The incredible Hulk

He's so strong he managed to do what his truck was incapable of... pull out the "eye sore" tree in our front yard. He did a lot of work around the yard and it looks much better!!!! Who knew home ownership would be such a big job?

All about Xiana

• One day there was a man running from a police officer on our way to my parent's house. Xiana asked what was going on and I explained that the bad guy was running away from the cops. She replied, "Well that's not naughty cause I wanna run away from the cops too."




• She regularly tickles my stomach gleeful about tickling the baby.




• She adamantly insists that E.T. is PG13. As a result, she is convinced that she should be allowed to watch PG13 movies. We have argued about, not only the fact that E.T. is not PG13 but also that she is not allowed to watch PG13 movies. It's funny. I always knew this day would come... I just had no idea she would be 3.




• She got strep throat and the doctors and nurses were so great with her. On our way out the door she remarked, "I didn't know it would be so fast. And I didn't know they would snuggle me!" She was an exceptional patient that seemed to compel all who came in sight to give her a hug.




• One night we watched Stripes as a family before bed. In her prayers that evening she said, "thank you for letting the zebra win."




• After a persistent rain following a serious sidewalk chalk adventure she told me, "that naughty rain erased our lizard!"




• She sounds more like me daily. She came into the kitchen one evening wagging her finger at me exclaiming, "for Pete's sake mom, what were you thinking?"
  

• One night we were getting ready for bed and I looked at her. She was getting ready to cry because she didn't want to go to bed and I was scolding her that if she cried tomorrow night she would have to go to bed even earlier. I caught this tiny little moment where her expression looked so vulnerable. She was trying so hard to be strong, or right, or defiant, but really she just wanted to cry. Her eyes were pleading with me, "please agree with me, please let me, please reassure me." It was beautiful, heart wrenching, and crushing all at the same moment. It was such an evidence to me of the little person she's become. She knows so much. She feels so much. It's extraordinary... and fills me with guilt sometimes when I fail as a mommy.
  

• There was a show on t.v. and the characters were drinking glasses of wine. She asked me what they were drinking and I told her. She asked, "are they getting drunk?" How did she know to ask that? I have no idea. She followed with, "Cause it's bad for our bodies God doesn't want us to drink and He doesn't want them to drink either." So smart. I hope she remembers that in about 13 years.
  

• Ever since watching Tangled I ofter hear her starting make-believe games with, "this is the story of how I died..." It's kind of jarring.
  

• We have had a few trampoline weather days that reminded me how sweet she is on the tramp and what a wonderful gift that was for her. She loves to jump and play and run on it. I'm thankful for it and nice weather. One day she said, "come outside and watch me mom, the lion is chasing me!!!"
  

• At dinner one night I was teasing Brian about being a redneck. He agreed and Xiana followed suite teasing him. He told her, "you know that since you're my daughter that means that you're a redneck too." He left the room and she lifted her chin saying, "my neck is not red... see?


• One morning I explained to her how fortunate we were to live in this free country where we are so privileged and blessed. Later in the week she reassured me, "Some mommies and daddies and sweeties don't get to go to school or church or work cause they live in different countries." I'm glad to know she's listening.


• She brought me one of her church movies and told me, "they killed Abinidi because they were bad. But that's okay because he returned to live again with the MASTER. Do you know who the master is? The master is Jesus and he will ALWAYS be our master." So insightful... yet so adorable. If you could have heard her inflections it would be even better.


• She has been sleeping with mousy regularly and has gotten to where she won't go to bed without mousy being tucked in next to her. She told me one night, "I'm gonna let my baby brother sleep with mousy cause I bet he will love Mousy." About an hour later after thoroughly considering this generous offer she recanted, "I'm gonna put mousy in with my baby brother until he falls asleep then I'm gonna get him out and put him back before my brother wakes up." Generous, but not insane!


• We had a lot of family in town for our sealing and her cousin Isaac was playing SO nicely with her. Cami told him, "Isaac you're being such a good cousin to Xiana." He replied, "well she is so sweet."


• As we were walking into the temple to be sealed she said, "one mommy, one daddy, and one Xiana." That is the truth!
  

