A Halloween Preview

The other day we went to a Halloween party, so the kids got dressed up, and I was smart and took pictures. It seems like actual Halloween is always a whirlwind, and I don't take the time to get a decent photo, so I'm quite proud of myself for taking these pictures pre-Halloween.

Seriously. Genius I am.

Although, it took a fair amount of "speaking firmly" to get my kids to cooperate, hold still, and smile for long enough to push the stinkin' button. Sigh. Hopefully my neighbors are forgiving... because I think they hear me "speaking firmly" a lot.

39.5

Yesterday the entire family took turns snapping photos of me. I never intend for it to be such an event, but as soon as the kids see the camera, they immediately begin a chorus of, "My turn! my turn!"

So here is Nicky's:

 

 Here is Daisy's:

And here is Scotty's:

 

In other words... still pregnant!

Good Idea / Bad Idea

Since I'm not spending my days snuggling a newborn just yet, I've been keeping myself busy by watching the BBC series Robin Hood.

 

I've always been a little bit of a Robin Hood fanatic. My dad will tell you how annoying it was to rewind Disney's Robin Hood over and over again for me as a child.

Can you blame me for my obsession? The guy is hot! Even if he is a cartoon fox.

Sis put it best when she said, "Oh he's so handsome... just like his reward posters!"

I must also shamefully admit that I can quote the entirely of Robin Hood Men in Tights.

 

"Let's get out of this ladies clothing and get into our tights!"

So with all of the Robin Hood watching I've done this week, I got the itch to do something I haven't done in a very long time... shoot my bow!

Because I just happen to have my very own bow.

Because that's what you do when you grow up loving Robin Hood.

The thing is, I haven't shot my bow since I was pregnant with Nicky. It's not that I haven't wanted to, it's just that I have kids with me everywhere I go, and shooting a bow with two little kids around never sounds ideal.

Now that they're five and three, though, Scotty and I decided it was time to try it out and see if shooting bows with our kids is a possibility. This brought on a challenge I like to refer to as "Good Idea/Bad Idea," wherein we try something new to determine whether it's a good idea or bad idea.

With a little luck, we were able to round up suitable bows for our children.

Nicky is now the proud owner of this beauty, previously occupied by my little brother:

And Daisy has taken over this awesome piece of craftsmanship:

Which was mine when I was little and was made for me by MY DAD!

(Yes, the same one who hated rewinding Robin Hood for me!)

We took our kids (and their little bows, too!) to Scotty's mom's house to shoot in her backyard. One of my favorite things to shoot is a pumpkin, so we had ourselves a little gourd massacre.

Surprisingly, we deemed this activity a "Good Idea!"

Our kids loved it, and Daisy?

Seriously?

Cutest little archer I've ever seen in my life. How can you not love that face?

Save My Armpits

Remember how I'm 39 weeks pregnant? Well, I am committed to blogging about something other than that today. The problem is, the only other thing on my mind right now is armpits.

[source]

(I bet you're glad you stopped by today, eh? Who wouldn't want to miss this?)

(By the way, that is not me).

(My Deodorant Application Face is a lot less... pleasant).

So... my armpits. They have been bugging me for years.

But before I get into the disgusting aspects of my armpits (hold onto your seats!), let me first tell you something awesome about them: I grow very little armpit hair.

I know this to be a blessing because I spent my younger years dancing, and I observed many other girls stressing over armpit hair right before performances. A lot of girls on the dance team had to shave their armpits before going on stage regardless of having shaved that morning. I never had to worry about that. Worst case scenario, I would have a single, blond piece of stubble.

Nowadays, things are pretty much the same hair-wise.

