Greetings from the Gleed family! No, I didn't forget about the blog, just temporarily forgot what my email was for this account. Here's to recommitting myself to online blogging.
Since my last post A LOT has happened. A few brief highlights of 2014 will have to suffice. First off, we are real adults! We are in debt and have two kids. We're just missing the family dog. We bought a 4 bedroom 3.75 bath house located at 1213 28th st SE Auburn, WA 98002. We love having our own space and ability to change whatever the heck we want. We grow a garden and we have homemade swing in the back yard. Now the kids can have a true childhood. Sure we've had a few frustrating learning curves being homeowners but overall we love having a place to call our own.
We bought a 2009 Town and Country van that we love. We spent the year working and playing.
Fast forward to today--
Cameron
Work is going well for him. He works so hard for our family. In the month of May, guess how many hours he billed...220!!!!!! That's just BILLED hours, not total hours that he was physically at work. I can't imagine working that many hours. A fun thing that few of his coworkers did was put together a pull-up contest. They split into two teams and over the busy season they recorded each week how many pull-ups they could do. His team was Team Karate Kid. His first week he started out doing 11 pull-ups and at the end of the contest he could do 24. 24 PULL-UPS! He's the strongest man alive. I literally can't do one. Even though their team lost, he personally won (he got a cd of MC Hammer...awesome) because he was able to do the most.
He's working on studying for the CORE exam that he'll take in October.
He is currently serving as our ward's Elders Quorum President. He's been in just over a year. They snatched him up pretty quick after we moved in. He's had a hard time keeping fully staffed -is that OK to say about church callings? Everyone has moved! Good thing Cameron has an upbeat personality and doesn't get frustrated easily or for very long. He's just the best!
Julia
Not too much has changed with me. I still love staying home to take care of the kids. We recently got a membership to the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium. We've loved it! It's nice going and not feeling pressured to make it to EVERY SINGLE exhibit. We just go and let the kids decide where they want to go. They mostly want to play on the playground, but that's OK. We also got a Discover Pass which gets us into the State Parks. We have Flaming Geyser State Park pretty close to our house. We love going after Cameron gets home from work. Its got everything! Trails for hiking, a playground, a river with endless rocks to throw into the river, and a path to ride bikes. We've been there a few times and have loved it!
I love finding on pinterest creative projects to do to our house and garden. This year for our garden I built 3 raised beds, a trellis for the beans and peas, and a rainbow trellis for the pumpkins. We planted beets, carrots, lettuce, spinach, peas, beans, pumpkin, tomatoes, peppers, asparagus. Some plants are growing better than others but thankfully things are growing. It's so fun to have a garden!
In September last year I had a seizure. Basically--no reason why it happened or if it will happen again. I couldn't drive for 6 months which was a hard adjustment but we made it through. What was really hard was in October when I got an ulcer on my left eye! I swear childbirth didn't hurt that bad. Ok, that is an exaggeration, but it was EXTREMELY painful. It was only this last week or two that I've had enough confidence to try wearing contacts again. Now any sort of hint of pain and I freak out and worry that my eye will explode again. Good thing I look good wearing glasses or contacts.
Last but not least, I'm the YW Secretary in our ward. It's going just fine.
Addie May
How we love our dearest Addie! She's so smart! She memorized ALL 13 Articles of Faith before her 3rd birthday. Who does that? She's being more assertive with her wants. If we ask her to do something she doesn't want to do or we say a word she doesn't want us to say she quickly says, "A DON'T SAY THAT ONE!" Of course when she says this to Cameron he is quick to tease and says whatever he can to push her buttons. This was going on the other night when we were driving in the van. After Addie had more than she could handle she yelled, "STOP TALKING!!" We laughed so hard.
Another little quirk of Addie is that she frequently repeats what we say only whispering. For example we'll say something like, "Addie, let's go get in the bath and tonight we can have bubbles!" She'll whisper "tub and have bubbles." There is no pattern to what she repeats, but it's an interesting thing that she does.
We've started exploring other parks around Auburn and she's found something to love at each one. At Brannen Park, she love the sea-saw. At Indian Tom park she loves riding on the horse-the kind that have the big spring on the bottom that rock back and forth. She's a little possessive of it, but is slowly learning that it's not too hard to share. We've also taken the kids to Pioneer Elementary (where they will attend when they are old enough for school). That has 4 playgrounds there and they love running to each of them.
She's super smart at figuring out the lock to her door. We have to lock her in her room sometime for bedtime and nap time. We've gone through a few phases of door knobs on her room door and we're out of options since she's figured how to get out of everything we've tried. We love our Addie May and are so thrilled to be able to be her parents. She is such a joy!
Boston
I swear this kid grew up overnight. I'm not even joking. In this past week he's learned the following: how to climb out of the pack and play that he sleeps in for naps, how to climb up on the counters in the kitchen and bathroom, how to got to sleep night and morning without nursing. Yes, this means I don't have to nurse anymore. Mixed emotions about this, he just cold turkey did it one night. He also learned just last night to climb out of the crib! We're putting the bunk beds back together and will start the adventure of Addie and Boston sharing a room. I can already see grey hairs from this experience.
At his 18 month well child check this past week, Dr. Naylor said that he is growing perfectly except his speech. He said that if Boston's not talking by September then he recommends that Boston go to therapy. We've tried making more of an effort to have him talk and I actually think he's improved even in these past few days with us making a conscious effort.
One thing that Boston has recently picked up is his love for hitting Addie May. He thinks it's hilarious to hit or throw things at her and she (understandably) doesn't' like it and yells and cries. sigh.
We've had a fun vacation so far this year. I took the kids home to Bear Lake for a week while Cameron finished up his busy season at work. It was so fun to relax and let the kids soak in the country life. I love being home. We then met Cameron in San Francisco for a week of vacation there. That wasn't quit as relaxing since it was a foreign place for all of us. We got the City Pass which let us on the Trolleys, a bay cruise under the Golden Gate Bride, the Science Center, Art Museum, and Aquarium. We played on the beach, went to Palo Alto for lunch with a companion of Cameron, and went to Oakland to the temple. We did have a good time, but we won't be going to a big busy place like that for a while.
That about wraps it up for us. I promise to do a better job recording our awesome life!
Sunday, June 28, 2015
Thursday, February 6, 2014
2013 review
Here we are starting a new year in a new house with a new baby and van. Yes, we realize now that all of those life changes at the same time is a little extreme but hopefully we'll never have to do it again. We had a lot of blessings this past year. With all that we had going on this year I didn't have time to make a Christmas card, so consider this our somewhat lengthy, yearly Christmas card.
Cameron
We are so grateful to have a good job for Cameron that he absolutely loves. Milliman is a wonderful company to work for. I'm in shock at how many times Cameron has said this past year, "good news, I got another bonus for....." I swear they give him bonuses for just showing up and breathing. Just kidding, Cameron works very hard and is an asset to the company. Right now Cameron has passed all 5 of his preliminary exams and is now working on his modules. After his modules are completed (he's hoping to have them finished by July) he has to go to a conference somewhere in the country then submit a bunch of papers and he'll receive his ASA. After that I'm not quite sure what the next steps are but I'm sure it's more exams.
He has loved accompanying on the piano at church. He played a few musical numbers in sacrament meeting, along with accompanying musical numbers. However, if you asked him he'd say his favorite was being the primary pianist substitute. That would be his dream calling.
He also played volleyball with the stake every Thursday night for a few months. He loves volleyball. I don't know very many details about that because it was late Thursday nights and I'd always be asleep by the time he got home. Cameron was also the 11 year old scout leader so Wed. nights he'd go to scouts then Thursday he'd go to volleyball. He loves staying active and busy.
