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!

December so far

December has been busy. Isn't it always? We started the month by attending a Living Nativity at the Provo Tabernacle. Jeff didn't want to go at all, but when we got there 30 minutes early (I thought the first showing was at 6:00, not 6:30), he was really happy. We sat on the front row and had plenty of time to take pictures of the kids as they attempted to mangle the set.

It ended up being a fun night, and the kids really enjoyed it. That's why we do these things, as I was quick to remind Jeff. I know he already knows the story of the Nativity.

We spent one night getting our tree and decorating it. This is the first year ever we are going to be in our own home for Christmas morning. The tree is a Noble Fir and it smells great. But, as you can see, it's not the best for ornaments. The branches are not very strong, so they are always falling off, and they get lost in its girth. Good thing I don't have many ornaments worth trying to show off.

We do have an ornament for every year we've been married, and it was fun for the kids to see which ones represent them. This is the one from last year. We took a trip to Arches in October, and it was one of the highlights of 2008.

The kids have been busy watching classic Christmas movies (Rudolph, Charlie Brown, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, etc.). It's fun to watch them experience things we have grown used to. Home Alone is set to record on Tuesday. They may be a bit young for that one, but we'll see...I love how the girls sit right next to each other on the couch, even though there is so much room.

As you may have heard if you are my Facebook friend, DAMON got a pink slip at school for using inappropriate language. He called a girl a "freaky mama." I had to make a big deal about it to him, telling him it's so important to be careful how he talks about girls, but Jeff and I couldn't stop laughing about it. Who knows where he came up with that.

Jeff's laptop from school finally died a couple of weeks ago, and Jeff was throwing it away. Ever the collector, Damon salvaged some of the pieces and created his own computer with a pizza box and an Ensign. I thought it was very creative.


ALLIE has been going through another period of being scared of everything. She had one bad dream about a giant, and now is scared to go into her room alone. It's not nearly as bad as the first time around, but she tries her best to coerce Kyla into getting things for her, or at least accompanying her to the scary bedroom.

She got to play in the snow one afternoon entertained herself for about 30 minutes before she bailed for the warmer environment next door.



Speaking of KYLA, she has gotten three haircuts in the past few weeks. One I gave her, to try to even up the front and back. It wasn't perfect, but I thought she looked cute. The second one was courtesy of Allie, who cut off half of her pigtail. It wasn't very noticeable, so I wasn't too upset. The third one, she gave herself. She cut right down the middle of her head while she had a pigtail in. It's really hard to see in the picture, but you can tell that part of her bangs are shorter, and there is a patch right in the middle of her head that is shorter, too. So much for evening out the front and back. It will be some time before it is all even again.


I have got to find a way to lock up the scissors. Or soon Kyla will be bald.

JEFF has been busy going to basketball games. He went to three last week ( all work related, because he was taking a dentist). He saw the Jazz beat the Magic and then the Lakers, and also saw BYU beat ASU. It's getting a little old for me not having him here at night, but it's fun to see him at the Jazz games (their tickets are right behind the visitor's bench, so he's pretty easy to spot). On his way to one of the games last week, he got a ticket for crossing over the double line into the carpool lane. So, he got to spend last night at traffic school, making 4 out of 8 nights that he was gone. I know I have no reason to complain, but we like having him around. To be fair, he was tired of it, too. This is the only picture I have of Jeff from this month. He's supervising as Damon plays the Wii.


Speaking of the Wii, we recently got it fixed after months of not playing it. I really should have waited until Christmas morning to break it out again, it would have been enough for the kids. They have been playing every day and it's a fun family activity.

Finally, there's me. I am looking forward to Christmas. I am excited to start making some memories here in our home. On Wednesday night, I am planning on doing a journey dinner. We'll eat things that Joseph and Mary might have eaten (dried meat, dates, cheese, flat bread, grape juice, etc) and talk about what happened in Bethlehem, with only the light from candles (and the Christmas lights) turned on. We'll see how it goes, but I want to make it a tradition that we do every year.

I sliced my thumb on Friday last week, and it was pretty deep. I probably needed stitches, but it started healing alright on its own. Monday night it got reopened and began throbbing. I had a terrible time sleeping and I had to get up and get some Tylenol and an ice pack just to be able to sleep. It was horrible. And also amazing how such a small injury like that can set you back in life. This is from today, after it is finally healing again. I wish I had a picture from when it was nasty, just so I can remember why I need to be more careful with sharp knives.

It's been busy, and I know the fun is just about to begin. Can't wait to see what the rest of the month brings!

Christmas card 2009

Dear friends,
I had to cut back on my Christmas cards this year. I only sent out 40, and very few to anyone who reads my blog or is my Facebook friend. That made me sad. I want to be able to send them to everyone, but financially, that just didn't make sense. So I'm very sorry if I didn't send you one in the mail. I hope you still want to be my friend. Here is our card and Christmas letter for 2009.

The Good News….and The Bad News 2009

2009 was full of good news for the Trapnell family. But, as always seems to be the case, often the good news was accompanied with a little bad news.

