...7...

My baby is SEVEN!

Family party the night before the big day.

Drake requested a pinata, and picked this one out.

 Mason trying to hit it was so cute!

 I didn't get a very good shot, so you may not be able to tell, but that would be a Lone Ranger cake.  I felt so bad.  It was crunch time for bar study, and I was planning on just buying a cake from a store.  But then when it came down to actually doing it, I couldn't.  I had to bake a cake, but took a short cut with a Lone Ranger Lego set on top.  He was stoked.  Phew.

 That night I kissed my sweet little SIX year old boy good bye forever.

I cuddled that sweet baby boy so hard!

And in the morning, he magically was my sweet SEVEN year old baby.

He slept with his new Lone Ranger set.

This may be his favorite present of the day.

The Lone Ranger silver mine. 

If you haven't noticed, Drake loves the Lone Ranger.

And he LOVES Legos. 

 It turned out to be one of the best days of bar study I had.

These two sat quietly at their table working on that silver mine for hours!

If only I could have purchased a huge expensive Lego set everyday to occupy them.

When you don't get a b-day party, you get to go to Perter Piper Pizza

Drake's birthday was up in the air.  He chose going to Jack's house in California and going to Legoland with him over having a birthday party.

The problem with that was we were planning on Ryan taking Thursday and Friday off for our trip, but then last minute Ryan had a trial that looked like it was going to go for Friday, so he wasn't able to get Friday off.  But then Thursday he found out it wouldn't go.  Ugh!

So we packed up fast and hit the road.   

These boys were so happy to be together again!

 So were these boys.

 Unfortunately, I had to close myself off and study the whole trip, including while the dads took the kids to Legoland.

It better be worth it.

I better pass the bar for missing out on this.

 At least I got to see my sister.  Tara and I are due only days apart!

This happened before, and our boys were born on the same day... maybe it could happen again?

Curleyhair girls 7 months pregnant.

Happy birthday buddy.

We love you!

Top 10 Signs Your Mom is Studying for the Bar

I'll get to posting about Drake's birthday and our trip to Cali.  But that may have to wait for a week.  Then I will be finished with this stupid bar examination!!!!

So here it is, the top 10 signs your mom is studying for the bar:

10.  Laundry sits on the couch for days.

9.  Paper plates are a must.

8.  You eat ice cream for breakfast.

7.  You eat left over birthday cake for lunch.

6.  You've been wearing the same clothes for three days.

5.  Two bathrooms are out of TP.

4.  The people at Papa John's know your mom by her first name.

3.  You haven't brushed your hair in 2 days.

2.  She's always wearing sound muting headphones.

1.  She BEGS you to just "go watch TV!"  

I'm sorry babies.  One more week.  

We can make it!  

I hope!

Thankfully Ryan has been so sweet and supportive.

I mean look at the things he says...

Oh, and the other Ryan too.  ;)

...32...

More nights than not, this boy wanders into our bed in the middle of the night.

So I wake up like this.

I'm so blessed, not only because of this cute boy, but my nose swells up when I'm pregnant.

 And I guess since he's hijacking our bed, he feels the responsibility to make it.

 Drake had a primary teacher in our old ward who made the kids these "Drake was here" heart bean bags, so they could give service and leave it behind.

It's the cutest thing ever.

I love it!

I had a birthday.

I don't have any pictures of it, but my friends took me out a couple of days later and spoiled me with a new Coach purse.

Can you believe that!?

 So I'm 32, which I didn't feel like that was old, until I thanked my mom for birthing me 32 years ago.  That just sounds crazy.

At least I'm a nice round number, that is divisible by 4.  For some reason, I love numbers divisible by four.  It just makes me feel good.

While I'm "studying for the bar", I figure I might as well have some bread rising.

I think I've got my white bread down!

So yummy!  My house smells so good right now!

 This whole bar thing is a joke.

How am I supposed to study when I'm home with kids out on summer break?  I feel like I study 12 hours a day, but get done what I would be able to do in 4 hours if I were at the library.  :(

And finally, I'm 28 weeks!

That's officially 3rd trimester.

there's a baby in there!
I still can't believe it.

*baby's the size of a large eggplant (2.25 pounds)

*if I have to wear clothes, they better be stretchy

*the baby is very active, and the kids LOVE to feel the baby move

*I finally bought the first item of baby clothes, that only leaves everything else to acquire!

*I've gained 20 pounds so far...

My reduced sugar/salt diet started out well, but after a couple of birthdays with excuses to eat cake and ice cream for weeks, I'm off the wagon.  I need to get my act back together!

And now, back to studying!

...9...

My baby girl is NINE!

Gwen wanted to do her birthday party a little early this year since come the first of July, most people head for the hills.  So we did it the weekend before, and it worked out great.  Other than the garbage disposal eating my frosting tip.  :(

 She wanted a sleep over, but since those are not allowed according to the McPhie statutes, we had a late night instead.  All her friends came over in their jammies to make pizza, eat cupcakes and watch a movie on the big wall of the playroom - movie theater style.  

