MTC

We had a nice storm on Friday night that finally cleared the air. Jeff made the comment, "this is a pretty place to live when the air is clear." The shoveling of the driveway isn't so much fun, and although I have only been called upon to help once or twice, I don't much like it.

Yesterday, my brother Jonny went into the MTC. It was fun to have my family here, if only for less than a day. His morning was packed with visiting the DMV, last second packing, a quick haircut and a little tennis with his "baby," Roger Federer. Damon was at school, but we took a picture of him with the girls so we can compare when he gets back in two years and see who has changed the most.

Here's all the crew that was here to send him off.

And finally the obligatory MTC sign before he got dropped off. I wasn't in St. George for those good-byes (I heard they were tearful), but we were all excited for him. He's going to be such a great missionary and I can't wait to experience it with him through letters and email!

Let's hope that I am the one who looks the most different when he gets back. I'm sure he loves how my belly is nestled right up next to him.

Five Things

A while back, my friend Joni posted about how sometimes we beat ourselves up over not accomplishing our resolutions. Well, about how we sometimes beat ourselves up over anything, really. To start the year off, she posted five things she liked about herself, and challenged everyone else to think about what they liked about themselves. I have been thinking a lot about that, especially at this time of hugeness when I don't like much about myself physically, and I thought I would borrow her idea.

So, here are five things I like about myself.

1. I am dependable. If I say I'll do something, it will get done.
2. I am a loyal friend. That is part of my BLUE nature. If I make a connection with someone, I know that it will last a lifetime. I may not be the best friend, but I always care and try hard to let my friends know that.
3. I am optimistic. I don't have a hard time seeing the good in most situations.
4. I believe the best in people. This can also be to my detriment, and would probably be the one thing keeping me from winning Survivor. I want to believe that everyone is good and honest and give them the benefit of the doubt.
5. I love learning. I know I am not the best mom, and my kids could probably easily thrive somewhere else, but I love that they love learning, too. We love visiting the library, and I am constantly trying to explain things to them so they can understand. Jeff said I treat them like little adults (and that it's not always a positive thing), but as I watch them learn and grow, I feel like it is something I am good at.

So, there you have it. It wasn't all THAT difficult to come up with five things. Of course it would be much easier to come up with five things I don't like about myself, but that is beside the point. I want to challenge you all to think of things you like about yourselves, too. Just as Joni did, if you leave me a comment containing just one thing you like about yourself, I will respond with something I like about you, too. And if you can think of more than one thing you like about yourself, post it on your blog, and let's keep the good feelings flowing. It will be like the Sisterhood of the Traveling Compliments.

Oh, and one thing I wanted to record for the future. Kyla climbed in bed with me one morning and told me that she had a dream that she "jumped in the cool (pool) and there were three alligators, named Elonia, Eclonia and Estonia" that tried to bite her. Later, she told me there was a fourth alligator named Emmonia. I don't know where she came up with that, but I thought it was pretty funny.

36+ weeks

We made our last trip to St. George (for a while) last weekend for my brother's missionary farewell. Good times, and a few more games of Settlers were enjoyed by all. We managed to squeeze in some family photos (I posted them all on Facebook, but here is one for my non FB friends), and I must say, it is so fun to take pictures when you are 36 weeks pregnant. Nothing better for the old self-esteem. This is the entire Esplin extended family as of last week. Baby Boy Trapnell is well accounted for, but not visible. I'm sure a lot will change before Jonny gets home from Argentina in 2012 (provided the world hasn't ended).


One of the favorite things for the kids to do is have a dance party to "Party in the USA." You can see the full feature on my cousin's FB account HERE if you are so inclined, but here is a clip of Kyla doing her favorite part. It makes me smile.

Now with all the partying (mostly) out of the way (we'll get to go to dinner with my parents and Jonny before he goes into the MTC), there are only a few things left to do before I'd consider us ready to have Baby Boy join our family. A few items I need to locate, clothes to be washed, a few freezer meals to be made, and then I'm ready. I just hope he will cooperate with my time line.

I had a non-stress test this morning and everything still looks fine. I am hoping that we fail next Friday (anytime we fail, it becomes "baby day"). My doctor can't induce me without reason until I am 39 weeks, so a fail becomes good news from here on out. Or if I go into labor on my own, but the earliest I have done that is 10 days early, so I'm not counting on that.

