Tagged!

First of all, just a little update from the 'homefront'. Things are going well in this freezing place! A few new things happening...Caitlin had her hearing screened at preschool on Monday (as per my pleading), and she failed miserably. Hear eardrums have been flat on and off since last Feb. Last Feb. they sent us to a pediatric ENT in Columbia, and he informed us that she's getting older, and her ears 'should start draining on their own', so he opted to not do tubes. After the past few weeks of her not hearing much, (and her behavior being affected), the ENT today said that she has to get tubes in her ears...tomorrow morning. He thinks that whoever told her to not have them last year was crazy, because she has resorted to lip-reading and such methods to compensate for her lack of hearing. So tomorrow morning bright and early she'll go in to the hospital to have tubes put in.

2nd new 'development'...I was having some stabbing pain around my belly button area yesterday, and the night before. It would come and go, but it was pretty constant. I thought it was round ligament pain, but it hurt so bad, so I broke down and called the OB office. They said they wanted me to go the hospital for a complete OB check, to rule out any problems. Turns out they don't know what the pain is from, probably round ligament pain like we thought. However, they found that I'm already dilated to a 3, and pretty effaced. We are supposed to leave for Disneyland next Wednesday, and we have to wait until they re-check me on Monday to see if we can even go or not. I haven't had the heart to tell the girls we may not be going, because they will be CRUSHED!! So we'll keep y'all posted. Now...on to being 'tagged'....

My friend Cashelle tagged me with some questions...so here goes!

1. Where was I 10 years ago:
Wow...I was 16, in high school, probably getting excited about my first prom. (Which was also my 1st kiss by the way!) I basically did EVERYTHING with my best friend Erica, who was the same height (short!) as I was, so we were considered the midgets connected at the hip. Those were the days, as Brad Paisley says, "I know at 17 it's hard to see past Friday night." The world was so small back then...and I wish I would have realized how fun and free life was at that age!

[Ok, so that's a totally random picture of Caitlin when she was 11 months. I just thought a whole post without pictures is so boring!]

2. 5 Things on my To-Do list:
1. Scrub the bathroom
2. Finish Emma's quilt(s)
3. Go grocery shopping (that's only been on there for about 5 days!!!)
4. Deep clean my bedroom
5. File old papers away
(Pretty boring list, eh?)

3. Snacks I enjoy:
Oh boy...here goes! (By the way, these are snacks I ENJOY...not necessarily indulge in daily ;o)
Donuts, yogurt with granola, Hostess Cupcakes, Slurpees, Clementines, Twizzlers, etc....

4. Bad Habits:
Refer to 'Snacks I Enjoy' above! Also...popping my neck, picking at my cuticles when I'm nervous, pushing the snooze button too many times, etc...

5. If I Suddenly Became a Billionaire:
I would buy Nate's parents a house, and help with recent med. bills (oh yeah...and get rid of that darn Neon and get them a more trusty car!), pay off student loans, buy Nate a shop and all the tools he could ever want, buy a house in Arizona in July, buy a Disney Vacation Club membership, and then of course give a lot to the church, family, and charities. :oD

6. Places I've lived:
Provo, UT; Huntington Beach, CA; Auburn, CA; Midvale, UT; Farmington, UT; Logan, UT; West Jordan, UT; Bountiful, UT; Salt Lake City, UT; Murray, UT; Kirksville, MO.

7. Jobs I've had:
Babysitting, 'Chef' at Lagoon (how's that for glorifying flipping burgers when I was 14?), Secretary at Erica's Dad's work, Secretary at RE/MAX, Apartment Manager, FULL-TIME MOM...THE BUSIEST JOB I'VE HAD!!!

8. Things people don't know about me:
Sheesh..I'm pretty much an open book. I've had my appendix out (emergency...and it ended up not being my appendix that was the problem), I've had warts on my feet before, (ok, I'm digging here...), and I hate cheesecake!

Hope that gave you a little peek into my life. I tag my brother Justin, and Betsy.

An Amazing Man!

I just got a text from my brother a few minutes ago saying that President Hinckley passed away. It hit me kind-of hard, and I just sat in shock for a few minutes. I guess when he was such an amazing man and prophet, you just expect that it will stay that way forever. I love President Hinckley, and I'm so grateful for everything that he has done for this crazy world. He was such a great man, and I have so much gratitude in my heart tonight for the time that we had with him as our prophet. Caitlin said, "Well Mom, Grandpa said that President Hinckley is sure happy now." I'm so glad that he can be reunited with his sweet wife and with our Heavenly Father and Savior. I love this gospel, and I love that we always will have a true and living prophet on the earth!

14 Days...

To get in the 'mood'..I thought I'd post a few pics of past Disneyland trips. I can't seem to find the pics from our most recent trip (Spring 2006), so when I find those, I'll post them as well!

The Magic Begins....

