Doing a little cooking.... and baking...

 

Here are a few things I made recently. I will be posting recipes on my recipe blog that I apparently never update. WHOOPS!! I'll try to do better.

Going down a side road...

After all the preparations for getting our little clan to the picnic today.....I was packing the girls in the car when I noticed a baby bird hopping around in the street. Melanie is just fascinated with them right now since we have a Robins nest just outside our front door with some pretty large babies cheeping away. I called her to come over and see the baby bird. We then decided that it wouldn't do to just leave it in the street to get hit by a car (have you SEEN the way people drive in my neighborhood???). So... we chased it around until it finally made it into the grass for safety. Of course deciding to do this would postpone our arrival at the picnic another 5-10 minutes. Eh... when you are already this late... who cares??! Off we went.... here is our little short on the adventure.

The proof

That I truly look as hideous as I feel during this pregnancy. Ok... correction... I don't feel "hideous" per se, I just feel exhausted. I think I look it too... eh?


24 weeks pregnant with Hunter. Picture was taken today - by none other than my personal photographer.... Melanie. Thanks hon!

Ward Picnic

Every year, we have a Ward Picnic the Saturday after Memorial Day. This tradition is a little bit different from what I am used to. My home ward has a ward picnic every Labor Day and Memorial Day. When I mention my ward picnic, they say this pretty much every time...."Oh, you're having your Memorial Day Picnic AFTER Memorial Day?" Yes....I guess you could consider it our Memorial Day picnic of sorts. We play sports, have a few games for the children, food (of course), and then water fun for the children to close off the picnic. This has pretty much remained the same with the other memories I have of Picnics past. Wonderful me brought the camera along, only to miss most of the action - remembered about the pictures at the end - so only snapped the following. At least it is a visual for posterity (and I'm sure my eventual deteriorating memory...) to bring the flashbacks.


Julia's mess after Doritos AND ketchup!!


Melanie suction cupping her cup to her face.... ahhh, I remember those days!


The itty bitty pavilion where we scrunch all of the food together - with the tree everyone fights for shade under to the left. Although I have to say, since the ward split... there was enough shade to go around.


The park that I am sure my children will remember as LARGER THAN LIFE. This picture will probably serve its purpose better as a size comparison.

Summer Fun

Even though it is technically NOT summer yet - it sure feels like it some days here lately. Once the girls broke their sprinkler, I figured we would try out the idea of a "mini" pool. That way I don't have to kill my pregnant self trying to hold both of them (or chase them down for that matter) at the gym or down the street. Two children who cannot swim, one having absolutely no problems going too deep = SINGLE Mother's nightmare!! So, while I remain "single" (for lack of a better term at present) I will be watching a lot of this:

P.S. Please don't mind how super tiny and muddy and "in need of a trim" my backyard is!!

Happy Memorial Day!!

Happy Memorial Day to everyone out there. To you military families - I hope you get the chance to have some great quality time with your service member. To those military families with their loved one being on deployment (like me) I hope you are still able to get a message to them and help them know how much you all love them! We have so much to be thankful for in our country (most of the time). It is largely due to the great sacrifices and hard work of our military members. THANK YOU!!!

How lucky am I?

If this post is not going to make manifest my very "Bi-polar" hormones, I don't know what will. Despite my pretty much horrible week, thoughts have come to mind on how it could be worse. I watched Pirates of the Caribbean: At world's end today and thought of how much it would stink for me to be pregnant, give birth and raise a boy all by myself for 9 years like Elizabeth (Swann) Turner did. Yeah - that would stink. I only have to do it for about half a year at a time. Which still really stinks.

Then, I have the best husband in the world that knows me extremely well. He can call and as I spend my time complaining and bending his ear about how tough life is for me... he's patient and offers his heartfelt apologies that he isn't here to help me out with my stressors. He tells me constantly that I am doing a good job and that he is proud of me. Boy does that man love me! I know his life on the boat can't be much better than mine - actually it is probably worse!! He has enough to stress and worry about. Listening to me complain about it really shouldn't be on his list of "to dos". So now I can feel horrible for freaking out about how much I need a break from my girls. Thanks for loving me Jeremiah!

REEAAAALLYY?

SERIOUSLY!! (I have an confession to make, I really do rather enjoy the show Grey's Anatomy - that word comes from its script and should pretty much read "You have GOT to be kidding me!")

This week was a rather nasty tasting sandwich to sum it all up for you. At the bottom is a week that started out horribly. The filling is actually the good news of the week that happened on Thursday, being topped with yesterday and today's big dish of frustration. UGGGH!! If only you could accurately write down emotions or facial expressions for that matter. I posted earlier this week about how my week started and I think even told you the bit of good news caught in the mix.

