Dragons, Pigs and Silver Seahorses

It is amazing to me how all of a sudden around age 3, Morgan's imagination suddenly blossomed revealing the world of his mind filled with creatures and ideas that I didn't know he knew about. Since most of his buddies are older than him and have been imagining thigs for a while now, I was beginning to wonder if he was just not going to have an active imagination, and then one day out of nowhere, there it was. A vivid imagination beyond my wildest expectations.

Lately, we have had lots of visitors joining us on our daily adventures. Dragons on the ceiling or pooping in the bathtub, pigs who pester him during breakfast to the point where he wants to go open the door so they will leave, and silver seahorses and a purple octopus tickling his feet in the swimming pool. With a vivid imagination of my own, I certainly don't want to discourage this imaginative creativity, but the pig is really starting to disrupt our breakfast time! So, today I told Morgan he either needed to become friends with the pig or tell him to wait by the door during breakfast. I am hopeful that this attempt to feed his budding imagination does not backfire and result in sort of psychological disorder...my parents acknowledged my imaginary friend growing up, and I turned out mostly normal, right?

Sicky

Poor little Chloe is sick sick sick (thus my blogging while I should be at church)!From Friday night to Saturday morning she came down with a serious wheezing cough, runny nose, gooby eyes and cranky temperament. She was bad enough that we took her in yesterday to the doctor covering for our pediatrician instead of waiting until Monday and it was a good thing we did. She has Croop, an double eye infection, and wheezing lungs. She had to do a breathing treatment in the office and home breathing treatments every 6 hours in addition to a steroid medication and eyedrops. Poor little thing. It does make for some good cuddle time though!

Redefined

Even though my definition of self has been a moving target, constantly changing and evolving, I have always had a realistic grasp on who I am. During my high school days, I certainly wasn't popular, but I was well liked, excelled in academics and most people knew me as a singer (and possibly actress, but I kind of hope not). In college, I was a major social butterfly. I was always planning fun things for everyone to do and making sure that everyone felt included and befriended. I was less focused on academics than in high school, but I was still maintaining a full ride scholarship with a 3.7 GPA, working 2 jobs, dating A LOT, and playing A LOT! Sleeping was low on the priority list. After getting married, I strongly resembled my college self, minus the dating a lot part, but pregnancy and Morgan joining our family changed everything. I became a more grown-up stuffy version of my former self. I was a working mother. I could do it all, be it all, and love it all (thanks to major efforts and support on the part of my cute hubby) until I collapsed into bed at 10:30 pm.

But, becoming a stay-at-home mom changed everything. If you had asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up at any given point in my life, I would have told you I wanted to be a stay-at-home-mom. But, in my mind, I had a picture of what that would be for me...a "cool" mom. A mom who played with the kids and made carnivals in the backyard and went on fun and exciting adventures to lots of fun and exciting places. A mom who headed up the PTA and organized community activities and playgroups and such. A mom whose teenagers and their friends would come and hang out with because she was fun and easy to relate to. This was my mom...minus the stay-at-home mom part. What this definition would not have included was the "Betty Crocker" mom. The mom who has freshly baked cookies every day as an after-school snack, the mom who bakes her own bread to top with homemade jam from a vast expanse of food storage, the mini-van driving mom who shows up early to pick up her kids so she can finish that latest sewing project.

Well, after going, going, going my whole life, becoming a stay-at-home mom lacked the zest and excitement I thought it would hold and has most definitely been the biggest adjustment I have EVER had to make. I found myself in serious need of learning and stimulation for my over-active brain. I wanted to go places all the time and do new things every day, but realized that kids are often happier when they just get to hang out at home and play with their toys with you. Filling naptime with work seemed like a great idea...but when it started spilling out into awake time I realized that it wasn't working. So, I took up sewing, recovered a couch, refinished a houseful of furniture, started making dinner every night from new and exciting recipes, took up frequent baking and learned to make candies from scratch. I taught myself to quilt and make tutus. I took on home decor projects and made my own wall art, and before I knew it, after admiring my own garden and the harvest that was starting to come, I was picking apricots from my neighbor's fruit tree so I could make some jam for my year's supply.

