Pregnancy 101

Pardon my hiatus... I've been feeling a little under the weather... Not so much so, however, that I wasn't able to contemplate how each of my pregnancies has been very different. This one the most so. I thought I would, just for giggles, document a few of the similarities... For posterity and such...

I know I am pregnant when....

I cry. At movie previews. During commercials involving kittens, puppies, babies, fudge... Anything, really. At how cute my girls are. At how dirty my floor is. I'm a sap. Its annoying...

My face looks like a 13 year old boy in a bout of hormonal development. It is not pretty.

I forget EVERYTHING. My children's names. What day it is. My pants.

No lie.

My house is a disaster. And I don't care. Anyone who knows me knows how big of a deal this is.

Fast food and I are B.F.F.'s. I feel to yucky to cook, and nothing at the house sounds nearly as good as a hamburger. Sorry family!!

I want to vomit. All day.

And despite all of this, the thing I mostly feel is ELATED! All the time. I cannot believe I have been blessed enough to conceive and create another miracle with my hubby. I cannot wait to meet him/her. I cannot wait to hold them and welcome them to our family. I feel blessed. I'll take to mood swings, the acne, the dirty floors and the weird looks as I walk outside in my undies any day for this and all of my babies.

And that my friends, is how I know I'm pregnant...

Now I need help naming this baby!! Any suggestions?!?

My silly 4 year old...

I have been wanting to document the things that Bailey says for quite some time now... It wasn't until recently I was able to do it. In honor of my Bai and her 4th birthday, here it is...Enjoy friends. My kid is a hoot!!

Andi comes to our house regularly to visit and play with the girls. Her car was hit a few weeks ago in front of our house. After assessing the damage, Bailey had 100 questions. Andi explained that someone had hit her car and then driven away. Bailey gasped, looked and Andi and said "That is not ok. He should've said excuse me!!"

Bailey: MORGAN!!

Morgan: Wut?

Bailey: I love you!!

Morgan: I wuv you too!

I was rocking out to Jojo in the car a few weeks back... As I was singing, I busted out a really high note. I was pleased with myself, until I looked in the back and saw Bailey covering her ears. She then told me to STOP singing because it hurt her ears! Awesome...

My parents have been the (not so) proud owners of a black cat named "kitten" for many years. He has never been a friendly animal, and to make matters worse, he was attacked by dogs when I was in high school... This attack added psychosis to his already long list of ailments... All this being said-- this is a conversation I had with Bailey about "kitten."

Bai: Mom, Raiden's tail is short.

Me: Yes it is Bai.

Bai: Kitten's tail is longer.

Me: That's right Bai.

Bai: (thoughtful pause) Maybe that's why Kitten is so fussy.

The other day while cleaning the house Bailey told me I was the best mom in the sea! A few days later she told me I was her best friend in the sea.

While riding her bicycle, Bailey's foot slipped off the pedal and she sliced her little toe. She bled quite a bit and got a little nervous about the amount of blood she was losing. Bailey talks a lot when processing emotions and situations, so she began a dialogue about what would and would not make her "blood" go away. We discussed band-aids, tissues, baths, cotton balls, towels and even the blood clotting process. After a few minutes, Bailey looked at me and said "Mommy, do you know what will make my blood go away? Candy!!" Smart kid....

Bailey: Mom! You look stenny!

Me: Thank you. You look stunning too.

Bailey: Uhh mom... it's stenny....

Bai is IN LOVE with trains. We just had her 4th birthday party and it was a Thomas themed event. (No, I do not have pictures of it... *sob*) Anyhoo- we live near a train track, and almost every time we pass it, a train is there. Bailey loves talking about each one and even wants to know what each trains name is. On her birthday, Bailey saw three trains. One I named Pacer, the other Casey, and the third Beanie. A few minutes later, we arrived at Brock's office so we could go get lunch together. Bailey was so excited about the trains, she couldn't wait to tell her daddy all about them... and the names we had chosen... Beanie, Casey and Pisser....

