Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice

Things have been pretty quiet over here at Life With the Ladniers...  I have taken a hiatus from blogging but things are a changing and it is time to fire it back up again!

That's right!!  We are having a baby GIRL in August and we could not be happier!

Let me back up a little bit...  A week before Christmas, we took a family trip to Florida.

 While we were there I slowly put together some very familiar feelings (pregnancy symptoms) and I don't know how to describe it but my womb just felt... full. I just knew.  One day we stopped by a grocery store before heading to the beach for the day.  I only went in for one item and that item happened to share an isle with pregnancy tests.  Before I knew what I was doing I had one in my hand.  We had a beautiful day at the beach and when we got back to our resort, the boys had fallen asleep.  I told David to stay in the car with the boys while I carried all of the stuff in.  During one of my trips I took one of the pregnancy tests and... it was POSITIVE!!  OMG.  I had never seen a test be SO positive SO fast.  HOW LONG HAD I BEEN PREGNANT?!?  This baby was a complete and utter surprise for us.   It took us a little time to wrap our heads around it all but now we are only filled with joy and excitement.

The boys helped us make it Facebook official with this sweet photo.

The boys' pregnancies were practically the same including a random craving for olives (I did have a food aversion to leafy greens with Ayden that thankfully did not repeat with Logan).  This time, while I'd still call it "easy" compared to what I hear many women experience, I definitely experienced more symptoms.  We both had a feeling it *might* be a girl but the odds were not in our favor given the facts that a) we had two boys already which increased the odds of having another, and that b) Ladnier men produce SOOO MANY boys!  We left her ultrasound on cloud 9 and our family already feels complete... Like we were missing this little girl all along and did not fully realize it.

The boys are super excited to be having a little sister.

 I'm not sure that Logan fully realizes what is ahead but from the moment we told him there was a baby in my belly, he was been saying it was a sister.  Ayden also has talked about wanting a little sister long before we even got pregnant with this little girl.  He would say he was going to have a sister and her name would be Molly, just like the little sister in Toy Story. They were not quite as surprised as we were to hear that she is a girl because they were sure it was already. 

There is so much to update on so I'm going to end this post for now but be on the lookout because you'll be having many more glimpses into life with the Ladniers (at least through Baby Girl's first year)!  It feels good to be back!

Sarah

In Love With Trick-Or-Treating

Happy Halloween!!

Tonight, Ayden told us he is "In love with Trick-or-Treating."  I think it's safe to say he had a good time!  I think for now, Halloween in general is his favorite.

We're Still Here!!

I really do want to get on a weekly posting schedule!  I got behind and then kept putting it off because it became too much to update on. So, I'll just leave the gap and pick up here. 

The boys are keeping us on our toes as always!

Logan loves noses. 

Ayden befriended a skeleton. 

We take him everywhere...

The boys got passports. 

We are going somewhere very exciting very soon. 

The house got painted and my jacuzzi tub is installed!  

We're waiting on the electric to be switched from the temporary pole to the house itself and then we will have this exciting feature called HOT water! ;) Then I may sneak over to soak in the jets after the boys are in bed even before we move in...

Next up will be tile, stair railing, getting some temporary kitchen storage/counter pieces from IKEA, temporary floor treatment (we will eventually get hard wood but for fast move in readiness we plan to paint the subfloor), outlets/switches/cover plates, faucets, light fixtures, etc. We are in a roll and things are happening really fast now!!!

As always, things are crazy and exciting and wonderful and stressful at times. I am going to try really hard to be back next week but just in case I don't, be sure to follow me on Instagram because I post any significant happenings there, and almost in real time!  Until next time!

~Sarah

Soccer Star

We've had a LOT going on (as usual)!  Until I get a big update posted, here is a little glimpse of Ayden and his first soccer "game."  It was adorable.  

I put together a little video. Enjoy!

~Sarah

Did Ya Miss Me??

