because i want to put up a blog post today but have no energy to go through lots of pictures,

you get just one,

from nearly a month ago.
but i sure do love this pic

plans for the day:
go have lunch at casey's school.
laundry.
stretch for 30 min
continue to make my house a house or order
go to casey's football game tonight

happy wednesday.

bump at 30 weeks

30 down, 10 TO GO!

that sounds absolutely insane, INSANE i tell you!

as i was getting ready to write this post thinkings how far along i'll be friday, i got so many butterflies.

30 is the beginning of the last stretch.

i can't believe it's getting to the end.

i have SO much to do though.

i feel like my house is still in shambles.

there's so many more house projects to get done.

baby projects to get done.

baby things to buy.

decisions to make with the birth etc.

and time to emotionally get ready (sure i've had 30 weeks to do all that but i'm a procrastinator you see... i've also only lived here for a little over a month and been out of town for 2 weeks of it...)

pregnancy really has been great.

my back is usually always sore.

my acne has not gone away.

i'm excited to be able to sleep on my stomach again.

getting out of the car is a little bit harder than usual now.

clothes still fit comfortably enough.

other than that, i feel very normal and i know i'm very fortunate to say thus.

this morning i finally realized the baby was having hiccups, HICCUPS!

bah!

hiccups have never seemed so cute in my life before, loved it, and casey was around to feel it which was presh too.

doctors appts have been going great.

i get to see that little boy on the ultrasound screen every time and it's just so cute.

that's my baby right there!

this last appt, my doctor was trying to get his arm to move a little so we could see his face, and you could see on the ultra sound her hand push on my belly and push his arm, it was really fun to see (he didn't move and we didn't get any good pictures, every time except that one he's been a star on screen:)

so here i was last week.

both some where in the 29 1/2 week range.
i thought i looked ginormo in the BYU shirt pic, so i had casey take some other ones a few days later but now i'm like, "eh, i'm pregnant and that WAS what i looked like that day, whatevs..."

i know i'm getting bigger but it's less noticeable to me now, it kinda just is this big ol' belly that well...just is, ha.

and since casey is always my model for me to get my lighting right, i thought i'd include his this time :)

thus far my belly button isn't totally out yet but it's definitely not in, it's like flat with a little ridge on one side.
clothing wise, i still have quite a few non-matenity shirts i can wear.
i had already collected a few maternity shirts over the past few years when i saw crazy good sales.
i have quite a few dresses and skirts i still fit into nicely.
i borrowed a few shirts from my SILs while in AZ that i can now choose from.
and the jeans you see above, are my biggest maternity purchase thus far from H&M in AZ, very happy with them :)

missing husband.

so dropping casey off at the airport 2 weeks for him to go back to nebraska while i stayed was oober not fun.

it felt like the summer we were apart when we were engaged.

you see, we were engaged at the end of march and married at the end of november.

for 4 of those 8 months, casey was working in pennsylvania and i in utah at aspen grove.

those were 4 very long months to be apart.

at the end of june, casey flew back to utah for a family reunion and we were reunited for about 4 days.

best 4 days of my summer.

but returning casey to the airport that summer was the worst day ever.

tears.

tons of tears.

we both agreed that was the hardest tears we've ever shed.

sure, we knew we'd see each other again but we didn't want to leave each other.

this time i was yet again dropping casey off at the airport.

and yet again, it was tears.

i didn't want to  be apart from him for TWO weeks!

it was like he was dying!

i dropped him off looking like this
(he brought back an ottoman we checked in that large box:)

we facetimed and texted tons of course.

i had made casey a list called "kimber, i'm hungry" with lots of ideas for EASY dinner/lunch fixes.

after 3 days he sent me a picture of this:

he said this "this is what happens when wife is away"

i'm glad to be back with him (and feed him)

for my first morning back we made red and blue pancakes in honor of the BYU and nebraska games playing that day.

funny that i drew a Y and N...it looks like yes and no.

a shower

my super sweet SIL, megan, and my mom put together a slightly last minute shower for me.

it was seriously so fun to get to see a bunch of friends.

and they were all of course so surprised to see me with a pregnant belly.

it just felt so special having so many people who i really care about and love in my life here to celebrate with me and my baby.

sadly, there were pretty much no pictures taken with friends :(

here's some of the pictures that my cousin, danielle, took for me.

a few notes:
balloons make a party a party, am i right?
annalee helped me open the sweet gifts.
my aunt handmade a beautiful blanket and sent it all the way.
mini cupcakes are bomb.
a friend made a bahama bucks onesie and bib for me, how awesome?
fruit pizza is just the best.