Last night, as I stirred my first batch of jam while it popped and sputtered onto my skin (ouch - no one mentioned that making jam is painful) I realized that I have redefined "Mom" in my mind. So I make homemade jam...it is so yummy. So I plan to can peaches...storebought canned peaches are not nearly as delish! So I sew and make crafts...my house looks much cuter that way. So I have food storage..how else am I supposed to entertain in a crisis? I am also the mom that has a membership to just about every fun place in the valley...and gets her money's worth from all of them, the mom who jumps on the bed, the mom who isn't afraid to put on a suit and run through the sprinklers or slide on the slip-n-slide, the mom whose house is fun to hang out at whether she has kids your age or not, the mom who has treats readily available, the mom who listens to hip-hop and alternative rock and dances crazy with her kids in front of the living room picture window (okay I usually close the blinds, but still). I am happy to be that mom! I am a redefined version of the mom I have always wanted to be and FINALLY, I can embrace that and say with pride, "This is who I am!"

The Marathon

Those of you who know me well, can probably guess that this post has nothing to do with ME running a marathon. And you are correct...this post is a tribute to my overly ambitious Grandpa who runs 3 or 4 marathons each year at age 81 and his story. Yesterday was Pioneer Day here in Utah - a celebration of the day we became a state and the heritage that made that possible - and to commemorate there is a parade, marathon and various other races in the morning followed by festivities at the park all day, some fun Tate family traditions and awesome fireworks. The festivities rival and are often better than those on the 4th of July. I love Pioneer Day - Utah pride baby!

So back to the story, my mom's dad, Grandpa TM took up running when he retired from working. Since then Grandma Colleen and Grandpa TM have travelled the world running interesting marathons...Czech Republic, Disney World, Boston (a couple of times), Alaska, somewhere in the Caribbean, California Redwoods, and many many more. For his 80th birthday, he celebrated by running the Grand Slam - 5 marathons in 6 months and he finished all of them, winning most of them for his age bracket (not hard when there are only 2 in the age bracket).

Well, every year, Grandpa runs the 24th of July marathon, never mind that it is one of the hottest, hilliest (is that a word), and most trying marathons out there. So, every year, we go and cheer him on. I am pretty pathetic when it comes to cheering on the runners. In sheer awe and utter inspiration of what they are doing, I get teary just seeing a runner jogging by, so I am always too choked up to cheer. Well, this year we got a late start so we met Grandpa at mile 22 by Rice Eccles Stadium. We barely got there in time to see him running toward us, so Grandma was filming and my mom, the kids and I walked with Grandpa down to the corner. Since he hadn't seen her, Grandpa asked where Grandma was and we assured him that she was there, just behind the camera.

After we waved him off and wished him luck, we hurried down to South Temple and 500 S. to cheer for him again. As we sat waiting and watching for him, I realized how sweet it all is. A few nights before the race, my grandparents sit down and map out which landmarks Grandma will be waiting at and what times Grandpa should be there based on his most recent runs. And so it goes...Grandma gets to the first "stop" early to see how he is doing and then calls all who are coming to cheer to let them know what time he will be at the next landmarks. Then once she sees him, she drives to the next landmark, and on and on until the end of the race. Pretty amazing if you ask me!

Well, when he got down to us, Chloe went running up to him, arms outstretched and smiling face and got her wish when Grandpa picked her up...at mile 24! I immediately took her back the little stink, but not before she gave him loves. Morgan wanted to be picked up too, but I put my foot down there!

So to Grandpa TM, who has completely given up on the idea that I might ever run like the rest of my family, I hope to be cheering you on from the sidelines for many years to come. Thanks for inspiring me with your dedication, commitment and service. Love you!

