at which I had a booth. I hardly had any time with my poor babies and husband over the weekend and missed them terribly.

Needless to say, I was elated when a friend called and asked us to spend the day at the park Monday. It's finally getting cool here with temperatures in the 70s and 80s, so we had to go enjoy the nice weather. Between the two of us, we had five kids 3 and under running around. Everyone had a blast. We ended up staying for about 3 hours and then went next door to the grocery store to make a few groceries. If we survived that, we can survive anything, I think.

Today's Outfit...

High heeled shoes with bows clipped on, tie dyed shirt with tutu over it, pony tail with a plaid pink bow and a polka dot winter hat. Never a dull day in our house. :)

"I'm a Fancy Star, Mommy!"

That's what Auds tells me in the morning. How precious is that?! Here's a collection of snapshots of my little tres chic mademoiselle. You can see her two outfits at once, her curls, her crown, her multiple bows at once, and her sunglasses at 10 at night after prayer meeting and choir practice. This girl is the accessory princess. Today she's got pink striped knee-highs, twisties in her hair, and a crown. And a beanbag. It's the chosen accessory today. She's working on her aim. She actually got the phone while I was typing that. Lol!

Adventures with Miss Priss

I find it interesting how my kids fall into the typical "gender stereotypes" all on their own. Auds absolutely loves pink and frills and princesses and fancy things. She always has. If given her choice of anything in the store, she will pick the pinkest, sparkliest item of all. Little T, on the other hand, is all boy. He loves blue and tractors, cars and trains. He digs in the dirt and runs amok.

I didn't have very feminine influences growing up, and wasn't really allowed to be a girly girl. I was discouraged from having long hair and encouraged to be as tomboy as possible. Not one to want to disappoint, I had short hair and ran with the boys. I was always intrigued with the beauty and delicacy of the more feminine girls, but it was just a foreign concept.

It wasn't until I moved into college that I embraced a more feminine nature and found such a beauty in following the gender distinctions that God put in place. I started to dress more modestly and in skirts and dresses, grew my hair, and actually found joy in learning to cook and care for a household. Now, since I didn't have that growing up, I'm still learning, but I love learning more about managing a family and setting a Biblical example for them. I'm still very low-maintenance though, with my lack of makeup and my headcoverings. Anyway...

So, rearing a girly girl is certainly an adventure. I will say, though, I love it. It is adorable to watch my daughter dress herself. She will actually wear two outfits at once - a skirt and a shirt underneath a dress - with as many bows as she can fit on her head and some sparkly shoes. She has to have accessories to even stay home all day. This, however, can get a little frustrating when her desired outfit(s) is dirty and in the wash. When her "little pink heart" is set on something, finding an alternative is hard to do.

Getting dirty isn't an option and if the slightest speck of dirt gets on her, we have to wash it off. Even her hair must be perfectly coifed. My sweetheart has recently decided that straight hair is boring and curly hair is divine. So, we now have an evening routine of sitting in the rocking chair as I put her hair in foam curlers at night. Yesterday was the first day she had curly hair, and she proudly told every.single.person she saw - multiple times. I'll admit, she looked like a porcelain doll.

More effort goes into getting her ready than myself. I'm so low-maintenance, so it is a funny joy to get my three-year-old dolled up. Today, for instance, I'm in a skirt and a 3/4 length shirt with a headcovering and my hair in a pony tail. Auds, however, has curly hair with one half of her hair in a pigtail and the other half down, a princess crown and a Minnie Mouse dress with sparkles, bows, and ruffles. She wanted to wear her sparkly shoes inside, but I discouraged her from doing that. T is still in his Thomas pj's. I'll post pictures as soon as I get my phone back from her. She wanted to watch My Little Pony on Netflix on my phone while her brother naps.

Baby dolls and princess dolls go with us wherever we go. She longs for a baby sister so she can do her hair and play princesses with her. Her favorite colors are "pink, purple, lavender, fuschia and blue-indigo," and she wants to learn French coz "it's so fancy and chic."

How precious is that? Any tips on helping her to embrace her inner princess?