Spring & Stuff

We were outside yesterday morning and the weather was just perfect. Amongst a few patches of snow untouched by the sun, there are signs of Spring! Things are going pretty well with our little family. Conference weekend we spent time with both families and we were able to watch all of the sessions. It was so great and I loved so much of the counsel given. On the way home from the Harris' house on Sunday, Chris and I were able to talk about things we had learned and things that we want to do individually and as a family. I'm so grateful that I have a companion that I can talk to about spiritual things. It makes marriage awesome and life easier. We had a mission reunion..well more Chris' than mine since it was with President Wilkins. I knew a few of the missionaries there though. We're getting a lot of school paper work done, which is exciting! Our lives are going to completely change in a couple of months...it's crazy and scary all at the same time. Pregnancy...is pregnancy. She moves a lot and kicks/punches HARD! It's amazing to have a child growing inside of you, but I'm tired and trying not to count every second of every day. I just have to stay busy. The last 2 months always seem to go by the slowest...but we've got a really busy month in May so hopefully that will help the time go by fast. I'm super excited for all the little mini-vacations I have. Midway with my sisters, Vegas with Chris and Park City will all the girls. "I hope" it doesn't put me into labor early--ha ha ha ha. My mom and I have gotten all the fabric we need to make the bumper pads and quilt for Paige(we think that's what it's going to be). I'm excited to see the end result! I still would like to get a double stroller but other than that I think we're set. 2 1/2 years old update: Ryan keeps us on our toes constantly! He's learning a lot of new things every day and it's fun to communicate with him. He is still crazy about his cars and is addicted to chocolate milk...WARM chocolate milk. He will not drink it unless it's warm. Oh, and he'll tell you if it's too hot or too cold. A full cup in the microwave for 45 seconds seems to be the winner. He also has to eat everything BIG. Meaning you can't cut it. Big strawberries, big bread, big apple, big cheese, etc etc. The other day he helped me make homemade bread and he thought that was the coolest thing ever. It took twice as long to make, but I'm glad he had fun. He also loves grapefruit. Too bad they are going out of season. He pretty much despises all vegetables except for raw carrots and as of recently he'll eat some cooked broccoli. Wahoo! He loves beans, rice and tomatoes and lots of other things as well. The other day Chris and I were getting ready to go somewhere and Ryan was in his room. Chris had just brushed his teeth and went in to get Ryan dressed. I heard Ryan say "mmm, yummy!" So I glanced in his room and asked Chris what Ry was eating. Chris said "Nothing, I just kissed him after I had brushed my teeth!" It was soo funny! For a family home evening this month we put a picture of the Prophet and of the Campinas, Brazil Temple in Ryan's room where he would see it every day. I also typed up the words Temple and Prophet. He had fun taping them all up on the wall and pointing to the letters and to the pictures. The next morning when he got up, he asked me to turn the light on and right away he pointed to the pictures and was excited to see that they were still there. I love watching Ryan learn the gospel. It's got to be the most rewarding thing as a parent. Besides the cuddles and kisses. Ryan is always closing a door or drawer. He's really good at cleaning up when asked and doesn't miss putting away one car. He's ALWAYS humming something. He likes "Ham-ma"(grandma) but she doesn't get as many hugs or kisses as she should. Nate and Rachel were both baptized on Saturday, April 9th. It was a crazy, but super fun day. Ryan had a blast with all of his cousins. He loved sitting up close with the kids to watch the baptism. Chris has to have knee surgery on the 28th of this month. He tore his meniscus. We're so thankful that our tax return will be able to cover our high deductible. I'm glad that he's getting it done now before Paige is born and before he goes to school. After we visited the Bell's at the hospital,(baby Jayce was born)we ate at the Red Iguana with the Shaw's. Amazing food...I am craving it right now. I wasn't planning on writing my whole life story, but there it is for now.