Unfortunately, I am plagued by other armpit issues. For one, I sweat a lot. I've used Drysol (a prescription deodorant) off and on for about eight years. I mostly use it for special events (you know, like wearing gray) because it's too rough for everyday use (it basically makes me want to claw my armpits off). Secondly, I have a really ugly skin tag in my right armpit. I told my dermatologist about it once, and he said, "I can remove it, but insurance won't cover it, so you might as well do it yourself at home." I kind of hate my dermatologist, and I get stressed out in his office and fail to ask the right questions, so when I got home, it dawned on me that I should have at least had him look at it to confirm that it really is a skin tag. Even if it is, though, I can't just go at it with scissors, considering a skin tag is a TUMOR and all (benign, but still...) so it's been there for about nine years.

Another problem with my armpits is that I get really awful deodorant build-up. I started noticing the build-up a few years ago while I was staying at a hotel. I was in the shower using free hotel soap to wash, and something weird was going on in my armpits. The soap was balling up and turning sticky, and it left a weird film on my fingers when I tried rubbing it off. I'm no scientist, but I'm thinking this had something to do with an ingredient in the soap not getting along with an ingredient in my deodorant.  Anyway, I realized after a week of using free hotel soap that my deodorant never washed off. After coming home, I didn't have the same problem with my soap balling up and turning sticky, but I could tell that my home soap wasn't washing my deodorant off either. If I scratched my armpits with my fingernails, a ton of nasty white film would come off, but I couldn't scrub it off with soap and a loofah. Thus began my long journey to solve my deodorant problem.

I first tried changing soaps. I thought a higher quality soap might help wash the deodorant off. Nope.

I then tried switching to a higher quality deodorant (I tried five or six different brands). Nope. Then I tried eliminating an anti-perspirant. Nope. Then I tried switching to an all-natural deodorant (still without anti-perspirant). Nope.

Then I started googling. Turns out, there is very little information out there about this problem. I came across a few discussions online, and there seems to be a great divide between the people with deodorant build-up and the people without. The people with it basically feel like nothing works, and the people without it think the people with it are all disgusting fools who can't seem to buy the right product and/or wash themselves properly.

I did find a few recommendations to help with the problem. Here are some of the things I've tried (besides changing products a million times):

• Soaking armpits in baking soda paste 
• Washing with baby shampoo
• Washing with castile soap
• Scrubbing with rubbing alcohol
• Using men's deodorant
• Scrubbing with an exfoliating pad

I found that using the exfoliating pad and a good soap and wearing an anti-perspirant as infrequently as possible helped with the build-up problem a lot. I also continue using baking soda paste every now and then when I feel extra gross.

The remaining problem is that my armpits are BLACK! And this is where I need to call on the mighty internets to SAVE MY ARMPITS!

I wear a lot of black, and I sweat, so my shirts make my armpits dark, and I HATE IT! No matter what I've tried, I can not get the black out! I thought this was because of the deodorant build-up, and that, if I could get that under control, the black armpits would automatically go away, but NOT SO.

Again with the googling, and I haven't found a solution that I haven't already tried. 

So tell me... do you have this problem? Do you have a solution? Can you SAVE MY ARMPITS?

And most importantly...

Will you still be my friend even though you know WAY TOO MUCH about my armpits?

I Want to go into Labor (and ten other pregnancy-related facts)

Fact #1: I've reached the point in pregnancy where I can't think or talk about anything else. I'm sorry... You might want to steer clear of this corner of the internet if you're not ready for my incessant baby talk.

Fact #2: This was me at 37 weeks (a week and a half ago):

Fact #3: The word is "dilated," not "dialated." I feel like it is my personal mission to correct this common error.

Fact #4: Things that have not put me into labor:

• Stocking shelves at the Bishop's Storehouse for three hours
• The incoming storm
• Stress
• Accupressure
• Chasing my kids on their bikes for two miles up the Jordan River Parkway
• Dancing with Dora the Explorer in the family room
• Pineapple
• Praying 

Fact #5: So maybe I haven't officially "prayed" to go into labor, but I've definitely hinted.

Fact #6: I think God might want me to hang in there long enough to attend the primary program this Sunday... being in the Primary Presidency and all... 

Fact #7: Not that I would have the baby a week early even if I weren't in the Primary Presidency.

Fact #8: I really don't want to have a baby on Halloween.

