Baby Girl Update

I haven't updated lately on this pregnancy or the preparations for our baby girl to arrive in 7 weeks so I thought I would post a few pictures. I am not a big belly picture fan but have snapped a few each pregnancy. Here is a picture of me at 33 weeks. I have definitely gained enough weight but thankfully still weigh less than before being pregnant with Trey so that's at least reassuring! I have been measuring about a week behind and always did with the boys too. Heartbeat has been anywhere between 140-160. She is definitely a feisty little thing and anytime anything is on my belly she kicks or punches at it. Overall I have been feeling pretty good; just the normal aches and pains and some restless nights.
As you can see Carter is really excited for his baby sister to arrive. He is so in love with her already...it's so sweet. Praying that remains the same once she comes! He wanted me to whisper her name to him a couple of weeks ago and promised to keep it a secret...sorry buddy, no such luck. :) We are set on a name though and my family is dying for hints but they will just have to wait!

It's been fun to transform the nursery from blue to pink as well! It still needs a few more touches but here is a sneak peek into what it is looking like. Thanks to my BFF Jen for making the curtain and rocking chair cover. They turned out perfect!

The boys now share a room in the basement and it has gone way better than expected. They go to bed without a peep and even nap together during the day. It's nice to have that behind us and one less thing to worry about once the baby comes. Although it's going to by BUSY once she arrives I am definitely getting ready to meet her!

While daddy was away...

...we played! Thursday morning Brian and his buddies left for the Michigan International Speedway for the NASCAR race. I swear the trip gets a day longer every year. :) Me and the boys had a lot of fun stuff planned for the weekend to make time go fast. Friday morning started off rough but thankfully we were on the road to GR by 9 with my mom. We hit Buy, Buy Baby and Babies R Us for some items for baby #3 and then headed to the Childrens Garden at Frederick Meijer Gardens.
Going through the maze with Grandma Mary Ann.

Trey fell asleep on the way and actually stayed asleep as I put him in the stroller. He isn't quite ready to drop his morning nap yet. He woke up right at the end which worked perfect.
They had a really cool water table (as Carter would say) and it was nice to let the boys cool off as it was HOT out.

Saturday we were hoping to hit the pool but we knew a storm was coming so we headed to Allendale's Boulevard Days instead. At TruValue they had some kids activities. Carter's getting so big and could even do this inflatable without help.
Barreling down the other side.
Trey even got to try out the little one even though he just got tossed around; he loved it!
Carter got to go on a pony ride too. They must have been sensing the storm b/c the one behind him got out of his harness and another was acting up too. Thankfully none of the action scared Carter and he loved it.
Saturday night I got a sitter for the boys and got to enjoy celebrating my friend Sheri's birthday so it was a nice break for me too.


Sunday we went to my parents church and enjoyed lunch with Great Grandma and then after naps we headed to John Ball Zoo. Carter has been asking all summer to go with Grandpa Jim. Petting the goats with Grandpa.
This gorilla cracked me up as he just sat there and bobbed his head like he was listening to music or something.
Grandma pointing out an animal.
This lion came right up to the glass and roared really loud. It was so cool! We had to go find the male lion as Carter didn't think this was a lion b/c it didn't have a mane. :)
Ride 'em cowboy!
Completed the trip with a picture with John Ball with Grandpa and Grandma. Thanks for a fun day!!
Back to Brian....the guys had lot of fun at the race and pre-race activites. They did a lot of golfing on Thursday and Friday along with some road touring. Apparentely the guys turned this trip into a 'work-related' trip as they checked out the local crops. :)

Josh (friend), Bruce (co-worker) and Brian standing in a field of beans. I think this should be in the next ZFS calendar! :) Nerds!
The boys were just a tad excited to have daddy home and were even more excited with their new race cars they got. It was quite humorous how attached they were to Brian on Monday. Trey cried every time he left the room and couldn't get close enough to him.
Staying busy definitely helped time go fast and thankfully after our rough Friday morning the boys were really good all weekend. I try not to think about next year being home alone with 3 kids for 5 days. Oh wait...that will come in December when he goes hunting. Martha...start the plans now! :)

The Latest and Greatest

Once again I am behind so here is what we have been up to the past few weeks. As tradition goes we went to the Ottawa County Fair. I grew up going every year...riding the rides, eating the junk food, checking out the animals, etc. So the night that Brian was there buying animals at the auction for ZFS, me and my mom took the boys.

First we hit up the animal barns. The boys wanted to touch them all!
Checking out the ducks outside with Grandma Mary Ann.
Petting the bunnies with mommy.
And riding the rides! Carter LOVED them as usual. Check out that face. :) We finished the night with all kinds of junk food and met up with daddy and Grandpa Jim.
The following weekend we attended Travis and Sandra's wedding. Travis is a long time friend of Brian's and works at ZFS with him. He also happens to be my 2nd cousin. :)
The beautiful bride and handsome groom!
The next morning we headed up to my Aunt Pam's cottage. Soon enough the neighbor boy came over to play with Carter.
Muddy mess but oh so happy!
The boys had so much fun netting fish from the dock. They would throw bread in and scoop them up and then put them in their buckets for a bit to watch them.
My cousin Matt and Brian got some knee boarding in. We had a great time but it was hard without my Uncle Ken there. We definitely missed him but it was so nice that my cousins could come join us and Aunt Pam took care of us as she always does!
Then last weekend it was off to Coast Guard Festival in Grand Haven with Grandpa Cliff and Grandma Karen. I forgot I had my camera with so I didn't take pictures of Carter on the rides but he had fun once again. Then we went for a walk and seen this copper guy. Carter was too scared to stand next to him.
Can't pass up ice cream after our long walk! We didn't stay on the boat Friday night which was a good thing since it rained all day Saturday but after naps on Saturday we headed there to play on the beach and swim for a bit and then hung on the boat and woke up Carter to watch the fireworks which he loved and chatted about them the whole time. We headed home Sunday morning.
Then Sunday afternoon it was off to mom and dad Meeuwsen's since Eric and Kate and the girls were home from Nebraska. Carter and Brian had gone up to their cabin during the week to hang out with them so he got some time with the girls. We had a fun afternoon of swimming.
Last Monday we got to have Norah and Ethan over for the day. They are about exactly the same ages as our kiddos. It sure was a BUSY day but the kids had so much fun playing together and I even got them all to nap at the same time. :)
And last week Carter and Norah went to VBS at Faith United Ref. Church out by our house. It was nice b/c it was a small group and they had so much fun. Thursday night we got to go watch them do a little program. It was so sweet when we sat down and Trey got off my lap and headed up to the front to sit next to his brother....he wasn't going to miss out.
Friday Carter took his first trip to the dentist and although he wasn't too sure of it at first he did great and really liked it in the end and is excited to go back again!
Saturday after the rain quit we went out to Drenthe to Breakfast on the Farm at Daybreak Dairy. They have 7 of these events throughout the state. ZFS was a sponsor. First we had a wonderful breakfast and then they give you a tour of the farm. It was so well organized as they probably had 1,500+ people attend.

The first stop was checking out these calves and how they are given what nutrients they need. Everyone had to wear these booties to not spread disease.
After we seen the cows being milked Carter got to try his hand at it.
Have to get a picture next to a tractor!
Petting the BIG cows with mom.
They picked us up with hay wagons and brought us back out to our truck when we were done. We were there for 2 hours and the boys did great. Carter told me his legs were tired when he was done. :)
Phew....as much as I don't wish summer away I have to admit it was so nice this past weekend to not have to pack and unpack since we stayed home. Now the nesting phase has begun and I am trying to get our house cleaned and in order...it's been neglected!