Hogal Zoo in Salt Lake City

We visited the zoo for the day before thanksgiving!! It was so much fun!! Great zoo with so many animals and we saw everything. All the animals were out and very active. My favorite were the elephants, Freddie the turtles, Collin the turtles and Hattie the monkeys. The best part was the we randomly ran into our cousins, the abbotts and got to hang out with them the whole time. We love them and our kids double love their kids. 

I think their real favorite were the seals. They say and watched them swim for at least 20 minutes. The best. 

A shower for the soon-to-be Amelia Money

We had a wedding shower for Amelia! I loved meeting more of her friends and family. The more I get to know of Amelia and the people in her life the more I love her! I'm so happy my brother has found someone who loves, and challenges him, who is a strong, smart, interesting woman, who finds beauty in the world and who loves God and loves David!!! 

There was a game where they were each asked questions about each other and their relationship, both funny and serious, and I loved hearing them talk about each other, so giddy and in love. Amelia loves him and is so proud of him. She cherishes him and the good man he is.  He's totally in love w her too and in awe of her and her talents. I can't wait to see them sealed in the temple for forever!!

Leonardo

The kids and I visited the Leonardo, an art and science museum, earlier this month. It was the best!!!!! EVERYTHING was hands on and interactive. Downstairs they had 10-15 exhibits about different art mediums and you could use each one to create something. 

Upstairs there was more science based stuff. You could experiment with electricity, batteries, build, guess, and play. There was so much to do. And the food in the cafe was AMAZING. 

Get out

For how good I usually am at getting outside I've sucked at it lately! Man, it's cold and the kids take forever to wrangle and dress and I'm less than motivated. BUT after reading this 

http://cupofjo.com/2015/11/outside-with-kids-winter/

I'm re-inspired to get outside every single day for at least a bit. And really we should just hang out and expire because this was our view this evening as we ate dinner outside on our front steps. 

Sometimes you worry about things and you pray and you're in pain and you seek for comfort or answers. And sometimes you just have an outpouring of blessings and everything is right and you feel you could never be sad again!!!!

Pregnancy because I'm inspired.

I love this blogger. She put herself out there and wrote an honest, inspiring post about her reality with pregnancy. It's not my reality intirely but I felt uplifted and wanted to share in case there is anyone who needed to read it. 

http://thealisonshow.com/2015/11/alisons-tips-for-managing-a-rough-pregnancy.html#comment-142287

While pregnant with Frederick (then known as Skittlecore)** I was able to focus on just taking care of myself. I got nauseous but not so badly. When I was exhausted I could just go to sleep. I did yoga every day and swam every day and ate 100 grams of protein every day. I loved being pregnant. I felt awesome and beautiful. 

With Harriet (bean, Kittypuppy)** I had a real life nursing toddler to run around and chase. I wanted to just fast forwarded to December. I didn't do yoga hardly at all but I did exercise a ton. I was super depressed during that pregnancy. I literally was thinking at one point, if I died today no one would care. I would bawl and expect my husband or someone to figure it all out but you have to talk to people about this stuff and can't just expect them to know. I've never felt the feeling of "get this baby out now!" at the ends of my pregnancies. In fact I'm more like, I want the baby to stay in as long as he or she needs!!! Yet 42 weeks to the day was a roller coaster ride. But she came, healthily and perfectly and with no drugs like I wanted but in a hospital like I didn't expect. We had some emotional issues with the whole birth experience (with one of my midwives at the birth center) starting at 32 weeks and it just got worse. And that was the midwife I ended up with at the birth. 

So this time we are doing things differently. Im going to have my baby (Bunnie, PandaApple)** at our home. We interviewed a bunch of midwives and chose the person we felt best about. We feel she is experienced and will guide us but I know I can birth a health human and I know if there are problems you just go to the hospital. And I need someone to just trust me and listen and back off and let me birth my baby. 

I'm still nursing a real life energetic, growing, full of attitude and Disney Princess loving toddler. Plus I have this sweet, sensitive 4 year old who is really changing and starting to figure out so much more of life. 

I've been so sick. Sort of constant. It sucks. It's not as bad as many people have it. But it's no fun and makes me stay at home a lot, which is hard for me and for my kids. We like to get out. I'm just barely starting to exercise again because I was feeling so crumby. I feel like I needed to eat something to make me feel better but then I feel sick as worse. And I love food so that's sad!!!!

Pregnancy is not glamorous or super ultra spiritual or goddess like for me. But at the same time for some reason (probably a mixture of the Jade Bealle Photography Instagram (https://instagram.com/jadebeallphotography/) and some books I'm reading, and feeling so deeply and physically connected to my husband right now), I am starting to love my body. I love my belly and my millions and billions of stretch marks (all from my first pregnancy. I didn't get a one from my second and haven't had any so far this time either:), and I even appreciate my flab and my skin. It's weird but I see it as beautiful because of the purpose it has served. It's still hard when I'm feeling yucky and see others with perfect bodies, knowing even when I'm working out so hard I'll never look like that. But who cares. I've just got to (try to) be happy with myself for myself and for my children. Ok. And this pregnancy I'm pampering myself more. Once a month in getting a prenatal massage (coming up this Saturday, yessss!!!), manicure/ped, Aveda haircut (second best thing to Jayna 😭😭), facial, etc. I try to get ready and go my makeup more because I feel better. and I go to a PN yoga class once a week and do it at home w my crazy kids climbing all over me most days.  And Collin and I are trying to go on dates and find time to talk. We put our phones away after the kids go to sleep and try to not watch much tv either. It's more important to talk and spend time together. We had to change this recently. Or we might have murdered each other. Really. 

