Groundbreaking

No, we aren't breaking ground for a new home (although that would be fun), instead we're breaking ground for the new Stake Center in Pasco. Times are changing!

Michael kept himself busy by digging in the dirt. Unfortunately the people around us were also covered in dirt by the time the program was over. Ooops!

18 Months

Michael is 18 months (I'm a little behind). Holy Smokes! The most exciting thing about Michael turning 18 months is that he can now go into nursery. He has been so ready for this. He has no separation anxiety whatsoever, which makes it great for us. I'll enjoy the two months I have off until his brother comes.

I took him to his 18 month check-up last Monday and he had a double ear infection. I had suspected that, but he's also been cutting his four canines, so I related all the symptoms to that. Oops. He's not gaining weight how he should, actually he lost some weight, which is never good when you're already a skinny little guy. We are having to put him back on the formula that is ridiculously expensive. We are trying to feed him as much fattening food as possible, but most fattening foods that kids will eat has dairy in it.

18 month highlights:

• Loves to point to pictures and statues of Jesus, and say "Jesus"
• Throws everything and anything. He has an amazing throw, which is dangerous for the rest of us
• Goes to nursery like a champ
• Reads books in his bed
• Still sleeps in a pack n' play and hasn't crawled out...yet
• Still takes two naps a day, and sleeps 12 hours at night
• Has a bit of a biting problem. Mainly towards his Mom and cousin Kate
• Loves to get the mail key and walk to the mailbox every afternoon with Dad
• Will go up to any stranger if he thinks they will play with him
• Loves dogs
• Always wants to be outside
• Bath time is his favorite and he splashes the entire time
• Sits in time out...sometimes
• Won't take any medicine willingly
• Says Mommy about 500 times a day
• Will not sit down in his high chair, but would rather stand

Pura Vida

I'm reminiscing on this cold, wet, grey day. Plus, I'm sick of looking at the picture of the nasty cereal (I'll give an update on that when I have one).

Pura Vida is the phrase you'll hear over and over again in Costa Rica. Two years ago this week, we went on a belated honeymoon to Costa Rica. Kyle had just graduated, I had some extra air miles and some extra time off work. It was just the two of us, with our trusty Lonely Planet guidebook, for our 12 day adventure. We didn't speak Spanish, didn't have a plan whatsoever, and also didn't have a care in the world. Instead of wasting time on buses, we decided to rent a car, which was so worth it. We traveled around the country on non-paved, wet, muddy roads, through mountain passes, and stayed in some very interesting motels/bungalows. Many times I thought, if we die right now, nobody will EVER know where we are or find our bodies. I was just getting over my first trimester, so it was the perfect time to go before our lives changed forever. I'm so glad we did. Sometimes, I open up the file "Costa Rica" and try to pretend I'm on vacation. It usually doesn't work.

Disgusting

Albertson's was having a sale on Post Cereal last week, so we bought 6 boxes of Shredded Wheat-Frosted cereal. I ate a bowl, and noticed a nasty, bitter, foul taste with about 5 of my bites. I told Kyle about it, and when he ate a bowl, he noticed the same thing. He investigated the remaining cereal by examining each piece, and noticed a green hue in the "seam" of the cereal. He split it open and this is what we found. Disgusting. I've contacted Post, told them I'm pregnant, and they are sending me a packet to fill out and they want to investigate the above cereal in their labs. I decided to see if it was just a fluke, but after opening another box, I found the same thing. I've had a certain side effect since eating this cereal which I won't share.

*This picture doesn't even do it justice...it looks more disgusting in real life.

Three for Three

We were all expecting at the same time the last time around, but we weren't all together, and the day I told everyone I was expecting, both sisters were about to head to the hospital to deliver their babies. This week, Sister #1 (who I stole this picture from) is being induced with her 5th, tomorrow Sister #2 goes back to Utah, and then her family moves to Houston next week. This is the first and last picture we will have like this!

Easter 2009

This year all of my siblings were in town for Easter except for Andrew on his mission and my bro-in-law Cody, so we all decided to go to church at my parents ward. It was nice to have a "break" from regular church duties, and it was Michael's first time in nursery...praise heaven!!! The next time we take one of these pictures, there will be three more grand kids. My sisters and I are all expecting at the same time (happened last time too).

During the Easter Egg Hunt, Michael decided he liked the balls better that were in the yard, until he discovered that there was candy in the eggs. I'm so glad the candy is gone from our house because he's quite demanding when it comes to jelly beans. I decided to just put apples in his Easter basket, which he was just as happy about (don't think that will last much longer).

As you can see, I'm getting quite large. At my appointment last week, the baby was measuring three weeks big. I cannot believe I still have 2.5 months left. I must admit it goes by a lot faster when you have another baby to chase around.

Slam Dunk

Michael is an active little boy, and so I've always been afraid of him chipping his teeth. I'm very conscious of him hitting his mouth. We went swimming at my bro-in-law's parents pool on Monday (Kyle's sister and her family were in town), and Kyle was lifting Michael up to the basketball hoop so he could throw in the basketball. Michael was slam dunking it in, and hit his mouth on the metal rim. He didn't cry, but Kyle could tell he hit his mouth. Sure enough, he chipped his front tooth. I was NOT happy, and Kyle felt terrible because he knows how much I DO NOT want that happening. So now, my baby with the perfect teeth, now has a chipped front tooth. Our dentist friend came over to check it out, and said he could fix it but we have to wait a while to do it. Basically when we can get him to sit still. It might be a LONG wait. I'm trying to come to grips with it.

We got a VIP tour of Oakdell Egg Farms. Thanks Brian!

We went to Playground of Dreams, but it was COLD!

Kyle's first day on the new job is today.....YEAH!!! He even got to come home for his lunch break. My mom said I needed to take a picture of him on his first day. Let's hope I won't have to take another one of these for a long time. To celebrate, I took a much needed nap!

Michael slept through the night last night for the first time in 3 weeks. We all needed that! He also hasn't bit anyone in a few days, but there's been a few attempts on me. His new front tooth is a sharp weapon!