30 Weeks

I am happy to be reporting wonderful pregnancy news! This is the point in my pregnancy which I have been dreading. As you all have heard me complain, by now (or within the next couple of weeks), I was on bed rest with my other 2 pregnancies. However, I had a doctor's appointment yesterday and I am not dilated at all, which is GREAT news! Also, they did a Fetal Fibronectin test to determine if there is a chance I could deliver in the next 2 weeks. If you're interested in the details of the test you can click on the link. Basically, my test came back negative, which is more GREAT news! Obviously, I'm still not completely out of the woods. My body could always turn on me really quick. I am still having "preterm labor" and I am still considered "high risk" for another preterm delivery. I still have contractions all day and night long. I am still on "increased" rest. My doctor added a few more things to the list that I can't do now, but I am just sooo happy that I'm not flat down in bed (yet). Again, as you have all heard me complain, I really hate bed rest so I will do whatever I can to avoid it. I'm just so grateful that for now the news is good. I am going to continue to take this pregnancy 1 day at a time. Now that I am getting closer I feel like that is manageable! This entire pregnancy I have prepared for the worst case scenario, but am now happy to be enjoying a better case scenario for now. Thanks to all of you who put up with my endless complaining. I'm so grateful to have so many supportive family and friends in my life. You've all been sooo wonderful. Thank you!

(I figured that I needed a picture for posterity purposes. I took this myself with my photo booth program while I was in my pajamas. It's not pretty, but I'm sure I'll want to remember this someday!)

Need a Makeup Makeover?

I was at the mall on Saturday and I just needed to pick up some new lip liner and mascara, but MAC was launching their new "Fafi" line and doing some fun makeovers so the guy helping me offered to do my eyes. I had just had my eyebrows waxed and didn't have any eye makeup on (which is probably why he offered). I was more than happy to let somebody else do my makeup for me. I love to see what fun things they will do. Plus, it's always fun to learn some new techniques. If you've never done it before, you've got to have a professional do your makeup for you!

I ended up getting this color palette. I love these colors together. Aren't they fun?


Also, I normally buy Estee Lauder's "More Than Mascara," but the guy helping me talked me into trying this mascara. I am very picky about mascara. Everything else I've tried I have not liked as much as Estee Lauder's, but so far this mascara has been great! It washes off very easy, which is an absolute priority for me. Plus, it goes on great. I also love that it comes in a squeeze tube so that you can get more out of it.


When I was looking at MAC's website, I noticed that they had a ton of different examples of makeup "looks." It shows you a picture (like the one below) and tells you exactly how to achieve the look. If you didn't want to go to the store and get a makeover you could do your own makeover at home. I thought this was so fun because I have a ton of different colors at home, but I would love to find new ways to use them. Check out the link below:

http://www.maccosmetics.com/templates/looks

Another Quiz...

I'm a Talent!

You're a risk-taker, and you follow your passions. You're determined to take on the world and succeed on your own terms. Whether in the arts, science, engineering, business, or politics, you fearlessly express your own vision of the world. You're not afraid of a fight, and you're not afraid to bet your future on your own abilities. If you find a job boring or stifling, you're already preparing your resume. You believe in doing what you love, and you're not willing to settle for an ordinary life.

Talent: 67%
Lifer: 38%
Mandarin: 36%

Take the Talent, Lifer, or Mandarin quiz.

Menu Planner

Because of the overwhelming response that I have received in the past about my organizing projects, I feel obligated to, first, organize and then to blog about it. So, I've been trying to think of some more things around the house that I could organize. I'm kidding! I'm kidding! There is always some organizing project that I would love to get around to doing. Probably only 2 people said that they wanted some more organizing ideas so I thought that I would share. This is so simple and it literally took me 5 minutes!

