Legoland, San Diego

Dave won tickets to Legoland early last year and despite our best efforts, this was the first weekend we could make it!  It was perfect for our kids and their ages and interests.  It was rainy in the afternoon, but that meant no lines and cool weather.  Perfect time to go!

Lego safari

 Jackson's favorite ride was this train where he got to be the 'conductor' and yell All Aboard!

 Jackson gets his drivers license!

 Helicopter ride!

 Snow fun!

 Lego Christmas

 Since Hallie is so tall she was able to go on almost every ride!  She didn't like the rollar coaster but enjoyed most everything else.

 When the rain got intense we headed to the Aquarium.  This is actually a pic of Jackson screaming in terror at being in the water bubble.  So funny that he was that scared of it.

 Unfortunately, our perfect plans to get there and back in a day where ruined by rush hour traffic.  We missed our flight and frantically tried to get a hold of my uncle to have a place to sleep until 4 am when we would try our next flight.  We are so thankful for his generosity and kindness!  We stopped by the temple for some pics.

Thankful

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  My brother Tyler and his family spent a couple of days with us.  We loved hosting!  Of course we had problems with our guest bathroom so having to send everyone through the Master Bedroom was a bit awkward, but at least it was family!  

We had so much fun, that we didn't actually even take a single pic.  This pic was from sushi night with my brother's family a couple of weeks before.  

 Hallie fell on our mini tramp and got a fat lip.  She didn't act like it bothered her too much, but it looked so sad! 

 The weekend before Thanksgiving I went on a trip with no kids to Denver to be with my 5 freshman year roommates.  We'd been planning a get-together for about 6 months, so it was amazing that it actually worked out in everyone's schedule to make it (plus my flights worked out!)  We had a great time catching up, reminising and eating the most amazing food!  Chantelle was a great host!  

 Hallie and I taking a nap together.  This doesn't happen often!  Notice all the house fixing up supplies in the background :)

 The pirate Jack.

 The moon had this amazing circle of light all around it one night . . . anyone know what that is?

Anyway, I didn't want to miss saying how grateful we are for so many blessings we have at this time in our lives.  We continuously are thankful for Dave's job, where we live, friends, family, and our kids.  We have been so blessed by the gospel and by our Savior.  

Saga of the Pantyhose

If you knew me well around the time of my mission, you would have heard me complain about having to wear nylons.  Ever since I was a girl, I hated the feel of nylons, the enclosed toes, the easily run material, the yucky texture, and the look.  Going on a mission was a sacrifice for me to wear nylons.  But more than that, I had my share of nylon mishaps:
I remember once, my 'big' (buff?) biker thighs literally split the nylons and then began to run down my leg, it took about 3 hours of biking before the runs were visible below my skirt line at which point we went into a Japanese "Konbini" (Convenience store) and purchased the largest pair I could find.  The waist barely made it to my thigh.  I suffered all day with short nylons (crotch came to about my knees) and as we were racing up the stairs to our apartment each stair they crept down my leg and were around my ankles, making me waddle like a penguin.   At least that made me grateful to have American fit nylons the next day.

My nylons ran nearly daily, sometimes 2-3 times a day . . . even the expensive-never-run kind.  My mom read one of my letters to our ward congregation and it ended with me begging for her to send me more nylons.  "Before you get frustrated, try walking a mile in my pantyhose . . ." I ended.  Several members of my ward made generous contributions to my nylon fund.  I'm sure I spent hundreds of dollars on nylons to supply my 577 day mission.

When I got home, I had a larger loathing for nylons and almost didn't take a job at the MTC for fear of having to wear nylons again.  It was worth it, but still, I hated it daily.

I haven't worn a pair of nylons in years. I have a bag full of them (leftovers?) and Dave has never seen them on me.

Last month when we were moving, I saw a large 'bruise' on the front of my shin.  It covered the span of my leg.  I thought I must've hit it on something while moving.  A few days later, I was wearing my running shorts and Hallie touched the back of my leg and repeated "Ow".  As I looked down the back of my leg, I saw to my horror the longest, gnarled, protruding vein running from my buttox to the back of my knee.  From experience with my mother's terrible case of varicose veins, I knew exactly what it was (although I hoped the Dr. would tell me I had a blood clot or something more 'treatable'.) He prescribed . . . what else?  Pantyhose!

