Our R&R Week

This last week has been so great. There has been a lot of rest and relaxation. We've enjoyed plenty of unstructured family time and far fewer distractions than we have at home. Here are some of the things that have made this last week cool.

• I haven't gotten out of my pjs until noon every day. YAY!
• Dish Network. This is a treat because we haven't had cable in about 4 years. We haven't even had a tv for almost 6 months!!! I've been catching up on HGTV and What Not to Wear. Rob has been enjoying all the 80s and 90s movies he grew up with. Nate has been enjoying watching a myriad of sports. Both kids love Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Tom & Jerry.
• There is a great, very private backyard full of rocks that the kids enjoy every morning (it's too hot in the afternoon).
• Xbox. Nate's only played on a gaming system 2 or 3 times before so he loves practicing his racing. It makes me dizzy watching him, though. Too much swerving on the car's part and his!
• We have hardly any toys here so Madeleine has kept herself quite entertained with a shoelace and a box for the last 4 days. Oh, to be imaginative! It's great watching her.
• From the house we've seen a large lizard just as curious about us as we were him, a rabbit, two roadrunners, and two cockroaches.
• I've had time to actually work on our baby's denim rag quilt.
• We went to church yesterday and the kids did a fabulous job going to their new classes. One of the teachers told us that we have a very smart son. We agree :)
• We visited Pine Valley (pictures coming later) and the temple.
• Lots of napping!
• Good reading time.
• Taking baths in the deep tub.

So that's what life has been. Pretty nice, huh? We're really enjoying these simple times.

Photowalking with Nate

Near the end of June I took Nate out for a photowalk. We had a lot of fun walking around Layton Park checkout the wildlife. We started by playing at the park.

Then we started walking down the stream. When Nate was taking this image he thought we was shooting a goose up on a hill. He was very excited! When we got closer we discovered that it was a young couple kissing on the grass. LOL

Here is another one down by the river.

Here are some of Nate's pictures. :)

Settled in St. George

We are happily settled into our temporary home in St. George, Utah for the next 2-3 weeks. The house is wonderful, Rob will be done with work early every afternoon (after starting early in the morning), and I have a lot of plans. These plans are very detailed and intricate but include:

Absolutely nothing but RELAXING!!!!!!!!

I've been so stressed out due to...well...everything. I am now great with child and have been running around like a crazy person with a plethora of to-dos and various time commitments so now I am going to enjoy these weeks greatly by doing a WHOLE LOTTA' NOTHIN'.

'Cause when we get back, we'll have only 5 weeks 'til go time.

A Snowy July

July was busy. It always is, isn’t it? Here are just a few of the fun things we did.

 

Incredible 4th of July fireworks (smoke bombs, snaps, and flowers) at Grandma and Grandpa Williams’ home.

Running into the smoke.

 

Notice the ice down his shirt.

Rob snaps so many pictures I’ve started doing strange faces, just to make them a little more interesting.

 

 

Woodmansee Family Reunion up City Creek Canyon.

A few suspenseful rounds of speed. Bingo.

 

Hat-making.

Pinata.

 

The Bees game and fireworks with mom and dad Raines.

There are a lot more pictures and videos for family here.

The Happy Hymas Family

Over the July 4th weekend Rob and I took portraits for they Hymas family. Aren’t they all so adorable?

 

A few of the happy couple. A few of their happy 2-year-old. We could shoot her all day!!

   

A couple of their happy 6-month-old. Check out those eyes! NO retouching there, just beautiful with the reflection of trees in them.

 

Then we headed to the playground for some happy swing time.

Happy, happy, happy.

The Snow Family

About a week ago we wrote some letters to some families I met while serving a mission in New Caledonia.  Many of those people may still not have good access to the internet so I wanted to send some images of our family.  This is what I came up with.  What do you think?

Superheros!

I’ve been thinking for a couple of years now that I should try my hand at sewing. Before I get a sewing machine for my birthday my mom let me borrow hers to see if I really like it. I do! My first project was superhero capes for the kids. They seemed simple enough and I thought they’d really enjoy them. I did pretty well for not ever having sewn before, but they are FAR from perfect. The kids don’t mind at all, of course.

