Lilypie First Birthday tickers

Lilypie First Birthday tickers

Monday, March 30, 2009

Single Brother Sunday

Every Sunday (for the last month or so) we have had over Andy, Mike & since he moved here, Ted. We invite them over to eat, play games & basically just hang out & have fun. Here are some pictures from the last few weeks. A couple are examples of Lizzie's photography skills & the one of me was taken by Jay. We LOVE our single brothers and are SOOO glad they come over to play!

You may be tempted to think that this is the dress Lizzie wore to church yesterday. You would be wrong. She is in a (please let it be!) stage where she insists on changing her clothes multiple times a day & she puts on her fanciest dresses as often as I allow it. Since we were done with dinner (for the most part) and the outfit she ACTUALLY wore to church was dirty I allowed this get up last night. She is so girly sometimes! *L*


These are the photos taken by Lizzie. Doesn't Ted look HUGE!!! Gotta love the 3 year old perspective!

Ted took this one of Jay & I think it is a really cute picture.


Jay took this picture of me right after the camera got dropped on the floor. That explains the blurriness (and why I look so fat...Just kidding! *L*). He posed me and everything. "No, mom, put your head like this!" He has had LOTS of school pictures taken!

Mike DID come over last night but this is actually a picture from a couple weeks ago. The kids LOVE having an uncle/jungle gym to play with! Mike is more then willing to let the kids climb all over him & he accommodates their many requests to be picked up & put on the ceiling or for him to lift them like weights. Lizzie clearly enjoys employing him as her main mode of transportation!

So that is that. We cook, single brothers flock to us & we all have a great time! This is a tradition I would be more then happy to keep going & that could even come to include more then just the single brothers. I love my family!

~35 Weeks~

Here is a shot of my belly progress. It is a bit different then the rest since I had a different photographer (thanks Andy!). I looked at it upside down at first and was majorly freaked out. It looked weird with my bum in the place I expected my belly to be and my belly where my bum should be. Strange...thankfully Andy was there to correct my misconception & I could look at the picture correctly. Phew! I have been felling bigger the last week or so. I think my brain is finally catching up to the idea that I will be having this baby soon & that translates to my body as me being gigantic. Oh well, it'll be over in a few weeks & then I can get fit after I am cleared to work out again. So here it is, baby belly week 35.

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Baby Shower




So today was my baby shower & it was SOOO much fun! My wonderful BF Stephanie was kind enough to throw it for me & open her home to the craziness that is hosting a party. Above is a picture of all the beautiful women who were able to attend. From left is Rachel, Stephanie, Erika, Me, Kym, Mom (Vickie), Marian holding Sadie & Sarah.
It was a fun afternoon/evening that held food, games & LOTS of talking! Below are some pictures of me looking cute while opening gifts. It was so great to have fun & think about what a major blessing friends and family are when a new baby is on the way. I am blessed enough to have wonderful people around even when a new baby ISN'T on the way! Love you all! Enjoy the pictures...






Monday, March 23, 2009

Spring Break

Last week was Spring Break for Jalen, Maddie & Shallon & Draven so (as promised) here is a rundown of our week.




On Monday we went to my mom's house to play with cousins. Since Rachel & Spencer live there with their kids & Erika came over with her kids it was a fun, unplanned afternoon. I had just wanted to get out of the house & take the kids somewhere they could play outside & Mom has a nice, big backyard. It worked out REALLY well that Erika was coming over & that Rachel got back from running errands shortly after we arrived. The kids had SOOO much fun playing together that we made plans to all get together at the park later in the week. In the first picture you can see that dress up is a favorite game for Lizzie & Maddie, we had been there for maybe 15 minutes before the girls were out of regular clothes & into "Princess" clothes. In the second picture you can see that the family room (where the moms & grandma were talking) was the most popular room in the house! And in the bottom picture you can see how big Emma is getting! At almost 5 months old she is so big & so cute! I like to call her "little Draven Face" because she looks so much like Erika's younger son. So cute!

This is Rachel's son Ian being a "turtle". He takes one of Maddie's play baby carriers & puts it on his back & then announces to whoever is around "I'm a turtle!" It is SOOO funny & cute. Ian is such a smart little guy & he speaks so clearly. It is lots of fun watching him create games & activities for himself. The turtle is just one of many!



