So Cal Day #3

We took a few pictures in front of the 'L' at California Adventure before we went in.

With Donald! (Shocking to see pictures of myself right now. My face looks HUGE!)

Waiting in line for Toy Story

Paxton on Toy Story

Lyric on King Tritan's ride

Paxton on King Tritan's ride

Lyric and Mike on the Jelly Fish. Paxton was too short :(

Lyric and Mike on the Bumper Cars in Bug's Land

Paxton driving the Bumper car for usThe three on the Ladybug at Bug's Land.

Paxton and I on the Cracker Boxes at Bug's LandLyric and Mike on the Cracker BoxesWith Chip and Dale!

If you can spot them, Lyric and Mike on the raft ride, they got wet!

Dancing while waiting for Playhouse Disney!

Waiting for Playhouse Disney

With Pluto!

With Goofy!

Thursday we got up and went to California Adventure. Mike had never been there, so I was excited for him! We got there at about 8:40, and it didn't open until nine, so we had time to take some pictures. They had some fun characters out, so we took some pictures with them!

I heard someone suggesting to go to Toy Story first, so that's what we did! I am so glad. The two times I was there last year, the line was just too dang long to wait! I have a limit of how long I'm willing to wait, no matter how awesome the ride is! Thank goodness, our wait was only about ten minutes. That was such a fun ride! I would have loved to do it over and over! Of course Paxton loved shooting at all the the stuff with his 3D glasses on.

One of the workers told us that it was supposed to be an exceptionally slow day, and boy it was! Lyric and Mike went on a few rides while Paxton and I waited. He was too short and I was feeling to pregnant and dizzy! I just knew at some point I was going to pass out right on the floor, thank goodness I didn't! Something about being pregnant and getting a little too warm just doesn't do well with my body.

We went over to Bug's Land and did all of those fun little rides. Next was High School Musical 3! We saw this with my mom last year, and of course we had to see it again! It's a cute twenty minute little performance they do with some of the songs from the movie. Mike did Hollywood Tower of Terror while we watched this. I knew that if I went on that ride, that the baby would actually fly out of me! I did it once last year, and that was enough for me! I'm getting wimpy in my old age!

We went through the little tortilla walk through and the sourdough bread one and got the samples. It was yummy and actually pretty interesting to watch them making the stuff.

We were able to see Playhouse Disney, which is another one the kids really like. It was probably Mike's favorite ;) We found a few more characters to take some pictures with. We then took turns doing Soarin' Over California, by far the most awesome ride in the world! Paxton was too short, so I went with Lyric, and then Mike went by himself. Lyric decided she wanted to do the roller coaster, California Screamin', but she was two inches too short, next time!

It was closing at seven that night, and by 5:30 we had done everything and were ready to go! We had five minutes to literally run across the whole park and catch our shuttle. I'm embarrassed to say that I think I slightly pulled my calf muscle doing this! Mike carried Lyric on his shoulders while I pushed Paxton. It must have been quite the scene! We didn't want to wait a whole extra hour until the next shuttle came!

We decided to go to Cafe Rio one last time since it was still pretty early. We went back to the hotel and crashed!

So Cal Day #2

Waiting for the shuttle to go to Disneyland!

In line for our first ride, Peter Pan.

Mike and Lyric getting ready to take off on Peter Pan!

Paxton on the Carousal

Lyric on the Carousal, she loves this one!

Mike and Paxton on Dumbo. The sun was a little bright :)

Thank goodness he crashed for a bit while Mike and Lyric went on some rides.

In line for the Jungle Cruise. He stayed like this for almost the whole ride. Lots of things freaked him out a little!

The longest wait of all- the Beloved Princesses! Paxton was way too scared!

We spotted Jasmine and Aladdin with practically no line!
Getting off Small World. He really liked this one.
Paxton got this Buzz Light Year shooter.

Lyric chose this baby Minnie. Number 600 to her collection of stuffed animals she sleeps with. Pretty soon, she'll be on the floor!

On Wednesday, we got up and got ready for Disneyland! This was our third time staying at this hotel. We really like it because they provide a free little breakfast and a free shuttle to and from Disneyland. I like saving the time and money by not having to park there! We left at 9:30 and were on our way!

The weather was so incredible. We always hit up Peter Pan first. I love this ride! Paxton did good on this one. Lyric is Little Miss Fearless, so I wasn't worried about her. Plus, she remembered going last year, so she knew what to expect on most rides. Next, we had to do the carousals. This is one of Lyric's favorites, which is kind of funny to me. After that we did Dumbo. The lines were all so tolerable. It was so nice to not have to wait forever with two little ones.

Mike and Lyric were able to do Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Star Tours, Indiana Jones at one point or another throughout the day while Paxton and I waited behind. They had fast passes, so it made it even faster. She was Mike's little side kick. I wanted to feel really protective and not let her do some of the rides, but she was gung ho!

