It's My Day!

I have decided to celebrate by sharing 32 tidbits about myself:
1. I love to read!!!! I am a member of two book clubs.
2. I love breakfast foods--pancakes, waffles, bacon, sausage & biscuits.
3. I was raised as an only child.
4. I have seven siblings.
5. I am learning how to play the violin--I started about 4 years ago with my daughter.
6. I lived in Spain for a month and a half.
7. I earned a minor in Spanish from BYU.
8. The farthest I've ever run is a 10K--but I didn't take any breaks!
9. I have made my husband promise never to bury me at sea (even if we die on a ship).
10. I love lots of different music--80s, country, etc.
11. My husband proposed to me right next to a cemetery.
12. I was accepted and going to attend University of Kansas Law School when I met Derek. (One lawyer in our family is plenty!)
13. I don't wear glasses or contacts. 20/20 vision!
14. I chose to be Dopey, one of the seven dwarfs, for Halloween, when I was a little girl.
15. I love to eat out!!!!
16. I was born on my due date.
17. I have swum with dolphins.
18. Derek and I lived in a different city every summer during his undergraduate degree--Euless, Texas; Vienna, Virginia; Lewisville, Texas and Duluth, Georgia.
19. I do NOT eat watermelon or honeydew.
20. I am taller than my husband.
21. I am named after my dad's adopted mother.
22. I have the same middle name as my dad's biological mother--we discovered this when we found her family this last year.
23. I am addicted to family history work.
24. I was on the diving team in high school.
25. I have big lips--but my mom's are bigger!
26. I love to have my back rubbed--softly.
27. I never go grocery shopping without a list.
28. I hate Viva milk--any other brand is okay.
29. There is a 20 year gap between my age and my mom's and a forty year gap between my grandma and me. (I ruined the pattern!)
30. I like to play the piano, but I have no idea what I'm doing.
31. When I was a little girl, I never wore a seatbelt. I stood pressed behind my grandpa's shoulder and the seat while he drove.
32. I love to play racquetball.
There you go. Some random and useless information about me. 32 years young.

What Happened?

Remember this?

Yes, just one year ago I had my third child. He was so cute and tiny! Now, he's grown and grown and grown some more (though he's still quite tiny for his age). I really can't believe he's a year old today. Yesterday I mourned the loss of my baby. Not that he's that different from yesterday to today, but reaching that year mark signifies a lot of changes that have occurred and will yet occur.

It's amazing how a person can grow and develop so much in only one year. We love you Eli.

So Much Older

On Saturday I turned 31. I'm old now. No really, I am. Let me tell you how the sad truth of this was discovered:

1. I was conducting in Primary last Sunday and I was reading the names of everyone in Primary that was going to have a birthday the coming week. I read my own name and got confused. Seriously, I didn't realize my birthday was only a week away.

2. About two months ago, I played a little backyard soccer with Derek and the kids. I was trying to steal the ball from Derek and he pushed my shoulder some weird way and my arm hurt for three weeks straight.

3. For my birthday, I was super excited about getting some projects done around the house.

4. My reason for putting blonde highlights in my hair has changed from looking cute to masking gray.

5. I don't buy cute shoes unless they are comfortable.

6. I drive a minivan and feel cool.

7. While I'm driving that minivan, I find myself changing radio stations all the time saying, "What is this garbage?"

Yes my friends, I'm old. I've reached that age where the young couples at church don't even think about befriending me because they look at the three kids and assume I couldn't be friends with them because I could never text back and forth with them. And, they are right! I have found the wonderful benefit of relaxing in my pjs all day after church and mostly anytime after dinner every evening. I don't go places to "be seen" only to try and find diversions for my brood. I look at college athletes and young policemen and think, "Do you even have your driver's license?"

Could be you're old too. Maybe you relate to some of this. Or, perhaps you're thinking, "Yeah, my parents do that stuff." I'm old. Old, but happy and that's the most important thing. No wait, happy and comfortable--now I'm complete.

