Cooking Out with Grandpa Richard

Yesterday, Claire and Sophie and I had the chance to meet up with my Dad and Ruth Ann for a cookout at Mill Creek Park.  Jenny and her kids, Nick, and Jessie and Devin came as well.  We had a lot of fun!  The park was beautiful, and the weather was perfect.

From left to right: Claire, Sophie, Isabelle, and Ruth Ann

We started out playing some games.  Dad and Ruth Ann brought lawn darts (the non-lethal kind, of course!) and badminton.  The girls were particular fans of the badminton.  Nick and Jenny got my Dad and Ruth Ann tennis rackets and a bag of balls for Father's Day, so there was some amateur tennis going on as well.  

Once the men had the coals nice and hot, we started grilling burgers and dogs.  Lunch was fantastic, as cook-out food usually is, and there was an abundance of it!

Baby Eli

It's not very often that we're all able to get together...or even a majority of us.  So this was quite the occasion!  It's nice to have so many of us in the same area.

Sophie, Me, Ruth Ann, Dad, and Claire

Back, left to right: Ruth Ann, Jenny, Elijah, Dad, Jessie, Devin

Front, left to right: Claire, Isabelle, Nick, and Sophie

The Fun So Far...

Has it really already been over a week?  The time seems to be just flying by, which is good...we miss Danny!  The girls and I have had so much fun since we've been here!  The girls have been able to go to school with Grandma, and have done such a good job learning and making new friends.  And I have LOVED having the opportunity to shower without fear of what I would find when I got out.  :)  Last Wednesday we had a special treat.  We got to spend a couple hours with Justin, Toshi, and Taija!  They live all the way in Florida now, so we hardly get to see them.  It was a wonderful coincidence that we were in Utah at the same time.  Sophie and Taija are only two days apart, so will naturally grow up to be best friends, just like their daddies!

While Toshi and I caught up, the girls played and got reacquainted with one another.  I think Sophie got pretty comfortable with Taija, and quickly began devouring (by the fist-full) ALL of Taija's snacks!  Taija took it in stride, though.  It's nice to know their friendship can survive that kind of conflict!  After the snacks were gone, it was time to hit the water.  Taija kept saying "Beach!".  She was only slightly disappointed to discover she was getting her swimming suit on for the wading pool on the deck...

We're fortunate to have such wonderful friends.  We're just bummed they live so far away!  

Thursday brought an adventure of a different sort.  My oldest niece Megan has been here in Utah spending a week with Grandma Candy, and the two of them invited the girls and I to join them for some shopping at The Gateway and some Jazz in the Plaza.  I thought it sounded like so much fun that I turned around and invited my mother-in-law and two sisters-in-law, Julie and Katie.  They had never shopped The Gateway, and hadn't heard live jazz either.  From what they tell me, that had a good time!

One of the fun things about The Gateway are the dancing waters.  I thought for sure my girls would love to play there, and so dressed them in swimming suits and brought a change of clothes, expecting some soaking wet little girls.  Not so much...this is as close as Claire got.

Sophie did a little better...

They did have a great time away from the scary (yet wonderfully refreshing) water, and their aunts had fun playing with them as well.

Aunt Katie and Sophie

After our time at the Plaza, I took Julie, Katie, and Grandma to one of my favorite stores--Anthropologie.  It was so much fun to watch Julie and Katie peruse through such expensive and eclectic clothes and decor.  Grandma found a fun gardening book that she decided to buy, but the rest of what we saw was a little out of our price range.  But still so cool...

Aside from the aforementioned activities, we've spent some much needed quiet time at home.  On Friday, we spent the day at Grandma and Grandpa Call's house.  We even had Baby Ruby with us!  We all went to the craft store to find some fabric for the crib quilt I wanted to make for Johnny.  It was so much fun shopping for little boy things!  Grandma had a blast picking out fabric and helping me design the perfect crib quilt.  I can't tell you how glad I am that her and my sisters-in-law will be around to help me pull this off!  I also picked up a kit to sew one of the car seat covers that I've been wanting, and if I can manage to sew it even half decently, I will have gotten a pretty good deal on it.  But that remains to be seen...

We've also enjoyed a decent amount of down time, just watching cable TV shows that I've been missing (like every show on The Food Network and HGTV!), and the girls just love being at Grandma and Grandpa's.  I wonder if Ellie enjoys it as much... :)

Poor Daddy...Lucky Us!

Well, I'm writing this post from Utah!  Work has been so busy for Danny lately that he hasn't been home much in the evenings, and has even been working Saturdays!  On top of that, he's started classes for his Masters program and so what time he does have home, he's needed to study.  That's left the girls and I largely to our own devices, which is to say that the girls have been watching inordinate amounts of DVDs while I grow fatter and more uncomfortable!  Danny thought it would be a good idea to send us to Utah for a couple of weeks so that the girls can have fun with the families and I can have some help.  It didn't take much to convince me this time.  