Adventures

To celebrate Dad's birthday we did the usual... let him take us out to dinner. You might think I'm writing this in jest, but you're wrong. We did, indeed, let him take US out for dinner for his birthday. I know I know, it's not supposed to work that way. But if you know my dad... you understand. And if you don't... suffice it to say he is the most naturally generous man alive and finds great joy in giving. So... we ate a delicious Thai dinner and followed it with ice cream (at least they had a series of gift certificates). It was delicious and fun. Oh yeah, and it was our 3rd ice cream outing with my dad in 2 days!
On the weekend Brian and Xiana and I decided to GET OUT OF THE HOUSE! It was long overdue and much needed. The weather has been oh-so-crappy and it hasn't felt much like spring. Every time I feel the deep urge to go out in the hills it rains or snows or both. As a result, it was wonderful to go for a little drive in the mountains. Xiana immediately scrambled to collect bullet shells (her father has taught her well) and, after playing in the dirt with said shells remarked, "It's awfully good that we have bullets to play with." Touche my dear.
Brian got out the big guns... okay maybe just medium sized, but they were a lot of fun to shoot. We forgot earplugs for the first time ever thus illustrating the fingers in the ears trick.
Xiana was adamant that she get a turn and thankfully Brian brought something she could manage.
And I'm just thankful that I didn't topple over.... seriously!
Then we meandered out towards one of his co-worker's house. He has a few acres and lives out in the sticks. Xiana had a blast playing with his kids and I genuinely enjoyed great conversation with his friends and their parents. We were pretty pooped when we got home, but it was worth it. I don't know what will arrive first, spring or this little mover and shaker in my belly.

Weekends...

Weekends around here vary greatly. Some weekends Ekco includes Xiana in her favorite past time... looking up music videos on Youtube.
Sometimes we wear goofy slippers and play dress up...
Then we march around the house to illustrate how cool or goofy we are.
Or prance around like a princess.
We always go to church...
Sometimes we make flower barrettes and put them in our hair.
And squeeze in a photo shoot before we head off for afternoon church.
And jump on the patio like a little pink frog.
But that's only sometimes....

Temple

Brian received his endowment on Friday April 9th. It was a sacred and beautiful experience. I often forget how in tune Brian is beneath his tough exterior. I love him for it, and I am very proud to be his wife.
We were surrounded by family and friends and are so very grateful for all the loving support. Both our current bishop and Brian's old bishop joined him as well as my parents, many members of the ward, and our soon to be brother-in-law. Afterwards we went out for ice cream with my parents and then again for ice cream later that evening. My dad asked us not to tell that he had taken us for ice cream twice in a day, but it was too good to leave out. Plus... it helps explain my bulging belly ;)

Bubbles and birdfeeders

Ella was on track break for the last month so she came and hung out with us a few days a week. She and Xiana play SO nicely together! It is amazing the amount of things I can accomplish when Ella comes over to play. She is very diplomatic and they (together) are low maintenance. This particular day I had a ton of grading to do so I sat outside on a lawn chair and graded while they blew bubbles and colored with sidewalk chalk.
Later we went to the church for play group where they got to play games, eat food and...

Make bird feeders!! They were both extremely excited about it. They were very basic, toilet paper rolls wrapped in peanut butter rolled in bird seed. Still, they were some of the first to complete their little projects and could hardly wait to hang them outside to see the birds eating...
Now, if only spring would come....

Queen of the hill!

Remember the days of tilt a whirls, teeter totters, and metal rocket ships at parks? These days are no more as some wise person decided that those were very dangerous to have at public places designed for children. Instead, the new entertainment device is the rock wall.... what?! I swear, out with the old and in with the new. I'm sure there are way less stitches and broken bones resulting from rock walls.... right? Okay, maybe not, but at least they aren't made of metal! Despite their oh-so-safe appeal, Xiana was desperate to climb. I let her... on the condition that I stood directly behind her while she did so. I never imagined she would make it all the way to the top where I could no longer reach her, but she did. I was petrified that she would get stuck up there (insert mental visual of 8 1/2 month pregnant woman climbing said rock wall to retrieve stuck and frozen child). Fortunately, she found it just as easy to get down as it was to get up. Sweet success my queen of the hill!!