After waiting 3 weeks in a lot of discomfort and some pain, not to mention having to see and feel the disgusting-looking veins, I was thrilled to get my very own $150 pair of pantyhose.  And I have to (should) wear them every waking hour (unless I am laying down for long periods of time).   I guess they always say that missions prepare you for the rest of your life . . .

But really, in this pair of compression stockings, I actually like the support and security the compression offers.  No more pain and discomfort.  Plus, I got open toe, so I can still wear flipflops and I don't feel so confined.  Hopefully, this will help them not to run.   I cannot believe I ever willing- even excitedly- paid THAT much for a pair of pantyhose.  The things we think we will never do in our life . . .  I'm glad I can still surprise myself.

Christmas Cards 2012

I just finished designing our family Christmas cards.  They are very fun!  I'd love to keep in touch with you personally.  Please let me know where you are currently located and how you best appreciate Christmas cards (email or mail)

Halloween 2012

We did in fact celebrate Halloween, but with our business with a new house we got very few pics.  We went to a carnival/parade/ trunk or treat in our new ward.  People were very friendly and kind.  We are excited to get to know others more. We hopped over to our old ward's Halloween party.  The food and fun were great!  It is amazing to think how far we've come with friendships and relationships in just one year.  It helped us to be encouraged about our new ward.  Jackson wanted to go through the haunted house because his preschool friends were.  Half-way through a ground crawling zombie scared him too much and we left.  All his friends were talking about it later and in an effort to fit into the conversation Jackson piped in, "Yeah, it was scary!  I was, like, totally crying!"  I love seeing him grow up!  Jackson was batman and sang the theme song a lot.

 Hallie tolerated her costume for as long as people were dropping "tandy" in her bucket and then she stripped down.   People would ask her name and she would respond "bug!"

 She fell asleep before trick or treating so she was pretty grumpy on the actual door-to-door stuff.  She bit into a box of nerds, a couple suckers and anything else she could suck out.

 I absolutely LOVE Halloween in AZ.  People are out on their driveways passing out candy, playing music, laughing, eating, partying.  It is like the 4th of July in Utah.  I love the feeling.  So much fun.  Jackson and I got a bit lost in our new neighborhood, so his bucket was filled to overflowing.  There were so many kids out in our neighborhood.  I think it will be a great place to raise our kids (at least until we have to move again :))

Worst stand-by experience ever . . . (but good times with family)

It was bound to happen.  With all the times we've traveled and rolled the dice in flying standby, we were bound to have a terrible experience.  Sure enough, it came.  Unfortunately, it happened on my in-laws FIRST stand-by experience :(.

Our parents and our family made the trip to DC without incident on separate flights (even though a lay-over in Charlotte was rough, it was short and endurable.)  We were able to spend Saturday with Dave's brother's family in Virginia.  We went to Harper's Ferry.  There was an awesome bridge.  One side was Maryland, the other Virginia and then yet another side that was West Virginia.  This was a beautiful quaint little town with lots of history and a connection to our name.  We enjoyed walking the town and seeing a bit of the reenactment of the history.   This is where our stroller breaks which leads to future chaos.

We head home and watch the ultimately disappointing BYU game with great food and company.  I really enjoyed the time we had with family this weekend.  The kids were a bit stir-crazy (good thing they had a dog and baby toys to entertain them a bit).

 

On Sunday we had the opportunity to see Breckin be blessed.  His birth mom and her family came which made it a special occasion.  Once again, we enjoyed amazing food and family.  What a fantastic day!

Monday morning, although my better instincts told me to just stay home and wait until a better flight on Tuesday, we decided to head to the airport and hope for the best in getting home.  When we reached the closest airport the flight had ALREADY filled up.  We called Rich to come back and take us to a different airport.  With lots of hassle and an hour to wait, we got tickets to Charlotte.  I have never been held up in security, but this time I had a pear that just HAD to be inspected and the lady refused to let me show her which pocket it was in, so it took so long!)  We were delayed on the runway due to weather in Charlotte. We sat for an hour and finally took off.  Luckily, the flights in Charlotte were also delayed so we had 2 hours to wait for a flight to Houston (getting to PHX was impossible, so we thought we'd spend the night with Lori in Houston and go home the next day).  The layover was long and the kids were restless.  Dave was working from 'home' this day so he went to the club and worked.  My in-laws were great helps with my restless and bored kids.  I didn't pack enough to do and we were all hungry. Plus, we didn't have a stroller to lock the kids in.   Finally, we got on a flight to Houston.   Jackson threw a tantrum in first class in the aisle and I was behind him carrying things, so I couldn't pick him up or move him.  It was totally embarrassing and I wasn't the best, patient mom I should be.  Finally, we were on our way to Houston.

