Hogle Zoo

From our trip to Hogle Zoo a while back.
Waiting to ride the train with Oma and Great-grandma:

The bird show:

B even gave the cockatoo a dollar.

We were so glad uncle Nate came with. Right now S is looking at the picture saying, "I like Natey. Nate is funny." The girls really warmed up and grew to love him a lot this trip. I warned him he would regret this as they were hanging, jumping on him, etc. ;)

Thanks for a fun time at the zoo!

Belly Pics

The pictures you've all been waiting for. haha.

Me in all my pregnancy glory at 9 months . . . and waiting for this kid to come. (my eyes look a little devilish I think).

So what name do you think we are leaning towards?? And which is the girls' idea?

Pictures courtesy of Monica W., my awesome neighbor.

Fellowship 2012

So where will E's professional career lead us next? ? ?



Here!!!

We are staying right here for E to complete a one year fellowship. The program is phenomenal, we don't have to sell our house (for another year), and they sent him home with chocolate cake for me after his interview dinner. :)

Oh yeah, and we get to spend a month not here (insert AZ, Fl, or Napa valley) which will be awesome.

We feel really guided and blessed for him to have this opportunity. It's really starting to feel like home.

Congrats on all your hard work that has brought you this far, babe!

Happy 24th of July

S says: "Happy Pioneer Day, Utahns, from us to you!"

Red, White, and Blue Shower

Upon my return from T's wedding, some friends threw me a shower for this little man. It was soooo cute! Check out the food and decor!!

Look at all those yummy treats!!

Here's some of the awesome ladies who came. Karen, my companion for visiting teaching (also radio personality and funny lady), Carrie, fellow prego lady with twins and and awesome attitude, and Jen, fellow Buckeye fan with her own little 6 week old, great lady to talk to.

And here's me with Mauri and her beautiful almost 1 year old baby Bri. Mauri's one of the first people who had us over when we moved here and is a party person. She has a great attitude and is very inviting. We were lucky enough to hang out at the park earlier that day and she showed up to the part-ay even though her hubby had been working 5 am til 10 pm most days that week.

And here are the beautiful hostess' of the party. Kaicie, Jayme, and Carrie. I can not say enough good things about each of these women. Kaicie, the party mastermind (seriously--this girl can throw a party and is so creative!), has been a true friend, and fellow transplant from Ohio, and our kids click super well right now which is so fun. Jayme--let's just say that girl is a hard worker and has more energy than I ever will. I was over at her house at 8:30 am last week and she had just finished mowing her lawn with all 3 kids in tow! And Carrie: hilarious. Talk to her and I dare you not to smile. All gorgeous women in their own right.

Unfortunately, I don't have more pictures of the other wonderful ladies here. And Jamie, who created and put together handmade invites for everyone.
I am so lucky to be surrounded by so many amazing women that add so much depth and warmth to my life through our interactions, conversations, and service.

We hit the jackpot again when we moved here. We may be in a small town in the frozen tundra most months of the year, but we are surrounded with awesome people with warm hearts who make it such a special place.

And with that note, I will leave you hanging for another post of where we will end up for E's fellowship starting July 2012 . . .

Cousins

While we were in UT, we were able to meet baby Jacob, the first cousin that my girls have on my fam's side. Miss S was enamored and wanted to hold him and help give him his paci, bottle, etc.
While we have many pictures of her holding him, here's one that I like the best since it shows how happy she was to do it.

Baby J was the sweetest, seemed to sleep well, and was very tolerant of his 2 year old cousin and her constant attention--as was his beautiful mama. Thank you!
So glad we were able to meet him!

Wedding

So about 6 weeks ago, we were able to fly back to UT to see my sister, T, and "Dougy Bug," as my girls affectionately call him, get married in the Logan, UT temple.


B was the flower girl, and super excited about this because she thought she would get to throw flowers and really help the bride, etc. from reading a book about a flower girl.


This picture is out of order, but the pranksters (aka aunt A and Doug's fam) did an awesome job on the car.


Here they are before they cut the cake. No blackmail cake smashing pictures as they were very polite to each other.


I love this picture. Here's aunts A, R, and O, outside the temple waiting for the bride and groom to appear.

And here's me with little S. We told her she was the flower girl's assistant. She thought it was pretty cool she could help the flower girl . . . whatever that meant. On her forehead is a kiss mark from the bride.

S and Uncle N. I think you can tell they're related.

It was a great day and I hope it was a special, perfect one for Aunt T and Uncle D.
Congratulations!

Term

No baby yet, but I am past 37 weeks, so what is considered term.
I have had some light contractions (i.e. cramping, etc.) and was at a 1 last week, but who knows when this little guy will come.
I see my doc tomorrow.

I know I've let the blog slip, but I will hopefully post some pictures soon.