The camera battery was dead for fireworks so no pictures here, but thanks to all who came to watch with us...we love the reunion of friends old and new every year and this year's fireworks were AMAZING!

ObSHOEssion

Like a true girl, Chloe is obsessed with shoes. Every time she finds a shoe, she brings it to me and says "shoe," over and over as she stickes her foot out so I can put it on her. If I don't put the shoe on her foot right away (like today when she was already wearing shoes on both feet), she has a complete meltdown until you can distract her with something else. She also likes to wear Morgan, Mommy or Daddy's shoes over her own shoes and wander around the house. She loves her shoes so much that she even takes them to bed with her. Some kids have stuffed animals, my little girl has shoes. I am pretty sure that we are going to be in big trouble when this girl gets older!

Fabulous

That is the word I would use to describe the concert we just went to...John Mayer and Colbie Caillat at Usana Amphitheater. This is the 4th time I have seen John Mayer in concert here in SLC and it made me remember why it is worth it every time! If you have not seen this man in concert, really, you need to go - in fact next time he comes, I'll go with you! He is utterly amazing and hillarious and entertaining the entire time he is on stage! Granted, he is my #1 favorite musician and the artist of my #1 favorite song of all time, but still.


Colbie Caillat did not disappoint either. Some people make really great CDs and are terrible live, but she was awesome. I love her fun, catchy songs and her down-to-earth personality. She is not terribly exciting to watch on stage, but I hope she makes another CD, because I love her music! She is definitely worth checking out if you haven't already!

Best of all, I love outdoor concerts. I love that I can be a lazy bum and sit on the grass while I jam to some good tunes, or I can stand up and jump around crazy with excitement when my favorites come on! It was just a fun night out with the hubby! Thanks to Michael and Sarah for joining us and to Aunt Smelly (don't worry, this is a nickname she prefers and enjoys) for watching the kiddos.

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

Spending time with Seth the last two days has been like a little bit of heaven on earth. It is crazy how stupid things like running errands with kids and watching TV can be so enjoyable when you get to do them with the one you love! I have actually slept the last 2 nights, which has been wonderful, I put eyeliner on yesterday for the first time in a week and I have noticed a little spring in my step! Even though he is working today and I had to do the whole church with 2 kids thing by myself, it all seems okay, because I know that he will only be gone for the day and he will be back to hang out tonight! Hooray for being in love with the man you are married to!

Sick as a Dog

So, I must reclaim my negative comments about my little Roxy. It probably wasn't her fault she pooped in her kennel. She now has some sort of stomach bug and cannot control her nasty pooping, so the poor thing has had to spend the better part of 2 days outside in the backyard heat. Currently she is sleeping on my bed , but as soon as she moves from her sleeping position, it is back to the yard! I have to say that I am glad Seth came home early so he could deal with all of the potty messes before Roxy got quarantined to the yard! So, everyone keep your fingers crossed that Roxy's bug passes quickly...mostly for Seth's sake!

Oh Happy Day

A big thank you to our ward's scouts for wanting to come home early from scout camp and rafting into the late night last night so they could do it (at least I am benefitting from their lack of enthusiasm for scouting)! This morning, as I was telling the kids that Daddy would be home tomorrow, my phone started playing my John Mayer ringtone - one I hadn't heard in a very long week - and I excitedly ran to answer it. It was Seth, as the ringtone signified, calling to let me know that they were ready to head home early and that he would see me today and not tomorrow as planned! He should be here any minute now, and I can't wait! Happy, Happy Day!

Potty Woes

Warning: Prepare for some potty talk or skip this post.

I can officially say that Morgan is completely potty trained. He goes to the potty of his own accord (even poop). No asking or reminders from me, no more rewards for going, just a happily trained big kid! So painless and wonderful!

