May 31, 2009 Birthday Week

May 31, 2009

Dear Family and Friends,

Today is M’s birthday! We’ve had a lot of fun celebrating all week. Monday was Memorial Day. We talked a lot about what we wanted to do, and couldn’t come up with any great ideas. The rainy weather was a bit of a damper on things too. The very exciting thing that happened was that Q moved her things from her apartment to our house. She has changed jobs and will be staying with us part of the time! We all are thrilled. We worked a lot during the day on projects around the house that needed to be done. We got several checked off our list which felt great! They will also come in handy with all the visitors we will have soon with the baby. We made it to the pool for a little bit, but some thunderstorms shortened the visit. Q and I were on our way to the pool when the boys came back reporting that it was closed. After cleaning up we started off the birthday week celebrations by going to Red Robin. Q’s birthday was yesterday, so M made sure she signed up for all the free things. We had a great time at dinner, and it was a great way to have FHE too.

Tuesday B-man had preschool. I spent the time he was gone working on things around the house. That afternoon we ran some errands. The rest of the day was really quiet. That night was book club. Q came with (which was great!) and we talked about The Middle Place which was very interesting. It has some interesting things to discuss with others too.

Wednesday was a slow day. It has been raining so much that it makes it hard to go do anything fun during the day. That afternoon Q watched B-man for me while I went to a doctor’s appointment. M was able to come to this visit. We thought it might be a good idea for him to meet the doctors before I deliver. Hopefully he can come to more appointments since he has three more doctors to meet… That night was mutual. We had a combined activity at home of one of the leaders. It was a fun activity, and then afterwards I went to dessert with some friends to say farewell to the Young Women’s President. We are really going to miss having her around. Her family is moving to Richmond very soon. We stayed so late that we were literally the last people out of the restaurant and the manager was counting the money. But the people were very kind and didn’t hurry us at all.

Thursday B-man had preschool. I went to visit teach one of the sisters in my ward. She is very chatty, so by the time we were done I went to pick up B-man a little early from preschool. That afternoon was very slow. That night M went to see “Star Trek” with a group of friends. He had a lot of fun seeing it on an I-Max screen.

Friday morning B-man and I took advantage of the first sunny morning we’ve had all week to go to the farm and pick strawberries. I couldn’t decide how many to pick, so I ended up just picking as many as I could while we waited for the tractor to come back and pick us up. The strawberries were delicious. After stowing the strawberries in the car B-man and I then just played. A friend met us there with her two kids while we were playing and B-man and her boy had a great time. I have recruited a bunch of my friends to join the farm. So it will be fun to be able to go with others this summer. B-man discovered that he can now reach and turn the pedals on some pedal cars that they have on a dirt track. He did a bunch of laps having a blast driving his car. He was doing a great job of steering; I guess having him “drive” all those times on our street are actually making a difference! We packed a very small lunch and had a picnic with our friends before riding with them in the tractor to the strawberry fields and then taking the tractor right back to the beginning. We then got in our car and headed off home. That night (after much debate) we did some more birthday celebrating. We took B-man with us and went to dinner at a favorite restaurant that does a free dinner and dessert for birthday people. We had a great dinner and didn’t realize how long it was taking. We were just starting dessert when we realized that we were running very late. Since B-man and I were very full, I drove B-man to the babysitter’s house. (We are back in the babysitting co-op.) I then raced back and picked up M and Q off the street and we raced to the movie theatre. We bought tickets and raced to find seats just as the previews were starting. We were sure that we would get awful seats, but since we picked an older movie we had almost perfect seats. We saw “X-Men Origins” and were thoroughly entertained. It was a great birthday celebration for the birthday boy/girl. As we were putting B-man to bed we made a sad discovery. His caterpillar “Speedy” was no longer living. It was SO sad for B-man. He kept saying that in the morning he would be better. Speedy had been pretty lethargic for several days, but we were hoping it was because he was getting ready to make his big metamorphosis. Dying wasn’t the change anyone really wanted. B-man was crying, which broke my heart. In the end we let him wait to “bury” him to make sure he was really dead. Although M and I were VERY sure of his state of being…

Saturday was Q’s birthday! She was so nice and tried to avoid making a big deal about it. We went garage sale hunting together, and didn’t find much. While we were away M sold some of our things at a community garage sale our neighborhood was having. He also took B-man to his second basketball class. B-man really likes his class and his new shoes that we got for him to wear. We only let him wear them at basketball. M says that he listens and works really hard, but is obviously a year younger   than everyone else. Dribbling is a hard skill for him. That afternoon we had a fun lunch together and then B-man went to a birthday party. At the last minute I went too because they needed someone to be the “lifeguard”. I was happy to do it just to be safe. The party was a water theme and they had a bunch of different water games set up all around the yard where the kids could run between and play with. It was very unstructured, which worked perfectly for the party. While we were at the party M was test driving cars. He found a great deal on a new car and was thinking very seriously of buying. As he was test driving one of the cars he got a phone call from a friend that was just about to go into surgery asking for a blessing. So he raced back to the dealership to return the car and then quickly changed at home before heading to the hospital. He reported that as soon as he was finished with the blessing they whisked the poor guy off to have his appendix removed. While he was gone B-man, Q, and I went to the pool. The water is still slightly too cold for me to in too far, but it feels good to wade in and get my feet wet. M came to the pool for a few minutes before we all headed back home. For Q’s birthday dinner we made homemade pizza. Then we blew out candles and she opened a few presents before B-man had to go to bed.

