The Calm before the storm/move

We intended to have a low-key weekend but when you have a million things going on in your life "low-key" is relative I guess...

It's hard to be in this middle place of moving - we can't pack everything yet we look around and feel that we have so much to do! Besides packing, we enjoyed a few activities while dodging the rain.

If you look below you will see an appearance of the baby bump - 29 weeks and counting!

We hit up the zoo one more time before we leave Des Moines.  Marie was disappointed the giraffes were not out so we may have to make one more trip...or wait for the Omaha Zoo this fall.

Marie picked out her outfit for the zoo - she wanted to be a dancing princess for the day.

We went swimming at our apartment building.  We won't be living there until May but the pool is pretty fun while we wait! We are calling the apartment our "hotel" until our new big house is ready for us.

We played in our yard and talked about our favorite things at our house.  Marie loves the swing in the tree and she is sure Charlie likes the gate so he can run out of the yard to chase squirrels and rabbits.

 We laid on our backs in the grass and looked at the clouds - trying to find shapes or animals.

Our time in this house is getting shorter and shorter...we are closing May 14 (cross your fingers) and moving forward with the 2nd offer on the house! While packing, Charlie was getting quite nervous. I explained to Marie that he was feeling upset because we were packing boxes and he doesn't understand what is going on. Marie insisted on cuddling him and telling him "Don't worry Char, you will get to have your own room in our big house!  I get a purple princess room, the baby gets his own room, but Mommy & Daddy will share."

Marie and her buddies

 

We had a surprise visit from Uncle Nathan! 

He was attending a wedding in Iowa City and took the time to drive over to see us on Saturday. It was a great chance to catch up since we haven't seen him since Christmas. 

Marie was very excited to see her uncle and loved being chased by him and playing with him on the slide...she even got him to jump on the bed.  She was so sad to see him leave.

 As you can see she was worn out by all the excitement from Nate's visit.  She fell asleep on our bed and was joined by her best buddy. Charlie is a dog who loves to cuddle by resting his head on you - he found the perfect spot for a rainy afternoon nap.

Move Update:

We are still in our house as our closing date has been pushed back.  It looks like things are going to go our way with the sale but we are being careful not to get too hopeful.  I never knew so many things could go wrong in a sale of a house!  We ended up receiving another offer on our house but are hoping it all works out with the first offer due to timing and closing dates...someday this will be settled, right??? 

Big Easter Weekend

Marie seemed very interested in Easter this year so we took full advantage. She helped boil, dye, and eat the eggs. Saturday was supposed to be our big egg hunt featuring the Easter Bunny himself, but unfortunately the weather had other plans. Just as we drove out of our driveway, the thunder crashed and the rain came down. We made it to the park just in time for Andy to grab Marie & the umbrella, run to the field of wet eggs, and hear the fireman yell, "1-2-3 GO!" I was following behind with the soggy basket and camera.
At first I felt bad making her do this egg hunt in the rain (and secretly thought Andy was crazy), but on the way back to the car I realized he had made the right decision - we saw poor little kids in their rain gear with their empty baskets crying next to their unhappy (yet dry) parents.
We were wet - but we got some eggs!

After the hunt we headed to Hy-Vee for a much deserved doughnut.
Easter Sunday began with Andy & I waking up to the sound of a naughty dog eating the jelly bean trail to Marie's basket...2nd year in a row. We replaced the trail and Marie followed it to her basket of goodies. She was excited about it all but especially the sucker that Dad let her eat for breakfast!After church we went to brunch, took naps that Marie agreed we all needed, and then did one more big hunt around our house since the first hunt wasn't exactly what we had planned on.

Marie loved finding all the hidden eggs - all 22 of them - and got excited every time she spotted one. Once again, Char was a big help with finding the jelly bean-filled eggs.

Overall, it was a busy Easter weekend full of family time. Once again, Marie seemed so much older to us this weekend. We take these pictures and then when we look at them, we realize how grown up she is getting! It also reminds me how little our baby boy will be. Thankfully we have a big sister who will be MORE than happy to help us out.

I mentioned to her how pretty she looked on Easter morning, commenting on how she looks older.
Her response: "Aww thanks Mommy, you look old too."

Dad vs. Daughter

As posted previously, Marie is going through a bit of a princess stage. She knows all about them, memorizes the songs, actions to the songs, specific movie parts, yadda, yadda, yadda. Lately, this healthy little obsession is going a step further...she is actually analyzing the movies now and asking questions.

