Things have evened up in the Wayne household! Last Monday, in the early hours of the morning, we welcomed a new baby boy into our family. We think he is the cutest, sweetest thing we have ever seen. 

Lincoln Scott arrived Monday July 13th at 2:29am, 15 minutes after we got to the hospital. There were multiple moments when I was sure he was going to be born in the car. Though we had a few bouts of false labour in the days leading up to his arrival, his actual labour and birth were fast and furious... which I hope is not an indicator of what his personality will be like as he grows!

Both Sunshine and Beebs were in the delivery room to welcome their new brother, with my best friend KJ as their chaperone. The stars aligned and one of my closest friends was working at the hospital that night and was able to be Lincoln's nurse. Though chaotic, his birth was absolutely perfect.

I am excited to get his birth story typed up, but it hasn't happened yet. Since he is already a week old, I figured it was time to post that he has arrived, and the birth story can come later. We love our little Shark Bait and can hardly remember what our family was like without him!

Blogging In The Present | A Novel Idea

Well folks, I *think* I'm finally caught up. I'm sure I've missed a few things here and there, but considering that at one point I was a good 6+ months behind on our blog, this is pretty major stuff. It is currently the month of July, and I am about to blog about the month of July. And thank goodness! I really wanted to be caught up before the baby arrives so I can blog like mad about how adorable and perfect this baby is. If it ever comes out, of course.

July has been pretty uneventful so far. Mainly because we are in waiting mode. This baby could come at any moment now. Quite literally. So we are just hanging out, trying to keep the house in order and not over do it while I'm 41 weeks pregnant and it is 110+ degrees outside.

Here are just a few snapshots of what we've been up to since July began...

First- my due date came and went. I wasn't at all surprised when it came and went without even a hint of contractions, but I was surprised to find a package in my mailbox that day from KJ's older sister who makes homemade soaps. I'm sure she didn't send them off knowing they'd arrive on my due date, but it was the perfect little surprise to put a smile on my face and make the day a little brighter. Especially when I opened the package and saw all the cutely named soaps! So far we have tried the round one at the top of the photo which is a goats milk soap with lavender and peppermint. I love it! She even included a couple of soaps that are specifically made for baby skin. Can't wait until Little L arrives and I can try out the baby bars on his or her sweet baby skin.

(Lisa's soaps can be found at www.madronasoap.com, for anyone interested.)

As I mentioned in my 40+ week update post, my first official day of being overdue was spent with my friends Amy and Amanda. They treated me to a full blown girls day out. I felt so, so spoiled by the time I got home! We got Starbucks and pedicures, then headed to one of my favourite local spots for lunch. After lunch we shopped for a bit. It was such a great day and a nice way to kick off the longest two weeks of all eternity... or at least that's how being overdue often feels. I don't know what I've done to deserve such amazing friends, but I am so, so blessed, and that has been extremely evident over the past week.

July 4th was pretty much a big dull dud. One of my favourite holidays and we did pretty much nothing at all. I didn't want to plan anything because hosting a big get together while two days "past due" didn't sound like fun to me. Instead, we lounged around all day doing pretty much nothing at all, then went to a local BBQ restaurant for dinner. Best part of the day- the fried pickles. I've been dying for good fried pickles for months and finally found some. Saddest parts of the day- I was really hoping for a July 4th baby and I didn't even see one firework all weekend long. Like I said, it ended up being a dud of a day.

Luckily, things were looking up on Sunday. My wee ones got to wear their cute new 4th of July outfits to church and they looked so stinking cute. I can't get over how adorable they were. Can't wait to add Little L to this bunch and get a new red, white and blue picture to hang on my living room wall.

Monday July 6th was my awesome friend Nicole's birthday. She is another one of my amazing friends that I feel so incredibly blessed to know. She came into my life at a time when I was really, really struggling with feeling lonely, especially at church. Her friendship has been a huge blessing in my life, so of course I had to do something to show my appreciation for her. I decided on cookie dough cupcakes and a LuluLemon gift card, not realizing at the time the irony of the gift! The cupcakes may have been partly selfish... I definitely enjoyed my fair share of rich, cookie dough goodness. 

July 7th was Sunshine's final swim meet for the summer. It was a doozy! She got 4th place in her first race, but cut a little time off her swim from the week before, which is what we always tell her is most important. Really, the ribbons don't mean much as she swims against different people each week and even in each race. One race she could be with the 7 best swimmers in her age group and the next, the 7 worst. You just never know. So really, ribbon place is fun, but not a great gauge on her personal improvement. 