They are double sided for double the fun.

Don’t mind the backwards “S”. Haha.

My next project is a robe for me. I’ve never been able to find one small enough to fit (without ponies or something on it) so I’m excited to finally get one! It’ll be especially useful in the hospital and at home afterward.

Gender-Neutral?

There’s still hope for a surprise on my baby’s gender. A friend told me her doctor told her the same things (“Wow! Sure is obvious!”) when she had an ultrasound later in her pregnancy with her daughter. Although, I still think I’m having a boy. I’ve felt that way for months and Nate told me he had a dream that it was a boy, too.

BUT…I don’t want to be ill-prepared with all boy stuff just in case. And I’m quickly approaching the period of gestation where panic of being unprepared sets in. Even though it’s pretty ridiculous because there really isn’t that much to do before the third baby comes, I still get bouts of worry for not having something suitable for the “coming home” outfit, baby blankets, or an idea for a nursery theme.

I have never bought a crib bedding set due to the fact that experts believe only a sheet and a thin bumper pad is safest (plus, they are PRICEY). Instead I have neutral rooms with colorful, personalized accents. So even though we aren’t planning on having a nursery ready until after the baby leaves our room at a couple months old, I’d still like to know what the gender-neutral design theme will be. I shouldn’t be stressing over it because by then I’m pretty sure we’ll know if we have a son or a daughter; therefore, nullifying the need for a gender-neutral theme. But I like the idea anyway for some strange reason. Maybe it’s because I want to make a couple of small blankets and a car seat cover. Maybe it’s because I’m trying to control something.

Anyway…

There aren’t very many neutral themes I dig…at all. Most of them really do seem gender specific. But here are a couple color palettes I’m musing. Once I find out what I’m having, I’ll be able to choose the main color to go with these patterns. 

 

This is the one I’m leaning towards the most. I’d pull out the orange and yellow for a girl, blue and brown for a boy, or the lighter neutral shades for either.

 

Below would be less girly and frilly if we have a boy.

 

More red for a girl, more blue for a boy. Or just cream for completely neutral.

 

Below would probably have yellow as the color I pull out. I’m not sure if that would still be more boyish.

 

What are your thoughts???

Root Beer Floats

I (Julie) really don’t like soda at all. But I LOVE rootbeer floats!! So do the kids. Mmmmmmm.

Status @ 6 Months

-Already got asked tonight if I am having twins.

-Feel like I have a 10 lb bowling ball with limbs sticking out the front of me. Look like it, too.

-Not only do I waddle, but also limp.

-Feel like all the bones in my lower back are disconnected, just floating around in pieces.

-Frequent cramping of my round ligament causes sharp pain in my pelvis. Sometimes this happens when I haven’t even moved.

-Restless leg syndrome at night.

-Uncomfortable to sit straight up because my belly creases and rests right on top of my lap which also causes cramping. Uncomfortable to slouch because of back pain.

-Constant dizziness for hours each morning.

-Never having enough protein.

-Had weird, fading in and out pain above my uterus the other day. I woke up the next morning and felt a strange, narrow, fleshy protrusion horizontally across the same area I was having pain. Gently pushed on it and it went back inside of me.

-Braxton Hicks contractions.

-Have been trying so hard to be surprised with the sex of the baby but the nurse practically gave it away at my last appointment by saying things like, “Whoa. It’s very obvious!” and, “I’ll need a big note to remind me not to tell you!” Grrrrrr!!!!! Now what fun is the surprise??

-Emotional. Pretty much every day.

-Unable to fall asleep until between 1am and 2am every morning.

-Still have a low-lying placenta. Five more weeks for it to move before a c-section is in the plan.

-Stress. Trying to sell a house, needing a new car, wanting to go on a babymoon, and a divorce in the family.

-Feeling guilty all the time for not being as grateful and positively happy as I should be.

-Basically feeling like I have NO control over my body or my life.

 

 

There. Consider yourself updated.