Almost 11 Weeks To Go!!

This pregnancy has been r-o-u-g-h for me. I was so sick for a good three months. Sicker than I've ever been with the other three kids, and I would cry almost every day because not only was I so done being sick, but I felt useless. I couldn't do anything! Bryan was such a trooper and would come home from work and make dinner and get the kids ready for bed and clean up while I moaned and groaned from the safety of the couch. My mom brought me whatever food I was craving at the time, and several friends brought me meals because if I cooked the food, I could not eat it.

SOME OF THE FOOD I CRAVED:
Teriyaki (we hit up Koto Teriyaki more times that I can count!)
Wendy's chicken sandwiches
Water
Salad (even though it was the one food I couldn't digest and I knew I would throw it up)
Cereal
Vegetables with ranch dip

One thing I could NOT do while in the midst of my morning sickness: Diet Coke. Uh-huh - I'm not lying! I couldn't even be around it. The thought of drinking it made me sick, and if we went somewhere where there was soda machines I got lemonade. But I did find that regular Coke didn't nauseate me. Weird. But overall I didn't want soda at all (except the occasional need for root beer).

Now I'm completely over the nausea. It hits every once in a while, but only if I"m super hungry. I have heartburn like crazy but I've become good friends with Zantac and Tums (we're tight). I still eat LOTS of cereal, and I have a weird craving for apples. I'll stop at the grocery store, get all three kids out, and buy just apples. I drink a TON of water and milk. This baby is going to come out mooing or with gills (or both). I'm really tired. I can take a nap during the day and still go to bed at 9pm. I've been getting Braxton-Hicks already, and have been for several weeks. My doctor says it's my body's way of telling me to slow down, but it's really hard to do that when I'm so busy. I can feel the baby move a lot - especially if I'm hungry.

And it's been so fun not knowing the gender! Every once in a while I see a great sale and have a minor regret for not knowing, but it always goes away, and I'm so glad we didn't find out. It brings a new element to being pregnant, and since I've had three kids already, it's been fun to have a new surprise element! Rix swears it's a boy (he is pretty anti-girl right now) and Bryce swears it's a girl. In fact, he is concerned that we don't have any clothes for her. Cole thinks it's a boy named "Girl". I think it's his way of fence-sitting.

Bryce and Rix are very interested in this baby. One if Rix's good friend's mom told me that Rix and her son have full conversations about the baby and when it's going to come and stuff. And Bryce draws lots of pictures of me with a baby in my tummy. And several times a day they want to know how many days until the baby comes. Hopefully this excitement stays around even after the baby comes! We haven't thought of any names or anything, but we have said that we will have a list of names for both genders before we go to the hospital. We'll see if that happens!

This is one of Bryce's pictures of me. Do you see the baby in my tummy? He draws the baby seperate, and then cuts it out and glues it on me.

Here he drew the whole family. The baby is the one on the bottom left.

My sisters and I at Harrison Hot Springs. And finally a "belly" picture! Sort of. My sisters have been very supportive of me during this pregnancy and so excited. I've even heard their ideas for a baby shower. I've only had one baby shower (before Rix was born) but Carissa said in Utah and Ohio people have them for all their kids, because it's important to celebrate the birth of all babies. I'm just glad they are excited for me!

Little Green Men and Other Happenings...

I love to make holidays fun for my kids, even the "little" holidays, like April Fools (next week!!) and St. Patrick's Day! It is such an overlooked holiday, and I can see why, but my kids were so excited about wearing green and everything, that I decided to make it a fun day. Last year I did the same thing, where I made a trail of chocolate coins to a little "treasure" left by the Naughty Leprachaun. And this year I went a little further and made a "green" dinner of noodles with green sauce, chicken (that wasn't, uh, green) and green biscuits. The boys were so excited and still, a week later, talk about the little green man that came to our house! Someday I hope they realize that all of this wonderful stuff was really done by me (not Santa, Easter bunnies, green men, etc.).