The Good News…after a year of searching, we bought our dream home and moved in in June. The Bad News…now we have once again joined the ranks of the mortgage payers everywhere. More Good News…the home we bought is large enough for our family to grow into over the next several years. More Bad News…the walls may be bare for the next several years as we find the money to “grow” into it.

The Good News…Jeff got to be in Dallas for the BYU/Oklahoma football game, where BYU pulled off an unbelievable upset. The Bad News…only weeks later, the Cougars got spanked by Florida State and Cougar fans everywhere returned to reality.

The Good News…Krystal found out in June that she was pregnant! The Bad News…the entire family suffered through her first trimester of sickness, pretending they liked “Hamburger Helper” for dinner every night. More Good News (for Jeff and Damon)…we found out in September that she was expecting another boy. More Bad News (for Krystal, Allie and Kyla)…after February, estrogen will no longer rule in our household.

The Good News…Damon turned seven and started second grade. The Bad News…he had to start over at his fourth school in the last three years, learn a brand new school system, and make all new friends. It didn’t take long for him to do just that.

The Good News…Allie turned four and started preschool for the first time. The Bad News…for the first time, she had to wake up early, regularly comb her hair, and was required to perform difficult tasks like holding a pencil to create letters. After six months, she seems to be getting the hang of it.

The Good News…Kyla turned two and instantly grew up before our eyes. The Bad News…she quickly realized that her outbursts and tantrums were no longer cute, and was expected to behave herself during church and other social events just like the older children.

The Good News…in October, after waiting in line for two hours, we all received the H1N1 vaccine. The Bad News…within days, Allie and Kyla got the disease anyway, and Kyla had to spend a night in the hospital to help with her breathing problems. Fortunately, we are now all healthy and hoping to avoid any further problems with the dreaded swine flu.

In all seriousness, 2009 was a great year for our family. We are healthy and happy and incredibly grateful for the opportunity we have to spend the holidays together, celebrating the birth of a baby boy who would grow up to be our Savior. And that’s the best news of all.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Love, Jeff, Krystal, Damon, Allie, Kyla and baby boy Trapnell

Pre-Thanksgiving

I'm 29 weeks now, which is well into third trimester, but have yet to post my thoughts about trimester #2. Everything that happened between mid August and mid November was positive. We found out that Baby Boy is growing well (measuring at 2 lbs 4 oz at my last ultrasound), and is developing on schedule. My AFP test and glucose tests were both normal (my odds of having a Downs Syndrome baby went from 1 in 170 to 1 in 10,000 after the test), and everything anyone could tell us was positive. My doctor told me that it is more common to have "cord accidents" when there are only two vessels, so I will start doing non stress tests at about 34 weeks. Also, near the end, sometimes the babies stop growing, and so the perinatologists are a lot more likely to recommend induction a couple weeks early. That sounds like good news to me--smaller baby, born earlier. He said he doesn't think I will be pregnant in February, so I'm kind of keeping that in the back of my mind.

I also gained close to 20 pounds (which I always seem to do in the second trimester) and truly became a fatty. Here are the shots to prove it, from 24 weeks and 28 weeks.

My sickness went away around week 14 and that's when I started to get hungry. I am mostly hungry in the afternoon and I could eat continuously for hours if I didn't force myself to stop. The foods that have defined this pregnancy have been turkey sandwiches and chips/queso. I have yet to get sick of either one. All other cravings seem to be under control and/or completely normal for me.

I have had heartburn earlier than my other pregnancies (all the queso maybe?), but not too bad yet. I know it's going to get a lot worse and am not anxious for that at all. My biggest complaint is the ligament pain below my belly. I have never been one of those women who could still go running late in pregnancy (even if I were a runner, which I'm not), but I can no longer carry Kyla around or I will be sore for days. Mopping the floor, vacuuming, and going up and down stairs are all relatively painful and I am not eager to find out what the end of this pregnancy is going to be like if I am already struggling. I have a belly band, but it was accidentally left in St. George, so I am hopeful when I get it back that it will help. It's too early for me to stop cleaning and living life! I also had to start wearing my compression stockings again (affectionately known as my "hoses"), so I am quite the fashionista. Fortunately, it's winter and no one has to know. :)

I can't chase this one around anymore, so I have to hope she will be cooperative and obedient. And stay out of the mascara.


We stayed in Provo for Thanksgiving this year, and decided to go out and have an adventure. On Wednesday, we drove out to the west desert to the Dugway Geode Beds to search for geodes. After an hour of digging in holes that looked promising, we had found nothing, and everyone was discouraged. Damon was ready to go home and Kyla and Allie were whining and crying. We wondered what we were doing there. But Jeff drove around a little and found the commercial digging site, where a backhoe had done all the hard work. We just had to pick through the rocks to find what could be geodes. Just like that, our search became more of an Easter Egg hunt, and we couldn't keep all the geodes we found. Here are the kids sitting by our stash. We need to get them cut open, but we are hopeful that we found some good ones (some of the ones we broke open were really pretty, which is great!).



