Drop-dates?

The day's since Christmas have been so nice, I feel an overwhelming sense of relief...and new urgency, if that makes any bit of sense.  Christmas is a lovely time of year, but I was very happy to move on and start getting my home ready for this baby.  Today I will try and put some decorations away, perhaps a little more prematurely than most years, but this year I have other pending priorities!  

The other day Kris bought a ladder with some of his Christmas money and hauled down the baby gear from our impressive and very high shelving in the garage.  Last night I pulled one of the bins inside to sort through the contents, what nostalgia!  I cleaned the car seat and am washing all of the fabric covers to the swing and bouncy chair and said car seat.  I had a small panic session with myself yesterday (you can laugh) about not having any blankets for baby boy, so I went to the store and jumped on some good sales and bought some blankets...and burp rags and PJ's...they were on SALE, what was I supposed to do, say no?!  So now those are washed and dried and waiting in the closet.  I am feeling a little less panicked as I am able to do little things each day to ready myself and our home for the baby, I guess the intensity of my nesting urges stems largely from having a 2 year old, which, A) makes the pregnancy go by SO FAST!, and B) makes organizing and rearranging and nesting so blasted difficult!  It's taking me three times as long!  Oh, and C) makes mommy so incredibly tired that Marin's naptime usually means mommy's naptime instead of useful nesting time.

In somewhat related news, I am almost positive this baby has dropped already.  I awoke the other day with enormous pressure and swelling in my pelvis (and right arm, I think I slept on it), and am able to breathe a bit easier, and have noticed that his little bum is quite a bit lower than where it usually is.  I didn't think anything of it, thinking it was too soon, until Kris mentioned it the other night.  It does make sense, however early it may be.  I perused the internet looking for similar mama's who had the same 'early' experience and find them I did!  Of course, it still doesn't mean anything about when the little guy will make his grand entrance, but progress is progress! 

A Very 'Marin' Christmas!

Merry Merry Christmas to you all, my dear friends!  I hope you had a beautiful, blessed and relaxing Christmas day and are easing your way into the oncoming New Year gently.  What a delicious time of year to envelop yourself in the sounds and sights and feelings of the season.  I have truly enjoyed being with my family these past few days, nothing makes my day happier than being with my incredible husband and sweet little girl.  I hope you all were able to spend your Christmas's with family, or at least good friends.

The Lyman house had a very, very blessed Christmas this year.  We received so many gifts from our families and are humbled at their generosity!  It truly touches my heart to know so many people love and care about us!  We thank each and every one of you who graciously gave to our growing family, and we love you all so much!

In lieu of a stressful-family card that should have been mailed out weeks ago, I will instead give myself the luxury of a leisurely blog family update, so much easier!

Our Lyman Family, est. August 17th, 2006 .
Kristoffer and I have been married for a little over 4 years, and this has been our fifth Christmas together!  Unbelievable!  We are very much in love and wish we had more time to spend together.  Our little Marin turned two in August also, and just within the last few months has exploded with character.  We are soon to be welcoming our second baby, a boy, into our home in February.  This past July, we made a very rough transition from our lovely rental home in Las Vegas, to a new and very different life in Portland, OR.  It has been quite the adjustment, but we are slowly making progress up here.

Kristoffer-Over the summer, Kristoffer graduated from the University of Phoenix with his Masters in Business Administration (MBA) and we are so proud of him!  He spent MANY long and late nights doing homework and we are glad he is finally DONE :)  Kristoffer continues with his job at the University of Phoenix, and now that he has graduated, is on the lookout for a new and challenging job should the opportunity arise.  He also celebrated his 30th birthday in July...haha, I KNOW, I razz him about that from time to time ;)  Kristoffer serves as the assistant ward missionary leader in our ward.  I wish he had more time for himself and his hobbies, but hopefully over time we can find some more opportunities for that here.  One step at a time!