Today has been a great day. M is a simple person to please, and I realized that the only way I pampered him today was with food. We started with pancakes in the morning. (I offered other things, but he was being nice and chose pancakes.) He then went off to his meetings. Church was very uneventful except for one thing. It is a fifth Sunday and all week I have been so happy about that because it meant that a bishopric member was going to be speaking to the kids. The only problem was that during opening exercises in Young Women it suddenly dawned on me that I was WRONG! Very, very wrong. So here I was with no lesson prepared, and I hadn’t even brought my manual in an effort to make my bag lighter. Luckily my very good friend is the Mia Maid advisor and she happily agreed to let us combine classes for the day. It was so embarrassing! I felt so unorganized and irresponsible. B-man also had gotten it in his mind that we were having a big party for M. All before church he had a list of five families that he thought were coming over. So at church he made sure to invite all five families to our house for dinner and dessert. Luckily I was present at most of them and able to laugh it off. It would have been a great idea if we’d had enough food/space for that many people. After church our home teachers came over for a quick visit. Q and I then worked on M’s birthday dinner. I made beef stroganoff (a favorite growing up). I was so happy to have Q’s help. I banned M from helping, but it meant that I was struggling for help. Without Q it would have been a long time before we ate! While Q and I were making dinner M was helping B-man bury Speedy. Apparently B-man was very sad, but in the end he did flush Speedy himself. Tragically he had to flush more than once because B-man was only doing half flushes. B-man didn’t even want me to know because he was so sad about it, but he did recover and was happy later. B-man does not like to cry in front of people when he is emotionally sad. If he is hurt he will cry, but he tries to hold in his sad cries. Whenever I see him doing that it makes me ten times sadder. Eventually we ate a great dinner, and topped it off with strawberry shortcakes. It was a big success. When we were putting B-man to bed M got his one present. Some swim goggles. He is planning on swimming a lot this summer for exercise.

We love you all!

R, M, and B-man

The Big 3-0

Today M turns 30!
He seems to be taking it all in stride.
Here are 30 reasons I love this man. In no particular order...
Some of them are probably going to be cheesy, so you don't need to read them if it will cause you to throw up in your mouth a little...

1. You happily do the dishes almost every night.

2.  You gave a secret funeral for Speedy so I didn't have to cry and be sad with B-man.

3.  You make me feel little, even now when I am jumbo and preggo.

4. You serve without complaining.

5.  You work hard so that I can stay home and be a mom.

6.  You love God.

7.  You don't complain.

8.  You know I love you even when I only get you swim goggles for your birthday.

9.  I can make you happy just by making you a great dinner.

10.  You let me take care of you when you are sick.

11.  You never complain about me buying things at garage sales.

12.  You never complain about anything I buy.

13.  Instead of getting mad when I roll my eyes at you; you just make fun of me.

14.  You get along with my family.

15.  You're an amazing father.

16.  You make me feel like a supermodel.

17.  You surprise me all the time with little gifts.

18.  When I lose my temper, you don't hold it against me.

19.  You have learned how to fix things in a house.

20.  You were okay with a major career change early in our marriage.

21.  Sometimes you can read my mind when I need to tell you something but I can't because other people in the room can't hear what we need to say.

22.  When I say that you drive too fast you laugh and slow down.

23.  You never complain about how I can not be stealthy when coming to bed.

24.  You let me put my ice cold feet on your toasty feet after getting in bed.

25.  You are easy to talk with.

26.  I'm not afraid of talking about politics with you.

27.  You put the toilet seat down, and you are clean with your toothpaste.

28.  You are great at coming up with reasons why I shouldn't worry about something.

29.  You gave me a second chance in dating after I freaked out and was slightly rude. 

 ( I never have been good at hiding how I'm feeling.)

30.  Have I mentioned how good looking you are?

This list is just small and slightly silly.  But just in case anyone was wondering, I sure am glad you were born...

Wheat

I made a batch of wheat bread recently which usually requires that I grind some wheat so that I have enough flour.  After I was done grinding the wheat I had a little left in my container that I left on the kitchen table.  The next thing I knew B-man had turned it into a construction site.  He has played with his tractors in the wheat all week.  

I just couldn't help but document his imagination... 