 

i truly loved seeing all my friends.
that was the best part.
it was so crazy fun to open up all these cute little baby clothes that i got to keep!
mostly i've just looked at the cute stuff but not gotten to take it home so this was so exciting!

thank you to all those who came, you were so sweet!!!!!!

entertaining the chillins.

to pass a little of time with the children...

we played in the rain one morning
(rain in AZ=special occasion)

we went bowling after dinner.

went to the santan splash pad with megan, tristan, and evolett.
they're time was spent lying on the water spouts, squatting over the water spouts, or keeping their feet over the water spouts.

whenever my SIL, whitney, came over the girls always begged her to color with them.
phoebe always wanted to help you make food, real cute.
she'd see you doing something in the kitchen and say "can i help you?"

and the cookie monster fest continues...

annalee had her first dance class while i was there.
we took some pictures and phoebe, of course, wanted to be in the pictures too.
so we took some of just phoebe, some together, and some of just annalee.
she then followed with an emotional break down when annalee left for dance class and she couldn't...
so we watched dance class videos on youtube for 20 minutes :)

and the family all came over for dinner.
there's  a good handful of people missing, but it was still so fun.

 

other fun activities:
making hopscotch numbers and taping them to the ground in the kitchen to play.
painting in ziploc bags.
painting nails.
going to the park.
running through the sprinklers.
ice skating in the kitchen (aka cleaning the floor).

don't believe i'm always fun.
with being pregnant, waking up much earlier than usual, and constantly on the go with these girls,
i most definitely needed my down time.
one time phoebe and i played house, i was the baby laying on the couch, she the mommy.
she kept telling me to cry, so while i layed on the couch, with my eyes closed, i fake baby cried and then would ask for something "feed me, i want a blanket, put me to sleep, i need a pacifier, etc) it was a great 20 minute break :)

i was amazed how many times a cup spilt full of liquid, ha.
they always felt bad for doing it.
on the last day i was there and another cup was spilt (which nearly killed my iphone) i was about to get frustrated and then thought "oh man, this is truly funny how often it happens"

BYU

watching the BYU game tonight, i saw this video on a friend's facebook wall.

i really miss BYU.

WE REALLY miss BYU.

those 4 years were some of the greatest for us.

i'm jealous of friend's pictures/stories while they're at the Y right now.

we loved our time their together.

when i start thinking about it too much, i literally start to cry because of all my good memoreis.

moral of the story: if you're still going to the Y or in the area/atmosphere of the school, soak it in.

back to the corn

i am back.

pretending to be a mommy has ended and i am back in nebrasaka with my wonderful husband.

the past 2 weeks were really a great experience.

those girls were a lot of fun (and a lot of work:)

when i said good bye to them before i left for the airport tears sprang to my eyes.

i felt like i was just leaving these innocent little girls to fend for themselves.

sending them off to face the lions.

their mom wasn't back yet, i shouldn't be leaving them!

as i hugged them i looked into their eyes i saw them looking for trust in my eyes.

it was heartwrenching, i didn't want to leave them.

they told me they loved me and i them.

and then i watched them walk away prepared with a backpack of snacks and pullups.

it was terrible.

i'm happy i was there to help for so long and happier that hopefully they'll get their mommy back soon and back to a more normal life.

coming back to casey in nebrasaka was beyond wonderful though.

i missed him so much.

running into his arms and squeezing each other was just the best.

it was that type of reunion when you're smiling so much it's impossible to kiss.

i'm glad i get to have him be other half in parenting.

i am so happy to be back with him.

i edited some photos while on the plane and will post more of my time in arizona!

ps- it HAS turned into fall here! i walked out of the airport and immediately thought "it's so cold!" fall season means the last few months to prep before baby boy arrives!!!!!!

overheard

funny things i've heard while watching the little girls

i overheard phoebe say "i can't, i have a baby in my tummy"

annalee on the couch, opening pages of the book of mormon: "heleman went to get the gold plates from laman and lemuel..."

mommyhood by fire

so my sweet little niece, ruthie, is still in pennsylvania recovering from surgery on her pancreas.

i have come to arizona for a 2 week stay to watch over the 2 older girls.

it really has been fun.

they are 2 super easy going girls.

very obedient and polite pretty much 24/7 (except if annalee is hungry...)

things i've learned thus far this week:

1. white shirts are the dumbest idea ever. they will undoubtedly get stained.