In October he started working out at Golds Gym and has since gained about 25 pounds. He bought a book called "Scrawny to Brawny" and has been following that. He goes to the gym 3 times a week before work and follows the workouts in the book. He eats a lot too. Of course it's healthy food so his body gains muscle not fat but he eats A LOT. He's so handsome!
Julia
I have loved being able to stay home with my wonderful children. Addie is such a fun girl to hang out with. In 2013 I learned a few new skills. I bought a sewing machine and have made a few things with it. I struggle following instructions or patterns which sometimes turns out not so great, but I've been really proud of some of the projects I've made. I've made aprons for Cameron's Grandma and 3 aunts. I made a few skirts for me one of them I had enough material to make Addie a matching skirt. I made 2 baby blankets and a few other little projects.
I was the YW second counselor so I worked with the beehives. I LOVED being in yw. I loved working with the other leaders. I can honestly say that some of my dearest friends were ladies I worked with in yw. I learned a lot and had some very special moments.
This year I did something I've never done before. I read books. I like reading, I just don't do it as much as I should. If I wasn't reading a book I was working on a craft. I discovered that I LOVE making wreaths. Pinterest is so addicting when looking for cute wreaths to make. That is my new favorite thing to give as a gift. It brings me a lot of joy making wreaths. Is that weird? I decided that if I were to ever have a booth in a craft fair it would be selling wreaths or aprons if I ever got really good at those.
Addie
Addie has probably learned and grown the most out of all of us. She is incredibly smart. She's 20 months now and can recognize count from 1-10. She also can recognize all but a few of the letters in the alphabet. Whenever she sees anything she knows, she's quick to make sure I know she sees them. She is very good at trying to say whatever I'm saying. It's fun listening to her say how she's interpreting what I'm saying.
She started nursery in October. Cameron and I LOVE having her there, it makes church a lot more spiritual since we can listen to the lessons instead of constantly entertaining her. She does well in nursery. Every once in a while she'll have a hard time when we leave, but most of the time she goes right in and starts playing.
She loves eating those little oranges called cuties. She calls them "N's". I don't know why but she does. She loves reading books and playing on any ipod, iphone, or ipad available.
Boston
Here is probably the most exciting story of our year. Here we go with is birth story. I have this bad habit of when I hit 37 weeks of pregnancy I start preparing for and trying to go into labor. Since it's considered full term I try and get the process started since I'm always sick of being pregnant by that time. This time around I was really antsy since we were in the process of buying house. I wanted the baby to be at least a few weeks old so that 1. I could have some strength to help in the moving process and 2. so that I wouldn't have to be so freaked out about taking the baby out into a germ infested world. I wanted to give his body a little time to build it's immunity. At my 38 week apt. I was dilated to a 4 and 50% effaced. Woo! I walked everywhere ti try and put my body into labor. To make this long story shorter, I ended up taking castor oil to try and induce labor. It gave me some really good contractions. It was enough positive signs that I had my mom and sister come out. They came and went with no baby. Cameron's birthday=no baby. Thanksgiving=no baby. Due date=no baby. By the first of December I was feeling wonderful physically. I had a lot of energy and the pelvic pain I had been feeling was gone and I wasn't having contractions. However, emotionally I was not ok. There were a few things going on in my life at that time that are extremely personal but having to deal with those feelings on top of being past my due date was really hard for me. I can honestly say that those few weeks were the hardest weeks I had experienced in my life. Since it was so personal, it was hard to explain to others why I was so impatient to get the baby out. I really struggled feeling a little judged by the midwives and others. To them I was just impatient, which, I will admit, I was, but there was more that they didn't know. Going through that, definitely taught me not to judge others. We have no idea what others are really going through.
This next part may be a little gross, but it's what happened. Here I am 40 weeks pregnant and lookin' ever so gorgeous! :)
On Dec. 6 I woke up a few times during the night with a few contractions but was able to fall back asleep. Cameron got up early (about 5:30 am )to go to work and after I saw him leave I went back to bed. At 6 am I rolled over to turn my alarm off and when I did I felt a little funny like I had to pee. I got up and went to the bathroom. Just before I got to the toilet I had liquid all over. I say liquid because I wasn't sure if I just had horrible bladder control and had just went pee or if my water had broke. It wasn't like last time when my water broke so I assumed it was pee. I changed and tried to go back to bed, but then I started getting some pretty painful consistent contractions. I called Cameron to give him a heads up and then I called the midwife. She said to try and go back to bed and to call later if something changed. It wasn't much longer I realized that it really was my water that broke and that I was in labor. I told Cameron to get home as fast as he could because things were progressing very VERY quickly. I got Addie out of bed and went to take a hot shower since hot water is so soothing. I got out of the shower to find that Cameron had tried to call me about 17 times. Poor guy, he probably thought I was dead since I wasn't answering. Anyway, he was on his way home, but said it would be faster if I could just pick him up at the park and ride. I tried getting dressed quickly but couldn't since I'd either leak if I moved or had too painful of a contraction. Christine was the on call midwife and when she called to follow up on our first conversation that day I was pretty much confined to the rocking chair. Addie was running around stinky and hungry. It was when I was sitting in the rocking chair that Cameron burst through the door ready to go. What a trooper. He was so worried about me he ran from I don't even know where but I don't think it was very close to home. What a wonderful husband I have. When he saw that I was really fine and not quite ready to leave for a little bit, he said that he had to go pick up his backpack. Apparently his backpack was slowing him down and he threw it in a bush on the way home. Christine said to get packed and to meet her at the birthing center at 8:15. We loaded up and got there at about 8:30. Honestly, this part of the story is kind of a blur. Labor tends to cloud my memory. I remember sitting in the chair while one of the student midwives got an IV started since I needed antibiotics because I tested positive for strepB. After I got the IV Christine checked me and I had dilated to 5 cm. Somewhere in that time Chantelle came and picked up Addie but I don't know when. I got in the tub and was in heaven for about 5 minutes. The water was warm and extremely soothing, I was mentally calm since everyone was where they needed to be and I was safe. I don't know how women labor out of water. For me, contractions are so much more tolerable when I'm in warm water. As the contractions got harder I was getting worse and worse. I don't know why but when I'm in labor my body decides to throw up everything I eat. So here I am sitting in a warm tub absolutely exhausted and starving. I'd drink water and this nasty electrolyte drink every so often but I was about to crash. I was runnin' on empty. I felt like I was going to pass out multiple times, but somehow I pulled through and it all worked out. The last time I expressed how I exhausted I felt Christine was comforting when she said that if I'd start pushing my baby would be out and with me. That was motivation enough. I started pushing at about 10:27 and he was born at 10:35. I remember the baby coming out wide eyed and already crying. What a miracle. This time I felt the sudden relief of pressure that I'd heard about which felt good but not as good as holding my brand new perfect baby. Cameron was right by my head and together we fell in love with our baby. We'd been sitting there for a few minutes when Cameron says, "Wait, did we even confirm the gender?" He then lifted up the warm towel that was on the baby and we both saw that this was for sure not a girl. When Cameron exclaimed that it was a boy, the midwife had to check because she didn't believe us. She then confirmed that we in fact had a baby boy and not the girl we'd been expecting. I immediately started crying. What else was I to do? I had mentally prepared for a little girl and now I had a boy. I HAD A SON. What the heck? We didn't have a single boy thing. Needless to say I was a little overwhelmed with emotion. I was of course happy but scared that I wasn't prepared. My first thoughts after finding out it was a boy was 1- we don't have any boy clothes; 2-I don't know how to take care of a boy and 3-I get to raise a missionary! Luckily we had picked the name Boston Cameron Gleed before we came up with Brielle Sherry so that part was done. After we got cleaned up Boston had his newborn tests. He weighed 8 pounds 15 ounces and was 21 inches long. He was absolutely perfect.
