Last Dinner

I seriously feel like I am about to pop! I am starving, I eat, I stuff myself, I am miserable for hours.... then hungry, repeat! I actually do pretty well when eating at the house, but a restaurant serving is entirely too much....but oh so good that I really want to finish it! Les and I went to Z Tejas early this evening, Z is one of my top 3 favorite places to eat in Austin! We had an appetizer and I ordered a side wedge salad...not even the entree size. I am now back at home as miserable as I was the last time I ate a meal out....why do I keep doing this to myself??? So, I am going to make that my last dinner out until Hutch is here. I only have 5 days (or less) and will be much better off to just eat small portions at home. Thank goodness we ate early or I wouldn't have been able to sleep tonight (like when we ate out on Thursday night). As of right now, restaurant eating is banned at the Campbell house!!

I had Les take a picture of me before we left to eat because I have really gotten big over the last couple of weeks....and my Mom was so afraid I would go into labor and she wouldn't get to see me "full size". I can no longer wear any of my pants or jeans....I am pretty much all dresses and skirts for a while. I certainly hope that it is Hutch that is getting big and it isn't me just packing on the LB'S here at the end. My official count is 34 lbs, which is better than I've ever done, but right now I feel like I weigh 300 lbs! I know, not much longer....and I love being pregnant, right? :)....It's been a wonderful pregnancy, I really can't complain, or rather I shouldn't, but I do. Well, anyway, here are probably final prego pics before the hospital pics.......without further adieu......

Friday lunch date

Today was my last Friday to have lunch with Cannon (this year). I don't know if I am going to be able to keep up the Friday lunch date next year because I will have 2 lunches at two totally different times (since Neely will be in Kinder and Cannon will be in 2nd)....and I will be carting around a baby!! I truely hope that Cannon and Neely have enjoyed our Friday lunch date over the last 6 months as much as I have. I feel so blessed to have been able to do this....what a treat! I am already thinking that in the fall when I go back to work, and the kids go back to school that our Friday lunch dates will have to be special occasions. I have a feeling that my Fridays will be used for catching up on errands, grocery store, cleaning, running (yes, something for me, exercise), maybe a pedicure here and there (something else for me), etc. Hmmm, Friday could turn into totally selfish day. Those of you that really know me know better than that!! I am hoping over the summer that they will forget about Friday Happy Meals, but I have my doubts. It's been fun! Now we have the next thing to look forward to.....Hutch and summertime! Life is sooooo good!

The Pre-K Graduate

Apparently Pre-K Graduation is a BIG deal!!! So, we made it a BIG deal! We had Neely's graduation this evening at the Lakeline Oaks Center. The kids were all decked out in their Sunday's best....very cute. Caps, gowns, tassels and diploma...the whole nine yards. It was a little overkill if you ask me, but Neely was very excited about it, and the kids and teachers had put a great deal of work into it, so we were game!! After graduation we went out to eat with the Kuharski family, their son Luke was also a Pre-K graduate of the Octopus class tonight! I was most excited about the "raise" I get now that I don't have to write that big fat check to Goddard School at the beginning of every month....I am ALL about Pre-K graduation when it comes to that, of course Goddard School will be getting all of my money again in September when Hutch starts there!!! Anyway, Happy Graduation to our beautiful girl....definitely the prettiest girl there tonight!

June 4th

Melissa called, and June 4th is the magical day.....if Mr. Hutch doesn't decide to make an appearance a little earlier! She was sure to remind me that the fact that I was already 2 cm dilated, and that this was my 3rd baby, that I could definitely have him before then. Guess we will all just have to wait and see :). Either way, one week from today I will be holding my youngest son!!! I am on cloud 9!!!

Induction.....woo-hooo!!!!!