We did most of the other rides together. I have to say, I was surprised at Paxton's reaction to most of the rides! He would bury his head into Mike and not want to look up. He didn't cry, but you could tell he wasn't loving it! On Pirates of the Carribean, he clenched Mike's arm so hard at that first dip! I wonder if he'll eventually be like Lyric and like all the rides, or if he'll always be fine just doing Dumbo and the carousal!

We ate lunch at a place called The Golden Horseshoe. They had a little show they put on while we were eating. They pulled up some people from the audience, and Mike was one of them! I had left my camera in the stroller and couldn't go out to get it because they shut the doors, I was so sad I didn't get any pictures! It was a pretty funny little skit they did. Mike enjoyed himself and was a good sport.

By 8:30, we had done all of the rides and were ready to head out! The day went so smooth and everyone had lots of fun. We wanted to get to bed a a decent hour so that we could wake up refreshed for California Adventure!

So Cal Day #1

Last Tuesday, we took off for Southern California. We try to go to Disneyland once a year. We wanted to go before the baby comes and before the weather heats up and Disneyland gets too busy! We'd been once before at this time of year and really enjoyed it.

Of course, I had my list of places we "had" to eat at. We stopped in Bakersfield on the way there to eat at Schlotzskys. I've been craving it this whole pregnancy, but haven't quite found it in me to drive the 85 miles just for a sandwich! Thank goodness Mike is good at obliging to my food requests and didn't make the pit stop.

We got to our hotel and rested for a bit. Every single time I make that drive, I promise myself I'll never do it again! I can never understand how there can be that much traffic every hour of the day!

After we were rested, we headed to eat dinner at destination number two, Cafe Rio. About a month ago, I had read that they opened up a Cafe Rio down there and there was no way I was going to miss it! Mike likes it just as much as I do, so we were both really excited. That place never disappoints! You can't go wrong with their pork salad! A major bonus for me was that they had crushed ice, so I asked for extra water cups to fill up with ice :) Ice is a major craving for me during pregnancy, not a good thing for my poor teeth.

After dinner, we headed back to the hotel to swim. The kids were so excited. They had a spa and then the pool was heated. I was actually really sad I hadn't brought anything to swim in for myself because the water felt really good! Lyric jumped right in and Paxton was cautious as usual. He was content sitting at the edge of the spa with his feet in. Mike convinced him to let him hold him in the pool for a few minutes.

After swimming and baths, we put the kids down. As fun as it was, it made me very grateful that we don't all share one room at home! I would go crazy if I had to do that every night!

Tie Breaker

So, today I am officially half way done with this pregnancy! But, I know that the longest stretch in the whole world is in front of me.

Yesterday we were able to go get our little baby checked out. It was amazing to see such detailed parts of the body. The little feet measured 3.3cm! How tiny! The ultrasound lady gave us tons of pictures. My mom, dad, Mike, Lyric, and Paxton were all able to come. It definitely made everything feel so much more real seeing that little person so clearly in front of us.

Well, it looks like Mr. Pacman will be outnumbered once more! Thank goodness he's got no problem showing his aggressive manly side! He's going to need it with two sisters, not two mention all his girl cousins! Coming from the history our family has, my mom told Mike he's lucky he got one boy! They just don't come very easy for some reason.

This whole pregnancy, I've just known it was a boy. The thought of a girl never crossed my mind, for whatever reason. I was convinced that "Gavin" would be joining our family in June. My first thought of the possibility of a girl was at my appointment two weeks ago. My doctor has an ultrasound machine, so I asked if he'd check to see if he could tell the gender. It's not the most clear machine, so he said, "well, I don't see boy parts but I'm not going to promise a girl." I told myself I wasn't going to let that get into my head, but I did!

Then, the next week, my best friend, Tiffani, told me she was having a boy. She is exactly one week ahead of me. Our first two kids are the opposite sex of each other. So, when she told me she was having a boy I told her that I was for sure having a girl then cause we always have the opposite! We have just increased our chances of at least having one of our kids marry each other's. It's been a dream of ours since we were little to be related. Now we have that much more of a probability :)

I didn't tell Mike, but last week I had also secretly bought a few girl things, knowing I'd just return them if it was a boy. Being that Lyric will be almost six and was born in the complete opposite season of this baby, I will need to get some girl clothes. I absolutely love finding insane deals, and that's what these things were, so I just had to get them. I wasn't letting myself buy any boy stuff because it would have been the exact same season as Paxton and I didn't need one thing!

Just as obvious as Paxton's ultrasound showed a boy, this one showed a girl! I didn't even need the ultrasound tech to tell me. It was the very first thing we saw. She got a very clear picture of it! I love the ultrasound picture I posted. Her whole little profile, hands, feet, and all! I love how you can also see the nose and lips. So incredible. She was measuring 13oz, so if she's going to compete with her brother, she's got over nine more pounds to gain! We've decided on Kylee, but are still unsure on a middle name. Sometimes the names Mike likes kind of make me want to run to the toilet :) Just kidding, we'll find one we both like!

