Monday, March 31, 2008
Throughout the day I always think of several things I want to blog about, but when I finally sit down to do it, I can never remember what I wanted to say. One thing I know about myself is that when things are going good, I tend to be more anxious. I believe that deep in my subconscious I am mentally preparing myself for things to turn south. You know the whole yin and yang thing? You can’t know happiness without knowing sadness. After every good thing comes a bad thing and vice versa. However, after further contemplation I believe that my anxiety may be the yin that balances out the yang of the good things, as anyone who experiences anxiety knows it is very uncomfortable. No matter how I feel, I always try to stay optimistic, and therefore I will copy a few of my fellow blogging friends and post this list of things I love.

-The lovely smell of my new car


-The opportunity to be heard in the workplace.

-This Easter dress


-Compliments from friends.

-These curls


-Girls night out to the comedy club to feel young and vibrant.

-This new lotion for Micaela’s inherited dry skin and my stretching belly.


-Last, but not least, a hubby who has completed the “coming of age” right of passage by giving up video games. What more could I ask for?

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posted by Michele at 7:13 PM | 6 comments
Friday, March 21, 2008
That's right, we are having another girl!

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posted by Michele at 7:58 PM | 3 comments
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Lately I have been trying to do extra fun things with Micaela. As always, I deeply analyze my actions, and I believe I am doing this because on some deep level I am concerned about how Micaela will respond to having a sibling. This may seem trivial, as most people have siblings and have survived it somehow, but I am concerned about the adjustment a second child will be for all of us. Things are so easy right now. We have our routines and things work. Change has always been difficult for me, and I know change is difficult for children. I feel like having one child was a huge adjustment for us and I'm thinking having another one is still going to be a huge adjustment. As Caleb would say, if I don't have anything to worry about I find something to worry about.
Anyways, this last weekend we went to a luncheon with Belle. It was a little pricey, considering the food was quite small (I ate all of mine, most of Caleb's, and some of Micaela's!) However, I realize we paid for the experience and not the food. The girls were encouraged to wear princess dresses, which to me meant dresses, shoes, earrings, matching purse, and hair done. Micaela had a ball!

I love the serene look on Micaela's face as the little girl above her is screaming her head off!
Waiting patiently for Belle to make her appearance.
And here she is! She wasn't quite as friendly and charming in person as on TV.

She visited each table and handed our presents. This is Micaela's expression as she approached our table. Notice the measly portion of food!

After lunch Belle taught the girls how to wave, dance...


...and curtsy. You know, all of the important things for young girls to know. This is said with slight sarcasm...
She had a star painted on her face and glitter sprayed in her hair at a booth.
Right before we left she received a rose from Belle, which she had to smell immediately.

I forgot to mention that Caleb was one of about 5 dads who came. He was a little uncomfortable, but I gave him an A for effort. I told him this was just the beginning, we still have her prom, her wedding....

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posted by Michele at 4:20 PM | 4 comments
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Well I am finally starting to pop. I knew it was bound to happen. I am actually grateful that I am starting to move away from the awkward stage I describe as the "I'm not really fat, honest!" stage. I am now in the "can't you see my little bump" stage. I gave up sqweezing into my jeans and put on maternity clothes. I figured it was also time to let people at work know I am pregnant too! Here is the first baby bump picture.




In other baby news we find out the sex of the baby on the 21st. Caleb is so excited he suggested that after we find out we spend the rest of the evening shopping for baby stuff. I almost started crying tears of joy. The majority of people have guessed that we will have another girl. I think this as well, although I feel it is important to note that I would be happy either way! Having a baby is a blessing enough. The reasons I think it will be a girl are very unscientific, but here they are:

1. There are no boys in my family. All girls and not a tomboy in the bunch.

2. None of Caleb's brothers have boys. In fact, in Caleb's family we have 2 nephews, the youngest is 12 (I think) and 8 nieces (not counting step-children.) So girls are definitely predominant and the latest trend.

3. I have 12 girl cousins and only 7 boy cousins, once again a predominant theme. My father and his sister both only have girls, and there are no all boy families.

4. We have a girl, a very girly girl. Therefore, we know we can have a girl. Still unsure of whether we can have a boy.

5. During Micaela's birthday party we asked my family members and they all thought we were having a girl. The only person who voted for a boy was Katy's roommate, but she just met me that day so she doesn't count.

6. Auntie BreAnn was the first person to feel the baby kick, aside from me, and she said it feels like a girl kick.

I feel I should point out that Caleb thinks it's a boy, and I guess his vote matters a little. Any guesses?

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posted by Michele at 6:37 PM | 6 comments
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Micaela and I have been doing a gymnastics class together for almost a year now. It's been a lot of fun and she has come along way. She is the opposite of most of the kids in gymnastics. They are all over the place, jumping off of high surfaces and swinging off of bars. Micaela is the one who will wait until I can hold her hand to cross the balance beam because you can fall off, you know! She is getting a little bit more brave, and she recently moved from the parent/child class to the 3-5 year old preschool class. I was extremely worried it would be too hard for her and that she would be frustrated and feel left behind. However, she has surprised me and she loves it! She is by far the youngest, in a class where most kids will be in kindergarten next year, and she definitely can't do everything they can, but she loves it. I think her favorite part is the fact that there are more boys than girls in her class and she is a little flirt, always choosing to share a carpet square with a boy. She recently had a "festival," which pretty much meant that the kids were encouraged to invite family to come and watch a class. I thought this would be a great opportunity to take some pictures. Keep in mind the lighting was really poor in the gym and I am generally really poor at taking pictures.

Micaela posing with the punching bag before class.


When I asked Micaela if she was excited to go to gymnastics.



Her classmates waiting for the festival to start.


Jumping from the balance beam to the stars.



This is their vault. They jump on a springboard and have to align their hands and feet. Micaela always runs so fast and jumps so hard, and then pauses to align her hands and feet.



Sometimes her little bum falls a bit, and her teacher has to make sure she is steady.




Doing it over again.




This is called a candlestick. She is supposed to be lifting her legs straight up, but she finds this very challenging when on a narrow surface.

At the end of the festival the kids got a ribbon and a pencil. Micaela wasn't quite sure what to do with the ribbon, and later decided it was a "big sticker."

All in all I think she was just as excited about the festival as she was to go out to dinner afterwards.


posted by Michele at 10:00 AM | 1 comments
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Life continues to be crazy with very little time to blog. On a fun note, I was able to spend a weekend with my childhood girlfriends. Although I didn't go very far from home, just down to Provo, it was nice to get away. Besides anyone who lives in Utah knows the significant difference between Salt Lake and Provo. I believe they are worlds apart! We were teased by the workers at the nail salon, who asked if we had been skiing or up in the mountains. See that's not really our style. We tend to prefer spending money, pampering ourselves, and eating junk food. We did pedicures, massages, watched a play and a movie, went out to eat, stayed in to eat, and went shopping. I forgot my camera, amongst other important things, but I borrowed this picture, which is the only one I have seen of all four of us.

When I got home I found a surprise in the living room.


Yes, Caleb bought a punching bag, and yes it is stored in our living room. I understand that this is the only place in our small living space that this monstrous contraption can fit in, but it looks ridiculous. I approved this purchase without actually seeing it. Caleb wanted to mix up his workout and has always liked boxing, so he thought it would be a good idea to get a punching bag. I feel like we have a basketball hoop in our living room. So if anyone feels the need to relieve some aggression feel free to stop by and workout in my living room. Boxing gloves included.

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posted by Michele at 3:42 PM | 0 comments