I am dilated 2 cm today....YIPPPPPEEEEE!!!! The Dr. said we could go ahead and set up an induction for next week. I am waiting to get a call from Melissa, she is Dr. Fitzpatrick's nurse, and she will be giving me the magical date! Oh my goodness, I see a light at the end of the tunnel, and I am unbelievably excited. I can't believe that in a week we will finally get to meet Hutch. I don't think I will be able to get a darn thing accomplished the rest of the day!!

We Scoop Poop

These days people use their vehicles not only as their mode of transportation, but also as their mobile billboard. This morning I was behind a pick-up truck that was advertising that their business is "piling up". Their business is called Dog Duty! They were a poop scooping business. www.wescooppoop.com OK, now I truly believe that there is a business for EVERYTHING! People pay people to clean their houses, do their laundry, mow their yards, clean their pools, rake their leaves, plant their plants....so, why not have a person scoop your poop? I don't know, at some point I have to draw the line. First of all, I had to wonder how the girl that was driving this pick-up felt about having to drive a truck with cartoon images of dog poop all over it??? I am pretty sure I would be pretty embarrassed to do so. I've scooped poop, and it isn't my favorite chore, but how hard is it? Do I really need to pay someone to come out to my house to do it? I would much rather save my hard earned dollars and scoop the poop myself....or let Les mow over it with the lawn mower! I am definitely going to the website today to see how much they charge to clean up doggy poo....just out of curiosity!! The owners of this business must be mighty proud!!

Memorial Day

We had an awesome (and exhausting) day! I hardly have the energy to type right now. It is 8:20 pm and the kids are sound asleep, as I will be in about 30 minutes. Run down of the day....we hit the Twin Creeks pool about 10 this morning, swam until 12:30. The guys ran to the grocery store (I love it when they do this) and picked up burgers and hot dogs, then we headed to Scott's (our neighbor and friend) parent's house in Balcones. They have an amazing backyard, patio, pool and hot tub. They were going to the lake with friends, so we had total access to their beautiful home. Fun was had by all.....I'll just leave you with a few pictures of our day since I am too tired to tell you anything funny or clever :). Hope you all had as good of a weekend, and enjoyed your family as much as I did mine!

Neely's outfit, pizza, rolly pollies and friends

I just have to share these pictures from today. The first is before Neely's shower, and the crazy superman shirt, camo shorts and black boots are after the shower. My child comes up with the craziest outfits! Les and I agreed that this one was definitely one of her top 10 best....maybe even top 5. My friend Lanie came over tonight and brought her kids Ryan and Luke. We ordered pizza and then the kids hunted the rolly pollies and tortured the Guinea pig (not really, but darn close). Anyway, here are a few pics from our day.......

Plan B and more......

Our neighborhood pool was closed all morning and the first part of the afternoon. OK, first of all, I am totally irritated by this!! Are you kidding me, Memorial Day weekend is the best day to plan the first swim meet of the year at OUR neighborhood pool? Who plans this stuff? Anyway, I had grand plans to hit the pool with the kids first thing this morning and let them swim till they could barely keep their eyes open, then to home for a nap....it was a good plan...and it would have worked! Well, Twin Creeks Twisters (the swim team) ruined my plans, so I had to come up with some sort of exhausting morning activity so the kids could take a nap before their cousin Tayler's graduation party this afternoon.



Plan B. I get on the computer this morning and do a little research and find a park close by with a "sprinkler park". So, I pack up snacks, drinks, sunscreen, a change of clothes, blanket and towels and we head out to the park. We get there early and get a great spot on the grass where I can watch the kids play in the sprinklers. Neely enjoyed it much more than Cannon. He mostly hung out with me on the blanket and ate Doritos's and drank Capri sun, but it was a good time! After all the water play Neely could take I put them in dry clothes and we walked right "next door" to the play scape. They swung, slid and climbed till their little hearts were content! Eyelids were getting heavy so we headed home. Just my luck, there is a Chick Fil-a on the way home...our pool being closed may have been a blessing in disguise...a gallon of fresh squeezed lemonade from Chick Fil-a will last me all weekend, and is HEAVEN! So, we get lemonade, sweet tea (for Cannon) and chicken nuggets.....now we are home/nap bound! As soon as we got home the kids headed up to bed (willingly...no whining) and I went to put on my walking clothes. Les got home from golf and I took my regular 4-mile walk.....it was HOT, but it was a great workout! It's been a great day....and we still have places to go and people to see.



