37 Weeks

So I am 37 weeks now and a few days. And can I be done now? : ) We would love for this little guy to come today! I can tell he isn't far off though, I am nauseas again, dialated 2 cm, pretty much uncomfortable all the time, strong contractions, all good signs my body is getting ready for labor. Like every pregnant lady I am hoping that I go into labor earlier than my due date. I am also thinking that I will be induced. Something I have been against this whole pregnancy because I really enjoyed the experience of Daisy coming on her own. However, I am ready to not be pregnant and to have this boy here with us. So far we haven't settled on a sure name, we will see who he is when he comes out.

Temple Lights

I really wanted to take Daisy over to see the temple and all the beautiful Christmas lights and Nativity before we have this little guy. Luckily Aaron was willing to drive all the way over to Mesa last Sunday. Daisy is still a little small to get the whole picture of Christmas, but just because she may not fully understand doesn't mean she didn't have a good time : )

She was actually looking a a plane in this picture, but we can pretend it was the Christmas star right?

Isn't he cute?

Us.

Bear

When the weather actually started to cool down and Daisy could play outside in the mornings we had to set some rules. One of the big rules we had to learn was the difference between inside toys and outside toys.

Daisy has a special blanket and bear both of which she has tried to take outside, but I don't let her. So what I told her we could do with the bear was to set him by the door so he could watch her play...

Now she sets him by the door to watch whenever she plays outside.

(Please Ignore the Messy Face)

I wanted to make sure I blogged that becuase its cute, just like her.

Two Years Old and Loving Life!

Daisy is two! Her birthday was on Wednesday. We had a low key day. I feel a little guilty that we didn't do anything incredibly special to celebrate this special girl, this whole being 9 month pregnant thing puts a damper on some stuff. Oh well next year we will do something awesome! Despite our lazy birthday day, I think Daisy had a pretty good 2nd birthday. We went to the park, she got to take two baths (one of her favorite activities), watch Toy Story 3, play with the 30 balloons Aaron and I blew up, open presents and eat a chocolate cupcake. She also got to go to Peter Piper Pizza with Grandma and Grandpa Brooks a few days before her birthday, which she loved!

Having a toddle in toe can be a challenge but man we love this girl. Here she is wearing my shower cap and bracelets, just makes me laugh.

She got a little bored at the park after a while and crawled into the basket and asked to go. I love the look on her face, its all Aaron.

She is getting so big!

Look how little she was!

Birthday Presents.

It didn't take her long to figure out that there were goodies inside.

She we got all fancy... not.

She is loving this little Minnie Mouse Tea set, its her new favorite. She will hand me a cup and pour into it while saying "more".

This is her "I am blowing out the candle face". She almost did it, but eventually I had to step in with the final blow. 

She was having a good time putting bows in Dad's hair, Aaron doesn't look to thrilled.

She loves to sweep and now she has her very own broom.

Daisy never stops. She is full of energy and is a sweet girl. She can be a typical toddler, but she makes our days fun. She will chase me down and give me a big hug on my leg. She says " I hungy". It take an effort to get her to sit still long enough for me to do her hair. She loves to look at books before bed. She also loves puzzles and thanks to Grandma Trish and Grandpa Dave now we have some. She loves to play with other kids. She can also down food pretty impressively. She loves baby things, I hope that means she will adjust well to have a little baby brother. I can't say it enough, we just love this girl!