Her second race of the meet was a special one. She was not paying as much attention as she should have been and didn't kick off when she should have. She probably got into the pool a full second after everyone else by the time she realized what was going on. Her stroke looked amazing, but it was too much time to make up and she ended with 6th out of 8th. It was a good learning experience for being ready and paying attention.

Her third race of the night was the one that took us all by surprise. It was the 100 yard individual medley which is one lap of each stroke- butterfly, backstroke, breast then free. She swam it for the very first time the week before and it took it's toll. Typically her age group only swims 25 yards per race, so to quadruple that really tires the kiddos out. The first week, she swam it in 2 minutes and 12 seconds but looked like she was dying on the last lap especially. We could tell exactly where she lost her steam, she was so worn out. She ended up with a seventh place ribbon, but we were just beyond excited that she had finished such a huge feat for her age. 

This week, we prepped her before the medley, reminding her to take it a little bit easier on the harder strokes (butterfly and breast) so she could push herself a little more on the strokes that she really excels in (back and free). We told her to just do her best and then prepared to cheer hard. She was so so nervous but it was the best race we've ever seen from her! She did exactly as we suggested and didn't push herself too much on the harder strokes, then she went full throttle on the ones that she is strongest in. She was in the top three throughout the first three laps but something happened in the last lap and she was neck in neck with the girl in the lane beside her. We were cheering and screaming so loud as she got to the end of the lane and she managed to win by a fraction of a second. First place for our little lady. And she was so exhausted that Bruce had to lift her out of the pool. She could not stop grinning. In two summers of swim team, this was her first first place ribbon and she was just beaming with pride. She cut four full seconds off her time from the week before which in a race of that length is pretty darn impressive. We are so so proud of our little fishy and all she has accomplished in the last year of swim. She works hard and her efforts show. 

July 8th ended up being a very busy day in our house. 6 days past the 40 week mark, and it seemed like as good a day as any to do some major rearranging! We've been in the market for bunk beds for the girls room for quite some time. They were struggling with the trundle bed as the girls were able to mess with each other too much and we were hoping bunk beds would separate them enough to help. We moved the trundle into Man Cub's room and kept our eyes peeled for a good deal. We had resigned ourselves to the fact that we were probably going to end up with some IKEA special to get us by when this beauty popped up on a local buy/sell group for just the right price. Bruce and his dad picked it up Wednesday morning and we spent the rest of the day setting it up and moving things around. The girls love their new bed and though it's only been a few days, it does seem to be helping with the bedtime issues. Of course, there is still the up and down needing drinks and potty breaks and who knows what else. But at least they can't touch each other anymore!

A few hours after the kiddos went to bed Wednesday night, I woke them and piled them into the car for the second part of our busy, crazy day. KJ had changed her flight to arrive a few days earlier as we were both so anxious at the thought of her possibly missing the birth of this baby. Her plane arrived at midnight, so the wee ones slept up until about 11:30 when we got into the car and headed to the airport to pick her up. I am so so glad to have KJ here. It's not looking like the baby will arrive any time soon, but having her here has been a huge help so far. She is definitely keeping me sane during a time when I would otherwise be going crazy. Another friend that I am beyond blessed to have! 

No pictures from July 9th as it was just a long day of contracting on and off. We spent pretty much the entire day lounging around and resting, just in case it ended up being baby day. No luck... this baby seems to just be a tease. KJ helped me finish packing my bags and making sure everything was in line for when we do go to the hospital. We played with the kiddos and took them swimming at Bruce's grandma's pool. It was low key, which was perfect. 

And finally, today, July 10th. Another low key day. We did some lounging. We did some napping. We fed the missionaries dinner, because isn't that what everyone does when they are 8 days past the 40 week mark? (It is when you love your ward's missionaries and one is leaving to go home next week... we had to get in one last dinner appointment before he is gone) Man Cub and I did plenty of snuggling. I think he knows something is up, because he is all about mama these days and unless he is trying to jump on my tummy, I really don't mind.

Now, we just keep waiting for Little L to arrive. We have things going on for the next few days that will help keep us all occupied, though none of them are crucial, so if the baby happens to decide it's time to come, none of us will mind. July has been a good month to us thus far, and knowing that Little L will be arriving soon just makes it that much better.

