Things to Remember Week of 8-16-15

THE CHURCH'S STANDARDS REGARDING DATING
Charity and Kelly so willingly volunteered to teach YW this Sunday.  Even with little notice, since they were supposed to teach the following week and that was being rescheduled to our combined meeting with the Bishop.  When they got to church, they noticed that they were the only Beehives there.  Kind of bummed, they still wanted to teach though, so we planned on having them just teach Michelle and I.  After a little talk and joking about it during opening exercises, Jami and I decided the Laurels would join us and Charity and Kelly would teach them :).  I wasn't sure how this was going to go over, but everyone was in agreement.  It ended up going really well!  They taught about the Church's standards regarding dating.  The Laurels seemed to have a lot to giggle about and teased each other and seemed to feel a little awkward having a 12 and 13 year old teach them about dating, but I couldn't help but think this was the perfect opportunity for my girls to learn about the blessings of following the standards from these good Laurels.  I was actually really excited to hear their experiences and be able to talk with Charity and Kelly about it later.  So anyway.  It happened, and all was well.  They did a great job!  Pretty cool stuff if you ask me.  8-16-15

SERVICE
Kelly wanted to pass off another personal progress goal, so she traded with Nate and taught our lesson this week.  She taught us about Service.  It was a great reminder of what we can be doing even in our own home.  She had everyone walk around the neighborhood and pick up garbage at the end.  I have been having trouble walking so I stayed home, but I'm so proud of how well she pulled this off.  She does a great job.  The other kids too- everyone seemed perfectly fine with it :).  Even made it a contest.  We should do service more often.  Nate got dessert pizzas for the treat- pretty yummy!  8-17-15

OPERATION BEDROOM SWAP
So, things are actually coming along really well with the whole bedroom swapping!  I'm pretty happy about it.  I kept telling myself not to get discouraged if things can't be completely finished by the time the baby gets here, but I think they might actually be done!  We cleaned up the big boys' room downstairs, unpacked the few boxes they still hadn't onto the new shelf we got off KSL.  We just need to make their curtains and get some baskets for the shelf.  I'm looking for the right colors.  We did get the fabric for the curtain, so I might be able to finish that even.  We cleaned up the game room again, even though it wasn't really part of this whole operation.  I am so frustrated with the games.  I need a better location and storage plan for those.  That will have to happen later.  We cleaned up the little boys' new room, washed and painted the walls, looks SO GOOD!!  I LOVE IT!!  We did a light gray, to keep it kind of neutral, but Noah would like to do some red and black accents :).  That will come with time I'm sure.  For now, it's all nice and organized and looks so peaceful :).  Hopefully they can keep it that way for a while.  Then we cleaned up their old room, painted the closet, and moved the big girls in there.  Well, as of right now, we are in the process of moving them in.  They have a lot of stuff to go through.  We have the beginnings of a couple of hoarders I'm afraid.  I know where they get it unfortunately.  So once that's done, we just need to paint the little girls' room, and some of their furniture... which we have plenty of time to do!!  I think it will actually all be done in time!  Makes me so happy.  Erika will be all by herself for a couple of months which worries me a little, but at the same time- at least she will be able to go to sleep at night!  I think this could be a very good thing for her.  I'm so thankful for Nate and his willingness to help me pull this off.  I will admit he's done a lot of it, but for he record, I have done my fair share!  I'm proud of all the work I've put into it.  But really, it wouldn't have happened without him.  Maybe I'll post some after pictures when we're done.  Didn't take any befores I guess... oh well.  That's not really my thing.  8-17-15

WEDNESDAY
Wednesdays are always a little crazy at our house.  This week, we had playgroup at 10:30, my Doctor appointment at 12:45, the girls and I had YW at 3:00, then we squoze (not a word, I know) dinner in at 5:00, thankfully Nate was on that, and THEN it was time for Pack Meeting AND Back to School Night at KJH at 6:00.  Such a full day.  I was exhausted when it was over.  I'm happy we survived :).  Only 1 more Wednesday before baby girl comes.  8-18-15