Fact #9: I'm worried that this baby is going to be BIG simply based on where I feel movement. It's up under my rib cage and down below my hip bones and in my back. If the head is there and the butt is there and the legs are this way, then this is a big baby!

Fact #10: The male cashier at Costco told me I'm having a girl, and the sample lady at Sam's Club told me I'm having a boy.

Life Less Complicated

The other day I stopped by Babies R Us to buy a gift for someone else. It's pretty funny to be nine months pregnant at Babies R Us and not be shopping for your own baby. As I explored rack after rack of boy clothes, it dawned on me that anyone who looked at me would assume I was shopping for my baby, obviously a boy.

Whenever someone asks what I'm having, and I say that we didn't find out, there are two common responses. The first comes from people of the previous generation; they always say, "Good for you! When I had my babies, we never found out!" The second comes from my generation, and that response is typically, "I could never do that! I'm too much of a planner!"

I find this interesting because, having "not found out" twice now, I have learned how very little planning is necessary when having a baby. I wouldn't have believed so six years ago when I had Nicky. Back then, I was crazy with baby preparations. I stewed over merchandise and clothes. I read book after book. I spent months picking out nursery colors and accessories. I was obsessive about every little detail involving the birth of my first child.

When Nicky came into this world, I had done so much "planning," that I didn't know how to function when things weren't going "according to plan" - which was most of the time. I ended up with a ton of impractical stuff that I didn't need, and all of that prep work benefited me nothing when my baby came out screaming his head off, and I was left to raise him.

Being at Babies R Us the other day reminded me of having my first baby and the cluelessness that came with that experience. As I walked around that store with Scotty, I couldn't help but laugh and point out all of the stuff that we thought we needed when we had Nicky and say, "Remember when we had one of these? Remember when we thought we needed this?" I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that 90% of the merchandise in a Babies R Us is unnecessary. I wish I would have known that six years ago, but to be honest, even if someone had explained that to me in a very practical and loving way, I wouldn't have believed it. I had to learn from experience... because I'm stubborn like that.

When I was pregnant with Daisy and made the decision to not find out what I was having, a whole new world opened up to me; a world of simplicity. I spent nine months contemplating what was really essential, and it turned out, there wasn't a lot I needed to accomplish pre-baby that couldn't be handled after the baby was born. The only thing I purchased for Daisy before she was born was a gender-neutral newborn outfit to wear home from the hospital. I didn't have a single thing on-hand for a girl, and yet, girl clothes were just as accessible after I had her.

That experience really helped me learn that some things are okay to leave undone. It was just fine that I didn't have a dresser full of pink onesies waiting for us when we got home. I don't know where the pressure to plan and re-plan comes from (blogs? magazines? old wives tales?), but I proved to myself that preparing for a baby doesn't have to be as complicated as the world makes it out to be, and I learned that lesson while it was entirely in contrast to my personality. I was the planner, the organizer, and the overthinker, but I learned that being that way was of no benefit to me.

While I was pregnant with Daisy, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf made this statement in the commencement ceremony at Brigham Young University:

"A wise man once distinguished between 'the noble art of getting things done' and 'a nobler art of leaving things undone.' True 'wisdom in life,' he taught, consists of 'the elimination of non-essentials.' May I suggest that you periodically evaluate how you are doing in this area? What are the nonessential things that clutter your days and steal your time? What are the habits you may have developed that do not serve a useful purpose? What are the unfinished or unstarted things that could add vigor, meaning, and joy to your life?"

Now, I tell you this not to try and convince you to not find out the gender of your babies (shoot, I want to know what you're having, so go ahead! Find out!), but to share with you an example of life less complicated. We live during a time when people are often praised for "overdoing it." We tend to confuse activity with accomplishment, and we spend a lot of time doing things that are seemingly important but are really just cluttering our lives. Not finding out if Daisy was a boy or a girl ended up being a very eye-opening experience for me because it forced me to take a more simple approach to something BIG. I will forever be grateful for that experience and the knowledge it allowed me to apply to all aspects of my life, and I'm thankful to President Uchtdorf for indirectly giving me permission to leave a few things undone.

