Once I wrote real posts...

Last week I read through some old blog posts and I realize I used to do more than spit out loads of pictures up here.  I'm not sure when that day will return.  So here is another conglomerate of pics from this summer...

Ali, Jonas, and Max had swim lessons

Glenn rocking Ali for bedtime.  She insisted on reinstating this tradition.
Every nap and bedtime she wants to be rocking and singing... I love it.

Ali really wanted to wear this far-too-small tiger suit.

I totally underestimated how hard it would be to be very pregnant in the heat of the summer with three kids home ALL THE TIME.   We try to go out for adventures and classes almost daily, but it is not exactly easy on this body.

MAX TURNED 8!!!!  We'll post more on that later.

We love our Ortons!

Tickle Monster!

Jonas working to earn money for the Despicable Me 2 Fart Gun ($35).
I HATE the gun.  LOVE that he is actually working.

Growing.

Our 9th Anniversary!  The Ceramic anniversary...

Tie Dying shIrts for the 4th of July

Girl's Camp!

A LOT has happened around here....

Summer has been in full force already-- back to Utah for my Dad's wedding and to see Granddad Doug, Cory and kids came for a couple of visits (we snuck in a Disneyland trip on one!), the Murphey's visit, and tomorrow Adam and Landen McBride's visit!  We've potty trained, and vegetable trained (long story).  Couple it with daily summer entertainment tactics (puppet & bouncy ball making, kite flying, archery, painting, Chuck E. Cheese, hiking, museums, etc.)... and we have been busy.  Next week we begin some summer classes (Lego robotics for Max, iPlay summer sports for Jonas, swimming in a couple weeks for all three).

My biggest problem with summer... Being BIG.  I can't go anywhere-- park, church, store-- without people commenting on it.  It is not that my whole body has grown out of proportion, but let's say the middle looks like I should be having this baby any day now.  I still have 3 months to go. THREE MONTHS.  It is to the point that I almost cry every morning when I get dressed and cannot bear to look in the mirror.  I daily go for several mile walks, I am trying to eat well.  This is just a fourth baby on a body that has already given each child an Olympic sized swimming pool for gestational purposes.  This guy just thought he should get it a few months early.  Ulgh.  You'd think I'd just be able to buck up and think "So glad we have a healthy Baby Boy in here!" And I can for a few minutes-- but then that I can't take 10 steps without someone bringing up the topic again. You put that slam of "You are BIGGGGGG" with already sensitive pregnancy hormones and I am tempted to become a hermit for the next few months....

This is to show my belly, not Ali losing it :)

Mike was ordained a high priest-- it was really neat to be there.

Shawna and I are a few weeks apart- this was a moment of pregnant brain telelpathy.

Dan "trying on" Ali's swimsuit.  She thought he was so cool.

Half Way Baby!

***This is an old post I never got up-- we have since learned we are having a  BOY!!!***

Since we are officially half way through baking this bundle of goodness, I thought I'd post a pic so I can remember.

I'm sitting here listening to Imagine Dragon's "I'm on Top of the World" with the kids dancing behind me.  It's the second night of dance parties because Glenn has had to work late and we need something to pass the time.  I really love happy music.

Today I began morning walks.  Felt good.

Yesterday I discovered the most amazing Crumb Cake (yes, it deserves capitalization) I've ever had.  Crumb Cake makes me think of my mom.  The last time I saw her, she had driven down to my house with a crumb cake she had over-night shipped in from some state back east for Valentine's day (a pricey feat!)  as a treat for us.  I kept the bag and last piece of that cake for a long time after she passed.

My stomach grows exponentially.  But it is kind of cool.  I can't wait to see this babe via ultrasound TOMORROW!  Wohoo!  We are all immensely excited over here.  The kids pick out names pretty regularly.  Here are some samples if it is a boy (we all think it is, but Jonas wants a girl).  Ali's picks: Scooby, A (that's right, simply the letter A), Bubblepuff.  Jonas: Dundee Wondee, Gundy (Ali says that's a good one), Maddie (yes, still on the boy list here), Bubblebump,  Whungy Whangy, Conol, and Gungee Boingee.  Max: Daniel and Michael.