 Gwen decorated the play room herself.  Well with the help of Drake.

And Drake.  Oh boy.  I wanted him to go watch a movie with Gigi and Papa during the party so he wouldn't have to be around all the girls, but he refused.  He wanted to hang out at the party, and play.  What a nut.  

 So her early birthday party was a super success, and it was nice to not have to worry about a party on her actual birthday.  

So the night before I cleaned the house and got presents wrapped, balloons blown up, house decorated, and then went in to kiss my 8 year old Gwenny good bye forever, and found her like this.  It killed me!  She has her unicorn tucked in under the blanket and is sleeping with a little hat pinned to the top of her head!  Oh I cried, and cried.  As much fun as it is to see her grow up, I want to preserve my little girl just a while longer.  

Last picture of Gwen as an 8 year old.

But the next morning, I found a gorgeous 9 year old Gwenny! 

 Then we had a day of doing what she wanted!  

That meant no bar study for me, pedicures for the girls (Drake really wanted one, and has asked for one on his birthday in a couple of weeks),

I am UGE (silent H)

 Lunch at Olive Garden!

 The kids were fuh-reez-ing!!

This was how Drake waited for our lunch.  While he was confined, he certainly was not quiet.

 We had a fun giggly lunch!

We ended the night with a family party at the Collard's house (since our air conditioning decided to go out the night before), and ate German Chocolate cake at Gwen's request.  

  It was a super fun day, and I'm so happy to have gotten to spend it with my little best friend!  She passed out on the way home!

mom, can I have a shaver?

Want to see one of the cutest selfies ever?

Behold-

 Gwen and Austin.  hashtagnofilter

I have put a serious limit on the kids screen time this summer.  No TV/games until chores are done, and the kids have read for at least 20 minutes.  Often this doesn't happen until 4:00 pm if it happens at all!  Sometimes I think it's harder on me than on them.  Like when I'm studying and the kids are driving me crazy and I want to say "just go watch a movie!" but then I remember they can't.  :p

For Drake the hardest part is that I have a lock on my phone, so he can't just pick it up and play Bad Piggies whenever he wants.  But he has learned that if my phone is locked all he can do is make an emergency call, OR go to camera and take pictures!  Seriously?  Doesn't that seem funny that a locked phone will take pictures?  I mean I get the convenience thing, but what about the privacy thing?  Anyway, I plugged my phone in tonight and discovered HUNDREDS of pictures like these:

 Including some not so flattering pictures of me buried in my books and computer with headphones on, tuning the world out.  But you can thank me for sparing you those pictures. 

Did I mention previously that the bar is ruining my summer?

Well it is.

Study all day everyday, and I'm still behind.

Perhaps because I still have to make time for this cuteness.

 This boy is so rad.

And Gwen and I also have been on a baking kick.

I don't know how many loaves of bread I've baked already this summer, I want to find the perfect recipe, so I'm slowly perfecting wheat bread, but also am figuring out the right combos for white, oatmeal, and potato breads too. Gluten-free we are not!

 And I told you last time how Gwen was making tons of cookies, well she's whipped out her first cake ever too.  All by herself!  My little Gwenny Crocker.

In other news:

25 weeks, and the baby is the size of rutabaga.  Yep, a rutabaga.  

Should I be concerned that the garbage bags are in the same spot they've been for months, and the other night Ryan didn't know where that was??

Maybe I should be concerned about the fact that Gwen asked me today for a shaver so she can shave the hair on her legs?!!?!?  Holy smokes, I'm not ready for this.

oh what do you do in the summertime...

Gwen is back at it in synchro.  It's really fun to watch her and how much she's improved over the last year.

First place!

 She's been working really hard to get her splits.

 Drake is killing it on swim team this year.  He's been put in the fast heat, and his relay team took second!  I love how proud he was of that.  I love that he doesn't complain about having to go to swim this year.  It's great what confidence does.

Second place freestyle relay!

We attacked Camelback with cousin Cloe.

I've been studying for the bar everywhere possible.  My best block of time is when the kids are in the pool each day.  Then Drake steals my phone and takes random pictures (like below) and plays Bad Piggies.  He's an addict.

Gwen made cookies almost everyday the first week of summer.

I had to tell her no more cookie making since it usually leads to a mess, and many calories consumed.  But I love that she can read a recipe, and do it all by herself!

Pregnancy Blues

Remember in the last blog post how in the caption to a picture I mentioned that the manager of the dealership convinced me I had kidney stones?

Well the next morning I called my midwife's office and was advised I should go to the ER to get checked out.

The ER then asked how far along I was... 21 weeks.

So they instructed me to go up to OB Triage.

I got all hooked up, gave some pee, and got checked out.

 Good news!

NOT my kidneys, or my appendix, or gallbladder!

Just round ligament pain along with my abs separating and stretching.

Seriously?  The pain was B.A.D.  It'd knock the breath out of me and I'd cripple over.

And, I didn't experience this with either Gwen or Drake.

But rather than having to pee out a stone, I just get to wear this lovely belly band.

I'll call that a win.