Samantha-I feel as though my body has been so consumed with growing a baby, I hardly know where to start!  I of course had to leave my job at the hospital in Las Vegas when we moved, which was very bittersweet.  In October after my nursing license transferred, I set about to find a good, temporary position that would see me through this pregnancy, and am now working as a pediatric home health nurse two days a week.  Truth be told, it's not my favorite thing, but it's a job nonetheless and that gives me much to be grateful for.  Hopefully after the baby is born, I will find a hospital position which offers me a bit more of a challenge.  I'm serving in the Young Women's Program at church as the Laurel adviser...yes, this will be my 4th consecutive calling in YW for a total of 6 years!  I love it.  When I am not at work, I'm home with my little girl and keeping busy, trying to satisfy my nesting urges with cleaning and projects.

Marin-What a two year old she is!  Marin made the transition into her "two's" in August, and since then has developed quite a personality and vocabulary.  She speaks in full sentences and  counts to ten.  She is a very smart little girl and we are so proud of her and all of the progress she is making.  She is working on potty training and mommy is learning she is not to be forced!  Marin makes progress at her own speed and will not be pushed into anything she isn't ready for.  She is also testing boundaries and limits and is making mommy and daddy figure out how to appropriately discipline.  Often, Kris and I will look at each other say: "I have no clue what I'm doing here!".  She is certainly more of a challenge, but she melts our hearts with her sweet little kisses and snuggles and "I love you mama/daddy.".  We love her so much!

Lyman Baby Boy-Spends most of his day's doing the same thing...growing!  We are 33 weeks along and due February 11th.  He enjoys hiccuping (frequently) and kicking mommy, and occasionally tries to push his knee out of her belly button (ouch!!).  Our midwife tells us he is already head down (good sign!), and I can certainly feel his little bum up on my right side when stretches.  He should be appx. 17" long and about 4ish pounds at this stage.  We are very excited to welcome him into our home.

We wish we could travel a bit more to visit our families, but it's getting increasingly difficult as our family grows and airline tickets become more and more expensive...and the Lyman girls don't travel well by car :(  If you want to check up on our family, stop by this blog...I try and update as often as possible, which is usually at least once a week if not more.  We would also love to hear from you and how you are doing, so feel free to leave a comment!

32 Weeks!

My-oh-my how the time is FLYING by!!  I can't believe I have 8 weeks (or less!) left!  This pregnancy is going by so fast and soon I will have a newborn...and then another toddler, wow!  So, this is 32 weeks along...and 40 pounds *sigh*.  I don't feel like I look fat, but the scale is not in my favor lately, ahhh well, I've determined that I just gain weight when I'm pregnant, as long as my babies keep coming out healthy, I'll gain and lose as much as it takes.

In our preparation for birth, Kris and I have been reading and studying from a book promoting the Bradley Method of Natural Childbirth.  In my reading, I read through the section on how important adequate protein intake is during pregnancy.  I thought I was doing just fine on my own, but I counted my protein intake for one day (using the protein guide in the back of the book), and I was getting about half of what I needed!  Pregnant women need between 80 and 100 grams of protein daily to grow what they deem "Blue Ribbon Babies", and I totaled at only 45 grams for that one day.  Yikes!  So, I have been really amping up my protein intake, and let me tell you, it's not as easy as it sounds.  I feel like I am eating a real meal every 3 hours, it's a lot of work!  I try not to over-do the peanut butter or eggs (I don't want a kid with allergies!), so I've been doing a lot of chicken, milk, cheese, yogurt, and just do PB and eggs every other day. 

My nesting urges have been quelled slightly since the other weekend.  We still have things that need to be done, but I realize that after Christmas, we will be ale to get the rest of the major preparation done.  We are very excited to welcome our little boy into our home!

In Love

In about 4 short minutes, I get to head upstairs and open the door to my little Marin's room.  I will greeted with "Good morning Mama!" and stories of her dreams last night, verification that daddy is at work today, that mommy missed her while she was at work yesterday and more stories of playing with her friends while I was at work.  

An hour ago, I sent my husband off to work.  It is so hard to let him out of our warm snuggly bed!  His dedication to our little family just amazes me and I know how much he loves us.  He cherishes those hugs and kisses from his little girl every evening when he gets home from work and still thinks I am the most beautiful woman ever...at 8 months pregnant.  What an incredible man I married.