Usually he had a few more tractors and excavators involved, but there is always at least one truck in the tub.

Butterflies

We went to see the butterfly exhibit at one of the Smithsonian museums last week.  It was one of those days that just worked out perfectly.  After getting our timed tickets we then explored the insect exhibit.  They had a whole bunch of ridiculously large insects, but B-man chose to hold this guy.

B-man had so much fun wandering through the exhibit and asking me what every insect did.  I learned a lot from all his questions.  Once our time came we were able to enter the butterfly exhibit.  They gave us a large laminated paper to help us identify the butterflies that we saw, but B-man mostly used it to try and convince the butterflies to land on it.

If you look really closely you can see a butterfly that B-man is trying to “catch.”

B-man tried so hard to have a butterfly land on him.  For some strange reason the butterflies kept landing on me.  A few were there so long I had to get some help getting them off!

They did have some dead butterflies for the kids to touch.  It was such a smart thing because B-man REALLY wanted to touch the butterflies.

Finally, right before we were going, B-man had a butterfly land on his hand.  (One had landed very briefly on his face earlier, but that didn’t satisfy him.)  He was so happy to have this fellow on his hand, and even let me take a picture.  He had been avoiding the camera for most of the time we were with the butterflies.

After leaving we went into a separate room to make sure we didn’t have any hitchhiking butterflies, and then it was time to go to our car.  We had a splendid picnic in the shade on the mall near our car.  It was so relaxing that B-man just couldn’t help but stretch out.  He invited me to lay down too.  It was such a great day.  I didn’t even turn on the music in the car so we could just chat and enjoy being together.  If I could choose what he remembers as an adult I would choose this day.  I hope we get a few more in before the baby comes…

There were lots of beautiful butterflies.  But this was one of my favorites.  It moved its wings like a hummingbird, and of course it was pink.

May 24, 2009

May 24, 2009

Dear Family and Friends,

Here’s the update for our week. Monday was a relatively normal day. After M got home we had dinner and then FHE. The lesson was on repentance. It had not been a day where I felt like I was a good mom. So I wanted B-man to know that moms and dads repent too. After FHE M went to a HOA meeting for our neighborhood.

Tuesday was a wonderful day! We didn’t have preschool because two of the kids were out of town. Instead B-man and I went on an adventure. We drove to DC and went to the Smithsonian Natural History museum. They have an exhibit with live butterflies that you can walk through (free on Tuesdays), and since we have a caterpillar I thought it would be a great outing. After finding parking we walked to the museum. Our tickets were for a certain time so we explored some of the other exhibits first. We then walked through the butterflies. We stayed in with the butterflies for a very long time. B-man kept trying to get one to land on him. We had a great time! Once we left the butterflies we had just enough time to run back to our car and put some more money in the parking meter. We then had an absolutely delightful picnic in the grass on the mall. It was one of those days that just are wonderful. I had originally wanted to invite a bunch of other mothers to come, but in the end I was grateful for just a mother/son day with B-man. There won’t be too many more days with just the two of us, and I guess I was feeling a little nostalgic. I hope he remembers this day when he is older. After our fun picnic we headed home. The rest of the afternoon I was working on dinner. That night we had a couple of people over for dinner. All of them have spouses out of town and took great care of me when M was gone. B-man had a great time with the kids that came. That night after dinner M went out with the missionaries.

Wednesday was another great day. The morning was pretty quiet. B-man and I stayed close to home and worked on projects around the house. That afternoon we picked up M from work and then drove to Silver Spring, MD. Aunt Christine and Uncle Vance (from M’ side) were visiting their son and his wife from Kansas. They were kind enough to spend some time with us. It was so wonderful to see them! The boys threw the football around outside while the women chatted inside. Eventually we all piled in our van and drove to a pizza place for dinner. The pizza was so good. Maybe it is just because I am pregnant, but it was the best pizza I have ever eaten! The only thing better than the food was the company. The time passed too quickly and we had to head back home.

Thursday was a slower day. In the morning B-man and I went to a local nursery for the last of the plants that we needed for our garden. As we were going into our house we saw that our neighbors a few houses down were moving. They have a little boy about B-man’s age and so we had him over at our house while I was planting so that they could move things out a little easier. The rest of the afternoon we stayed inside and worked. B-man helped me scrub the walls in his room in preparation for painting it. That night M went to his “Man’s Club” after B-man was in bed.

Friday was a great day! M got to sleep in and go into work a little late, and then he only had to stay an hour before coming home! He had worked extra hours during the week, and then got a little extra off because of the upcoming holiday. When he got home we immediately started prepping and working on painting B-man’s room. We were done with all the prep a little before lunch. After a quick lunch we then started the painting. B-man did a great job! He finally has reached a point where he can be mostly helpful. As the time wore on it got harder for him to be helping, but this was the first time we have been able to paint with him awake. After finishing the painting we cleaned up and then ran a few errands. We stopped quickly at the outlet mall, and happened to find some incredible deals on shirts for M. We found a bunch of no-iron shirts that are long sleeve and actually fit him for $8! We were so excited. His birthday just came a little early… We stayed so long that we had to rush home because we were having some company for dinner. A friend whose wife and son are out of town. We got home just as he was knocking on our door. Luckily dinner was quick and easy, so we were able to chat and get dinner on the table in not too long. After a delightful dinner our friend left and we put B-man to bed. That night we watched a movie before going to bed.

