Dumb stupid week. This week is turning out to be the same as last and it's only Monday. I think it's time for a vacation. Either that or we could move 2500 miles away again. That was fun.

Random Journaling

Blech. I've had an off week. My anxiety has been unusually high and I've ended up crying to Lance about something or another everyday, I'm sick of trying to lose baby weight for months without any results, I'm tired of scrimping and saving and barely making it,  I haven't slept well, and it has been so blazing hot lately. I'm even proving it now because as I type this it's 2:46am and I can't sleep. Kimball gave me a scare yesterday afternoon. I was playing with him and he spit up only he choked on it or something because he quit breathing and it came out his nose. Then he started doing this gasping/coughing thing and it really scared me. I called Lance in a panic because it was so scary and I couldn't quit crying. Of course he was fine in the end but it was quite scary.

Oh what am I talking about? I am so blessed and all I can do is sit here and complain?! At least I have access to doctors and medicine that help control my anxiety. At least I can't fit into my clothes because I am blessed with a healthy and happy baby. We aren't going without and Lance has a decent job. We have a house to live in and a little food in the fridge and somewhere to lay our heads even when we can't sleep. Yet for some reason I have the urge to complain and get it all out. I don't know, it's just been an off week.

One of my latest pet peeves is being out in public or socializing with family and all people can do is play games or text on their cell phones. I mean, you've got real, living people in front of you, put the dumb phone away!

Have I mentioned that I really like my calling? I teach the 15-18 year olds in sunday school and the kids are awesome. It's a challenge having to teach the Book of Mormon instead of a principle but it really makes me study a lot every week. I had a sort of thought /awakening last week about my class. I teach the kids about keeping the commandments and such and I had to ask myself, do I keep the commandments? Am I doing everything I'm supposed to? So I went through a checklist in my head, but wait, there's one thing I'm not doing, not even attempting to do. Visiting teaching. I don't do it and haven't even tried in this ward and yet that's an assignment I've been asked to do that I don't. I don't want to be a hypocrite to my class so I've decided that I've got to and I need to do my visiting teaching every month. I really am going to, I don't want to be a hypocrite or set a bad example to those kids, they deserve better than that.

I love being a mom and I love being able to stay at home to take care of Kimball. It is hard and sometimes a challenge, especially when my anxiety is high like it has been this week. But I can't even describe my love for that boy no matter how hard the days may seem. Motherhood is such a joy and the most fulfilling thing I've ever experienced. I just look at his face and he makes me laugh because he's so darn cute!

I tried one of Jerusha's recipes tonight for dinner, fried chicken using saltines. Man, they were so yummy!

This is all a really random post but I can't sleep...

Thy Best, Thy Heavenly Friend

“Don’t overschedule yourselves or your children. We live in a world that is filled with options. If we are not careful, we will find every minute jammed with social events, classes, exercise time, book clubs, scrapbooking, Church callings, music, sports, the Internet, and our favorite TV shows. One mother told me of a time that her children had 29 scheduled commitments every week: music lessons, Scouts, dance, Little League, day camps, soccer, art, and so forth. She felt like a taxi driver.”
- Elder M. Russell Ballard

(Notice that this quote even mentions the internet? It seems like the internet is a regular event that's on the calendar. I had to ask myself how much time do I spend every day on the internet? Facebook? Pinterest? Craigslist? Ebay? Email? Youtube?)

Every night when Lance and I read we find these quotes and hymns that accompany our scripture reading. They really mean a lot to me and I feel them noteworthy for this journal. The hymn that went with last night's reading and quote was:

Be Still My Soul

1. Be still, my soul: The Lord is on thy side;
With patience bear thy cross of grief or pain.
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In ev’ry change he faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: Thy best, thy heav’nly Friend
Thru thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

2. Be still, my soul: Thy God doth undertake
To guide the future as he has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul: The waves and winds still know
His voice who ruled them while he dwelt below.

3. Be still, my soul: The hour is hast’ning on
When we shall be forever with the Lord,
When disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul: When change and tears are past,
All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.

Stats

Kimball had his 9 month check up this week and we were both glad this visit didn't include any shots. He's as healthy as can be and is right on track for growth and development. Except his head, he still has a tiny head.

• 18.15 pounds
• 27.75" long
• not on the chart - head circumference

These pictures were taken last night when his cousins played with him. I watched Joseph's kids so Trish could go to his baseball game.

Summertime Boating

July has been such a hot, sticky month. Seriously. Just so miserably hot. Dang hot!!! Our friends and neighbors, Mike and Jenna Steel, invited us to go boating with them and mama and papa Steel. We were going to go to Murtaugh Lake and thank goodness we didn't, that lake is so dirty and mossy. We went down to the Twin Falls instead.

