Father's Day

I think that father's day turned out well this year.  Scott worked a night shift (he switched so he could study for his final) and so he wasn't able to go to church in the morning and I was too late on getting him a piece of pie they give to all the guys.  Since Scott was coming home in the morning, I made a breakfast of pancakes and eggs for him, but he got home quite late and was too tired to eat.  I cleaned up and got his father's day gift together before church since I figured he'd be awake when we got home.  Last year, I gave Scott a daddy t-shirt and then we had a steak dinner.  This year, I got Scott a tie and a few treats.  I was going to have Kylie do a picture with a hand print, but I just didn't get around to it.  I'm not going to lie, crafts for mother's day are a lot more cute than the ones for father's day.  Because of that, I didn't send off one to my dad or father-in-law and I do feel a little bad about that.  I'll make up for it next year when Kylie is a little bit older.

I gave Scott his gift and we tried to get Kylie to do the actions to the "I'm so glad when daddy comes home" song.  I wanted to record her doing the actions earlier, but it's hard to catch her doing anything on camera and she just stops what she's doing and stares at the camera.  I did get her doing the actions later and put a video up on facebook.  We had a dinner of tri-tip steak, baked potatoes, zucchini & carrots and rolls.  It was a delicious dinner!  Scott kept saying how good the meat was and I was glad he enjoyed it.  I don't buy much other meat besides ground beef and chicken, so it's a treat when I do. 

Scott has exceeded my expectations (whatever those were) on being a father.  He doesn't really complain at all when it comes to taking care of Kylie.  I don't have to yell at him to change a diaper (especially a stinky one), he's more than willing to put her to bed and he doesn't get upset if I'm tired and just need a break.  There are times where we're not on the same page, but we quickly talk about it and figure out what to do.  I'm sure that there will be struggles when this second baby comes because Scott will be in school and just having to adjust to two kids, but I know that he'll do whatever he can to help out.  That's just the type of guy he is and I lucked out in getting him as a husband and Kylie and baby boy lucked out in getting him as a dad.

Wednesday Weekly Recap

Last week was a good week.  Some things didn't occur on the day they were supposed to again, but it's fine.  We had two busy days and had fun celebrating Scott's being done with his first semester of graduate school!  He took his final test on Thursday afternoon and was worried about it the rest of the day and pretty much all day Friday.  He found out Friday night that he passed his test and the class--pathophysiology.  I'm glad that he has a 2-month break until school starts again (last day of August).  He'll be working full-time and any extra days that he can, but I'm just glad that on his days off he'll be able to relax instead of worrying about homework.

Anyway, I was supposed to do a father's day craft on Monday, but I never got around to it (Monday's have become a day of relaxing and not doing much).  So, sorry to my dad and father-in-law who didn't get a cute card from Kylie.  I'll make up for it next year.  Tuesday, we did not go to the library, but we did do some shopping at Costco and Wal-Mart.  Wednesday, I cleaned the house and Scott took Kylie to an animal shelter close by.  It is a small shelter, but they did have a small area with 3 kittens running around and Kylie just loved it.  Scott took some cute pictures of her chasing after the kitties.

Also, I'm not sure what day this happened, but Scott went down with Kylie to watch The Lion King with popcorn and it was just super cute to see them hang out together.  Kylie really enjoyed the movie because she recognized a lot of the animals in it.

Thursday was a busy day.  It was the last day for Scott to take his test with a 3-hour time limit.  We decided that the best way to make sure he's not distracted is for me to leave the house with Kylie.  I had made a list of all these places to go and brought everything I needed.  We only made it to 3 out of the 6 places before Kylie fell asleep.  I was able to do a little clothes shopping and got a cute dress from Target and a shirt and tie from Ross.  I was a little bummed that I didn't find as many shirts as I would have liked since a lot of the ones I have now are starting to get too small.  After shopping, the plan was to go to Chick-fil-a, get lunch and then go to the park by the library to have a picnic.  Well, Kylie fell asleep on the way to the library, so I turned around and went home.  I was debating on what to do since it had only been 2 hours, but I figured that Kylie would be sleeping and wouldn't bother Scott anyway. (however, just to ease Scott's mind, I should have stayed out the whole time)  After Kylie's nap and Scott's test, we headed to the animal shelter again to feed the bunnies they have there.  We planted some lettuce in Kylie's little garden, so we brought some leaves and a few carrots.  Kylie had fun with the kitties again and feeding the bunny (the other one got adopted the night before) and hamsters.

