Washington, Boutique and Wedding!!

Sam and I came back about a week ago from a truly fantastic weekend in Washington where we got to visit a Bug, a Bean and a Boo ( my nieces). Our first adventure was at a Children's Museum. I was totally blown away. It was so interactive! I tried to get a picture of all the cousins together but they were all wandering in different directions. Sam of course stayed close to the train section for the majority of the time.

My little niece Norah, is the happiest, most joyful baby I have ever met. She turns over with joy at every smile she gets. She absolutely melted my heart. Sam was also entranced by her charisma but showed it in less than appropriate ways...like throwing a tub of blocks on her head. He wasn't malicious, he just couldn't control the cuteness! Life will be interesting when Milo enters the picture.

                                           Sam " Tats Av'ary, Tats Av'ary, tats Av'ary", 

                                          Avery "Why does he keep saying that?"  

                                          Me "because he likes you" 

                                          Sam "Tats Avery" 

                                         Avery "Why does he say that again?" 

                                         Me "because he likes you a lot Avery" 

                                         Avery "oh I see....tell me why he says that again?". 

                                         Sam loved following Avery around and doing whatever she was doing and Avery 

                                         Liked "being the oldest cousin here" and of course being liked.

The real adventure was on Saturday when we hiked throughout this nature park in Seattle. We started out expecting a nice nature trail to a lighthouse but it ended up being fairly long with lots of muddy climbs and slides. I loved it! and Sam was dancing in mud so he was thrilled. I was impressed with Sarah and Mike and their ability to guide their three girls on the up and down journey. Sometime I hope to be a super parent like that!

We reached a beach probably halfway through. It was so beautiful and peaceful. Sam ran straight into the water and would have kept going if Mike didn't pull him out. That's when I realized that boys and girls really are different.

After the beach incident, Sam had an appetite for water. The only way we could keep him going was to announce the next puddle that was coming. He would splash and splash until he saw another one. Avery was just beside herself with laughter since in her mind this was probably the most ridiculous thing you could possibly do, especially since it was freezing out.

My sister makes really gorgeous children, do you think? My niece Elliott who is on top just captured me on this trip. She is three and is just a girl of sophistication. She asks so many thought provoking questions and you can tell she is always trying to find a really clever way to get what she wants or at least the best end of the deal. It's actually pretty amazing to watch her at work.

After quite a trek we made it to the lighthouse. My goodness, isn't that pretty? I don't know why I didn't take more pictures of the weekend. I wish I had more of the cousins interacting. The whole experience was just delightful and now I wish I could just visit more often.

The Holiday Boutique! About six months ago I because the VP of Charity for my MOMS Club. As a board we have spent the last four months planning a fundraising boutique to raise money for families in the community who have really desperate needs. The event finally came and we raised twice as much money as we did last year so in a lot of ways it was a huge success! It was also so fun to be a part of. This is a picture of a few members of the club helping out at the boutique.

I was in charge of the vendors which was a bit overwhelming because we had over 40 participate. Fortunately the board has been very collaborative so I had a lot of help. I have learned a lot from this experience and have made a lot of close friends. It's been really rewarding.

Busy week! Saturday my two dear friends Brandy and Anthony got married. I thought the groom was in this picture when it was taken so I am sorta sad he's not.They have been investigating the church for two years and finally decided to get baptized. They needed to get married first so the ward threw together a gorgeous wedding in a months time! I was in charge of coordinating it the day of and was really nervous about it. There were only a few stressful moments like I having to DJ last minute (it ended up being easy) and calling animal control to get a rattle snake out of the building, other than that it went well. The baptize was where the really special moments were at.

I think the wedding atmosphere got to him!

Trick or Treating Marathon and our New House

We bought a house! This is a long time overdue since we moved at the beginning of September. I've had a few requests from family members to post pics and I thought this would be a fun thing to document so here we are. I didn't take a picture of the front for some reason so here is a picture I found online. It looks the same.

Living Room right when you walk in.

Living Room

We have a dining/living area where we house Sam's toys.

The rest of the dining area.