Plus, since I've been wearing it, the pain I'd been experiencing in my hip since about 12 weeks has almost gone completely!  I'm tempted to try running with the band and see if it's possible.  

The belly band has been my friend.  My hot, hot, friend.

So I was feeling better about being pregnant until my last prenatal appointment.

My mid-wife informed me that because Drake was a shoulder distocia delivery, while she is a strong advocate for vaginal deliveries, she recommended that I have a c-section for this baby.

Ummm... NO!!!

She has been a midwife for 48 years, and said that those deliveries are scary (it was really scary with Drake)... possible broken bones, nerve, or even brain damage for the baby.

Drake was fortunate, and didn't have any of that.

But do we risk it?  From my research, shoulder distocia occurs on average less than 1% of the time.  But for those who have had a shoulder distocia baby previously, the chance goes up to about 16%.  Obviously large babies are the most at risk.  Drake was 8lbs 10oz, a full 2 pounds bigger than Gwen.  

She sensed my hesitation (probably because I really almost passed out!!), and said we will try to prevent the risk factors.  That means I have to be on a diet!

Eww.  A pregnant lady should not have to be on a diet.  That's just wrong.

She's asked that I limit my sugar and salt, and try not to gain more than 9 pounds for the rest of my pregnancy.  That's 17 more weeks!!!!

It's been hard.  I may have broken down last night and ate a foot long Tootsie Roll.  Apparently I can't have those within 50 feet of me anymore.  Darn you Target $1 section!

Then we'll also continue to monitor the size of the baby, but even with ultrasound, those aren't terribly accurate.

So I'm trying not to worry too much about it right now, otherwise I just cry.

It'll just be a matter of prayer, and dieting, and we'll see what happens.

RIP Highlander

Strange.  I am so sad about my car being dead, yet when I went to title this blogpost, I realized I never even named my car!  That's weird right?  Everyone names there car... right?

Anyhoo, this story all began a few weeks ago.  I took my car in to get serviced, because the check engine light was on, and my tags were expiring the end of May.  (You can't pass emissions if your check enginge light is on.)  Well of course the check engine light was triggered because a stupid sensor needed to be replaced, and the sensor was expensive, and took a lot of labor to get to and replace.  $750 later, I'm ready to go to drop more $ registering my car.

Highlander in happier times

No prob, I love my car.

Honestly, I love my car!  I just rolled 200,000 miles in my baby, and she was still purring like a kitten.  While we realized with a baby to squeeze in there soon it'd be a tight fit, but I still wasn't interested in getting a new car because, like I said, I love my car!

So I didn't hesitate to volunteer to drive up north for a girls weekend.  My baby made it up the rim, and then stopped forward progress in Heber.  What I mean by that was it felt as if my car had been placed in neutral.  I checked, and it wasn't in neutral.  So we pulled over, called husbands, I held back tears, and then we all jumped in my friend's car, and left my Highlander in Heber for the weekend.

We had hopes that the transmission might cool, and then we'd be able to drive it down the rim, and maybe even into the valley.  So we enjoyed our weekend.  

On the way home, my car was still there, and it drove!!!  For a mile.  Then it went back into "neutral".  So again, I left my car in Heber, this time for a week.  

So the following weekend, we borrowed a friend's truck (this was a long story that I'll spare you, but THANK YOU John Arnett for coming to our rescue!!), rented a tow dolly, and went up to get the car.  Our friends Rick and Jenny were nice enough to let us stay at their cabin since we were going to be up in the area anyway.  

 So we stayed the night in Pinedale which was fun, because this was where we had a cabin until a few years ago.  So we took the kids to see the Pinedale stuff,

 and ancestor's headstones.  That's normal too, right?  Pictures in cemeteries?  

Then all too soon, it was time to go home, and bring the car with us.  

"How is Kristin going to push the car up on this dolly?"

Luckily, it was still where I left it.  Again, a long story here about trying to get ahold of the Donut shop it was parked at to ask them not to tow my car, and never an answer.  I figured they were out of business.  Fortunately for us, it was booming Sunday morning, and when some customers there saw pregnant Kristin trying to push this car up the ramp onto the dolly, they ran out and helped.  We never would have been able to do it on our own.  

We then drove it home, and luckily, when we got to the shop, and no one was around to help us push it this time, it drove!  So we were able to reverse it off the dolly, again, something we wouldn't have been able to push on our own.  

Well then we were left pondering:

Drop $1500-$2000 fixing the transmission on an 11 year old car with 200,000 miles on it?

Or buy a new car?

If I look trashed, it's because we were at the dealership for four hours, and the manager convinced me that I had kidney stones.  Another story for another post.

 Buy a new car!!!

Yep, we roll in a Ford now.

And I LOVE it!!!

And I'd be embarrassed if we told you why we're now Fordies.  It may have something to do with not taking the bail out $, and still kicking A.  hashtagbuyAmerican

And like that I've moved on.  Don't worry Highlander, I did love you, but it's time that we go our separate ways.

And again, I'm a chauffeur.  But now the kids insist on riding in the back back.