A Memorable Memorial Day!

We had such an amazing Memorial Day weekend! What made it amazing was not just the fact that Ben got a day off work which equals extra help with Braelyn, but we were able to get tons of stuff done plus have lots of family and friend time. The weekend started with reorganizing boxes of baby clothes getting ready for girl #2, probably Ben's least fond memory of the weekend. Afterwards we geared up for a long day of mattress shopping. We planned on being out for hours with Braelyn going from store to store. If I wasn't pregnant I probably would have prefaced this adventure with a Xanax. Just kidding! One store and twenty minutes later we scored on a mattress for a smoking deal thanks to my bartering skills. Hallelujah to some peaceful nights of rest for the next few weeks!

Monday was the real party. We headed up to Anthem to spend the day with our friends. We met at the park and enjoyed a picnic, a train ride and some great gossip . . . uh, I mean conversation. =) I'm so glad that we still have friends up in Anthem so we can take advantage of all the fun things to do up there.

People always think that Braelyn gets her olive skin from her daddy. I would think the same thing! Lucky ducks.

She loved looking out the windows of the caboose. She was waving to all the kids as we passed.

All the kiddos together. They had such a blast playing the day away!

Of course we had to indulge in some frozen treats and merry go round rides.

It may have taken a while, but eventually the popsicle was no more! Well the majority of it was gone and the rest was all over her face, hands, arms and clothes. Well worth the mess!

Happy Memorial Day!

May Happenings!

Another month has gone by?! Are you sure about that?! I swear these last few weeks have come and gone before I can even blink an eye. I guess that's a good thing, though. When most pregnant women are complaining about how long it takes to cook a baby, I feel like she'll be here in no time. Of course I'm not too far into that dreaded third trimester so I shouldn't speak so soon.

Even though the days feel like seconds, we still manage to get quite a bit done while the blazing sun is out. Here are a few of our "May happenings" that have made this a memorable month thus far.

The most amazing thing that happened this month was our birth mother's graduation. It was so special to be able to see her walk across the stage to receive her associates degree. And best of all, she's going to ASU for her bachelors so we'll have her here in good old Phoenix for at least another few years.

The happy graduate and proud supporters. Don't be deceived by Braelyn's devilish face. She really did clap and cheer when Jana's name was called!

We're still going to the pool, well, daily! Hey, it's hot here!

Best buds! Only because dad gets down and dirty by getting all wet and crazy. Mom likes to slowly get into the pool.

Can you say just a little tan???

We finally got the rooms all switched so Braelyn has a new room and the nursery is all ready to go.

She LOVES having her princess tent all to herself in her "big girl room".

I was asked to make cupcakes for a church activity a few weeks ago. I made 180 mini cupcakes in three different flavors and they were a HIT! I have to admit they were pretty yummy.

The beginnings of the chocolate peanut butter cupcakes. Yes, those are mini Reese's cups cooked into the middle. Is there anything better than that?!

Lemon drop cupcakes.

All three. The last one was a snicker doodle cupcake with mini homemade snicker doodles on top.

Braelyn approved, especially of the chocolate peanut butter one!

We are so lucky to have a temple being built only five minutes away. Braelyn always spots the temple off the side of the freeway. Even before I can see it she's yelling, "Mommy look at the temple! They're building it so fast!" I love that she knows what temples are.

This is a pre-Angel Moroni picture. Now that the angel is on top of the steeple, Braelyn gets even more excited to drive past.

105 degrees?! Who cares! That doesn't stop us from getting out and going on our morning runs or walks, depending on how motivated I'm feeling that day. I'll have to say I'm pretty darn proud of myself. I'm almost 29 weeks pregnant and still running about 4 miles three times a week. Wahoo!

Her sweet smile . . .

. . . and her crazy face!

We attempted a trip to Ikea because we heard they have a free babysitting center as long as your child is potty trained. Well apparently there is a height requirement as well and we failed that part. So what did we do?

Got Ikea frozen yogurt! And boy was it delicious!

In the midst of the hot weather we've had one rainy day. We had to take advantage so on went the flip flops and the puddle splashing begun!


Being pregnant has its cravings. Mmmm! Homemade cookies sure hit the spot. The problem is I couldn't decide what flavor I wanted. Problem solved . . .

. . . make all three! Reese's pieces and peanut butter cup, white chocolate macadamia, and classic chocolate chip. Sad thing is, once they were all finished I only really ate a bite of each. The craving had passed. Oh well, I have plenty in the freezer for next time!

Dress up is a big hit now.

Thanks Grandma Kaye for my cute Snow White outfit! This girl lives in her princess high heels. In fact this afternoon she insisted on doing some yoga. As soon as I had the mats and music ready, she came running out of her playroom with a beanie, bracelets and her high heels on all ready to go. Now that's how you do yoga!

Along with the daily pool trips, we try to fit in a few splash pads here and there. Braelyn isn't always a huge fan of the water.

But she sure does know how to get the most out of a toy bucket!

Life is definitely crazy busy, but that's the way I like it. Bring on some more fun and activities. I like the challenge and it makes the waiting for baby girl #2 so much easier. Here we come summer!