Ahhhh... October!

I am in love with this time of year! As soon as I flip the calendar from September to October, I breathe a huge sigh of relief. It feels so refreshing! Oh, the blessing of wearing pants! Soon to be followed by the blessing of wearing a sweater!

There is a part of me that wakes up in the fall. I become more motivated and more active. I feel more upbeat and more confident.

On our recent Sunday drive, I couldn't help noticing how happy everyone looked. There were bikers, joggers, and drivers all veered off to the side of the canyon road enjoying the spectacular view, and they were all smiling. They were gathering in groups for snapshots and family photos, which indicated to me that there is something about fall that brings people together.

October, I will keep you!

Do Tell! - Candy

Do you remember the song "Candy" by Mandy Moore? It was her "break out hit," and sometimes I think I'm the only one who knows it ever happened.

(I spent way too many hours watching The Box back in the day).

(So did Scotty, so it's very appropriate that we found each other).

Mandy Moore and her candy similes aside, Halloween is coming, and there is candy everywhere. I turn into a bit of a mad woman at Halloween because I'm stuck somewhere in between hating the candy with a furious passion and wanting to hide in a closet with it to play Seven Minutes in Heaven.

Yesterday my mom stocked me up with a grand stash of candy for trick or treaters. It's sitting on top of my fridge taunting me now, so, of course, I can't stop thinking about it.

Candy in the morning and in the afternoon
Candy in the evening and underneath the moon!

So today I'm wondering, what is your favorite candy? BUT before you answer, let's establish a ground rule: you must pretend there is absolutely nothing wrong with sugar. That means no disclaimers in your comments, such as, "We don't keep candy in the house, but blah bla blah," or "I try not to eat candy, but blah blah blah..." Yes, we all feel the obligation to say such things, but let's just pretend we all eat sugar all the time, and there's nothing wrong with it!

Do tell!

As for me, I can't name any one candy as "favorite" but if I had a custom-made trick or treat bag, it would probably include Almond Joys, Snickers, Reese's Pieces, Peanut M&Ms, Dove Promises, Tootsie Rolls, and Everlasting Gobstoppers.

And, even though it's Halloween, there would probably be some Cadbury Mini Eggs in there, too!

The Wrench

Lately I've been pretty happy with our daily routine. I like having Nicky in school because it gives our days structure, and I function a lot better with structure (summer nearly killed me with all of that unstructured time and excessive daylight. Ugh!)

This morning I was thinking about our schedule and contemplating what changes will occur when we throw a wrench in it (i.e. have a baby) in two(ish) weeks.

[Via]

Here is how our days go right now:

Waking Up

I always prefer to wake up before  my children, but that rarely happens. Nicky and Daisy usually get up around 6:30. Daisy wants immediate attention, so the first thing she does is come into my room and make sure I'm awake. Then she makes whatever demand suits her fancy for that morning - 90% of the time she asks if she can have a treat. Naturally, I say no and tell her I will make her some breakfast. She folds her arms and "hmph"s and tells me she doesn't want "beskfist!"

"Beskfist"

Breakfast is nothing fancy at our house. We usually have Cheerios with sliced bananas, toast, pancakes, eggs, or yogurt with fruit and granola. I've found that no matter what my kids eat at breakfast, they still end up hungry at the same time, so I've given up on trying to keep them full until lunch. Nicky is great with breakfast - he eats what he needs, and then he cleans up after himself (joy!) Daisy, though, is a fighter. Some people do not believe in organized religion; Daisy does not believe in organized meals. It doesn't matter if breakfast is hand-picked by her majesty - she will not eat it. So everyday I explain to her that she does not get any food until lunch, and everyday, I fight the hideous battle that goes along with it. I literally lock her out of the fridge and pantry, and I leave her breakfast sitting out and direct her to it each time she asks for food. This makes for a very long morning!

