It's Fall Around Here

I put out our Fall decorations a little early this year as in the beginning of September.  I blame it on pregnancy that I have been ready for Fall since July.  Normally I don't want summer to end, but this year is different.  I was the same way when I was pregnant with the boys.   We're finally having some "fall-like" weather I thought I'd share a few of my Fall decorations. Since I am at home a lot with the boys, I try to make our home as homey as possible.  I have fun decorating for each season.  

My vast assortment of "Fall" scented candles have also been put out.  I have also plugged in my apple cinnamon Air Wick.  By the way it smells amazing!  Confession:  I may have a Pumpkin Spice Latte addiction.  I had 3 the first week they came out!  I have cut back to one for a weekly treat now.  That can get out of hand real quick!  They are so yummy and lately taste even better than normal to me.   It just makes me feel good to sit down and see all my Fall decorations and smell my Fall scents. How do y'all celebrate Fall?

A Productive Weekend

This weekend the boys went to stay with Grammy, Poppy and Grandma in TN, so Adam and I could start the grueling process of moving rooms around and starting on nursery #2.  We killed it this weekend!  I honestly can't believe how much we got done.  I am so proud of our progress and it was definitely nice to have a little down time without the boys but I sure did miss them!  By Sunday I was so ready to see by babies!   
We hit the ground running early Saturday morning.  We started by cleaning out the bonus room over the garage.  Adam and I made countless trips up and down the stairs to prepare the bonus room for the guest bedroom furniture.  We made full use of our attic by storing everything we don't need right now up there.  Then it was time to get rid of all the excess furniture.  The sofa was by far the biggest pain the in butt to get down the stairs but we (yes Adam and preggo) made it...barely.  
If anyone local wants to purchase a sofa, let me know.  We are getting rid of the sofa, bar chair, and desk table.
Sunday morning Adam also worked on organizing our garage a little better.  I was wiped so Momma sat inside and read.  ;) 

Since the bonus room used to be kind of a second attic/play room/office, there was A LOT of packing up and throwing out to be done.  

My office is still a work in progress, but here's what it looks like right now.  I have so much stuff to fit into such a small space that I really struggle with finding the best way to organize it.  It's a definite work in progress.  Hey we couldn't do everything in one weekend.

We then carried the all the guest bedroom furniture from downstairs upstairs to the new "Guest Suite".  

The old guest room which is now the new nursery still needs a lot of work as you can see.  At least we got all the big stuff done.  I feel a lot better about this whole process.  Now I can focus on getting the boys into twin beds and setting up the nursery.

Meanwhile while Mommy and Daddy were working their butts off, my boys were up in TN having a ball with their grandparents and with all Adam's old cars.

Can you believe Adam's parents saved all his old toys and they all look brand new!  

This 80s red Volkswagen is awesome!

I just love productive weekends.  I definitely missed my boys but it was so nice to have a little down time and get some much needed housework/moving done.  It really is good for everyone.  The boys get a change of scenery and a chance to play with their grandparents, and Mommy and Daddy are able to get some freedom and time to get things done that otherwise wouldn't happen with the little boogers around.  Win win!

Fit Pregnancy: 23 Week Update

It's been a while since I've posted about my fitness journey while pregnant.  Mainly because I haven't been working out exactly like I would like.  In all honesty we've had a rough past few weeks.  Eli was sick one week so we were housebound, then Van got it the next week and the week after we had a few hiccups and were trying to get into our new school routine.  I feel like we are FINALLY getting back on track and into a good rhythm.  Let's just hope it stays that way.
Even though the past few weeks have been a little crazy, I've managed to average 3-4 workouts a week even if it's just a quick jog/walk or some intervals on the treadmill.  I am still teaching Pump which varies week to week but on average I teach 1-3 times a week.  If I have a light teaching week, I try to at least take a Pump class or get some other sort of weight training in.  This week I actually found my way back into the weight room and did a quick upper body blast (10-12 reps of heavier weight than normal).  I wasn't sure if I could still lift what I normally do but was kind of surprised when I could.  Of course if anything feels weird, I would stop immediately but my body seemed to respond well.  Guess that goes to show Pump keeps you in better shape than you think.  

