Our Newest Addition

No, it's not our baby boy! It's four baby chicks! Mark got the idea from a guy at work and since raising chickens actually has a monetary benefit (unlike having a dog) I decided I could get on board with that. Here's to hoping I don't regret it!

The kids sure do love watching them. Weston likes holding them but Saydi doesn't want to even touch them. I had to laugh that Wes was so anxious to hold them when we got them home but then later he says, "Mama, I scared" so I go see what he's scared of...a fly. Silly boy! Chicks must be a happy medium for him because dogs are too big and apparently flies are too small.

Moving Right Along

I get weekly updates from babycenter.com and today's cartoon at the bottom was too good not to post. It is exactly how I feel:

Here's a real live picture of me (although I prefer the cartoon). This is actually from last week but we'll pretend I'm not getting bigger by the second and say that this is still an accurate photo.
Most of the time I can't believe how fast my pregnancy is going but I do have my days where I can't believe how much I still have left. I may explode before the baby comes. And if I knew how to do it, I'm pretty sure I would remove my sciatic nerve from my back to stop it from hurting. Good thing I know it will all be worth it when I see my new baby boy. =)

The kids are doing great and we have been having fun working on getting rooms finished and moved around. Weston is very excited to have Saydi sleep downstairs with him soon and Saydi is anxious to be out of her toddler bed. It's too small for her and her crazy sleep habits! Mark's work schedule has been crazy these last couple weeks so my dad helped us with some of the things I couldn't do and I am oh so grateful. Hopefully we will make some major progress in the next week or two and I will post pictures of the changes! Life is good and we are enjoying making it even better!

A Little of Everything

I haven't really been blogging a lot this year because it seems like there's not much for me to blog about. But despite all our laziness and run of the mill day to day there are still things I don't want to forget. So here's a hodge podge post of things we've done and things my kids are doing that I want to remember. =)

Weston

Weston is growing up so fast and for the most part I just plain love it. I think I would be more sad if I didn't have another baby boy on the way. He has Mark's imagination for sure! The other night I moved all the chairs haphazardly into the living room to get ready to mop and Weston lined them all perfectly up and made himself a tunnel that he and Saydi were crawling under. Then he realized if they sat in their chairs they could be on a train! They are both obsessed with trains so they loved just sitting there and pretending. Oh to be a kid again.

I've said it 100 times but this little boy is seriously the best big brother. We went to Sizzler a few nights ago and Mark and I were sitting on one side, Saydi and Weston on the other side of our booth and we look up to see Weston holding Saydi's cup for her so she can take a drink from her straw. No one asked him to do it. He just saw that Saydi wanted a drink so he helped her. That's the kind of boy he is. Most of the time if we don't understand Saydi, Weston does. And 9 times out of 10 when I'm getting them dinner or snacks or something, he wants to give Saydi hers first and then have his own. He's golden.

He started going to Primary this year and he struggled at first but loves it now. He usually participates (which is shocking since he is more like Mark then me socially) and he always tells me what he learned in class. In fact, he got so comfortable that he started always taking off his shoes, his tie, and unbuttoning his shirt! We had to discuss not doing that. =) Another cute thing I love is that whenever something breaks he thinks his Papa (my dad) can fix it. Our battery went out in our van and my dad came over to get it going so we could drive it to get a new one. Ever since then it doesn't matter where we are or what breaks - "Papa fick it!"

Saydi

I don't think this little girl will ever outgrow her nickname "Precious". She truly is just that. She has a mind of her own and some days her attitude makes me feel like tearing my hair out - but she is a precious little thing. One of my favorite things about her is how much she loves her baby. I went to check on her the other night and found her like this in her bed - hours after she had fallen asleep and her baby still clutched tightly to her chest.

She will wrap her baby up in a blanket and hold her close and say "shh, shh, shh" while she rocks her and pats her bum. I love it. But she's not afraid to throw that thing around either so we will still be keeping a close eye on her when her baby brother arrives! Saydi started nursery the end of last year and she didn't like it much at first but the last three Sundays I've picked her up and they've told me what a good girl she is and that she just played and had fun. It's so nice to have some free time to be able to do my calling without a child hanging on me. For three more months at least!

She says soooo many words and is talking in sentences a lot. My absolute favorite is when she yells "I did it!" after arranging her toys a certain way or climbing into her chair by herself. And I'm not sure why but she insists on calling Weston "Saydi". She can say Weston, which is why it is so perplexing. But when she hears him coming up the stairs in the morning the first thing she shouts is "Saydi!" She has the cutest little voice and uses the cutest inflections in everything she says. Hands down this little girl has the best laugh I've ever heard. I keep trying to get a video of her laughing hysterically to prove that it's true.

