Odds N Ends

I can't believe that January is almost over. Where has the time gone? Even though I am more than ready to have this baby (at my last appt the Dr. could feel how low the baby's head was in my pelvis and said, "Oh my gosh, you poor thing!), when I went to my last Dr's appointment and he told me I could have this baby as early as next week, I got this nervous-panic feeling. All of a suddent I felt so overwhelmed with the thought of 1) going through the whole labor/delivery process again (I don't look back on my labor with Brooke with fond memories. In fact, my first words to Blake after she was born was, "We might only be doing this once!") and 2) being a mother of two. I know many of you have multiple children and so I know it can be done. I just think about how much Brooke and I have butted heads this past week, and wonder if I am going to have enough patience to do this again. I know I will have to rely a lot on my Heavenly Father to get me through the day. I have also developed a schedule for when we are all home together that will hopefully keep us moving (and not just watching TV all day) with time for crafts, learning activities, individual play time, and of course some Brooke and Mommy quiet time!

In the meantime, we have been keeping ourselves plenty busy. I think the baby's room has gone through more transformations than any other room in our house. When we bought our home, this room was covered in Americana-themed wall paper. We took that down and painted it to match the rest of the house. Then of course, we painted it yet again to be the baby's room. The last project it needed was a closet makeover. The previous owners used it as an office and had taken the closet rod down and put up all these shelves.

It was nice storage for us, but needed to go. It was "fun" trying to figure out where all that stuff should go. And next year I am going to have to find another place to hide our Christmas presents, I guess. Blake cut the two middle shelves down and replaced the closet rod. Much better! There are actually 2 more top shelves above the half empty shelf you can see above the clothes. Those still have storage items on them. We'll figure out where those items need to go (maybe the trash?) when the time comes.

Brooke is obsessed with changing her clothes and wearing my shoes. She looks like she's ready to be a back-up dancer at a Cher concert or something ;)

Winter finally decided to make an appearance this weekend! Blake and Brooke built a snowman for our yard. Brooke was so excited to do that.

The first thing Brooke did when she woke up was open the blinds to check on her snowman.

A Showering

Maybe it's the horomones, or maybe it's just my natural disposition, but I have been so moody lately! Brooke and I have been butting heads the past couple of days and I find myself saying to myself "be patient...don't loose it!" (that doesn't always work btw). I get annoyed by people asking me if I'm ready to have this baby. What do you think? No, I want it to stay in here forever. I don't want to talk about how I'm feeling with every person who passes by and asks. I don't want to hear that I look I'm ready to pop. And I especially don't want to hear every stranger's labor and delivery story. Seriously on Friday a lady I did not know stopped me and proceeded to tell me the stories of all 4 of children. Unless you are a friend or family member, I don't care! Sorry, maybe that is rude but that is how I am feeling.

A definite cure for my moody blues has been a reminder of how many people I have around me that truly do care about me and support me. Since moving here 3 years ago, I have met some truly great people and feel blessed to know them. On Monday morning at our English department meeting, my co workers surprised me with a baby shower. It was totally unexpected and so appreciated. That night when Blake got home, I had all the shower stuff spread across the kitchen table. Blake saw it and said, "Holy Cow! How much did you spend today?" I told him about the surprise shower and we were both just so, so appreciative. Then, on Saturday, my good friend Jackie threw another shower for me. She did an amazing job too.

She came over early to decorate in orange and blue. She made chicken salad sandwiches, spinach dip, a veggie tray, cupcakes, and we had chocolate fondue with strawberries, bananas, and rice krispy treats to dip. I wanted to get a pic of Jackie and I together and my mom and I together, but that didn't happen. So here they are standing in the kitchen together.