I love my little girl more then anything. Bailey, you are a delight and you keep me on my toes. I hope you had an awesome 4th birthday and know how much we love you!!

I know where she gets it....

When I was a little girl, there were 4 things I DID NOT leave my house without.

1- My pinafore dress. 2- Frilly and I mean FRILLY socks. 3- Patent leather shoes. 4- My AWESOME Las Vegas Belt.

I am sure I drove my mama batty with my unwillingness to deter from said ensemble... I had my style preferences then. They were ingrained. They were particular. They were embedded in my DNA. And this, my friends, is what happens when style is genetically transferred from mother to daughter....

Oh yeah... Be jealous...

Mo has her own "Las Vegas" belt. She wears it everywhere. Yes, even in the shower...

I love seeing a little piece of me wandering happily and confidently around the world. It makes me happy. It makes me proud. It makes me the luckiest mama in the world.

Summer Time

I have fallen way behind this summer. There has been so much going on, I haven't had time to update. Here is a little insight into the last few weeks... I'll update more later...

So far our summer has consisted of...

Morgan falling asleep at 12:45. Church starts at 1. Nice...

At least Bai and daddy have been able to go!

Had a graduation party for Brock. Bai and Logan had a slumber party the night before. Too cute!!
Had family over for BBQ's. Two of my favorite men.

Got a new kiddie pool. The girls are in love with it. We swim in it all the time.

Morgan has spent a lot of time experimenting and discovering. Here, oven mitts are used as footwear...

We have had a busy and adventurous summer so far. I think being too busy is a great reason for nonexistent updates. Wouldn't have it any other way! Until then... happy summer everyone!!

Gotta Tri

My mom and I did the Memorial Herman Triathlon last weekend. It was a lot of fun and something I would definitely do again. I underestimated the bike ride... and the need to eat... but other then that, it was a blast!! Crossing the finish line. 300 meter swim, 10 mile bike and 3 mile run.

Taking a breather before the run. Love how the camera adds 10 (thousand) pounds...

It was exausting, but worth it. There is another one in October... Anyone care to join me?!?

Brocks Graduation Trip!

It feels good to say we are done!! Brock got his Masters of Civil Engineering on June 11th! He graduated from Norwich University in Vermont, so we decided to go watch him walk and then visit the surrounding states. We stayed 2 nights in Vermont, 2 in Boothbay, Maine and one in Boston. It was an amazing trip! Congrats again to my babe!! So proud of you Brock!! Mom and Dad and the graduate.

Shepards.

Yea!! So excited to be done!!

My camera is JUNK, so this is the only shot that (kind of) shows him walking. And no, its not even across the stage... Ugh...

Before the graduates came in.

This is what we looked at the entire vacation. Gorgeous area!! This is in Vermont.

Bailey and Grandma on a neat bridge we passed.

Loved the sign on it!

Awesome bridge.

Mo and Grandpa walking around campus.

I promise we had a good time. I didn't get ANY good pictures...

Daddy and Mo.

Before the girls and I headed up, Brock went up to Vermont for a week. While he was gone, the girls and I got into a lot of trouble. This is Morgan with her spectacles.

We got to watch baby Evan! Love this little man!!

Ate out a lot while daddy was gone... Whataburger was our favorite!

These are just a few of the pictures. I will post more when I get a second. I am exhausted from the trip!! We had a great time and are SO glad to be done with school! Well, at least until I start my classes... :)

Mommy & Daughter Date!!

Bailey is one of my favorite people in the world. She is hilarious, kind and brilliant. Morgan has been sick lately (and is still a little young to enjoy mommy/daughter dates) so Bailey and I went to see Shrek 4. I love being able to spend one on one time with her. I am amazed by how much she knows and how willing she is to share her stories and time with me. Thank you for an awesome day Bai!! I love you!!! Before we left.