After Erika & her kids left to go have dinner at home Jay, Maddie & Lizzie were still playing in the backyard. As you can see in the top picture Lizzie decided at some point that it was too hot for clothes (she had picked out a dress with leggings that day). I LOVE this picture. Add a trucker cap & a beer & she is a little redneck! In the bottom picture is what I like to call "Rachel & Jesse the next generation". It almost looks like a posed engagement photo. Jalen's new thing is giving people bunny ears but look how sweetly Maddie is posed.

Tuesday was St. Patrick's Day & I got as festive as I'll ever get & the kids & I all wore green. In case you can't read it Jay's shirt says "If you're lucky you'll be like me someday". When I saw that I knew it was perfect for my little man. He knows how cool he is & I LOVE it!
Rachel & her kids came over that afternoon & we worked hard doing some more baby prep. Since we are staying in the condo for a few more months (August 1st at the latest is my new goal) I have decided to embrace the nesting instinct I am (FINALLY) feeling & get my house in order. We worked in Lizzie's room to get toys, clothes & beds under control & it turned out really nicely. I am going to get a new crib mattress for the crib & some more hangers for baby clothes but other then that I could have baby & even have a place for her! YAY! We also worked on getting Mark's laundry all caught up & getting my kitchen clean. The kids had fun playing in Jay's room & out on the deck. They got to eat Popsicles so that was pretty special!
No pictures from Wednesday OR Thursday because I forgot to bring the camera anywhere but on Wednesday morning the nesting continued & took us into Jalen's room. We got his clothes gone through so you won't see him wearing any more high water pants or shorts that end above his knee. I feel MUCH better about my parenting skills now that that particular job is done! We got a place for all his toys & books & even got him a pencil cup to keep on his desk so that he has his pencils, erasers and scissors readily available when he does his homework. After naps we went to the AWESOME park over by Erika's house to play with cousins and the kids of Erika's friend Michelle. It was fun & we spent almost 3 hours there. Before heading to the park I stopped at Wal-Mart & was able to find the cutest material for mom to turn into receiving blankets for baby. Mom was kind enough to make 4 for Lizzie before she was born so I imposed the same request upon her again. I found amazing material and for $13 feel like I got a heck of a deal. Lizzie still uses her blankets so I know $13 over 3 years or more works out AMAZINGLY!
We didn't really do anything on Thursday. We bummed around at home, I did some laundry, the kids played with the neighborhood kids & we went to bed. In the morning Lizzie & I did go to the library to get some books & I realized that I NEVER want to take her there again unless she is safely strapped into a stroller from which she cannot escape. Library + active 3 year old does not = Superfun!



Mark took Friday off from work so in the morning we decided to take advantage & go to Costco to pick up some "essentials". These three pictures illustrate the different way my kids interpret "get dressed to go to the store". Lizzie insisted on her red "Christmas"headband & her black mary jane church shoes, Jalen is practically in pajamas. Girls & boys are VERY different!

After Costco, while Lizzie napped, I decided to take advantage of the opportunity to go get a pedicure. This is a picture of what my toes look like, notice the mild swelling as well. Cute, huh?

We went to mom's again on Friday afternoon & I couldn't resist taking this picture. One day Lizzie may be VERY upset that this picture exists but it is too cute! She had just come out of the bathroom from going potty & hadn't quite gotten herself put all the way back together. Too funny!

On Saturday morning I went to the salon and, in addition to getting my last pre-baby haircut!, I decided to get some highlights as well. This is how they turned out. I wanted a subtle change that wouldn't grow out too noticeably. I REALLY like it, I'm excited to be light haired all summer!



Since I now have a limited number of days that I can go out "kid free" we took the chance Saturday night to go out to dinner with Mom & Dad & Rachel & Spencer. We went to one of my favorite restaurants, Elephant Bar. It was really fun & REALLY good food. We are blessed enough to have a great babysitter who will watch not only our kids but Rachel & Spencer's kids as well. It is fun for us to have another couple to go out with & it is fun for the kids to get to have some time to play without their parents around.
That was the last of the Spring Break festivities. If this epic post bored you I apologize. Next year we want to actually GO somewhere for the week so maybe next years' will be more fun! Anyway, it was a week that went by really fast & was really fun!

