WV

West Valley gets such a bad rap and I think its not entirely warranted at all. Sure, there might be a higher crime rate here. But we come once every week or two because the Golds Gym here has a pool, unlike ours in Bountiful.  I like doing laps. Its about 20 min from our home, or we'd go more often. Today we discovered Wheatland Park, just a mile from the gym. Had lunch here. Super cute little park, in a very nice neighborhood.  Sooo...nice gym, nice neighborhoods, nice parks.... what's so ghetto about West Valley?!

Picnic at Sunnyside Park

I really love Utah's free summer lunch program! We usually go to the one in Bountiful, but its so much better when we go to the ones in Salt Lake that are OUTSIDE at the beautiful parks. I love Summer.

Bringing the pool home

Notice the little arm out the window holding the pool.... my arm was out the other side for the half-mile 12 mph drive home  :)

Best $17 investment ever - the kids LOVE their pool!

LLL Spring Workshop

My friend and fellow La Leche League Leader Timbra just posted these pics from our Spring Workshop so I thought I'd share. I'm not sure why I'm making the lovely face in the middle left pic, but likely because I was sitting in the same spot in the lowerlower right for like 2 hrs straight. I get a little cwaaaazy sitting that long.
I love our semi-annual LLL workshops. They're for all the Leaders in Utah (plus a little WY and ID). These women are amazing. All busy moms, but make time to volunteer their time and resources to help other mothers needing assistance with breastfeeding. In centuries past, women received support for feeding their babies from their sisters/mothers/aunts in their communities. Nowadays, women don't often have that support. So we re-create that with La Leche League. It's mother-to-mother support. Except these lactation helpers have the real info. The research, the tools, the common sense. I love learning from them. April was my one-year anniversary of becoming an official Leader. I've come so far since then and realize I have SO much more to learn. This workshop focused on the usual - updates from the individual groups (I'm part of the Salt Lake group, but would love to start one in Davis County, since the next closest group is in Ogden), Communications training, cont. ed. opportunities, etc. Then the loooong training on Ankyloglossia (aka tongue tie/maxillary ties) from Karin and Susan, our IBCLC/LLL Leaders (and likely the most brilliant lactation consultants on the planet). Very eye-opening for me, and I now shudder at all the tongue tie issues I now realize I came across in the past and wasn't experienced enough to spot. And made me go home and immediately assess my own family. Bennett - nope. Brian - nope. Brianna - major upper lip tie (causing her front teeth gap). Courtney - posterior tongue tie. Which explains why she usually nursed twice as long as Bennett and caused such pain in the beginning. If I were to work in Lactation, I think I'd prefer to be a WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counselor versus an IBCLC. I love, love, love helping moms... but IBCLCs deal with all the crazy complex cases. But I like the everyday stuff - especially working to dispel common bf myths. We'll see if I ever do more than just volunteering. It took me 2 hours just to write this post, since I had to get up 5000 times to help someone with something. What makes me think I can make time for anything else?! :)

"New" stuff

Since I can't get my Saturday morning high off racing anymore, I'm getting it from yardsaling.  Spent the morning rummaging thru the Bountiful City second hand treasures. Got some MAJOR scores, and really did get a high similar to racing. Unfortunately burning far less calories, but whatever. Bonus: today was our monthly Nickel Auction too! This canvas painting was my favorite win. Went up to 50 cents for this lovely edition. My mom has the same one hanging in her home! The lamp was a $5 yard sale find. We needed a lamp in the family room badly, since the brilliant people who added this room on to the house neglected to install any lights. Apparently a few decades ago, they thought that was unnecessary, since funky lamps were so popular.
Anyways, I'd love to do a post just showcasing all my "new" treasures. I'm just so excited about everything! But that might be boring. And time consuming. So just let your imagination go wild.  Seriously, the world would be such a better place if more people discovered the joy of thrifting.

Out of Brianna's Mouth Lately.... +Courtney & Bennett!

"Everyone at Church just talks about Jesus. They don't talk about ME. They must not like me."

"Courtney is so demanding. Let's call her Courtney Demandy-pants"."

"Mom, be sure you chew your food in tiny bites. So the baby in your tummy doesn't choke."

 

"I'm so glad you're my mom. Cuz I wouldn't want to have NO mom!"

"Everyday I see a girl that I LOVE.  Guess who it is.  It's CHELSEA!"

"Mom, Courtney and Bennett have been freaking rude!"

