25 weeks and more

Here is a pregnancy update for all you who care. I am now past 25 weeks and feeling a lot better. I was sick for about the first 20 weeks or so. I continually thought it was ending, but then would have two or three days during the week where I would be nauseous again. Ick. And I thought my pregnancy with Hallie was bad, where I was sick for about 3 weeks total! :) My biggest problem these days is intense heartburn, but hey, I will take it! On the positive side, at the last doctor's visit last week, the baby is now measuring normal size instead of large. However, the doc made sure to say, "But don't think that means you will be having a small baby! You will definitely have a big baby." How comforting, eh? I had the lovely gestational diabetes test, which I passed, luckily. They have no idea how much candy I eat. They gave me the fruit punch flavored juice which was horrid. I much prefer the orange that I had last time, thank you. Other than that, there isn't much else to report pregnancy wise. Below is a 25 week pic. I feel like I have gotten bigger faster than I did with Hallie, but its hard to say. (yes, my head is deliberately chopped off. Its not a pretty picture today.) And now, for your viewing pleasure, a video of miss Hals on the way to Idaho for Thanksgiving. Don't worry, I didn't take one picture the entire time we were there. We had a great time, but this is the only "proof" (if it even counts) that I have that we went somewhere. Hallie is funny. We were driving along when she requested a certain drink...

(Don't hate, we never actually feed our child diet coke. She must have learned those words from certain aunts, uncles, and cousins of mine who may or may not be addicts.)

Terrible Twos is RIGHT!

Hallie and her cousin Ryder- who at age 2 is an angel compared to Hals

Well, it's official. The Terrible Two's are upon us full-throttle. With Hallie's personality, I have a feeling it's going to last much longer than just this year. Wish us luck. Just a few things she has done lately:


*Yesterday she absolutely refused to go to nursery because there was a man in there. She threw a huge fit each time Devin or I tried to bring her in. I mean full-throttle, kicking, screaming, the whole bit. All over a silly man.

*This morning I told her to come feel the baby kick, so she quickly whipped her foot out and kicked me in the gut as hard as she could (I was laying down). Probably felt the need to kick him before he kicked her. Fabulous.

*On a separate note, she has named the baby "Cody." (better than "bucket", which it used to be if she was asked) She is infatuated with Steve, my sister's soon to be husband and Cody, my friend Meg's husband (Remember she has only met Cody once). As we were driving the other day, she started whining and bawling about going to Steve's house and nothing I could say or do would stop her. She has never been to Steve's house, for the record. She also prays only for Steve or only for Cody in any given prayer when Devin and I are not prompting her. No one else deserves her prayers I guess.

*Nap time is horrendous. It has become a constant battle. She is out of her bed every 2 seconds. Devin or I has to stay stationed in front of her door and peek through the crack to tell her to lay down as soon as she sits up. It takes a good portion of the afternoon to get her to go sleep. Luckily, she goes right to bed at night. Devin is still clinging to the hope that she will nap through kindergarten like he did (yeah right!) or else I would just give it up. We need to get one of those door handles that locks her in, I think.

*Potty training has been great- that is until today. She peed twice in a row in her pants RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME. She was so proud of herself too, like it was a joke. She peed on her pillow (she was sitting on her bed) and thought it was the funniest thing ever. Not funny. I hope this does not become a trend. She knows full well when she needs to go and has been so good about it until today. I think she was just trying to spite me. It just couldn't be that easy, right?

*She is into everything times 100. I am constantly cleaning up after her. In an ideal world, she would clean up after herself, but no such luck so far! Yesterday she dumped the whole kitchen garbage out before I could even attempt to stop her (and I was right there) and then later got out the milk, opened it up, and was about to pour herself a cup when Devin got to her. That coulda been messy, especially since the milk jug is full. No need for help anymore, I take it.

*We went to the doctor last week. She marched on in, went directly to the nurse and demanded a sticker and a treat. Obviously they have spoiled her. The nurse was a different one than the normal one and was a bit taken back, I think, by her demands. She did, however, get the sticker and the treat.

It's a good thing we love this girl. She is as funny as ever and I often have a hard time not laughing when she does something she is not supposed to just because she has such funny facial expressions and because she is so stubborn, she won't give in.

Lesson #4: God's Love for His Children

I know it has been awhile, again, since I have posted on lessons I have learned in life (so far!) but I have had an experience running through my mind that I thought I would share and think that this is a good format for it. (If you are confused as to what the heck I am talking about, refer to my first post here to understand why I am writing about these things!)

I don't typically talk about spiritual things on my blog, but I don't know why not. I think my religion and my relationship with my Heavenly Father is a very important aspect of my life and thus, my testimony and experiences should be shared. I really hope that someday this blog will be a way for my posterity to get to know me and as such, it is really for them that I write these things. In the meantime, It is also for me that I share these things as a reminder. I hope someone else can benefit, too.