Kitchen. I will admit that I am proud of my kitchen. It was so horribly ugly when we moved in and with a little bit of paint, a stencil and some knobs it really transformed. It's not perfect but I am still proud!

The Man Cave! The downstairs bedroom is devoted to Hank's nerdy movie obsession. We have big plans for this room. I was allowed my stationary bicycle until then which I am very grateful for.

Our cozy bedroom

Sam and soon to be Milo's room.

I love this room. Sam spends so much time in here reading, sometimes with me and often times by himself. I really want my children to enjoy their rooms and I feel like we are off to a great start.

On to Halloween!! We had a serious marathon with Trick or Treating. Our first stop was at a retirement community where my MOMS Club goes every year. Yes, everyone was enchanted by Sam's charm...especially when he wore his Elmo hood and smiled.

It's so weird how times flies by.I remember going to this last year. We had just moved to the area and I didn't know very many people from the club. Now I feel like Sam and I  really belong there. We have made so many friends and feel such a sense of community.This club has been a blessing in our lives.

After our first Trick or Treating excursion we had a little picnic at the park and colored pumpkins. I wanted something fast, clean and not dangerous. Sam really likes telling us whose pumpkin is who "Mommy's pumpkin, Daddy's pumpkin, Sammy's pumpkin and Milo's Pumpkin!"

Our next stop was Sam's favorite outdoor mall. They have fountains, train rides and tricking or treating! Sam has been very interested in finding scarecrows recently. I had to get a picture of one of his findings.

Cookie Monster and Elmo...perfect picture opportunity! ummm...."opportunity" being the operative word here. Sam has managed to muster enough awkwardness in that facial expression that I will be forced to show this photo to future girlfriends.

And finally the good old fashion door to door candy collecting. I love our community. People really go all out for holidays as you can tell.

Did I mention Hank was around for all of this?! With him working so much it's such a treasure to have him for a few hours here and there, so having him around for a holiday was an absolute delight...mainly because he's a delight to have around.

Sam isn't a big talker when it comes to Trick or Treating. He is mostly interested in ringing the door bell and trying to push his way into people's houses so he can go upstairs. What he hopes to find that is better than a bowl full of candy I just don't know.

Sam is investigating a mailbox. Currently he is on a quest to find every mailbox in the Rocklin area and is very disturbed if I don't acknowledge him when he has found one. He's tried to escape from stores filled with toys just so he can show me another mailbox he has found. When we get to the mailbox he usually just stares at it and tells me its a mailbox over and over. Then he'll investigate the outgoing box. Even the enticement of free all you can eat candy did not detour him from his mailbox mission. He has the same obsession with smoke detectors, or as he says "'nother fire smoke ma'dector". By the way isn't my husband dashing?

Halloween Festivites

 It has been a LOOONNNGG time sing my last blog so I hope I am not forgotten about in the blogger world amongst my friends and family. Between pregnancy, moving into a new house (I'll blog about that later), planning a boutique with my MOMS Club, church, friends and trying to keep up with my two year old....I've been a headless chicken. It is nice to find some time to recap a little and hopefully I can keep it up!

Hank has also been busy but as a family we managed to find some time at the start of the Halloween season to visit a giant pumpkin patch. We had a really magical day. Looking at that picture makes me realize how attractive the boys in my life are! No wonder I want to be around them all the time!

This was Sam's reaction as we wondered through the preliminary pumpkin patch: "tats a pumkan (points) ....tats a pumkan (points)...tats a pumkan (points)...tats a big pomkan...tats a yucky pumpkin...tats a pumkan (points)etc, etc, ect" we did this for a while. He talked about going to the pumpkin patch for days before we went, so I think he needed to soak up the reality of actually being there.

I tried feeding the goats after this picture was taken and I had the same expression on my face.

Oh its so nice to have Daddy time. One time I made Sam laugh and after we giggled for a while he stopped and said "no Mommy, Daddy's funny", I guess I overstepped my boundaries.

This is prime Mommy time; snuggling on the tractor ride. It is awesome but a little scary and its nice to have a mommy nearby. He still managed to point out to us that there were pumpkins "tats a pumpkin...tats a pumkan!"