Twinners

These girls could never pass for twins. But it's funny to see them try.
This was obviously on a cooler day.
Don't you love how happy S is to be dressed like her big sis?

Glad they [sometimes] get along so well.

And the tradition continues . . .

From the time B was 2, she has painted her nails as a favorite pastime. Now her little sis joins her. Here, dad is helping the dry time with my blowdryer.

Good thing I've accumulated some Very light colored polishes. It's getting hard for me to reach my toes at this point although I need a new coat of paint down there. E suggested B do it. After almost 3 years of practice, she may have it down. Although, it's funny how different it is to paint someone else's nails.

Getting Ready

The anticipation is building for this little man to arrive.

We have been trying to prep S and B for a little brother.

6 weeks to go!

Feisty

Today, a friend nicknamed her Sassy Sierra.

This is very fitting considering every day S seems to get more and more sassy. We are deeply engrossed in the terrible twos. I think the following photo illustrates my point. It was when we visited E for Easter dinner at work and S didn't want her picture taken:

I've told E several times that it's a good thing she's cute (and I think she is ADorable) because sometimes she is just soooo feisty.

Whenever we correct her as in: "you need to listen" or "no hitting," she will yell back at us "NO! You need to listen!" or "YOU no hitting!" It's ridiculous having a 2 year old talk back to you. She is very physical and when she is angry or upset she often expresses it by hitting--most often with B. (of course B likes to squeeze her cheeks which really aggravates S). But if we say "no hitting" sometimes S will say "I Hit YOU!" and then lightly tap us with fire in her eyes, just to prove she can hit us. We've started putting her in time out for this--even though she's not really hitting or hurting us--just he fact that she is so defiant. Of course, as soon as we approach her to take her to time out she yells out "SORRY!!" and thinks she will escape.
There are times I have left stores or the gym or put her to bed, etc. with her kicking and screaming, (sometimes in a football hold since I am so pregnant now) because she doesn't want to go and I get sick of bribing her.
We are trying to emphasize to her (and B), the importance of being obedient and listening the first time we ask something.
I especially worry because S is a runner, and will take off ahead of me in a parking lot, etc. So I often have to buckle her in the cart or pick her up (insert kicking and screaming here) to prevent this.

Ok, enough of this essay.
Just thought the details would be entertaining at a future date.

Plus, need a little encouragement as I'm getting a little tired dealing with this at almost 9 months pregnant. :)

Although, when she is sweet, she is soooo sweet. There's nothing like cute chubby 2 year old arms around your neck hugging you and a sweet kiss.

Preschool 2011

After returning from AZ and recovering from surgery for a few weeks, we re-enrolled B in preschool.

She was put in a new class because her space had been taken in her old one. But it turned out be a much better fit and we LOVED it.

For Mother's Day they had a little "party" and her teacher helped Bella fill out some questions about me.

How much Mom weighs: 9 lbs
How old I am:
My favorite movie/tv show: "Mommy and daddy shows"
What Mom always says: "I love you" and "Goodnight"
etc.

There were some funny answers by other kids in her class. One boy said his mom weighed 1067 lbs. It was awesome.

Here's B with her teacher, Mrs. Batterson. I only wish she could have her next year too.

Mom's Purse

Apparently, she has watched me put on moisturizer a time or two. :)

"You are Only as HAPPY as you are GRATEFUL."

Thanks Denise. I needed that reminder.

I Run with Wolves

So, I've read the books, I've seen the movies (looking forward to the next one!).

My sister and I are big Jacob fans. Not until book 3 do I even remotely understand what Bella sees in Edward.

So, in honor of my sister, T, who is getting married (less than a month!), I am posting this awesome card she sent me last year for my birthday:

It makes me laugh now cause it's really a joke between us.

Here's the inside:

And she made me promise to take a picture of myself with the tattoo that came with the card. Here's my impersonation of a tough wolf girl:

Now, don't think for one second that these pictures are recent. I am, after all, currently 6 months pregnant and after surviving a few months of nausea and feeling like crap, every line has expanded due to my increased caloric intake. So 6 months ago this was me:

Pictured with my photographer, courtesy of the 2 year old:

Thanks, Tress, for the laughs I get every time I see these pictures!

Get Our Houses in Order

View of sunrise from my kitchen, thanks to my early bird S

Warning: This is a long written post.

Just hope I motivate some of y'all to "Get Our Houses in Order."

So, for a while now, I've been really feeling the urge (prompting, if you will), to ramp up our emergency supplies (72 hour kits, 2 weeks of water, food storage, money, etc.). While students, E and I figured 1-3 months of stuff was good and just bought extra stuff at the store from time to time.

We now have a house and room to store stuff as well as a tax return, so there's no better time.