Oh, hey there! It's been a while... My little hiatus was longer than I originally anticipated, but rest assured, I have no intention of abandoning this blog!  Bare with me because this may be a lengthy update... Here's what we've been up to since I last posted:

We had a fun Friday night at a nearby creek: 

We went Paw Paw picking and discovered that Ayden still LOVES our native fruit!

Logan has been as adventurous as ever!

We harvested our honey!

David and I had another date night. 

BABIES!  Our dear friends had their sweet girl come unexpectedly early but she is doing great!  We can't wait to meet her and have been loving the photos they send/post.  I also became an auntie for the 7th time!  I have one nephew on David's side and from my sisters I have one niece and now FIVE nephews. If you are counting he's the EIGHTH grandchild for my parents.  My heart is so wonderfully full!   

His was the first birth I have attended since experiencing childbirth myself and the link that it gave my sister and me was pretty special.

David went out of town for work just in time for her to go into labor. I pulled an all-nighter to be with her. Ayden spent the night with David's parents and Logan came along with me and (mostly) slept in the Ergo. 

I would have never tried that with another baby.
Mr. Logan is a really special little dude and just went with the flow as usual.

It took me DAYS to bounce back from that. Partially because I was on my own and had the kids to take care of; but also because I'm just not a spring chick anymore!  Haha. 

Morning snuggles with just the three of us.
We MISSED Daddy but still had some pretty special moments.

Ayden is almost done with his pre-soccer program. His big "game" is this Thursday. 

Smiling at Daddy, waiting to block the shot he was about to take!

His imagine is as wild as ever!  At any given moment he may be a camper, a pirate, a hunter, a squirrel, a frog, a T-Rex, a boy name Jack from his "Magic Treehouse" books, a rat named "Samuel Wiskers" from Beatrix Potter's "Roly Poly Pudding" story...  He is in a stage where he LOVES to make believe!  

Our house passed the rough-in electrical inspection right out of the gate!! 

WARNING: *proud bragging wife moment is about to commence* The inspector seemed really impressed by David's DIY abilities and said he usually has to visit a home upwards of 10 times before most DIYers pass his inspections.

I am SO incredibly proud of my handy hubby! Before  building is this house, he had only built a learning tower for Ayden and a chicken coop. Between his smarts, work experience with design, reading books/message boards, he has become a self taught carpenter, plumber, electrician, landscape architect, and so much more. When I step back and look at what a gift this house has been, not just for us, but to him, I am amazed and so grateful. He has grown so much as a person since setting out on this venture and that was the foundational purpose all along. What a symbolic and special home this will always be!

This week the insulation will be installed and then the drywall next week.  We decided to hire folks to take care of these tasks quickly for us.  Then we'll be doing things like tiling the shower, installing switch plates/fixtures/faucets/etc., preparing the floors, painting and such.  The ball is about to start rolling REALLY fast and we are excited!!

Other than all of that (haha, as if that wasn't already an overload!), the boys have just been having fun and we've all been living life while trying to enjoy it as much as possible. Just like we always do. 

Logan channeled his inner newborn and took a 3 hour nap today!
He was either inspired by his new baby cousin, or he's about to have a growth spurt...

These evenings "off" from blogging have been wonderful!  David and I have enjoyed more time spent together and I have been getting a little more sleep. While I do hope to post more frequently than this little hiatus allowed, turning it down a notch was definitely the right choice for me at this time. I am thinking Tuesdays may be a good start for at least weekly updates...  I'll see how that feels and go from there! As always, thanks for following along and you'll be seeing is again soon!

Comment below and let me know what you've been up to!  I've missed you guys :D.

~Sarah

If He Fits, He Sits

I have a feeling I'll have many more photos like these to share in the near future. He's most definitely our little adventurer!

~Sarah

Up, Up, and Away!

We celebrated Logan's birthday yesterday!  It was a wonderful party.  Here is a slide show of the festivities.  I always try to choose birthday themes for my kids that mirror their interests at the time.  Logan isn't really into any specific one thing other than EXPLORING his world.  This is fitting since this little boy is so amazing and truly deserves the world!  We all love him SO much. 

Enjoy!!

~Sarah