Pregnancy hormone induced post....

Life. Ain't it just incredibly grand? I find myself feeling pretty darn lucky these days...I have Todd, a wonderful, supportive husband, who not only makes me belly laugh but listens when I cry. I have Wade who holds my face in his hands, whispers 'I love you' and gives me a big fat kiss on my cheek. Just because. I have Brody who acts 5, takes charge of the household, all the while, stopping in for a long snuggle, telling me 'It's ok Mommy...It will be alright'...even when nothing in the world is wrong.

In fact it is good. Blissfully good.

And we all have Jack who will be joining our crazy family real soon. I know it is 4 months away...but we all know how fast 4 months zooms by. I cannot wait to hold the little nugget in my arms. There is something bittersweet, knowing that this one will be our last baby. The last one in diapers. The last one drinking from a bottle...the last one needing me to rock him to sleep. Will you look like your brothers Jack Jack???


Now on to real life stuff. The boys are obsessed with trains and train tracks. They will spend hours constructing and re-constructing the track until it is just so...Dora, Diego and Mickey are kind of on the outs this month and Toy Story 3 and Chuggington are fighting for the #1 spot. (These shows are referred to as Woody and Buzz and Choo Choo.) Currently, Wade's favorite food is talapia, while B's is spaghetti. Both love beans and rice and would eat rice krispie treats all day if we would let them.

It seems as though it is that time again...to seperate the boys at school and transition them into their own classrooms. Brody has moved up into the three year old room (basically 2 1/2 - 3 1/2 year old room) and Wade will remain in the two year old room, joining B in April. The teachers feel that this will give Wade a chance to be the 'star' of his classroom...because, well, let me explain. Wade is our laid back child (less dominant) who would rather sit back and let someone else steal the limelight...Brody takes a more leadership role (more dominant)...uh...bossy role...and tends to make decisions for the both of them and even talk for both of them. This is just who they are. Brody is the leader and Wade is the giver. Plain as that. (And please do not get me wrong...I know I am labeling my children while I write this blog, but I will try my hardest to not place labels on them in "real" life...I will celebrate the difference between them, continue to build their confidence to the best of my ability and give them the security of knowing that each one is valued as an individual!!) Brody will do well, being the 'small' fish in a 'bigger' pond, while Wade will be able to make decisions on his own, without the influence of the brother figure. Ms. Biz told me that Wade talks all of the time when Brody is not around. And Ms. Jamie, the 3 year old teacher, has said that Brody enjoys the more structured life of a 3 year old and has been doing a great job transitioning!! No matter what the sibling relationship may be, this 3 months apart will be great for learning and growing and learning to live without their twin by their side.

Darn pregnancy hormones induced the aforementioned. ha ha

Sand between our toes:

Todd and I took a much needed vacation to Aruba! We spent 5 days enjoying each others company, dining on exquisite foods, delicious cocktails (well Todd did anyways :), beautiful, warm weather without any humidity and waking up when ever we darn well pleased!!






To say that I missed the boys would be an understatement. I could hardly contain myself when the plane landed in good old Okaloosa County. The boys were fast asleep in their beds and I had every intention of waking them up...but Todd put the fear of God in me, and needless to say, I had to wait until the morning to squizzle my baby boys. Then, after about 5 minutes of reality, I was praying and wishing for an immediate transport back to Aruba for just a few more days :)

Grammie and Pop's ever so graciously came over and watched Bman and Wade the entire time we were away...they had an absolute blast together...thank you so much G and P for giving us the opportunity to escape reality!!! As you all know...Grammie does not take pics. Ever. But, I of course had my camera in my bag and snapped a photo of our "welcome home" sign on the front door when we arrived home. Talk about melting my heart...

Baby Jack update

We had our 19 week anatomy ultrasound a few weeks ago and Jack is growing and moving and developing perfectly! 10 fingers and 10 toes...and we re-confirmed that he, is still indeed, a baby boy. He was already weighing in at a whopping 12 ounces and was bouncing all over the place.

It's cold outside baby!

We have been burnin' through the firewood...at a very fast pace. Nothing better than snugglin' up with family with a huge fire roaring in the background. I absolutely love it. We have a gas/natural fireplace...makes lighting the fire easy as pie, and when the fire sets and lights its beautiful glow, all we have to do is turn the gas off, and viola! Check out this pic of the boys from way back when...


And check them out now. Enjoying a picnic on the family room floor with Daddy. They had such a great week at school that we zipped through McDonald's and got them their very first Happy Meals. (The simple pleasures in life can sometimes end up creating the most wonderful memories!)


When the temps allow, we try to get outside as much as possible. The swingset has finally arrived and was put together, with love, by Daddy and Pop's!!! Thank you both so very much for all of your hard work! And a HUGE thank you to Mimi and Grandmother for the swingset...what a generous Christmas gift! One that will provide hours and hours of fun for years to come!










And we have been doing lots and lots of bike riding. Seems the boys just do not notice the cold as much when they are peddling:

Sweet baby Jack

Happy 2011! Wow. 2010 is gone. Just like that...

This year will bring a new addition to our family. We have finally decided on a name...Jackson David Harrell (Jack, because we love the name and David after my brother David)! Very weird, that is the first time I have typed that name...a name that will be twined and wrapped around my heart and soul for forever. Baby Jack. Baby J. JackJack. JD...oh how we are all so very excited to meet you, little one. I went to the Dr. yesterday and all is looking perfect! Jack's heart rate was beating strongly, in the high 140's...he even kicked the doppler a few times, just to let us know he was in there. I feel him move all of the time...probably the very best feeling in the world!

We rang in the New Year with The Garber's! Let me just say that this year was VERY different from years past, celebrating with Brian and Elizabeth. That being said...we headed down to the Cotton's for a quick visit, as the boys were not into relaxing and taking it all in. I mean, come on, couldn't they just sit back, relax, a watch a little football?? While there, they explored smoke bombs and watched Cole bravely wave around sparklers. They tried to watch a movie...that lasted about 5 minutes...!!




After a wonderful visit with Brian, Eliza and Cole, it was time to take down Christmas, clean the house, do laundry, rake leaves (and remaining toilet paper)...



And decorate Daddy...


Happy New Year!!