30 Weeks and a trip to Utah

30 weeks was an interesting week. 

I spent the first half with Tyler, J's little brother. We hung out at home while J was at work and did things around the house. Tyler helped me set up the crib we got for free from a friend's brother. 

Here's 30 weeks. J and I agree that I look bigger than this picture depicts. Maybe next week will look bigger...

This is the box(es) that my mom sent me. She sent all of the rest of my shower gifts and my letters back to me. I thought the way that the boxes were taped together was hilarious, so I took a picture.

The second half of the week, J and I drove down to Utah to get a mattress for our guest room. We had a frame and headboard for a twin sized mattress, but no mattress. My uncle Karl owns a mattress business called Mattress Warehouse. So we wanted to get one from him since he would give us a fabulous deal.

On Thursday, we drove down and got to Provo where we stayed at my mom's younger brother, Todd's place. Friday morning, we got up and went swimming. It was wonderful. Best part? I got to lay on my tummy!!! ohhh it was heaven! I just laid on a pool floaty and I relaxed enough that I was able to lay down! I sure do miss laying on my tummy!! Then, we drove up to Sandy to buy the mattress from Karl. We chose a posturepedic one. It's wonderful. Mom won't have much to complain about when she stays here to help with Little Mr! :) After choosing the mattress, we went to the family history library where my Grandma works. She is serving a mission there and has been for almost 3 years, I think. She gave us a tour and we visited a little and she introduced us to her friends. Then, J and I went to check out the City Center mall thing. Very cool. Fancy stores, indoor and outdoor areas, overall a neat experience.

 A pretty view of the City Center and the temple in the distance.

After the mall, we had a get-together with my dad's side. It turned out to be only cousins. We had TONS of fun! We went swimming, ate yummy food, and played Curses. It was a good thing I went to the bathroom before and during because I would have peed my pants, I was laughing sooo hard! I mean, sobbing I was laughing so hard. It was that crazy!! We looked at the clock at 11:30 and realized it was probably time to let kids get to bed and leave. :)

Saturday, we enjoyed time together. I needed some things from the store and we wanted to check out IKEA. Guess what? we didn't buy anything. I think if we had more time, we would've convinced ourselves to buy something but we had only 45 minutes, so we just looked quickly through everything. It was a very cool store. Saturday afternoon, there was a get-together on my mom's side. There were aunts and uncles at this one. We swam, visited, barbecued, and visited some more. It was great.

Sunday, we reserved specifically for being with my grandma. She's my dad's mom. She's also my last living grandparent. She loves her job at the family history library and loves the purpose it gives her. She seems to be doing well and loving life. We met up with her to watch the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sing their Sunday morning broadcast. J and I know three people in here.

My uncle Karl is the one the guy is turning around to talk to.

 J's dad's life-long friend, Grant, is the second from the left on the last row.

J's aunt Janet is the blonde in the center at the top.

The performance was beautiful. It was cool to watch from the 2nd row. I've never been to anything in the conference center before, so I really enjoyed that.

We went back to Grandma's house and ate lunch with her roommate. It was yummy spanish meat and cheese sandwiches. Then, Grandma needed computer help...yikes. My dad is the mac person. Not me! So she pulled out her ipad and said she needed help getting pictures on here, music, and the glitch she has with her solitaire makes her really angry... :)

So I figured I'd at least do what I could. I showed her how to update her apps and where to look for more. We bought music and it went straight to the ipad-I had no idea you could do that-. We took pictures my dad had emailed her and saved them to the ipad. yet again, I had no idea you could do that. She doesn't have a computer besides the ipad, so I was worried it wouldn't work. But I was able to figure it all out!! I felt like such a pro! I think my dad would be proud. :)

We went to Sacrament meeting with Grandma and then left to pick up our new mattress from Karl's. While J and I were changing to street clothes, they loaded the mattress and box spring into the truck and also a high chair! Woohoo! I'm so excited about it!!!

We drove home then and J's parents met us at our house to help us get things inside. I was really excited about setting it up, so they helped set it up too.

Here's the new bed in our office/guest room.