Cameron called his mom to have her bring Addie to meet her brother. We decided that we wanted to do something funny to tell the news to Cameron's mom instead of just telling her. We decided we'd have her be the one to put on the first diaper. I'll try and put the movie on of that experience.
We got packed and went home that afternoon. I felt a little bit rushed to pack and go home, but at the same time it was really nice being at my home where I could really relax and enjoy my new baby.
We were lucky enough to have my mom and sister fly in that night. They were such a big help those first few days. We were spoiled to have meals prepared, Addie occupied and the baby held so that I could sleep. Oddly enough, I didn't feel like I needed it. I was a thousand percent shocked at how good I felt even hours after he was born. Yes it was painful and I was sore, but not as sore as I was with Addie. After Boston was born when the midwife was checking me, she said that I didn't tear and that I'd feel like a million bucks the next day. I didn't believe her, but I did! It was so hard to rest when I felt so good. I'd love it if this was the trend for the other children.
In comparing Addie's and Boston's labor and delivery I'd say that Addie's was definitely the harder one physically but a lot more emotionally rewarding. Boston's was fine physically but harder emotionally in the sense that those few weeks before he was born were extremely hard and I didn't feel as connected to him as I thought I should feel. Now that our lives have calmed down a lot and I've had time to think about the whole experience I realize that I just had a lot going on and couldn't let my emotions relax enough to bond. Don't worry, I feel bonded to him now but it just took longer. With Addie I'd definitely say that I experienced "the baby blues" but not with Boston. Everything was just easier. I think in his 2 months of life I've only cried once because of breastfeeding which was NOT the case with Addie. I HATED breastfeeding. It was extremely painful all the time. This time I feel I understand the "how to" a lot better so my body really has regulated itself to what he needs. The one time I cried was the one and only time so far that I thought I could be getting mastitis.
Being a mother of two is so wonderful. They are both beautiful and perfect. I love trying to think of ways they are similar and ways they are different. Honestly, I haven't come up with very many. It's hard to tell what is their own unique personality, what is a Gleed personality, and what is just a normal baby trait. We don't think they really look alike but Cameron and I both agree that Addie looks more like him and Boston looks more like me. Also, Boston doesn't seem to get scared as easily as Addie did and he LOVES getting his diaper changed. That's about all we can think of.
Addie is such a champ. I thought she'd really struggle with being jealous but I haven't noticed it at all. She LOVES kissing him and pointing out (literally pointing out) his eyes, nose, ears, mouth, arms, and legs. I'm not exaggerating when I say that she says "Hi Batin, hi Batin, hi Batin, hi Batin (Hi Boston) 60 times a day. She laughs every time he cries, she thinks it's so funny. Whenever she hears him she is quick to point out "baby" and runs to him. She's pulled him off the couch once which was terrifying but he survived. We are so blessed to have such wonderful kids.
In other news, we bought a van. Yes, I'm an official soccer mom...minus the soccer. We bought a 2009 Chrysler Town and Country Van. We love it. I knew it was the right van for us because the first time I drove it I felt like we were old friends. There was no "getting used to it" phase. I love it. We bought it in Tacoma from a friend of Cameron's aunt Darcie. It has been so much better than the first car we bought. What a nightmare that was. Good thing we learned our lesson the first time.
In addition to buying a van we bought our first home!!! We are homeowners! Our address is 1213 28th St SE Auburn, Washington 98002. (Don't google that address because the picture it has is when it was a dump. It looks a trillion times better now that I live here.) It is a cute 4 bedroom 2.5 bath home. We were so lucky to get this one since the first home we loved and put in an offer on had a crappy inspection. This home is wonderful. It has everything we wanted. The only thing we felt we had to compromise on was the size of the yard. We still have a yard that will be big enough for me to have a garden and lawn to mow, but it's not quite as big as we were hoping for. Lately, the fridge has been a little on the fritz but we love it! 
We will eventually have this all fenced in but this is how it is for now. Home Sweet Home. Can't wait for the spring to get some pretty flowers growing. 
That is our new van. Isn't it lovely? The window there is to the loft area. I use the loft for my exercises for now until it becomes the play room. 
In the back corner is where my garden will be. 
Top right is Addie's room. Top left is our room. Bottom right and middle are the living room and the bottom left is the office.
We moved in December 21. We had a lot of help from our beloved Newport ward and a few helpers from our new White River ward. Since Boston was born I had done surprisingly well with my emotions. That was until I was driving away from our apartment. It was on that van ride down that all the changes started to sink in. I was overcome with all the good and the bad of the past month. You name an emotion and I felt it. I was so grateful to have such a wonderful husband that really helped out so much with the kids and really took care of all the moving details. I was grateful for willing ward members to help us just days before Christmas. I was so sad to leave Bellevue. Other than Ovid, I've never fell in love with a place that I've lived besides Bellevue. I don't know what it is specifically about that area, but it just clicked with me. The thing is, yes, I loved our ward, but it wasn't just them that I loved. Even the random people I'd meet at the grocery store, the doctors office, the park, or wherever were so nice. I loved the location of Bellevue and how it's close enough to where we needed. I can't say enough good about Bellevue. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't as in love with our actual apartment but everything else was fantastic.
On that drive down I was very excited to be going to my very own home. I was so excited at the thought of having my dance music up as loud as I wanted and not have to worry about annoying the neighbors above us. I loved the fact that we'd have space for Addie to run around and explore. There were so many things that I was excited for that I couldn't help but cry. Like I said, it was an emotional 30 min drive.
Our first night here was one I will never forget. After we got all the boxes moved into the home we had to take the rental truck back and also drive to Tacoma to drop off a paper for our van that we'd just bought the day before. We hurried and got that done just in time to come home and try and get the beds set up. That night Cameron had plans with his mom to go to Benaroya Hall to a concert that was a birthday gift. So, he was gone to that and I was home with the kids trying to get the essentials out of boxes and the basics ready for that night. It took me longer than usual and since our normal schedule was a bit off, Addie was a bit more on edge and grouchy than she normally is. I had put her to bed but it was about 1 1/2 after her normal bedtime and she was mad. I think it was hard for her to fall asleep because 1-we were in a different environment than she was used to. 2-We had no curtains on her big windows so the street lights were shining in her room. 3-I couldn't find her stuffed giraffe or her binkies that she usually likes to sleep with. I thought since she was so tired she'd just cry for a little bit and fall asleep. No no no, that was not her plan. After a while, I got her out and together we looked one more time for the things she needed. With no success we both were tired and onrey and both just cried. Of course this whole time Boston is frustrated because his needs aren't being met and all of our emotions escalated QUICK. By that time I was so desperate for Addie to sleep I was literally chucking things out of all the boxes downstairs. I still couldn't fine anything that would satisfy her so in desperation I prayed to know where to look. (Yes--I realize that should have been my FIRST thing to try, but I didn't so whatever...lesson learned) I got the impression mid prayer to look in the boxes up in her room. I carried my two screaming children up the stairs and began again frantically throwing things out of boxes. No luck. However, I did find a brand new package of binkies that we received at the baby shower and a smaller bear that was good enough for that night. I put her to bed, fed Boston, and wanted to take a bubble bath to cry out my crazy but the next thing I knew I was waking up to Cameron pulling the sheets from over my head. Apparently I conked out on the bed and pulled the sheets over my head. The next few nights weren't easy getting adjusted to the new place but things did get easier. After a month we got the super important boxes unpacked and it now feels like home.
I'm now at the point of starting fun projects to really make it feel like my place. I love it, but it's been a long journey.
Christmas was fun. I was looking forward to finally having a quite day with my little family. We wanted a real tree but since we were moving we put it off. By the time we actually got around to getting our tree, it was 2 days before Christmas and the tree lots by our house were closed. We ended up buying a 4 foot fake tree from Walmart. Next year we'll have our act together in time to get a real tree to enjoy for the season. And, if Darci doesn't take her 3.10 years to make the tree skirt we'll have a gorgeous tree skirt to match our gorgeous tree topper. *This is dripping with sarcasm right now.* I'll try and include a picture.