Saturday morning we were all up early and so the boys came with me to hunt at garage sales. It was a very slow day, but just when it looked like I might not buy anything we found a few houses with some great clothes for B-man and the new baby. When we got home we ate lunch and then got ready to go to our pool. It was the first day that our pool was opened, and B-man has been waiting very eagerly to go swimming. Eventually we made it to the pool. Q drove down and even made it to the pool with us for a while. After the swimming we then all got cleaned up and into some regular clothes. M and I then packed a picnic and headed off to see Garrison Keillor and “A Prairie Home Companion” radio show from a nearby venue. M grew up listening to Garrison Keillor who does a very funny and interesting radio show with comedy sketches and music. We were sitting on the lawn, and it is first come first serve seating. We thought we were getting there early, but we were obviously not as early as we thought. We decided to try and walk down closer to see if we could find any open patches of grass. We ended up finding a great spot. It was very close to the seats and had a great view of the stage. We had to wait just over an hour for the show to begin, and it was a hot long wait. But it could have been worse. We were grateful for the breeze that kept us slightly cool. We ate our picnic just as the radio show got started. It was a two hour live radio broadcast, and it was a lot of fun. It’s a hard thing to explain unless you have actually heard the show before. At the end of the show we felt like it was well worth the money to see the show and we can’t wait to see it next year. (Rumor is the show comes every summer.) When we got home Q reported that everything went well with B-man. They had a great time. That is not surprising since B-man loves Q so much. We went to bed early that night. It had been a long great day!

Today has been a full day. M didn’t have meetings (because of Memorial Day) and since it was a “Slow Sunday” we had pancakes. Q spent the night and joined us for breakfast. I then worked on my lesson, and we had time for a couple games of Candy Land before we all had to get ready for church. Q joined us for church. It was fun to have her in Young Women’s during me lesson. It’s nice to have some honest feedback after a lesson. After church we rested and played a game before going to a friend’s house for dinner. We had a nice dinner and enjoyed being with the other family. We then came home and put B-man to bed.

We love you all! We’re so grateful for you!

R, M, and B-man

May 17th, 2009

May 17, 2009

Dear Family and Friends,

Here’s the rundown of our week. Monday we did some shopping and a few other errands. M worked a little extra every day this week. For FHE we talked about prayers, and how to make them a little more like a conversation with Heavenly Father instead of a one way telegram.

Tuesday I had all the preschool kids at our house for preschool. We had a lot of fun. B-man always gets excited to have people at our house. That afternoon we went to the park and enjoyed the beautiful weather. B-man found a caterpillar at the park and had so much fun carrying it around. He wanted to bring it home, but I was able to convince him that he wouldn’t like the hot car ride home. That night M had some Stake training meetings.

Wednesday morning I went to a doctor’s appointment. The doctor was very calm and unworried about what the ultrasound people had said. That made me feel a lot better. I was never really that worried, but now I choose to believe him and eliminate all worry. It’s funny though because when he said I had a large pelvis I considered it a compliment… I guess they do come in handy. That afternoon B-man and I were on a little bike ride. B-man was looking at the pool and we spotted a caterpillar crossing the pool patio. B-man was so excited, that he had to wait and take it home. We waited a long time, more than ten minutes (which is a long time for a boy to be in one place) and then B-man was able to reach through the fence and pick him up. He LOVES his caterpillar. We put him in a jar with leaves and flowers and covered the top with plastic wrap. B-man takes his caterpillar very seriously. I am pretty sure that he plays with him in the mornings before waking me up. Luckily he always tells me that he just held his caterpillar and then washes his hands. So far he has also been great about keeping the top covered. Mostly because he doesn’t want him to be able to escape. I’m not that crazy about having a caterpillar, but I had promised him at the park that if we found one closer to our house we could keep it and see if it would turn into a butterfly. I never thought he would actually find one! So far he doesn’t have a name. That night I went to mutual. We were done early which was a fun surprise.

Thursday we had preschool again at our house. We had a lot of fun talking about gardening and planting some radishes in cups for them to take home. The rest of the day I worked on organizing/washing baby clothes and a few other projects at home. That night after dinner M went to his “Man’s Club” and had a great time.