Worry Wart

(Caution contains personal thoughts of a Lee nature)

There is a reason the term worry wart is what it is. A wart is pretty useless, gross, and usually leads to more warts. Just like worrying. I am sad to say that I fall into the worry wart category more than I should. I have spent a good chunk of this year worrying. You may ask about what, and my answer is everything! Its exhausting trying to think of every possibility and outcome (all usually horrible). And from what I have learned so far in life that pretty much everything I have ever worried about hasn't really happened. Its a horrible mental habit. I think we all worry to some extent, its natural and its good to be prepared. However, I need to do better and I actually have been doing better for the past month or two. I have felt at peace and confident in our future. I have enjoyed dreaming about all the good that can come our way. However I have felt very unsettled the last day because of the outcome of the current election. I spent way too much time informing myself about the current political atmosphere of our nation this year. And from what I have learned it is very important to be informed. Our form of government, the constitution are all inspired from God, so it makes sense to be aware of what is going on in the nation. However I can't control the actions of others, I can't listen to those who fuel the fire of "we're all doomed now". Yes I do believe that somethings will change, maybe not, I don't know. And that's just it I don't know, and I can't waste my energy worrying about what I don't know.

I titled this blog One Day at Time because I really think that I need to live my life one day at a time. I know how to combat my worrying ways and its a process that usually happens one day at a time, not in a big whoosh. I have learned and am always striving to do these things to be less of a worry wart and they are:

Pray. I have received such peace of mind after prayers. Maybe not instantly, but I have a testimony that the Lord hears my prayers. Like I mentioned above I have been feeling much less worrisome that past few months. I have felt at peace. I know that has been an answer to my prayers.

Gratitude. I have read that gratitude is the parent of all virtues. I find that when I am truly grateful for my life, family, gospel, and my many blessings I don't spend my time worrying about what might happen or what I don't have.

Don't feed the fuel. One way to have a guaranteed crappy day filled with worrying is feed the thoughts of worry. I have wasted so much good time and energy worrying about stupid things like "what if the world comes to an end and I don't have mascara?". That is just sad and pathetic and I am a little embarrassed to admit that I have actually had that thought.

Don't get caught up in the world. I have learned that when I am on top of every horrible event that is happening in the this country I bring the world into my home. Its not healthy to feed the fear created by the newsroom.

Don't be selfish. I think there are many ways to be selfish. I could write a whole paper on selfishness. I at times know that I can be an expert. But I have learned that when I worry I am worrying about myself most of the time. And that means I am not looking for ways to be unselfish. My life is so much better when I do my best to put others first and be of service. I have found that this one antedote to worrying works the best. How can I worry about my possible of being mascarless when I am comforting my daughter or planning a good primary lesson.

Scripture study.  President Hinckley said, "I promise you that as you read, your minds will be enlightened and your spirits will be lifted." I have to be honest that my scripture study has always been my weakness. Making time for it has drifted in and out of my priorities. I know that this is not great. I have felt so much closer to the spirit when I am consistently reading my scriptures. I have been pretty consistent the past few months and I know that is one of the main reasons why I have felt more at peace. Just like President Hinckley said I have felt my spirits lift. And how can I worry so much when I feel more spiritually lifted?

Dream of good things. I remember reading a John Bytheway book in high school about worrying. One of the things he pointed out is that when we worry, we don't dream. We use our imagination to create horrible circumstance and get put out by the things we can't control. He made the point that when we don't worry we have time to imagine good things happening. I can honestly say when I spend my time thinking about good things to come even if its just something that is happening tomorrow, I am so much happier. I guess this could also be called optimism. Its good to be optimistic.

These are just a few things that I have learned about myself and how to be less of a worry wart. I decided to write them down especially right now when its so easy to fall into negative thoughts. 

A Day in the Life of My Toddler

Daisy spends her time reading....

Drawing...

And playing naked in the backyard wearing pink boots...

33 Weeks...

So 33 weeks is a little early to be having a baby, but apparently my body was trying to get a head start Friday night. I was having contrations, real contractions. I spent the even debating whether or not to go to the hospital. I didn't want to go and have them laugh at me just to tell me that it was Braxton Hicks. But since I was having them every few minutes and at least 6 or more in an hour, Aaron took me in. And it turns out they weren't Braxton Hicks, just your run of the mill getting ready to pop out a baby ones. Thankfully though I wasn't even dilated and they gave me a shot to stop them. So I guess we will see when this little boy decides to join us. I am hoping for a least a few more weeks. But who knows maybe he will just hang out in there for an extra 8 days like Daisy did.

