A Little Update

General Conference is coming up.  It always seems to come at the time it's needed doesn't it.  Steve's parents have started a tradition a few years ago that whoever reads/listens to the Conference talks most recently given before the next Conference gets taken out for a nice dinner afterwards.  Well of course we're all motivated to do it. :)  I love doing it anyway, but it's nice to have an external challenge as well to remind me.  I find it amazing how much it seems I have missed the first time listening to it...or maybe it's just the Spirit teaching me what I need to know at that time in my life and I need a different kick in the pants the next time around.  Regardless - it's never a bad thing to revisit Conference talks - since it's really living scripture isn't it?  
Steve has been plowing away at school and trying to keep up maintaining his beach bod at the same time.  He got another calling in addition to his teaching Elder's Quorum.  He gets to be a ward missionary which he is pretty excited about.  Steve was a pretty amazing missionary in Mexico and brought back so many wonderful missionary qualities and skills with him that he integrated into his own life.  Since moving here to Oregon he's had a lot of opportunities to teach his classmates about our Church and sharpen his member missionary skills a little more.  I have too - I'm not trying to skimp out here or anything - but Steve seems to get asked more outright about our beliefs.  It's great.  
Lately I feel I've plateaued a bit and am looking forward to a kick in the pants...and I've already been getting one reviewing last Conference's talks.  I'm pretty sure I need to have a nice supply of endurance and motivation stored up for when this baby comes and my orderly world comes crashing down again - and Conference is going to be a much needed resource.
Ross and I have been busy keeping up the house - he still helps me empty the dishwasher daily - he's so happy doing it.  I suppose it's motivation for me to keep the kitchen clean. :)  He gives directions where to vacuum, tells me when it's time to go outside, turn on some music and have a dance party, or have a snack.  He loves reading his books more and more and his obsession with tractors is only deepening.  I have become more and more educated on all the different kinds of trucks and tractors there are in the world thanks to Ross.  The library books we get are great resources for him to teach me from.  

Enjoying a booster seat while watching the BYU game...let's not talk about how they've been doing lately...it's too much of an emotional roller coaster.

Look how Ross is so pleased with himself sitting there.

Ross washing dishes...I was in charge of drying - the lame job. ;)

I peeked in on Ross while he was hanging out in his room...I love finding him doing this.

Even though he trashed his room first.

Some serious reading with dad.

One of Ross's latest developments are the ways he throws a tantrum or wants me to know he's upset with me.  He runs around in a little circle about three times with his arms raised as high as they can go while he yells "no no no no no!" and then plops on his bum, smacks those hands on the ground calling out a few cries, and then lays fully on the ground.  It is just about the most hilarious thing I have ever seen.  I wish I could get it on video.  It's a beaut.  
Ross has also learned the word "happy" and LOVES saying it.  He always stops on the pages of his books that say it, and is very unsatisfied with the other emotions that aren't "happy."  He even likes to do a "happy dance" if I tell him to and he's in the mood. :)  Oh we love that little boy - he is a complete hoot.  He's trying more to repeat words when we tell them to him now which is a lot of fun, and he understands SO much...I just wish he understood that you don't run away from mom when you're outside...the more pregnant I get - the more those little leashes don't sound so crazy to me.  He's getting much faster - more of a trot than fast walking now.  
Ross has two molars on the right side of his mouth and is finally starting to get them on the other side...though he hasn't been too happy about it lately.  He gives the best hugs and kisses, and loves to share his toys for the most part. 

After the Hobbit movie trailer came out...Steve went on a Lord of the Rings binge.  We watched the last two movies and then he bought the video game...Ross is completely fascinated.  Don't worry - being gamers all the time is not in their future - not while mom's around.

What is it with Ross and boxes? :)  He was SO happy being pushed all around the house in this.  Too bad the "engine" wears out so quickly.

I don't think I've mentioned this - but I learned to can this summer from my good friend, Kim.  White peaches may just be my downfall.  That is my ultimate favorite fruit that I could never EVER get sick of.  They are just going out of season now, and Kim convinced me to try canning them so I can enjoy them all year round. :)  It sure takes a while, but it's going to be so worth it in the end!  I just got some material to make our little girl's blessing dress - wish me luck...I'm a mediocre sewer at best - so I'm pretty sure this is going to take me a long time.  I've also become obsessed with finding a Phil and Teds double inline stroller as of late thanks to my other friend, Amy.  That girl can sell you on ANYTHING I tell you.  She should get paid for promoting products, because I feel like my life can never be the same again until I have whatever it is she told me about...and this stroller has been even in my dreams!  Unfortunately they cost an arm and a leg, so I've been scouring over craigslist hunting for one.  
We put up our Halloween decorations and I'm getting excited for the holidays again.  It's still VERY sunny - I forgot what it's like to have continuous rain, but it's starting to gradually cool down.  I wonder what this winter will be like.  Well this post has been a bit of a random update, but I felt like I needed to document something. :)  On life goes - and here fall comes!     