To explain the last couple days, I hope to just sum it all up this way:

+ If my children get into something in the kitchen one more time......
+ The super expensive baby gates I ordered from Amazon might not make it in time
+ I feel like I have a vein in my head that is pulsing and just about ready to pop the next time I have to scream at my girls
+ Poor little Hunter cannot take anymore of the high blood pressure. I can literally tell he is in distress!
+ Thanks for pooping all over your sheets Julia! I think I'll escape the lingering foul smell waiting by the washer to be the next load and catch the last of the light before dark
+ Child-proofing would be more efficient if it was adult proofing too (since my kids can undo pretty much any safety feature I have provided)
+ It's too bad they really don't make strait-jackets for preschoolers
+ If I get one more crazy spy ware/malware pop-up after running my virus/anti-spy ware software for the millionth time I think I will pull out every single strand of hair I have left!
+ Bribing does NOT work
+ I don't think my girls will see me much during the day once my husband gets home and has leave. I think I'll pretty much be getting my fill of alone time while I get the chance.
+ I'm desperate and I think I might have to pawn my children (or one at a time) off for a few hours. Maybe I'll even hire a Young Woman or two for a day every other week until I finally get the things accomplished that I set out to do!! Do I have any takers???

Extra Extra Read All About It!

Our family recently received some wonderful news (aside from finding out we were expecting a boy of course). Jeremiah recently found out that he made 2nd class!!! Hooray!! That means a pay raise for us and I guess extra responsibilities for him in his shop. Not that that is new - since he's been doing a lot of it already. Now he has to do his Surface Warfare board VERY soon. Please keep him in your prayers that all of his studying will pay off and he will earn his Surface Warfare pin. That's all he really needs now to be qualified for the jobs they want to give him.

Our other good news is that I only gained 4 lbs since my last OB appointment! haha. Yeah - I know pretty much NONE of you care about that. I am happy that my total weight gain so far is 9 lbs. I am 23 weeks today too!! I'm sure I won't even want to share what I gain by the next appointment. So rest assured that you will probably not have to bear with me sharing my weight gain again. haha.

I am also keeping my fingers crossed for my little sister (Jamie). She will be due to have her baby girl (Ella) on June 1st. We are anxiously awaiting her arrival. I wonder if she will have red hair like her big sister? We'll see. I will totally post a picture of her when I get one. Good luck Jame!

Better Day

I'm happy to report that today has gone significantly better than yesterday. The trip to the zoo went pretty well with just a little stressor at the end. Who knows... maybe I'll even get the chance to clean house a little later when they are off to bed?! Wouldn't that be fantastic? Since I don't have any shows going on these days - I won't have anything to tempt me away from housekeeping. (snap) Dang. I've got my fingers crossed that tomorrow will be even better and that my trip to see my midwife will be a stellar appointment. Here's to optimism!!

Trying to weather the storm

courtesy of This site.

After the worst day yet this deployment, I am going to take my girls to the zoo today. Anyone that would like to come along, we'll be there when it opens for about and hour and a half or so. I think I'll skip the gym and focus on my house and then focus on the girls at the zoo and come home for some "quality" time.

Quick recap on my yesterday.... crazy lady was blocking the way for those cars turning right (me) while they were working on the Railroad across the street. The light turned green for EVERYONE else 3 times before the woman finally did something about my honking (and those behind me honking too). Then I got stuck behind all sorts of other interesting drivers. (Those who ride their brakes when there is no one slowing down in front of them, etc) Then I went to the mall. I was supposed to meet someone - but it didn't work out. The girls still got a chance to play and had a good time - things were fine at that point. I decided maybe I could be a nice mom and let my girls eat something better than Burger King and took them to Chili's. Things went fine at first.... until the end of our meal. The girls were getting restless and I hadn't seen my waitress in over 10 minutes to ask for the check. Julia disobeyed one too many times which earned her a seat in the stroller (buckled in). She screamed bloody murder (her thing now) for what seemed like the last forever bit of our stay. The hostess could clearly see what was going on - did she help? NOPE! My waitress finally came out and I took care of the check. As I'm packing up our food and trying to get out of there - a woman walks up from no where and says, "is THAT YOUR kid?" To which I say, "Yes". Then she tries to start an argument with me about why my child is crying and screaming. I tried to kindly tell her that she was crying because she was disobeying and that we were trying to leave the restaurant. She left me alone after that(good thing for her nose too.... I think I would have snapped up and broken it had she pressed the matter). Guess what? AS SOON as we left Chili's Julia stopped screaming... imagine that!?? Then... tried giving the lady at the parking garage exit the cash AND my time punched card only for her to ONLY grab the time punch card and let the cash be dropped on the ground and go UNDER my car. So... I get out and reach half way under the car to pick it up and all the woman has to say is, "Wow... that was really under there!" UGH!! I could have screamed!!! Instead, I just bawled on the way home from the mall and made a silent vow to never take my kids out to a restaurant again.