Here's the new setup in the baby's room! The alphabet wall will go over the crib and rocking chair, probably taking up the whole wall. It's gonna be awesome!!!

We got a great deal on a dresser on Craigslist. It's solid wood and a changing table at the same time! They gave us the changing pad, too. We picked it up on Sunday after promising to buy it on Thursday. The lady selling it had the same stature as me, so she threw in a bunch of maternity clothes. A lot worked pretty well! It's nice to have more variety.

The pretty crib. The mattress was really yucky lumpy, so we're going to get a good, new one. this was just a convenient place for the moses basket. :)

We moved the bookshelf over to this side by the rocking chair. I like it. Now for decorations, putting the clothes in the dresser, and putting the stuffed animals somewhere! Oh so fun!!!

Prince Ali

Last night, our ward's Relief Society had a talent night. The presidency dressed up as judges from popular shows and spoke like them and it was great. They gave us all awards for our shows, gave each of us hugs, praised our silly outfits...it was awesome.

When we heard about it, Jana asked me if I wanted to do a lip sync with a couple other girls. I said of course and we then got Kirsten and Kristen to join us. :)
Last week, we planned out what we were going to do and then last night we practiced it and performed it.

It was awesome.
You can see it here.

And laugh a lot.... We sure did!

Also, check out Jana's blog with pictures on her blog. :)

29 Weeks

Taken June 17

This week, I have begun a new stage. It's where Little Mr. has decided to make me feel uncomfortable... yay!! :)

On Sunday, I was uncomfortable quite frequently. Little Mr. has decided that he needs to sit as high as possible when I'm sitting down. So right at my ribs, it kind of hurts. When it happens, I either have to sit way forward on my seat and sit straight as a pole or stand up. For the last ten minutes of Relief Society, I stood at the back because Little Mr was making me feel uncomfortable.

It's going to be an interesting rest of the time! Otherwise, I'm feeling pretty good.

When I was a baby, I slept in a Moses Basket. My nickname with my big brother comes from how I would play when I was in the Moses basket.

My parents have given each child a Moses basket for their first child. 

When I was in Arkansas, I chose a Moses basket for my first baby!! 

Here it is! It got here on Tuesday. 

Cute, huh?

Tuesday, I got to see my dear friend Janet. She was in Nampa for work, so she came over to eat dinner with us and hang out. It was really nice! She gave us a quiet book and a baby memory book. I'm super excited about them. they're great!

On Thursday, I FINALLY finished a baby blanket I've been working on since Spring Break back in March. It's a blanket for J's coworker's baby. She was born in April. And I just finished it...yeah...

The colors of her nursery were orange, yellow, red, and turquoise. So I did a popcorn stitch with orange and yellow. Then, I did a turquoise border with some little flowers. I am thrilled with the finished product!

These roses are from my garden!!! Cool, huh?

I liked how the bubbles looked on the stems, so I took an awesome picture.

Thursday, an old roommate, Amy, came to visit. She was on her way home for a month, so she spent the night at our house. 

Our stake is doing a softball tournament. Our ward is undefeated! (of course, 3 of 4 is from forfeit of not showing or having too small a group)

So J has been playing with them.

Yes. 3 squared.

I wanted to get a picture before my nails grew out too much. My sister did my nails when I was in Arkansas and this is how they looked a week later. Pretty cool, huh? Dark, shiny purple and an accent nail for the ring finger. I have loved having my nails all pretty for so long! Usually, my nails chip off the next day, but with gellish, it stays for a really long time! I like it!

28 Weeks

This week, I spent most of it in Arkansas. The Tuesday I was 28 weeks, I went to MMae's baby shower and got to hold sweet Eden. I spent some good time with my family, did some crafts, and flew home. 

When I hugged my little brother goodbye, I was, of course, crying. He leaves for 2 years at the end of the month and I won't be able to see him. So I'm telling him how great he will be and how proud I am of him and when I let go, he has tears in his eyes, too. It was a very tender moment for me.