Okay, so onto it. I know you all know that one of the most vital times in my life was the time I spent in Ecuador. I don't know why I view this as such a turning point, but I feel that I just really came back a changed person (mostly for the better, I hope!) Prior to that point, I was very dependent on other people and often formed my opinion of myself on what I thought others thought of me. Does that even make sense? Anyway. One of the reasons Ecuador was so great for me is because I went into it not knowing a soul (including in a sense myself) and came out of it with a greater understanding of who I am and how I should view myself- that is more in the way God views me and with the love that He has for me and for each of His children. (Don't get me wrong, I still struggle from time to time with this concept, but not nearly to the extent that I used to. In high school, my friends gave me a quote once that said something to the effect of "God doesn't make trash!" as a reminder to me that when I got thinking I wasn't very lovable or very great at x,y,z. This reminded me that it was actually offensive to God to think of one of His great creations in such a low way. I have often remembered this little quote and though it kind of makes me laugh, I can see how true it is.)

You all know about my experience with a little girl there named MF. She affected my life in a way that no one before and no one since has. I became so attached to her that I spent each day, each hour looking forward to the next time I was going to spend time with her. She had such a special spirit about her that I wanted to be with her all the time and being away from her caused me heartache that I can't describe (still does. And it's been 4 plus years since I have seen her.) As my time in Ecuador drew to a close, the thought of leaving her became increasingly agonizing for me due to the fact that I would likely never see this little girl again. I felt a tremendous responsibility for her after the three months I had spent caring for her. I felt no one in the world had the same feelings that I had for her and that I was the only one capable of caring for her adequately. I know, it was only three months, but I genuinely felt a crushing in my heart that I would have to leave her behind as I returned to my life in the United States. Of course it was difficult to leave all the other children I had become attached to as well, but it was an entirely different feeling when I started thinking about leaving her. It was almost as if the thought suffocated me. I could barely handle it.

I seemed to have a large portion of night shifts near the end of my stay in Ecuador, which only allowed me more time to cry and worry about MF and her future. What else is there to do when you are all alone in an orphanage in the middle of the night with a lot of sleeping babies? I wrote in my journal a lot during that time some of the feelings I was having. I prayed constantly in my heart and in my morning and night prayers that Heavenly Father could help lift this burden of feelings from me and assure me that all would be well.

The answer didn't come immediately. But I still remember when it did come. It was as clear to me as any answer I have received in my life through prayer. I was praying in my bed one night after many similar prayers on previous nights, trying to control my sobs and not to let the four other girls in the room know how difficult this was for me. It was late at night and I think everyone else was sleeping. I don't know how long I prayed for, but I suddenly felt a peace overcome me and the thought come, "Kim, she is my daughter too and I love her more than you can understand. I will care for her."

I was instantly humbled. Who was I to think that I was the only one who cared deeply for this little girl? How could I forget our Maker, who loves each of us with a perfect and unending love, even when we feel we don't deserve it? Of course He would be the one to care for and provide for my little girl in my absence. He had been there all along, caring for her throughout her life. Now as I look back on the past nearly five years since I have returned from Ecuador, I know that He has been involved in every aspect of MF's life. I have been able to keep in contact with her care providers over the years, and though she has moved from place to place a few times, she has always had great care and has thrived in the homes where she has lived. I can clearly see God's hand in her life.

This lesson applies to me, too. Through loving this little girl and having that profound answer come, I have come to know that as impossible as it seems, Heavenly Father does know and love each of us individually. He knows me. He loves me. He knows my deepest thoughts and my inner being. He knows that my sometimes ugly behavior or unkind thoughts are not the real me. He knows deep down who I want to be and He sees the potential in me to be that person, even when I often don't see it myself.

I am sure this is a lesson I will need to re-learn over and over again in my life. I am only human and have hard days when I don't think I am a good enough mom, or doing enough to keep my house clean, or making everyone happy at work, or whatever the case may be. But at the end of the day, none of that really matters. What matters is that God does love me as He loves MF and every other person. He can remind us of who we truly are, just as He reminded me that an orphan with sigificant disabilities is as important to him as any other person-regardless of their earthly status, wealth, influence, beauty, or anything else.

Grandpa Ed (aka "Uncle Ed")

My Grandpa passed away last Thursday, the 4th of November. He was an amazing man and I want to share some of my memories and thoughts about him. I was "lucky" enough to speak at his funeral, so I will just share some of the stories I talked about then plus a few other tidbits that were shared about him from other talks. I don't think I have ever met a person who is as unique as my Grandpa Ed. First of all, he was always known as "Uncle Ed" when we were growing up because he always told us that he was "too young to be a grandpa." Christmas 2009 with Grandpa. You have to love the white shirt and tie sewn on to his Snuggie.
Grandpa in his younger years.
Grandpa with his siblings in his young young years.
His obituary picture.