Now, understand that Lance doesn't like water at all. So this is a big deal to him. He can handle a boat ride but getting whipped around on an intertube is utterly terrifying for him.

 Mike was first on board.

 Jenna is like Lance, she doesn't like the water at all. So she was the flag girl.

And now it's Lance's turn on the intertube. He was scared mostly of the fact that there's only one way to back into the boat - getting flipped off the intertube and having the boat come back around to pick him up.

I was so proud of him! He did great and even got flipped off the tube but he loved it! Next weekend he's going on the man trip with the guys in my family white water rafting. I think he'll love it and this boating trip helped qualm his fears about rafting.

 My turn! Man, I love me a big piece of adrenaline pie!

When we switched out the intertubes Jenna agreed to get on the tube with me at a very slow speed  up to the dock. She really didn't like it and felt safer in the boat.

This is the four-man tube. It was so much fun! Mike, Lance, and then me on the right. We got some serious air on this tube, it was awesome! Thank you Steels, it was such a blast and we're so ready for the next trip!!

Oh, I almost forgot about the quote of the day. Lance said, "Mike, you splashing with your one hand is like someone tickling me when I have to fart." Yeah, I guess you had to be there for that one.

A Heather Day

Heather and I have wanted to make some flower cupcakes (for ourselves this time) so we made a day of it this week. This is our creative mess chaos area.

We took breaks every now and then, mostly on the puff pillow. Heather introduced Kimball to the baby kitties.

 He wasn't sure what to think of them.

 

Girls Night

Last weekend we had a girls night. Because we wanted to and because we were way past due for one. For the first time ever, Lance agreed to keep Kimball so I was baby-less all night. It was refreshing! We did have a few guests however. Heather brought along her little baby kitties because the mother cat got ran over so she's assumed the role and bottle feeds them every three hours. She even gets up with them at night, impressive!

 Of course we brought this little chunker of a cutie. Jaidin has changed a lot and has gotten so big! He's almost 3 months but he's fitting into 6-9 month clothes.

 Look at his double chin.

 It's almost become tradition to highlight Trish's hair every girls night. It turned out great and for the rest of the evening we just chatted and enjoyed some moose tracks ice cream with Heather's yummy homemade hot fudge sauce.

Blessed With Adversity

"The Divine Shepherd has a message of hope, strength, and deliverance for all. If there were no night, we would not appreciate the day, nor could we see the stars and the vastness of the heavens. We must partake of the bitter with the sweet. There is a divine purpose in the adversities we encounter every day. They prepare, they purge, they purify, and thus they bless."

-James E. Faust

He Just Keeps Growing And Growing

Next week Kimball will be 9 months old. I can't believe how fast the time goes and yet I've loved almost every minute of it. (I could have done without the postpartum depression and melt downs). It's hard to imagine that he's been outside of me just as long as he was inside of me. Dang, pregnancy is so long! I'll get the growth stats from the doctor next week but for now, here's his update in pictures.

I love this shirt: Natural Born Chiller with a picture of a baby otter just chilling in water. It describes Kimball 100%. He's so chill, calm, relaxed, content, happy, all. the. time.

  He's learned how to clap.

 He's finally got two bottom teeth. See?

 He can sit up on his own and go from laying on his stomach to sitting up all by myself.

   While I was taking pictures he decided to tell me a story.

 It was a long story....

  The end!

 He has two favorite toys, both are hand me downs. One is this duck. When you pull the string along the trio of ducks quack, it's really cute.

 His other favorite toy are these nesting/stackable cups. He loves to bang them together.

 

Other interesting things about his 9 months:

• He sleeps like a champ through the night and still takes three naps a day. 
• He loves taking a bath or swimming or getting washed up; anything that has to do with water he loves. 
• He can't stand it when I have to pin him down to change his diaper or put his pajamas on. He's a squirmy little mobile thing and so the pinning is necessary, trust me.
• After a few months of not liking his pacifier, he loves it again.
• He loves drinking from a cup. Because it has water in it (again his love for water) or because he gets to drink from a cup, I'll never know.
• He loves eskimo kisses.
• He loves to be scared.
• He loves to look at himself in the mirror and gives himself (and me) a tremendously big grin.
• He loves to be tickled and has the most infectious laugh.
• He likes to spit.
• He makes little songs by drumming his fingers over his lips.
• He can mimic different loud sounds quite well.
• When he wakes up in the morning he loves to snuggle with mom and dad in the bed.