An Engagement Story

Eight years ago today, I had traveled with my boyfriend and his two sisters to Las Vegas for the BYU vs UNLV football game. We had spent the entire morning exploring fabulous Las Vegas--the hotels, the famous white tigers, and the Coca Cola Factory.
When it was time for the big game, we loaded up in the car and headed over to the stadium. After the game Blake told me we'd be meeting up with one of his mission companion's for dinner. Well, the game turned out to be intense. Very intense. In fact, it was a nail biter that came down to the last seconds. And although I'd only been dating Blake for six months, I knew that one thing he loves is a game that comes down to the last seconds. That's why I thought it was weird that he insisted on leaving to "miss all the traffic." He was crazy and I would not go. Even I wanted to see how the game turned out. (BYU won, by the way.) So, Blake settled on him going to get the car and the rest of us running out to meet him as soon as the game was over because he didn't want his companion to be waiting.

We dropped Ash and Beth off on the strip somewhere and started heading to our dinner appointment. That day was the six month anniversary of our first kiss and while we were driving, Blake was telling me something to the effect that the past six months had been the best of his life! :) And I agreed. Soon we came up on the Chapel of Love, complete with a "Say I-Do Wedding Drive Thru." I insisted that we stop and take some pictures and Blake agreed. We pulled over and walked around taking pictures.
When we got around to the front of the building, there was a wire Cinderella carriage, complete with twinkle lights. We decided to get up in and take a picture. When I climbed in there was a rose sitting on the bench. I pushed it aside and was all business, ready to have my picture taken, but Blake said, "Here," handing me the rose. Again, I put it down and got ready for my picture until he said again, "No, HERE!" I thought, "Whatever," and held the rose ready for my picture. Blake climbed up in the carriage and started to continue his "best months of my life" talk from the car. I agreed again that those were some good months and jumped out of the carriage asking Blake if he saw anyone who could take our picture. I was still trying to hurry to get to his companion's. Well, it wasn't until Blake slowly moved me back in the carriage and opened up a little box with a shiny ring, that I realized he was proposing. I really have no idea what he said, but I do remember giving him a big hug and kiss and him asking, "So, is that a yes?" to which I said, "YES!"
Little did I know when I suggested that we pull over to take pictures, I was falling right into Blake's plan. He had called ahead, several weeks before to make arrangements with the wedding chapel for the perfect proposal. The flower sitting on the bench in the carriage really was for me and the whole companion thing was just a cover. Soon after I said yes and realized everything that was going on, two ladies from the Chapel of Love came and gave us a tour of the facilities. We were happy to see that no blood test or waiting period was required for the wedding, but opted for a slightly different location...
We went back to pick up Ashley and Beth, where I did my best to flash my ring every chance I got. Beth caught on right away, but Ashley was just as slow as I was to realize what was going on. Then, we went into Caesar's Palace to call all our family and tell them the big news.
I love my engagement story. And every year, I realize more and more how perfect this story is for us. It was an uniquely perfect surprise and I can't imagine anything different from Blake. I really, really love him, backwards hat and all.

Utah in September

I love our trips to Utah. I think I say this with every post about our visits there, but it really is just so nice to be home and to be taken care of that I hardly think about taking any pictures. Really--who wants to see pictures of me napping on the couch and enjoying TV while my mom/dad/brother/SIL/aunts skillfully and successfully entertain two very silly boys. Heaven I tell you. Heaven.

We did make our regular trip to the zoo and this time Grandpa came with us. We got to see the new baby elephant. She is so, so cute. And Jack, the elephant lover in our family, could have sat and watched her all day. It also helped that Baby Elephant was totally showing off the entire time--running around chasing her mother, playing with the ball, and eating a lot! The zoo also has baby tigers and a baby giraffe, and more importantly, it still has the carousel and train!
My only Utah request was a tin-foil dinner up the canyon. And wow--those are just as good as I remember. In addition to the traditional smore dessert, we also tried these yummy banana treats. Perfect end to the perfect week. Thank you family!

First Day of Fall

I love Utah and I love fall. So, I really love Utah in fall. Oh, and I love Blake!
{Blake and Addi at Elephant Rock, September 2002}

A Blessing Weekend

This weekend we were in Utah for the blessing of our newest little nephew. Baby B is such a sweet, handsome little man.
But I have to argue that the second most handsome man at the blessing was the one who was wearing these socks. So, so, so handsome.
Max and Jack love their new little nephew and they really liked the backyard of the house the blessing was at. Max was in heaven jumping on the tramp and playing in the little house and Jack would be your friend forever if you took him to see the horseys.
And we love family weekends because of all the family. Blake and Max went to the BYU game. Max must have had a sixth sense of how the game would turn out since Blake called about five minutes in for someone to come get him. (Thanks Gage!)
And one of the highlights was the trip to the Alpine Slide. The last time I went on it was while Blake and I were dating and it was the boys' first trip. Max loved it and Jack was a little hesitant at first. But once we started singing "Dumbo Fly" as we went down, he was all smiles.
Thank you Baby B and family for the fun weekend!