The boys following the chocolate coin trail.

Treasure!

Cole showing off his finds. Sugar, sugar, and more sugar.

Rix counting his coins.

Green noodles! They were pretty good - and the best part? What made it green was wilted romaine leaves pureed. Haha! They didn't even know they were eating good stuff!

Rix eating his biscuit. And no, I couldn't make the peaches green.

I had to add this picture. Cole's new "pilot" jacket. It's so cute!

For those following my blog, you know Rix won his classes Science Fair. Here is a picture of him at the district fair, before the judging. He had to present three times to three different judges and he wasn't nervous at all!

Here he is presenting to a judge. We find out the results some time next week.

Oh, and Karen, to answer your question: Mealworms eat pretty much whatever you put in front of them. They really don't care! Oh, and if you click this link, you can read an article about the District Science Fair, and about halfway down the talk about the first grader with the project "A Meal Fit for a Mealworm." That's RIX! He was super excited to see his project in the article!

My First Soccer Game

Besides a few soccer games I watched while I was in high school, I have never really been to a real soccer game. But Bryan's cousin Alan is a referee for professional soccer, and, well, Seattle has an amazing soccer team. The planets aligned and the stars were in correct order or something, and Alan ended up coming here to Seattle to ref the last preseason Seattle Sounders soccer game, and because he's a ref he gets free tickets. Woohoo! Worked out well for us!

Bryan, Lindsay and I met up with Dave in Seattle and we headed to Qwest Field for a great evening of soccer! We ate dinner first at a gyro place (I've never had them before but now I'm a huge fan!) and then found seats at the stadium. Since it was a preseason game it was general admission, but the seats were still great! We actually moved at half time because the kids behind us were super obnoxious (you know the type - they know more about soccer than the professionals playing, blah blah blah). And towards the end it started to downpour, but we were up high enough that the roof covered us. It was fun to watch the Sounders in action. They played great and it was fun to learn more about a sport I don't know much about. Thanks Alan for the tickets! We had a great time!

The Sounders won 3-1. Since they got three points, everyone in the stands could bring their ticket in to Great Clips for a free hair cut. We use our tickets and Lindsay's ticket (what Lindsay? You don't want Great Clips cutting your hair??) to get our three boy's hair cut for FREE - much to the haircutter's disappointment. But I didn't feel to bad. She didn't do that great of a job!

Bryan, Lindsay, and Dave at the game. It was a little chilly, but nothing we couldn't handle!

Bryan and I at the game. I even happen to own a $1 scarf from Old Navy that is the Sounders green. Go me!

My "Under the Pillow" Dress

A few weekends ago my sister-in-law Cindy came to Lakewood to watch my kids while Bryan and I went on vacation to Canada. The night she came, before we all went to bed, she said, "Oh, my mom sent a present for you Celeste! Hope you don't get mad!" (Like I would ever get mad at a present!!) And then she pulled out a little girl's dress! My mother-in-law Karen said that it's so I can put it under my pillow, possibly to send girl vibes to my baby. But since I sleep kinda crazy when I'm pregnant (I just can't get comfy!!) I thought it would be safer elsewhere. And they couldn't resist buying it because it was so cute.

And seriously...it is so cute! And as I was looking at it, I realized that, besides the blessing gown we own, it's the first article of baby girl clothing I have ever had! My sister Kelli bought tons of little girl dresses before she ever even had Aubrey, but I've never done that. If I even look at the cute girl clothes at Old Navy or Target or whatever, Bryan pulls me away and says "We don't have a girl." So true. So stinkin' true. And I would feel guilty and silly buying a cute dress for our "girl we don't have" when Rix needs new jeans (he's growing like a crazy weed) or when Cole needs new socks (he gets more holes than any of my other kids! What's he got for toenails?? Hmmm...).