Grandpa, Paxton, and Lyric waiting for me to be called back

Random

I'd never done this before, so I gave it a shot. It actually made me laugh out loud. Dakota Fanning? I can't really say I think any of them are a match, but it was fun to see what it chose.

Belly Update

19wks 3days

I have been so bad at taking belly pictures this pregnancy. I was very diligent with my other two. I know I'll regret it when I'm done! It just seems these days that I'm living in what I like to call survival mode. I can definitely say that I am not one of those women who feel their best when they are pregnant, but that'd be nice! This third one has really been an experience I'd like to never have to go through for the rest of my life. I know the end result will be so wonderfully worth it.

When I got pregnant, I knew I'd start feeling yucky at six weeks. I figured I'd just push through and live my day to day life and get through it. Well, don't we all love to plan, and then see what reality has in mind for us! I didn't know that it was humanly possible to feel so emotionally, physically, and mentally tried. I've never lived in such a moment by moment type of time. I woke up each morning looking forward to bedtime, not that that brought much relief, at least I was able to sort of sleep through some of the misery.

I had to learn to rely heavily on family. Mike was in his last semester of his MBA program, therefore he was gone lots. My parents and Jamie and Tucker were actual life savers. My kids were taken care of, my house was taken care of, my laundry was taken care of. All I had to do was worry about myself, and even that felt too hard. I cannot even fathom having my kids around full time during that process. Making them chocolate milk in the mornings was about enough to make me run to the bathroom. I actually felt mean for making it cause I couldn't imagine a human being thinking that it sounded good!

I feel more than grateful to be over that hump. I have to remind myself on days that I feel extra gross, that it's nothing compared to what it was! We get to find out Wednesday what we are having. I finally feel excited to know. This pregnancy has just felt so different in a million different ways. I think for the first while it was really hard for me to connect that I was feeling the way I was because a human being was growing inside of me! Now that I can feel the movement and can, for the most part, eat food pretty normal, I feel excited to know who is inside of me!

These Two

He likes watching her play PBS Kids on the computer
At Chili's waiting to be seated

I have really been enjoying watching Lyric and Paxton's relationship lately. They are becoming good friends. Lyric does a great job at assuming the role as the big sister. Most often, Paxton is okay with that, other times he'll let her know his thoughts with a nice whack to the back of her head with his toy hammer. With the good has to come the bad!

They love watching "Fresh Beat Band" together and singing and dancing to every song. They love to play baby and mommy together. And if we ever have a hard time understanding what Paxton is saying, chances are Lyric can translate for us!

Sneaky Skates

Lyric got a pair of skates for her birthday, and Paxton has insisted that they are his! He walks around saying, "my skates," knowing that it'll get the reaction he's looking for out of his sister. It works like a charm every time :) She is very nice and often obliges when he asks to wear them.

I've also had it weighing heavily on my mind to have him potty trained by the time the baby gets here. He understands the concept, it's just that he actually finds pleasure peeing in spots he's not supposed to. The walls, shoes, the carpet, and most recently called me into their room to show me he had peed in Lyric's empty toy box. I need to push through and just get it done. He loves wearing underwear, and I have to say I think his little butt looks so cute in them!

Christmas Sunday

Dec. 20:

We had to do our traditional pictures with the kids in their cute matching outfits after church. They looked so cute this year, as they do every year! My mom always does such a perfect job getting all of their outfits put together so meticulously! They are always so excited to wear their new Christmas outfits, I can't just say dresses cause there is one little boy in the mix!

Ward Party

Dec. 11:

I took the kids to our ward's Christmas party. They had lots of fun. The primary sang a few cute songs. The kids were also able to sit on Santa's lap. Lyric was all for, and Paxton wasn't so sure. He wasn't scared, just a little weirded out I think! Of course when asked what he wanted, his response was candy! Lyric named off her list of barbies, doll houses, and everything else!

First Haircut!

Dec. 11:

At almost 2 1/2, we finally decided to get Paxton's hair trimmed. I say trim, cause we probably only took like an inch off! It just needed some of the baby hair ends taken off. When we wash his hair it goes at least half way down his back! It's obviously not that long when it's dry. I took him in to get it done, because there was no way I was attempting that one on my own!

He was a little hesitant at first, but did pretty good. By the end he was very excited that he had just gotten a hair cut. I am just not ready to part with his curls yet. They make him who he is! I cannot imagine him with short hair. Who knows, maybe his curls will go away one of these days, but until then, I'm keeping them! It's funny because whenever I see an older teenage boy with curly hair, I want to ask him his feelings on having curly hair. Does he hate it, does he love it, did he get made fun of for it? I feel this extra little connection because of Paxton. I love his curly reddish hair, but I'm sure mean kids will find a way to tease him!