22 weeks in a cozy scarf & boots

Dear Baby,

Your sweet little body (the size of a 2 pound papaya!) has been growing and developing in my belly for 22, almost 23, weeks now...22 is my lucky number :) I hope you can feel that. Maybe that's why you've been making stronger movements last couple weeks? Dad and I LOVE putting our hands on my belly to feel your big stretches, strong kicks, and high fives. (At least I like to think they're high fives;)

And I think you be gave me lots of high fives after Thanksgiving last week! You get a little bit of everything I eat...so you "tasted" moist turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes topped with gravy, cranberry sauce, fresh baked rolls, and cheesecake :) Along with getting a taste of Thanksgiving, I think you were also able to hear a bit of our Thanksgiving, because according to this neat website you should be able to hear sounds outside the womb. You heard a few lively debates during dinner ;) Then after, your Aunt Natalie took out a basket filled with little pieces of paper that your cousins had written on...they wrote about what they're grateful for, and we took turns reading them. It was so sweet. One day you and your brother will be able to share the little things that you're grateful for...oh I can't believe it!

And let me just say, I am SO grateful for you!! In every prayer I thank God for you.

Love always,

Mom

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Spiritual Health:

Read Alma 36-40

"Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day." -- Alma 37:37

Physical Health:

Going to the gym later today. Oh I need me some stair master :) Wish us luck that Brooks will stay in the play area and not cry...it's been a while!

Thanksgiving in Spokane

We spent this Thanksgiving with some of my family in Spokane, Washington.

My sister Natalie and her husband Duane were such great hosts! Ten adults and eight kids filled their home for the Holiday weekend :) Adam, Brooks, and I...my Mom, Dad, and two sisters, Corrie and Celeste...and my brother and his wife, Nate and Jamie, with their little boy Wesley...all joined Natalie and Duane and their six sweet kidlets Amanda, Ryan, Adam, Aaron, Jason, and Amber. It made for a full house, and lots of fun memories! We all enjoyed a relaxing weekend full of:

piano music

card games and hot cocoa

time with Grandma and Grandpa

playing outside

lively debates

the kids making a fantastic fruit turkey

enjoying a DELICIOUS Thanksgiving feast

pies galore...the homemade cheesecakes (chocolate & blueberry) were my favorite

cozy naps

reading a sweet list of what Natalie's kids are grateful for :)

kickball at the park

cinnamon rolls with Grandma

Nerf wars at the gym of the church

turkey sandwich leftovers

wrestling

kissing on baby Wesley!

While it was so wonderful to come home sweet home, we miss all of them already!

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Spiritual Health:

Read Alma 31-35

"And behold, as the tree beginneth to grow, ye will say: Let us nourish it with great care, that it may get root, that it may grow up, and bring forth fruit unto us. And now behold if ye nourish it with much care it will get root, and grow up and bring forth fruit.

"But if ye neglect the tree, and take no thought for its nourishment, behold it will not get any root; and when the heat of the sun cometh and scorcheth it, because it hath no root it withers away, and ye pluck it up and cast it out.

"But if ye will nourish the word, yea, the tree as it beginneth to grow, by your faith with great diligence, and with patience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall take root; and behold it shall be a tree springing up unto everlasting life."

-- Alma 32:37-38, 41

Those verses were Alma's beautiful teachings of faith...but I also applied it to my marriage. If Adam and I plant our roots deep in the Gospel and constantly nourish them with love, patience, forgiveness, faith, compassion...we will grow together with the Lord. And when the storms and dreadfully hot sun comes in life, we'll stay strong and continue to grow individually and together :)

Physical Health:

Yesterday's workout on the elliptical at home kicked my toosh...today is a day of rest :)

Filled to the brim

with gratitude.

I'm filled with gratitude for the wonderful holiday we just enjoyed with family. Eating delicious food with people we love and are so thankful for...it just can't be beat.

I'm filled with gratitude for my husband.

Adam is my better half. That man's love for me, and his dedication to fatherhood, helps me know my heart will always be safe. And snuggling with him after Thanksgiving dinner just happens to be heaven :)

I'm filled with gratitude for my son.

Brooks has blessed me with the gift of being a mother, and has caused my heart to grow in ways I never knew. His smile just lights up a room!

