Fun In Utah

These are some pictures from our trip to the beautiful reservoir that Jonathan designed and brought to execution. Good job Jonathan! Some friends of ours in Tucson were in Cedar City at the exact same time we were (we ran into them a few times up there.) The husband mentioned that they too visited the reservoir and how much fun it was. So many people are enjoying it, even us Arizonians! :)


We had a wonderful trip to Utah earlier this month! We filled four days with playing with cousins, being outside (in awesome 82-degree weather - can't be beat!), and just enjoying time with family. A huge thanks to Jonathan and Kathryn for hosting us and making us feel so comfortable and at home. A huge thanks to Emma, Drew, and Jacob for playing endlessly with Aaron and Grant. They miss their cousins!

We arrived late July 3. July 4 we headed to Main Street for the annual Fourth of July parade. The boys had a ton of fun collecting candy that was thrown out by parade participants. We then headed to the city park to continue the celebration. That night we met up with more family at a park and played a fun game of baseball. Aaron and Grant even went up to bat! The day concluded with watching fireworks (from inside the mini van. A & G felt safer in there!)

The boys also picked apricots, went swimming in a creek, played in the backyard, played downstairs a lot with new and interesting toys, and saw "Brave." Oh, and we ate at Cafe Rio. Yum! Jonathan and Kathryn were kind enough to get tickets to see Les Miserables at the Shakespearean Festival. It was very moving. I was really impressed by the performance. A beautiful story anyway, but this particular production was fantastic.

We also enjoyed visiting the 10-acre reservoir that Jonathan designed and brought to execution as part of his job. The lake was beautiful, and Aaron and Grant had a blast playing in the water and sand. We had a beautiful visit! It was really hard to leave family and such awesome weather. It felt so good to be outside in such great weather! Thank you so much for having us!

Ice Water Is My New Best Friend

Remind me to never be pregnant again during Arizona summer months. It is miserable. Being sick and having a higher internal body temperature than normal, and then adding crazy Arizona heat doesn't make for fun times. Thankfully ice water helps ... a lot. I drink a lot of it.

Today I even had a strong urge to go jump in a cold pool to cool down. And I was inside in air conditioning. But alas, Grant was napping so that wasn't possible. I am trying to stay cool. Trying to stay awake during the day (though I admit I do close my eyes sometimes,) and trying to remember how fortunate I am that it is hot at the beginning of my pregnancy and not at the end when I am large and uncomfortable. My heart goes out to women in their last trimester right now! I truly am so grateful for the miracle of being able to have another baby. This summer shall pass, and then the weather will be truly beautiful and I will be in heaven! In the meantime, ice water is my new best friend!

Insomnia ...

.. stinks! I have had the worst insomnia this pregnancy. I've never had it this consistently until now. For the last several weeks, every night without fail I am awake in the middle of the night for up to several hours. Last night I think I was awake from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. (This is why I'm in bed by 9 p.m. I've got to squeeze some sleep in!) It's just hard because I'm sick all day and then can't adequately rest at night. Last night I was tempted to read or do something "productive" during my awake time, but then I didn't want to stimulate my mind and make it even harder to fall back asleep. I should just get up and throw in a load of laundry ...

Has anyone else out there had bad insomnia during pregnancy or at any other time? Any advice for helping to reduce it or get rid of it altogether? Any tips would be appreciated! Thanks :)

Sincerely,
So sleepless

p.s. I must say I am very grateful for Sunday afternoon naps. (For some reason I can easily conk out on this day.) They have been my saving grace! Mike has been so kind and understanding about giving me this time to rest!

Grant's Curls

Here's a closeup of Grant with his curly hair. It's so cute on him, I guess I'm glad we passed the trait on! ;-) I think this bundle of locks comes mostly from his father! Even my hair isn't this curly.

My New Bike and Pregnant Belly!

It seemed appropriate to pair the two together (the bike and the pregnant belly) since they're both fairly new to us!

I look really weird in this picture -- sorry! I don't think I could have gotten Mike to take any more pictures though :) My belly has already popped and I'm only three months along! (Oh, by the way, I'm pregnant!) A friend of mine who's an ob/gyn told me my uterus is more flexible since I've already had a couple kids -- hence the fact that I'm showing earlier. Anywho, I just hope I don't keep growing at this rate to the end. :)

We're excited to be expecting again and feel very blessed. We'll meet our new baby January 7 or thereabouts. Perfect weather in which to bring home a baby in Arizona! We're excited to meet him/her!