Visiting Great Grandpa

On Friday we visited Great Grandpa. We'd been telling Max that Great Grandpa has the BEST climbing trees and that when we visited him, we would probably be able to climb up in the trees. Well, after Max ran in and gave him a big hug, the first thing he said was, "Where are your trees?" So, we spent the rest of the afternoon in Great Grandpa's fabulous backyard.

It took Jack a bit longer to warm up to Great Grandpa. But soon Grandpa worked his charm and he had Jack eating out of his hand...or he was eating out of Jack's. :)
Then the boys decided to explore the rest of the backyard while we all snacked on raspberries, apples, and grapes straight off the bush, tree, and vine. YUM. We couldn't pull Jack away from the grapes and he ate the entire cluster.

After their bellies were full, the boys decided to run out their energy in the sprinklers while the rest of us watched and laughed.
Great Grandpa treated us to a yummy lunch at Maddox and filled our bellies once again. We sure love Great Grandpa. And the verdict of the day was unanimous: We NEED a backyard!

Jack's Run

I've been meaning to do a post about Jack's run for so long. And recently I've had several people comment on how funny/cute/unique it is (mostly people at church which, I know, is exactly where he SHOULDN'T be running), that I decided it's time. Jack's run is hilarious. I guess it's very similar to Max's Phoebe run, but a little more contained. His arms still flail about, but his legs don't go move around as much. He points his feet outward and when he puts on his shoes by himself, they're usually on the wrong feet which adds to the funny/cute/uniqueness. And I swear when you tell him to run faster all that happens is his knees go higher and the smile on his face gets bigger. His run makes the perfect little "pitter-pat" sound that I love hearing across the floor in our house. There's definitely no mistake when Jack's coming.

It's a...

BOY!

I am so excited and can't seem to wipe the smile off my face, especially since this little man was snuggling up against the placenta during the entire ultrasound. Could I really be lucky enough to have another snuggler? And Blake, well, he's excited that when we finally have a yard, he'll have three boys who can do all the yard work! We can't wait for Baby Brother to join our family. If it wasn't obvious before, we think boys are the best!

So Far This Pregnancy

I've been asked a lot if this pregnancy is similar to my other two pregnancies. Well, I think it's the same as Jack, but different than Max. But I attribute that to the different work schedule. (Being a mom is still work, right?) I've had some serious smell aversions, a lot of sleepiness, and your typical morning sickness. Usually I could throw up and be done for the day, but there was a handful of days when I just couldn't stop throwing up. And those were the days when I'd feel Jack's little hand on my back and hear, "Mommy, you okay?" or hear Max's concerned questions, "Where is your throw-ups coming from? Your belly? But there's a baby in your belly. Are you going to throw-up the baby?" Luckily those days are gone. (Knock on wood.)

There has been one big difference this pregnancy though. With this pregnancy, I am always hungry. Always. It's not uncommon for me to wake up in the middle for an extra meal. Also this pregnancy, I've had a lot of cravings. Like the other two pregnancies, I want anything cheese like nobody's business. Especially cream cheese. The boys and I have been making at least weekly trips to Noah's for bagels with extra cream cheese. And I LOVE the mizithra at OSF. But there's more. I also went through weeks of wanting nothing but steak and another week(s) of wanting razzle berry pie. I am so lucky Blake has humored me with several trips to many steak houses, OSF, and Marie Callendar's.

So for now, I am enjoying all the yummy food, sleeping on my back and belly as much as I can before it becomes impossible, and the crazy and oh-so vivid pregnancy dreams. My favorite dream so far is when I had to rescue my brother Antonio (I guess that means Tony) who was kidnapped "A Wrinkle In Time" style to Saturn and I had to fly on my broomstick, dodging Mrs. Whos and Whatsits, to save him. And I don't even remember the last time I read "A Wrinkle In Time." I really need to start a dream journal.

We find out the gender of Baby tomorrow. I can't wait to know more about this little person who will soon join our family. So, without further ado, here is the 20ish week belly shot--

picture by Max

Best Sunday of the Year

I don't know how anyone could ever disagree with me on this. Seriously. The best Sunday of the year is 100%, without a doubt, the primary program. Max has been working so hard on his line that he gets to say in the big microphone. So, here he is saying his first ever primary program part.

If you can't understand his little, high-pitched, squeaky voice saying "Because I am thankful for my family, I will serve them" just imagine how hard it is to understand with his mouth pressed right up against the microphone. I love primary.

Second Day of School

This morning, Jack came with me to take Max to school. Max was so excited to show Jack his school and Jack wanted to be a big boy and wear a backpack like his brother. Today saying goodbye was a little more difficult. I think since Jack was with me, Max realized that we would go home and play and he wouldn't be with us. He started to cry a little and said, "But I just want to stay with you and Jack." So I gave him three (tres) M&Ms and his teacher whisked him into the classroom. Then, Jack and I went home and looked at pictures of Max on the computer, played trains and read books. When we picked up Max he was excited to show us the artwork he did today. He even let Jack hold one of his pictures. I had so much fun playing with just Jack today. That hardly ever happens. But we both really miss Max. I hope this adjustment period doesn't last much longer.