I had backed off a bit on the high intensity cardio but found myself teaching half of a BodyAttack class this past weekend due to an instructor not showing up.  I'm not going to lie I was a little nervous about it since I hadn't taught Attack in months and haven't even attended a class since I've been pregnant...eek!  I had just taught Pump too, but guess what?!  My body didn't miss a beat.  I'm not planning on doing that very often, but it did feel good!  Doing Attack is rare, but I am still taking Combat, Spinning, and running/walking a few times a week.  Even if I'm feeling icky, I find that a little bit of movement does help.  
Let's be honest though, I have many days I feel like crap and am totally exhausted and frankly just don't feel like working out.  I am growing bigger by the day and can feel all that weight weighing me down.  I am starting to have lower back pain which I did with the boys.  I try to take it easy when I can but those moments are few and far between these days.  I usually crash one day on the weekend and let Adam take over so I can rest.  
Diet: I am not by any means a picture of a healthy pregnancy diet.  This is how I look at it.  This is my last pregnancy.  I'm going to be hungrier than normal and put on weight anyway, so I might as well enjoy it and oh boy have I been enjoying it!  Don't get me wrong, I do try to eat healthy too.  I'm just not worrying myself to death over every little thing that goes into my mouth.  I could definitely be a little healthier but I could also be a lot unhealthier too.   
This is what I eat most days for lunch.   I try to incorporate some sort of veggie into all of my meals.

But this is what I give into on the weekends (sometimes during the week too)... Much like with the boys I crave hamburgers and french fries.   Let's be honest, I crave them not pregnant too.  It's just an excuse to eat them more often! ;)
  

Blondie Thoughts: Being a Boy Mom

As a very girly girl and growing up with predominately girls, I was obviously quite clueless about boys and their antics when I had 2.  As a mom of soon to be 3 boys, I have definitely learned a lot and continue to learn every day.  Here are a few things I've learned about boys in the 2 1/2 years I've been a Mommy.

• Total destruction is eminent no matter how much you "baby" proof.  They will always find something else to destroy whether it be pulling their diapers off and smearing poop everywhere (see below), trying to pull the blinds down, or shaking the locked closet doors so they can open them and pull everything out.  Everything that used to be in their room that now has to be stored in the closet because they can't handle having anything except their bed stuff, a few toys and books in their room.  Standing on top of their already turned over bookcase to try to swing off the hooks on the back of the door, or using their beds as slides against the dresser and crawling up via the drawers and sliding down is also a fun way to pass the time and NOT sleep.  No matter what you do or what you remove, there is always a way to try to kill themselves or destroy something.

• Poop is a fun toy that can be smeared all over anything and everything.  Taking diapers off and playing with it is a really fun game!  Now I'm not sure this is a thing for all boys but it definitely is for mine.  I will spare you graphic details but let's just say it has been smeared in every corner and crevice of their room including the ceiling?!  We finally wised up and put them in zip up pj's again and snap bottoms before bed or naps.  Tell me this is a phase that will pass quickly!

• Penis obsession.  This one is a little hard for me.  No pun intended, well maybe a little ;)  Boys have an obsession with them from birth.  They get erections pretty much from Day 1 and once they discover this wondrous body part, they are forever best friends.  Case in point: We are just in the introductory stages of potty training, and I was sitting with Van while he was trying to go the other day.  He looked up at me and as serious as could be grabbed his "pee pee" and said "Pink" and I said, "Yes."  Then with a little more enthusiasm he looks me squarely in the face and excitedly says, "BIG!"  I lost it.  I bust out laughing!  I mean what do you say to that?  I again said, "Yes Van it's big."  So it starts...

