Double the fun

Jane surprised us and came 2 weeks before her due date. Maybe she knew she'd be a social girl and never wanted to go without a party...so she will forever share her birthday and New Years Eve.

Oh how I love this age (mostly). She's a good snuggler, has a lisp when she says her "s"s, loves horses, chapstick, her blanket "bee bee", sucking her two fingers, building blocks, oranges, gumballs, Siri, anything Siri has, riding bikes, and calls any older person she loves "gamma" or "papa". She's got a charmer of a smile and beautiful eyes.

Happy 2nd Birthday Janie, love you dearly.

click HERE to reminisce last year

the backs of my knees are chubby

Gaining weight when growing a baby inside of you is not a big deal to me. I'm ok with it, I don't despise the scale (or even have one that accurately works). But, there is a reality to the blah feeling you get when you see a picture of yourself and you have a double chin without trying, and in the shower you notice even the back of your knees are getting chubby (as I typed that I just ate 4 peanut butter M&M's...there is no mystery behind the numbers on the scale each time I go to the Dr).  And when I say I feel like and elephant already, I do mean that. Spouses who deny it and boost you up, thank you for trying, but I really do feel large and in charge and awkward at times. C'mon, you can't pretend like you didn't hear those grunting noises I just made trying to get off the couch? Praise for my sis who gave me a free 1 month membership to her gym-I loved sweating in spin class on Saturday!

On  more serious note, baby girl is kicking me during the wee hours of the night and I am happy. I welcome her keeping me up to let me know she is alive and strong. I had an ultrasound scheduled for today with the perinatologist at IMC, but canceled it. I got the bill from the last ultrasound with them and my ghetto deductible makes it so none of it is covered. There isn't anything they could do by having another ultrasound, so they were ok with the cancellation. I'm ready to rack up the medical bills in 2013.

We are loving our house. The biggest project is finishing the basement so we can rent it out. If you know anyone (quiet, clean, and responsible) looking for a basement apt in a great neighborhood, off street parking, and that is brand new, send them our way. We hope to finish it sometime in January. We'll rent 1, maybe 2 bedrooms for around $850ish. Not sure on utilities yet, but there will be options for internet and use of the washer/dryer down there. Its about 1300 sq ft.

I love Siri and Jane. Siri has shown signs of being...mmm...independent?  "You're mean! I'm never playing with you again!" and Jane is a ham "Waaach! Waaach Mommy!", she loves attention.  I can't say enough how much I admire and appreciate Mark's work ethic. In the freezing cold he's cutting tile outside (using hot water in buckets from the tub to keep the tubes from freezing) and waking up at 6am to grout.

south town mall is great place to let your kids run around, and pick their noses

the stockings on the ends were mine and Liz's when we were kids

Jane post nap, and I think Siri is doing the pick-your-nose pose again

The kids came in and Mark, while sporting a gross mustache, said "what a couple a wussies"(nacho libre)...he could play in the snow for hours.

Three cheers for corn dogs, and fast food play places when its cold and soggy outside

make up a caption

this lady loves her new Christmas present

sweet and sour

This pregnancy I have loved sweet and sour things...like sour patch kids...mmm. So its appropriate to say that we have received some sour news regarding our sweet girl. She has a mass growing on the back of her neck and none of the doctors we've seen so far can figure it out. So, we will pray for her and are even more excited to have her in our family! And don't be sorry, be optimistic and hopeful for us! Everyone has challenges, they just come in all different forms and everyone needs encouragement.

I took some pics off Mark's phone and realized how many we have of our family and just Mark & I on there. Doesn't everyone love taking pictures of themselves? :)

We're excited. Really!

Mark has 5 brothers and 1 sister. I have 2 sisters and 2 brothers. Chances seem good that 1 out of 3 of our kids would be a boy, right? Right, but we also believe that you can't twist a plan Heavenly Father already has in place.
 When we decided to try to have this 3rd baby, that's just what we were hoping for: a baby.
Boy or girl, we'll take them as they are.So we are excited to welcome girl #3 to our family!  I think its funny when people ask if we're ok or if Mark is sad. My opinion: you have kids to have kids, not to have daughters or sons. Right now we're just praying and hoping for a healthy girl.

We've been in our new house almost 2 weeks, and are about 90% unpacked. Lots of motivation comes after the kids are in bed, so we found ourselves cleaning out some of the garage in the freezing cold on Thanksgiving night. "Mark, why are we doing this right now?!" I asked. I figured we should be snuggling up on the couch in front of our beautifully clear windows for all to see (since we have no blinds) watching a movie. He said "Because we have to take advantage of our burst of energy!". I agreed and we cleared out enough space that not only can the van fit in the garage, but you can walk around both sides without stepping on anything but the ground.  We have more of those nights ahead as we do our best to finish the basement as soon as we can.

toy box bench. mark made the bench, my cousin and I made the cushions

We haven't yet been to our ward which is where I think we'll meet even more people around here, but already know that we love those we've met so far in the neighborhood. Next door is a family with 2 teenage boys. As a house warming gift to us, they came over today and tilled our future garden for us. It hasn't been touched since we moved here (besides me throwing leaves and grass clippings on it). It was a huge service to us as it will make it ready for us to till again and plant a garden in the spring. Right now with newly moving, a tight budget, 2 kids, and being pregnant, I feel like I have very little to give back. I appreciate so much those who have helped us.

