FAMILY, ZOO TRIPS & SAD BIRTHDAYS

Happy Sunday! I hope everyone had a great weekend...this mom definitely did! I have an amazing husband who happily gave me the weekend off. One of my girlfriends was in town from Ohio and another is moving to Texas in a month, so a girls weekend was in order! It was so nice to escape the 'mom duties' for a couple days, but today is back to dirty diapers, snotty noses, belly laughs & constant noise...AKA life with boys!

This week Dustin's dad & family came in from North Carolina, but unfortunately Gavin caught a horrible cold, so him and I weren't able to visit a lot. Dustin and Christian luckily squeezed in lots of visits though! And I'm not sure how we managed it, but we somehow got all the cousins in on one picture! Amazing!

For lunch on Tuesday, I asked Christian what he would like. He very matter-of-factly stated he would like a happy meal. I try to limit his fast food intake (aside from Chick-fil-a...we're addicts!), so I tried to accommodate his request of a happy meal in my own way. 

His reaction? "Mommy, I love this happy meal!" 

Fist bump for mom. 

On Wednesday, we got our Disney Magic Bands in the mail. I am SO beyond excited for this trip (as if I haven't said that enough)! I know it will probably be crazy stressful with a 1-year-old tagging along, but I'm prepared for the crazy & SO ready to surprise Christian.

It was also a super nice day out, so I grabbed a mommy friend and we headed to the zoo. The polar bears are always my favorite, and he didn't disappoint again this time around!

We finished off the beautiful day with a trip to Polly's Freeze....my favorite summer food & ice cream joint!

Unfortunately, Gavin woke up Thursday morning really sick thanks to big brother's preschool germs (again), so it's been a constant schedule of humidifiers, nasal sprays & baby cough medicine. Luckily no fevers this time around, just a bad cold.

I've been craving these 3 things a LOT. I finally found a tomato that actually tastes almost as good as a home grown tomato, and I pretty much eat 1-2 every day. 

One grumpster and one cheeser...both equally adorable.

And last but not least, happy 17 weeks baby bump! There happened to be a full length mirror at the baby shower I was at this weekend...hello, bumpie oppurtunity! ;)

Baby shower fun followed by a very eventful hibachi dinner with the girls...luckily we had amazing company and laughs, because service, food & other people were not so fun! But it made for a good story and definitely kept things interesting. :)

And that wraps up our past week. This week, I'm looking forward to coloring Easter eggs, decorating for Easter festivities, doing last minute Disney planning and seeing the boys do Easter egg hunts. However, it's also a very hard week for our family, as it's my brother who passed away's birthday and another holiday without him. He would have been 26 this year, and it doesn't matter how many years have passed since the accident, events like this don't get any easier. I miss so much about him, but mostly I miss what could have been. I wonder all the time what kind of uncle he would have been to the boys, and I know they would have absolutely adored him. 

So happy 26th birthday in heaven, Cory Michael. You are missed every.single.day.

GROWTH SPURTS FOR EVERYONE

Happy Monday...and happy Spring Break to some of you! Although, Christian only goes to school 2 days a week, so Spring Break doesn't really mean much for us...except that everywhere we go this week will be exceptionally more crowded. ;) 

This past week was spent doing lots of practice walking for Gavin. He looks like a drunk little man, but he's so close to walking full time!

He also has a newfound obsession with trying to change the channel on the TV. He will grab any remote he can find, hold it over his head & push away at all the buttons. I keep waiting for him to erase the shows on my DVR & then we might have a cute little redhead for sale. ;)

We also have been dealing with a little cold from Christian. He started a cough on Tuesday, we had him tested for strep (which was negative), but he still spiked a really high fever on Thursday and kept it pretty much all day. Luckily, he's back to his normal, crazy self...just still has that pesky cough.

On Saturday, my little bump turned 16 weeks. I'm feeling great, thanks to the 2nd trimester kindness! I've gained about 4-5 pounds, and I swear it's all in my lovehandles. Luckily you can't tell when I'm turned to the side...so you'll get no frontal bump shots from me, haha.

And OMG where would I be without these fruit popsicles. They have chunks of real fruit in them and they are the best things ever in the world. I'm currently obsessed with the strawberry & coconut flavors.

I spent all day Saturday away from the boys, and as much as I missed them, it was so nice to get a break! We went to the outlets that are about 40 minutes away. We ate lunch, chatted & stocked up on lots of cute summer clothes for Disney.

We then spent Saturday night at dinner and the boat for my girlfriend's birthday...it was such a fun day with friends, but I pretty much passed out the second we walked in the door!