It was great to be in Houston and have a home cooked meal and a comfortable house.  My kids loved the toys and the room to spread out.   We loved spending time with the Cole's especially since we missed being there last weekend.

We  were planning on going home  on the early morning flight.  At 5:30 it had 15 seats available . . . at 6:00 there were only 2 seats (I guess an earlier plane was delayed . . .) So just Dave and his dad headed to the airport.  My mother in law and I were hoping to catch a later plane, but the flights kept filling up and filling up . . . for 2 straight days.  Normally, this might not have been such an inconvenience, but my MIL was planning on being with me at my house to pack and clean before our move this weekend.  Unfortunately, we were spending all her time at Lori's house . . . enjoying ourselves, but feeling anxious over all we had to do!!  I checked flights often and was disappointed time and time again.  Part of the problem was that we fly lower priority without Dave (the employee) with us and there were quite a few stand-by's in front of us.  After 2 days of waiting, we were ready to take the REALLY early flight out of Houston on Thursday.  I couldn't sleep all night with the stress of making the flight and also of closing on our home the next day.  I was an anxious mess.  I woke up at 1:30 am PHX time and got everything in the car.  Poor Lori had to drive us to the airport SO early.  We waited in Security (usually I go right to the front and now I always will!! the kids were insane waiting in line!).  When we finally got to the gate they said there were no seats . . . when I inquired further there WERE seats, only they were in first class or exit rows and I had children so she wouldn't let us board or change other people's seats.  I asked 5 people to switch seats to exit rows so we could get on, then a group of 5 (who also had children) found that they were seated in exit rows and had to be moved to the seats I had just opened up.  There were still 10 seats open on the plane but the gate attendants wouldn't upgrade or move other passengers so we could get on.  They were so rude and terrible.  I was LIVID at 6 am when the plane took off with 10 empty seats!  After waiting 2 days to get on a flight, this was a slap in the face.  I was still super anxious about making the next flight (luckily, only 2 hours away)  Especially with how unhelpful the attendants were.  The kids were a bit stir crazy (and SO tired) in the airport, but we survived 2 hours and FINALLY got on the plane.  Even then, the thoughts of a delay or a mechanical problem haunted me, but finally we took off and were on our way.  This was the second time I gave benadryl to my kids and they both zonked out for the entire flight - I am beginning to like this!  I, unfortunately, was too hyped up on adrenaline to sleep, but I did start to relax and felt the baby move for the first time as the seat belt pushed against my belly.  That was a happy feeling, to be on the plane, 2 kids asleep, feeling #3 for the first time :)
My MIL went straight back to Utah.  After the early morning and long travels, she was exhausted.

 I thought we weren't going to be able to sign on our house because the paper work was taking too long.  So I took the kids to the park we I got home.  At 12, we found out the paper work had gone through and we were ready to close . . . and thus the new madness begins.  We had to get into the office to sign within minutes, so we rushed to find a babysitter and get a check ready and run into the office.  We signed like crazy and hoped all the paperwork was right since we were first-time home buyers we weren't sure what questions we needed to ask.

Packing, cleaning, signing, moving, and taking care of kids (on VERY little sleep) was exhausting.  I had LOTS of help.  My friend watched my kids for several hours (2 days in a row), my visiting teacher helped me pack my entire kitchen, my parents drove down and helped for hours and hours.  I got a babysitter while I cleaned the new house for a couple of hours (I could have used 12 hours to clean it though - - lots of dog hair everywhere!).  We had several people from the ward help us load and unload the truck.  We filled it to the brim.   We were able to pack and unpack in only 2 1/2 hours.  Then the real fun began.  Unloading the boxes!  We took a break to watch the BYU game and relax.  Later, I was able to get the kitchen put together and the kids rooms were ready for the kids to go to bed by 8 that night.  (Did I mention the kids were waking up at 4 am every morning since our stint in Houston . . . not fun!)

We are mostly moved in and are happy with our new place.  Cleaning our old place and moving into our new place which was not clean, was not the ideal we had planned, but eventually it will all get cleaned and organized and I will be able to sleep again.  We are exhausted.

