Preggy Want a Cracker

Every year we get a new Christmas ornament.
Jace got Batman.  Brynlee got a little gymnast.  I got this one.
Spence couldn't have picked out a better one for me.

My friend Breah is expecting her second child the end of July.  Since her and I are sort of in this whole pregnancy thing together 99% of our conversations are consumed by the joy that is pregnancy.  Last conversation I asked for a reminder, “How many weeks are you again?” 

“9 weeks” she answered.  “I can’t believe it; it’s actually going really fast.”

I responded with an OH, HECK NO! 

And I meant it to.  This pregnancy has been everything but fast.  Uncomfortable?  Yes.  Nauseating? You betcha.  Totally and completely miserable?  Abso-freakin-lutely. 

But fast?  Uhhh, no.  Capital “N” capital “O”.  No, no, no.  As in, not in the least.

I told my doctor at one of my last appointments that I was falling completely apart with this pregnancy.  “Uncle, I’m calling uncle!” I told him.  He laughed and tried to comfort yet another crazy morning sickened pregnant lady.  It’s sort of what he’s paid for, I guess.

But the nurse – she agreed - completely falling apart.  {I really like my nurse, by the way.}  I mean she should know; she’d been the one on clean up duty after I threw up all over their brand new office at my first appointment.  And she was there when I tested positive for my fourth {FOURTH!} UTI since becoming pregnant.  And the abnormal blood work - she’d been the lucky one that called to tell me about that too.  And then when I had the allergic reaction to my amoxicillin and called into the office covered head to toe in an itchy rash, she’d taken my call.  “How many more times you doing to do this whole pregnancy thing, Kim?” she joked.  I ran to the bathroom because the question in and of itself brought on another bout of uncontrollable morning sickness.

Does it make me less of a mother if I despise pregnancy?  It’s a hypothetical question.  I don’t really want you to answer that. 

I mean, I’m aware that there are people out there that enjoy pregnancy.  They get that glow.  Their belly looks like the lady on the cover of Maternity Yoga.  They run a marathon at seven months.  And they go through the entire pregnancy without throwing up.

But not all pregnant women are created equal.  Some experience morning sickness. 

And then there are others of us that fall in the category of weeks and weeks of nonstop vomiting.  My doctor told me it has a name: Hyperemesis.  I don’t care what it’s called, it sucks.

My absolute favorite is when those people that LOOOOOVVVE pregnancy try to offer advice to us sorry puking souls that despise it.  “I hear ginger works” they say.  Or “Have you tried sucking on hard candy?”  “What about saltine crackers?”

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wanted to say “Saltine Crackers?  Get out!  That’s the answer.  Eating a couple crackers?  I’ve been vomiting for four months straight and all I needed to do was eat a flippin’ cracker?”

{For those of you that asked: I'm 16 weeks along.}

Oh My Quotable Friday: Laugh

 

Other things: 

• Spencer took his final yesterday.  This semester was so much easier for him than last semester.
•  I need my hair cut and colored.  Bad.  I haven’t had it done since May 12th.  That makes the hair stylist in me cringe.
• Jace has been a bit obsessed with the princess dress-up truck lately.  But honestly, he makes a pretty cute sleeping beauty and it’s given me plenty of opportunity to take pictures for future blackmail purposes.
• Brynlee loves Kindergarten.  Like loves, loves.
• I’m due June 15^th.  
• I haven’t gone to bed after 8:00 since the second week in October.  So not typical of the night owl in me.  Pregnancy makes you so weird.
• Speaking of weird, about week six of pregnancy I dreamt that I bought the local Jamba Juice.  So not kidding when I tell you that since then I am constantly dreaming that I’m the owner of Jamba Juice.  I’ve interviewed and hired, made smoothies, hung advertisements, even washed the Jamba Juice windows. It’s sorta like my night job.
• Brynlee lost her third tooth this week.  Uncle Jake coached her again.  That makes two teeth that the two of them have ‘co-pulled’.
• I deleted my facebook account.
• Alan and Jaelynn now have the cutest little bundle of pink living with them.  Chloe Jane.  Our weekend plans are to snuggle her.
• Spence is done with work this Friday and doesn’t have to report back until 2012. 
• Which also means that we will be in our pajamas from this Friday until 2012.  It’s just sort of what happens when we are all home together.
• I spent most of yesterday morning reading Christmas stories and watching Christmas on YouTube in preparation for my Christmas lesson this Sunday.  Christmas stories + Christmas music makes me cry.
• Cutie oranges are a fav at our house right now.
• One of my best friends is due a month and a half after me.  I’m excited to have babies the exact same age.
• Tonight’s plans: put together our gingerbread house.
• Today’s plans: do some laundry so my kiddos have clean socks.

