A long weekend.

Ryan had to work an abundance of hours this past week consisting of way too many 16 hour overnight shifts.  Thankfully Arin came Thursday and spent the weekend with us.  It was very nice to have the help and especially the company.  We made many park trips and ate yummy food all weekend.  On Saturday, we took advantage of the beautiful Fall day and Arin took some awesome pictures of the kids.  They are for sure my favorite of the two of them together and we also got some really cute ones of each of them by themselves.  This one is just a sneak peak and I will post the rest of them in the future.  Thanks Aunty!

Just wanted to mention that last year on this day, we had an inch of snow!  I actually had to turn my air conditioner on last night so the kids did not roast while they were sleeping-INSANE!

Nesting.

"Nesting is the term used to refer to an expectant mother's instinct which gives her a surge of energy which prompts her to clean and do various chores around her home.  Nesting usually arises as the mother nears her due date."

I am definitely here.  I do not remember experiencing "nesting" nearly as much with my first two pregnancies as this one.  There are two things affecting this phenomena for me:  1.  We have MANY big changes awaiting us the months directly after the baby will be born.  2.  Ryan will be going on his 8 week regional rotation soon.  The past week and a half I have cleaned out all of my closets-making two large goodwill trips, cleaned out the storage room (yet again), cleaned out the garage, and done some meticulous cleaning projects around the house.  Thankfully Sue came and stayed with us for 3 days to help with the kids while I was on my rampage.  I feel so much better now that it is all done!  I think I need to take a little break from "nesting" due to the fact that my inguinal hernia and my nesting projects are definitely not getting along very well!

A Warm October.

We have been blessed with a warmer than normal October.  We have spent an abundance of time soaking up the sun and warmth at the many beautiful parks here.  We have even ventured to the zoo a couple of times where there are still a fair amount of animals outside.  I am treasuring every warm day we have as I know it will not last forever.  I <3 Fall!

Harvest Festival.

Our family made our first visit to the Country Apple Orchard just outside of Sioux Falls for the Harvest Festival.  It was sort of a last minute thing that we hadn't really planned but had a great time.  Since it was late apple season and early pumpkin season, the Harvest Festival has a lot of both.  What a great way to spend a cool, gorgeous fall morning.  

The kids took a bumpy, fast ride on a train pulled by Santa himself.  They thought this was pretty fun!

Kadence loved her "little" apple that the boy dressed as a scarecrow gave her.

Landon ate part of his apple-because Kadence was eating hers...

We then hopped on for a tractor ride out to the apple orchard.  There were several rides some pulled by tractor and some by beautiful horses.

Ryan and I had never been apple picking before so were were amazed by the amount of trees and apples in the orchard.  So fun!

The kids each had their own little bags and picked their own apples.  Landon knocked more on the ground then he picked and wouldn't take the ones off the ground even if he had just knocked it off.  I guess that's what we get for telling him not to pick the ones up off the ground!

Kadence wanted all "little" apples.  We had to persuade her to put some bigger ones in her bag.

Kadence was thoroughly entertained with her bag of apples most of the day.  This is what she did with them right away after we got home.  She stayed at the table and played with her "big" and "little" apples for a long time!  It was okay until Landon started playing with his alongside her and they decided to "taste" several apples.  Oh the joys.  We had such a fun family day!  I can't believe that we missed out on the apple orchard the first two Fall's in Sioux Falls!   

The Next Step.

Well after a long month and a half we have found the next step in our path of life.  Ryan had interviews at both of the hospitals in Fargo.  With two interviews under his belt followed by two job offers, I can't express how excited he was and how proud of him I am.  It was a difficult decision to make as one of the hospitals was Sanford (formerly Meritcare) which we both worked at before Ryan started grad school.  However, the offer from Innovis was better and Ryan felt that it would be a better fit for him.  So, after much anticipation and what felt like a lifetime, Ryan accepted his first CRNA job!  Just as exciting, we know where we will be moving in just 5 short months.  Since we will be moving with a 3 and 4 year old and an infant, it is so comforting knowing we will be moving to a place of familiarity.  Our little family actually started in good old Fargo.  Ryan and I met there and that is where we brought home both Landon and Kadence.  The few times we have visited Fargo since we moved brought back so much happiness and so many good memories that we are very excited to move back. So, a painful 2 months with Ryan in Omaha for his regional rotation, a new baby, Ryan's boards, and we're on our way back to Fargo!  

30 weeks.

I cannot believe we are already into the 30's.  Even though the discomforts are increasing, it seems to be going very fast now.  Perhaps the pace of our life these past couple weeks has made it go by even faster. Already into my 2 week appointments and just over 2 months to go.  Anyone who does not know me does not believe I can possibly be as far along as I say, which oddly doesn't make me feel any better about myself!  I am still uncomfortable, peeing a lot, not sleeping well, and exhausted, yet, if you aren't HUGE you don't seem to get much sympathy! I have a very active baby and I enjoy watching the big movements from the outside when we go to bed at night.

These two excited older siblings came with me to my appointment.  I was not excited to bring the two of them by myself to the doctors office, but they did extremely well despite the 45 minute wait.  Thank goodness for stickers!  They both heard the baby's heart beat and looked up with their big bright eyes and very big smiles-priceless.  They may not totally understand but sure are excited about the "idea" nonetheless.  I am getting more and more excited for the newest addition to our family and have even daydreamed about holding the little peanut in my arms once the two older ones are sleeping and the house is quiet.  Until next time...more growing, I'm sure!

Some Time With My Girl.

I have been fortunate to have some alone time with Kadence the last couple weeks while big brother is at Preschool.  It has been fun and very good for both of us.  She loves her mommy time and Landon isn't feeling left out because he is at school having a blast.

Today we took advantage of the gorgeous Fall morning and spent some time walking around Falls Park. It is almost as though she doesn't know how to act without big brother to run and play with.  I am definitely treasuring this special time we have been spending together, especially since soon there will be little brother or sister taking up some time, too!  Love this girl to pieces.