~34 Weeks~

Here it is, week 34. I saw my midwife this morning & things are looking good. She is MAJORLY on board with my desire to have this baby a little early so that is awesome! At my next appointment (36 weeks) she'll give me her cell phone number so that I can call her directly when I go into labor, rather then calling the answering service & waiting for a call back. She did say that she wouldn't have me labor at home for too long since this is not my first rodeo! She encourages calm, gentle, natural labor & getting to the hospital with a crowning baby is more chaos then gentleness, in her experience. I happen to agree! She also let me know the 2 nights that she gets to take off so I REALLY get to have this baby on a weekend (her "days off" are Wed & Thurs).
I talked to her about some of my contractions I've been having as well because I've had a few that feel like "real" labor but they have never gotten regular & they go away with various different things. It's really getting down to it & I am SO excited! My baby shower is this Saturday so that is making me even MORE excited. I am just having a great time getting ready for my girl & time can't go fast enough for me!

Monday, March 16, 2009

~33 Weeks~

Here it is, week 33! It's getting closer & closer, I'm getting bigger & bigger. We couldn't be more excited (well, maybe after we get a bunch of good stuff at the shower ;~) ). I'm feeling pretty good still. I have some times where I am COMPLETELY exhausted after being awake for only a few hours (and a full night's sleep) & other times where I'll go, go, go all day long & STILL can't fall asleep at night. Crazy! I have my next prenatal appointment next Monday & I am really excited for that. I think I will be going weekly to see my midwife at that point & that will make the time FLY! I am doing more & more to get the condo ready to have a new inhabitant & it is getting REALLY hard to not go to the baby aisle every time I enter a store!
Anyway, life goes on around the baby prep as well. Jay didn't get a 100% on his "Star Speller" test this quarter because the teacher grading it said one of his letters looked like another. I think his name will still go out on the "Star Speller" portion of the next school newsletter but he didn't get a toy like a couple of his friends did so he was pretty sad. We stopped to chat with his kindergarten teacher & she was upset FOR Jay. She feels like that was grading the penmanship which isn't something the schools do anymore. For those of you who've never seen it, Jay has AWESOME handwriting for a little boy, sometimes he just isn't as careful as he could be. I'm fairly certain that is what happened. He got over it pretty quickly but it was a blow & we talked about how he can do better next time.
Lizzie is getting so big it is INSANE! She talks to me about all the things she will when she is the big sister. She was wishing on the "wishing star" last night that she will get to give the baby her bottles sometimes & that we will let her hold the baby when she sits on the couch. TOO cute! She also likes to "help" in the kitchen so we make things that can be stirred as often as possible. She also likes to butter her own bread so we have been going through bread rather quickly lately!
Well, it is Spring Break this week & we plan on having fun of some type so I'll bring the camera along & keep you updated on our doings...

Friday, March 13, 2009

Preparing for baby

So today Erika & Ted came over to assist me in cleaning out my closet so that I would have more room for baby when she decides to "Grace" us with her presence. I am something of a packrat & I realized that I have been holding on to some things for the MOST ridiculous reasons. Erika was rewarded with lots of clothes that will fit her during this transition time until she gets back to her pre-Emma size & Ted gets to have a shelving unit that I get to NOT have anymore so that I can have a bed for baby in my room. While we were going through my closet & dresser I got to think A LOT about how my life is about to change. It also got me thinking about what life was like just a year ago. I started thinking about the AMAZING cruise Mark & I went on last May and decided it would be fun to write about it now since I didn't back then, so here goes!



This is a picture of me as we are leaving the San Diego port. It was BEAUTIFUL but a little cold if you spent too much time out of the sun. One of the things I love the most about this picture is the dress I'm wearing. It is a maternity dress that I still wear as often as I can get away with! It is so comfy & long. LOVE IT!

This is the ONLY picture of Mark & me together from our camera. We bought a few of the ones the ship photographers took but our scanner bit the dust last summer so I can't post those. (They are ALL better!) You can see the San Diego skyline in the background and a bit of the port. Again, beautiful!


This is a picture of the real life "Black Pearl" from Pirates of the Caribbean. Our tour guide told us that they were preparing to begin shooting the fourth installment in Miami & the ship was docked there in Ensenada before going on to Florida for the movie. We didn't get as great of a shot as we would've liked but it was pretty neat all the same!

This is a picture of our ship taken from the tour bus on a high hill overlooking the city. It (apparently) is a smaller ship. We found it plenty big and quite impressive...


This is the chef who taught the Mexican cooking class we took. It was salsa, guacamole & tamales. Nothing too intense but fun. He had a great sense of humor & kept things fun & light hearted. I can't recall his name right now but I can guarantee that Mark remembers if you REALLY want to know!

This is a GIGANTIC Mexico flag that flies in the harbor in Ensenada. It is one of three (I think, maybe four) that fly in different places throughout Mexico. It is a point of pride & was a great honor to the city when they were selected to get a flag.




