In case you were wondering...how to survive a twins pregnancy

That sounds awfully dramatic, I know. But this twins business is harder than it was being pregnant with Reid. Here are some of my favorite coping mechanisms:

1. My Handsome McHottie husband, Erik. I call him my Knight in Shining Camouflage, because he swoops in and saves the day, every day. He goes to the store to pick up milk and bread, vacuums and cleans the kitchen while I'm napping, carries Reid and the diaper bag while opening the car door for me...seriously, he's a-mazing. Here's some proof. This is a shot of an average day. Erik comes home from a long day at work, changes his clothes, puts on something like "the Clash" and dances around with Reid. Then he'll move on to playing cars, reading books, and tidying up his room so that by the time I've got dinner ready, Reid is getting pretty tuckered out. Perfection.
2. While this probably isn't absolutely necessary, I've found that it definitely puts me in a better mood. So, for everyone else's sake this item might be a requirement for survival. My parents sent us some heavenly cookies. They are from Cheryl and Co. and they're frosted sugar cookies, my favorite. It was such a fun surprise to get them in the mail, and I'm enjoying them immensely. I think any day can be improved with a good sugar cookie.

3. While on the subject of food, my pregnancy nemesis, I've thought of some more essential survival tools. I'm sure it's hard to believe, it is for me at least, (I mean, come on. I have Arnett genes! I was born to be soft and squishy and lovable!) but I have been having a hard time gaining enough weight. It's just hard to eat enough for all three of us. This obviously causes me concern because I want to make sure that the boys are able to gain enough weight. So, this is what my daily food choices usually consist of: lots of whole milk, a burger and fries, something with cream cheese in it, ice cream, something eaten with peanut butter, meat, etc. Like today, I made Thai peanut chicken - the perfect pregnancy dinner: chicken, broccoli, rice, and a great sauce with LOTS of peanut butter. Erik is constantly reminding me to eat, or trying to get me to eat more. I'm sure I won't get a lot of sympathy with this, because whenever I mention how sick I am of eating like this, I get a lot of responses like, "Oh, you're so lucky. I wish I had to eat like that!" I understand the sentiment, I would have responded the same way. But believe me, it's no fun. When I crave something now, it's usually something like carrots or apples. So I eat carrots with dip and apples with peanut butter. I guess the grass is always greener...

4. A big survival method for me is daydreaming about wearing clothes that aren't maternity clothes. I find myself thinking about it a lot. My favorite stores to check out online when I'm in a daydreamy mood are J. Crew and Anthropologie. I like to add things to my cart like I'm shopping, but then when I've satisfied my hankering I just close the browser and go about my day. I mean, seriously, where would I even where an outfit this gorgeous? I live in a tiny coastal town, and the fanciest part of our week is going to church. I'm content to daydream, though. This specific outfit caused me to imagine that I was a gallery owner and this is what I would wear when I went to an opening of a new collection by an exciting new artist. Can't you see it? 5. Of course, sleep is a big necessity. My specific recommendation is to get a memory foam mattress topper. We got one for Christmas two years ago when I was pregnant with Reid, and it has been a lifesaver both times. I have no advice as to how to get out of bed gracefully, though. I'm not quite sure it can be done.

6. My last point for today is that it really helps a lot to remember that everyone has their bad days. I sure don't feel very cute lately, and that gets old after months and months of pulling your maternity jeans back up where they belong, or figuring out what I can wear that doesn't make me look like either frumpy/"mom-jeans" or finding something that covers the whole belly. (I've reached the point where I'm like those guys who wear very large t-shirts but they still have some beer belly popping out at the bottom. Not good.)

My intent with this next picture isn't to be mean-spirited. Not at all. I mean, seriously, she's one of the most gorgeous women to ever walk the earth. But it does make me feel a little better to know that even Catherine Zeta-Jones has her bad days. I'm not going to be so hard on myself the next time I wake up and look in the mirror and think, "dang, it looks like I've been kicked in the gut all night." Because...well, I have. And, no one expects the Spanish Inquisition, right? Right.

In case you were wondering...

This post will be the first in a series: In case you were wondering...what it's like to have two babies growing in your belly. It's going to be riveting.

