Kitchen

Yesterday I spent most of the day deep cleaning my kitchen. Lately I've been realizing just how much I hate that room (thanks Jen), and although a lot of the changes I want to make are going to require a large chunk of funds that we don't have at the moment, it sure looks a lot better when the dishes are done and everything is squeaky clean.

Spick and span! 

Anyway. Like I said, the last week or so I've been hyper-aware of certain negative features in my kitchen. Because I know you are dying to hear what they are, here's a list:

• Ugly, old oak cabinets stained brown with a hint of orange... yuck.
• Ugly, old counters that are a yellowish off-white color.
• The walls are also a yellowish off-white color... but a different shade than the counters. Oy.
• Fluorescent lights. Need I say more? The fixtures themselves look really bad, plus the weird colored light makes everything look even uglier.
• The sink is very shallow. It always looks like it's piled high with dishes, even if in reality there are just a few dirty bowls. (Although let's be honest, often it looks like it is piled high with dishes because it is.) Also, it's quite old (Our house is even older than my husband! Ancient!), and the steel is dinged and scratched.
• The pantry shelves are problematic... Too tall and too deep to be really useful for smaller things like cans and boxes of pasta. I haven't found a solution that I like yet, at least not one that isn't too expensive. For now some cheap metal wire shelves are making it slightly more bearable.
• The ceiling is lowered everywhere except around said fluorescent lights. It makes the room feel smaller than it really is.

On the bright side, there are some redeeming qualities:

• Dallin bought all new (stainless steel!) appliances when he bought the house several years ago. Yay! And we have a gas range. 
• We have a decent amount of both cabinet and counter space
• I kind of like the ceramic tile floors. I might have chosen a different color, but I can definitely live with it. No problem.
• We have a pantry. Thank goodness. And the things I don't like about it can be fixed without major renovation.
• It's big enough that a few people can work in there at once without it being too crowded.

Even though we'll have to wait a little bit to really start making changes, there's some things I can do to improve it in the meantime. First, that fluorescent light has got to go. I think that will make a huge difference. Once I know what the lighting situation will be, since that affects the color so much, I want to paint the walls. And who knows? Maybe I'll be crazy and just paint my cabinets too. Maaaybe. I'm a little nervous about embarking on that kind of an adventure. 

We will probably be living here for a long time so I'm excited to get my house decorated and arranged the way I want it. If only I had felt this motivated before I got pregnant, but there's no time like the present, right? 

It Wasn't Jet Lag

I felt really strange on Father's Day last year. Actually, I had been feeling off for several weeks, but I was certain it was just post-Spain jet lag since I had never recovered after getting home a couple weeks earlier. I had taken a pregnancy test about a week before, probably the 5,107th once I'd taken in the course of our marriage, so when the question came into my mind again that morning as I got dressed for church, I dismissed it immediately. I wasn't pregnant. I was sure of that. 

Then again, while playing the piano in our little Spanish branch, a wave of fatigue and nausea washed over me again. "This the worst jet lag I have ever had," I thought to myself. And after two trips to Russia in my life, 11 times zones away and far enough off the beaten path that it took 2-3 days to get there, that's saying something. Again the question came to my mind... could I be pregnant? I did the math in my head and realized it was quite possible that the test I had taken a week ago would have been a little too soon to come out positive, even if I were pregnant. But remember how I said I had taken 5,102 pregnancy tests? That means I'd thought I was pregnant at least 5,102 times, so even though I had my suspicions I had gone through so many tests that I didn't get my hopes up. Still, I decided I'd take another when I got home just in case.

I came home from church alone since Dallin had meetings afterward. I took a test, set it on the counter, and watched for the little line to appear, but to my surprise, there was not one... but two lines. 

Two lines.

I flipped out.