Before I go grocery shopping I get out my cookbooks and recipes and make a menu for 2 weeks. It usually takes me about an hour of perusing through recipes, but it's only 1 hour every 2 weeks. I save a ton of time in the long run. At this time, the recipes that are not in cookbooks I keep with my menu to make them easier to access over the next 2 weeks. For the recipes that are in cookbooks, I write down the cookbook and page number on my menu so that I can easily find the recipe when I'm ready to cook. In the past, I have just clipped all these together and hung them in my pantry, but it was starting to get too disorganized. So, I made a "Menu Planner" folder. I put my "Menu" on one side and the "Recipes" on the other. So silly and simple, but these are the things that make me happy so I thought I would share!

Happy Valentine's Day!

We had such a wonderful Valentine's Day. We started off the morning with our traditional Valentine's Breakfast. It's the one day a year that we all sit down as a family before work and school to eat breakfast together. Tim is not a morning or breakfast person so this is a big deal! He normally doesn't eat until at least noon everyday. So, I appreciate him sacrificing and eating breakfast with us. My boys were so excited they woke up at 6:00 a.m. this morning. You would have thought it was Christmas morning! We ate breakfast and then opened our presents.


Tim got his Puma shoes that he's been wanting. They were red, white and silver...perfect for Valentine's Day!


Payton & Parker got some Star Wars, Ninja Turtles & Transformer little guys. Here is Parker holding up his Yoda. We didn't get too many pictures because it was so early. We were still a little sleepy! But, I do have to say that I was sooo impressed with Tim this year. The gift he gave me was a TOTAL surprise! This never happens. Somehow, I always find out what he's giving me before I get it. Or, I tell him exactly what I want. This year his gift blew me away. It was so thoughtful. It was not easy for him to do. It was something that I wanted and exactly the right thing! It's a little personal so I'm not going to tell you what it is on my blog (plus, I don't want to completely shatter his manhood), but you can ask me about it!


Another Valentine surprise came shortly after breakfast. We found out that school was going to be postponed by 2 hours, which meant that Payton only had to go to school for 45 minutes. It was just enough time to have their Valentine's Party. Since I am the "Room Mom," I was in charge of the party. It went really well and the kids had a great time. Here is Payton and his friend, Alex.


After school, Caleb & Cade came over to exchange Valentine's with Payton & Parker. We had some leftover sugar cookies from Payton's school party so I let them decorate the cookies. They had a lot of fun. They made some for Grandma Ann & Grandpa Kent. After their friends left, Grandma Ann came over to visit and bring us some Valentine presents. I also got a special surprise from a friend this afternoon. It made my already wonderful day even better!

Parker decorating his cookie


Payton & Caleb


Cade


Tim got home from work and we had a yummy dinner together. I made a Cheesy Cheddar & Ham Loaf. It was so simple and everyone in my family loved it. When I pulled it out of the oven, Tim said, "Wow, that's blog worthy." Apparently, my life must revolve around what I blog about. I prefer to call it "journaling" or "documenting my life." Anyway, here is the "blog worthy" food. It is filled with ham & cheese...yummy!


After dinner we went to Tim's soccer game. We haven't been to any of his indoor games this season because they are all usually after the boys bedtime, but tonight his game was early. It was so fun to watch Tim play. I wish that we could go to all of his games. Payton was really involved in the game. He watched intently and got so excited when our team scored. He kept saying really loud, "we are working these guys." I was hoping the other teams fans couldn't hear him. They won the game and Tim scored 2 goals. One was from half court. What a great Valentine's present!!


It was such a perfect Valentine's Day. When we got home from the game the boys had a bunch of Valentine's on the doorstep from friends and some cards in the mail from Grandma Patty. They were so excited! We all had such a fun day. You could definitely feel the love!

Buried Alive!

Payton was outside while Tim was shoveling the snow. Tim was getting ready to come inside, but he couldn't find Payton anywhere. Watch the video to see what happened next. It's not a great picture because it was just done with our digital camera, but you get the point!

I'm So Glad When Daddy Comes Home

My boys LOVE their Dad (and so do I). Tim was out of town last week and they missed him so much. Every night Payton would say, "It's so boring without Daddy home." Yes, it's true! I'm the boring parent and Tim is the one who brings the excitement into our family. He loves playing with the boys. They need their Dad to wrestle with, play soccer and basketball, do "horsey" back rides, etc. Those are the things that Mommy is just not good at! When Tim got home they were right by his side constantly. This is a picture that I took during Family Home Evening this week. I sat on the other couch all by myself while the boys nestled in close to their Daddy!

