Thanksgiving in Denver and Family Photos

Two weeks ago, we were able to take a trip out to Denver to celebrate Thanksgiving with all of my in-laws. We spent eight days with our family, playing with cousins, eating delicious food, and watching the Polar Express on repeat (Jace is real sorry about that, guys).

It's the first time we've all been together in the same place since before Colt and I got married in 2013...and there was only four hours throughout the week that we were able to get EVERYONE together at the same time. It's hard to coordinate everyone's work schedules when you have an ER doctor and a dentist in the family. Turns out people still need emergency care and dental services, even over Thanksgiving break.

My mother-in-law was so cute and totally capitalized on those four precious hours of family time: within that little window, we took family pictures, celebrated Christmas, AND had Thanksgiving Dinner together on the day that we could all be there. She pulled it off! Despite some stressful moments (I may have found a secluded area and cried at pictures because Jace threw approximately seven tantrums, ran around everywhere, got his clothes covered in dirt, and ate candy that turned his mouth and tongue orange, which was entirely my fault for giving to him in the first place. I blame my pregnancy hormones for my poor judgement, and for the tears.), we had a wonderful time together. Grammy and Grampy spoiled ALL of us, and it was so nice to just be with everyone, relaxing and enjoying the cozy holiday season. It doesn't happen often, and we feel lucky we were able to make it happen this year.

One day, Grammy took all the mom's and the kids to an indoor amusement park called Lollipop Land, which is located in an indoor sports facility, complete with two ice rinks. Jace was more interested in wandering around the facility than in riding the rides, so he and I spent most of the time exploring. We happened to stumble upon a hockey game, and JJ stopped and watched the game for at least 15 minutes. He was completely fascinated! He got a little scared when the crowd cheered unexpectedly, and when the players started banging their sticks on the walls of the rink at the beginning of the game, but it was cool to see him enjoying it. Colt loves to watch hockey as well, so maybe that's something they will be able to enjoy together throughout the years.

We had such a wonderful time! Thank you so much Grammy and Grampy! We love you and can't wait to see you again soon.

(Almost) 27 Weeks: I'm Itchy!

How Far Along? 27 weeks in a day and a half. I'll start my third trimester the day after my birthday :) Baby's Size Equivalent? A butternut squash/boule de pain/a bowling pin/a "slow loris." My pregnancy app is weird. It's also strange to think I have a bowling pin living in my torso. Maternity Clothes? It's a mixed bag! I love my maternity jeans, so I wear them sometimes. But leggings are still my trouser-of-choice, and a few of my trusty pairs of regular jeans. But who knows for how long? Time will tell. How Are You Sleeping? Pretty well, although there have been a couple of times I've woken up because my back or belly does not appreciate the position I finagled myself into. My belly needs it's own pillow again. Jace has had a couple of night wakings this week, and yesterday he woke up at 4:00 am, chipper and alert as could be. I'm not sure if he's growing, or teething, or plotting his hostile takeover of planet earth, but he's been slightly more of a hinderance when it comes to sleep than his baby brother this week. Best moment this week? It snowed! And it's been so cold lately that there is a perma-frost on the grass, trees, and rooftops that looks almost like snow. I love it! Weird pregnancy moment? When we went to Denver, my mother-in-law asked me if my belly was itchy. I answered honestly that, no, I hadn't experienced that particular joy of pregnancy thus far. Literally the very  next day, my belly, back, and sides started to itch uncontrollably. I thought it was just my skin reacting to the dry Colorado climate, but it's persisted since we arrived back home two weeks ago. No amount of bio-oil or lotion has managed to completely get rid of it. Pregnancy is a strange game, my friends. Any Movement: Oh, yeah. Lots. Anything making you queasy? No. Keeping my fingers crossed that the nausea ship has sailed. How About Cravings? I am loving oatmeal e'rry morning...but I've always loved my oatmeal. What I'm Looking Forward To: My birthday next week! And Christmas! And a break from work, and family time, and driving around to look at Christmas lights, and going to see Collateral Beauty (I hope it's good; don't let me down, Will Smith!) and going to Salt and Straw, and using the new perfume Colt bought me but that I don't get until my birthday day...and snuggling this sweet and beautiful boy once March rolls around. 