Christmas day was spent sleeping in, eating chocolate chip pancakes, opening presents, taking naps, making cookies to take to our new neighbors, meeting the neighbors, eating snacks with Cameron's parents and brother and just staying home.
The next big event was my birthday and Boston's blessing. What wonderful parents I have to fly all the way here just to spend their Sunday watching me turn 28. Just kidding, that was only the bonus, they came for Boston. We wanted to have Boston's blessing in the Newport ward, but decided that it would be a nice way to introduce our family to the new ward. My amazing parents got in Jan. 4th and stayed until Monday January 6. It was so nice to have them here to show off our new house.
Boston's blessing went well. The bishopric didn't forget about it like they did when Addie was being blessed. Cameron gave him a wonderful blessing and we were happy to have a lot of family support. We had a quiet afternoon eating delicious food and playing catch phrase. Don't I have a wonderful life? I think so.
Since then, we've returned to our normal activities. Life is pretty calm for the most part and we sure are happy.
Cameron
We are so grateful to have a good job for Cameron that he absolutely loves. Milliman is a wonderful company to work for. I'm in shock at how many times Cameron has said this past year, "good news, I got another bonus for....." I swear they give him bonuses for just showing up and breathing. Just kidding, Cameron works very hard and is an asset to the company. Right now Cameron has passed all 5 of his preliminary exams and is now working on his modules. After his modules are completed (he's hoping to have them finished by July) he has to go to a conference somewhere in the country then submit a bunch of papers and he'll receive his ASA. After that I'm not quite sure what the next steps are but I'm sure it's more exams.
He has loved accompanying on the piano at church. He played a few musical numbers in sacrament meeting, along with accompanying musical numbers. However, if you asked him he'd say his favorite was being the primary pianist substitute. That would be his dream calling.
He also played volleyball with the stake every Thursday night for a few months. He loves volleyball. I don't know very many details about that because it was late Thursday nights and I'd always be asleep by the time he got home. Cameron was also the 11 year old scout leader so Wed. nights he'd go to scouts then Thursday he'd go to volleyball. He loves staying active and busy.
In October he started working out at Golds Gym and has since gained about 25 pounds. He bought a book called "Scrawny to Brawny" and has been following that. He goes to the gym 3 times a week before work and follows the workouts in the book. He eats a lot too. Of course it's healthy food so his body gains muscle not fat but he eats A LOT. He's so handsome!
Julia
I have loved being able to stay home with my wonderful children. Addie is such a fun girl to hang out with. In 2013 I learned a few new skills. I bought a sewing machine and have made a few things with it. I struggle following instructions or patterns which sometimes turns out not so great, but I've been really proud of some of the projects I've made. I've made aprons for Cameron's Grandma and 3 aunts. I made a few skirts for me one of them I had enough material to make Addie a matching skirt. I made 2 baby blankets and a few other little projects.
I was the YW second counselor so I worked with the beehives. I LOVED being in yw. I loved working with the other leaders. I can honestly say that some of my dearest friends were ladies I worked with in yw. I learned a lot and had some very special moments.
This year I did something I've never done before. I read books. I like reading, I just don't do it as much as I should. If I wasn't reading a book I was working on a craft. I discovered that I LOVE making wreaths. Pinterest is so addicting when looking for cute wreaths to make. That is my new favorite thing to give as a gift. It brings me a lot of joy making wreaths. Is that weird? I decided that if I were to ever have a booth in a craft fair it would be selling wreaths or aprons if I ever got really good at those.
Addie
Addie has probably learned and grown the most out of all of us. She is incredibly smart. She's 20 months now and can recognize count from 1-10. She also can recognize all but a few of the letters in the alphabet. Whenever she sees anything she knows, she's quick to make sure I know she sees them. She is very good at trying to say whatever I'm saying. It's fun listening to her say how she's interpreting what I'm saying.
She started nursery in October. Cameron and I LOVE having her there, it makes church a lot more spiritual since we can listen to the lessons instead of constantly entertaining her. She does well in nursery. Every once in a while she'll have a hard time when we leave, but most of the time she goes right in and starts playing.
She loves eating those little oranges called cuties. She calls them "N's". I don't know why but she does. She loves reading books and playing on any ipod, iphone, or ipad available.
Boston
Here is probably the most exciting story of our year. Here we go with is birth story. I have this bad habit of when I hit 37 weeks of pregnancy I start preparing for and trying to go into labor. Since it's considered full term I try and get the process started since I'm always sick of being pregnant by that time. This time around I was really antsy since we were in the process of buying house. I wanted the baby to be at least a few weeks old so that 1. I could have some strength to help in the moving process and 2. so that I wouldn't have to be so freaked out about taking the baby out into a germ infested world. I wanted to give his body a little time to build it's immunity. At my 38 week apt. I was dilated to a 4 and 50% effaced. Woo! I walked everywhere ti try and put my body into labor. To make this long story shorter, I ended up taking castor oil to try and induce labor. It gave me some really good contractions. It was enough positive signs that I had my mom and sister come out. They came and went with no baby. Cameron's birthday=no baby. Thanksgiving=no baby. Due date=no baby. By the first of December I was feeling wonderful physically. I had a lot of energy and the pelvic pain I had been feeling was gone and I wasn't having contractions. However, emotionally I was not ok. There were a few things going on in my life at that time that are extremely personal but having to deal with those feelings on top of being past my due date was really hard for me. I can honestly say that those few weeks were the hardest weeks I had experienced in my life. Since it was so personal, it was hard to explain to others why I was so impatient to get the baby out. I really struggled feeling a little judged by the midwives and others. To them I was just impatient, which, I will admit, I was, but there was more that they didn't know. Going through that, definitely taught me not to judge others. We have no idea what others are really going through.