Then we headed to the splash park which is just right next door. Kylie seems to enjoy sitting in a pool rather in running through water, so I'm not sure how much we'll go to the splash park this summer.  After playing in the water and swinging on the swings, we went grocery shopping and then had dinner at home.  Kylie went to bed without any trouble this day!

Since Thursday was such a busy day, I made a treat on Friday.  I was looking through my pinterest board for cookie ideas and came across these peanut butter and chocolate chip banana cream pudding cookies. They were actually really good as the banana flavor didn't come across too strong.  We headed to Brita's around 4:00pm and Kylie was able to swim in the little pool that they have. She would not get out no matter how much she was shaking from being cold.  Scott and Lane left to go play some golf and at one point in the evening, Brita and I were talking thinking that all the kids were downstairs.  Brita went into her room for something and found Kylie and Dylan in the bathroom standing next to an overflowing toilet!  They had stuffed a whole roll of toilet paper in and had bits and pieces in their hair and on their clothes.  We quickly put them in the tub so we could try to clean up.  Brita tried unclogging the toilet, but it kept overflowing when she'd try so we just waited until Scott and Lane came back.  These two kids sure are trouble makers when they're together.  It's cute to watch them play together, but now we've got to keep a close eye on them.  Once the kids were in bed (Scott actually got Kylie to sleep), we played quite a few rounds of Bang! It was a fun day.  We relaxed all day Saturday since we had two busy days in a row.

Summer Schedule

I decided at the end of last year that I wouldn't keep up with the monthly goals at the start of the new year. It was to my disadvantage to mot continue with those goals. Looking back at the past year on the blog, I've realized how more organized I was in doing activities in the house and outside the house. Since I am feeling much better and not throwing up every day, I've decided that I need to organize this summer. This is the last summer I'll have with just Kylie (which is so crazy to think). I've found inspiration from various blogs about making a weekly schedule where every day stands for something. I've adapted it to fit with what Kylie is able to do and I think it will be good for us to have that schedule set up.

Monday is make something Monday and we'll do some type of art and craft. I haven't done very many arts and crafts with her and I need to start doing some. It can be difficult because she still puts things in her mouth. We had these twistable crayons in her desk and she twisted the inside out and ate like half the crayons. So, coloring is something we're working on. We weren't able to get to our craft on Monday, but we were able to get it done on Wednesday. I had Kylie do a little bit of potato stamping and she wasn't interested in it for very long, which I'm not too surprised about since I don't do these type of things often with her. However, I think that if I keep it up weekly, she'll start to become more interested in doing art.

Tuesday is take a trip to the library day. Her story time doesn't happen during the summer, so unless I dedicate a day to go, we probably wouldn't go anymore. Also, the library we go to has a giant park that she likes to play at, so it's a go to the library and play at the park kind of day. Maybe one of these days, we'll have a picnic at the park. We weren't able to go to the library this week, but that's okay because we had a play date with my friend Teresa's boys. I'm glad that she brought up getting together as it had been a while since we'd seen each other. Also, it is nice as a stay at home mom to say I've got a play date. I haven't really had one since Kylie was born.

Wednesday will be wet and wild Wednesday which means we'll go to the splash park. There's a new one that got built last year and we went to it for Kylie's first birthday, but that was about it. Instead of going on Wednesday, we went on Friday with Teresa and her boys.  Kylie had fun, but got cold and so we went and played at the playground to warm up.  I think she'll love going there each week.

Thursday is make a treat day and we didn't get to doing that last week.  I have some fun treats planned so I'm excited to make them.  Friday will be a day to go somewhere fun.  Even though Scott won't be in school for most the summer and working, we still want to save our money so I've been thinking of places to go that are free.  I'm thinking of going somewhere that does cost money once a month, though.  Saturday will also be a day to go somewhere fun also so that Scott can come with us.  Last Friday we went to the splash park and then to my grandma's where I made a flag decoration for my door with my mom.  It was a busy, but good day.  Saturday we went shopping at the mall and then took a treat to Scott while he was at work.  Kylie was super excited to see him that she sprinted towards him and gave him a huge hug.  It was the cutest thing ever.

So even though things didn't happen on the day they were supposed to, I feel like it was a productive week and I'm ready to start feeling that way again.  I do know that besides all these fun activities, we've got to get a baby room together before Scott starts school again.  You know, since the baby will be here in like 3 1/2 months, I guess we should start getting things together.  Anyway, bring on summer because I am ready for it!

