May Update

I have been telling myself for weeks now that I need to blog because we have done so many fun things this past month but I guess that is exactly the reason why I have been to busy to get on here and post it all. Anyways, this month has been a very exciting one for us and like I just said extremely busy. First of all, WE GOT A HOUSE! We are beyond excited and are anxious to get settled in. It is going to be a project cause there is so much work to be done but we can't wait. I say there is a lot of work but to be honest, the house is on 5 years old and is in amazing condition but it is basically a blank canvas. Everything is white. So that means there is a lot of work to do to make it "ours" so that it feels like a home...so if anyone has some cute house crafts and decorating ideas, I am up for suggestions :) Here is a look at the outside of the house.

It is in a gated community and a beautiful neighborhood. We couldn't be more pleased. And we will also be in the same ward with a lot of family and friends (when I say a lot I mean I am basically related to or good friends with probably half the ward) so we should feel right at home :)

For Mother's day my mom wanted our whole family to go to the flower fields out in Carlsbad. Some of the boys weren't too excited but since we all love and adore our mom they decided to go. It was really pretty there and the kids had a ton of fun running around and getting stamps at the different stations.We went on one of the last days of the season so a lot of the flowers had died and the colors were fading but it was still really pretty and it was fun to do something together as a family.

Blake anxiously waiting to go inside the flower fields.

 

One of the highlights of the day was the sweet pea maze. We all went in thinking it was going to be really easy but we were wrong. Blake wanted to show off and beat everyone so he ran through the maze.  Blake wanted some additional entertainment so he t had Benjamin and Devon go though the maze again and race and bribed the winner with $2. These boys will do anything for money. It was actually pretty funny because Devon kept getting lost and going back the same direction. We finally had to send Byran in to help find him. 

Blake running through the maze

Blake being really proud of beating everybody through the maze.

Benjamin the winner of the Blake's bribe

Kurt and Natalee

Bryan dragging Kira through the maze.

A couple of weeks ago, my mom, my aunt Dottie, Brittany, and I went to the Ellen Degeneres Show.   My mom and Dottie were super excited because 2 of the guest stars were Donny and Marie Osmond. Brittany and I were a little more excited for Bradley Cooper but hey it worked out. It was a fun outing and we all got Donny and Marie CD's (whoopy)  but my goal is to get on the Mother's day show one of these times. I tried so hard to get tickets for that show but I didn't know how so if anyone knows the secret please fill me in. I was heartbroken that I couldn't get on this year since they always give away amazing stuff. Oh well. I guess I will just have to get pregnant next Mother's Day ;)

A couple of weekends ago we celebrated Kurt's (Blake's brother) birthday. We went to Cafe Rio down in Irvine and then went ice skating and then back to Andrea's house for cupcakes. Since I couldn't ice skate, I got to hang out with Liddy and be the photographer so I had a great time. Tyson and Carter had so much fun, probably because they had their aunt and uncles hold their hand the whole time and take them around the rink. Neither of them wanted to leave.

Blake and Tyson getting ready to ice skate.

Ryan and Liddy

Cute Liddy

Singing Happy Birthday to Kurt.

This past weekend we also had Kaiden's 5th Birthday Party and it was a carnival theme. It was so much fun and the kids all had a blast. There was a bounce house, carnival games where the kids could earn tickets, prizes, food, cake, and great company. Too bad I couldn't find my phone for most of the party and I didn't get a chance to take pictures but  hopefully Brittany will post some soon so I can steal some of them. It was a fun day! I did however steal a picture of this cute guy....

Christopher is such a good baby and every time I hold him it makes me more and more excited to have one of my own. I could honestly just stare at him for hours. I can't wait for our little guy to get here so those two can be buddies and hang out together.

I know this is a long post but I have one last story for your entertainment. The other day when we were leaving Kaiden's birthday party we noticed a nasty smell coming out of our air conditioning. So Blake decides to pull over and open up the hood of the car and take a peak at what could be making our car smell so bad. Well, apparently, my car is a mobile home for a rat. Yes you heard me correct. A rat has been living the luxury life in the hood of my car. Here is his little set up....