Then there's Roxy...potty training Roxy took more than 6 months of frequent accidents and finally having to leave the door completely open all the time for her to get it! That is a crazy long time for a dog! That said, she is now 1 1/2 years old and we still leave her in her kennel whenever we leave the house. I was thinking this was a little extreme, she hasn't had an accident in a while and she doesn't really chew stuff anymore, but today I was validated (unfortunatley)! I let the dogs out 3 or 4 times this morning to run, potty and socialize with the neighbor dogs. Then I put Roxy in her kennel when we left for swimming lessons. Less than an hour later when we walked in the door from swimming lessons, I smelled an icky stench. That is right people, my idiot dog pooped in her kennel and proceeded to step in it and make a nasty dirty mess. For any of you not well versed in dog training...dogs do NOT go to the bathroom in their kennels because it plays on the instinct of a lair and they would never do that in their lair. Our crazy dog is just full on retarded about going to the bathroom! Well, I got everything cleaned up without vomiting (thanks again to the toothpaste trick Seth taught me) and gave Roxy a very vigorous bath. This is why Seth likes Roxy much more than I do...he always misses these wonderful moments with her!

Playing Together

I love that my kids play together. They can (and do) entertain each other for hours just giggling back and forth at each other.

Yesterday, Morgan wanted Chloe to play Ring Around the Rosie so he tried to make her play by picking her up and dragging her. She didn't like that very much. So I suggested that he ask Chloe if she wanted to stand up and play. Immediately, Chloe stood up and they played Ring Around the Rosie for the next 15 - 20 minutes! Here they are hanging out together on the couch.

I found Chloe on the dog bed studying up on her parenting skills the other day.

And Morgan has been "Accident-free" for 4 days now (nighttime training is our next challenge) and he loves the big potty! So proud to be potty trained!

We have survived 2 nights without Seth, but we are still missing him like crazy! Morgan still thinks daddy is at work (despite my explainations)...so it hasn't been nearly as traumatic for the kids as it has for me! I am also going through major withdrawals because Seth took the DSLR! Just another reason I can't wait for Saturday!

A Funny Sight

I tend to be more ambitious than I should about a lot of things (I know this is not news to most of you that read this blog or just about anyone that knows me, but it is definitely true). So last night, in true fashion, I decided to take the kids on a walk since it was 6:30 and I didn't have any ideas for entertaining them until bedtime. When I got the kids to the door, the dogs looked at me as if to say, "We're going on a walk, we're going on a walk!!!" So, I decided to take them too. Morgan wanted to ride his bike, so we had a lot to learn about bike safety along the way.

I am sure that everyone who saw us had to hold in laughter because we were a pretty funny sight. I was pushing Chloe in the umbrella stroller with the dog leashes wrapped around the stroller handles and a dog on each side, while yelling instructions to Morgan about when to stop, when to walk his bike and mostly to PAY ATTENTION!!! 3-year-olds are not very good at ignoring distractions! We smiled and nodded in response to a few, "Wow, you have quite the handful there!" comments (in other words, Are you insane?) but we made it, mostly painlessly, about halfway through our typical route, and then turned around and headed home. Morgan's pedal needed to be tightened, so it came off a couple times, but I was able to reattach it with one hand while I held onto the dogs and Chloe with the other.

But, being the crazy person I am, I decided that since we had done so well on our walk, maybe we should drop off the dogs and Morgan's bike and head to the library. Morgan wouldn't leave his bike, so we continued on without the dogs. Once we got to the busy road we needed to cross to get to the library, I realized that jaywalking with a stroller and toddler on a bike was definitely not an option, so we headed up to the cross walk. What should have been a 10 minute walk to the library turned into a 20 minute walk and me pushing a stroller and a bike most of the way. Coming home was no better...more bike pushing and very tired kids since it was now approaching 8:30.

Every time I attempt "the neighborhood walk" on my own, I make the same mental note to self...Don't attempt "the neighborhood walk" alone. Maybe writing it down it will make it stick better!

Missing Him Already...

Before Seth and I got married I made sure that he understood some very important expectations that I had for our relationship...

1) A career as a firefighter, police officer, army/navy/etc. man, or any other "dangerous job" was out of the question!!! Nursing was a fantastic choice in my book!

