Valentines Weekend

We had a wonderful Valentines weekend!! Since it was President's Day on Monday we both decided go to Boise and spend some extra time with the cousins and do some shopping!! So I told you in an earlier post that I was going to do the 14 Days to Valentines, well I think it turned out to be like 12 Days to Valentines (a few bumps in the schedule), but Ryan said he really enjoyed it! Some of the things I did were:

A card with 14 of my favorite memories with Ryan.

I found the Choo Choo Choose Me Valentine from The Simpson's and added a pack of gum on the back.

I LOVED making the fortune cookies with little notes that started with I'm fortune to have you because __________ and added some V-Day snickers in the take-out box.

I made a dozen little love notes attached to V-Day M&M packets and hid them all over

My friend Candace & I made "Manly Boxes of Chocolate". We made some football oreo truffles that I found on Bakerella.com (LOVE HER!!) and both of our husbands are rice krispy freaks - really a pan does not last long with the two of them around. So we made some rice krispy peanut butter truffles and Candace made peanut butter cups in some heart forms. We were orgionally going to make our own chocolate boxes, but since the chocolate took some time to make we just bought some cheap ones at Rite Aid - ate the chocolate inside - and decorated the boxes.

And the gift I chose to give him on Valentine's Day was a frame that I had made that said "My Buddy" on one angle and "My Son" up the other side and put our little guys ultrasound in there. He already has a picture of us on his desk and now he has one of his son too.

Boise, to sum it up into words and short phrases:

Our talkitive 3rd cousin Jill. Softest beds in the entire world. Temple work on the last day the temple is open before cleaning. New temple schedule. Costco with a baby (we were babysitting and I got a few questions about holding a 4 mo. old and being 7 mo. pregnant - how can that happen?). Wal-Mart. $2 Curtains. Getting tired of walking. All-American Valentines BBQ. Fame - I want to live forever, but never see that movie again. Apple pie a la mode is delicious at 11 p.m. Church at 9am (we are used to 10 a.m. and being on PST). Cutest RS meeting. Mashed potatoes & rolls (2 1/2 helpings). Tres Leches. German Chocolate cake. Two cousins & their two new homes. Ryan's V-Day gifts to me: Noises Off on DVD (If you haven't seen it - see it!! I watched my VHS so much it was really fuzzy) & a gift certificate for 4 hours of shopping without him mumbling & grumbling! Hobby Lobby. My new found desire to make soap. Uber swanky baby stores. Ross. Target. The pain of buying nursing bra's (I hate bra shopping normally and this was just ....bleh). Looking at strollers. Target Dollar Spot. Old Navy Maternity & Macaroni Grill.....haaaaaaaa. Head back home. Juntura does not have the best fudge. Get home, get warm & sleep. Go back to work the next day.

Wait! An Elephant has 22 months!!

So, I'm just chugging along through my day today and it hits me - I'm 30 weeks! Yeah! Then I keep going and I am struck with the realization that I only have 10 weeks left - 10!!! What can I do in 10 weeks to be ready for this baby?

I've really enjoyed being pregnant. After watching a video of a live birth I'm perfectly fine being pregnant for the rest of my life (I know that I'm "going to get tired of it", but after watching that video....I'm willing to cross my legs.)

We've made an inventory of what we have and don't have, we have the room, grandparents have made traveling plans, have a baby shower already in the works.....I don't know what to do. I feel like I have a million things that need to be done & yet also feel like I should just stay at home and crochet.....a very odd feeling........and odd, odd, feeling.

Love is in the Air

Valentines Day is coming soon & I've been wanting to do something fun for Ryan. He's the hardest guy to buy for - he wants for nothing & the few times he does ask for something I either forget or three other people get it for him. My brilliant friend Anna did the "14 Days to Valentines" for her hubby last year & I'm trying it this year. Each day there is a little gift/note that he receives counting down to the "Big Day". It's sweet, romantic, creative & cheap!!! = I love it! For fear that the one time I don't encourage Ryan to look at our blog this time he will I won't tell you what each day is full of (or the monster prize at the end), but I HAVE to pass on this adorable craft (again swiped from Anna's blog) done by none other than Martha Stewart:

http://www.marthastewart.com/photogallery/valentines-day-decor#slide_23

Easy to make, under a $1 & SUUUUUUPER cute!

Can't Suck it in any Longer!!

Yep! I'm preggers!! Our little man is coming our way April 21st & we are excited, nervous, ecstatic & thrilled to the tips of our toes!

"April 21st.....why that's just a few months away! You're about 6 months! You've been keeping this a secret for a while!" you say & to this I reply "Yep"

Now I'm sure that you all have questions and I will answer all that you throw at me.

Here we go:

Due Date: April 21st, 2010

Planned: Yeah, kinda....I guess. It was one of those we'll do our thing and if it happens it happens

Gender: Boy, an heir to the Steineckert throne.

Problems*: Not yet (knock on wood). I am considered high risk and I get monitored every Thursday with an ultrasound (yippee!!) & 20 minutes strapped to the monitor which our little man likes to karate chop. He makes his Daddy proud! He is doing great!!!

Name Picked: He does have a name, but you have to wait until he gets here before you find out!!

Morning Sickness: I tend to lose friends when I answer this question. No....sorry, but my heart goes out to all of my friends that have (or are) throwing up at this very moment.