I am in love with my family.  They mean so much to me, and I count my many blessings I have them each day.  For years, growing up, I prayed for a wonderful worthy man to come and sweep me off my feet and take me away.  What do you know!  The Lord was listening and somehow thought I was worthy of such a blessing.  I also prayed for beautiful, healthy children, and I have an incredibly smart, capable, independent and sweet little girl, and a growing, active baby boy who is ready to greet us in a matter of weeks.  I can't express my gratitude for such a gift.  It is better than all of the Christmas gifts in the world.

Are you ready for some HOCKEY?!

In our quest to do something different each weekend, we trooped off to a hockey game this past Saturday evening.  Marin has been to a baseball game before with daddy and had a great time, so we were confident she would have fun with hockey too.  She had a late nap and we took the Met (train) into town for a 7pm start time.  While we didn't stay for the whole game, we stayed long enough for Marin to get some licorice, cotton candy and some cheering in!  She screams at about the same octave as an adult whistles, so she was able to contribute her fair share of noise.

Marin and Mama

Such a sprightly little pony tail, so cute!

Daddy showing Marin the hockey players and  helping Marin to watch the puck.

Focused on the game!

Trying out some cotton candy, sadly it was pretty gross cotton candy, but an experience nonetheless!

And some Subway for dinner.  We figured it was better than getting an expensive hot dog!

During the day, we went to the Lloyd Center, just a big mall in downtown Portland and window shopped.  I don't why I think window shopping with a 2 year old is ever going to be a good idea, but we at least got out of the house :)

Haricut Frenzy

When I was young and single, I began to indulge in getting fabulous haircuts and highlites.  I loved it.  Being a poor college student, I couldn't really afford much, but my hair...my hair I started to splurge on.  It felt fantastic.  Being a nursing student and working as a nurse (haha, confused?), it would have been silly for me to make my indulgence manicures or pedicures, I would have destroyed my nails within a day or so, and I didn't have the chance to show off my feet enough to justify pedicures.  Going to the salon became a theraputic moment of girly happiness for me, and I felt like the foxiest chic on the block when I walked out with my new 'do'.  

According to tradition, marriage and family changes things...a lot.  I used to make it to the salon every other month or so, and after getting married, it slowly lengthened to every 4ish months.  Then motherhood arrived and my leisurely indulgence at the salon quickly turned into a quick-and-dirty every 6 months or so affair.  *Sigh*, the true sacrifices your mother never told you about.  Since my hair doesn't grow that fast anyway, it's always hard to justify the monetary salon-escape when there are always other things I know I *should* be spending/saving my money on/for.   

My last haircut was in April.  APRIL.  This is 8 months ago, dear readers.  8 months of slowly growing, stressful, split end hair follicles hanging loosely around my tired and puffy face that now sports the extra-baggy-eye-special (you too can have this look!).  Of course, anyone that's been pregnant knows you feel your ugliest and fattest and most undesirable during those last 3 months of pregnancy...and I am certainly not excluding myself!  I was in desperate need of a haircut.  I also would have whole-heartedly welcomed a real salon visit, complete with highlites, shampoo, a leisurely cut and style (oh yeah), but...let's not be ridiculous here.  