Some memories I shared at his funeral: (Some come from cousins of mine as we had compiled a book last year of "Memories of Grandpa" for G & G for Christmas, so it was handy to pull some from there to share):

*My grandpa developed a lot of the land in Island Park, Idaho, and we have a family cabin there, so a lot of my early memories of him are from times there. He had a little office that we would stop by and he would keep a LARGE stash of Little Debbies, Hostess, Snack Packs, and Shastas. He was always good for a treat, or many treats. I still don't really like any of those brands to this day- maybe an overload as a child? He loved his trees outside our cabin and would sit for hours on a folding chair with a hose in his hand, content as can be to water his trees.

*The grandkids (all 54 of us, plus 37 greats) can each probably tell you a story that has to do with Grandpa and the grocery store. He loved grocery stores, somewhat for socializing, somewhat for finding good deals (particularly on the above mentioned brands or on candy bars, which he also had a huge stash of). We lived nearby my grandparents during my growing up years, and I remember him going to the grocery store quite often. He would always wear his wooden shoes out (he was part Dutch and served his mission in the Netherlands). I didn't realize until I was quite a bit older that wearing wooden shoes places was not normal. My cousin Ashley shared the following story in the Memory Book and I find it hilarious and very, very Grandpa: "When I was younger I remember going to the grocery store with Grandpa. As soon as we got into the store we headed straight to the dairy section where he selected a yogurt. He then produced a spoon from his shirt pocket and proceeded to eat the yogurt as we shopped."

" *Grandpa had "nicknames" for everyone, though I am sure he didn't call them that. I was "Yimberly" my sister "Yennifer", my aunt Angela "Yarmilla", etc. My Uncle Dirk's boys lived right next to my Grandma and Grandpa and this is what they put in the memory book: "Josh-Hyrum remembers every time we visited, grandpa would ask, "What's your name?" and "Why are YOU here?" even though he called several times a day to have his garbage taken out, his mail picked up or taken out, or his newspaper brought in, rides to the post office to mail letters to the Czech Republic or to missionaries, or rides to the store. When he called he would asks for "Jersey" for George, "Yes-u-a" for Josh, "Toe-MAS" or "Send the brain" for Thomas, "Pet-RA" for Peter, "HEB-UR" for Heber, "Joseph Strobel the fourth" for Joseph. "

*My Grandpa had awesome one-liners and advice. Some classics include "Out of an empty brain floweth forth nothing. Genesis 1:1 (This was on his funeral program) and "More wealth can be acquired through marriage than through a lifetime of hard work."

*My cousin Shawna wrote this for the book about a time he gave her advice "Once in college Icame to Grandma and Grandpa's house and I invited my roommate. Grandpa sat us down and gave us a much needed lecture on how to pick the perfect husband. First he told us that if a boy claimed to have a spiritual manifestation saying that they were supposed to marry us and we didn't have the same manifestation that we were not supposed to marry that guy because he was full of it. Two other good peices of advice which I was not very good at following were to look at the boy's dental record and to look at his wallet. All very sound advice."

*Once when I was in high school, my sister and our cousin Anneka and I went to visit Grandpa with our friend Haylee. After raving about her beauty for some time, he turned to us and said, "And you- well the three of you will have to hope that some man will fall in love with your brains!" (Glad to report that Devin loves my brains...)

*Grandpa was all about us being educated and cultured. The first time he met Jennifer's husband Chris, his first question was "How many languages do you speak?" Chris was able to report that he speaks One- English. Grandpa spoke something like 7 languages and was always trying to learn. He also loved newspapers and magazines and often sent us magazine clippings of things he thought we needed to know or thought we would be interested in. Jennifer once got one of an obituary of a woman murdered in California who shared her name. Interesting, yes?

*Family and the Gospel were of utmost importance to Grandpa. He gave us a "State of the Family Address" annually that could be quite lengthy, but was always full of wisdom and interesting things. Grandpa had so many stories to share from his own life and was the ultimate example of missionary work. He used to smuggle Church materials behind the Iron Curtain when none were allowed. He went annually with suitcases full and was never caught. My uncles who spoke at the funeral talked of a whole congregation of people that he converted on one such trip from one church (can't remember which) to ours as he bore his testimony to them. Even the minister was converted. My uncle asked him a few years ago how many people he had converted in his lifetime and the answer was in the hundreds. What can I say about that? I have work to do to be like him.

