Recent Adventures

Time keeps marching on. I can't believe that this sweet little baby kicking me is due in just eleven days! I'm actually not feeling too bad considering. I'll admit, waking up in night to readjust pillows or go to the bathroom is getting old. I am tired of Braxton Hicks and bumping into things because I forget about my tummy. My back hurts sometimes. And I am tired generally. But I am quite thankful the baby has moved her feet or whatever she had sticking up into my ribs last month. And I feel very lucky that the end of my pregnancy is not so awful. The discomfort definitely isn't so much that I am wishing away these last eleven days: I need them. The prospect of three seems quite daunting at times and I always have an endless list of things I'd like to get done.

photographic evidence that baby #3 is ready any day now

I am enjoying this time with Maggie and Kate, who are growing ever more independent. Wednesday night, they managed to lock me out of the house for a while. I had them all ready for bed. We were picking up, when I went out to check for a toy I thought they had taken out back. Maggie tried to follow me out a minute later, but turned the lock unnecessarily, locking me out. When she tried to turn it back to get out or let me in, it was a little stiff or she got flustered and somehow couldn't get it. She and Kate started freaking out, while I tried to calm them from the other side of the glass (and figure out how I was going to get back in).

I called in to Maggie to go to the front door and open it, knowing she has an easier time with that lock and handle. I waited at the front door, trying to call reassurances and directions while listening to Maggie's flustered cries of "I can't get it" and Kate's all-out bawling (I think mostly in reaction to her sister's worry). I remembered they like to go out to the car before me and press the garage button in the car when we are getting ready to leave the house, so I directed them to go out and open the garage door this way. But the dark garage and their agitation proved too difficult to overcome and I heard Maggie repeating hysterically, "I can't find the button. It's not here."

I'd had my neighbor watching me, half-chuckling and asking if I needed a cell phone for several minutes now, and I was about to give in and call Mike who was at the church with the youth (luckily only a few minutes away) to come home and help us. But I knew Maggie could do this, so I asked her to try the front door again and she finally got it!!

The funniest/scariest part of the whole story was that the next morning, I was in the shower when I heard the front door open and close. Alarmed, I jumped out, grabbed a towel, and raced to the front hall where Maggie excitedly greeted me, "We got a package!"

"Was that the delivery man? What did he say to you?" I asked.

"He said, 'Where's your mom?' and I said, 'In the shower,'" was the reply.

Ugh. So my children can't manage to get a door open for their own mother, but have no trouble opening it to perfect strangers. I don't think I will feel comfortable taking showers while home alone with the kids for a long while. And I was just beginning to...

Summer keeps trying to linger: We've been enjoying it, spending plenty of time outside and at park playdates with friends. Last week, we had a cold snap and I thought we'd worn our last pair of shorts. But then the weekend turned warm and we pulled out short sleeves and capris again. I could go for a little more sweater weather, but we've gotten a taste a couple times and tomorrow should feel like fall again. And we haven't let the weather hold us back from our favorite fall activities.

We've sampled crisp and delicious fall apples. (I just love Honeycrisp and Granny Smith, especially with my sister-in-law Nadine's yummy apple dip!) We've picniced at the park and "played" tennis as a family (the girls were jealous Mike and I had played without them, so we had to make it up to them). We've watched some football (that would be mostly Mike) and experienced both excitement and heartbreak. Mike's gotten in a campout with the scouts. The girls and I have been talking about leaves and pumpkins and apples during our "school time," made leaf rubbings, learned autumn songs and visited our favorite local petting farm. And we've all made and eaten pumpkin cookies to our heart's content. Now for an apple pie...

A couple weeks ago, we participated in a ward service project that Mike helped organize and got to pull some weeds. During said project, I impressed people with my pregnant, weed-pulling skills (I learned them from my sister-in-law Jenn); Maggie warmed my heart with her comment, "It's fun to pull weeds with you, Mom,"; Kate grunted and pulled grass for several minutes in her efforts to help; and Mike ran around directing everybody.

This past weekend, we finally were able to fit in a trip to the Pumpkin Patch. The girls loved it, except tripping on pumpkin vines (they thought that was scary and made Mike carry both of them). For some reason, Maggie had her heart set on looking for small pumpkins, so she didn't think much of the ones in the field. But she eventually got her wish and Mike found a good carving pumpkin for us. And we all enjoyed the hayride. Maggie even got brave enough to sit on the hay by herself. (My girls are so funny sometimes with their strange fears.)

Later that Saturday, Mike and I scoped out a local (and free!) arboretum while the girls played with their cousins. It was a fun date and a great place to visit. I can't wait to go back.

Sunday, Kate conducted family home evening for the first time. (We've taken to having it on Sundays, since Mike has been back in school and with all his responsibilities it is sometimes our only chance.) She was cute saying "O-ha" and picking who would do what. ("Aloha" is how Gotfredsons open family night. A carry-over from their Hawaii days.) Maggie gave us a great lesson from the Friend magazine about a few of Jesus' miracles.

And we made this masterpiece:

After our angel Moroni last year, we thought we'd take it up a notch.
Most of the credit really must go to Mike,
as he has been the project director and chief worker both years.
I hope our subject matter makes up for carving on Sunday. :)
By the way, any guesses which temple?

Now we are in Halloween mode for the next week and then it's baby-time. Even though I've done this before, it seems incredibly surreal that I will be holding a little one in just a few weeks, responsible for all her needs and wants. That my life is about to change forever once again. I'm terribly excited, but nervous too. I do best when I just don't think about labor and delivery until I have to.

Like I said, I need every moment I've got. Tomorrow's accomplishments seriously need to include getting out that baby bin (at least her shelves are ready!) and maybe packing a hospital bag. Somehow organizing drawers and closets and doing random chores always seems more important. Or I want to spend a quality moment with Maggie and Kate, while it's still just us. Or I want to sit and hold Mike's hand because he's not busy for once. Or when I finally have a moment to myself, I just want to relax and watch "Murder, She Wrote" or "Sing Off."

I'd be surprised if this baby breaks the trend and comes early. But I probably should be ready in case she does.