My favorite picture! I wish you could see his face a bit more clearly because I love the way he's looking at me here. <3

We're having baby #3!

I had so much fun announcing it to Mark this time because baby #3 was a surprise!

We were planning to try for another baby this year, but not until LATER this year. I guess God has other plans for our family and that's okay with us! We do natural family planning, and its actually worked really well for us up to this point! Both of the girls were "planned" so as far as their pregnancy announcements went, we were both totally anticipating it happening and Mark was excited but not surprised when I told him about the positive tests. 

Since we weren't exactly "planning" on getting pregnant when we did I knew Mark would actually be surprised when I told him this time so I wanted to do something fun!

The morning I took the test, my sister Erin and I had already planned to take pictures of our kids that afternoon. I actually decided to go ahead and take a test that morning, just in case, so I could do something fun at our little photo shoot. Initially I wasn't going to take the test because I didn't think I was pregnant! My cycles had been off since I had run the Marathon and 50k at the end of the year (hence where the natural family planning might have "failed" us!) and I was late the month before too so I thought it was going to be the same thing this time. Thankfully I happened to have a test so, took one just in case! I couldn't believe it when I saw the positive "+" in the window.

I decided to casually text Mark and remind him that I was taking pictures that afternoon and ask him if he thought he could swing by after work to jump in a few pictures.  (It was Friday and he'd be getting off early, already be wearing jeans, and the park was super close to his office!) I was surprised when he said yes without me having to coax him into it! I asked him what he wore to work because I was going to grab a shirt to match what the girls and I were wearing but he was already wearing a white shirt! 

After we took pictures of our beautiful children ; )

I told Erin about our news and asked for her help pulling off my surprise.

Erin has the sweetest little boy Blake, who she had after 7 years of infertility, and she's always been so genuinely happy for us when we've gotten pregnant. I'm so thankful for her love and selflessness through the journey she's been on, and also for her handsome babe! 

She was actually the one that brought up the subject that day just as I was getting ready to tell her... She said "When you get pregnant with your 3rd we should do another photo shoot with..." just as I was pulling the pregnancy test out of my bag. Haha. Sisters. <3

 We wrote something fun on the chalkboard and let the kids play until Mark texted that he was at the park. When he saw the sign he laughed and kept saying... "Is this for real?" 

So much fun surprising him and catching his reaction on camera. 

We then told the girls because they didn't know what I had written on the board or why I asked them to show it to daddy! I just told them it was a special message because I wanted Mark to be able to see their reactions to having a new baby. : ) Reaghan was excited but Lilly was confused and kept saying "Baby no come out yet?!"

I'm 15 weeks today.

Due October 19th!

We've seen baby twice in ultrasounds and so far he or she looks healthy and strong.

I'm finally starting to feel more like a normal person again and hope to write about my experience with my 3rd hyperemesis/severe morning sickness pregnancy sometime soon!

We are so grateful for baby #3 and excited to see our family grow this year.