Messy Fun!

Shaving cream! Who knew that it could be so fun?

Thanks to my good friend Brenda and Pinterest, this made an excellent way to spend a week day morning that would have normally been pretty dull.

Halloween 2012

This Halloween was so much fun! Last year Aaron was gone and Daisy wasn't even one yet, so it wasn't much to remember. Its amazing how much can change in one year. This year Daisy was old enough to Trick-Or-Treat. I am pretty sure she had a blast. She caught on fairly fast, what kid doesn't when there is candy involved? She, as you can see below, was a little lady bug!

I am 32 weeks pregnant in this picture if anyone was curious...

Wearing Dad's sunglasses.

We went trick or treating with cousins Hailey and Hannah. They were owls and also very cute!

I just love this picture, its especially fun to be a parent on days like this.

Cookies!

Daisy got to spend the evening with Grandma Rena last Friday and lucky for Daisy she had made some yummy sugar cookies. These pictures were just too cute to not post.

She was a fan! Thanks Grandma Rena!

October Happenings

I don't think its a surprise that I have not enjoyed this past summer very much. Being pregnant in the valley heat is not ideal. I think that is why I have been enjoying October so much. For the first time in months the temperature outside is actually half way decent. I can even open my back door in the morning and let cool air fill my kitchen! I love it! I love that Daisy can play outside without getting baked by the sun. I also love fall.

My Mom and Dad came down a weekend or two ago for a quick visit to watch my nephew's football game. It was fun to have them here even if it was only for the morning. After the game we all went to Red Robin (not Aaron he had drill, bummer). Anyway it was super tasty. I tried snapping a quick picture of grandparents and grand kids, but I wasn't super successful.

I think these little girls were more interested in their balloons.

Over conference weekend my mom came down for the weekend. I love when my mom comes down, not only because I like my mom, but I seem to have much better luck at yard sales when I go with her. Maybe she has a gift : ) Anyway I found this slide for 7 bucks.

Definitely a good buy.

I also got some really great baby stuff that didn't even looked used! Like a bumbo and tray, new car seat for Daisy, baby bedding for this little guy, a boppy pillow, and lots of clothes!

This picture is from this morning. I gave Daisy five strawberries and yogurt so she would sit still long enough for me to put braids in.

It turned out so cute! I am amazed I got her to sit still long enough for me to put them in.

I love her little head.

About Me...

This is my blog. I look at this blog as more of a family journal to record our lives. We may have a simple life, but its a blessed one. Anyway the reason I say this is my blog is because sometimes I feel stupid that I write so much concerning myself, but its my blog. Not a fitness, recipe, political or any other kind of blog, just a blog of my family's life and my thoughts. So today I was thinking, what do I think about all day long? And the truth is I think about a lot of stuff. Mostly about my family and home, but every now and then I catch myself thinking about things that are just silly and me...

Like how I won't eat yogurt unless its with a small spoon. I don't like the big ones. If all the small ones are dirty I will wash one instead of using the clean big one.

I also wish whenever Daisy is asleep and looking so sweet that I could just crawl into bed with her and snuggle, but I don't. I like nap time to much to risk waking her.

I love to organize things. I love everything having its own place, yet I am horrible about making sure everything goes back into its place after I am done with it. Just ask Aaron. This is especially true when it comes to clothes. I don't know how many women do this, but when nothing is looking good on me it ends up on the floor. Aaron always says "why don't you just hang it back up if you don't want to wear it?" Well that is a valid point but not when your seven months pregnant and almost in tears because there isn't an article of clothing that makes me look decent and isn't going to rise up or slide down the entire time I am wearing it. It is much more satisfying to chuck the ugly butt squeezing jeans on the floor than to rehang them like they deserve to be taken care of.

Sometimes I actually like letting go of taking care of my house just for a day or two so when I do clean it, it feels like I accomplished more. That may be a little weird, oh well.

