The Last 2.5 Weeks

These last 2.5 weeks have been crazy around here, like usual! I just keep thinking that if things stay this busy for the next 9 weeks, this baby will be here before I know it! It gets me really excited, anxious, nervous, and happy! Anyway, here is an update on pretty much every aspect of our lives right now.

(FYI - I've been super lazy about taking pictures with my real camera, so over half of these are phone pics which lack quality and clarity.)

CHURCH:

I was in charge of New Beginnings, taught the combined YW lesson on Fast Sunday, and got to attend (and not have any responsibilities) the Relief Society birthday dinner. And big news for Maisey -- she gave her first talk in Primary!

 My helpers making cupcakes for NB.

 The theme for our NB this year was "I {heart} Personal Progress". We talked a lot about putting your whole heart into it and we decorated with hearts and ate these delicious heart cupcakes! It turned out really nice, and was super simple and easy.

This past Sunday, I taught the YW lesson. It was on strengthening families. I found an idea online using the game Jenga. I put strips of masking tape on every Jenga piece and the girls had to write on them ways we could strengthen our moms, dads, and siblings. That had to say their way aloud then they built up the Jenga tower. After all the pieces were done, we started talking about things that sometimes the girls do that doesn't strengthen their family. With every way they came up with, they had to take a piece out until the tower (aka, the family) crumbled. The lesson went super well, and as one of the girls was walking out of the room, she goes, "This object lesson was the best!"

 My favorite part about the whole thing was that afternoon, I was removing the tape strips from each piece, and this one caught my eye. Somehow, this one didn't get read aloud during the lesson, but still made it on the tower.

I asked Maisey what she learned in Primary last Sunday, and she said, "I'll show you!"

 Then she started patting her head and rubbing her tummy! :)

Her primary teacher just had a baby so she's had a sub the last few weeks. Her sub came up to me on Sunday and told me how reverent and obedient she is in class. She said all the other kids poke each other and are out of their chairs all the time, but she is really good. That sure makes a mom happy!

Her topic for her talk was "God speaks through living prophets." She gave a great little talk about President Monson and prophets. She said it really loud and clear and wasn't nervous at all. I was so proud of her!

And. . . just to embarrass my friend!!! She totally shook her thing at the Relief Society Dinner. Thanks for the great entertainment Dana! :) Enjoy those fresh eggs!

SCHOOL:

Maisey colored this super cute picture of her family, including Baby Miley! 

And she went on a field trip to the police station. She got to sit on this police motorcycle which she thought was pretty cool. The other highlight of the trip: seeing handcuffs! Now she says she wants to be a girl police officer and an airplane driver! Dream big girl!

BABY:

No pictures today! 

Her room is coming along really well. I just need to buy a frame for above her changing table and then I'm done. I'll post pictures of all three rooms in a different post! 

Shaun and I went on the Family Birth Center tour last weekend. I'm delivering at the same hospital that I had Gage at, but I don't remember much from it. I was only there less than 3 hours before he was born. And, it's been three years now. . . which I can barely remember last month, so it was nice to go back and get a refresher. It also made me really excited and nervous! I can't believe how close we're getting.

I had a dr. appointment yesterday. I'm 31 weeks now and everything is looking really good. My favorite part about my appointment yesterday was a comment my doctor made to me. He was talking about my weight (I gained 3 lbs between appointments) and told me that obviously my diet is working out, so keep it up! I almost laughed right then and there. Seriously! My diet has consisted of jelly beans, cadbury eggs, and Taco Bell Nachos. And I will definitely keep it up. Doctor's orders!

HOUSE:

These last two weeks have been CRA-ZY getting rooms finished up and the garage reorganized and cleaned again! It started with me changing my mind a million times, then mattress shopping, then a BIG trip to Ikea, followed by hours of putting together several hundred dollars worth of furniture! But I do have to say, I'm SUPER happy with how everything turned out!

 Our carts full of stuff at Ikea. 

We ended up having to fold down both back seats in the van so Shaun rode home on the floor! That thing was packed up to the ceiling, and those boxes were heavy!

 The next day we started on the assembly of all of our furniture. These were the directions we had to go off of! Haha! Ikea furniture actually wasn't as hard to put together as I heard it was. Just time consuming, especially when you have helpers! (the kids, not me!)

 Here is Helper #1, who I'm surprised wasn't holding Dad's drill, or using the hammer on his sister!

 And, here's helper #2, who tuckered out after several hours! 

 Don't worry, she perked right up when Dad gave them the go-ahead to climb on the top bunk for the first time! They both thought it was soooo cool that they could touch the ceiling!

 A little sneak peak of her room with her new bed! 

