4:30am

Nicole at 6am

Nicole woke up at 4:30am this morning. Reasons unknown. Matt went in and tried to get her to go back to bed, but after an hour, it was clear that she was not going to do it.

So, despite Matt's protests, I brought her into our room to watch cartoons and hopefully fall back asleep. What a fool I was. Matt and I got a little 30 minute nap before I had to get up and get ready for work. I tried again to put her back in her bed, but it resulted in many loud tears and "Mommy help me"s. So, I let her out and brought her downstairs to eat breakfast with me.

Then, I took a picture as evidence of how cheery she can be at 6 in the morning. I don't think I will ever be that cheery that early in the morning. I then put her back in the love sac to watch more cartoons, snack cup in hand, while Matt continues to sleep. Off to work I went.

Hopefully, she will go back to sleep for a little while and be a happy girl later. Being a parent is not always awesome, but I love her even when she wakes me at 4:30am.

Kangaroo Zoo

I am very happy to announce that Matt and I finally invested in a new digital camera!  After four years of hating how our camera can take 12 pictures before draining a set of batteries, how it takes forever between shots, how every time the flash is used it washes out the subjects, and how we lost the camera cord that allowed us to put our pics on our computer, we finally decided to get a new camera. We got our costco rebate this month and decided this would be the best way to use it. So, you should expect to see a lot more pictures in my posts... hopefully.

Monday was a federal holiday which means that I had work off (because I work with the government) and Matt had school off (yay state school)! So, Matt and I went to Costco on our day off. Shopping together is a rare treat for us. Unfortunately, Nicole was a terror at Costco. She cried the whole time we were there and would not stop for any form of treats, bribery, or comfort.

When we got back to the car, she quickly fell asleep. So, we of course used our new camera to take a picture.

We stopped at Hotdog King for lunch. Sometimes a gourmet hotdog is just the way to go. Nicole woke up after lunch and then we headed to Walmart. We went all the way to the Pleasant Grove for our Walmart trip because the Orem Walmart never has what we want and smells bad. Nicole was so good at Walmart, staying in the cart, no cries, staying in the cart, that we decided she deserved a trip to Kangaroo Zoo.

Kangaroo Zoo is a bounce house/slide play center. We had a coupon, so we went even though it was a holiday and super busy. Nicole has no fear when it comes to these slides even though they are huge!

She loves this place! She was just so happy on every slide she went down, not scared at all.

Some of the slide ladders are really quite tall, like 15 feet in the air, but Nicole conquered them. Matt stood at the bottom of the ladders just in case she slipped, but it was unnecessary.

Every time I asked Nicole to smile for the camera, this is what I got.  Apparently, she thinks this is smiling. I was just glad that she looked at the camera.

After about 2 hours she was so tired that she couldn't climb any of the ladders, but still wanted Matt to put her at the top so that she could slide down. It was tears when it was time to leave.

Valentines

I love my husband!

We planned our Valentines date for last Saturday because we hate crowds and Matt has class tonight.

Mamma Kimball graciously offered to be our babysitter so that we could go out to eat.  We went to Bombay House, which is one of our favorite restaurants and we rarely go there because it is more expensive than most places.  I really love it there because they have lamb dishes.  I really love lamb!  And not a lot of places serve lamb.  Matt and I both got lamb dishes and then we both ordered Mango Ice Cream.  The longer we are married, the more alike we become, it is scary.

It was super yummy and it was nice to have a meal without fielding Nicole the whole time.  Afterward, we picked up Nicole and headed home.  Sarah and Mark came over for games.  I love playing games and we just don't get to do it as often as we used to.  It was a perfect combo for our Valentines date.  Nicoley was very good and watched her Wonder Pets downstairs while we played board games.  Sadly, I won none of the games, so I will just have to have Sarah and Mark back for a rematch!

Today, Matt surprised me with flowers!  I love daisies, they are my favorite flower and he got them for me and brought them to my work.  Then, we went to Cafe Rio for lunch.  I got to spend my lunch with my Man and my Little Girl.  It was a perfect date.

Overall, it has been an awesome Valentines.  I hope everyone else is having an enjoyable day.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Yesterday was my birthday; I turned 27.  Being in my late twenties, I definitely feel old.  But, this could also be due to the fact that I am pregnant and it hurts when I walk, and sit, and sleep.  My body feels old.  But, I'm sure it will all get better when I am all done being pregnant.

I had my third annual Iron Chef birthday party last Saturday.  The secret ingredient was Lime. I love doing the Iron Chef theme for my birthday because not only is it fun to make and try food that everyone brings, but it is also a source of food for everyone at the party that I don't have to make.

I made Key Lime Pie Cupcakes with a graham cracker crust, a key lime curd filling and lime buttercream frosting.  I thought that they were really good and I was really trying to win this year, but I was once again unsuccessful.  I think that I will have to continue having this birthday party until I can finally be crowned the Iron Chef.  I really try pretty hard to be a good cook and try new cooking techniques, but perhaps so does everyone else at the party.