So the tractor ride took us out to the real pumpkin patch where we got to search for our own. Strangely enough most of the pumpkins were nasty or rotting so it really was a search, Sam described most of the pumpkins as "yucky'. It made the hunt that much more fun and in the end we found a family of pumpkins.

This pumpkin is "Sammy's Pumkan"

It was such a fun experience for all of us. We have our three pumpkins outside our front door and every day when we go outside Sam goes through his pumpkin routine; "Mommy's pumkan, Daddy's pumkan, Sammy's Pumkan!(pause) take Sammy's pumkan" then he picks up Sammy's pumpkin and begins carrying it out to the car before realizing he doesn't want to carry it anymore and sets it down in some random location.  We have to be careful not to mention pumpkins in our house otherwise he'll want  to "go to pumkan patch and pick a pumkan!"

I am somewhere around 6 months now. I'll get a more accurate day at my next ultra-sound. I went from measuring at 19 weeks to 26 weeks in a 3 week period. Milo had a bit of a growth spurt and now I have no idea what my due date it. I do have to say I enjoy looking pregnant. It gives meaning to the misery, though I am do so much better..so no complaints here!

Well I had to quail his love for pumpkins! We went to a smaller less eventful pumpkin patch with my MOMS Club.

"tunnnal!!"

I love find little surprises, like how entertaining a wheelbarrow can be. I need to store that little nugget away.

That cheesy smile never gets old to a mother.

Getting ready for our ward Halloween party. Looks like Elmo is a little sedated from "op-e-na" or oatmeal, but I think a little sugar fix will pep him right up.

I love that Sam is getting older and can start participating during events like this one. He got his face painted, played games, marched in the parade and went trick or treating. It also makes me miss my little baby Sam. They grow so fast!!

These are two of Sam's best friends. He has a crush on the smaller one and often talks about her and then giggles to himself afterwards. His social nature is already showing itself in spades especially with the ladies. He also has such a tender heart for his friends and for babies. Today he was singing to himself in the car, something made-up and I overheard him say to himself "I  'uv babies...(sign)". I hope that love keeps up when Milo comes and he has to share his Mommy!

Ultra-sound (s)

I am usually such a consistent blogger but this pregnancy has really taken it's toll. The big news is that we went in for the 20 week ultra-sound. Here is what happened: the ultra-sound technician was really dim. I could barely understand anything he said. He seemed nice enough but should probably not have a job where he is interacting with pregnant women. He was so focused on getting measurements and the right picture he barely explained what was going on. I felt like I was getting my leg x-rayed, not having the ultra-sound to see my growing baby! Then I felt like my world came to a crashing halt. I am measuring at 16 weeks not 19 weeks. The technician told us it was too early to tell the sex. I felt pretty disappointed after that. It is difficult for me to feel sick constantly and to know that I have to go through it a month longer than I thought is a bit discouraging. I have to admit I am feeling much better now but at the time I was doubled over with sickness probably from the disappointment. Here are some pictures...it is an absolute miracle that my body is creating this.

I told a friend about my experience and she said if I am really anxious to know the sex of the baby I should go to another ultra-sound technician who will tell you the sex as early as 16 weeks. So that is exactly what I did. Hank and I were just thrilled about the whole experience. Her office was comfortable with a big screen TV displaying the imaging. She was kind, friendly and could tell the sex right away (it was a bit obvious). We smiled, laughed and got teary eyed. I told Hank from now on we are having our own 16 week ultra-sound before we do any other ultra-sounds. Maybe I am picky but that experience really helps me get excited about my pregnancy and so it better be a good one! So now are you ready to know?

Those are cars PJ's. We bought them right after we found out, a little tradition. I am beside myself with joy. I am going to have two little boys! This is one of those times where I love modern day technology. Happy day!

