Persistence Pays Off

So, yah, we went to Disneyland again. Yes, we recognize that it is 3 times in a year. But, Laura just kept asking and asking to go. We realized that we probably won't be doing anything like this for at least 2 years because of the new house and new baby. So, when she offered to help pay for the trip and write Daddy's professor a note so he wouldn't have to go to school, we caved in. We went over Jason's Spring Break and flew instead of driving. It was those things that made it feasible. Click on the picture above or on this link to see the compilation video of our trip.

We took Disneyland at our pace and had a great time. I never felt sick and when we got tired or hungry, we sat down or ate. It was marvelous and remarkably relaxing. The family time was just what we all needed. I think we were all suffering from family withdrawals because we've just been so busy. Laura particularly loved the family time. We were having a hard time getting her to tell us what she wanted to do at Disney when we realized that all she wanted was to just be with Mom and Dad and be the center of attention. She was the center of attention the whole trip and just reveled in it. I could not believe how happy she was the entire time; she could not have been more good natured. It was a perfect trip and we came back energized to tackle everything coming our way!

Missing?

I recognize I have been absent for the past two weeks. It shouldn't have been that long, so here are my excuses. We were out of town to Disneyland not this past week, but the week before. It was a grand time and once I get the video done (hopefully soon), I'll do a post about it. These are my favorite pics from the trip. (Let's just say Laura was in heaven down there!) 
The rest of the time has been spent on house stuff. We closed on the loan, closed on the lot, and met with our builder. We have been getting our current house ready to sell (q-tip clean and clutter free) and it will go up this week. It's a little early, but we are terrified of two mortgages. And we finally got our plans back (have I mentioned how cool it is that we were able to design our own house?!) and they should be in to the city some time this week. Then the waiting begins. Here are our plans for you to look at in the meantime. Main floor then basement.No, you're not imagining it...it's a typo (pain of all pain to me). The garage is 2 car, not 3 car.

Am I Really That HUGE?

Or is it just my imagination? I am regularly getting strangers asking me how many "weeks" I have left. It's horrible to have to answer with 16. (Thank heavens my OB has assured me that I won't go past 39 weeks, or it would be even worse.) Here's my crazy profile picture to show how much I've grown.

I'm feeling our little one move all the time now. Many of my girlfriends were even able to see and feel her moving in my belly last night at girls night because she is getting so strong. I forgot how totally amazing and reassuring it is to feel that little person moving around inside me. What a miracle!

Grandmas Rule

Laura thinks that grandmas are the best things in the whole wide world. Her absolute best friends are her Grandma Garna and Grandma Linda. She regularly calls them on the phone to chat (2...green button. She knows how to call them by herself), and grandma is always the preferred play thing whenever she's around.

She is such a lucky girl to have two grandmas who live so close to her, that love her, love to see her and play with her, and are willing to carry on a conversation with a three year old on the phone. What more could a little girl ask for?

Pink and Purple Purses

We had so much fun at playschool yesterday with the letter "P". We had a popcorn picnic, played with puzzles and made pink and purple purses. The girls had a grand time. Here they are showing off the purses.

The purses were a bit of an adventure for my craft-challenged self. I made the pattern from an old locker pocket I had used for Young Women's. But, they turned out great for 3 year olds.

Busy "B" Weekend

This weekend was full of "B" activities. Jason's Brother Bret's family had a very VERY busy weekend, and we were there to support. On Saturday, his youngest son Jacob got Baptized. Here is Bret and his family on the day of the baptism.On Sunday, it was a Baby Blessing and a Big girl Blessing. Bret Blessed his new daughter Sophie (such a cute little tiny thing that it makes me remember that pregnancy really is worth it in the end) and his stepdaughter Lydia. Laura was enamored with baby Sophie both days and is getting really excited to have a baby of her own even if "Baby's start off a little Boring". Here are all the girls on the day of the blessings.

Haircut

I had been thinking about it anyway, but Andrea's success inspired us to take Laura to get her first professional haircut. She was an excellent little one and actually seemed to enjoy the experience. Most of all, I was relieved that the curls didn't get cut off...her hair got curlier!

Snow Day

It got incredibly cold here this past week. Fortunately, snow came with the cold. Unfortunately, it was SO cold the snow could hardly be enjoyed. Here is Laura doing her best to enjoy the snow. She hauled lots of snow to the picnic table and gave it a new, snowy top. But, she only lasted about 15 minutes outside.Then it was inside for the best part of playing in the snow: hot cocoa with marshmallows. Though, if you ask her, it was not "hot" chocolate, it was "warm" chocolate because Laura doesn't like things too hot.

Flubber

One of the more fun things in life for Laura lately has been playing with flubber. My brother and his wife sent some of this awesome stuff for her to play with. (Thank you, guys!) It is more than a big hit...it's a sensation. Here is Laura making an enormous worm with the yellow.I used it for Preschool when we did the letter J. The stuff really jiggles. It also bounces, is slippery and stretchy, pops nicely if you can get a bubble in it, and makes the most excellent hand and foot prints. Here are the girls at playschool yelling "flubber" for the camera.As a lovely point to mom's out there...it's much cleaner than playdoh. You can get the recipe at this site.