 So this dress is hanging in the front of my closet, where I can see it when I'm laying in my bed, since I rarely shut my closet. And even though I'm still a fence sitter when it comes to wanting a boy or a girl (really people, I'll be happy either way!) I know that if I have a girl I have at least one outfit she will be adorable in.

The shoes are like flip-flops! So cute, right?

Tubing!!

A couple weekends ago, Bryan and I had the chance to take our kids tubing at Snoqualmie Pass. I went as a chaperone for the Young Women's (since I can't tube the least I could do was be a chaperone!) and since the bishopric had extra tickets we were able to take Bryan and Bryce and Rix. Cole stayed with my mom and dad since we learned at Christmas time that tubing just really isn't his thing yet.

We left early in the morning and had breakfast at the church. Our bishopric made awesome breakfast burritos! It was a great way to start our morning. Then we headed up to the mountain where we spent a good amount of time bundling the kids up in snow bibs, sweatshirts, jackets, scarves, gloves, and hats. It is quite the process! Our session was a two-hour session, which I thought was going to be a short amount of time, but it turned out to be the perfect amount of time. By the end of two hours we were wiped out and hungry!

Rix has a thing for eating snow. He also has a thing for throwing the largest snowballs possible at anyone within throwing distance. Luckily the Young Men and Young Women were tolerant of his incessant snowball throwing, and he only got whitewashed once (although he totally deserved more!).

Bryce's snowballs were much more manageable - thus he did not get whitewashed.

The group!! (Can you spot me? Or Lindsay?) Bryan was our photographer, so don't waste time looking for him!

Bryce went down a few times with Bryan, and then realized he was brave enough to go down all by himself. The tubes were really nice - they had a liner inside that kept you from falling through your tube!

Rix being towed up by the pulley from the bottom of the hill. You could be towed (which was easier but slower) or walk (which was faster but way harder!).

Lindsay being pushed down by Lizzy.

Bryce going down all by himself!

Bryan, Bryce, Rix, and Bishop Bennett covering poor Lizzy in snow. They literally had her covered! Luckily is was a pretty warm day, and by the end of the two hours we had mostly taken off all of our coats and hats.

Rix walked up the entire hill with is tube! It was quite a feat!

Canada + Chicken Pox + Mealworms = Our Life!

Harrison Hot Springs

For the past four years Phase II has taken the employees and subcontractors (and whoever else wants to tag along!) to Harrison Hot Springs, British Columbia. This year we got lucky - well, I should say our boys got lucky - and Cindy came to watch our kids while we left for the weekend. We love (LOVE) going to Harrison every year. It really is a nice, relaxing experience - and one we look forward to every year. We literally go there and do a lot of nothing. There is no agenda and not a lot to do. So, of course, we don't feel guilty sleeping in, soaking in the hot springs (well, I didn't do a lot of soaking, but Bryan made up for that), doing a little bit of shopping in the small town, taking a nap, or reading a book (I read a whole book while we were there!).

This year was fun for us because Kelli and Jeremiah went with us, and so did Kory and Ana Lee and Carissa and Adam. It was like a little family reunion! We went to dinner the first night at the pub, which is a tradition, but I think next year we are going to branch out and try somewhere that has better food. I did go in the hot springs a little bit (don't tell my doctor!). It was so freaking cold! It has never been that cold before and my plan to just dip my feet in went out the window! The freezing temperatures cooled the water just enough that I was able to go in without feeling like I was cooking the baby :) We also went to the annual company dinner, where we all get together and have a fancy dinner at the Copper Room. The food was excellent, and we had a great time.

When we got home, we took Dave, Lindsay and Cindy to dinner for helping us out (sorry guys for the terrible service at Wingers!) and so that we could spend time with Cindy before she left. We also handed out the Canadian candy and chocolate we had bought for our kids. Seriously, I would move to Canada simply for their chocolate. It puts American chocolate to shame!! And my kids still ask when Cindy is coming back, because they don't understand distances that well (at least Cole and Bryce don't) and they think she is hiding out at Dave and Lindsay's house, not all the way in Utah!

