On the Countdown

I realized this week that I have less than 9 weeks to go in this pregnancy! Once I'm in the single digits I am officially on the countdown. This pregnancy has really been easy for me. In fact, Garth asked one day if I am going to want to do it again since it's been so easy this time. The answer is NO, for both of us. He also asked if I'm going to be okay never being pregnant again and it made me think about the perks and perils of being prego. After 4 (well, 4 and a quarter) pregnancies, this is how I feel.

What I'll miss about pregnancy. . .

Hearing their heartbeat

Seeing them on an ultrasound

Feeling the baby movements

Recognizing baby hands and feet as they are pushing so hard on my belly

Eating whatever I want for 9 months

What I'm glad I will never experience again. . .

Morning sickness (or all day sickness for that matter)

The stress of the first 12 weeks, waiting to hear the heartbeat and be out of the "danger zone"

Maternity pants and the constant tugging/adjusting they require

Not being able to breathe for 9 months (luckily this time we got a grip on my allergies)

My belly getting in the way of doing things like reading books with my kids on my lap

Bumping in to things with my belly (once I set my sweater on fire while cooking dinner, oops)

Perfect strangers touching my belly

Birthing stories and advice from same perfect strangers

Hearing how I have "popped" or "blossomed" or other lovely adjectives people use to describe me

Answering the questions "when are you due?" and "have you picked a name yet?"

A psycho sciatic nerve

Recovery from a C-section

This One's For Grandpa Norm

Derek has joined the Saturday morning work force at our house. He is actually more trouble than help but at least he is dressed for the part in his Carhart overalls and Cabellas hat. He looks like a real Hamilton!

Don't be fooled, he is still not walking. I had to try about 5 times to get a shot of him stading up. Needless to say, he is filthy within seconds since he crawls through the dirt, bark, and grass.

He even works with his tongue out! Just like Grandpa Norm.

You Be the Judge

A recent dinner-time conversation.

Garth: Well, our company is being sued again.

Carter: What does "sued" mean Dad?

Garth: It means someone wants us to go to court and talk to a judge about some things.

Carter: Will it be Judge Judy?

Garth: I hope not, she hates men!

Things We Hold Dear

Right when I turned 16, I got a job coaching gymnatstics at Spokane Elite (which back then was the best club in Spokane.) I LOVED my job! It combined two things that I really enjoyed and that I was really good at: teaching and gymnastics. This was my favorite group to coach, my Superstars team! They were all very young and totally talented! This picture was taken at our show right before I graduated.

For graduation, Katya Finta and her family (she's the tiny thing in the center) gave me a gymnastics snow globe. Now, I am not much of a collector and usually stuff like this would seem junky to me but I had a very tender place in my heart for this girl and her parents. I took this with me to college and it has been in every house I've lived in since. It most recently graced a shelf in Sydney's pink bedroom.

The other day after church, Syd was supposed to be taking a nap (it was a rough day at church). Out of the blue I hear this screaming and crying from her room. I go in to check on her and I found my snow globe broken all over her floor. She was crying because she thought she was in trouble, not because she was hurt. I was so, so sad to throw it out. Obviously the snow globe wasn't worth anything, it was just a reminder of an amazing little girl and a very fun part of my past.

Do it yourself Dora

The other day Sydney was being very difficult for me to handle; a little snotty and demanding. I had to get a few things done so I plugged her in to a Dora movie and got to work. From the other room, this is what I heard. . .
Dora (in her high-pitched demanding little voice): I need your help, stand up! stand up! stand up!
Sydney (in the snotty tone she'd been using all day): Dora, do I have to do EVERYTHING?!
At least I wasn't the only one getting the attitude from Syd!

Rainy Easter

The weather in Spokane was less than desirable this Easter. Saturday we decided to brave the rain and go to the Easter egg hunt at the park near our house. I only managed to snap this one shot of Sydney before my batteries died. The hunt started at 11 and we were home by 11:20. Big fun this year!

Carter was quite disappointed in the hunt. They had a silver and a gold egg out there somewhere and the person who found them got a big prize. When the hunt ended and he only had 5 eggs, he was a little deflated. We had a funny conversation about his "strategy" and he told me next year he's going to forget about trying to find the gold and silver eggs and just pick up all the ones he sees. Apparently, he was walking past all the colorful ones until he realized they were almost gone and grabbed the few that were left.

Sunday morning the Easter bunny dropped by with sunglasses and sandals for the boys and a leapster game for Sydney's new leapster.

All matchy-matchy for Easter Sunday (thanks to Grandma Theresa for Derek and Sydney's outfits!)

That evening we had the Hamilton family over for Easter dinner. Sadly, Grandma Ele couldn't make it since she was still recovering from her Tuesday surgery. John and Lori were a big hit with the kids when they showed up with bubbles and LOTS of Peeps. Yum!

