Halloween

I couldn't let the year end without posting some pics from Halloween...

Here we are just messing around with some old Halloween costumes courtesy of Toby.

Aspen had a speech therapy Halloween party a few days before Halloween. This was the first time she had seen her Halloween costume and she was so excited to be a little garden fairy!

What a cutie.

I helped out at Toby's school's Trunk or Treat.  I'm pretty sure my car was the most simple and the least decorated.  What can I say? It's not my thing. Toby didn't seem to notice or care.

Halloween night we went trick-or-treating with our cute neighbors. Little Nicole is one of Aspen's favorite friends (and man, how adorable is she?)

That pretty much wraps up our spooky night! Now onto the end of year craziness... :)

Fall festivities and stuff...

Wow, lots to catch up on!

In early September my family got a visit from our British relatives, John and Sandra Duke.  I haven't seen them since I visited England in 2000. They were just as charming, witty and wonderful as I remember them. And it was sure cute to see Toby giggle when John called him a "handsome bloke." :) Hopefully I will able to make a trip to England again someday so I can spend more time with such lovely people. 

We hit the Alpine Loop a little too early this year. The fall colors weren't so vibrant in September (but now the trees are a gorgeous red, orange and yellow). 

I was able to snap one pic of Aspen by the Aspen trees that I felt was a keeper.

 October 4 was a night to remember. Nick and I went to see the comedian Jim Gaffigan in SLC. One word: hilarious.  A cool perk was that we were in the 3rd row towards the middle. Had awesome seats! If you aren't familiar with Jim Gaff, just watch a couple clips of him on YouTube.  You won't regret it. 

That night was also the beginning of strep throat for me. Holy misery. Being pregnant on top of having strep made my week extra craptastic. 

Just when I started feeling better, both Aspen and Toby got strep and pinkeye. 

Then I got pinkeye.

The fun never ends!

Actually, thanks to antibiotics and a healthy husband who took care of everyone on his days off, we are no longer a germ-fest at the Sibert residence.  For now anyway. 

October marked the end of Toby's soccer games. He had a blast. And I enjoyed watching him.  Every game was so much fun because you never knew what side of Toby you would get to see: competitive Toby, silly Toby, eating pretzels on the field Toby. He's a crackup.

Here's Aspen and grandpa Rarick looking all cute and cuddly on the sidelines. 

Most of you know that I LOVE this time of year. I love the crisper temps, the color changes, baked goods, and hitting the fun fall activities in Utah.

Here we are at Cornbelly's. We got there right when it opened so it wasn't terribly crowded like it usually is. I'm not a fan of crowds normally, but when I'm pregnant I feel like I want to knock out anyone who even grazes my baby bump. So yeah, I was grateful for shorter lines and breathing room as we meandered to each activity.

The kids had a blast.

Aspen is a little obsessed with rainbows right now.  We couldn't refuse having one painted on half of her face.

And Toby, of course, had to go the creepier route.

 Today was the last day of Fall break.  Grandma and grandpa Rarick wanted to spoil the kids at Gardner Village. 

Aspen's other obsession is My Little Pony. So of course gma and gpa paid for her to have a pony ride...

...and bought her Twilight Sparkle...

...and had her face painted. Again.

Oh grandparents. Gotta love 'em.

 

(And the reason you don't see very many pics of the T-man was because he didn't want to be in any of them. I promise I don't play favorites. Most of the time. ;) )

As far as day to day life, things are pretty good. Thought I'd throw in a couple pics of Aspen and Toby being cute and adorable. Because these moments are few and far between (at least it feels like it sometimes). I've been trying to soak them in and notice them more - which is no easy task when I feel so run down and hormonal all the time.

I am now 30 weeks pregnant. Whoa! The weeks really are flying by. I'm a tad nervous about the holidays. Having your 3rd trimester be during the holidays filled with all kinds of delicious, delectable, fattening foods is a dangerous thing for this pregnant food lover. 

Just don't judge if you notice me gain a ridiculous amount of weight during the next couple of months. ;)

 

As far as how the pregnancy goes, everything with baby boy is great. He's an active kid already. Lots and lots of nonstop jabs and kicks; much like his big bro. Yikes!

 Seriously though, it's starting to hit home that Nick and are about to be outnumbered very soon. As terrifying as that sounds at times, I really can't wait to meet the little guy. :) Only 10 more weeks (give or take) to go!

We're having a...

BOY!!!!

The funny thing is I had a dream a couple of weeks ago that we were having a boy, but I tried not to read into it.  It proved to be spot on.