Friday was all about the “Fathers and Sons Campout.” B-man has been so excited all week for the camp-out. He has told everyone about it, even random strangers in the grocery store. M was able to come home from work very early since he has worked extra hours. We all had a fun lunch together, and then after a grueling reading lesson with B-man we packed up the car and the boys left. Right before leaving B-man came up to me and in a very serious tone said “Mom, will you please take good care of my caterpillar?” It was so cute and funny that he was so worried about leaving his caterpillar behind. The boys then were off. They drove about 45 minutes to a place called “Watermelon Park.” They were one of the first people there, which meant that they had a great campsite. From what I hear they spent the rest of their time having fun. B-man loved throwing rocks in the river, and running around with the other boys. If dirty clothes are a way to tell how much fun he had, then he must have had a blast. His clothes were filthy! They stayed up late and ate a lot of fun food, but they had a great time. While they were gone I was having fun too. I did some shopping in stores that I don’t get to go to very often. Then Q came down and met me at our house. We then ran and did some random grocery shopping for her. It was very fun to wander around Costco together. That night we went to dinner together at a local place that I like. To finish off the evening we watched “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” which we both had mixed feelings about. It’s good, but long and a little slow with a strange story.

Saturday morning we were up and going early. A friend met us at our house and then we all went looking for deals at garage sales. It was a fun day, and mostly fun to be with Q. I am so happy that she is here for the summer! M and B-man had left relatively early from the campout to make it to his first basketball class at a local rec center. B-man had a great time at his class, and it will be fun to see how progresses. After the basketball class M and B-man headed over to help a woman move. He was there for eight hours! I think it is a new record for moves. There wasn’t a great turnout for people to help, so it took a very long time, and they worked hard. B-man apparently did a great job and was being helpful, so he just kept having some father/son time. While they were working I tried to use my time effectively. I went to Home Depot and bought a bunch of flowers and some tomato plants. I then thought, “Well I’ll just start and then they can help me when they get home” but I didn’t know how long it would take them. In the end I planted all of the flowers (there were over sixty) showered, and prepared my lesson for Sunday before they got home. Don’t be too impressed with my work; I am a professional when it comes to finding ways to garden while sitting down. I only stood when absolutely necessary. My digging arm was pretty sore that night though. Once the boys finally came home we had just enough time to eat a very simple dinner, and then get a filthy B-man showered and into bed. He was exhausted from all the fun and excitement. That night M and I watched “Seven Pounds.” We both really enjoyed the movie and talked about it for a while afterwards. It was another slow movie, but the ending really makes all the slowness worth it.

Today has been a good day. B-man was requesting pancakes when he woke up, so I tried to hurry and get some breakfast for M before he had to leave for meetings. The only week that M doesn’t have meetings is Fast Sunday. This is tragic, because we can’t do a big fun breakfast. B-man has started asking “Is today a Fast Sunday or a Slow Sunday?” Today he made several comments about it being a “Slow Sunday” and having a fun breakfast. The morning went so smoothly that I even had a chance for a power nap once M got back from his meetings. Church was great and everything went smoothly. When we got home we had the fun surprise of Q waiting in her car! B-man immediately went and gave her a big hug. We had some friends over for dinner. They used to live in our same neighborhood, and B-man loves one of their kids. They also took great care of me while M was gone. It was fun to have them over for dinner. The boys played really well together. I don’t think there were any arguments! After dinner we put B-man to bed, and Q was very sneaky and did the dishes! It was a great surprise to come back downstairs to see.

We love you all!

R, M, and B-man

Fathers and Sons

Today I sent M and B-man off on their first "Fathers and Sons" campout. It was very fun to shop for their treats and snacks, and to listen to how excited B-man has been. He has told anyone that would listen that he was going camping in the van with his dad.

I have so many vivid memories of the fun I had with my mother and sisters when all the boys left for their campout. We would always go to dinner, and usually we would try to take my Grandma Hiner if she was feeling up to an outing. There was always a lot of debate about where to eat, but it was often "The Golden Bowl" a favorite of ours growing up. We RARELY ate out, so going out to dinner was a really big deal for us.

After dinner we would usually come home, pop some popcorn and watch a movie. Many years we would build elaborate tents with sheets and blankets to then sit under and watch the movie. One year we reanted "Good-bye Mr.Chips" my mom's favorite movie. I think I was about fourteen or fifteen.  Everyone fell asleep except for me, and by the end of the movie I was bawling.  It was such a sad movie and I remember asking my mom the next day how such a sad movie could possibly be her favorite.  

Tonight Q and I continued to the tradition.  Dinner at a fun place, and then a movie with fun treats.  We were thinking of all our other sisters too.  It was a fun night to have a slumber party.

May 10th, 2009

Dear Family and Friends,

What a great week!  We have been busy, but with some very fun things.  Monday was a relatively normal day.  B-man and I did some shopping, and had fun together.  M had training at work and so he was working late.  After dinner we had FHE where M gave the lesson.