After the kids got up from their naps and we were all showered and cleaned up we headed to my niece Tayler's graduation party. She is graduating from Vista Ridge on June 5th, and will be a Texas Tech Red Raider in the fall. She is Cannon and Neely's Dad's niece, but I will always consider her my niece too. I have watched her grow from a little tiny girl into a beautiful young lady!! We had a great time at Tayler's graduation party....Neely especially had a great time getting attention from all of the cool teenagers...she sopped it up with a biscuit!!! It was planned to be an outdoor party but as usual Mother Nature had other plans. The rain came down in sheets the whole time we were there. The BBQ was great, good company, yummy cake....all in honor of a beautiful girl!!



It's been a great day! Tomorrow we will definitely be hitting the pool, we still have 2 more days this weekend.....Woo-Hoo....life is good :)!!!

update "here"

I took Cannon to the Dr. on Thursday about the lump behind his nipple. While the lump had gone down some, you could still feel it, and it still hurt him when it was palpated. The Dr. did not seem overly concerned about the lump. He really thought that Cannon had had a bug bite in this area. The redness and swelling are now gone, and the lump seems to be getting smaller everyday. Just wanted you all to know that Cannon is fine :). Thanks for all of your concerns!

Friday On

My Friday "OFF"...has become a crazy and hectic day. According to Les, it is my choice, and on some (maybe even most) accounts he is probably right, but when else am I going to get all of this stuff done? I was just making my "to do" list for tomorrow, and as it has been with every Friday lately, it is full!! No time to sleep in or relax, it is parent teacher conference first thing in the morning (this week), grocery (every week), lunch at school with Cannon (every week - which I enjoy immensely, but he has come to expect it....and I must be there or he is very disappointed), dry cleaners, Dr. appointments, carwash, general run all over Cedar Park and Austin area errands! No rest for the weary! Now, I could fight the crowds with all of the other people that are off on Saturday and Sunday...and drag Cannon and Neely (and soon Hutch) all over for these errands....this is where it is "my choice" to do it on my "day off"...and Neely is usually my little helper this day! Regardless of how you look at it, I have to do these things....so doing it on Friday is just slightly less frustrating! I think a great deal of it right now is because I am trying to have a stocked fridge at all times (ready for company and when we come home from the hospital), and trying to have everything ready and in order for Hutch's arrival...and it is the end of the school year...which makes it even crazier. I'm really not complaining, I am so blessed to have Friday "off", and am very grateful. I just wonder how I got everything done before??? Les realizes all I do and is always willing to help and do his part, but all you Moms and Wives out there know that if you do make a grocery list for your hubby, that by the time you write brands, where it is in the store and how to slice it...you might as well do it yourself. I just want everyone to know that I am not throwing Les under the bus, he is quite a helper and will do whatever I ask.....but I like things done a certain way...and he and I are not always on the same "urgency schedule". So, I better get off blogger and get back to my to do list and grocery list....to make sure I have everything in order for Friday ON!!! BTW, don't feel too bad for me...I do get to do a little fun shopping...and sometimes make time for a Mother/Daughter pedicures :)...it's not all bad!

Breakin Down

I am doing what I said I wouldn't do....I am going to go buy a swimsuit! I really didn't want to, but it's Memorial Day Weekend coming up. Our plans for the weekend are swimming pool, sleep in, swimming pool, golf (Les), nap, swimming pool, cookout, swimming pool, ice cream and swimming pool. I need to be comfortable, and the tank tops and shorts by the pool are not doing it for me....I need to be IN the pool. Not only do I not want to spend the money on a big girl suit, I don't want to sport a big girl suit at the (lately very crowded...and always very crowded Memorial Day weekend) neighborhood pool. I am going to bite the bullet on Friday and get a suit...at least there will be Memorial Day weekend sales so I won't have to pay full price!

