Birthday Festivities!

This last Thursday was my 25th birthday and McKay did a great job spoiling me. In my family birthdays are a pretty big deal, we love to celebrate them for a full week if possible :) My mom's birthday is two days before mine so we usually combine and celebrate for a long time together. It was kind of hard for us not to be together this birthday, but we will have to celebrate in August when we get back to Utah. 

Thursday I woke up to a fancy breakfast parfait and these cute signs hanging from the door frames of our apartment. McKay had written and drawn things that reminded me of some fun memories. He also left with me a scavenger hunt to complete while he was at work all day. I love his creativity with things like this, it was really fun to do. 

That night was the first BBQ that I was in charge of our church out here. It was a little stressful since 2 different grocery stores were sold out of hot dog buns, but I bought some deli rolls and called it good. I was kind of bummed that this BBQ fell on my birthday, but I decided to have a good attitude and just pretend this was my birthday party BBQ. That night after we got home and put Lewis to sleep I was super hungry so McKay indulged me and let me order dominoes pizza at 10:00pm. My pregnancy cravings are much like a teenage boy: pizza, pop tarts, cereal, ice cream, chips, etc. I do a pretty good job at not giving in to them that often but it was my birthday and that pizza tasted dang good!

Friday after McKay got off work at 1:00pm we left on a surprise adventure to a cute little cabin on a lake in Connecticut. It was so fun to have a little over night getaway in a beautiful place. We stayed at this cabin through Airbnb which was way slick to use. We had been wanting to try it for a while because we had heard lots of great things. We will definitely be using it again! 

The lake was gorgeous and so clear. They had kayaks, canoes, paddle boards and a paddle boat available to use which was fun. We went on multiple canoe rides together out on the lake. We played in the water and on their little private beach area. That water felt so good on this achy pregnant body! Lewis found some trucks that he was obsessed with. McKay and I decided that we would love a lake house someday. It was so quiet and peaceful. One house on the water had even built a pirate ship that they had floating by their dock, it was awesome! 

We drove 15 minutes to a small town diner for dinner. We learned about the New England clam chowder and how they have three options at most restaurants: a red, tomato based chowder; white, the typical cream based chowder; and clear, a broth base. When we got back to the cabin the fireflies were out and it was so fun to sit on the porch and watch them light up the trees around us. Those fireflies really are magical! 

When we got back to our apartment McKay gave me a Reece's pieces ice cream cake he got from the store! I have always wanted an ice cream cake for my birthday. Sadly this cake looked a lot better than it tasted, maybe next year we should try to make an ice cream pie haha. 

Thanks babe for everything! You sure know how to make a girl feel special. 

Cheap Entertainment

Yesterday I was laughing at the activities that Lewis and I end up doing during the day to help pass the time. I decided that I should make a list of all the things we do that I would call "cheap entertainment." 

Follow the Roomba automatic vacuum cleaner around the house. It is especially fun when it goes under our bed and we can sit on the bed and see which side it will come out on. Lewis has a love/hate relationship with the Roomba vacuum. He thinks it super cool to follow around but if it starts coming towards him and he can't get away fast enough he kind of freaks out. We may have to buy one when we get back to Utah :) 

Watch cars drive by out the window. We live on the second floor so we can see everything happening on the street below us. Lewis loves cars right now and will sit up on a stool at that window for a long time pointing out every car that comes by. 

Go on walks. This is an easy but so satisfying way to spend some time during our day. Not only does it get us out of the house for a little bit, but we get fresh air and we get to explore the area better. I could honestly go on walks and check out these houses for hours. Plus I'm pregnant and going on walks is good to get my body moving.

Take a bath. Lewis loves water and getting to play in the bath. He has probably never been cleaner with all the baths he takes. He can sit there playing with the water and a few bath toys for an hour. 

Go for a drive. Sometimes when we are sick of sitting inside the house we will get in the car and go for a drive. I love being able to explore the area more this way and Lewis is good in the car. He has some toys he plays with, likes to sing along to music on the radio and will usually fall asleep for a good nap. 

Have a dance party. Turning on music and dancing around the house is a regular here. Lewis loves grooving to music and it makes me so happy to watch him. He gets this very serious look on his face while he shakes his body around, its great! Its another good way to get my pregnant body moving, I always prefer dancing to any other kind of exercise. 

