ITS A GIRL!!

Well folks we are having another girl and I am so EXCITED!!! I would be just as excited if it was a boy, but now my dreams of Kinsey having a sister close to her age and a friend for life has come true :)  I have 2 brothers (that I absolutely LOVE and would not trade them for the world) but deep down I always wished I had a sister.. Most of my friends had sisters and they would share clothes, have mutual friends, have "girl talk", and just all that girl stuff that I never had a sister to do any of that with.  At least I have my AMAZING mom :)

The ultrasound yesterday went really really well!  We saw 10 fingers, 10 toes, long healthy looking legs and arms, perfect heart and brain, and all the other organs seem to be perfect as well! My fluids were excellent and my placenta is completely out of the way, and my cervix is still nice and thick. She is a mover and changed positions about 20 times in a 30 min time frame lol and so far, she looks EXACTLY like Kinsey!!! She has Brandon's nose, eyes, shape of face, and then it looks like she will have my lips.. So once again we are having a girl that is identical to Brandon! At least he makes cute girls ;) 

I cant wait to buy coordinating outfits to put my girls in for pictures or just for fun!  Brandon feels a little out numbered but I just keep reminding him of how big of a "Daddy's girl" Kinsey is so he will have no problem.  We can still have our girls be into sports and all that stuff.. I just wont allow my girls to play football.. Sorry babe! haha

I have been telling myself that if this baby was a boy then it would be our last little one.. but I think someone else has a different plan for us so its a girl and now I want to have a 3rd, just in case we get a boy! (not for a few years, like 5 lol)  Some people think I am crazy for having 2 kids by the time I am 21, but the way I look at it is I will be a young parent and always have enough energy to play with them or do what they are doing.  I wont be that "old" mom haha ;)  Plus by the time I am 30 they will be able to take care of themselves and Brandon and I can enjoy our lives and our family!

YEA FOR GIRLS!!!!!

boy.. or girl!?!?

Just a quick little update on my pregnancy so far.. I will be 20 weeks on Tuesday!!! I have been feeling very tired lately and have a REALLY hard time getting up and ready for the day! Kinsey and I play so hard and I think its finally catching up to me.  I have found that if we go for a walk right after breakfast I have a little bit more energy throughout the day, but not much haha.  So I think I just need to start exercising a little bit more and hopefully get my energy level back up.  I got a DVD workout that I have heard of so many preggo moms using called "10 minute solution".  So far I LOVE it!!! If you only feel like doing one of the 10 min workouts, thats all you do, or you can do all 5 and get almost a full hour workout in :).  Kinsey loves when I sit on the floor and work out and she even tries to do some of the moves!  We have fun!! I have also been battling constantly with feeling dizzy and faint.  Some days are better than others but it is so annoying! Especially when I am in a hurry to get ready or go somewhere and I have to keep sitting down to relax for a few minutes.  My doctor was worried about my lack of weight gain at my last appointment... I had only gained 2lbs for the first 17 weeks and I guess by 20 weeks you should have gained at least 10 lbs.  I feel like I eat constantly but I am much more active with this pregnancy then I was with Kinsey.. Hopefully my weight gain is starting to look better when we go to the drs on Thursday.  My belly is getting bigger and bigger by the day! My shorts that used to be big on me are now fitting perfect :) haha and I have stopped wearing some of my favorite shirts because I dont want to stretch them out ( I learned that the hard way when I was pregnant with Kinsey)  I think thats about all the updating I have for now..  Thursday is the BIG day with our targeted ultrasound to check all the parts and systems of the fetus to make sure everything is a-ok!  I declined all the extra testing that checks for downs and that type of stuff because it would make no difference to me and thats a lot of extra needle poking I dont want to have to go through lol

Cross your fingers the umbilical cord has moved from in between the babies legs so we can get a peek!!!