While the kids eat breakfast, I usually check my e-mail, load the dishwasher, and start a load of laundry. I also eat breakfast, myself. I'm just significantly better at it than they are, so I have a lot of time left to wait for them to finish. Sometimes, when I need to go somewhere immediately after Nicky leaves for school, I shower while the kids eat, but usually I wait and shower later.

Getting Ready for School

Nicky is a champ at getting ready for school. When he started Kindergarten, I hung the following check-list on the front door:

• Get dressed
• Brush teeth
• Comb hair
• Eat breakfast
• Take vitamin
• Pack backpack (Monday: Reading Record, Friday: Show & Tell)
• Family prayer

Every morning I have Nicky go over the check-list and tell me what he still needs to do. He has been awesome about getting up and getting ready without having to be nagged. Our only downfall is that we are such early risers that we always a lot of time to get ready, which allows for "distraction time." I intend to have Nicky do the entire check-list from start to finish as soon as he gets up in the morning, and then he can use the leftover time to play, but I just haven't gotten around to enforcing it yet. I just want him to be in the habit of getting ready all at once rather than little bits at a time as to help in the future when there is less time to get ready and more to do.

Off to School

The last thing we usually do before Nicky leaves for school is say a family prayer. One might think this is a special event, but really, it is one of the most dangerous things that happens in our house each morning. As soon as I call the kids into the living room, they start fighting over who gets to say it. I try to have them take turns, but I feel terrible for Nicky because whenever it's his turn, Daisy will either start saying her own prayer, louder than his, or she will run up to him while his eyes are closed and smack him in the face. There are many tears shed and punches thrown during family prayer.

At 8:00, my sister-in-law picks up Nicky and takes him to school. Then it's just Daisy and me for the next three hours.

Just Daisy and Me

Usually after Nicky leaves for school, I put Daisy into a Dora-induced coma so I can read my scriptures and shower. When I'm ready for the day, I do a few chores around the house. Daisy is usually my little shadow during this time. She follows me around and helps me a little here and there. She likes to put clothes in the washer, and she LOVES putting the soap in. She continues to beg for snacks and treats. This is no exaggeration, I'll bet she asks for food every five minutes during the three hours Nicky is at school, save for the time she spends watching Dora, in which she asks every fifteen minutes.

Places to Go

I occasionally go places while Nicky is at school. We have a few routine destinations each week:

• Monday - library (sometimes I wait until Nicky gets home so he can go with us, it just depends on the day)
• Wednesday - play group (it starts while Nicky is at school, and I leave to pick him up then come back so he can play, too)
• Thursday - grocery shopping
• Friday - class volunteer (I go help in Nicky's classroom every-other Friday)

After School

I pick up Nicky and my nephew, T-Bone, from school every day. As soon as we get home, I fix lunch, and the kids play for a while until someone comes to get T-Bone. After T-Bone leaves, I try to engage my kids in some sort of activity that will wear Daisy out so she will take a nap. She's in that awful phase where she still needs a nap every day, but she won't go to sleep on her own until 5:00 p.m. I usually end up putting the kids in the car around 2:00 in the afternoon and going for a nice, long drive. I hate doing it because it's a waste of time and gas (plus Nicky whines like crazy about it), but it's the only way I can get Daisy to fall asleep. If she doesn't nap, the hours from 1:00-8:00 p.m. are complete torture. From 1:00 to 4:00 she throws hideous tantrums, and she and Nicky fight like rabid dogs. Then from 4:00 until 7:00, I have to fight to keep her awake. Then at 7:00, she gets super hyper. 

So... naps are pretty important, but also very inconvenient.

Bed Time

Bed time is rough right now because Scotty gets home from school after the kids should be in bed. I always have this awful internal conflict: Do I put the kids to bed when they need it the most? Or do I let them stay up for an extra 30 mins-1 hour so they can see their dad? What's more important? Sleep or Daddy? 

Most days, Daddy wins. 

