Celebration II

I am so lucky to have wonderful friends who threw me another baby shower. This time it was mostly girls from church. We had fabulous food, played games (see below for the bottle race, hilarious) and had a great time catching up, especially with ladies from our old ward (since it split). Now, this is TOTALLY an unflattering picture of me but I had to honor my wonderful friends who put it all together. Thanks Marikay and Stacy!

The baby's suite

I watched Father of the Bride II the other day and thought I had made my own 'baby's suite.' I've finally got it in order (for the most part) and ready for the baby's arrival. Hopefully she'll come soon! I'm so excited to use all these things! So these are the during and after shots. I couldn't find a before shot, but it was a dingy blue/gray color before. I definately got my nesting instinct on in this room! But it was just so dreary before.. I had to do something. And forgive the desk, it's also our office. :) Now the only thing is to get our room to look as good as this room!

The primer was pink.. very pink. I was worried. And then it was red, verrrry red, but I love it!

Kurtis and I both love this painting and it totally matches the room for our little princess..

We found the chair on Craigslist.. got the crib from good friends.. and the dresser from my assistant principal. Yay for awsome deals! The dolls are from my childhood, a few crocheted by my great-grandmother.

Showers all around!

Last week my colleages banded together to give a few of us who are having babies or getting married a shower.. not that kind. haha! It was so sweet and fun to get together with the wonderful people I work with and share in the joy of these events. I am so grateful to have been back at Kellogg this year with these fabulous people. They really do amazing things with these crazy middle schoolers. Thanks again!

PS-I'm really not that big. It's the shirt I'm wearing...

The parable of the dandelion

Spring is officially in full bloom here in Minnesota and we can't be happier. The rainstorms we've had have turned our brown and barren wilderness into a luscious green forest. Bulbs are starting to bloom and eggs are hatching. We found this robin's nest in our backyard and are anxious to see these new little ones.

To welcome the new life we've had to get rid of the old growth from last year. Our yard was once beautifully landscaped but has been neglected by previous owners. Kurtis and I are trying to tame the weeds and saplings that are out of control in our yard. We've put down weed killer but it seems that it was more fertilizer then killer. So Kurtis has 'lawn envy' of our neighbors with the pristine emerald lawns free of the dreaded dandelion. He found a weed puller the other day at a garage sale and got the idea he'd just attack them head on, one by one. Well, he did the corner of the lawn and after the first 100..he was overwhelmed. There are just too many.

This made me reflect on my life and how I let my guard down and allow places for 'weeds' to grow. Weeds of selfishness, pride, carelessness, neglect, etc. You never hear of just 1 weed either, you hear of many weeds! If you don't take care of them right away, you have an overwhelming amount. To get rid of them you've got to pull them out, one by one and make sure to get the root (which are stubbornly long!) so they don't grow back. You must also fortify yourself against future weeds and continue to watch for newcomers so you can pluck them out immediately. I learned a profound lesson that day that I need to be more of an active weeder in the garden of my life so I'm not overwhelmed (and worried!) at the Judgement Day. I'm so grateful for my Savior and His Atonement. Without which, we could not free ourselves of these weeds of sin.

Calling all Moms!

Ok people, I've only got 10 weeks left 'til this baby comes and I need some advice! There are a million and a half things to buy for babies and I just don't know which one or which color to get. I'm a terrible decision maker. So, I've got some questions. Feel free to answer them with your opinions, add any helpful tips or just leave a 'hey! what's up? you're cool..' note because those are always fun. :)

1. Should I buy the stroller 'travel system' OR the infant seat + the snap-n-go stroller?

2. Should I get a swing and a bouncy chair OR just one? But which one..?

3. Should I get a manual OR electric breast pump OR just scrap it altogether?

4. Are the boppy pillows really worth it? I'm quite curious.

5. Any other baby must-have's???

So come one, come all with your baby expertise. Heaven knows I (we) need all the advice I can get! :) Thanks a million!