IKEA Chaos

I always thought I was the one that enjoyed a good visit to IKEA. Now it's Justin. He dropped me off at the aquarium with Nolan's playgroup (very fun!) and headed over there to get the remainder of the desk items that didn't fit in the car two weeks ago. I was feeling the same about the desk as I previously was about the van: "Just make a decision honey; I'm tired of thinking about it." Well it worked out great with the van, but I'm not so sure about the desk. He came home with two desks ("I'm not sure which way we'll like it the best") and several optional extender pieces (like we have the space), and a whole lot of accessories (like 3 mouse pads because he didn't know which color I would want). Needless to say, we are definitely planning on another trip to make some returns! Last night I headed to our Young Women activity so we didn't have a chance to assemble anything. Here's a picture of the chaos I came home to:Aren't I the perfect example of a clean and orderly housekeeper? We've got 7 or 8 weeks until baby comes and by the looks of things, we may need every minute! I'm going a little crazy but I'm confident things will come together.

The good news is that there is one room (seriously, it's the only one) that feels put together. It's Nolan's new big boy room! Here are the official pictures after the paint job weeks ago, and hanging the crafts I made two months ago. The bed goes so cute with the green wall, but I couldn't capture both in one picture like the eye can. You'll get the idea.Here is a close-up of the print on Nolan's wall. It says: I'm Dancin'... and Life is my Music. It's just perfect for our little groovy guy!After much debating about colors and problems with the "linen technique" we chose, we have finished our family room accent wall. I originally wanted a warm, golden yellow but it turned into a cool, happy yellow that seems to work okay. Once again, I'm just glad to have it done!It's actually a little more vibrant than in the picture. Thanks for your patient help on this project, honey!

Almost a Soccer Mom

If Nolan were enrolled in soccer I'd be an official soccer mom because we now have the perfect van for the job! I haven't written much about the extensive research process we've undergone, but we're both glad that it's over. After two months of test driving, dealing with car salesmen, browsing the internet, and reading car reviews, we've finally decided on the Honda Odyssey. (Big surprise, I know.) It's a new white, 2008 that we found for a great deal in Logan. Justin had called around Reno, Las Vegas, St. George, SLC, and Idaho to find as good a deal as this one. He is definitely an engineer when it comes to researching purchases. It has all the trimmings that we never thought we would get (leather, power doors, heated seats, DVD player, sunshades, etc.) but since it had been at the dealership for over a year, we were able to get it for the same price as a new base model 2009. With the economy the way it is, used car prices are up so it was a good time to buy new. I realize this picture doesn't do it justice, but everyone either owns one of their own already or sees about 10 to 20 of them parked in their church parking lot every Sunday. We certainly didn't get this minivan because it is unique! ;-)

Justin was acting very strange the morning of "the buy." He wouldn't let me go with him to see it or anything (though I had test driven a similar one two weeks ago). It turns out that he really wanted to surprise me with the extra features it has. I thought it was going to be the more simple model. What a sneak! He was also afraid I would talk him out of it, I guess. We hope that we don't have to buy any more cars for a very long time. Justin will drive the Mitsubishi Lancer since it was time to give up his 1994 Saturn. What a great car that has been for us! I bet the carpoolers are very disappointed to see the Saturn go! I love the new van, though it seems strange to find myself in this stage of life already. Aren't I too young for a minivan?!

In other news, we're wrapping up moving the computer room into our master bedroom so that each little boy can sleep in their own room. What a fiasco! It all started with a trip to IKEA to get a desk and shelves. Naturally this turned into an all-day event as if we were at Disneyland (but without the rides). That place truly amazes me. After we finally picked out what we want, we realized there was no way it would fit in our car. Justin was so annoyed that we'd have to make another trip there. I think that is what really moved the minivan process along. Needless to say, we'll be picking up the desk tomorrow. Nolan is pretty much settled into his new room though. I'm so glad he adjusted well to the twin size bed. On top of all this transitioning, I just had to paint an accent wall in the living room. It was bad timing, I realize now. It has given us a little grief but I think it will turn out. I'll have to post pictures of our "remodeling" once we've got the house put back together.

