So, did you know I’m due on April 6th? And other questions you might have…

What’s this pregnancy like compared to past ?

The same, I have fat feet, fingers and calves.   Although in the past I’ve had vein pain start around 26 weeks, but so far the vein pain has not shown up (30 weeks yesterday!) Hoo-Ray! 

What do you think about a new baby?

Elated!  After the 20 week ultrasound when all the markers were unremarkable and normal my worries melted.  A baby that’s alive with his biggest heath concern being colic, sounds super ideal!

Has being in transition been the distraction like you thought and hoped?

NO!  I thought for sure I wouldn't even notice being pregnant while living a rootless, vacation lifestyle while building a house, but I haven’t forgotten once.  

What do the kids think about the new baby?

His in-utero name has been Billy Bobby Joe, which Isaac always says fondly—the boys are excited he’s a boy, the girls were a tad sad.  I was surprised as well but I had a strong impression around 12 weeks, while folding a shirt that all the boys had worn, that I might just be folding it in another two years.   The impression was impressive because I immediately collected a donation sack full of the rattiest offending boy clothes, then clipped a coupon and shopped the same week for clothes for Isaac (who never gets new clothes). 

I found Adelaide giggling one day because my belly was jiggling while wiping the counter, “you know, like Santa” she said! 

She’s also mentioned how much better maternity clothes look on me than regular ones. 

She’s also said I wear the same things—and it’s true, I’m in the uniform trimester, where one by one I’m squeezed out of my maternity rags.  Few fit the last weeks, sigh, bananas and ice cream…  

How’s the sleeping?  Any crazy dreams?   

6 hours and I feel great!  I wish I could sleep more, but I think my brain turning on around 4am (if I fall asleep before 10) is a genetic trait.  My mother always woke early. 

The most memorable dream lately was me getting a pedicure.  The pedicurist broke off one of my more offending calluses and found an extra toe!  The same size as my pinky finger. 

Any running-with-Meredith-confessionals?

The sad hoo-ray has been the PR I’m going for in weight.  What I really could use is my own personal Edna, the costume maker from the Incredibles;  “My g**, you’ve gotten fat!”  I’m reading Bringing up Bebe, a book about French culture regarding  pregnancy and child rearing.  She points out the meal ticket, any expecting woman in the US, takes.  It’s true, I think I’ve forgotten how to eat sensibly.  I really used to “pay attention” (the French advice).  Nope, not anymore.  The same weight I’ve gained and lost the last 6 times will be there again, right?  What’s a little more so long as I can go to bed with a bowl of bananas and ice cream?  I will totally regret these words and actions.

However I would recommend a veggie pepper jack open face broil with sweet baby rays and mustard.  paper plate addiction check…

In other news, we had an awesome day of fun, sun, and sledding on MLK with the Smiths, and Noels.  Relaxing and enjoyable. 

Benjamin was King Tut in his 4th grade wax museum.  I complained about how it seemed like mom homework, but Ben’s just a little disenchanted with all school work, so I took an active roll and encouraged him. 

A new term is here and Adelaide now has middle school gym, complete with gym clothes, gym locker and optional showers.  They run the mile and get to swim every Friday too…lucky.   She’s also in a keyboarding class with aprons for no peeking.

We took a Saturday outing to Midway for a diversion and found a lone ice castle at the Homestead.   

Home news: We have kitchen cabinets and newel posts with rails! 

  The Isaac slipped on the ice rink getting into the car, his position frozen until I assisted.  

Displaced and Hickory Floors!

This is Isaac on laundry mornings: Pingu!  Have you watched it?  It took me a while but it’s hilarious.  NOUK! NOUK!  did your mouth just go circle?   Pack meeting on Tuesday where Ben earned the Manners pin and belt loop.  Sunrise.   On Wednesday we ran out of water.  Not really, because this cabin has a 150 foot well out back and well…nothing.  I packed up and went to Grandma’s house.  But sweet relief, the next day, a relay switch was replaced and the water came back!  Hurray!  We have officially confirmed that a family of 7 goes no where without a deep footprint!  We even took Just Dance and Skylanders.  Friday was super early out (end of term) so we went to Heber to the dollar store and found warm temps and a playground with green (fake) grass.  Behold:  We also played with cousins and Kim (super sis-in-law) made me this sandwich: It’s a roast beast with caramelized onions, peppers toasted with provolone… I ate it so slow. And now an indulgence.  The house so far!  Paper, and stucco applicators.  Another hickory floor, although this only took two months to pick out compared to the Burnt Sugar that took more than 2 years.  Improvements!   I was going to type up a report about the pregnancy and how it’s going—you know because folks ask--but I’ll get to that next week. I’ll include some funny comments from the kids and some memories of the last 6.    

I like the grain, knots, color variations and the distressed finish. 

January Days

We’ve been living at the cabin now for six weeks and there have been some perks and quirks.  Quirk:  The prepaid internet is limited to 10GB a month, so we went on a streaming video diet.  No sneak peeks of new episodes or catch up of missed ones.   The Perk: We have movie night every night!  There is a great collection here and we pop something in for the dinner prep and I’m sick of homework hour at 5:30!  James gets home around 7ish when we’ll eat dinner and go to bed.  Bravo.

