We're Back!

• Vacation was so much fun! The drive down to the Gulf went really well; the kids were great, me made good timing, our brand new rental van was beyond comfortable, and it was overall a positive trip. The ride home, however, was less so. Jasper wasn't happy about half the time and he vocalized it often. But part of that was our fault because we made too many stops and took our time exploring some places. Anyhow, the condo in Perdido Key was fantastic and right on a beautiful white sand beach. We had plenty of time oceanside, many searches for the "perfect" seashells, dodging crabs at night, playing in the waves (what a blast!), eating yummy seafood, participating in activities around town, and enjoying taking it easy. No one was ready to come home. We vow to make our next trip (possibly next May) longer. I have plenty of photos and will post more soon.
  
  
• I made a fluffy, lemon bundt cake with lemon glaze last night. And then I ate just about HALF of the flippin' thing. No joke. Oh.so.heavenly.
  
  
• I'm 25 weeks pregnant. I have so many upcoming appointments. Next Tuesday afternoon I'm going into my backup OB's office to take the lovely Glucose test. Have to drink the liquid, wait an hour, and have my blood drawn. Then I head out for an ultrasound to check the position of my placenta. The following Tuesday afternoon I'm going to a chiropractor via my midwife's advice. I have been experiencing a great deal of pelvic pain and she thinks that my pelvis might be misaligned. Yeah, so I need to correct that problem ASAP. The week after that I have my next prenatal with Kim (midwife) and then the next week Ireland will be at Summer Arts Camp every day and I have to pick her up in the afternoons (a 25-30 minute drive each way). And this is not to mention the fact that I will most likely have to go for multiple chiropractic visits to correct my pain issues, start heading out to see Kim every other week after my next visit, and also go for a final risk assessment with Dr. Henry at 36 weeks. Would also like to get to the dentist soon as well. Lots and lots of appointments!
• Our garden is growing! We've been eating collard greens out of it for a few weeks and now our onions and strawberries are almost ready! My tomato and cucumbers are getting big, too. Oh and the carrots are so precious! Miniatures right now. I can't wait to see the final outcome and to eat all of those yummy fruits and veggies!
• Jasper is almost fully potty trained! There are a few accidents here and there, but overall he's doing wonderfully! He looks so cute running around in his Thomas the Train underwear. He looks like such a little guy straddling that big ol' potty. hehehe He has been light years easier to train than Ireland was. Oh man, she was a tough one! I'm glad that when the baby gets here, I'll only have one human being to change diapers for.
• Robby and I recently bought Ireland's homeschool curriculum. I've still got a couple of things I want to purchase, but the majority is ready and waiting to get started on. We plan to begin sometime very soon, so as to get a head start before the baby comes. Honestly, I don't know that I'll ever take the summer off for schooling. For us, there's really no point. Instead we'll just take breaks throughout the year as needed. I'm excited to start Kindergarten with Ireland! She can't wait either. Robby is in charge of Science and while looking for kits recently, he was like a little kid in a candy store. lol
• I have a lawyer friend who is drawing up a will for Robby and I. The cost is minimal and it will be so nice to have that figured out, officially prepared, and legalized. That should be complete within the next few weeks. We have always wanted a will, but never really knew how to go about it legally. This will be a weight off our shoulders. Next up will be finally changing mine and Ireland's names. I'm pretty sure I want to hyphenate my maiden name and married name and I definitely want to add my maiden name as a second middle name for all of my kids. I didn't have this figured out by the time Ireland was born, but I did with Jasper. I just feel like my kids should represent both mine and Robby's families in their names, and so this is what we decided on together. I do hate the thought of having to change my driver's license, passport, and all of the other millions of documents. But I think it'll be worth it in the end. After planning to do this for years, I'm so ready to get it done!
  
  

Happy Memorial Day weekend to y'all!