2) A job where traveling was frequently required was also out of the question, unless I was allowed to come every time!

3) If there were any trips longer than 2 nights, we would have to go together.

Not an unreasonable list, if you ask me, but I was dead serious and he assured me that these expectations could be met.

Well, after Morgan was born, I was the one doing all the work traveling and crying myself to sleep in my hotel room every night I was away, but I did bring them along for the long trips and some of the short ones too. So while I have gotten a little more flexible with my 2 nights away rule, I don't think we have ever been apart for more than 3 nights since we have been married (we celebrate 5 years this year).

Today marks the first day of our longest separation yet...5 nights and 6 days on a river trip for Scout Camp with no cell phone communication or anything! He left almost two hours ago and I am still teary every time I think about him being gone (not that it took 2 hours for me to feel that way: I got teary last night thinking about it, tried unsuccessfully to hold back tears all morning before he left and had a good cry after he drove away). It isn't that I can't handle being alone or that I can't take care of the kids and run the house on my own...he works 12 hour + shifts, so the kids don't usually see him longer than 15-30 minutes when he works anyway...it is just that I love my hubby. Just knowing he is in the next room, a phone call away, or lying next to me makes me happy! He is my sounding board, my entertainment and my best friend. I feel a little better knowing that he is fulfilling his calling and doing what he should be doing...but that doesn't mean that I won't be missing him every second! I know that people do this separation thing all the time and that I am just a whimp, but I have a feeling it is going to be a very long week!

Play-Doh Persuasion

I've never been the type of Mom to knowingly give my child something to play with that would require major supervision or undoubtedly make a mess, but when we recently bought some Play-Doh for Morgan's cousin for a birthday present (after parental suggestion), Morgan has been obsessed with the idea of Play-Doh. So I caved and bought him a couple jars of the beloved doh and he was hooked. Once I realized how easy it was to clean up, I got hooked too since it could entertain Morgan and Chloe for hours while I "supervise" from the couch, feeling queazy.

Well, luckily, there are a wide variety of Play-Doh colors, tools and gadgets to persuade a kid to do just about anything, so Play-Doh persuasion has been our primary potty training technique. I am happy to say that Play-Doh persuasion combined with the one-day potty training method works! It doesn't really take just one day and then no more accidents (as our lunch date this afternoon can attest), but they do learn that going in the potty is rewarding and how to listen to their bodies!

So bring on the finger paints and the glitter...I can handle it...I think.

Everyone Poops

Yep, it's true, and today for the first time Morgan pooped in the big boy potty!!! YIPPEE!!! He also peed standing up and didn't get any pee on the toilet seat...quite the accomplishment in his eyes - and mine! We are so proud of our big boy!

Passed Out

So pregnancy and I don't really get along well...at all really! I'm not the chic who throws up so much she has to be on an IV drip or the one who can't gain any weight because she can't keep anything down. I'm the type of pregnant lady who feels nauseous for 6 + months, can only eat a select and short list of foods without gagging, turns into a tactless individual who speaks her mind constantly - "Mean Jen", gets horrible headaches, gets gigantic - especially my face, and is exhausted the whole pregnancy.

This is why I must apologize to all you blog readers who find my blog funny, entertaining, and uplifting to read...for the next 6 months, it may not be so great! My dislike of pregnancy does not, however, affect my feelings on the result of pregnancy. Once they get into my arms and out of my belly, I couldn't be happier! Motherhood is challenging, but it is so much easier and more rewarding daily than pregnancy (this from a potty training mom)!!!

So, back to my story which illustrates this point... last night we got home from a BBQ at about 8 pm, I walked in the door, felt a little dizzy with fatigue and laid down on the couch. Morgan went potty in the big kid potty after a day of no accidents and I coudn't even drag myself off the couch to congratulate him. I'm sure Seth didn't really believe me when I said I couldn't move, but he, being the wonderful man he is, put the kids to bed on his own anyway. By the time he got back upstairs (about 8:30), I was asleep on the couch. I woke up long enough to realize how pathetic this was and that the wave of exhaustion wasn't going away, so I shifted into my bed and there I stayed, passed out asleep, until 8:00 this morning. Funny thing is, I still don't feel completely rested!