Yes, I guess in this frozen world of Kirksville dreams do come true! We decided to do one last family vacation before our lives change (slightly) at the end of March. We are going to DISNEYLAND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We are going the beginning of February for a few days, and I think I've managed to brainwash the girls into being more excited than even I am! For some reason, I am just a sucker to the magic. 100%...it just works for me. This plaque says it all, I really do somehow leave the world behind, and just enjoy the Happiest Place on Earth when I'm there. Caitlin is so thrilled beyond belief, because with shoes on she is now 40.5" tall. That means she can go on: Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, Tower of Terror, among the other big rides. Abby is just thrilled to go on the Teacups and the carousel and Finding Nemo. Although I'm going to have to pass on the big thrills (which will be VERY hard for me to swallow)...being 32 weeks pregnant I don't think is the best time to be riding thrill rides! But it's the adventure, the magic, and the fun, and I can't wait! (Oh...and thank you Nate for letting us go!!!!) 19 days and counting.......

A Fly on the Wall

My neighbor Melissa said one time that she wished she could be a fly on the wall of our house sometimes, so she could see what my girls do while I'm busy getting ready, and doing housework. Well, today wouldn't have been the best day to be a fly on the wall! This morning we got up, I exercised, scrubbed the bathroom, and showered. I was getting ready and I heard the girls downstairs laughing and squealing. I thought, "I LOVE it when they play and have fun together." Well, a few minutes later I decided to check on them and see what they had been up to. Looks like they thought the kitchen sink was a nice place for a bath!

Video Overload

Sorry about the 3 videos in a row! I wanted to post a video of Caitlin and Abby singing "I am a Child of God" in Portuguese, so I grabbed the camera tonight, and told them to start singing. The first video clip is actually about the 4th try to get them to sing it without interruptions. Even though Abby still has the hiccups in it.

I thought this was funny. Caitlin started singing, and Abby says, "But I keep burping!" She thinks the hiccups are burps.

Ok...before you watch this last one, let me explain. Actually...nevermind. Watch this one, and then I'll explain after about the end. It's Abby singing "I'll Follow Him in Faith". (I'd advise about the last 10 seconds you turn the volume up a bit...)

So it's hard enough to get a 2-year-old to sit still for anything, so by the end of the song, you can tell she's bored. So of course, at the end of singing this cute spiritual song, she stands up and cranks one on the whoopie cushion with her foot. I about DIED laughing. In fact, I was laughing so hard after I turned the camera off I had tears streaming down my face and Caitlin was so worried about what I was crying about. Maybe I shouldn't think it's funny...but it gave us all a good laugh.

Such a Sweet Break

Well, what more can I say than this has been such a sweet break! It has been so nice to have Nate home for 2 weeks. I will admit, with the weather being so cold lately, and living in a small town, we have been forced to get a little creative to find fun things to do. Nate spent hours (ok, not that long, but it seemed that long to Caitlin) styling Caitlin's hair like this today. (I think there are a total of 17 braids.)


I must say, I would NEVER have the patience to do that...but she looks pretty darn cute!

We made a little obstacle course for the girls in the living room, and had timed races for QUITE a while. They had fun, in their usual attire: dress-ups. Their favorite dress-ups are leotards. I always have long sleeves, pants, and socks on because I am usually cold. I don't know why they insist on wearing these all day, but sometimes I don't get their clothes on for the day before they change into these. Girls are so much fun...can't wait for little Emma Jo!!!

I thought Caitlin was still asleep for a nap the other day, when I heard something in the living room. I went in to find her all 'fancied-up' for the rest of the day. Can't get enough dressing up!!!

These boots don't look quite as ridiculously big when they are actually on Nate's feet. But this picture makes them look gigantic!

We went to Columbia last Friday, and stayed in a hotel overnight. I had had enough of the near or below freezing weather, overcast skies, and nothing to do in Kirksville. Plus, I wanted to get a couple of maternity things to feel a LITTLE bit better about this extra 'baby weight' I've been packin'. It was SO MUCH FUN, and the girls loved staying at the hotel.

Daddy and the girls in the hotel bed. They have enjoyed every minute of him being home for the break. Now...notice the headboard. Nate's got this weakness for doing projects (kind-of like my Slurpee weakness). He can't be home for more than a day or two without wanting to do a project. Which is GREAT for me! Anyways, seeing this headboard at the hotel, he decided he wanted to make one for our bed. So far this week he has made 2 stools for me, and almost finished the headboard. Ahhh....what a guy! In the cold and all. I'll be posting pics when it's done...don't worry!

I'm sad that Nate has to go back to school on Monday, but I am so grateful for the wonderful break we've had. I can't believe that we only have 12.5 weeks until this baby comes!!! I am so excited, and I love to feel her move all the time. She is so ACTIVE...sometimes I can't concentrate on anything else because she is practicing gymnastics routines for minutes on end. So far we've decided on Emma Jo for her name, but we'll have to see if Nate gives his seal of approval. Kids are so much fun, and I can't wait to meet this little baby girl!!