37 WEEKS
Our Doctor appointment went really well this week.  We talked about Dr. Thackeray's son coming home from his mission that night :).  That was fun.  Nate put in a request to tease him about "Roxie" being excited to see him, over the PA on the plane.  Then we heard our baby girl's heartbeat- 140 again- sounded great.  She was kicking again as usual :).  I am not sure she's turned down yet.  Maybe that's why I feel so huge.  She seems to be sticking way out this time- different from ALL the other times.  And Dr. Thackeray hasn't said anything about her turning down either.  Kind of different.  We're getting SO excited to meet her though.  I posted my milk expiration thing on FB, so more people know now.  We found a cute little sun dress at Target, on clearance, couldn't pass it up- it's so cute!  Newborn size- hopefully she is small enough for it :).  We talked a little about the delivery and it's all starting to feel very real!!  Getting excited!

 8-18-15

BUNK BED
Just had to say that the girls and I moved their bunk bed all by ourselves!  Taking it apart and putting it back together in their new room... we are woman, hear us roar :).  Just kidding.  But I was pretty proud of us!  8-19-15

REC CENTER
My mom wanted one more party before summer is over, so we all met up at the Rec Center for some swimming and pizza.  It was a lot of fun for everyone.  I felt like crap though.  This pain in my pelvic/pubic bone is becoming more and more unbearable.  I didn't bother faking like I feel good, so I think everyone was worried about me.  I just wanted to relax and not try that night.  I sat in the little pool outside with Jack the whole time.  At first the water was making me feel nauseous, but then I got more used to it.  I don't think the water was deep enough to really help with the pain from the baby... almost felt worse, but once I was in there, I didn't really want to move.  I feel bad because I keep wanting to do these fun things with the kids to end the summer right, but I feel like I'm just a crappy mom because I can't go full out and be fun and happy in the process.  Kind of a bummer.  I hope I'm not cancelling it all out and they'd just be better off if we stayed home.  These last couple of weeks have been difficult.  It's just too bad it's the last couple weeks of summer too.  I really appreciated what Nate said to me about how he appreciates that I've tried to step it up this pregnancy and that he knows it's been hard on me but he's proud of how I've kept going.  Sure made me feel better.  I hope he understands that I'm not just being a wuss.  This has been the hardest pregnancy.  I just didn't want my last pregnancy to be one that I regretted how I was.  I've really done all the things that I wanted to be able to do as far as not having regrets, so that's been good.  So anyway, about the swimming!  The kids had a great time!  It was fun to watch Jack get all into it, even walking under the fountains.  He was very brave this time!  Thanks to John and Heidi I think.  The rest of the kids were in and out of the other pools, Charity went off the high dive!  Good for her!  Kelly found Annabelle as the night was ending- that was wonderful.  Bradley, Luke, Noah and Erika spent most of their time on the yellow slide for the first part of the night, but then when  new lifeguard got on duty, Noah and Erika were told they were too short... kind of lame.  But I think they all had fun.  I wish that place was more confined and that I could have been with everyone the whole time.  I hate how it's all in separate rooms. I missed John's butterfly and my mom jumping off the diving board in her clothing... BUT I did get to visit with Steve outside too, so I don't know, it worked out.  Good food, good fun, I think it was a success.  8-19-15

PURPLE
Friday we painted Erika's room!  This was pretty fun and easy, we just did a wall and a half, just to cover up the hideous pink.  The look on her face when she came up the stairs and saw it was priceless.  Made this whole thing all worth it to me.  I feel like it's way darker than I had originally planned, but I picked it out, so I'm not sure what I was thinking.  We grabbed a small can of cute light teal for her dresser and shelf too, they look really cute together.  We got the big girls all the way moved out and almost finished organizing Erika's things.  She has like one box, so the room feels really empty.  Looks great though, we just need to get her bed switched with Noah.  We went to IKEA that night to get the shelf for the big girls' room and ended up staying for dinner.  Kelly and Luke were not with us though because she was tending the Caldwells and Luke had not been in the mood to come.  It was a nice time, but the pain I was feeling the whole time we were there was pretty unbearable.  I've never been so paranoid about going into labor as I have with this pregnancy.  Everywhere we go I think about what I would do, who I would get to watch the kids, how I would get to the Hospital fast enough so that my uterus doesn't rupture and I bleed to death... kind of stressy really, but of course, I laid on the couch for a few minutes when we got home and then I was fine.  I thought maybe Nate had said a prayer for me or something, but nope, Heavenly Father just loves me and relieved me of that pain pretty quickly.  That was a blessing.  The kids wanted to watch a movie that night and settled on Swiss Family Robinson.  Lots of fun.    8-20-15