23 Weeks

Colt lines up JJ's trucks on the windowsill everynight after we put him down for bed. Jace loves waking up to his conveyor belt of vehicles, and he spends a lot of time driving them up and down the length of the window.

The day of Halloween. He spent all day in his Tigger onesie, and loved every minute.

How Far Along? 23 weeks tomorrow! Baby's Size Equivalent? An ear of corn. Feel free to tell me your "corniest" jokes! I'm all "ears." ;) Maternity Clothes? Honestly, I'm in leggings most days. I've worn one or two of my maternity shirts, and my maternity jeans a couple of times because they're super cute, but I have the luxury of getting to lounge around in stretchy pants and my sister's old college basketball sweatshirts most days. Jace doesn't care. How Are You Sleeping? I'm alright! Daylight Savings has been harder on me in terms of sleep than pregnancy has so far. Luckily, I'm still able to sleep on my tummy, although I don't think that will last much longer. Best moment this week? It hasn't happened yet, but I'm going to get my hair done tonight. Hopefully it's still the best moment of the week after I see how it turns out. Weird pregnancy moment? Just my belly getting a bit sore by the end of the day. I also think I'm a bit more irritable than I am typically (at least I hope, otherwise I'm just turning into a cranky old mom). And I do have to be careful about how much and how fast I eat these days, otherwise I get super full and uncomfortable very quickly. The indigestion has returned, and it started much earlier this time around than it did with Jace. Any Movement: Yes! He's a mover and a shaker. I'm so happy I can finally feel him kicking. Everyone says that you should be able to feel the baby kicking earlier with your second, but because of the position he is in, it took a lot longer to be able to definitively identify when it was the baby kicking. Anything making you queasy? Not anymore, thank heavens. Morning sickness was a lot worse this time around than it was with Jace (which is part of why we thought we were having a girl), but it finally subsided at 14 weeks (just in time for our Disneyland trip, whew!). How About Cravings? There's nothing I can think of that I absolutely must have, or that I need to eat it every single day...but peanut butter has sounded good, and so has my Grandma's macaroni salad...and cheesy potatoes. Mmmm. Good thing Thanksgiving is right around the corner! Dessert-wise, I definitely love my chocolate more than usual these days. What I'm Looking Forward To: Our trip to Denver next week to celebrate Thanksgiving with Colt's parents, sisters, and their families. Jace loves his cousins, and it will be so fun to be surrounded by the whole crew for the holidays! I love this time of year.

"Gourd" Times On Halloween Weekend

This year's pumpkin: the silhouette of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

It's always a little bit of a bummer when Halloween falls on a weeknight. Everyone has to work or go to school the day of, and you can't stay out late without worrying about how exhausted you'll be the next day. Or maybe some people can, but I'm not one of them. We're early birdies in this house. Anyways, we were able to do some fun Halloween activities this weekend, and I'm so glad we did, since tomorrow will be pretty low-key over here.

We found out that our ward was going to have a Halloween party on the 28th, but they decided to buck tradition and not provide any trunk-or-treating activities. I was a little bummed, because Jace can actually walk this year, and one of his favorite words is "treat," so I was getting excited to be able to take him trick-or-treating. I knew we probably wouldn't go out on Halloween night, because our neighborhood is kind of hilly and remote and nobody trick-or-treats over here, and I didn't want to drive all the way into town to take my 21 month old trick or treating to three houses before he decided that he was over it. Thus, we felt the right thing to do, the ONLY thing to do, was to head down to my parent's house  for the weekend, seeing as their ward had made the correct decision and decided to include trick-or-treating as part of their Halloween party festivities. 

We drove down Friday afternoon, and Jace spent the remainder of the day playing with Papa and getting muddy in the backyard. In the morning, we went for a walk/run at a local park, and Jace carried a soccer ball up and down the hilly trails the whole time. After he woke up from his nap, we decided to spend the afternoon at Fir Point Farms, a pumpkin patch in Canby that we frequented every year when I was growing up. It's definitely changed a lot since I was a kid; they've gotten fancy with tractor rides, bounce houses, and more extensive dining options. But it's still beautiful, and Jace loved the slides, homemade cinnamon sugar donuts, and the animals in the petting zoo. He had so much fun. 