I'm filled with gratitude for the baby growing inside me.

Feeling our little one move around in my belly is the very sweetest feeling. And knowing that I'm in a partnership of creation with God is beyond incredible.

I'm filled with gratitude for my Heavenly Father and his Son, my Savior.

Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have given me everything I have...and it is their love that has blessed me most in this life. Their Gospel makes it possible for me to be with my sweet family forever!

(These photos were from our trip to Spokane with my family this past Thanksgiving...what a great holiday it was with all of them! Can't wait to share the rest of the photos)

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Spiritual Health:

Read Alma 26-30

"Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; ...we will praise his name forever." -- Alma 26:12

DIY Paper Leaf Wreath

I was so excited when, last week, my sweet friend Kira was up for getting together for our kids to have a play-date and for us to have a craft-date :) I've needed to get my creative juices flowing thanks to Pinterest! And while this is not an orignal project (I found the idea here, along with other great wreath ideas) I really enjoyed creating it. Even if it took me a few minutes of being dumb-founded on how to exactly do it, right Kira? haha ;)

Supplies needed:

- wreath form -

- paper of choice -

(book pages or sheet music...I found my sheet music here)

- pencil -

- scissors -

- glue gun (& glue;) -

STEP 1:

Get a good amount of the paper you want to use. I loved the "Silent Night" sheet music I found here :)

STEP 2:

Trace out leaf shapes with a pencil and start cutting!

STEP 3:

Take your wreath form and use the hot glue to line it with the paper leaves.

STEP 4:

Fold remaining leaves in half long-ways, then unfold to get a nice crease.

STEP 5:

Make clusters of leaves (the more leaves, the thicker the wreath will be) with a small amount of hot glue.

STEP 6:

Glue the leaf clusters around the wreath. Putting glue at the joint of the clusters, and behind a few of the tips of the leaves so that they lay flat.

STEP 7:

Display!

And when Adam gets home from work (any minute now!) we'll be putting up our Christmas tree for Family Night! I've wanted to since last week :) You can bet we'll be enjoying Christmas music, sipping peppermint hot cocoa, and snacking on kettle corn in between stringing lights and hanging ornaments. Oh how I love this time of year!

And I'm sharing this over at Whipperberry and Under The Table and Dreaming.

Go see what others are sharing! :)

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Spiritual & Physical Health:

Refer to the post the from earlier today :)

new babies, Cafe Rio, snuggles, & gingerbread houses

...that's what good weekends are made of :)

{ Our sweet friends the Bradshaw's welcomed a little girl into their family!! Visiting Momma Penny and her beautiful Bailee at the hospital was such a treat! }

{ Adam came home Saturday evening from work ready to score some brownie-points with dinner in hand...Cafe Rio salads and tres leches were just what the babe and I were craving :) Thanks love! }

{ Brooks took this weekend as R&R time to get better from being a little sick and not being able to keep hardly any food down the last few days :( But I sure loved all the snuggles he gave me! }

{ Sunday we went to Mom & Dad Kjar's for a fun family night of decorating gingerbread houses! Oh how I love sweet holiday traditions }

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Spiritual Health:

Read Mosiah 25-29

"Yea, blessed is this people who are willing to bear my name; for in my name shall they be called; and they are mine." -- Mosiah 26:19

I'm grateful to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Ladder-Day Saints :)

Physical Health:

"The Top 200 Challenge" workout --> which I cut in half...did each move only half the amount of times it calls for, and it still got me to feel the burn. Somehow carrying this 1.5 pound babe in my belly all day is a workout in and of itself ;)

Lift As You Climb

After Adam got home from church (Brooks and I stayed home so that he could have a loooooonng nap and finish recovering from being sick this weekend) we watched a recorded episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. They were rebuilding the home of a man named Bernard who's a single father of three sons, and is a teacher who believes he can make a change in the lives of those he teaches and comes in contact with. Bernard said his life's motto is to "lift as you climb"...as you reach for your goals and work for self improvement, you should try to lift others up with you.