BABY ROOM DONE!
We finished getting the big girls out and the loft bed and put Erika's bed in and cleaned up all the extra mess and finally have our baby girl's room ALL DONE!!!  WAHOO!!!  Of course the little details like painting the head boards on Erika's bed, her dresser, and the crib is not done, but we are SO CLOSE!!  And it sure feels good to have a place to put her in a few months once she leaves my room.  What a blessing that we were able to finish our bedroom swapping.  I can't believe we actually did it!  I thought it would take months but we managed to pull it all off in about 10 days!!!  Pretty cool.  Heavenly Father has blessed us so much.  We are so lucky to have Nate's Dad's experience as well, to glean from.  He was a BIG help as far as how much and what paint to get, some of the supplies he loaned us.  The Maughan's ladder was priceless.  What an awesome thing though.  Nate and I walked through all the rooms that night just marveling at how nice they look (it really is amazing what a simple paint job can do to a room to elevate it).  I feel so blessed.  I am so relieved that the bedrooms are all clean and organized right now too (well, hopefully the big girls finish theirs before too long), and that I can bring this new baby home to a nice, clean, organized home.  Even if I know that it won't stay this way- I can enjoy it while it lasts!  8-21-15

LAST DAY OF SUMMER
We had a fun little party with the Maughans and Clarks on Saturday night.  Lisa did all the planning, which was nice, we all just took a piece of the evening and had everyone over.  We started at the Maughan's roasting hot dogs for dinner.  That was nice to sit and chat.  We played Rolick (course when I say "we", I mean "everyone else", this pain is just too much for me right now.  I can fake it to an extent, but anything extra... well... let's just say there's a reason I ask the girls to do everything for me when it comes to moving around... hopefully this pain is temporary), girls won.  Then everyone went over to the Clark's for some water balloon volleyball.  I was busy setting up the projector movie and making popcorn.  Everyone came to our house last for "The Book of Life" on the back of our house.  It was a fun movie.  I was surprised at how cold it was!  Colder than last year, that's for sure.  Which has been such a blessing, I might add, this summer.  Kind of a bummer for projector movies, but a definite plus in the pregnancy area. I think everyone had a good time though!  Fun way to end the summer.  Time for school to start :(  8-22-15

The Lion King

This play started out as me just giving into a little whim of Charity's and became something much larger.  I never anticipated Erika and Noah getting so into it, being so devoted to their practices everyday, and then being so excited to perform!  They worked SO HARD!  I was really proud of them.  It was so devastating when I thought I was going to be at the Superactivity the night of the perfomance (which is is why Charity and Kelly had to bow out), but as my first blessing for fulfilling my calling (that's what I decided it was :) ), the show was rained out and postponed to the following evening!  WAHOO!!  I was so relieved!  I hated the thought of missing it.  Ellison, Charity's friend/producer of the show! did such a great job!  I was really impressed with how well executed it was!  I enjoyed it!  Erika and Noah looked so cute!  They were lion cubs (formerly monkeys, but I think they had to change because of the costumes available in their sizes), they did some cute dances and were in quite a few scenes.  Lots of fun!!  We had to go get ice cream to celebrate after!

These two are some of my favorite little buddies.  They have always been so close and such good friends.  This was a really fun thing for them to do together, I'm really glad they had the opportunity.

They took it so seriously!

They were in five scenes.  Erika felt like that was enough until she saw how many scenes were in the whole thing :).

