19 Weeks

Here's my belly-- it popped out WAY sooner this time, just like they say it does. (Will I be bigger at the end too, or does it slow down somewhere?)
Laurie (Abby's mom) gave Kalia this outfit and I'm so excited that she can finally wear it, it's one of her cutest ones for sure. THANKS LAURIE!
Family Father's Day party for Grandpa Don Esplin, Sat. June 14th. She laughed outloud on the swings, I loved it. And here Kalia gets some one-on-one time with her Great Grandma Ruth, the one she gets her middle name from. (With 35 grandkids, and 35+ great-grandkids, I think it's amazing that she still finds time for her.)
And here's me and Tara, showing a little of our pregnant bellies, and a little hint of cleavage too. Last time I was pregnant at the same time as Krystal, and it's fun to be pregnant at the same time as Tara. Family is great!

I want to read!!

I am officially sick of TV and just dying to read some awesome books. My sister Krystal just recommended Austenland (if you're a Jane Austen fan, READ IT!!) I couldn't put it down. Now I'm ready for some new recommendations. What are your favorite can't-put-them-down books? I'm hitting the library this summer, starting tomorrow. Thanks!

Father's Day Video

I made Samuel a little video for his first Father's Day...(thanks Kim, for telling me how you did yours!!) I hope he likes it on Sunday.

It's only one song long, but it was fun to make. The song is just so sweet! If you want to watch it, here ya go. Yay for all the great dads out there! Happy Father's Day!

You can find it here:
Happy Father's Day 2008

It's So Easy

So, I got wind of this monster sale at the Children's Place...and so I got online, filled my cart, and started searching the web for discount codes. I found this coupon everywhere, but apparently the codes had been used too many times. You COULD, however, print it off and use it at the store.

I decided it was worth the effort, since Kalia has outgrown most of her clothes and needs some summer stuff. She can't run around in only a diaper like she did last summer. That was a newborn-only thing.

Anyway, we have these awesome outlet stores, and I ended up spending $15 on me (two stretchy t-shirts for my very-protruding belly) and $130 on Kalia. (That was AFTER the 20% off!)

Oops! I'll probably take some back. But everything was $5 or less! I couldn't resist. Here's about 1/3 of the things I bought... aren't these little pink and khaki tie shorts just the cutest?? (sorry, pictures aren't enlarging)I'd always heard about how you spend your money on kids shopping instead of self-shopping, once you have kids. I didn't think I'd be that way, I love to buy myself clothes WAY too much. But today I realized I'm just like all the rest. It was an easy transition. And shopping is just as fun as ever (more fun really, cause you don't have to try stuff on.)

Now...how to break the news to the Banker. Heh heh.

Latest Favorites

Okay, I have to share these wonderful things, they have just brought too much happiness into my life. Let me know if you have more suggestions and alternatives!!

1. SCENTSY
Have you guys heard of this? People have parties and sell it, I read about it on a friend's blog. It's like wax cubes that you warm, and it never gets hot, only warm, and it's safe enough that if a kid ate it, they'd be fine, and THE SMELLS ARE UNBELIEVEABLE!! There are SO many to choose from, and they are WONDERFULLY STRONG. (My favorite so far is Fresh Cut Canteloupe). You can reheat the wax several times too. I ordered from someone named Misty, and my order shipped to Las Vegas for $2.50!! Try it out!! (Also, I did NOT purchase an expensive warmer. I use my old electric candle warmer and a glass jar and it works perfectly.) Here's her website.
http://www.scentsy.com/mistybarry
2. This frozen pizza is as close to restaurant pizza I've ever had. The crust is AMAZING! I love the pepperoni and cheese ones, haven't tried anything else, but I WILL! Not very expensive either.
3. Okay, I really am on a scent kick, but my second favorite smells are Bath and Body Works big summer candles in yummy scents like Clean Linen, Fresh Lemonade, Strawberry Patch, Melon Sorbet...you get the idea. Last forever, smell up the whole house. Love em. (Half off on the website right now.)

