Merry Christmas From the Kimball's

Family Home Evening

Last night Matt made pot stickers and I made fried rice for our Kimball Family Home Evening.  We had Momma Kimball, DJ, Kristy and Omar over for FHE.  The food turned out pretty good, but not as good as when we did pot stickers with Sarah and Mark.  Matt made the wonton wrappers from scratch and they weren't quite right, but we will perfect the recipe, oh yes, we will.

It was nice to have the Kimballs over to our house, as we have been gathering at Momma Kimball's so much lately.  Even though I love going to Momma Kimball's, it is a little small to accommodate large crowds and Nicole has a difficult time with crowds in general.  She has a little overcrowded anxiety.

We fed everyone last night and then I made them play games with me because you can't come over and eat my food and not play a game with me.  Games are my payment for food.  So, we played spinner and it was a lot of fun.  Nicole even sat at the table in her booster seat, playing with her own game while we played ours.  Usually, she is running around, causing a ruckus and driving me crazy, but she was such a good little girl.

Then, we played Boggle (one of my favorite games) and I totally annihilated the Kimballs.  It made me happy to be the best finder of words.  That is probably why Matt won't play Boggle with me very often.

So Blessed

When things didn't work out with Matt's old job during the summer, we were crushed. We didn't know what to do. We didn't know how we were going to pay our mortgage, and we didn't know what we were going to do next. So, we prayed about what to do and where we should go with our lives.

Matt and I came to the decision that he should go back to school, be a full-time Daddy, and that I would work. We felt like this was the right decision for us. We also were trying to get pregnant as we had decided many months previously that we wanted another child. We moved forward with these plans, though they were not the ideal situation.

I love being a stay at home Mommy. I love spending time with my child and I thought (after my last pregnancy) that I would never again have to work while suffering through pregnancy. Sometimes the things that we think are the right thing for us, are not always the right thing.

In many ways, Matt and I have realized (already) that the things that happened to us this summer and the decisions that we made after that were all to teach us something and to bless our lives. Even though the decision to go back to work (and school for Matt) was not an easy one and even though we loved our roles before the switch, we have discovered that everything has a purpose.

Because Matt has been home with Nicole, he was also able to spend more time with his Dad and help out his Mom these last few months. This was a great blessing that he had the flexibility to do this. Matt is really loving his classes and his new major. The ability to decide on a major (after many years of not knowing what he wanted to do if he went back to school) was easy and has turned out to be a good decision as it is something he really enjoys.

My new job has not only been something that I enjoy, but it pays for all of our needs, is closer to home than Matt's previous job, and my hours are flexible so that we can switch off taking care of Nicole so that Matt can attend classes. This is also a better situation than we could have expected.

We found out that I was pregnant a few days after I accepted my new job and I thought that working while pregnant at a brand new job would be difficult, but it has turned out really well. I'm not nearly as sick with this pregnancy as I was with my last one and I can function at work normally without a lot of pain and discomfort. I am very grateful that this pregnancy is easy. Additionally, my work has agreed to hold my job for me and let me work from home when the baby comes (something they are not legally required to do). Originally, we did not know what we would do when the baby came, but just a couple weeks ago, I worked out an agreement with my employer.

We also recently found out that we will be getting money in the coming year that we did not expect to get. This money will help us pay off our car, and all of our credit card debt while still having some left over to put aside for when the baby is born. This is really what floors me. We really didn't think we would be able to get out of debt next year with a baby coming and all.  In fact, with me leaving work for 6 weeks when the baby comes, we weren't sure how we would meet all of our bills. Then, this week, we got the news that we would be getting this money next year and it was truly an answer to our prayers.

This is just a testament to Matt and I that Heavenly Father loves us. That even though we are faced with trials and heartache, we will still be taken care of if we follow the guidance of the spirit. It has definitely not been an easy year as we were faced with no income, a new baby, and a death in the family, but after all the trials we are really very happy. Every trial we face is there to challenge us to be better, to be more faithful, and to find a greater happiness.

Matt and I can only conclude that the decisions that we made this year (school, work, and baby) have all been a part of Heavenly Father's plan for us and I am so grateful that we have made good choices (thus far). Next year will be full of new adventures, I am sure, but I go forward with faith that things will turn out and that we will be happy.

See Our Journey This Year
Happy News: Happy and Sick, It's a Boy
New Challenges: Starting Over, New Job
Summer Distress: Difficult to Say, Allergies, On the Hunt
Times of Bliss: Vegas Vacation, She's One, Birthday 26

Mommy, You're Funny

Just in the last couple days Nicole has started communicating a lot better. She has started talking in sentences and is able (most of the time) to express what she wants or needs.

My favorite thing that she is says right now is, "Mommy, you're funny." Sometimes when I am being silly for her or just tickling her, she will say this to me and it makes me so happy because she knows what funny is, and she has finally realized that yes, I AM funny.

We are hoping that this boost in using words will lessen the amount of meltdowns that she has in a day. Instead of melting down when she needs something, now she can tell us, "Daddy, help you!" (which means that she wants daddy to help her). Yesterday she was trying to turn on and off the humidifier and she couldn't get it to turn off, so she said, "Daddy do it." This may seem like a simple thing to say, but it is a big step for her to actually let us know what she wants.

She is just too stinking cute right now, I just can't get enough of her. Someday when I actually find the cord that connects my camera to my computer, I will post some pictures of my beautiful girl.

Getting Back to Everyday

It was a busy weekend with a lot of family coming in for the funeral and Matt helping his mom with funeral arrangements. 

Saturday Matt was doing funeral preparation, so I had to clean the house for Sunday, when all the family would be congregating at our home. Marie was kind enough to come and help me get things clean and ready. It is always good to have Marie as a helper cleaner because her level of clean is much cleaner than my level of clean. The house ended up looking great.

Sunday, Matt and I woke up feeling sick (colds) but we went to church and it was a good thing we did. Nursery was super full with 15 kids this week. Most weeks we have between 8-10 and it isn't that bad, but those extra 5 kids make it all the more hectic. I was very impatient and was about ready to shout at children who were misbehaving. We only have these kids for two more weeks, then we will get a whole new group of children. Some of the kids I will miss, but others I am happy to see move on!

Sunday night we had about 30 people over at our house to mingle and eat. A whole heap of Kimballs and Aguileras were there. It was good that we were all able to be together in a casual setting before the funeral, even though it was a bit of work for Matt and I, we were happy to do it.

Monday was the funeral. It was an emotional day. But, Momma Kimball picked a great funeral home that took care of everything and we didn't have to worry about anything. It all went very smoothly and the service was very a good tribute to Dad Kimball and his life. Matt did especially well as he spoke during the service.

My Mom and Dad were there, which was great because they watched Nicole for us during the service. Then, Sarah and Mark took her home for her nap and took care of her for us so that we could go to the graveside and luncheon.

Momma Kimball's ward is wonderful. They set up this whole luncheon for family members and it was just so nice to have a meal as a family and not have to worry about the food or the clean up or anything. I was really touched by how loving the ward could be even though Momma Kimball has only been in the ward for a couple of months. It is just another testament to how inspired the church is in its fundamentals.