I'm 30, but I'm really 29

So, on Friday I left my 20s behind. However, according to everything I hear, 30 is the new 20, so really, what am I doing with these two kids running around and one on the way? At 20, I'm much too young to have a five year old!
For my birthday my husband took me to the Tempe Arts Center that opened not that long ago, where we dined amidst his work associates while we had a fabulous view of the Tempe Lake. It was actually the closing dinner for the summer associates, but it was still really good, FREE food, a beautiful view and we got to tour an art exhibit which I really love. Makes me remember going to the Prado in Spain--back when I was??? What...let's see about 20, so I was really 10?
On my birthday, many of you called, mailed, emailed or came by with cards and treats in remembrance of my birthday. I felt so loved and special. It made me remember how important it is to remember other people's birthdays. It can be as small as a phone call saying, "Hey, I remembered your birthday today." All of those little acts of kindness really made me feel wonderful. I need to be more like that and remember these events and get cards in the mail or pick up the phone and dial a friend. Seriously, you never know when you might be the only person that remembered and that person is feeling so lonely.
So, here I am, 30...or 20 and 29 weeks pregnant and no name for this little boy growing and kicking--definitely kicking me all the time. We seem to be going through the same cycles of names at this point. If we ever do get pregnant again and it's another boy, I may have a mental breakdown. I'm the type of person who likes to go with a game plan and not having a name is driving me nuts. Derek, are you reading this? Driving me nuts!!!! So, we need to get it figured out.
This week I will be 30 and 30 or should I say 30 and 20? Either way, this baby is coming. Named or not.

My Baby is ONE!!

Today my little boy turned one year old. Technically as I'm writing this, he STILL wasn't here yet. Yeah, he took his sweet time to show up. Apparently my body doesn't seem to understand that the kids need to come out at sometime. I was a week overdue before they would induce me. I walked my butt off for two weeks hoping to get something going on my own, but no luck. I did get several nasty blisters though. However, with only one dose of prostaglandin, my body gets it done! So, to some of you, this may sound gross or too much, but I actually got to see Owen come out. How you may ask? Well, they asked me if I wanted a mirror to see it. My first reaction was no, but then I thought, "I've had an epidural, I'm not feeling any pain, why not?" I figured if it was too much, I'd close my eyes or look elsewhere. Well, I only pushed 7 times and Owen was out. For those not impressed with 7 pushes please remember he weighed NINE pounds when he was born. Seeing him come out was a seriously spiritual experience for me. Amazing.

My first thought after they laid him on my chest (which they immediately did after he was born--covered in blood and such) was "Whoa! This kid looks big to me." He was so perfect though. I couldn't believe I had another baby. I was really worried about having a little boy because I didn't grow up with any brothers and so I thought it would be trickier somehow. So far, he's been such an amazing little boy. He is the sweetest thing. There are so many things I love about Owen...

• His smile--Dimples on each side (just like his sister and neither me nor my husband have dimples).


• His hair--It's very light brownish/blonde and in the back it has little curls.


• His belly--When he is walking around with just his diaper on and that belly is sticking out it is so cute (I'm still hoping this comes back in style for women my age).


• His little bum--There is something so funny and endearing about a naked little bum that is running away from you as you try to catch it to throw it in the tub.


• His chatter--He isn't saying a lot of words (ma-ma, da-da, na-na (for Ryanna)) but he is constantly saying something...I just don't know what it is...probably exactly what he's thinking everytime we all talk.


• His kisses--They are open-mouthed and they are rare, but so sweetly given.


• His honking--One time I made the honk noise when he grabbed my nose and it made him laugh, so we play that game several times a day now.


• His unconditional love--shouldn't we all be more like children in their quick nature to forgive and to want to love everyone around them? Owen loves me so dearly and makes me feel so important when he reaches for me and finds comfort in my arms.


• His backward eye-roll--when he's really wanting to nurse and he finally latches on, it's the eyes rolling back in ecstacy that just makes me giggle, must be a lot like I feel about food.


• His chest--He has a pretty deep chest, check out the picture of him when he was first born...it's funny because his middle name is my grandparents' last name who raised me and my husband swears that our little boy is built just like my grandpa with his deep chest.

Our little family has been so greatly blessed to have this sweet addition. I feel so thrilled for Ryanna to have a sibling that will be close to her age that she can call and talk to. I always wished I'd had siblings close to my age when I got to college. I wanted her to have Owen in her life as much as I wanted him in my own life. I wanted my husband and I to have the experience of having a boy and a girl to raise. It'll be interesting to continue to see the differences. Right from the beginning it's noticeable and I can hardly wait to see how much more evident it will become.