Also, just because I don't want to forget this, I have to share what happened when Jace went on the tractor ride at the pumpkin patch. First off, it's imperative that you know that within the last month or so, Jace has started calling me by my first name. When I leave the room, or if I'm outside his line of vision, I'll inevitably hear his little voice calling for me: "Sami...Sami? Sami?!", followed by him barging in on me as I'm trying to use the bathroom. When this began, I thought maybe he was just stringing random syllables together, because he'd often say my name over and over again for no discernible reason; however, countless witnesses have independently concluded that he is clearly using it for beckoning purposes, and we are now operating on a first-name basis. So, the story: Fir Point hooked up a train of little cars to the back of a John Deere tractor, and you could pay a couple bucks for a ride. My dad offered to take Jace on the tractor-train, and although little man was excited at first, he became a bit apprehensive once they boarded their car, and the tears started to flow. We knew once the ride began he would love it, but I felt bad that he was a little nervous. Anyways, the tractor started up and sure enough, Jace stopped crying, but he still looked a little bit worried. The train looped around on it's way out and crossed in front of us spectators, and as I smiled and waved to Jace, he reached his tiny arms out to me and plaintively wailed "Saaaaaammmmmiiiiii!" as he passed. It was hilarious and a little heart-wrenching, but mostly hilarious. I don't want to ever forget it, because I assume he'll decide to start calling me "Mama" again at some point, and I think I'll miss being his Sami. And, just for the record, Jace ended up enjoying the ride immensely. 

After an hour or so at the pumpkin patch, it was time to head home for dinner and get ready for the Halloween party! We decided to dress Jace up in the same costume I wore when I was his age: a blue crayon. My mom made the costume  for me 27 years ago, and put it in storage after all of us outgrew it. But she pulled it out, cleaned it up, and JJ got to wear it this year.  He also got to use the Halloween candy pails that we had as kids, and I think it made my parents a little nostalgic. As long as we didn't use the chin strap on the hat, Jace did a great job keeping it on, and he really seemed to enjoy all the action at the party. He loved trick-or-treating room to room inside the church building (although he was too shy to ask strangers for a "teet," so he just smiled and grabbed his candy, ha!), had a great time playing Halloween games, ingested way too many sweets and punch, and stayed out well past his bedtime. He had so much fun, and Colt and I got a kick out of watching him enjoy himself. I love that little boy (and my handsome man, too).

On Sunday, we were able to go and see my sweet Grandma Carol and visit with her for a little bit. Then we packed up and drove back home so we could get a head start on the week ahead. We had such a great weekend. Thanks mom and dad for letting us crash your party! I hope we didn't tire you out too much. 

Since we had such an eventful weekend,  I feel ok about not taking Jace trick-or-treating tomorrow. I think I'll dress him in his Halloween jammies and his monster hat, we'll make dinner in a pumpkin, and probably watch Curious George's Halloween Boo-fest for the last time this season. And I'm sure we'll munch on a little Halloween candy, for good measure. 

Happy Halloween! I hope all you ghouls and boys have a frightfully good time :)

Also, in the interest of full disclosure, our pumpkin was carved last weekend, not this weekend. Just needed to get that off my chest.

And Baby Makes Four

Well, it's probably about time that I share our exciting news here on our family journal. You read that right; we are having a baby! In March! AND, both my sister and my sister-in-law are also pregnant. My sister is having her little girl at the end of December/beginning of January, and my sister-in-law is due with a baby boy at the end of March. Our due dates are within two weeks of each other, so technically her baby could be born before ours. Or they could be birthday twinners! I'm so glad our little one will have cousins the exact same age, because cousin friends are the best friends. As for the gender...

WE ARE HAVING A BOY!!

