Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice

It's a GIRL!!!!!!!

Yes, it's true! We are thrilled beyond thrilled to be having a HEALTHY baby girl!

When the ultrasound tech told me, I immediately sat straight up and covered my mouth in shock. I about jumped off the table all together! I was simply NOT expecting it. I was full of shock and excitement. I just felt like I was a boy producing mom, so when she said "you're having a girl," my world was immediately turned upside down. Yay!!! How exciting! 

Joel is just as thrilled! He thought all along it was a girl, so it wasn't quite the shock to him. He is so very excited about a little girl to love on.

Here are a few glimpses from our day of celebration:

 

See the three lines? Clearly a girl. The ultrasound tech said she would bet her first born's life on this one, so I think it's safe to say it's a girl :)

  I ordered the boys a cake from a local bakery right after I found out. It was a very fun way to tell them the news. Carter kept saying afterwards, "Mama, can you believe it's a girl?!" Sweet boy is so excited. He had waited all day long for that cake.

Here is a video the cake cutting. Notice Carter says he wants her name to be "Baby Emerson." And Coop says it's a "gull." Priceless moments.

 

Baby girl and I are still outnumbered by our guys :) Just means we will be extra loved and protected.

 

Surprise faces....love Coop's. Hee Hee.

All thanks to our merciful God for the blessing of a healthy baby girl. We are thankful beyond words. An unforgettable day.

What's going on, you ask?

What isn't going on around here is the better question! 

 We just returned from a family trip, and the boxes are already being packed! We have a little over two weeks to pack up our house and head across town to our new home. We are so very excited about this move!

 

Carter was busy today packing his bag to move to his new house :)  How cute is that? He went and found a Walmart sack and filled it full of his favorite toys. After he finished his own packing, he proceeded to pack Coop a Walmart sack full of goodies too. He is ready to go now! 

Besides packing, we are getting excited about finding out the gender of Charlie Emerson Friday!!!

 

Here he/she is! Growing little baby in there. I am now in full maternity clothes besides a few normal clothing items. I was able to delay the maternity clothes a little longer this time even though I have gained more weight??? Odd. It's been nice to stay in normal clothes a little longer than I was able to with the boys.

So what are your thoughts on the gender?

Joel and my mom think it's a girl. I really have no idea!!! I lean towards it being a boy I think because boy is what I know, but I really have no strong feeling either way. I think I will be shocked either way. Still have no preference, but JUST WANT TO KNOW! I am so curious! Going to be such a fun day! 

So we are packing, moving, and finding out what our baby will be, AND

getting geared up for school. Yes, it's right around the corner. I can't wait! I love my little munchkins, but I am ready for our little routine again. Summer is fun, and we are having a blast, but my type A-ness loves a good ol' routine :)

So in our gearing up, I told Carter he could pick out a backpack....oh dear....here was his choice:

 

The. Tackiest. Backpack. In. Walmart. 

Bahahaha!!! Such a four year old boy backpack. Is he going to be the coolest boy in school or what? I mean look at that Incredible Hulk....doesn't get much cooler.

Yes, we are still on a superhero kick over here. Carter is busy planning his superhero birthday party coming up next month. He wants ALL the superheros on his cake. I told him he had to pick six. You would have thought I asked him to swallow a brick. Going to be a shindig I tell you.

So we have lots of fun things going on over here...so much that I am feeling a little overwhelmed! When I get overwhelmed I get antsy. I am having a hard time sitting still thinking of all I have to do in the next two weeks. But it will all get done, so I am just going to hang in there, keep on packing, and enjoy the ride! 

Stay tuned until Friday when Charlie Emerson's gender will be announced!

Bell Bonanza

This year's Bell Bonanza was in Bryson City, NC. Our family rode up there in style in my parent's new RV. Let me tell you, that is the way to travel. Luxury on wheels. The boys were in heaven that they could color, watch movies, go the potty, and eat on the road. Sooo much easier and Mama and Dada too! Thanks, BB and PawPaw, for the ride!

 

Joel got his turn behind the wheel when my dad needed a break.

 

Here is our view from the house we stayed in with the Bell crew. I think there were 22 of us in the house. Lots of memories made.

We shot BB guns...Grammy even took a turn :)

 

Carter hit the target the first time!

 

Pop and Carter playing the Ipad. 

 

Part of the crew hanging out on the porch...Julie being Julie. Hee Hee :)

 

Yoyo lessons from Pop.

 

Each day we set out to do a different activity. Some days it worked out, and others it didn't because of rain, etc... Here we are stopped for a picnic before heading to a hike that got canceled due to rain :(

 

Coop took his daily nap in the car as we spent a lot of time in the car. Everything was pretty spread out where we were staying, so the trip required lots of driving here and there. My kids were such troopers!

 

Stopped for a treat.

 

The boys favorite part by far was playing in the creek and throwing rocks. Just little boys for you. Give them rocks and water, and they are happy for days.

 

We forgot our swimsuits, so Coop skinny dipped :) As Susanna said, "The only time a cottage cheese bootie is cute is when it's on a toddler." So true.

 

Little Meredith going for a swim in her clothes. Don't know how she stood that freezing cold water!

 

Uncle Stephen was stuck with us all week since we didn't have a car, and he had an SUV rental. Super sweet uncle to my boys.

