Thursday, September 27, 2012

The Disneyland Diaries

We've been to Disneyland a lot (for people who don't live in Southern California).

A lot.

And for the first time in a very long time, we don't know when we're going to go again. Sad face. We have a few possible dates in mind for our next trip, but none of them are very realistic. This is the first time in five years that an entire year will pass between Disneyland trips. Sniff.

I've been sorting through photos on my computer this week, and with that assignment comes the viewing of all of our vacation photos. I started wondering whether I have photos from every trip we've taken as a family to Disneyland:

{December 2007 }

Nicky age 11 months

{December 2008}

Nicky age 23 months

{April 2009}

Nicky age 2. Pregnant with Daisy (4 months).

{October 2009}

Nicky age 2. Daisy 5 weeks.

{February 2010}

Nicky age 3. Daisy 5 months.

{October 2010}

Nicky age 3. Daisy 13 months.

{February 2011}

Nicky age 4 (not pictured). Daisy 17 months.

{October 2011}

Nicky age 4. Daisy age 2.

Yep. I do. (Barely. February 2011 was a little sketchy since I didn't take a single photo in Disneyland. Fortunately I took the camera to the beach and snapped three blurry pics).

You guys, I love Disneyland. Just in case you didn't know.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

34 Weeks

Hmmm..... I don't think I'll ever find a good way to stand for a belly shot.

Darn you, questionable hand placement!

Monday, September 24, 2012

A Sunday Drive

Yesterday we decided to head up in the mountains to take in some of the beautiful fall scenery. We brought sandwich bags for the kids to gather leaves in, and we had great intentions of stopping somewhere with a vast array of colors for them to select from. We drove up Emigration Canyon and then came down into Parley's via Jeremy Ranch. Emigration Canyon was incredible, but the Jeremy Ranch side of the mountain was rather dull. Unfortunately, we didn't stop in Emigration Canyon, so by the time we pulled off the road, there weren't nearly as many beautiful leaves to pick from. Because of this failure, we didn't have the chance to capture a "Look at us in the fall!" snapshot.

We ended up stopping by a pioneer trail to let the kids get out and walk around for a while.

Daisy was thrilled because there was a "fidge." Daisy loves "fidges."

Nicky requested a turn with the camera:

(This is one of the only times you will ever see Scotty and me wearing the same shirt)

Then Daisy requested a turn with the camera:

(Pretty good for her first snapshot)

Then it was, "Mom! take a picture of me like this!"

"Mom! take a picture of me like this!"

(He's golfing)

"Mom! Let me take a picture of that leaf!"

"Mom! Look at our dirty bums!"

"Now watch me do this!"

Then it was, "Okay, kids! back in the car!"

And things were dandy for a moment.

But then the real fun started. Nicky began whining about his stomach hurting, so we went through our usual routine for when one of the kids' stomachs hurts:

"Do you need to poop?"

"Do you feel like you're going to throw up?"

No and no.

But then ten seconds after we asked him, he said, "I need to puke!"

So we opened the window to give him some air and booked it to the bathroom that was 1/4 mile away. As soon as he got out of the car, Nicky burped and said he felt better.

Back in the car.

Acceleration.

"I'm going to puke!"

Stop the car.

Get out of the car.

Burp.

Back in the car.

Acceleration.

"I'm going to puke!"

Sigh.

And of course, while all of this was going on, Daisy started yelling repeatedly that she needed to poop. So the entire ride home went something like this:

"I'm going to puke!"

"I'm going to poop!"

"I'm going to puke!"

"I'm going to poop!"

The not knowing finally got to me, and I yelled, "Just poop and puke already! I can't handle the 'what if!' Just fill this car with bodily waste now so I can relax!!"

But by some miracle, we made it home.

And now we know that we have at least one child who gets car sick. It's a fate we couldn't have possibly escaped since Scotty and I were both the ones puking in the back seat of the car as children.

As for the pooping? That's another fate we couldn't have escaped. I'm pretty sure all of our kids will poop.

Friday, September 21, 2012

Pregnancy Updates

Week: 34

Feeling: Pretty good. Just don't make me bend over or try to stand up off the ground.

Inconveniences: Not sleeping well, constant heartburn, baby is always way over on the right-hand side (movement hurts!!!) (do I have a misshapen uterus?), new taste aversions (is there Pine Sol in my lemonade?)

Also inconvenient? I have a four-hour welfare assignment at the Bishop's Storehouse when I am 38 weeks pregnant. Ha ha! I'm kind of hoping that when they see me waddle in, they will say, "Oh, honey! Just go home!"

Names: Chosen. One complete boy name and one complete girl name ready to go. But will I stick to them? I can't make any promises. Please keep your embroidery machines in the closet!

Weight gained: Eight pounds!!! I know!!!

Group B Strep: To be determined...

New non-expired infant carrier car seat: Purchased (perhaps I will write a lengthy post about this someday).

Additional purchases: Diaper bag, second-hand crib, and can of formula ($8 off).

Yet to purchase: Bottles and diapers.

Also needed: The gross stuff like super absorbent pads for the upper and the lower - if you know what I mean. Shudder...