First up...stretch marks. It finally happened. I didn't get any with Reid, and I thought I was going to make it all the way through this pregnancy without them. I felt all sneaky, like I was pulling the wool over mother nature's eyes. Like, if I can get through two pregnancies (one of which was a twin pregnancy) without stretch marks, then I must be immune. Sadly, I am not. A week or so ago a small batch appeared. I had been using Palmer's lotion religiously everyday. Seriously. I think I've gone through 12 bottles so far. But it was no match for the belly that will not stop growing. I have since upgraded to using this scar serum as well. Let me tell you about how lovely it is. On the back it lists the magic ingredients that magically fade scars. Erik and I were at the store reading the box and one of the ingredients listed is "Shark Liver Oil." For real. Erik was like, "doesn't this sound like some crazy stuff that a peddler would try and sell you off of his cart?" Yes. Yes it does. That didn't stop me from buying it though. What makes this stuff so lovely is that it smells just how you would imagine shark liver oil would smell. The smell means business, too. It's around for the long haul. I haven't given up on it yet, I've only been using it for a few days, but it better start making a difference soon because the smell is getting to me. And I don't even like fish.

Ode to Annie

My little sister is 25 today! That's crazy. I am jazzed, however, to share 25 of the many reasons why Annie is so flippin' awesome. I have created 5 categories of awesomeness, with 5 examples each. Enjoy!

Annie is BEAUTIFUL:

1. Annie is Snow White in non-cartoon form. She has skin as white as snow (seriously...), hair as black as night (well, almost...), and lips as red as the red rose. Just beautiful.

2. Annie's insides are beautiful, too. Well, I don't know about her innards, like her guts or anything, but she is a very charitable and loving person. So when people say "beautiful inside and out", they mean Annie.

3. She has the most gorgeous hands. Really. She has long, slender fingers and beautiful nails. I, on the other hand, have short stubby fingers. As strange as it sounds, she got a lot of attention for her pretty hands growing up, and I was always jealous.

4. She has cah-razy long eyelashes. I was praised a lot growing up for my long eyelashes, but truth be told (and I don't admit this very often), Annie's are longer than mine. I may even go as far as saying that hers are the longest I've ever seen, but Jessica White's are pretty dang long. It's a close race.

5. More on the beautiful on the inside stuff, Annie is never jealous or covetous. She always genuinely wants the best for those she interacts with. As you will see, I am jealous of Annie in so many ways, including how she's never jealous. Confusing.

Annie is DETERMINED:

1. For real. Annie is perhaps the most determined person I know. I'll save my favorite example for the last one, but for starters...she was determined not to rent when she moved to SLC after college, thus becoming a homeowner at age 22 or something wild like that. Seriously, who does that? Besides someone whose last name is Trump?

2. Annie ran a marathon this year. Hot dang, is that awesome or what. She was determined to do it, and even though an old man with his arm in a sling passed her along the run, she finished it. Amazing.

3. Along the same note, she participated in a triathlon a couple months ago...despite no time to train and death defying conditions. That's determination, people!

4. She wants to work for/with our guru, Martha Stewart. Just watch, she'll do it. You know it and I know it. If Annie says she's going to do it, it's going to happen.

5. And now, my favorite example...I think it was when she was in 8th grade at Emily Gray Junior High School. She has 8 classes and the first quarter she got 4 A's and 4 A+'s. That wasn't good enough, so she tried harder and the second quarter she got 6 A's and 2 A+'s. That still wasn't good enough, she wanted all A+'s. The two classes that she has regular ol' A's in were P.E. and Band, because those classes generally don't give higher than an A. But Annie found a way. She did extra scales in band and ran extra miles in P.E. so that both third and fourth quarters she earned 8 straight A+'s. How about that!

Annie is LUCKY:

1. Annie is so dang lucky to have the raddest job ever. Seriously. Lucky!

2. Annie is "lucky" to have been on more first dates and blind dates than anyone I have ever known. And does she have some crazy stories to tell, I hope she writes her memoirs someday. That would be interesting.

