Fireworks!

Aren't good friends the best? Pair that with a fun game and fireworks? A go-to recipe for the perfect night. We had a blast last weekend with our friends, Matt and Lindsay, at the Orem Summerfest. It's been years since I've been! They do a city parade at night (genius, right?) and a big fireworks show afterwards. We watched the parade for awhile and then found a spot on the grass to play games and eat fresh fruit while we waited for the show. 

I just love fireworks! This was the first show of the summer and it didn't disappoint. Way to go City of Orem! Seeing another good friend, Chad Frost as we were leaving was just the icing on the cake (pun intended-icing, frosting, okay, never mind.).

We love good friends. Even though I'm more of an "introverse" as JR calls me, we love to get out and socialize with good people. And Our friends are some of the very good-est.

My Water Broke

Or so thought a sweet old lady on our Sam's Club date the other night. Here's how it all went down...

We are new members to the Sam's Club and frequent the produce section quite regularly. On Monday we were doing just that. And let me just insert at this point, they do have the greatest produce in all the land. The peaches and pears this time around were deeeeelish!!

Aside from the notable produce... We were also browsing giant bags of frozen veggie mixes (that make for convenient lunch sides). We found a particularly delicious looking mix, but the door to that section of freezer was unknowingly blocked by the most adorable retired couple. We're talking polo shirt tucked into high-waisted, elastic-band shorts, socks with sandals adorable. They were both very involved in the bags of frozen fruit. The fruit was being discussed at great lengths, so JR sneaked a bag of our chosen veggies by literally climbing through the adjoining freezer door and sidling his way through racks of frozen bags of bulk. Husband for the win!

While we were checking out, I picked up the rotisserie chicken at exactly the wrong angle. The whole chicken flopped to the bottom of the cart, and all the sticky juice puddled on the floor underneath our cart. I'm glad the checker of the month was manning our register. Totally deserved that status. He radioed for another chicken and immediately went to work with orange cones and a roll of paper towel, towels in bulk I might add. JR helped him clean up the mess as I stood by, unable to bend my upper half enough to be of any help at all.

Now, imagine the main aisle at Sam's Club from the checkout area to the bakery. Long, right? Spans the length of whole warehouse, right? It was mid-toweling and coning when my sweet retired friend noticed the cleanup from the far end of this main aisle. We're talking closer to the bakery section than the checkout area far. She hurried as hurriedly as her socks and sandals would allow, making a beeline for our register and assessing the situation along the whole long way.

*At this point it is also appropriate to mention that my friend's poor husband was left closer to the bakery section of that very long aisle looking very much like a lost toy as he searched for his retired companion.*

Just as the last of the chicken juice was being mopped up by my gallant help, my friend reached my side and grabbed my elbow. "Your water didn't break, did it?!" she asked with appropriate concern. We all laughed and assured her I was fine, if nothing more than excessively clumsy.

It was a very sweet gesture. Also, I'll take all the credit for her elevated heart rate and fulfilled daily exercise quota. You're welcome.

Baking a Baby At-A-Glance

Week 11: First doctor's appointment
Week 12: First ultrasound and first pair of maternity pants.
Week 15: It's a BOY!
Week 18: First baby shower
Week 19: Lotsa shifting at night. I would wake myself up constantly!!
Week 20: HALF WAY!!!
Week 22: The belly just popped. Baggy shirts could do nothing for me anymore.
Week 24: New doctor
Week 25: First airplane to Las Vegas
Week 27: Moody doesn't even begin to describe it. Hello third trimester!!
Week 28: Passed a Glucose Test!
Week 29: First camping trip
Week 31: Baby kicks, rolls and punches visibly move my belly. It's like a syfy movie or a really bad burrito.
Week 33: The belly popped again, I slowed WAY down, and husband now has to give me nightly foot rubs.

I decided that July 20th has a nice ring to it. Why not have a baby on that day? Okay. Mom even wrote it in her planner. I get lots of pitying looks when I tell people I want to have my first baby 15 days early. No one really dares to disagree, but there's that look. The look that says; "oh honey, keep dreaming." And I will...

I even asked the Relief Society president to change my due date on her list of "ladies-in-the-ward-who-are-pregnant." She is a good friend and said she would. I wonder if that was also a pity thing. I need to get a hold of that list to see where her allegiance lies...

Summer, We Love You!