I'm Dreaming...

of this gorgeous chandelier hanging above my new kitchen table!! I finally ordered my kitchen table and chairs that I've been wanting for awhile now. They will be done in about a month. I'm very excited to have seating for more than 4 at our table. Now that my table is on the way, I really want to find a chandelier to hang above it that will do it justice. The one that we have in our kitchen now is not my favorite, but I've dealt with it. This is the chandelier that I want sooo bad, but Tim tells me that I need to be patient. I'm just putting this out there to the universe and maybe by some miracle (or according to "The Secret") I should get this sometime!! Or, maybe my completely thoughtful and sweet husband (or any other family or friends) will just surprise me and buy it for me. (Baby present, Birthday, Anniversary, Just Because!!) By the way, It's only about $550, which is why for now I am only dreaming!!

Released...

What does it mean to be released? I looked up the definition in the dictionary to gain a better understanding and this is what I found:

release |riˈlēs|
verb [ trans. ]
1 allow or enable to escape from confinement; set free
• remove restrictions or obligations from (someone or something) so that they become available for other activity


This is what happened to me this weekend. I was "set free." I have had "obligations removed" from me so that I can "become available for other activity." This past week the Bishop came by to let me know that he was going to release me from my calling as Primary President. I tried to decline the release. I told him that I didn't want to "escape." I really enjoy "confinement" in the Primary. However, as I found out, you can not decline a release. He said that he was removing the "obligations" from me so that I could "become available for other activity" (myself and my family). I begged him for another "obligation," but he insisted that my focus be on myself and my family right now.

I was really sad about being "set free." Those of you who know me, know that I don't do well being "free." I love to be confined by obligations, restrictions and lots of things filling up my schedule. I love keeping myself busy! (I know, I know...I need help!) Right now, the only thing keeping me busy (besides my wonderful family, volunteering at Payton's school, organizing and this sweet little child growing inside of me) was Primary. I'm not working outside the home or even cleaning my home right now (per doctor's orders). I loved having Primary to keep me busy. But, more important than the busyness of the calling, I loved being able to serve in our ward and work with the children. Truly, the blessings that I received from serving in the Primary far exceeded the "restrictions or obligations."

Selfishly, I felt like I needed this calling for my spirituality. I was constantly relying on the Lord to help me make decisions regarding the children, teachers, leaders, activities and everything else associated with Primary. Each Sunday, my testimony was strengthened by the sweet spirits of the innocent (and not so innocent) children in our Primary. I had no choice, but to rely on the Lord daily. Without my calling (or any calling for that matter), I would now have to be self-motivated to rely on the Lord. This thought was a little scary to me. However, as the week went on my thoughts and feelings began to change dramatically. I relied on the Lord to help me accept this release. I also relied on the Lord to help me know what other activities I should be doing to fill my newly acquired time.

Needless to say, it is so apparent to me now, that the Lord knows what we need much more than we know. I had so many experiences this week that strengthened my testimony and helped me grow closer to the Lord. This "release" has actually strengthened my testimony more than I ever could have imagined. Relying on the Lord specifically for myself and my family was something that I needed. I felt like I was already magnifying my calling in the home so when the Bishop told me that I need to take care of myself and my family it didn't seem like a big deal. My family was already being taken care of. Yes, I know that obviously I am having another child and that will change things, but life still goes on, right? However, as I began to trust in the Lord, I am now seeing my role as a Wife and a Mother in a whole new light. I am seeing so many ways that I can and should improve my life.

I'm so grateful for the Worldwide Leadership Training they held this weekend. The topic was "Building a Righteous Posterity" and I really felt like I needed some inspiration regarding my posterity. I was so inspired and uplifted after attending this meeting. The thoughts, feelings and messages that were conveyed by the leaders of our church were exactly what I needed to hear. Normally, I would have gone to this meeting and listened as a "Primary President" waiting for some great inspiration regarding my calling. However, this time I sat and listened to the messages as a Wife and a Mother. I know there is a reason that my focus needs to be on my family right now. There was so much great advice and counsel regarding our families. I felt like this meeting was just for me! Again, I can testify that the Lord knows what each one of us needs, but we have to have faith in him and be willing to accept it.