Marie and my Mom went and took over watching Nicole so that Sarah could go to work and Matt and I could take Momma Kimball home.

Thanks to all the family and friends that have been supportive at this time. Matt and I really appreciate it. We feel your love and your prayers for us. Now that the funeral is over, we can now move forward and get back to the everyday. We are still sad and still grieving, but we have the peace that comes with knowing that things will be okay, and that the sadness will not last forever.

Dad Kimball

Ralph (Dad) Kimball died Wednesday, December 8th of complications from cancer. He will be very missed. All of us in the family feel peaceful about his passing and are grateful that his 8 year battle with cancer will no longer pain him.

The funeral will be held on Monday, December 13th at 11am in Provo, UT. I will post the exact address if anyone feels like they want to come.

We are all very grateful for the Lord and his divine plan that allows us to be families forever. Though we are all sad right now, we know that Dad is okay, that he is happy and surrounded by people who love him. We know that we will see Dad again. This is not the end, but merely a brief separation.

Dad Kimball

Tried to go and see Dad Kimball last night, but I came at a bad time and was unable to see him.  He has a full oxygen mask all the time now and is having a lot of trouble breathing.  We thought he was looking better, but yesterday things seemed to get worse with his breathing.

He was moved back to the Intermediate Care floor at midnight last night.  This is a good thing because he gets better care on that floor.  On the Oncology floor there are a lot of patients for the amount of nurses.  When he was on the Intermediate care floor before, there was one nurse for every two patients, so he had a lot more attention.

I will try again to see him today.

Socks and Wipes

Just the last couple of days, when we have put Nicole down for her naps, we find that she has been getting into things in her room.  We don't keep a lot of things in her room.  Just a box of toys, her books, the diaper changing stuff, and a dresser with her clothes in it.

Two days ago I put Nicole down for her nap, which she always takes, and after about 20 minutes I went in to check on her.  She was surrounded by wipes in her bed.  She had pulled all the wipes out of the box and brought them to her bed and fell asleep with them.  I don't know how she could stand the smell of them when she was sleeping, but it was the first time she had done this so I laughed, cleaned up the wipes and put the box in the drawer so she wouldn't get into them again.

The next day, Matt put her down for her nap and went in to check on her after 20 minutes and she was surrounded by wipes, again, and all the contents of her top drawer (socks and pajamas).  Apparently, she knows how to get the wipes out of the drawer.  Matt took everything off the bed and threw it on the floor.  When I went to wake her later, all the clothes were back on the bed.  She had woken up, moved everything back to the bed and had gone back to sleep.  What a weirdo.

Last night, I put Nicole down for the night and went to check on her 30 minutes later and she was still awake, and her bed was covered with all of the clothes from all of the drawers. I threw everything on the floor and left her again.  I would not be surprised if all the clothes made their way back to the bed.

I'm not sure if she is doing this because she can, because she really wants her clothes with her while she sleeps, or to show us that she is upset about being put in her bed.  I just hope that it is all a phase.  I don't like refolding laundry again and again.

Kimball Extended Update

Last weekend seemed like the weekend of hospitals... again.  First, Grandma (Nedra) Kimball (Matt's Grandma) broke her hip and was in the hospital for surgery.  Then, Dad (Ralph) Kimball's cold that he got early in the week quickly turned to pneumonia and he went into the hospital on Friday.

Matt has been back and forth to the hospital all weekend.  I went with him on Saturday while Marie and Anthon watched Nicole for us (kids aren't allowed in the Intermediate Care unit).  They have Dad Kimball on antibiotics and a nebulizer for the pneumonia, but since he has lung cancer, it was really not a good thing to get pneumonia.  He seemed to be in good spirits (though it may have been because Momma Kimball had brought him some delicious See's hard candy). 

Since Saturday, they have moved him out of Intermediate care, to the Oncology floor.  I am taking this as a good sign.  He is no longer in quarantine, so we can finally bring Nicole with us to the hospital and we no longer have to wear masks to his room. They are keeping Dad until the middle of this week at least and we will just have to see from there.

Grandma Kimball's surgery went well and she will be released today or tomorrow.

I really hate the hospital when I'm going there to visit sick people.  Can't it all be babies and happiness?

I will keep the blog updated on Dad in case any of the Kimball's are reading.

Bad Mommy

There are some times when I just feel like a bad mommy.  Last night was one of those times.

Around 7:30pm last night, Nicole asked for some rice (she refused rice three hours earlier when we were all eating dinner together and she had not yet eaten dinner).  So, I made her up some rice while she sang the rice song "Rice, Rice, I want Rice."

Then, when I went to put her in her highchair, she wouldn't put her feet into the holes and began crying.  She does this a lot, so I did what I always do, I made her sit and put her feet in.  She began crying uncontrollably, and said, "All done!" which is her signal for me to take her out of the high chair.  I thought she was just being difficult, so I tried to entice her to eat her rice to no avail.  Just more crying.

So, I take her out of the highchair and bring her up to my bed for snuggles and cartoons, but she won't stop crying and I don't know what is wrong.  So, I think that maybe she is tired.  I ask her if she wants to go "night night" (which is our signal for bed time).  She said, "okay" (which is what she always says when we've figured out what she wants).

So, I put her in bed, but she is still crying.  I give her kisses and shut the door.  She cries for ten minutes (unlike her at bed time), so I go back in and get her out of bed, but she is still crying.  I bring her back to my bed and snuggle with her, hoping that she will settle down.  She falls asleep next to me.

Matt calls a few minutes later on his way home from school and I tell him this whole story.  He says to check her for bites or hair tourniquets or injuries.  So, I pull off her socks and sure enough, she has cracked one of her toe nails and part of it is falling off (below the quick).

Now I feel like a bad mommy.  I must have done it when I made her sit in her highchair and didn't realize it.  She didn't know how to tell me that she was hurt other than to cry and I didn't know what the crying meant.  So, because I'm pregnant and emotional, now I start crying because I feel like a bad mommy.

I would like to hope that this will get easier as the Nicole's communication skills increase.

Too Annoyed!

I bundle up Nicole in her warm clothes, coat, boots, hat, and make a bottle for her.  I bundle myself up.  I pack a bag for Nicole with toys and things.  I go out to the garage (at 7pm at night), get the stroller out and put Nicole in to go.  I walk, while pushing the stroller, through icey snowy sidewalks, down four houses from us.  Only to discover when I finally get to my destination, a sign on the door of our activities committee chair that says the meeting has been moved to Sunday after church.

I don't even know why I try!  These are the same people who planned a meeting, but failed to tell the location (via email) until after church had started that it was AT THE CHURCH right after church.  But, of course, I don't get email while I am at church, and I didn't find out until we were home and already out of our church clothes.  It is just too frustrating!

These people wonder why committee members don't come to the meetings?  It is because you make it too difficult to come!

Luckily, the ward christmas party is our last event that we are planning and then the bishop is disbanding the committee.  The ward council will now plan all activities.  I will not be sad to see that calling go.  I know it would be really difficult to be a committee chair, but you can't do a crappy job and then complain about everyone else.

Ever Had That Dream?