I am hoping for a girl because how fun would that be to have Kinsey have a sister only 22 months apart from her!? I always wanted a sister to be friends with for life.. I was lucky enough to have awesome step-sisters throughout my childhood but none that I ever lived with 24/7.

Brandon says it doesnt matter if its a boy or girl but I have heard him hint a few times he really wants a boy so he can teach him to play sports and do those "guy" things haha...

4th of JULY!!!

Wow did we have a great weekend!! It was filled with food, treats, playing outside, water, fireworks, and lots of fun stuff :)  We were so lucky to have Brandon be able to get the 4th off so he could spend the whole day with us!  Sunday night we lit off fireworks at our house and had a blast.  Kinsey loved watching them and would yell "WOOOW" with each one we lit off haha. We even got one of the new aerial ones they allow in Utah, but it was so loud Leo ended up going CRAZY and yipping and Kinsey just sat there with her eyes so huge.  The next morning I woke up early like a little kid because I was so excited for the parade and all the fun stuff we had planned for the day, while Kinsey and Brandon slept in until 9am! I love that Layton City's parade doesnt start until 1030 because it gives you time to sleep in and eat and get ready for the day!  The parade was packed and we soon learned that we would have to set up chairs at midnight next year so we can get a better spot out of the sun. We also learned that Kinsey will be a dancer in a parade... anytime a group of cheerleaders or dancers would go by, she would run after them and start dancing to their music! Everyone around us kept laughing saying how cute she was and how she was such a goer!  After the parade we headed over to Layton Park to go to all the booths, eat lunch, play at the carnival, and just have fun :)  Kinsey and I went down the big blow up slide and we both laughed the whole way down.. it didnt seem that high up but it tickled my stomach and everything haha.  Kinsey started to slow down and just sit back so we took her home to have a nice long nap!  We played outside, ran around, and Kinsey even scrapped her knees but never once did that stop her!  I think I am going to have to start putting knee pads on that child because she loves to run the sidewalk in front and all along the side of our house.. Im glad we live on a corner so she can get all that energy out!  Playing hard outside worked up our appetite so we cooked hamburgers and I hate to brag but my homemade hamburgers are the BEST!!!! I have a secret my mom taught me and it makes them turn out so flavorful every time :) I also made fun fruit kabobs to look like the flag!  Then it was more resting time to prepare for the fireworks. 
I have never been to any other fireworks on the 4th besides the ones in North Ogden so this year we of course went to Layton City's fireworks and they were pretty good :)  we sat on our blanket eating popcorn and just being the goofy family we are and enjoyed every single minute!  Kinsey started to get tired towards the end of the fireworks and started to put her shoes on and even pushing her stroller haha its so funny how she already knows how to tell us EXACTLY what she wants! We had a GREAT 4th Of July :)

 

BEWARE! This is all "venting"!

First off I would like to wish my Mom a Happy Birthday (again).  She is the most amazing person in the whole wide world and has been there for me 110% of the time!  She often had to play the role of mom and dad since we moved away from my dad when I was very little, and has always put us kids before herself.  My mom has sacrificed so much for me and my brothers and sometimes it makes me feel guilty because we did get anything we wanted even if that meant she couldnt get something she needed!  She is my #1 best friend EVER and is the only person I can call and vent to anyone about!  She listens and often gives me advice but never tells me I am wrong, even when I am, and supports my decisions with out a question.  I am so glad to see her where she is at in her life right now, she has THE BEST husband in the world, her fancy Lexus, a gorgeous home in North Ogden with a view to die for, a fantastic job that allows her to have freedom, she will be graduating from University of Phoenix soon, and is living a GREAT life full of vacations, camping trips, and FUN!! My mom deserves the best possible and nothing less :) She truly is an amazing woman, wife, mom, and grandma!