These are the towel creations our AWESOME room steward created for us during out cruise. I think we had one more that for some reason we didn't get a picture of but these we DID capture I think the frog is too cute. Lizzie just now saw the picture of the monkey & said "Is that me?"I told her it was a monkey, not my monkey which is one of my many nicknames for her.


Here we are in the San Diego airport, waiting to go through security. We were VERY excited to see the kids but had had SOOO much fun we were sad to be coming home. We can't wait for our next cruise, when we can take the kids and go for a week. We love the pampering and total freedom "cruising" gives you! It is the only vacation I've ever been on that didn't require any recovery time once we got home. You can also find AMAZING prices for cruises online as well so they are affordable too!

I just wanted to take a little trip down memory lane & share with you what I was doing a year ago. We got home the day before Mother's Day and this Mother's Day I will have a brand new baby. SO exciting!

Monday, March 9, 2009

~32 Weeks~

So after a little critique from Rachel I had Mark widen the shot of my belly this week. This should look more accurate as far as growth is concerned. I still don't think I look like I should be having a baby any day but you be the judge! One thing of interest from this last week, when I went to my prenatal appointment last Monday I measured 33 instead of 31. I have NEVER (even with Lizzie) measured bigger then the current week of my pregnancy so I have high hopes that this means that I will get to meet my little girl 2 weeks early. She has already begun dropping & this makes walking kind of uncomfortable. Imagine walking around holding a bowling ball between your knees. That is what I have been feeling for about 4 days now. Fun, huh?
And now for the GREAT news! I was able to get back to the gym today!!! YAY! After two weeks of pain & inconvenience I went to the gym and did 25 minutes on the elliptical machine. Before I hurt my back I was doing 30 so I haven't lost much at all & I feel so awesome! My goal for the rest of my pregnancy is to go at least 3 times a week & I KNOW I will be able to meet & possibly even exceed my goal. GO ME!

Friday, March 6, 2009

About my back

So this is a bo-ring, text only blog...sorry! I just wanted to post a quick update about my back. I am feeling SOOO much better! It has been getting progressively better since my chiropractor adjusted me on Monday, even with doing my mom's daycare the last three days! I haven't made it back to the gym yet but I have a plan to get me there starting on Monday. I am so grateful for my good health & the gifts of healing that Heavenly Father has blessed us with. I am also incredibly grateful for my fantastic husband who has taken care of me & the kids & been super nice & concerned! I really got WAY more blessed then I thought I deserved when I found Mark! Anyway, I am getting a little mushy in my hormone-crazed state so I'll leave it at this, I feel better! YAY!!!!

Monday, March 2, 2009

Little cheerleader girl


So this is just a cute picture of Lizzie wearing her Seattle Seahawks cheerleader dress. She got it from Grandpa Chip & Grandma Dee for Christmas & she LOVES it! She had actually been out playing with some of the kids in the neighborhood with Jay the day we took this picture. She also has some pom poms at Aunt Sarah's house that she likes to play with. It is too cute.
Even though it isn't terribly clear you may notice the tatoo on her right forearm. It was of Boots from "Dora the Explorer" & she was so sad once it started to fade. She likes to tell people about it & how it "went away". TOTALLY cute!
Also, her hair is just starting to get long enough to go into a half pony. Lots of hair won't go up in the back & her cute little curlies in the front stay down too but it IS growing! Slowly, but growing! As far as I can tell, her self hair-cutting phase is behind her as well. Thank GOODNESS!

~31 weeks~


Here it is! Baby belly week 31. From my perspective not much difference but some people I see want me to be having this baby in the next few days. I don't think I look THAT pregnant! On the other hand, I do remember my other pregnancies & I know I am capable of getting MUCH bigger before baby arrives!
I have been FEELING very pregnant this last week. I (somehow) hurt my back last Sunday night & when I woke up Monday morning I could barely move. I have numbness on the bottom of my left foot & the back of my left leg is tight & sore. I've been to the chiropractor twice already & I get to go again this afternoon. I am putting it out there that this will be the last appointment & that I will be back to feeling great again. It has been sad having this pain because it is distracting me from my pregnancy which I am still LOVING!!! I also haven't been able to get to the gym (I can barely walk from my bed to my bathroom, not EXACTLY "workout" ready!). I love my morning workout, it makes the rest of the day go so great!
Anyway, this is week 31 & I wanted to share it with you all!