This next part may be a little gross, but it's what happened. Here I am 40 weeks pregnant and lookin' ever so gorgeous! :)
On Dec. 6 I woke up a few times during the night with a few contractions but was able to fall back asleep. Cameron got up early (about 5:30 am )to go to work and after I saw him leave I went back to bed. At 6 am I rolled over to turn my alarm off and when I did I felt a little funny like I had to pee. I got up and went to the bathroom. Just before I got to the toilet I had liquid all over. I say liquid because I wasn't sure if I just had horrible bladder control and had just went pee or if my water had broke. It wasn't like last time when my water broke so I assumed it was pee. I changed and tried to go back to bed, but then I started getting some pretty painful consistent contractions. I called Cameron to give him a heads up and then I called the midwife. She said to try and go back to bed and to call later if something changed. It wasn't much longer I realized that it really was my water that broke and that I was in labor. I told Cameron to get home as fast as he could because things were progressing very VERY quickly. I got Addie out of bed and went to take a hot shower since hot water is so soothing. I got out of the shower to find that Cameron had tried to call me about 17 times. Poor guy, he probably thought I was dead since I wasn't answering. Anyway, he was on his way home, but said it would be faster if I could just pick him up at the park and ride. I tried getting dressed quickly but couldn't since I'd either leak if I moved or had too painful of a contraction. Christine was the on call midwife and when she called to follow up on our first conversation that day I was pretty much confined to the rocking chair. Addie was running around stinky and hungry. It was when I was sitting in the rocking chair that Cameron burst through the door ready to go. What a trooper. He was so worried about me he ran from I don't even know where but I don't think it was very close to home. What a wonderful husband I have. When he saw that I was really fine and not quite ready to leave for a little bit, he said that he had to go pick up his backpack. Apparently his backpack was slowing him down and he threw it in a bush on the way home. Christine said to get packed and to meet her at the birthing center at 8:15. We loaded up and got there at about 8:30. Honestly, this part of the story is kind of a blur. Labor tends to cloud my memory. I remember sitting in the chair while one of the student midwives got an IV started since I needed antibiotics because I tested positive for strepB. After I got the IV Christine checked me and I had dilated to 5 cm. Somewhere in that time Chantelle came and picked up Addie but I don't know when. I got in the tub and was in heaven for about 5 minutes. The water was warm and extremely soothing, I was mentally calm since everyone was where they needed to be and I was safe. I don't know how women labor out of water. For me, contractions are so much more tolerable when I'm in warm water. As the contractions got harder I was getting worse and worse. I don't know why but when I'm in labor my body decides to throw up everything I eat. So here I am sitting in a warm tub absolutely exhausted and starving. I'd drink water and this nasty electrolyte drink every so often but I was about to crash. I was runnin' on empty. I felt like I was going to pass out multiple times, but somehow I pulled through and it all worked out. The last time I expressed how I exhausted I felt Christine was comforting when she said that if I'd start pushing my baby would be out and with me. That was motivation enough. I started pushing at about 10:27 and he was born at 10:35. I remember the baby coming out wide eyed and already crying. What a miracle. This time I felt the sudden relief of pressure that I'd heard about which felt good but not as good as holding my brand new perfect baby. Cameron was right by my head and together we fell in love with our baby. We'd been sitting there for a few minutes when Cameron says, "Wait, did we even confirm the gender?" He then lifted up the warm towel that was on the baby and we both saw that this was for sure not a girl. When Cameron exclaimed that it was a boy, the midwife had to check because she didn't believe us. She then confirmed that we in fact had a baby boy and not the girl we'd been expecting. I immediately started crying. What else was I to do? I had mentally prepared for a little girl and now I had a boy. I HAD A SON. What the heck? We didn't have a single boy thing. Needless to say I was a little overwhelmed with emotion. I was of course happy but scared that I wasn't prepared. My first thoughts after finding out it was a boy was 1- we don't have any boy clothes; 2-I don't know how to take care of a boy and 3-I get to raise a missionary! Luckily we had picked the name Boston Cameron Gleed before we came up with Brielle Sherry so that part was done. After we got cleaned up Boston had his newborn tests. He weighed 8 pounds 15 ounces and was 21 inches long. He was absolutely perfect.
We got packed and went home that afternoon. I felt a little bit rushed to pack and go home, but at the same time it was really nice being at my home where I could really relax and enjoy my new baby.
We were lucky enough to have my mom and sister fly in that night. They were such a big help those first few days. We were spoiled to have meals prepared, Addie occupied and the baby held so that I could sleep. Oddly enough, I didn't feel like I needed it. I was a thousand percent shocked at how good I felt even hours after he was born. Yes it was painful and I was sore, but not as sore as I was with Addie. After Boston was born when the midwife was checking me, she said that I didn't tear and that I'd feel like a million bucks the next day. I didn't believe her, but I did! It was so hard to rest when I felt so good. I'd love it if this was the trend for the other children.
In comparing Addie's and Boston's labor and delivery I'd say that Addie's was definitely the harder one physically but a lot more emotionally rewarding. Boston's was fine physically but harder emotionally in the sense that those few weeks before he was born were extremely hard and I didn't feel as connected to him as I thought I should feel. Now that our lives have calmed down a lot and I've had time to think about the whole experience I realize that I just had a lot going on and couldn't let my emotions relax enough to bond. Don't worry, I feel bonded to him now but it just took longer. With Addie I'd definitely say that I experienced "the baby blues" but not with Boston. Everything was just easier. I think in his 2 months of life I've only cried once because of breastfeeding which was NOT the case with Addie. I HATED breastfeeding. It was extremely painful all the time. This time I feel I understand the "how to" a lot better so my body really has regulated itself to what he needs. The one time I cried was the one and only time so far that I thought I could be getting mastitis.
Being a mother of two is so wonderful. They are both beautiful and perfect. I love trying to think of ways they are similar and ways they are different. Honestly, I haven't come up with very many. It's hard to tell what is their own unique personality, what is a Gleed personality, and what is just a normal baby trait. We don't think they really look alike but Cameron and I both agree that Addie looks more like him and Boston looks more like me. Also, Boston doesn't seem to get scared as easily as Addie did and he LOVES getting his diaper changed. That's about all we can think of.
Addie is such a champ. I thought she'd really struggle with being jealous but I haven't noticed it at all. She LOVES kissing him and pointing out (literally pointing out) his eyes, nose, ears, mouth, arms, and legs. I'm not exaggerating when I say that she says "Hi Batin, hi Batin, hi Batin, hi Batin (Hi Boston) 60 times a day. She laughs every time he cries, she thinks it's so funny. Whenever she hears him she is quick to point out "baby" and runs to him. She's pulled him off the couch once which was terrifying but he survived. We are so blessed to have such wonderful kids.
We will eventually have this all fenced in but this is how it is for now. Home Sweet Home. Can't wait for the spring to get some pretty flowers growing. That is our new van. Isn't it lovely? The window there is to the loft area. I use the loft for my exercises for now until it becomes the play room. In the back corner is where my garden will be. Top right is Addie's room. Top left is our room. Bottom right and middle are the living room and the bottom left is the office.We moved in December 21. We had a lot of help from our beloved Newport ward and a few helpers from our new White River ward. Since Boston was born I had done surprisingly well with my emotions. That was until I was driving away from our apartment. It was on that van ride down that all the changes started to sink in. I was overcome with all the good and the bad of the past month. You name an emotion and I felt it. I was so grateful to have such a wonderful husband that really helped out so much with the kids and really took care of all the moving details. I was grateful for willing ward members to help us just days before Christmas. I was so sad to leave Bellevue. Other than Ovid, I've never fell in love with a place that I've lived besides Bellevue. I don't know what it is specifically about that area, but it just clicked with me. The thing is, yes, I loved our ward, but it wasn't just them that I loved. Even the random people I'd meet at the grocery store, the doctors office, the park, or wherever were so nice. I loved the location of Bellevue and how it's close enough to where we needed. I can't say enough good about Bellevue. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't as in love with our actual apartment but everything else was fantastic.
On that drive down I was very excited to be going to my very own home. I was so excited at the thought of having my dance music up as loud as I wanted and not have to worry about annoying the neighbors above us. I loved the fact that we'd have space for Addie to run around and explore. There were so many things that I was excited for that I couldn't help but cry. Like I said, it was an emotional 30 min drive.
Our first night here was one I will never forget. After we got all the boxes moved into the home we had to take the rental truck back and also drive to Tacoma to drop off a paper for our van that we'd just bought the day before. We hurried and got that done just in time to come home and try and get the beds set up. That night Cameron had plans with his mom to go to Benaroya Hall to a concert that was a birthday gift. So, he was gone to that and I was home with the kids trying to get the essentials out of boxes and the basics ready for that night. It took me longer than usual and since our normal schedule was a bit off, Addie was a bit more on edge and grouchy than she normally is. I had put her to bed but it was about 1 1/2 after her normal bedtime and she was mad. I think it was hard for her to fall asleep because 1-we were in a different environment than she was used to. 2-We had no curtains on her big windows so the street lights were shining in her room. 3-I couldn't find her stuffed giraffe or her binkies that she usually likes to sleep with. I thought since she was so tired she'd just cry for a little bit and fall asleep. No no no, that was not her plan. After a while, I got her out and together we looked one more time for the things she needed. With no success we both were tired and onrey and both just cried. Of course this whole time Boston is frustrated because his needs aren't being met and all of our emotions escalated QUICK. By that time I was so desperate for Addie to sleep I was literally chucking things out of all the boxes downstairs. I still couldn't fine anything that would satisfy her so in desperation I prayed to know where to look. (Yes--I realize that should have been my FIRST thing to try, but I didn't so whatever...lesson learned) I got the impression mid prayer to look in the boxes up in her room. I carried my two screaming children up the stairs and began again frantically throwing things out of boxes. No luck. However, I did find a brand new package of binkies that we received at the baby shower and a smaller bear that was good enough for that night. I put her to bed, fed Boston, and wanted to take a bubble bath to cry out my crazy but the next thing I knew I was waking up to Cameron pulling the sheets from over my head. Apparently I conked out on the bed and pulled the sheets over my head. The next few nights weren't easy getting adjusted to the new place but things did get easier. After a month we got the super important boxes unpacked and it now feels like home.
