32 Weeks 

33 Weeks

Dear baby boy,

You are growing so much! I can tell because my belly is getting much bigger and your movement inside is getting more intense. Your siblings even got to see my whole belly shake and move while you were moving around the other day. Daddy and I are just so excited to see what you're going to look like. Will you look similar to your big brother or will you have dark hair like Naomi did when she was born? Even though we are so excited to kiss you and cuddle you, we want you to stay inside for about 7 more weeks. We will be ready for you whenever you make your appearance but we do still need to figure out one thing...your name! We have a couple favorites but are having a hard time making a final decision. We just want to be sure we choose the perfect name for you. Until you're born, you'll probably hear us referring to you as baby boy, baby brother or little guy. : )

I love you so much and can't wait to see you in about 7 weeks!

Love,
Mommy

Between the snow, not attending church in a building (so thankful we were still able to tune in virtually) and not seeing any extended family, Easter was a little weird this year but we made the best of it. Joe kept our bellies happy and full with a yummy french toast and bacon breakfast and an Easter dinner to feed a crowd. 

The kids had a blast searching for eggs inside and even more fun enjoying all of the treats that were in the eggs.

By about 4pm, we decided to get dressed for dinner. It felt nice to put on a little makeup and wear a dress (even if it was only for a couple of hours).

Happy Easter from our family to yours!

This past week was spring break and we were supposed to be enjoying a warm vacation in sunny Arizona but since we had to cancel that, we made the best of our time at home. I just shopped our house for each theme day and found decor/old party supplies that we already had on hand. We had a ton of fun and the themed days kept us on a routine so the days still had some structure without feeling like a homeschool day because the kids made it very clear that they weren't doing homeschool during spring break!

Monday was Olympics Day. We were all super sad to find out that the summer Olympics were postponed to 2021 (I may have even shed a few tears) so we had our own Olympics at home...

We started the day with Olympic themed worksheets,

 

made edible Olympic medals (fruit by the foot and Oreos) for snack,

competed in 5 Olympic games in the backyard,

and everyone earned a medal at the end. 

Tuesday was Sports Day!

We started the day with sports themed mazes and the kids had to design their own jersey followed by

snack that consisted of popcorn (in football containers) and cuties that (kind of) looked like basketballs.

After a festive lunch,

sports were played in the backyard.

Wednesday was Joe's birthday and apparently we didn't get any pictures but we enjoyed celebrating and hanging out with him since he had the day off.

Thursday was camping day and I slacked a little bit with this one because I was tired! Maxwell wasn't impressed with my lack of decor but I think I made up for it when we had Smores for snack.

For the camping activity, I told the kids to go make forts in the basement which actually kept them busy for awhile. We were also supposed to go on a nature scavenger hunt but the kids were having so much fun in the backyard that they just found what they could in the yard.

Friday was Unicorn, Dragon, and Castle Day!

When I came downstairs in the morning, I found Maxwell happily reading about castles

 and being a trooper as he wore his unicorn horn.

The kids each made their own castles out of Duplos,

helped make unicorn poop cookies ( I aim to please),

and decorated a cookie castle! Grandma Esteb dropped this off on our front step last week and this was the perfect day to work on it!

Next week we officially kick off Distance Learning which will be a fun new challenge for all of us!

Dear baby boy,

I can't believe another week has already gone by. Some days it feels like time is going by so fast and other days, it feels so slow. I can tell you one thing, how things currently are is not all what I envisioned for the last trimester of this pregnancy. Little guy, there's a really bad virus affecting the whole world and things are very different now than they were a month ago. A month ago, your siblings all went to school, we spent a lot of time in the car driving Maxwell to school, baby M to visit her birth mom, going to moms group, going to doctor appointments, and running errands. A month ago you probably heard me talking with the neighbors every afternoon at school pickup. A month ago, evenings were filled with swim lessons, dance, and meetings with friends. But now, we only go outside to hang out in our yard or go on a walk. The rule is for everyone to stay at home unless you need something essential. Daddy is in charge of getting groceries as we need them. We both decided that I shouldn't go out unless absolutely necessary because we want me to stay healthy so I can continue to take care of you. You and I haven't left our house/neighborhood in 2.5 weeks and I have a feeling it's going to be that way for a while. It's amazing how much I love you and want the best for you and we haven't even officially met. You are so loved and I can't wait to see you, kiss you, and hold you in about 9 weeks!

Love always,
Mommy