...and that's a wrap || kindergarten

Life

I’ll be 38 weeks tomorrow. I delivered Brynlee at 37 weeks, 3 days and Jace at 37 weeks, 4 days so I am officially treading uncharted waters. I’ve never been this pregnant before. The doc says I’m dilated to a 3 and 25% effaced and I’ve been having all the same labor signs I experienced with the first two, but nothing yet. My guts telling me I still have time though. Weeks, maybe. And I think I’m okay with that {like I have a choice, right.}

Kindergartens over. I can’t believe that this fall will bring 1^st grade for Brynlee and preschool for my boy. Holy Shmoly!

Today Brynlee told me that on the last day of school Joshua told Kylee to tell Brynlee that he thought she was sweet and hot! {heaven help us} I asked Brynlee what that meant and she said it meant that Joshua wanted to be her friend. I agreed, and we left it at that. It was an unwanted reminder though - my babies won’t always be babies.

Jace is about 187 different kinds of 3 year old excited to be a big brother. His excitement makes me so happy. Last night on an evening stroll around the golf course he asked how the baby would ever get unstuck from mama’s tummy! I answered that the doctor would help her get unstuck. It obviously wasn’t the answer he was looking for and so questions after question he dug for more details. Finally fulfilled – or annoyed enough with Spence and I’s beating around the bush answers – he changed the subject. Phew!

Brynlee is constantly making me smile with an endless supply of love notes. Biggest perk to a young child learning to read and write if you ask me. Nothing says I love you like a creatively spelled love letter. My favorite as of late was the pipe cleaner and construction paper bouquet of flowers. They still sit proudly displayed on the sofa table in the front room.

Jace has taken a temporary break from his bin of superhero’s and has instead been toting around his little guys – a random collection of small stuffed animals. Today after an afternoon at the park he told me that we needed to hurry home because his little guys were having a party without him. {And then he started beat boxing party music – just like his dad always does. Those two are one in the same.}

My neighborhood is a constant buzz of golf carts. My freezer is stocked with Otter Pops. My flowers are growing {well, except the ones the squirrels dug up. little butts.} And we got sunburns today. Bring it on summer. We’ve been waiting for you.

Project: Reupholster Ugly Chair

I bought this chairs at a yard sale last fall.

Two of them actually.

For $7.00 each.

They were ugly.

So I bought some new fabric and recovered one of them.

Well, 95% of it.

And then the morning sickness came {gag}.

And it sat 95% done until last week when I finally finished it.

I sorta love how it turned out.

Days Ago

19 Days Ago I Turned Thirty! We ate breakfast out, went to the theater, ate cupcakes in the park and finished the evening with a streamer decorated birthday party and a slice of strawberry swirl cheesecake. Brynlee planned the day {and insist on flowers for the birthday girl} and Jace was sure to tell me what my birthday present was five minutes after the surprise had been purchased.  Those kids, I love them. And best part, I was able to sneak in an afternoon birthday nap.  So really, all my birthday wishes did come true.

Fun Family Birthday Fact: Right now Jace is 3. Spence is 33. I’m 30. And Brynlee is 3+3. Cool, right?

Another Fun Birthday Fact: Being eight months pregnant and turning thirty at the same time is, well, awesome. The kind of awesome that makes you want to cry.  For the record I’m not really that old and fat it’s just that pregnancy adds five years. And it makes my butt look big! Aaaannnnd my boobs look saggy.

15 Days Ago Brynlee and Jace had a Cavity Free Dentist Appointment. Booyah! Third cavity free dentist appointment in a row. We celebrated with fun dip, pixie sticks and soda.

{kidding}

{Also, do people still say booyah? I’m thinking probably not}

14 Days Ago the Young Women in my Ward Threw a Surprise Baby Shower for Me. And I was so embarrassed. Not because they threw me a surprise shower - that was way sweet of them. But because Spencer was so good at keeping the whole thing a surprise and I managed to show up at the party with unbrushed teeth, yesterday’s hairdo, and no make-up.

I felt like a rockstar.

12 Days Ago We Celebrated Alan & Kate’s College Diplomas. Excuse me while I brag, but that means that all of my parents kids are now college graduates. Well, except Marie. But, seriously, she’s TEN.

7 Days Ago I Joined Brynlee for a Mom and Muffins Celebration at Her School. So cute and so sweet. I cried.

And today, Jace and I will be planting flowers while Spencer joins Brynlee’s Kindergarten class for a fun filled day at the zoo. It’s pretty cool when mom volunteers at the school. But it’s dang cool - as in way cooler than cool - when dad volunteers. Bryn’s so excited. I can’t believe that her Kindergarten career is coming to a quick end. Sheesh! Time goes so fast. I mean, I’m the big 3-0 forcryingoutloud.

Speaking of the Giggles

Of insects and strawberries and the FHE giggles

I got the giggles during Family Home Evening last night. The kinda giggles that make your eyes water and leave you gasping for air.

I was doomed from the beginning, really. Brynlee had informed me first thing Monday morning that she would be heading that evenings FHE. She had it all under control and I was to do nothing to prepare. We are going to learn about insects, do a craft and dip strawberries in chocolate for dessert, she said. Will you tell dad he’s in charge of the lesson? It needs to be about how God gave us bugs, okay mom.

Okay, Brynlee.

Later that day she brought in a canning jar full of leaves and Rollie Pollies. There for tonight’s FHE lesson, she told me. And I was to keep an eye on them – to make sure they didn’t “escape”.