I have also learned how crafty some of my friends are! I need them to teach me how to sew since there are so many fun kid-craft ideas out there. Jackie had her MIL make a cute carseat cover and Cami made these darling little ties in different size so they'll grow with him.The baby got some much needed basics as well: Diapers, wipes, binkys, lotions, soap, diaper genie refills, clothes, board books, hats, blanekts (Trish made the baseball one) and Elisa made these adorable oversized bibs for all our little guy's sticky messes.
What the carseat cover looks like: The buttons down the middle open up so you can check on the baby. It also came with a matching diaper clutch. A handy holder for diapers and wipes on the go.

Saturday was just a fun day with the girls. We ate, laughed, visited, and played games. It was a perfect relief from the moodiness I have been feeling lately! Thanks Jackie! Blake and I have definitely have felt the love and again, am so, so grateful to everyone who came and supported us. Having a baby, no matter what number it is, is expensive. It's so nice to get a great jumpstart on our baby-stash of supplies and clothing. And it's been a great reminder that we are so blessed to have such great friends and family. Moving to this area 3 years ago, I wasn't sure what how it would go, but now I can't imagine being anywhere else!

How We're Growing

I am 35.5 weeks and am anxious for this baby to come. Although he is showing no signs of making a grand entrance anytime soon. I have been feeling braxton hicks contractions since November, but when I went into the Dr. last week he informed me that I was not dialated at all. Dang! I am hoping for something (even just 1cm) this week. The third trimester has brought back nausea with a vengence and really uncomfortable, sleepless nights. Not to mention the baby will kick and poke so hard sometimes I wouldn't be surprised if a foot suddenly broke through the skin. And in case you were wondering, we still don't have a name. Just last night Blake and I were laying in bed saying "What about...for a name?" back and forth.
I found this picture of myself when I was pregnant with Brooke. This was taken 10 days before I delivered. And here is me with #2 taken just yesterday.

As you can tell, my babies need lots of room to stretch out and make themselves comfortable.

We have also been trying to get prepared as possible for the baby's (hopefully soon) arrival. Over Christmas break Blake and I were able to accomplish some projects. First and foremost, a place for the babe to sleep:

My vision of stripes came to life and looks so cute with the print on his crib bedding. We also did some work in Brooke's room. We moved Brooke from her crib into a toddler bed. Blake made this bed for his nephew when he was in high school. I love that our own children will sleep in it too.
Brooke loves it. Naptimes have become more hit and miss since she is not confined to her crib anymore. But we put one of those plastic doorknob covers on the inside of her door, so even if she doesn't sleep she still has a couple hours of "quiet time" in her room and she doesn't complain about it. One thing is for certain: Brooke will definitely be wearing a different outfit when nap/quiet time is over than before! Same goes with bedtime. Twice after Brooke got her bed, we woke up in the middle of the night to see Brooke's bedroom light on and her playing. We told her to get back to bed and it hasn't happened since. Now, she will wake up and get herself dressed and play in her room until Blake or I wake up and get her out. That part is actually so nice. We've been able to sleep in until 8am on the weekends.

Since we lost the storage under her crib, I asked Blake to build some shelves for Brooke inside her closet. Her closet is wider than the door frame, so there is a nook that is perfect for shelving. We've since painted the shelves pink to match everything else. Blake didn't like the look of the unfinished wood and wanted it to match. He's a perfectionist, what can I say? And I'll admit, it does make it look better. And I love that Brooke's toys, books, puzzles, now have a place of their own!

Brooke has quite the imagination too. She tells me that she is Rapunzel and that I am batman all the time. Blake and I have been watching the Harry Potter movies and Brooke now takes her little toy broom and "flies" around the house looking for Kevin (the giant bird from "Up"). Last night she had a ruler and was playing doctor with Blake and I--checking our eyes and ears and legs with it. Brooke also went to primary for the first time yesterday. I can't believe she is a Sunbeam! She was very scared when I took her in the primary room and found her a seat with her new teachers. She didn't cry though and when we picked her up at the end of the church she was all smiles.

Couldn't Agree More!