Where will you have the baby: As long as everything goes well and I don't go into labor before 35 weeks I can have the baby here in Burns. Any problems or early labor I get flown out to Bend or Boise

Is Ryan excited: Nope, I wouldn't say excited I would use the words: stoked, over the moon, jumping out of the skin with all of his excitement, ecstatic, enthusiastic.....beyond excited.

Is that a pig flying? Yes, actually and I just read in the news this morning that hell has frozen over.

How are you feeling? Good over all. I'm a pretty good mix of excited/nervous, but I am thinking positive and feel really good about everything.

Any other questions I haven't answered please feel free to ask! I'm now trying to work on the baby nursery....I just can't seem to stick with a theme or know of any decor that I want for sure. There is so much out there. So with Ryan by my side I stay busy with work, primary & nesting all while wearing my blue colored glasses!!!

*for those of you that we haven't talked in - forever - and wondering what is going on with the "problems" question. About two years ago I had a stillbirth baby girl Emma and shortly after her had a miscarriage. Two baby losses = high risk pregnancy according to my doctor. So while this pregnancy is going well, the Dr. wants to make sure everything goes smoothly.

Holiday Cheer & A Happy New Year

So I was really terrible this holiday season taking pictures of all the fun things we did this last holiday. So I will give you a brief history of it, peppered with the few pictures I took!

Fred the snowman that Ryan built for me to wave good bye when I left for work in the morning. The ward Christmas party and the quickest primary nativity program ever done in the history of ward party programs. Santa Claus....hmmm he looks awfully familiar. The cute kids that sat on Santa's lap. Wrapping presents at my desk. The pain that a jammed sewing machine can be. The saving grace of a friend that makes your nieces & nephews gifts for you. Packing up the car for the holiday trip to Utah. Uncle Alvin & Aunt Bertie's comfortable beds. The driest roads to travel on. The Christmas Carol in 3-D. Finding out that Katrina is not a baby anymore. All the new words that Caiden can say. Wrapping presents. Sleeping in the craft room. Christmas morning. Gilmore Girls seasons 1 & 2. My favorite salsa. German pancakes with buttermilk syrup. Seeing our new niece Clair. Beatles Rock Band. The happiness of giving a gift that is truly loved. Learning not to wake up Parker if he's sleeping on the stairs.The sounds of a full house of family. The snow in the canyons. Sledding. Reading. Family parties. Witnessing a new generation of cousins. Free clothes. Avatar. "That sounds like a little boy named Parker". The Princess & the Frog. The "Parker Taco". Zupas. Good conversation. Family Feud & Slap Scrabble. Too much good food. Park City shopping. White elephant gifts (I won with the Edward poster!). The cutest quilt store in the world! The trouble with holding both sets of keys. Temple work. La Puente. Ryan & Tiffany's love of snow. Skiing. 10 second cereal bars. Barnes & Noble browsing.The Rose Bowl parades. Chinese buffets that serve crab. More sledding. Pretzel Chocolate Chunk cookies. New Years eve. Sparkling Cider. How old Dick Clark looks. Giggles & laughs of nieces. Explaining to Tiffany that she can't fit in the car (we were packed to the brim!!!). The long trip home. Walking into a warm house...& unpacking the car.

Welcome Winter & Wilmer!

As most of you know we have started a tradition of cutting a Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving - and naming it! Welcome Wilmer, we are excited

to share the Christmas season with you. Wilmer comes to us from the
Malheur County Forest and is the kind of pine tree with really long needles ...a fir I think? Anywho, he looked great out in the snow & he looks even better covered in Christmas lights in our front room. We had some little helpers with us. The Johnson family came out and got a tree too. All of Wilmer's extra branches will be part of my first endevor to make homemade garland, so I hope it goes well. The tree is up the lights are on and now it's time for Christmas!!

Our Portland Weekend

This last weekend was the OSAA Oregon State Soccer Championships and Ryan was nominated by his region to be a soccer referee. His name was chosen and he got to be Ref #4 for the 3A Boys State championship match. The game was 0-0 until the last two minutes when a soccer player for Team A tried to kick the ball back, but landed in the goal of Team B making him the game winning player...for the other team. (I hope that kid had an alternate ride home because I doubt his teammates would let him ride the bus!)

We were able to catch up with some friends, the Wilson's, for breakfast & a trip to Fry's (every man's technology dreamland. It was really, really fun. After a beautiful breakfast of pumpkin pancakes with pecan syrup I decided to try my mix-master skills on DJ Hero

Guitar Hero & Rock Band are sooooooo much more fun!

Ryan left for his pre-soccer referee duties, Heidi ditched her hubby & two boys and we went shopping!! It was alot of fun! Going into any store we wanted to, looking at whatever, asking an opinion without a one-word answer and of course....not having someone breathing down your neck asking you how much longer you are going to stay there - it was bliss. We topped off our shopping trip with a visit to Target and each walked out with a purple dress of our liking that was (each) under $10 - how can you beat that!?!

After the game Ryan & I were able to go to the temple and do some family names. It was an awesome experience, a personal project of mine, and who doesn't like going to the temple!?

We were able to spend sometime with Uncle Ron while we were up there, which is always a hoot! And enjoyed yummy Panda Express (I'm telling ya living in a small town with out a temple, Target & Panda Express....you really take advantage of what you can get when you can get it!!)

It was a great weekend!! Now! Onto the TURKEY!!! (or if you are like me) MASHED POTATOES AND GRAVY!!!!!