I'm very grateful to be able to have children and to nurse pretty easily and to love being a mom and so so grateful I get to stay home with them. This is my choice and I love it. Ok my hand is forming into a claw from holding and typing on my phone and it's late. So, until next time, blog of mine! THanks to my dear friends and family from Florida and Phoenix and GA who call and text and love me. I miss you and think of you. It's hard transitioning and moving and making new friends!!!! I just want you!!!!!!!! But we are starting to make some friends. The kids too. And because Collin is amazing and should be a professional designer, our home is beautiful and comfortable and life is awesome. So I can't complain. But I do. ;) then I pray and repent. :) :) bye. 

**Ok so when we were first married, surprisingly quite a few people would ask us when we were having kids, how many we wanted, names we were thinking of---seriously. I'm not talking about close friends and talking intimately. Just random people in random situations. So weird.  We hadn't ever thought about it   and I don't remember that list from when I was young and wrote down all the names of my future kids 😂😂. So we got creative. 

1. Skittlecore

2. Kittypuppy

3. Pandapple

And 

4. Chuckhorse. To quote Juli Waldeck King, "Poor little Chuckhorse." Hahahahha people would give us weird reactions and we thought we were awesome and hilarious. 

So Skittlecore started a-growin' and we referred to him as just that the whole pregnancy. Some people really thought that was the name.....haha. 

Then Kittypuppy was living in my belly and though that was her original name, at the first ultra sound she was jumping around like a dancing bean. Seriously craziest and funniest thing ever. Would not stay still and was bouncing all over. So she was referred to as Bean during my pregnancy. 

And PandaApple, well we got a little picture of the ultra sound and at 8 weeks that little honey looked like a small rabbit. A Bunnie. So there you have it. 

The weather man said one more day to play outside before it gets freezing and down to 40 during the day!!!!!

So we are listening to dramatic music and eating a picnic lunch on the front lawn.   

Update!

Freddie has been becoming more and more obedient and agreeable lately. I see him making conscience choices to play with his sister kindly, to try to listen when his little body just wants to run away and tease me.  When he and Hattie are getting along I stay out of it completely and just let them be together happily. 

Hattie's language has exploded and she pretty much repeats every thing we say. She can express herself very well. She loves to sing and knows the words to lots of songs. She wants to do everything her brother does!!! Tonight they ran around the living room and then jumped off the coffee table about 30 times each. They lead the music and both want to say prayers. But we are working on being reverent. That's a very very hard one for them, hehe. 

Frederick has been preparing for his very first primary program, which is next week, and we can't wait!!!! We have been singing all the songs. He knows every word!!

My kids can be a handful. So much personality!!! And they are strong and strong-willed and crazy and naughty at times. It's hard at church when they are loud and climbing all over. But they are good and pure and sincere and sweet. Harriet will stop nursing and tell me, "I wuv you!" And Freddie will come give me a big kiss. It always surprises me because they only give affection on their terms. I love this about them both. 

Today Hattie came into relief society and I was so happy to see her. She said, "hi mama!" In front of everyone. It made me so happy and I felt so grateful for my two little characters. They are just right for me. 

I'm night-weaning hat. She sleeps we me and has always awoken throughout the night to nurse as she pleases. It never effects me or my sleep because she just nurses and rolls back over. But in pregnancy my milk is turning back into colostrum and naturally lessens and she is less satisfied and will nurse for hours. Plus I'm much more sensitive now. So just like w Freddie when I was pregnant w hat, it started effecting my sleep and we night weaned. The first few days are the worst. Lots and lots of crying. She cried for hours and wouldn't stay in bed. She walked out to the hallway and would stand facing the wall just bawling. (Halloweeny!!) she cried for an hour or so multiple times during the night. We would sing to her, hold her, rub her back. It was tough. But the next couple of nights she woke up for just a short time and cried and stayed in bed and then went back to sleep. The the next night it was just once for a few minutes. And I can feel a huge difference in my sleeping. She's allowed to nurse after 7am. And she gets to cuddle and nurse whenever she wants  throughout the day (though she's pretty distracted playing to nurse more than a couple times plus nap time.) 

I'm excited to tandem nurse again. It'll be good for Hattie to share and a good way to bond w the new one. Freddie will be a sweet and knowing and experienced big brother. 

Last thing. It's fall.  It's so lovely and colorful. Not that cold yet but it is supposed to snow next week. We will see. I got snow boots for the kids and brushes and scrapers for our cars!!!!!