3. Annie has crazy cute clothes. Lucky! I like to go shopping for Annie hand-me-downs whenever I'm at her house.

4. Annie is lucky to have a family that adores her. Seriously, we all want to put Annie in our pocket and keep her with us all the time.

5. Annie is lucky to have a group of friends that have become her second family. They're good peeps.

Annie is LOYAL:

1. Annie is loyal to her faith. She knows what she knows and you'll never see her deny it.

2. Annie is loyal in her calling, which (I imagine) would be difficult. Annie is the FHE mom in her singles ward and has been for over a year and a half. She has had four or five flaky FHE "dads" come and go, and she still faithfully serves in her calling. Whew.

3. Annie is a loyal girlfriend. This one is very frustrating for me because some of the dudes she's dated have been losers, but man oh man was she loyal to them. Overall I count it as a totally awesome quality, because someday some lucky guy is going to get the world's most loyal wife of all time. Undisputed. We'll call her the WMLWOAT. (pronounce it wah-mil-whoa-at)

4. Annie is loyal to her family. We're a bunch of crazies, really. But I know that Annie would do anything for me. I couldn't ask for a more loyal sister.

5. Lastly, here's a perfect example. Annie has had the same best friend since kindergarten (what's up Caroline!). Who does that? I had a new best friend every other year, but Annie is loyal no matter what. In the last 6 years or so Annie has brought in more best friends to the fold, but never at the sacrifice of those lucky enough to already be in the "inner circle". That's amazing, isn't it?

and to top it off, Annie is TALENTED:

1. Annie is a fantastic cook. Although I have never had it, apparently she makes a killer Chicken Parmesan. Mmmm, that sounds good right about now.

2. Annie is proficient in calligraphy, floral design, papercrafting, and (since she's determined to take classes somewhere) soon the culinary arts.

3. As Erik said, "Annie makes good cards." Word.

4. Annie can play the simplified hymns version of "We Thank Thee, O God, For a Prophet." Wow.

5. And, as a final point of Annie awesomeness, Annie is the most talented, Gold Medal winner, Heavyweight Champion, Grand High Master of making me crazy. No one in this world can make me crazy like Annie can, and I wouldn't trade that for anything.

I love you, Kitten!

I feel so foolish.

I can't believe I fell for it. I was really starting to get worried with all of the talk about the stock market rising and falling so many points...world financial leaders discussing what to do...widespread panic...etc. Today I was reading all about it on cnn.com and clicked on a link to an article on time.com when I saw this image with this caption:

"A broker on ICAP's dealing floor calls for prices on October 9, 2008 in London, England."

I can't believe I was duped. I was really starting to feel some of the panic. But we all know that this is Chris Kattan from SNL, doing another one of their spoofs. Dang. They got me again. There's no crisis, soon he'll rip off his shirt and underneath he'll have on his Mr. Peepers costume. So don't worry, just enjoy the show.

I've had enough.

We're in a sweet house that we're renting for a few months while we find a place to buy. (more about the house another day) Since we're only going to be here for a few months, Erik and I figured it wasn't worth the effort to set up cable. So, we use our TV to watch movies, and other than that it just sits there.

I LOVE it.
I don't think I'll ever be a cable subscriber again. Most things we're anxious to watch we can find on the internet (conference, debates, etc.) and things we can't (BYU games) we'll go watch at a friend's house. Thank goodness for no TV, too. Otherwise, I'd only be hearing more about things that I've had enough of. Things like:

Crap TV and the poor girls that are starving themselves to be the stars. I think I'm behind on this, I think a big hoop-dee-doo was made about it a few weeks ago, but seriously...they are alarmingly skinny. Hollywood is crazy, isn't it? I've had enough of Hollywood.

I've also had enough of Hollywood talking about politics. I know that they have their opinions too, but I worry that the demographics that watch crap TV (as represented above) probably care more about what Leonardo DiCaprio says about the election than what the nominees are saying. Crazy.
As for the nominees themselves, I've had enough of them, too. I used to think that I had an insatiable appetite for politics. That I was a bottom-less pit. Not true. I have hit the bottom. I feel more and more discouraged everyday. I wish that one of these candidates could make me feel proud to vote for them. Mostly though, I just hear a lot of bickering. I've heard enough.