Happy Friday-ing.

For the record

Dear Blog-

I’ve been missing you, a lot. 

Cross my heart, I haven’t forgot you.  Just wanted to let you know. 

XOXO, Kim. 

On a completely unrelated note, we are out of everything at my house.  Bread, milk, chicken, ketchup, eggs. . . actually, it might be more beneficial to list what we do have.  Water.  We have plenty of water.  And half a jar of marinated artichoke hearts and well, that’s about it.

I broke the bad news to the kids this morning – it’s a grocery shopping kinda day.  Disgruntled groans and moans of displeasure ensued.

Brynlee made a new house rule when she started school: I could only go grocery shopping on her school days.  It’s a rule that is fairly easy to keep.  Because naturally, one kid vs. two kids.  It really is a win/win for all of us.  But this week I didn’t get it done.  Or last week.  Or the week before.  And today it’s a must do.  I mean, if we want to eat.  And we do.

Fingers crossed that we all survive.  And that I don’t throw up in the Winco parking lot AGAIN.  Because...gross. Just between you and me, but this whole throwing up all the flippin’ time thing is sooo lame.  And sooo exhausting.  And sooo old.  And sooo consuming.  And sooo dang gross.

Oh. . . um, hi there.

So - as it turns out - I’ve been a little M.I.A. lately.

But I have a good excuse:

I’VE BEEN DEAD!

.

.

Err, um. . . enduring the first trimester of pregnancy.

Same dang thing.

.

.

And oh my goodness, you guys, I’ve been sick.

So, so very sick.

So much so that I have labeled this my worst pregnancy EVER!

As far as first trimester: this one’s been the worst, then Brynlee, then my second miscarriage, then my first miscarriage, then Jace.

{In case you were wondering.}

.

.

But then on Friday I had a doctor’s appointment.

And, my favorite part, we heard a heartbeat!!

I immediately declared it the best sound ever.

And then, for a moment, I forgot about all the sickness.

It suddenly all seemed worth it.

The nurse and I celebrated.

{Her anxiety about giving me bad news again was very apparent;

I think she was praying for a heartbeat just as hard as I was.}

And then I texted Spencer who was home with the kiddos.

Heard a heartbeat!!!

And he texted back

YEAH!!!!!!

I could hear his sigh of relief.

.

.

And then - just like that - the party was over.

And I threw up all over Dr. Cox’s brand new office.

It was awesome.

In a very sarcastic way.

.

.

I’m hoping in the next few days I will be able to look at the computer screen again
without getting nauseous.

I’ve missed my silly lil’ blog.

But until then,

XOXO.

In her memory

Sisters
Aunt Carilyn, my mom and Aunt Karla

*****
In loving memory of my Aunt Karla - who will always and forever be remembered for her sweet spirit and kind heart.
*****

In Nazareth, the narrow road,

That tires the feet and steals the breath,

Passes the place where once abode

The Carpenter of Nazareth.

And up and down the dusty way

The village folk would often wend;

And on the bench, beside Him, lay

Their broken things for Him to mend.

The maiden with the doll she broke,

The woman with the broken chair,

The man with broken plough, or yoke,

Said, “Can you mend it, Carpenter?”

And each received the thing he sought,

In yoke, or plough, or chair, or doll;

The broken thing which each had brought

Returned again a perfect whole.

So, up the hill the long years through,

With heavy step and wistful eye,

The burdened souls their way pursue,

Uttering each the plaintive cry:

“O Carpenter of Nazareth,

This heart, that’s broken past repair,

This life, that’s shattered nigh to death,

Oh, can You mend them, Carpenter?”

And by His kind and ready hand,

His own sweet life is woven through

Our broken lives, until they stand

A New Creation—“all things new.”

“The shattered [substance] of [the] heart,

Desire, ambition, hope, and faith,

Mould Thou into the perfect part,

O, Carpenter of Nazareth!”

- George Blair, “The Carpenter of Nazareth”

Oh My Quotable Friday: Creating Happiness

This is Halloween, This is Halloween

I put our Halloween decorations away today.  I can't believe it has already come and gone.  It’s cliché, really.  Marveling about how fast time goes.  But seriously.  It’s November.  I can’t believe it.

We had such a fun Halloween.  Pumpkin painting, a trunk or treat, pumpkin carving, the zoo boo, trick or treating, kindergarten Halloween party. 

Jace was Batman.  He’s still wearing the batman mask as I type.  I think the two of them will be inseparable for some time to come.  He is certain that when he has the mask on we haven’t a clue that it is really him.  That kid eats, dreams and sleeps superheroes.