Two little boys...I can't believe it. When I was growing up, I always thought it would be fun to have all boys (maybe because I grew up with all girls). That certainly seems to be the way we are headed! Early on in the pregnancy, I was super excited at the possibility of having another little boy, because is there anything cuter, crazier, or more fun than little boy brothers? But I was pretty sick the first trimester this time around, and I wasn't at all when I was pregnant with Jace, so Colt and I kind of started to assume we were having a baby girl! We exclusively discussed girl names, and I really only looked at girl nursery decor and clothing (I did the same thing the first time around with JJ. Will I never learn?)...but right before the ultrasound, C and I told each other that because we were so sure we were having a girl this time, we would probably find out we've got a little guy on the way. Sure enough, the universe surprised us (again)! 

When they pulled the baby up on screen, we got a perfect view of his little profile. We pointed to the baby's face on the screen, and Jace immediately tried to feed the image of the baby a goldfish from his snack container. My mama heart may have melted just a little bit. It took awhile for the ultrasound tech to identify if it was a boy or a girl, because the umbilical chord was positioned right between baby's legs. Ain't that always the way? The suspense was killing me. Towards the end of our appointment, we finally got a good look. She gasped, looked at me with a big smile, and I asked her: "Is it a boy?" She nodded yes, and my first thought was: "But we already have one of those!" Haha!! But just as quickly, I fell in love with the idea of another boy, and of little brothers, especially as I looked at Jace and realized how lucky I am to have two boys to love so much. I can't wait to meet this new, precious boy! A few people we've told have made off-hand comments about how they wished we got a girl instead, but I am seriously over-the-moon to be having another boy. Now that we know, I can't picture our family turning out any other way! I love that I still get to be the only girl in our family, that Colt will have two buddies to go camping with, ride motorcycles with, and wrestle with. I love that my Dad gets another grandson, that we get to give him my Grandpa's name, that Jace will have a brother to grow up with (something neither Colt nor I ever had)...I can't wait for all of the fun and special experiences we will be able to have with our little men. Heavenly Father is sending this special spirit to our home, and I feel so honored that the Lord entrusted me to be the mother of boys, of these boys. I hope I can live up to the responsibility, and raise them to be the men He needs them to be. I'm so grateful, so happy, and a little a lot scared to have a newborn and a toddler. How do you other mamas do it without going crazy?! Tips and advice are appreciated. ;) Wish us luck! 

First Pumpkin Patch Trip of the Season

I have a lot of catching up to do on this little blog! It's kind of overwhelming, so I'll have to start just a post at a time and see if I can get caught up sometime in the next couple weeks. Since my last post, we took a family trip to Disneyland (need to organize some pictures and videos before I write about that grand adventure), I started work, we completed our first trip to the pumpkin patch of the season, and I fulfilled a lifelong dream and dyed my hair red! Yep, you read that right: I'm officially a card-carryin' redhead and I'm loving it.

My parents came up for conference weekend, and we were able to do a few fun things while they were here. On Friday afternoon, Colt came home from work early to meet with someone about hooking up our generator to the propane tank. We took advantage of his half-day and spent the afternoon adventuring around our favorite pumpkin patch. Jace has been so excited to go. We've been watching a lot of "Curious George's Halloween Boo," and I always point out the pumpkins at the grocery store and let him touch the ones they place outside. As soon as the pumpkin field came into view, he ran over and started climbing all over the pumpkins. He loved the big hay slides, and had fun looking at all the farm equipment and animals in the petting zoo. He claimed a tiny white pumpkin as his own, and is currently snuggling with it upstairs as he naps.

I made my first-ever batch of cinnamon rolls for conference breakfast, and I must say, they turned out pretty darn tasty. I'm already dreaming about the leftovers tomorrow...

Storytime: At the patch, my mom was trying to make Jace laugh by making a big show out of lifting the heavy pumpkins. She would grunt and groan as she picked up a large pumpkin, and he would giggle and try to help. Well, the next day at home, anytime he touched a pumpkin, from the normal-sized ones to the tiniest mini-pumpkin, he produced the most unearthly grunting sound I have ever heard in my life. I seriously bust up laughing every single time. We can hear it in the kitchen when he's outside in the front yard, and I can only imagine the rest of the neighborhood is wondering why I don't address my toddler's obvious digestive issues.