A Fishing Trip and a Visit From Nana

By the time Sunshine had finished her two week stay with my parents up in Utah, I was past the point of being able to travel far from home. This meant we had to figure out other arrangements to get Sunshine back. Originally, my mum and one of her close friends planned to drive down here for a girlie road trip and deliver Sunshine to us. At the last minute, the friend cancelled, leaving my mum to make the trip by herself. I was really nervous about her driving all that way alone, but in the end, I'm kind of glad she did! It was so much fun to have a week with my mum and not having to share her with anyone but my children. 

Since I knew I would have someone around to help with the wee ones and be with me on the very off chance that I went into labour (hahaha), I encouraged Bruce to take a long weekend and go fishing with his dad. They had tried to plan a fishing trip for earlier in the month but with all our house projects, it just didn't happen. So, while my mum drove down from Utah, Bruce and his dad headed north to Page to go fishing.

Bruce and his dad had fun on their fishing trip. They didn't catch as much as usual, but it's catch and release so maybe that doesn't matter? It's not like they were working to get dinner!! I'm glad that Bruce had the chance to run away for a few days before the craziness of having a new baby in the house sets in. 

Before she arrived, my mum told me to make a list of things I wanted to get done while she was here. Unfortunately, nothing on my list ended up being very exciting, but we had a super productive week and I am so beyond grateful for all her help. By the time she left, I felt almost ready for Little L's arrival! 

While my mum was here, we went through all the boxes and bags and tubs of children's clothes that I had been storing in my garage and condensed them greatly, donating 8 stuffed full garbage bags to DI and organizing the rest into the fewest amount of tubs possible. We ran some errands, hung curtains in my living room, cleaned house and painted two rooms! We completely painted my bathroom, taking it from the nasty beige that our whole house was painted when we moved in, to a beautiful light blue-green. It looks amazing and I am so grateful for her help in crossing that major task off my to do list. We also put the white coat on the walls of Man Cub's room so it would be ready for Bruce to paint stripes. 

My mum spoiled me by bringing me two of my most favourite donuts in the whole entire world- Oreo donuts from Days. They were amazing and made for one happy pregnant belly. 

We then returned the favour by taking Nana to our favourite donut shops.

And, because she loves me so so much, my mum spent a good amount of time while here knitting baby things for me. Because really, is there anything cuter than a newborn babe in hand knit goodies? So far I have two hats (a boy and girl version), a gender neutral white sweater and sweet little booties for the baby to wear home from the hospital. Still in progress is a beautiful blanket with a wave pattern to it that the baby will be wrapped in when s/he is blessed. I love having such a talented mum! Too bad it's a talent that did not make it's way to me. I've tried and tried and knitting is just not for me.

It was really hard letting my mum leave at the end of the week. I tried my hardest to convince her to just stay until the baby arrives. But apparently everyone at home missed her, so I had to share. She did lengthen her trip by one day, thus driving home on my dad's birthday/Father's Day. I feel slightly bad that she missed most of that day with him, but only just slightly. I'm feeling a little selfish these days and I really enjoyed her company and help during the week she was here. Something about being in the last weeks of pregnancy makes me really want my mama around, so I was very grateful for the time we had together.

June Odds & Ends

June was another month where nothing huge happened, but lots of little things did.

There were water fights and popsicles (Beebs was at a play date during this one)

We had a very mini version of our annual Utah road trip. Since I was unable to travel that far for an extended period of time, we made arrangements for Sunshine to go stay with my parents for two weeks. We met them in St. George to "deliver" her. 860.9 miles in one day, over the course of 13 hours. And, in between drives there and back, Bruce and I did sealings in the St George temple. So fun to add another temple to the list of those we've visited together. And the cassette tape shown in the above picture- Bruce and I listened to two full books on cassette during the drive. We felt so old school, but it was so much fun.

While Sunshine was away, Beebs got to have a day with Grandpa. He took her to the zoo and she was so excited to wear this new shirt that has become her favourite. 

While Beebs went to the zoo, Man Cub and I hit the grocery store for a Starbucks blended lemonade and donuts... two of our favourite treats. 

I helped host a baby shower for my awesome friend Dani. This is her first baby, a little boy, and it was so fun to organize the shower with the help of two other people. It meant so much less stress for me. I hope the same was true for each of them!! I was in charge of invites, party favours, a few decorations and a French toast casserole. The favours turned out so cute. I've definitely found my go-to favour for any showers I throw from here on out.

I worked up the courage to cut Beebs hair and I think I did a somewhat decent job! She loves it and has gotten lots of compliments on it. I just hope no one looks too terribly close. It's definitely not perfect but yay for saving a few dollars!