I had a rare opportunity last night to get a haircut, and it seemed as though the universe was against me.  The mother of my home care child had the day off from work and was planning to take her child to a concert, leaving by 3:30.  Since my shift is usually done at 6:15ish, and from there is rush to pick up Marin, I was delighted that this would give me a couple of hours to revel in some much needed scalp-time.  The concert had been pushed back an hour and then the mother considered just going by herself as the child had fallen asleep.  I kindly informed her that he could sleep that night.  After an hour nap and getting him ready, this child was in one of the crankiest moods I had EVER seen!  I feared that mom would leave him behind and my haircut would be lost!  I cheerily sang songs with him and got his backpack ready to go and escorted them to their car, holding my breath until they drove away.  I then rushed to finish my paperwork and duties and scampered to my car, hoping to beat the rush hour 5:00 traffic.  I quickly maneuvered my car to the ramp and around the bend to encounter 3 miles of stopped traffic.  It took me 10 minutes alone to cross the bridge!  How could this be?!  I calmed myself saying I still had time and not to worry.  After the traffic broke up, and being a Las Vegas driver for 3 years (you learn to be assertive), I steadily worked my way to the very simple and humble Super Cuts in the Albertson's shopping complex.  I arrived knowing I had enough time for a 30 minute work-up, and when I heard the wait time was 20 minutes, I turned and left...and started to panic.  Why was the universe punishing me?!  It had been 8 long months and my sad hair was daily pulled into a bun to hide it's shameful state of being.  I wasn't even trying to splurge!  I was literally on the verge of tears and I scrambled to find a close-by salon on my GPS.  The first spot was un-find-able, and I again almost started crying.  As I peered out of the window through teary eyes while driving by a small shopping complex, I spied it.  A small, empty, clean salon.  Jackpot.  I quickly turned around and parked, telling the little Asian lady in the salon I only had time for a quick cut and to PLEASE...fix my hair!!  She seemed to understand my haste and gave me a very speedy haircut.  It was the quickest haircut I have EVER had, no wash, no high-lites, no razzle dazzle, just my hair and 20 minutes of thinning shears and scissors and a little product and I was done.  I relished every second, every little moment of being in that chair.  I paid my 23 dollars (impressed?) and walked out with a sigh of relief, and although I was sporting a rather Asian looking 'do', I didn't care.  I didn't have 8 months of neglected, ragged looking hair hanging off of my scalp.  Isn't it funny how your perception of satisfaction changes as a parent?  And while I still miss my day's of lavish salon haircuts,  I am no less satisfied with my 23 dollar Asian haircut.  Better luck next time?

Ready, Set, GO!

Phew!  The week is over?!  How quickly the week has passed, and this weekend was no exception, we tried to make the most of it and be productive, and I think we did just that!  Of course, we can never really sleep in anymore, this kind of happens apparently after you have children, but we started our day off right away and got to work.  Here are some pictures of our projects yesterday:

Kris worked on painting the kitchen, such a great hubby, he is so dedicated :)

I worked on painting our kitchen table.  It's dry now, so I just need to add the black detailing and put a layer of polyurethane on the top to seal it.  Then it needs to dry and will be finished!!  I can't wait to see how the finished project looks!

I also sanded and painted some pieces of scrap wood I had bought at the HD for 50 cents each, these I mounted on the wall in the kitchen for some shelves, which, I don't have pictures of right now.

I measured and marked some pieces of particle board for some other shelves I want to put in the bathroom after I paint them.

And our little helper, of course!  Daddy dressed her in a red turtleneck from grandma and some overalls from Bestemor.  Mommy put her in piggy tails and she was the cutest helper, EVER!  Such a sweet girl.

Look at the sweet face, she is just so pretty!

The only thing that would have made this picture any better was if she didn't have a chewed up cracker in her mouth!

And since our kitchen table is out of commission temporarily, we have been dining on Marin's little white table sitting on the floor.  It's good for me anyway, I am supposed to be sitting on the floor, cross-legged, as much as possible to get me ready for delivery ;)

After we finished our projects for the day, we went out to a tree farm and found ourselves a cute little Christmas tree and started to decorate.  Marin is finally old enough to really help this year and loved making the tree "Soooo prettttty!!".

She has learned to take the ornament, spread the loop and put it on the "brown part" of the tree, she did so well!

And this evening, after some cereal, daddy was making nacho's and gave Marin some olives, which she loves.  Of course, she loves it even more having the olives on her fingers, and daddy is ever so happy to oblige.

What a pretty little girl, she makes me so happy to be a mama.

I can't tell you how wonderful it was to get some projects done this weekend, I feel so much better getting things ready for our little boy, who is coming in 68 days (or less!).  After Christmas I will get our baby gear down and cleaned and set up, yikes!  We are so excited to be bringing our little one into a happy home and can I say I am excited for delivery?  I feel so much more prepared this time around and I am so happy Kris has taken on the challenge to be my birth coach.  We are preparing for a Bradley husband coached childbirth and considering how delivery went last time, this time can only be better. 