All the candy we snuck in. Saved me a bundle!!! :)

Right before it started. She loves popcorn!! Just like her grandma!!

Can't wait until Morgan can join us!! I love mommy& daughter dates!!!

10 Year Reunion

It's official. I'm old. I went to my 10 year High School reunion. It was fun. And weird... LOVED visiting with friends I hadn't been able to see in years!! Me, Rachael, Kristen, Jill and Melissa.

Me and my sexy hubby.

While the evening was fun, and positive, and I really enjoyed seeing old friends... I am left feeling mostly... OLD!! I need a nap... :)

Lone Star 5k

So my best friend (since 3rd grade )Kristen decided she wanted to start running. Since I was a newly independent runner, I jumped at the chance to have a running buddy again! She had never run before, but took to it and was, quite frankly, amazing at it. Our first 5k together was the UT Lone Star Stampede. It was a ton of fun and she rocked!! We did it in 33 minutes! Super proud of us!!


She is on the left. (#51) I say this because the next picture is PRICELESS!! Her super cute hubby was our cameraman. We wanted to document not only our success, but our attendance...

This is the money shot!! Kristen, I am so glad I got and still get to run with you! I'm glad you are still in my life! You on for a run Monday?!?! :)

Life with my girls...

My girls are growing up. Too quickly, for my taste... Wanted to document some of our recent activities... Morgan loves her big sister and wants to do EVERYTHING she does. She can't reach the pedals, but she has to ride bicycles with her sister.

Bailey on her bicycle.


Mo eating some pizza.

Sporting daddy's hat.

This is the bag that contained all the hair styling equipment we got Mo for Easter. She now uses the bag as a hat... Or a purse... But mostly a hat.

She loves that thing... And yes, that is a fox bum in the corner of the picture....

Walked in to see Bailey gently holding her little sister. So cute!!

Apparently it got old quickly. I came back into the room to find this...

As stated previously, Morgan likes to do everything Bailey does... So Morgan loves to color. Unfortunately, she likes to color her legs... Nice.

Morgan's new game. Peek -a -boo with the shower curtain...

There she is!!

Life with my girls is busy, hectic and amazing. Wouldn't change a thing... Well, I would like a little more sleep...

Taking Appointments....

Not to take away from my super awesome Easter post... but this video was too cute to leave out. Morgan is currently taking clients. Perm anyone?!?! Happy Easter!

Easter 'Egg'stravaganza!

I know, I know... The pictures are backwards.... Ugh...

Easter was amazing this year. Our first Easter celebration was on Saturday with Brock's parents. We ate pizza, got loads of goodies, hunted for and then decorated eggs. It was a lot of fun and the girls really enjoyed spending time with their grandparents and cousins. We spent Sunday at my parents house with the whole gang. We watched Conference, ate good food, and hunted for eggs and Easter baskets. Spending time with family has always meant a lot to me. It was great being able to see our families and celebrate Easter. Brock and I were able to go to the temple with Nathan on Friday. The entire weekend enabled me to reflect on what is really important. I am grateful for our Savior and the atonement. I am grateful to be a member of the church. I know that the Savior lives and loves us. I love Conference and am so glad I got to hear from and be inspired by our Prophet. It was a great weekend. Here are a few pics... Morgan loves to play with my make-up, blow dryer, brushes etc... We got her a set of her own. She is in heaven... And so am I!

Bailey with her train set. She is totally into Thomas right now...

Kiddos after the egg hunt. Love this picture!

Morgan hunting eggs at Grandma's house.

She was really into it... and actually really good...

Bailey.

Good times.

Morgan at Grandma Shepard's house.

The boys.

All the Easter goodies.

They were excited. Can ya tell?

Mo.

I am admittedly not the best photographer. I got some super awesome butt shots, though...

Cute girl.

Before the egg hunt.

We had an awesome weekend. Going to the temple was a peaceful, much needed break from the loud, crazy world, Conference was amazing, and spending time with our families was perfect. Happy Easter everyone!!