We also drove to Topaz Mountain to try to find topaz, and came away with some small crystals. The kids were cold and it was a lot of work to find it, so we didn't stay long. No pictures of that, sorry. It was a fun day of treasure hunting, and we only saw 7 other people all day long. It was a bit eerie to be so far out (we took the old Pony Express Trail) and away from civilazation. Delta looked like an urban mecca when we made it there!

At the beginning of November, we brainstormed all the things we were grateful for, and came up with enough for one for each day of the month. Damon traced 26 hands and we cut them out, labeling each one with something we were grateful for. By Thanksgiving Day, we had created quite the tail for our tiny turkey! It was a fun activity, and I hope it helped the kids remember what we were really celebrating.


Jeff has the pictures from Thanksgiving on his phone, so I will finish this post later about our actual Thanksgiving dinner and the rest of the week.

Thirty, Fatty, and Thrifting

I never really understood why Jennifer Garner's character in the movie Thirteen Going on Thirty wanted to be thirty, anyway. I mean, as a 13 year old, I probably would have picked 21. But for some reason, she wanted to be "thirty, flirty and thriving." Instead, today, I feel "thirty, fatty and thrifting."

If I had had any control over when this baby was coming, I probably would have realized that being 6 months pregnant the day I turned 30 wasn't the best possible way to feel good about myself. I mean, yes, I do have boobs again, which is ever so fun, but it's not as fun to get big in other places (ie, my thighs and belly). But because this baby boy decided when he was ready to come to our family, I had no control over that. So on my 30th birthday, I was definitely a fatty.

As for the thrifting, I've been feeling a little stressed about Christmas this year. I am sure I'm not alone. We knew when we bought this house that things were going to be tight for a while, and we willingly decided it was worth it. And I know deep in my heart that we'll find a way to do everything we need to do to make this a great Christmas for the kids (despite Jeff's assertion that our Christmas budget is, "zero."). Still, I feel the stress. Which makes it a tad bit difficult to really enjoy any money spent on me for my birthday.

But it was a fun weekend, starting with a night out with Jeff's brothers, sister and their significant others (minus Noel, Brian and Susan, who were missed). Jeff talked me into going to see 2012, so at least it wasn't my idea. It was fun to be all together to laugh at some of the more ridiculous moments. And there were plenty of those. No, the movie really wasn't THAT bad, but it certainly wasn't my favorite.

Sunday, Jeff got up with the kids and made me a gourmet birthday cake. If you know Jeff, you are probably picking your jaw up off the floor right now, because he doesn't cook. Ever. So I appreciated the effort (and the cake was really yummy) more because I know he was doing it for me. We had dinner at my aunt's house last night, and the kids promptly blew my 8 candles out (4 on each cake) before I even had a chance to make a wish. I'm not sure how 8 candles equals 30 years either. Oh well.

On Thursday, I am heading to the New Moon preview with my aunt and cousins, and I am so excited. Am I now officially too old for that? The answer to that, of course, is no. You're never too old for Edward. He's immortal. :)

A celebration of 30

Tomorrow, I turn 30. But I'm not thinking about that today. Today I am remembering some of the great things that have happened in my life. I, in no way, believe this is a good idea, but I am posting 30 pictures of me through the years.

I'd have to guess maybe 2? Reminds me a little of my girls

3 or 4? Probably my birthday, when Heather and I both got presents. :)


4 or 5? Hard to tell. Mom, any input?

8, Baptism day

10th birthday. Lisha and I totally did the glasses before Twitch.

Don't know ages. Probably about 10 here as well. Notice the van in the garage. I drove that baby in high school. It was a power steering fluid leaking beast!

10 1/2, at the hospital when Jonny was born

15, at EFY. The boy who first held my hand, Rich Cook.

Sorry if you wanted to see more awkward photos from the 11-14 range. I don't seem to have any (not because there aren't any, I just probably left those at home when I was taking pictures).

I'm guessing 16. Proof that at one time I had boobs.

Almost 17, dyeing my hair (with Linzi Jolley) on a volleyball trip. I remember this clearly and how Linzi covered up with her pillow when she saw the camera. I, on the other hand, didn't seem to mind in the least. And I'm "getting out the guns."

17, Homecoming senior year with Mark Madsen. Our last date.

17, Senior year of volleyball

Just before I turned 18, fractured elbow from state volleyball tournament


18, All-state banquet for basketball with Coach Higgins

At a choir concert with Melissa Ricks, 17 or 18

18, at a softball tournament with my BF, Tyler Campbell

18, Pine View High graduation with Tyler

My 20th birthday, celebrating with 259 cds.

20, dating Jeff

20, our wedding

20, My wedding with my bff from college, Jenny Costley

21, at Jeff's graduation from BYU

21, at Jenny's wedding

22, at my graduation from BYU (6 months pregnant with Damon)

22, taking Damon home from the hospital

almost 24, family photo shoot

24, the night we said good-bye to Chance

26, Allie's birth

27, Jeff's graduation from Ohio State

28, Kyla's birth