Fireworks and check-ups

Our 4th of July weekend started on Thursday when we took the kids to get fireworks. Mike convinced me that we had a ton left over from the previous year (which we always do...I don't know why I don't believe him), so we only bought a little kiddie pack and some extra smoke bombs, since they're the kids' favorite! We lit some off on Thursday night...although not as many as the neighbors did. On no, they had enough to light off every night on Thursday, Friday and Saturday until 1 am. every single night. It's a good thing we don't have kids that need their sleep. Ok fine, I'm the one who didn't sleep. The kids actually did fine. But still.


Anyway...here's some pics of the kids on Thursday.

Watching daddy

They love smoke bombs...I do too, actually.

Sisters :)

My beautiful babies! *sigh*

On Friday, the 4th, we took the kids to a festival-type thing, and they had alot of fun! My mom went with us, which is always nice...it's great to have an extra set of hands, and of course, we love spending time with her! The kids had fun checking out cars (only daddy and Eli though), riding ponies (only Laney though) and carnival rides (only Laney, Elijah and Isaac though), rock climbing (only Chloe though), watching a puppet show (only Chloe, Elijah and Isaac though), going through an obstacle course (only Laney and Chloe though) and petting all sorts of animals, like goats, donkeys, camels, kangaroos, and baby cows (only all of them, finally!) They all wanted to do different things, so my mom would take this one while Mike and I took the others, or me and my mom would take these while Mike took that one...kinda like that. was that as confusing to read as it was to write?? :/

Mike and Elijah checking out Mike's favorite car!

Isaac peeking out on the ferris wheel :)

Laney and Elijah on the ferris wheel

Chloe getting all hooked up for the wall climb

She did it!! with daddy's help :)

The kids on an army helicopter

Mike and the boys in front of the helicopter. We watched it take off, and it was really amazing...and LOUD!

Laney on the pony she named Freckles :)

That night, we went to my aunt and uncle's house out in the country to have a barbecue and to do more fireworks. They always have alot, and some pretty big ones, so the kids really enjoyed it!

Chloe with her sparkler. I'm actually surprised she wanted to hold them. She burnt her finger the night before holding a smoke bomb.

Elijah loved the fireworks...well, at least when he wasn't running in circles! Or racing, as he put it. ;)

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I had my 24 week dr. appt. today and everything is still going great!! His heartrate was in the 140's and I'm measuring right on track. I asked her how long she would let me go over my due date until she would induce me, and she said that at 41 weeks, she automatically orders an ultrasound and a non-stress test, just to make sure the placenta is still holding up and everything else looks okay. But she said that she will definitely induce at 42 weeks. Which is totally fine by me...uh, why would I even want to be pregnant any longer at that point? :) I recently watched Ricki Lake's movie The Business of Being Born, and while I understand the whole not wanting any type of intervention thing (which is what I want with this birth...within reason, of course), I still don't think I could ever justify having a homebirth. What if, God forbid, something horrible (like a cord prolapse or an abruption or the baby's heartrate had decelerations that wouldn't come up...something like that) would happen...what then? I know myself and I know that I would forever blame myself for not being somewhere that it could've been prevented or taken care of immediately. I don't know. I mean, I know that women have perfectly fine homebirths every day, and that's great, but I could never do it. I'm way to paranoid. have I ever mentioned that before? :D

Hope everyone had a safe and happy 4th!!