She and Weston have quite a system down and I'm hoping baby #3 will adapt and fit in with what they have going on because it definitely works for them. Despite Saydi being a diva and having a flare of attitude, if she takes a toy from Weston and she knows it all you have to do is tell her to give it back and she will - no questions asked. Because it's his. They are AMAZING at taking turns and wait patiently when they hear "my turn!" cried out by the other. They definitely fight - but most of their fights are easily solved and not a big deal.

The Rest of Us

We went to Utah last weekend for a couple days and spent some time at Sean and Crystal's. They had a little boy, Austin, on Feb. 25th and he is PERFECT. I loved holding him and the way he would snuggle up to me. It was fun and the kids had a good time playing with Audrey while we wasted a good two days on Settlers of Catan and Carcassonne (if you consider that a waste!). It was lots of fun and it was good for us to get a way for a while. This picture is of Audrey trying to get Uncle Mark's sunglasses. If that little girl wants something she will find a way to get it!

Other then that we have been gearing up for spring and a new baby and trying to get rooms moved around (pictures of all the changes will probably be coming soon) and clothes put away and pulled out for the little rugrat that will be here before we know it. At least I think if I keep saying that I will feel that way. Life is good and even though we have trials, melt downs, and road blocks, we are enjoying getting through it all together!

Best Friends

My kids have been trading fevers back and forth for the whole month of February so we haven't been up to much. (Unless going crazy counts.) But even when they are sick they are always the best of friends. Here is some proof.

Mark's mom got the kids these towels and they LOVE them. After baths they run around with them on their heads like capes. It's pretty hilarious.

Poor Saydi just laid on the couch after her nap one day when her fever was particularly high and Weston crawled up there just to keep her company, even though he was fine.
They ran around the house for a couple of hours the other day with these boxes on their heads.
Saydi always gets as close as she can to Weston whenever he lays on the floor. (Notice Weston's poor cheeks? They get fire engine red every now and then and super hot. Poor guy. And I stopped Saydi from sticking that finger any farther up her nose, just fyi.) =)
We are hoping all the illness is gone for good and we are slowly getting back to normal and getting caught up on projects that needed to be done around the house and had to wait. So ready for spring!

Not Just Me...I Hope

Am I the only one who has this problem when pregnant?

Oh Baby

I realized I haven't really documented much about this pregnancy. I suppose that's just what happens when you have two kids to keep you busy all day. But I don't want to forget since each pregnancy is so different and I have good reason to post today since I had my ultrasound. It's definitely a BOY!

I could have told you that but it's always nice to have proof. Actually, the doctor said, "I'd say about 200% boy." It was pretty funny! More importantly though, everything looks great and he's really healthy. He's breach right now which isn't an issue but he better be for moving his little body around when the time comes! This is a profile shot. He has his hand up by his face.

I thought that once I had one of each I might decide to wait to find out but I just can't do it. Maybe I'm weird but even though I feel close to my babies as soon as I get pregnant the bond I feel as soon as I know it's not an "it" but a "he/she" is amazing. I really do feel bad that Mark doesn't get to experience similar feelings until he actually sees his baby. But I'm so glad we can start saying HIM! His name will most likely be Jonas Glenn. And yes, I'm putting it on the blog. That way if anyone steals it I have documented proof that we picked the name already. ;)

This is the biggest I've ever been so I haven't taken any belly shots but with my ultrasound today I decided I really should. So here I am at 21 weeks. And I feel like death thanks to a nasty head cold so it's not all that flattering but hey, at least this baby won't be able to say it was cheated.

Here's some other info about this pregnancy:

-I was only nauseous for a couple weeks and have felt fabulous besides that (one of the reasons I knew it was a boy since that's how I was with Wes)

-I started out craving oranges or orange juice and cinnamon bears (preferably cinnamon Santas) and moved onto salty things like macaroni and cheese with cut up hot dogs (totally weird and again, something I've only ever eaten when I was pregnant with Weston), green olives, and cucumbers and vinegar. Lately I've been craving raw potatoes with salt on them. Boys do weird things to you right from the start, am I right ladies?

-He is very mild mannered thus far and moves so little that Mark still hasn't felt him move. It doesn't help that his feet are aimed at my bum so even when he does kick there's not much to feel. =) But he moves like clock work every morning and every night and only once or twice in between.

-I first felt him move around 16 weeks and felt him kick on my hand at 18 weeks.

I feel so blessed to be able to welcome another little boy into our home and am so grateful for the children I have and the happiness they bring me. We can hardly wait for summer but the better weather has very little to do with it!