Payson Temple

A few weeks ago, my mom and I headed down to Payson, Utah to attend the temple open house.  I wasn't planning on going, so it was nice to be able to go.  The first thing I was impressed with was the size of the temple.  Payson is a small town, so I was surprised by how big it was for being a temple in Utah.  We went on a weekday and in the early afternoon, so it was not crowded at all.  We got to park right where people exit the temple and so we didn't even notice that the starting point was the chapel at the top of the hill.  We didn't even see a sign for it until after we were done, oops.  So, we just hopped in and started walking around.  I think because we weren't in a large group of people, we weren't escorted as well and so a few times we weren't sure on where to go.

We were both upset that they had closed off viewing the baptismal font (it was so they were able to get people through the temple faster) as I think that is such an important aspect of some of the work we do in the temple.  There was also a lady who let a small group of people in to see the bridal room (which isn't part of the tour) and closed the door on us and said that she wasn't supposed to let people in.  Well, don't let anybody in then!  I could've made a fit about really wanting to see the bridal room too.  Then when we got to the floor where the marriage waiting room and sealing rooms are, there was no line to follow so we weren't sure which sealing room we were able to walk through.  My mom asked an escort which room and she replied that she didn't know if this was the floor the sealing rooms were on! Um, what?!  Are you sure you're a member?  I couldn't help, but roll my eyes at the ridiculousness of that comment. 

Besides that, the temple was beautiful and Kylie was super cute walking around in her little booty shoes.  She just looked so grown up in them, I couldn't believe it.  Despite the poor tour, the temple really is a  sacred place and I'm sure the people in Payson and surrounding cities will love having a temple to go to.

21 Weeks

I remember with Kylie, I found this survey that asked questions about my pregnancy and I answered it every couple of weeks.  I want to do at least a few of them before this new baby arrives.  I also did take a 20-week picture, but it got saved to my camera (not the memory card) and I'm too lazy to go find the cord to plug it into the computer to take it off. So, there ya go.

There have been some changes that I've noticed between this pregnancy and last and I'll share a few of those first before I do the questionnaire.

• I have been a little bit more tired this pregnancy than I was with the last one, but it could be the same and I just can't remember.
• This baby is sitting lower than Kylie, meaning that I have to go to the bathroom a lot more and standing up after sitting down can be uncomfortable.
• My stomach got bigger more quickly than with Kylie.  It was difficult early on to find things to wear as the maternity clothes I had from Kylie didn't fit yet, since I wore them later on in pregnancy.  I was so sad that my jeans started to stop fitting pretty early on and I didn't want to wear my maternity shorts or capris because it was still cold outside.  It was definitely a dilemma I didn't like having.
•  Since I had no idea what a moving baby was supposed to feel like the first time around, I felt this baby move a lot earlier.  I thought I felt him moving around 15-weeks and when I told the doctor, he said that you can notice baby's movement a lot earlier in subsequent pregnancies since you know what you're looking for.
• Of course, I was more sick the first trimester of this pregnancy than the last. I do have to say that I am grateful that I was not teaching at this time because I'm pretty sure that taking a month off work would have been impossible. Staying home does have its benefits at times.
• I feel like I've had cravings more than with Kylie, but nothing weird or consistent.  Like, I don't want donuts or Cafe Rio all of the time, but there are sometimes where I just want something specific.
• It is harder to be pregnant when you already have kids.  You can't sit around all day (though I still do that some days) or take a nap whenever you feel tired. It's just a lot different when you have someone else to look after besides you.
• I feel like I've been a bit more emotional this pregnancy, although this could be another thing that's the same as before and I can't remember.  I have noticed that things in a movie or on TV make me cry more than usual.

That's all I can think of for now, but I'm sure I'll find out more the further along my pregnancy gets.  Here's the questionnaire for week-21.

How far along?: 21 weeks!
Total weight gain/loss?: I think I've gained around 10-12 lbs.
Maternity clothes?: Yes, that is all I can wear now.  Well, I'll wear a few non-maternity shirts, but I'm sure I'm just stretching those out.
Stretch marks?: Scott said he noticed some a few days ago, but I sure hope they don't show up.  I loved not getting any on my stomach with Kylie.  I did get some on my legs and bum.
Sleep?: Some nights I have insomnia and will wake up at 3am and can't go back to sleep and other nights, I can't get enough sleep.
Missing anything?: I'm missing the ability to hold my bladder for longer periods of time.
Movement?: Yes! This boy does move around a lot, but it is further down and so that feels a little strange.  He also doesn't kick (yet), just rolls around.
Food cravings?: Depends on the day.  I like my sweets, but give me some chips and dip and I'll eat the whole bag.
Anything making you queasy or sick?: Only when I go too long between eating.
Have you started to show yet?: I'm going to say yes.
Gender: Baby Boy!!
Labor signs: No way! 
Belly button in or out: Still an innie.
Wedding ring on or off: On 
Happy or moody most of the time: A little moody when I'm tired, but I'm pretty happy. :) 
Looking forward to: The California trip we have planned in August.

