just pictures.

letters to my kids.

dear lane,
the other day as we were leaving the carters store, buying something for your new brother or sister, you looked up at me and reached for my hand. you smiled and nodded your head to the music. it felt so good lane, a tiny moment i don't think i'll ever forget. we fit together, you and me. we're getting very excited to meet your baby brother or sister but at times i feel sad. i realize you won't remember what its like having just dad and me to yourself, the love that us three share will only get bigger and better...i'm sure of that! i feel sad that you will miss the way things used to be, sad i won't be able to give you ALL of my attention. we'll just have to make sure that we make time for just us two buddy...and guess what, it will be even more special then. but before any of that happens, i want you to know how special these past 20 months have been. life will never be the same since before you were born. you changed me, molded me into a person i didn't know existed. you, my sweet baby boy, made me into a mom. you have been your dad and i's greatest joy for nearly two years. through you, God, has changed your dada and i. we now understand God's love for his children. everyday i pray you can feel God's love through me being your mom. i don't want to be sad about this stage in our lives coming to an end or start not looking forward to all the excitement that is ahead of us. so, whatever time is ahead of us before baby is born lets enjoy! pull my hand over your eyes every morning b/c the room is too bright when i open the curtains, tug at my hands when i just sit down, help me blow dry my hair, lets enjoy our everydays. i love you even more than i did on the day you were born...NOTHING will ever change that!
you are true love lane.
love, mama.


dear little baby in my belly,
it's probably not fair to write you a letter today. i'm tired. being pregnant kept me awake all night. who knew heartburn hurts so bad!? right now i'm 38.5 weeks along. so roughly 1.5 weeks from meeting you. we are getting SO excited. i don't mean it little baby, i know you hear me, but i am always saying that we won't be able to go do 'this' and 'that' for a while once you are here. you are not a damper on our schedule. just a change, a welcome change. i'll admit it, i'm so scared. so scared that i won't be able to give you all my attention and love that i was able to give your brother for so long. i know you won't know any different but i want you to know you are ALREADY equally loved. from the minute we found out about you, you have had my heart. a huge piece of my heart. there isn't a moment that goes by that i don't think about you. never once have you let me forget i'm pregnant. thank you for always moving so much. we've seen so much of you through ultrasounds, you've already had your picture taken way more than your big brother. i will try my hardest to take just as many pictures of you as i have him! you and me kiddo have a special connection, we're both the second born in our families. it's the best. you'll always have an older sibling who's your best friend, teaching you all sorts of new things. and Lord willing, someday you'll have younger brothers/sisters. another best friend who you'll be able to make all sorts of memories with. once you're here, there is going to be a lot of "s/he looks just like lane (or vance, or celine)" but you are unique, you are special you. we already are loving you as much as we possibly can but even more importantly, there is a God who planned you and loves you more than we ever could. you are so meant to be.
my arms are ready.
love, mama.

little baby.

little baby had an ultrasound the other day. 36weeks&4days. getting so BIG! estimated to be 6lbs 14oz. everyone was happy at the growth spirt this little one had within the last few weeks. one of the awesome things about being all big and pregnant is that you don't have to say anything, people just have to look at you, to know there is a MIRACLE going on inside you. a miracle indeed!

little baby was SO happy. kept smiling and smiling.

at an ultrasound earlier this month baby had his/her eyes open, looking all around. we've loved having all these sneak-peeks at baby.

everyday.

it's been a while since everyday photos were posted. maybe its because we're finally home to have everyday pictures. things are slowly being checked off lists yet somehow they keep getting longer. we don't mean to but we constantly talk about how we need to get 'this' and 'this' done before baby comes. it's as if we're not going to be able to do anything once baby is here, and maybe we won't. (?!) my perfectionist ways are coming out with the whole nesting part of pregnancy: clean along all baseboards, dust all wood blinds, wash/iron place mats...just to name a few. i've gone crazy. and did i mention the everyday things are pushed back ALL the time because i'm just too tired. need to sleep. lane's nap time has quickly become my nap time, some days there isn't much(or any) motivation. maybe that's why its taken me two weeks to get this post on here!


new baby got a christmas present: video monitor. we decided to test it out on lane. totally love it! who knew he just played quietly in his room nearly every night for almost an hour?! we always thought we was asleep. ha.

such a boy, designed his own ramp to go down.

scrunchy smile.

bath time is daddy and lane time. by the end of the day i often need some time off, vance is such a good dad (and husband) to give me that! i snuck in a few weeks back and caught some cute moments.






wearing mama's boots.



our new past time. instant happiness for lane. he knows the rules, no touching or tasting, till mama says ok.
...excuse the awesome outfit. too short of pants with his most favorite shoes, from his buddy sam, that are too big to wear outside so he wears them ALL THE TIME inside. (even with his pjs)



is this how i stand while i eat cookie dough? guess so:)

lane LOVES the vacuum. we'd do it everyday, two times a day, if he had his way. although his play vac comes in at a close second. it's hard to tell in this picture but he got creative with a flashlight and placed it on top so it would have a light like a real one.

a winters hike.

last saturday the weather was GORGEOUS so we had to get outside. we headed out to a state park not too far from our house that we've been wanting to go to since we moved here. it was sorta a gamble on going. we were worried there would be too much snow/ice left over, it may be unsafe for lane to run or even for me with falling. but we stayed on the trail majority of the time so baby was safe. lane and vance ventured off and climbed around, suddenly i became my mom yelling "be careful!" every two seconds. man, i get nervous when it comes to my boys. love.them.so.much. it was a GREAT day! felt so good to get some fresh air, we laughed the whole time, one of those mornings that it was just good to be a family.

you can't tell at all in this picture, but behind the rock vance is sitting on was a straight drop off. maybe this summer we'll venture down and walk along the canyon floor.

love this!





vance stopped to get snow out of his shoes so lane thought he needed to too, such a little copy cat.


lane walked TWO miles on his own. he started off running and by the end it was all he could do to keep one foot in front of another. such a trooper!



when we got home lane slept for 4 1/2 hours and then played in the garage with dad. he had to think it was the best day ever.
...vance and i ended the night watching karate kid. classic.