Six more months of this may just kill me...everyone cross your fingers that I will miraculously feel better (like a normal person) after the 1st trimester!

My Little Fish and Potty Tales

Morgan is officially growing up too fast! He started swimming lessons this week and absolutely loves them! The first day he got excited about blowing bubbles with his whole face in the water, jumping from the side, floating on his back, and kicking his feet and he just loves it more every time! I might add that while we were playing in the pool down in Cedar, I tried to get him to float on his back and kick his feet, and there was no way he was going to do that for me, yet, a "teacher" tells him to do it and POOF, he does it. So annoying! Regardless, I am amazed at how much he is learning and how fast! He is my little fish!

In other news, Wednesday marked the potty training day at our house (thus my absence from blogging)! We tried the one-day Potty Party method which I was a little sceptical about, but under reccommendation from my fantastic pediatrician, we did it anyway. Lo and behold by the end of the day, Morgan was walking into the bathroom of his own accord, pulling down his pants, sitting on the potty, doing his business, and then emptying the little potty into the big, flushing it down, cleaning the little potty and washing his hands! I couldn't believe it! It is a good thing his potty makes music when he goes, or I would have totally missed him going a couple of times! That does not mean he is "potty trained" by terminology I would use, because he still has accidents, but he understands what his body is saying and he wears big kid underwear (which he loves)!

This Face...

...cracks me up! Chloe makes the most mischevious little faces!

Cascade Falls

Here are the pictures of our waterfall hike. It was about a half mile hike and Morgan made it the whole way hiking on his own!

One of the most beautiful hikes I have ever been on! Quick, challenging, and stunning...what more could you ask for?

Back to Reality

I am so glad to finally be home! I love taking the kids on vacation, but it is a lot of work and it is nice to be back in our normal groove again! This weekend we went to my family reunion down in Cedar City. We camped at the most beautiful campsite, spent lots of time at the pool with my family and my aunt's family, watched fireworks in Cedar City, endured a night of Chloe crying...all night long, slept soundly through an entire night (quite an accomplishment with 2 kids and 2 adults in one tent), missed all the kids' naps, hiked to a beautiful waterfall, and did a LOT of driving!

Grandma Colleen showed her great grandkids where she was baptized. Is that a cool font or what?

My cousin has a little boy Morgan's age and they are best buddies! They loved watching fireworks together.

The kids had so much fun exploring our campsite, getting really dirty and enjoying their camp chairs!

This picture pretty much sums up how all of us felt on the way home...exhausted!!!

The Fountain of Youth

A few weeks ago I went in for my first OBGYN appointment and had to get some blood work done. Seeing that all my tests were pregnancy related, the lady drawing my blood decided to make some friendly conversation...
"Is this your first baby?"
"No, it is my third"
"No way, you are way too young to have 3 kids!" (this was not meant as a compliment...this was a disapproving 'are you a crazy person?' comment)

This is fairly typical lately ... the looks, the comments ... and it drives me nuts, so I want to share some thoughts that have crossed my mind.

I realize that I am 24 years old and pregnant with my 3rd child, but...
I was not having kids in my teens...Morgan was born when I was 21.
Seth and I had been married for a year and a half when Morgan was born (fast I know, but we were happy and stable).
I had graduated from college before any of my kids were born and Seth graduated when Morgan had just turned one.
We bought a house before we got pregnant with Morgan.
My kids are almost exactly 2 years apart, which is actually pretty typical spacing.
And finally, all of our kids have been prayerfully planned.

So there you go, the crazy rantings of an irritated pregnant lady. On the flip side, the Young Women were over at my house for their class activity a few weeks ago and we were playing guesstures. The word was "Old Lady" and one of the girls pointed to me. Thank heavens no one guessed it...I am pretty sure that I haven't crossed that line yet!

