Trip to Auburn, CA

We just got back from our trip to California today.  We spent time with my sister and her family. We had a really good time. It all started on Tuesday when we left our house after work, at about 3:30 pm. Tyler got a cold on that day and so he had a really runny nose and was not feeling very well. He did pretty good on the way to Elko (where we stayed the night), but had a really hard time that night. He kept waking up every hour just whining and crying, it was really sad. Then the next day he had a hard time in the car. It is about 6 hours from Elko and Tyler only slept for one of the hours of the car ride and coughed most the time.

But we got to Wendy's house safely and we sure were glad to be there. Wendy had invited some friends over with their kids, so we all just hung out and let the kids play. Tyler loved all of her boys toys and playing with all the kids (and I am sure just being out of the car). Wendy has two boys (5 and 3) and so it is a little boys heaven at her house. Tyler took a liking to her three wheel scooter (we will have to go get him one) and also their big wheel jeep - what little kid wouldn't like that?!?

The next morning we went to a bounce house and let the kids play for a couple of hours. They really like it. Tony dislocated his finger while taking Tyler up a bounce slide and had to put it back into place him self. It swelled up pretty good and got purple and blue too.  Four days later it is starting to feel a little better. After that we went to Costco (our favorite) to have them check our tire because it was a little low. So we got some goodies and lunch there and then took the kids to take their naps. Later that day we just let the kids play and we just hung out. It was nice for us and for them.

On Friday we decided to go and check out a place that has lots of fun rides just for little kids. It was called Funderland. We weren't sure exactly what time it opened, so we went to the park first to kill some time. The kids had fun playing on the play ground and in the sand box. Wendy and I had fun playing volley ball. After the park we headed to Sacramento to Funderland. It was really fun. They had about ten rides and Tyler could go on all of them. They even had a little roller coaster that Tyler went on and he seemed to like it. He only did it once though. He really like the little log ride that they had. We spent a couple of hours there and then headed back to Wendy's house. The kids just played for the rest of Friday night.

On Saturday we went to the Farmer's Market and got some yummy strawberries. After that we went to the river and let the kids throw rocks into the water. It was really pretty and the boys had fun. Then we went back to Wendy's to play until it was time to go to the swimming pool. Her local pool just opened that day and had free admission, so we went and enjoyed the nice cool water. They had a little kid pool with a play set separate from the big pool and it was perfect weather. We enjoyed the sun and the water. It was cold at first, but felt really good after we got in. Tyler feel asleep in the car on the way to the pool, so he didn't last long at the pool. So we took him home to take a nap. Later that day we had some yummy tri-tip steak and let the kids play some more. It was really nice to be able to relax and let the kids play.

Sunday we got ready and let Tyler play some more. Wendy went through her stuff and gave us a lot of the things that she was no longer using. She gave us an old potty training toilet and Tyler thought it was a nice seat. After playing we headed on our way to Elko where we stayed the night again. Tyler did much better in the car this time. His cold was much better and he was able to enjoy some movies and sleep better too. It was kind of hard for me because this baby has moved and is right on my bladder so I felt like I had to pee every fifteen minutes. Luckily for Tony, I held it pretty good, but I did have to pee a lot. Ah, the joys of pregnancy. Well worth it though.

Then today we got up and ate breakfast and then headed all the way home. Here we are and it is so nice to be back. Over all it was a great trip and it was good to spend time with my sister, her husband, and their kids. Most of the time the kids played really well together, except when Tyler would bug his 3 year old cousin Alex. For some reason Tyler just looked to bug him and knew how to push his buttons. Amazing how quickly kids learn that kind of stuff.

It has been a while

Nothing too big has been happening at our house lately. Last night we went to my parent's ward picnic and it was lots of fun. On Friday night our ward had a dinner/auction to raise money for Girls Camp. They asked me to be the auctioneer and it was a big success. It was kind of hard to know how much to start the bidding or even what some of the items were, but besides that it went really well. I am glad that it is over, at least for this year.
The weather has been really nice lately, so we have been going for walks almost every day. Tyler loves stroller rides, especially when we go to feed the sheep or go over to the play ground. There is a really fun one close to our house that is really little kid friendly and Tyler loves it. We generally go with some neighbor friends and that makes the walks that much more entertaining, at least for me. But they do have little kids too and Tyler like them a lot. There is one little girl that holds out her hand and Tyler holds it, it is way cute.
On Thursday we took Tyler miniature golfing and he really liked it. It was fun to watch him hit the ball into the hole. He didn't quite get how to hold it properly, but he will get it. He was still able to hit the ball, just in his own Tyler manner.
The baby has been kicking so much lately. He is really strong, but Tony hasn't been able to feel him yet. It will be nice when he can feel it to so that he can feel more a part of the fun. We think that we are going to name the baby Joshua Clark Steenblik. We really like it and I think that it will fit him well. We have gotten a couple of cute little outfits, but I have to tell my self not to buy too much because I already have a lot of baby boy cloths. So I am trying to just get stuff that will supplement what I already have since this baby will be opposite seasons then Tyler was.
We leave to go to California on Tuesday to spend some time with my sister Wendy and her family. We are really excited and I can't wait to see how Tyler is with his cousins. We haven't seen them in over a year, so it should be tons of fun.