I am trying not to be anxious about it, because obviously I have no control over it, but I am starting to really feel big and uncomfortable. I have avoided taking any pictures of myself since 28 weeks, but I finally decided it was time. Here's the big 36+ week photo:

And I had to take one of me as I usually am, complete with the compression stockings and belly band I sport daily. Look at that big round belly. Fantastic. :)

I started taking Prilosec every morning for the nasty heartburn I have been having and what a miracle drug that has turned out to be! Seriously, it has saved me this last trimester as the heartburn had gotten worse and worse. I tipped the scales at 159 lbs on Wednesday. Wow, that's a lot! Yet another reason to hope I have this boy early.

We all (except Jeff) caught a little stomach bug this week. Kyla threw up first in the middle of the night on Monday, and Wednesday morning Allie threw up at the neighbor's house. Damon called from school at 11:00 feeling sick and I picked him up. Then, I started throwing up around 5:00. Man, oh man, were my stomach muscles sore after that. I must still have abs somewhere, because they were aching! Thankfully, it was a quick bug and we are all feeling back to normal today.

Now, we just wait. And try to be patient. And be glad that I'm not up all night with a newborn. And maybe decide on a name for the little guy, so we don't have to call him Roy (ha ha, that was funny Lana!).

Not to be all about Kyla...

...but she seems to be the one who has the most going on right now. Like big dreams. And nightmares. And sometimes those being one and the same. She has been a little sad lately that she doesn't get to go to preschool with Allie, and the other night she woke up crying at 2 am. I went in to make sure she had her binkie and was all snuggled up, but she kept crying. I asked her what was wrong, and she told me, "I want to go to preschool!" I so wished I could crawl inside her head and see for myself just what she was dreaming.

Then this morning, after another 2 am wakeup, she told me about her bad dream. "A big witch was taking my binkie." I can see how that would be traumatic.

Kyla has also decided that it is time to get potty-trained. I wasn't ready for this yet, but she kept showing up in my room in the morning wearing undies. So, grudgingly, I decided to give it a shot. I bought a Barbie on clearance and told her that if she could stay dry for an entire day, she could have her. It only took her three days of trying. Impressive. I have one more that can be earned after 7 days of dryness. That one will be a little trickier. But at least I am not regretting letting her go diaper free. And not having to change a poopy diaper is heavenly.

She doesn't look especially proud here, but she was probably tired from keeping the Barbie from Allie (Allie can be quite manipulative, but Kyla stayed strong and didn't give in).


This one is funny, because how many second graders WOULDN'T be doing bunny ears?


The other latest bit of news is that I dusted off the old sewing machine (still basically new, since I've used it about a dozen times since Jeff bought it for me 4+ years ago) and work on a project. I am certainly no seamstress (the class I took one summer in junior high didn't spark an interest, I suppose), but I thought I could put together a skirt for my crib. I had bought a bumper at Kid to Kid, but couldn't find a skirt that looked good. And even then, I was going to have to pay around $30 for a plain white one.

SOOO, I found a tutorial online (complete with pictures), bought my material and went at it. Four hours, and many, many curse words under my breath later, it was finally finished. It's certainly not perfect, and I won't be opening an Etsy shop anytime soon, but I am satisfied. I think it looks pretty dang alright.


I know it's hard to see, because the mattress in on the highest level, but it mostly hangs flat, with one pleat in each side. I think once the mattress is lowered, it will be just right, but for now, I am not going to lose any sleep over it.

Now Baby Boy can come and have a comfy place to sleep. Speaking of the impending due date, I still don't know exactly what to expect. I have been having weekly non-stress tests, where they measure my fluid, and monitor baby's heart rate for a while to make sure he isn't in distress. He has performed well each time, although occasionally they have to use the "baby tazer" on him to get him to wake up. This morning I had a contraction while I was there and his heart rate went a little crazy, so I had to stay a little longer to make sure he recovered well. He did. I'll be 36 weeks on Sunday, so we are getting close. I dreamt he had blue eyes and blond hair, but I'm not expecting that in the least. I just want him here safe.

Sweet Kyla

This little girl has a very tender heart. She loves people, and she is very concerned for anyone who is hurting. She will be a great Relief Society president one day.

Yesterday, during the Sacrament, I was talking to her about Jesus and how we drink the water to remind us of Jesus' blood. Her brow furrowed in deep concern as I described thorns being placed on his head, causing him to bleed. She looked at me with those eyes filled with love and whispered, "Jesus is my friend. I will get a rag and wipe it off. " Then she smiled that big smile shown above. How could I do anything but rearrange her on my shrinking lap and hug her as close as my protruding belly would allow?