I also got this adorable picture from the hubby while I was out shopping. Thanks for taking good care of my babies! ;)

On Sunday, I cleaned house while Dustin & the boys played outside & cleaned his Jeep. Can you tell someone was ready to go? 

"Okay, mom, I got my warm clothes, snacks & drink...I'm ready!"

While the boys were outside, I cleaned out their closets...again...for the umpteenth time this year. Christian has grown about 2 inches since Christmas, so NOTHING...I repeat NOTHING in his closet fits him. I've been trying to buy him a little here & there, and luckily got a lot of great deals at the outlets.

Gavin has a lot of hand-me-downs from Christian, but a lot of it is really worn, so I've had to restock his closet as well. I think we're finally set with a good selection of summer clothes for the boys. Until the next growth spurt that is...

And of course, I had to get little Finnick something as well! He is actually going to be in the complete opposite season as the boys, so I'm not sure if he'll be able to wear a lot of the hand-me-downs or not. I'm just going to take it season by season, tote by tote and see where we're at. 

He needed a bath towel that was all his own & since I'm thinking of doing his nursery in woodland creatures, I thought the raccoon was perfect. :)

And hello, a boy named Finn definitely needed a shark fin outfit!

And lastly, I ordered these adorable black tees from Jane.com for the boys while we're in Disney...they are a super soft material & I can't wait to see them with their matching Mickey ears! We're less than 3 weeks away from leaving & the excitement is building! We haven't told Christian yet, we're planning on telling him the morning we leave. I seriously get teary-eyed when I think about how excited he is going to be!

And that's been it for us...I hope everyone enjoys their week!

Thanks for reading!

HELLO, SPRING!

Can I just say how beyond excited we are for warmer weather?! Having children brings a whole new level of spring fever to the table...AKA get me and these beasts out of the house NOW, puh-lease! Although, I have to admit...they are some stinkin' adorable little beasts. Thank you to Old Navy for allowing me to finally find jeans that fit my tall & skinny toddler!

And dang...don't you wish you were a baby?! Snacks, juice, bean bag chair & Mickey Mouse...it must be rough.

Back to the warm weather...the first really nice day we had also happened to be the day Dustin returned from his 4 day business trip....hello, Louisville Zoo! Christian loves the zoo, Dustin & I love the exercise and Gavin, well Gavin loved the snacks. ;)

Speaking of Gavin...this is what happens when you fall asleep fighting naptime.

We've been spending every afternoon we can outside, and although he might not look it (this is pretty much his face for everything), Gavin loves being outside. He loves it so much, a full blown temper tantrum always ensues the second we start to head inside. And if someone goes outside with him?! Oh Lord. Life ender.

And after what seemed like an eternity of school being closed, the oldest was SO excited to get to go back this week. It was Dr. Suess week, so he got to wear his crazy socks one day. Him and that one cheek dimple just melt me!

We spent Sunday cleaning up from the birthday party, putting away/playing with Gavin's new birthday toys and then my favorite: cleaning out my car! To me, there is nothing that says spring like having a sparkling clean car to roll the windows down & enjoy the weather! 

Monday brought Gavin's 1 year check-up...can you tell how excited he was about vaccinations?! Sorry dude, I know they suck, but mom & dad are very much pro-vax...so get used to it!

After we got home from the torture center doctor's office, we had a picnic outside & played with caterpillars. 

And screamed at big brother because he wasn't going down the slide fast enough...

Had fun swinging...and then tried to break down the gate when I had the audacity to bring him back upstairs.

We finished the warmest day of the year with a trip to our local ice cream joint. It was Gavin's 1st ice cream & he's definitely a fan! He's also the cutest darn thing in mom's sunglasses & bandana bib from ObsessedMomma.

And we spent all morning playing in Gavin's room with his new birthday toys, walking back & forth from me to Christian and trying to not bite those fat little chunky thighs...seriously, his fat legs kill me! Christian is all skin & bones and Gavin is fat rolls galore...I love it.

And that's been our weekly recap! I'm off to get Gavin from his morning nap & back outside to play we go! 

Happy Tuesday everyone....oh, and Happy Saint Patrick's Day! 

Here's a throwback to last year's St. Paddy's Day for your viewing pleasure...

Oh, my little 3-day-old pumpkin baby (thanks, jaundice)! 

Baby Wilson #3 is a......!

BOY!

That's right, another Wilson boy will be joining our crew this fall! He was very active & kept putting on quite the show for us!