We are going to have another little...BOY!

We had our ultra sound today. We went to the IMC and found out that we are having a healthy little boy. Everything looks good and normal and he is measuring right on for the due date that I have, September 18th. After we went to the ultra sound, I had my regular appointment with my midwife. It seemed kind of pointless because I just saw the baby, but it was nice to get measured and hear the heart beat again. I am considering getting a new baby doctor after I have this baby. I really like my midwife, but she is moving her practice to Riverton and I really would rather stay closer to my house and Murray. I like delivering in Murray since Tony and my parents live so close. It makes it nice if I need a baby sitter to go to an appointment, or for them to come to the hospital after I have the baby. It might be nice to go to a "normal" OBGYN instead of a midwife. I guess we will see. When we got home today I told Tyler that he is going to have a little brother and he just keeps saying "no" - it is pretty silly. I am sure that he will be a great big brother.
After my appointment we went to lunch at The Cheesecake Factory. It was pretty good. It is kind of pricey, but they give you large portions, so we had enough to take home for dinner. After that we went into the mall to check out Motherhood Maternity. I thought that they would have more of a selection, but it was pretty sad today. I did get one pair of shorts, but that is all. Even on sale, it was still $25. I really liked this one shirt, but it was $35. I just can't justify spending that kind of money on just a shirt. I hope that I can find some good deals on line for some more cute shirts. Ah, the joys. So today was a pretty good day.

...and then he pooped on the floor...

So, today was a pretty good day. Tuesdays are the days that I go into work, and since Tony is still working nights, I didn't have to drop Tyler off early today. It is nice to be able to just go straight to work since it is pretty close to my house and driving into Murray is in the opposite direction then my work. I still would rather have to do that instead of having Tony work nights, but what can you do?

Work was good. I just finished a big project and spent most of my day catching up on my reports. I did leave early to go and get Tyler so that my mom didn't have him too late. When I got there Tyler was sleeping. I hate when Tyler takes a late nap, it just throws the whole rest of the day off. So he didn't wake up until like 4:15 (a good three hours later then he would normally wake up) and consequently didn't got to bed tonight until 9:30. It is hard because Tony drops off Tyler right at nap time, but when he gets to Grandma's he doesn't want to sleep - he wants to play. It is totally understandable, but still I don't like it. But then my sister and her kids came over and Tyler played with them for a couple hours outside. It was good fun chatting with the family and watching the kids play.

Then we came home and ate dinner and watched "Monsters, Inc." which is Tyler's favorite show. I asked him if he wanted to take a bath (first mistake) he said "no" so I decided to just clean him with some wet wipes and put on his pj's. Well, I took off his shorts and then his diaper and that is when he decided to get down and walk around with no diaper on. Normally nothing bad happens when I let him go "free" for a little while, but not tonight. He went into the other room for just a minute, then came back saying "a -o a-o." So I put on his diaper and pj's and then went to find out what it was that he was saying that to. Well in my bedroom there is was...Tyler poop on my carpet. He didn't have any on his bum, so I figured he must have squatted down and did it. I was a little unhappy, but pleased that he came and told me about it right away. If only I had been right by him maybe I could have put him on the toilet, but hey then what would I have to write about!?!

Fun times

This has been a pretty good weekend. I threw a baby shower for one of my cousins on Saturday and it was really nice to spend time with family. We had about 9 of us and their was good food and fun. Tony set up Tyler's play set outside that day and it is so much fun. My sisters kids came over and they all had a good time playing outside with Tony while we had the shower. Tony is so good to play with the kids so us girls could chat in peace. The weather was so nice and has been great since. It is just getting warmer and warmer every day.
We spent this morning doing yard work and it is looking really good. When Tony mows the lawn, Tyler will get his little lawn mower and follow Tony. It is so cute. He wants to be just like his daddy. We are really enjoying spending time outside, especially on our new porch swing. It's nice to be lazy sometimes.

