The Boys and My Belly

The boys are into kissing my belly. Maximo is more into raspberries but they both are always lifting up my shirt to look at my belly. I finally had Matt take a few pictures of them in action.
The other night we let the boys watch Rataouille and they both lounged out on the couch with their milk and cereal and we didn't hear a peep from them...

Here is a shot of Maximo's little bottom and his tan line. I am constantly putting sunscreen on them but they still seem to get some sun!


Here is a video of them!


I was 39 weeks yesterday! My mom comes on Monday and I am being induced Tuesday. I am so excited and thankful my mom will be here for the boys and both Matt and I can go in for the arrival of#3!

My view

Here is what I see when I try to look at my feet these days :)


38+ weeks :)

Not busy, just tired...

I would love to say that we have been so busy that I haven't been blogging, but the real reason is I have been so tired. These boys have been keeping me busy. Last week we watched the shuttle launch and it was really awesome that the boys got to see such a cool part of history, but the clouds made it so hard to see. We only got to see it for a few seconds. Here are a few pictures of the hour or so wait we had before the launch.



We also went to the zoo this week and had a great time! It was really too hot for me to enjoy but the boys had a great time. Of course they both wore their hats. I bought both of them Nike hats a few weeks ago and they wear them everywhere we go. I only got two pictures of them there. The zoo was pretty small but it had several exhibits where you could feed the animals. This is Athen and his friend feeding a deer. At the end of the zoo is a splash pool area that was awesome for the boys. They loved it and of course I didn't take one picture of it.



Lastly, we went to a Farmer's Market this week and Athen got a pair of Mater teeth that were attached to a sucker! They are so funny. Here he is modeling them :)


Only 13 more days until my due date and I can't wait. I am so nervous for 3 little ones, but chasing these boys around with this big belly is no easy task. I get out of breathe putting their shoes on before we leave. My mom comes on the 26th and I am hoping this little guy waits on her to get her.

Our new place

Here are some pictures of our new place. I still have a few rooms to finish but for the most part we are moved in and things are in place.
Dining Area

Kitchen

Boys Bathroom

The "cool" surfboard on the shower curtain!

Master Bedroom

Master Bathroom

Boys Room

Living Room



Our backyard/patio area backs up to a playground for the boys and you can see the club house and pool from our backyard.



We are enjoying Florida so much, and are looking forward to our first visitors in a few weeks :)

The Beach and Football

There is sooo much to do here, I don't even know what to do about it. We have definitely enjoyed the beach. Here are the boys and me 36 weeks enjoying the fun and sun!








This week we signed Athen up for a football camp. It is every Friday and he LOVES it. Here are two cute videos of him at camp. I love that he called the cones, "cozy cones" from the Cars movie.





Also here is a picture of the awesome coloring book from Athen's friends in Oklahoma!



This is the outside of our place :)



This weekend we plan to get the house completely unpacked and everything in it's place. I will post pictures as soon as we get it all put together! I will be excited not to be living amongst boxes :)

FLORIDA! FLORIDA! FLORIDA!

I have a few minutes since the boys our napping, none of our household goods have arrived, I figured I would update the blog!



As we drove away from Altus, it was so bittersweet. I loved that little town and all the friends we made, but we were all so excited to be moving to Florida. Athen and Matt chanted Florida throughout our entire roadtrip and Maximo tried his hardest to say Florida right along with them. It was so cute. The last week has been one of the most stressful and exhausting weeks of my life but we have been so blessed. It makes me realize why military families have so many kids, when you move all you have is each other and the more of you there are the more you have to rely on.
Before we left Altus there was a serious hail storm...It was unbelievable the amount of hail that came down. Unfortunately our house had some damage. We had a window break, some shingles shredded and the siding on our chimney damaged. So this made our departure from Altus a little more difficult because we had to make sure these were taken care of before we could leave! Luckily our cars weren't damaged because we were at a friend's house on the other side of town that didn't see much or any of the storm. The NB family opened their home to us all week, and fed us dinner the night before we left. They gave the boys the sweetest gifts before we left. Maximo got a shapes book, which he has hoarded since he received it. For Athen they made him the coolest coloring book ever! Inside was a place to keep crayons and then she had made pages of pictures from photographs taken of him and all of his friends. It is so cool! He loves it and told me it was "perfect" about 10 times on the car ride. Saying goodbye to the NB family was so hard and I pray that our paths will cross again SOON!

