Dad's Bday Celebration

Yesterday was my dad's birthday. Tonight we all went out to Carabba's to celebrate, although it felt quite incomplete without Whitney and Brad. Devin and I said a little prayer before dinner that Sam would behave at the restaurant, because he is one squirmy little fellow. He did a pretty good job overall. He stayed entertained with an episode of Thomas the Train on my ipod, looking through a photo album I brought, reading books, and coloring. That boy is busy.

Sam & Owen at dinner


Abbie and Mama D. Abbie didn't like the first picture I took of her, but this one she approved of.





We drew pictures of Brad and Whitney so our family photo would still be complete.


Other updates:

The offer that was put on our house last week isn't going to happen after all. The couple decided they are no longer locating to Surprise. We are trusting God that this is all part of the plan and that everything will work out in His own due time.

I am going to have baby girl in 25 days!!!! Although (and I know I said this with Sam and it proved to be untrue), I really think she'll be here before then. I am downright huge and feeling strange pressure and cramping that I didn't feel with Sam until 37+ weeks. I'll be 35 weeks tomorrow...so I guess time will tell.

Sam Loves his Daddy

An hour or so ago Sam crawled up on the couch to lay next to a sleeping Devin*. I thought this was a very cute moment, because even though Devin was asleep, Sam still wanted to be with him.

*Dev, please forgive me for posting this lovely picture of you:) I figured it was worth it for the sweetness factor.

The Plan

We're moving.

A couple of months ago I started feeling really strongly about our family's need to become more self-reliant. About that same time, Devin's wheels started turning that he was ready for a change too. We decided it was time to sell our house and for Devin to pursue a college degree.

We put our house up for sale a month ago, and just last night we found out we have an offer.

We realize that the timing is a little weird, what with a new baby arriving in just a little over 4 weeks, but we also feel that we are being taken care of by our Heavenly Father and that He is in control. Actually, we know that for a fact.

Our house is on the market as a short-sale, something for which we have gotten some flak for. Devin and I are grateful that short-sales exist. This opportunity is making it possible for us to see to some of our other financial responsibilities that we have been neglecting, and also to do what is right for our family.

So the plan: Short sales can take weeks or months. I made it very clear to our realtor that I MUST bring the baby home to our current house. She assures us that will happen.

Devin decided he wants to get a degree in forestry. If you know Devin, you know that is right up his alley. He loves the outdoors, loves camping, and loves every animal. I still make fun of him for his Myspace headline years ago that read, "I love mother nature." Forestry is offered at NAU, which means we are moving up to Flagstaff!

Devin is planning to attend Coconino Community College initially to get all of his prerequisites out of the way. So, once we know when we are supposed to be out of our house, we will head up to Flagstaff to look for an apartment/house to rent and a part-time job for Devin, all in time for him to start classes in January.

We know that this is the start of something good.

D-Day September 20

I went to see my dr. today and we scheduled my C-section for September 20! This is only 32 days away, holy cow. Devin and I are so excited, and we even think we have decided on a name (not definite enough to post it though, sorry). Another happy thing is, I have only gained 58 lbs. so far this pregnancy! Does it seem strange that I am rejoicing over 58 lbs? Remember that I gained 74 with Sam. Unless I gain 16 lbs. over the next month, (which is quite possible for me) then I will have gained less than my first pregnancy. That is a victory in my book.

My Gorgeous Children

Selena took pictures of Sam on Thursday. Selena has such an amazing eye and can make even the Arizona desert look beautiful. We chose to do them by train tracks, because if you know Sam, you know he is a little obsessed. I am so in love with the pictures she took. They capture Sam's funloving, on-the-go essence perfectly. Here are two of my favorites:



We got our 3D ultrasound redone yesterday. I love this little girl and I think she is so pretty, even though these pictures are very nondescript. I just love her round little face.

I can't wait to meet her. 6 more weeks!

King Family Cabin Trip

This past weekend my parents rented all of us a cabin for the weekend. My sister Whitney and her husband Brad are moving to Georgia on Monday, so we wanted to all get together before they left.

My cute family with the Rosie O'Donnell look-alike on the right. If you know me you know I refuse to smile normally when I am this big.

My cute Sam with his cousin, Owen

A Chip Off the Old Tooth

It finally happened. The event I have been having nightmares about since my middle school years. I dropped my fake tooth in the shower and the top of it chipped off.

Let me explain. I was born without 2 of my permanent teeth. One of the missing teeth is a molar, so I don't worry about it. The other is the next-door-neighbor to my front tooth. That one I worry about. I have had a fake tooth since middle school, and I got what's called a "flipper" (a mouthpiece type-thing with an attached tooth) a few weeks before Devin and I got married. This is a very nice fix to my missing tooth problem, except that it is not permanent and I need to remove it when I brush my teeth, which leads to the tragedy that occurred on Friday.

I am getting it repaired on Monday. Until then, you can call me Chip.





p.s.I feel like God is really humbling me right now, what with the 60 extra pounds, glasses (I have some sort of eye infection that makes me not able to wear my contacts, and now chipped tooth. Oh well. It's also kind of funny I guess.

Darn You, Bell rd!

what Bell rd. looked like late this morning
This morning I had exciting plans to hang with my Selena. She was dropping her car off at the Acura dealership and I was to pick her up at 10 where we would proceed to go to her house for swimming, etc. I left my house at 9:40, expecting to be a good 5 minutes late (since it is quite a trek from Surprise to the car dealerships near the mall). Little did I know that construction was still going on on Bell rd (Devin and I had been stuck on that same rd. 3 weeks earlier, but I was SURE construction would be done by now). It took me 50 minutes to get from my house to the car dealership, a trip that should usually take 20-25 minutes. Good thing Selena is a nice girl and wasn't upset by the long wait.

At her house (well, her parents' house), we put a naked Sam in the pool, along with Selena's darling niece, Lana. Sam and Lana are lovers. They kissed at least 5 times and were giving each other special looks. Here they are enjoying a romantic lunch together post-swim.


Now Sam has yet another friend whose name sounds like "banana." He calls Selena, his cousin Nina, and now Lana (and of course bananas) all "nana." Confusing but I'm pretty sure his 21-month-old mind knows the difference.

Barry Cabin Trip

This past week the Barrys (minus 2 families) went to Panguitch Lake, UT. It was basically awesome. All I did was sit on the porch the whole week and play old-school Mario brothers, but Devin and Sam were pretty active. Devin went fishing a lot and caught 2 fish. He made me try some and it gave me a stomach ache but I was proud of him just the same. Here are the pictures: (note: I am not pictured. I'm 31.5 weeks pregnant. You understand).