the last hurrah

i'm 35 weeks pregnant (today!). my boys are just-turned-three and almost-17-months. my husband is gone on a work trip for a total of two (maybe three) weeks.

i'm not gonna lie; i'm kind of tired.

I decided at the beginning of this single-mom-adventure that I would plan all kinds of fun outings with the boys, lots of adventures that would really be the last hurrah, just me and the boys, before becoming a family of five.

about 36 hours into that silly notion, I realized: they don't care.

not that adventures and outings aren't fun, but they are boys, and little boys at that. to them, the best day ever is playing with trucks and balls on the living room floor and eating popsicles and going to the playground. one particular morning, I was on the floor with my three-year-old and he kept saying, "play with me, mommy" when my attention was diverted for even the tiniest second. he just wanted to play. with me.

I love it. I love that all the fun things are fun, but at the end of the day, they just want time and attention. it's the universal need of all little ones (and big ones!), and I am blessed to have these little ones to want to play with me.

so, we are striving for balance around here. it's good to get out of the house and enjoy the gym and playgrounds and library. errands are a necessity, and even though my cooking is scaled WAY down when my husband is gone (think rotations of lunch meat and fruit and peanut butter and honey sandwiches), we do still need to eat and are inevitably always in need of milk and bananas. and maybe more diet coke.

but, we are just hanging out, too. reading books, playing with those trucks and balls on the living room floor. turning on the (new!) sprinkler in the backyard (best $10 spent EVER), and taking lots of baths (it's a bazillion degrees here in the pacific northwest; actually, it's gorgeous summer a few weeks early, but with no AC, we are all sweaty betties!).

here's to the last hurrah with my sweet little ones!

my view (sometime between 33 and 34 weeks, I think)

 

sitting still. doesn't happen often.

my big boy. still such a little guy.

 

dinner in the bathtub-- popsicles and cheese quesadilla. no cleanup. we may just have to do this more often!

fun in the sun-- watermelon and sprinklers!

maybe just watermelon for this guy.

my grocery store helpers troopers.