Lions and Tigers and Kids

Every child has defining moments in their life and Weston and Saydi have had a couple that have greatly influenced who they are. It all started with my mom buying Weston a plastic lion and tiger when we went to buy food for Thanksgiving. Weston played with them non-stop for weeks and weeks. Then he discovered it was more fun to give Saydi the tiger and him keep the lion and roar at each other. Fast forward a month or so later to when his Aunt Bea let him borrow Madagascar and Madagascar 2 and that pretty much sealed the deal: Weston is a lion. He crawls around the house (at warp speed I might add) and roars constantly. Saydi has joined in on the fun and they love playing lions and tigers. They do it ALL the time. Occasionally Weston will switch to a dinosaur or dragon but most of the time a lion it is. We made lion puppets the other day and they both loved them so much. And the roaring commenced...

7 Years

On the 7th Mark and I will celebrate our 7 year anniversary. If there is such a thing as the 7 year itch - Mark and I aren't feeling it!

Thinking about our upcoming anniversary I've been thinking a lot about my favorite memories of Mark. So I thought I'd share my top 7 (in no particular order) excluding babies of course, because nothing in the world tops the way you feel about your spouse when you welcome a piece of both of you into the world.

1. The proposal. Man oh man did Mark pull out all the stops. Both of our families were in on it and they kept me in the dark all day. Mark was supposed to be in California and even though he had a few days off for Labor Day weekend he said he couldn't come up to Idaho. Long story short - I got tricked into going to Mark's house (I was at my sister Becky's house). Mark lived across the street from me for those who don't know. So we turn onto Shelley Ave. and I see bags of candles lining the entire street. We get closer to our houses and I see poster boards with things like "this way to eternal happiness" written on them and I start freaking out. Then, sure enough, there's Mark in the middle of the road and right after I see him my brother-in-law pulls a rope and a sign comes up across the whole street written on sheets "Will You Marry Me?". At this point I'm still just ecstatic that Mark is there so I get out of the car while it's still moving and run to him. Then he sits me down in this chair, knocks the candles off the table because he's shaking so bad, and asks me to marry him. I only remember some of the things he said because I was in shock but it was a great night and a fabulous memory.

Do you think I was happy? =)

2. Our first time playing at the beach and in the ocean together. Never in my life did I think I would get to experience the things that I got to by choosing to marry a Marine. I think I fell in love with the ocean almost as quickly as I fell in love with Mark.

3. The day he moved his things and I moved my things into our first apartment and they became our things. Mark was halfway to L.A. to pick up our couches and when he got my voice mail that we were in California at the apartment he turned right back around and came there. I was walking out of the apartment and he came around the corner at a run, saw me and yelled "Babygirl!" and picked me up in the biggest bear hug of my life. I love that memory. We were both so excited to be starting a life together we could hardly contain ourselves.

4. Our trips. I couldn't pick just one. Every time we go on a vacation together it is the best time of my life. From the big things like our honeymoon to Nauvoo and our 1st Anniversary cruise to Catalina and Ensenada, Mexico to the small trips like me going to see him in St. Louis, MO when he was stationed there for four months or the "babymoons" we have together before we have a new baby. I love it all. And it's simply because I get to spend time alone with my favorite person in the whole world.

5. Our talks. Mark and I can talk for hours about any given thing. I have a particular memory of one of our talks though that I love. When we were dating we drove to gem lake and sat there and talked in my car. I was referring to the gospel and I said, "If you had the greatest thing in the world wouldn't you want to share it with everyone?" Mark replied "No. I would want to keep it all to myself." I looked at him kind of confused as to why he would say that but he told me later that he was talking about me. I don't know why but I still think that is so sweet. The romantic in me. =)

6. The jeep. (Mark's was way more decked out then this one but I couldn't find a picture of it.) I know it sounds silly to have such fond memories of a vehicle but this red jeep is really what brought us together. I wanted a ride in it so bad that I sucked up to Mark until I got what I wanted which started our life long friendship which turned into much more. When we were married we used to drive down the coast with the top down and I can still picture the palm trees, smell the salty ocean air and feel Mark's hand in mine. It was the most fun I've ever had. I remember the day we had to sell it very clearly. =(

7. The look. I have lots of memories of this. Every once in a while Mark just looks at me with this look in his eye that I can't even describe. He does it often enough that I don't forget, and rarely enough that it still makes me tingle all over when he does. I feel like the most special person in the whole world when he looks at me like that - especially because he does it at such random moments: like when I'm being a lunatic and laughing hysterically at something silly or doing every day things like playing with our kids.

I can't believe how fast seven years has gone by and how amazing it has all been. Mark is not at all who I thought I would marry but he's been better for me then any guy I could've ever dreamed up. I could not be more grateful that our anniversary's will never have an end. I loved you then Baby, and I love you even more now. Happy Anniversary.