Do you know what I would have loved to hear, however? I would have paid money to have been able to insert Mitt Romney into the debate last night. I would love to hear him talk about the economy with these two. Oh, and if you're looking to keep that hope alive, amidst all the words, words, words that these guys are throwing out...give this a look. Makes you feel proud, right? Proud to be an American? Me too. I'd like some more of that.

Whew.

How about a quick(ish) round-up of what we've been up to around here?

The month started off with a quick trip to Denver to see family, and Erik and Zach caught the Foo Fighters show at Red Rocks. Sweet.
We've enjoyed lots of Daddy and Reid time, which always produces cute pictures, so you'll see more of this adorableness. Reid loves to be wherever Erik is.

Here's Reid enjoying my rad birthday present. With weather as perfect as this, I was in the mood for a hammock. Now, I just need to deliver these babies so I'm able to get in and out of it gracefully. For now, imagine the agility of a giant sea turtle trying to get in and out.
Erik decorating my birthday cake. He was so great, and said "hey babe, I want to make you a cake for your birthday." What a lovely idea, I thought. It would have been perfect, he would have made a rainbow chip cake with rainbow chip frosting (my birthday cake of choice) and it would have been delightful. Then I got the bright idea to make a "fancy" cake, a Martha cake. Bad, bad idea. I got the recipe for the cake and buttercream frosting from this gorgeous book, and the decoration idea from a Martha book. First problem was that I didn't realize that I don't like buttercream frosting. Why? Because it tastes like you're eating butter. Gross. Second problem was that the cake was more like a not-sweet-enough-pound-cake. So, basically like bread. Gross. After we realized that the first book's frosting was so gross, I made the Swiss meringue buttercream frosting from the Martha book. If the first one was a 2 out of 10, the Martha one was a 3. Not worth it. So...all of this work (I wimped out and only made one layer because it took so dang long for the first one and I didn't want to do it all over again) for a really gross cake. Erik and I made it through half a piece each, and then threw the rest away.

However, our cake decorating skills are improved through the experience, and I love Erik all the more for putting up with a crazy wife who takes a great idea and blows it up into something ridiculous. That's two things I'm VERY good at: the ridiculous, and achieving minimum results from maximum effort. Next year I'm going to sit back and enjoy my rainbow chip. Oh, and if you want to read an awesome post about how awesome I apparently am, check this out. (If you're interested in the stories she vaguely refers to, ask me about them. They're gems. Oh, and that picture shows me rocking the bangs. I flip-flop nearly every day about if I like bangs or not. Should we take a vote? That might help me.)

Reid is learning body parts, as in "Reid where are your feet...ears...fingers? Etc. This is the response to "Where are your teeth?"

We spent an afternoon in Solvang, a cute touristy town, for Danish Days. Reid loves beans. Of any kind. When I make chili, he shovels it in. This time, however, when he was done with dinner he decided he'd clean off his hands by wiping them all over his face. I guess the chili powder caused a reaction on his skin because his face got so red! It was crazy. So we rushed him to the tub, got a quick picture, and then washed him up.
Reid is really into playing with shoes. Anyone's shoes. Today it was mom's shoes.
When I squat down to get a picture, this is what happens.
Fun at the beach. We're still working on teaching Reid not to put his face in the sand to taste it.
Reid and dad digging a hole.

Deeper.
Then we thought it would be funny to bury my legs in it. It actually was really funny, and for those of you asking for belly shots, here you go. Not great, but I'm not feeling very photogenic lately.
Reid playing with dad's gloves. Old uniform stuff makes for great paintballing attire.
On this day, it was dad's shoes that intrigued him.

Reid and dad watching cartoons.
Erik cut up a box (from our sweet new double stroller) into a little house. Reid would walk in, peep his head out the window, and then SQUEAL with delight. I couldn't get enough of it.
Playing with dad's motorcycle helmet.
Playing with his new bucket for the beach.
As you can tell, Reid's pretty easy to please. Just give him something that's not really a toy and he'll have a good time. Throw in time some with daddy and it just upgraded to a GREAT time. I'm 28 and a half weeks along, making the countdown only about 8 weeks until these babies come. I'm feeling very large. I'm bigger now than I got with Reid when I delivered, so it's going to be a long 8 weeks. We're still working on names, but other than that I'm feeling calm (well, calm enough) about the impending changes. Look for another post in the next few days about my thoughts as to all that's going on in the world outside of our little family of three (...five).