One of those days...

Have you ever had one of those days where nothing really goes wrong, but yet you seem to be quick to be bothered? Today wasn't a bad day. For the most part Tyler and I had a fine and fun day, but one time while I was changing his poopy diaper he was crying, kicking, and twisting making it very hard for me to change him. I was getting SO mad and frustrated with him. I just wanted to change his diaper - correction - I just wanted his diaper changed, and him not cooperating was not what I needed. I usually can stay calm and not have too big of problem when he does this kind of stuff, but not today. I was just so frustrated and wanted to scream. Am I the only one who gets like this? I have been a little more impatient since I have been pregnant, I really need to work on that. I pray for more patience every day and I know that they only way to really get it is to have hard times to learn how to deal with them. It has been extra hard this week with Tony changing his work schedule. He isn't home as much as he used to be and that has been hard on me, and I think Tyler. We will get used to it and be just fine, but it will take a little time. Tomorrow is another day for me to be better and more patient - wish me luck.

Happy Easter

Yesterday was Easter and it was a beautiful day. We started by going to church and enjoying the messages of Christ and his resurrection. After church Tyler took his nap and while he was napping the Easter Bunny came and left him eggs all over the yard. So once he woke up we gave him his basket and he went and found all of the eggs. He had so much fun. At first he wanted to open each one, but then quickly realized that their were more eggs to be found. It was really fun for us to watch him find the eggs and be so excited. It really makes me excited about all the holidays and starting traditions with our little family.

Later that day we put together a new 3-person swing that we bought on Saturday for our back yard. It was such nice sunny weather that day so it worked out perfectly.
Then we went over to Tony's parents house because they had an Easter outfit for Tyler. After that we went to my parents for Easter dinner and to celebrate my sister Sherri's birthday. We got there a little early so that Tyler could go for a ride on the four-wheeler (which he LOVES) and to let him play in the back yard. He loves being outside and loves to play in my parents back yard. It is nice and big and has lots of fun things for little boys to do.
Then we ate a yummy dinner and hung out for a while before having cake and ice cream. It was lots of fun being with family and enjoying such a beautiful day.

Today has turned out to be a really nice day too. It is suppose to rain and snow later this week so we have really been taking advantage of this sunny weather. Tony now is working on the Dryer at work instead of the Filler, so now he is on a rotating schedule. Today he went in at noon and won't be home until after 10:30 pm. It is only four days a week every other week, but I still really don't like it. I have been too spoiled these past years having Tony home by 2:30 pm every day. It was nice having him here this morning. I just need to be positive and learn to handle change better.

Fun time at the Zoo

On Wednesday Tyler and I got to go to the Hoogle Zoo with Tony's mom, his sister Suzanne and her four kids. It was lots of fun. It was a little chilly and it rained on us a little bit, but we all still had a good time. Suzanne has a annual pass and with that you get to let two other people in for free, so it was really nice of her to think about Tyler and me. I haven't been to the zoo since I was in elementary school, so it was nice to go and see how it is now.

We saw lot of fun animals and Tyler really liked them all. I really liked seeing the elephants and the giraffes. The picture of Tyler and Gabe in their strollers is right in front of the elephants. It was fun to see Tyler's reaction to these animals.

It was kind of sad to see them in such small areas or even to see some of them all by them selves, so sad. Tyler kept hearing the train and every time would say "choo choo." Once we were done seeing all of the animals we got to go on the little train that they have. Tyler really liked that. Then they have a playground area that all the kids liked playing in. I think that we spent two hours seeing the animals and at least an hour playing in the play ground. They have a lot of different things for kids to do, so that makes it extra fun. When we decided to leave, non of the kids were very happy about that. I take that as a good sign and that it was a fun day.

Other then going to the zoo, we haven't really been up to anything. We were looking into putting in a fence, but it doesn't look like we will be able to afford it this year. Maybe next year with the tax return we will be able to do the fence that we would like. Maybe we will be able to move by then, who knows. It should be okay this year because I will be able to always keep my eye on Tyler, where next year will be harder with another child. I guess we will see what happens. Right now we are going to just do little things around the house. That should be fun too.