And Mike bought me this gorgeous bike for my birthday. It's exactly what I wanted. It's yellow with a cute basket up front. We already cruised around the neighborhood as a family unit Saturday night. :) Aaron and I were up front, and Mike stayed behind with Grant -- though they weren't too far behind! It was so fun to pedal beside Aaron. Here's to many more family adventures! Thanks, Mike, for the great bike! Love it.

p.s. And Grant is the cute curly haired boy standing next to me!

Grant's Stats and New Bike-Riding Skills!

Granty had his three-year checkup today with our new pediatrician, who is just wonderful. She hails from Colorado and has 25 years of experience. She is just warm and friendly -- I love that! She asked Grant where he got his blue eyes from, and Aaron piped in, "Jesus!" The doctor said, "Yes, Jesus did a great job making this little boy" (or something like that.) I thought it was so sweet. With Grant in the 77th percentile for weight at about 33 pounds, she noted that Grant is not fat, but "stocky" with big bones. :) She asked him what his favorite fruit was, and he replied, "pineapples." That was a surprise to me! He has good taste though :) He's in the 56th percentile for height at 37.5 inches. I should also note that Grant is a very sweet little boy and, although he's heavy and I don't like carrying him anymore, he's still my little sweetheart!

Turning 3 marked a big milestone for Grant -- he learned how to ride a two-wheeler! (This is what happens when your husband is a bike enthusiast.) Grant learned in just a couple of mornings with Dad helping him before he left for work. He's riding like a pro now and can ride alongside his brother. I see many bike adventures in their future! I hope to get a bike soon, too (hint, hint) so I can keep up with these boys! A beach cruiser will do ... one with tassels and a yellow basket up front ... something to putt around the neighborhood on!

Here he goes:

Are We Living A Christ-Centered or A Self-Centered Life?

Today's Sunday School lesson was on forgiving and not judging others and how, if we expect to be forgiven of our mistakes, we too must forgive others of theirs. Because we all make mistakes, right? It is not up to us to decide who gets to be forgiven and who doesn't. We are to forgive all men. It was a beautiful lesson.

The part that stuck out to me, though, was a comment made by a woman in the congregation. She said either we live a Christ-centered life or a self-centered life. If we're living a Christ-centered life, then we are striving to be like the Savior and are loving and forgiving of others, because of course no one is perfect, and because that is how the Savior lived. We're less likely to judge and criticize; we never truly know other's circumstances or their reasons for doing things. We love freely.

However, on the opposite end of the spectrum, if we're living a self-centered life, then we may be less likely to forgive and quicker to judge because we are only thinking of ourselves and aren't showing Christ-like love. I am not putting it as eloquently as she did, but I think this was the general idea.

I just love the idea of striving to live a Christ-centered life -- to be as quick to forgive as children are; to love others, even if it might be hard; and to not judge others -- period. As Elder Uckhdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said in his amazing talk on not judging others: "When it comes to hating, gossiping, ignoring, ridiculing, holding grudges, or wanting to cause harm, please apply the following: Stop it! It's that simple." If you want to read his talk, you can do so here.

Oh, I love it.

This is my absolute favorite part of his talk, a "self-test": (Easier said than done, but I am trying.)

My dear brothers and sisters, consider the following questions as a self-test:

Do you harbor a grudge against someone else?

Do you gossip, even when what you say may be true?

Do you exclude, push away, or punish others because of something they have done?

Do you secretly envy another?

Do you wish to cause harm to someone?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may want to apply the two-word sermon from earlier: stop it!

In a world of accusations and unfriendliness, it is easy to gather and cast stones. But before we do so, let us remember the words of the One who is our Master and model: “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone.”¹²

Brothers and sisters, let us put down our stones.

Let us be kind.

Let us forgive.

Let us talk peacefully with each other.

Let the love of God fill our hearts.

“Let us do good unto all men.”¹³

What beautiful words, and what a beautiful way to live! Lovely message today!