I'm now at the point of starting fun projects to really make it feel like my place. I love it, but it's been a long journey.
Christmas was fun. I was looking forward to finally having a quite day with my little family. We wanted a real tree but since we were moving we put it off. By the time we actually got around to getting our tree, it was 2 days before Christmas and the tree lots by our house were closed. We ended up buying a 4 foot fake tree from Walmart. Next year we'll have our act together in time to get a real tree to enjoy for the season. And, if Darci doesn't take her 3.10 years to make the tree skirt we'll have a gorgeous tree skirt to match our gorgeous tree topper. *This is dripping with sarcasm right now.* I'll try and include a picture.Christmas day was spent sleeping in, eating chocolate chip pancakes, opening presents, taking naps, making cookies to take to our new neighbors, meeting the neighbors, eating snacks with Cameron's parents and brother and just staying home.
The next big event was my birthday and Boston's blessing. What wonderful parents I have to fly all the way here just to spend their Sunday watching me turn 28. Just kidding, that was only the bonus, they came for Boston. We wanted to have Boston's blessing in the Newport ward, but decided that it would be a nice way to introduce our family to the new ward. My amazing parents got in Jan. 4th and stayed until Monday January 6. It was so nice to have them here to show off our new house.
Boston's blessing went well. The bishopric didn't forget about it like they did when Addie was being blessed. Cameron gave him a wonderful blessing and we were happy to have a lot of family support. We had a quiet afternoon eating delicious food and playing catch phrase. Don't I have a wonderful life? I think so.
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| A day or so after Boston was born mom was getting Addie ready for bed. After she was in her jammies we found her like this. What a girl. I guess she hadn't had enough of the bubbles. |
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| Addie doesn't usually like to wear hoods or hats of any kind but this particular day she would. This was the only picture we took on New Years day. Addie and I were taking a break from putting up the blinds. |
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| And this is nap time... |
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| Some days are just like this... |
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| My absolute favorite picture thus far of my two kids. |
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| Addie loves books. Sometimes she loves them a little TOO much. This is her latest thing, ripping books apart. Needless to say our book supply is thinning out. |
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| This is our wonderful Great Grandpa Gleed. They were here for a few days and we were happy to have them stay with us for a few of those days. Grandpa is so good at making sure my kids know the Idaho state song. I have the cutest video of him singing Jesus Wants me for a Sunbeam. Too bad it won't let me upload videos. Bummer... Grandma Gleed is a great cook and so willing to do absolutely anything that needs to be done. I really loved having them here and learning about their courtship and marriage. They are so fun to be around. I'd have to say my absolute favorite memory of them being here was playing catch phrase and watching grandpa try to act out the word wiggle. He stood up and sure let his behind wiggle. |
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| I love having such a smiley boy. He is such a joy to be around. There is something wonderful about having a newborn smile when he sees you. Melts my heart every time. |
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Fall is in the air
Fall is definitely my favorite season. I love EVERYTHING about it. I love the burnt rusty looking colors, the smells of cinnamon and pumpkin, and wearing sweaters! I just love fall! I love going for walks with Addie and crunching leaves on the sidewalk, or sipping hot chocolate while snuggled up with my husband or daughter. Addie isn't much of a snuggler, but sometimes she'll let me hold her for a few minutes. Here are the updates with our family since I last blogged.
First, the baby is growing quite nicely. I am in the third trimester and we are getting really excited for our little baby "B." I'm pretty sure the baby dropped last week because I had A LOT of pressure in my pelvis after my walk and at my last midwife appointment she said that the baby's head was indeed far into my pelvis. I've also been having constant contractions for a few weeks now. They aren't the super painful kind, just practice contractions. I've still tried to ease up and take it easy just to be safe. I'd like a healthy baby.
I had my first meltdown the other day. I was extremely overwhelmed at the thought of having two small kids. Sunday was just an emotional day for me I guess. To our surprise we showed up at church and in sacrament meeting our beloved Bishop McDonald was released. We LOVE Bishop McDonald. He has been so incredibly loving and always going the extra 5 miles. He is such a fantastic man. His family is extremely kind and so fun. His wife Diane was serving in the primary but just got called to be the 1st counselor in the stake RS. I work with Jenna and Sommer in YW. Jenna is an original McDonald and Sommer is a McDonald daughter-in-law. We love the McDonalds. They will forever be good friends.
Brother Fink is now our Bishop. We love him very much. He was the first counselor but now is Bishop. He is also the man helping us find a house. Isn't that nice that our Bishop is also our Realtor? His family is also wonderful. His wife Abby is so fun to talk to. She's so friendly! She's one of those women you talk to for 5 min and you feel like you've known them for 5 years. They have one son on a mission in Guatemala perhaps? They have another 17 year old son, a 13 year old son AJ and a 10 year old daughter Jessica. They actually babysat Addie a few weeks ago while Cameron and I went to the temple. We love them.
Brother Barrett was the second counselor and now is the first counselor. He is funny but we don't know much about him or his family. We just know that it's always a joy when he conducts sacrament meeting. He's full of corny jokes.
Our new second counselor is Brother King. I don't know much about him personally, but his wife is the RS president and she is wonderful. I have two of their daughters in YW with me. Lauren is a miamaid and little Madison is one of my cute beehives.
So, that was what started off my emotional day and it just went downhill from there. Cameron was playing the piano for primary so I had Addie the whole time at church. I was so close to giving up and going home since she is just so restless. It hurts me every time I pick her up, but I have to carry her a lot or else she runs fast and I can't catch her. I was physically and emotionally exhausted by the time church was over. Usually Cameron and I switch off so I can have an hour to recover but this was all me. After church is when my breakdown started. I can't even handle two kids when I can control the every move of one of them how in the world am I going to survive when the baby is born? I've never second guessed our decision to have our kids close together until this past Sunday. It was rough. I had a good cry and felt much better.
However, that night I was trying to get ready for the youth fireside that the Beehives were in charge of and Addie was crying and freaking out for who knows what. It was at that point Cameron tried to play with her and help her with whatever was bothering her but when that was unsuccessful she was on her own. After the fireside, I was talking with Megan Schneider and I ended up telling her what I felt that day. She was so good and listened to me complain about something that is apparently very common. She is such an incredible friend. I just love her. Since then, I've felt a lot better. I'm back to being very excited about having a new little baby around to snuggle with. I'm hoping Addie transitions well and doesn't get super jealous. I guess we'll just have to see.
Speaking of Addie, she is so dang smart! I am amazed everyday at how spongy she is. She really does soak up what I do and say. She learns so fast. Her recent skills are learning how to say Horse ("Ho") and that cows say mooooooooo. She is such a social person. It seems like every person we pass on our walks she smiles and waves at them. She has also started saying Hi to everyone and everything. She's so cute. She'll pick up an object, hold it to her ear like she's talking on the phone and say, "HI." She's such a doll. She started shimmying a few days ago. What a diva! :) She has learned where her arms, fingers, legs, tongue, teeth, mouth, nose, eyes, ears, hair, and belly are. She is such a fun girl to have around constantly. Of course, we need our time apart but I do really enjoy having her around all day everyday. Here are a few pictures of our recent adventures.