So...Steve planted tomatoes.  We got a grand total of three from the two plants we had.  Steve picked one...and Ross found it.  I mentioned on facebook that we had lost a third of our crop due to Ross's mass destruction.  One morning we walked out and found the tomato plant fairy had come!!  I still don't know who did it, but we laughed for a good 15 minutes about it. :)  HILARIOUS

 

An Unsettled Book Lover in Search For His Cozy Book Nook

Ross is definitely my son.  When he gets in the book mode - it's a bit of a binge.  He likes to look at his books - lots of different books - and also likes to bring me books to read to him (which I have to be really fast at before he turns the page) while he's in his craze.  I LOVE that he likes books - trucks and tractors are his absolute favorite, but he also loves a good nursery rhyme or The Very Hungry Caterpillar too.
I was doing dishes after dinner and Ross was a bit quiet - which is always cause for concern in a mother of a toddler when it gets too quiet in the house.  I peeked and saw Ross having a good look at the book The Cat in the Hat.  I, of course, got the camera out just in time for him to move out of the way.  I quietly followed him around only to find that he just couldn't find a comfy spot to read his book.  This is how it went...

Looking for the spot

A nice my-size blue chair seems about right...

But maybe not...

Saying hello to the camera...

 

Back to the chair

But the floor looked a bit more comfy

Nope - don't think so.

Maybe against the entertainment center?  He's really thinkin' this one out.

Nope - there just isn't a perfect spot yet to curl up with the book

And one more cute tongue face for the camera.

   Here's the live version of the search for the cozy book nook.

Hanging Out and the Chalk Festival

So we totally love this kid - just had to say that. :)

So, in my goal to be more healthy this pregnancy around, I've gotten into a reasonable habit of exercising.  My good friend Kim and I agreed to do a babysitting swap twice a week so we can go to the gym.  We've done it 3 times so far, and I must say it keeps me in line to exercise at least that much since the promise of babysitting is kept - there's no getting out of it!  I laugh at myself waddling (yes I'm already starting to do that) into the gym with my not-so-small belly now (seriously - I am showing WAY more than I did initially with Ross).  There are a few strangers I see all the time at the gym...well should I call them strangers still since I recognize them and exercise right next to them at least once or twice a week?  Maybe acquaingers - because we're acquainted in our similar exercise choices, but still sort of strangers since we don't talk - just silently and almost awkwardly work out next to each other.  Anyway - tangent.  I wonder if some of these "acquaingers" think to themselves, "lady - you got to lay off those oreos and shakes, because no matter how much you exercise, you're just getting fatter every time you show up here."  I think I've surpassed the chubby stage of pregnancy though and have been graduating to the basketball territory as of late.  I usually never wear my wedding ring to the gym, because - eww - sweaty hands wearing a ring?  But now, I don't want people to think I'm an unwed pregnant mother so I've tried to remember to wear it more often - but it's - eww - sweaty ring wearing hand.  Oh well.  What we do in fear of others' judgments.  
Okay - back to the babysitting swap to exercise story.  Ross is forming new friends lately which is good for him.  Wesley is about three months younger than him, but he is a little busy body.  He and Ross started walking about the same time to give you a picture.  Sometimes they play together, and a lot of times they try to take each others' toys, but they mostly bond while snacking on cheerios and goldfish.  They also share a mutual enjoyment of running through bubbles and dance parties (we have those sometimes...and sometimes we do them all together).  

Some quality playing.  Ross kept poking Wesley on his shirt and shouting "tra tru"!  He was super excited that he had firetrucks all over his shirt.

My picture taking session was short lived - Ross was done.

Today Steve was trying to study like a....well my mind went blank - so you can fill in that line.  He was studying really hard - we'll leave it at that.  Ross helped me make some waffles for breakfast (aka dump spoonfuls of batter all over the counter), scrub some dishes (aka play with bubbles and splash the dishwater all over the counter - but this helped to clean up the batter so we're good there), sweep (I had to keep reminding him not to touch my dirt pile and try to pick up old cheerios in it), mop (in which he slipped twice and was banned from the kitchen for his protection), and vacuum (he gets really excited following it around and running away from it - we tried to use the hose to suck his shirt up for fun...but he didn't think it was very fun).  We had a very busy morning needless to say.  