Taken June 10

Traveling is not very enjoyable. I don't mind sitting on the plane much, but I hate using airplane bathrooms, so that wasn't fun at all. I also had only a half hour in Memphis before I had to be at the next gate. I had to choose between dinner and a bathroom. I decided dinner meant more. When I was waiting for my food, I was really worried I would miss my flight. It was scary. But I made it and it all worked out well. I got home to Idaho at 11:30.

Friday, I did some cleaning and dishes while J went to half a day of work. He came home for lunch and we spent the afternoon together. It was very nice. A week away can definitely make you miss your hubby. We went to Olive Garden for dinner, looked at cribs, and went to the Discovery Museum. Lots of fun!

Saturday was another day at home. I loved it.

Sunday, I taught Gospel Principles class about eternal families. I am so thankful I will have my family for eternity! Including my sweet Little Mr!!

Monday, I had a Dr appointment and everything is great. I need more iron, so that's gonna be...fun...the heartbeat is good, he's kicking how he should.... it's awesome.

Arkansas

May 31-June 7, I got to go home to Arkansas. My parents live there and I grew up there. I'm not sure how long it will take me to not call it home. My little brother is going on a mission for the church at the end of June, so he went to the temple for the first time to receive his endowment. (see Mormon.org for more information) It was beautiful. I am so proud of him. He will be a wonderful missionary.

I got in to Little Rock at about 3:30. Then, my sister and friend threw me a baby shower! It was so fun!!

Here's the picture of the gifts I got. 

We visited, ate yummy things, opened presents, and decorated onesies. They all turned out so cute!!!

Friday, Mom, Liz, Meg, Lu, and I went to lunch. It was very yummy burgers. Oh my word yummy!!

Here, Lu is throwing a penny into the fountain. Meg threw hers in before the camera was turned on. :)

After lunch, we went to Charming Charlie. Best accessory store EVER. It's HUGE, has everything you need or want, and it's all organized by color and quite affordable. I got a beautiful scarf and an awesome watch.

Here's me with Meg (6) and Lu (3) with fun hats on

Lu LOVES sunglasses. She always has a pair and will wear them inside if she wants to as well. She said she didn't mind the lines in these glasses. They looked pretty sweet on her. And Meg put on a pair and did a pose. :)

This is most of my family. MMae and their kids stayed in Little Rock while the rest of us drove to Memphis for the temple. It was a beautiful, spiritual time to be there with my family. I loved it. Sam is the one with the pink tag. So handsome.

Mom brings in flowers from outside and they tend to bring bugs with them. This one has a pretty cool spider web on it. Instead of getting rid of the web, we took a picture. :)

Tuesday that I was there, we went to a baby shower for MMae and baby Eden. It was so cute! Yummy treats-best icing ever- great company, and cute gifts.

Eden is one of two. Her twin brother didn't develop normally. He was very far behind and much smaller than her. A couple of weeks before birth, he passed away. It was a very heartbreaking time. It was especially difficult to mourn because here was this beautiful girl but her twin brother wasn't there. Gabriel is definitely Eden's guardian angel, though. He stayed around until the last possible minute so that she could be healthy. She didn't even need a trip to the NICU.

I got to meet Eden on this trip. She was born in March, so she's starting to smile and be more aware of her surroundings. It was lots of fun to play with her.

This rose was set out at the shower to remember sweet Gabe.

My mom and Sally with Eden.

Sally was like a drug to this girl! She would hold her and seconds later, Eden would be asleep! It was impressive! Sally said it's because she's her visiting teacher. :)

Maria Mae opening gifts. I gave her a swimsuit to match the cute little swim hat she got before. It's adorable.

Here's little Eden Joy. She looks so like her brothers!!

This picture is definitely my favorite of her. So cute and cuddly. When I took the picture, however, my camera made a shadow. I sent it to my sister in law to see if she could edit it. Et voila! She did a fantastic job! You can find her work/contact info on Facebook under "Laney Photography."

Eden all sleepy :)

My mom made this quilt for my baby. It's got sock monkeys all over it! So cute, huh?

Check out cuter pictures and my mom's blog about it here.