We have a busy week coming up, so hopefully I can catch some snapshots for you all!

Realizing

I am coming to the realization (slowly), that apparently, I'm pregnant!  Seriously, you think I would have figured it out by now?  I say this only because I have a SuperWoman complex...I daily have to fight the compulsion to be and act just like SuperWoman.  I think yesterday I sat down for a grand total for one hour (during quiet time), and amidst watching my own child and two others and making bagels and tortillas and lunch and snacks and dinner and refereeing and cleaning etc., I forgot I was almost 8 months pregnant.  I paid for it last night.  Kris came home and my body just fell apart.  I had to force myself to go grocery shopping while he put Marin to bed and it was not a pretty sight.  Both my sciatic nerves were twitching, my pelvic bone was ready to crack like an egg (great visual, I know) and my lower back was throbbing.  I was hunched over my shopping cart  like an old lady gingerly walking on my slightly swollen feet.  What a sight I must have been!  Especially with no make-up and a bun in my hair, oh my!!  Kris was such a sweet man and carried the groceries inside for me and made me sit down and direct him while he put the groceries away, then he dutifully put oil in my car, pressed my hips (it feels so good!) and tucked me in bed with a back-rub, making me promise to take it easy today.  Have I mentioned I love my husband?  

Today I am trying to fulfill my promise to take it easy, while making sure everyone is fed, clean and happy, what a delicate balance!  I am hoping to spray paint my kitchen table today and paint two sample swatches on the kitchen wall to decide which color we want.  That's my limit for the day, no excessive cleaning, laundry is already done, all I have is maintenance cleaning (dishes, picking up, etc.).

Can I say that I can't believe this baby is coming in 10 weeks??!  I know it seems far away still, but to me, it's nothing!  Kris and I decided we were ready for another baby, and BAM!  He's just about here!  I do have to give a very hearty congratulations to my friend from Vegas, Linda and her husband Dave.  They welcomed their very first baby, a girl Abigail, into their lives this past Monday.  I am so happy for them and they will be such great parents!

This weekend we are getting our Christmas Tree!!  I am so happy!  Kris refused last week, he wasn't ready just yet, but I've been given the green light to take our Christmas stuff down this weekend.  Having those decorations up makes the season so much more enjoyable, and Marin will be excited to help decorate the tree...last year she really didn't care for anything but the bells.

Daddy Daughter Date

Last Wednesday evening, my amazing hubby took Marin out on a date.  I LOVE that!  And where, might you ask, did they go?  Ice skating!!  I was a little hesitant with Marin being so young, but Kris seemed set on it, so ice skating they went.  They actually went to the rink about a half a mile from where I work, but, since this was a only for daddy and Marin, mommy went home for an evening (or a few hours) of quiet.  

Marin was still a bit young for ice skating, Kris ended up pushing her around the rink about 6 times before his back complained loud enough, but they had hot dogs together and so much fun!  I am married to the most amazing guy, I just love him so much.  Marin may not remember ice skating with daddy, but she will never forget that he took her :)

And, of course, we can't leave out our Thanksgiving weekend!  We drove up to Kristoffer's aunt's home in Vancouver and spent the day with her family and watched a movie.  Marin had a blast playing with her kids, she LOVES those kids!  The next day we invited them down to have their kids play at the indoor Out of This World play-place for a few hours, so Marin was just in heaven.  Saturday was a quiet trip to Wal Mart and Kris and I left Marin with a sitter for a few hours to grab some dinner and pick out paint swatches for the kitchen.  It was wonderful to have Kris home all weekend, I am such a greedy wife I've learned ;)

I can SOOOO tell that I am heading into the final stages of pregnancy.  And it's not the back aches or the increasingly hard time sleeping, or the big strong baby kicking me...it's all the projects I want to do!  I am literally laughing at myself thinking about all the projects I'm listing off in my head!  Here's a little sample:

*Paint kitchen (we have 2 samples we are choosing between).

*Make my own removable stove backsplash.

*Finish kitchen table (sanding is done, and yes, I did the sanding!)