Since we live right next to the church we go there a few times a week just to walk around and explore. She never gets sick of going there. It's always a new adventure for her. What a good characteristic to emulate. No matter how menial or repetitive whatever you're doing is, there is joy to be found if you look for it.
She loves swinging! She could swing all day if she could.
Cameron and I had tickets to the 5th Avenue theater. We chose to see the show Pirates of Penzance. It was such a good show and a beautiful theater. We had Staria Grubb, one of the YW in our ward watch Addie.
Where did Addie's legs go? She had this phase where she'd jump a lot and get a lot of momentum then she'd lift her feet up and just swing. Oh, and off to the right are my attempts at a garden. I had a tomato plant and a pepper plant. I got one small tomato and that was eaten by worms, and the pepper plant also only grew one pepper and it was tiny. Good thing next year we'll have a house where I can plant in actual dirt and not in a pot.
One morning I came out of the bathroom from doing my hair and this was what she was doing. She'd see how far in her foot could go, gag, laugh, and do it all over again. Weird.
One thing I love about Washington is the wild blackberries. This was just what we picked off the side of the road one night for our family home evening activity. I made a blackberry upside down cake (which was DELICIOUS) and muffins and I'm sure we used them in our oatmeal for breakfast. We are so blessed to live in such a wonderful place where we can pick yummy fruit.
Addie does this thing where she gets sick about once a month. She'll get a fever and just be down right sick for 2-3 days. This is so sad because she feels so crummy, but it's the ONLY time we get to snuggle her like this. Poor girl.
This was in Utah at the West Jordan Temple. We went to Utah in July to see Jessica sealed to Jamie and Theron. While we were there we found out the gender of our second baby. We had to wait for our ultrasound apt. so we went to the temples in Utah and just walked around. We didn't go to all the temples, just West Jordan, Draper, and Oquirrh Mountain temple.
For YW we had an activity about temple marriage. All the leaders brought our wedding gowns and of course I had to put Addie in mine before I left.
This is about the only way I can get her to eat spinach is in a green smoothie with lots of fruit. She loves it!
Addie was awesome at her first dentist appointment. We went to Dr. McDonald in Renton. She was a trooper. He said her teeth are coming in correctly. Whew!
We like to go to Sherie's restaurant for free pie Wednesday. This is how she entertains herself while waiting for the food. She's silly. She also likes to eat the mustard...PLAIN MUSTARD!!!! What a weirdo.
This is her shocked look. She does this whenever she hears a loud noise.
We rented a car to go to the Parker family vacation in Mesa Falls Idaho. They said this was a compact car and boy was it! We barely had enough room to fit.
This was on our way to Montana where we drove halfway and stayed the night. That turned out to be a not so good experience....we got bed bugs from that hotel. GROSS! I guess that's what we get for staying at a 50.00 hotel. Lesson learned.
This was in Idaho. We stopped off the side of the road to change Addie's bum and this is what came to greet us. I LOVE horses! I love Cameron even more, so this picture is pretty great for me.
The yellow cousins!
Mesa Falls.
Yes, this is my husband of awesomeness. Sometimes good "normal" pictures are hard to come by.
Of course, this is her first reaction when she encounters a fur.
Ollie and Addie in their matching strollers. Cute.
We like to torture our daughter. Or so she thought. We just trimmed off the curls on the back of her neck and she thought we were chopping off her head.
After the weekend in Mesa Falls, we went home to Ovid. Before we all left, we stopped in Idaho Falls for lunch. What cute nieces I have. Eliza kept sharing her lunch with Addie and after every bite she'd give her she'd say, "Oh Addie, aren't I so nice for sharing?"
The first weekend in September we got to go to the Washington State fair in Puallup, Washington. We had so much fun walking around the booths and seeing the animals and 4-H barns. It was A LOT bigger than the little Bear Lake fair, but we had fun even in the rain. We also went to the rodeo. I LOVE rodeos and Cameron has never been. Thankfully he enjoyed it so we will get to go again.
The stadium.
This was how Addie enjoyed half of her time at the rodeo.
She loves putting on her sunglasses. She thinks she's so funny, which she is.
Another example of Addie's silliness. She has this basket and another bucket she loves putting on and walking around. I love it when she runs into things. Cracks me up every time.
I have the best husband that brings me flowers just because.
Addie and Cameron's latest Game. He pulls her around on the blanket. Sometimes she can even go a little bit standing up. What skill!
We have these magnets on the fridge for Addie, but we play with them more. I love our little game of taking turns spelling things for each other. We have to get creative since there is only one of each letter.
I do laundry on Mondays and this is how Addie helps.
These are my awesome beehives. I have all but one girl here. We made bags out of an old t-shirt. L-R is Sara Newman, Isabel Ray, Elizabeth Olin, Clara Jacobsen, Mina Done, Madison King, and Emma Patterson. I love my silly girls. They used the sleeves they cut off as their accessories.
Darci gave me this awesome phone for my birthday last year but Addie loves playing with it.
We got her this little potty at Ikea a few weeks ago and she's actually used it. This was her second time. This was September 27, 2013.
Just hangin' out one Sunday evening.
I love her wacky hair when she gets out of the tub.
I love it even more when she looks at me like this.
Big smile for a big bow.
Addie loves the swings at Robbinswood Park. It's right next to the temple.
We went walking to see the ducks and this was all she could concentrate on. She'd sit there play with the rocks, pick up a handful, bring them to me, then sit down and do it all again.
She loved the ducks! She wasn't afraid of them at all! She was so mad at me when I wouldn't let her follow them into the water.
We are Washington Husky fans at our house.
I swear it was only one second that I turned around.
Well, this isn't all of our pictures but this was all I have time for today. Amelia is coming to stay with us for her birthday and I have to go pick her up from the airport. We are so excited.
First, the baby is growing quite nicely. I am in the third trimester and we are getting really excited for our little baby "B." I'm pretty sure the baby dropped last week because I had A LOT of pressure in my pelvis after my walk and at my last midwife appointment she said that the baby's head was indeed far into my pelvis. I've also been having constant contractions for a few weeks now. They aren't the super painful kind, just practice contractions. I've still tried to ease up and take it easy just to be safe. I'd like a healthy baby.
I had my first meltdown the other day. I was extremely overwhelmed at the thought of having two small kids. Sunday was just an emotional day for me I guess. To our surprise we showed up at church and in sacrament meeting our beloved Bishop McDonald was released. We LOVE Bishop McDonald. He has been so incredibly loving and always going the extra 5 miles. He is such a fantastic man. His family is extremely kind and so fun. His wife Diane was serving in the primary but just got called to be the 1st counselor in the stake RS. I work with Jenna and Sommer in YW. Jenna is an original McDonald and Sommer is a McDonald daughter-in-law. We love the McDonalds. They will forever be good friends.
Brother Fink is now our Bishop. We love him very much. He was the first counselor but now is Bishop. He is also the man helping us find a house. Isn't that nice that our Bishop is also our Realtor? His family is also wonderful. His wife Abby is so fun to talk to. She's so friendly! She's one of those women you talk to for 5 min and you feel like you've known them for 5 years. They have one son on a mission in Guatemala perhaps? They have another 17 year old son, a 13 year old son AJ and a 10 year old daughter Jessica. They actually babysat Addie a few weeks ago while Cameron and I went to the temple. We love them.
Brother Barrett was the second counselor and now is the first counselor. He is funny but we don't know much about him or his family. We just know that it's always a joy when he conducts sacrament meeting. He's full of corny jokes.
Our new second counselor is Brother King. I don't know much about him personally, but his wife is the RS president and she is wonderful. I have two of their daughters in YW with me. Lauren is a miamaid and little Madison is one of my cute beehives.