Now for some serious venting (I dont know if its the hormones or what but I have so much I need to get out lol)  I do NOT want to offend anyone so if you start to feel that way, please stop reading!
I dont even know where to begin so I will just start typing and if it doesnt make since, oh well, I am getting it off my chest and thats all I need to do!  My first subject is this whole religion thing and the way people in this wonderful state of Utah think.. Most people know Brandon and I were married in the temple.  Well we are coming up on our 3 year anniversary and we no longer go to church and no longer take part in any of that stuff anymore.  It has taken me almost this whole 3 years to wonder why Brandon and I struggled so bad to go to church and be the people we were when we got married.  But I have finally decided PART of the reason.  I have never been the type of person to judge someone because I have been through a lot and we are all humans and suffer our own things.. We are all born good people and some people just choose to make other decisions that may not seem right to everyone else.  I was raised with strong morals and taught to treat everyone equal! It just seemed like the more and more involved I would get into the church the more I felt like I should be "judging" a person because they got a divorce, or had a baby without being married, or did something the church didnt think was right.  There was so much gossip and I felt like I was constantly in a glass fish bowl sitting in class wondering if I was living a "good enough" life to avoid everyone talking about me.  I am a very self confident person and never lets anyones words or judging get to me as long as I am happy.  It got to the point where Brandon and I would refuse to go to church because I was no longer going for me, I was going so my name wouldnt be mentioned if I missed a few Sundays in a row.  Then after we had Kinsey I decided I really wanted her to be blessed so I started meeting with the bishop in the ward and he had asked if Brandon would come with me the next time.  So Brandon decided to go for Kinsey's sake and all it was, was a HUGE pressure put on Brandon's shoulder telling him he HAD to give Kinsey her blessing, and it wont mean the same or be "as good" if someone else gave it to her, blah blah blah... Well that automatically turned Brandon away even more because his whole life he was pressured by his parents to go to church to the point where he never got the chance to choose to go on his own or enjoy any of it! So now he had to tell the bishop and his family he would not be doing the blessing.. It makes me wonder if he didnt have so much pressure from his family and the bishop to give the blessing, if he would have chose to do it on his own.. we will never know because the church is always putting that pressure on us to be more or someone we dont want to be.  Now that we are living in a house, our neighbors seemed so nice when we moved in and were so welcoming but now that they notice we have not gone to church or are not active members, its like we have the plague or something!  I HATE it so bad!!!! What happened to the moral of everyone is equal?!  I fear that Kinsey will be looked at different because she doesnt go to church or her parents arent active because I know that has happened to my youngest brother and it is just plain out ridiculous!  I have always wanted to stay close to family and be within driving distance to my mom's house so I could visit whenever, but I am sad to say, our next house will either be clear in Sugarhouse or out of state to try and get away from all these judging, gossiping people who believe they are perfect.  Who cares if so and so's marriage is having problems, let them deal with it on their own and lets not talk about it to the whole world, or who cares if so and so's daughter is pregnant and still in high school, or who cares if the people down the street are struggling financially and the wife has to find a job. These are all things that happen to GOOD people and dont need to be talked about to everyone!  I know not all religious people are this way because I have met so many that are so amazing and are truly great people.  They do not believe they are perfect and believe that we are all equal and good people.. So again I dont want to offend anyone by this post but its those few people out there that have ruined it and made it so going to church is NOT enjoyable.  I have even been told by a certain someone that I no longer talk to, that I would not be a sufficient mother to my children if I did not attend church!! Who on earth tells someone that?! I am sure I have just had my bad experiences with people that has left this bad taste in my mouth, and hope it will soon change!  Well thats all for the venting I have tonight.. I feel SO MUCH better and might even get some good rest tonight ;)

16 or 17 weeks preggo!