"The Little Mermaid" is always on her mind. She comments on how her aunt Keri has red hair just like Ariel, how she has legs and sometimes Ariel doesn't, and how "mean" Ariel's daddy is. Because we don't own the movie, Marie only watches it at Gramma Nel's house. After our visits, Andy & Marie have gotten into some heated discussions - comparable to debate sessions - with the topic being, "Who is right - Ariel or King Triton?"

The conversation goes something like this:
Marie: "Ariel's daddy is mean to her." Andy: "He is not being mean, he is trying to keep her safe." Marie: "Well she wants to be on land." Andy: "But she needs to follow directions and make good choices." Marie: "But she loves Prince Eric." Andy: "She needs to listen to her Daddy because he knows what is best." Marie: "Yep, her daddy is mean."

Something tells me we are going to have some VERY interesting teenage years with our girl!

4 little blondies

We have a brand new addition to the Van Beek Clan.

Presenting:

Anneke Jean
Born March 21, 2012
10 lbs. 3 oz. & 21 inches long

She is a beauty.

We finally got to meet her this past weekend. Marie had been talking about "Baby Anneke" for days and days. The meeting was nothing short of spectacular. Marie held, kissed, hugged, and loved on Anneke as much as possible.

Anneke's older sisters, Abby & Alissa, are doing great at helping, but they were ready for some playing time with Marie.
It was a beautiful day so we went to the school playground before heading back to Des Moines. Marie loved playing with the older girls and learning new tricks from them. She looks so old when she is playing with the big girls...hard to take for mom & dad.


Although our heads are spinning with our upcoming move and all that is going on, it was great to get away from it all for a bit!

worrying...

Ever since learning I was pregnant with our little guy I have had this nagging question in my head...."Will I be able to share my attention & time with another child?" I think about it every day...dreaming up schedules and scenarios that will best divide my time and attention between the 2 kids (and Charlie) the best way...while not forgetting to clean the house, do laundry, talk to my husband, maintain friendships, get a job, etc.

I also am a worrier by nature...always have been. Andy has helped me with this throughout our years together but I still worry.

So, as we continue to figure this all out, we are trying our absolute best to spend as much quality time with Marie as possible while also encouraging her to be more independent. We still get our cuddling in, but don't carry her to the car every time.

We help her find clothes that match and put her shirt on, but she is mostly responsible for her underwear, pants, and shoes. (unless we are running extremely late in the morning)

She is helping with taking out the garbage, feeding Charlie and giving him treats, and even cleaning up from meals.

Some of the above mentioned items are more difficult than others, but mostly she is relishing in this new-found responsibility.
She loves being a big girl.

Of course there will be times when she will want our attention but the baby will be nursing, or need changing, or something and we won't be able to give her 100%. I know she will be upset at times, I know she will need time to figure this new life out, but I also know that she will be o.k.

So, until this bundle of joy arrives and turns our life upside down, I will be spending as much time as I can with this special girl...and maybe even squeezing in some extra cuddling tonight.

Spring Fever

I enjoyed some much needed/wanted time away from school this past week. Both of my districts have a spring break so I got to take time off with them. This is a luxury I have enjoyed the past 4 years. I usually clean, organize, make appointments such as dentist, hair, doctor, etc., spend time with Marie, and bring out spring clothes and put winter clothes away. I actually love the cleaning/organizing part of this week because I can have the windows open, music on, and my house gets a much needed freshening up.

This year, I did bits and pieces of it all...reminding myself it was probably the last time I will have a "spring break" from work. I did some cleaning, minor organizing, a few appointments (including a prenatal massage in which I fell sound asleep), visited family, and spent much needed time with Marie in this fabulous weather we have been having here...actually, it was a little hot for me, but who's complaining? (this pregnant woman)

On one of the 75 degree days, I picked Marie up from school a little early and surprised her with a visit to the duck pond. Oh how this little girl loves the duck pond. She has been visiting this place ever since she was tiny.

For one thing, she loves animals...and not just dogs - all kinds of animals. She is drawn to them and them to her. I am very thankful for this because let's face it...her mom & dad love animals too. She is so confident yet careful around animals. In fact at this last visit, she warned me several times that we are to walk slowly by the ducks.

We enjoyed our visit and look forward to a few more before we move. Hopefully we can find a similar gem in Sioux City!