This is for my mom

This is what my stomach looks like at 36 weeks.

The count down continues...

I'm not the only one excited for the baby. Daisy is by far my most baby-hungry child. She loves babies. Whenever there is one at the house she is next to it as much as she can. She loves to hold them to and believes that all babies want their blankets.

She has recently started being a mom to her own baby. She's even happy to go to bed as long as her baby is with her.
OK, I know I'm biased because I'm her mom but I just think she is so cute! I'm actually glad we are having a boy next because I feel like I've maxed out my genetic cuteness with Daisy. I can't imagine another girl being as cute so it's good we are having a boy next.
Speaking of cute I had to show off the work my friends did for my shower. They made the cutest invitations that I've seen in a long time! I couldn't believe how cute they turned out! I also have to say that it feels weird having a baby shower. My last one was six years ago so it's been a while. I'm so grateful to those who are doing this for me. Thanks a bunch guys!
PS-In our baby countdown we have 25 days left and exactly four weeks until my mm hops on a plane and comes out. She will be wreck that whole day but she'll be so happy to hold Blake.

One more month

One month from today, if all goes well, I will be having my baby! I'm excited for a number of reasons that have nothing to do with holding a baby but instead being done with the annoying aspects of pregnancy.

1. The most exciting thing will be NO MORE PRESSURE HOSES!! I have to wear nylons everyday for my varicose veins and I can't wait to be done with them! Hopefully my legs go back to normal once the pressure from the baby is gone.

2. I'll be back to my normal self who is more motivated to get things done.

3. I can breathe while tying my shoes.

4. I will sleep all night in my own bed instead of going to the couch from back pain.

5. No more peeing at night or the hundred other times a day.

6. I can start watching the scale go down instead of depressingly up!

7. No more belly bands to keep my pants up.

8. No more fat jokes from my kids (they are always making fun of my stomach and butt)

9. No more heaving myself of the ground.

10. I will have my husband back!!! Ben takes his boards two days before the baby is born so he has been studying like crazy for them. His schedule is lighter this semester but we see him less because he goes to school and doesn't leave until 5 regardless of what his class schedule is. Then there are the nights when he does have to stay late at the clinic, then the nights when he is gone for Young Mens, then the Saturdays when he leaves to study for at least four hours...pretty much I'm excited to have boards over with. Only one more month and it is all done! And then to celebrate we'll head to the hospital and have the baby! I can't wait! One more month!

Kaylee's 4th Birthday

Kaylee turned four yesterday. We started out the morning with her birthday breakfast and presents.

Her favorite thing was probably the gumball-turned-jelly-belly machine. She just loves candy and I'm already excited for when it will all be gone.
I have to give thanks to my mother-in-law. Whenever there is some obscure toy that my kids want I know I can count on her to find it for them. This year Kaylee got a fairy cook book for Christmas however all the recipes called for using small cookie cutters. I let Peggy know we needed small flower and heart shaped cutters and she went over and beyond to get them. Kaylee got a total of 64 new cookie cutters in all sorts of shapes, including the small ones we needed for the fairy fudge.
And I have to say that I love how my mom does birthdays, too. She gives me a set amount of money and lets me shop. I love it because there are always things that I see that I would LOVE to buy but I can't because I can't spend any more money. But then I remember that I have to get something from my mom and so I get to shop without it hurting my budget. This year we found a ton of stuff on clearance for Kaylee that she had actually asked for. From my mom she got a Belle bath toy, some littlest pet shop animals and a tea set that she plays with every time we go to the store. (You can tell that they like the toys based on the number of fights resulting from them...we've had a ton of fights already over her new toys.)
The girls got dressed in their Pan outfits for the day. They loved it.
Kaylee loves play dough so the cookie cutters have been a hit. Do you see that pile on the table? That is not even all of them. There are a TON!
She had a good birthday, I think. She was only in timeout twice yesterday which is great for her.

Peter Pan Party

We tried to get a Peter Pan cake from the store but they didn't have one. This was the next best thing. Kaylee even asked to eat part of the hat instead of the flowers. She is crazy about Peter Pan.

For her party we made sugar cookies with her new cookie cutters. Then my friend, who is a balloon animal apprentice, came and made swords for all the kids. The plan was that they could have a fun sword fight while listening to the Hook Theme by John Williams. It didn't go as planned.
Kaylee got her sword but refused to fight. She didn't like when the balloons popped.
Daisy was all for the sword fights though. I got a cute video of her fighting Addie. She loved it.
Kaylee sat covering her ears while everyone else was fighting. She is my least social kid and this was just another one of those times when she didn't want to be included-even at her own birthday party.
She did love giving out the goody bags. We even found Peter Pan fruit snacks to give, cookies, jelly bellys, capri suns AND Peter Pan Peanut Butter!! She had fun but unfortunately she will need to retire her Pan outfit. It is getting pretty short and barely covers her butt.

Fundraiser again but this time...

This time I am going to work to raise money. The school is doing a math-a-thon and all the money raised goes towards the St. Jude Hospital here in Memphis. St. Judes Research Hospital is dedicated to fighting and curing childhood cancer. Not only are they the best childhood cancer facility around but they also provide their care free of charge for those unable to pay. We have a family in our ward whose 4-year-old has been fighting cancer for the last year. It is so humbling to see her at church (when she's well enough to attend). I can't imagine the hardship it would be to watch your child struggle against something that just happened. It wasn't brought on by a life of bad choices or unhealthy habits. It just happened to her. I always feel so blessed to have healthy children. So I am posting this asking you for pledges to Heidi in the math-a-thon. You can pledge $10, $20 or more. We have until March 17th to collect the money. You can either leave a comment about how much you would like to donate or, to keep it private, send me an email. My email is schtaylor@yahoo.com. Let me know if you need my home address so you can mail the check. Please help out. St. Jude's does so much good for so many families. Remember, I don't hit you up for money when it is something lame like cookies or cheap trinkets from a magazine. But this is a cause I felt worthy of promoting. Thanks!