We love summer at our house! Minus Ted, who seems to be panting and heaving more than usual. I'm sure a  good hair cut could help him out, but in the meantime we have an asthmatic dog.

Summer at our house means lots and lots of watermelon. We can't seem to get enough of it! Sam's Club is providing us the best and juiciest summer watermelons we could possibly ask for these days. Our new tradition is to cut up a gigantic melon at the beginning of the week and eat watermelon for every meal the rest of the week. Best plan. We're going on three weeks straight.

Summer means camping! I'm rather proud to admit, I did that. 7.5 months pregnant, I did that. Husband did all the planning, all the packing, all the loading, and unloading and setting up and taking down. It's really not a major accomplishment when you consider he also arranged to borrow his mom's truck, strapped down an actual queen mattress and provided at-home comfort in a mountain setting. Really roughing it, right?

Lots and lots of AC is always a pretty good indication it's summer at the Sandoval's. Husband has been surprisingly frugal with the temperature this year, and didn't even turn on the air until about a week and a half ago. Before then, it was ceiling fans and open windows. We also propped open the front door and set up a doggie gate to create a nice cross breeze.

I had an especially hot day a few weeks ago and took it upon myself to install the window AC unit in our bedroom. That plan from about B 1/2-Z failed miserably, but huffing the unit upstairs from the basement was enough for husband to swoop in and save the day. He had it up and running, even though all the screws were missing, in less than 30 minutes.

When we did finally get around to turning on the AC for the whole house it didn't last long. There were audible threats coming from the unit (as far away as downstairs and outside) that quickly convinced us to shut off all attempts to cool the house by any means other than a doggie gate. We ended up replacing the whole system. Not a really pleasant bill, but boy are we lucky all these bills and breaks and hidden projects are coming at a time when we're both working full time and tuition isn't due for at least 2 more months! Tender mercies. We'll talk more about that later.

For now we are simply enjoying the longer days and shorter nights, the fireworks and sunshine, pool time, flower pots and fresh fruit. And even though the HOA has hired what might be the worst grounds crew in all of Utah, we're even enjoying their work of fresh cut grass, voluptuous foliage and sad lack of edge trimming.

Randoms, Rings and Amazon Things

I have a new ring. Again. It's the summer-swoll size, since I've successfully grown out of my wedding ring, and the fake blinger that made us look totally rich. This one's not so bad. Walmart special for eight dollars and eighty-eight cents. I'll enjoy it even when it turns my finger green. I've been toying with the idea of taking it to a jeweler and getting it coated. Do you think they would laugh at me? Yeah, you're probably right. In my face.

For Father's Day (it's no secret) JR is getting a video camera. I told him this a few days ago, to which he responded; "why do I need one of those?" I explained the significance of a baby including all the firsts said baby's father might want to record. You know like, baths, giggles, steps, ball games... Long story short, (which may have included a minor threat to find a fatherly figure content with his video-ing responsibilities) the camera has been ordered and will be arriving by way of the Amazon Prime express within 24 hours. One more thing down. Also ordered from Amazon is the car seat and stroller set. Two, make that three more things down! 

Also, here is some video evidence that Michael Blake is a ninja. In this video he is mostly kicking his way out of the right half of my belly, to give you a reference. 

JR and I went swimming last week to which I say; bravo! I had heard it feels great when you're pregnant (or whale-ish to put it in water terms), but this?! This is fantastic! If you can believe it, I fit into a pre-prego swim suit that actually covered most of me. The ladies were popping out a bit, but really, I don't even know where to start in getting that mess under control. I'd need a quick-dry turtleneck I'm pretty sure. 

I surprised myself with the swim. I think it just felt so good to exercise and have such freedom of movement that I couldn't stop. And so I swam. Like a little bloated fish, I swam. Sorry, there will be no pictures.

Husband Bought a Pig

It's true. Pounds and pounds of pig. I would have preferred this version:

I can't even handle how cute they are. Baby pigs in rain boots, baby pigs in tea cups, baby pigs swimming... you'd be astounded with the cuteness you can find on the Google when you simply search "baby pig." Truly astounding.

So, anyway... It's our freezer, not my heart that is full of pig. Husband is maybe as excited about the current content of our freezer as I would be to mother a baby version of all his dreams coming true.

I'm convinced Michael Blake is not going to have a father before we run out of pig. Well, mostly because this was husband's lunch yesterday:

No. I can't even...