4. Xlear (Pronounced "Clear")
EAR INFECTION ALERT!! You mom's that have kids that get ear infections, or if you yourself get sinus infections, you gotta try this. This miracle stuff is WONDROUS! It was created right in Utah, and it's a simple sugar-water substance (xylitol) that prevents bacteria from multiplying and spreading. It's non-habit forming and you can get it at health food stores. I used to be the sinus infection queen, but this stuff has almost elimated them from my life. I use it as often as I can at the FIRST SIGN OF FEELING SICK. I JUST learned (3 ear infections too late) that you can also give it to your babies when they start getting yucky green noses, and it can help stop ear infections as well. GO BUY IT and try it, and let me know, I'm experimenting with it on Kalia.

6. Huggies Wipes

I read this on a blog somewhere, about these wipes being the best, and it's for sure the truth. They are so thick and the texture is quilted, so they grab everything off the little behind so efficiently! I've tried the other kinds like Kirkland, Pampers, Lansinoh...they're pretty good, but I have to use more to get the job done. I think they are almost the same price as Kirkland wipes at Costco. If you've never tried them, I recommend you do. Get unscented if your little one has sensitive skin.

Keeping Busy

While Samuel was in Phoenix, I was in St. George for my little bro Jonny's graduation. It was like a high school reunion for ME though, I couldn't believe how many people I saw from PV, there to support their younger siblings. It was way fun. My sister, Krystal, has moved back to Springville, and will be in St. George for a month. We had a blast with us three girls and our kids. Here's Kyla, Krystal's baby who is 3 months older than Kalia.And here's all six grandkids, L-R, Maddux and Malakai (Tara's) Kyla, Allie, Damon (Krystal's) and Kalia. My mom loves having her grandkids around, and she thinks it makes chemotherapy easier. (She is half done with chemo by the way. Yay! What a trooper!)
We three sisters took our kids to the Splash Park on Main Street in St. George. What an awesome place! It was PACKED with kids and young moms and dads, and it's pretty safe.

Kalia was so funny- she loved splashing around, but every 10 seconds she'd stop and take a sip of the water. Luckily she survived without any sickness. Here's a little video.

Heart Attack

So, crazy happenings, Samuel's parents didn't end up coming last week, his mom had a heart attack...it was small, she had some pain, and didn't know she'd had a heart attack until the doctor told her, but then they went to put a stent in (they do it with a scope through your leg, crazy, huh) and then they found that her heart had all KINDS of blockage and they scheduled her for a triple bypass the next day, a Sunday morning! This is one of the few pictures I have of her, but anyway, Samuel was able to fly down to be with her for two days, and after a really intense week in the ICU she is home and doing well. We are so relieved and grateful that it went well.

It's the Best Job

Ahh, a sleeping baby is one of my favorite sights.

You all know I have a very active and wiggly baby. She never sits still. So it's at midnight that I have some of my most treasured moments of the day. I got into the habit when I started losing my milk, and I was worried she wasn't getting enough to eat. So I'd go in at midnight, pick her up and try not to wake her too much, and then feed her. She'd always fall right back to sleep, and then I could just stare at her...and play with her little hands, kiss her little cheeks, and just love her from head to toe.

I love the little moments like that!

I'm all out of milk now, and she's getting plenty of formula, but I still do the midnight 'dream feeds', and I think it's purely for selfish reasons. (Samuel has even caught on, and sometimes we have to paper-rock-scissors for who gets to do it.)

They grow up too fast, don't they? Lately several of you have been writing about treasuring the NOW and not trying to move to the future too fast. I've really been feeling that way. Then Elder Ballard shared this quote in his talk:

Author Anna Quindlen reminds us not to rush past the fleeting moments. She said: “........And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less”(Loud and Clear [2004], 10–11).

and even though she's just a baby, I had to agree. Then, I found this country song by Trace Adkins, called "You're Gonna Miss This", and I loved it. You can read the song Lyrics Here.

As hard as motherhood can be sometimes, I still feel so lucky to be able to be one, and I sure hope I can treasure it all the way through.