Tuesday B-man had preschool in the morning and they had a little Cinco de Mayo party.  When I picked him up they were hitting a piñata and having a lot of fun.  That afternoon Q surprised us and came over.  We were both so happy!  It made the long rainy afternoon go by so much faster!  Q stayed for dinner and then had to head back for her work.  That night I had a girls’ night out.  There are several women either moving or leaving for the summer so we wanted to get together before everyone left.

Wednesday was a long day.  Around two o’clock I was completely out of ideas on what to do.  We had ridden bikes, colored, cleaned, etc…  Sometimes I feel like if I was more creative I could be a much better mom.  Somehow we made it through the day until M got home.  The rest of the day picked up speed then until I had to go to mutual.   After mutual and depositing girls back home that needed rides I headed back home.

Thursday B-man had preschool in the morning.  I used the time to work on some deep cleaning that needed to be done.  It’s a little hard to clean kitchen floors when you have a little boy that wants to be around you all the time.  The rest of the day we spent balancing between getting some work done and playing together.  It was a very normal day, and we were excited to get M home at his regular time.  It has been a long time since we have gotten him home so early.  We used the extra time in the afternoon to set up the crib and the cradle.  The projects went faster than we anticipated, and it felt good to have those two things checked off our list.  B-man was a great helper.  He was so excited to see the bed for “the baby” and to put some of his blankets in the bed to share with the baby. 

Friday was preparation day.  I spent the day finishing the cleaning and other preparations for a little Farewell/Cinco de Mayo party that we were having at our home.  I was able to get a lot done because a friend called to see if B-man wanted to have a play date with her son.  B-man was SO excited to be able to go to their house and play.  He really feels comfortable at their house.  M also got to come home very early because he has worked so much extra these last two weeks.  It was fun to have lunch together.  After lunch we went to the doctor’s office.  I have had extra ultrasounds on the baby for a variety of reasons.  They are done by some imaging specialists at a separate office.  I don’t really need them now, so I haven’t gone as often as they would like, (with the support of my regular ob) but following their advice I went in again.  This time we decided to take B-man because we thought he would like to see the baby on the ultrasound pictures.  The visit went very well.  B-man said when we were all done that "the baby looks like a rat.”  We had a good laugh over that comment.  The doctor and radiologist said that everything looked good… and big.  REALLY big, so big that it is a little scary.  The baby is measuring like he should be 36 weeks (I am only 33 weeks along), and they think that he already weighs 5 lb. 15 oz.  I asked how accurate their measurements are, and they said that they can be off by ten percent, but that isn’t enough to make it not a huge baby.  It will be interesting to see what my doctor says at the next appointment. We were able to see his huge cheeks, hair, and that he was practicing breathing and sucking. After getting back home we worked on a few projects, and tied up a few loose ends for the party before getting in bed.  Q came down for the party and we had a great time.  We ate lots of chips with salsa, guacamole, and nacho cheese.  M made some delicious Mexico style drinks, and we played some funny games.  M even dressed up as “Nacho Libre.”  I didn’t have as cool of a Mexico outfit.  For our first activity it was a big success.  I was relieved that it all went well.

Saturday morning I went shopping at garage sales.  It was a much better day than last week.  I found some very fun items.  When I got home M told me to get myself presentable and dressed to be “pampered.”  I was very excited about my surprise!  When the time came M took me and dropped me off at a nail salon.  He told me to go inside because they were waiting for me and would take care of everything.  After a minute of trying to figure out what name it was under I saw one of my friends come in the store too.  It turns out that a bunch of husbands had all conspired to get the women together for Mother’s Day and let them have fun.  We first started with spa pedicures.  There were five women there and it was a blast!  It was the best pedicure that I have ever had!  The owner and his workers were so nice to us and took such great care of us.  After a lot of trimming, massaging, exfoliating, and moisturizing we all were then instructed to travel to the home of one of the women.  When we got there all the husbands were together (the kids were with a babysitter) and they had lunch ready for us!  It was such a fun surprise.  After a leisurely lunch we then all went over to make sure that the kids were still alive.  We ended up staying and enjoying the beautiful weather outside.  The kids all had a great time running around together.  They ran for an hour straight!  I don’t know how kids have that much energy.  Eventually we all had to leave so that we could get ready for a ward party.  We had just enough time to get B-man showered (he was a sweaty dirty mess) and into new clothes before we headed off to the church.  The ward party was interesting.  Overall it was great, but there were not many people there, which was distressing to several of the people that were in charge. The party ended at a decent hour, and then we came home to get B-man into bed.  We both went to bed early that night after such a long day.