Ever had that dream when your teeth all fall out?  I had that dream last night.  I was pregnant in the dream and I couldn't remember who the father of the baby was.  So, I was searching and searching, in the dream, for my husband (who I kept thinking was that guy from Lie To Me.  That is what I get for watching that show right before bed time).  While in my travels, all my teeth fell out and were replaced by brand new teeth. 

I have had the teeth falling out dream many many times.  I've always wondered what it means because I often remember my dreams when I dream about the teeth falling out.  So, today I looked it up.  Apparently, it can mean all sorts of things! 

I'm choosing to believe it means this one...

Dreaming of teeth falling out may represent insecurity. These dreams often occur at a time of transition between one phase of life and another. When we lost our milk teeth, we also gradually lost our childhood innocence. Loosing your teeth therefore show that today you have similar feelings of uncertainty and self-consciousness as you did in childhood.

This next phase in my life is the having two children phase.  I imagine that it is very different from having just the one.  I know that I feel a little nervous about baby number two, but Matt and I are both very grateful for this upcoming baby boy.

So, stop haunting me 'teeth falling out dreams!'  I get it!

Thanksgiving Success!

Well, we survived our large Thanksgiving!  We set up two extra tables in the house and cooked a 24lb turkey, made two kinds of stuffing and a whole pot of gravy and our job was done!

I think I might have been a little too efficient at doling out jobs because, in the end, we didn't hardly have to do much at all.  All the rest of the food was taken care of by the guests and we just had to do the turkey.  Which is a big job, but compared to making multiple pies, it is a breeze. 

We had a really enjoyable Thanksgiving.  It was fun to have everyone there and it didn't get too crazy.  Though the kids had a hard time with no where to play, they were still really good.  Plus, I convinced people to play games with me, which is always a good time. 

I wish I had taken pictures, but I was busy playing hostess, so I mostly forgot.  Plus, I was having pregnancy pains from doing so much standing, so I had to be a permanent sitter by the end of the night.  (Oh and I am now at 20 weeks, so yay half way done!)

Friday Matt and I braved the crowds for Black Friday shopping.  We hit Target and Kohls and got the majority of our Christmas shopping done at great deals.  I love being done with Chrismas shopping early.  It feels relieving.  I still have a couple things to pick up for Matt, but everyone else is done!

Mamma Kimball was nice enough to watch Nicole for us on Friday night so that we could go on a date.  We haven't been on a date in a long while, so it was really enjoyable to get out and feel like a couple again and not just Mommy and Daddy all the time.  We went to our favorite restaurant, Carrabbas, and then we went and saw the Harry Potter movie.  Even Matt enjoyed the movie, which is surprising because he did not care for the other Harry Potter movies (he has not read the books).

Saturday, Matt went skiing with his family and Nicole and I went to Marie's to watch the big game.  I root for Utah because Matt roots for Utah and I have been converted.  I know I graduated from BYU, but I never really followed the sports while I was there and I just don't have school loyalty I guess.  BYU played an awesome game and dominated almost the whole time, but the Utes pulled it off in the end.  Go Utes!

Sunday was our relaxy day, or it would have been if Matt hadn't woken up looking like the elephant man.  He has been having allergy problems lately and he woke up with a swollen face on Sunday.  We got some antihistamines into him and the swelling went down a bit, but then he was loopy husband and still a little swollen face.  I can't wait for whatever is causing this allergic reaction to go away!

The whole weekend was really great.  I loved spending the time with my husband an little girl.  Now it is back to work and reality.  I miss them already.

The Kimball Elves

Some may say that the Kimball's can't dance.  But, I think that this video proves otherwise.

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/F4psHeld2vL0FaX1

Nicoleyisms

Deanne's post has inspired me to record some of my favorite Nicole things.  I don't want to forget all the super cute things that she does right now and I know that I will if I don't write them down.

Kisses:

• When we put Nicole in time out on the stairs, she immediately tries to give us kisses.
• If I start to cry (as I often do while pregnant) Nicoley immediately starts crying too (real tears and all) and tries to climb up me to give me kisses.  She will not stop crying until I do.
• Nicole likes to give kisses with her pacifier in her mouth.  She just makes the "mmmaaa" sound and presses the pacifier to our lips.
• Nicole loves to give her cousin Olivia (2 months) kisses.  Unfortunately, she thinks that they have to be on the lips and she tries to force Olivia's face over until she can hit the lips.  Luckily, Anne is a patient and understanding mommy.

Singing:

• One of Nicole's favorite things to do is sing.  She currently sings (on her own and usually in the car) Old McDonald (she picks chicken almost every time), Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Alphabet song, The Wheels on the Bus (she only knows the baby verse), and 5 little Monkeys Swinging in the Tree.  She is so stinkin cute when she sings.  She always gets the tune, but not always all the words.  If we interupt her in the middle of the song or try to prompt her on the words, she gets very mad at us.  She can sing it herself!
• Nicole LOVES to make up songs.  She is always making up songs for herself.  She had a Night Night song that she made up that she sings a lot and we just love it.  But, she makes up songs about everything: Mee Mee's House, Mamma, Meow Meow Kitty, Daddy Home, Chicken, just whatever is on her mind.  She makes up her own tunes and everything.  Too cute!

Phone:

• Nicole has a recent interest in talking on the phone.  She picks up her play phone and says, "Hi Gragrah!  Love you.  Bye Gragrah" (Gragrah is grandma Kimball)  She will also say hello to Papa (grandpa Kimball), Daddy, Mommy, Coley, and Mee Mee.
• If Matt or I are talking on the phone and Nicole notices, she immediately starts crying.  She does not like it when we talk on the phone.  Perhaps because we are talking and she is not, or maybe she just doesn't want us to pay attention to anyone but her.  I have tried to let her talk on the phone during these times to say hello and she always says "Bye" and shuts my phone, hanging up on the person.

I love my little Nicole and I try to savor the nights that we have time to play together.  I miss her so much during the day, but Matt always tells me all the cute things that she has done during the day and I know her daddy takes good care of her.  Nicole is now 25.5 pounds (yay, she gained 2.5 pounds in the last month!).  She is getting a little heavy for me to carry while I am pregnant, but it is difficult for me to tell my precious girl that I can't pick her up.

Nursery

We have been trying to get Nicole to go to nursery on her own for a few weeks now.  She has been allowed to go since September 30th.  But, she has not been able to stay for more than 30 minutes before they brought her back to us, her in tears.  This week, she was super tired and complainy and I thought for sure we would see her within 15 minutes of leaving her at the nursery, but then we didn't!  After an hour, I went over to peek at her to make sure she was okay and she was fine.  She was playing and having fun and not crying.  Yay!  She stayed the whole time without incident.

Well, we did send her with a pacifier, which was an oversite on my part.  This was probably why she was okay, she was able to soothe herself.  But, we were asked not to send the pacifier again as children kept trying to steal it from her for themselves.  So, we shall see how she does next week.  *crosses fingers*

Thanksgiving Stress

So this year I offered to host Thanksgiving for the Kimballs. With my family and the Kimball family our numbers come to 13 people.  I figured if we put an extra table in my front room, we would have enough space for everyone for Thanksgiving dinner.

