Ultrasound

Yesterday morning was our ultrasound.

Brad told me he would do his best to make it to the appointment but he would probably be late. So when I met the ultrasound tech I told her that we wanted to find out the gender of our baby, but that my husband might be late so could she wait until the end of the ultrasound to tell us? She said yes.

And we looked at the baby. Head, face, lips, heart, belly, spine, fingers, toes... Everything looked perfect. And still no Brad. So she started measuring baby's legs and I noticed something...

"Is that what I think it is?" I asked before I could stop myself.

"Yep," she replied. Then she typed BOY and took a picture.

Brad walked in a couple of minutes later so we showed him too. He was flabbergasted. I was happy. And that concluded our ultrasound.

So, believe it or not, we are having a BOY. We are thrilled!!

Lainy wanted a baby brother, so she is really excited. She said she didn't want her daddy to be so outnumbered anymore. Leah wanted a sister. When we told her the baby is a brother she said, "But a sister will play princesses with me!" She looked very sad. Brad told her that maybe a baby brother can play the prince. And Leah was pacified. Heaven help this little boy!!

Baby Boom

We had three babies born in our family last week. Two in the same day! A bit of a baby boom, to say the least.

It was a fun week. I loved getting the late night or early morning texts bearing the good news. And I loved seeing the darling pictures of brand new baby faces that came later. Mostly, I loved hearing that despite some earlier complications, all three babies and mommies did great and are home and healthy now. Isn't birth a miracle?

Here are the new little ones (and don't they have fabulous names?!). We can't wait to meet them!

Richelle and Bryce's baby Richard Nolan

Bryant and Rachel's baby Max Bryant

Hayley and Justin's baby Jocelyn C.

It makes me excited to add our little one to the mix next Spring. Our ultrasound is Tuesday morning. Do you think it may be, possibly, a baby boy? Or another adorable girl? We shall see!

Alaina's First Violin

Brad's family came to town last weekend and brought something very special for Lainy - a violin! A real one with real strings just her size (which is tiny). Lainy was so excited!

It was really sweet to watch Lainy and her Grandpa explore the violin together. He taught her about the different parts of the instrument and how to take care of it. Then he got her all set up in the correct playing position. By the end of the weekend she could play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (with lots of help).I'm so glad he was able to deliver it in person. It made Lainy feel so special.

The plan is to have Lainy take lessons from her Grandpa via Skype with Brad and/or me helping on this end. I think it will be just the challenge Lainy needs to keep her little mind busy (kindergarten isn't quite doing it for her). Music is so important to our family. We are excited to get her started!

Here's a video:

Not one to be outdone, Leah has been practicing her little foam violin too.

Of Lakes, Kayaks, and Perfect Fall Days

Life is pretty good these days. The weather has been awesome: the perfect kind of fall weather with warm sunshine and the occasional crisp breeze. We are loving it. Plus I am feeling 100 times better than I was a few weeks ago (and that means everyone is happier, right?).

Saturday we borrowed a friend's kayaks and spent the day at the lake. It was perfect.

I ask you, do kids come any cuter than this?

Okay then, maybe this?

And, after a long day, do daddy's come any sweeter than this?

Sometimes I feel like the luckiest girl in the world.

Rodeo

Earlier this month we ventured over to the Spokane County Fair to see the rodeo. Brad claims to have never been to a rodeo before (which I have a hard time believing since he grew up in Idaho). And since cowboy blood runs in my veins, I decided we needed to go.

First we checked out what the fair had to offer. It was pretty typical fair stuff until we ran into the Mutton Bustin' booth: A venue where parents were putting their 4-6 year old children on sheep to see if they could hold on for 6 seconds. Sort of like a child version of bull-riding.

We cheered on the kids (many of whose rides ended in a face full of dirt and tears) and laughed at the parents. It was great. As we walked away Leah cried "I want to ride a sheep!" Maybe next year...?

Unbeknownst to us, the rodeo was actually a national-circuit rodeo (not just a small county affair). So the cowboys were really, really good and the rodeo ran very smoothly. It was probably the best rodeo I've ever been to. We saw bareback riding, calf roping, bronco riding, steer wrestling, team roping, barrel racing, and bull riding. Some of the cowboys had won upwards of $200,000 this year in their events and there were national champions from recent national rodeos competing. It was awesome! We all loved it!

Leah liked the barrel racing

Lainy liked the clowns

I came away thankful for good, old-fashioned fun and thinking about cowboys and horses and my Grandpa Smith. I seem to a remember a time he entered my sister and I in mutton bustin' and laughed his head off when my sheep just sat down instead of running. He passed away two years ago the night we were at the rodeo. It seemed appropriate to be doing what we were doing that night. He would have loved it. Love you, Grandpa!

My beautiful grandmother and cowboy grandpa