Matt made Lime Steak Tacos with a Lime Mango Salsa and Lime Guacamole.  He also did not win, but I thought his tacos were really good.  I love Matt's tacos.

We had a lot of really good entries this year, including Lime Bread (2nd place), Key Lime Pie Ice Cream (3rd place), Fiesta Lime Shrimp (one of my favorites of the night), Lime Margaritas, and Lime Fish Poppers.  But, the big winner of the night was Miranda's Citrus Chicken.  It came and went so fast that by the time I got to the table to get some, it was gone.  I had to thieve some off of Anthon's plate to even get a taste and it was really good.  So, Miranda gets to hold the title of Iron Chef for a year!  Congrats Miranda.

I wish that I had taken pictures of the event, but I didn't.  Frankly, I spent most of my time on the couch because I had cleaned and cooked all day and my feet were swollen and I was hurting.  If you want to see a few pics of the night, go to Marie's blog; she was smart enough to take pictures. www.http://anthonmariemecham.blogspot.com/

 On my actual birthday, it wasn't too different from every other day.  I went to work, ate lunch at Marie's house, picked up Nicole from Marie's house, and went home.  Matt had ordered pizza for dinner, which was my special treat of the night.  We hardly ever order pizza, we usually make it ourselves because it is a lot cheaper and very yummy.  But, I didn't want the mess and clean up of making my own pizza, so we ordered from Papa Johns.

Nicole and I played with toys and watch tv until Matt came home and then we relaxed the rest of the night.  It was a pleasant, relaxing birthday.  I like days when not a lot of work is required.

It was a good birthday this year.

Josh and Nancy

Meet my good friends, Josh and Nancy.

Josh and Nancy have been married 7 years and are hoping to adopt. http://joshuanancyadopt.blogspot.com/

I have known Josh since I was a kid as his mom and my mom are best friends.  Josh met Nancy while I was in Hawaii for college and I was able to attend their reception when I was home for Christmas break in 2003. I have since then gotten to know Nancy and love her for her joyful personality.

Josh and Nancy are like my extra brother and sister. They have been there for every major event in my life. They are there for all the family holidays, birthdays, and are even in the family pictures at my wedding. I love them very much.

Josh is a soft spoken sweetheart who loves animals, sports, and Nancy. Nancy is what I like to call a "pocket Nancy" as she is so petite that I am sure I could fit her in my pocket. She is very athletic, loves animals, and is always kind to everyone.  Her personality totally fits her size.

I love Josh and Nancy so much and I can't think of a couple that are more deserving to be parents. So, if you know anyone who is looking for a couple to place their baby with, or if you know someone who knows someone... who knows someone, think of my dear friends Josh and Nancy.  And, check out their blog http://joshuanancyadopt.blogspot.com/

To get an idea of the kind of people that Josh and Nancy are, here is a letter they have written to their future birth mother.

Our Promise To The Birthmother

We love you and pray for you.  You are a child of God.  He watches you, loves you and wants you to do the right thing for you and your baby.  If we have learned one thing in our short lives, it is that our Father in Heaven knows us, loves us and if we allow him, will guide us and help us in every aspect of our lives.  He has a plan of happiness for all of his children and will do all that He can to help us attain the ends of that plan.

Life is so beautiful.  You are beautiful.  The child inside of you is a gift from God.  As you make a decision that we cannot comprehend, please know this:  if you choose to place you baby with us we promise to do all we can do be a good father and mother to that precious child.  We promise to teach and lead with love.  And we promise that they will always know, respect and admire you for the amazing person that you are.

30 weeks

30 weeks hurts! I forgot how much the last trimester can hurt. Darn my forgetting being pregnant brain!

I hurt for three reasons... or maybe more.

1.  Baby boy kicks, punches, stretches or just moves and it hurts.
2.  Braxton Hicks contractions. These are not often or regular, but when they occur, they hurt.
3.  General abdominal pain. This is pain in the muscles right under my belly and in my back and hips and all over.  No real reason for this pain, but it usually occurs at the end of a day, usually when I have been more active.

Despite all this pain, I still get up at 6am and go to work and come home and make dinner and play with my girl.  I know what the result is, I know it will all be worth it and I know I have only 10 more weeks to go.  That is not to much at all.

Next week, I will be able to count down in single digit weeks.  I look forward to that.

People have begun to ask if I am "due any time" or "due in the next couple of weeks."  Just a general FYI, this is an awful question, do not ask it.  Do not attempt to guess a pregnant woman's due date if you don't remember it.

Additionally, two people have asked me if I am having twins.  Again, this is an awful question, never ask it.  If a pregnant woman offers up the information that she is carrying twins, act surprised and comment her on how she doesn't look it.  Otherwise, never bring up twins... ever.

I find myself being more irritable, more emotional, and more grumpy.  I'm trying to stay positive and cheery, especially for Nicole who does not understand, but it is a challenge.  I broke down crying last night because I was hurting and emotional and Nicole kept asking, "Daddy, Mamma okay?"  I try to put on a happy face for her so that she doesn't get worried because she will often start crying if I am crying and then try to climb up me to give me kisses, which only hurts me more and makes her cry harder and exclaim, "I sorry Mamma!"

