Out of the thoughts of babes...

Noelle is really trying to figure out how this whole pregnancy thing works. "Where do babies come from and how do they come out?" Here are a few thoughtful comments I thought I should document.

Noelle: "Before I was born I lived in heaven with Corom." 

Me: "Your new baby brother was there too-you were all waiting to come down to earth."

(This led to a whole conversation about how Noelle came to earth before Corom and before this baby. She seemed so confused- an abstract concept for such a little girl)

another conversation...

Noelle: "When the baby is born your tummy will get skinny again and then you can carry me." (This is in reference to a torn muscle that I have and restricted ability to lift. Noelle loves to be held and is eager to have her mom's arms again.)

tonight in the bath...

Noelle: "When the baby comes out you won't be pregnant any more."

Me: "Yup!"

Noelle: "When is the baby going to come out?"

Me: "Pretty soon, when summer is over and daddy goes back to school."

Noelle: "Will your tummy get skinny again?"

She was so little when Corom was born. It is so fun to watch those little wheels turn as she tries to make sense out of life's greatest miracle. We try to keep the conversations flowing, but it is usually the comments that come out of her thoughts that make me smile!

We're home!

We're home from a 2 week trip to Sacramento. I could have stayed the rest of the summer- we were really feeling spoiled and enjoying our time with family and friends. Oh, the comforts of staying in our parent's roomy homes and swimming in pools every day. But, it does feel nice to be home again. We are getting back on track with sleeping, Dan's work schedule, etc. We have Dan home for next month from school. Thank goodness! It is getting more difficult to lift children and tend to things. (Not to mention, he really is the fun parent in this family!!!) We did a huge Sam's Club run today and all I could think of was how grateful I am to have a husband who is so willing to help. He won't let me lift anything and is so quick to do things he knows I can't do! (Like climbing groceries up 3 flights of stairs) We are hoping to squeeze in some summer outings and to just enjoy quiet time as a family before the wild events of the fall take place. We are 32 weeks now and counting down! Noelle is getting really excited! She is constantly talking to the baby and suggesting names. (Still no name-Dan calls him Baby X) I had every intention of pulling out all of the pictures from our trip tonight, but instead found myself catching up on all of your fabulous blogs. Stay tuned- we took tons of cute pictures!

Summertime

Ahhh, summertime. It has been long anticipated and very welcomed by our family. We have been enjoying swimming suits and flip flops, playing in the water, eating popsicles, going to the daily free lunches provided by the city at the park by our house, and just playing outside. The courtyard of our apartments is full of life with kids riding bikes and running through sprinklers and people socializing and BBQing. Seriously, what fun is it being a student if you can't live summers like this? (It's how we all unwind)

The following pictures were taken at a near-by park with children's water fountains and streams. Corom loves all types of water and is fearless and oblivious to the temperature. Noelle, on the other hand is a little more picky and prefers still water.  She never hesitates though to put on her bathing suit for a sprinkler day, even if she only ends of watching from the sidelines! Enjoy the pics!

Family Update

I try to update this weekly with the hope that I will someday get this compiled into a book. This really is the closest thing I have to an updated journal of all of our family happenings and the cute things my kids do and say. These past few weeks have been really quiet. We have had a lot of rain and have spent most of our time at home. I usually try to keep the kids busy, but have been feeling increasingly tired with this pregnancy. I assume the kids would rather have a happy mom at home than a frazzled one trying to play super-mom. That super-woman will return again soon I hope. In the meantime, I think quiet is okay. My kids love mealtimes, baths and toys and more than anything, love having my attention. I have been trying to enjoy the simplicities of our days and my children's funnies and quirks. Noelle has developed her imagination and can play for house for hours and Corom loves to tag along. It is fun to watch them interact, though Corom has a really high pitched screech when he gets frustrated. I have to learn how to tame it. Dan is coming out of a week of interning at the State Mental Hospital in Provo. He says it was quite eye-opening. I don't think this is the direction he will go, but a good opportunity nonetheless.He is back in school for 2 more weeks and then we will have him home for a month to prepare for the baby. (Wow-huh?) We are in search of a good baby boy name. I have searched high and low and haven't found anything that I want to name a child. HELP! If anyone has any suggestions, feel free to pass them our way! I'll try to post some pictures for the family. I am not very good at capturing these little guys who move so quickly.

Discovery

So I think that I have officially discovered 2 of the hardest messes to clean up. My clumsy pregnant hands keep dropping things.

First I dropped a big glass bottle of OLIVE OIL. Yup, you read that right! I don't know what was worse, the glass that shattered into a million tiny pieces or the rich oil that does not like to be soaked up. I thought this one took the cake until I....

Spilt a whole container of Raspberry Ice Crystal Light powder all over the kitchen. It is quite simply red dye. My hands are red, the towels are red, my counter is now pink. AHHHHH!

Now can someone explain to me why my hands don't seem to work when I'm pregnant????

The Long Bike Ride...

We are so proud of Dan for finishing the 104 mile Tour De Cure (Diabetes) Ride in Brigham City today. This is really his first year of road biking and today was his first organized ride! The kids and I cheered him on at the finish line. It's 8:00 and he's already crashed for the night. I think that says it all! Thanks to all those who sponsored- such a good cause! 

Our Week

It has been a really quiet and rainy week. It took a few days of rain before I finally settled into a good routine of being inside again all day with the kids. Since Monday, the kids and I have entered into this magical zone of creativity and play that could only be brought about by being cooped up inside a tiny apartment. I wish I could list all of the imaginative play that Noelle has produced this week. She has played camping, gymnastics teacher, pregnant mommy, mommy, chef, built blanket forts, played playdough, colored, played with dress ups... I am usually so busy trying to keep the kids busy that this creativity is muffled. Corom just goes along with whatever Noelle is doing. (Usually trying to pull toys away) I look forward to the sunshine returning, but in the meantime, it has been nice to enjoy some quiet time with my children. Noelle and I even sewed the baby-to-be a quilt today while Corom took an almost 4 hour nap. (Woo-Hoo!) We are 26, almost 27 weeks. I feel like we have approached the countdown. With Dan in summer school and vacation time planned, I think the remainder of the pregnancy is going to fly! Hope you all had a great week too!

Noelle performed this week at her Summer Gymnastics Show! We love, love, love the program that she is in! 

Dress up time!

I finally threw this box away tonight after the kids have been sitting in it and fighting over it for the last 2 days. Who needs fancy toys when you can play with a box?

Little Mommy Noelle- a little more hip than her own mom!