Sea World and Mother's Day

Mother's Day weekend we headed to Sea World in San Antonio. It was kind of a last minute decision made out of guilt and time running out before the baby comes. We thought they would just love it and have so much fun but we were off a little! They did enjoy it but weren't as thrilled as I thought they would be and there was complaining about the heat, by one more than the other but that made the other complain too. They loved the killer whale show and the other show we saw. They did enjoy the rides once we got them past their fear of actually getting on. Livy was much more willing to try stuff than Rachel was.

Waiting at the whale show. Colt is the only one who looks and smiles these days! He loved Sea World more than the girls did for sure. He thought everything was awesome and was clapping and screaming like crazy. He kept saying "fish fish" and was very entertained. And there was no complaining out of him!

Their favorite part of Sea World was the baby Shamu they picked out. They loved them and were so excited to get them. They are the favorite this week at home and must be slept with every night!

This is the coolest part as far as I am concerned. The dolphins swim right up and you can feed and pet them. The girls liked this part too but I didn't get any pictures of them actually feeding them. It was crowded and hot and I didn't want to cause more problems trying to get a "good" shot! I got some video of the trip though which is good because they like to watch the home videos and that made me not worry too much about getting good pictures.

They had Sesame Street characters walking around and Colt was in love. He would go running to them when he saw them and hug them and rub his face on their furry costumes. He got to see and Elmo show and he loved it. He kept trying to get up on stage!

This picture pretty much sums it up. Mom exhausted, Colt happy and loving it, girls there but not taking advantage of how fun it was plus hot and tired! I really love these kids and Eric. He was better than me with patients with them this weekend and made it much more fun.

Their favorite part, stuffed animals. They loved the hotel too. They have only stayed in a hotel one other time when they were two and we came to Sea World so they didn't remember the hotel and loved being at this one. We drove home in time for Mother's Day dinner with the Williams and it was a fun evening and a delicious dinner prepared by the men!

I'm too worn out right now to write a big mother's day thing. I just want my mom to know I love her and look up to her. She is an amazing example and is a wonderful mom always going above and beyond and being such a support and friend. I am also very blessed to have an extremely caring and loving mother in law who is always willing to help. I have great examples of mothers from so many people and I am so grateful to be a mother. Even on those hard days, there are so many other times that make it more than worth it. I'm so happy to be your mom Olivia, Rachel and Colt, and baby soon arriving! I love you guys!

Easter with the Williams Clan

After the weekend in Austin we drove home in time for Easter dinner with the Williams', minus April and kids because they were in California. After a great dinner, the kids did their egg hunt in the back yard and loved it of course. Then were was some playing with balls, riding the airplane and just hanging out munching on candy!

Colt actually got the hang of it and held onto his basket to hunt for them. He ended up with more than Rachel! Poor kid!

Colt and McKay seeing what goodies they got!

Greg showing the girls a frog. They loved it.

Thanks for taking pictures for me Jamie! I don't think I would have gotten any good shots being so slow now! And thank you to Brenda, Jamie and Jenina for getting dinner ready while we were away. I feel so bad we weren't here to help out! Thank you! It was great!

Easter

Easter weekend we went up to Austin to enjoy the beautiful weather and scenery. It sure is nice up there. It is a lot of work and hectic keeping Colt contained but it is beautiful. The Easter bunny came to our house on Saturday morning so we could make it to church on time on Sunday morning. So considerate that Easter bunny!

The big score. The girls have been playing Rapunzel non stop since we bought the DVD the day it came out. They were so excited about their big Rapunzel dolls and played with them the rest of the trip.

Livy was the only one into the egg hunt. Once Rachel laid eyes on her Rapunzel that was it. She said Livy could get all the eggs and she didn't even want the rest of the stuff in her basket! So Livy happily found all the eggs and shared them with her sister and brother.

We have played egg hunt at home a few times in the past few weeks so Colt knew exactly what the eggs were about and went strait for the one he could see and immediately started eating candy. He had more than his share of jelly beans that day!

Livy and her loot!

