What made me smile today

• Going to the park with Lauren and Hannah this afternoon, and feeling the sun peek out from behind the clouds every so often and warm me up.
• Finally understanding what Lauren meant when she asked to watch "that T-Ball show" on t.v. Apparently, whenever she heard us talk about Tivo, she thought we were saying T-Ball.
• Getting the anticipated phone call from my doctor's office to inform me that I'm on the schedule for a C-Section the morning of May 3rd. That's only 8 days from today! (I've never felt this way at this stage of pregnancy before, but now I'm really hoping that I don't go into labor early!) Although the thought of surgery doesn't make me smile, it no longer makes me cry. And I'm just so excited that the end of this pregnancy seems very real and very close! We can't wait to see Olivia!

Shower Power

After having a lousy, feeling-sorry-for-myself kind of day, I wasn't feeling very excited about attending my own baby shower. I had been resisting the idea for months, but my friends (thank goodness for good friends!) insisted. Well, now I'm glad they did, and I'm glad I went, because the shower really changed my mood and thoughts for the better. I wish I had taken my camera, so I could brag about the cute decor and yummy food, and show off my nice local friends to my distant blog readers. (I may get pics from the hostess later, and if so, I'll add them to this post.) But for now, just look at how spoiled this baby will be:

Gotta Love Girls!!!

A Little Too Ironic

What do you get when, in an effort to combine Spring Cleaning with "Nesting" and getting ready for baby's arrival, you clean out every closet, sort through every bin of clothing, get out some spring clothes and pack away all the snow clothes?

Answer: The biggest snow storm of the year. Yes, in the second half of April. You know what that means...unpack the snow clothes, and add a couple loads of wet laundry to my Saturday To-Do List.

This week I've been spending some time every day trying to get things settled and organized. I feel like we just moved, although we're in the same house. Last weekend, my sister Jen moved out of our house (where she's been living for the past 6 months) and into an apartment with friends. (By the way, Jen's b-day is 10 days before mine, and I think it would be lovely if this baby's birthday was 10 days after mine...but I don't have high hopes for that.) Jen's move started a chain of events involving moving girls and furniture around the house, trying to make a space for the new baby.

One example:
<-Before After->

You might say that unpacking has become my pre-birth ritual. Two weeks before Emily was born, we moved into our first home in Provo. One month before Hannah's birth, we moved ourselves from our rental house to our home here, and I spent the end of that pregnancy getting settled into this home. I feel like I'm doing that all over again now, three-and-a-half years later. The good news is, I have plenty to keep me busy while I'm counting down the final days of pregnancy. The bad news is, the moving process has never sent me into early labor before, and I doubt anything new will happen this time.



But no matter how soon this baby is born, I will be grateful that it's another girl. Today I was asked to teach Katelyn's Primary lesson, and she is in a class with several 11-year-old boys. At this age, girls are definitely easier to handle. I'm positive that will not remain true during the next several years. But for today, thank goodness for my girls!

Sweet Innocence

I got Tivo for my b-day. Doug has been working on setting it up, so that I can watch my favorite shows when it's convenient, and not right at my kids' bedtime, or whatever. But Monday night, before it was working, Emily was watching a little snippet of a dancing show with me. The judges told one dancing couple that they "had great chemistry together."

During the commercial break, Emily asked me, "So Mom, those two dancers knew each other in high school?"

"No, they just met for this show," I answered.

She was still uncertain. "But they said they had chemistry together."

That made me laugh. She's so innocent!

Have you seen that commercial (those of you who haven't recently had the ability to skip them with a DVR) about how kids don't understand the concept of germs? Well, Hannah could fit in with them. She was pulling strawberries out of the fridge (she loves those berries!) and was ready to pop one in her mouth, when Doug suggested that she wash it first, because she wouldn't want to eat any germs. She was too eager to eat it, though. She said, "Dad, I don't need to wash it, because I can just wash it in my mouth." Yeah, she doesn't get it.

On Monday I learned something I didn't know before: Did you know that you can see baby hair in an ultrasound image? Yep, it's true. Just as I expected, this baby is not going to be a bald one!