Strawberry Picking

Wednesday's playgroup was strawberry picking. I had to "trick" my camera into taking two shots - so these are the only ones you get!! My batteries were oh so dead (the backups as well). The field was a bit muddy, but I think that the girls enjoyed it. I was hoping to find more strawberries - but alas.... I got enough to make 5 pints of strawberry freezer jam already. I might even have enough to make a bit more (or I might freeze them). I'm blabbering - sorry. For those of you who tried another strawberry patch or two, what were your findings?

Great visit and a Good Mother's Day

My family came down to help "lessen" the chaos around here so I could breathe for the weekend. I was able to get some "big" things done (set up the crib in the baby's room, move some heavy stuff to the curb, etc). So... now it's slow maintenance. I get the chance to take an hour here and there and go through stuff to organize and chuck. Wish me luck!! I have a few months to get it all done so that my husband doesn't come home to see everything the way he left it! Thank you so much Mom, Dad, and Jocelyn for coming to help out for the weekend (and for the Mother's Day gift) - it was great seeing you all! Happy Belated Mother's Day to everyone though! I have so many friends that are mothers. There would have been NO way I could have gotten you all cards in the mail!! I hope your children/husbands made the day special for you!!

Breath of Fresh Air after the Storm

What a day of opposites!! Not only for the weather I guess. I started off my day with some fun getting my hair trimmed (gotta keep up with the shorter hair). My children behaved pretty well. Then, off to the gym for a swim! Oh - that was lovely! Then home for a bit to clean up the damage the twisters (my girls) caused. Then off to get my first pedicure ever!! I totally clipped off all my nails not even 3 days before I found out when we were going to go. I had fun anyway and had some energized feet! Then... off to find out my children decided to have a tinkle accident at my Home Teachers' house! I felt AWFUL! Then back home for a few hours before the Sister Missionaries came by for dinner and a message. My girls ran outside to greet them (of course) and then Julia ran back inside to lock us out!! I called Tara to see if she could bring me a screw driver and she was in the process of loading everyone up to come to my rescue! I love her! Thanks for being willing to be my "Knight in shining armor"! We prayed and begged and talked through the mail slot until Julia finally complied (... after much "ok mommmy, I let you in... (hrrmph) I can't reach it!!....) and opened the door! So... 20 minutes after dinner was supposed to start... it did. After dinner... BLISS! I put the girls down and they were out by 7:10 pm. I got the chance to clean the downstairs, cut the grass (weedeat) and give myself a little bit of a break. Oh how I miss the 7 o'clock bedtime. Looks like we will forgo naps from now on so mommy can have blissful evenings filled with light cleaning, books, and relaxing. So, I'm enjoying my chance to breathe. Tomorrow will be another day for me to fret and get things done - but hey I'll have nice toes and nice hair while I'm doing it.

I got the cool storm pic from this website.

Fulfilling Day

Yesterday for some reason really felt like a fulfilling day for me. I didn't get to accomplish EVERYTHING I wanted to get done around the house - but I got quite a bit done that I didn't think I would be able to with my kiddos running around. I feel as though I am busy - but not an over scheduled kind of busy. I am able to help some people who need it, get some things I need squared away, and have found some things on craigslist for my little man! Today will be a little fun running around a bit to pick them up - but... at the end of the day - I hope to have TONS of boy clothes from 0-9 months and a baby swing to add to his "room". Here's hoping the clothes look as good as they did in the pictures, and that the swing works perfectly for him when he gets here! Then all I'll be needing for my little guy is diapers, some cute churchy clothes, and a few more odds and ends! HOORAY!!!

