The newest little Bracken is a

GIRL!

 We are so excited!! Quinn is excited too, he kept saying he wanted it to be a girl. He also wanted there to be two babies, not just one...at least it will be a little sister :-) Everything looked great and healthy. This little lady had her feet up resting on her forehead most of the time as well as her hands up in front of her face so it was hard to get a good picture. The tech showed us an awesome image, she looked so beautiful but before she could capture it her foot was in the way again.

We finally got this image. She looks a little grumpy, but still adorable!

She was measuring a little small (she seems to be following in her brothers footsteps) but they didn't change the due date which is great.

Having a girl will be strange. We went to the store after the ultrasound to pick up a cute outfit for her like we have done with the other two and it was strange not to be looking at things with cars and trucks but instead pink elephants and giraffes. Can't wait to go shopping for this little one and to decorate her room! We have a few names in mind but unlike the boys its been harder to settle on something so for now we are still bouncing around ideas. Another 20 weeks sounds like a long time until we get to meet this little one, I can't wait!

Random Pictures

Here are some random pictures of what we have been up to the past couple of months.

 We love going on a trail by one of our parks. It has lots of places for the boys to climb and explore. They love scrambling up these rocks.

 The boys got a chance to walk on the moon at the planetarium.

 Have you seen these water beads? They are all over blog land and really are a lot of fun. You buy a little pack of beads that looks like seeds then hydrate them in water and they turn into fun little squishy beads.

This is the trail at the park again. One of our favorite places to be :-) Quinn loves ridding his bike

This train at Walmart makes a good bribe for James to encourage him to sit in the cart. Trains are one of his favorite things.

And Quinn got to ride in this train at the stake pizza party. They had the train ride, snow cones, pizza, water games etc. Lots of fun :-) It sure was hot thought so we rode the train, ate pizza and snow cones and called it a day.

Quinn

Quinn is turning into quite the responsible little guy. He helps set the table, help James put on his shoes and the other morning I woke up to him collecting all the trash and taking it out! I know right... He is an awesome climber and really has a thing for his tumbling class...I am always amazed at how strong he is. He can do front rolls, flip himself over the bar, swing on the rope, donkey kicks etc We are taking a break from the class for the summer and when he starts up again I think he will be in a more advance class. He loves swimming, hiking, riding his bike and chilling in the grass. He loves preschool and was so sad when he found out it was done for the summer that he cried for a half hour. He loves to read and "fix" things. He has been working on how to write his name and I always find little Q's all over his artwork. I even found some written on his arms and legs the other day. He is also extremely proud of the fact that he is 3! And isn't sure if he wants to turn 4 :-)

Jimmy

James has been such a sweetheart recently. He loves to give hugs and pats me on the back. He gives kisses to all our owies including his own and will bring everyone their shoes and clothes. He is still our super independent busy little man. I don't have many pictures of him because most of the ones I take are blurry he is always going somewhere. He loves to be outside and ridding his scooter, playing with cars and trains and reading books about cars and trains.

Over the past few weeks he has been letting me put him in the swings again and has been loving it!

The boys and I have been doing lots of hiking. James loves to run ahead and explore and gets so excited when he finds streams and waterfalls

He loves to find hills and walk up and then run down as fast as he can

And this picture sums up our silly little one

Baby, oh baby

We are so excited to be expecting another little Bracken at the beginning of December! So far things are looking great. I am finally starting to get over the morning sickness, which was actually worse in the evenings...kinda odd. Spearmints and Chick-fil-A's spicy wrap were a life saver. Compared to my previous 2 pregnancies I started showing really early and my 'bump' is a lot higher up...a girl maybe?
We are finally at the 15 week mark. We sadly had a miscarriage in August which has made me anxious this time around, but reaching 15 weeks makes me feel a whole lot better. Quinn is always telling me that it is a 'sister' and that he loves her so much. James likes to give my belly kisses but seems pretty nonchalant about the whole thing. We find out what we are having in a few weeks...I'm pretty sure this one is a girl but a boy would be fun too...3 boys, that would definitely keep me on my toes :-)

You are my Sunshine

Quinn has been having so much fun the past couple of months doing a music and tumble class. He did his first recital last Friday. It was so cute and fun to watch him. He was super excited about wearing a costume though he thought it was going to be a Thomas the Tank Engine one. lol. I love how he spends so much time looking at the lights. After it was over he said "did you see those lights turning me blue and green?" Adorable.

Quinn's thoughts on Mom

I saw a mothers day questionnaire and thought it would be fun to ask Quinn the questions, here is what he said:
My Mom's name is Elizabeth Bracken
How old is she? 3
Her favorite show is  I dunno
Her favorite food is Chex
Her favorite drink is Water
My mom is really good at putting things away
What is her favorite thing to do? Play with me and have fun at the park and eat food when you are hungry
I like it best when my mom  puts me to bed and makes me cozy when I am really sleepy
My favorite thing to do with my mom is  Play and watch shows
What is her favorite thing to wear? Some shirts
 It so fun to hear what they are thinking.