Today has been a wonderful day.  I am so grateful for my mother.  I want to be like her in pretty much every way.  I learn more everyday what an amazing mother she was and continues to be.  M has a pretty amazing mother too, and I am so grateful for the way that she taught and raised M.  M and B-man took great care of me today.  First off they let me sleep in, which was very nice.  When I came downstairs they had a delicious breakfast ready for me which included pink pancakes!  After breakfast I then worked on finishing my lesson.  After finishing my lesson, and getting ready for the day I then went downstairs and had another surprise.  B-man always makes me close my eyes for surprises which is very cute.  B-man took my hand and made me feel what they had made for lunch.  We had great lunch, and then we were off to church.  We picked up our friend on the way.  Church went very well.  B-man did a great job singing with the Primary children.  He was a little sad that they didn’t sing the song that he wanted to sing…  (He commented on it when he sat down.)  After was nice and relaxing.  Dinner was in the crock pot so it was a simple preparation, and we all spent some time doing things that we loved. 

 

We love you all!

R, M, and B-man

Sister’s Weekend

We had a sister’s weekend with M’s family.  We had Grandma E, L, A, and my own sister E.  She got to participate since she was staying with me at the time.  Sometimes I forget how lucky I am.  I have married into an amazing family.  I love them just like my own.  I feel just like they are my own family.  Some people would cringe at having their house full of their husbands family, but it was fantastic!  I think every family should have a “Sister’s Weekend” every year.  I am trying to get my own family to follow their example. 

I know that I already documented well our daily activities, but just so you know…  It was fun, and it was over too fast.  We needed just one more day.  Getting us all together is hard though!  We missed O, who was in Honduras with her cute family.  It wasn’t the same with out her.

Here are some fun random pictures…

I appreciated all the help I had in making my bump look as pleasing as possible. Here they are helping me.  

Here I am covering up half of E with my body.  I was completely unaware of the fact that I had hidden her with mine.  It should have been the other way around.

This is us having a fun little picnic.  We ate lots of good food during our time.

When we weren’t touring DC we were being crafty and making magnets.  They turned out fantastic, and I learned to appreciate how each person could see different things in the same magazine that would make great magnets.

Thanks to all those who helped make this possible…  I can’t wait for next year!

Missing E

We miss you E!

B-man cried when he went down to find you and snuggle with you.  You were on an airplane and he was so sad.  We all were.

Thank you for being happy with sitting around and doing nothing with us.

Thank you for being B-man's buddy. And about a thousand other things...

We are going to miss your crazy and fun ways.

Come back real soon...

May 3 Weekly Update

May 3, 2009

Dear Family and Friends,

We’ve had a great week. It started out with quite a bang. Monday during the day I did a little shopping and some cleaning around the house. Then in the afternoon I drove to Arlington to pick up E from our cousin’s house. M and I planned the timing perfectly and we met up at the house at the exact same time. After talking briefly with E and Mars we left B-man with E and headed off for a big date. We were in desperate need of a date after M being out of town, and E was kind enough to offer to watch B-man for us. We drove into downtown, and almost immediately found a perfect parking spot. (A perfect parking spot brings a lot of excitement to any activity…) We then walked across the mall to the National Gallery of Art. We had one hour there before it closed so we did a quick trip through some of its exhibits. When that museum closed we then walked to the National Portrait Gallery. We were trying to get to the museums that we knew would never work with B-man. The Portrait Gallery was very interesting. They had a great exhibit on Lincoln, and then a very interesting exhibit on all the American Presidents. We stayed as long as we could and then walked back to our car. We were both pretty tired from walking by the time we made it to our car. The Portrait Gallery is a little off the mall which made for a bit of a hike, but we felt like it was well worth it. After getting to our car we then drove to a restaurant very close to the White House that is well known in D.C. but not expensive. We were a little early which gave us just enough time to drive around and find a parking spot. We were amazed at how crowded the restaurant was for a Monday night. I was so happy that I had made reservations! We had a delicious and relaxing dinner. We were both tired and hungry from walking around, and it felt so good to just sit and get to talk to one another. I think it was a great FHE. While we were enjoying our time B-man and E were having their own little party. They first walked the dogs at Mars’ house. B-man didn’t let go of their leashes, so that was good news. Then after jumping on their trampoline they headed home. B-man apparently has a good sense of direction because he was able to lead E home (she almost turned the wrong way) and then also lead her to McDonald’s where they got dinner. I VERY rarely take B-man to McDonald’s, so we were both surprised that he could lead E right to the restaurant. I guess it helps that we pass it a lot on our errands. After their fun dinner they watched a movie that B-man had earned in his bean jar. When we got home B-man was in bed and we could relax and chat with E. It was such a great day!