Well I had another dr visit today and we were so excited to find out gender this baby would be!  We even scheduled this one 5 weeks out to give that extra week so we could without a doubt find out.. The only unfortunate thing about that whole appointment today was the umbilical cord is RIGHT in between the legs and blocks the "area" from all angles! Talk about frustrating haha but on a positive note: at least "it" has a healthy umbilical cord!  Another interesting thing is the baby is now measuring bigger so I went today thinking I was 16 weeks 5 days but now the baby is saying 17 weeks 1 day.  So who knows how far along I truly am, but at least the baby is gaining weight and is doing well in there :)  See there is something positive in all this news lol Oh and the magical heartbeat was PERFECT!  I am so glad things are going so well so far with this pregnancy as well. 
Now for stuff about me!  I have been feeling so so very light headed a lot and even to the point where I had to slide myself down a wall and sit on the floor or even lay on my left side for a few minutes.  This freaks Kinsey out and she runs right over to me and starts kissing my head and squats down right next to me until I get up.  There have been a couple times when she would even go get me one of her blankets! She is THE BEST! I went a couple weeks ago to get my iron checked because I became anemic with Kinsey but I was at a 14!!  Thats better than most adults so that was not the problem, then they took my blood pressure and sure enough, it was extremely low.  And even today it was only 102/48.  I am not sure how to raise a blood pressure besides exercising and I feel like I do that ALL day long lol I also have a very hard time sleeping at night..  My hips are in horrible shape from my wonderful family genes and from cheer all those years so if I lay on one side for too long I can no longer feel my entire leg and sometimes it even effects my arm.  So I am repositioning about every 1 hour! (It sure is a good thing Brandon is such a heavy sleeper!!) I dont remember having this big of a problem with Kinsey but I sure hope I can start getting some good nights sleep.  My belly is def out there now and I feel huge! I can still fit into all my clothes so I know I havent gotten that big.. YET.. but I sure do feel like it! I have only gained 2 lbs since I found out and the sad thing is I am at the weight I weighed before I got pregnant with Kinsey.  I guess you can said I gained my freshman 15! (really I only gained like 10 lbs but still thats a lot!!)  After this baby is born it's boot camp time for me! Other than that everything is great for me.. No more food aversions or nauseous feelings and I am lovin it!



What baby looks like at 17 weeks. I will start posting belly pic next time :)



Father's Day 2011

We had a great Father's Day! It was full of family and just relaxin'.  Kinsey got her dad a weed trimmer and we desperately needed it! I hate having a fresh mowed lawn but then the edges aren't clean.  So now he will have fun making our yard look even better :).  My mom did a lunch over at her house so we went over there to eat and see some family we dont get to see very often.  There were so many kids there! I cant believe how big our family has gotten in just the past decade... After lunch we went to my dad's house to visit with him. 
For the rest of the day, Brandon just wanted to rest and play with Kinsey so thats what we did.  We got home and took a family nap (i LOVE those lol) then cooked dinner and played outside.  It was freezing so we had to put on our sweats but we decorated the sidewalks with chalk and lit sparklers and even played with bubbles! It was a fantastic day :)

Fun in the Sun

I love my brothers so so much and am glad one of them will still agree to come hang out with me lol  My youngest brother Mason is 11 and he is always willing to go to lunch with me and just hang out!  He even stays the night at my house once in awhile and i LOVE it!  Kinsey and I went out to lunch with him last week and also decided to go to the pool since the weather was nice. 
We went to the Mexican restaurant by the north Ogden freeway entrance called "Bellas".  Kinsey and I have eaten there a couple times just the two of us so we decided to share the delicious food with Mason :) After lunch we went to my mom's to get ready to go swimming! I lathered up Kinsey and Mason in sunscreen (I dont think I have ever seen Mason sun burnt, he is way lucky to have the nice dark skin) then we were headed out the door!  The water was a little chilly but we still jumped right in and had a blast!  Mason even saw some of his buddies so he would go swim with them for a little bit then come sit next to Kinsey and I in the kiddie pool.  He is such an awesome brother and uncle! Kinsey just loves him to pieces and is always giving him hugs and kisses :)

I love her legs in this swimming suit lol