I try to have the kids bathed and pajama-ed when Scotty gets home (although I've been really bad at it lately because I'm very pregnant and very tired and I can't stop watching Dancing with the Stars). When Scotty gets home, he eats dinner and talks to the kids for a while. Then we start the bed time routine.

We've had a pretty consistent bed time routine since Nicky was a baby. We brush teeth, then the kids take turns picking songs (three songs each). If they misbehave during bed time routine, they lose a song. Then each kid says prayers (please refer to the family prayer description above for an idea of what this is like). Then we sing two "family songs." The "family songs" tradition started a long time ago and has evolved a little bit over time. We used to always sing "Families Can Be Together Forever" every night before we kissed and hugged our kids goodnight. Then we added "I am a Child of God." Then we ended up adding other songs that the kids were singing in Primary that we wanted to help Nicky learn the words to, and we ended up singing WAY TOO MANY songs every night. So Scotty and I picked some songs that we think teach important concepts and doctrines, and we have a song schedule with two songs for each day of the week. We end our bed time routine by singing those two songs (there is a chart hanging above Nicky's bed, and he is in charge of checking it each night and telling us what songs we are singing that day). I'm pretty sure this makes us nerdy Mormon parents or zealots of some sort, but here is our song list:

Sunday

"I am a Child of God"

"I'm Trying to be Like Jesus"

Monday

"We Thank Thee O God for a Prophet"

"Praise to the Man"

Tuesday

"Families Can be Together Forever"

"Search, Ponder, and Pray"

Wednesday

"I Belong to the Church of Jesus Christ"

"We'll Bring the World His Truth"

Thursday

"The Books in the Book of Mormon"

"Teach me to Walk in the Light"

Friday

"Called to Serve"

"Choose the Right"

Saturday

"The Spirit of God"

"Book of Mormon Stories"

After our "family songs,' we hug and kiss the little people, and they go to sleep. Or not. You know how it is...

Sadly, we usually crash right after we put the kids to bed. 

The Weekends

There aren't very many "routine" events for the weekend other than on Sunday. Right now we have church at 9:00. I used to put the kids' clothes out on Saturday night, but since Daisy will never wear what I put out for her, I stopped doing that and just let her pick her dress out in the morning. She always picks the same dress (seen here). If I want her to wear something else, I simply have to suggest that dress before she picks it herself, and she'll refuse to wear it. 

We start getting ready at 7:00. Scotty makes a German pancake most Sunday mornings. Everyone is fed, showered, and dressed. We pack a church bag, and off we go! Our kids fight over who gets to open the door at the church. Once we get inside, we pick a seat, and the kids go visit Sister Argyle to get some Smarties, then they go get a tithing slip from the bishop's office.

After church, we come home and have lunch, then we try to get Daisy to take a nap. Later in the afternoon we go visit Scotty's mom. She usually has some sort of baked good for us to enjoy.

---------------

I can't wait to meet our little wrench, but I think it's going to take some time to figure life out all over again. There will be more frequent doctor visits, diaper changes, and feedings. There will be more night wakings, less room in our car, and more equipment to haul everywhere. 

I've done it before, and even though it all comes back in one way or another, it's still amazing how much you have to re-learn when you start from newborn again.

Here's to life changing!

Lately...

...I've been making hot chocolate for the kids in the morning, and they (of course) love it. The last two mornings, though, haven't had the chill factor going on, so I've skipped the hot chocolate and faced the wrath.

...I've become obsessed with shampooing my couches. I would call it nesting except that I only care about the couches and nothing else. Kitchen floor? Messy and sticky as can be. Couches? Shampooed twice in less than 24 hours.

...Scotty has been having nightmares about death row. He's in a Business Law class at school right now, and last week he had to watch To Kill a Mockingbird and 12 Angry Men. He has been reading The Innocent Man by John Grisham and attending the Martin MacNeill preliminary trial. What do all of these things have in common? Murder. What does murder have to do with a degree in business? Not a whole lot.