Sleepless Nights

I am a little embarassed to admit that I have been completely obsessed with the Bachelorette this season. Like many of you, I feel a little ashamed watching (and enjoying) it, but I really liked a couple of the guys and was rooting for them. Graham, Jason and Jesse were my favorites from the beginning, so when it came down to Jesse and Jason as the final 2, I was pretty happy about it (I wished it were Graham and Jason, but it was okay). I was completely and totally sold on Jason - he was so sweet and fun and I am a pushover for good dads! So, needless to say, when Jason got sent home, I was shocked and so sad. Then they did the little "After the Final Rose" deal-e-o and I was even more sad. So last night was another sleepless night caused by TV. I was tossing and turning thinking about poor Jason and hoping that he finds someone amazing ... man, I gotta stop watching this crap!

Progress

Sorry for the plethora of posts today, I've been on a bit of a blogging dry spell with everything going on lately so I am trying to catch up.

This post has been a long time coming, but I didn't want to post all the bad without any good, so I had to get to a happy place and this is it!

The blessed/cursed garage is progressing! Here is the scoop...

- Hired a guy for excavation and concrete who turns out to be a flake and a gambler...blah blah blah...he is no longer "hired"...this man has caused me more stress and phone minutes than the rest of the project combined (including inspections, permits and the like)!!!

-We poured our own concrete slab for the garage...not pretty, but level and solid...the driveway will be much prettier (and we are welcoming all volunteers who wish to help us pour;) !!!)

-We have a beautifully framed and ENORMOUS! (though smaller than our old one) garage that is ready for some final sheeting, roofing and siding in the next week or so!

-The backyard is still a mess

-We could not ask for a better next door neighbors in the entire world - not only has John helped, he has taken the project on like it was his own, sacrificed a SOLID week of his time from dawn to dusk, plus the many other days and hours he has spent, and is still excited to get out there tomorrow and knock some more out! The "grills" have watched Morgan, been water girls, and played with Chloe, and Allison has spent her days off helping and making food for us! Seriously, we will never have better neighbors!

-All 3 year olds should have the opportunity to live at a construction site - Morgan has loved the concrete trucks, the bobcats, the diggers, the dumpsters, the trucks that delivered the supplies - all of it! He has also loved getting out his tools and working right alongside his dad!-I am officially sick of eating out.

-I am officially too tired to cook.

-My poor family never gets to eat!

-Seth and I have some totally white trash farmer tans!

-My kids have learned to be more independent.

-I have been drinking more water than ever before in my life!

-Seth is so amazing, strong and such a hard worker.

-Sutherland's Garage kits are definitely the way to go if you are looking into a new garage - they are awesome (and you can hire people to put them together if you have the $$$ and lack the skills/time/motivation)

-Callie ripped her side open on a nail and had to get stitches

-Morgan stepped on a nail

-Seth got a concrete burn on his legs

-Women get more help when they go to Home Depot than men do - especially if they take the building plans and their 2 kids and ask for help!

-We have seen the windows of heaven opened and blessings poured down in the shape of wonderful people who have offered their time and talents to help us!!!

THANK YOU to all who have helped, the encouragement, the listening ear for my complaining, the food, the HARD LABOR, the input, the use of your tools, the help with the kids, the recognition of progress - all have been noticed and appreciated!

Special thanks to John and Allison and the "grills", Ryan - our superhero!, Sherm, Denese, Smelly, Jess, John (my step-dad), Mom, Dad, Michael, Stephen, The Clarks, Wes, Jeremy, Emma, and anyone else I have forgotten.

And an extra special thank you to Seth! Thank you for being such an amazing provider and a man of many talents! Thank you for teaching me about patience and faith! Thank you for giving your all to this project despite work, church responsibilities and school! It is a special man who works a 12 hour shift and comes home to work another 3 hours on the garage! You are the best husband a girl could ask for!!!