 

Julie giving Coop a giggle.

 

They bonded over the Ipad.

 

One day we went to an arcade and go kart place. Kids loved it!

 

Except for this part. Carter cried and cried while Joel was riding the go karts. He did not like his Dada out there!

 

After the arcade, we found another creek.

 

The gals.

 

All the cousins except Will. Note that Carter is crying. He DID NOT want his picture taken. What a stinker.

 

GiGi and Carter

 

Then after the Bonanza and lots of memory making, PawPaw took us back home in the RV. Glad to be home and already started packing up our house to move in two weeks!!!

Fourth of July and Visiting Hernando

 

Caught Coop in the cutest moment. We went out for catfish on the square July 3rd, and I looked over to see Coop chewing away in this position. You'll never convince me he isn't the most charming child to ever exist...well except for Jesus of course. Ha!

 

For the Fourth, Oxford had a petting zoo, train rides, and jumpy houses in the grove. The boys loved the jumpies of course, but the petting zoo was in close competition. Love this stare down Coop and this turtle are having.

 

Carter with is his sunglasses upside down holding a turtle. Love.

 

We went to BB and Pawpaw's for a couple of days this week. C and C love seeing their cousins. Here are Coop and Anne Mitchell playing on BB and Pawpaw's couch...a favorite activity there.

 

All five of them...soon to be six! I bribed them with skittles to let me get this picture. Gotta do what you gotta do!

 

Tadpole...BB and Pawpaw's new cat they rescued. My boys love cats, so it is super cool that BB and Pawpaw now have a cat...as if their house needed to be any more fun than it already is!

 

Carter giggled and squealed for at least 45 minutes straight yesterday morning. He found a squirt gun, and thought it was absolutely hilarious to squirt Pawpaw over and over and over and over again. Pawpaw is such a good sport.

 

My favorite.

 

Apparently Pawpaw is quite the comedian. Priceless giggles.

 

Coop has been extra attached to my mom lately. When he gets in trouble or is denied something he wants, he starts saying, "I want BB! I want BB!" I am sure her feelings aren't hurt one bit.

 

Carter can stand up in my parent's pool, so he loved walking around without floaties. Getting so big! Sniff.

 

Pooped puppy after a fun day playing with cousins, swimming, and eating lots of sugar and junk food at BB and Pawpaw's house!

So what's the skinny?

We sold our house! And bought another one...in a matter of six days. Yes, it's true. Good ole facebook sold our house for us to an old college friend. What a blessing! Once we realized they were serious about our house, we got serious about finding another one. I had recently looked at a spec house across town that I loved, and the more we revisited it, the more excited we got about it. It's an open floor plan on a lake! I am so so so very excited about the floor plan of this house. I will have three bedrooms downstairs! Yes, that means ALL my kids will be downstairs...WAY less trucking my pregnant self up and down stairs. We feel so blessed that it all happened so easily and quickly. Thank you, Lord, for sparing this hormonal, pregnant lady lots of the craziness that goes with buying and selling a house!

 

I don't have much to show you in pictures...mostly because the house is still under construction. It won't be finished until August 9th...that's our moving day. But here are a few glimpses. This is our backyard. It's a much bigger backyard that we have now even though you can't really tell the size of it by this picture. No worries...we are getting it securely fenced.

 

Kitchen...chaos, I know.

 

Dining area...love the brick!

 

The most exciting part...a playroom!!!! Goodbye hot wheels and trains under my feet! Well maybe just not as many hot wheels and trains under my feet :)

 

Here is the granite they chose. LOVE!

 

The rustic floors. They went with a "modern rustic" theme for the whole house. It's really unique. I won't have to worry about my boys scratching up this floor!

 

The chandelier. I love it. So feminine...which is fantastic in my opinion to balance our the rustic floors. I love the lady who designed all this!

 

Here is the fence I chose. Wrought iron look without the price!

I didn't put a picture of the outside just in case I have a stalker on here or something. But the outside is painted brick...very lovely.

Can't wait to have friends and family over to fish and eat burgers and enjoy the openness of this house. We are so thankful for this blessing and hope we make lots of beautiful memories with our children. Little Charlie Emerson will be brought home to this house, so it become sentimental very quickly!

Here are a few pics from our week:

 

Joel bought me Lady Antebellum tickets for Valentine's Day. So. much. fun! Darius Rucker opened for them. Fun times with my thoughtful hub. He doesn't even like country music. What a trooper :)

 

Soulshine Pizza...one of our faves. Isn't Carter so cool?

 

Frogs, bugs, worms...yuck. This poor frog. He "loved" it death. Literally. This boy loves him some critters.

 

Chocolate pudding...a crowd pleaser.

 

See?

 

Dada and his buddies. Did I mention that Dada is the coolest person in the world to them? He might as well be a real life superhero. They go running to him when he gets home, and heaven forbid I threaten to put one of them to bed....instant tears! "No, Dada take me night night!!!!" Ha! It's nice to be unwanted sometimes :)

 

Hee Hee!

I hate to end on a sad note, but in other news, we lost our cat, Dixie. She just disappeared several days ago, and we haven't seen her since. Hoping she shows up, but it isn't looking hopeful :( Praying she show up! Carter will miss her so!