Kansas City Zoo

Wednesday was a nice, sunny November day, so we decided to show Grandpa the zoo!

Watching the polar bear as he uses the glass to push himself into a back stroke

Marshall and Coen enjoyed their carousel ride

Leopard

We never did figure out what this animal was

Cheetah

The otters are usually asleep when we visit, but this time they were swimming underwater and one even used the rock slide they have in the habitat.

The gorilla, chillaxin'

Thanksgiving 2011

The weather report was great for Thanksgiving Day, so we planned a walk around Smithville Lake while the turkey roasted. It was beautiful and sunny out, about 65 degrees!

John captured both of these turtle pictures and I took creative liberties in Photoshop.

Marshall wanted to go down near the lake to feel how cold the water was. The boys skipped rocks and ran along the water's edge for a few minutes.

Coen making his way along the trail. He and Grandpa took turns being troopers, Coen for walking some of the way, and Grandpa for carrying him on his shoulders more of the way.

Marshall found a curious plant that had fallen off a tree and wanted to investigate it. Grandpa tried smashing it and discovered it was a walnut! We gathered more to take home and eat. They were very rich and flavorful! Makes me want to buy a nutcracker.

Marshall samples his discovery.

Isn't this pretty? My Dad gathered various plants and made me a little bouquet. I brought it home and put it on the table as a centerpiece for dinner.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving Dinner with my Dad here! We used our delicious turkey recipe from last year and made a 20 pounder for the leftovers. We had green bean casserole, rolls, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry fluff salad, cranberry sauce, stuffing, and of course pumpkin pie! At my Dad's request we also had sauerkraut, apparently a Marshall family tradition.

Fun with Granpa Kirk

The pictures say it all!! We sure had a blast with my Dad this week! He's so great with my kids and as you can tell, they absolutely loved having him here. Thanks for coming out, Dad! We're already looking forward to your visit in June!

Puppy Love

Dash & Marshall
November 18, 2011

Baby Talk

I just had to record this.

Obviously there has been a lot of talk in our house about the baby joining our family. Yesterday Coen asked if the baby was going to come out of my mouth. For once I was glad to be having a c-section because I told him the doctor was going to cut my tummy to make a hole to take the baby out of and was thus able to avoid the other way babies come into this world.

Immediately he told me the doctor was going to cut his tummy open too. The talk about his belly (and other random body parts) being cut hasn't stopped since. This morning he asked me if the doctor has a knife. Then Marshall said he was glad that boys don't have to have babies and asked if it hurt. I told him it only hurts after for a month or two, but that they numb you and you can't feel it while they're doing it. I also made sure to tell him it was all worth it!

Coen also asked if the doctor comes to the house. I told him I would go to the hospital where the doctors are, and stay there with Daddy for a few days. He got mad and told me I couldn't go, then changed and said he wanted to come too. Then I told him Grammy would be here to stay with him. That helped a little.

At some point I saw a lightbulb go off in Marshall's pretty little head. "I know why they call it delivery!" he said. He continued to explain that he used to think it meant that someone delivered the baby, like in a cardboard box. We went over that it means the doctor delivers the baby into the world and then to the family. It is kinda a weird name for it when you think about it.

Anyway, I love that they're asking so many questions. (Luckily, we've avoided the big "HOW" question so far!!) I think it helps them understand more about what's going to happen and takes away some of their concerns.

Also, right now we're trying on the name "Hudson." I really like it, John's not so sure, but that's what we've been calling him. Thoughts?

It's a BOY!!!

After waiting for what seemed like forever, we finally found out the gender of baby #3!! Not only is 21 weeks a very, very long time for a mom-to-be, but the ultrasound tech purposely avoided the area just to keep us on our feet! I was super annoyed.

Here's the little guy's right hand (in the background) up by his face.

He was moving like crazy and this was a shot the tech got of his leg & foot, hand, and face.

Because of all the movement, it took her awhile to get a profile shot, but here he is!

And last but not least, the very unmistakeable you-know-what!

Our little guy is healthy and active! Just like his brothers. We're sure excited to meet him! I'm really happy that Coen will have a little brother. Watching Marshall and Coen grow and interact and become friends is the second best thing about being a mom, the first of course is motherhood itself. So I'm excited to add a third to the mix!

Baby is measuring right at his due date - March 18th. We (well, mostly I) have decided to go with a repeat c-section and we'll schedule that at my 28 week appointment.

I'm feeling great, just loving this second trimester before the third and worst (in my opinion) come along!

The other good news in our little family is that Coen, who has been semi-potty trained, only going #1 in the toilet the last few months, has now done a #2. It took a little bribery by way of a Cars 2 Duplo set, but hey! Anything for potty training, right? ;-)