Baby number FOUR

Baby number four is almost here. The kids are so excited! The last thing on my "to do" list was to get some pictures of the three of them, before our lives are forever changed. Soon it will be hard to remember what it was like just having three! :)

Apple Orchard fun

Kate and Anna's co-op had a field trip to the apple orchard today. Although it was a little more humid than I would prefer, we had ALOT of fun, and that is even coming from a mama who is still suffering from all day pregnancy nausea that should be gone, um, any day now. We usually like to go apple picking in early fall, but the apple orchard said if we wanted apples we better come now because everything has come in one-two months ahead of schedule this year, and the apples won't be here much longer. 

Here's some pics from today. Can you believe it? I actually took pictures and am posting them on my forgotten blog all on the same day! This pregnancy must be altering my brain (but in a good way with this :)

Caleb was very impatient during the ten minute apple orchard introduction from the owner. He wanted get to picking some apples!

I believe Anna won the prize for filling her bag the fullest and finding the most "juicy" apples, according to her anyways.

Here she is explaining to me how to find the juiciest apple.

"Caleb, wheres your apple bag?" "Oh, you put it down somewhere so you could eat the apple!"

Kate lugging in her loot.

Yummy fruit slushies made right on the farm with the fruit that they grow. What a treat after we got back in from apple picking all hot and sweaty.

Caleb loved the big rock pile just about as much as anything. Yes, nana, tonight was a bath night! :)

We ended the afternoon with a group picnic under the biggest shady oak tree.
I would have given just about anything if I could have about 30 minutes under that same tree on that same blanket alone! Needless to say, I spent a lot of time day-dreaming about what a nap would feel like right there.

Isn't he the cutest little thing? He didn't want to leave after our picnic. He was having so much fun roaming around on the farm exploring...Im not sure much of his lunch got eaten though...

They had fresh, warm, gooey fruit pies for sale!  I can't believe Anna was the only one who wanted to try, and we both agreed they were delicious! When the owner found out I was diabetic he had the cook bake me up one made with splenda. That sure was a nice treat enjoyed during nap time this afternoon. However, Id venture to say that although it had a little less sugar, it was not low-carb! But then, nothing good ever is.....

Kate wanted to take a picture of me. Well, at least now I have proof that at 13 weeks pregnant and still very nauseous, I really did take three kids to the apple orchard for three hours by myself on a hot, humid day and am still smiling at the very end! Don't be impressed however, because I haven't done much besides post these pictures the rest of the day!

Spring Break

The girls are on Spring break this week, and we have been so blessed with gorgeous weather the whole week. With temperatures in the 80's all week and the smell of sunscreen I have to remind myself that it is not summer yet and we still have two more months left of school work and schedules ahead of us. I am afraid that this coming Monday morning is going to be hard on all of us! We have tried to do some fun things as a family during the break and make the most of this sunshine. Over the weekend, I had a weekend away with some college girl friends in Chicago, and the kids had some special daddy time going to the zoo, out for ice cream, and to an indoor gymnastics place. Yesterday we took a family bike ride on the greenway and played at the park and they swam in the lake, and then today we explored a new place to go hiking.

Here's the whole gang on are on our way to go hiking. We make some fun memories crammed in daddy's truck dancing to fun music.

The kids really enjoyed taking Daisy on our hike. When we had to go up hill they took turns letting her "pull" them up the hill. She was so well behaved on the hike and is so good with the kids.

I was so sad today when I realized how long legged my "little" Anna is getting. She has grown so much since last summer!

Caleb walked almost the whole way by himself loving every minute of it, but by the very end I think his legs were worn out!

The views were so beautiful by the lake

Worked up an appetite.

Efelumps and other animals

We had such a great afternoon at the zoo. After soooo many rainy days, it was so great to be out in the sunshine running around. And, I do mean that literally. Caleb ran from exhibit to exhibit. I know he slept deeply that night. We spent some time playing on the playground in the kids cove and having an early dinner picnic before heading home.

running free and loving it.

Caleb on "our turtle"

Our picnic "dinner"

He loved the slide, once he got brave enough to try it out.

Anna always loves on this lion when we come.

Calebs favorite: The "Efelumps"

Exploring the tunnel under the prairie dogs.

The meerkats are always entertaining

Our favorite is definitely the sea otters. They are so much to watch chasing each other and wresting under the water. The kids squeal when they swim right by their noses.

Outgrowing the turtle

It seems like just yesterday we were taking Kate to the zoo for the very first time. I remember so clearly perching her up on this turtle for a picture and how she babbled and patted the turtles head with happy squeals. And now my sweet Kate is almost longer than the turtle, and I have to bribe her to get her to hop on the turtle for a picture. The years have gone SO fast.

Monkeys vs Kate and Jingle.

Okay, this is one of those situations where you have to be present to fully appreciate it, but its way too funny not to at least try and share.... We went to the zoo yesterday and came upon a new monkey exhibit with these cute little monkeys we had not seen before. And Of course we were all excited to watch the new cute little monkeys bounce around in the trees. The first thing I noticed about these monkeys is that they have faces and expressions that are way too humanistic for my comfort level. It was a little eerie how human like they looked as they studied us. Well, Kate wants to show them her dog "Jingle". I wasn't expecting the monkeys to pay "Jingle" much attention, but I was like sure, "Show them Jingle". Let me just say.... they noticed. When Kate pulls out Jingle, the curious human faced monkeys come over to the window all together and get very still staring down Jingle. Then.... Kate decides to jump up in the air with Jingle to get it closer to the monkeys. Well, this scared the poor monkeys to death. They all jump back and cower together in unison, and of course this makes the kids HOWL. They think it is hilarious that they are actually scared of Jingle. So, what does Kate do? She jumps over and over with Jingle of course causing the same reaction each time. Well..... eventually the monkeys had enough, and Im pretty sure they were talking amongst themselves thinking of how to get retaliation on Kate. So, here is Kate with her face pressed up against the glass trying to get the closest view possible and the one closest to her turns around and puts his little bottom right up in Kates face and pees! Kates face is priceless! Please click on these pictures to make them really big when you look at them. You need the full effect!

Here is Kate when she first pulls out Jingle. The monkeys came close to look all together.

And then Kate jumps. Notice how all the monkeys jump back together.

Okay, now notice the monkey in the middle. I am quite sure after the fact, that he was indeed whispering a plan of retaliation to the monkey on the left.

Now notice the monkey in the middle. He has got to be filling the monkey on the right in on the plan. I just know it!

And. Here it is. Notice monkey on the lefts bottom pointed right toward Kate, notice the other two monkeys laughing together Im quite sure, and most importantly. Notice Kate's reaction!!!