It's been a while since I've strayed from writing about our family. But when I saw this I wanted to shout it from the rooftops! Click here to see the worst kids fashion trends of 2011.

I wholeheartedly agree with #1. I cannot stand sarcastic or vain sayings on shirts...not even on adults, and especially kids. It bugs me when I go to buy things from my favoriate kid stores and their current line of clothing is all rocker chic or sayings like "I'm a princess". I want my three year old to dress like...well, a three year old, not some rocked out teenager. And as for the sayings, I think it makes kids sound bratty, not cute. I also wanted to clap for getting rid of the leggings as pants. That may be okay on a toddler, but I have girls that I teach that think it's okay to wear leggings and shirt that barely covers their bum with nothing else. Hello! You are wearing glorified panty hose!

I would also like to add to the list I hate sayings written across the butt of pants. Why would I want someone starting at my child's behind? And my personal favorite (not) trend: the I love boobies bracelets. Thankfully it is starting to die off with my students at school, but not nearly fast enough.

Ringing in 2012

New Year's Eve is always a fun event. Blake's brother hosts a family get together at his house and we all come prepared to eat yummy food and enjoy spending the evening together. It's a 5 hour drive from our house to his, and we had been telling Brooke that as soon as we got there we'd go swimming at the hotel. She was jumping up and down she was so excited! Sadly, I forgot my camera so all you get are some pics from my cell phone.Waiting for the elevator...Brooke had her floatie and was all ready to go!
She went back and forth from the pool to the hot tub for 3 hours! Thanks Honey (Blake's mom) for swimming with her!

Funny story from the pool: Brooke started playing games with her cousin Skylar. He is almost 13 and was a really good sport about it. Skylar pushed another one of her cousins into the pool so Brooke, following his example, went up to Karson (who is 4 mo. younger than Brooke) and pushed him into the pool too. I think all the adults were feeling a mix between shock and laughing. Luckily, Karson is a little dare-devil and didn't seem to mind the unexpected push into the pool. I went up and had a talk with Brooke about not doing that, but it was pretty hard for me not to laugh.

After swimming it was off to Kent's house. The cousin's did a gift exchange. Amelia got Brooke a 4 ft cardboard clubhouse that you color and then set up. It will be a fun project to work on when the baby comes and we aren't going anywhere :) and a giant horse-purse. Brooke has already named the horse "bullseye" and calls herself "Jessie-cowgirl" and rides the horse around the house. We set off fireworks (Brooke was only slightly afraid this time instead of petrified and crying like she was over the 4th of July) and the cousins played and played. I stuffed myself sick on sushi (don't worry, I didn't have any that had actual raw fish in it), Jeannie's awesome guacamole dip, Steph's yummy jalepeno and artichoke dip, sugary sweets dipped in chocolate fondue, and the best coconut cake ever! (Steph, I need that recipe!) Before I knew it, it was 11pm and Brooke and I were off to bed. We had such a good time, as always.

Here are Brooke and Karson giving us some New Year's entertainment:

And this has nothing to do with New Year's, but I have been wanting to post it for a while. My brother and sister-in-law got Brooke this cute winter gear:A bunny snow-hat with matching pink gloves. She looks adorable in it, but we had just watched A Christmas Story so I couldn't help but being reminded of this:

Happy 2012!

Santa Came to Town

The days leading up to Christmas Blake and I kept telling Brooke how Santa was going to come down our chimney and leave us presents. Brooke looked at me with a very serious look and said, "Santa's going to ruin our house!"

On Thursday I spent all day in the kitchen baking yummy Christmas treats. I made 3lbs of fudge, dozens of sugar cookies, peppermint sandwich cookies and 2 loaves of banana bread. It took me a lot longer than I thought it would to get the neighbor plates put together. As nighttime was approaching and we still needed to deliver the plates, I recruited Blake to help me frost cookies. This is what he came up with:
I was laughing so hard! Needless to say that I appreciated the help but this particular plate stayed at our house!
This is a totally random picture, but so cute of our happy girl in the morning!

