38 weeks, oh my!

post by Courtney

we've hit 38 weeks. that's pretty huge. speaking of huge ;) ... here are some photos from the wedding we attended last weekend. I'm actually 37 weeks in these photos so just use your imagination and add 4-5 lbs. oopsies! 

it's water weight, I swear!

Lia wants nothing to do with photos until they're not photos of her. Darn girl!

currently:
* 38 weeks
* 'napping' daily
* still in love with mintbonbon
* steadily gaining weight
* jealous my oldest two girls are in Oregon right now, and I'm not
* looking forward to all the stories they'll tell us when they get home
* not packed or near ready for my hospital stay
* in a bit of denial this is going to happen in 2ish weeks
* sleeping less and less at night (my back bothers me late in pregnancy)
* possibly starting my nesting (but I will leave the laundry out of this)
* still attempting to choose names
* still attempting to potty train a 2yo
* excited to meet a new little Smith
* sad I'm nearing the end so quickly (yet again)

theo daisy: 28/29 months and rocky peyton: 10 months

i look at these faces and...today (maybe not tomorrow or even later today) but RIGHT.THIS.SECOND...I'm pretty content with where we're at. I'm not surprised or sad about how old they are. Todayyyyyy, today it is what it is and I'm okay with that:)

i look at their faces and I'm trying to think of things about them on an individual level. 

theo is cute & psycho. I think I've said that a time or 2(00) before;) She tells stories - that I can't understand - and dances and sings - words that I can't understand;). Oh, man...that personality is shining through and sometimes - a LOTTA times - she expresses herself in the form of a screaming tantrum. Using words that I can understand clearly. Like: No and Shut-up Mama. 

Time-out...meet my crazy-ass daughter, Theo. You guys are going to be SO tight that she'll enter kindergarten, telling her friends that her BFF's name is Time-Out.;)

theo still sleeps through the night...in her own bed...in a room she shares with her big bro, Homer:) She eats. Nonstop. She likes tighty-pants, fast stroller rides and permanent marker tattoos by Papa:)

will and theo:)

and then Rocky Peyton. This kid is the buffer between me and the other 2 beasts. When the day is crazy and the kids have lost their shit...Rocky has a way of bringing it all back to 'Okay'.:) 

i'm happy to report that Rocky is in his crib (according to the lie I've been telling his pediatrician, he's been in his crib since day2 - just so we have our stories straight;). He can get through the night most of the time but there are the few times a week that he's up 1-10 times. Depending;)

he stands up next to furniture and walks along it. He's eating his feet. Biting my nipple. Still nursing:) He's hitting all the milestones on that 9 page list that you have to fill out at the Clinic.

picking things up by the tips of his fingers...while giving me a high-five...on 1 foot...with a Cheerio balanced on his nose...all while shitting in his diaper (his shit is whatever kinda shit the doc expects his shit to be - nod and agree;).

long story short...he's still the light of our lives:)

we've got some good ones here. And I'm happy to not be sad when looking at these photos today. I see each of them, what they've brought to our lives and how different they are from one another. How that's something I don't feel like I have a lot to do with. I'm just here making sure they don't beat the shit out of each other to badly and maybe fill them with a bit of kindness but all the goofiness and dance moves...that's all their creation:)

mostly, looking at them...makes me realize what is to come. Our family is not complete and I'm excited to *hopefully* add more babies to this bunch:) Watching them grow is the happiest and most depressing job I've ever had the privilege of having;) And I know more siblings will only enrich and enhance their lives. Good gosh...I love my babies:)

guitar tattoos and other completely unsurprising things we did in Nashville.

post by casey

my younger sister, Megan, myself and our girlfriend, Karey, went to Nashville:) 

I'm mostly concerned about that being too many comas in one sentence??

Anyhoo;)

gosh. What can I say about our 12hr drive TO Nashville...our 36hrs IN Nashville...and our 12hr ride home FROM Nashville?

well. A few things.

we stayed at a little Airbnb. Great location. We logged 100 and 10 thousand (give or take;) walking miles:) Which helped set-off the amount of AMAZING food we had! Nashville, you little food slut, you!!!!