You know it's good when it keeps the attention of a two-year old for an hour!

They really did a geat job on the costumes and props... I was impressed.

The look of satisfaction on this girl's face made it all worth it!

The finale stunk because my two little stars were in the very back.  They were standing on a box, but it really didn't help :).  Oh well.

These two kids could not stay out of the picture!  I took like 20 and they all had one of these kids in it!  I figured we needed to keep the one that has both of them :)

Superactivity

I LOVED the Superactivity!  It was a much anticipated event in a good way and in a bad way once it got closer.  I did start to get nervous.  I had said, "I don't go into labor" so many times, I was starting to think I'd inevitably jinxed myself.  I felt unwelcome by a few people who oddly enough weren't even there, so that concern was alleviated during the first hour of waiting at the church to load up.  But it turned out to be a pretty cool trip.
Fortunately, Nate's friend volunteered to fix his car, and loan him a truck in the meantime, so I was able to drive the Suburban.  That ended up being priceless really.  I think that was a huge blessing.  We had Heather Scott up front with me, Charity, Kelly, Abbi Gadd, Gillian Berrett, Natalia Marques, and Matt White (funny little deacon with a bunch of girls!).  It was a fun car.  Not as fun as Jami's apparently ;), but fun enough :).  I loved talking with Heather and the Laurels that were in the car.  I never get to hang out with them.  So that was fun.
The ride up felt like an eternity, I'll be honest.  I had to stop too much so I didn't even bother trying to stay in the caravan with the Bishop and everyone.  We did meet up with Jami's car for lunch and were near them for most of the last few hours.  But it was only supposed to be six hours but ended up taking us about 8 with all our stops, lunch, and the huge detour we unknowingly took out of the way.  We were staying in the Hot Springs Campground near the Payette River.  It was a busy/interesting couple of hours setting up all the tents and dealing with some of the drama.  I'm still so surprised that some of the Beehives wanted to sleep in Jacox's car and that he let them, that was some fun drama (and really the only girl drama I witnessed, amazingly!).  We all had dinner, played volleyball, had a late night devotional around the fire, and then sang songs and just hung out enjoying each other's company, well into the night!
That first night was so awesome!!  I don't know how I did it, but I only had to get up to pee ONCE in the night!  I slept pretty well and was very rested in the morning!  It was fantastic!  Almost better than at home!
That first day on the river was great.  I had to drive youth up there, so I got to be with them until they pushed off at the top.  The road ran right along the river so I was able to stay almost with them the whole way.  I didn't really follow them, I spent the first little while scouting out good spots for photos, and then realized that I had a bunch of time to just sit and do nothing!  I wrote some thank you cards, had my lunch, read my scriptures, took a nap!  It was great!  Minus that I fell asleep and missed them going over the only rapid on the river... kind of a bummer.  But I had so much time to myself and did a lot of thinking.  It was nice.  I loved it.  I met up with them at the end, enjoyed hearing about it all... it was like I'd been there anyway.

teenagers are so fun to take pictures of!

sisterly love

I don't know why but watching the Bishop try to sort them onto rafts without forcing them to move away from friends was kind of funny.  He's such a fun Bishop, it's hard for him to just take charge.

cute little deacons!

for someone who has a good side, she sure doesn't give it to me much

I stalked them and took pictures while they were taking a little break

I missed the Bishop's awesome dive 

and I'm still amazed little Ashton was able to pull him onto the raft!  He probably did most of the work, but STILL!

Look at the picture I got!

I LOVED that these girls were so focused on getting their Book of Mormon reading done!  They had found an app that tracks your reading so that you can read the Book of Mormon in a month!  I can't believe how dedicated they were!  I loved that they kept sharing what they were reading and that Spirit that comes from digging in.

I love these two... hilarious.  Anything for a photo op.

I sucked it up and posted this picture... I know I look hideous, but I guess that's just how I look.  I like that I have all my cute friends around me.  Reminds me of how loved I felt there :).