Of course we also play with his toys, read books and watch some shows on TV. But it's more fun to document these unique activities that require no preparation. It always amazes me how much fun kids can have with random items found around the house (Tupperware containers, the broom, hangers), a true testament that we could simplify and not collect so many things. 

Our First Rhode Island Visitors!

I grew up in a family that loves roadtrips and is never really phased by how long it may take to drive to a new place. We did quite a few summer trips out to the east coast when I was growing up which I'm so grateful for. My mom and dad have instilled in me a love for roadtrips, getting to know new people and adventure. Luckily we have been blessed with two amazing Internship opportunities out on the East Coast and because of the way I was raised, I was excited to jump in the car and take off to a new place. 

We had lots of fun when my family came to visit us in New Jersey over Thanksgiving and I'm so glad it worked out again for them to drive out East and come see us in Rhode Island. They were here for a whole week so we got to go out and see quite a few places. The first part of the week my dad and McKay had to work, so the girls + Lewis chose some areas to see. Then the guys were able to join in on more fun later. 

A day was spent exploring some areas in Connecticut including Yale University (to channel Rory Gilmore of course) and Gillette Castle. I was so glad we went to the Gillette Castle, it seems to be a hidden gem. Thanks to my friend Julie for the suggestion. It was a cheap entry fee to take a tour of his brilliant castle up in the mountains. I would have loved to meet William Gillette who designed his own castle, he seemed like a character! 

We took off another day for the beach in Narragansett, RI. It was a little chilly and windy at the beach, but it was fun to chill for a while. Lewis and Campbell loved playing in the sand. He didn't even want to stop playing for a minute so we could take this picture together, hence why he is crying. 

McKay took us on a tour of Hasbro and everyone enjoyed seeing all the many toys they have created over the years. Then we went for a walk around Brown University since it is just down the street. These Ivy-League schools have beautiful campuses. Another hidden gem we found was the Culinary Museum at Johnson and Whales University. Again its a cheap admission fee and full of information, culinary relics and even multiple kids' areas with toys. I totally want to go back sometime!

One of the highlights was visiting Newport and seeing a few of the mansions there. Those houses are so immaculate and huge. I couldn't even imagine living in a place of that size. What's even crazier is that these were mostly used as summer homes for these rich people. It was kind of fun imagining what it would be like to be invited to one of their grand parties though. Newport is just such a beautiful place, right on the water. I don't blame these families for wanting a getaway in such a quaint quiet town. 

Our last day with the family was spent in Boston. We went to the temple first so the girls could do baptisms. McKay, my mom and dad went in as well; Lewis and I hung out walking the grounds and taking pictures. I love that it's done in the old traditional New England style. Then found this awesome taco shop for lunch, we will definitely be going back there after each temple trip. The rest of our day was spent walking around Boston following the Freedom Trail! It's a pretty neat thing to be walking these streets and stop at all these places where key events of the revolution happened. Boston is a pretty neat place and they have done a great job at keeping it true to the original style with lots of red brick buildings and cobblestone roads. 

My parents totally rock and gave McKay and I a night away while they kept Lewis. It was so nice to go have some time just the two of us. We went out to dinner in Little Italy and got to talk for so long about whatever we wanted. We laughed, got ice cream and watched a movie together. This just showed me how important it is to have dates away from the kids. I hope we will always make an effort to do things like this! Thank you Mom and Dad for letting us have some time together. 

Headed on a New Internship Adventure!

McKay was offered a summer internship with Hasbro and he couldn't be more excited! He has been thinking that he wants to work in the kid toy industry for a little while so this was a dream come true. He has been working for 3 weeks now and is loving it. It's so great to see him come home so happy each evening and know that this may be a possible job for after graduation next year. 

We are living in Providence, Rhode Island for 3 1/2 months this summer while he interns with Hasbro. It's fun to be on another east coast adventure. I honestly didn't know much about Rhode Island and had never visited New England so it's been fun to explore. It's so pretty and green out here! We have gone on multiple walks through parks filled with huge green leafy trees. 

We love how close we are to the ocean and can't wait to get out and explore beaches as the weather becomes even warmer. There are rivers that run right through the center of Providence and it makes the city so pretty. 