But, somehow I forgot that when you host Thanksgiving, people tend to flock to group dinners.  First I invited Sarah and Mark so that they had a place to go this year. 15 people, still doable.  Then, Kristy asks if Omar's parents can come... 17 people... okay, I can make that work.  Then, Momma Kimball asks to invite another couple who are the children of neighbors from Washington. 19 people, now I'm nervous.  Then, DJ asks if he can bring a roommate.  20 people, crap.  How am I going to fit 20 people in my little 1400 square foot house?

Matt is Mr. Cool and of reassures me that with two extra table we will all fit and be fine.  I, on the other hand, feel nervous.  If I have three long tables, with 6 people to a table, I still only get 18 people seated.  So, either I have to squish people, eat in shifts, or more likely, Matt and I will be standing in the kitchen eating.  Plus, then I have people eating in my living room and family room and hopefully they don't spill on my carpet (especially the kids).  And if there are tables in my living room and family room.  Where will I send the kids to play?

Maybe it is just the pregnancy talking and I just need to chill out.  But, it is my first Thanksgiving that I am hosting and I want it to go well and smoothly and I want people to like my food and my house and it makes me nervous.  I just need to chill I suppose and hope that everything goes fine.

When I Knew

Four years ago when Matt and I were dating, he took me up to Salt Lake for the Greek festival.  I had never been before (and I haven't been since), but I liked that he was introducing me to something new.

While we were there, we went into the Greek church to look around (there is beautiful architecture in there). While leaving the church a man stopped us and asked Matt about his shirt (he was wearing his Chino high shirt). We didn't know the man, but he was obviously a representative from the church. We got to talking and he asked us if he could pray for our relationship. Me, thinking that meant he would say a nice prayer for us at some point said, "Sure." Little did I know he meant right there with us... standing in the church... holding our hands... and asking us to repeat after him. It was all a little weird and uncomfortable and I could tell that Matt did NOT like it. But, it was a kind thing and he gave a nice blessing on our relationship.

Later, when we were driving home from Salt Lake and talking in the car, Matt said to me, "I'm not ever going to break up with you." And I was not scared by that response, in fact, it made me feel really good. And after a moment I said, "I really don't see myself ever breaking up with you either. I don't want to break up with you ever." After that we had a moment of silence and I realized, I knew, I could marry this man. I could be happy with this man the rest of my life.

It wasn't a really 'aha' moment, but it was more of a gradual realization that I loved Matt more than any one I had loved before and I didn't see an expiration date on my love (which I had with almost every person that I had dated before). So maybe, just maybe, that man's prayer for us in the Greek church worked its magic and that is why Matt and I are married today with 1.3 children.  Freaky.

Chinese Recipes

Here are the recipes from our Chinese Buffet night.

Beijing Beef

Ingredients:
1lb steak (sliced into thin strips)
6 tablespoons cornstarch (for dusting)
oil (for frying)
Marinade-
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons water
1  tablespoon cornstarch
Sauce-
4 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon ground fresh chili paste
2 teaspoons cornstarch
Vegetables-
1 teaspoon garlic (minced)
1 medium red bell pepper (diced)
1 medium green bell pepper (diced)
1 medium white onion (sliced)

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Cut beef into thin strips . In a bowl of sealable bag combine all marinade ingredients and mix well. Add beef slices and marinate for 15 minutes.
Step 2: While beef in marinating mix all of the sauce ingredients together in a bowl and refrigerate.
Step 3: When the beef is done marinating coat the beef slices with 6 tablespoons of cornstarch. Remove any access cornstarch and deep fry (either in a deep fryer or wok) beef slices in batches until floating or golden brown. Drain on paper towels.
Step 4: Add a couple tablespoons of oil to the wok and add minced garlic and stir fry for 10 seconds. Add red and green bell peppers and onions and stir fry for 2 minutes. Remove vegetables and set aside.
Step 5: Pour sauce into the wok and heat until boiling. In a serving dish add beef and vegetables and coat with the sauce.

Walnut Shrimp

Ingredients

• 1 cup water
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 4 egg whites
• 2/3 cup mochiko (glutinous rice flour)
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon canned sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup vegetable oil for frying

Directions

1. Stir together the water and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and add the walnuts. Boil for 2 minutes, then drain and place walnuts on a cookie sheet to dry.
2. Whip egg whites in a medium bowl until foamy. Stir in the mochiko until it has a pasty consistency. Heat the oil in a heavy deep skillet over medium-high heat. Dip shrimp into the mochiko batter, and then fry in the hot oil until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
3. In a medium serving bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, honey and sweetened condensed milk. Add shrimp and toss to coat with the sauce. Sprinkle the candied walnuts on top and serve.

Chinese Buffet!

Yesterday my Dad (Bill) turned 65.  So, my Mom planned this big dinner for him.  She called me for ideas on what to do for his birthday dinner.  I suggested Chinese because he really loves Chinese food and we rarely eat it at family gatherings.  But, because Mom does not really know any Chinese recipes, I offered for Matt and I to come and cook for dinner.

So, yesterday after church and a nap, we headed up to Eagle Mountain.  Matt has been experimenting with various Chinese recipes for me because I have been craving Chinese food, but going out to eat Chinese all the time is expensive.  So, we had a couple of good recipes in our back pockets that we knew were good.  We made Panda Expresses Bejing Beef and Asian Stars Walnut Shrimp.  We often will eat something at a restaurant and I like it, so Matt immediately looks up the recipe online when we get home.

We cooked for like 2 hours (we were cooking for a crowd of 30) and we finally finished a little after everyone arrived.  Nicole did not like the idea of us cooking without her.  She prefers to stand on a chair at the counter and watch us cook, but as we were cooking with oil, she was not allowed to do that and there was many a meltdown.

The buffet was successful and my siblings all brought awesome dishes (lettuce wraps, stir fry, fried rice, ect...) and I think that Dad really liked it.  I got Dad the new Wheel of Time book by Robert Jordan/Brandon Sanderson and he seemed to like that too.  Now I just have to wait patiently for him to finish reading it so that I can steal it to read for myself.

17 Weeks

I am 17 weeks and all is well.  This pregnancy is a breeze compared to my last pregnancy.  No wonder so many women told me that I was over reacting with my last pregnancy.  If most women's pregnancies are like this one, of course they would think I was a crazy person for my first pregnancy.  If pregnancy was always this easy, tons of women would do it.  When I was pregnant with Nicole I was sick almost the whole time and I was in pain and just plum miserable.  This pregnancy is completely different!

It just goes to show that not only is every woman's pregnancy different, but every pregnancy is different.  I am rarely nauseated any more.  I only get nauseous when I wait too long to eat.  I am no longer ravenous for food all the time.  I can go like 4 hours without eating or vomiting.  Yay!  I don't even get daily heartburn like I did a few weeks ago.  I only get it if I eat greasy food, so I just stay away from that and I am fine.

Right now my worst symptoms include:

Feeling uncomfortable and front heavy.
Being unbalanced and uncoordinated.
Emotional at times, but nothing compared to the craziness of my Nicole pregnancy.
Various food aversions (some food items taste like non food to me)
Varying between hot and cold during the day.
And ligament pain.

