end of summer ~ library carnival

Last weekend our library held a "Summer Blast Reading Carnival". I guess they do this every summer, though this is the first time we participated. We will definitely do it every year now- it was so much fun!

During the summer, library members read at least 10 hours with their kids and when they have that completed they get a bunch of fun prizes. Well, we didn't win any of the raffle ticket prizes but we did get free zoo tickets, book totes, two new books, and passes to the carnival (which was 100% FREE- the best!).

Since the carnival was on a Friday afternoon, Jonathan took a half-day at work so he could come with us (and thank goodness...because everything is so much harder these days with two kids). The carnival was on this cute plaza downtown and all the activities and treats were totally free! Did I already mention that? haha...free is good. We try to go to places when something FREE is involved- i.e. the movies, zoo, Ikea, etc. We are big fans of free :) Okay moving on...

The kids definitely had a BLAST!

The firetruck was pretty cool. Talmage could hardly believe he was actually sitting in one, haha. His face was priceless. 

Funny little side story...right before it was our turn to "tour" the truck, the firemen got a call on their radios for a fire and they quickly shut all the doors, jumped in the truck, and turned on the lights and engine. Talmage was about to completely break down when he realized he wouldn't get to sit in the truck...it was pretty devastating for second. And then just as quickly as they got ready to leave, they jumped right back out and said another dispatch would take care of it. Whew! I would have NEVER heard the end of that one! haha.

All the little booths had some different appeal...whether it was bubbles, prizes, or rockets flying into the air! I didn't get any pics of the rockets because it all happened so fast :) There were also some animals they got to pet. I couldn't believe that Charlotte would touch the snake but not the turtle...she is so weird sometimes!

These guys are face-painting pros now...they know to sit still and not wipe it off for *at least* an hour afterwards :)

I love all the fun that summertime brings! It's bittersweet welcoming the fall season but boy, am I ready! Fall means pumpkins and pumpkin patches and pumpkin baked goods and BABY :D

30 weeks

Two weeks ago I had my third-trimester appointment with my midwife. Whoohoo! This pregnancy has gone by super fast...all thanks to the two littles keeping me busy at home :)

People often ask me how far along I am and it takes me a minute to remember what week I'm on. But when I feel baby's kicks getting stronger each week I'm reminded that she is growing and will be here before we know it!

I've been taking the kids with me to my appointments so they can hear her heartbeat, and while this has been wonderful and awesome...I think I need to go to the rest of them by myself. It's nearly impossible to talk to the midwife without T or C competing for attention. They are so loud and distracting during appointments. Guess I need to find a babysitter, ha.

Last night for our FHE we took a tour of the labor and delivery floor of the hospital. I really wanted to do this since I've never birthed at this hospital before. Thankfully our hospital is really nice and I have no concerns about the care I'll receive there. I was also happy to see they have tubs in each room for laboring as well as giant bouncy balls to sit on and essential oils for natural delivery. :) I can hardly wait!!

Anyway, a few weeks ago the results from my glucose test revealed that I was anemic (low iron). I was surprised to get this phone call because I've been feeling fine...but, the weird thing is I've had the feeling that I needed more iron for the last few weeks before that. I stopped taking prenatals from the get-go because of how sick they made me, and have been taking multi-vitamin gummies instead. The gummies have no iron in them and iron is one of those things you NEED when growing a baby :) I'm not a vegetarian but I eat very little red meat...and I just kept feeling like I needed to be taking an iron supplement despite physically feeling okay.

The nurse on the phone told me which kind of supplement to take and said I'd be feeling much better within a week. I wondered what could be wrong with me since I felt fine...but after being on the iron (AND back on the prenatals) for a few weeks I can totally tell a difference. I'm not as tired and weak, and the stiff soreness in my calves is gone. I was having awful, gut-wrenching charlie horses at night and sometimes while walking around. I had no idea it was due to iron deficiency. Also I'm no longer seeing black spots when I stand up. So grateful for modern medicine!

With every pregnancy there's always been an "issue". Not terrible things but something that made it uncomfortable. With T it was never-ending morning sickness/heartburn, with C it was a five month long yeast infection, and with this one it's definitely joint pain. Not just the weak support in my ankles, but... basically, all the bones around where the baby is feel like they're on fire like all the time. Some days are worse than others, and it's not always unbearable. One night this week, I could literally feel the baby's bum in my lower abdomen and it was pinching the nerve in just the right way so that I couldn't walk or put pressure on my right side.  I'm trying to stay positive and think of it as my body preparing for labor pains so it won't come as a total shock to the system. ha.

But pains aside, it is still so comforting to feel her moving around in there. The kicks/punches are so hard that when Jonathan and I are on the couch watching tv with a few blankets between us, he can feel her movements. The kids like to put both their hands on my belly and talk to her while she wiggles. Charlotte is constantly singing songs with her mouth on my stomach...its pretty darn cute.