The girls loving their Rapunzel dolls. We had to braid their hair and put flowers in it too. But at least it kept the tangles under control!

After church I tried to get a picture of the kids but Livy was upset about something so it didn't work too well. Rachel and Colt thought it was pretty funny though!

Livy being mad. When she was done being mad Colt was done taking pictures.

Sweet little Rae.

Finally all smiles. Happy Easter!

For the week leading up to Easter, each night we did something to learn about Easter. We did the egg activity where there are scriptures and objects in eggs to teach about Christ's crucifixion and resurrection. We read the story from the children's scriptures, we read it in Matthew, talked about it a lot, and did an FHE on it. Anyway, on Sunday night when we were saying our prayers I tried to discuss what they would say they are thankful for on this Easter Sunday. I asked "who is Easter all about?" And of course the answer came "the easter bunny!" Well there goes all that work down the drain! Not a total loss. They know the story well and loved talking about it all week. Their preschool teachers even told me they knew all the answers in class when they talked about it and answered with the word resurrection like it was just a common word to them. That made me happy that they were listening, even if they think the easter bunny is important too! I like that they go to a Christian preschool and talk about these things there. Livy tells me daily, "do you know why Jesus went on the cross? Because he loves us." I am grateful for my Savior and all of the blessings I receive from him. I am thankful for his sacrifice every day. Hope you had a great Easter everyone!

Lucky #7

April 17th was our 7th anniversary! I forgot to get a picture of us on our anniversary date, I'll have to add one of just me and Eric and I get one.! We had a nice dinner without kids and a movie. Seems simple but oh so nice. I can't believe it has been 7 years already. I just wanted to tell Eric I love him and I am so grateful to have him as my husband. I know we drive each other nuts some times but he is perfect for me and I am grateful he accepts me with all of my imperfections and craziness. And he doesn't hold it against me that I can't cook! We have an amazing life with our three little kids and I know I will need him more than ever to make it through number four! Thank you for creating this life with me. I love you!

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Last week we went to an Astros game with all the kids. It was their first one and they had a great time. We only stayed about an hour in our seats and then went to the play area for a little while.

They were in awe when they first sat down and loved the national anthem. They got dinner in their seats and had a fun time running down the stairs right up to the field.

Livy got into cheering with Eric. Whatever he did, she did.

Colt loved watching everything going on there but of course wanted to climb on, under, and over anything he could find. So it was nice when he would sit for a minute.

Livy could have stayed longer. She is so observant and loves just looking around and taking everything in. She said she liked sitting there as long as she had something to eat! She wanted a picture with the train in the background so that's what the one below is of. It is hard to see but it is just on top of the yellow wall.

Rachel was not in the mood for pictures this night. That was all I could get her to do if I wanted her in front of the camera. Earlier while she was eating she was smiling and dancing to the music in her seat. Wish I would have gotten a picture of that.

Colt's new "cheese" face. He finally knows what a camera is and he even says cheese when he does this. Funny boy!

The scary face caught on. Now Livy too. Here's the gang at the game.

Down in the kids area there is a huge play gym and a few baseball things for them to try. They raced against this huge wooden runner and got to run the "bases." Livy was a little scared of it. Rachel took a turn batting too. The kids had a fun time and have asked to go back already because they want to show the baseball game to some of their animals.

My Cuties

Erin made them these awesome dresses and matching shirt for Colt a while ago and I finally got them all to wear them the same day. With Eric's help I actually got them to smile too! Thanks Erin! They looked adorable and got many comments at church! Now that Rachel knows you can sew she wants to ask you to make doll clothes with her! Good luck!

31 weeks

Lots of people tell me now a days that I am not going to make it to June 10th. That is the c-section date. Some days I feel like I won't make it either and most days I don't want to make it that far! But the truth is I know I was bigger with Colt and the girls so I think I have a ways to go still.

Don't mind this frightening picture. Next time I will have Eric stand up when he takes the picture. This shooting from below is no good. Even worse than regular looking.

Big Mama. That's all I have to say about that picture.