Other than that, I am doing okay.  Which really makes me a happy preggo lady.  Now that I know that boy pregnancies are this easy, I think I might just want all boys from now on.

Our October

This is a picture dump because I have a bunch of random pics from October.

At breakfast, Nicole has a melt down if she doesn't have her blanket with her.  But, we don't want her dipping it in the yogurt, so we put it on her head and she is happy.

Nicole loves to try on Daddy's Utes hat.  She is a fan already!

Nicole's new (and slightly annoying) thing is to wear a bib all around the house.  I don't know why.

This is us on the Halloween cruise.  Nicole was not a fan of her life jacket.

After church the other day, we put her in her high chair to eat lunch and she fell asleep half way through her meal.  Too stinking cute!

The Giraffe Says Moo!

For Halloween this year, Miranda was nice enough to pass on the giraffe costume that her kids have been using for years, so Nicole was a giraffe.

She looked so cute in her little giraffe costume, but of course, she did not want to pose for pictures, so I don't currently have any really good ones.  I will have to raid Momma Kimball's camera to see if she got any better ones.

On Tuesday, we had our ward party.  Matt and I are on the activities committee, so I went to show my support and try to help out.  Which always proves difficult when I have Nicole in tow.  Marie and Damon came to keep my company (since Matt was at school) and to help watch Nicole so that I could help set up.

Friday, my work had a trick or treat in my office, so Matt brought Nicole over and she trick or treated.  She didn't understand the concept at first because I didn't practice with her before hand.  She was afraid to take candy from people she didn't know.  But, after realizing that she was getting candy, she started to just walk up to desks and take the candy without saying, "wick o' wee."  She really banked on candy at my office.

On Friday, Marie and Anthon's family and mine went on the Halloween Cruise again.  We went last year and really liked it, so we went again this year.  It probably would have been more fun if Nicole would have settled down.  She was wild on the boat!  She didn't want to sit down and hated that she had to wear a life jacket and was a ruckus.  Maybe we will wait until she is older and more mature before we try that adventure again.

After the cruise, we went back to our house for pumpkin carving.  Miranda and the kids came and Sarah and Mark came too.  It was a lot of fun!  Mostly because I recruited Hailey and Camille to help me with my pumpkin, so they did all the hard work and I got to stand back and praise them.

The kids were all really well behaved and seemed to have a lot of fun too.  Nicole loved playing with her cousins!

On Saturday, we went to Mom and Dad Kimballs to show off Nicole's costume and to go trick or treating.  Since it was raining pretty hard, we only went to three houses, but Nicole seemed to really enjoy it.  She got a ton of candy at my work, so she is definitely not lacking in candy.  Plus, we bought her special candy that is peanut free so that we could switch out her peanut infested candy for some she could actually eat.

It was an enjoyable Halloween!  I'll probably post more pictures when I actually get the ones from my camera.  These were all stolen from Marie.

Oh yeah, Nicole thinks that the giraffe says, "Moo."  Maybe it is because the giraffe has spots like a cow?  I'm not really sure where she got it from, but it was just too stinkin cute to correct her.  She went around mooing at people all weekend.

It's a Boy!

Went in to get my ultrasound on Saturday and we are happy to announce that our baby on the way is a boy!  Congrats to all of you who got it correct.

We are very excited!  We will have one of each!  Now I just have to figure out what I am going to do with a boy.  If this boy is anything like Matt when he was a child... I'm nervous.  Matt and I are very happy, (we would have been happy with a girl too), and Nicole still doesn't understand what I am talking about when I tell her that I have a baby in my tummy.

So Tired

Getting up at 6am most everyday, working all day, and being a Mommy and Wife, and being pregnant all the time is exhausting.  I am tired.  I wish there was a nap time at work, alas that they don't want to pay me to sleep.

Luckily, I have a fantastic husband and a wonderful little girl.  Matt takes care of so many things around the house and takes great care of our little girl.  But, for today, I am very tired. Zzzz....

Photoshoot

A few weeks ago, I used Marie's awesome camera to take pictures of Norm's family. I am not a photographer, but I figured that if I just took enough pictures, then they were bound to have a good one in the bunch. I think that I was successful.

While shooting photos of the Derington's, I took a few pics of Nicole. She did not want to look at the camera... of course. She is beautiful.


Sorry, I don't actually have the pics of Norm and his family, perhaps my sister Marie, who owns the digital pictures will post them on her blog... but perhaps not.

Boy or Girl?

In about a week, we are going to go to see Norm and find out what the sex of the baby is. Hopefully, baby won't be shy and hide it from us. So, you all may now guess the gender of our baby. Here is what we know about this baby to help you guess.

Heartrate: 160
Mommy: Not as sick as I was with Nicole

And that is all we know. Props to whoever gets it right.

You know your pregnant when...

• You cry at commercials and movies that you have seen a dozen times.
• You cry when you get hungry.
• You cry when you get tired.
• You are ravenously hungry one second and vomiting the next.
• You fall asleep sitting up.
• You are eating a food that is delicious and the next bite you take tastes like garbage (or soap).
• Your wedding ring fits in the morning and not at night.
• You are awake and talking to your husband one second and asleep the next.
• You cry when you see your kid after being away for an hour.

These are just a few of the joys of pregnancy. Remind me why I wanted to do this again? *scrolls down and sees Nicoley* Oh yeah, it is all worth it.

Pumpkin Land!

We went to Pumpkin Land this week... twice. We went earlier in the week to scope out the price of pumpkins and the price of actually going into Pumpkin Land. Nicole loved the pumpkins! She was so excited that she went around and talked to all of them. But, we didn't buy anything.

We went back on Saturday with Anne and the kids and went into Pumpkin Land. Which consists of a corn maze, a vegetable patch, farm animals to look at, an obstacle course, blow up bouncy houses, and a play ground. Nicole loved it! She didn't exactly want to pose for pictures, but she loved checking out all the cool stuff with her cousins.
Lets face it, I loved it too! I love the fall and I especially love Halloween. I love corny halloween decorations and costumes and pumpkin carving, I love it all.
Nicole got into it too. She wanted to pick all of the pumpkins from the patch. Which was forbidden. Matt mentioned that he wanted a green pumpkin and she kept trying to pick the green ones for Daddy.
(funniest pic ever! Anne held up Olivia in the witches head and she made the best face!)

Marie and Anthon met up with us at Pumpkin Land, but we had already been there an hour when they caught up with us and Nicole was on her last leg. It was her nap time, so we, regrettably, did not get to spend much time with Marie and Anthon and the kids.
After Pumpkin Land, Nicole fell asleep in the car and we headed over to the Farmer's Market at Center Street in Provo. We picked up some much cheaper pumpkins and a few other fresh foods.
It was just so nice to spend the morning together as a family out of the house. I love Saturdays!

Big Girl!

Sorry about the last post all. I just wanted to have better chances in a contest. But, on to other things. Nicole is my big girl! For the very first time, Nicole slept in her big girl bed the whole night!

After the whole crib (minus rail) debacle, Matt and I broke down and went out and bought Nicole a twin bed (pictures to come). We left the crib up (with rail back on) in the room as a back up in case Nicole did not feel inclined to sleep in the bed. I had already missed too much sleep and if the crib was my route to sleep, then I would put her in it.

