Making Babies

So my friend Candace was asked to make a baby shower cake over the weekend and she found these fabulous baby cupcakes in her cupcake book. She's like Super-Chef and I love it when she asks me to be her side kick Food Girl. The cupcakes took a bit of time, but ended up not beeing too complex. I think they turned out great (they tasted really good too!). In anticipation of cooing to my own baby soon I practiced with these little guys.....aaaah, you are soo cuutsie wootsie!!

The Last Weekend Away

So, this was our last open weekend in March and after March it's.......APRIL!! and we all know what's going to happen in April - I have to stay put! So we took this open weekend as our last opportunity to leave town and go to "The Big City".

We went to the temple and did some family names. Then went on our big 3 grocery shopping spree with a list complete with things that we know we will need, but won't be able to get cheaper than here at: Costco, WinCo & Walmart (still missed some stuff, darn it!). Two-thirds into our Costco trip I got really, really, tired. So I let Ryan do the rest of the shopping while I shuffled by the book table and sat on some nice lawn furniture - nobody seemed to mind.

We have added a new addition to "Places to Go in Boise" introduced to us by our good friends, The Johnson's - Good Will. Ryan likes that everything is cheap & I love the challenge of the "Color of the Day". We both scored in the shoe department. Ryan got some new American Eagle shoes for $5 and I got some Neutrilizer knee-high boots....they had the green sticker on the bottom (for those who don't know if you have an item that's the color of the day you get it at 50% off) for $2!! Sadly my swelly legs make a muffin top at the top of the boot so I won't be able to wear them until post-baby.

We are Big! Man vs Food (travel channel) fans & since Mr. Richtman went to Boise, ID for a challenge we went there too! We went to Rockies Diner - a really cute 50's themed diner complete with a DJ booth and skatresses (waitresses on roller skates). It was really fun, sadly I forgot my camera so you'll just have to imagine our heads by Adam Richtman's! For dinner my cousin cooked us a Russian themed meal complete with dessert - honey cake - yummy and culturally enlightening!

Now we are back to the daily grind of work and a long list of To-Do's before Tiny Steiny arrives!!

Shabby to Spiffy

So, I kinda have to laugh that both of us are in the "Nesting Phase" working on projects that we've been meaning to do for awhile, but have put off. Our laundry room has been fine, plain, white, boring, but fine and completely usable.

When we bought bead boarding to re-do the extra bedroom (now nursery) two years ago we gained some bonus bead board that had been warped during the original shipping of our order, but what to do with it?

I remember suggesting many moons ago that we put it up in the laundry room and now we have found the time to do it. And by "we" I mean Ryan, because as a preggo I can't be around too many paint fumes and there have been two different occasions that I start painting and Ryan has to finish because I lose momentum.

Ryan has been spending a few hours every night measuring, cleaning, sawing, nailing & painting this boring room into a spiffy little laundry area. I love it! and him!!

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.