Picnic Fun

A couple of weeks ago before Josh left for his trip, he decided we needed to have a picnic. He wanted to spend extra time with us since he was going to be gone for two weeks. I have to admit that I was not thrilled with the idea of a picnic. Why? Because I'm selfish and sometimes lazy and didn't want to go through all the work of getting the food together and the kids ready (remember Josiah is just a newborn). However, Josh insisted we have the picnic and I grudgingly went along.

It didn't start off so well, because as soon as we got the blanket down and the food out guess who woke up? I think that babies have some sort of alarm that goes off right when mom is about to eat! Anyone else had that experience? Eventually, I began to enjoy myself and most importantly to enjoy the time with my family. Not many dads are able to come home at lunch and even fewer want to go outside dressed up and have a picnic. I repented to the Lord and to Josh for my bad attitude and a fun time was had by all!

Here are some pictures from our fun time!

34 Weeks

It is hard to believe but I'm less than 6 weeks from my due date. Well, it is not so hard to believe when you see my stomach! To be honest, I have been reluctant to post pictures because I look so huge. Josh comforts me by telling me the camera adds a few pounds - he is very sweet!

Overall, I'm feeling great. Usually the mornings are my time to be busy and the evenings I try to relax and not do too much. Josh has told me to take it easier, and I'm trying, but the house doesn't miraculously clean itself and the laundry doesn't wait either. I am reminding myself that it is okay that everything isn't like normal and the Lord gives me the energy I need to complete the most important tasks.

Most of all, I'm trying to spend as much one-on-one time with Thomas as possible. A new baby will be an adjustment for him and especially sharing my time. We took a trip to the zoo last week (pictures coming soon) and had a great time. It is harder to travel or even go to the store with a newborn, so I'm enjoying these last few weeks of running my errands and walking outside with my sweet little boy.

Josh and I will be parents of another precious baby boy in just about a month and we are so excited! I'll be even more excited to hold him in my arms instead of my belly. Here are some recent fun pictures of the family, including me looking and feeling very pregnant!

Fun With Poppy!

Thomas has preferred Josh's dad over anyone else (including us) since he was tiny. There was something about Poppy that made him giggle at 4 months old when we didn't even know he could laugh yet! And Thomas' love for Poppy has only grown. As soon as he sees him, he just lights up and gets all excited.

Poor Grandma feels left out when Poppy is around. I think Grandma likes to come see Thomas when Poppy doesn't come, because she gets Thomas' undivided attention. However, don't feel too sorry for Grandma; she has always been the favored grandparent by the oldest grandchild. Josh thinks it is good that Poppy gets all of Thomas' attention, because Poppy has always been the one left out.

Now that Thomas is mimicking everything we do, you can imagine how much he mimics everything that Poppy does! Josh took some great pictures the other night of Thomas and his favorite person. What sweet memories!

My Long Absence

I usually try to post a couple of times a week, but that hasn't happened since September. Morning sickness is the main reason for not posting and we have just been very busy. I'm hoping the morning sickness will subside soon. Thankfully, I'm not "sick" just very nauseous and it doesn't end until sometime after lunch. When I was pregnant with Thomas I began to feel much better around 14 weeks. As you can see on the sidebar, I'm 13 weeks and 1 day now, so I'm hoping next week will be much better. Plus, we are going on another short trip next week and I would really like to feel normal!

Just a little update -

• We heard the baby's heartbeat on Friday, the 21st. I loved hearing the whoosh-whoosh and remembering why I'm sick and that it is completely worth it! Thomas went with us and he started bobbing his head when he heard the sound. He loves to dance and he thought it was music!
• Last Sunday, the 23rd, we left for a week at Disney World! While it was a fun and exciting trip, it was also very exhausting. Thomas was such a trooper with all the changes and lack of sleep. Poor baby didn't get to bed before 9pm anytime we were there and he only had one nap most days. I thought he might be ready to drop his morning nap, but he definitely isn't. By 11am, in the middle of fun rides, he was yawning. I'll post some pictures in the next few days of Sleepy - I mean Thomas!

Hopefully, my posting will become more regular in the next few weeks, even with the Christmas rush. We already have our tree and decorations up. Thomas loves the tree, but I think he is a little mystified by a tree being inside. Pictures of Disney World coming soon - I promise!

Some Pictures

It has been a long while since I've posted any recent pictures of Thomas. I've picked out a few from Halloween and Election Day because they were too cute not to share. Hopefully, I'll have the energy to update my Facebook account sometime this week with more cute pictures. Enjoy!

Our little pumpkin on Halloween!

He waved a lot, but didn't smile much while wearing the top.
I love my little pumpkin!

Josh being silly - by the way, he thinks this is SO funny. Maybe some of his guy friends would agree - John, Chris, or Jason??

Thomas "voting" for Saxby Chambliss - even though we don't live in GA!

Can you read his shirt? Thank you Chris & Amy!

Yep, here is your future president. Let's just say that Josh and I think Thomas would make a much better president in the future than our current president-elect. Of course, we already have the ticket ready for 2052: President - Joshua Thomas Culbertson, Vice-President - Wyatt Henry Burke. Don't those names sound presidential?

Picnic Fun

On Saturday, the weather was beautiful and Josh decided we should go on a picnic. We love to be outside in the fall and it was a perfect day (even though fall really begins today). Josh fixed the p&b sandwiches, chips, boiled peanuts, and fruit while I got Thomas ready for his first picnic. The wagon Thomas received for his birthday has been useful for so many things, and since I couldn't find my basket on Saturday, we used it to transport the food, blanket, and Thomas.

After we ate our lunch, we took Thomas out of the wagon and let him sit on the blanket with us. We left him in the wagon to feed him and so he wouldn't wander off while we ate. Our idea of him wandering off the blanket was wrong - he wasn't too sure what to think of the grass!

This was Thomas' first time touching grass and you can see he was a little hesitant! He did pick some up and give it to us. Thomas liked touching new things, but the kitty still has his undivided attention, although, he didn't like it when kitty jumped into the wagon.

Don't worry, the kitty didn't hurt him; they both were being playful.

Saturday was so nice because not only did we enjoy being outside, but we just enjoyed being together as a family. It is so easy to become consumed with everything that "has" to be done (or so we tell ourselves) that we often neglect enjoying time together. I hope that our picnic won't be the only one of this fall season! Below are a few more pictures we took.

First Swim

My sweet husband told me yesterday morning that he was going to leave work around 3:30pm, so that we could have some family time and go swimming. We were planning on taking Thomas on Saturday, but we spent too long at the furniture store and weren't able to go (more details on the furniture later). After Thomas awoke from his nap, we went to Grandma & Poppy's house for dinner and swimming. We were sure that Thomas would love the water and he did! He was so happy the entire time he was in the water. Thanks to Poppy, we have pictures because we forgot our camera!

I'm ready Mom!

Poppy & Thomas
Family photo
Having fun!
Look at that sweet face!
Sweet moment with Daddy
My boys!

It is amazing how time passes so quickly. Last year at this time, I was 6 months pregnant and swimming in the pool with Thomas in my tummy! I dreamed about him enjoying the water this year, but I didn't realize how quickly this year would come. He has been such a tremendous blessing to us!