So, we have been putting Nicole in her big girl bed and then after 10 minutes of her crying under the door, we put her in her crib where she promptly fell asleep. Last night, I put her in her big girl bed and she cried, as usual. But, the crying got fainter, as if she had moved away from the door. I peeked in the check on her and she was leaning against her big girl bed (blanket over her head like a ghost baby). I put her back in bed and fetched her glowy sea horse from her crib (something we had not tried yet) and left her again. She cried for a couple of minutes and was quiet. I checked on her again and she was asleep IN her bed! (Not in front of the door like she has done in the past) Granted, she was asleep at the wrong end of the bed, but I didn't care.

I covered her up, left her again and left her door open a crack so that she could come and get me if she needed me. She slept the whole night in her bed and didn't get up and come crying to me until 6am! I feel it was quite the accomplishment. We shall see how it goes tonight.

I love YA Adult Books

I love reading Young Adult literature. Why you ask? Because it is entertaining, I have a better chance of "clean" literature, and because I can relate to the angsty characters. Additionally, the story lines and plots are usually easier to follow than some of the Adult fiction that I have read.

I am very much a fantasy reader. I love to read fantasy, but often fantasy books tend to be too graphic for my taste, but if I read YA, I usually have a cleaner story and language. Additionally, fantasy often involves world building, meaning that the writer creates their own world in the book and describes it to the reader. In Adult fiction fantasy, this sometimes is so monotonous to read because the worlds are so complicated. In YA, is is usually a little simpler. Plus, YA books are shorter than Adult fiction, but longer than children's books. Perfect size!

One of my favorite book review blogs is having a YA book giveaway and I had to jump on board for that as I love YA books and I love free stuff. I love reading her reviews, they give me ideas for new books to read, they give me an idea of the content, the genre, and the cleanliness of a book. To check out her blog, go to http://booksinthespotlight.blogspot.com/.

My favorite YA books have to be the Harry Potter books. I know what you are thinking, "What? What about Twilight?" As much as I love Twilight, there are so many flaws in the writing and so many flaws in the characters that it just doesn't compare to JK Rowling's wizard world, whose characters I love. Let's just face it, I hate Bella, she is annoying. But, I love the world that Stephenie Meyer created.

Well that is all the book ranting that I have for now.

Old McDonald

Nicole stayed with Miranda yesterday while Matt and I went off to work. When I went to pick her up, Miranda told me that Nicole had been attempting to sing Old McDonald. So, Matt and I decided to try and get her to sing it while we were running errands yesterday. Matt started singing it and Nicole told him, "No, no, no, no!"

A couple minutes later, we hear Nicole in the back of the car... "Eieio, chicken! Bock, bock, bock. And, bock, bock, bock. Chicken! Eieio." It was hilarious! She didn't want us to sing the song, she just wanted to sing it herself and she had many of the key components though not always in the same order. She also did "Ssssss, sssss, ssss," for the snake and, "Moo, moo, moo," for the cow. It was so stinkin cute!

She is so smart and knows more words than I can count. She is constantly surprising us. I also sang the ABC song to her last night and then she attempted to sing it on her own. It went something like this, "C, N, N, N, N, P, Me!" She only went for the parts she remembered, but it was so cute. When I attempted to cheer for her when I thought that she was done singing, she got very mad at me, "No, no, no!" And then she went on to babble about how she was not done singing. (A lot of times her words get mixed together, but we get the gist of what she is attempting to say.)

Nicole loves to talk, mostly to herself. She just babbles nonsense and tells me things which she obviously finds important even though I don't know what she is talking about. I love this little girl so much! Even though I miss the baby phase of her life, this toddler phase is a whole lot of fun! Even though she is often very sassy to me now that she can tell me no.

Twilit

For Matt's birthday, I took him to the murder mystery dinner theater Twilit! It is a murder mystery that pokes fun at Twilight, Harry Potter, and Frankenstein. It was so much fun! While we ate dinner, characters came out and mingled between the tables, so that you could get to know the characters. Our very own Lisa Svetz played the beautiful Bella and she was fantastic, funny, and entertaining. But, one of my favorite characters was Edward. He was so stinkin' funny! Completely in character the whole time and playing Edward way over the top. Hilarious!

After dinner, the show started. The premise was that Edward and Bella were having a party at their castle so that Bella could meet other supernatural people. During this part, Matt got pulled up on stage for a little audience participation because it was his birthday. He didn't particularly want to do it, but he was a good sport. I got pictures of this on my phone as I had forgotten to bring my camera, but I have not idea how to get them from my phone to my computer, so you will just have to imagine Matt dressed up as a pirate up on stage.

The show turned out to be a musical, which made it even more entertaining. The show lasted 40 minutes or so until one of the characters died. Then, all the audience had a chance to talk to the characters to try to discover who had actually committed the murder. Matt, after having participation forced on him earlier did not feel inclined to participate at this point. So, we just enjoyed the atmosphere and eavesdropped on other people asking the characters questions.

Then, came the big reveal and the song of summation. It was a lot of fun! I'm glad that Lisa was in it so that we could even know that the show existed. My mom was kind enough to watch Nicole so that we could go on this date for Matt's birthday. I recommend mystery dinner theater to all! Matt seemed to have a good time despite that he was pulled up on stage.

Happy Birthday Matt

Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband Matt! You have made the last four years of my life the best years so far. Thanks so much for being born and making me your wife!

Nicole

Nicole and I went to the park while Matt was at school and I got some pics of her. She didn't want to stop playing to look at the camera, so the pic quality varies.

Cold

Well, it is definitely the fall because it is cold and rainy! Surprisingly, it is not that cold outside. I can go outside without a jacket and still be fine. But, it is freezing in my office! I thought my days of being cold in the office were behind me when I left Dentrix, but I guess I am doomed to always feeling colder than the people around me.

You would think with me being pregnant and my skin being hot to the touch that I would feel hot all the time right? Wrong, I'm cold all the time during the day. I have a sweater that I keep at work to keep me warm (thank you pink Dentrix sweatshirt). And I'm considering bringing in a blanket. I had one at Dentrix and I think it is time to bring it back. They gave me a little space heater, but it makes a high pitch squealing noise every time I turn it on. I don't know why it does this, but it is quite annoying.

I told my boss that I was cold and he was surprised. His office is right next to mine and he feels hot. He said he considered wearing shorts today (he usually wears shorts and flip flops everyday. It is a casual office).

I am so weird. But, I suppose that it is better to feel cold than to feel hot. When I am hot and I can't cool down, I'm just miserable. When I'm cold, I just keep piling on the layers until I am comfortable.

12 Weeks

12 weeks! Yay! This is the last week of my first trimester! I am very excited. I am still nauseated, but it seems to mostly hit me at night time (morning sickness is such a bad name for this symptom). I still have heartburn that feels like I'm having a heart attack, but Marie introduced me to Pepcid which works better than anything else I have tried. I still get super tired and I struggle to stay awake the whole day, but I think that will be something that plagues me the entire pregnancy. Other than that, I don't have any major discomforts. I am definitely liking this pregnancy a lot better than my last one.