Thanks Honey

I have about 10 blog posts in my head, I just haven't gotten around to them!! So I thought I'd just start with the present. I know Samuel will probably never read this unless I tell him to check my blog, but I just wanted to give him a big THANK YOU!! I'm just so dang grateful for him being a wonderful husband, and frankly, lately I haven't really deserved it.

He has been working 12 hour days, 6 days a week, and he comes home every night just exhausted. He came home "early" tonight (6:15) and stretched out on the floor, and fell asleep in the middle of a conversation with me. (I'm sure he'll be thrilled to have this picture there, but look at his flat stomach! All this manual labor has caused him to shed some pounds.)

I am just so grateful for his hard work. He's moved in about 10 new tenants, and fixed a million leaks, breaks, and everything else that goes wrong in an old building.

No wonder he's so tired.

I was supposed to be more of a help, but "first trimester" does not create "good helper." In fact, all I really do to help the apartments is post an occasional craigslist ad. I've been feeling kind of guilty about it. He hasn't even complained (yet) about my wifely shortcomings, and I am wondering what's going on in his head.

Let me confess a few more things.

I haven't cooked a meal in 6 weeks.

I haven't scrubbed a toilet or mopped a floor for 8 weeks, and I've only managed to vacuum a handful of times. (Oh, and believe me, my apartment SHOWS IT!)

Oh, and lets not forget that I've sent him out for take-out at LEAST 15 times, usually at late hours of the night.

And I've spent almost every other week in St. George.

I really just can't believe he's still not complaining.

Now I'm into the 2nd trime, I'm getting my energy back, but I am so overwhelmed with the task at hand...I just don't know where to start.

But my in-laws are coming this weekend and staying with us, so I might try to make it look presentable.

So wish me luck. I really need it.

TEETH

She FINALLY cut some teeth...not her top, but both her bottom (barely). They've been a long time coming. I've blamed everything on teething, and then...no teeth. Now they're arriving, and I barely noticed. I tried to get them in this picture (above), but you have to look REALLY close to see them! Oh well, I'll capture them later.

Thanks everyone for the well-wishes. I can already tell this pregnancy is going to go by MUCH faster than the first, THANK GOODNESS. I had a dr. appt last week, and he is going to try to help me have a VBAC, and he mentioned it might be a good idea for me to be induced 2 weeks early, since Kalia was over 9 lbs. That will put them closer to 14 months, but oh well, I'm just excitedthat I might be able to bypass those miserable last weeks of pregnancy.

Anyway, that's forever away, so here's a little more Kalia fun.

She's getting very attached to her binkies, (when should I wean?) and here she is trying to get them out of the dishwasher. (She was successful, about 3 seconds after I took this pic).

She is loving her new-found skill (walking), and she has figured out how to turn and also how to squat down, pick something up, and keep walking. Unfortunately, she is no longer showing signs of that separation anxiety I mentioned last month, and the messes are EVERYWHERE! (I can't get my lazy self off the couch, but everything's cleanable, right?) Here she is practicing her little walk.

Finally one more video, if you're still with me here, she is having fun making sounds...I've been working on "mama" and as you can see...she hasn't caught on yet. This movie makes her dad VERY proud. Turn up your volume a little, parts of it are quiet. (and sorry, I was holding her and videoing, so it's not very steady).

Good thing I love babies

Shortly after Kalia was born, I started thinking about how far apart I wanted my kids. Most of you know that my older sister Krystal is only 13 months older than I am. I have absolutely LOVED having a sister so close in age, and it was a blessing in every aspect in my life, from starting kindergarten, to entering Young Women's, to trying out for a sport. I had a best friend and support system every where I went.

I decided to ask my aunt Kim what she thought. She has 13 children, including two sets of twins, so I knew she'd have lots of good advice about spacing children out.

I couldn't believe it when she told me, "Twins are the easiest!" But she expounded to say, "Well, not at first, but once they can interact, they are easier from then on, because they entertain each other."

