4

In case you missed our announcement, #4 is baking and should be done around March 25th 2013. I'm in my usual state of first trimester nastiness which means the house is mess, there is junk food in my fridge and there won't be a full nights sleep around here for another 2 years.

Family camping trip 2012

You might call it cheating but we rented a camper for 2 nights and 3 days. The kids swam in the pool, played in the Saco river, and swam some more. Ate lots of marshmallows, got super dirty and in general had a great time. They are ready to go back next year. I have to say the second night there was a huge thunderstorm with tons of rain and I was so thankful we were in the camper instead of a tent!

Date with daddy

Mike took all 3 kids Glow Bowling and then out to dinner at Wendy's. They get so excited to do anything special or out of the ordinary. Even Nairi threw some balls down the lane. I meanwhile sat at home enjoying the quiet and reading a book.

Spending money

We have been busy the past week or so. Busy spending money. Mike's 1998 Volvo was on its last leg and we were almost certain it wasn't going to pass inspection in Sept. Each day it had a new rattle or noise and  we wanted to get rid of it while it was still running. So we sold it on Craigslist and bought this old people  nice car. This is Mike's drive to work/ commuter car. Mike really really wanted a Ford F-150 but we decided against it for gas mileage purposes and other reasons. This is a 2009 Hyundai Sonota. Mike's favorite part of it is the AC since the AC had long died on the Volvo.  Overall we are happy with it but not so happy to have a car payment. I really wanted Mike to buy a Civic but we decided to get a mid size car for ease of throwing a few car seats in the back.
Other than writing out checks for car registration and insurance and yada yada we have been busy battling our homeowners association otherwise known as the (HOA) about our shed. They basically told us we have 30 days to make it less visible or they are going to remove it ( ha! I highly doubt they would actually do that)  But either way we figured why not? We will shell out a few more thousands to cover it up or move it behind the fence because after all we are made of money. We are waiting to hear back from the fence company about the cheapest option.  ( You can see the shed in the second picture) The plan I think ( if approved by the HOA is probably to leave the shed where its at and plop a fence and gate in front it it.
But I am excited to say that we are leaving behind the stress of car shopping and buying, and sheds and HOA's to embark on our first ever family camping trip up north in the White Mountains. The kids are beyond excited and we have spent hours planning and buying and preparing food for the trip. All that's left to do is pack the van and leave! I have no doubt that Keira and Israel will enjoy the trip. Not so sure how things will go with the wild and crazy toddler who is a VERY light sleeper. :o) Wish us luck!

Family pics taken by Keira

Every Mama's dream

Nairi is our champion eater.  She ( at 15 months old) eats more than Keira or Israel at any given meal except lunch. And she still nurses 4ish times a day.  She says crazy things like "more more" to cooked veggies like broccoli and brussel sprouts. Keira and Israel won't even eat cooked veggies at all.  I can always count on her to eat and eat some more. She eats eggs and meatballs and fish and everything else we eat. I am not sure if there is a food she doesn't like,  She will eat her meal in her chair and then push her plate away and say " All done!" and then she begs to sit with me or Mike ( sometimes both of us!) and eats a second or third dinner. And she is still less than 20 lbs!
She is not my dream when it comes to personality. Can anyone say moody and drama? And we all know how she didn't sleep through the night till after she was a year old. But when it comes to eating she definitely wins the prize.

Driveway drama

 This is the end of our driveway. It was a pile of weeds and as we have done several landscaping projects we have added to the mess by tossing over grown shrubs and extra dirt and grass onto the pile. It had become a mound of dirt and weeds and was very ugly to say the least. Recently we purchased a shed as with the snow blower, lawn mower, bikes, kids toys, yard tools etc taking over the garage we were finding it harder and harder to fit the cars in. We decided to plop the shed at the end of the driveway as it is the most convenient spot. Instant driveway access for the snow blower and bikes. We hired a landscaping company to level out the area and make a gravel pad for the shed.

 Up close and personal with the ugly mess

 hiring a landscaping company with their bobcat and dump truck provided a morning of entertainment for my truck loving crowd.

 All cleared and leveled with the gravel pad ready for the shed

The shed.  ( note the plastic shed next to the garbage can is going to be removed) We will eventually paint it to match the house but we are going to paint the house in the next year or two so we will wait and do it together then. I titled this post driveway drama because technically sheds are not allowed in this neighborhood. Neither are boats or Rv's/campers. But out of the 39 houses in the neighborhood there are at least 2 boats, 2 Rv's and probably 10 sheds. However as the shed guys were leveling and dropping the shed off ( so literally the shed had been in my driveway for no more than 5 min my neighbor who is on the board of directors for the neighborhood came over to inform me that sheds are not allowed. He looked unhappy and worried so we are awaiting a letter to arrive informing us that we have to move our shed. But since others in the neighborhood have them we won't go down without a fight.....

How do you get ice cream between your eyes?

Nothing says summer like ice cream. I love that so far my kids have had the privilege to grow up surrounded by their cousins on both sides ( except for my brother Mark's kids). After an afternoon of swimming and pizza the kids had ice cream in the backyard. They were making all sorts of goofy faces so I snatched the camera.

 I have no idea how you can eat a cone and get ice cream between your eyes. I think I have the messiest kids ever.