I went to my first doctor's appointment on Friday. It was also Nicole's 18 month checkup. Me and baby are doing fine, the first appointment is really just a lot of paperwork and formality. I wasn't able to hear the heartbeat, but I am really not concerned. I got to see the heartbeat when I went in for my last ultrasound with Norm. I'm sure little fetus is doing fine.

Nicole had good stats this time:
Weight: 23 lbs (30%)
Height: 50%
Head: 80%

Sorry that I don't remember the exact numbers on height and head. They wrote it down for me, but it ended up being a paper where I stored Nicole's used sucker and it went in the trash. So is the life of having a kid.

Nicole was so brave for the doctor's visit this time! Usually she screams when I set her on the table and screams louder when the doctor checks her eyes, nose and mouth. But, this time she didn't scream. She was nervous and whined a little, but she was a big girl. I was so proud of her. It is like she is growing up!

Nicole had to get three shots this time. But, it has been 6 months since her last shots and I don't think she remembered them because when they layed her on the table she didn't fight them or cry like she has in the past and was completely surprised when she got the shot. My poor little one! The nurses gave her some laffy taffy for getting a shot and then she was fine. Strangely, she is having a reaction to the shots this time that she has never had before, her leg is swollen and warm to the touch and she has a rash all around the site. I don't know if this is normal or if I should be worried.

Last night we tried something new with Nicole. We took off the rail to her crib and tried bedtime in a semi big girl bed. We have been looking into getting Nicole a twin bed because she will need to be out of the crib when the new baby comes and she has started to try to go "night night" in different parts of her room lately, so we felt like it was time to try it. At first, Nicole thought the railless bed was a great game. She practiced getting in and out many times and pretended to go "night night." But, when it was actually time for bed, she did not care for the new arrangement. She immediately got out of bed and came into our room. We put her back multiple times before we finally decided to close the door to her room. Then, she lied down and cried through the crack at the bottom of the door for about an hour. She started quieting down and we feared that she was falling asleep in front of the door (she was). So, we put up the baby gate in her doorway and left her door open and closed our own door. This either made her less mad or she was just more tired. In the end she fell asleep in front of her door with her face pressed against the baby gate. We moved her to her own bed and she was fine the rest of the night until 6am when she fell out of bed.

Maybe there is a better way to do this. Or, perhaps we should skip the whole crib transition thing and jump straight to the twin bed. I just don't know, but it was a long night last night.

11 weeks

I'm 11 weeks along now and the first trimester cannot end soon enough! I know that I am just 2 weeks away from the second trimester, but it feels like forever away. My first doctor's appointment is this Friday, but it is also Nicole's 18 month checkup. We'll see how that goes. Poor Nicoley has to get shots.

My first 11 weeks have not been nearly as bad as they were with Nicole. I have been nauseated and I've thrown up, but I haven't been as down right miserable as I was with Nicole. My nose isn't nearly as sensitive as last time, my emotions are not nearly as out of control. I've only burst into tears a handful of times and that was only because I hadn't eaten. I've learned that the secret to a happy pregnancy is food. I have to eat every two hours or I feel nauseated and I get emotional. Hopefully, when I get past this first trimester I will be able to cut back on all the snacking because I don't like eating 6 times a day.

I've had the cramps like I did last time, but not nearly as bad, and I get tired, but not nearly as much as last time. Some nights I can even stay up until 11pm. Oh yeah, I'm a rebel.

I don't know if this pregnancy is so different because my body has done this once before and it knows what is going on or if I am just handling it better than last time. Or, maybe it is a boy and only girls make me super sick.

A lot of people ask me if I want a boy or a girl. I don't really know how to respond to that question. A boy would be great because then I will have one of each. But, a girl would be great because Nicole would have a sister. Is anyone really going to be upset if they don't get the gender that they want? I feel like it may be a boy because the pregnancy feels so different, but who knows. I just want a healthy baby.

I already went in for an ultrasound with Norm to see my little bean. We didn't take pics because there wasn't much to see except a little black and white blobby. But, at least it is only one little blobby. I don't think I could handle twins! Norm told me that the other day a woman came in for her 20 week ultrasound to find out the sex of the baby and they found out that she was having triplets. They didn't know that they were having multiples until halfway through the pregnancy. That would really be quite shocking.

Well, I am hanging in there and hopefully I will start feeling better soon. I want to be able to come home from work and have the energy to play with Nicoley, but perhaps I will never have that with pregnancy.

P.S. You will not be getting belly pics with this pregnancy. Get yourself accustomed with the idea right now cuz it ain't gonna happen.

Survived!

We did it! We survived a miserable weekend of the stomach flu. I got it the worst of all of us, but I too survived. The weekend consisted of resting, and trying to get my house back in order (6 loads of laundry!). Being sick for just a few days really does a number on the messiness of the house.

We even felt well enough yesterday to go and see Dad Kimball in the hospital. He is recovering nicely and may be able to leave the hospital tomorrow! He is able to walk, which really is a miracle. We are so grateful to the doctors, nurses, and surgeons who have taken such good care of Dad. It will be good to have him out of the hospital.

We also went to see little Damon Mecham yesterday. He is one rolly polly baby boy. He is so cute with a little round face, just like my Nicole was when she was born. But man is he a screamer! When he starts to get mad, he starts to snort, then he starts to scream. It was startling for me at first because Nicole never screamed like that as a baby, she barely even cried. She was more of a grunter, when she wanted something she would just start grunting. I know that I got really lucky with my first kid. But, Marie is a good mommy and is taking good care of her little one.

Matt and I are so glad that we will very soon have no one to visit in the hospital. Between Dad and two sisters having babies, there was just too much going to the hospital. Nicole is very sick of the hospital.

Hopefully, this week will be a good one. Free of sickness and hospitalization.

Stomach Flu Continued

I thought that I had dodged the stomach flu when Nicole had gone two days without throwing up and I had not yet gotten sick. I was wrong. Two nights ago while Marie was in the hospital pushing out a baby, I was at home sick, sick, sick. I had been at the hospital with Marie when I was feeling very nauseated. I thought that it was my regular pregnancy nausea, but I left the hospital and went home because I knew it would be hours before the baby came.

I'm glad I did go home because it wasn't long before I was throwing up. Side note: Uncle Darin stopped by this same night and dropped off some cookies for us because they were thinking of us. Unfortunately, I tossed my cookies. Nicole was also having a difficult night, most likely from tooth pain. So, I was awake throwing up, Nicole was awake crying, and Matt was awake trying to take care of all of us. It was a really long night! We thought that we would have to go to the emergency room because I just couldn't stop vomiting (like every 20 minutes) and we were concerned that I would be too dehydrated and risk the baby. But, I made it through the night thankfully.

I called the doctor yesterday morning and got an anti nausea medication so that I could keep fluids down and rehydrate myself. It worked, thankfully! I was able to keep fluids down and didn't need to go to the hospital to get an IV. Apparently, it is very dangerous to get dehydrated when you are pregnant.

I felt really crappy all day yesterday and Nicole was a cry face all day and Matt was a trooper through it all. He even snuck out during Nicole's nap to go to the hospital to see his mom and dad. He just takes care of everyone, me, Nicole, Momma Kimball, Dad Kimball. I don't know how he does it.

