4th of July Weekend

We had a busy time around the 4th of July. First, we had some family come visit that I hadn't seen in about 15 years. We got together for an awesome bbq, went to Old Town and had a big family birthday dinner to celebrate Douglas' (July 2) and Jordan's (July 4) birthdays. Then on the 4th of July, our little family got together with some friends for another awesome bbq, some sword-fighting for the boys and an amazing view of the fireworks from their front yard. The weekend was jam-packed with fun.

My cousins got Claire this beautiful outfit so she wore it to the family bbq

They also got her this pretty headpiece

Old Town: Jared and cousin M pretended to be asleep, so Claire decided to join them

There was free face painting, so we decided to go for it. Claire was so patient and sat in the chair the entire time without moving a muscle.

The final product (she picked it out herself)

I decided to join in on the fun

Jordan turned the big 2-1 on the 4th

He got golf clubs for his birthday

My only shot of the 4th of July pigtails - one is red and one is blue

She decided this would be her chair for the day - just her size

I LOVE this other hairpiece my cousins got her - so beautiful!

Chillin' with Daddy

Douglas is on the left

Claire enjoyed the fireworks. She kept saying "Whee!"

Highland Games

We went to the Scottish Highland Games a couple weeks ago. Bagpipes and kilts galore! It was really fun, although we got too much sun (apparently sunblock and hats weren't enough) and poor Claire had a fever all the next day. She was back to her regular happy self the day after, though. Next time I think we'll go for a shorter period and spend more time in the shade. Besides that, we had a really good time.

Sweet Claire Bear all ready to go

Wicked Tinkers - this group is amazing! They are very entertaining and oh so talented.

They walk through the audience sometimes and will play in your face or sit next to you. The guy on the left came straight up to Claire and played whatever the heck that is right to her. It was great! What I would give to have a picture of that! I had my camera, but was at a horrible angle. I should have snapped one, anyway. Oh, well.

We sat up on a hill and had a great view of the parades. Imagine several groups of pipers and drummers all playing different songs and marching through merchant's row. It's quite a sight!

They had free caricatures, but Claire fell asleep as we were standing in line. We still got a really cute one, though.

She also spun the wheel at the boy scout booth - sound asleep - and won a patch!

30 weeks pregnant

Holy cow, I can't believe I'm 3/4 of the way done with this pregnancy! It has gone by really fast, much faster than my first pregnancy. I definitely feel very pregnant these days. I have mixed feelings about having this baby. He is very much wanted, but as he was not planned, I was not prepared physically, emotionally or financially before becoming pregnant. Heavenly Father knew I needed something like this to make me stronger and I definitely have become stronger through this process. One of the things I am looking forward to after having this baby is having my body back. I'm not talking about being skinny, although I would love that. I'm talking about after recovery, being able to walk normal again and not being in so much pain all the time. I look forward to meeting him and seeing what he looks like. I'm looking forward to breastfeeding again. I realized how much I missed the bonding experience after I weaned Claire. It's really a special thing. It's also going to be amazing watching Claire interact with him. She is obsessed with babies these days and loves to point out any baby she sees. She calls herself baby and also points to my tummy and says baby. Hopefully she'll keep that same enthusiasm when he makes his grand arrival. I'm scared of having two kids, though. I know that's hardly anything, but the thought still terrifies me. One kid is hard enough without adding another one. And then having to go back to work on top of it all. Plus, I'm really not looking forward to giving up sleep again. When Claire started sleeping through the night, I started feeling so refreshed in the morning and hardly ever have to take a nap during the day. Thankfully, I can still sleep well, although it is a challenge sometimes getting comfortable enough to fall asleep. Sometimes 10 weeks seems like an eternity thinking I have to be uncomfortable for that much longer (and it will only get worse), but other times I can't believe it's only 2 short months and he'll be here! Ready or not, I'm going to be a mom of 2 kids and I will probably have to rely heavily on help from others, especially Heavenly Father for the strength I need to get through this. When all is said and done, I'm grateful for the opportunity to be pregnant and to feel a human growing inside me. I love feeling this baby move and listening to his heartbeat. I love being a part of the miracle of life and assisting Heavenly Father in this great work - the work of bringing spirit children to earth. I know that this calling is so important and that I need to enjoy every minute I can because before I know it, my children will be grown and I will miss them so much. This is where I am meant to be and it is so worth it.

I'm not a huge fan of this picture, but it's the best one I have and it shows you my growing belly

P.S. This is my 300th post!

Offerings

Claire likes to leave random objects (which I call "offerings") for me in random places. Sometimes, it will be her diaper bag, other times it will be right outside our room. This particular day, she chose my shoes. She's never done it before and hasn't since. But, for some reason, she felt the need to use my shoes. And not just one pair. The first was in the morning and the second was in the evening. Silly girl.

Del Mar Fair

Yes, technically it's called the "San Diego County Fair", but it will always be the "Del Mar Fair" to me. We went a couple weeks ago on $3 Tuesday. I thought it would be really crowded, but it was only crowded as we arrived. It opened at 11:00 and we arrived at the free parking lot at 10:40. By the time we actually got IN to the parking lot, it was 11:00 and then 50 minutes waiting in line for the shuttle to take us to the fair, since we're too cheap to pay $15 to park right outside the gates. So, by the time we were actually inside, it was already noon, but that's ok. We had so much fun! The whole day went by so fast. We started out with a picnic lunch and then looked at the shops, saw the animals (including the pig races and turkey stampede), browsed photography, woodworking and home ecs, watched a little of the Bill Engvall show, bought dinner and of course had to try some more deep-fried food.

I love the fair atmosphere. The weather was cool and overcast, which was absolutely perfect!

Jared and his friend went on rides. They're up there someplace.

At 6 months pregnant, I have a hard time walking, so I rode in a wheelchair most of the day. Seriously, best ride at the fair.

Sweet girl

Claire loved the animals

What's wrong with this picture?

Outside the photography, there was a table with cards and markers to create your own masterpiece and put on the bulletin board so Claire and I decided to add to the creations.

This was an actual display in home ecs. Really?

Claire watching Bill Engvall

Jared got tired, so Claire pushed him in the wheelchair

Ok, the burger looks like a burger, same with the hot dog. But, the cold drinks don't really look thirst-quenching.

It was $2 taste day, so at every booth they had a certain food you could try, which was usually about half the regular portion size. It was really a great deal. I tried the chocolate-covered corn dog, which was... interesting.

My mom and I shared this ice cream cookie sandwich. Oh my goodness - delicious!

You can't go to the fair without trying something deep-fried. Ever since they started with the twinkie (which I tried and is delicious, but artery-clogging), I've tried something new every year. My decision this year?

Deep fried girl scout cookies - thin mints! They were very yummy, but my body took a while to forgive me. It was worth it.