Photo Session Giveaway

My cousin's wife, Errin, is a great photographer. She is having a contest for a free session and I'm hoping to win! It would be wonderful to be able to get beautiful family portraits done a few months after the new baby comes. Here's her link if you'd like to enter too.

http://www.errinandrusphotography.blogspot.com

Easter in St. George

We're happy to report that we had a nice week in St. George. I love having big family dinners on Sunday, going on walks, shopping with my mom, and eating out. Luckily, we did all of these things and more! I helped my sister, Keeley, judge a school lyp synching competition along with my other sister, Lacey. We went to the Arts Festival and I bought the greatest print for Nolan's big boy room (I'll share later). We test drove every minivan on the market and put new tires on my car. Nolan had a good time swimming with Dad and hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa. My mom even highlighted and trimmed my hair! Here are some pictures of the cousins playing with Grandma's new parachute toy and eating some dessert.
I'd been looking forward to the Easter picnic for weeks but unfortunately we didn't have the best weather. The rain didn't last too long, so we were still able to enjoy the train ride and egg hunt. Nolan rode the train over and over. What joy! I think he liked the egg hunt, but as you can see from his facial expression, it was serious business. He was pretty quick at stuffing those treats in his basket. It was nice that we had nearly the entire family there (except we missed Darian). Grady came late as soon as he got off work, but his darling girlfriend, Melissa, was there with her four kids. Chilly picnic, as you can see. Nolan had a good time checking out his Easter basket and finding treats and eggs hidden in the living room. Every time we give him candy he stuffs them all in his mouth at the same time. I think he's afraid we'll take them away before he can finish. My mom made the most delicious Easter meal complete with strawberry shortcake. It was a great trip... thanks, Mom and Dad!

A quiet week

Justin spent most of the week in L.A. on business so Nolan and I had a quiet week at home. We ended up catching colds so we spent time reading books and watching movies. It was kind of nice to be lazy. Nolan even slept in Daddy's spot while he was gone. Normally I'm pretty big on having him sleep in his own bed, but I couldn't resist this time. Having a new baby coming makes me want to enjoy every chance to cuddle that I can get! I have to admit though, neither of us really slept that well. He is quite the mover at night and he requires his puppy and blanket, too. I guess that's why he rarely sleeps with us. I can tell Nolan missed his Dad because at night he would call out, "Daddy! Daddy!"

We've been enjoying conference weekend so far. Between sessions we figured out how to fix our leaky kitchen faucet and toilet. I had to help Justin figure out how to get the handle off first (the hex screw is hidden), but then he was good to go. I'm glad that Justin is willing and able to learn how to fix things around the house. My Dad always did most repairs himself, so it's great that Justin is like that too. A regular handy-man!

Yesterday I had my 28 week OB appointment. I sure hate that glucose test. Yuck! I failed the first one with Nolan's pregnancy and had to do the 3 hr. fasting one. I am serious when I say that I pray that I don't have to do that one again. I'm feeling big and awkward, my back hurts, and I'm awake for 1 or 2 hours every night. Such is life when you're making a person, I guess. I'm just glad everything seems to be progressing well. I've gained 15 pounds so far, which is fabulous news for me. I only gained 18 total with Nolan.

Nolan and I are off to St. George for the week. We'll miss Dad but hopefully some sunny weather will keep us occupied. It should be a fun visit with the cousins. Happy Easter, everyone!

One cool cat

It was about 65 degrees here yesterday so we headed for the backyard. Nolan was so excited to see the garden hose getting hooked up. I couldn't keep him from running into the spray no matter how I tried. I can't believe this kid... the water was freezing and he was laughing and squealing the whole time! And I'm pretty sure he knew that he looked cool in his sunglasses. Now that's one cool cat!

