Last week we helped with the South Ogden Stake cleanup project which was scheduled for 3 hours but the kids and I lasted one. We mainly weeded the entire time, and at one point Adam asked Lily to go past some bushes to get some weeds, could she do that? Lily answered "Not very often." Later she commandeered the broom and swept for a good 20 minutes before we bribed her with playing on the playground so we could finish up. Jackson held on tight to a little shovel and followed Adam around to help shovel weeds into the garbage. How can these kids have gotten so big?
Our usual wake up call is Jackson climbing in bed at about 7:30 am to cuddle and/or tease Dad so he'll get tickled, so it was pretty fun to see them like this - I never had before, and wonder how often it happens.
In order to escape my house whose messiness is really, really bothering me for some reason, we have gone to Salt Lake a few times. Really, I don't know why I have been getting so annoyed - once I clean it will stay good for a few days, but then it will be super messy and I get in a really bad mood. It's a cycle that is of course familiar to me as a mom of toddlers so I don't know why it seems so much more of a pain. Adam noticed the insanely thick dust on our ceiling fans, and asked if this was my nesting phase. Hopefully it is just hormones - so easy to blame it on that!
Here we are watching the Tour of Utah bike race - this day it was a 15 circuit course that Adam was determined to wait for the last round before we could leave. The kids loved it and it was pretty exciting - especially over by the University where the bikers would zoom down the hill around a sharp turn and were followed by the cars whose tires were screeching to keep up.
Jackson has found that licking, unlike biting, will annoy someone but not get him in time out. Here Lily thinks it's pretty funny though.
One Sunday I particularly wanted to get away so I took the kids up to the duck pond to go look around. We walked slowly and stopped to look at everything they found interesting - it was so nice to go at their pace instead of rushing rushing rushing which is usually the case. Sometimes the observations were ducks, sometimes butterflies, sometimes to smell the flowers or watch the little stream go under the bridge. A beautiful afternoon, unfortunately cut short by the demands of the potty. ;)
It rained this year at the Rodeo, perfect weather so we didn't sweat like crazy. I kept on sending Adam to get treats with the kids, hoping he would return with Indian fry bread with honey butter, but no such luck. Snow cones and candy - boring sugar. Easy to say no to though, so probably I'm better off.
Adam didn't want the garbage cans, but I took the picture anyways. His company is a big sponsor of the rodeo.
The last time I asked Adam to take a picture of my belly it ended up just being my chest up so I dropped that idea. But apparently I am pretty big as I'm actually getting strangers commenting on the size - didn't happen with Lily or Jack. I feel like we're on the homestretch with only about 7 weeks left - I'm getting very excited, but the idea of having a newborn again seems so foreign! Lily is going to be a fantastic helper though, she can't wait to have a baby brother and is always reminding me how good she is at taking care of babies. She is quite jealous of her friend who just had a baby sister and is always asking why they got a girl and we are getting a boy, and why they got their baby before we did. The other day Jackson jumped straight on my belly while I was laying down, so who knows what his thoughts are.
We attended a baptism yesterday for two teenagers in our ward. We were able to have them meet with the missionaries in our home a few times, which was a neat experience. I helped put the program together, so nonchalantly put myself down to play the piano.....I sat down at about 10 minutes to 4 pm and was playing prelude music until 4:45 pm. Holy smokes! It was awesome going through so many hymns I haven't played in forever, but my back and my fingers were shot by the time I was done. And of course had little slip ups on every verse when it was actually time to accompany people singing. Why is it so different?
I turned 29 the other day - very pleasant day. I started out with a walk and some weeding (never happens so my cleaner yard made me very happy), got a call from Mom and Dad in France, had waffles for breakfast, got a springform pan from Jack, and a skirt from Lily (Adam told me later I should just let him clothes shop for me - I totally agree! I hate shopping but love his taste), had some kids over to entertain my kids for the morning, then Adam came home early so we could head to lunch, and then Salt Lake where we did a few errands, went to a matinee at the dollar theater (Kung Fu Panda 2), and went to the Spaghetti Factory where we requested to eat in the little trolley which Lily and Jack went nuts over and actually ate the food we ordered them. When we got home I felt like I had returned from vacation - it was such a great day! Amanda's birthday is today and I have to admit that when you are the youngest and are reminded so quickly that you're two years younger than your closest sister, it is hard to feel old. I actually can't believe I'm not 30 yet.