We were going to let Christian pop the big gender reveal balloon, but he was too scared, so Dustin did the honors. I honestly thought I would feel slightly disappointed finding out it was another boy, but I seriously haven't felt anything but excitement yet! I keep thinking about his newborn squishy face and tiny little fingers & toes...how could I not be happy about something so amazing? I'm starting to think that I'm just meant to be a boy mom...and that's okay by me!

Christian was VERY excited to be getting another brother...in fact, he requested a brother this time and a sister later. Whoa buddy...let's just see how this one goes first! ;)

And we are also sharing his name...

Finnick Maxwell.

It has no meaning to it what-so-ever...the first two boys took care of the family names for us, so this one was just for fun!

So happy 15 weeks little Finn! I hope you're busy getting lots of quiet time, because come September, you're in for quite the change of scenery! ;)

Happy 1st Birthday, Gavin Lee!

Warning: Picture overload ahead! 

The birthday party was a blast and really couldn't have gone any better. We got to celebrate with most of our closest family & friends, watch all the kids have a blast in Gavin's new ball pit & devour some delicious food. But sometimes pictures speak better than words, so here ya go! 

BTW, I love how the chalk from my previous board would NOT come off...so ignore the old residue at the bottom!

Who doesn't love a popcorn bar complete with yummy seasonings & toppings?!

Gavin's 1st birthday present from mom & dad was a ball pit. One blow-up pool from Target and 6 bags of colorful balls = the time of his life! I'll probably be picking these up for the rest of my life, but that smile makes it all worth it!

We had a sparkler candle on his cake, which he was completely intrigued by...and he also couldn't figure out why everyone was singing to him, haha.

Cue my FAVORITE part of the party: 

"Mom, can I make a wish and blow out the candle?"

Sure, buddy.

"Okay...(looks around at everyone at the party) I wish we could all be friends forever."

SERIOUSLY?! I gave birth to this thing?! He has the sweetest soul I've ever seen in an almost 4-year-old. 

Gavin wasn't so sure at first...

But immediately figured out that Mimi makes some yummy cake!

Next, we attempted to let Gavin open his presents. I say attempted because he had absolutely NO interest what-so-ever. He wanted to either escape out the front door or play in the ball pit. Christian and co. opened all the presents, except for this bright green one, which Gavin quickly claimed as his own. ;)

And lastly, we played the career game, which we had also played at Christian's 1st birthday party. You lay out an array of toys that represent future career possibilities and supposedly whichever one they are drawn to is the path they will choose later in life. Gavin immediately went for the microphone, but then threw it down for the stethoscope. 

So we're thinking that his passion in life will be music, but he will choose a more stable career in healthcare. I guess we'll see in 18ish years!

(In case you're wondering, Christian chose a calculator...our future business man!)

And that puts a wrap on Gavin's birthday party! We all had such a blast & are SO thankful for the amazing people in our life. 

Thank you all for coming and being a part of our special day!

And what would a blog post about a 1st birthday be without a 12 month update as well?! Like I warned you...picture overload!!

So Gavin is weighing in at 20.5lbs & 30 inches tall. We won't get what percentiles he is in until his 1 year check-up tomorrow.

He is taking more & more steps every day...it's only a matter of time before he is a full blown walker!

Gavin has 6 teeth & hair is obviously still as red as can be! Eyes are turning dark brown like mommy's.

LOVES:

Big brother. Beating up big brother. Biting. Eating. Playing outside. Toys. Pacis. His lovie (stuffed animal). Mommy & daddy. Playing with the remote. Answering phones. Opening cabinets. Dogfood. Being mischievous. Bathtime. Bedtime. Sneaking into the pantry. His new ball pit. Chasing the dog  & cat. Ripping out fur from the dog & cat. Turning the water on in mommy's bathtub. Clapping & waving. Music & dancing.

HATES:

Diaper changes. Clothing changes. Being told no. Having things taken away. Coming inside from outside. His carseat. Fruit. Barricades. Closed doors. Child locks.

Gavin is still taking 2 naps a day and sleeps from 7:30am-7:30pm. He is weaned from breastmilk & is on whole milk. He is still the weirdest eater ever. He loves bell peppers, pickles, olives & mommy's pasta salad, but will scream at you if you have the nerve to offer him a strawberry or blueberry.

He still has quite the temper, but is also turning into such a sweet little boy. I seriously cannot imagine our life without this guy...it would be so boring! 

We love you to the moon, Gavin Lee! I can't wait to see you grow and learn!