Update! And It's a Long One

Whew! I feel liked I've been out of the blogging world for such a long time. I guess for me, 2 posts in 2 weeks is a little out of it.

My absence started because of a spur of the moment trip to Yellowstone. Kasey had the week off, and we wanted to do something fun as a family. On Monday afternoon (Sept 22), we decided that we would take a day trip on Tuesday (Sept 23). We left at 4 am and drove for 6 hours. We met up with my parents for the afternoon to look at the bugling elk in Yellowstone. We hung out for a couple of hours, but when it was time to leave for the long trip home, my mom convinced us to stay at the bed and breakfast where she and my dad were staying. So we did. We went to the nearest convenience store and bought some essentials and stayed the night. It was so much fun!! Then after hanging out with my parents and the elk for the morning, we drove the 6 hours home.

I'm not a spontaneous person by any means. (Um hi, deciding something the day before is considered "spur of the moment" at our house.) It was fun testing the waters of spontaneity for a change.

Here are a few pictures from that trip.

Wolf--we weren't lucky enough to see the pack that took down an elk earlier in the day.

Elk at Mammoth Hot Springs--they were so close.
Makayla throwing rocks in the river.
Me helping Ellie throw rocks in the river--both girls loved doing this.
A cute picture of Makayla on our little hike.
Elk by Madison--a bull with part of his harem.
Same bull.
Makayla & Ellie eating fruit snacks before Old Faithful erupted--they weren't as impressed with the geyser as I thought they would be. The treat was better to them.

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Later that week we made a Costco run. By the time we made it to Costco, I had exactly 2 diapers left. Talk about good timing! The girls and I hung out with my sister and her kids while Kasey and my brother-in-law went golfing. Then my sis and I caught the Relief Society Broadcast and dessert with her friends. It was a fun, but admittedly long day.

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Other things taking up our time lately:

*A parenting class put on by Makayla's preschool. Once a week for 5 weeks. I'm learning a lot and am quite a bit more patient with my children as a result.

*A trip to see my friend Amanda and her adorable new baby Parker. Got to see my other sister for a little bit that same day. She has an hilarious roommate from Australia. We love her!

*A weekend at my mom's house. She is making new quilts for my girls' new beds (we're getting them next week. I can't wait!), so I helped her tie one of them and got to see yet another sister before she moves across the country.

*We got home Monday and spent yesterday nursing Kasey back to health after his injury at work. Don't worry--nothing serious. He just tweaked his back and had to lay in bed all day. Not so fun for him, but the girls loved seeing their daddy all day long, even if they couldn't jump on him.

24 Weeks

I had Kasey take my picture Wednesday morning. I'm 24 weeks (in case you couldn't deduce that from the title). I'm finally starting to show. Kind of. Sort of. A little bit. Can you tell? I really am pregnant. It's not just fat!

A Real Post Coming Soon

I realize that I've been somewhat absent from my blog lately. While I compose a post with a little more substance to it (and maybe a picture or two), I'll leave you with a link to a hilarious blog that my sister recently introduced to me. Every time I read it, I laugh so hard that I cry and all chance of communicating the hilarity in front of me goes out the window. Yes, It's really that funny. Have I built it up sufficiently for you? It's called Cake Wrecks. Do yourself a favor and read it.

More Things to Remember

*Ellie running towards me yelling, "Wait mama, wait! I hug you first!" She squeezes one leg as tight as she can and says, "I la lou, too." (I love you, too.)

*For the past week, whenever I start to cook dinner, Ellie runs into the kitchen with arms waving and shouts "Oh no! A ruuuune the soooouup!" in Remy fashion. Don't know who Remy is? Lucky you. That means you haven't seen Ratatouille 100 times like I have. Here's a clip. (The ruined soup happens at 2:10.)

*I asked Makayla if her hurt finger was feeling better. She responded, "Not today. Maybe next year it will feel better."

*I love to watch my girls sleep. It's so funny that they both sleep with their hands above their heads. That's how their daddy sleeps, too.

*I try to teach my children to tell the truth. Even though there will still be consequences for wrong choices, the punishment is not nearly as severe if they fess up to what they have done. I think this lesson is starting to sink in with Makayla. When she does something she knows she is not supposed to do, she comes and tells me immediately before I even find out what she's done. It's usually something like this, "Mom, I'm sorry that I took a treat." This is, of course, after the treat has already been eaten and the evidence hidden.

*I asked Makayla who she wanted to take her to school today. "I want daddy to take me and you to pick me up." Whenever Kasey is home, this is her response.

*Make-believe is very popular in our house. Makayla has so many imaginary friends that I can't keep them all straight anymore. Ellie is a big fan of feeding everyone chocolate cake--the imaginary kind, of course. I ask her what she wants for breakfast and she says, "Grandma choc-o-late cake. Mmmm! Want a bite?"

*Makayla felt the baby kick for the first time today. She thought it was sooo cool. She was giggling and asking to feel it again. After a second kick to her hand, she decided she wanted to hear the baby, too. Instead, she got a swift kick to the cheek. She ran into my bedroom where Kasey was sleeping and yelled excitedly, "Daddy, Daddy! My little tiny baby sister kicked my cheek!"

Political Satire

It doesn't matter which candidate you support, this video is pee-your-pants funny!

Life Lesson 201: Regret

Regret: it's a topic that has been on my mind a lot lately.

Regret is an effective, but unforgiving teacher. It's effective for teaching us things that will help us make better decisions in the future, but it's unforgiving in that we can't always remedy that which we regret.

Kasey and I are finally to a point in our lives that we are ready to buy a house. It's something we've wanted our whole marriage but has not been possible up to this point for various reasons. I've been excitedly driving around neighborhoods where we'd like to live, looking for possible homes. I've looked at all sorts of websites which instruct new home owners on all the ins and outs of buying a first home. I've made lists of things we need and things we want in a home. I've used a variety of mortgage calculators to find out just how much our dream home would cost vs. a home for which we would simply settle. At times, I am encouraged at the prospects. At other times, I am filled with such regret and despair.

You see, last year we were faced with an important decision. I knew it was important, but I was impatient. My impatience led to a rash decision. I didn't think too much of it at the time. It really wasn't a huge deal then. But that decision is now preventing us from buying a house. Not a day goes by that I don't wish I could go back and decide differently.

This has been an important lesson for me. In the future, I don't think I will be as likely to make big decisions hastily like I have in the past. In that respect, I'm glad that I'm learning this lesson. I just wish the lesson didn't have to be accompanied by so much regret at lost opportunities.

Concert For One

As happens so many times throughout my day, I heard Makayla singing to herself in the other room. Except this time, she was pounding on the wall as she sang one of her favorite songs.

I went to investigate the reason for the pounding and found this.

She was playing the piano using this wall hanging that my mom made for me years ago. It's currently hanging above Makayla's bed.

She was a little reluctant to keep playing when she saw I was taking pictures of her.