4 Weeks!

Agh! So I can count on one hand the number of weeks I have left to go - just a little scary. (And yes, in case you were wondering, I will be going all the way to my due date. Lil' Monkey and I have made "an arrangement.") I'm just wondering if anyone has any suggestions for things I should be doing or appreciating at this point. (Besides sleep.) I feel pretty much ready to go, but know that there are a million things I've probably forgotten. Any tips?

Showers!

Over the past couple of weeks, I have had the honor to attend a couple of wonderful baby showers for our little boy. Britt and Kelly threw me a friend shower, complete with delicious food, horribly embarrassing video, and beautiful flower give-aways. My wonderful aunts threw a family shower which included quilt-tying, games, and even more delicious food! I can't express my thanks and gratitude enough for all of the hard work of the organizers and the generosity and love of those who attended. I truly am surrounded by the most caring and thoughtful family and friends and thank you all so much! A special thanks goes out to my mom - she has been so supportive and wonderful. She will make such an amazing grandma - love you Mom!

Pictures from top to bottom:
Delicious food! ~ Kelly, Britt & I ~ The Girls ~ My Aunts & Favorite Cousin Cass ~ The Adorable (As Always) Dixons ~ My Mom & Little Ally ~ Grandma Allen & Aunt Anne ~ Grandma Barber and Aunt Beth

A Little Sad

Some of you may have heard of the Corner Canyon fire this week. The canyon is really close to our house, and it was crazy to see the hillside on fire. I know it wasn't a huge fire, but it was a little scary, and it made me especially grateful for the fire fighters willing to work through hot temperatures to put out those fires. I looked out my window the day after the fire, and was saddened to see the beautiful green hillside black and brown. These aren't the best pictures, but give you a little idea of what we see from our back porch.

Please allow me to get on my soapbox. :) If anybody is going camping for the Labor Day weekend, please be super-careful with fire. It's amazing to see what one small spark can do. Okay, off my soapbox - hope everyone has a great long weekend!

Loosing My Mind

So, I'm sitting at work this morning trying to figure out why my pants don't fit right. They seem so high in the front, and I don't remember there not being any pockets. Oh well, I figure, I'm just getting bigger and they don't fit the same way. A little while later, I make a pit stop to the restroom and discover why....

Yes, I'm wearing them backwards.

Apparently, it's going to be one of THOSE kind of days.

Dear Bryce;

I just wanted to say thank you to my wonderful husband. You have been so supportive - not only throughout our whole marriage - but especially through this pregnancy. I know I have not been easy to live with. So here's some things I've really appreciated from you:

1) Not kicking me out of the car on one particularly bad morning. (I was taking out my crazy mood swings by driving very aggressively. I looked over at Bryce, and he was gripping the door handle a little nervously. I yelled at him, "Don't pretend to be scared - I know you're not!")

2) Not saying one word or even looking at me funny when I insisted we stop at a gas station for the second day in a row because I needed a slushy.

3) Spending way too much time standing in Babies R' Us while I debated which was cuter - the farm animal bedding or the airplane bedding.

4) Helping me get up off the couch. (I swear that stupid coach has gotten another foot closer to the ground since I've been pregnant.)

5) Drying my tears as I cried for the hundredth time over what in the world we were thinking, and how are we going to do this.

6) Painting my toenails because I can no longer reach them.

You are the best - love you!!!

Pig Roast

A couple of weeks ago, our family all got together - complete with Dave's family from Kansas. In honor of the occasion, my grandma arranged to have a pig roast provided by some neighbors. It was so much fun! We were able to see a traditional Tongan dance, do the limbo, and gross the kids out by showing them the pig.

Complete with a beautiful set of gleaming teeth:


Traditional Tongan dance:


My adorable and hilarious Aunts - Tammy and Randa:


My wonderful Grandma - she absolutely loved the dancing:


And finally, cute little Ike. He wasn't so sure about the big airplanes flying overhead.

Oh, what do you do in the Summertime?

Bryce and I have had a great couple of weeks getting some things done around the house and having fun. Our first project? Getting the baby's room all ready. I'm really happy with how it turned out - even though I never thought we'd go with a farm theme. (I couldn't fit the dresser in the picture, but it's on the opposite side.)

We also worked to get the yard all done. We ended up hiring someone to do the installation (Bryce's contract job is keeping him super busy), but we just needed to finish up a few things. It makes such a difference to look outside and see green!


By the way, if anyone is looking for a good perennial, I highly recommend the blanket flower. We planted some in the front, and they are very colorful, but don't need a lot of water.


We also had our fabulous book club over for a BBQ. Tom, Stacey, Kelly, Britt and I have been going strong for about 2 years! It's been a wonderful chance to read books that I never would have picked up before. (Blindness, anyone?) Thanks, you guys! I look forward to our monthly meetings and love the variety of ideas we discuss and the delicious meals!

I also love any chance I have to watch Bryce grill stuff...I'm told it's a very serious undertaking.

And finally, for those of you asking for a belly shot - here you go. I still don't have much of one, despite only having 12 weeks to go. (AGH!) I think our little guy might be shy.


I hope everyone is having a fabulous summer - from the looks of the blogs, you definitely are!