Meet Baby Skeletor!

Easter was not only a cool day because it was Easter, but it was also a cool day because it marked the official 20 week 1/2 way mark of my being pregnant! Wahoo! Aaron and I got to sleep in, Nursery was a breeze with only 10 kids and then we went to dinner at the in-laws house. All in all a great day!

The next day was also awesome because it was the day of the "BIG ULTRASOUND" On our way to the hospital Aaron said that the whole pregnancy thing was still not completely real for him. After all, he can't feel the baby move or anything. The only thing he can see is his wife getting fatter (which is nothing new...).

The tech at the office asked if we were going to find out if we were having a girl or boy. I let Aaron decide since he was wavering a bit about finding out. He decided to hold to his original plan of not finding out. Aaron got see the entire ultrasound exam on the screen. The way I had to lay I couldn't see a darn thing! During the exam the tech said our baby was "feisty", clearly taking after Aaron. After the tech had made all her notes and measurements, she turned the screen so I could see the baby. It was so cool! Our "guppy" is weighing in around 14 oz. and all the body parts are present and looking good. We could even see the ears, upper lip and nostrils. Aaron teases me about having "the biggest nostrils he's ever seen", and when the baby's came on the screen he was sure to point out that they looked like mine. The tech was a bit put off by that comment, but she wasn't in on the running joke. All in all it was a very positive appointment and it was good to see that everything is going well. Aaron was smiling ear to ear all the way home. That made it more "real" to him. As for the gender, he is thoroughly convinced that we are having a girl. Not based on anything on the screen, but through his natural-killer-sales-man-instinct on being able to read people. Umm-hmm...

Needless to say, I posted some photos from our ultrasound. Up above is baby Skeletor. That's the first thing I thought of when I saw it. Down below are the left and right foot and a side profile of our baby's rear end, which I will undoubtedly be very familiar with after the 1,000th diaper change.

Chicks for Easter

I learned something new - FedEx delivers baby chickens to your doorstep! My mom has this dream of living on a farm. How she ended up in Southern California I will never know. Since she can't make it out of the city just yet, she is converting her current home little by little into her "starter farm". She ordered some baby chicks online and FedEx delivered them just before Easter. They are so cute and change daily, it won't be long before they're not so cute and fuzzy. When one eats, they all have to eat, when one gets a drink, they all huddle over to get a drink. Then after a couple of minutes they start getting wobbly and will go to sleep standing up and fall over or slump forward - it's so funny! They are so light when you hold them it's like holding air. The white ones will start laying eggs within 5-6 months, and the others will start in 9-10 months. Pretty cool. I'm just glad I don't have to clean up after them. They are messy even when they're little.

Will Our Generation Be Ready?

I've never known what it is like to have no home. I've never seen an empty pantry. I couldn't imagine going to bed without a soft pillow and warm blanket. Can people actually live without taking a shower for a month? Our generation has been incredibly blessed, but with that blessing I feel we missed an important lesson: how to survive without it. Even if you've committed every episode of Man vs. Wild to memory, it's not going to help much when you live in the city and have 4 hungry kids to feed. Even Bear Grylls gets a helicopter ride back to his warm comfy home after a few days of eating bugs.

Since I know some of the people I love the most are the only ones that look at my blog, I'd like to share something I'm extremely concerned about. I'm worried about the economy, I'm worried about stability and in general - I'm worried about the future of America.

The politicians have spent our country into oblivion, the dollar is losing value and all signs are pointed to America going into a depression greater than that of 1929. Sorry to sound "doom and gloom" especially when things really aren't THAT bad, at least not yet...Some may say that I'm being very negative and depressing, but I choose to look at "what is" and not hide my head in the sand. When times get desperate, it's too late to prepare.

Since birth, I can remember the prophets and church leaders forewarning us to get out out of debt, and have AT LEAST one years worth of food and supplies. Please, please- I'm begging you because I love you - Get Your Food Storage Together NOW. My mom and I have been going to the Bishop's Storehouse in Colton since last summer getting our supplies together, we still have a ways to go. In the last few months it is extremely hard to get an appointment to go canning because members are starting to panic and are canning like crazy. We were there canning last night and the volunteer announced that after March 22nd, certain basic items will come pre-canned (wheat, oats, starter kits, etc.). She said "How serious is the Lord and the Prophet when we are canning the food for you???" Since last summer the prices at the cannery have consistently gone up, and you know the cannery is about the cheapest place to get anything. Did you know it's over $13.00 for ONE can of powdered milk?

World-wide wheat is getting more scarce. The world supply of wheat is at its lowest level in decades. Some countries are already having wheat shortages, some governments are even hoarding wheat. In the United States, corn is being planted for ethanol instead of wheat. Brigham Young said that a bushel of wheat would be worth more than gold. (Although gold is nice to have, you can't eat it) I believe that time is coming soon. At the cannery wheat is still VERY affordable at $2.02/can. Please get your wheat NOW.

Since I love you so much, I feel it my duty to nag and pester you. Please do what you can to prepare your families for hard times NOW. Enough said.

Because He's Cute! Oh, And We Don't Have Kids...