Well, that sounds nice...but I don't know what my odds are for having twins...so I asked her what her next best "space apart" age was.

18 months, she said! Again, I was a little surprised. She explained that an 18 month old seemed to handle a new sibling easier than any other age, and they could grow up with a good relationship and share lots of life experiences.

Well, it sounded pretty good to me. I didn't have Kalia until I was almost 27 years old, and if I want to have a big family, I couldn't space the babies out too far, or I'd get too old, too fast, and have to quit.

Samuel and I decided we would try to give Kalia a sibling around the time she was 18 months old. (And just to clarify, I don't intend to have a baby every 18 months, but at least for my first two, I wanted them close together.)

So, be careful what you wish for, right?? Instead of 18 months, how about 15 months apart?

I am due Novemeber 15th--ironically, that is Krystal's birthday! I think it's fitting, since this baby already is partly because of her. We are just so dang excited.

I've been incredibly tired, but thankfully not anywhere NEAR as sick as I was with Kalia (of course Samuel thinks it must be a boy). I am still nursing Kalia, but my milk supply is waning, so we'll see how long it lasts. That girl will NOT take formula so we may have a small problem on our hands.

So yes, I know it will be a challenge, but I think two children (or more for that matter) will be a challenge no matter what. I am so excited to have another little person to love, because it's the greatest joy I've ever known in my life.

P.S. "Exclusive Breastfeeding" was not an effective contraceptive for us, haha, so watch out.

St. George Fun

So, we're back in Las Vegas but we miss St. George. It was so wonderful to be with family and to wake up every morning to a cloudless sky and a beautiful park in the backyard.

Why was it so much easier to clean my mom's house than to clean my own apartment? Ughh.

Kalia had the BEST time with her cousins, and they were so sweet to her! I can tell she's kind of lonely for them. So here's a few pictures:

Just can't satisfy that need to climb...but at least she found a good quote.

Here's Malakai introducing her to his favorite pastime: Digging with his "shubble"Don't worry. She likes wrestling.

These boys are just so dang fun.

Anyway, it's almost 3 a.m. and I wish I could sleep. I took a nap from 7 p.m. til 10 p.m. (oops) and now I'm paying for it. Oh well. Thank goodness for blogging. I have lots of catching up to do.

Happy Birthday Tara!

I almost missed her birthday...some sister I am!! Happy 24th Birthday Tara dear, you are such a wonderful sister to have. Here's a few amazing things about her:

1. She is probably the funniest person in our family, and the party never gets started until she gets there.

2. She is an amazing mother. I've watched her take care of those twins, and I've NEVER heard her complain once about it being hard.

3. She is also a wonderful aunt!! Guess who can make Kalia smile the easiest? TARA of course! Guess who is Damon's favorite? TARA!! She's always been a natural with kids.

4. She has a heart of gold. I remember her going to visit the elderly in the care center, and she had this one special friend named Genevieve. Tara of course taught her how to stick out her tongue and say, "Whut's Upppppppp" (budweiser style)

5. She's kind. We went to Pizza Factory last week, and she ordered alfredo sauce to dip her breadtwist in. Before I knew it, I had eaten up most of it. She didn't get mad...she said, "Oh, I can use my ranch" (from her salad.) I was impressed, because I don't like people poaching my food when it's so dang good. She's a better woman than I am.

6. She is an amazing athlete. She was good at all sports without even trying. I had to work my butt off all those years...but she it seemed to come so natural to her.

You can't help but love that girl as so many of you know, and I hope she had a fabulous birthday, and that she got everything she wanted. We love ya!!!

Chemo Treatment #1

I am in St. George this week. My mom had her first treatment on Friday. I feel really blessed to be able to live so close and to be here to help take care of her. She is doing okay. The first treatment is supposed to be the "easiest" and it was still rough. She is having all the side effects of nausea, headaches, body aches, breathing difficulties, and other random things. She is starting to feel better every day.

It is so incredibly hard to see someone you love suffer. I think I will just have to pray for the ability to handle it, because it's going to get a lot worse before it gets better.