Pregnancy Update

I am 17ish weeks along now and even though people say I am not showing that much I feel like I obviously am! I have already gained the same amount of weight that I gained my entire pregnancy with Sam (I was so sick :( ) I must have had a really good day the last time I posted because the morning sickness definitely didn't leave me. I have been constantly nauseous throwing up nearly everyday sometimes several times a day.  Fortunately I feel like the last few days something has been lifted and I am starting to feel a bit better. I really don't want to jinx it though because last time I thought I felt better everything got almost worse! Lets just hope if I am sick the entire time like I was with Sam I will a good attitude about it and keep my head above water. My husband and my son have been my anchors during these last few months of sickness. Seeing Sam grow and talk really puts things in perspective. For example the other night I was putting him down for bed and told him I was going to go. He requested another kiss and I told him I would give him three "one, two, three..goodnight" his response "four?", oh alright and I gave him another, his next response "ten?". In those moments I just realize it's all worth it. Hank and I celebrated our 7 year anniversary a week ago and I just feel so grateful to be creating a life with him. He is my hero and my angel. 

I have felt the baby a bit but it's slight and sometimes I have a hard time knowing if it's the baby or the war that is constantly happening in my stomach. I know I felt a definite "pow" a few days ago. I am so anxious for all the movement soon to be felt. It makes it so real and exciting at that point.

Other than that no major changes (at least none I want to publish on the web). The next time I do a pregnancy update I will probably know the sex of the baby. I am hoping to find out in a least three weeks. So go ahead and guess, it's fun! Hank and I are prepared for names either way and I honestly have no inclination if it's a boy or a girl so give us your ideas!

I have a lot more updating to do that isn't pregnancy related so we'll see if I can get enough energy to get to that!

Big News!!!

I have begun the journey! and in my opinion the worst part is almost over...the dreaded morning sickness. I can't believe how mild it has been compared to Sam. Yes I threw up 1-3 times a day and constantly felt nauseous, but believe or not it can be so much worse than that. Basically I am so grateful to have that phase almost be over. Even with the sickness, my heart has been in a constant state of gratitude for this pregnancy. Knowing what comes at the end of this journey makes everything I go through so enriching and spiritual. My current high does have it's own consequences, in that I cry all time. I have what I like to call a mother mind at the moment. To me there really isn't anything more important or more worthy than  raising children. I am in absolute awe of my body and it's abilities and in even more awe of the process of caring for children. I used to envy people who had creative abilities oozing out of them. I graduated in art and the whole time I was at school I was in constant awe of other people and wished I could create something worth while. I have still felt that since of awe when I see artwork, movies, posters, crafts, statues, scrapbooks etc etc where there is a statement of creativity that just engulfs the viewer. This pregnancy has reset my ambitions and I realize more than ever that there is nothing more creative than creating a family. I feel a power within me that promotes my position as a mother to the top rank of importance in society. Recently I find myself sort of unamused by the once unreachable status of those who have found success in their creativity. We were watching the spectacular blue ray extended editions of Lord of the Rings and Hank commented on how spectacular the movie was as far as creativity goes. I just thought, "ummm...my son just learned to sing his ABC's...this is ranks as "quaint" in comparison" Obviously Lord of the Rings is a spectacular movie, it's just my mother mind that puts everything in perspective.

It's weird how I am starting to show already. So I am 13 1/2 weeks along. I had my first appointment on Monday and got to hear the heartbeat (remarkable). Hank and I have decided to go with a mid-wife and have a home birth this time around. I am absolutely blown away by the kind of care I am getting with my mid-wife. I have a birth team consisting of my mid-wife, her birth assistant and a mid-wife in training. Our first appointment lasted over TWO hours. The team was extremely thorough on knowing everything about me from my mental to my physical health. They said they want me to be in optimal health when I deliver this baby and so I can be a healthy happy mother of two. I am to keep a food diary and then in a month I am meeting with a nutritionist. They let me listen to the heartbeat for so long, so long. It was such a neat moment for Hank and I. They care about my concerns, my past experiences and are preparing me to have the birth experience that I want. It was such a great experience, I wish I could have an appointment every week! When we left it was hugs all around. So neat!

Anyway, we are very excited around here. Sam likes to tickle and kiss my tummy while saying "baby, baby" and then he shows me his baby in his tummy. I hope he doesn't get too disappointed later on. Hank tells everyone he meets the news. In fact he bore his testimony at church on Sunday and announced it. I didn't even attempt to ask him to keep it secret, he can't help himself. We feel blessed.