Pigtails!

Every little girl should wear pigtails. It's simply adorable, and always brings a smile to my face.

A zoo trip with our Besties

Hard to believe it, but this was our first trip to the zoo with the Lass family this summer! We had such a great time, even though we didn't see many animals. We enjoyed a nice lunch, the zoomazium, the carousel, feeding the birds, and watching our friends get their faces painted, we also enjoyed a nice ice cream cone in the shade to wrap up our long day.

Nicolas monkeying around on the fence, watching the emus.

Naomi loved feeding the birds.

Luke helping Nicolas when he couldn't quite reach the bird.

The Crew! (Maybe one of my all time favorite pics of the 5 of them!)

We weren't even out of the parking lot yet. It was a great day!

Our little fashionista!

Every morning Naomi comes into our room to let us know she's awake. She usually asks for 2 things: "wahwer" and a "bress." It's difficult most days to even get her to wear a pair of shorts under her "bresses" for modesty. Here are some new additions to her ever growing "bress" collection, complete with what happened when I tried a pair of ruffled leggings on underneath for fall layering. This girl cracks me up!

This is my new fav on her, the MJ Dragonfly Satine

HA! Look at that scrunched face, on the floor, all over some leggings!

Cheese!

This is adorable too, and it's a nice fine corduroy material.

Love the back! 

She's not sold on the shirt and skirt combo, it's not a "bress" afterall.

I haven't told her it's a shirt yet...

I'm not ready for a teenager...

I just had to document this shenanigan of Naomi's, so that later in life when she really is a teenager I'll look back and remember not to be surprised...

So earlier today we had been outside playing for about two hours. Our contractor showed up to go over a few things with me and I set the kids up inside with some drinks and a cartoon. Just as I was finishing up with the contractor outside (less than 15 minutes mind you) the garage door starts opening. I look under it to find Naomi standing on her tiptoes, on a step stool, on the top stair leading into the house, super proud of herself. The door had been locked too. She smart and it's scary.

My Big Boy

I've been having so much fun with Nicolas lately! He is turning into such a kid, and rapidly outgrowing his toddler days. In just a couple of weeks, he'll be starting pre-k so I really wanted to make sure that we filled the last of summer with as much fun as we could.

Everyday for the last 4 or 5 days, we've gone outside to play and ride bikes. He's always been so very cautious when it comes to riding his bike, that I thought it would be a great confidence booster for him. We've continued our talks about being brave and always being willing to try things at least once before saying that we're scared to do it. I really want him to understand that being scared is ok, but that we shouldn't let fear get in the way of having a good time and exploring. My biggest point in our bravery talks in relation to the bike, is that he is in control of the bike. He pedals the bike, he steers the bike, and lastly he can slow the bike down with the brakes if he's feeling a bit out of control. I still have to rest my hand on the handlebars most of the time, but he's really doing 99% of the work without even realizing it. By my approaching bike riding differently, and really Nicolas in general, he isn't getting as frustrated and giving up as easily. He even did an extra lap around the cul de sac today to see a boat, and I rewarded him and his sister with a mid afternoon ice cream treat.

Here's a few pics from around the neighborhood lately:

My Sweet Boy at the Park 8/17/13

Sibling Fun! 8/17/13

Mid Afternoon Treats! 8/19/13

Our little surprise blessing

We are so blessed to have the honor and joy of having our 3rd child. Who would have thought 6 years ago, when we said I do with no dreams of children, that we would be the proud parents to 2 and soon to be 3?! When Travis and I were growing up, neither of us had aspirations of being parents. Let's just chalk that up to not having met and fallen in love with each other. ok? I can't imagine my life without my amazing husband, or our 3 babies. This 3rd baby was a bit of surprise, but welcomed with so much love and excitement! After our house was broken into in March, we were happy to have this beacon of hope and joy show up in April. This is also the first time that we chose not to find out the sex of the baby, so there is even more anticipation for December. Here are a few ultrasound pictures of Bleken #3, complete with crossed legs so there was no peeking allowed! ;)

No peeking! Look at those precious feet!

A close up of the baby's profile

Full face of our baby

Tucked in snug!

I rarely post pictures of myself, but I wanted to capture a few of the semi regular pregnant selfies that I've been taking to document this pregnancy.

11 weeks

12 weeks and a day

16 weeks 6 days

20 weeks! Halfway!

22 weeks and a day (yikes, no makeup on the way to the zoo!)

Catching up on our busy Summer

This summer has been flying by so far. Nicolas turned 4, Naomi turned 2, and I'm now 22 weeks and 5 days pregnant with our 3rd baby! We have had lots of fun this summer. Nicolas attended a 2 weeks summer program through his preschool, and he also went to Vacation Bible School. Naomi was so disappointed not to stay and play since her best friend, Sydney, was there as well. Naomi is really excited to start 2 day a week preschool in the fall with Sydney and Wyatt!

The kids have also been playing soccer. Nicolas is playing all by himself, with Ava and Pea, and Naomi has been playing in a Mommy and Me class. They are so cute running around out there, even if Naomi does spend a good 10 minutes of the 30, stomping around complaining about not having a "bress" and generally not wanting to do anything Miss Naomi doesn't want to do. Nicolas is really taking to soccer, and works hard to do everything his coach asks of him. I'm just so proud of him!

Naomi and Sydney

Naomi on the sidelines

Nicolas working hard!

Group shot of the big kids :)

I love how intently he listens to his Coach!

We celebrated Nicolas' 4th birthday at Jump Planet. He always has so much fun there, and he specifically requested to have his party there again this year. He chose Thomas the Train for his theme this year. I think he's growing out of a Thomas a bit, asking for trains with no faces and such, so it was fun to capture a bit of the little kid in him still with this party. He had all of his favorite people there, and was completely spoiled rotten!

Naomi at the party!

Looks fun to me! 

Nicolas and his best friend, Ava.

The best group shot!

Pizza, fruit, and juice for lunch

I love that Naomi had to wear a crown to her brothers party.

The cake and favors!

My happy 4 year old!

Naomi Can Ride!

I love how brave my sweet little girl is! While Nicolas is working hard at being brave and trying to learn how to ride his bike, Naomi grabbed the trike and pedaled by us. I'm so proud of her independence, strength, and bravery. I hope those are qualities she will possess forever, because they will serve her well. Check out this link to watch her ride!

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10102276938933028&l=6970420466676830715