There's no stem on the apple!!

The Caton tradition is broken it's a GIRL!!!

Jack updates!

Jack's birthday cake made by daddy! Mickey is his favorite.

Jack's birthday party in the backyard.

Jack wearing underwear.

Jack in his big boy bed.


As you can see Jack has had a very productive month. He has moved into Cam's old room and is sleeping in his big boy bed. He is now potty trained. He was sooo easy! Wave an M&M and he was running for the potty. He also turned 3. We had a great birthday party with a Mickey mouse theme. He was so excited and ran around singing happy birthday to Jack. His whole face lit up when all the attention was on him.

We also had his speech re-evaluated, which went well. His articulation is good for his age and he has no air coming out from his nose (which is awesome for a cleft kid). This means he will only need one more surgery when he is about 7 to close the gum line! Awesome news for us. He is a little behind in sentence structure, which we knew. He will start group therapy sometime this summer. We are so amazed at his progress.

The ultrasound

So last Thursday we had our first ultra sound. I'm so happy to report that everything looked great. The baby has all its parts is measuring nicely, and was moving all over the place. Always an awesome feeling to see the baby! We were hoping to find out the sex, but no such luck! The baby had other plans and stuck the umbilical cord right between it's legs!!! Eric and I don't mind too much, but we do have some anxious grandparents! We haven't decided whether we're going to choke up the money for a 3D ultra sound, or just go for the surprise. Soo we may have a girl with a very boy room for a bit!!! Oh well, surprises are nice too...especially good ones.

We ask for continued prayers that this baby has a nice high platelet count. As I said we really won't know until birth. So far I'm feeling much better and hoping this is a good sign! Only 19 weeks to go...not that I'm counting!

I would post some ultrasound pics, but their really not that great because the baby was moving everywhere. I would have to label them for anyone to figure them out!

Disney

Yes notice the Tinker Bell toy he is holding...ahh, my manly man.

Jack loved dumbo! He can now say elephant quite clearly!

Right after Ethan's birthday we took a vacation to Disney! Thanks mom and dad! It was an action packed week. First we took an airplane to Orlando. Each of my kids had a piece of roll luggage to bring on the plane. I have to say it was so cute to watch them proudly tote the luggage through the airport. It was a bit slow going, but well worth it! The kids did awesome on the flight and loved every minute of it!

While in Disney we visited all the parks and spent a day swimming at the condo. I do believe the kids will have many memories of this trip!

Highlights:

• Ethan rode all the rides and loved them! We were really shocked!




• Cam loved the fireworks. He had so many cute quotes. During the fireworks he said, " ohh, the red one was my favorite"




• Jack loved everything, but the fireworks.




• Meeting Mickey Mouse, both Cam and Jack waited all week to meet the mouse. They gave him kisses and were so excited. Ethan wouldn't go near him!




• Eating lunch in the castle ( my kids loved it), However, I was a little concerned when they gave each of them a plastic sword before lunch (umm whose brilliant idea was that?)




• Eating dinner during the hoopdie Doo (sp?). Fun dinner show that we all enjoyed.




• Swimming at the condo. All three children got into the pool and swam for hours.




• The monorail. A fav of all my children.




• Animal Kingdom..All 3 children loved.




• Eating at the Rain forest Cafe. Again a big hit, well until Jack fell asleep:)




• Watching my brother with my kids. He was awesome and a huge help.




• Having grandparents helping hands and sharing memories.

Low lights:

• Hot hot hot...Not cute with a pregnant lady




• Tantrums from tired kids.




• Long lines




• carrying around children in the heat (do you notice a theme?)




• Ethan being stubborn and whiny (mostly tired and hot)




• Cam not riding anything inside because it was dark (umm that's a lot of the rides)




• Jack screaming through fireworks




• Cam pooping on a bridge in Magic Kingdom (nice)

Overall, I think it's a trip we will have many memories from and we are grateful we were able to do it! Thanks again mom and dad. Having said that I think we'll take a few years of beaches before we do that again!

Keeping Up

So, what can I say I've kind of fallen behind on the blogging. I was so busy the last couple of months and well exhausted, so some things fell on the back burner. As I near the end of my teaching year I feel that I should have more time to do some catching up!

About a week ago Ethan turned 5! I cannot believe that he is finished with pre-school. Next year he will be starting Kindergarten. He is so excited, and actually so am I. Sometimes a new chapter is such a good thing. I know lots of parents are sad about their kids going to school, but Ethan has always liked growing up. It's hard for me to be sad, because he is so happy about this next step. I enjoy watching Ethan grow into each new stage...well, at least most of them. He has never enjoyed being the baby and would prefer to be considered a big kid. This is always present in his actions towards his brothers. They have no idea how good they've got it :)

For his party we went to the same inflatable place as last year. He also continued with his Lightening McQueen cakes (this time daddy had to make dirt track Lightening McQueen). So he's a bit predictable. We had a great time with friends and family.

Pujols look out!!

Here is our little slugger, Ethan, at his first T-Ball game.

Ethan recently started T-Ball. Eric and I were very pleased to find that he's not too bad. He loves to get up and hit, and will actually push ahead to get his turn. For most kids this would be a negative, for Ethan slightly amazing. He also goes for the ball. He never catches it, but neither does anyone else :)

Watching the game was great! Everyone hits, no one is out. When the ball goes into the field the whole team runs for it. I laughed the whole four innings. So much fun!

Our Big News

My bruised Cam

The pictures that make my cry and make me count my blessings. A huge driving force in our adoption of Jack

For those who didn't know yet I am pregnant. I was waiting for a heartbeat before I went public. We got to hear it today. :)

Well, I can honestly say Eric and I were a bit surprised by this pregnancy, but do believe it is all a part of God's plan. While I trust this and know whatever happens it is part of the plan, this pregnancy elicits so many emotions. We are of course excited. I thought this chapter of our lives was closed and now it may not be. We are also incredibly nervous and anxious. As some of you know my Cammy was born with very low platelets and we are fairly sure it was caused from a hereditary factor. We were told he might not make it, but thanks to a blood transfusion and a special drug he is perfect today. From what we understand this one has a 25-50% chance of the same issues. There really isn't a way to know if the child will have it or not until birth. We are hoping that we can be as prepared as possible and that the baby will be okay. We ask for special prayers on this matter.

Having said that, I can also say that 2 years ago I would have totally freaked out over this pregnancy and would have had some sort of breakdown. Due to our adoption experience I have learned to trust God and go with the plan. I also know that even if the worst happens we will survive, we will move forward, and we will be okay.

I pray and hope everyday that this baby will come into the world pink and healthy. I pray that God will give us the strength to deal with all that is in our future. Which I hope will be many sleepless nights with a newborn.