As I was putting her to bed, she told me "Mom, I'm going to hold on to this bar tonight, just in case!" It was a little change in attitude from earlier in the day when I asked her if she was going to be brave and sleep on the top bunk tonight and she responded, "Yeah mom! What are you worried about?"

And, I guess these fall in the "HOUSE" category. For Christmas, I gave my mom two chargers, a January one (featured here) and a February one, along with a note for a charger a month of the year.  She is always telling me how much she likes my holiday themed mantles each month, so I thought I would get her started on her own. Anyway, last week I made two, one for March and one for April! Cute, simple, and easy! Totally my style!

FAMILY/FUN:

Well, I'll start with the not so fun! Last Friday afternoon, Gage got sick! :( It was not fun. He ended up throwing up right before Shaun got home from work (I'll spare you the picture I sent Shaun!) He had a cough, plugged ears, and a stuffy nose, which he also passed to Shaun and I. It was not a fun weekend, and luckily, we are all starting to feel some relief!

But. . .  he was super cuddly all weekend! Which was nice. I could tell he was starting to feel better when he started picking on Maisey again!

Now to the fun. . . 

 Gage likes to do everything Maisey does, so naturally, he LOVES Barbies! He took Ken's pants off and said, "Barbie go potty" and put him on the toilet in the Barbie house. We've been talking up the potty a lot lately and he has absolutely NO interest in it, so this was funny for me to see. 

 Miss Rapunzel got to eat her eggs at her art table one morning. She sure felt like a princess!

And Gage found pretty much every train he owns and put them all on his track at the same time! He LOVES to play trains!

Yesterday, we took a trip to Bauman Farms. The kids had fun playing around and seeing the animals!

Like I said, it's been a busy couple of weeks, but it's been nice to get things done and to focus on the kids!

Look Mom, No Cavities!!!

The kids went to the dentist for the first time this morning! I've been meaning to get them both in FOREVER, and there is absolutely no reason why I waited for so long, but I made it a goal to get it done before the baby came. Let's be honest, who wants to lug three kids to the dentist? Anyway, today was the day and it went pretty well. Shaun left work for a bit to meet us for the appointments, and I'm glad he did.

 Maisey went first and did AWESOME! She chose Barbie A Fairy Secret to watch, and she chose strawberry toothpaste. She was really brave and sat in the chair by herself (well, with blankie!) and even was brave when they did x-rays. She loved the spit sucker and even did a good job when the hygienist  poked around with the sharp tool. The nurse kept telling Maisey she was looking for sugar bugs. When it was Gage's turn and she said that, Maisey whispered to me, "Mommy, what are sugar bugs?" in a really concerned voice. She was worried that she had bugs in her mouth! :) The dentist only had good things to say about her teeth! He was really proud of how well she brushes! She was really thrilled to come home with new flossers, a new tooth brush, and two new toys from the toy area.

 The kids were watching Barbie together while they were waiting for the dentist to come in and look at Maisey's teeth.

 Then it was Gage's turn. . . and he screamed as soon as we tried to put him in the chair. So Daddy got to hold him the whole time (remember when I said I was glad he came?). Once he settled down he did a pretty good job. He chose to watch Cars and he also liked the spit sucker, and the dentist said his teeth look awesome! No x-rays for this little dude. But the hygienist did say he already has his 3 year old molars in so no teething again til he's six! YAY! Gage also got to choose two toys from the toy area, one which was a blue motorcycle which occupied his time for the rest of the day!

 The kids were in the sea room and Maisey was thrilled that there was a big mermaid on the wall. This kid's dentist place was totally awesome! We'll be back in six months!

I decided since we were already in Wilsonville to schedule a hair cut for Gage for right afterward. Might as well get it all done at once. Last month I took him to this hair cutting place for kids because I dread cutting his hair. It didn't go super well, but at least I could distract him while someone else was cutting! But today, he was such a big boy! He chose to watch Thomas and sit in a red race car! He did really well up until the very end when she needed to do around his ear. But we made it through with a few tears, and now he looks so handsome!

 The kids were rewarded with lunch and ice cream at Costco! 

Then we came home for naps, where this little guy was tuckered out!

Whoever came up with these awesome kid-friendly places is a genius!

The New Hiding Spot

Gage's favorite hiding spot. He's started going there when he knows he's in trouble!

Happy Day!

The best day of the year!

Our Game Closet

 This is what happens when your kids' friend teaches them to open the child proof handles on each of the doors in your house.

And this is what happens when the mom finally gets sick of looking at all that mess!

What's Wrong?

Anybody see anything wrong with this picture?

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Peek-a-boo Mommy!!!