FINALLY

The weekend and I am very excited! I have a lot that I want to accomplish today to get me ready for a day of rest tomorrow. But... I've been up to some exciting stuff this week. I started the girls on a "no diaper" policy Monday. The only times they have worn diapers have been for nap time and bed time. We've had some accidents, but overall - potty training is going pretty well. Thanks for the sticker chart Idea Tara!! It's done wonders for Melanie so far! I've gone through my girl clothes to try to downsize since I will be getting some boy clothes here to use for our upcoming arrival. Leann... I have a box for you of clothes around Kirsten's size (12 mon - 24 mon). What size shoe does Kirsten wear? I have a ton of clothes for girls 12 months and under, if anyone knows of someone in the ward that could use them, please let me know who and I will ask. I already plan on asking Kelly on Sunday if I see her. I'm also trying to get the room the crib will be in in order for the arrival so that I have less to do when Jeremiah gets home. I just kinda want everything de-cluttered and ready to go so he can just enjoy the time he gets with his family. Thank heaven's my family is going to come down for a visit or two before the baby so I can put my dad to work!! Maybe I'll get Jocelyn to do all my shredding. Imagine the possibilities!! (evil cackle) Then, I've pinned the baby blankets together that I plan on making for this early fall. I'm going to learn me some stippling!! YEEEHAWW! We'll see how they turn out! Melanie already says that they look beautiful so that must be true! She is so excited to be a big sister again and hold the baby. That's her biggest excitement - holding the baby. Julia... hmmm... where do I start? Julia just keeps me running!!

Verdict

So, I had my ultrasound this morning and I was SUPER nervous! I'm one of three girls in my family, I have two girls, and my sister is about to have her second girl. My youngest sister is not old enough to be married, let alone have children - so there are absolutely NO boys in my family! I had a lot of anxiety as I went in for the ultrasound. Imagine... my parents saying "we are the parents of 3 girls and the grandparents of 5 girls". Boys just have to marry into this family.

We woke up really early (6:30ish) to get us all over to the Naval Hospital on time. I am happy to say I was even a little early! I dropped the girls off at the Child Waiting Center they have there and headed off to "doom or surprise". The ultrasound tech took a few preliminary pictures and then noticed the baby was cooperating, so asked me to turn away so she could get the picture and label the parts for me. She told me that she was 100% certain of what the sex of the baby was.

I then sat in torture as I tried to figure out what I was having by how quick the heartbeat (145bpm) was and the few looks I got when she was taking pictures of the leg bones. My conclusion was that I would be having a boy this time around. She never told me what it was and gave me the revealing picture in an envelope for me to open when I was ready. I got to the car - and guess what?

IT'S A BOY!!! The picture left no room for doubt. His name will be Hunter Garrett. His parents are happy he is on his way and we are so excited to have a little missionary of our own to raise and love!

Who could find better company??

So, if you've caught Deborah's blog, mine will be a little redundant. We had book club last night and met Author Traci Abramson!! How fun is that?! She even knew a person that I met while at college. (Sometimes it is a small world) She was a hoot and we all really enjoyed her company. We loved her so much we snatched her up to come along and celebrate Holly's birthday too! Some of the ladies kidnapped (literally) Holly while a few of us lingered getting books signed - then we all bee-lined it to Baker's Crust. The food was great and I tried a few firsts (Cannoli and Crepe) and took home a few bakery "left-overs". Friends truly are the best of company! Thank you Gaines girls for watching my wee ones!

Traci Abramson is the one on the top far right. Thanks so much for coming to talk with us! Holly is second from the left in the first row. Happy Birthday!!

Some weeks....

Are just so packed full of activities and errands, it makes your head spin! This week was one of those weeks for me. I am glad that it will finally be coming to a close on Saturday. Hopefully me and my girls find the time to kick back a little and enjoy the beautiful days the Lord has given us. Sorry I haven't really updated, plenty is going on - but it's just "busy work". I'm looking forward to book club tonight, it should be neat to meet the author! If anyone out there is up for a girls evening sometime soon, leave me a message. I'm thinking about signing up for the parents night out at the gym (it would be the first friday night in May from 6-9pm). I'll try to come up with some ideas and ask for opinions next week.

A sad goodbye and a Happy Birthday!!

If that isn't one of the biggest sway in emotions, I'm not sure what is!? We had a farewell for Jaesi yesterday along with a birthday get together for Leann (who was actually celebrating her birthday THAT day). The girls whipped up some Cafe Rio food and there were some scrumptious desserts to follow (thanks Tara!). Our hearts go out to Jaesi and her family... although most of us know the name of the game with the military (including detaching from it - which is what they are doing). We know they will do GREAT in their new home! Best of wishes to Leann on her birthday - it was great to spend it with friends. A little after the luncheon - there was the project group get together of which Leann was in charge. There were the cutest little bookmarks and some crafty covers for your everyday salt and pepper composition notebooks. Oh... I stole the picture from you Jaesi (thanks!).