Happy 4th of July

Hope you all are enjoying your Independence Day. We are having a blast and the kids are taking a great nap after time at the pool. Josie made blackberry cobbler this morning with blackberries from our garden. YUMMY! Here are some pics.

Summer heat and The Beauties

We have been enjoying the flowers in our back yard. This year, the hibiscus flowers are bigger than ever. Jayden and Madelyn are enjoying lots of time in the water and at the neighborhood playground. Here are some pics.

Safety Day at Shriners

Two weekends ago, The Wilders participated in Shriner's Safety Awareness Day. It was really cool. Fire and Police were there to meet children. Along with a bike safety booth. Finger print and DNA, video and photography of your children were available in the event that anything ever happens to your child. We had a good time and Jayden loved the fire hats and police badges that were given out to the children. Madelyn got her first tatoo of a pink dinosaur on her arm. She was intrigued by that for the afternoon. Here are a few pics.

5 Weeks To Go

Wow, I can't believe we still have five more weeks until this big boy is born!
I am feeling exhausted and ready to have the baby. But on one hand, not sure if I have the energy to go through those first few sleepless months with a newborn. I am excited to meet him and see the face behind all of these kicks. Last night while lying on the couch, he kicked me so hard in the diaphragm that it knocked the wind out of me. I am very curious for the next ultrasound in one week from Monday to see how big they think he is. I know that they are not always accurate with measurements when you get to the end of the pregnancy but an estimation would be great to hear. I feel like he is going to come out crawling because he moves so much.

Happy Father's Day

To my best friend.....Thanks Josie for being the best Daddy in the whole world. Seeing Jayden and Madelyn run into your arms when you walk in the door is amazing. I love seeing you love on our children and look forward to watching you become a father again.

The latest skills of the Wilder crew

Yesterday, I took Madelyn and Jayden to the OB with me. Jayden is always so excited to hear his baby brother's heartbeat. The MD says that I am still measuring 3 weeks ahead. But my C-section date remains July 31st. They will do one more ultrasound on July 6th to check the baby's size, amount of fluid (since mine is on the high side) and the baby's ability to breath.

It's hard to believe that the baby will be here in six weeks from today. Although, there are moments when I feel that he will arrive a bit before the scheduled date.

Madelyn and Jayden are doing so many new things that I thought it was time to update on what is new in their playtime. Madelyn is now able to feed herself with a spoon and fork. She is able to say so many words and expresses her needs. She can kiss now with the kissing sound and a closed mouth (this took her awhile to learn-it used to be open mouth wet kiss). She is independently climbing on chairs furniture and swings. She has no fear and thus often has many falls. She is sleeping in her big girl bed in Jayden's room but requires Mommy or Daddy standing at the door as a guard to make sure she stays in her bed. Madelyn is now 20.8 lbs and 32 inches long at her 15 month check up. She is growing so fast. People often ask if she and Jayden are twins.
Jayden is able to jump on one foot at a time, and he can do a somersault. He is able to swim using his arms and legs (with swimmee floats on his arms). They love going to the pool in our neighborhood. Jayden is able to potty throughout the day with only a couple accidents. He dresses himself and brushes his own teeth. He is very independent and does not want help to do the things that he is able to do. He is on a summer reading program at the library where he wins prizes for the amount of books that he reads.
Jayden and Madelyn are playing nicely together (most days). Arguing over toys is more common than I thought it would be at this stage. Hopefully they continue to be best friends and good playmates once their brother arrives. I think it will help take their minds off Mommy and Daddy not being available as much.

Baby Bliss

I am so excited to meet this baby inside of me. I usually feel overwhelmed after a day like today of thinking about adding another child to our crazy Wilder moments. But I am so ready for another baby to add to this chaotic spectacular family that I am a part of. Thank you God for all of these moments that I wouldn't trade for the world. I am sure that Baby Wilder #3 will add so much joy to our family.

Today was just an ordinary day of running errands and coupon shopping at Publix (grocery store) and Target. I picked up dry cleaning, picked up screens from a Window and Screen shop, cleaned and disinfected our master bathroom, fed the children and read many books to Madelyn & Jayden before nap time.

Very typical day.....however, as I reflect on the moments spent with Madelyn and Jayden in the stores and running errands, I wouldn't trade this typical day for any other day in the world. The joy that I get from Jayden telling me that he loves me as I cuddle and read to him or the sweetness from Madelyn holding my hand and Jayden's as we cross the walkways on our shopping adventures, is worth every accidents in potty training pants that occurs in one morning, a biting incident in the grocery store (where Jayden bites Mady's finger with blood curdling screams down the isle), Madelyn dropping her shoes off throughout the store while getting her feet stuck in the rung of the grocery cart at Target. These are the moments that I live for and smile about each night before I go to sleep. I am so thankful to be at home with my children.....