I could hear some noise in Gage's room during nap time today, so I went to check on him. I saw his dirty clothes out of his basket and on his dresser, and his balls in his dirty clothes basket. Then he popped out of his ball bin and said, "Peek-a-boo Mommy!"

He is one goofy kid!

Mega Phone

As if Princess music wasn't annoying enough, I now get to hear it sung through this mega phone. Thank you $ store!

My Valentines!!!

My Valentine's were looking especially cute today! We started the day off with heart-shaped doughnuts and Valentine outfits. We talked to Grandma Grimmett on the phone, which is always fun for the kids. We met Grammy Olsen for lunch then headed home for naps. After naps we met Daddy for dinner at Applebee's then headed home for gifts, and bed time.

 The kids got new thermoses and coloring kits!

This is the picture we got when we told the kids to kiss! Haha!

Even though those two are super special to me, nothing compares to my one and only Valentine! Shaun is seriously the best husband and father ever! On Sunday, I had a lot of time to think about things and share some things with my mom. I'm only 25 years old and have experienced a lot of different events and emotions in my life. There are not a lot of people my age who have been through what I have. When I got married at 19, people questioned if I was ready. I know I was because of some of these experiences. I am so thankful I have Shaun to share my life with. He helps ease my burdens and share my load. My life has definitely not gotten easier since we've been married, but I feel like with him and I working together, we can handle anything. I am thankful that he helps me to make temple attendance a priority in our marriage. The Denver Temple President spoke in Sacrament Meeting on Sunday and talked about when your family is young, it is hard to go to the temple and definitely not convenient, but that those who go frequently will be blessed. I have Shaun to thank for that. He also makes sure we have our scripture study together every night, even if I'm already asleep, he'll read aloud to me. It has been interesting to me to watch different friends and family struggle over these last few months. Some trials have torn families apart, and some have brought families closer together. I've come to realize that no family is perfect, and everyone has their problems, even if they aren't made apparent. I guess the whole point of this is that I KNOW that I am a very lucky girl to have Shaun as my Valentine today, and always! I love him more today than yesterday, and 6.5 years ago when we got married!

 And proof that he's the best, this is what I walked into when I got home from the airport late Sunday night. Flowers, cards from him and the kids, and my favorite candies! He seriously is the best!

Denver

My little sister graduated from nursing school last week, so I flew out to Denver to be at her pinning ceremony and to have a nice little mommy break for the last time before #3 comes. Shaun held down the fort at home, so I could enjoy some time with my mom and sisters. 

We packed the weekend full! My mom and I flew out of PDX at 6 am on Thursday, which made for a looooong day and night (good thing our layover was in SLC and they have a Krispy Kreme in the airport!). We ate Costa Vida for lunch and that night was the pinning ceremony. We were all very proud of Kelsey and how hard she worked at following her dreams and becoming a nurse, even if it took going back to school after graduating from BYU! After the pinning, we celebrated with some Macaroni Grill.

On Friday, my mom and Kelsey and I headed to the spa for a day full of pampering. This was HEAVEN!!! Seriously, the best five hours of my life. We had back facials and massages, European facials, manicures, pedicures, and a hair shampoo and style, with lunch! And not to mention the fun time laughing and visiting with each other. It was awesome. We met up with the rest of the group and went to Cracker Barrel for dinner (which never disappoints) then headed to the Avalanche hockey game. The game went into overtime and the Avalanche scored with 1.2 seconds left in overtime to win the game! It was really fun!

Saturday was more of a relaxing day. I had to go to the Worldwide Leadership Training meeting that morning, which was nearly impossible to stay awake in because of the late nights I had had, but it was still good. I have to give credit to my mini cadbury eggs for keeping me awake. I helped my sister with her taxes that afternoon, then we headed to an outdoor mall by my sister's house. It was FREEZING, like 10* freezing, so we didn't last long. We headed home for dinner, put the nieces and nephews to bed, then got our games on!!! 

Going to church on Sunday and actually being able to listen was a big highlight of my weekend. The Denver Temple President happened to be speaking in my sister's ward that day and it was awesome. Some of the things he had to say really hit home with me, but more on that later! After Sacrament Meeting it was time for my mom and I to head back home. We had interesting people on each of our flights.

But on to the pictures. . .

Kelsey's friend from her ward got to pin her!

A waitress at Macaroni Grill sang a beautiful Italian song to Kels, and they brought her a yummy chocolate cake, which she happily shared with her preggo sis!

Go Avalanche!!!

Right after the game winning goal!

See the clock? I wasn't exaggerating when I said with 1.2 seconds left!

All the girls on Sunday

I came home about 5 lbs heavier, and I have an OB appointment tomorrow! It always seems to happen like that! Oh well! It was so fun and a much needed weekend away!