We played volleyball and a few other games that night, devotional, singing, it was so nice, so relaxing, I loved getting to know the youth in our ward.  I put my feet in the hot springs while they were all showering and got lots of chatting in... very nice.  I really do love the youth in this ward.  They are so neat.  I loved getting to know the young men a little better too.  They're good boys.  Didn't sleep as well that second night- had to get up about a million times to go to the bathroom and my pubic bone was driving me nuts!  Not a good night.
The next day was much the same, different river though, and this time I shuttled the drivers at the END of the trip rather than the beginning.  This time the river was not near the road, so I drove down to the first available photo op, and sat in my car and talked to Nate for two hours!  That was priceless!  Minus the fact that I had to hold my phone up in the air in a tiny little spot of service, it was really all I could have asked for!  I love talking with Nate.  SO I got some pictures from that spot and then hurried down to the rapid at the end of the river and got some pretty awesome shots of them all coming over that.  Lots of fun.  I felt very useful that day.

Those life jackets alone were deterrent enough to not risk going down the river for this preggy.

The whole group!

a picture of Jami!

K, I can't get over how funny it is that Bishop is doing a hang loose sign :).  HAHAHAHA!!!  He's so funny.

Here's their big class III rapid... I forget the name of it...

Spencer was really awesome to scream and cheer and get them all psyched up during this rapid- sounded so exciting!  Then each raft would come through and scream and cheer with him once they conquered it... very cool.

This part looked like fun too- everyone pulling and pushing each other into the water- probably when Kelly hurt her ankle.

Good Side, paddling upstream

That night was our testimony meeting.  I LOVED it.  It was so awesome.  I love hearing their strong Spirits bearing such pure testimony of the Gospel.  It strengthens mine so much.  They really are amazing.
I don't even remember how that last night was, but I remember being in a lot of pain as we took down camp.  I was anxious to get home.  And not just because Nate needed me home to go to work.
We had our same car-full of people, pretty uneventful, but very fun.  I think my pfavorite part was hearing Abbi's story about peeing in the car.  She is hilarious.  I don't know if I"ve laughed that hard in a long time.  The ride home didn't feel too long, it was six hours though!  I was in a lot of pain, but it worked.
I wish this wasn't just a timeline of what happened.  There were so many cool moments.  Maybe I should just document those.  It's hard to give the whole weekend justice.  It was just so neat.  Here's my list of cool things:

Everyone was really understanding about the nut allergy problem.
The food was great, although I could have used some fiber... it was such a blessing/answer to my prayers when Jami pointed out that we hadn't eaten much fiber/any veggies the entire time... that explained why I felt the way I did!  It was a huge relief that there wasn't something else wrong.  I had forgotten my iron pills too, which I'm sure didn't help with the situation.
Ryan Soelberg getting Kelly a drink.
Keagan Reed getting Kelly some fruit snacks.  (she was laid up with an injury from the raft)
The good sportsmanship during the first volleyball game... everyone was so nice to each other.
Everyone was so nice to me, wanted to let me rest and massaging me, rubbing my back, asking me about my baby, helping me come up with names :), just being really sweet and patient with my inability to function.
The boys singing primary songs/hymns while we sat around the fire with no prompting whatsoever.
Savannah's testimony about Charity.
Charity's testimony about the scritptures.
Kelly's testimony about Personal Progress.
I LOVED hearing my girls' testimonies.  I do not want to take that for granted!  I know I won't always be in YW, so I've got to be grateful for these opportunities.
No rain!! (except while we drove)
Almost no injuries!
The Bishop reminding me and Jami that we (and our families) will be blessed for our sacrifice and willingness to fulfill our callings.
Sitting with the youth just visiting, laughing, and gleaning from them all the many things they know that I don't.
The awesome shooting star I saw!!  It left a line in the sky!  So beautiful.
Finding out that Erika and Noah's play had been rescheduled to Saturday, so I would get to see it afterall!
Jill, Natalia, Olivia, and Abbi naming my baby after them, or places in Idaho :).  Payette is kind of cute, I'll admit it.
Allena, Aubrey and Megan's dedication to their Book of Mormon reading.
Not going into labor while on the Superactivity!