Garthie Turns Thirty

Wow, Garth is 30!
I think he had a pretty fun birthday. It was centered around skiing this year. It started with the previously mentioned snow ski trip in Canada, and ended at home with some gifts to get ready for water ski season. He got new Straight Line gloves from my parents and from the kids and I he got new board shorts, a handle for the ski rope and a summer outfit. Now all we need is some good weather.

I sat down with my kids and asked them what they liked about their dad, and this is what we came up with.
What we love about our Dad. . .
from Carter
1. He plays video games with me
2. He took us to Idaho, Utah, and especially California
3. He watches sports on TV with me
4. He coached my basketball team
5. He signed me up for soccer and T-ball
6. He makes me shrimp (even though he made it too spicy)
7. He took me to Winco
8. He lets me try his bowflex
9. He makes the best big craisin/white chocolate/chocolate cookies
10. He took me to Mobius
11. He showed me funny parts of a naughty movie (Dumb & Dumber)
12. He took me to a Chief's game
13. He taught me how to play golf
14. He takes me snow skiing
15. He takes me on the boat to water ski
16.He gives great baths with too many bubbles
17.He wrestles with me
from Sydney
18. He plays with me
19. He sits by me
20. I like to go on the boat with him
21. He taught me how to snow ski
22. He lets me watch Dora
23. I get to watch basketball with him
24. He went to Disneyland with me
25. He pays for my ballet
26. He does good hair do's
27. He loves me
from Derek (according to Carter and Syd)
28. He feeds me
29. He takes care of me in the hall at church
30. He tickles me like crazy and makes me laugh
Happy 30th Birthday Garth!

Spring Break

We had an amazing trip up to Big White Ski Resort for Spring Break. As my friend said, it was more like a "break from spring" up there because it was cold and snowed on us the entire time we were there. No complaints of course! When you are on a ski vacation, isn't that what you want, lots of snow? The constant fall of the white stuff made for amazing ski conditions. Garth got to ski fresh powder three days in a row (totally free too, thanks to a ski pass birthday present from his mom.) Since I was afraid of falling and hurting the baby in my belly, I skied with Carter and Syd one day and just Carter another day. Something clicked between our Christmas trip and this one for Carter. He was like a new kid on the mountain; making turns, being tough, trying hard, and being willing to try something other than the bunny hill. He was so proud that he rode the Snow Ghost lift, did a green run a few times with me, and he even went on his first blue run "Born to Run." I don't know if you can find it on the map but it was a major accomplishment for him. Sydney was also a tough little skier. She did the bunny hill a couple of times then rode the big lift and did a green run to get home to the condo. At one point she fell and was crying. Garth told her she could sit there and cry or she could get up and keep trying. (he said that dripping with sensitivity, I'm sure). She looked at him and said "I'm going to get up and keep trying." And that she did! What a trooper.
I was so excited that I got to take my new snowshoes on the trip. My sister-in-law bought them for me for Christmas and I used them a few times near our house but it was very fun to have company and go on some beautiful trails.

It had snowed a little the night before and it snowed on us the hour and a half we were hiking so we got to make the first tracks in the snow.

The kids love to go sledding at Big White. You rent these tubes and there is a rope tow that pulls you up the hill then a very fun ride down. Syd and Carter went a few times with Garth first but then Derek started getting jealous so he got a ride too. He made no indication if he liked it or not. No screams or smiles, just stares. However, when I tried to take him out of the tube, he was furious so Carter and I took turns just pulling and spinning him around in the tube at the bottom of the hill.
The trip wouldn't be complete without a drive into Kelowna. There is a restaurant there that Garth loves so we made the 45 minute drive so he could indulge in some fantastic all-you-can-eat ribs at Montana's. What a fun beginning to Garth's "birth week" celebration. We sure know how to drag it out!

Thank You and Peek-a-boo

Derek is finally starting to communicate a little bit. For the past couple of weeks he has been giving unsolicited Thank You's. When you give him a toy, sippy, or whatever he says "Dee Doo" He also occasionally says "more" and I have discovered that "gogo" means he wants a drink (I'm not sure where that came from). Today he said "up" for the first time too. Carter was such an early and efficient communicator that Derek seems a little slow to me but now there is light at the end of the tunnel!

Derek also enjoys peek-a-boo more than the average kid (well, more than my other kids did). Every time I open his door to get him out of the car he says "boo." It is also our ritual to play peek-a-boo several times when I lay him down for nap or bed. He pulls his blanket over his head and waits for me to ask "where's Derek?" then he pulls it down and says "boo." It is one of the few things that really gets him going with some side-splitting laughter. These two pictures are of us playing peek-a-boo over the recliner in the condo in Canada (stay tuned for a post about our spring break).