*Build my own entry way table (so far I have the 4 legs purchased...it was scrap wood on sale at HD for 50 cents a piece, how could I say no?)

*Cut and paint small shelves for around the house (we have spare particle-board and 3 pieces of real wood, I just need to cut, sand and paint them...).

*Install extra closet shelving into the Master and Marin's closet. 

*Re-frame a large mirror I have sitting around that weighs a TON!

*Measure and cut apart my old tablecloth for some drapes.

And this is all that's coming to mind for the moment, I'm sure I could think of more.  Oh dear, can someone say Nesting Much?!  Well, I have 10 weeks and some change get that list done, and today I was able to sand our kitchen table!  That makes me really happy.  I had tried sanding by hand with not much success, so my friend lent me her belt sander.  WOW!  Where has that thing been my whole life?!  I was able to finish the entire top of the table in less than an hour, incredible!  I would paint today, but I have so much to do today and it will just have to wait until Friday.  I can't wait to post before, during and after pics!

Today is a day for laundry and dishes and making cookies for YW tonight and dinner ( I thought we would try a broccoli alfredo baked potato bar with chicken?) and playing with my little girl.  That will fill the hours! 

Snowy Mess

This morning, after getting Marin out of bed, I opened the curtains and the blinds and said, "Marin honey, come here, come look at the snow!" (all half an inch of it!).  I pick her up and point to the white stuff all over our deck and the trees and the ground.  "Do you see the snow honey?".  

Her response:

"Oh mama, look at the (s)now!  Daddy make a mess, daddy clean it up right now!", as she nods her head and looks at me.

She then promptly went into our bedroom, crawled onto the bed where daddy was laying and told him to clean up his snowy mess right now.  Such a funny girl, we laughed at this all morning!  I am loving those imaginative phrases that fall from her lips each day!

Climb and Sand

Such a weekend jumble of activities to share, where do I even begin?  Saturday was a wonderful day for some home projects, so that's what we did.  We set out to find a color for our downstairs walls (again), and found the perfect one.  The color we selected before was perfect as we admired it in the Home Depot under fluorescent lighting, but when we got the paint on the walls under our regular YELLOW lighting, it looked....so bad.  Kris thought it looked liked the inside of Mexican's house, it was pretty yellow. So, we found a toned down, but still happy color for our walls.  We spent a good hour and a half at Home Depot purchasing paint and sandpaper and brackets and scrap wood, Kris was in heaven ;)

We did take Marin on a fun outing around dinnertime, a place called Out of This World Pizza and Play.  $5 get's you a children's admission (no charge for adults) and they can play all day!  I wasn't as impressed as I was hoping, but Marin and daddy had a blast for 2 hours, it was perfect.  We didn't eat there, considering a pizza was $17!  I know!  That's how they make their money though, right?  I have one picture of Marin climbing up the loops to the slide in the bouncy house, I wish I had more, but Marin was struggling initially with climbing the loops, and other larger children were stepping all over her, so mama bear was having a hard time!  She climbed up a few times with daddy's help and then she was solo, she did great :)

My project.  Our kitchen table the I am going to sand, repaint white and detail with some black borders.  I think it will look pretty good!  I have no patience for sanding however, last night I sat down and sanded that right corner for 20 minutes, and it was like I hadn't done anything!  This means I need a power tool!  My friend has belt sander I am hoping I can borrow ;)

It's about that time again...to post a belly pic!  You know, I really don't realize how big I am until I see myself in a picture!  This is mama and baby at 28 weeks, and I am wearing my most unflattering sweatpants, blech...but, they are comfy, so I wear them. 

 And, I made some super yummy muffins the other day, what I am deeming:  Overnight applesauce muffins, I will post a recipe to the blog, but this is a wonderful way to get your kids snacking on something healthy and filling, click HERE for the recipe.

These past 2 weeks, Marin has been so articulate with her words.  Her sentence structures are becoming so pronounced and correct...it blows me away!  She is using "I" and "you" and "it", all those conjunction words, such a big girl!  We are giving potty training another go...this time with reinforcements.  I broke down and bought Pull-ups and M&M's.  Now, we don't have a big crisis when she goes in her panties, and she has incentive to go in the potty as she receives an M&M if she does.  One step at a time.

