pillow talk

I've been feeling a little anxiety about having this baby. For the last 3 years we've had this perfect balance in the house. Not that everything goes perfectly, but it felt balanced anyway. I worry that the new baby will throw that off, and I'm about to be whacked by a pillow unawares - like this, but metaphorically:

(Hopefully I can just laugh it off like Jack did.)

And my kids. Oh, how I love my kids. I think they can already sense the changes coming. Poor Ana - Mommy's not quite as energetic, Daddy's home all the time, a new baby is coming, and the uncertainty of Kindergarten is looming. It's rough being 5 around these parts, and she is starting to show it.

And then Jack is turning into a rough-housing little kid. He tackles Ana all the time. He's a little wild and crazy and has been running circles around me lately.



The doctor says the baby may come this weekend. I think I'm going to put my list of "should-do-before-the-baby-comes" aside and just be Mommy for a few days.

The floor will get mopped eventually.

And my kids are pretty darn awesome.

(I found Ana asleep like this the other night.)

i teared up right there in pizza putt

It has been HOT around these parts. If it weren't for our neighbor loaning us one of their a/c window units for the last few days, I may have died. Or have killed someone because I was that cranky.

So naturally I've been looking for indoors-y air conditioned fun for the kids.

Enter: Pizza Putt's play place.

Friday morning I took the kids to play.

Ana makes friends everywhere we go, so naturally when a group of school age kids came in, she was immediately involved in their play.

And guess what - she looked like one of them. Like a school-aged girl. When did this happen? When did that little baby in my arms become a kid?

I'm afraid that come August 31 (first day of school) I'm going to be an emotional wreck.

So today when she was sick with a stomach bug, (and after I got back from church) I let her lay her head on my lap and give me lots of hugs. I let her need me.

It felt good.

party time

About 6 months ago Ana decided she wanted a beach party.

About 6 months ago she started inviting people to her beach party.

This was before we had even decided whether or not she would be having a party at all.

About 6 weeks ago I started telling the moms of her friends that she would be having a beach party in July.

About 6 days ago, I decide I had better start planning her beach party. We decided to do it on her birthday, since we had no reason not to.

It was a hit! (Both figuratively and literally, since her only requirement was having a pinata.)

five years

Ana is 5 today.



Somehow that makes me feel old. I have a 5 year-old... WOW! In just 6 short weeks she'll be heading to kindergarten. I will be an emotional wreck.

I remember one evening when I was walking around our tiny apartment with her as a new baby. She was crying, and I couldn't get her to calm down and I was wondering what was wrong (with me). Then there was this moment of clarity and I realized that her spirit was too big for her little body, and she was frustrated with it.

How true that has been! She has a big spirit. She is active and energetic and strong and she still gets frustrated when she isn't able to do things just right.

When she was just a few months old...



...one of my college professors used to say that she had "academic eyes." Her big eyes took everything in and she absorbed it like a sponge. He was so right. She loves science and math and asks a million "why" and "how" questions a day. And saying "I don't know" doesn't work because she responds, "well, what do you think? Just guess!"

Other tidbits:

*She has mastered the monkey bars...




*She is full of confidence. She told me a few days ago that when she starts soccer she doesn't need to practice because she already knows how to play and she can run really fast.

*She loves friends! Mostly girl friends, but the other day at the pool she made friends with a little boy. She said she "liked his style."

*She often will give me big hugs and say things like, "I don't ever want you to get old." or "I hope you never die!"

*She is still a daddy's girl. Dave can get her to do anything and try anything and she loves having him around.

*And, boy, is she excited for a little sister. She talks about it all the time and every baby she sees she smiles at and coos at and wants to hold. She'll be such a great big sister.

We're doing a beach party for her (as she requested) today. Happy Birthday Ana-girl! We love you so, so much.

whirlwind week

It seems summer is flying by faster than I can keep up. My nesting to-do list hasn't gotten any shorter, and yet the time to get it done is disappearing.

This last week Dave's nephew came to visit. We tried to pack as much fun as we could and luckily my docs gave me the o.k. to participate.

We started with a trip to church street and the lake on Monday.

Tuesday we headed up to the Ben & Jerry's factory. We took the scenic route and it was gorgeous!



