Snarky

I'm thinking about making a shirt for myself. 

In other news, this is a pre-emptive strike.  Please do not tell me that I'm glowing.  I'm not.  It's probably just sweat.  I am not a glow-worm or a lightning bug.  Whoever came up with "pregnant women glow" was full of it.

And finally, I seem to be losing control over my personal censorship the longer I am pregnant.  There's no telling what I might say.  So I'm sorry, in advance. 

Danger in Blind Spots

Have you ever seen the movie Robots?  I'll admit, I've only seen it once or twice, but lately one of the characters has been reminding me of... well, me.  Remember Aunt Fanny?  She has an unusually large rear end and accidentally squishes the main character against the wall without even realizing it.

Yes, this is me, in reverse.  My belly is so huge now that I have several blind spots.  And my kids are unfortunately at the perfect height for their heads to be in those blind spots.  And they find themselves knocked around, unsuspectingly, by said huge belly.  The sad part, is I sometimes don't even realize it.  Yikes.

Wear your helmet kids, it may save your life.

Aunt Fanny, I understand, truly I do.

Where I've been

Where have I been the last 6 months, you might ask?  Well, much of my time has been spent here (only my bed doesn't look so classy, or so chic when a non-showered, green-in-the-face, exhausted, woman in pajamas is curled up in the fetal position on it):

 ...A bit more time was spent here:

...And more time than I wanted was spent here:

WHY, you ask?  Well, because of this little one, of course.  Why else would someone spend time with their face in a toilet?  Gross.

It's been another rough go-around with this pregnancy.  Though after Brooklyn and Lydia, I don't know why I should be surprised.  On the up-side, I have passed the half-way mark!  And though I still don't feel very good, I'm not currently in any of the three places I mentioned above.  Success. 

So if you thought I disappeared off the blogging world, I'm here to prove you wrong.  I've just been busy baking girl #3. 

That's right, another girl.  And I'm stumped for names...  I thought for SURE she was a he this time.  But then, I've been wrong before, a few times.  So we're taking name suggestions.  The Shurtliff's have given a good go at the guessing game, complete with gender, weights, birth dates, and lengths, as well as name suggestions.  The top two name contenders at this point are Golem and Hammer.  Both of which are a bit out of my "traditionalist" name approach, but hey, I'm open to all ideas at this point.  So feel free to add your suggestions below.

By the way, I'm due July 1, 2013.

I know I have loads of blogging to catch up on, but honestly, I can't make any promises at this point :)   We'll see what happens.

Time, (and everything else), Flies When You Have a 2 Year Old

And then there was June birthday number 3.  Lydia turned 2, and thankfully to the two birthdays preceding her own, she had the routine figured out.  I've realized that I can kinda be a cake freak.  So I decided to let Lydia decorate her own cake this year, with a little help from Brooklyn.  She thought it was GREAT.  This is our extra large cupcake that she stuck all kinds of candy on.  Maybe not one for my portfolio...  but it was perfect for her.

Brooklyn's tutorial on posing from her birthday was super helpful for Lydia's moment in the spotlight.

Lydia, as with most present-opening occasions at our house, had WAY too many presents to open.  And when this baby was unwrapped, we had to take a break.  She could have cared less about the rest of the gifts.  It's her new favorite toy, and it goes everywhere with her.  Name?  Baby.

Lydia is our happy-go-lucky two year old.  She:

• loves to dance
• likes playing pretend with Brooklyn
• when she does get a spanking, which does happen, she angrily "wipes" it off
• is learning how to play Go Fish and Pretty Pretty Princess
• likes to draw pictures and do crafts, particularly ones with glue
• gets excited about "going running" even though she rides in the stroller the whole time
• is very mischievious
• is starting to show a very rebellious/stubborn streak
• gives great hugs and kisses
• will devour all of the fruit off the dinner table before anyone else gets a chance to eat some
• is very interested in bugs and will usually pick them up with toilet paper and flush them for me
• loves getting to go to bed early to read books
• likes to be a "princess"
• picks and eats the green peppers out of our garden like they are apples
• loves cats
• knows how to push her limits
• wakes up first thing in the morning, and wakes me up with "ready to eat!" (perhaps because she is usually starving from not eating dinner the night before)
• is very interested in being a "big girl" and wearing panties, but vehemently says "NO" if you ask her if she wants to sit on the potty.  We've digressed in the past few months
• says and does some of the funniest things

It's been hitting me that she isn't a baby anymore.  It makes me a little sad.  But she is a lot of fun!

I'm Getting Old... er

Happy Birthday to me!  

June is a pretty exciting month around here.  Between Brooklyn's birthday, my birthday, Father's Day, and Lydia's birthday, it's a sugar rush for the entire month!  Because yes, we do need a different cake/treat for each one.

I love that the girls and Tim make me a cookie cake and decorate it every year.  It's my fav.  And I think they like it too.  See for yourself...

I cannot seriously have a 4 year old

That's what I keep thinking, I could not possibly have a 4 year old.  I'm still in high school right?  

I guess not.

While we waited to get Brooklyn's "party" started, Brooklyn again, showed her modeling side.  It wasn't until we had taken tons of pictures that she realized a princess party was not complete without princess attire.

So after she was dressed, she was finally READY to begin.

I can't believe Brooklyn is really 4.  I can't even think about her going to kindergarten next year or I start hyperventillating. 
She is super fun to be around, and loves to smile and laugh. 
She loves to "mother" Lydia and tries to teach he to do all sorts of things. 
Right now she is so proud (as am I) that she gets herself up in the morning, goes to the bathroom, gets dressed, does her hair, and makes her bed, all before I can convince myself to crack an eye open. 
She is also super concerned about picking out her own outfits and dressing modestly.  Most days she's wearing two shirts. 
She ran 1 1/2 miles at the track the other day, as fast as I can jog.  Definitely not a gene she got from me.
She is learning to read and is pretty good at sounding out and spelling words.
She has four baby root canals and multiple cavities that we are about to take care of (more about this to come)
Her favorite color is yellow, white, and a rainbow.
She is very picky when it comes to food.
She can memorize anything within minutes.  Right now she quotes her's and Lydia's birthday scriptures, and the first two articles of faith.  She doesn't forget anything!
She loves singing songs

All in all, she's pretty awesome.  She'll tell you that too.

Shouts for joy at going to bed early!

You know what's awesome?  When your kids BEG you to go to bed early so they can read books in bed.

AWESOME.

I don't know how I got so lucky.  How did I manage this?  Not sure.

All I know is that Brooklyn came out of her room at 3:00 in the afternoon the other day, wearing her pajamas because she didn't want to miss out on any time to read books in bed that night.  It took some convincing that she still had plenty of time left in the day before she needed to get ready for bed.

I'd hate to over-use their love of reading books in bed.  It would be awful if the intrigue wore off.  But I just love those long days when I can announce that they are going to bed early to read books.  Shouts of joy fill the house-- by myself AND the girls.

More than that, I guess I'm just glad they like reading so much.  I hope they keep this love because I think reading is one of the best hobbies ever.  Love it.