So, we flew Grandpa out to California to drive the girls and me home.  We left early Thursday morning, and after just about 12 hours in the car, we made it to Grandma and Grandpa Call's house!  The girls were ecstatic, as were Grandma and Aunt Julie and Aunt Katie!  We stayed the first night there, but since the family had a wedding in Idaho to attend for the weekend, we decided to come stay at Grandma Candy's house for a couple of days.  The girls have had way too much fun with Isabelle...

But first thing's first.  Grandma Candy hadn't had the chance to mail Claire's belated birthday present, and Claire knew it.  So as soon as Grandma Candy got home from work, it was all about the birthday presents!

Yeah!  Claire got another Skippyjonjones book and Lace Cards!  Seriously, perfect presents!  After we laced cards and read stories, it was time to go swimming.  I just wanted a quick picture of Isabelle and Claire in their swimming suits, you know, for posterity.  What I ended up with was a modeling photo shoot!

We're really missing Daddy, but admittedly, we're having a lot of fun being here!  It'll be just that much more fun when Daddy gets his work all done and can join us for a couple of days...until then, I guess we're just left to our own devices, again...

See ya!  We're going out to play!

Uncle Nick Comes to Visit

We had a surprise visit from Uncle Nick this week!  Well, it was more impromptu than it was a surprise, per se, but fun nonetheless!  The girls absolutely LOVED having Uncle Nick here and all to themselves!

Nick got in early Thursday morning, after Danny drove at 2:00 in the morning to Victorville to pick him up!  Yeah, pretty awesome husband/Dad/brother-in-law, huh?  :)  Needless to say, we all slept in a bit (except Danny who had to be at work), and the girls were surprised and overjoyed when Uncle Nick came walking into the front room!  We spent the morning hanging out and talking before we left to meet Danny for lunch on base.  Of course, Danny gave the tour of the base, and we got some great views of the F-22 and even the new F-35!  Nick also got to go into one of the hangers and see a B-1 Bomber, though we didn't get as close as we have in the past.  After a quick run through the Burger King drive-thru, we dropped Danny back at his office and headed home.

We spent most of the afternoon much the same way as the morning.  Nick and I were so sleepy, we could barely stay awake.  The girls were also tired, but had a little micro-nap on the way back from lunch and so didn't think they should have to sleep again.  Nick and I enjoyed a little Stargate SG-1 reminiscing and even watched the pilot episode of a new SciFi show called "Sanctuary".  It was...interesting... :)

Nick was kind enough to come to Walmart with the girls and me to get what we needed for a delicious dinner of Smoked Turkey and Artichoke Paninis.  After dinner, we went and looked at the garden and Danny walked Nick around some of the property.  It was such a beautiful evening!

We ended the evening with some movie time.  But I have to admit, Danny and I were SO tired that we didn't make it through the movie!  Nick finished "The Blindside" without us, but still enjoyed the movie.  We woke this morning and took Nick to the metro station so he could catch the train back into Chino Hills to meet up with the rest of his friends.  They have some fun plans around LA this evening, and then a beach day tomorrow!  After that, it's back to BYU for finals...lucky Nick!

It was so fun to have my brother here!  We haven't had any time to spend together one-on-one since he got home from his mission, and I've forgotten how fun it can be to just chill with my only brother.  Love you, Nick!  (Disclaimer: the next picture isn't the best of me...but keep in mind both Nick and I were struggling to keep our eyes open at this point!)

Week 31

Week 31...we're making progress!  This week was a hot one!  I think I was woefully unprepared for how hot and uncomfortable I was going to be this summer...

We'll start with Johnny's stats.  He should be measuring at about 3.3 pounds and over 16 inches long.  He's still very active, though because of his ever increasing size, those movements are getting less comfortable for me!  It's good he's so active, though.

I had my monthly appointment with Ali yesterday, which was awesome!  I really love our visits.  It's so much different than my quick in-and-out visits with my OBs.  She stays and talks through both of our questions and concerns.  I was discouraged about how much weight I had gained since our last appointment (almost ten pounds!),  but Ali assured me that most of this was water retention.  She told me to increase my salt intake if at all possible, and then to try drinking electrolyte water.  We're hoping to not only stop the water retention, but hopefully to get rid of what I've already retained.  Then, of course, I've got to increase my exercise.