Drink break conversation.

Ross needed some help with his homework.

And Daddy was happy to oblige.

Didn't you know that green crayon is a vegetable?  Delish.

Yes - as a matter of fact - I do kiss this face every few minutes.  It's my right as a mother.  And it keeps me sane. :)

I love a good laughing face. :)

For a break tonight we decided to walk to the city center and check out all the sidewalk chalk art that everyone in the community did today.  It's an annual thing, and I totally forgot about this morning in our cleaning craze.  So we found some pretty fun pieces and then had dinner at Connie's Corner Cafe which is a cute little 50's restaurant.  It was a nice break for all of us, and the weather was perfect for walking.  Oh how I love Oregon - so many fun things everywhere. :)

I was amazed at how GOOD some of these chalk squares were!  But we live in Oregon - the artsiest fartsiest state ever.

It went all day - the guy at the top was still working on his piece!

Some friends' chalk squares.  Awesome!

This raining umbrella one was amazing!  It's all done with chalk, but it seriously looked like paint!

I absolutely LOVE that someone did Ezma from The Emperor's New Groove

And this boy is just cute...those little chubby hands are too adorable!

Another view for your viewing pleasure. :)

    

Swifts at Chapman Elementary

So I am continually in awe of all the interesting little cultural events we keep finding ourselves in.  Some friends informed us of this old little elementary school in Portland that has this large chimney where Vaux Swift birds come to roost during the month of September during the big migration for the season.  Yeah, yeah - birds staying in chimneys - what's the big deal with that?  Well - the fact that there are literally thousands of them swarming around in the air and then dive bombing into the chimney like a huge whirlwind tornado is actually pretty incredible to watch.  

In awe...

Chapman Elementary - the bird's hotel.  Please note Stephen and Ross on the left...this is how most of the event went down for them.

 

The whirlwind tornado!

The elementary school has been here since 1923 and I guess when the bird situation started happening in the 1980's, the staff let the students vote on whether to start up the heating system in the school - thus getting rid of all the birds, or to keep the heating off and the kids would all wear their coats during class.  They voted every year to keep the heating off!  Eventually they raised enough money to put in a different heating system and keep the chimney there solely for the birds.  Crazy!

People all come gather on a big hill and field with picnic dinners and cardboard for the kids to slide down the hill on while they wait for the birds to settle in for the night.  There are usually some hawks and falcons that wait for these little Swifts to come and they do some dinner hunting themselves.  There's lots of cheering, oohing and awing during the whole thing.  Oregon is just full of little treasures.

Ross was pretty much just interested in running away and would glance up at the birds every once in a while, but we were quite entertained anyway.  

Capturing the runaway

An attempted escape foiled again...

And again...

Mom had a few turns bringing him back too.

Free at last

He finally decided if he sat in the dirt - he'd sit for a little while...what a boy!

A Few Adorable Videos

Cheering Daddy On

Where is it?

The Stair Game

Evening Things Up

Well things have gotten back to full swing this last week with Steve starting up school again.  Ross only has devastating meltdowns when Steve leaves (where Ross runs to the little window where he can watch Daddy drive away and cry his little eyes out) and then whimpers every once in a while when he passes the window again, calling out for Daddy.  What is it with this boy and his dad?  I don't know - but I absolutely LOVE that he adores him so much.  Since Ross is with me all day long I think he's decided that I can comfort him a little more when he's sad, and sometimes I'm fun. :)  I will say Ross is WAY more fun with all the new words he's learning and understanding, and his clowning around has me laughing ALL the time.  Nap time is still one of my favorite times of the day, but the rest of it is pretty darn great too.
Steve and I went for our ultrasound for the baby.  We went in with Steve still thinking we were having a girl, and me guessing it would be another boy since I had no inclination whatsoever.  I'm used to boys already so I figured it would be the same.  We got to the part to see and....

Cutest thing ever!

A Girl!

Can't wait to kiss that little face :)

Well Steve is still bragging that he's two for two in guessing the gender, because we definitely have a little girl on our hands!  She was a total stinker too!  She wouldn't hold still hardly at all, and then when she would it was in a very inconvenient position for the things that needed to be looked at.  I had to roll on my sides a few times, cough, stand up and walk around, touch my toes, and get my belly poked over and over.  
I have to admit I was just a little surprised to see that she was going to be a girl - not that I had any feeling or anything, but it will be interesting to see how we take care of girls in this family.  Steve is going to be wrapped around her little finger I think - and he doesn't even know it yet.  It's going to be pretty fun having another girl around!  I already have visions of ruffle bum tights and skirts, hair bows and headbands, pink, pink, pink - oh I can't wait!  


