If you have to eat a frog, it's best not to look at it too long before you do!

This was a quote I came across in my July issue of Real Simple magazine. It's by Randy Pausch, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University and father of 3 who has terminal pancreatic cancer. You may have heard about his "Last Lecture" or seen some of the many media stories about him over the past few years. This past May, Pausch made Time Magazine's list of the World's Top 100 Most Influential People. Anyways, I personally don't know that much about Pausch, but his quote about the frog really resonated with both Jim and I.

One thing I know is that I waste way more time avoiding onerous and tedious tasks than it would take for me to just buckle down and do them. I've been known to avoid my ironing for days even if it's piled on the ironing board in the middle of my living room and I have to walk past it dozens of times a day! When in fact once I finally do it, the whole process from start to finish generally takes less than 30 minutes. Really, was all that procrastination worth it? No!

Jim and I are both in agreement that putting the LAST thing we WANT to do at the top of our "To Do" list each day would be a giant leap forward for us in regards to time management. So our new modus operandi is "EAT THAT FROG...PRONTO!

Jim and I had picked out the name Ayden when Addison was born in the event we had a son instead of a daughter. This second time around we talked boy names for countless hours over the nine months, but the name Ayden still won out in the end. The Irish meaning of Ayden is "fiery one" while the Hebrew meaning of the name is "pleasant." Now that we've had some time with him, we realize how perfect this name is for our Ayden. When he's happy, he is a very pleasant baby, but when he's mad...watch out! Currently his fieriness mainly tends to manifest when it's time to change his diaper. You'd think the little guy was being hung by his toes! Hopefully this will change with time given that he has many, many diaper changes in his future.

These photos are of our little Ayden at the end of his first week. Jim strategically took the pictures during one of his "pleasant" spells. He was totally sacked out!

Big changes have taken place at our house lately. First of all, Addison's room has been relocated to the newly finished basement. We still have some finishing work to complete, but for the most part the basement is done. We've been chipping away at it for over two years so this is pretty exciting! Just this week Addie started sleeping in her toddler bed. She has done so well! Her afternoon naps have actually been longer than normal - wonderful news for any busy mom! The transition has gone very smoothly, largely in part to the time my mom and dad spent playing with Addie in her new room while they were up for Ayden's birth. Addie loves spending time in her new room so sleeping down there is an added bonus in her eyes. Thanks JD for all your hard work and long hours spent finishing things up so she could move in

So now Ayden has taken over Addie's old room upstairs. When we decorated Addie's nursery I went with brown and white bedding so that I could easily change the room from girlish to boyish without much work or expense. I took away the pink and added in some blues, greens and orange. Then Jim created and hung Ayden's new name art and photography over the bed. I love it!

Last but not least, we purchased a gently used Moses basket and a rocking stand for the little guy to use all around the house and on the deck. However, once I started looking for Moses basket bedding I realized that most all the bedding is sold with a basket or is super pricey. I finally went and purchased some fun fabric and asked our friend Rose to make some bedding for me. Rose does everything about 10 times as fast as a normal person so she had it finished in no time at all. She also made bedding for a mini moses basket that she gave Addie to use for her dolls (you can see it at the end of her toddler bed in the 1st photo). It's so cute! Thanks Rose! I couldn't have been more pleased! We really appreciate you.

Though there are many ways to say it, a simple THANK YOU does not suffice to express our gratitude to my parents for all they have done for us over the past few weeks. The house is spotless, our closets organized, our freezer and fridge are fully stocked, the laundry is all done, and we are all four in great shape. Between having major surgery, bringing home a newborn and juggling an active toddler, these past days have been a challenge, and I truly don't know what we would have done without GG and PaPa. Thanks guys for all the scrumptious meals and endless hours you spent with Addison & Ayden. We can't thank you enough for the sacrifices you both made to be here and for all your patience and selflessness. We miss you already!

He is here and we are so thankful to the Lord for a healthy mom and baby boy. We are amazed at how the Lord has graciously undertaken to bring this little guy into our lives and count it a joy and privilege to introduce Ayden James McCulley to the world!

green, polka dot tankini, that she wore on her Daddy's Birthday. And boy did she look cute.

Monday the 23rd was JD's birthday. We're very busy these days, but we did slow down long enough to order a pizza, enjoy a coconut pound cake, and spend some time outside with Addie that evening. Jim filled up the kiddie pool we picked up for her over a month ago but had not yet gotten to use mainly due to all the rain and cool weather. The few times that Addie has been around swimming pools she has been very fearful, However, she loves taking baths so we took out some of her bath toys and told her the swimming pool was like taking a bath outside. She had a blast, but was reluctant to get out once it was time to eat. I expect we will spend a lot of time by her pool this summer.