After we heard that inspiring message, Adam immediately said, "That totally describes your Dad." And I couldn't agree more. In a literal aspect, my Dad finds such joy in sharing his passion of climbing and backpacking with those he loves. Numerous family members and friends have summited various mountains and hiked gorgeous trails because of my Dad. As he's climbed, he has most definitely lifted those with him to reach their summit. Along with climbing mountains, my Dad is an amazing example of setting goals, making it through life's challenges, working hard, and constantly learning. He is always reading a good book and sharing what he's learning with those he loves. I look forward to whenever I get an email from him with a "gem thought" (inspiring quote) he's found. And I know that he loves serving the Young Men (ages 12-18) at church and strives to be an example to them of loving God and being strong and faithful through life's challenges.

I love my Dad, and I'm grateful he's lifted me through life's climb. And I want to wish him a HAPPY 60th BIRTHDAY!!!!! It was yesterday, and do you know what he wanted to do?...he wanted to enjoy a good, long 30 mile bike ride with my Mom :)

{ Dad skiing down from our Mt. Hood climb - April 2009 }

{ Grandpa (Dad) and baby Brooks - July 2010 }

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Spiritual Health:

Read Mosiah 20-24

Indian takeout at McDonald's

When you want to get out of the house with your boys...

and you're craving lamb coconut kurma...

and you know your little boy is going to be too wiggly to sit down at the restaurant that serves that lamb coconut kurma...

there's only one think to do.

Okay, two...

Get Indian takeout and enjoy it at McDonald's.

Adam and I agreed it was a very, very good decision :)

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Spiritual Health:

Read Mosiah 10-14

Physical Health:

Yoga at home. Namaste :)

baby bump kisses & love taps

The last couple days Brooks has been loving on the baby bump :)

Wanting to lift up my shirt, pet it and say "awwwwww" in his be-soft-voice, poke my belly button and say "beep," and give it lots of kisses. Makes me melt.

And I think that the babe has really been feeling the love because he or she kicked so big today that I was able to feel it with my hand on my belly! So of course I texted Adam right away, and told him how excited I was to have him feel the movement when he got home :) And tonight while we were snuggled together watching TV he was able to feel it!!

Love taps from our little one. Can't get enough.

Dear Brooks,

Hi there sweet boy! Goodness it's been much too long since I've written you!

So, my little munchkin...we've been going through a bit of a phase...you and I have both been working on communicating with each other better. It's been so fun seeing your little personality come out more and more each day. But I can see you struggling with not being able to tell me, in words, what you want or need. When you get your mind on something that you want, you stick with it. You point, grunt, scream, say "peeeeeaaa!" (please) but I only know what all that means half the time...so we play the guessing game. A lot. Which I can only imagine is so frustrating for you. I'm also trying to be more patient and use the word "no" less...it's become your favorite word as of late, and I sadly think it's because of me. Brooks I love you. More than words can say. And this whole mom-gig is better than I imagined! But a lot harder too... I am so grateful for your patience with me. And I plan to keep working with you until we get it right. Your Daddy and I are always praying for you...never forget that.

You're napping right now, and I couldn't help but look through my phone at some sweet pictures of you I've captured the last couple weeks...goodness you make me smile!! While you have had plenty of sass recently, you sure know how to bring such joy into our home :)

Lately you've looooooooooved helping me with the dishes. As I load them into the dishwasher, you'll unload them by taking out the bowls and lining them up along the bench in the kitchen. Then you'll proceed to stack them...then put them back...and repeat. I'm not sure why you weren't wearing a shirt in these pictures, but I like it :)

The weekend before last, when your Aunt Corrie came to visit, we enjoyed granny smith apples dipped in caramel...and you mainly enjoyed the sticky caramel :) (and do you see the dry erase marker in your chin? yep, you're getting creative on canvases other than the white board and paper)

You and the park...a match made in heaven. Even with the temperatures dropping you have still loved it!! All you need is your beanie and a thermos of hot cocoa and you're good to go! Last time when we pulled up you about had a heart-attack of happiness because you could see the park through the windshield, we both starting clapping and cheering, it was the cutest thing.

Love you (and your heart-melting smile) forever,

Mom

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Spiritual Health:

Read Jacob 1-5

"...Look unto God with firmness of mind, and pray unto him with exceeding faith, and he will console you in your afflictions, and he will plead your cause..." --Jacob 3:1

Physical Health:

Elliptical for 30 minutes, crunches, jumping jacks, and planks...bring on the burn!