Thursday morning we headed to Palmyra, NY. It's about 6 hours, and we drove via the Adirondack mountains. We pulled off once for Jack to potty, and found a beautiful little paved hike that lead to a waterfall.



Our first stop in Palmyra was "the stamping place" a.k.a. the Grandin Printing Shop. Jack has been fascinated with this place ever since he discovered the picture of it in the back of The Book of Mormon. Dave has explained to him many times how the printing press works, and he was so excited when we told him we were going. It did not disappoint his hopes.

Next stop was the Joseph Smith farm and the Sacred Grove. Awesome!

Finally - the main reason for the trip - The Hill Cumorah Pageant. Also, awesome. We saw some friends from our ward who are participants, and both our kids liked it, too. They watched very intently, Ana asking a million questions along the way, and Jack watching until sleep finally took him near the end.

The next day we had one more adventure on the docket - Niagara Falls. It was also awesome. We decided to do the Maid of the Mist boat ride and let me just say: worth every penny. The view from down there is awesome, and on a hot day the mist feels amazing.

We then headed home - an 8 hour drive. I admit that at about the half way mark, the kids and I were a little tired of the drive, and I started into grumpy-pregnant-lady mode. (Hey - you drive in the backseat with no leg room or air conditioning with a bowling ball in your lap.) But I (and just as importantly, the kids) all survived the drive.

Kendall's last day here was pretty low-key. We went to the local pool, ate some maple ice cream cones, and went shopping.

It was a lovely, busy, week. I love having Dave home, and I am looking forward to the next 4 weeks.

in which my thoughts are very unconnected

Only 4 more weeks to go.

I think probably less. But who knows, right?

We painted Ana's room and dresser one weekend. They turned out really cute, but I haven't managed to take pictures.

I'm tired most of the time, and I really don't remember my body aching like this that last 2 times.

Dave's nephew is coming to visit us tomorrow. Cross your fingers that I can go to Palmyra with them on Wednesday, though staying home by myself sounds pretty good too.

I like having Dave home. I'm afraid the next 5 weeks are going to spoil me rotten.

I got pulled over in New Hampshire while we were driving home from Boston on Tuesday. For a cracked windshield. I couldn't find my wallet because it was in the trunk. The stop woke Jack up, who decided he needed to pee, so Dave had to help him go by the side of the road. Luckily I didn't get a ticket, but basically the cop said, "you know, if you ever register your car in Vermont, you'll have to get that fixed." And that was that.

Here is a cute picture our friends took of Ana on the 4th.

what we didn't do on independence day

*We didn't watch a parade.
*We walked (most of) The Freedom Train instead. We saw the original site of the Boston Massacre, Paul Revere's house, and the gravesites of Paul Revere, John Hancock, Ben Franklin's parents, and the victims of the Boston Massacre.


*We didn't have a backyard bbq.
*We ate Cannolies from Mike's Pastry and a pulled pulled pork sandwich from Ari's BBQ at Quincy Market, where the guy who took our order told us the only "specials" were our kids and then gave Ana a free juice for being so adorable. Ana blew him a kiss when we left.


*We didn't see the Rupert fireworks or "The Biggest Show in Idaho" or watch the neighbors light fireworks in the street.
*We watched the fireworks sitting in the street in front of MIT with our friends, the Dahle's, (and approximately 500,000 other people) and listened to the Boston Pops and Martina McBride over loud speakers.






*I didn't take too many pictures because our camera battery died.
*We had our video camera, and that was cool.

We had an awesome, though very different, 4th of July. We are so glad we decided to go!

let freedom ring

Happy 4th Everyone!

(2010)

My favorite holiday.

(2009)

I will definitely miss Rupert this year with their parade and then the BBQ at Grandma and Grandpa's house.

(2008)

We're heading to Boston for the fireworks. Because we are insane.

(2007)

Oh, and just so you know. I {heart} America!!!!

strawberry picking

Now I have a 3 containers of delicious jam in my freezer. I think I might have to make some homemade bread tomorrow. yum!

in the pretty garden

Dave got a new video camera for Father's Day. We've been having fun with it. The videos are a lot easier to upload to share, so I'm gonna do just that!

This first is Ana giving a tour of our garden plot. (This was a couple weeks ago, and our plants are much bigger now!)



This next one is my kids' performance at the ward talent show.



Awww.... My kids are cute.