Let me explain what you are looking at. No we did not put a dog bowl in the hood of my car. That is where you change the oil and the little guy has been stealing our dog Colby's food and making a little food storage for himself. That little grey circle is his nest that he made out of the ventilation on the car. So as you can see, we aren't dealing with your average rat. He is a smart guy with a lot of creativity. We even put rat poison out and he ate all the up as well and yet he is still just chillin in my car. I wonder if he ever goes on rides with me or if he peaces out once I get in?  It is a mystery to me.

LOVE vs. don't love

These past few weeks I have been thinking a lot about things that make me happy and how blessed I am. Of course with all the good there are some things that I wish I could change but I guess those things are there to help us to appreciate the good things. Here is what has been on my mind...

Things that I LOVE <3      
                                             
1. Spending time with Blake. Honestly, I take every second I can get with him and I try to cherish it (ok that might seem a little over the top) but seriously, I just love being with him. My favorite part to any day is getting in bed and just talking (until Blake falls asleep which somethings is in like 2 minutes because he is so tired but I take what I can get.)

2. Feeling the baby move. Seriously, one of the coolest things I have ever experienced. Even though I have felt him move for a couple of weeks now, it still never gets old. I love to just sit and watch my belly move and it never fails to put a smile on my face. Oh look, there he is kicking right now. He must know that I am talking about him.

3. Taking long, hot showers. I don't know why but this has become something that I look forward to everyday. Most days I take 2 showers just because I love it so much. I could honestly just sit there for 30 minutes and be completely happy.

4. Being able to exercise. I realize how much I took working out for granted before because over the past couple of months it has become a lot more difficult for me to do but I still love it. If I miss a day, I feel totally out of wack. I am so glad that I am still able to at least jog even though this belly is making it a little bit more difficult. I definitely do a lot more walking now but sometimes I still like to jog just to know that I still can :)

5. Being an aunt. I honestly love just hanging out with my nieces and nephews. They are all so different but so much fun to be with. They never fail to put a smile on my face.

6. Being with family. This is a given but I feel so lucky to have such an awesome family.

7. Reading a good book. I think this year alone I have read more books than I have ever read before...and I love it! Getting lost in a book is one of the best things ever. Some good ones I have read recently... The Help, Matched, The Secret Life of Bees, The Host, A Thousand Splendid Suns. The Five People You Meet in Heaven, Lemon Tart. So those are just a few from the top of my head. There are so many more.

Things I don't love....

1. Blake's work hours. Don't get me wrong, I am SO GRATEFUL that Blake has a good, stable job but he is always gone and his commute is miserable. He sometimes has to work Saturday's which is usually our one day to hang out and get stuff done. I try not to complain but can't a girl want to hang out with her husband. I guess that is a good thing right?

2. Not being able to sleep.  Getting a full night of good sleep has taken on a whole other meaning to me.  I lay in bed just wishing I could sleep on my stomach meanwhile tossing and turning from side to side because my body is so sore from not being about to get comfortable.   I have to admit that I try to sleep on my back for a little bit to give my sides a rest but then I start to go numb so I have to turn back over. I can't wait for that first night when I can sleep on my stomach again. It will be a beautiful night. The plus, however, is that I blog early in the morning..meaning 4 am.  haha Since I can't sleep, I might as well get something done right.

3. Not being able to play soccer.  I didn't realize how much I missed it until I went to my cousin Tahna's soccer game a few weeks ago.  I wanted to be out there so bad!  Whenever I see a ball lying around I still try to juggle but it isn't the same. (cool but totally random..my uterus is now the size of a soccer ball!) And of course I miss all the girls on the BYU team.  Once you move away is it hard to keep in touch as well as you would like but that's not to say I don't miss them all like crazy.

4. Not fitting into clothes. So I feel like I have been in this awkward stage of pregnancy for quite some time now and I just can't get out of it. I still fit into a lot of my pre-pregnancy clothes but they are quite snug on me. Let's just say my shirts are quite form fitting. However, when I wear maternity shirts, they make me look like an oompa loompa. Seriously. Not flattering at all. And when I do wear them, I get blamed for trying to camouflage my belly. Really, I'm not trying to hide it anymore, I know it's there and it isn't going to get any smaller. I'm just trying to wear a shirt that fits ok.

5. Losing my mind. Sometimes I feel like I have lost it.  I can't tell you how many times I have forgotten where I put my phone and I am searching for several minutes before I realize it's in my pocket. I am hoping I can blame this on pregnancy.... if you haven't noticed, I like to blame everything on being pregnant because that means I have an excuse.