"here"

Cannon took his shirt off last night and said he hurt "here". Well, "here" was his little left nipple, which is red and swollen!! I put my finger on it and there is a small lump behind it. My 7-year old son is not supposed to have a red, swollen lump behind his left nipple....what the heck? Yes, needless to say, I am a little freaked out! I have text all my friends with sons to see if ANYONE has heard of this or experienced it.....not one of them! I am taking him to the Dr. tomorrow afternoon. I am a total worry wart....and it (the lump), and he (Cannon) are constantly in my thoughts right now!!

Almost there.......

Well, I am 9+ months! At the end of this week Hutch will be considered a full term baby...and anytime after that would be a great time to welcome him into this world. We just play the waiting game now. Lots of trips to the bathroom, weekly doctors visits, not sleeping well (not that I will after he get here), indigestion, lack of clothing that fits, being starved, but only being able to take 3 bites then feeling sick, back aches, swollen feet, ankles and toes, pure exhaustion........oh what fun the ninth month is! It really is OK, it is very exciting. Every night when I lay down to go to sleep it could be the night that we get to wake up and go to the hospital! The bags are packed and ready to go!! I am ready, we are all ready.

Cannon's Prayer

Dear God,

Thank you for this world, thank you for my family, thank you for our house and cleavage.... Amen

No kidding, this was his prayer (verbatim) last night. Boys, they love the boobs!

I'm a fan

As if I need another place to shop!! I love the things that you can find on Etsy....one of a kind, unique and handmade. LOVE IT!!!

100th Post!

This is my 100th post. Maybe I should celebrate with cake & ice cream....that's what they do on TV when they have their 100th episode. A party, confetti, special guests....OK, so, I realize not as much work goes into my blog, as goes into an episode of TV, so maybe I'll just have a Hershey's kiss. I would like to bring attention to the fact that a lot does go into my blog though! The things I write about are things that happen in my everyday life. So, taking care of a household, being a Mom of 2 (almost 3), being a wife, being a friend, being an employee outside of the home 35+ hours a week, taking care of myself (staying healthy)....blood, sweat and tears go into this blog...because if I didn't live my life the way I do I would not have anything to write about! I will try to keep this up as much as possible after the arrival of Hutch! I hope that there are a few people out there that care, and want me to keep it up. I guess it really is OK either way because blogging is very therapeutic for me! So, hang in there with me and enjoy. Cheers (with my Hershey's kiss) to 100 posts, and here is to 100 more.......

Cleavage

I took the kids up to bed tonight, as I usually do. We got up to Neely's bed, yes, I still let them sleep in the same bed, and we all layed down to say prayers. We finished saying their prayers and I see Cannon looking down at my boobs. My 9-month pregnant body has created the two ginormous breasts that don't even seem like they belong to my body. They are more like two lead balloons filled to capacity. Anyway, so, I catch Cannon looking at them! He looks up at me and says, "what is that called again?", referring to my cleavage. He had already quizzed me about it a few nights ago. Obviously I am wearing some pretty provocative clothing around the house these days....not really....it's just that nothing really fits the way it did 7 or 8 months ago....everything is hanging out! So, I remind Cannon that it is called cleavage. I was so surprised by him asking me what it was called a couple of nights ago, I didn't have time to think of a cute and clever name for it....for once I gave him the real name. So, he looks at me, I am thinking that's it, he just wanted to know what it was called....he is satisfied. The next thing that came out of his mouth was, "can I put my finger in it?"....Hmmmm, what's a Mommy to do?