It's A....

Can you believe it?!  I am still trying to wrap my head around the fact that we are having a boy.  I have gotten accustomed to all things girl that I'm afraid I won't know how to raise a boy.  That sounds silly, I know, but I do have my fears on not understanding the male brain, so I told Scott that he is in charge of all things boy.  :)

Scott and I both think that it is so awesome that we are going to have one of each gender.  Scott loves the idea that he will have someone to carry on the family name and I love that it takes the pressure off any future children we might have.

 We do have a name in mind that we liked from when I was first pregnant and didn't know if it was a boy or a girl.  I think I'll wait until time gets closer to share it on here, though.  Scott especially likes it because it has a nickname that can be used and he likes the idea of nicknames (probably because he's had quite a few himself).

The ultrasound went great and he was not shy about showing off that he is a boy.  We got some cute pictures of him, including this awesome profile shot that shows his legs above his head!  It's amazing how flexible babies have to be to fit inside a mother's body.  I actually used that ultrasound picture to announce the gender through facebook (to family) and text.  Scott likes calling people, but I like to send out texts because I can send a picture with it.  I made cupcakes earlier that day and decorated half with blue and half with pink frosting to take over to the Peirce's house.  They watched Kylie while we went to the doctor.  I know that Brita and my dad were pretty set on this baby being a boy, but I'm not sure who else had a thought to what this baby might be.

Even though we would have been happy with having a boy or a girl, it still is pretty exciting to have a boy (like I said before).  I do feel bad that there are some things that we didn't buy gender neutral that the poor boy will have to endure--like the car seat, stroller and bouncer.  I do need to start making a list of things that we need to get that are boy related--like blankets, bibs, clothes, etc.

Your family can't wait to meet you in a few months, little man.  We are super excited.

Sorry, it's sideways. It shows up normal outside the blog.

Tuesday Thoughts

This is a post for those things that are too short for their own separate post.

1. I wish that I had pictures from my birthday as it was such a fabulous one.  The morning started off with getting some donuts at the new Smith's Marketplace just down the street.  Then Scott headed off to school while I planned on taking Kylie to the library as it was the last day of story time before the summer.  Since we had woken up a bit earlier, Kylie fell asleep on the way to the library! So, that plan didn't work out and I got some lunch at Wendy's instead.  Then, we just hung out at home the rest of the day.  Scott came home from school and started cleaning up.  I had the idea that my mom was just going to come over for dinner, cake and ice cream.  Sure, it's nice to clean up for my mom, but I didn't care too much to really make things look nice.  I noticed that Scott was getting an extra table out, chairs and wanted me to quickly vacuum the living room.  I was so naive and had no idea what was going on.  The doorbell rings and the first set up people for my surprise party walk through the door!  I was so shocked that Scott planned this and actually kept it a secret! He has a hard time keeping secrets, especially from me.  It was so nice to see friends and family and just hang out and talk that night.  I really wasn't expecting anything big as we were going out to dinner the next night to celebrate, so it really was icing on the cake to have a surprise party.  I just love Scott so much for doing that for me.  It was an amazing day.

2. Like I said in the yard work post, it's been raining a lot recently which is great for the yard, but hard to get out of the house and play.  Surprisingly, Kylie enjoys the rain and wouldn't mind hanging out in it all the time.  I got some pictures of her playing in it one day and they are adorable.

3. Even though baby #2 isn't here yet, it seems like Kylie realizes that her undivided attention with us is limited.  She has become a lot more cuddly and wants to be wherever we are at home.  Poor Scott has a hard time getting school work done because Kylie just wants to be around him and I have to really distract her from interrupting him.  Besides when she was sick last, Kylie doesn't normally fall asleep on my lap.  However, she's fallen asleep twice in the past two weeks!  It is so adorable and although it can get annoying at times (her wanting to be around me all the time), I am soaking up the extra cuddles with her.

4. Now that summer is upon us, we'll probably be buying a watermelon every week.  There is no question that Kylie is Scott's daughter as she loves fruit just as much as he does.  A few weeks ago when we did buy one, Kylie grabbed a section of watermelon and stuck her face in it before Scott had a chance to cut it up for her.  It was pretty hilarious and she ate quite a bit.  Sure love this funny girl of mine.

5. While at Brita's one day, Scott was awesome and played with the kids for a while outside.  They had a lot of fun just chasing him around the yard.