Pot Pourri

It feels so good to get all caught up tonight and post 3 times in a row! Truth be told: I'd be in bed if I could, but I promised Dan this morning that he'd have clean pants to wear tomorrow and they are all currently in the wash. Why do I procrastinate everything?
Lucky you - I suddenly seem to have time on my hands to post this super random mix of stories and pics from the past couple of weeks:

After going down this slide many, many times on Dan's lap, Elena finally worked up the courage to go down by herself. She ended up sliding down it continually until it was time to leave the park. Look who is there to catch her at the bottom: Caleb!
This was one of those moments where you just think that your kid is the cutest one in the world. The other day, my friend Shelley dropped off some baby things for me to borrow. In the bag was a sling (Yay!) and some BellaBands. Elena was wondering what everything was, so I showed her how I was going to use the sling. A few minutes later, I look over and she had put one of the BellaBands on sling-style and she was putting her baby Liam inside. She is swaying back and forth in this picture, singing "Rock a Bye Baby." She was also saying "Shhh, shhh."
I am so lucky to have such a good helper and sweet girl as my oldest. She is going to be a superb big sister. (Don't worry, I'm not delusional - I know that there will be some major adjustments for her and me when little brother arrives.) Here is another helping pic. It's from last month in Virginia. Little Stinker is helping me wash the car.
Dan was asked to speak at an Eagle Court of Honor for Braydon L. and Aaron H. last week. We are so proud of them! The first pic is Dan speaking and below is a picture of Nick C. presenting them with their Eagles. The whole thing was in Aaron's backyard in the evening. Afterward, we roasted marshmallows, ate S'mores, and drank smoothies. Yum!
Rosie H. got married last weekend. She was one of the Young Women that I worked with when I was in Second Ward and I can't believe that she's married now! She is an amazing person. She looked beautiful and so happy! It was such a blessing to be able to go to the ceremony in Raleigh. Thanks Cianne (and Dan) for taking care of Elena for the day.
I am so bummed out by all the people that are moving this summer as they graduate/finish residency. Of course we are happy for them, but sad to see them go. This time of year is always so bittersweet. One of the families that we will really miss is the Tovey's. They are an awesome couple. They are both so sincere and generous and spiritually strong. Dan and I consider ourselves lucky to call them friends. We wish them luck in Missouri!

April Showers Bring May Flowers

Elena and I planted some petunias a couple of weeks ago. She was actually a big help, and she was very gentle with the small little plants. We laid them out kind of randomly in the front flower beds and then went to work digging and planting. Here is what it looked like when we were done:
I think that Elena's favorite part was watering the flowers.
Hopefully, I'll have room in the budget/time to run out and buy some mulch soon. You've probably noticed that the red clay that we have here instead of dirt doesn't look so great.
She was a very happy girl once she discovered that she could drink from the hose.
Going along with the theme of flowers: Elena made this flower pin at the Children's Museum. It was supposed to be for me for Mother's Day, but she was so excited about it that she decided that she should wear it too. :) I love taking her to the art room there because I don't have to set up or clean up the projects. It's great!
As another side note - I had a great Mother's Day. Thanks, Dan and Elena. I also really enjoyed talking with my mom and Dan's mom. We are so lucky to have been raised by such exceptional women!

Belly pic

The other day I was thinking about how I only have one or two "belly pictures" from when I was pregnant with Elena because I would never remember to ask Dan to take one. Well, I figured as long as I was thinking about it, I should take matters into my own hands. Sure I probably could have used a self timer (or tried turning the flash off), but this quick pic in the mirror was hassle-free.

Me and baby boy at 33 weeks:

Now you know how big I look even if you don't live here. :) Do you think it's possible for me to stay the same size for the next 7 weeks? I'm nearly as big now as I was when Elena was born. I'm going to keep my fingers crossed for no stretch marks!

Btw, I love this shirt, Becky - thanks for letting me borrow it!