Fun trip to Idaho

On Saturday we left to go to Twin Falls, Idaho. I had two cousins who were blessing their babies on Sunday so we went to go and visit with family. We haven't seen this family for a long time so it was way fun to spend time with them. We left at about noon and the drive wasn't too bad. Tyler slept for about an hour of the ride, but then with a movie on he didn't mind the rest of the drive. It is only a little over three hours to get there, so not bad at all. Once we got there we checked into The Hampton Inn and then went to our room. We are Hilton Honor members, so they gave us some cookies and a bottled water. Free stuff is always welcomed.

After we got settled in, we got ready in our swimming stuff and went down to the pool. Tyler loves playing in the water, but now seems to like the hot tube more then the pool. I think that it is because he can stand on the seat and it feels like a big bath tube. So we didn't stay there too long, since I can't really be in the hot tube for very long. It wasn't that hot, but I did get hot. So we went and showered and got ready to see our family.

Once we were ready then we stopped at the grocery store and picked up some food for the lunch the next day and then we drove over to James's house and dropped it off. After we went to the hotel that the rest of our family was staying in and found my cousin Brandy and her family and then waited for my siblings to get ready for dinner. Then we went to a pizza and salad buffet place that was pretty fun. That is where all the pictures are from.

Then we went back to our hotel and went to bed. The next morning we went to sacrament and enjoyed the two baby blessings. After we went to James's house and enjoyed a yummy lunch and then headed home. It was really windy and a little snowy coming back, but besides that it was a good drive. Tyler slept for almost the whole time, so that made it really nice for me and Tony. Overall it was a nice trip and way fun to see the Grover's. We really need to visit with them more often.

A trip to the doctors and St. George

On Monday I had my 14 week appointment with my midwife.  I am pregnant with baby #2!  I wish that I could have blogged about this sooner, but I wanted to wait until I was out of my first trimester. I got to hear the babies heart beat and everything seems to be doing good with the baby. I have been pretty sick with this baby. I don't think that I am as sick as I was with Tyler, but it is pretty close. I only throw up about every other day, instead of every day. That is good, right!
I have had so many different symptoms with this pregnancy. I have never had heart burn before, but I have gotten it with this baby. My sense of smell is stronger, and I am way more emotional. Funny huh. It is so true that every pregnancy is different. I scheduled my ultra sounds for April 27th, so we are really looking forward to seeing the baby and making sure that everything looks good with him or her. Tony and Tyler are really excited. We got Tyler a little baby to teach him to be soft and gentle with the baby. He is really cute with it.

Then later that day we drove down to St. George with my mom to celebrate my grandpa's 85th birthday. We stayed at my grandpa's house and him and his new wife live in her house a couple doors down. Later that day Tony, Tyler, and I went to visit with Tony's grandparents. We ate dinner there and enjoyed visiting with them. We shared our news about the baby and they were excited for us. We were hoping to take them out for dinner, but Tony's grandpa wasn't feeling so good. We then tried to pay for the pizza that we got and his grandpa said, "some day you'll have to wipe my nose and change my diaper, but you wont buy me dinner." He is so funny and so nice. We really enjoy spending time with them.

The next day we took Tyler to the park in the morning and he just loved it. They had a fun play ground with three fun slides. He loves those. Then by the play ground they had a baseball diamond and Tyler thought that was the best thing ever. We didn't even have a ball with us, but he didn't care. He ran all the bases like six times. I couldn't believe that he just kept running. It was so cute. I can't wait to see what sports he ends up doing when he is older. We had a good time at the park. Then we went back to my grandpa's so that Tyler could take a nap.

After his nap we went to lunch with my Uncle Norman, my cousin Phil and his wife Chona, Sherri and Rich, my mom, and us. It was lots of fun to spend time together and eat some good food. After lunch we went to the branch down there so that I could check my work e-mail and do some work. After that we went to Tony's grandparents place and went swimming. It wasn't way warm, only about 65 degrees, but the pool was warm and we had a good time. Tyler loved just sitting in the hot tub (it wasn't too hot) and watching the other kids play. He wasn't very happy that we left.
But my grandpa's birthday dinner was soon so we went back and showered and got ready for dinner. Most of my grandpa's siblings were there, so it was way fun to hear them talk about growing up and how funny they are. I learned a lot about where I come from and why I am so obnoxious. Good to know it runs in the family.

Then on Wednesday we got ready and left for home. Tyler did pretty good in the car, as good as a two year old can during a four and a half hour car drive. It was good to be home. We leave on Saturday to drive to Twin Falls, Idaho for my cousins baby blessings. We are staying over night and it should be lots of fun to see more family. I just hope that he does well with the three hour car ride since we just got back from such a long trip. Luckily we have Tony's mom's CD player, so that definitely helps in the car. Should be fun!