I got a good nights sleep last night and I am finally feeling a little more normal today. I have more energy and I no longer have the horrible nausea, just regular first trimester nausea.

Hopefully, I will feel well enough tomorrow to finally go and see my new nephew!\

UPDATE: Matt came home from school and he has it now too. It got all three of us. Dangit.

Dad Kimball Update

Dad Kimball went in for surgery yesterday to fuse four vertebrae in his spine to make room for his tumors to grow. The surgery went as well as could be expected. He is out and breathing on his own (which was a big concern) and he is currently in the ICU. They are going to keep him there and monitor him closely for blood clots.

We will know if the surgery was a success when they can finally take Dad off the heavy morphine. The pain he was feeling should have subsided. He should only feel surgical pain now. And, we are all anxious to know if Dad will be able to walk again, but we won't know until he is recovered enough to get on his feet.

Hopefully, he will be out of the hospital in a week or so.

In other news, Anne Aguilera (Matt's sister) had her baby yesterday. Dad Kimball was able to be wheeled over to the maternity wing to see the baby before his surgery. Matt and I now have two people to visit at Utah Valley. As if our days and nights weren't already full of being at the hospital.

Stomach Flu

There is nothing worse or more sad than a kid with the stomach flu. Nicole threw up in her bed yesterday morning and I had hoped that it was just tooth pain causing her to throw up. Then, I found out that an event that Nicole and I attended over the weekend contained stomach flu contaminated people and I began to fear.

When I got home from work yesterday Nicole was really sad and lethargic. I tried to give her a bottle, but she only drank an ounce before she got up and went to the corner of the room to throw up. Poor little one! She turned around and looked at me like she didn't know what had just happened and then started to cry. She walked over to me and a gave her a hug and she threw up on me. So it goes being a mom. She threw up a few more times and I was all alone with her while Matt had to go to school. I'm just glad that she wasn't as sick while Matt was caring for her during the day.

I had one sad little girl all night. Comforted only by Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (how tired of that show I am!). Matt got home around 10pm as he had gone back to the hospital after class. I was already half asleep with Nicole watching cartoons in our bed. He took her downstairs so that I could get some sleep as I had to get up early for work today. Poor little Nicoley did not fall asleep until after midnight (stomach flu is the worst).

I woke up early and was trying my darndest to not wake Nicole, but just as I was about to sneak out the door at 6:30, she woke up. Matt took her for more cartoon watching, but I feel bad for him as he did not get much sleep last night. Matt is certainly a trooper.

Hopefully, she will start to feel better today. It would be nice if this is just a 24 hour things. I hope that I am not getting it. I'm nauseated this morning, but maybe it is just morning sickness.

Dad Kimball's surgery is today. I will post when we know how it went.

Date Night at the Hospital

Matt and I don't get a lot of time together recently while I am working during the day and he is going to school at night, so we decided to move Family Night to Sundays and Date Night to Mondays (one of our only nights together). Last night was suppose to be our first big outing, but with Dad Kimball in the hospital we thought that we would make our date night a trip to the hospital to see Dad.

Marie graciously watched Nicole for us in her very pregnant state. I think that she has more endurance, patience and tolerance in her last weeks of pregnancy than I did in my whole pregnancy with Nicole. She is quite the trooper, it is like she is already a mommy. Luckily, Nicole was on good behavior while we were gone.

So, for our date, we went to Quizznos because I have been craving their Classic Italian sandwich, then we headed over to Utah Valley to see Dad. Matt had been there earlier in the day with Nicole, but I hadn't seen Dad since they took him off in the ambulance on Sunday. He is looking a lot better than he was, this may be due to the fact that they have him on morphine for the pain, but it was nice to see some color returning to his face.

Dad is going to be in the hospital for another few days. He goes into surgery tomorrow afternoon. The doctors are not going to remove the new tumors, they are going to fuse four of his vertebrae in his back together to make more room for the tumor to grow. This should alleviate a lot of the pain he is feeling and will hopefully allow him to walk again. He will lose some range of motion in his back, but that is a fair trade for use of your legs. After the surgery, he should be good to return home once he has recovered.

So, we sat and chatted with Mom and Dad Kimball for about an hour and watched Dad eat his dinner (someone may have stolen his unwanted/delicious shortbread cookies). Hospital food definitely looks like it has improved since I had Nicole a year and a half ago. I remember sending Matt down to the cafeteria to get me real food because I did not care for the hospital food.

After our hospital visit it was back to Marie's to get Nicole. She was happy and fine and ready to go home. It was a good first date night, even if it was a trip to the hospital. As much as I miss my Nicoley during the day, I feel it is still important to have quality time with my husband. Hopefully, our date nights will be able to continue.

Dad Kimball Update

Some of you know that Dad Kimball has lung cancer. Mom and Dad Kimball moved out here to Utah a couple of weeks ago to be with their family at the end of Dad's cancer battle. Dad has been fighting cancer for 8 years now. Many of his treatments have worked wonderfully and given us more time with him.

Yesterday Dad started having pain in his hips and couldn't walk. Last night he was taken to Timpanogos because the pain got so bad. An MRI revealed that the tumors in his lungs have spread to his pelvis and back. The doctors are coordinating with Huntsman Cancer Center and we don't know what the next step is yet. Please keep Dad Kimball in your prayers.

Update: Dad Kimball is being transferred to Utah Valley today and will be going in for a surgery on his back to relieve the pressure that the tumors are causing. This will ease a lot of his pain and hopefully allow him to walk again.

Knocking Hats Off

Ever have one of those days where you don't like people? Today is one of those days. I don't like people. People are mean, people are stupid, and people are ignorant. People should just leave me alone today. Maybe tomorrow People will be more tolerable, but today I just want to knock their hats off!

My Days Without Nicole

I hate the days that I have to drop my Nicole off at a sitter's house while I go off to work. Most days, Matt is home with Nicole and it is not difficult to go off to work because she is sleeping when I leave. But, some days Matt has a day where he goes up to Salt Lake to work and we have to find someone to watch Nicole. Yesterday was one of those days.

Momma Kimball was kind enough to watch Nicole for us yesterday. I dropped her off early on my way to work. She cried when I set her down in the house, she just wanted me to hold her and I just wanted to hold her, but I got her distracted and went off to work. I know that it is probably harder on me then it is on her when I leave because I get that heart wrenching feeling in my chest because I know that I will miss her so much. Luckily, she was a good little girl for her grandma and didn't cry too much.

I'm always glad to hear when she does well with the sitter, but then at the same time I feel sad when I'm told the stories of all the things she did that day and I just think that I missed it. I missed Nicoley playing in the yard with the hose and loving it. I missed her chasing the ducks at the park. I just miss my little girl.

Mondays are more difficult than other days because I've had the whole weekend with her and then I have to leave her again. Then, to have to leave her with someone who is not me and Matt is even more difficult. I just love my little one so much. I didn't know that I would love her this much back when I was pregnant with her. I was convinced that my baby hated me and that was why she was making me sick. But, despite the not fun-ness of pregnancy, she was all worth it. Just as this baby will be, I am sure.