Grandpa had gone down hill a lot in the past few years and had been bed ridden for about a year. I know that he has happily reunited with his 3 sons, grandson, parents, and other family members on the other side. I have no doubt he will be one hard working missionary there as he was an incredible missionary here. I am so glad to have an Eternal perspective on death so that I know that his passing is not the end. In fact, I have felt so much more happiness for him than I have grief in this process because of the understanding that I have.

What? Mikey is MARRIED?!?!

Here is a rundown of our exciting weekend in Oakland/San Fran. WARNING: Picture overload ahead!

Sightseeing:

We flew in Friday afternoon and since we had the rest of the day with no plans, we decided to head to San Francisco to do some sight seeing. We were able to see the fun trolleys, Fisherman's Wharf, and Lombard Street. I pretty much have no pictures except of Lombard Street because if I am to be entirely honest, we spent a LOT of that time looking for a bathroom that we could actually use without paying or having a code. Ridiculous. We also made the smart choice to park wayyyyyyy up the hills from the Wharf, not realizing that walking back up all those hills was going to be a beast- Especially when our 2 year old insisted upon pushing her own stroller back up. Fun times had by all. No really though, the scenery was gorgeous and it was fun to see some of the things I have heard about.

Visiting Friends:

Nearly the best part of the trip for me was seeing my long lost friends, Stefani/Ronnie and Meghan/Cody. We actually saw Meghan the first night and Stefani the second so these pictures are backwards, but whatever. We went to ice cream with Steffy and Ronaldo at this place that Ronnie had thoroughly researched before hand: the San Francisco Ice Cream Co. Don't worry, they have a sundae on their menu that costs $40. If we hadn't had so much to eat at the reception, we definitely would have gone for it. (yeah, right!). Ronnie decided on the candy sundae for he and Stef, and as you can see, it was a glorious choice. Devin and I had a sundae too, which was delicious, but it wasn't nearly as beautiful to look at as theirs. Thus, no picture. Anyway. I got to meet their little girl, Bailey, who was adorable. She didn't like me, however, and preferred to sit on Devin's lap the whole time. Why is it that kids just love him? It was pretty cute.

The first night, we went to dinner at a great place called Coconuts with Meghan and Cody. Oh how I missed Meg. It has probably been two plus years since I had seen her, but it was just like no time had passed. It was great to hear of their adventures since moving to the great state of CA. It was so fun to reminisce with her about all our great memories at good ol' LA Weightloss. What a gem of a place. Hallie took to Meghan and Cody immediately. She loved them. She is still talking about them. Oh and Cody's truck. She saw them pulling out in his truck and talked non stop after that about Cody and his truck. It was a nice change for a while from talking about the bus ride we took from the airport where she sat on Steve's lap. ("I ride bus. Steve's lap!")

Wedding Prep:

Nice, eh? So much for ironing. Instead, we steamed our clothes in the bathroom. Yes, we had 6 of us sharing a hotel room. Let's not discuss it. No, just kidding, it was fine. Anything to save a few pennies. The girls got the handy dandy cribs in the corner. They slept like champs through everything.

Temple:

Mike and Lara were married Saturday morning the 6th in the Oakland Temple. Everything was just perfect. The sealer was amazing, Mike and Lara were happy as clams, and the weather was gorgeous. Can I just say that the Oakland Temple is amazing??? It is so beautiful. I love that you can walk up on the roof and see the gardens up there. The view overlooking the city was beautiful as well. Fountains, flowers, trees, amazing view. What else could you ask for?

Hallie's cheesiest smile. Devin kept asking her to practice her "pretty smile" for the pictures and this is what she came up with. Awesome.

The siblings not getting married. Sparky, Jennifer, and Me. Yeah, the weather played games with my poofy hair again.

Hallie loved the bridesmaids' flowers. In fact, she marched on over and took possession of one of the girl's flowers and claimed them as her own. Nice.

On the roof gardens. Gorgeous.


Bride and Groom with all the nieces and nephews (all from Lara's side except Hallie and Sadie of course)

The Reception:

The reception was held later that evening at Lara's church building. The decorations were gorgeous and the food was amazingly good.

Hallie and Sadie got "Flower Girl" flowers. Of course Hallie was in heaven.
Having a dance with daddy.
This was by far the funniest part of the night; Michael and my mom dancing together while Lara danced with her dad. Let's just say that none of us really dance so well in our family. Glad that's over.
Cutting the cake. Yum.....................!

Okay, just had to throw this one in. After the long weekend of flying and driving, Hallie had spent a lot of time in her carseat. On our drive home, she entertained herself by sticking her crayons in the holes of her blanket. Quite the project. Maybe she will be an artist some day?

Congratulations Mike and Lara! We are so happy for you. Lara, welcome to the madness that is our family...