31 Weeks

We're at 31 weeks and a few days of this pregnancy which means that we are getting pretty close to welcoming our new little family member. I'm feeling pretty good at this point and actually feeling a little like the time has been going by pretty quick. The end stretch is bound to be long, but we've got lots going on and several things on the "do before the baby comes" list that should help with that. Here are a few random thoughts about this pregnancy:

-I felt pretty green for the 1st 10 weeks or so of this pregnancy, but continued my streak of not ever really getting sick. This is something I am very thankful for. I don't know how people do it that are sick the whole time.

-In the beginning I overdosed of honey wheat pretzels as it was all that was appealing. Since then I've been pretty good with most foods although some things just haven't tasted as good as I remember them usually tasting. Most recently I've noticed a desire for soda- slurpees sound quite delicious, but they usually do to me.

-I had some fairly wicked sinus issues for a few weeks mid pregnancy that weren't too fun. I guess sinus stuff is pretty common in pregnancy, but this was a first for me. I've wondered if things were further aggrevated by being in a new climate with new potential things to be allergic to. It didn't last too long though, and since then I've been extra grateful to be able to breathe through my nose on a regular basis.

-My only current complaint is due to acid reflux. This is something I have experienced with each pregnancy. I am currently sleeping with 4 pillows- 3 under my head and one body pillow (I'm sure Lance is grateful that we have a large bed). I've also made friends with some Pepcid and Tums in an attempt to avoid finding myself sitting straight up in bed in the middle of the night with my throat on fire. The combination seems to be working pretty well recently so that has also been good.

-We are still thinking that it is pretty fun to not know the sex of #3. There are just a few new things I'm wishing for for this baby where it would be helpful to know the sex, but overall not knowing is making the actual birth day pretty exciting. Going in for a 3rd c-section isn't the most fun so it is nice to have that as a distraction. If we didn't already have boy and girl stuff I'm not sure I could handle it, but in our situation it is pretty neat.

-Kai is guessing boy although he points out that Lance's siblings each have 2 girls and 1 boy, Rori says girl but she may just be telling us that she is a girl, most of our family seems to be guessing boy, a random man came up to me and told me it was a boy- which was strange, the Wilkinson's are having a boy which makes us wonder if for once we will have the same sex at the same time or keep up the trend of going opposites, I felt more green at the beginning like I did with Rori, Lance will only guess that it will be a baby, and the tech who did the ultrasound claimed that she didn't look either so really nobody knows.

-We still need to focus on coming up with names. We are really struggling this time around and it stresses me out just looking for names. We've gone away from it for a time, but I suppose we better get going on it again sometime here soon. Ideas anyone?

-Lance and I went and did the hospital tour Monday night so now we know where to go and have a better idea of the place. So that was a good thing to check off the list.

-We'll probably get the c-section date set in the next few weeks which is exciting and will make it really seem like it is happening so soon. We'll keep everyone updated!

Letters and Pictures

One of the unexpected things that we have come to really like about our house here is that it has an area downstairs in the thick of things that we have made in to a downstairs office/ homework area for the kids and I. Lance uses one of the upstairs bedrooms with a door for his office so he is happy with this arrangement as well since it means that we rarely feel the need to disturb his office. It may not be the most beautiful area usuage for a home, but it really has made it a place that we actually use a lot.

It is not my natural instinct to do art projects with my kids, so this has been a good thing for all of us. Both kids love having easy access to art supplies and a big desk. Since I got the huge desk and a bookshelf at a garage sale for $25 total I don't worry too much about damage to it which also really helps. It is holding up quite well so far though I must say.

We go through a lot of paper but have been attempting to work on a huge stack of scrap paper that was on its way to being recycled that Dad brought home. I've been shocked by how long Rori can entertain herself with coloring. Kai loves making crafts and with the help of school this year he has also really taken off with his writing. Almost everyday he brings us projects and letters he's made in "his office". I love that he is having fun being creative. Plus it is no neat to see him wanting to write and trying to figure out how to spell things. We hope this is just the beginning of developing a love of writing and reading throughout his life.