Shower

My baby shower was fabulous. It was such a fun evening and I was so grateful to all who came. It was vastly different than my showers for Xiana were. For one thing, I didn't need anything. For another, my sweet friends considered Brian and his tastes in the planning. This is not to say that it was co-ed because it wasn't, but Emily made camo table cloths. Kate made camo invitations, and we received all kinds of hunter friendly clothes. This little nameless boy is already extraordinarily spoiled. He has everything. Once again I find myself in this place where I am blessed beyond measure; where I feel so very fortunate because I am so blessed. It's remarkable to me how many people support and love us; how many friends and family members rally round and hoist us up. I am grateful. I love, too, the way that showers, weddings, and other parties of that nature are places where all your worlds collide. My friends constantly tease me because long ago I made a statement about how I couldn't wait for us all to die so that everyone I love could meet everyone else I love. I know I've mentioned this before and, while it is quite comical if you put it in those terms, the sentiment is real. I love nothing more than to see so many wonderful people from different realms of my life and world all in the same place. I love when friends hit it off, or just when others are able to see the beauty and strength in those that surround me. I love the mingling of different people from different settings and I do feel that will be much the way it is in the next life, only on a much larger scale. I imagine bringing my earthly family and friends to those I was surrounded by and loved in the pre-existence and saying things such as, "hey Ruth, you have to meet my sister... you guys are gonna love each other!" I know, it's kind of silly in a way, but I really feel this way. I really love so very many people and I love when they can all love each other too. I love being able to share this with Brian. I love having the ability to say, "isn't so-and-so amazing? and wouldn't they just love so-and-so?" But... I digress :) ... so... back to the shower. Here is one of the great new table cloths and delicious wings provided by Kate. It won't be long before I'll be known for these wings as Kate has kept me in supply for so many major events (not the least of which was my wedding). But I do love me some chicken wings.

The other table carried the chocolate fountain. A bit excessive I'm sure, but it sure was tasty. The next day I was so swollen I was a tiny bit afraid. I checked my blood pressure first thing in the morning and it was surprisingly fine. My fingers were like sausages and my ankles barely moved. A week later I told my doctor about it and she commented, "what terrible food for a baby shower." On this I will just agree to disagree... I think it was fantastic! I tried to get pictures of all my wonderful guests but only managed to get a lot of backs of heads. Tosh and Kacie might be the only two who actually cooperated when I got the camera out. Alicia did the games... when she asked Xiana how big mommy was Xiana held her arms out as far as she could. I think her ribbon went around my leg. She is trying to exaggerate it to the best of her little ability. She also did the candy bar memory game which is a clever and quick game. The truth is, when you get a group of stay at home moms out on a Friday night, all they really want to do is visit... sometimes until 1:30 in the morning. Cambria got Xiana a gift too which made her feel special. Also, Kacie bought her the big sister shirt, which I completely forgot to put on her until I was oh so gently reminded. I was completely and ridiculously spoiled by gifts. Again, already this child will want for nothing. See what I mean?! Kate cheated and measured her own belly and won the game... Alicia is completely pretending to alleviate any rumors that might begin from this picture. It was such a wonderful evening and it was so thoughtful of everyone to bring food, games, decor, and gifts. This wild little baby in my tummy says thanks to all!! And so does his mommy.

Family

It's been a while since we've taken a family shot before church. I was excited to get this one... even though it was ccccold... and I'm much larger than I look in the mirror ;) Ekco and Xiana looked so cute!!!!