Hospital bag: Pointless. I'll pack my three things when I walk out the door.

Baby's position: Head down. Good boy (or girl)!

Prediction: I will go past my due date.

Monday, September 17, 2012

Being Three

Friday was Daisy's birthday.

Yep. She's three!

Three is great for birthdays because it's usually the first birthday where the kids actually get what's going on. At one and two, kids just don't really understand the reason for lighting cake on fire and holding it in their faces.

But that all changes at three.

Daisy talked about her birthday every day for at least three months. She also sang "Happy Birthday" to herself very loudly for weeks, and everywhere we went, she would point out things she wanted for her birthday.

(My favorite was one day at Target about two months ago when she totally changed her clothes in the middle of the store. I looked away for one minute and when I looked back, she was dressed in Target merchandise and announced, "I'm buying these clothes for my birthday party!" She even went so far as to pull the tags off. Sorry, Target!)

For her birthday, we gave her a dress-up gown with sparkly shoes, new sheets for her bed, a few containers of Play-Doh (in girl colors), a sleeping bag, and some hair elastics.

On the night of her birthday, her grandparents came over for cake and ice cream.

Daisy was looking forward to blowing out her "own" candles. I got ready with the camera to capture the moment, and this happened:

We had to have a do-over.

But fortunately she wasn't too traumatized!

Happy Birthday

to our sweet and stubborn little girl!

Friday, September 14, 2012

A Farming Finale

Today is a big day for our family. First of all, it's Daisy's birthday. Three already! How did that happen? But more about that later...

The other big thing about today is that Scotty's grandpa is retiring. For the past 43 years, Grandpa and his brother have owned a local produce company. Scotty grew up working on the farm and still helps out there every summer. Even Nicky and Daisy have done a fair share of work on the farm (you know, like playing in the dirt, picking corn and tomatoes, and hitching rides on the tractors).

Today was the final day of operation for the produce company. The very last harvest was yesterday evening, so we took the kids out to the fields to be there for the bittersweet event.

Our first stop was the tomato field with Grandpa:

Nicky, Grandpa, Daisy, and Scotty on the tractor

Tomato crates a-plenty

The picking crew

A phony bite (Nicky hates tomatoes!)

Tractor love

Grandpa

Then we were off to the corn field with Uncle Fred:

Hitching a ride in the corn trailer

Daisy was a little "iffy" at first

A round-bellied bystander (it's me!)

Scotty at the corn field

One of the corn trailers

The last stack of corn

Uncle Fred

We're sad to see the farm come to an end (especially Scotty), but we know that the time is right. These 'ole boys need a rest!

"Good-bye" says Grandpa

"Good-bye" says Uncle Fred

Now it's time to perfect our own corn-growing skills. Yikes!

Friday, September 7, 2012

Kindergarten

Teacher: What sound does the word 'door' start with?

Nicky: D

Teacher: What sound does 'elephant' start with?

Nicky: Eh

Teacher: What sound does 'laugh' begin with?

Nicky: Ha!

And that is why Nicky is the most awesome kindergartner ever!

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Currently {September 2012 Edition}

Reading: The Book of Mormon

Wondering: Why chicken is so touchy. I finally found a great method for preparing excellent, moist, flavorful chicken. It worked like a charm for about a year. Now the exact same tactic is resulting in dry, rubbery, make-me-gag poultry. Grumble, grumble.

Procrastinating: Making plans for Daisy's birthday. I don't want to have a party. Does that make me a mean mom?

Craving: Chicken pot pie, and there is one in my oven AS WE SPEAK! (That's right, folks! I am cooking!) (But I maintain the opinion that chicken pot pie is not worth the effort) (I remembered this while I was mixing up the pie crust) (and sadly, the chicken is a bit rubbery because that's the way chicken goes these days).

Update: That ended up being a pretty darn good chicken pot pie even with rubbery chicken. That was my best pie crust ever!

Wearing: A black shirt with a floral embellishment that my mother-in-law thinks is a dead animal. Every time she sees me in this shirt she asks me what kind of animal it is (her memory isn't great - we have the same conversations every time we see each other, meaning that every time she sees this shirt, she thinks she is seeing the dead animal for the first time).

Needing: A hair cut. I always wait way too long in between trims, and I end up with award-winning split-ends. The good news is that my roots indicate that my hair has grown a lot since March!

Strange fact: my hair color changes during pregnancy. It's always funny to see the line of demarcation a few months after I have the baby.

Annoyed by: The search bar on the right-hand side of my blog that can't find anything. Type in 'Scotty,' and it will say no results. What the?!?

Suffering from: Rib pain. It's like I have a uterus inflating right below them or something.

Thankful for: Our freezers. It's pretty cool to be able to freeze lots of food (literally and figuratively).

Enjoying: Having Nicky in school. It has many inconveniences, but I am quickly falling in love with the routine and the discipline that it requires.

Proud of myself for: Giving up soda. For the first time ever, I intend for this to be a permanent commitment. All of my other "quittings" have had end dates.

Looking forward to: October. I'm so excited to wear pants! I heart pants!

Splurging on: Something for Scotty's car. Don't ask me what it is - I don't speak Car - but it has something to do with axles or wheels or something.