So, for memory sake here are a few of our recent favorite works of Kai:

Love Letters:




Inspired by President's Day: (I really like the self addition at the end and the pictures)


Left for Lance on the Counter:


Found on My Side of the Bathroom Sink One Morning (he usually rides the bus):

Our Days...

...have been kind of full lately.

Days seem to be getting filled with school, gymnastics, doctor appointments and on and on.

Kai also started Tee Ball and is loving it. A mom is his coach and she is awesome. There are 12 kids on the team and she keeps all of them busy the entire time doing really good and fresh drills. A Dad or two helps out as an assistant, but she is for sure running the show. She knew all of the kids names after the first practice and is all about them really learning and encouraging each other. I find all of the above impressive, but this woman also has 5 kids. The first 3 are triplet girls that are probably about 8 years old, then she has her son on the team that is 6 years old, and then she has a baby boy that is probably under 1. This lady is volunteering to be the coach and she usually has 3 or 4 of the kids with her. Makes you think- what makes me feel like my life is so busy. I volunteered to make and coordinate the snack sign-up- it was the least I could do. :) Oh, and Rori has to wear a baseball hat to every practice as well.







Kai has worn shorts to school so far this week for the first time since the Fall. We only wish it would just stay like this for as long as possible. I'm dreading the heat coming. But it does make for good scooter riding.



We said goodbye to the Wadsworth's who moved back to Idaho. This is very tragic for us for lots and lots of reasons. Our kids love Cooper and Pace and have spent much of our time here in Vegas with them which made our adjustment here so much better. Every morning Rori and Pace would play when we would drop off Kai and Cooper at school. Pace loves toy cars so it was the ultimate sign of friendship that he would often bring her her own car to play with. The two of them could be quite ornery together at times, but it was hard to be very mad at them with their super cute grins and giggles. Cooper and Kai were in school together, on the same soccer team, in the same class at Church, and really buddies. And well Michelle was an instant and natural friend for me here when I really needed one. Their family introduced us to almost everyone we know, provided us countless ideas for things to do here in Vegas, and were our emergency go to's for just about anything. We are excited for them to be taking the next step in their life adventure and wish them all the best. We're trying to get over our loss. :)


*Not great expressions because I was trying to get the picture in the middle of them watching a movie.


*Cooper's last day of school.



As the weather is getting nicer we're busting out some of our Spring clothes. I love this dress Rori wore to Church on Sunday that she got from my parents.

Kai pulled out his scriptures in church and said ...

"I'll just read the last page and see how it ends."

Pebbles

Gone Fishing

Kai has been begging us to go fishing for FOREVER now. Problem is we live in the Vegas desert now and aren't real familiar with local spots for fishing. Last weekend they were all set to go and then the weather didn't cooperate. So despite the fact that we all went and picked up Lance at the airport after 1am on Friday night (due to a 4+ hr. delayed flight from a business trip) we didn't really feel like we could put Kai off again Saturday morning when he appeared in our room at 7:30am in full fishing gear.

Thanks to a tip from the Wadsworth's we ventured out to a local park where they have a stocked fishing pond. It was late morning by the time we got ourselves together and there so the fishing experience was more about learning to cast and checking out the spot for the future. It was a nice day and a kid friendly spot that we will likely return to someday in the early morning or dinner time. Rori enjoyed exploring the area, taking a turn holding the fishing pole, and doing a little rock climbing. I had fun playing a little with my camera. Lance was no doubt exhausted and needing to be writing a paper for school but he put together a fun little adventure that earned him big Dad points.

This Made Me Laugh...

...when I figured it out.

I also recently found written on a random piece of construction paper: Mathue and Micule. My cousins that Kai adores are Matthew and Michael.



I bet Matt (who really does farm) wishes you could buy a farm for $100. Matt is the new Daddy to a super cute baby girl. We are thrilled for Matt and Amy and can't wait to meet baby Quinn.



The Golden's (and their farming) obviously made a big impact on Kai this last summer. :)