"Mom, you should thank me. I distracted the babies with Rapunzel and now they're being quiet!"

"Why, WHY would you try to put me to bed?! It's all Springy and pretty outside!"

"I'm glad Nonny took care of you so you could be my mommy and take care of me."

"Courtney, you look like a Mexican!"

COURTNEY:

-"I your majesty. You caw me, 'yes your majesty!' "

BENNETT:

-"Hey GUYS! I have a idea! Let's play a GAME!!!"

-"Watch out for the MOUNTAIN!!!"  [as we're driving East sortof towards the hillside]

100 Pez

A few weeks ago Brianna had her "One Hundreds Day" at preschool. It was the celebration of their 100th day of preschool, and her teacher had really been hyping it up. Brianna talked about it almost every day for weeks prior. 

The kids were all supposed to bring 100 of something. 

Most of the kids brought some junk food item - like 100 M&Ms or cereal piece or something like that.  

But Brianna easily won the coolest 100 day item contest - her teacher & classmates' jaws dropped when she busted out 100 PEZ DISPENSERS! 

They had fun counting/sorting them for quite awhile. 

Why do I have 100 pez dispensers?  

Actually I have about double that amount. 

If I remember correctly, my brother started the collection as a kid/teen. 

Then when he left on his mission, it became part of the loot I inherited/borrowed/stole. 

I've added to the collection a little, but mostly it's sat in a storage box or elsewhere hidden since I've had kids old enough to pull the heads off. 

I'm glad it came in handy for this occasion! 

Father's Day

Brian had a lovely Father's Day. Played hot-and-cold for gifts  (which didn't really work out, since the twins would run to where they knew the gift was hidden while Brianna yelled at them, "NO!! Do NOT tell Daddy the gift is under the couch!!"), made him a nice meal with as much kid help as I could stand, then let him take his Father's Day Sunday Nap.

Here's a little clip of the kids singing to him:  http://youtu.be/wHEfPdmDpQk 

I sent my Dad a iPhone 5 Battery Extender thing. Kinda boring, but he really wanted one, and he's a practical kind of guy like that. Yay for Groupon saving me almost half off on it! 

Brian was a little lame on his own Father's Day remembrance efforts. Nonexistent, despite a couple reminders. I always struggle with whether I should step in and take care of it (send a card/gift), but I already feel overwhelmed with doing 2 other Father's Day celebrations. I've been good about Christmas/bday inlaw gifts over the years, but it's one of those things I wonder whether I SHOULD be in charge of, or shouldn't most men do on their own?? I'd be curious to know how other couples handle this?
On a positive note, the Church never fails to do an awesome job with holiday-related video clips.  Here's their latest for Father's Day - it definitely made me think of my own Dad:  http://youtu.be/xT6S-YCagzQ.

Gooooooo runners! (not me)

Spent the morning volunteering in Big Cottonwood Canyon at Drop 13 Half Marathon. 

I think it was my first time ever volunteering at a race.... which is sad, considering how many hundreds I've ran...which of course couldn't have happened without the help of volunteers..... 

So I'm thinking I should do more volunteering at races during this pregnancy. Maybe start bringing Brianna along for the experience. 

Kinda owe it to the sport. 

Though it's a little painful, since I wish SOOO badly I was out there running with them! 

But I've hung up my racing shoes for awhile. 

My knees are really hating the extra load they're hauling around, so I'm going low-impact til I get back into runnin' shape. 

Which will be awhile. 

Worth it?  Yep. 

Still sucky? Yep. 

Saying goodbye to a most favorite hobby is hard. But there are more important things, and this time around I can't do it all. 

this IS the place, Heritage Park

I've never been so sad to have forgotten my camera!
Stole this picture from the www. Missed SO MANY
great photo opps!

I can't believe I've lived in Utah for almost 9 years and have never been to This is the Place Heritage Park - til now! I thought it'd be boring and not worth the drive/hassle. And while I think the kid didn't get nearly as much out of it as they would have if they were a few years older, it was still a super awesome experience for them, and for myself.  Thank you, Jon Huntsman, for providing the annual Free Admission day, motivating me to trek out there and experience this place! And for my friends Janae and Becca, who told me about it and also came with their crew. Between the 3 of us, we have 10.5 children. That's a little ridiculous. But we definitely weren't the only ones sporting a small parade. I like living in a state where I don't stick out, being pregnant whilst carting around 3 small children. I think living anywhere else people would think I was craaaaazy. So fun to see my friends Lisa MPH and +Summer there too!