Tuesday was a busy day. B-man had preschool in the morning. Then we all went together to do some shopping. We got home to have lunch, and a friend of mine dropped off her three kids so that I could babysit them. B-man was excited to have friends over. I was glad that E was there, she was a huge help! We watched a movie while they were there (“The Velveteen Rabbit”) and I realized too late that it was probably going to make B-man cry. It did, he is so sensitive and was distraught that they had burned the rabbit at the end. I know I only have one child so I have no excuse, but since he is so big and tough I sometimes forget that he is also very sensitive to sad stories. Luckily he was easily distracted. Once the kids were picked up by their mother E, B-man, and I drove to see Q at her new apartment. The drive was lovely and scenic, and we are so excited to have her only thirty minutes away. When we got there Q was waiting. We had brought a little picnic dinner. We threw dinner together and were able to have a great dinner together. B-man thought everything about her new apartment was great. Especially her enormous bath tub. He made several comments about it! After dinner we were able to chat a bit, but then had to head back home. B-man fell asleep in the car, and when we got home M came out and picked him up. We dropped off the food so that M could eat (he had worked late at the office) and then E and I went to book club. We discussed The Hunger Games which I would recommend to anyone that likes a good book. It was fun to have E with us at the book club. I still miss the Provo book club I went to while we lived there.

Wednesday we had a slightly more relaxed pace. We woke up and had a leisurely morning. After lunch we drove to the farm. E had really wanted to see it, and it is a very fun place to go. The weather was slightly damp from some rain, but while we were at the farm the rain held off. We even got a private tractor tour of the farm. I think we were the only visitors that day because of the rain. We all had a great time. They even sent us home with some fresh asparagus from the farm. When we got home we had a few hours to rest and relax. That night we had a farewell party for E. Q drove down from work (we were so happy she could make it) and we had steaks on the grill, mashed potatoes, fruit salad, and roasted asparagus. It was delicious! I did have to escape quickly to go to mutual. We had a joint activity with the Deacons and Beehives. We played a game, and had a great time. When I got home we made some magnets for Q, and then topped the evening off with some ice cream sundaes.

Thursday morning I got up early to take E to the airport. Everything went very smoothly getting her off, except that hours later B-man discovered her phone in our car! We made sure to send that off to her that day. We had a very slow day missing everyone. We have been so spoiled these last few weeks having so much family here. I’m so glad that with the baby coming we’ll get to see more. That night M went to the International Spy Museum with a couple friends. I had a Stake training meeting for Young Women. M had a great night out with the men, and B-man had a great time with his friend while I was at the training meeting.

Friday was a back to the routine day. We had nothing going on. We spent our day around the house. We were fairly lazy. We did have a last minute lunch date with a friend from the neighborhood. It was pretty rainy and we were all excited to have somewhere to go. That night we did pizza. Q even came down for it. We tried out a new topping combination. Most of our combos come out of necessity to use things up. We did the crust, salsa, steak cut up small, orange bell peppers, and cilantro. We called it “The Fajita” pizza. It was delicious! It’s great without the steak too. After B-man was in bed it was fun to have Q with us. B-man thought it was so fun that she was going to spend the night.

Saturday Q and I got up early to do some shopping at garage sales. The day was pretty slow, I felt bad for Q that she had sacrificed sleep for it. I did find a few things, but that was after Q had to leave to get to work. M and B-man joined me for the last little bit. B-man was so excited about every house, even if it only had junk. I remember now why I don’t usually take him. He wanted to buy everything! It was pretty charming how excited he would get, and the tactics that he would use to try and persuade me to buy the item. The rest of the day was spent working and resting. We did a Costco run, worked on making break, worked in the yard, rested, went to Costco, etc. At the end of the evening I got to sit and read a book while M worked on his lesson. I thought that was a great way to end the day. Usually on Saturday nights I’m the one that is working on a lesson.

Today has been a very calm day. M spent the morning working more on his lesson. B-man and I read books and played trains. We picked up a woman who needed a ride to church and had a good Sacrament meeting. M even got to sit next to me during Sunday school. (Usually he has to put out little fires that have popped up during that time that deal with Elder’s Quorum.) M reported that his lesson went well. After dinner we made dinner and then we played several rounds of “Candy Land” a game I got at a garage sale. B-man loves the game. M is off now home teaching.

We love you all!

R, M, and B-man

Here’s a picture of B-man and his choice of outfit to go to Costco…  We wouldn’t let him go in his pajamas, and this is what he came up with.

Little Red Hen

I made my first batch of homemade whole wheat bread yesterday.  This was the first time that I have done it all by myself, without the expert hands of Grandma E helping me (or mostly doing it) all along the way.  It wasn't perfection, but for the first time it was pretty good.  They taste great, they're just a little on the small side.  It makes five loaves, so we immediately cut into one, and gave the other away to our neighbors.  They always lend us their weed whacker. 

All of this was made possible by my new Bosch bread mixer.  We have been saving up for a long time to get it.  We put it off for a long time (even after the money was saved) waiting to see if we would need the money to get pregnant or adopt.  Getting the mixer was so exciting!  It not only meant that I could now emulate my mother and M's mother and make wonderful things for my family, but also that we had reached another goal of adding to our family.  More on that process later... 

 

My personality just wouldn't justify my spending the money on an 

appliance (no matter how wonderful) when it might be needed for a baby.