Beach Bums

Janae and Jared invited us to go to the beach with them last weekend. It was perfect beach weather, hot, sunny, slight breeze, and the ocean water has finally warmed up. We had a great time!

Definately ready for baby to come!

Audrey and Brighton helped each other fly the kite (aww)

Normally Audrey is...less than enjoyable to take to the beach (it has to do with her running around, chasing birds, and playing with random kids' toys). This time she still found some other toys to play with, but she actually stayed close by us for almost the whole time. It was wonderful! We needed a weekend getaway, thanks Janae and Jared!

Oh Travis

Travis has said some amusing things lately, so I thought I would share...

Two weeks ago when I got the chemical peel/microdermabrasion my face scabbed up the next day and it was really red, skin was peeling off (I looked gorgeous). Travis asked me if I was happy with the results. I laughed and I told him I would have to wait a few days for my skin to heal. Then a few days later I asked him why he said that and his response was "I was trying to think of a nice way to say your face looks really bad". Of course it did look bad, and I knew that, so I can laugh about it.

For those of you who don't know I am the secretary for the business, meaning I do the paperwork and I answer the phones. A few days ago Travis was trying to pay me a compliment. He said "You are the perfect secretary because I can tell you what to do". I know, he is so romantic right? Then he thought about what he said and he quickly changed his mind: "Wait, actually you never do what I say and you always talk back to me." I guess that is one of the benefits of working with your spouse.

Last night Travis asked me if I would be wanting to take off 3 days of work when I have the baby (he was totally serious to). So I guess I won't get the 6 week maternity leave I was hoping for?

And just now, as I am in the process of writing this post, Travis came upstairs with a brochure of meat that comes in packages costing about $200 and he asked me if I wanted to order any. Can you guess what I answered?

I love being married to him.

Barbie Sauce

Yesterday for lunch we had Tyson's Popcorn Chicken (seriously, they taste better than any nuggets you will buy at a fast food joint). Usually I feed Audrey and I will put ketchup on her plate so that she can dip her chicken in it. Well yesterday I was doing something so Travis fed her. I came down stairs and she was eating her chicken with BBQ sauce (or barbie sauce as she calls it). For those of you who don't know, Travis eats BBQ sauce with basically every meat, including ham. I have never seen her eat the chicken so well. Today for lunch guess what she wanted? Chicken. She got the barbie sauce out herself. I am pretty sure Travis is proud.

Did you know...

I read a few things last week that were interesting to me...

So have you all been told that if you trim your hair regularly it will grow longer? False. Hair grows from your roots, not your ends. I guess I never really thought about this logically before. So instead of getting my hair cut to "try to make it grow longer" I will keep letting it grow.

You are more likely to get sick from potatoes in a potato salad than you are from the mayonnaise (as long as the mayo is store bought).

Time Flies

I joined a little preschool group in my ward and it was my turn this week to do the lesson. I can't believe Audrey is already old enough to be doing activities like this! Being about ready to have another little one join our family has brought back memories of when Audrey was born and all of the stages she went through.

She still sleeps with this rabbit every night...although now it looks a lot more grayish and a lot less pink.

Her first ladybug dress

Baby blessing (she was 4 months)

This is when she first started to stand on her own (do you recognize the apartment Patti and Travis?)
I know her outfit is cute, but we could actually do legit stunts with her too! Speaking of which, can you send me the videos Leah?
First time walking on a beach (it was Newport Beach)

Although I love the age that Audrey is at right now, it makes me realize how fast time can go by. I definitely want to make sure that I savor every moment I get to spend with her.

Rachzilla

Rachel + 37 weeks pregnant + Hot weather + 10000% humidity + demanding Audrey = Rachzilla

Watch out world!

Did I ever mention that I really and truly do not enjoy being pregnant? I keep imagining going into the hospital and demanding to be induced. I think I am 2 steps away from going totally insane. In case you can't tell, I do not handle pain or discomfort well. I would have been a really bad pioneer.

No-Go

Today I had a Dr's appointment. I saw the nurse instead of the Dr, and I asked her if he would induce me early...she said not unless there are health concerns. I talked to her about my hips and back...but apparently they weren't good enough reasons. So I guess it is up to Phoenix when he comes. Hopefully he follows Audrey's lead and comes early. I am ready to have this baby!