First Day of School

For the last week I feel like I've been the mother in "I'll Love You Forever," waking up in the middle of the night, sneaking into the boys' room, and cuddling and kissing them until I just can't take it anymore. I may as well have just said the whole "I'll Love You Forever" poem to make it truly official. The reason for all this: Preschool. Goodbye to my no-schedule life of sleeping in, going to the park or museum, or just staying home all day. Goodbye to being the 100% caregiver, defender, and lover. Hello worry. Worrying that he isn't being nice, that someone else isn't being nice, that he can't open his string cheese or do up the button on his pants. Worrying that he won't understand a thing at his Spanish Immersion school. Worrying that he isn't happy. Worrying that he's getting so big that soon, he's not going to need me. Plus, I'm pregnant, so I'm already an emotional mess.

Today, the day came. We've been talking it up to Max for so long and he is just always so nonchalant about it. When he woke up and I asked him if he was excited about the first day of school, all he said was, "Sure." I think the thing he was most excited about was wearing his new backpack. He wouldn't take it off to ride in the car.

When we first started talking about going to school, Max thought that meant he'd be going to school with Blake. It took a lot of talking and driving by his school to convince him that he wouldn't be learning to fix people's teeth. But still, all he wanted was Blake to take him to school. Last week, Blake told his professor that he'd be a little late since it was his son's first day of preschool. When I asked him what his professor said Blake told me he hurried and left before the professor could answer since he could tell by the look on his face that he didn't think preschool was a good excuse. And then, I tagged along. (Thank you Hillary for watching Jack.) I'm so glad Blake was there to do some interpreting and to be in charge of pictures. I was so focused on not crying that I didn't even think to take a picture of Max with Blake. And he did such a good job taking my picture with Max. Sorry Blake.
When we walked in the door, we were greeted by one of Max's teachers. She asked Max his name and how old he was. He answered, "Three." She said, "Ah, tres." He corrected her, "No. THREE." A great start to his bilingualness. I've been trying to teach him the numbers in Spanish, but his stubbornness just won't have it. Especially when it comes to important things, like his favorite number. Three is three! Good luck teachers! After that he marched right in to look around. He hung up his mochila and settled on a nail and elastic game and loved it.
And soon, it was time to say goodbye. He was a nice boy to give his mom a hug and a pat on the back, then went right back to the table and kept playing. As hard as it was to say goodbye, I'm so happy he loved it. And I hope he continues to love it.
About half way in to his three hour day, one of his teachers called me and asked if I was okay with them putting Max with the older class of kids. She said he was doing great. He was learning about shapes and had already made a little friend named Oliver. My heart relaxed a little and it made staring at the clock for the rest of hour and a half until it was time to pick Max up a bit more bearable. When I walked in to pick him up, they were reading books in circle time. He jumped up and ran and gave me a hug. I asked him what he did and he gave me a detailed overview of the park near the school that they went to play at--it has swings, slides, a telescope, and a clock. He had paint all over his shirt, so I asked him if they painted. All he said was yes and nothing more. From my conversation with his teacher I knew they talked about shapes, but Max claims they didn't. And I asked him if he made any new friends. He said yes. I asked their names. He said he didn't know. And that's the report on Max's first day. At least he was still smiling.
Blake had an afternoon break so we picked him up and let Max choose whatever he wanted for lunch. He chose the place where you dip sandwiches in jam. The line was too long so we got some to go. Good pick Max.
Happy first day of school, Max. I'm so happy today is over. The second day can't be nearly as hard as the first, right?

Labor Day

For Labor Day we went to Stow Lake in Golden Gate Park to do some paddle boating. Everything was great--it was beautiful weather, Blake and Max were doing the pedaling, Jack was doing doing the steering, I was doing the lounging, everyone was all smiles.

Until...we got a little too close to the shore to look at some turtles and got high centered on a rock. We had to ask some people on the shore to go ask for help. Then, when help came, it didn't help so much. So, another rescuer came after that and finally we were saved.
After much of our hour rental was used up, we had fun pedaling back by the waterfall, always making sure to stay at least 15 feet from the shore like it said in big bold letters in the middle of our boat. And when we were done, Blake splurged and got us popcorn and an icee. We were in heaven.
Then we went to the yellow submarine, picked up some sandwiches, and head over by the windmill for a picnic. Jack wasn't interested in eating his sandwich and instead roamed around pointing out the "Baby Bumblebees." I guess I need to teach him that song, especially the "Ouch! He stung me!" part. Luckily, he escaped injury this time. We really enjoyed being outside in the lovely weather.

But when we asked Max and Jack what their favorite parts of the day were, they both answered "RED LIGHT! GREEN LIGHT!" A definite highlight. Happy Labor Day!