It's ALIVE!

So I don't forget...
Just felt baby move for the first time :)  I laid on my stomach on the floor, and I think he/she got mad at me for squishing and tried to fight back. First time I'm 100% sure it was a baby kick, not just a random tummy bubble.
Ultrasound Day can't come soon enough!!

xoxoxo cereal

Brianna told me, "Did you know that XOXO means kisses and hugs?" I said yes and asked how she learned that. She said, "I just figured it out myself."

Hmmm. 

She also has been asking me lately a lot of questions related to who-loves-who more. Like which of my children I love the most, do I love Daddy more than my kids, do I love Nonny the most, who does Daddy love the most, who should SHE love the most.....etc etc. 

I try to get away with just responding, "Jesus. We all love Jesus the very most." Sometimes that works.

Yellow Fortune

This makes me ridiculously happy. I love yellow. 

In case you can't read it, the fortune paper from the cookie says,

"Focus on the color yellow tomorrow for good luck!"

Pregnancy update - week 18ish

For the most part, I don't think about my pregnancy much. ESPECIALLY compared to the first and second ones, which I thought about constantly. But every now and then I remember how far along I am and think.... SHOOT! I gotta do something about this pregnancy thing....   Like, ya know, choose a HCP. And make an appt with them. Get an ultrasound. Those little things.   Ugh. And then I get distracted with the 8,946 other things on my to-do list and it gets shoved into the back of my mind again. Cuz after all - I still have like at least 20 weeks to figure this out! PLENTY of time! :)
I'd really like a confirmation that there's just one baby in there. And knowing the gender would be nice. I'm not ashamed to admit exactly what I want - a boy. Just one. Hopinghopinghoping that's what is in there. We've already got his name picked out! (not putting it here, but happy to tell you privately if you really want to know). THIS week I WILL get serious about this. I'll call my insurance and see who/where they cover and make an appt with (hopefully) a fantastic CNM. Oh wait - I have done one pregnancy-related activity. I packed up all my too-tight clothes and have them labeled in a box, "clothes I HOPE to fit into by Spring 2014." Til then, I'm so grateful +Becky Smith sent me some maternity clothes! THANKYOU!

Pioneery

Do you like this dress?
Brian said it looks like it's from the early 90s (scary).
Personally, I think it looks vintage, or pioneerish, which I love.
We got it from 90 yr old Grandma Smith, so regardless of what we think of it, we had to put her in it and send Gma a pic. Makes the ol' lady happy. And these days, poor Gma needs things to be happy about!
Anyway, on that note of PIONEERS - Brian and I went and saw EPRAIM'S RESCUE yesterday.
SUCH A GREAT FILM!
So moving and powerful.
I think anyone would enjoy/appreciate it, regardless of being LDS or not.
It's amazing what those men and women went through.
Makes me so grateful for climate-controlled homes and quick transportation.
And I felt quite guilty going home to eat a dinner made up of more calories than those pioneers probably ate in an entire week.

Our Senior Primary did the Sisters in Zion/We'll Bring the World His Truth medley.
Extremely moving- those little kids belted it out!
I was trying to get rid of the lump in my throat when Brianna turned to me... after staring intently at the little singers the whole time.... and said,
"Mommy, I like that song. I like this Church."  Annnnnnd I lost it.

Reason #872 We're Glad We Moved:

W/D

One of the major costs involved in this move was having to buy a new washing machine and dryer.
Ugh.
I hate major purchases.
I feel like I have to research it forever so I make the best decision.
And there are SO many factors and options to consider.
Very time consuming.
I discovered that there are 2 types of people in this world: those who prefer front loaders and those who prefer top-loaders.  I'm in top-loader camp. Many reasons for this semi-well-researched decision, none of which I'll bore you with right now.
I'm just thrilled that I can check this off my freakishly long to-do list!!
 

Strolling

Final moving stages= torture

The last hours of moving are the hardest.

5,672 little things to finish/bring/do/fix.

And then there's the cleaning.

The never-ending cleaning.

Every wall smudge, every inch of baseboard, every cabinet shelf and drawer wiped down....my feet are throbbing and head aching from the last 5 days or so of constant movement.

I'd so rather run an ultra. At least you can go brainless while running mile after mile.

I have to THINK about what I'm doing.

Or I end up accidentally packing all Bennett's pants somewhere I can't find and he walks around half naked all day.