Skin Care

I went in for a skin treatment on Thursday (consisting of microdermabrasion and a "mild" chemical peel)and I learned a few things from the lady that I thought I would pass along. These should apply to everyone, no matter what your skin type/condition is.

1. Wash your hands before you wash your face
2. Wash your face in the sink, not the shower (she said washing your face in the shower is just rinsing your face, not washing it)
3. Use gauze (she called them sponges, but they are really just squares of gauze) to wash your face. (put the face wash on the sponge/gauze and then rub it in circular motions on your face). This method works much better to clean the makeup and grit off your face.
4. ALWAYS wear sunscreen, especially on your face. There was this box that you could look into with a mirror and a special light and you can see all of the sun damage on your face. Let's just say my face was entirely covered in freckles! So, even if you think the sun isn't damaging your skin, it really is. Wear sunglasses to protect your eye area.
5. Use good quality products on your face. I started using Dermalogica products about 2 months ago and I saw a dramatic difference in my skin. Even using them the first time I felt a difference. So, they may cost more money, but I would definately say it is money well spent.

I was interested to learn some of these things, so I thought some of my loyal readers would take an interest as well.

Angel Girl

Traveling with kids is no picnic, but the after-effects are the worst to deal with. I went to NY for about a week (May 13-19) and of course Audrey came with me. Ever since we got back to NC Audrey was very needy, extremely clingy, and sometimes impossible to deal with, and did I mention that her attitude was off the charts? That was a result of her missing sleep for the one week that I was in NY.

Two days ago she finally started acting like her normal, sweet self. I am so happy. I love being around her when she is like this. The good thing about going through the rough patches with her is that I appreciate the good times so much more.

LiMe GrEen...

...is a fun color for candy, Popsicles, shoes, but not for a Dr's exam room. What possessed my Dr. to have the exam rooms painted lime green and bright orange? Shouldn't the goal be to feel calm, and relaxed? I wonder if I should say something to him about it or not.

I had a Dr's appointment yesterday. Everything is looking good. The Dr. said he thinks the baby has dropped. Then he lectured me on when to go and when not to go to the hospital (I am guessing it is a pet peeve of his when people go into the hospital when they aren't in real labor). When I was in labor with Audrey they sent me home the first time I went to the hospital, and I cried. This time I am definitely not going in until I know for sure I will be admitted. Also, yesterday marked one month exactly from my due date. Audrey's Dr. predicts that the baby will be born July 4th. I can deal with that, as long as the baby is not late-- I am pretty sure that would kill me.

Overcoming and Outgrowing

This week Audrey overcame two major fears that she has (public restrooms and Dr's visits). We went to a public pool and she had to go to the bathroom...which presented a problem because she won't usually even let me use the bathroom with her. I told her to just go in the pool (one more kid's pee wouldn't make any difference) but she was too civilized to do that (what kind of parent am I?). So I took her to the toilet and we made an agreement that I would wait for her to leave the stall to flush the toilet. It turns out it is the loud flushing that really scares her. Well, that worked! She used the bathroom another two times after that, which is saying a lot (public swimming pools are not known for good looking bathrooms).

Today we took Audrey to the Dr's because she has been having constipation issues ever since the post I did on her constipation (at least 2 months ago). Normally at the Dr's she would scream and fight and say "leave me here, leave me here" (referring to the waiting room) but today she was very calm. I explained to her before we went that the Dr was going to help make her stomach feel better. She sat in Travis's lap almost the entire time we were in the examination room (she goes to him when she is really scared) but she didn't cry once. Maybe it is because the last time she went to the Dr's he didn't give her a shot, or maybe it is because her Daddy was there to offer her strength.

I am so proud of Audrey because these two things have been rather large issues for a while.

Baby BUMP

I am pretty sure I know the real reason a pregnant belly is referred to as a "baby bump". It is because you bump into EVERYTHING with your protruding stomach (or at least I do). You would think you get used to it after a few months, but I guess years of having a flatter mid-section get you in the habit of moving around more freely than a Buddha belly allows. So, if I accidentally bump into you...now you know why.

Tornado

My house is messy. Really really messy. Like a tornado blew threw and there were no survivors messy. 4+ loads of laundry to fold, dirty diapers scattered upstairs and down, sink full of dishes, sticky kitchen floor...do you get the picture? Don't get me started on our bedroom/bathroom! Now...if I could only work up the courage to tackle it all.