So what did Nick decide to do? As you may recall, he was pretty determined for the gender to be a surprise and I wanted to find out what we're having during the ultrasound. I kept saying it IS a surprise, just 4 months early. ;)

Well when we sat down in the ultrasound room he had a change of heart. He said he would rather find out as a couple then have some random friend or family member slip up and say something about me having a boy. Good choice, Nick. Now we can narrow down a name and we can talk about him not just say "the baby." And I can buy clothes without needing to hide them somewhere. :)

Everything went well in the ultrasound.  The baby looked healthy and really, I couldn't ask for anything else.  I chuckled a little when the technician said, "Does he normally move around like this? He's moving around a lot." 

Yep, that's my Sibert baby.  

Please just be a good sleeper. That's not too much to ask, right? :)

Toby is ecstatic about having a baby brother.  Aspen kind of understands but still looks a little confused when I tell her there is a baby in my tummy.  She looks at me like, "You ATE a baby?" All will make sense in a few more months, little one. :)

Just for fun here are some throwback pictures of me pregnant with the other kiddos:

21 weeks pregnant with Toby

21 weeks pregnant with Aspen

Aaaaand 21 weeks pregnant with Barnaby.

I'm totally kidding. 

We are at a loss for names right now. Suggestions are welcome. :)

Toby took these pictures and he was quite the little photographer.  He told me I needed to put my hands on my tummy.  So I did.

 Even with this being my 3rd pregnancy, I'm still amazed my body can make a little human.  It's quite the miracle that I'm humbled and honored to be apart of. 

Yay for another Sibert boy!

Summer has come and passed...

We've had a lot of thunderstorms this summer...and I've loved every minute of it.

So has this girl.

This is the 3rd summer in a row where IM Flash (Nick's employer) has rented out this fun, little water park called Cowabunga Bay. Not only is the park ours for the night, but IM Flash caters in food and dessert and does a drawing for prizes! This year they had Cafe Rio and Schwan's ice cream.  I think that was the highlight of the evening for the pregnant lady who can't go on any slides. I'm so grateful for Nick's awesome employer (especially since I would never pay money to get into this place because I think it's way overpriced).

Our evening at Cowabunga Bay was the end of our summer.  

The next morning Toby started 1st grade. Can't you tell he's just bursting with enthusiasm? 

Actually, he was bugged at me for following him into the school and taking his picture. Underneath that stone face was an excited little boy. Promise.   

Look at how grown up he is.  I love my Toby-man.

Side note: I laugh a little when parents mourn the last days of summer because they know it means getting up early for school.  Wouldn't know what that is like. This boy is usually up before 7 every morning - and wants mom next to him to watch his morning cartoons. So getting up for school was just another morning to us. 

 I wondered how he'd do with being at school ALL DAY. The first day he came home and said he loved school because they had "3 recesses instead of 2 and no homework." By Friday, when things started to become more school-ish, he said he was tired of being at school all day. Oh my little active boy. Luckily fall soccer starts up in a couple of weeks so that should provide another "recess" for him. :)

As for Aspen May, we started potty training. She was doing AWESOME and I really thought we were done with diapers for good. But then she suddenly lost interest.  :( I've gotta get new stickers or incentives or something. Your diaper days are numbered, little one.

This is just a pic of her sleeping with her T-Rex. He was a gift from grandpa and grandma Rarick.  She loves princesses and My Little Pony stuff, but has a special spot for dinosaurs, too. She reminds me so much of me as a kid.  I loved playing with dolls, but I also played with rubber snakes, refused to take baths or comb my hair. She's a little mini-me, I guess.

She will be starting speech therapy in a couple of weeks through the school district.  And probably have some additional therapy through a clinic. She is a bright little girl. She just can't seem to get those words out as well as other kids her age.  It's really hard on me as a mom. I kind of take it personally - even though I know I shouldn't. But that's just what we do as parents, right? Feel like everything our kids do (or don't do) is a direct reflection of our parenting...or lack thereof? *Sigh* All I have to say is, don't take for granted that your little one can tell you things about their day, or what they're mad about, or that they love you.  Because I'm still waiting to hear those words come out of this cute girl's mouth.

And then there's Loki the corgi.

What's not to love about this fur ball?  He is the most loving, expressive, adorable dog on the planet.

And apparently he thinks he's a cat, too. He loves to lay on the couch cushions. 

Just know I take a lot of pictures of him (not shown) because I'm kind of obsessed with him.

The feeling is mutual though.

"Dogs are better than human beings because they know but do not tell." - Emily Dickinson

(Just a favorite quote)

He is such a sensitive and sweet little pup.  Those early months of my pregnancy where I was really sick and having a hard time keeping food down, he would sleep on the floor right next to my bed. And then whenever I sat down on the couch he nuzzled his cold, wet nose under my arm - his way of comforting me. He's just precious and I'm so glad he's apart of our family.

That pretty much wraps up our summer/school happenings.  I don't know about you, but I'm ready for some cooler temperatures, corn mazes and beautiful fall colors. Bring it on!