We still have been talking names - but the ones we are adoring right now are:

• Hazel - after Steve's grandmother on his dad's side (we would call her Hazey), 
• Hanna - after my grandmother on my mom's side (she's Swiss if you didn't know ;) and I really would want it pronounced the Swiss way - "Hawnna", 
• Maren - after a best friend of ours who is AMAZING and Steve and I both love the name, 
• Grace - call her Gracie - I've always loved the name and what it means.  

I've been feeling this little girl kicking around more which is pretty much my favorite thing EVER about being pregnant.  Steve has even felt her kick which is also super fun for me.  She looked healthy from what we could get out of the ultrasound technician.  I forgot to have her tell me the approximate weight and actual due date - I suppose I'll have to get it from my doctor.
We are just tickled pink to have her come.  I've been feeling much better with some more energy lately and a belly that's definitely getting larger - hello pregnancy pants my old friend.  I LOVE pregnancy pants - they are the most comfortable things ever and I was sad to see them go after Ross was born - though not so sad to not be a whale anymore.  

Steve has been doing well getting back to being adjusted in the school mode - though he's been loaded up with about 20 fifty page articles he has to read all time - blah.  I was so excited he was back into reading during the summer.  I have a feeling he won't be doing any entertainment reading for a long time in the future. 

2nd First Day of School for the PT Program! 

LOVE these boys. :)

 We went to his back to school picnic to get to know some more of the new first years.  There are tons of girls in his program and most all of them are fitness freaks (said in the nicest way).  They all oogled over Ross who was happy to charm them from a distance and I met a few more of Steve's classmates which was fun.  I can't believe we in his second year now - almost halfway through!  Steve misses us while he's gone and is sorely missed at home too.  I LOVED having him home - even though I'm way more productive with him gone.  It's just not as fun. :)

Ross is experimenting with running (heaven help me) and does this adorable trot sort of thing and his cute cheeks and belly bounce whenever he does it.  He LOVES digging and playing with any kind of tractor or shovel.  Sometimes he shares with others - but it's a bit harder for him when it comes to snacks. :)  He says "head, nose, eyes, mouth, moon, Jesus, car, Grampa, cracker "cacka", all done, and lots more now.  Throwing food onto the floor is another way he likes to say he's all done - which drives me insane!  He loves to play with my hair now and play peek-a-boo behind me.  The Itsy Bitsy Spider is his favorite song - especially the part when the rain washes the spider out - it's his favorite action.  He likes to do all the actions with you.  He also loves the Monkey teasing the Alligator song - mostly when Steve does it.  He learned it in nursery - have I mentioned Ross goes to nursery this month?  Steve is taking him to get used to it - we're stoked!  Ross also likes to bring us our shoes when he wants to go outside and is not satisfied until we put them on.  He gives GREAT hugs and kisses and snuggles a little more now which makes being his parent that much easier. :)

I have been trying to keep up exercising so I can have a nice healthy labor, recovery, and baby.  It's still so strange to me doing this all over again...somehow I think in my limited experience I just assumed it would feel like a one time thing - but we're moving right along.  Ross and I went and picked out some material to make for the new baby sister coming.  Ross was very particular.  He's push away all the pink stuff I showed him, and ended up picking a girly - but not too girly - print that I think is adorable.  He would snuggle the material after we got it.  LOVE it. 

Putting the blanket together - Ross is telling me how to do my job better...cute material huh!

Or just really fascinated with the sewing machine. :)

I've been meeting some more moms with babies around Ross's age.  I think it will be a fun year.

We went to Oswald Beach again for Labor Day.  It was a bit chillier, and my camera had died - so no pictures - blah.  But we had fun playing in the sand, investigating rocks, and braving the cold water every once in a while.  I LOVE being by the beach - even if it's an hour and a half away.  At least we can go if we want!  

That sums up what we've been up to lately.  Fall is starting to show it's signs - which is a lot earlier than last year.  I LOVE fall in Oregon - the colors get so varied - it's breathtaking.  And football has started!  We watched the BYU game and Steve was glued to the TV pretty much all day Saturday while I kept reminding him to do the chores we had - most of which revolved around the TV area so he could keep checking scores and watching when he could.  Boys.

Anyway - life is great and we're so blessed to be here still and moving onward with life!