A lesson in leadership

When we lived in Alaska, there was this really amazing family that lived near us and they were in our ward.  Tanya, the mom, was the kind of woman I knew I could call on for anything I needed, she was always very kind and supportive to me.  I can't tell you how many times since we've left that I've said to Erik, "dang it, I wish we had spent more time with the Murphys, I really liked them."  Almost 2 years ago, their son was killed in active duty, and it had a big impact on me personally, and certainly on the ward family and the base family.  Mark Murphy, the dad, wrote this for the base newspaper recently, but it's been passed around quite a bit in the last month because Erik received it from someone in Iraq as a forward, and it had been forwarded many times already.  It's worth reading, I promise.  As I read it, my eyes started tearing up, creating wells, until the dam burst and I cried for a good while.  I'm weepy now as I write this.  So give it a read, and then I'll comment on it at the end.

Commentary by Lt. Col. Mark Murphy
354th Maintenance Group deputy commander

8/15/2008 - EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska -- I learned a big lesson on
service Aug. 4, 2008, when Eielson had the rare honor of hosting
President Bush on a refueling stop as he traveled to Asia.

It was an event Eielson will never forget -- a hangar full of Airmen and
Soldiers getting to see the Commander in Chief up close, and perhaps
even shaking his hand. An incredible amount of effort goes into
presidential travel because of all of the logistics, security, protocol,
etc ... so it was remarkable to see Air Force One land at Eielson on
time at precisely 4:30 p.m.--however, when he left less than two hours
later, the President was 15 minutes behind schedule.

That's a big slip for something so tightly choreographed, but very few
people know why it happened. Here's why.

On Dec. 10, 2006, our son, Shawn, was a paratrooper deployed on the
outskirts of Baghdad. He was supposed to spend the night in camp, but
when a fellow soldier became ill Shawn volunteered to take his place on
a nighttime patrol--in the convoy's most exposed position as turret
gunner in the lead Humvee. He was killed instantly with two other
soldiers when an IED ripped through their vehicle.

I was thinking about that as my family and I sat in the audience
listening to the President's speech, looking at the turret on the
up-armored Humvee the explosive ordnance disposal flight had put at the
edge of the stage as a static display.

When the speech was over and the President was working the crowd line, I
felt a tap on my shoulder and turned to see a White House staff member.
She asked me and my wife to come with her, because the President wanted
to meet us.

Stunned, we grabbed our two sons that were with us and followed her back
into a conference room. It was a shock to go from a crowded, noisy
hangar, past all of those security people, to find ourselves suddenly
alone in a quiet room.

The only thing we could hear was a cell phone vibrating, and noticed
that it was coming from the jacket Senator Stevens left on a chair. We
didn't answer.

A short time later, the Secret Service opened the door and President
Bush walked in. I thought we might get to shake his hand as he went
through. But instead, he walked up to my wife with his arms wide, pulled
her in for a hug and a kiss, and said, "I wish I could heal the hole in
your heart." He then grabbed me for a hug, as well as each of our sons.
Then he turned and said, "Everybody out."

A few seconds later, the four of us were completely alone behind closed
doors with the President of the United States and not a Secret Service
agent in sight.
He said, "Come on, let's sit down and talk." He pulled up a chair at the
side of the room, and we sat down next to him. He looked a little tired
from his trip, and he noticed that his shoes were scuffed up from
leaning over concrete barriers to shake hands and pose for photos. He
slumped down the chair, completely relaxed, smiled, and suddenly was no
longer the President - he was just a guy with a job, sitting around
talking with us like a family member at a barbeque.

For the next 15 or 20 minutes, he talked with us about our son, Iraq,
his family, faith, convictions, and shared his feelings about nearing
the end of his presidency. He asked each of our teenaged sons what they
wanted to do in life and counseled them to set goals, stick to their
convictions, and not worry about being the "cool" guy.