I have to say that I've enjoyed this pregnancy probably a bit more than the others...I don't have hardly as much anxiety or physical discomfort. Living in a house (albeit small) has made me feel somewhat better about bringing baby home, and the kids are invested in getting to meet her and love on her :) It's also been nice not to have to buy anything aside from the materials needed to paint or sew stuff. With my other two pregnancies I felt like the months were going by so slow and I was counting each week, but it's completely the opposite this time around. Every month just FLIES by... I can't stress this enough. haha. It truly feels like the world is spinning so much faster.

As far as her name goes, we are sticking with our choice. I can't come up with any other name that I'm more in love with or that feels as right. We will see if that changes or not!

With just 10 weeks left, we're trying to stay motivated to get things done! This weekend we sanded and painted the crib, assembled it, and I stayed up till 1 am sewing a crib skirt. I still have a few more sewing projects to do and I need to do a few finishing touches on T & C's rooms. Not to mention all the OTHER stuff to get done between now and November...fall is always pretty busy for us (still my favorite season though!).

We can't wait to hold this little gal! Still I hope she takes her time... I do not want to go into labor before November! *fingers crossed*

kids really do say the darndest things

On a daily basis, things come out of my kids mouths that make NO sense whatsoever but are the funniest things I've ever heard. I really should write them down more often. When I was active on Facebook I would usually post them into my status, but now there's no proper place for all the little quotes to go :/ So, why not here? I have to share just a few...

Hold onto your pants, folks...these children of mine are so random.

Talmage:

Still half asleep, walking out of the bathroom one morning- "That candy in the toilet was really good."

"I don't like the dark but it's okay because I have blue shiny eyes that belong in the dark and light up the dark."

A lot of times Talmage will attempt to tell me about his dreams. We all know that dreams make no sense, so when he starts to recall (in great, elaborate detail) these dreams of his, it's pretty funny.

Charlotte:

She's been talking in this annoying baby voice lately, so I told her she was a big girl and she looked at me very serious and said "I... am a big...MAN."

She was sitting on my lap and put her hands on either side of my belly, then pulled backwards with all her might. I asked her what she was doing and her reply: "I want to hold the baby. Baby, get OUT! Puuullllll........" When the baby didn't come out, she slapped my stomach and grumpily muttered, "Baby gets a spank."

"We go to the boobies?"
me: "The what now?"
"The BOOBIES. I love da boobies, mommy. I eat popcorn!"
(the movies, not boobies. lol)

Sometimes kids can be really creepy. I see this most in T...usually his haunting epiphanies come to him in the car seat as he gazes out the window. He's said some pretty weird things, such as-
"I know that man. He was at my window.... but then I died and now I'm a boy again."

Or when I go into his room to tuck him in he'll say "Mom...that shadow over there...it moves when you go out. But it told me not to be scared."

LIKE FOR REAL. My children give me goose-bumps. I can't fall asleep for a while after those kinds of comments...

Sometimes the things they say are so pathetic, but then I want to shower them with sympathy. Like Charlotte, in her car seat on the way home from church, groans through her tears: "I...SO...TIRED." It's even more pathetic in person.

And sometimes the things they say are just so darn sweet and just what I need to hear...

like a few nights ago when C threw her arms around me after family prayer and said "I wub you soooo much." Out of nowhere. Just pure adorable-ness.

Or when Talmage hugs his sister and says, "Charlotte, I'm happy to have you as a sister. You're little but I just love you."

Or, "I cleaned up ALL my toys, mom. Can I watch a show and you can go to sleep on the couch?" Um, yes, I think that's a swell idea, son! 

I wish I could remember and record every thing they say... but then I would be typing at my computer all day long :) I'm grateful for their un-realized humor that they so generously shower on our sometimes boring stay-at-home lifestyle. They really are the best.

a day on the coast

This last weekend it was supposed to be HOT, so we decided the only proper thing was to go to the beach!

We started off with Otter Rock (Depoe Bay) for a few reasons. We like this spot because of Mo's (a really yummy place to eat- famous for their clam chowder!) and because of the view from the lookout point. We also wanted to explore the beach on the other side of Otter Rock that we've heard good things about. Honestly it was just a beach like any other...but still really pretty!

It sure wasn't hot at this point, but it was warming up. It's a very lucky thing if you can be at the Oregon coast on hot day. We kept checking the temperatures on our phones and it was just inching its way up there.

At the lookout we watched the tides come in and out of "Devil's Punch Bowl". The wind was really strong, as evidenced by Charlotte's 70's hair and flying skirt. ha ha.

We had lunch at Mo's before continuing on. This particular Mo's is super small and crowded, and they don't have as big of a menu, but we like it for the toy sharks that the kids get :) As far as I know it's the only Mo's that gives out these little sharks. We like collecting them for our tub of bath toys :)

The next stop was Pacific City. Luckily the kids slept in the van on the way there. We came here last summer and the tide pools were really fun so we decided to come back. Sadly, no starfish this time :( But it was still a good spot- we set up the shade by the rocks and streams so the kids could play close to us.

It wasn't long before I realized that I left my SD card for my camera at home, so I wasn't able to take any nice pictures. Thankfully Jonathan's phone has a better camera on it than mine does.