She will have treatments every other Friday for 16 weeks. It's a very heavy and agressive treatment, but it's shown good outcomes in the past, and the doctor said he thinks she can handle it.

I will probably be here every other week. Even if it's just to clean the house and drive her to appointments, it's the least I can do.

Anyway, thanks again for all your love, prayers and support. We are starting a blog for her, and mostly for people who want to be updated on how she's doing (the phone calls and visits are just pouring in. It's amazing, but hard to stay on top of, so we hope the blog helps.)
Here's the address if you ever feel like stopping in and leaving a word of encouragement.
http://karenkancerkiller.blogspot.com/

You guys are the best. Thanks for being so great.

The Great and Dreadful Day

is nigh upon us... Kalia at 7.5 months, takes 6 steps.

You leave 'em home for ONE hour...

..And come home and find your baby like this:

"How sweet", you think to yourself, "Daddy fed her some baby food and forgot to wipe her face off." You try not to worry about the fact that people might have seen her that way, as she was "helping him" work on apartment stuff. Then you get close enough to see that it's really a ROCK that your baby is blissfully gnawing on. AND it stained her brand new onesie. And Dad says, "She likes it!"

Good times.

And on a slight change of subject, I really just wanted to thank Elder Ballard for his wonderful talk on Sunday. I sure needed it.

Tagged by Brener

Brener (Valerie's little boy) tagged Kalia, and so here's a few things that you may not have known about her (with pictures to spice it up a bit).

1. Her eyes are slowly turning brown and the roots of her hair are growing in blond (yay! some of my genes did get through!)

2. Her favorite food is yogurt.

3. We think she's pretty buff, because she can hold herself in a pull-up position, and does a pretty good wheelbarrow impression.

4. She is extremely wiggly. I dream of the day that she sits STILL on my lap or lays her head on my shoulder.

5. She is the most wide-eyed little baby I've ever seen. She's been like this since she was a newborn. Life is so fascinating to her that she would give up eating and sleeping to see it all.

6. Her favorite book is Chicky Chicky Chook Chook, I've read it to her so many times...it's memorized.
7. She's boy crazy. She loves baby boys, much more than baby girls.

8. Her favorite things to do, in no particular order:

**Climb, climb climb

**Pose for the camera

**Get into the bottom drawer

**Look at herself in the mirror (vain little thing)

**Climb, climb, climb some more

And now Kalia tags Kyla T., Maddux A., Andrina G., and Lincoln M.!!!

Making Marriage Work

Today as I read a friend's blog, she mentioned that her parents are getting divorced. This is such a heart-breaking situation, and I have SO much respect for ANYONE that's gone through it and/or been affected by it in any way.

There's no doubt that marriage can be hard, especially if you're as stubborn and spoiled as I can be at times. I didn't see the very WORST side of myself, until I was married. I was disappointed in myself, and I readily admit that I have a long way to go until I'm a super wonderful wife.

I can see why it's so important to GET married...Heavenly Father wants us to progress and one of the best ways to progress is to be aware of our faults. Marriage makes me aware of my faults, but it also gives me the opportunity to correct them, and I really love that chance. I'm grateful for a husband who is patient enough to deal with me, and I'm grateful that each day, week, and month helps us know each other a little better.

I'm happy we've made it 2 years, and I look forward to making it 20 years, and then 70 years, and then for eternity.

When older people get divorced, it reminds me of something very important: I BETTER NOT GET COMPLACENT! I will never, ever judge a couple who gets divorced, because NOBODY but they can really know what's going on there, but for me, I think that I better NEVER STOP WORKING on my marriage. There's always that chance that it can crumble apart. Good things take hard work, so I think that hard work will have to continue throughout life.

I'd love to talk to my Grandparents that are still living, and happily married for over 55 years...WHAT'S THEIR SECRET?

I hope there's a good conference talk on the subject!