He said that he'd taken a lot of heat during his tenure and was under a
lot of pressure to do what's politically expedient, but was proud to say
that he never sold his soul. Sometimes he laughed, and at others he
teared up. He said that what he'll miss most after leaving office will
be his role as Commander in Chief.
One of the somber moments was when he thanked us for the opportunity to
meet, because he feels a heavy responsibility knowing that our son died
because of a decision he made. He was incredibly humble, full of warmth,
and completely without pretense. We were seeing the man his family sees.

We couldn't believe how long he was talking to us, but he seemed to be
in no hurry whatsoever. In the end, he thanked us again for the visit
and for the opportunity to get off his feet for a few minutes. He then
said, "Let's get some pictures." The doors flew open, Secret Service and
the White House photographer came in, and suddenly he was the President
again. We posed for individual pictures as he gave each of us one of his
coins, and then he posed for family pictures. A few more thank yous, a
few more hugs, and he was gone.

The remarkable thing about the whole event was that he didn't have to
see us at all. If he wanted to do more, he could've just given a quick
handshake and said, "Thanks for your sacrifice." But he didn't - he put
everything and everyone in his life on hold to meet privately with the
family of a Private First Class who gave his life in the service of his
country.

What an incredible lesson on service. If the President of the United
States is willing to drop everything on his plate to visit with a
family, surely the rest of us can do it. No one is above serving another
person, and no one is so lofty that he or she can't treat others with
dignity and respect.

We often think of service in terms of sacrificing ourselves for someone
in a position above us, but how often do we remember that serving
someone below us can be much more important? If you're in a leadership
capacity, take a good look at how you're treating your people, and
remember that your role involves serving the people you rely on every
day.

I've thought about this for the past few days since I read it the first time.  With the current political scene, we're told so often about what to think about President Bush and our country's efforts in the Middle East.  As his presidency nears a close, I feel very grateful for a leader who does what he believes to be right, no matter what.  He has certainly been criticized a great deal, but I wholeheartedly believe that he understands the full weight of his decisions and I respect him for taking the hard road.  Many parts of Lt. Col. Murphy's story show me that President Bush is simply not the man that the media portrays him to be.  The fact that he took the time to sit down with the Murphy family is really touching, but what touched me the most was the sincerity that the family felt.  I would guess that President Bush, in his travels, meets with many families of fallen soldiers to offer his gratitude and condolences.  The conversation that he had with the Murphys is likely a conversation that he has had hundreds of times.  But for the family to sense authenticity, sincerity, and know that he genuinely sorrowed because of their loss...amazes me.  I don't know what the rest of the U.S. will see as President Bush's legacy, but I am proud to say that, for me, his legacy will be of a leader that had that courage and integrity to make what he believed to be the right decision.  No matter how unpopular, or what criticism would come, or how his image would suffer.  That kind of leadership is hard to find, it seems like, and it makes me think a lot about the upcoming election and how different our two candidates are. I would take substance over style any day.

In Memoriam

Last weekend we purchased a rad new Toyota Sienna (room for all our babies!), and while I love it, I didn't feel right about posting pictures and news about it until I properly honored my old car, my wonderful little Subaru. And then...last night we got an email from Celine, the girl that bought the Subaru from us. Erik had emailed her to say that we found the spare key as we were unpacking and that we could mail it to her if she wanted it. She sent us an email back saying that with all the rain they've been getting in Fairbanks this summer, one day she woke up to this:
My poor little Subaru! When Erik was at the computer reading his email, he called me over to tell me the bad news. I sat down on his lap and he was like, "now, I know that this may be hard to see, but it's done now and we had 3 good years with it." Isn't that cute? He knows how much I loved that beautiful little Subaru.
If you wouldn't mind having a little moment of silence for the car...
...
...
...
...
Thank you. It was a good car for us, and just the right size. I'll need a period of mourning before I can officially introduce you all to the new car. Thank you for your understanding.
Oh, and I guess the one to really feel bad for is poor Celine. She had that car for a month before it met its untimely death. That's a bummer. You know, when I was working at Dr. Sonderer's office, we had a lot of senior patients. If one spouse died, usually the other spouse died within a year. Even if they were healthy, they just sort of gave up. Maybe that's how the Subaru felt. It missed me and just sort of gave up without me. That's really tender, actually.
Although still a bummer for Celine.