I finally ordered photos from when we first got Moe. He looked so little! It's really weird how having a pet makes you enter into "baby talk" mode and you come up with a slew of pet names to call your pet. So far Moe has - Schmoser, Snicklefritz, the Uni-Pooper and when he's bad, Moesifer. Moe has been extra cute lately, so when you don't have kids to take pictures of - you take pictures of the dog. Enjoy!


2nd Day at Home - - - - - - - - - - Mud Puppy

New Trick "Saddle Up!" - - - - - - - - - - Chillin' with Papa Rob

Moe's best friend from across
the street, Stumpy

Job Security

We recently split with our super anal broker-dealer. I got a call from our up line who told me that all of our agent files with the old broker-dealer were no longer allowed to be in our office. They had to be returned to the agent or shredded. Oh, and by the way... an auditor is going to show up within the next couple of days to make sure that it's done. Thanks for the timely warning!!

After we gathered up all of the files, it came to about 350-400 files. I have to log each of them and none of the agents want their old files so I get to shred them too. Our rinky-dink shredder only takes like, 3 pages at a time. Times that by 350 files, with an auditor on the way and I'm in trouble. At least in the long run, it makes my job WAY easier - but in the short term I'm looking at a mountain of paperwork. Lucky me.

Alien Baby On the Move!!

I finally felt the baby move for the first time last night!! It was totally weird! I got 4-5 good thumps in the same spot and a little bit of squirming. Once I felt it and knew what the movements were, it was easy to pick out more movements. Aaron was deep asleep so I didn't wake him. When I told him the next morning he was happy and smiling, but then added, "Are you sure it wasn't just gas?" He knows just how to put the icing on the sweetest moments...

Thank You, Master of the Obvious

This note was left in the candy jar this week at work.

What was your first clue? The half empty jar from Feb. 28th? Perhaps it's the fact that you have to keep refilling the jar? At least now I can honestly say that I'm not the only one raiding the candy jar. We're all in on it. From now on I will personally take this note as an invitation. Thank you, don't mind if I do.

Baby Bump

This weekend was pretty cool. I got to go to a baby shower for a friend I grew up with. She is like, 1 1/2 months farther along than I am, but I looked more pregnant than she did! I guess that's the difference between tall and trim (her) and short and chunky (me). Either way, she was as cute as could be. It was good to see a bunch of ladies that I've known since I was little. Sunday at church was cool too, not only because I remembered my bra, but because people I don't really know were asking me when I was due. I have no problem getting bigger as long as I look like I'm going to have a baby, not that I just ate a baby. I also got to hang out with my oh-so-cute sister-in-law who just had a baby 3 weeks ago. She introduced me to the wonderful world of nipple cream and breast pads. Oh the joy that is coming my way!!

Sunday night Aaron got home from the last day of the Long Beach Boat Show. When the shows are on I'm a "Boat Show Widow". Needless to say, I was more than excited to see him. He walked in the kitchen and I rushed to give him a HUGE welcome home hug. In doing so, our tummies bumped before the rest of us did. I kinda bounced back a little bit and Aaron pointed out what just happened. I started laughing uncontrollably. I didn't realize my tummy stuck out that far. Guess you can have a baby bump and bump with your baby too.

The Pregnancy Stupids

I got 'em. I got 'em bad.
There is no picture to go with this post. Based on the story, you wouldn't want to see a picture. For all you ladies who have been pregnant out there, you know what I'm talking about. Last month I put the cereal box in the fridge and the milk in the pantry, at work I'm scatter-brained and can't focus on simple tasks. This story tops them all, and hopefully this will be as bad as I get.

Two weeks ago I was racing to get ready for church. I missed the first hour because we were having trouble with Moe "working on the air conditioner" that morning. Aaron was off to work and I was hustling my rear to get to Nursery on time. Skirt - On! Shirt - Ironed! Shoes - On! and out the door I ran. I pulled up to church with 5 minutes to spare. Whew!....and promptly realized I forgot to put a bra on. How on God's green Earth do you FORGET to do that???? It was too late to go home (the church is 15 minutes away). I sent a text message to Aaron telling him what I had done (or hadn't done). My sweet husband wrote back "Jesus loves you!!!" Hopefully he has a sense of humor too. My only saving grace was that it was raining that day and I had a sweater on. I kept criss-crossing it over my chest all during Nursery. I sure hope no one noticed, even if they did- they have been nice enough not to mention it.

Now every once in a while as I'm headed out the door to work Aaron will go through the checklist: "Got your keys?, Got your purse?, Got your bra?" and starts laughing. Thanks hon, really - thanks.

If you put crack in front of an addict....

I had my regular check up on Feb. 28th. The heartbeat sounded great and all is well in Babyland. This was the first appointment I didn't have to take my pants off! I can't even begin to express how happy that made me! I did however, have to give 2 urine samples within 45 minutes. Not an easy task -even for a pregnant lady. Luckily I brought my big water bottle with me....Success! I hurried to work and forgot to bring a snack. Lunch isn't until 1pm. I always get SO hungry around 11 am it's insane. Lo and behold, one of the guys in the office put a jar of Dove chocolates on his desk. He didn't come in that day and didn't attempt to hide them. FAIR GAME!

Woman + Pregnant + Hungry = Empty Candy Jar.