On the other side of us, there was this GIANT sand dune that lots of people were climbing up and running down. It looked like fun, and when I mentioned that we should climb it Jonathan gave me a look that said "Are you sure you can do that?...being pregnant and injured and all?"

But it was lot easier than it looked. Charlotte was a little champ- I was so impressed! It got to a point where we were so high up and she got scared, so I bear-crawled around her to make her feel safe.

*This next video is a little long but it puts a huge smile on my face. You can see from all the teeny tiny people walking on the shore how high up we were, yet the dune was slanted just perfectly so that it wasn't too steep. Talmage rolled alllll the way down the dune and Charlotte scooted on her bum. It was the cutest thing ever.  These kids crack me up...I love how different their personalities are. Notice at the VERY end how C falls running towards her daddy. I shouldn't laugh as I watch it but I totally do anyways.

It never did get super hot (just really, really windy), and I don't think any of us got more tan :( But we had great time playing and exploring. It will probably be a while before we go again (if we do go again this summer), because we have so much to get done at home and well...it's a LOT of work getting things gathered for a beach day. I'm so grateful that we live close to the coast and are able to go all year long.

We ended our day with a trip to Dairy Queen for blizzards and no dinner. haha...well, we had car snacks...but, sometimes it's just necessary to have ice-cream for dinner. And they were GOO-OOD.

We miss the beach already. Hopefully we can go again next month!

just keep swimming...

 I have a few friends in our old ward that talked me into signing up Talmage for swim lessons this summer :) It went for two weeks- EVERY morning- for about an hour each day overall (from the time we arrived till we were changed into dry clothes to leave). It was madness. Here is why:

One- I sprained my ankle the night before his first day of swim. It was a terrible, excruciating sprain that put my ankle in bandages and a boot and I relied solely on crutches to get around. Packing up two wild children into the van each day and across a parking lot into a wet, slippery pool area where I needed to watch their every move was not ideal for me at the time. Since I was in so much pain the first day, Jonathan took off work to help me out. So day 1 wasn't too bad...just slow.

I ended up leaving my crutches at home each time after that, because with the bag/towels/floatie I had to carry it just wasn't happening. I hobbled around the pool for the rest of that week and as SOON as we were home put both feet up, iced them, rubbed them, and stayed on the couch for the rest of the day. haha.

The next week was much better being up on my feet- I think there was some divine intervention that allowed my sprain to heal faster than expected. It still has not healed completely- my calf is bruised and tender and the muscles are tense- but I can walk around SO much better. I can't even say how thankful I am for this tender mercy.

Two- it became difficult to keep my eye on both kids the whole time. Talmage needed constant attention because he would not listen to his teacher when she said "stay on the steps". This both worried and frustrated me....I hate to be "that mom" whose kid won't listen to anything, but with Talmage I find myself in this situation a lot lately. He just gets so excited and sometimes I think he literally tunes everyone out. He also had fluid in one of his ears a few months back and that led to some temporary hearing loss, which I'm not sure he still has or not. Bottom line- he is a handful. I know it, his swim teacher knows it, his Primary teachers know it....and it gets really stressful at times.

Three- it is just plain out HARD to be up and ready for the day at 10 am for two weeks in a row. When I was single and working two jobs, I used to get up at 5 and it was no big deal. But having gotten used to my "mommy schedule", it's much more of a challenge to be showered, dressed, made up, packed up, fed, and have all the same things for the kids done before we go. I don't mean to complain- but it's a fact that it wasn't what we were used to.

Anyways! Talmage LOVED swim lessons and I really am soooo glad we did it :) He learned so much and is such a confident little swimmer now...except I don't know if that's a good thing or not. I am so paranoid when it comes to water safety and he pretty much thinks he's Superman and can do anything... so we're going to have to keep a close eye on that boy... but, I'm happy that he loves the water!

He learned "rocket arms", how to float on his back and tummy, leg kicks, how to hold his breath underwater, and a few other things. His favorite part was jumping off the diving board, of course!

I couldn't resist taking a few videos :) 

It makes me so happy to see him so happy :) He is such a fun little dude and I love him to pieces!

Charlotte, meanwhile, spent her days in the kiddie pool and eating snacks on the sidelines. She loved to cheer on Talmage and soak in the sun with mommy. For the first week she wouldn't even touch the water unless she had her safety net "floatie". But then something clicked and she refused it. She's definitely gotten more brave in the water and especially around bigger kids who splash obnoxiously with no respect towards little ones (minor pet peeve of mine...).

I really am glad we decided to sign him up. Annoyances aside, it did us all good to be more active and outside each day. It brought the kids and I closer together and I know they'll have fond memories of the pool. This is why I do so many things with them...to create GOOD memories so that the not-so-good stuff won't matter as much. And so that they know I do care about their needs and desires. Life can be so stinking hard sometimes and we need to get out OFTEN to escape the stress. I need it and they need it.

At the end of the two weeks, we were all a little more tan and super exhausted. Today is our first day at home with NO obligations to go anywhere and we are taking full advantage of that. I haven't showered and I don't plan to. It is awesome.