...My kids have been taking a community ed. tumbling class, and boy! Is it fun!... Except for when Daisy pushes down the other kids right as they begin their cartwheels, and I have to waddle chase her across the mat and hold her in time out in front of all of the other parents while she screams her head off and the other children make comments, like, "Mom? Why does that girl do mean things?"

...Both Daisy and Nicky have been experiencing pre-baby regression. Both are talking like babies, and Daisy has reverted from being completely potty trained (for six weeks) to being back in diapers full-time.

...Daisy has been having a problem with potty words. Everything out of her mouth is preceded or followed by "pee pee," "poo poo," or "stinky bum bum." (She is out on the front porch yelling "poopy" at cars as I type!!!) She also has a nasty habit of calling random women at the store "witches."

...I've been reading Roald Dahl with Nicky and realizing how crude his books are.

...I've been craving toasted subs.

Picture Perfect

Last weekend we tried really hard for thirty seconds to get a picture of our family while we were in Brigham City. As you will see below, the results turned out very realistic.

I call this one, "Everyone feel bad for Nicky!":

And this one is, "Hold still while I use my gigantic man hands to get the stick out of your face!":

And this one is, "What's Mom so happy about?":

This one is, "Behold the ghost child!":

This one is, "Mom, get that turkey timer belly button out of my face!":

And last of all, "The wedgie:"

Fun times!

Next month we're getting real family photos taken. As in paid for. Aye, aye, aye!

Currently {October 2012 Edition}

Reading: The Book of Mormon

Wondering: if this baby is a boy or a girl. I have no inklings.

Procrastinating: most things, but I don't feel a sense of urgency about anything right now.

Wanting: a new pair of slippers. Mine were missing for about five months. I found them about two months ago and lost them within a week. I don't know what my problem is.

Craving: anything sweet that can be washed down with an ice cold glass of milk.

Wearing: maternity jeans, black shirt, and flip-flops.

Relieved by: the cooler weather. It refreshes me!

Missing: Scotty. Full-time work and full-time school make a bad combination.

Stressing about: very little. Things are pretty calm for the moment.

Addicted to: fall. I just can't get enough. It's cool enough to drink hot chocolate with breakfast and warm enough to hang out at the park during the day. I'm in love.

Dreading: that first trip to the bathroom after I have this baby. You know... the one where a nurse tags along and watches you pee and you have to squirt water on yourself with a peri bottle so you don't die. Shudder...

Needing: new eyeliner. Daisy used mine to draw a picture over the weekend. Can anyone recommend an awesome eyeliner that doesn't smudge?

Annoyed by: malls.

Suffering from: heartburn.

Tired of: heartburn.

Thankful for: my sweet five-year-old son who tells me all the time that my tummy doesn't look very big.

Enjoying: feeling good about myself. Yes, I'm very pregnant, but right now I don't feel self-conscious about the way I look. At all. I hope I can maintain that after I have the baby. Who cares if my stomach is squishy? I just want to be happy!

Disappointed in: the amount of TV I've been watching lately.

Avoiding: spicy food.

Proud of myself for: staying quiet during a gossipy conversation last week. Oh, it was hard!

Looking forward to: General Conference this weekend.

Splurging on: gas. We've been driving a lot lately.

Loving: this picture of Daisy and her cousin:

She got me!

I have a little tradition I've adopted.

My sister-in-law, Chelsea, has a habit of leaving her camera laying around, so any time I find it unaccompanied, I take a close-up photo of myself.

Right in my face.

Eyes wide.

Nostrils flared.

You know, all attractive-like.

I've done this about a hundred times, and it never gets old.

Over the weekend our family was in Brigham City for a sealing.

 

I asked Chelsea if she would take a quick picture of Scotty and me at the temple.

I didn't even see her do it, but this happened:

She was so excited about it that she couldn't even wait for me to find it on my own. She had to come show me right away!

Ninety-nine more of these babies, and we'll be about even! And then... we can make our own calendar! 

Keep up the good work, Chelsea!

Daisy and the Cupcake

Once upon a time...

Daisy ate a cupcake.

The End