Photo Overload

This past week has been really fun but tiring. It started early on Monday, I packed up my giant bag and drove to Kaysville to help watch my niece and nephew.  We did a lot of fun things:

We walked down to the ponds to feed the ducks.

Some of the ducks were overly aggressive and they stole the bread out of Avery's hand.

Avery and I made cinnamon rolls while Parker took a nap.  She was a very good helper.

Testing the sugar/cinnamon ratio

Waiting for the rolls to rise

Parker was a cute as always!  I can't believe how fast he is growing up.

We also made masks.  Avery requested a pretty mask and a scary mask.

The orange mask is the "scary" mask

Jordan's wife Lindsey came over for dinner and played "Pretty Pretty Princess" with Avery.

Avery dressing Lindsey up in ALL the jewelry!

I also worked a little while I was at my parents' house.  I'm designing "The Marvelous Wonderettes" for the Midvale Arts Council this summer.  The musical centers around four girls in a singing group.  Act I takes place at their senior prom and Act II is at their 10 year reunion. I finally put pen and pencil to paper to get the ideas out and visualized.  If the prom dresses look familiar it's because we're renting Weber's West Side Story dresses.  I can't believe I designed those four years ago!

ACT I

ACT II

I also used the time to visit Target to update our baby registry.  I noticed this set up and I thought it was funny:

Milk Duds and a breast pump...nice.

Last week there was a police stand off in our tiny town.  Apparently a young man was threatening suicide and the police blocked off the block.  There was even some news coverage.  I think it resolved itself peacefully.  I hope.

Road closures

News vans

Main Street

Finally, TODAY.  Our friends Annie and Rob were sealed this morning at the Logan Temple.  They got married last year, six months after Rob was baptized.  They were both glowing this morning.  Happiness all around!

The happy couple

We ran errands afterwards and I found the CUTEST measuring cups at TJ Maxx.  I had pinned them on Pinterest a YEAR ago and then I found them at a discounted price!

Happy Birthday James!

James turned 29 on Friday and he was happy to not spend the day moving somebody. Last year he moved us in to our current apartment and the year before that he moved me into our first apartment. (He joined me after our honeymoon.)

On his actual birthday I got up early and made him breakfast in bed:

I made too much sausage...

Later that day I made a birthday banner and started on his birthday pie (strawberry rhubarb.)

  I finished the pie on Saturday because I knew we weren't going to eat the pie until then.  James' birthday present this year was time in the recording studio with Mid 6.  They recorded that evening so I stayed in Logan and James went to Provo.  It wasn't ideal being apart but I was able to get a lot done around the apartment and take it easy.

On Saturday I had a baby shower thrown by the ladies in my ward.  I was totally surprised by the generosity of the women in my ward.  They were so nice!  My Mom and my Grandma Keller came up to attend the shower that morning.  It was a really fun shower.

The tower of diapers and wipes

James got home as we were unloading the gifts after the shower.  We went out to lunch and then to the water lab.  Because we were going to the lab right after James suggested we try Herm's Inn because it is on the way to the lab.  I was very impressed with the decor, it was so cool!  (The link is the architect's blog and it shows off some of the building and the food.)  Once we were at the lab James got to work and I did too.  I wrote thank you notes.  All of them.  It was a pain but WORTH IT.

I also rearranged our spare room and put away most of the gifts.  We sorted the baby clothes by size and I boxed up anything larger than 3-6 months.  I have no idea how big Mina is going to be!

Less than 10 weeks to go! Yikes!

Old places

James and I went on an adventure this past week.  It involved a house and an awkward conversation with a cute kid and his Mom.

Here is the backstory.  My great grandparents (the Andersons) built a house in Millville on land owned by my great grandpa's father.  The house was finished in time for my great grandma to give birth to my grandma, the only one of their 8 children born in the house.  She was their first daughter after three boys.

I love reading my great grandma's history and her feelings about having a daughter after three boys.  She was so excited and I know she had a special place in her heart for her oldest daughter.

 This is a picture of my grandma, LaRene, with one of her brothers.

My grandparents, shortly before their marriage, 1957?

The house as it looked when my grandma was young.

 And...

The house today! 

 I wasn't sure if it was the same house because it looked so different from the picture.  My grandma told me where the house was located and so James and I paid the owners a call.  When we knocked on the door I was still nervous about the prospect of talking to complete strangers about the history of their house.  A little boy answered the door and when we asked if his parents were home he replied that his Dad was at work and his Mom was in the tub.  We weren't sure about the truth behind these statements so we asked if we could talk to his Mom.  He left and we stayed on the porch.  

A few minutes later he reappeared with his Mom, whose hair was wet, she really was in the tub!  (I felt so bad because she was also pregnant...)  We introduced ourselves and explained our connection to the house.  I showed her some of the pictures of the old house and the family.  She was really nice and she gave us her number so my Grandma could talk to her about the house.   It was kind of scary to talk to a complete stranger about her house but I'm glad we did it!