Brynlee was a Rainbow Monster.  A Halloween costume created in her own imagination.  She knew exactly what she wanted and I created off her requests.  I didn’t realize when I purchased the monster hat that it looked like Mike Wazoski off of Monsters Inc. so she had a few people ask if she was Mike Wazoski.  No, she’d answer…I’m a Rainbow Monster.  You know, in that ‘duh’ tone of voice.  Like people should know.  She looked adorable and loved her final costume so I considered it a Halloween success.

An October wrap-up post {or two} to come.  Hopefully before Novembers end.

But for now, Happy Halloween from our

D O U B L E

r e d

D O O R S

Oh My Quotable Friday: Pause

Photo Album: The party was at my house.

A few weeks ago Mandy’s husband, Nate, contacted me about hosting a 30^th Birthday party for Miranda.  On Saturday we toasted Mandy’s 30^th year in my backyard with hot chocolate, homemade doughnuts, caramel apples and a candle-lit game of trivia.  Here’s my photo album from the night:

Me + Miranda + Jen + Kali Jo
Old 717 Roomies
Jaime, so sad you left before we got a picture together.  :(

Also,

:: The kids had their very first {parent free} sleepover at Kate & Jake’s while we hosted the party.  They had a ball and have asked almost daily when they get to do it again.

:: Kali Jo and I will always and forever be BFF’s.  Always and forever.  And forever.  Amen.  Thanks Kali for helping me haul tables and chairs around and for helping me set up.  You da'best.

:: My husband’s rad.

:: In case you’re wondering. . . a party that takes an entire day to set up for can be completely dismantled and put away 22 minutes after the last guest leaves.  Again, my husband is rad!

:: Someday, when Brynlee grows up, the two of us are going to open a party planning business together.  She is my perfect little partner in crime.

And also, we are sick at my house.  And majorly cranky.  Fingers crossed that tomorrow runs smoother than today.

Oh and one more thing, yesterday Brynlee called me a hot babe{hot dang}! And earlier this week Jace stood on the kitchen counter swinging a fly swatter like a sword and announcing to anybody that would listen that he was the quote, unquote King of Awesome.  Oh how I adore those little monkeys.  Even when I’ve had it up to here with all the crankiness.  And believe me, today I had had it up to here.

12 on the 12th [The October Chapter]

01.  October.  My front steps decorated with Halloween.

02.  Pumpkins.  Painted jack-o-lantern faces at library reading hour.

03.  Fabric.  Stopped by the fabric store for a few Halloween costume must haves.  

04.  Chauffer.  Me and my possy in route of getting our Wednesday errands done.

05.  Mask.  Spent no less than an hour in the Halloween store.  My kids would have stayed there all day if I would have allowed for it.

06.  Gymnast.  Brynlee got a special prize {a blue popsicle} at gymnastics for mastering her back bend.  She no longer needs a spotter.

07.  Kim.  Found my name scribbled on a chalkboard in the viewing room at gymnastics. 

08.  Young Women.  Wednesday’s equal mutual.  Today’s activity: The Corn Maze.

09.  Corn.  There was a fun little crime scene investigation at the Corn Maze.  Beth and I solved the crime fairly quickly.  Our challenge: getting out of the dang maze.  We walked in circles in search of the exit way longer than we did trying to solve the crime.  There was a full moon, we were sweating hot from trying to solve the crime quickly, I was feeling a bit claustrophobic and we forgot our cell phones in the car so we couldn’t even call 9-1-1!

10.  Zoom.  My first attempt of a picture of Beth & I.  An accidental close-up.  The best part of my Young Women’s calling is the women I serve with.  They are so rad!  Every single one of them.   

11.  Pumpkins.  Pumpkin stand at the corn maze.  It was the perfect place for some hot chocolate, apple cider and doughnuts.

12.  Front Door.  Spiders on my wreath.  Happy October.

12 on the 12th inspired by her.