So, that was what started off my emotional day and it just went downhill from there. Cameron was playing the piano for primary so I had Addie the whole time at church. I was so close to giving up and going home since she is just so restless. It hurts me every time I pick her up, but I have to carry her a lot or else she runs fast and I can't catch her. I was physically and emotionally exhausted by the time church was over. Usually Cameron and I switch off so I can have an hour to recover but this was all me. After church is when my breakdown started. I can't even handle two kids when I can control the every move of one of them how in the world am I going to survive when the baby is born? I've never second guessed our decision to have our kids close together until this past Sunday. It was rough. I had a good cry and felt much better.
However, that night I was trying to get ready for the youth fireside that the Beehives were in charge of and Addie was crying and freaking out for who knows what. It was at that point Cameron tried to play with her and help her with whatever was bothering her but when that was unsuccessful she was on her own. After the fireside, I was talking with Megan Schneider and I ended up telling her what I felt that day. She was so good and listened to me complain about something that is apparently very common. She is such an incredible friend. I just love her. Since then, I've felt a lot better. I'm back to being very excited about having a new little baby around to snuggle with. I'm hoping Addie transitions well and doesn't get super jealous. I guess we'll just have to see.
Speaking of Addie, she is so dang smart! I am amazed everyday at how spongy she is. She really does soak up what I do and say. She learns so fast. Her recent skills are learning how to say Horse ("Ho") and that cows say mooooooooo. She is such a social person. It seems like every person we pass on our walks she smiles and waves at them. She has also started saying Hi to everyone and everything. She's so cute. She'll pick up an object, hold it to her ear like she's talking on the phone and say, "HI." She's such a doll. She started shimmying a few days ago. What a diva! :) She has learned where her arms, fingers, legs, tongue, teeth, mouth, nose, eyes, ears, hair, and belly are. She is such a fun girl to have around constantly. Of course, we need our time apart but I do really enjoy having her around all day everyday. Here are a few pictures of our recent adventures.
Since we live right next to the church we go there a few times a week just to walk around and explore. She never gets sick of going there. It's always a new adventure for her. What a good characteristic to emulate. No matter how menial or repetitive whatever you're doing is, there is joy to be found if you look for it. 
She loves swinging! She could swing all day if she could. 
Cameron and I had tickets to the 5th Avenue theater. We chose to see the show Pirates of Penzance. It was such a good show and a beautiful theater. We had Staria Grubb, one of the YW in our ward watch Addie. 
We went blueberry picking this summer and Addie was a big help.....eating them.
Where did Addie's legs go? She had this phase where she'd jump a lot and get a lot of momentum then she'd lift her feet up and just swing. Oh, and off to the right are my attempts at a garden. I had a tomato plant and a pepper plant. I got one small tomato and that was eaten by worms, and the pepper plant also only grew one pepper and it was tiny. Good thing next year we'll have a house where I can plant in actual dirt and not in a pot. 
One morning I came out of the bathroom from doing my hair and this was what she was doing. She'd see how far in her foot could go, gag, laugh, and do it all over again. Weird. 
One thing I love about Washington is the wild blackberries. This was just what we picked off the side of the road one night for our family home evening activity. I made a blackberry upside down cake (which was DELICIOUS) and muffins and I'm sure we used them in our oatmeal for breakfast. We are so blessed to live in such a wonderful place where we can pick yummy fruit. 
Addie does this thing where she gets sick about once a month. She'll get a fever and just be down right sick for 2-3 days. This is so sad because she feels so crummy, but it's the ONLY time we get to snuggle her like this. Poor girl. 
This was in Utah at the West Jordan Temple. We went to Utah in July to see Jessica sealed to Jamie and Theron. While we were there we found out the gender of our second baby. We had to wait for our ultrasound apt. so we went to the temples in Utah and just walked around. We didn't go to all the temples, just West Jordan, Draper, and Oquirrh Mountain temple. 
For YW we had an activity about temple marriage. All the leaders brought our wedding gowns and of course I had to put Addie in mine before I left. 
This is about the only way I can get her to eat spinach is in a green smoothie with lots of fruit. She loves it! 
Addie was awesome at her first dentist appointment. We went to Dr. McDonald in Renton. She was a trooper. He said her teeth are coming in correctly. Whew!
We like to go to Sherie's restaurant for free pie Wednesday. This is how she entertains herself while waiting for the food. She's silly. She also likes to eat the mustard...PLAIN MUSTARD!!!! What a weirdo. 
This is her shocked look. She does this whenever she hears a loud noise. 
We rented a car to go to the Parker family vacation in Mesa Falls Idaho. They said this was a compact car and boy was it! We barely had enough room to fit. 
This was on our way to Montana where we drove halfway and stayed the night. That turned out to be a not so good experience....we got bed bugs from that hotel. GROSS! I guess that's what we get for staying at a 50.00 hotel. Lesson learned. 
This was in Idaho. We stopped off the side of the road to change Addie's bum and this is what came to greet us. I LOVE horses! I love Cameron even more, so this picture is pretty great for me. 
The yellow cousins! 
Mesa Falls. 
Yes, this is my husband of awesomeness. Sometimes good "normal" pictures are hard to come by. 
Of course, this is her first reaction when she encounters a fur.
Ollie and Addie in their matching strollers. Cute. 
We like to torture our daughter. Or so she thought. We just trimmed off the curls on the back of her neck and she thought we were chopping off her head. 
After the weekend in Mesa Falls, we went home to Ovid. Before we all left, we stopped in Idaho Falls for lunch. What cute nieces I have. Eliza kept sharing her lunch with Addie and after every bite she'd give her she'd say, "Oh Addie, aren't I so nice for sharing?"
We stopped in Logan to see Great Grandma and Sherry.
The first weekend in September we got to go to the Washington State fair in Puallup, Washington. We had so much fun walking around the booths and seeing the animals and 4-H barns. It was A LOT bigger than the little Bear Lake fair, but we had fun even in the rain. We also went to the rodeo. I LOVE rodeos and Cameron has never been. Thankfully he enjoyed it so we will get to go again. 
The stadium. 
This was how Addie enjoyed half of her time at the rodeo. 
She loves putting on her sunglasses. She thinks she's so funny, which she is. 
Another example of Addie's silliness. She has this basket and another bucket she loves putting on and walking around. I love it when she runs into things. Cracks me up every time. 
I have the best husband that brings me flowers just because. 
Addie and Cameron's latest Game. He pulls her around on the blanket. Sometimes she can even go a little bit standing up. What skill! 
We have these magnets on the fridge for Addie, but we play with them more. I love our little game of taking turns spelling things for each other. We have to get creative since there is only one of each letter. 
I do laundry on Mondays and this is how Addie helps. 
These are my awesome beehives. I have all but one girl here. We made bags out of an old t-shirt. L-R is Sara Newman, Isabel Ray, Elizabeth Olin, Clara Jacobsen, Mina Done, Madison King, and Emma Patterson. I love my silly girls. They used the sleeves they cut off as their accessories. 
Darci gave me this awesome phone for my birthday last year but Addie loves playing with it. 
We got her this little potty at Ikea a few weeks ago and she's actually used it. This was her second time. This was September 27, 2013. 
Just hangin' out one Sunday evening. 
I love her wacky hair when she gets out of the tub. 
I love it even more when she looks at me like this.
Big smile for a big bow. 
Addie loves the swings at Robbinswood Park. It's right next to the temple. 
We went walking to see the ducks and this was all she could concentrate on. She'd sit there play with the rocks, pick up a handful, bring them to me, then sit down and do it all again.
She loved the ducks! She wasn't afraid of them at all! She was so mad at me when I wouldn't let her follow them into the water. 
We are Washington Husky fans at our house. 
I swear it was only one second that I turned around.
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