A Pie for Daddy

Growing up, I loved to help my mom in the kitchen, especially when she was baking.  Whenever she was making a pie or some kind of pastry crust, I was right there (huh, sounds familiar...).  Mom would maker her pie and cut the scraps off and give them to me.  I, in turn, would begin creating a pie just for my dad.  A raisin pie.  I would dutifully roll my dough into a ball and flatten it with the rolling pin, then I would fill my dough with raisins...every time.  Raisins and usually some brown sugar and cinnamon, maybe some butter.  Heaven only knows what this pie actually tasted like, but my dad ate every bit...every time, and told me how delicious it was...every time.  Thanks Dad!!!  So, last week, I made an apple pie, and assisted Marin as she made her very first raisin pie for daddy.  This one was pretty basic, just raisins and crust, but Marin was thrilled to show daddy her pie that she made JUST for him, and watch him eat it and sing praises of how tasty it was.  Such a good dad :)  So, here is my eternal kitchen helper, making her raisin pie for daddy:

 I don't have a finished product picture, but you get the idea ;)

Picture Delay

Just a very fast post to apologize for my lack of posting...so sorry!  We have been having some technical difficulties with our computer and it's internet security, so loading pictures is near impossible.  I hope we can be up and running again soon...so if anyone has tips or suggestions or has information on how to make little white boxes with red x's in them disappear, please let me know!! 

Blessings

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I have been truly blessed to have a Priesthood holder in my home.  A man who understands and honors his role as husband, father and provider.  A man who is able to bless us with the Priesthood. 

Today, after a VERY....VERY long day, I received a moment in time that will not soon be forgotten.  After waking at 3am for the usual bathroom-run, I tossed and turned until I had to be up for work at 5am.  I had very little sleep, and I could tell by looking in the mirror...half of my face was all swollen and puffy...not pretty.  I worked until 6:45pm and raced to pick up my little girl, who had yet another diaper rash and no nap...issues I thought we had previously resolved with the sitter (sensing my frustration?).  Coming home, I threw some ingredients into the breadmaker for bread and chicken into the oven to make chicken noodle soup for my hubby who had a sore throat etc. that day.  Taking my sobbing 2 year upstairs and into the shower where she continued to sob until we layed her down.  I ran to the store and back again, coming home to hear my little girl sobbing in bed and ran up to comfort her.  She clearly was not feeling well.  After multiple attempts to feed her and console her, then put her down, she continued to be be restless and toss and turn in bed, not finding a comfortable position. 

Finally, I turned to my husband and asked him to give her a father's blessing.  I pulled Marin into my chest and snuggled her while he layed his hands on her head and blessed our baby girl as she whimpered.  Just moments after finishing his blessing, Marin sunk her tired body into mine and fell asleep.  I layed there for a few minutes to ensure she was truly asleep and placed her in her own bed.

I love my husband.  I am so grateful to have him in our home.  I would be devastated if I knew the power of the Priesthood and did not have a worthy man in my home to hold it.  This moment tonight made me remember the wonderful gifts that God has placed on Earth for us.  We are never entitled to partake of these blessings if we are not worthy, and they are carefully administered by the Lord based on our faithfulness.  I am guilty of having my moments of doubt, but the Lord continues to show me He loves me in way's that are so much more important than what I ask for in my prayers.  He blesses me with what I REALLY need, not what I THINK I really need.  Apparently there is a difference!  I just had to share my experience from tonight, it made my day....all worth it. 

Baby Baby

The other night, we convinced Marin to try and listen for the baby's heartbeat, like daddy does.  She was so sweet and layed on my lap with her head on my belly.  I was loving every second.  Such a sweet girl.

Baby boy was pretty quiet that night, so she didn't feel much, but she is very aware that there is a baby in mama's belly, and she daily gives him head butt's and kisses.  My belly was a little squished that night, so it looks pretty flat!