Bruce ripped the floors out of our laundry room and two bathrooms so he and his dad could lay tile. It only took them about 2.5 days to get the new floors and baseboards installed and it looks amazing. So much cleaner than the linoleum stick on tiles that were in there before. I love having new floors throughout most of the house!

Man Cub and Beebs each got new goggles since we have done so much swimming this summer. They were both having problems with the chlorine hurting their eyes really badly, so we fixed the problem. I think Man Cub in goggles is just about the cutest thing I've ever seen. And I'm still blown away by the fact that he'll actually keep them on! Though, every so often he'll tell me he doesn't want his goggles, he just wants to "use his eyes". 

More water fights

I painted lots of pegs to finish up all the orders from my flash sale before starting my maternity leave, including my first boy baptism peg. I love how each of these sets turned out. 

We finished up Man Cub's swim lessons with grins and excitement for the last week of lessons. So glad he decided he enjoyed them! And he learned so much from them, including how to dive for rings, which he now loves to do.

Man Cub wore himself out to the point of not even being able to finish his favourite Costco treat.

Man Cub and Beebs were playing in the little pool one evening when this conversation occurred-

Man Cub: Cannonball over me!

Beebs: OK!

Me: This cannot end well! (Then I grabbed my phone to get a picture and happened to snap the perfect shot)

Such little dare devils!

Beebs asked me to curl her hair before church one Sunday. I was scared her hair would be too short to look good in spiral curls but it turned out so cute. 

Sunshine came home!! She had a blast in Utah and wishes she had stayed longer!

Man Cub fell asleep in my bed while I was out one evening. This pretty much never happens so I had to document it. 

And then, since I had sleepy head pictures of Sunshine and Man Cub, I decided I just had to snap one of Beebs too. Love me some sleepy babies. They just look so sweet!

Beebs had a birthday party to attend and wanted to give her friend a Frozen peg set. The catch- she wanted to paint the Olaf. I agreed and she used one of mine as a guide. I think her Olaf turned out darn cute! I hope her friend loves it as much as I do. 

After almost 3 years, we finally got Man Cub's room painted. I've had this room planned forever and the finished product is just as amazing as I imagined in my head. Bruce did a fantastic job on the stripes. This is by far one of my most favourite rooms in the house these days. And Man Cub loves it. He tells me his room is "pretty" and "painted" now. He even thanks Heavenly Father for his painted room when he prays at night. Sweetest thing ever.

Beebs was able to take a one day gymnastics class from her favourite gymnastics teacher. She had so much fun. I wish Miss Katie taught full time still. Beebs really misses her class. 

Beebs and her best friend Christian played as much as possible before Christian headed out of town for three weeks. On this particular day, they were excited to play Wii together and I just love their facial expressions as they concentrate on their cow racing. 

I lived on Ben and Jerry's Tonight Dough ice cream. I'm working hard at having a nine pounder by finishing off a pint of this yumminess every other day or so!

My amazing friend Amy stopped by one evening with a big batch of her amazing salad with a side of Sonic lime cream slush. She is so good to me. It really hit the spot.

I did my last Zumba class of this pregnancy just shy of my 40 week mark. I felt like I shuffled through the whole class so I've called it quits. Though maybe I need to go tomorrow and see if I can Zumba this baby out!

We switched bedroom furniture around and somehow Man Cub decided that it was finally time to move out of his pack and play and into a big boy bed. I cannot believe how easily he goes to bed. I really thought, with how attached he was to his pack and play, that the transition was going to be rough. And honestly, he's always been my best sleeper so I was in no rush to mess with things. But, he kind of just did it on his own and it's been fantastic. Except, it's just another reminder of the fact that he is no longer my baby and that makes my heart hurt just a little bit.

The girls were with Grandpa one day so Bruce and I took the Man Cub out for lunch with us. The two of them played cars while we waited for our food. Cutest thing ever. I sure love the handsome men in my life.

We attended several swim meets that Sunshine competed in. The first picture is from her first meet after almost 6 weeks of not being at practice. Yikes! But she still came out with a second place ribbon in the 25 yard free. Then two weeks later she got a second place in backstroke, cutting a full second and a half off her time from the previous week! She's such a little fish. I love watching her swim. And Man Cub thinks swim meets are pretty fun too. I always pack lots of snacks and he gets to play with a squirt bottle to help keep himself cool. I love the spiky hair that results from him soaking himself with the bottle.

And that wraps up June! With the exception of Bruce's fishing trip and a week long visit from my mum, which I will document in a post of their own!