Horsham, Pennsylvania

This last Saturday we planned a winner. Walmart, playground, Chick-fil-A. In a desperate effort to avoid an accident (Megan, not Natalie), we decided to find a Chick-fil-A outside of the mall food court in hopes of finding a play place. And that's how we found ourselves in Horsham.

Let me just say that the city we live in is not the biggest in the world, but it is the biggest and most highly concentrated place I've ever lived in. There are a lot of buses and sidewalks and gas stations, and you can find grass only if you look for it. The drive out to Horsham got better and better. Slowly there weren't any sidewalks and the buildings were replaced by green fields. The roads widened out and there were fewer and fewer traffic lights. And then like a shining beacon of realized dreams, we found the Chick-Fil-A, complete with play place, bathroom, and as a bonus, a Red Robin across the street.

We beat the lunch rush and found a great seat by the window where we could see at least 50 yards of grass (!) and watch the very occasional car pass on the distant road. Our food was hot and ready in record time, and was complete with a large peach milkshake. How could it get better?

By an employee bringing us a second milkshake for free of course!

It turned out that the play place was too big for Nat - she couldn't climb up the stairs to go down the slide. But apart from that, I think Sam said it best when he likened our experience to the cleansing, freeing feeling you get after going to church. But seriously! It was just wonderful to be out in the country again and feel the space that's there and drink not one, but two delicious milkshakes.

Oh, and as a side note, I feel pretty confident that I've heard of Horsham before, but I can't remember what for. A google search revealed that Horsham was voted 15th best place in the USA to live in 2007. That must have been it.

Family pictures

Our sweet friend Katy in our old Rexburg ward is a fantastic photographer and did some family pictures for us before we left. Michelle asked me how I felt about taking pictures while pregnant, and I boldly stated that I felt no shame or self-consciousnes in doing it, and why avoid it if it's such an integral part of the early days of your family, etc. And then I saw all the pictures. Haha. It confirmed a lot of fears and sneaky suspicions I had about what my body looks like right now. I'll never do it again is what I'm trying to say.

As a general rule, if I'm not in it, I love it.

Washington D.C. temple trip

The first full week that we lived in Pennsylvania, we took a trip down to D.C. to visit the temple there before it closes for a few months. Amber and Camden watched Natalie for the day and Sam and I made the two hour drive down to the temple. The drive really made us realize that we took our Rexburg temple for granted. It was one mile away, literally, for five years!

I wish I had the foresight to have my phone ready to take a picture when we first glimpsed the temple across the highway in the trees. It was breathtaking.

We were the only ones who didn't bring our own family names to do.... shame. We'll have some next time for sure. We did sealings for a while and then went and sat in the celestial room together. It was so special to be there where Mom and Dad were sealed. It was easy to think about eternity and be grateful that families are forever. And yes, I was misty like the entire time.

Also, the temple is HUGE! Seven floors!

Sam spent about thirteen years of his growing up within five minutes of the D.C. temple. He remembers that it looked just like a castle and always wanted to go inside. After we left, we hit up parts of his old stomping grounds and ate at Continental pizza. While it wasn't the tastiest pizza I've ever eaten, it was the most sentimental. That counts for something, right? Then we drove around and looked at the two houses he lived in in the area, the tennis court where his sister was bitten by a dalmatian, where he used to sit on the railroad tracks with his friends, and the front porch where he caught on fire. Good times were had.

A spoon parade is in order!

We have a big girl on our hands! Natalie has officially slept in a big girl bed for  5 naps and 4 nights. My baby is growing up!

And this. We went to a birthday party. I think she liked it.

Oh yeah, and I'm having a baby.

With five weeks to go in this pregnancy, I guess I should probably say something about it. Basically, it's been a breeze. Everything has been very routine, with no surprises whatsoever. Hooray! My feet hurt at the end of every day. My hands and feet and ankles haven't swollen at all compared to last time, hallelujah. As a general rule, sleeping hurts. My hips and knees and back are just creaky and sore all night. In other news,  I've also managed to not gain ten million pounds, believe it or not! Only like, one million pounds. Actually twenty if you really want to know.

Compared to last time, this pregnancy has really been on the back burner. With Nat, it was all we ever talked about or thought about. And now I don't have any more brains to think about anything. Ha. But really, life is a lot busier with one kid than with no kid, and between that and school and work, this little guy doesn't get quite as much as attention as Natalie in utero (sorry, too graphic?).

He's very active in the mornings and after supper until bedtime, with a LONG nap in the middle of the day. Maybe that's how he'll be when he comes! He likes to nestle his heels right in the top and center of my tummy and dig them in, probably causing severe internal bruising and definitely causing slight external soreness.

Names. Boy's names are SO much harder than girl's names. But we finally have a list! We have gone from zero options to about twenty and have it down to five. Sam would say three, but there's still technically five on the list. Hopefully we're not stealing anyone's favorite names for their kids (ahem, Bri), but we've got some pretty good options I think. And I'm not telling!

Yes, I've found a doctor for all of you concerned sisters of mine. My first appointment is August 17th. They're located right on the first floor of the hospital I'll be delivering at, which is 4 minutes away from where we live. Convenience at it's finest.

We bought a bag of newborn diapers and set up a second crib in Nat's room this week. I guess this is really happening!

We moved!

We did it! We moved from our quiet, cozy Rexburg to Roslyn, Pennsylvania, not far from the Philadelphia border. Let's me just state for the record that moving is probably the most inconvenient and just plain annoying thing I've ever done. From the packing and cleaning, to the displacing of our whole family into other people's houses (thanks Shell and Ams!), and to add to the list of annoyances, Nat got Fifths disease in the midst of it all. Not something I'd like to do again anytime soon, thanks.

Pulling up to our new apartment was underwhelming, to say the least. It looked a little run down and crowded. Our apartment was older than I expected and it was dirty. And then the smell. WOW the smell. It was SO BAD! A mix of mold and stinky people and maybe something dead. I called Mom in tears that night because we had just moved our little family into a dumpster where we were sentenced to stay for the next two years. She told me to go to bed and call her in the morning. Wise advice. Everything was a little brighter looking after a good night's rest in my own bed.

Sam saved the day with several fresh linen scented air wicks, and after a good scrubbing it wasn't too bad at all. And it starts to feel more and more like home with every 'first' we get through - first time making cookies, first time dropping a scrambled egg under the burner, first time the bathroom got stunk up, first time for family movie night, etc.

Our ward is just WONDERFUL. Four or five guys showed up and moved us in in about twenty minutes, and then one of their wives dropped off supper for us later. It's nice to see old people again on a regular basis, and there are more than two kids in nursery! There are actually fifteen kids. Natalie loves it. Everyone is really friendly and welcoming. The sameness of the gospel is a really great blessing and comfort when nothing else in our whole lives is the same.

Natalie's room. By far, the most finished room in our house. Also the biggest I think.

On a walk around our complex - getting the lay of the land. It's hilly.

From the front. Well, the front of our apartment. Ha.

"Ours!" says Natalie every time we come home.

The view from one of Natalie's windows. Yes, that's the free community garden we'll use next summer!

More pictures to come! I think we're going to be ok!