The car ride was as smooth as could be with two little ones and being pregnant. We drove 6 hours the first day, 8 the second day, and about 10 the last day. The boys slept great in all the hotels, however they woke up around 6am or earlier every single morning. They also both added four states to their roster! Athen has now been to 14 states and Maximo has been to 11 states. Athen has a map and has been following where we are going. He kept asking me if we made it to "The Mississippi" yet. He was really into where we were. I love that they are able to see so much of the country. On the rode, we mostly stopped at places that had play areas for the boys, so pretty much Chick-Fil-A's. It was good for the boys to get some energy out and be able to play before we got back in the car again. In the middle of one of our chaotic stops Matt and I were running low on patience and were arguing about our plans for the night. We were all sitting and eating and sweet little Maximo grabbed my hand then grabbed Matt's hand and looked at us both. We had forgotten to pray before dinner and it was just a sweet reminder to us of what was really important.

Florida is vastly different from OK. The scenery is beautiful. We took the boys to the beach this morning and they were both in awe and loved it so much. Athen asked if we could go back after quiet time and after dinner too! He also asked me why their are spider trees everywhere...palm trees. I'm also realizing sand will be a big part of my life. And boy is it messy!!! We were also so blessed to be able to buy a house within a day of being here. We get to move in TODAY, our household goods should be here TODAY as well. So PTL for that. The house is pretty small but the amenities are really nice. We can see the pool, playground and gym from our back porch. It is also less than 1/2 mile from the beach. Matt has to start work tomorrow and we are hoping that he can get some time off to help us unpack and settle in to our new home!
Here are some pictures from Altus and now our new home Florida!
The old big window getting loaded on a flatbed, and was eventually loaded on a big rig, and is hopefully being delivered as I type this!

Me dressed up for a ladies 80's party before we left!

Our Oklahoma home before we left!

Athen swimming one last time at the pool on base!

Once we get the keys to our place I will take some pictures and upload them.

Moving...

I don't even know where to start about our next move... I love being a part of the military and all the opportunities we have been given, but I never realized how hard moving would be. When I moved to LA from the Academy, I was so excited. I picked (sort of) where I wanted to go and I was moving for MY career. As we begin another chapter or another move, I realize how difficult it is to be a military spouse. Although our husbands don't always get a choice on where they want to move, they are moving for their career. When they move they typically have built in friends at every base, because they either work with guys from school or are with guys that share similar interests. As spouses we start from scratch at each new place. We join them on the journey but we leave behind homes, churches, and friendships that only other military spouses can truly understand. It makes me sad thinking about how much time I spent making this house our home...How I came here with just one baby and pregnant with another...How Maximo took his first steps right here...How we celebrated the boys 1st and 3rd birthdays...How Athen helped us pick out everything for his "car" room...How I leave here and will probably never come back to this house or even this town again... What is even harder is leaving the friends that we have made. Military friendships are truly one of a kind. When you meet someone else in the military you don't wait to hang out, you make plans as soon as possible because you know your time is short. Also, noone has family around to help out, so these friends become your family... My friends here have been the biggest blessing to me. They have cooked me countless dinners when Matt has been gone...Have loved my kids like their own, kissing their ouchies, disciplining them, and cuddling them up...Have given me a break when I am not sure I can keep going...Have opened their homes for holidays, Bible studies, and girl's nights...Have cried with me, laughed with me, and vented with me...Have helped me clean my house after a party because I was 33 weeks pregnant and just wanted to help me... I can't even begin to explain how much I will miss these women and their children. I love them like sisters. The saddest part is not knowing when or if you will see them again. You hope and pray that you will but you just aren't sure.
My boys don't understand that we are moving. We have had endless conversations about going to Florida, about our new home (which we don't have yet), about leaving Oklahoma. I don't think the reality of it will set in until we are actually gone and they want to go to a friend's house or have a friend over. This week I had a "Going Away" party for them and their friends. We had a great time! Here are a few pictures from the "beach" party!




So as we spend our last few days here in Altus, I am going to enjoy every minute I can with our friends and just be thankful that I got to meet such wonderful people!