Also, for the nursery, I'm doing an alphabet wall. It's the whole alphabet with different sizes, patterns, all that good stuff. It's going to be awesome. My mom did the ombre O, I did the Q, and my sister did the F. So fun and cute!!!

The week was awesome. Lots of swimming-got a little tan line- :) lots of family time, great bonding time, shopping for maternity clothes, getting DRENCHED in a torrential downpour, getting nails painted with gellish, a hair cut, it was great.

Sweet House!

It's been a while since we've been in our new house, but I still haven't put up pictures! I took these before going to Arkansas so that I could show my family. I uploaded them and thought they got onto my ipad, but they didn't. And I didn't bring my computer with me, so I ended up without them.

This is the master bedroom. We don't have anything hung up yet, because we're still working on deciding what to put up. We put up the ceiling fan ourselves. It's beautiful. But poor J hits his head on the pull string thingy almost every time. He's still learning to avoid it. 

 These are the beautiful new nightstands we got. They're kind of antiqued black. We got them at Hobby Lobby. I love my new Bride Scentsy with the pretty roses. Then the lamps we got off of Craigslist for 75 for all three!

This is opposite the bed on the other wall. Maybe eventually I will put something on the cabinet and make a throw pillow.

Turning left from the above picture, you have the way to the rest of the house through the right side, our dresser and my jewelry, and then the master bathroom through the left. If you kept on turning to your left, you'd be back at the first picture with the bed. The master bedroom is nice and big. It's great.

The jewelry I want to put on a board with knobs and stuff so that it's organized and off of the top of the dresser. I really like that idea (c/o pinterest) but I just need to get started and I have other things I want to do more.

Then, we have the master bathroom. Dual sinks, lots of space underneath, good drawer space, a great shower with a curved rod for more space. It's awesome. On the right is a doorway to our walk in closet.

I love walk in closets. I'm now organizing my clothes into "doesn't fit" and "does fit." At the very back is a shirt that will not fit for a very long time. :)

This is the dining area. Just outside of the picture to the right is the way to the master bedroom. The sliding doors overlook the back yard. It was bright outside, so the picture's a little dark, but you get the basic idea. It's nice and spacious.

Basically pivoting 90 degrees from the last picture, we have the kitchen. I LOVE this kitchen. It's fantastic. I have a window into the back yard, a disposal, a dishwasher, counter space, oh it's glorious! And I'm having a lot of fun with the red. I have a red kitchenaid, a red apple rug in front of the sink, a red trash can, red dish towels, red flowers above the sink...It's a lot of fun.

Turning left is the living room. The door in the far end is the front door. We got the brown couch from J's aunt and uncle. We really like it. 

This ceiling fan is new, too. We couldn't use any of the lights in the previous ceiling fans because some smart person cut the cord to the light. We figured out why in the living room. The light switch turns from on to on. It flickers a little when you flip the switch, but that's it. So J is the only one tall enough to turn on the light. Otherwise, I open the blinds or get a chair. :)

This view is standing by the red couch in the window nook. The hutch is J's great grandma's. Another hand me down from his aunt and uncle. I love having a hutch. It's very beautiful.

If you go down the hallway in the pic above and look in between the two rooms on either side of you, there is a bathroom. We've gone with a blue and green theme. It's very pretty. We have a poster of a sea turtle on the back of the door right now. I want to get a frame and put it on the wall, because it ties it in beautifully.

This is the baby's room. It's in the back of the house and definitely not finished yet! I took this picture before coming to Arkansas, so now there are a lot more things on the floor. I'm loving getting ready. 

Today, we're getting a free crib! I'm super excited.

This is the front room. It's always a work in progress because it's the office/guest room. We'll hang up more things and get it more organized, but it's going to take a while, probably. I'm just glad I have a filing cabinet. It was one of the first things we got for the new house. I was done with my expandable files.

 This is the other side of the room where we will put a twin sized bed for guests. It'll definitely help the room look more complete. The pink trash can is going to be spray painted and put in the baby's room.

It's a wonderful house. We love it and enjoy having our own place. I'm really excited to have it look more and more complete with pictures on the wall, a guest bed, the nursery all finished, and a little boy to complete the group!!

Very exciting!!