Changes

Our life is in a transitional period of lots of changes.  Two major things:

#1 We are buying a HOUSE!!  It is about 3 miles away from where we live now, slightly bigger (it has a 4th room and another eating area).  It has beautiful flooring, a entire wall mural of Winne the Pooh in a nursery, huge walk in closet, a big back patio and grassy back yard (although the front is still rock . . . easy maintenance though!).  It is perfect for us and for our first time home ownership.  The process has been stressful and a bit scary, but also exciting and unbelievable (I never thought we'd actually get to this point in our lives!!)  We are hoping to move in before the end of October!

#2  We're having a baby!!  We are due April 3, 2013.  I am about 17 weeks along now.

Announcing: We had been trying for 3 months to get pregnant, so although I wanted to be pregnant, for some reason I didn't want to know I was pregnant.  First of all, I was worried that I would NOT be pregnant and be disappointed.  Then, I thought if I didn't know I was pregnant, the pregnancy might go faster (it seemed even slower on #2 than #1 . . . pregnancy is an eternity to me!).  Plus, if I didn't know, I might be able to talk myself out of being sick.  Dave was getting anxious to know for sure, but I was sticking to my guns that I didn't want to know.  After several days of him begging me to take a test and me trying to avoid it, I gave Dave the test to satisfy his curiosity.  I didn't look at the results.  For several days, I tried to trick him into letting it slip, but I still didn't really want to know.  Fast Sunday was coming up and I realized that I probably shouldn't fast if I was, in fact, pregnant.  On Sunday morning, I got out of bed and found this on the kitchen table:

Doesn't it look like a little D in there?  Dave announced that I was pregnant and we celebrated.  How often does the husband get to inform his wife that she is pregnant?  I thought it was a fun way to give some of the responsibility to him.

Sure enough, 3 days later I got sick. AND the pregnancy has been crawling by yet again.  Too bad I can't wait longer!  Plus, I start to show at 7 weeks.  I had several people ASK if I was pregnant at 9-11 weeks along.  I cannot hide it!

"How am I feeling?"  It has been a very similar pregnancy that I had with the last 2.  I feel pretty miserable from 3-8 pm at night.  Making dinner is the pits.  I get headaches and feel nauseous, but I have never thrown up so I can't really complain that much.  Plus, I get lucky and have entire days where I feel good.  I get tired and usually take a nap daily during the kids naptime.  I am starting to feel better and don't have to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, so that is my cue that I am entering the 2nd trimester and I am super excited for the 'eye of the hurricane'.

Telling the kids: I thought Jackson had figured out we were pregnant since several times he caught us talking about it.  We took him to our first ultrasound to 'announce' to him.  I laid down and the tech put the camera on my belly and started showing us on the screen.  Jackson yelled out, "It's ME in Mommy's tummy!!"  We tried to explain that it was a picture of what was there RIGHT NOW, but he was convinced it was him.  After a long time and direct and explicit teaching, we convinced him that we are having a new baby.   Hallie seemed to understand right away.  She pats my belly and says, 'baby' often.  I am so afraid of her poking the baby's eyes out, smothering with love, biting and cuddling forever.  She is OVERLY difficult with babies ALWAYS (the store, playdates, daycare, etc, etc).  But she also really loves babies.  She has this game where she touches my chest and says 'Baby?  NOOO!' and then touch my belly and yells, "BABY!!"  I think she is the most excited for this baby and I just want to keep it in my belly for as long as possible so Hallie can't kill it.

Girl or Boy? I honestly don't care if it is a boy or girl.  Each has its good things and bad things.   Mostly for how it will affect our family dynamic and the friendships of the other kids.  I have been feeling like it's a boy, and have never 'felt' anything with my other kids, but who knows.   So the question is now . . .should we find out?  What is your experience? 

Funny kids: Several months ago Jackson was playing 'having a baby' often (pulling the doll out of his shirt.)  One day he asked how the baby actually got in the belly and if it hurt or ripped the mommy when it came out.  Luckily, I was able to take the second question and run with it.  I tried to explain that the mommy pushes the baby out and it does hurt, but it doesn't rip her belly.  He continued with more and more detailed questions until I had pretty much explained the entire female anatomy with the correct terminology.  His head was satisfied and we never discussed it again.  Fast forward 4 months, Jackson tells me he is ready for us to have another baby (I have no idea why he thought this . . .I guess it is just time!)  I say, "Maybe Daddy should carry the baby this time, I carried the last two."  He immediately argued, "Daddy can't carry the baby . . . He doesn't have a regina!!"  Good point.  This is one smart kiddo!