2. even really tidy kids make big messes.

i clean the kitchen floor and counters like a majillion times a day.

3. if you actually think of something remotely fun/new to do they think you're the best person in the world.

4. they can eat like a million cookies but only like 3 carrots before they're full, weird...

5. the really will copy what you do.

here they were sitting on the couch with book of mormons open making me repeat what they were saying.

6. kids yoga is so funny to watch them do.

we are most definitely doing more of that!!!

this is the tree pose.

7. these little sinks at IKEA are the best things ever.

why doesn't every place have them?

8. while we're on the subject of bathrooms, being fully potty trained is worth the child's weight in GOLD. annalee is spectacular at it. phoebe is pretty darn good at it when she's at home and bare bummed, if not, there's no telling what it will be like. never really understood how parents remembered their children's potty schedules but now i KNOW to stay close to home during the afternoon hour if you know what i mean...

9. being a parent is truly exhausting. i now understand why other parents love when casey and i come over and play with their children for long periods of time. what a nice break!

10. mini vans are pretty darn convenient.

i'm cruisin in the honda odyssey and those automatic sliding doors open/shut buttons are the best things ever.

11. bananas are apparently the yummiest food ever.
i bought eleven  bananas yesterday before dinner,
tonight after dinner we have 2 and 1/4 left.
12. it's really funny the things kids will start repeating after you.
thus far they've really clung onto "crazy lady" and "not cool"
to my luck they ignore my crap/py, dang, and stupid.
i know, bad example on those, i'm working on it.
13. having visitors over is the best thing ever.
you'd think granny and papa and kirk and whitney were super heroes with the way they treated them

14. lastly, this moment of parenthood is GOLDEN

 
15. even more golden is getting them out of their car seats half sleepy as they cling to your neck, they half awake say "i love you kimber" and then pass them into their beds, back to sleep.

really, being with these girls all day is cake.
they're so easy.
i'm really grateful that my situation at this time in my life has allowed me to come help their family out.
lil ruthie's suregery went really well.
but she now has pancreitis (or something that sounds like that).
her stomach doesn't feel good at all, she's not eating normal, and throwing up a lot.
logan has gone for the weekend to be with blair and ruthie in PA so I will be alone with the girls til Monday night.
they facetime a lot as a family and individuals which helps everyone emotionally i think.
(even i get to facetime with casey about 2 times a day and it emotionally charges me).

i'm so happy i have this experience of being here with these girls and family!
hopefully i will actually write about more of the funny moments each day!

examples:

annalee got a cookie because she ate all her dinner.
phoebe had barely touched her dinner but she insisted she get a cookie too and NOW!
i squatted down to her level trying to explain how she could get a cookie and why it was that way.
i counted off my fingers saying "you can have a carrot, a cucumber, more potatoes, or cottage cheese."
so i have 4 fingers up.
she looks at my hands for a long time debating.
in my mind, i'm thinking i've finally gotten her.
she reaches out to grab my 2nd finger and says "cookie!"
oh that wee devil.
she did eat 1 carrot

when annalee and phoebe realized logan was with blair at the hospital through facetime,
annalee shouted at "you're in nebraska!?!"
they apparently remember me talking about casey in nebraska a lot.

annalle kept calling yoga, gogurt.

and this last one isn't really a specific story,
but every morning phoebe questions me "you have a baby in your tummy?
a big baby? because you have a big tummy."
i always ask her what should i name my baby and she always responds "boy"

that's it for now!
i must now continue my mommyhood training by going to bed early so when those girls wake me up at the crack of dawn, i won't be exhausted!

ps- i'm officially 7 months pregnant! wahoo!

sales

probably one of my most favorite things ever is going into a store and there's a screaming deal going on.

example: today i went to old navy, the WHOLE STORE WAS 40% off.

my search for the perfect sweater went to my search for every possible thing that could be an awesome deal.

i can always return it right?

fyi- people of arizona, it was the mills mall old navy. sale ends today 9/5.

more on my fabulous time here in arizona pretending to be mom later!