Still pregnant

Yes, I know... it's happening already... the absence of photos of baby number 2. I heard this was a calamity that usually strikes middle children, and now, alas, I have come to discover it is true. Nevermind that baby number two hasn't yet arrived. I still know that this lack of photo taking disease has already struck. You see, with Xiana, I had already taken about a billion belly pics by this stage in the pregnancy. This poor little guy only has two. When he is a toddler and ever so interested in his birth story, I will have to sit down with him and, where Xiana has an entire pregnancy album (to say nothing of her 100 page journal) show him two pictures. "This is when you were in mommy's tummy," I'll tell him. And he'll wonder why on earth it was so much more fascinating to have his big sister in said tummy. Then I (or perhaps Xiana) will explain to him that there are also perks to being a second child. For instance: Xiana will be able to relate how mommy would go postal over her dropping (let's get real, throwing) her food on the floor. But, as also tends to be the trend, baby number 2's food mishaps will likely go unnoticed due to a busy, busy mommy. Also, poor Xiana gets harped on for a lot of tiny details... a lot. Many of which will not be clear to mommy later down the road. Baby number 2 will be born under the covenant and have a daddy from day one (though Xiana doesn't remember a time without one). He will also live in a nice house with a big yard for playing and discovering. Still, the downsides certainly include: an already extraordinarily busy mom with lots to do and an active toddler. This pregnancy has flown by because we have been so very busy. It's hard to believe that in less than 6 weeks we will have a new little addition to our family. Life has been stressful between working on our fixer upper house, clinging to our ever changing and cutting back jobs, and now, (a real blow) Brian has been moved to permanent weekends which means he can't attend church meetings with us. This also means that it will only be a matter of time before he, too, is laid off. Suddenly all our house plans seem pretty unimportant, especially if we no longer live here in the near future. Keep us in your prayers and if anyone knows of a job... don't hesitate to send it our way. The universities have also suffered huge closures and cutbacks. Nevertheless we are picking ourselves up by the bootstraps and forging ahead. Also, in all fairness our family has also experienced some major major blessings not the least of which is Brian taking out his endowments this Friday (of course that deserves its own post later). But oh yeah, that's right, I was talking about the baby. See? Already he's getting the shaft! I remember when I was pregnant with Xiana, I had so much energy and I felt great. I never swoll up, I was never in pain, and I was an insomniac. I heard other women complaining and griping so and I thought, "wow, women are really quite weak when it comes down to it." I was quite judgemental and thought they were surely overexaggerating as I, despite being a high risk pregnancy, had no negative symptoms. I also never felt my little girl move. Now, I wonder how she could possibly have been born a healthy, developed child because this little boy is a nonstop mover and shaker. And.... he hurts! I take back everything I ever muttered or thought about other pregnant women. This is hard. I am in pain. But... worst of all... I. am. tired. I HATE to be tired. I hate it. I hate this nesting stage where my body just can't possibly keep up with my manic mind. I find myself grading papers and trying to attend to the ever piling to do lists and all I can think is, "there's dust on the windowsills," and,"I haven't moved that tv in 6 months, imagine the dirt collecting behind it!" I took several days and deep cleaned the house. The nesting I do remember with Xiana. The only difference was... I lived alone. I cleaned and cleaned and cleaned and everything stayed exactly the same. Now, I clean and clean and clean and a few hours later, you can't tell! :) But, there are much worse things in the world than dirty window sills so I can deal. My blood pressure has managed to stay completely normal throughout this entire pregnancy thus far. This is extra surprising considering I am now larger than I was the day I delivered Xiana. But I guess that comes with the territory when you aren't placed on an ultra strict diet. Overall I am feeling pretty good, just not as good as last pregnancy. I hope this isn't a pattern.

Xiana is ever more excited to have a baby brother and, more importantly, to be a big sister. She constantly talks to and tickles my belly exclaiming, "I'm tickling my baby brother!" More than once she's kissed my tummy and said, "I love my baby brother." I realize that a hypothetical baby is extremely different than a real live crying and taking mommy and daddy time baby, but...I do think she will be adaptable. She is 3 1/2 which is a pretty good age as far as understanding and being able to help and be excited for a new addition. I'm sure that, like all toddlers, she will have her fair share of moments of animosity or jealousy. We will just have to make sure to give her extra love and attention and help her feel needed all the time. She is a growing, loving girl.

Ekco is also excited, though decidedly less as she already has 3 little brothers and has been through this a time or two. Though, now she is much older and I know she is going to be such a great big sister. No matter how much work little babies are, it's a rare heart that doesn't melt when they hold those tiny little creatures.

As for me? I am thrilled. Though people keep asking if I'm over it yet and so ready. The answer is no. I have a lot to do before this little munchkin arrives and if he comes early he could seriously thwart my plans. Especially since I am planning on posting grades the day before his birth. Also, I already know what it's like having a new born :) Still, 9 months is the perfect amount of prep time. The Lord is indeed inspired. I yearn to hold his little body and touch his skin. I love the feeling a baby's breath on the crevice of my neck. I can already feel his tiny little fingers wrapping around my own. I'm eager to see what he looks like. I'm grateful to know that he will be coming straight from the presence of the Lord down to us. There is something so touching and spiritual about a baby. It brings tears to my eyes to imagine seeing him for the first time and, what's more, seeing Brian hold him tenderly, kiss his face, and rock him to sleep. Words just aren't enough.

As for Brian? I might have to convince him to do his own baby post so that this little guy will always know what his daddy was feeling at the time of his arrival. But if I had to speak for him I'd say he's pretty excited. He does have a great deal of stress, but he seems to be growing ever more cognizant of the little guy's arrival. As the time approaches we are all more aware, more prepared, and more eager to meet him... to hold him and know that he was made just for us; that it was always intended this way; that he agreed and wanted to be a part of OUR family. And we wanted HIM!