Hakuna Matata

We just got back from a wonderful vacation to Sun Valley, thanks to my fabulous mom a.k.a. Grandma Becky! We had so much fun relaxing by the pool, jumping on the hotel beds, bike riding all over Sun Valley, eating yummy food, getting ice cream and fudge, and watching movies on the laptop! Here are some pictures of our fun times...

Saturday we rented bikes and took a ride up toward the ski slopes. We stopped and had a picnic lunch at a little Rotary Pary and the kids loved playing on the swings. This is Morgan giving Chloe an "Underdog"!

Here is Chloe, chowing down! Saturday night we had dinner at this great italian place and they had tortelini on their kids menu. As you can see, Chloe really likes tortelini!

We spent a lot of time by the pool. The pool itself was freezing cold, so we dipped in the hot tub and splashed our toes in the water. So fun!

Morgan wanted to be just like his little sister and play in her floater. Is he adoreable or what?

This is where the kids spent a good deal of time. Luckily they love the outdoors and all that comes with it! We had a couple of "stop the bike" moments when someone was invading someone else's space and causing a scene, but for the most part the kids loved their bike trailer!

This was certainly my favorite part of the trip...nightly Ice Cream runs to Le Roy's. We rode our bikes Saturday night and then went back for more on Sunday! Mmmm!

The only bad part of the trip (other than the fact that I remember why I don't like traveling when pregnant) was sleeping. We had this great hotel room with a full kitchen and plenty of space, but the kids had such a hard time getting and staying asleep. Sunday night, I gave up, so we watched Shrek, secretly hoping that Morgan would fall asleep by the end. Alas, no sleeping happened until after 11:00 that night. Needless to say, we have all slept much better since being home! Note to self: new rule, do not travel and stay in a studio hotel room until youngest child is at least 2. Even then...it is probably still not worth it!

Newbie

I realize that I have done this whole pregnancy thing twice in the past three years and should be an old pro by now, but I still feel like it is all new this time. For one thing, being home with kids is much less forgiving than being at work with empathetic people when you are feeling icky, tired or blah.

For another, the physical toll on my poor little body seems so much greater this pregnancy. This is surprising since I worked retail my entire (up to the day before I delivered) pregnancy with Morgan, but carrying my 30 and 40 lb. kids up and down stairs and out to the car and restraining 2 giant dogs from loving people to death when they visit our house is catching up with me. I guess that helping to build a fence and garage in the hot hot sun hasn't helped much either.

And speaking of the hot hot sun...pregnancy has never caused my internal temperature to rise, but man, it is hot this summer (thanks for letting me get a/c Seth - bet you are glad you did)!

And finally, my first trip to the ER last night after blurred vision, left-side numbness and a bad headache got Seth worried enough to come home early and whisk me back to the hospital. After 4.5 hours, an entire IV, 3 warm blankets (thanks to a husband who knows his way around the ER), blood tests, a CT Scan and some headache meds, we finally made it back home (at 12:30 AM). The diagnosis: a migraine and a pre/mini-stroke type thing (Seth could give you the technical term), but symptoms had passed and all is well. So wierd! That has certainly never happened to me during pregnancy (or ever) before.

So, I hope you will bear with me as I journal all the craziness of this third pregnancy will all the wonder, complaining, and surprise of a first time mom over the next 7 months!

ADDENDUM 7/2 1:22 pm: Sorry if I worried anyone with this post... as I mentioned, all is now well! An ultrasound today showed a strong heartbeat and a perfectly growing blob (baby)! Another new thing about pregnancy this time around...morning sickness freaks kids out! Morgan saw me throwing up this morning and ran into the living room to seek solice on the couch. When I found his trembling little self we had a talk about how it is normal for mommy's to throw up when their belly has a baby in it. Unfortunately I think next time he throws up he will go around telling people he has a baby in his belly - I tried explaining, but it was just too confusing for his little mind!