Smee

I have this awesome pair of jersey knit gauchos that I got at Old Navy for like $1.99. They are crazy-comfortable, and ugly as sin. When I was pregnant with Reid I would wear them around the house (just TOO ugly to be seen in public, even just to go to the mailbox) until one day I wore them with a striped shirt on top and I got a bad feeling that I looked a little too similar to Smee here. Well, chubby little pirate sidekick or not, today I am again wearing my hideous gauchos. I think I'm heading into the territory where comfort reigns above all else. So sad.

Out of order

The following pictures are not exactly in perfect order, but then again, that's a pretty good description for life lately. Things are good, and starting to feel a little more settled, but still a little crazy. Here are some highlights:
Heck ya. That would be us at the beach, the beach that is like 10 minutes from our house. It's a nice, mellow, relaxing beach. The temperature doesn't reach more than 75 around here, so the beach isn't quite like a San Diego beach or anything (thank goodness), it's just really beautiful and foggy and peaceful. There's always a nice breeze (thus, the crazy hair you see above), but it's so pleasant. Just about heaven. (I've had some requests for shots of the belly, and I don't really think you know what you're asking for, but here's one... sort of. I'm 23 weeks now, and these babies are picking up speed and getting bigger by the hour, or so it feels. But they are healthy and developing well, and I'm still feeling pretty decent, so...so far, so good.)
I think we have ourselves a little beach baby.
He loved playing in the sand. He was crawling all over, rolling around in it, sitting, on all fours, digging with his hands, digging with his feet...he LOVED it.
Erik's parents were able to visit us for a weekend, and we were so grateful to have the company, and the help! (We are the new owners of a sweet Toyota Sienna, but it seemed like we were at the dealership for forever! I don't know what we would have done without the help! More details to come.)

Again, these aren't in order, but this is from a fun family dinner in Midway a few weeks ago. Reid shares my excitement about being able to get good mexican food now that we're in the lower 48.
Unpacking. It was so fun watching Reid get so excited about all of his old toys. Since he hadn't seen them in a month, it was like they were brand new. And a box to play in? Life is good.

This is what our place looked like for a good week straight. Our packers did an excellent job wrapping things. So much so that we were swimming in paper. We're renting the home we're living in now so we can have some time to figure out where we want to buy, so we're keeping all the paper and boxes to move ourselves again in a few months. I should take a picture of what things look like now, because every one of those papers has been laid flat an put in a nice pile, ready to use again when we move. Oh, and check out the clothes laid out on the couch. When we moved in we realized a problem. Our dryer is electric, and the hook-up is for gas. We ended up going to Home Depot and picking up an inexpensive gas dryer, but for a week or two we were using other means.
Reid and Grandpa Olsen playing at the beach.

This is from the drive down. In the Redwood National Forest there's this place where you can pay $5 to drive through a tree. Worth $5? I don't know, but it was pretty cool to see.

From our trip to Utah. I love the little planes that you can walk in and out of. I don't think I will once the babies are born and Erik and I are each holding a baby while trying to corral Reid, but for now it makes me feel like Jackie O.
Erik took this shot of the Salt Lake City temple. I love that city, and the temple always manages to take my breath away. I love walking around Temple Square, seeing the sights, and feeling so grateful to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. In a special way, being near a temple always feels like home.
Another picture of enjoying a cool mexican restaurant in Midway. Erik's taking the picture, Reid has his eyes half closed, and Annie has a face full of food. Awesome. It was such a fun trip to be with family, Thanks Mom and Dad!

So, that's what we're up to. I intend to post a little more regularly, with little snippets of life here on the central coast and in the Olsen home. We're only about 3 months away from the arrival of our sweet baby boys, so things won't be settled for long. But that's okay. I like things to be a little crazy. As if you didn't know that already.