Come FHE time the giggles were already swelling in my chest. Jace requested that we sing the Iron Man theme song to get things started. Again. It’s sort of become our little families weekly FHE tradition. Next up, Scripture Power. Except none of us could really remember the words. So you know, it sounded really good. Jace’s next song choice was The Hulk – sang to the same tune as the Iron Man theme song. Spencer made up the words and we all sang along. Trapped in the body of Bruce Ban-ner, He’s The-Green-Hulk! By the sixth superhero song {all sang to the same tune as the Iron Man theme song} I was fighting to swallow the giggles.  

When Brynlee decided to compose her own song {with hand movements and body gestures} on the spot, I lost it. Mainly because Spencer was standing right beside her swaying like a flower and trying to recite her made-up words. I caught his eyes, sensed that he was fighting his own urge to break out in laughter and could no longer control myself.

I laughed through the rest of the songs, straight through the prayer and through Spencer’s lesson – God created bugs because he loves us!

By the time that Brynlee dumped a canning jar of Rollie Pollies out on the coffee table for us to observe and touch, I could barely breathe. Especially when one of the exhibit insects was a little slow in its Rollie Pollie movements {read: dead-ish}.

Add in the strawberries + chocolate {that Brynlee served on top of the kitchen counter out of a family shared bowl} and the insect cards that Brynlee had us make and it really was one of my favorite FHE nights to date. Kids are the coolest thing ever.

Speaking of the insect cards. Brynlee's craft was to draw a card with bugs and insects and give it to somebody we love.

Jace drew his for daddy. He told us it says, I love my daddy with ants and flies on the front:

Spencer returned the favor and gave his to Jace:

Brynlee made hers for Aunt Katie. {P.S. Kate: She put it in an envelope, added a two cent stamp on it and wrote KATE in big pink letters across the front and put it in the mailbox. You should be expecting mail}.

I made mine for Jami. Because out of all my siblings she’s my favorite:

12 on the 12th [05.12.12]

Dude! I’ve been a total rockstar at crossing things off my to-do list lately. Things that have been sitting unaccomplished for – I don’t know – NINE MONTHS are finally getting done. I even finished the last of mom and dad’s photo albums that I had gifted to them for Christmas, TWO CHRISTMAS’ ago. Over the weekend I finished recovering a chair that has been 89% complete since September. And I’m this close to crossing off the remainder of the finishing touches on all three of the kid’s rooms. I’ve cleaned out every closet, cabinet, drawer and have taken a ridiculous amount of crap to the thrift store. Today I vacuumed and cleaned the van and buckled a vacant baby carseat in the seat behind mine. Not because I feel labor pending, but because the energy – I must put it to use. Nesting? Probably. And it feels good.

This week will mark my 36^th week and we are all getting anxious for our little family to officially grow. My kids are so excited for a new bundle of baby sister and the fact that they get to go stay with Kate and Jake for a day when I go to the hospital to “bring the baby home” is like frosting on the cake. They can’t wait!

Saturday was the 12^th. The day was spent getting things done: grocery shopping, yard work, wrapping gifts and cleaning house. It left me absolutely exhausted for Mother’s Day the next day - which fit well with my afternoon Mother’s Day nap that I had put in an early request for.

Anyway, my 12 on the 12^th:

01.   Cupcakes. Brynlee woke up before the rest of us and served herself breakfast. Cupcakes! The proof was left all over the toy room floor. When I asked her about her breakfast choice she tried to convince me she had eaten a bowl of cereal and leprechauns had helped themselves to the cupcakes. I totally fell for it.

02.  Chef. Spencer made breakfast burritos for the rest of us.

03.  Punk. I usually text my sisters a 12 on the 12^th reminder. Just because I’m sweet like that. This is Jami’s response – isn’t she such a charmer.

04.  Tis’ the season. So far this month I’ve received eight wedding announcements, two graduation announcements, two bridal shower invitations and a baby shower invite. I’ve decided to rob a bank and split the earnings equally between them.

05.  Haircuts. I opened the in-house hair salon for a few Saturday morning haircuts. My boys are now sportin’ summer do’s.

06.  Freshly cut.  And so is the lawn.

07.  Loaded up.  A thrift store load that filled the van in its entirety. Did I tell you that I may be nesting?

08.  Costco. I think 90% of my 12 on the 12^th include a Costco run.

09.  Strawberry Lemonade. Brynlee decided that my Saturday errands were going to be a “Mommy and Me” date. And since Costco, Winco, Fred Myers and a thrift store drop off makes for a pretty lame Mommy and Me date I treated her to lunch at her choice. She requested shrimp at Sizzler + a Strawberry Lemonade.

10.  Boys. And while we were gone our other half had a quote, unquote man party. Crazy boys. Oh and speaking of my crazy boys, Jace can now do a front flip on the trampoline. Which reminds me, I need to get video of that.  

11.  Gifts. Jake and Kate were headed mom’s direction for Mother’s Day so I loaded the back of their car with gifts for all the upcoming wedding/baby showers/bridal showers that I will not be attending. I have deemed myself to pregnant to travel.

12.   Thank You Gifts. The cute Young Women in my ward threw a surprise mutual night baby shower in my honor. Brynlee and I assembled a little thank you gift for their kindness.

And with that I’m off to bed. Night.

Color me THIRTY!

**Pregnant and 30 photo taken the day after my 30th birthday by Brynlee.  Lil' punk! I thought that the stuffed animal she put on my lap before the photo shoot was a nice touch though.