Photo Album: To the pumpkin patch

There’s a party at my house this weekend!  Plus a baby shower for my dang cool sister in law the next weekend.  So my regular after the kids are in bed blogging time has been taken over with glitter, paper crafts and organizing partay details.  And so it goes, I guess.  But, in between the party planning and all the holy crap life is so dang busy business we have been properly celebrating October.  Two trips to the pumpkin patch, a visit to a pumpkin pro’s garden to see a 600 pound pumpkin, family night out for hamburgers and milkshakes, Halloween decorating, bundling up for walks and bike rides, and even a date night.  Harry Potter in the cheap theater.  I’m not a Harry Potter fan, but there was popcorn and Apple Beer.  Plus, that means next movie is my choice so it’s worth it.  Operation Halloween costume is also in full swing.  As is hot chocolate, warm coats and the heater.  It’s been rainy and cold in our world - and I love it.  Though my fingers are crossed that the weekend brings warmer weather.  In fact, all the cold weather caused me to send a frantic email to Miranda.  Something like:  It’s freakin’ freezin’!  An outdoor party, in October, in Idaho . . . ummmm. . . probably not the brightest idea to date!  But I continue planning still the same with hopes that the sun decides to come out on Saturday.  And if not, well . . . our first trip to the pumpkin patch was in the pouring rain and we deemed it successful still the same.  So an outdoor party in the rain may be a total blast.  Or maybe not. 

:: a 600 pound pumpkin ::
:: seriously, what would you do with a 600 pound pumpkin? ::

A golf course isn't just for golfing.

I love my neighborhood, especially this time of year when the daily golfers that frequent our neighborhood golf course are slowly weeded out by colder weather.  Which means we have 18 holes of beautifully manicured lawn to claim as our own.  And claim we do.  We spend our time gathering pinecones and wildflowers for collections and throwing twirly whirlies into the river that runs through the course.  We roll down the hills and play on the golf cart bridges.  We send paper sailboats under the bridge and occasionally we venture over to the 18^th hole and feed the ducks.   I love to run on the putting green barefoot.  Coolest feeling ever.  And when it snows we will pull our kids on snow sleds around the untouched golf course snow.  And I’m sure someday – when my kids are bigger – they will beg to dive for lost golf balls in the rivers banks.  And I'll let them.  To a diehard golfer {read: most my neighborhood} we are probably offendeding their sacred turf.  But we aren’t golfers, so we see no harm.

[[pictures of Sunday evening on the golf course]]

Earning his wings

Remember how I said that the odds were pretty slim that my children would actually die  when Spence threw them in the air.  I move to strike that from the records. 

M’kay.

**read my origianl post here

In regards to the weekend:

::at the concert::

On Saturday we went to the Homecoming Parade.  It was two hours long.  Sheesh.  But the kids got enough candy to rot all their teeth so we deemed it successful nonetheless.  Is it lame that my family loves a parade?  {hypothetical question, no need to answer that}  The parade made me fully aware of the number of dance studios that are in our town.  My heck.  I told Spence that I wasn’t sure which there were more of: auto part stores or dance studios.  Both have a ridiculous amount.  We left the parade with two bags of candy, a stack of fliers, a few pencils, a football and four potatoes.  Way to go, I-da-ho!

I love conference.  This conference session came at just the right time for me, my soul felt weary and it needed this boost.  I think my favorites were the talk given to dads on how to raise daughters and the talk given by Cook reminding us that it’s better to look up.  And is President Monson not hilarious?  And Uchtdorf absolutely amazing?  His talks are always just what I need to hear.  I know the church is true, in case you were wondering.

On Saturday evening the kids and I went to The Standards concert {which now, apparently, go by Spencer’s Own}.  Loved it.  My favorite parts:  Jace clapping with both hands above his head for the majority of the two hour concert.  Brynlee asking if I minded if she stood up and danced.  Jace and I standing up and dancing with her.  Sensing Brynlee & Jace’s excitement when they sang “the lion king song”.  Putting my kids in their pj’s and letting them fall asleep on the ride back home.  Only thing that would have made it better is if Spencer could have joined us.  I called him immediately after the concert though to tell him how much fun we had and to remind him that we have the cutest kids in the world.  He agreed.

We didn’t get out of our pajamas, brush our teeth our comb our hair all day long on Sunday.  None of us.  And it’s just the way a conference weekend should be.

Brynlee and I spent a good portion of the Sunday morning conference session working on her ALL ABOUT ME poster.  All the glitter and gems at her immediate disposable made her giddy with excitement.  For reals.  She loves, loves, loves working on craft projects like this.  We ended up with an ALL ABOUT ME paper doll so over the top and flashy that it would make a Vegas showgirl jealous.  Tomorrow she will take it to school so she can be featured as the VIP.  And SHE GETS TO BE THE LINE LEAD!  So hot dang it’s going to be a great week at Kindergarten.

It’s been feeling a little fall-ish outside.  I’m ready for the weather to change and for the leaves to fall.  I think I will unbury my totes of Halloween decoration from the place they rest 11 months out of the year and then the kids and I can “ooh” and “aah” over all the cute decorations we forgot we had.  While he eat bags and bags of Halloween {birthday} candy.  Oh, and some parade candy too.  Our dentist loves us. 

Happy Monday.

Photo Album: He turned 33.