this last week.

Monday: Happy 4th!  Although we didn't see any fireworks, we bought a hand full of flags and put them all over our front yard.  The kids loved it!  This past weekend, we got ready for baby sister...Cleaned out the garage (so I could park the car in it), got the crib all set up (pics to come), cleaned/scoured the house and had friends over for a bbq dinner!  And to end the day, my sister and Terrill stopped by on there way home for PA!  I'm so excited she's back....I love having my sister close...I got to see her prego belly...22weeks..I'm so happy for her and can't wait to see her as a mommy:)

Tuesday: I wanted to get my visiting teaching done before this baby comes, so I got a baby sitter for the kids and saw all 3 of my sisters in the morning.  I had such a great visit with each on of them.  It was so nice not having the distraction of the kids and really being able to feel the spirit and friendship I had with each one.  I was driving home after the third visit and feeling such gratitude in my heart for the power and influence we have in doing our visiting teaching.  I love the relationships I've developed with each sister and have such a testimony of visiting teaching and the friendships we develop in the gospel are so important and needed!  And I have to say, it was also a nice break from my little ones:)

Wednesday: My dear friend Sister Z came over and we worked on the bumper she is making for her oldest daughter who is expecting...It was fun being able to help someone do a project.  I figure I won't be able to do service for a while, so it was nice to help someone create!

Thursday: With my physical limitations lately, poor Tessa and Hudson have been cooped up in the house a lot more lately and I'm sorry to say...going a little crazy because of it.  I was having a rough morning, so I decided to chance it and call my Auntie down in Campbell to see what she was up to for the day.  Thankfully, she was in pretty good health (she gets chronic headaches) and ready to play!  I was a little hesitant with it being so close to my due date and driving an hour away, but I didn't care!  The kids and I needed to get out of the house!  So we headed down there and ended up having a wonderful time!  She has a pool, so we played in the pool and lounged around the backyard all afternoon.  She spoiled us by buying a bunch of fun pool toys and floaties for the kids and had a wonderful array of fresh fruits to snack on.  I was in heaven...it was exactly what the kids and I needed and I'm so grateful we went.  My and aunts and I had a great time together and I hope even after the baby comes, we can still go down there and enjoy some relaxation by the pool!

Friday: I helped Sister Z with her bumper.  Towards the end of our creating, I was having some major cramping.  So I went and laid down for a while.  Sister Z, bless her heart, cleaned up all of the rooms, scrubbed my dinning room floor and helped the kids...It was so nice of her!  I'm so excited for when the baby comes, she's planning on coming over before my mom gets here to help:)  When Sister Z left, Tessa said, "I love Sister Z!  I love her clothes, I love her voice!"  It was so cute.  She has a really soft soothing voice, and I thought that it was really interesting that she noticed that.  That is something I really struggle with.  I have always had a tendency to yell, and raise my voice.....to react right away.  And I know I've contributed to Tessa's loudness....It's something about my personality that I really want to work on and change.  So when Tessa said that, it was really apparent to me that is something that I really need to work on even more.  I need Sister Z around more often!

Saturday:  I ended my week with a family baby shower on Saturday at my house.  My sister, Aunt Krista, my cousin Rachel and my Grama Barbie came over for lunch!  It was so fun.  I put Jay in charge of the kids and we had a relaxing lunch on the front porch.  I didn't expect anyone to bring gifts because I wasn't calling it a baby shower...I just wanted to get together with the girls in the family and have a nice afternoon together.  But to my surprise, everyone brought gifts!  It was so sweet of them and I really appreciated it:)  I got some really cute outfits, a crib sheet, bibs and blankets and a "my breast friend"...similar to a boppy.  We had my favorites for lunch, bbq pork sandwiches, shirley temples, fruit salad and macaroni salad.  Yum!!  And to boot, Jay bought a beautiful bouquet of sunflowers from Costco that we got to enjoy as well!  It was a lovely lunch and so much fun being with my family:)  Then Miss Lara and I went and got pedicures together downtown.  I splurged and got french tips and flowers with pink rind stones on my toes...I figure, since I'm giving birth soon, I want at least my toes looking pretty!  I had a great time with Lara and look forward to many more pedi's with her!

Today:  Usually Sundays are a bit rough for me.  They normally go something like this: Get up.  Eat breakfast.  Kids run around crazy until Hudson's nap time.  We try to put Tessa on quiet time...but since daddy's home...it usually doesn't work. Run around crazy getting ready for church.  Go to church.  Barely survive Sacrament Meeting... Come home exhausted and grumpy.  Yes, I know this isn't an ideal Sunday picture, but I know this is just a phase in life with small children and will hopefully get better over the years!  But this Sunday, today, I really wanted to enjoy it as much as possible since I know I will be out of commission for a while.  It was nice to actually concentrate during the Sacrament, thanks to Jason's help, and I really enjoyed all three meetings too.  At one point, I was sitting alone during Sacrament meeting because Tessa was sitting with another family and Jay had Hudson in the hall, so I really could listen!  Such a great little gift!  Then, when we got home, I was super tired.  I walked straight to our bedroom and fell asleep.  I usually could never do this.  Normally, I would lay there and feel guilty that I wasn't watching the kids and helping Jay, mother's instinct stuff I guess.  But today, I figured I deserved the break and let it all go...I fell asleep quickly and thankfully it was a nice peaceful sleep.  I was out for an hour.  When I woke up and came out to see the fam, Jay had already fed the kids dinner.  It was great!  We took a nice Sunday drive through the vineyards, where Hudson fell asleep and then came home.  I'm grateful for Sundays, even when they are crazy.  I love being with my family and knowing that at least one day a week, we get to be together, rest from our labors and enjoy feeling the Spirit at church and in our home:)

I thought about my dad a lot today too.  I miss him so much.  I had a dream about him the other night.  He was holding a little girl (around a year old) with light brown curly hair.  I wonder if it was baby sister he was holding...Either way, it was nice to dream about my dad.

I'm so excited to meet our little girl and feeling very ready to deliver.  I mean, I'm feeling very calm and peaceful about the whole experience and ready to do this!  Hopefully, she'll come sooner than later.  And my mom already got her flight to come visit. She arrives on the 21st!  Only 11 more days until I see her!