Monogrammed burpie cloths and hooded towel

No posh diaper bag is complete without monogrammed burpie cloths!! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the monogrammed and personalized baby stuff. Meme ordered these for me (and Hutch)...and NOW we have everything we need!!

Mother's Day Weekend....Wonderful!!!!

Gosh, I really enjoy my family!! We have had such a great weekend just hanging out and not really doing much of anything. Les had a wedding to go to in Dallas yesterday (Saturday), so he left at 4am on Saturday morning, and did not get home until after midnight. The big rush in getting back home was so he would be here to wish me a Happy Mother's Day this morning....how sweet is that? He asked me what I wanted to do today.....and my wishes were simple and few. One, exercise, I wanted to take a walk first thing this morning before it got too hot. Two, spend the day with the best husband in the world, and the two little boogers that made me a Mommy. Three, a gallon of fresh squeezed diet lemondade from Chick Fil-a (it's the best).

Yesterday the kids and I spent some of the morning and first part of the afternoon at the pool. After a 3 hour nap yesterday afternoon (them, not me) we ventured out for some Mexican food, ice cream and the mall. I needed to run into Macy's and get some bronzer at the MAC counter. Does anyone know there is a recession??? The place was PACKED!! I could not believe how many people there were there....I don't go to the mall often, and was quite amazed at the crowd. I guess because it's MD weekend?? These people did not appear to all be buying the perfect MD gift though!! So, we get up to the MAC counter...crowded! I should have just left, but didn't know when I'd be back....SO...while we waited we put make up on Neely. By the time we had picked out the prettiest (aka most outragous) blue and green Neely looked like a peacock (we all agreed). She was STRUTIN'....she thought she was HOT STUFF! We finally got up to the front, got my bronzer and got out of that crazy place! On the way home we were all singing Taylor Swift at the top of our lungs and it was nice outside so I decided, sunroof open and windows down.....wrong....Neely screams...MY MAKEUP! She then announced that she could not take a bath..she wanted to look like a peacock for a long time. When we got home she hopped out of the car and sashayed down the driveway to see if anyone was out there to see her! Unfortunately the peacock eyes were gone this morning...and she was boring old Neely again :).

This morning, as I wished, I got up and took my regular 4 mile walk...it was great! I came home and we had eggs, coffee and kolaches (Les stopped in West, Texas at the Czech Stop to get my fav blueberry kolaches:), then we were off to the pool again! I actually wore my bikini to the pool...and took my cover up off!! The kids and Les swam and I layed out. After hours at the pool Les, Cannon and Neely crashed in our bed while I went and got a wonderful pedicure!! Now I am back at home showered, exercised, pedicured...drinking my lemonade and feeling pretty darn good. The kids are still asleep and I am loving this day...this weekend!!! It's been a perfect Mother's Day in my book...and it's not even over yet!!

I have another Cheetah

A Cypress Elementary Cheetah, that is! I can not believe my baby girl is going to Kindergarten in the fall. I registered her yesterday, so it's official, no turning back, Neely is a bona fide Kindergartner, come August 24th. I tell myself that I don't think she is ready, but really, I'm not sure Cypress Elementary is ready for her. God bless her teacher, I shall start praying for her now. I just hope that whoever she gets, that she has a really good sense of humor, and gets Neely!

16 Days

Nope, I'm not going to rehab (although retail rehab might not be a bad idea), and no, it's not 16 days until the baby is due. I just counted up the days I have left to work before I have the WHOLE summer off!! I haven't had a "summer off" since high school. What perfect timing we had with this conception :). Hutch is due the week after school gets out, and 3 months later will be 1 week after the kids start school! Amazing timing!! If any teachers want to have their baby over summer break I can tell you exactly when to get knocked up!!

I can't believe that I only have 16 days left of work! We have a day off for Memorial Day weekend in there too....so I will have a 4 day weekend in a couple weeks to rest up....and resting up is definitely a part of my agenda these days. Life is good! It's hump day, tomorrow is my Friday, it's Mother's Day weekend, the pool is open....yes, life is good!

