baby shower time...

A special shower shout out goes to Chelsea and mom for planning this shower... another special shout out to my girls for assembling the hardest looking baby shower invitation...

What a grand event it was...any of you that didn't make it...well, you missed some killer food and the most lovely of decorations...

Time spent with my sis-in-law Cori and a good friend Kristan....
Enjoying the food, folks and fun...am I thinking about an old McDonald's slogan or something?? That's disturbing...At least I don't know the whole 1980s McDonalds menu song by heart...or do I? My girls...my favorites...(Diana, Sarah, Kayleen, me, Cori, Kristan)

What would I do without them!
Oh, you know this was my first round at the food table- but it definitely was not my last...thanks to Sarah and the killer artichoke dip and thanks to Sweet Cakes for the most moist ***I HATE using this word, but it really is the best description for it*** sugar cookies in the BIZ!!!The lovely peeps that graced the shower! Thank you all for being so supportive! My family...the in-laws whom I adore... (mom, Chelsea, me, Jaime, Mimi)
Sweet Cakes confections... the devilish 7 layer brownie... and angelic frosted sugar cookie...these are dangerous....there should have been a disclaimer that you can't just eat one.
Miley loves being Superman...even on the counter ledge. You have the hardest kid, Sar...

Man I will miss this little guy...especially since now he actually likes me.

Later that night we got to have a girls night out....and of course it was a blast! We went for the most delicious pizza at Grimaldi's (love those little pepperoni's) then went to play Catan at Sarah's. I'm actually really surprised that Jaime actually liked the game- the Kimball's aren't generally ones for board games...maybe I'm rubbing off on them (at least one of them)! I had a great time laughing with the girls...a much needed medicine! Overall, what a great day!

Isaiah Elias Carpenter...

I am realizing what a bad Aunt I have become...my older brother Eli and his wife Cori had a baby boy on May 29th- Isaiah Elias Carpenter...and I have just been so into myself as of late, that I completely forget to post the pictures I had taken and even the ones while my own family was in town. I guess you could say I've been a little preoccupied.

Isaiah's birth story can be read here... and just a little disclaimer- you might be drawn to tears- what a scary lead up to birth (maybe I should have waited to read this until after I have my first baby!)

So- at the end of May Blake and I had gotten back from our cruise and from Georgia- and both of us were sicker than dogs- but Blake had been diagnosed with pneumonia- his cough was much deeper than mine- and I was healing quicker than he was. So when my brother called and said they were on the way to the hospital and that they'd probably have the baby that night (they still didn't know the gender of it- they wanted their 2nd baby to be a surprise) I was so excited but kinda sad cause I knew as sick as Blake was he wouldn't be able to see the baby when he was in the hospital.

I generally consider myself the kind of person that wants to be there for friends and family- and I knew that I should have very limited time around the newborn especially since I was still coughing a bit, and since Blake and I were around each other so much- you just NEVER want a newborn to catch these nasty sicknesses- they are so innocent and clean- it's just the crappy realization of an imperfect world.

Either way though- after Eli called the first time he called me 45 minutes later and said he was born! Now that is a quick delivery! He is just an adorable baby, and his older sister Indianna just loves him so much. She is so gentle with him- she is already making a great big sister! She was so curious at the hospital and was probably a little confused about the whole thing- but as long as she had her little Nemo fish- she was as happy as a clam! Hopefully we'll get to see their family grow more on a regular basis once I have the baby and am not working! We are just SO excited about Isaiah's arrival and can't wait for his cousin to be born so we can share in the joy of another baby!

About a week or so after Eli and Cori left the hospital my parents came out for a week from Colorado to spend with them adapt to kid #2. They stayed very busy (which they love) working on the landscaping in the backyard and getting together with us for dinner and games.

We enjoyed their visit- and even celebrated fathers day with both my side of the family and Blake's side of the family. My neice Indianna found out that if she batted her eyelashes that she could make it all around the room, getting a little bit of brownie and ice cream from each family member- she is SUCH a perfect mixture of my brother and Cori- it's too funny.

My brother Nate and his girlfriend Amy came out from L.A. to visit and see the baby and it is always a great time hanging with my bro. Plus, we love Amy and the sassy spunk she brings to the table. She seems to be a good fit for him! Meanwhile, Indianna loved playing with Grandma and Grandpa and having Grandma help her hold Isaiah. She was so sweet with him.

