Life Lately (March, April, May)

I woke up at 7 am this morning. Not super early, but definitely earlier than I wanted for a lazy Saturday. I tried to convince my body to fall back asleep, but my mind refused, so I reluctantly shuffled downstairs. 

Now it is 8:50 and my family is STILL ASLEEP! I'm in shock...but I am also not mad about it. My morning has been so productive: perusing recipes for the next few days, reading my scriptures, flipping through social media, tidying up the living room and putting away dishes in the kitchen. With my family still snoozing away, I had a grand idea: I should probably catch up on some blogging!

And when I say "Catch Up" I really mean..... "Wow! I have been absolutely TERRIBLE at writing lately!" I haven't posted about trips. I haven't written updates on my pregnancy. I've just gone MIA in the blogging world, and I feel pretty terrible about it. There was a time at the beginning of this blog where I was posting weekly, even if the week's events didn't seem especially exciting or entertaining. I need to go back to doing that.

So here are a few "quick" snippets of our lives lately:

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Eating our way through Disneyland

We went to California with our friends, Rachel and Shawn. The highlight of the trip was our day at Disneyland. My mom offered to watch Grace for the day, so we were able to do an all-adults trip to the Magic Kingdom. Honestly, going to Disney in a "grown-up" group is such a different experience. We definitely had our priorities clear: eat everything!

And eat we did! We tried bacon mac-and-cheese at the Cozy Cone, lemon soft serve at the Adorable Snowman's Frosted Treats, and BBQ chicken skewers at Bengal Barbecue.  We munched on cookies and churros. The boys sipped colorful slushy drinks. We ate soup from bread bowls for lunch and finished the day off with a corn dog late-night snack. It was gluttony at its finest. 

I would say it was one of the best days at Disney I've ever experienced, but the tides turned when we made the unfortunate decision to ride Splash Mountain. WARNING: do NOT go on this ride with a full boat of adults. Andrew and I were in the front, and at the end of the ride we emerged soaked to the bone. Since the sun was already starting to set, we knew we were doomed to have wet, soggy clothes for the remainder of the day. It was a sad realization, so we searched around the park for some suitable sweats to buy and change into. And that is how Disney ate up even MORE of our hard-earned cash. 

​But all-in-all, it was a pretty wonderful trip with our great friends. 

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Pregnancy Updates

To be honest, I am not a fan of being pregnant. With both pregnancies, I have felt nauseous (PS: that is like the HARDEST word to spell!). I am 23 weeks pregnant now, and I am pretty sure this is to be the LONGEST pregnancy in the history of the world. I kid you not when I say that I was 21 weeks pregnant for at least a month! 

My long days are accented with Grace crawling around the house and getting very upset when I tell her, "No, you cannot play with the dirty shoes." Then I sit on the floor to pet the dog and play with my daughter until my hips and lower back suddenly send stabbing signals to me that I am not as young as I used to be (yes, I also know that I'm not super old either) and that I am indeed growing another human inside of me. 

But it's not all woes. I have started to feel my little one moving inside me, and that is my favorite part of being pregnant. Also, in case you haven't heard, we officially found out the gender: we are having a GIRL! I am so excited to be a mommy of two beautiful girls. And the anatomy ultrasound told us that everything is looking good so far; Baby Girl #2 is growing healthy and strong.

And in the midst of all the tough things about pregnancy, I am also so eternally grateful that I am able to bear children. I know many couples struggling with infertility or trying to navigate through the world of adoption. I truly have been so blessed and have much to be grateful for, especially as we celebrate Mother's Day tomorrow. 

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Easter Vacation

Alright, I'll end with a little snapshot of my time in California for Easter. Andrew, Grace, and I loved spending so much time with family.

We went to be beach and introduced Grace to sand. FYI: she was NOT a fan, but slowly Grammy helped her get used to it. Then we'd laugh as we watched Grace pick up the sand daintily with her two pincer fingers and slowly drop it over her foot. 

We celebrated our sister-in-law's birthday with dinner and an Angel's game.  This outing included the rental of a 15-passenger van so that the whole family could travel together. 

We visited the La Brea Tar Pits dinosaur museum, swam in my parent's pool at night, and even made time for a Disneyland day. 

​But our favorite things to see during the trip were the sweet interactions between Grace and her cousins. Her older cousin, Cassidy, is pretty obsessed with our Gracie-girl. It is the cutest thing to see! And then Grace's younger cousins, Jepson and Taj, successfully taught her how to crawl. Yup, we sure are blessed with great family. 

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