The results of the prenatal exam were good for both me and Johnny.  My blood pressure is ridiculously low for how not-relaxed I am by nature, and my urine strip looked good!  Despite all the heat, I'm staying well hydrated.  Johnny's heartbeat was good and strong, and he's still head down and in a good position.  We're still measuring big (at a 33 this week), but it's consistent.  Just means we're having a big baby!  I also got to hear not only his heartbeat, but the sound of the cord AND the placenta!  It was pretty cool!

Claire LOVED having Ali here!  I swear we have a little midwife in the making!  I love how involved Claire wants to be, and that Ali allows her to be a part of the process!  Claire was so excited to hear Baby Johnny's heartbeat and then helped Ali with her palpation exam and even measured me herself, just to make sure Ali hadn't missed anything.  :)  Claire made me promise this week that I wouldn't push the baby out without her, so I guess Claire is going to be there for the birth!  

I've been markedly less anxious this week about the birth than I've been in the last couple of weeks.  I really think it helped to put aside the reading and videos for a while.  And I have to admit, reading "The Hunger Games" and "Catching Fire" was a perfect reprieve!  Both Ali and I are feeling very confident that things are going to not only be successful, but a good experience as well.  I guess we'll find out soon enough!

Week 30

Be honest.  Does this look like a picture of a pregnant woman that still has 10-12 weeks to go?  Yeah, I don't think so either!  And yet it is, and I do.  I'm starting to really understand why people stare at me in public!

Well, I'm about 3/4's of the way through this pregnancy!  Time has really been moving at quite a nice pace, but I fear that may stop here pretty soon.  It's getting difficult to do just about everything now, from sleeping to bending over.  This belly is just constantly in the way!  And in the last couple of days, it's gotten quite a bit warmer here in the high desert of Southern California, and I'm feeling it!  I just can't seem to cool down, and it makes me very lethargic and impatient.  I've started to see my first signs of real swelling in my feet, which is not only totally unattractive but kind of uncomfortable, too!  I think I'm woefully unprepared for when it actually gets hot...

On a good note, I'm feeling less anxious about the birth itself!  There is already a part of me that realizes that I don't care what I have to go through, I'll just be glad to not be pregnant anymore!  I've kind of taken a step back from all the reading and birth videos, and have given myself a chance to just let what I've already studied kind of percolate through my various levels of consciousness. :)  It seems to have helped.  

According to my trusty weekly email, Johnny should be measuring in at 3 lbs and 15-16 inches long.  He's still very active, which is always a comfort to me.  Danny even got to play a game of hide-and-seek with him the other night!  Painful for me, but still cute!  

I've spent a lot of time this last week feeling like I'm experiencing some of these more uncomfortable third trimester symptoms a little early.  But to be honest, I have no way to tell since I didn't keep a record of any kind with Sophie or Claire!  I think I'm really going to enjoy and appreciate having kept a record of this pregnancy during the subsequent ones.  

I'm looking forward to my appointment next week with Ali!  I finished my VBAC homework and everything!  I love hearing Johnny's heartbeat and the reassurance that both he and I are healthy.  More on that next week...

Memorial Day 2010

This Memorial Day was a bit different for me.  In the past, Memorial Day has been the beginning of summer, with pool parties and barbecues.  But this year, I had someone to remember.  And I have to admit, it kind of put a damper on my day...at least the beginning of it.

Today marks the six month mark since Rachel died.  I can't believe it's been half a year without her already.  With it being Memorial Day yesterday, she was on my mind quite a bit.  I missed being close where I could have left flowers on her grave.  I wore the shirt her friends designed, and had every intention of planting sunflowers with Claire and Sophie as our own little memorial.  The day got away from us, and unfortunately that didn't get done.  But it will get done in the next day or so.  Forgive me, Rachel? :)

I miss my littlest sister.

Ok, so on to the happy stuff!  Danny spent the morning (the day, really) working on getting the garden ready to plant.  I'm afraid we're a little behind the planting season, but it's our first year and it's been a busy one.  Hopefully the plants will be forgiving and still do well.  Danny and Vern worked all morning to build a fortress around our garden to discourage the critters from eating our wonderful fruits and veggies.

It was quite the project to get that fence up!  And once we get it planted, it will be quite the garden...size-wise at least!  The girls had a blast playing outside while Dad worked, and Jack liked having people around.

Even Rose came to visit the girls and join in the fun!  After Danny had done all he could do in a day with the garden, we headed to the Davis' home for a neighborhood cook-out.  It was so much fun!  So much, in fact, that I actually remembered to take the camera, but forgot to take any pictures!  Oops.  At any rate, we all had a great time visiting with our friends and neighbors.  The Tolmans joined us as well, and it reminded me of the many block parties we had when I was a kid.  A picnic table full of wonderful food, the smell of meat on the grill, children playing games on the lawn, while the Moms sat in the shade and visited.  It was a wonderful day, and we're now fully ready to usher in the rest of the summer!