Finally, I wanted to share this article. It's by Dr. Lynn Scoresby, a BYU professor, and amazing psychologist. He has worked with immediate members of my family and I think he's an amazing and brilliant man. His article today just happened to be about marriage:
http://leadingfamilies.com/2008/04/04/how-to-make-certain-your-marriage-succeeds/

Hope you like it.

Thanks you guys!!

I REALLY appreciate your outpouring and love for my mom and her situation. I just got an email from her, and I wanted to tell you what she said:

I have loved reading these comments, it is very strengthening, and unbelievable that people could be praying for me. I love it when you tell me who they are, do you think you could tell me if there are some of these that I might know but not recognized their name.

So I have told who how I know every one of you, and even if she's never met you, she still is so grateful that you would keep her in your prayers. Thanks again everyone, of course we'll keep you updated on her status.

Well, on a lighter note, there are a few things on my mind lately. Separation anxiety, my human vacuum, and DVR.

Kalia is at that age where she starts hyperventilating if I leave her sight. Then, at other random times, she's fine. How long is this going to last? (I know, I was just blogging about what a fun age it is...)

I'm also getting a kick out of the treasures I'm finding in her diapers. Her little fingers are getting good at picking stuff up...and putting it right in her mouth. I've found a peanut (just like the song says), a piece of green pepper, and a a piece of aluminum foil in her diaper. Today I rescued a sharp object from her mouth when I noticed bloody drool. At least she didn't swallow THAT one. MAN, I've got to keep my floors cleaner.

We now have cable and DVR for the first time. I am in LOVE. And I am SO NOT GETTING ANYTHING DONE. I'm barely making time for blogging! What a TV junkie! I need to get control of myself.

You know I'm distracted by all the shows I'm watching, because I found this little surprise yesterday. Apparently she didn't feel any separation anxiety as she went into the bathroom to entertain herself. I do not get the award for world's best mom this month.

The Bad News

Our family has had some bad news in the last few weeks. I think I am feeling a little bit numb, but maybe that's also a blessing of peace. Of course I do feel some fear, but also hope and faith too. I don't feel like I can do a very good job of writing about it, so my sister, Krystal, is letting me use her post from her blog. I know some of you have read it...but she put it just how I wish I could have. Thanks for letting me use it.

Killer
I think we were all expecting something big to happen.
A year ago, my mom cut off all her hair, a year earlier than she planned...
My dad was released from his calling as a member of the bishopbric of a young single adult ward..
My mom was released from her calling as Young Women's president...
We all wondered, what was coming? A call to the Stake Presidency?
But Stake Conference came and went and that wasn't it.
Wayne and Tara decided to stay at Dixie for a few years instead of moving...
Heather and Samuel decided it was time to move closer to home, and relocated from Hawaii to Las Vegas, much closer to the family...
Jeff will be finished with school in 3 months and we will be living in Utah for the first time in six years...What was coming?

We found out a few weeks ago. My mom has breast cancer. Even typing that makes me feel like I swallowed a rock. She found a lump, had it removed, and heard the bad news about what it actually was. She had a second surgery where 20 lymph nodes were removed from under her arm. It was in 2 of the 20. Now she will have to go through chemo as well as radiation, which could put her out of commission for the next year. She'll lose her hair and won't be able to take long trips to see her grandkids. Wait, she already parted with her hair (most of it) and soon none of her grandkids will be more than 4 hours away...isn't that interesting?

We all feel that this is the Lord's will. It's serious, as all cancer is, but everyone is hopeful that she will make a full recovery. And maybe we have been prepared for a while now, as it hasn't been much of a shock for any of us. My mom admitted that she knew she was going to have to have chemo from the very beginning, knowing that anything else would be "too easy." She is already talking about how much she has learned and how tender her heart has become. It's just a bump in the road, something that will enable our family to become closer to each other and closer to the Lord.

We all made our picks for March Madness this year, and we named my mom's team "Kancer Killer." As of today, Kancer Killer is in first place in our league. That makes me smile, and also makes me think that she is going to come out on top. Where she belongs. Love you mom. Thanks for being such a fighter.