August activities

I got a video camera for my birthday (March) and while I have recently figured out how to get my video images onto my computer, I'm having a hard time getting them onto our blog. I've gotta work on that. Don't worry, I won't put any scary birthing videos on here. That's a little too personal.

Speaking of birth, as you can see below, I am getting close. I am considered full term since I hit the 37 week mark. Things are coming along well. I've got some symptoms of PIH (pregnancy induced hypertension), but nothing to get really worked up about. The due date is Sept. 24 but I have a feeling we'll meet Zoe before then. August 29 was Ryan's golden birthday and as tradition would have it, we were able to spend it up at my friend's cabin in the mountains. It was nice to get away from the city and to have some quiet time to spend together. We realized that our alone/quiet time is quickly dwindling. My friend's dad was afraid we were going to have the little "gorkin" up there in the cabin, but all went well. It was a quiet, peaceful weekend and I'm grateful for the time I was able to spend with Ryan.

We went canoeing on the lake. If you've ever been canoeing, you know that when a canoe rocks, it can feel a little unstable. If you've ever been pregnant, you know that in the final weeks you can feel a little unstable. If you've ever combined pregnancy and a canoe, just imagine the instability you'd feel. I was a little nervous at first, but after intentionally rocking the boat back and forth a little bit, I felt better and more comfortable. Ryan was a terrific support too. We pulled over at a little beach at one point and had a picnic lunch. Couldn't ask for a more beautiful day.

One bit of excitement we did have was finding this little critter inside the cabin. I generally don't mind spiders (daddy long legs, small non-jumping types), but this one was bigger than ones I was used to seeing. We wanted it out of the cabin, but I couldn't see a point in destroying its life altogether, so we, wait, Ryan, caught it in a glass and let it get back to nature. My hero - thanks Ryan.

We made a feast out of hobo dinners. We also learned that cheese in hobo dinners doesn't go over real well. It melts too fast and then burns onto everything.

Last year on Ryan's birthday (before we were married), I snuck over to his house late at night and wrote some happy birthday messages on his car with shoe polish. I had been holding onto that same bottle of shoe polish in the hopes of doing that again this year. Why get rid of a perfectly good bottle of white shoe polish? I thought I'd sneak downstairs while he was in the shower and do a little decorating. I shook the polish up and as I opened the lid, the squishy spongy thing popped off. No biggie, I thought. I'll pop it back in place and get on with my happy birthday wishes. As you can see, the squishy spongy thing popped off again, only this time it did it as I was beginning my message. I couldn't help but laugh at myself. Looks like Big Bird had an accident on his car. It was the thought that counted.

As with other summer traditions, attending the state fair is another one. We found a treasure this year: mango on a stick. I can't even describe how magical that was. Mango. Enough said.
We refer to these sheep as the KKK sheep. Ryan got a kick out of that.

The same day we went to the fair, I had a baby shower. This was the yummy carrot cake. If you can see right about 1:00 there's a little pair of frosting booties. So cute! My friend Alicia and my mom put on this shower. It was great to see so many wonderful people there.

And the month is not complete without a trip to the temple. I'm glad Ryan and I are able to go to the temple at least once a month. It's such a blessing having a temple so close to us. Each time we go, we make a special trip to the back of the temple, near the oh-so-romantic generator and have a special kiss. It was the spot we had our first kiss and the spot where Ryan proposed. It will always hold a special place in our hearts.