We're doing stuff, I just can't think of what it is.

Every day is full of things, but when I go to write about it, there's not much to say. Dan goes to work, Sam goes to school, and Afton and I run errands. Sam plays soccer, Afton dances around the house, Dan climbs rockwalls and trains for the marathon. I binge watch Alias. (Just finished. Glad it's over. Now I can have my life back.)

It's helpful to look on my phone and gets some clues from that about what we really do all day. Here are some phone highlights.

 Afton asked if she could wear one of my old dresses to church. Fit great! Just a little outdated...

Sam learned the age-old art of climbing up doorways.

I cut Afton's hair.

 Before:

 After: It was probably about three inches or so.

I found a really cute vintage sheet at Salvation Army with yellow tulips on it for $2. I made a skirt for Afton. I need to get a picture of that.

 Afton took some rockin' selfies.

 And dressed like Madonna circa 1985.

 We collected acorns on walks.

 Afton got shots. She also grew 3 inches in one year! She only gained three pounds during the year, too. She's thinning out, I guess.

 She helped me trim the bushes.

 And played at the mall. (This post is very Afton heavy, I'm noticing. It is now pretty obvious who I hang out with all day.)

We bought a new toilet for the powder room! Sam was always afraid to flush the old one because it clogged ALL THE TIME. This one had an issue with the tank leaking, but Dan fixed it and it now works like a dream. Come on by and see for yourself!

 We went to the DC temple last weekend. The weather was gorgeous. Traffic, however, was not. Three of the four lanes on 495 were closed for some sort of repairs. It was crazy.

 Thursday, Afton started throwing up. She didn't stop for a full 26 hours and then spent all of Friday sleeping, pretty much.

 Sam got his school pictures. I love them. They look a lot like last year but this time he's actually looking at the camera and he looks more confident. He really is such a sweetheart.

 Yesterday we drove by my favorite bridge.

 Sam's pegasus.

 Busch Gardens.

And that, my dear friends/family, is what we've been up to lately.

A comparison

Yesterday I hit 29 weeks. I went back to look at pictures from around that time with each of the other kids and wouldn't you know it, I was wearing the same outfit in each picture (and today). That shows a major lack of outfit diversity, but it's good for comparisons.

29 weeks with Sam (2008)

 29 weeks with Afton (2010)

 29 weeks with Blueberry

And each picture was taken in a different home. More updates to come!

12 Saturdays

A few weeks ago I was thinking about how we still had 15 weeks until baby boy comes. But then, I thought of it in terms of Saturdays. Only fifteen Saturdays. That means roughly fifteen Saturdays to do projects, get ready, have family fun, etc. Yikes! Now we are down to 12. Twelve Saturdays. I made a list a few weeks ago and I've been able to cross a few things off.

Paint upstairs hallway (Which you saw pics of already)
Hang pictures in entry way

(I thought it would be cool to find vintage postcards from the places we've lived together and mix them with a few other things I like as well as try to camouflage that lovely thermostat.)
Paint/update powder room (replace everything!) (We've picked out paint, got a new light, towel holder, TP holder and toilet. We just need a new pedestal and faucet...)
Fix drywall cracks in kids' rooms
Paint Sam's room
Paint Afton's room
Figure out where to put this baby!
Make baby pants (I got a steal of a deal on some fleece remnants at Hobby Lobby and made a few pairs.)
Buy carseat
Finish old entertainment center which we are turning into a wardrobe for Sam
Organize garage
Master bathroom redo?

As you can see, we've got a LLLOOOONNNNGGGG way to go (and I'm the one who made the list so I'm not sure if Dan's aware of some of these). So really I've got a long way to go. But Dan always helps.

Dan is currently working on the new deck and pergola, training for a marathon, and keeping his eyes peeled for when trees go on sale at Home Depot and Lowe's.

My aunt Lorraine passed away last Saturday after fighting pancreatic cancer. She lived in Santa Clara, Utah. I wish I could have been there for the funeral. She was a really sweet and thoughtful lady. As when other family members have passed away, I wish I had seen her more often and gotten to know her better. She raised six sons, worked as a nurse, and still had time to show the people around her that she loved them. When I graduated from high school, she sent me a care package. When each of my kids was born, she sent them each a present (Sam still uses the blanket she sent him). I have no idea how she was able to remember those things, let alone all of her own kids and grandkids! She had a beanie baby collection and before she passed, she gave a beanie baby to each of her great-nieces and -nephews, as well as every primary-aged child in her home ward, where she had been the primary chorister.

Sam with Rainbow the chameleon and Afton with Ariel the bear.

I am grateful for her wonderful example.

A friend of hers put this on facebook and I thought it was really nice.