I See...

pink and purple in our future. We opened the envelope on the 13th of June and found out we are, in theory, expecting a little girl to join our household in September. Finally! Some more estrogen to help balance out the testosterone! On the ultrasound scan, you can't really tell but the true ultrasound is clear as day. We just wanted to share this wonderful news with everyone...so now you all know :)

Playtime

We recently had some very good friends visit with us during a detour down to Florida. The boys were playing dress up but unfortunately my little guy is much smaller than Jen's "little" guy so he was only able to wear the masks. We are hoping for better weather and to get some pictures of them when they come back by on their way back to Colorado. Anyway, I, on the other hand, fit perfectly into the cowboy costume, except that the vest wasn't even close to meeting in the front and the chaps, yes chaps, were barely being held up by my hand in the back. Bucky enjoyed it so that's all that matters :).

Our Little Superhero

Bucky wanted to go outside and play one day (what a shocker!) and this is how he decided to dress. :)

Pregnancy Pics

Here are some recent pics of my belly and kiddo to go with it. He has been doing such a great job making the number signs for the corresponding week for the pregnancy. He loves helping out when and where he can.

26 weeks

Proud big brother

27 weeks

Museum Goers

After reading a little about things to do around here I decided we needed to take a day trip to Macon to visit the Museum of Arts and Sciences (especially when I saw they had a dinosaur exhibit). I knew that Bucky would love it but had no idea how much. When we got there he went straight for the dinosaurs. Although it was not very impressive, the kiddo had a good time looking at the moving dinosaurs. There was also an activity area where the kids could "dig" for bones, color, and do various other activities. A mini zoo consisted of many, MANY snakes, some monkeys, and other animals. We were all pleasantly surprised to see that there was a planetarium with a presentation about some constellations and how science thinks dinosaurs became extinct. Very cool!

One of the dinosaurs

Digging for bones

Using a microscope

Proof that I was, in fact, there ;)

Pretty bird

Shrimp Gumbo

A while ago when the kiddo and I went to Friday Fest with my mom, we had some amazing shrimp gumbo. Since then I have been craving a recipe to make it. I found one that was doable but changed it up quite a bit to make it more similar to the bowl I had already consumed. You can find the original here. Although Emeril's looks tasty, it's not exactly what I was looking for to make my gumbo. 

Here's what I did to change it up a little:

Heat oil and fry the okra. Add 1 can of diced tomatoes minus the juices, 1 T onion powder, 1/2 cup chopped celery, 1 t minced garlic, 1 bay leaf, 1/4 t salt, and 1/8 t cayenne pepper. Cook for about 10 minutes since the tomatoes were canned and the celery was very small. No ham. Add 1 box of seafood stock (because I wanted the extra juice) and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and cook about 10-15 minutes. Add about 1 1/2 cups of precooked white rice.

While the veggies were finishing, I cut up the shrimp into thirds to make bite size pieces. I shook them in a container with premade creole seasoning. I heated them up in a saucepan until pink. There were two batches to make sure that all shrimp were cooked through. I rinsed the second batch with hot water after cooked to remove the extra seasoning. Good thing I did, too. (I'll explain later). Once cooked, I dumped all the shrimp in the pot with the veggies. Simmer for about 10 more minutes. Serve in bowls. 

The flavor was delicious but holy hell it was spicy! I only had one small bowl because the last thing this pregnant mama needs is something to add to the heartburn I already get every night. Tonight will definitely be a Tums night but it was worth it :). Hubby was not big on it because he doesn't like okra unless it's fried but he still managed to eat two big bowlfuls. This will definitely be a redo but with about twice as much so I can portion and freeze more of it. As is I still had three portions but if it's good leftover I would love to make more (minus a little of the cayenne or creole spice. In hindsight, I should've known it was going to be super spicy because I started sneezing the minute I poured the creole seasoning into the container but we like spicy...usually :).

Every time I play bubbles with Bucky I can't help but think about the crazy fish on Finding Nemo that stares at the chest waiting for it to open and spit bubbles into the tank. "Bubbles, bubbles...my bubbles." Anyway, he loves blowing them as much as chasing them so it's fun for all involved :).

Getting started

Daddy's Turn

Mama's turn (yes, there is a baby in there)

Racing daddy on the sidewalk

Pre-K Graduation

On 23 May, my baby graduated Pre-K at Children's Friend. He was so excited. Buck seemed ambivalent. I was an emotional mess. I thought I would lose it when they all walked into the room for their performance but I pulled myself together. Then I thought I would lose it when he was called up to receive his "diploma" but I didn't. And then the DVD came on. It started with each of their baby pictures that we had sent in a month or so ago compared with a pic taken at Pre-K one day. It wasn't so much the pictures but the music that played during it. It started with Billy Dean's "Let Them Be Little." Now I tear up at this song every time I hear it but when it's coupled with a baby picture of your Pre-K graduate plus some pregnancy hormones, it's a recipe for an emotional breakdown. I'm not talking tearing up or sniffles, I'm talking I would've been embarrassed if I cared what the other people thought. Once I started, I couldn't stop and it just got worse from there - totally blaming that on the hormones. Let's put it this way...the director brought me a box of tissues and one of the mothers asked me if I was ok. I was laughing through it which, I'm sure, made it even more curious for those around me that don't know me. Bucky did great during the performance and had a great time eating with his friends after it. We didn't rush him since this will be the last time he sees most of them and we were one of the last to leave. Almost immediately, the dreaded questions started - "When do I start Kindergarten? I'm ready to go now." If my kiddo only knew how hard it was for me to not start bawling again...

Gift made for his teacher (thanks Pinterest!)

My version of another Pinterest idea

So excited

At the school

My little flower :)

Had one like this last year so had to post this one too :)

Getting his "diploma"

His wonderful teachers

Riding his tricycle when we got home

Riding his new scooter in the sprinklers

Air Show

I thought I had already posted about this but obviously forgot.

We went to the 2012 Robins Air Show on 28 April. After waiting for over an hour in the upper 80 degree heat on pavement for the buses to take us to the actual show we met up with our neighbors/friends to look at the planes they had available and watch the shows. The weather was absolutely beautiful but was way, WAY too hot for this preggo girl. We stayed for a few hours and were able to catch the majority of the shows but we did leave before the Blue Angels. It's a good thing too because I heard later that the line for the buses was well over 2 hours long to get back to the parking. I brought sunscreen, chairs, lots of water and some snacks for us to munch on while there so we were pretty set. We did end up having a good time but overheated while there so we sat in the car for a while getting some AC going. Definitely a must see if you are in the area during shows in the future.

Peeking out the window

Walking with Addison

In the engine

With me :)

In the UFC trailer

Heritage Flight