Indianna also was so cute to watch as she holds the dolly Grandma gave her when she was a baby. She carries it around everywhere and loves to nuzzle her nose into the front of the dolly's hair and play with the dolly's braids. It is her little piece of heaven, it seems. She also loved playing with Blake- he is so good with her! She just seems to open up to him every time we spend time with them.

A scary realization...

Isn't it true that when you spend $ to upgrade your house, you are never truly satisfied with the way things are? Blake can be so prophetic sometimes. We've been feeling a bit of buyers remorse after we spent a shload (yes, a made up word...two words combined... you figure it out) on decorating a bathroom and then a few other nick-nacks to fill in empty space around the house. See it's nice, right?

So why do we feel the need to constantly spend money? It NEVER makes me feel better after I do it- so why do I do it? Maybe it's my constant need for change...even though I thrive on the constant...the known...the comfort of things just being familiar. I guess with this baby on the way it's good that I embrace change...cause I'm in for a real rollercoaster of a ride. We also got our dining room tiled over 4th of July weekend- and it just looks like I'd always imagined it looked if we would have bought our house in its dream state.

Either way- it's hard to imagine our house with a baby just crawling all over and all of the joys that come with having kids...it is still so surreal to me. I only have 6 more weeks until she is due and that is so crazy to me!! The time has just flown by and at the same time I feel like I've been pregnant forever! I feel totally unprepared...but I guess that is pretty much normal for me- I've done ok with everything else in my life- hopefully this will be something else to add to my list! A lot has happened this month- I will try to write more to fill in the gaps I've left out.

Georgia on my mind...part 2

In continuation of Savannah, GA part 1- here is the continuation.

The next day we were in Savannah it was Sunday so we thought it would be a righteous decision to hit up (at least) sacrament meeting in the ward Blake served in. I know you know what I mean when I say "vacation rules apply"- so I don't need to explain that we only stayed for sacrament meeting, and not all 3 hours of church.... oh don't look at me that way... you may call it something else- but it's basically the same thing. So since Blake hadn't been back to visit his mission since going home in 2002, much had changed and he really only recognized about 4 or 5 families in the ward. We stayed after the meeting and chatted with a few people, but overall I'm sure he was a bit sad at the lack of people he recognized.

So after church we did what all tourists do and had some real southern BBQ for lunch at a lovely place called Sticky Fingers. Hit 'em up if you ever head down south. Granted they originated in Memphis- but I guess that's still considered "the south" to Southerners. Whatever, regardless it was phasing. Then we drove to downtown Savannah and admired all the spanish moss hanging from the trees...

Walked through several of the many "squares" (aka parks) that separate one way roads- all of which have some historical tie and were named after famous people or events of the late 1700's. And being that it was Sunday we thought that it would also be appropriate to give a shout out to the Catholics at the famous Cathedral of St. John the Baptist- built in 1876...What a beautifully ornate structure. My eyes were just transfixed on all of the stained glass and paintings everywhere. Imagine a person with ADD in that place- I doubt they could ever focus on an entire sermon (that being said in the most respectable church-like way, of course)After walking through the church and listening to the lovely pipe organ play hymns, we also thought it would be most appropriate to visit a truly humbling place- the Colonial Park cemetary. I don't know if anyone else feels the way I do about cemetaries- but I honestly feel so at peace when I'm there- especially this one. Whenever I go to places that have so much history I try to put myself in the shoes of people who walked there when the place first existed (ok, don't be a smart alek- I know you could do that just about anywhere, but the east coast is the oldest part in our nation- so naturally I felt really neat being in one of the oldest places) and this way just an amazing place. The headstones were so old that much of the writing was so weathered you couldn't make out much of what it said- but many of Savannah's "greats" rested in this cemetary. It was dated back in use from 1750-1853 .