I say it is cool that my stomach is growing, but let's be honest-- for weeks I have taken to scrolling back over old videos and pictures to remind myself I have not always looked like this and will looks feminine again one day (although, isn't a pregnant belly the most feminine it gets?).

It seems the pregnancy has even crept into the kids' play.  I watched Jonas and Ali on the tramp the other day.  She had a basketball under her stomach and Jonas said "Give me a baby woman!" and hit (not hurting) her back to make the basketball come out. It was pretty hilarious.

I feel the baby move now.  It is odd to think this will be the last time I feel that.  But truthfully, I really love the thought of our family moving forward into this next stage of life together.  Out of the baby stage and into the "We can all go to Disneyland and ride the rides together" stage.   Mercy.  Maybe I romanticize that stage too much, but I have to say that I am beyond thrilled for it!

The kids are amazing. Last night for family home evening, Ali picked the song (the ABC's) and sat down to the piano to accompany us.  We played " I caught_____ being good" and they glowed under every word of praise. The dance party was adorable.  I love that Ali still wants to dance with me.  One day she will be embarrassed by me, but for now- she loves it.

My boys are slightly obsessed with video games. Which is ironic because we don't have video games (we do have apps on the ipad they earn time for).  Skylanders seems to be a BIG hit and I know we'll eventually get one for them.  For now though, I want them to live real life.  Coloring the paper airplanes, making notes to each other, playing with the new archery set we bought (it rocks!), jumping on the tramp with all the plastic balls on it...  I'm just not ready to share them with a video game.  Still, Jonas spends a good deal of the day telling me about this level or that on a game he played here or there.

I really love family.  I have picked up ancestry.com for a hobby and I love seeing the names, the people.  I love seeing little details from the census that tell their story.  This one is a dress maker, that one is a railroad baggage man, another is the post master.  Seeing women's list of how many children they have had, and how many are still living. That always pulls at my heart.   Seeing the new countries begin to pop up in the line-- Sweden, Germany, Ireland...  I especially love the Swedish.  I look like a Swede, not to mention my stubborn streak :).

Family just intrigues me.  I do really love it.

I think that's enough rambling for today!

*Here are a few shots Glenn and I have taken for a friend's photo contest blog.  She lists 8 words each month, then you take pictures of anything that represents those words to you.  It is really fun!

Glenn... Earth (he also won this month with this photo!  Wohoo!)

Glenn... I can't remember the word for this one.

Glenn... Play

Glenn... Vision (we LOVE our archery set!)

Earth... yea, it was a bit of a stretch for the word.

Orange

Vision

Easter Fun

We were so lucky this year to have Ty and Kim in from Vegas for Easter (plus a couple awesome birthdays!).  We had a great time with a Dreamworks tour, cousins on the trampoline, dying Easter eggs, birthday cakes, Easter egg and basket hunting and a trip to Portos.  It was such a blessing to have them--  they have one cute crew!

Love Max's face int his one.  You can tell how he feels about his basket being hid high in a tree.
"Just to remind you, I can't climb trees you know!"

He Rocked It!

After months of diligent training-- hills, 12 mile runs, electrolyte drinks-- Glenn rocked his Agoura Hills Half Marathon this past Sat.  He kept a great pace and we were beyond proud of him.  He pushed through some pain and even bruised feet to come in with a time that paced him about a 10 minute mile---  which is AMAZING, especially considering the hills that man had to run.  As we drove back to his car, I just kept saying "you ran these hills???"

It was really cool to watch someone I already loved and admired make and keep a hard goal like this.

It was pretty hard to be there on race day having not participated.  After our two 10 K's this year, it really would have been sweet to run this one together.  We're hoping to do that another day ("Once I forget the pain" Glenn says.  He's probably already forgotten knowing the eternal optimist he is!).

We were SO lucky to catch Glenn on this part-- we had been told the race started a half hour later than it did, so we had predicted a totally different time for him to arrive! We had only been there two minutes when this handsome guy came running up the hill.

His cute cheering squad!

Again, we were blessed!  We got to this corner RIGHT as Glenn came running by to cross the finish line.  Ten seconds  later and we would have missed his big moment!

Checking out Max's darling poster... he even included hidden pictures with a clue key on it :).

Ta-Da! He was AMAZING!

He might have been a little tired afterwards....