At the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory in Harrison. It all looked sooo good!

We played lots of card games with my family. It's one of my favorite activities to do there, because at home I never get to play games because I have three rascals to deal with.

Bryan preferred to soak in the hot springs, but came by during game time to say hi. Isn't he just so stinking adorable in his robe?

My dad, Jeremiah, Adam, and I (I was brave) played Hearts together. My dad found great joy in beating Adam, or maybe he found great joy in Adam's reaction.

After the dress-up dinner in the Copper Room. Ugh - I look so pregnant!

Proof I was in the hot springs.

You can see Harrison Lake in the background, and all the mountains. It really is a beautiful place (and hopefully next year there will be NO snow or freezing wind!!).

Bryce got chicken pox (really, people still get it these days)

The day after Cindy left was Monday, and it sure was hard getting back into a routine! But I got up early and helped Bryce and Cole get ready to go to the office and got Rix going for school. As I was helping Bryce, I noticed his "bumps" looked weird. He has xanthogranuloma, which is a fancy word for "he has small brownish bumps pretty much all over his body that are slowly fading and will eventually go away". He complained that a couple of them itched, and I didn't think much of it, except that I was going to call his dermatologist and have the bumps checked out. Then a thought came to my head. Could they be chicken pox? Bryce has had the vaccine (we are all about vaccinations) and so I didn't think he could get them, but I called his pediatrician's office and they said that even with the vaccine, he could get what they call a "chicken pox rash", where the bumps still appear and may be mildly itchy, but not nearly as bad and usually no fever. I took him to school to have Mom (aka Dr Lynda) check it out, and she thought they looked like chicken pox too. What?? People still get chicken pox? It almost seems unheard of. I don't know any kids around me who have had them, but if someone is going to get sick around here, it's Bryce.

It was hard to tell that he had chicken pox because they appeared where his bumps already were, and maybe other places, but I've seen Bryce's bumps for so long that it's hard for me to tell where they are or how many he has because I sort of just overlook them now. But he's over the chicken pox now and back to school after missing a week. He sure missed being in school!

What's funny abou these pictures is that I clearly remember my mom making me take pictures like these when I had chicken pox and I was so embarrassed by them. And now look at me. I've turned into my mother :)

I refuse to have a pet dog, but sure, bring some mealworms home!

At Rix's school, first through fifth graders are required to do a science project. Rix came home with a list of ideas from his teacher, ranging from experimenting on plants to figuring out how fast mold grows. I read him all the options, purposely leaving out any experiments that involved bugs. However, Rix can read. Very well. He declared his experiment would be to see what food mealworms preferred to eat. (Really? Sigh.) He wrote it down and brought it to his teacher, who promptly sent him home with a vial of nasty, squirming mealworms. (They had just finished a science lesson on mealworms, so she sent home the extras. Thanks. A ton.).

We put them in the container with apples, carrots, and potatoes, and....they just sat there. They didn't move. Or eat. Or squirm anymore. But they were still nasty. I called his teacher and stated that I must have somehow killed the mealworms. She asked - Are they moving? No. Are they black? Um, no. Oh don't worry, she reassured me, they are pupating, which means they are turning into beetles. WHAT?1? Get these out of my house!! We threw them away and Bryan had the luxury of buying more mealworms at the pet store, where luckily they can only be bought in increments of FIFTY. We only wanted like ten. See how this all keeps getting better? Oh, and did I mention that Cole, while throwing a fit one day, kicked over the mealworm container all over my living room? It was gross. Even Bryan wasn't super excited about that.

In the end, the experiment (along with his verbal presentation in front of his class and some judges) won Rix his class's science fair, and he is on his way to districts. Does this mean we'll have to get more mealworms to go with his presentation??

Gross.

In their container. This is the first set of mealworms. The next batch - imagine like triple the amount of mealworms.

Rix and his "pets".