Blake had the luxury of having all weekend off (something rare in his line of work). Christmas Eve was spent at his parent's house. Blake's sister and her family were also there so it was fun to be with them. Christmas day, we had dinner with his parents at his cousin's house. Blake's aunt and uncle were also there. It was fun to catch up with them. And after killing myself cooking all day on Thanksgiving it was so nice to just relax and eat other people's food!

Christmas Eve, ready for bed and for Santa to come!

Santa came to our house! We had a nice, (relatively) quiet Christmas morning. It was just the 3 of us so we took our time opening gifts. Brooke wanted to immediately play with her things, so it was nice to be able to let her do that.

Video of Brooke coming down Christmas morning

Blake got a Dremmel Saw Max--the tool of all tools. He also got another surprise!

Brooke's magnetic "paper" doll set. She loved it!

A cute stuffed zebra from Nona (my mom)

Ariel and Cinderella were a big hit!

Brooke also got a princess story book that has a crown that plays music when you dance.
Mom and Brooke in our Christmas slippers.

Getting ready to stary a rousing game of CandyLand

After we opened presents Blake's parents came over for breakfast. I tried a new recipe: bananas foster baked french toast. It was super easy and yummy. I made it Christmas Eve, put it in the fridge overnight and baked it while we were opening presents so it was ready to go!

Blake's mom made Brooke the cutest blanket for her bed--perfect since we just moved Brooke into her new toddler bed (more on that later!)

Of course, my biggest present was a new video camera (that I love) and a newly painted baby's room. Blake was also so sweet and fixed the keyless entry in our car. It has never worked since we've had it, and when it was just Blake and I it was no big deal to unlock the car or trunk by hand. But now with kids, it will be soooooo nice to have that fixed! Thanks honey!

A Merry Christmas to All!!

Because of snazzy technology I can write this post today (the 20th) and have it post on the 25th.

I just wanted to write and tell all of you how thankful I am for your love, support, and friendship. I love being able to stay in touch with friends and family who live far away. Many of you I haven't seen in years and years, yet I feel like connected and close to you through blogging, facebook and emails. It's so nice to be able to comment to each other and empathize when we go through hardships, successes, and just everyday life. We relate with, laugh, and cry with each other.

I am especially thankful for this time of year to remember the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. I am thankful for His life, His example, and giving us the greatest gift we will ever recieve: the atonement and the chance to live with Him, our Heavenly Father and our families forever.

I am looking forward to 2012 for several reason. The biggest being the addition of a sweet little boy to our family. We are looking forward to having a newborn in our home again. Although I am sure we are in for a few surprises too. Three years may not seem like a long time, but now that Brooke is so independent, potty trained, etc... having a newborn around will be a huge change for us. But we are ready!

I also look forward to see what Brooke learns in 2012. She has such unlimted potential that I know she will grow and develop in ways I didn't see coming. I hope 2012 will bring great things for Blake and I as well. We set some goals for ourselves for 2011 and are happy to say we accomplished most, if not all, of them. Blake is amazing. He always has the best interest of our family in mind. Whether it's coming up with ways to get our house paid off faster or building our food storage supply he is always good to remind me that small sacrifices now will have huge payoffs in the long term. And I need reminded of that a lot! One of the best things I saw happen this year was the relationship between Brooke and Blake grow. She loves her daddy! They wrestle and play and go fishing and four wheeling. It always warms my heart when Blake chooses a day with Brooke over a day with his buddies or peace and quiet fishing

We love you all and wish the merriest of Christmases and the happiest of New Years!

And if you made it this far...for your listening enjoyment are two short videos of Brooke singing some Christmas songs:

I took these videos using my new Christmas present (that I may or may not have bought for myself) It was such a great deal I couldn't resist and I wanted to get the hang of using it before Christmas morning. I can't believe how much better the picture and sound quality is than our old camera!