Doesn't look like much, esp with the dead trees, but it will be a lush garden someday!

Old Man Mark had a birthday. Yeppers, he's bumped himself up to the next health insurance tier...yay for being 30! :)  I admire Mark for the way he balances his life. Family, work, church, himself.  He knew he would be gone many weekends working and so he planned far ahead to go on a beach camping surf trip to California over his birthday with his guy friends. He came back, mmmm...a little less than tidy, but happy and refreshed.
Maybe he forgot to take his toothbrush though because when he and the girls went to the dentist last week, he was the only one with cavities. It was both Siri and Jane's first time to the dentist. All he did was look at their teeth. They both cried but quickly recovered with the bribe of a prize and a new toothbrush (p.s. Jane likes to eat toothpaste right from the tube. gross).

Thanksgiving morning-pie for breakfast

Grandma Carol's for Thanksgiving. Let's go see the horses!

After taking Siri skiing yesterday with Liz and Sam, I realize that I need to separate Siri and Jane more often to give them time to be apart. And its fun for Mark and I to have one on one time with them. This is the first time Siri has liked, maybe even loved, skiing. I was the one asking to take a break. Don't get your expectations high, she can't make a pizza with her skis without me holding on, but she got in the zone when she found the bittiest slope she could slide down by herself without being scared. I had to push her up that slope 5 times, but I was happy that she was happy.

fun

Spent last weekend in St.George with my sisters and mamma. Really nice break from life and the kids. Eating, shopping, sleeping, eating, hiking, biking, temple. The weather was perfect and grateful to get to stay at Mark's parents house. Celebrated Mom's birthday and got to see Kerrah's cute sister who had been in Brazil the last 18 months.

trying on clothes

pumpkin and a oreo/almond concrete

loved being out in the nice weather!

This took a short walk to get to. Its near Leeds (about 15m from St.George)

I came home and was excited to see my family, its great to miss them once in a while!  Besides Mark's awesome tile work, not as much had been done at the house as hoped, so we're looking at moving next week. Someone had drawn with pen all over my perfectly painted window sill. I asked Siri if it was her or Jane...she said it was Jane. Hmmm, I didn't know Jane could draw circles that evenly apart?

lost and found

I lost my camera shortly after my last blog post. Without pics, I have much less motivation to blog. But this morning I was up before 5am thinking of house stuff, baby stuff, and where in the world did I lost my camera?!  It came to me. So here I am at 6:15am blogging since my camera has been found! Although, I have no recent pics because I haven't had a camera.

So let's sum up the last month:
-Working on the house...what's new. Which includes: knowing way more about toilets than I ever thought I'd know, painting-lots and lots and lots of painting. I think I may hate baseboards. And making a bazillion trips to Home Depot (ask for Jolene at the Sandy location, she's awesome).
-Dr appt that showed a healthy little baby-counting my blessings. We find out in a couple weeks if its a girl/boy.
Yeah, that's about it. Well, there's really a lot more, but I need to go try to workout before the childrens wake...

 Siri can ride a pedal bike!...she taught herself, it was an awesome moment

At the Thack Halloween party Siri won best costume. She got to choose from 3 different gift cards. I was able to get her to think that the Home Depot one was by far the best choice :)

this to that

Thank you so much to our wonderful siblings and family who were able to help us this weekend. We got boat loads of paint up on those walls!  To get a taste of the transformation (and to help me remember how much progress we have made!)...

The back section of the living room...

post popcorn ceiling and shag carpet

added a half wall and future bench/toy box

painting today. nice legs matt!

 next the livingroom...

needing help...a lot of help

a lot of help done, like new fireplace and windows

 Next, the master bedroom, purple drapes and all...

master bedroom gem #1

master bedroom update #2

master bedroom there is hope #3

And let there be light for future baby's room...

you get the point

the wallpaper was a nightmare. night. mare.

Mark and his mom adding a little 'cream puff' aka yellow and its so cozy!

Now let me goosh and gush over that guy that is my freakin' awesome husband. He has spent his life there this past week and is currently there (at 9:30pm on a Saturday night and only has a bike as a form of transportation home bless his heart).  I am so thankful for his motivation and optimism! and his "I mean business" mustache he was sporting today.