Food Slut = a city serving delicious food that may or may not excite you to the point of losing your shirt and/or pants. See Also. Drink Slut.

i met my *crush* from the TV Show - Nashville!!!;)

having an "I could do that" moment with the murals all over town;)

day drinking at Ted's Montana Grill:)

the CAPITAL:) - said with an accent: Cap-e-tall.

tourists...so annoying;)

brave is having your photo taken in front of a cool building while the locals laugh at you!;)

this looks easy enough...Note To Self: find a wall and paint it awesomely;)

tourists - EYE ROLL;)

we got a quick tour and by quick...I mean that our guide was able to finish 1 cigarette in the time it took to explain Nashville's entire history. I was impressed:)

i always spot places/things that I want to 'see' or interest me and for whatever reason - I'm intimidated? - I hesitate going in or checking things out. I'm trying to get better at 'going in' and asking questions. Looking. Exploring. What's the worst that could happen?? - well, you could get turned away going into the CMT building...but at least I tried, right?;)

this gallery was...the best. I mean, I just loved everything SO much! So happy we wandered inside:)

and again...looks easy enough...I could do that;)

i have to say...Nashville was inspiring. SO.MUCH.TALENT. I may have DID send Jacob at least one text, requesting that we quit our jobs...learn to sing and play guitar...and then pack up the kids and be some hippie-family-band:)

so the 3 of us have careers that can successfully put an Uber Driver into a coma. 

Uber Driver: "what do you ladies do?"

Ladies "SAHM. Insurance Rep. Marketing Analytics."

That's a dangerous combo. Dangerous in the way that it can put someone driving you through the busy streets of Nashville in a 2006 Toyota Camry...right to sleep. 

the music could be heard everywhere and there isn't anything much better than a warm night and live music...oh, and twinkle lights...yes, gimme all the twinkle lights:):)

roof top dining at Acme Feed & Seed. Gorgeous view and fabulous food!!!

(minus Karey's burger, which was supposed to be well-done but came out moo-ing:/)

the 3 of us walked into the coolest tattoo shop in Nashville - after spending an embarrassing amount of time out front giving ourselves a good pep talk: we ARE awesome enough...we CAN do this...we're going in! Fuck it...I'm for real doing this!!!!;) - and definitely the coolest shop any of us had ever been to in general...and asked for the most sought after tattoo in Nashville history...guitars. Oddly enough, they welcomed us with open arms, gave us amazing tattoos and didn't roll their eyes once;)

Check these cats out if you're ever in Nashville. Some serious talent and you will get a great experience from start to finish!:)
Hart & Huntington Tattoo Co. Nashville

SIDE STORY: we actually ended up meeting up with the manager of the shop, for drinks, the next night and he made note to check the surveillance cameras for footage of our humiliating reluctance to enter the shop;)

that tickled a bit;)

and then there was the Grand Ole Opry...which was cool. It's moved from it's original location and a lot of the music may have been a tad too classic for myself (and the 4 VERY drunk people next to me - one of the couples arrived in love...and then broke-up and made-up before leaving! Ah, to be young and terribly annoying;) but it was wonderful to experience and the night we were there was for St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital and so that had me all sorts of emotional:'(

the Parthenon was pretty amazing:) I would suggest seeing this if you've ever in Nashville. It's a replica of the original, in Greece.

a big Thank You to our Uber driver, Michael, for parking the car and getting out to take this photo!!! Above and beyond:):)

this was a wonderful trip. And besides being verbally assaulted by a homeless woman in the park (I'm more sad for her, than pissed for us:/), the trip was flawless;)

oh, and props to those mama's out there exclusively pumping...I did it for 4 days and my nipples...good gawd...my nipples!!!!!!! Luckily, I got home and Rocky had missed my breasts me as much as I missed him and we're back to our regularly scheduled nursing:)!

there's definitely something to be said about taking a bit of time away. This trip was exactly what my head needed. I know I've only been back for 4 days but I feel much more patient with the kids and it's clear that me being away...did nothing for their shitty attitudes;) 

nashville, you were cute:)