So, you will still get no belly pictures.  Just imagine what I would look like if I were having twins and that is apparently how big I am. (I am not having twins.)

Hashu Hashu

I'm tired when I wake up.  I'm tired in the afternoon, and then I'm REALLY tired at night.  If I wasn't pregnant, I would guess that I have mono... again.  Good thing it is just the third trimester where my baby is huge and zapping all my energy.

10.5 more weeks.  I can do it.

Funeral Weekend

This weekend we traveled to St. George for Grandpa Kimball's funeral.  Matt, Nicole, Kristy, Omar, Momma Kimball, Sheena, and I all piled into Momma Kimball's car, bound for St. George, on Friday afternoon.  I was lucky enough to be granted the front seat (due to my car sickness and pregnancy), but the more unlucky people had to smash in the back with Nicole, laptops, dvd players, and the dog.

The traveling itself was fairly uneventful.  Nicole handled it a lot better than I thought she would, sleeping or watching the "mouse show" (Ratatouille) the whole time.  I did not care for sitting in the car for four hours as it is quite painful on my pregnant body to be in one chair for extended periods of time, but we made it. 

We went to a viewing Friday night when we got in, even though we had just spent a lot of time in the car.  Then, around 7pm, we went to Cafe Rio to eat some food.  Unfortunately, I had waited too long to eat and I was quite sick and did not get to enjoy my food.

The hotel we stayed at in St. George was really quite nice, so we had an enjoyable first night.  Nicole had a hard time sleeping in the play pen, but I missed most of it because I just passed out when we got back from eating at Cafe Rio.  Matt stayed up with Nicole until she fell asleep and I was completely oblivious.

Saturday, we went to another viewing in the morning before the funeral.  Nicole, thankfully, fell asleep right before the funeral and slept through most of it.  She woke up near the end and I took her out of the chapel so that she could be wild and free.  Kids and funerals don't always mix well, but Nicole did okay.

The funeral was really nice.  I feel like I got to know more about Grandpa Kimball than I did before the funeral.  He was a quiet man of not many words, but I got to hear stories from his children and friends about who he was throughout his life.  Even though it is sad to attend a funeral, I felt very uplifted by the love that family and friends had for Grandpa and I know that he had a good life.  It is also a comfort to have the gospel and know that Grandpa Kimball is now with his two sons, Ralph and Kelly.

After the funeral the ward provided a lunch for the family.  Then, we all hopped back in the car and drove 2.5 hours up to Richfield, straight to the cemetery for the graveside dedication.  Nicole had just about had it with all the traveling by this point, so she had a freak out during the prayer.  I sat with her in the car until it was over because she just couldn't handle any more standing around.

We all went to Aunt Janet's in Richfield after the graveside service for a meal.  It was good to have a little more casual time with the family, rather than doing something funeral related.  I could tell that everyone felt a little relieved to just be done with it all.  Funerals can be stressful.

We headed to our hotel in Richfield because we opted to stay the night rather than drive the last 2 hours home.  We stayed at a Travelodge that ended up being a little dumpy, but it served our needs in that it provided beds for us to sleep in.  This place had an indoor pool, so Matt and I took Nicole swimming at 8pm at night.  I know, we are just the best parents.  Nicole loved it!  Those swimming lessons last summer really payed off because she is not even a little afraid of the water.  She is our little water baby.  We let her swim for 30 minutes and then we headed back to the room for bed.

I, once again, just passed out and could not be woken, even by Nicole tackling and climbing on me while I slept.  Matt, once again, stayed up with Nicole until she fell asleep.  He is such a good Daddy.  At about 4am, I hear Nicole, "Daddy, need help!  Daddy!"  So, Matt pulled her out of the play pen and put her in bed with us.  Luckily, it was a king size bed, so there was plenty of room for all of us and we slept great after that.  Most of the time, when Nicole wakes up, she says, "Daddy, yere ya you?"  Which of course means, "Daddy, where are you?"  She is such a little Daddy's girl.

Sunday we went to church with Aunt Janet in the afternoon, then we ate some food and headed home.  We got into Provo around 5:30pm.  Of course, we just vegged and did nothing the rest of the day as we were exhausted from all the traveling.

I got two bereavement days off from work, so I decided to use my second one on Monday and just recover from a weekend of travel.  Matt and I actually were able to sleep in until 8am.  This is truly a grand feat as Nicole often likes to wake up at 7am.

We did some shopping, Nicole and I took naps, and Matt did homework.  It was a lovely and not too eventful afternoon.  We went to Anne's house in the evening for her birthday celebration.  Momma Kimball made tacos and DJ made enchiladas.  It was nice not having to worry about making dinner.  Then, we played Just Dance on the Wii.  Carlos got it for Anne for her birthday and she loves it. 

Thus ended my very long funeral weekend.  It would be nice to take days off of work for reasons other than a family member dying.  I guess I will just have to wait until the baby comes.