It's About Bloomin' Time!

The bulbs are finally about to bloom, and the leaves on our little tree are coming out. Yesterday was a beautiful sunny warm Spring day. Emily said, "It feels like summer." She stayed in the shade, and when she crept out into the sun, she thought the heat was going to kill her. It was about 70 degrees, and she was wearing shorts and a t-shirt. I guess my children have certainly acclimated to the weather here!

A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes...

Night before last, I had some great sleep. I even had a few dreams. (And then I woke up and wondered why I never dream about this baby. *Read about the last dream I had regarding this baby at the end of this post!) So, after a night of satisfying sleep, why was I feeling so tired yesterday?

After picking up Lauren from school, Hannah (who was unusually crabby, for some reason) and I took a nap together. She doesn't normally take an afternoon nap anymore, but once in a while, she needs one. However, whenever she does take a nap, we can be sure that she won't be tired at bedtime. And that means that she stays up until I go to bed, and then she wants to sleep on my bedroom floor. I don't mind that, as long as the only bedmate I have is my husband. No babies or kids allowed in my bed. I need my space!

Well, I wasn't totally surprised that after one night of happy sleep followed by an afternoon nap, I had a hard time sleeping last night. Doug and I were both half-awake early this morning when Hannah started giggling in her sleep, making both of us giggle, too.

At breakfast this morning, Doug asked Hannah if she had funny dreams last night. She said, "Not funny, just good dreams." Doug was prodding her to tell us all about her dreams, but she refused. Finally she explained to him, "If I tell you, then it won't come true." (And she hasn't even watched Cinderella for quite a while. Right now, her movie of choice every day is Enchanted.)

Hannah and I found this gorgeous "Giselle" dress on clearance at Target the other day. And it even has sleeves!

Thank you, Disney, for turning our daughter into the princess she believes herself to be.



*So, several months ago, early on in this pregnancy, I had a dream in which I was shown just one ultrasound picture, and it was the famous gender shot, showing a girl. I looked at it for a minute, and then I argued, "No, that's not my baby. I haven't had my ultrasound yet." But I thought about that dream at Christmas time when I saw that very familiar ultrasound image, and I had to laugh at myself. I love my girls!!! P.S. I don't think I told anyone about that dream, and guess what--it came true! Maybe Hannah (and Cinderella) know more than we give them credit for.

P.P.S. I realize that I have more to say about Hannah than her sisters, and I know I need to balance that out. But a)3-year-olds are just funny, and b)Hannah and I are alone together half of each day. I'm really not trying to play favorites!

Funny Beans

This is how Hannah dressed herself for breakfast this morning:

Oh, she is so darn cute, and so comical!

A few minutes later, as the girls were heading out the door for school, Lauren was telling us how excited she is that she gets first pick of Teacher's Helper jobs in her classroom next week. She could be the Line Leader, the Door Holder, the Snack Helper, the Bathroom Helper (check the toilets, flush any that need it, and wash your hands.....sick!), or the Messenger (deliver notes and things to the office, etc). Lauren said she would pick Messenger, because that's her favorite. Emily said she would pick Snack Helper. Hannah said, "I would be the teacher."

Don't Bet on it!

Yesterday's dinner conversation centered on funny memories and family stories. Katelyn was recounting the sad tale of our first parakeet, Lucky Buns Larson. Doug insisted that we had the bird for half a year before his untimely demise, but I was positive it was only one month. So we made a little wager: If Lucky lived in our house less than two months, then I get the week off of making dinner. That's how sure we both were of our positions. Doug had only his (faulty) memory to back him up, but I had the proof! I went and got the "Book of Family Records" (which is a collection of weekly e-mails I sent to family for several years), and was able to prove that we brought Lucky home on January 6th, and he died on February 11th--one month later.

I wonder what we'll be eating for dinner this week? Cold cereal is just fine with me. Or take-out! :)

Sweet, sweet victory!

That's more like it

For those of you who think I'm exaggerating my enormity...