How did you do?

I never like to go back and revisit my resolutions from previous years. Probably because I didn't keep them. But now it's time to create some more for 2010, so it's inevitable that the resolutions from 2009 are revisited. Here's how I did...(gulp)

Personal Goals
1. Scripture reading in the mornings--hit and miss. I finished the D&C and started the New Testament. I'd give myself a B-.
2. Exercise three times a week--again, hit and miss. But a big miss the last couple months, as I can barely walk up the stairs without getting winded and experiencing pain in my legs and below my belly. Grade: C
3. Blog turned into Blurb books--2006, 2007, and 2008 are done. It was a lot of work, but so much fun. I don't know if I have enough from 2009 to create a book, so I am going to hold off for now. Grade: A+
4. Scrapbook pages finished and printed--I have finished up through September, but have printed none. Grade: B.
5. Read one book a month, keep up in Ensign and RS lessons--I did pretty well here. My book total for the year was 45 (some juvenile books, some adult books), which isn't bad. I can do better with the other reading, though. Grade: B.
6. Practice piano every day and memorize songs--I probably played an average of 2-3 days a week. And I have no songs completely memorized. But it's a great improvement from 2008, so that's good, right? Grade: B-.

Family Goals
1. Read Book of Mormon Sunday-Thursday right after dinner--we are still in Alma, and we have been reading for two years now. Not great. Grade: C
2. Family prayer twice a day--we are great about night time prayer. Not so good about morning prayer. Grade: C+
3. Date nights once a month with the kids--not bad. We definitely haven't made it monthly, but Damon and Allie both have had multiple date nights this year. Grade: B
DAMON-night time prayers, 20 minutes of reading a day--great with reading, not great with night time prayers. Grade:B-
ALLIE-night time prayers--not great. Grade: C
JEFF AND KRYSTAL-temple once a month. We probably made it 9 times this year. Not quite what we were going for, but we're still working on it. Grade: B-.

Well, what's our GPA? KRYSTAL=2.9 FAMILY=2.45 (I used a GPA counter found HERE, and had all "courses" worth 3 credits) .

2010 resolutions to come soon. I think I need to add some "gimme" courses to ensure a better year.

2009 Recap

2009 Year in Review

1. What did you do in 2009? Moved out of the basement and into our new home in Orem.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I wasn't perfect. Not even close. But I did alright. Time to start again.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Noel and Tara both had girls. Time for another boy!

4. Did anyone close to you die? Again, thankfully, no.

5. What countries did you visit? Caribbean cruise, if it counts. St. Thomas, St. Lucia, Antigua, St. Maarten, and Barbados, as well as Puerto Rico

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008? A yard. A few furnishings in our house.

7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? My mom's birthday in May, spent in San Diego.

8. What was your biggest personal achievement of the year? Unpacking and organizing our new house.

9. What was your biggest failure? Can't think of one.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Kyla was hospitalized with swine flu. Definitely the worst of the illnesses we had this year.

11. What was the best thing you bought? Our house. I love it so.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Damon for starting his fourth school in three years and instantly making friends.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Obama's attempt at health care reform, Jon and Kate Gosselin, and Tiger Woods.

14. Where did most of your money go? Our house.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? My brother, Eric, coming home from his mission, a girls trip with my mom and aunt to San Diego, moving into our new house (see a theme with this house bit?)

16. What song will always remind you of 2008? I have a few. Too many to count by Lady Gaga. "You Belong with Me," and "Love Story" by Taylor Swift, "I Gotta Feeling" by the Black Eyed Peas, "Party in the USA" by Miley Cyrus, "Battlefield" by Jordin Sparks," "Single Ladies" by Beyonce, "Hot and Cold" by Katy Perry, and a bunch by Kelly Clarkson ("My Life would Suck Without You," "Already Gone," and "I do not Hook Up")

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? 
b) thinner or fatter? 
c) richer or poorer? a) happier. b) much fatter. c) poorer in the short term, but investing in our house should make us richer in the long term

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Throwing up

20. Did you fall in love in 2008? I loved Jacob Black a little more after New Moon came out

21. What was your favorite TV program? Hoarders and Big Bang Theory was our new addition this year. And Parks and Recreation.

22. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? Nope

23. What was the best book you read? Hunger Games, The Book Thief, When You Reach Me

24. What was your greatest musical discovery? Pandora radio on my iPhone

26. What did you want and not get? A bike and bike trailer for the second straight year. Hopefully soon!

27. What was your favorite film of this year? Up, New Moon and Harry Potter 6 are up there, too.

28. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 30 and got hit on twice in one week (once at Krispie Kreme and once while driving in my van. I was visibly pregnant, too...)

29. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? BYU to have beaten FSU.

30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008? Maternity clothes, bleh!

31. What kept you sane? A cruise in February

32. When you think about 2009 what sticks out in your mind? Starting over with a new ward, new neighbors and a new life. We're loving it!

33. Best moment of 2009? Easter, when my family was having a little testimony meeting and my mom and BIL finally admitted how much they loved each other. So amazing!

A Quick Recap

Take a deep breath and prepare yourself for the rest of a whirlwind December. We took the kids to see Santa at the mall. The policy is that you are allowed one photo with your own camera. I understand that it helps keep the line shorter and makes it a bit more enticing to buy their photos, but it's still a lot of pressure. Especially with three kids, what are the chances that our one and only shot would be a good one? Luckily, fate was on our side. It turned out great.

Just before the kids' turn to see Santa, Allie turned to me and said, "Mom, get me a dollhouse next year. I'm asking for chapstick." And she did. Kyla asked for a Barbie and candy. Damon asked for a yellow sled.

We went to see Damon's class program on the 21st. That was fun.

I did his class party on the 22nd, but no pictures of that event. I was a bit too busy spinning kids around as they attempted to Pin the Nose on Rudolph. That night Jeff and I went to SLC and met up with our friends, the Law's. They were in ortho school with us in Jacksonville and recently moved to Austin, TX. It was great to catch up, and we enjoyed some wonderful sushi like old times. Greg and Noel also made it, but were delayed because of the snowstorm.

I had been wanting to do a journey dinner with the family, but the nights were so busy, that we ended up doing a journey lunch. We ate homemade tortillas, dried fruit, jerky, olives, cheese and nuts and drank grape juice. Not exactly the way I envisioned, but the kids seemed to have fun. We had a good discussion about Mary and Joseph. And the kids learned that olives fit on fingertips!

Christmas Eve we spent with Jeff's family at his sister's house (again no pictures, dang it), and then back home for the night. The kids knew the pajama elf was supposed to come, but we didn't get home until almost 10:00, so they were afraid we might have missed him. Luckily, as they were getting ready for bed, the PJ elf delivered, and they all got to go to bed in new footsies.

Allie had an upset tummy and all the excitement was too much for her. She threw up once before bed, and we prayed that it was just a one time thing. She had to change into another pair of jammies (fortunately, she had another pair under the tree that she could unwrap) and she was fine the rest of the night.

Christmas morning was a lot of fun. It was our first one in our own home as a family. Allie was the first one up, around 7:15 (shocker). We made the kids pose on the stairs before we let them at the presents.


Damon got a BLUE sled with yellow on it, and the girls got a dollhouse. Kyla seemed to be most pleased with the clementine from her stocking.


Christmas afternoon we drove to St. George, where the party was really going strong. We spent the next few days eating way too much, staying up way too late, and changing way too many diapers. Kyla had the same tummy bug Allie had, and had a serious case of diarrhea for a few days, which also led to a nasty diaper rash, and a miserable girl. Fortunately, a prayer from grandma and half an imodium crushed up in applesauce finally did the trick and she was back to her happy self.

Damon loved playing with my cousin, Caden, and the two of them spent a few hours Sunday morning up in a tree in the park.

They do clean up nice, though, don't they?

We got to be in the temple with my brother, Jonny, as he took out his endowments after Christmas. The night before, we had a mini testimony meeting, where we all talked about our feelings of the temple, the Savior, etc. It was a very special night and I was so amazed at how grown up my family is getting. I love them.

Tara and Wayne weren't there for the picture, because Tara had to rush home to nurse her one month old baby, but this is the rest of my family after the temple. 5 of the 6 kids were there (Kimmy's turn will come in a few years).

Jonny leaves Jan. 27th for Mendoza, Argentina, and his farewell is on the 17th (Kimmy's 16th b-day).

Jeff, Wayne and my dad took the kids hiking one morning and Jeff took this cool shot.


We came back home in time for two parties with Jeff's family and we rang in the New Year at 10:00 pm New Year's Eve.

Really, that is the briefest of recaps, as much more happened that really should be documented. It was a great holiday, and it's so hard to get back to real life. And detox from all the sugar we consumed. Here's to 2010!