Fifth Disease

Cannon's teacher just called me to let me know that they have a confirmed case of Fifth Disease, aka "slap cheek syndrome" in her class! Jeez!! She knows I am pregnant and wanted to let me know! As if it's not bad enough that I have to worry about the Swine, now I have to worry about this new disease. I have already hit the Internet to read up on what harm the Fifth Disease can do to Hutch!! It seems as though the disease is much more dangerous to the baby in the 1st and 2nd trimester...thank goodness, but you know me....I'm a worrier...and I am really good at it! So, all of these kids in Cannon's class have obviously been exposed...so do I steer clear of Cannon's class? Probably so! Does that mean disappointing my little boy and not working at his dunking booth on Friday morning? Maybe so! Oh, what to do! So close, yet so far away! I don't want to get little Hutch sick, but I certainly don't want to disappoint Cannon either! It's Tuesday...we'll see if anyone else gets sick in his class! If so, I'm out on the Cheetah Fun Day :(.

Sundry

I feel like I got a good bit accomplished this weekend! I put up most of our shower gifts, and got all of Hutch's 0-3 month clothes washed and folded. His bag for the hospital is packed, mine is not. I also think I have everything I could possibly need when we bring him home. There are a few things that I have on a sub-list, but they are definitely items that we could live without. I will probably wait until the last minute (really, most people that know me would not believe this statement) to pack my bag....because I have very few clothes that I can wear now...and those will definitely be the clothes that I need to take with me. It is not like me to wait until the last minute, but in this case, I don't really have a choice. Don't get me wrong, I have packed some toiletries and the snack bag is ready to go!!

I have gone back to the tired and exhausted faze of the pregnancy! I was in bed by 8:15 last night....and started wishing I was in bed at 6:30! I am up every hour to two hours to go to the bathroom, and every little peep bugs the crap out of me when I am trying to get back to sleep! Poor Les, Lola and Zoe are getting smacked and yelled at quite a bit during the night....mostly Les. I DID get exercise back into my schedule this weekend! I walked "the hill" (a 4-mile walk with a big...HUGE hill in the middle of the walk) 2 times this weekend...which I think contributed a great deal to my exhaustion!

Yesterday afternoon after all my hard work was done Les layed some pillows in the back yard on the grass, covered them with towels and pillows, and put a little chair for my coke, sunglasses, phone and sunscreen next to me. Yes, I put on a bikini and layed out for about an hour!! Oh, I hope the neighbors couldn't see me...but it was extremely relaxing and made me feel great (except the way I look in a swimsuit part)! The bikini that I wore just a year ago at this time fit quite differently! I am not attaching a picture of that, because there were no cameras allowed at the tanning session!

Another weekend down...only about 4 to go! I am getting so close :)....it is really exciting! Back to an earlier post though....I am still LOVING every moment of being pregnant, and not wishing a single smidgen of it away!

Team Shower

Les' team gave us a shower on Friday....and it was amazing! I expected a little pot luck with a few dishes, and a gift or two. What I (we) got was a HUGE spread of pot luck Mexican buffet, practically everything that had not been bought from our registry and a HUGE cake! The cake, by the way, was a big golf ball that had a Taylor Made symbol on the top. On the front of the golf ball under that it said "Les and Jane Made".....how darn cute is that? The food was fabulous...and I stuffed myself silly!! I had to have some of the cake...so I did...and it was fabulous as well. His team went above and beyond anything that they should have done....right down to the flower arrangements in baby bottles on each table. WOW, I was blown away! They must really like my husband :). I know that they are all very excited about Baby Hutch, and I can't wait to go up there and show off the "finshed product" very soon! Thank You a MILLION Dell Educational Services Team...you all ROCK!!! You all did WAY too much, and we hope that you all know how much it is appreciated!!