Tulip Festival

I recently bought a membership to Thanksgiving Point. I was really excited to first take advantage of going to the Tulip Festival they have each year. I haven't been since I went with my Mom two years ago, just before Owen was born.

This year, some of the in-laws were in town, so I was able to go with family again. It was also nice since tulips are Mom Wright's favorite flower! :) Marci stayed home to watch Owen while I went with Mom and Megan. It was a beautiful day and I'm so glad we went!

Here are some of the MANY tulips we saw:

This was a random bunch of daffodils amidst all the tulips, so I thought I'd get a shot since they are one of my favorite flowers.

 Gorgeous landscaping!

And lastly were the man-made waterfalls, which also added a lot to the beauty of the day. 

I love going and enjoying nature. It was nice to go with some women who appreciated it, rather than drag Miles along. I can't wait to go again next year!

Owen's 2nd Birthday Party

The birthday boy with his Dada before heading to church. I loved that they were wearing matching red, white and blue ties. Oh, and poor Goose had a big fat lip that he'd gotten the day before by pulling the baby monitor down off a shelf onto his face. It was pretty sad. :(

Since most of Miles' family was in town for graduations, we decided to celebrate Owen's birthday a week early so that we could have more family there. It was really nice to have Grandma and Grandpa Wright, Aunt Megan, Uncle Mitchell, Aunt Marci as well as Uncle Matt, Aunt Kerry and cousins Hadley and Elena all there to celebrate with us.

I decided to do an "airplane" themed party since this boy *loves* all things transportation, but especially planes. I cut out a banner and clouds, and Miles drew airplanes and cut those out for decorations.

I wanted to make an airplane shaped cake, but with all the graduation festivities and family gatherings, I decided to decrease my stress level and just make a landing strip. I think it turned out quite cute. And, most importantly, it tasted good since I used the chocolate chip bundt cake recipe with cream cheese frosting. Yum!

We started with dinner. I made Peanut Ginger Chicken over Coconut Rice topped with Mango Salsa. Kerry made a delicious julienne chopped Asian salad to go with it, and we drank sparkling prickly passion lemonade. It was an awesome meal if I do say so myself. :)

After dinner, we opened presents. When I brought them out and asked Owen if he wanted to open presents, he started jumping up and down on the couch shouting, "Presents! Presents! Presents!" It was super cute.

We went pretty simple with presents, but ALL of them were a hit. He got a drawing pad and washable (thank you, Crayola) crayons from the Wickman family. He is always requesting "colors" when he sees anything you can write with. He also got a rev-up monster truck that is magnetic and can climb up the fridge or metal doors, as well as a train track set from me and Miles. Both sets of grandparents gave him money for his savings account, and I believe Grandma Van de Wetering is working on a quiet book (post to come when that arrives).

After presents, we did cake and ice cream. Owen was so excited when he saw the plane and helicopter on the cake. Miles and Mitchell were trying to get the candles lit, but were struggling because our air conditioning was blowing them out and it wasn't turning off fast enough. Owen was crying the whole time because he just wanted the toys. They were finally able to get them lit and we sang and brought the cake over to Owen. He reached right past the candles for the plane, and knocked the flames out with this sleeve. So much for actually blowing them out. Oh well. Also, Owen didn't seem that into the cake. He was more interested in the ice cream, but mostly he just wanted to play with his "pwane" and "copter."

Oh, and I also made these cute little airplanes as favors, but had hidden them in the cupboard so Owen wouldn't see them. Unfortunately, that meant I completely forgot to even bring them out. Oops!

The party was a lot of fun and like I said, it was so great to celebrate with family. We know that won't always be an option as most family members live far away and others are likely moving away from this area. Thank you to everyone who was there to help celebrate Owen's birthday with us!

Oh Baby! (15 weeks)

Miles, Owen and I went in for our early gender check ultrasound and doctor's appointment today. People have been asking me if I want a boy or a girl. When I was pregnant with Owen, I really wanted a girl, and sadly (to be completely honest) I was a bit disappointed when I heard we were having a boy. Over time that changed and I was about to accept and anticipate the arrival of my sweet, baby boy. I of course, love him more than anything in this world and would not be the same without him. I am SO grateful to have had him first and learn about and love little boy behaviors.

This time, however, has been different.

What are little boys made of?

Slugs and snails

And puppy-dogs' tails,

That's what little boys are made of.

I think it would be so wonderful to have another boy so that Owen could have a brother close to him in age. Also, Miles is the second son, of a second son, of a second son, of a second son, of a second son. Did you catch that?! Yeah...he's the fifth in the line of "second sons." This does not mean the second born, but merely the second son of a family. I think that it would be awesome to have a second son to continue the line.

What are little girls made of?

Sugar and spice

And everything nice,

That's what little girls are made of.

A girl, would be wonderful. Pink frills, lace, bows, glitter, and dresses. So. Much. Fun. On my families side, there are four grandsons and only two granddaughters. My nieces, Hadley and Elena have been dying for a girl cousin. And on Miles's side, there are no granddaughters - only three grandsons. I know the ladies are itching to buy girly things. And since we don't know how many children we'll be able to have (financially and literally with our fertility treatment), it would be nice to have at least one of each.

So this time, I went in with no expectations or desires or concerns. I knew that I would be 100% happy with whatever the outcome.

Which brings me to the question...

BOY...

or

GIRL...

We'll let Owen tell you...

IT'S A GIRL!!!

And we couldn't be more thrilled. :)

Here is one of the ultrasound pictures. I was having a hard time taking good pictures of them and our scanner isn't working. Once we get that taken care of I'll post more including her profile and alien face. :)
Oh yes, and here's a picture of the awesome sperm and egg cookies I made as well. :P