So, Baby Boy updates!  If you have been following the ticker, I will be 27 weeks on Saturday...CRAZY!  This pregnancy has been flying by.  I called yesterday to make a follow up OB appointment, and they are every 2 weeks now instead of monthly...what?!  I guess I still thought I had some time, but apparently, we are going to be having a baby. 

And boy oh boy is he getting strong!  No longer are his kicks always soft and gentle, sometimes he packs quite a punch!  And now I can actually feel appendeges, most likely a foot if he kicks to the side.  Its amazing that I can actually feel my baby boy's foot now. 

And weight.  Oh dear...the weight.  I am forced to relinquish this information as I promised...I am 32 pounds up for 26w4d.  BLAH.  I promise I have been trying to curb my portions, although I haven't been pushing away what I crave, I try to eat less of it.  And I have been exercising: walking, pilates, weights.  I guess it isn't enough.  I don't feel fat, I feel pretty good, and my figure looks pretty decent, I just look...pregnant.  I have to keep telling myself not to give up and curb those portions even more, it's hard when you know you are fighting a losing battle either way.  But, I have stayed the same weight for 4 days, so this is good news?  I'm also trying to make sure I eat something every couple of hours, so I don't get so hungry I eat a whole pie...you all know what I'm talking about ;)

Marin, I think is warming to the idea of having a little brother, although, she most likely has no idea what that will mean for her.  Let's hope she continues to embrace it!



Who Loves to Craft?

Marin is to the point where she wants to 'make something', as she say's daily.  So...after realizing she is bored with the same old stuff, I bit the bullet and bullet and bought a few crafting items for her at Wal-Mart...some plastic string (you know, for those key-chain boon-doggle things?), some toddler scissors and some pipe-cleaners.  I was going to buy beads, but then I realized...I could make my own!  I took some Ditalini pasta (short, tiny tubes), and soaked them in colored water for a few hours, then dried them out on parchement paper in the oven on low for an hour.  Perfect!  So, she made a bracelet...

Such good parctice for a little one's fine motor skills.  I needed to help her from time to time, but she loved every minute of crafting!

A few day's later she crafted with her friend, Eden.  She loves playing with Eden, who is almost 4.

And I had the chance to finish up the Reliefe Society crafts I had signed up for never got done a few Saturday's ago. 

I made a few hair clips for Marin, aren't they cute?!  She actually likes to wear them, I put them in her hair and she say's "Look, mama, soooo pretty!".

I am so happy to have a few fun decorations for my home, they make it seem so much more...homey!

Halloween Recap

I truly cannot believe that this has been Marin's THIRD Halloween!!  Amazing!  Granted, the first one was pretty dull for her, she was just 2 months and wrapped in a pea-pod so mommy could take pictures, but nonetheless!  I think that this year was the first time Marin understood and became excited about the concept of Haloween and Trick or Treating.  She totally knows the word "treat" and "candy", so she just needed to solidify mommy's promises that people were going to be giving it away, by doing the Trick or Treat walk for herself. 

I had these grand plans of making Marin a Blue's Clue's Halloween outfit...and time and money kept slipping away, honestly, these past few weeks have been CRAZY busy.  So Saturday came and I had no costume...we settled for a store bought princess costume, and Marin was just fine with that.  Kris's aunt Marci and her ward were partcipating in a Saturday Trick or Treat around their neighborhood since so many are members, so we drove up to Vancouver, Wa. and partied at their house.

Marin not wanting to have her picture taken.

We were able to stay and play with the cousins for a while, and Marin was able to spend time with Great Grandma!  She had a great time and we are so lucky to finally have some family fairly close by so we can get together with them!

Sunday night (REAL Halloween night), Marin helped daddy hand out candy to the trick or treaters that came to our door.  I almost think she loved this more than going herself.  We had filled her yellow 'Happy Bucket' with the candy, and she hauled that thing all over downstairs.  When the doorbell rang she would run to grab the bucket and RUN to the door and hand out candy (in her white onesie, pink tights and pig-tails, SO CUTE!).  We ran out of candy in ONE HOUR!  Crazy how many kids we had...now we know for next year, and now I know to buy some of the cheap candy too!