After our afternoon spent around the more "spiritual" side of Savannah we had a "supper" appointment to get ready for. As Blake is a planner, a few weeks prior to our going on vacation he contacted a family that he and his companion spent many hours each week hanging out with- the DiNatalie's...and for good reason. Judy (the mom) invited us to have "supper" (see, already the southern hospitality kicking in) at their house that night- which we happily abliged. This lady is SERIOUSLY an amazing cook and there was so much food it could have fed an army. I got kinda scared when she came out with all of the food (as Blake had explained many times that Southerners thought it was rude if you didn't eat all the food they served for you on a plate) and already the baby was making my stomach shrink so I couldn't eat a lot at one time (just in small increments). Luckily the first thing Judy said was not to feel obligated to eat everything- which was a huge relief. Honestly though- my mom and my mom-in-law make the best food in the world- but this could have given then both a run for their money (love you guys!)... I think it was the twice baked potatoes that really did me in- they were AMAZING! So we spent about 6 hours just talking and doing a ton of laughing about old pranks Blake would pull on his companions- I don't think I'd laughed that hard for a long time...Thank you DiNatalie's for such a fun night! Shout outs to Judy, Joe, Leah, Victoria, and Joseph!

Georgia on my mind...part 1

So I promised I would write about the 2nd leg of our cruise- which was a lovely trip up the coast of Florida to Savannah, Georgia...where Blake spent a good 6 months of his mission. When I met Blake and we talked about his mission (see, he had only been home for about 2 months when we met) he showed me on a map (bestill my heart, I love a man that loves maps as much as I) where he had served and told me all about the moss, the lush green overhang of trees, the swamps, and the southern hospitality...I knew that was a place I'd love to see in my lifetime.

Once Blake and I were married we spent many summers longing to take a nice vacation out there so he could show me all that he had grown to love about that place. As a missionary you don't do a whole lot of touristy things, but little did I know that my own parents had been to Savannah many times and had tons of suggestions on what to see while we were there! Thanks M&D!

The drive up the Florida coast was really beautiful- it reminded me a lot of the Upper Pennisula of Michigan- where my family drove many times to visit our family cottage in Bay View, Michigan. The tree-lined roads totally brought me back. By the time we had gotten to Savannah, both Blake and I were full blown sick and coughing up a lung. Plus, it had rained and was so hot and humid that I thought I would pass out after being without A/C for 5 minutes! We spent the first afternoon there driving around town and Blake tripping out on his old apartment complex, and having dinner at his favorite fried chicken place (Zaxby's- with an AMAZING dipping sauce).

Afterwords we drove down to River Street and soaked up the sights of beautiful early American architecture. Unfortunately after about an hour the cobblestone started making me sick to my stomach so we started heading back to the hotel. (This next part may be graphic for some- so please use your discression- hey, at least I'm warning you!) About a block away from the hotel I got a really dry throat and coughed so hard that it made me throw up (for the 1st...yes 1st time in my entire life!) Not even through pregnancy have I gotten sick like that- luckily. The good thing was that I just heaved into an empty cup so it didn't go everywhere. Poor Blake...he was driving and as we're stopped at a red light I could just tell he was worried about me...a little reenactment...

Me: (insert gagging and coughing noises)

Blake: Honey, honey (as I'm gagging) are you ok?

Me: (another gag and a heave- then a quick grab of the cup)

Blake: (with wide eyes and mouth gaping open)

Me: (puking in the cup)

Blake: Honey are you ok?

Me: (turning to Blake with wide eyes of my own and a frown) Considering I just threw up for the first time in my life, NO, I'm not ok!

Blake: Do you feel better after that?

Me: I don't feel better or worse- I just threw up because I was coughing so hard.

Blake: Well, then it wasn't REALLY a true throw up, since you only did it once.

Me: What do you mean, not a REAL throw up? Are there qualifications for a REAL throw up? I REALLY just threw up.

Blake: Well, I'm sorry you did honey.

Me: Me too, especially since there was Zaxby's chicken in that.

Blake: So, (with sad eyes) does that mean you'll never want to eat there again?

Me: No way, that chicken with dipping sauce is the hardest!

Blake: That's good, Zaxby's is the hardest.

I feel really grateful for a non traumatic first throw up experience. I honestly think the Lord is blessing me with experiences to prepare me for motherhood- I have always been a real baby with blood draws, needles, throwing up, etc. and not to say I'm invincible....I just think I am able to handle those things a little more now than before. This last picture is me calling my parents and giving the gross details- none the less, they are so proud that their little girl is growing up!