Do you believe me now? 8 months down, 1 more to grow!
P.S. I am so grateful I never had to carry twins!!

Gimme a Spring Break!

Last Friday, the last day of school before Spring Break, we had some crazy weather. I didn't have a good feeling about that. If they called it something else, then maybe I wouldn't expect warm weather and relaxation. But when I'm anticipating Spring Break, I want warm weather. So I might have to petition the school district to rename it something like "Don't-Get-Your-Hopes-Up-Because-You-Can't-Count-On-The-Weather-But-Take-A-Week-Off-School". Or even just "April Fool's Break". That might help me, mentally.

Pretty much every kind of precipitation fell during the weekend, from rain, to freezing rain, to hail, to snow. P.S. Every time I've traveled to a "warmer" destination during Spring Break in the past, it has rained/snowed on me. So I realize that it's not the location, it's just my curse.

But by Monday, things started to look better. We crossed our fingers, tried to trust the weather forecast, and made plans for the week. (And, guess what! The forecast was abnormally accurate...until today!)

We planned some work and some play for each day, and I let each girl plan a dinner menu.

Monday - Wash the walls (I'd been wanting to do that forever, so it had to happen on Day 1); Plan menus and shop for groceries; Katelyn made Fiesta Chicken Soup (spicy but tasty) and Ranch Cheesy Bread (interesting) for dinner (without much help at all). FHE fun: Jump Planet, followed by fresh fruit smoothies at home.

Tuesday - Clean the bathrooms (a chore the girls usually seem to enjoy, oddly); Pack a picnic and go to the zoo (We stayed for 4 hours, which was enough walking for 8-months-prego Mama, and the weather was nice and sunny, although a bit chilly. Our favorite attraction was the orangutans eating heads of Romaine lettuce in three bites.); Emily made homemade fish sticks (using non-fishy halibut) and rainbow pasta (once again, another capable and enthusiastic cook).

Wednesday - Laundry day; Hannah's ballet class; Play and picnic at a local park with several other ward members (Sunny again, and a bit warmer. The three older girls rode their bikes to the park and home again.); Lauren made lazagna and breadsticks for her dinner night (Hannah helped, and everything was delicious).

Thursday - Big job: Clean out drawers and closets in the girls' bedrooms (that took most of the day, but it's one of the most satisfying chores for me!); Play with Friends (while Mom lays on the couch--Oy! my sciatica!); Hannah's choice of Macaroni & Cheese for dinner (I know she likes the blue box, but I made it from scratch, while Hannah was more interested in watching a movie than cooking. Just as I predicted, when she came to the dinner table, she took one look and said "That's not the kind I wanted!" But I thought it was delish!).

Friday - Doug took a precious day off work so we could have some family fun. We planned to attend the annual Tulip Festival (It runs all month, but when we got there, no tulips were in bloom yet. We only saw one field of bright yellow daffodils, but we didn't stop for a picture because it was pouring rain.) That outing was my choice, but the girls were happy to come along because then we got to visit the horse & pony farm in that same town. We made a reservation for a trail ride earlier in the week, and even though the rain that was predicted for this weekend came a bit earlier than we hoped or planned, we didn't change our agenda. Even though it was cold and very wet, the girls had a fantastic ride, and can't wait to go back. Thank goodness we brought a change of clothes for the ride home, and thank goodness the farm had mud boots for Doug and I to borrow! The pictures don't do justice to just how wet and extremely muddy the 1/2 hour ride through the forest was!
Doug decided he wanted a turn to plan the menu and practice his culinary skills, too, so he's busy making hamburgers and pumpkin cake right now, which is why I have time to post finally!

Now we're ready for a relaxing weekend of sitting on the couch watching General Conference before it's back to school and work on Monday. It has been a fun (even if unpredictable) week!(And yes, it wore me out!)

P.S. My April Fool's trick this year: I finally got something in the mail that I've always looked forward to: Jury Duty! (You might think I'm a fool to want to do that, but it has always sounded interesting to me.) Too bad my date to report is two days after this baby's due date! Yeah, that's not going to work out. Darnit!