Adelaide set a goal for Faith in God in the physical fitness section to sled or do Just Dance, every day during the week.  Workouts are going GREAT! 

Stuart brought home an Eskimo that ate everything from a string fish to a whale.  He told Isaac the story many times.             Loves the rescue bots!  They watch him go to the bathroom and take a bath and sleep.  Boulder is his favorite with Blades, a close second. Ben works on the Utah Counties Travel Log, which he doesn’t love, after scouts which he likes okay.  Another perk is close family.  Tonight we ate dinner at John’s (my brother) with all the girls playing dolls from Christmas and the boys talking Pokémon, yoyos and legos.  Blessings also for the two gimpy limbs with pinched nerves: James' neck/arm and John's back/leg. 
The girls made doll ice cream accessories out of cotton, paint and sprinkles (dish made out of a water bottle even).  Stuart asked for ice cream after seeing them.
  
Saw the house on Friday and there was a propane dryer, drying the drywall, it was sweltering inside.  iPhone picture from the master bedroom!   Buns and scarfs, both all the rage, but together Adelaide?

I have contacted about every reader of this blog about a project I’m doing for 2014.  Here’s the link to the project and it’s not too late to do it.  Read it over?  You could do it. 

My goals/projects for 2014: How about that January one being done?  Two weeks in a row and there are two new posts!  Yea for doing what I said I'd do!  

January—Blog once a week on my family blog about my family and their doings and then upload it to Blurb, a site that can eventually print it into a book. 
February -- Move into a new house and hang up 50 things.  This is what’s happened in the past:  I move into a new to me space and the blinds and window coverings take years, frames and art are just propped against the wall on the floor below where I want to hang them.  I feel indecisive about some of it, so none of it gets hung.     
March --  Organize spices and recipes.  I’ve tried in the past, and it’s good for a while but, new spices have been bought and new recipes have been printed and the whole lot of it is a real mess;  an exploding binder, delays in cooking the recipes I can’t find with unlocatable seasonings!
April -- Have a baby.  Baby boy Mair is due on the 6th.  Babies are newborns for about a month, so I’ll be holding, feeding and feeling this major life change and doing not much else.  I’ve always wanted to write some memories about the newborn stage and being a mom, so that’s what it’ll be.   
May -- A photo a day.  I bought a camera more than a year ago that would help my indoor, low light, birthday, Christmas morning, basement shots and it’s been pulled out very little while I try to understand aperture and speed.  I’ll do a decent online tutorial and take a least one picture a day.  I’m hoping to capture a printable candid shot from each of my kids. 
June -- Start a Mother Daughter Book Club  I’ve talked about it for years. Needed would be: A book list, a schedule, to ask a few moms and BAM, combining two loves: books and kids. 
July--  Full Moon Antelope Island Bike ride.  I’ve wanted to do this ride for the last two years, and while I really like biking, I’ll never bike down the Oregon coast, Alaska, or across Europe with my family.  But I can bike to a close by island in the dark.  I’m taking the baby and any of my other kids who want to ride. 
August -- Host an outdoor couples dinner party with no mosquitoes, outdoor lighting, in a cool location. 
September -- Eat a vegetarian diet for a whole month.  My end goal for this is to have some tastier meals and sides for my family that include more varied grain and more vegetables.  Also to notice health benefits if there are any. 
October -- Photo Albums.  Print 9 years of digital pictures that are on the computer and place them in my already purchased albums.  Place pictures of mission and wedding in albums to be looked through by future marriage and mission engagers. 
November--Plan and carry out a family service opportunity (project), One that will feed into a community/business organized Christmas one, or for a family or friend that has a need we could fill.   
December -- Hold 7 devotionals with my family (we’ll call it advent).  We held three this past December using the book, A Christ Centered Christmas, by Emily Freeman.  The kids really liked them and I did too, but I was a little uncommitted to the book’s lessons and wanted to do my own, but didn’t.  The ultimate goal being to encourage Christmas thinking and pondering.

Christmas 2013 and a New Year

We spent this Christmas at the cabin!  It was wonderful and magical, and with all our decorations in storage, I only ended up missing a real tree with the red beads, and fake candied fruit.  The real components of a successful celebration were there: kids trying to be good, stockings, presents, Christmas cards, Isaac as baby Jesus, cinnamon rolls at Donna’s  on Christmas Eve, and a visit to the new house.  Well, you don’t need a new house to be built for a merry one but it’s really exciting to be sure.      Embracing simple living here, and not wanting 5 more pairs of pjs added to the laundry, “pj elf” left basketball shorts for the oldest 4, red or white, and green ninja turtle pjs for Ikie.  The colors were correct, but the coziness and matchy factor, were a bit missed. 

One of her favorite Christmas presents.  

Sporting curl formers, resulting in ringlets that rival Caroline’s.

      The house is being rocked right now.  Wow huh?

This is what we found at the bottom of the first, very slippery hill on New Year’s morning!