I can't wait to see what other "activities might become available" for me in the future. I know that I will have countless opportunities to serve in the church. I know that there are always opportunities to serve others. Right now I am grateful for those opportunities I have in front of me. I'm grateful for the new self-motivation that I feel to become a better person. I am grateful to be "set free."

Preston or Sawyer?

These are the two names that I am considering for our new little baby boy. I am really torn! I like the name Preston, but it starts with a "P" and we really want to get away from the "P" names (Payton, Parker, Preston?!?) It's a little bit too cheesy for us. We never intended to go down the "P" path, but it just happened because we really liked the name Parker. Anyway, I really like the name Sawyer, but Tim does not. He thinks it's too "country." I really like the name and it solves our "P" dilemma. I would really like to get your opinions. Please keep in mind that no matter what your opinions are we will probably be naming our child one of these names so be gentle. Also, please note that Tim is not even considering the name "Sawyer" at this point so I'm hoping that maybe some of your opinions will help persuade him or me either way. Any other name suggestions are welcome!

Happy Birthday, Parker!

Today Parker turned 3-years-old! I really can't believe that my little baby has turned into such a big boy. It seems like in the past few months he has transformed into a little boy right before our eyes. It truly is amazing how fast these little ones grow up. Where does the time go? Parker's birthday was a fun day. We invited a few of his little friends to come over and celebrate with him.

Look at these cute little boys...

They had so much fun playing together!


Parker loved opening his presents and so did his friends.


Then we had cupcakes...you've got to love the frosting!!


Ryker


Jack


Kyle


Parker


Cade


Parker posing with his new dinosaur


Parker had such a fun time with his little friends. After Tim got home from work we gave Parker another present for his birthday. He got a "Parker" jersey.


No, we are not Spurs fans and we don't really like Tony Parker, but we bought this "Payton" jersey before Payton was born and have had it hanging in his room. Now that Payton & Parker share rooms we had to get a matching jersey for Parker.


Tim's parents were on a cruise so they missed Parker's party this weekend. They came over tonight and brought pizza to celebrate Parker's birthday. They also brought these crazy sunglasses!!



Clearly, Tim's parents are still suffering from jet-lag or post vacation stress syndrome. We couldn't get a great picture so we just had them take a goofy one!

Super Snowy Sunday

Sunday morning I got a call from our Bishop saying that church was cancelled...what?!? I thought that it was a joke and didn't believe him for some time. He convinced me that there was 3 feet of snow drifts in the church parking lot and it would be impossible to have it all cleared. He also said that cars were not able to make it through the neighborhoods. I still couldn't believe that they would cancel church over this snow UNTIL we went outside...wow...it was amazing!! I haven't seen this much snow in years. By the time we went out to shovel it had stopped snowing and it was really nice outside. We played out in the snow for over 2 hours. It was like one big neighborhood party. Everyone was out shoveling, 4-wheeling through the snow, sledding and snowmobiling down the streets. It was so much fun! (Of course, I didn't have to do any shoveling.) Tim made a tubing hill in our front yard for the boys the day before and it was 10x better after all the snow. The boys loved tubing down the hill. It was perfect for them!

This is what we saw when we opened our garage!








Parker Tubing


Check out our neighbor coming down the street on his snowmobile!


Payton, Parker, Caleb & Cade


Tim tubing


Payton tubing


Tim taking a break from shoveling drinking a vault


Parker & Cade


Parker resting in the snow


After we finally got ourselves shoveled out of our driveway we went to Clint & Becca's to watch the Super Bowl.

Here's Tim enjoying the game


Go Giants!


Here I am in my favorite outfit!!


Payton had fun doing this puzzle & playing video games


Clint, Becca & Parker...Parker is in love with Clint & Becca lately. I think that he wants to be part of their family!