• Energy energy energy!  They have plenty of it.  There is rarely a still moment.  They are curious about everything and love to be active.  I'm not saying this is a bad thing by any means but it can wear me out!  I try to get us out of the house every morning so the boys can expend their energy elsewhere besides wreaking havoc on the house.  Preschool is the answer.  On the days they aren't in school (if I'm not dead tired), I try to do a fun activity with them whether it be a hike, going to a playground, lunch out, errands, or going to the gym to play.  They love going to the gym thank goodness, so I don't have to feel guilty about that one.  

I can guarantee you I will be able to add to this list in the next few weeks, months, and years.  Boy moms I would love to hear any stories or advice you have.  Because I stay at home, I sometimes feel like I'm alone in this crazy journey so I love to hear other people's stories and ideas.

Our Weekend

The boys were finally feeling better Friday, so we made it to their first day of Preschool.  To say they were excited would be an understatement.  They had been talking about it for a week since we met their teacher.  It made me feel so good that they were so excited to go, and they did fabulous the first day.  Let's just hope it stays that way.

Eli looks a little skeptical but trust me, he was not!  He left me and ran down the hall to his classroom.   He couldn't wait to get there (to play with all the cars they have).  That's the real reason he's so excited about school.  That little boy is obsessed with cars.  Apple doesn't fall far..uh huh...Adam Vicars.

 We were all ready to get out of the house Saturday morning.  Our vow this Fall is to get out of the house more and do fun, adventurous things with the boys before the baby comes.  Saturday morning we decided to go downtown to the Farmer's Market.  Not that adventurous but hey at least we were out and about.  It was so nice to be out of the sick house and be around people.



These lil boys love their Daddy!

After a nice warm stroll around the Farmer's Market, we headed down to the West End to have lunch at Liberty Taproom.  We are always a little skeptical to take the boys into a restaurant because you never know what you're going to get, but they did great this time.  

Van bellied up to the bar. 

What can you do?  He wanted to watch a little football.  ;)

Is that a burger or what?  Yes, I ate it all.  

The rest of Saturday was spent watching football.  My Vols won, so I was a happy camper. 

Sunday was kind of a down day.  I was exhausted from having sick kiddos the past 2 weeks.  Thankfully Adam was sweet enough to take over and deal with the boys most of the day while I rested.  I have to have a day to recharge every now and then or I don't fare well. This week we are hoping and praying that we all stay well and are able to go all 3 days to preschool!  Adam is out of town this week, so I am flying solo in the evenings...eek!  Hope everyone has a great week! 

The Last Days of Summer

Well, I had originally planned this post to be about all the fun things the boys and I did the last week before their school started but our plans changed quickly.  Unfortunately we've been holed up in the house.  Eli had a stomach bug all last week and this week Van has it.  UGGGHHHH!!!  I hope he is the last one to get this wonderful bug.  The boys were supposed to start their first day of K2 on Tuesday but Van woke up sick so I am praying we will all be well by Thursday, so they can at least attend their first week.  They are dying to go to "school" and I am dying for them to go!  We went and met their teacher last week and they are super excited.  We are all ready for a routine again.
Fortunately we were able to get a hike in the week before all the sickness so it wasn't a total loss.   The boys loved it!  I can't wait to take them again.

 Taking a break on the bridge.

Even though we were housebound most of last week, Eli perked up briefly to play outside.

Van doing a good job of sweeping the porch just like Mommy.

We tried to take a walk down to the playground before Eli started feeling bad again.  And yes they wanted to both push the stroller themselves.  Hey at least it's good practice for the 3rd little guy.

In between sickness, we made a quick trip up to Knoxville on Sunday to see my sis and my niece Olivia.  The boys had not seen her since Christmas so it was way past time to get the cousins together.  They had some good times.  We had plans of taking the boys down to "experience" a UT Football game day but just didn't get it together to get down there.  I hope they get to see the Vol Walk and Volunteer Village next time.

Cool cats watching Mickey with their shades.

The hit was Grandma's piano.  They had to put on their "glasses" just like Grandma to play.



We have a lot of blonde hair and blue eyes going on in our family.




In other baby news... I am halfway through my pregnancy. 20 weeks last Thursday

Hope y'all had a wonderful Labor Day weekend.  

Prayers for health!