Today on our walk we were pointing out the cute colonial houses that we would love to live in someday if the opportunity presented itself. Housing isn't cheap out here but luckily it's free to dream :) 

Our Exciting News!

We just found out that we will be having another little boy join our family this coming September! 

I'm super excited that these two boys will be close in age and hopefully the best of friends. I was thinking a little girl would be fun but this will be so much easier since we have all the boy clothes and items already. 

So far this pregnancy has been pretty similar to my first. I started feeling the nausea around 6.5 weeks, although I think I am better able to manage it this time by eating regularly and laying down when I start feeling sick. I'm not going to lie, pregnancy is not my favorite thing, especially because it is SO stinking long. But this summer will fly by and we will have another baby before we know it! 

This was the picture we used to announce to everyone that we are expecting.

Repetition, Repetition, Repetition

My work schedule has calmed down and gotten more regular so now I work just two days a week. This has been so nice to be home with Lewis more and still get to work doing what I love. Plus for me I think getting out of the house and having more adult interaction helps me be a nicer, more patient mom. It's been a great compromise for our family.

When I'm home with Lewis I have been trying to play with him more and enjoy our one on one time. While we play I remember that kids learn from repetition. And holy cow it is a lot of repetition! He has his preferences of books to read, shows to watch and songs to sing. He could read the same book over and over for 30 minutes. I tend to get bored and try to sway him to do something else but then I have to remember it doesn't really matter. If he likes the book, reading it over is still teaching him something. 

Some of his favorite things to repeat are singing monkeys jumping on the bed, or the alligator who snatches the monkey from the tree. He is obsessed with books about animals, especially the one that makes noises. Another game we play often is hiding a toy and then asking where did it go? He puts up his hands like he is saying "I don't know," I love it. 

Christmas in Montana

McKay's parents moved to Montana this past May and we were excited to plan a trip up to see them for Christmas. We got plane tickets through one of McKay's internship so we decided to use them to fly up there in the winter so we didn't have to worry about weather. It was a great quick flight, Lewis did awesome. He has now flown 3 times, I'm getting the itch to travel in his veins early :) Kristen had a crazy flight situation and after a night of traveling to and from Seattle, she ended up on our flight up to Montana which was fun. Lewis sat with her for a little bit and loved peeking behind our seat to smile at her.

Since we had just moved back from New Jersey and hadn't started our jobs yet again in Utah we were able to be up in Montana for a whole week which was great. We had lots of fun playing board games, reading books, playing just dance, making food, playing psych on our phones, and talking. I seriously have THE best in-laws. They are just so easy to be around. 

They hadn't seen Lewis for four months, which makes a big difference in a baby's life. It took him a little bit to get warmed up, but he loved being able to explore a new place. He showed off with his dancing, smiles, animal noises and sign language. I love watching people love him, it is so fun to see our family love him just as much as McKay and I do. 

Christmas morning was so fun with Lewis. He loved ripping open his presents and playing with the boxes. I think he played more with his toys once we put the boxes away haha, typical one year old I guess. 

Kasie made Lewis the cutest quilt, I love all the bright colors and fun patterns. She is so good with quilting, I have so much to learn from her in the crafting category. 

One of the highlights was going into downtown Missoula to ride on the carousel. Each of these horses were handmade and donated to the community. It is a beautiful carousel and actually goes pretty fast. I'm just glad they enclosed the building it is in because it was pretty cold there. 

Kristen feeding Lewis an icicle 

The favorite thing though was getting to Skype with both our missionaries. My little brother, Mckay Skyped us from Indonesia on Christmas Eve. He is doing really well, it was great to see his smiling face and know that everything is going well for him. He is picking up on the language and just got his second companion, I can't believe that he has already been out for 6 months. McKay's little sister, Rebecca skyped us from Brazil and she was so cute and happy! It was just so fun to hear about her areas she has served in and see the light in her eyes. She laughed over and over as she forgot english words, it was great. She has now been gone almost 8 months. We are so proud of these two and the choice they made to serve a mission for The LDS church. 

Once again I am reminded how much better holidays are when spent with family. We had a blast and are grateful that Kevin and Kasie let us come stay in their home for a week.