So, I called The Cannery to schedule a time to get some essentials so I will have at least a 6 month supply. They are booked more than 6 weeks out! And they are out of some basics: milk, beans, etc. Can you believe it?!

I worked for our city health department for about 3 years. While there, we had a few seminars on "Sheltering in Place" and ways to prepare for emergencies--mostly rising out of the concern of Pandemic Flu (which, btw, we are bound for one soon).

While working there, I learned that the grocery stores have maybe a 1 week's supply of food. In addition, there is a mob panic mentality that exists when disasters strike that motivates people to horde.

Let's just think about some of the shortages and price increases that are now going on with Japan's crisis: iodine . . .

And actually, things like canned wheat, beans, etc. have a 30+ year shelf life. And even some simple things like cereal, granola bars, etc. have at least a 1 year shelf life if you check the label.

Not to mention the leaders of my church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who have repeated over the years to get out of debt, be self reliant, and prepare for emergencies. Let's review some of their quotes:

Elder Ezra Taft Benson: "Should the Lord decide at this time to cleanse the Church ... a famine in this land of one year's duration could wipe out a large percentage of sloughful members, including some ward and stake officers. Yet we cannot say we have not been warned." General Conference, April 1965.

President Spencer W. Kimball: "The little gardens and a few trees are very valuable. I remember when the sisters used to say, `well, but we could buy it at the store a lot cheaper than we could put it up.' But that isn't quite the answer, is it, Sister Spafford? Because there will become a time when there isn't a store." General Conference April 1974.

President Spencer W. Kimball: "We encourage families to have on hand this year's supply and we say it over and over and over, and repeat over and over the scripture of the Lord where He says, `Why call ye me, Lord, and do not as I say?'... We also hope that you are maintaining your year's supply of food, clothing, and where possible, some fuel and cash savings." General Conference April 1976.

Elder Bruce R. McConkie: "I stand before the Church this day and raise the warning voice. It is a prophetic voice, for I shall say only what the apostles and the prophets have spoken concerning our day. ...It is a voice calling upon the Lord's people to prepare for the troubles and desolations which are about to be poured upon the world without measure. For the moment, we live in a day of peace and prosperity but it shall not ever be thus. Great trials lie ahead. All of the sorrows and perils of the past are but a foretaste of what is yet to be. And we must prepare ourselves temporally and spiritually." General Conference April 1979.

President Ezra Taft Benson: "Too often we bask in our comfortable complacency and rationalize that the ravages of war, economic disaster, famine, and earthquake ... cannot happen here. Those who believe this are either not acquainted with the revelations of the Lord, or they do not believe them. Those who smugly think these calamities will not happen, that they will somehow be set aside because of the righteousness of the Saints, are deceived and will rue the day they harbored such a delusion. The Lord has warned and forewarned us against a day of great tribulation and given us counsel through His servants, on how we can be prepared for these difficult times. Have we heeded His counsel?" General Conference October 1980.

Elder James E. Faust: "The counsel to have a year's supply of basic food, clothing, and commodities was given fifty years ago and has been repeated many times since. Every father and mother are the family's store keepers. They should store whatever their own family would like to have in the case of an emergency...store a year's supply...that might keep us form starving in case of emergency." General Conference April 1986.

President Ezra Taft Benson: "I ask you earnestly, have you provided for your family a year's supply of food, clothing, and where possible, fuel? The revelation to produce and store food may be as essential to our temporal welfare today as boarding the ark was to the people in the days of Noah." General Conference October 1987.

President Gordon B. Hinckley, ". . . I am suggesting that the time has come to get our houses in order." October 1998

And, as "MOM" and manager of our home, if my kids are hungry and I could have prevented it--shouldn't I????

Thanks to Jamie for compiling these quotes.

Bonding with Dad . . .

This is how we do it after dad's worked one of his 24+ hour shifts . . .

Sorry Pampers . . .

I used to think Pampers were the only way to go. They are the most expensive thus they should work the best right?! Wrong.

While I still do like the Swaddlers for newborns who poop about 12 times a day, my friend, Lynnsey clued me into generic Sams club diapers as the best when I was having problems with the low fluid capacity of Pampers (read 2 year old leaking out pee). I was a little hesitant to buy my first pack of 130+ diapers. But it was worth it. Soooo much cheaper and leak free.

Sorry Pampers . . . Sams club has you beat.

What diapers do you find work best for you? (those of you who use diapers)

Still Winter

First off, I loved the comments I got from the last post. Not sure my brothers loved reading it. But you gals made me feel normal. I especially love the "bump in the back and the front." It's so true.

B was talking to Uncle Nate on the phone a couple nights ago and he asked if it was a spring. B replied, "No, it's still winter." And of course she was right--the high is 43 today. As a comparison, it was 99 degrees in Phoenix last week. Wow.

Here's one of our fun memories from Utah:


Making a snowman with Oma.