I am a list maker. I am sure whenever Aaron finds a list I have made all the way from what needs to be done this week to a pros and cons list about a big decision he is just a little bit like... hmmmm I married an over thinker. But I love lists! They are like mini plans that help you see where you are and what you have left to do. Plus its fun to cross off something on my list. Sometimes I even write down something I know is already done, but I just want the satisfaction of crossing it off my list.

Anyway those are just a few things I think about and are me. Maybe I am weird but everyone is weird in their own special way. I just thought I would write some things about me so someday when my children make a list and their spouse sees it they can be like... "well I get that from my mom."

Grandma's Request...

My Mom told me I needed to update my blog. Good thing I had these fun pictures to blog.

Aaron made Daisy a fort the other night. She loved it. Aaron's new schedule means that he can be home as early as three PM on most days. She loves having her Dad around more, especially since he is such a good fort constructor.

Just having fun!

3 Years Ago...

Aaron gave me Finch for my Birthday. I am probably the only one who cares or even likes him. Just thought I would post a picture to remember the anniversary. If you can't see him, look under the curtain. He looks dead.

22 Months...

 Our girl is almost two! Just a few months and she will be. I haven't written about Daisy in a while so I thought I would just give an update on the world of Daisy.

She has curly hair. I love it. She also has a good vocabulary. She can say most everything and has started saying small sentences. He favorite show is Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. She knows all the characters, its fun her her say "TOODLES"... and "FOOFY". She finally likes to swing and play on the playground, I was worried for a while. She also knows most every major body part. She is good in nursery and has a few little friends in there. She likes to be around other kids, especially her cousins. She likes to clean up... lets hope that last forever. She eats most everything. She does have her picky days, but for the most part she eats well. She loves shoes. She also loves to head dive. Sometimes this isn't a great thing because she doesn't seem to get that the floor may not be the best thing to dive into head first. She has had her fair share of fat bloody lips, but that doesn't seem to deter her. She still has a pacifier which she call "pirer". I am ready for her to not want it, but have yet done much about it. She can be whiney. We spend lots of days learning how to say things in a happy way... no success yet. She wants to do big girl things and when she is around her cousin Laine, she usually does whatever Laine is doing. Sometime to the extent of folding her arms the same way or sitting the same way. She is just a fun girl! We love her so much!

Isn't she pretty?

She did have her nose squished up against the glass but wouldn't do it for camera.

And this is for you Mom. She played and played with her letter. Thanks for her mail!

28 Weeks...

So as every pregnant woman knows around 28 weeks comes the glucose test to see if you have gestational diabetes. I had mine on Tuesday and failed. Can I just say that it was a bummer. Anyway I had to go back in and take the three hour glucose test to make sure I was diabetes free. When you take a glucose test they draw your blood, you drink a sugary drink, wait an hour, and have your blood drawn again. I passed with Daisy and since I feel that my lifestyle isn't crazy unhealthy I would be fine the second time around. Not the case. So I had to fast, go in the early morning and do all of that but just for three hours more. They also have to draw your blood four separate times every hour on the hour. I actually think its pretty interesting to have blood drawn, and kind of like to watch. The above picture is just the little bruise left over from getting pricked a few times. Anyway I passed and do not have gestational diabetes. Thank heavens, that would have been no fun.

I am in my third trimester. Could be as soon as 8 to 11 weeks away now! Crazy how quickly this pregnancy has gone by and yet how slow too. I am feeling pretty chubby these days, its hard not to feel chubby when you can't see you toes : ) We still don't have a name picked out for this little guy. New names come and go but nothing seems to fit, I am hoping by the time he comes we will have a few solid names we like. He is also so wiggly. I thought Daisy was, but she just made more room for this kid to swim, kick, poke, and stretch. He hurts. I don't remember Daisy pushing so hard against my organs. Its such a strange feeling.

I like it though. As I have said before, seeing and feeling little movements is my favorite part about being pregnant.