Earlier this month our friend Josh Kary graduated from high school. As you may recall, "Josh" is one of the first names Addie learned as a result of her "first crush". At 13 months she started talking about him all the time and requesting to see his picture on the computer. Anyways, Mandy managed to get this photo of the two of them after the ceremony. It was no small accomplishment as Addie was playing hard to get that day. When Mandy emailed the picture to me and Addie saw it she got s a huge grin on her face. She said, "Mom! Josh & Addie! I like him.....see him?" It was so cute.

While we've known Josh for four years, Jim and I feel we really got to know him on a more personal level over this past year. He joined us in our college and career study that Jim taught each week. Though he was the youngest of the group, you would have never known it as he always knew exactly what was going on. He is very sharp, very funny, and very focused on the Lord. We're proud of him. Way to go Josh!

Lately Addie has been expressing her likes and dislikes. What she told us few nights ago at supper is a perfect example. I had made coconut chicken and rice. I think she was fine with how it tasted but was getting very impatient with how the rice kept falling off her spoon. Basmati rice does not stick together like the rice she is used to eating thus her frustration. And it was one of those "Addie will do it" nights means she expects little to no help from mom and dad. I, on the other hand, was anxious to finish up so I was trying to feed it to her. That lasted for all of one bite before she looked at me very seriously with raised eyebrows and calmly said, "Mom, I don't like it." She then proceeded to push her bowl toward me and said, "Clean it." Jim and I sat there with goofy grins on our faces, in shock at how well she had just expressed herself.

The phone rang during Addie's nap yesterday. It was the hospital wanting to move my c-section...again. I suppose someone had their baby early because they had an opening on July 2nd. So, that is the new and mostly likely the final plan as they know that my parents are going to purchase plane tickets. While I had made peace with the 9th, I feel much better about the 2nd. Now we are down to 3 weeks minus a day!

Yesterday I met with the doctor who will perform my c-section. Assuming Bam Bam doesn't have other plans, his birthday will be on July 9th. At that point I will be at 39 1/2 weeks. So, the four week countdown begins tomorrow. Originally the date was July 3rd, but the hospital called this morning and said they had scheduling conflicts. Apparently they can only book so many scheduled c-sections each week and have to leave room for emergency c-sections so we got bumped. My hope is that the little guy stays put until the 9th, but I guess you never know.

Saturday and Sunday I battled with some kidney stones. A pretty good size one finally emerged on Sunday afternoon. It wasn't fun but thankfully wasn't worse.

Here are some pics Jim did for us at 34 weeks. It's so fun having a hubbie that can capture these special days in fun and unique ways!

Up until a few days ago, I answered primarily to the name "Mommy" and Jim was known as "Daddy." But there has been a shift in our household; Addie has decided she is ready to grow up about 10 years earlier than we expected. Overnight we have become "Mom" and "Dad." It's too weird! She sounds like a teenager. And that's not all. When she really wants Jim's attention or is a bit frustrated Addison now calls her daddy "Jim!" I hear, "Jim, JIm, read book!" What!!! She's only 20 months old! This is so wrong!

This weekend I watched several of my older friends deal with much bigger things like having their oldest son graduate from high school or seeing their oldest daughter off as she heads thousands of miles away. Clearly I'm not ready for changes of that magnitude just yet since a simple name alteration has thrown me into shock. But I am reminded that the inevitable is ahead. Our little girl will grow up. We just don't want it to happen too fast!

The good news is that we have a little boy on the way. I'm guessing having a baby around again might help us cope...at least for now!

Last Friday Jim and I headed to Calgary for my 33 week sonogram. Little Bam Bam is doing great. He was just one ounce short of 5 pounds already! No wonder every movement results in limbs sticking out every which way - the little guy is running out of room! I will be delivering via c-section again so I will be meeting with the surgeon on June 9th and expect he will schedule a date for delivery around the 1st of July. For several reasons, my doctor and the doctor who did my c-section for Addison do not want me to attempt a normal delivery or even go into labor for that matter. No complaints here - I'm not up for another 48 hours of labor followed by an ambulance ride!

The sonogram did reveal numerous kidney stones in both my kidneys though that was no surprise. I usually manage to pass them without too much difficulty relatively speaking. We are hopeful that they will stay put at least until after I've healed from the c-section.

Below is the new 4D sonogram of Bam Bam and below it we have added an older one of Addie at 32 Weeks...enjoy!

Bam Bam - 33 Weeks (that is his arm across his face)

Addie - 32 Weeks