It is probably a good thing no one was home to see me jumping around like a crazy woman, but on the downside, that also meant I had no one to tell. Dallin was in meetings and I wanted to tell him (in person) before I told anyone else, so I made a ridiculous video that I will probably never allow anyone else to watch... but it makes to happy to remember how excited I was to find out we were expecting. I had reason to believe that there was a decent chance it could be difficult to get pregnant, and that made it even that much more exciting to get a positive test. I was also happy to have an explanation for what I thought was never-ending jet lag. 

I think the best part was when I breathlessly met Dallin at the door (I'd been impatiently waiting for what seemed like forever), said I had a Father's Day present to give him, and told him I was pregnant. I hope I always remember how happy Dallin looked and how excited we both were as we processed the news. That was a happy day indeed.

I have had so many happy moments since then too, but most of my favorite ones have to do with my little family. I've especially loved seeing Dallin become a daddy. He loves our little babe so much and it just about makes my heart explode to see him snuggle and play with him. 

I know I already posted this picture on my blog, but I just love it so much.

I'm a lucky lady to have found that husband of mine. He takes such good care of our little family and I love him all the more because of it. I'm also thankful for both our fathers; they have influenced our lives immensely through their examples. Happy Father's Day to all... and to all a good night. ;)

Eli Thursday

16 weeks

I was in the kitchen when I realized Eli was being awfully quiet all of a sudden, so I peeked over the counter and saw this. He was so fast asleep he didn't wake up at all when I laid him down in a more comfortable spot. 

Being a baby is hard work, you know.

Eli Thursday

15 weeks

Almost every time I lay Eli on his back, he flips onto him belly just seconds later. Usually he is happy, lifting his head up to look around, but... sooner or later, tummy time gets old and this happens:

"Help, mom... help!"

I know, son. Sometimes exercising makes want to lay on the floor and cry too.

Eli Thursday

14 weeks

Eli loves to be where the action is, even when it is something as thrilling as doing the laundry, and he is even happier when he is in his bumbo where he can see what's going on. He looks so big sitting up like that! 

Also, this picture shows you how much hair he has, which isn't much more than a little strawberry-blonde peach fuzz. I love my bald little buddy.

Memorial Day

Now that we have Eli, Dallin and I spend our weekends and holidays doing different stuff than usual. In other words, spontaneous road trips and canyoneering adventures don't happen for the time being, at least not for me and Eli. So this Memorial Day, we took a little trip to a nearby creek with Dallin's brother and his wife and son. 

Our little trip reminded me how thankful I am to live in such a beautiful place. 

I love being outside. I'm happiest with dirt under my toes, sky over my head, and trees all around. 

And a pretty little mountain stream makes it even better!

We dipped Eli's toes in, but he wasn't a big fan of the cold creek water. No sir.

But cousin Levi sure didn't share Eli's opinion, as you can see. :)

Although Eli may not have wanted anything to do with the creek, he did enjoy taking a break from his brace, being snuggled by Dallin and me, and chewing on his fists.

Have I mentioned what a cute daddy Dallin is? 

I think Eli likes him too.

It was a really nice, relaxing way to spend the afternoon. I can't wait until Eli and Levi are big enough to play in the creek together. Actually, I can wait. My baby is getting too big already!

Also, I just have to say I'm really thankful to be an American. Even though I may not be particularly happy with everything going on politically, I'm so thankful for the freedoms we have because of the sacrifices others have made to make the life I live possible. I know I take it for granted too often. 

Grandma Carmen

We made a quick stop to see Dallin's grandma Carmen today.

She loved holding Eli (who she called Snicklefritz and Toady... haha!), especially since he's bigger and more squeezable now than when she saw him last. 

It was so cute to see Eli smile and chat with her when she smiled and chatted with him. He's a little sweetheart. 

I'm really glad we get to see her often. She's a spunky lady with a lot of great stories to tell, and she's always so happy to see us. We try to stop by whenever we're in town. Even though Eli probably won't remember her well, if he does at all, I'm glad I'll have some pictures to show him when he is older.