Finished Projects

I've been busy getting organized and doing a little crafting before baby #2 comes in 3 months. Here are a few things I've recently completed. The first is a photo collage in my entryway. It felt chaotic with all the random color photos so I updated it with sepia prints and various scrapbook paper in my house colors. When baby #2 comes I'll add a picture or two of him, too.

I was tired of not using my jewelry because I never know what I have and can't get to it easily when it's buried in a drawer. I saw this on a blog and knew it would help. It's just an old cork board!
I pretty much dread sitting down with my recipe books and planning the coming weeks' menu. It seems like it always took longer than it should to plan the menu and make the grocery list. So I decided to make 10 weeks worth of menus (6 meals each week) that were already chosen for me so that I could have a grocery list done in 10 minutes or less. It took a while to type and organize them, but I think it's going to be great. Some of my friends even got involved and we traded favorite recipes. I laminated them to avoid grease spots and it hangs on a hook in my pantry so that I don't have recipe books laying around. Hopefully this is a great time saver when I have two kiddos at my feet.

We don't have a magnetic fridge so we haven't been able to get those fun Leap Frog fridge toys that helps kids learn the letter sounds. He loves those things so I thought I'd make a magnet board to match his upcoming "big boy" bedroom colors. He won't be moving rooms for a month or two, but at least he has somewhere to play with his new toy from Grandma. I bought the board at Roberts, used scrapbook paper and mod podged it to protect the paper. Thanks Terrah, for getting me started on this project!

I can't take credit for the next one. Justin and Nolan did all the work. They vacuumed out the front half of the basement and Justin rigged up a way to block off that back half so that Nolan can take his big birthday toys (truck, bike, lawnmower, etc.) down to play. It has been wonderful having his toys downstairs and not cluttering up the family room. He wakes up and says "basement" and then heads downstairs. I say, "Have fun!" and he says, "See ya!" It's so great!!! Thank you, honey, for giving me some extra square footage. When I go down to check on him he's often hiding in his cardboard "house."

And finally, the biggest, most expensive project of all: the fence! It's now complete and it turned out wonderful. It's everything I dreamed it would be. Soon Nolan will be playing outside and might not even need the basement.
Just a side note: We had a good time at our stake Preparedness Fair. We learned how to prune our peach tree and I extinguished a fire. Good to know. Nolan was SO excited to drive the fire engine... he couldn't stop talking about it all day and wouldn't take a nap. "Woweee! Truck!"

Party Pictures

We had a fun party in Logan last Saturday afternoon. Justin had a good time decorating the cake that I baked. As I started mixing it up, he said, "Remember, it's like you're laying the foundation and I'll build the finished product." I laughed but he was serious... he really didn't let me help much with the fun part. I have to admit that he has a knack for creative cakes! Nolan's great-grandma and grandpa Moulton were there, great-grandma Petersen, Grandma Kathi, and the Campbell family came too. It was quite a crowd singing happy birthday. Nolan sure liked it when we cheered for him when he blew out the candles, which he knew how to do perfectly without even spitting on the cake!

Nolan is so happy with all of his fun gifts except for the train set we got him. I guess it was a little advanced because he got pretty frustrated when he couldn't get the coal marbles in the proper place fast enough. He had a meltdown and swept his arm across the tracks and just screamed out as he destroyed the setup. It was pretty funny, actually. We'll be wrapping that train up for Christmas, I think! He absolutely loves his big truck, new trike, lawnmower, and cuddly bear. When it warms up he'll even have a little pool to enjoy in the backyard. Thank you to all of you who came to celebrate our little guy. We still can't believe how lucky we are to have him!

Nolan had his 2-year-old well check-up and he's as healthy as a horse! He is in the 80th percentile for height and the 30th for weight. Long and lean. I remember thinking when he was 9 months or so that he'd grow out of his height sooner or later. I guess he hasn't yet. Maybe it's here to stay despite his average height parents! He was a little tuff guy with his shot. As he got poked I popped a sucker in his mouth. It works every time.