The Birthday Train

For Haken's 3rd birthday we rode the Front Runner train down to Salt Lake from Ogden and spent the day there. Haken liked it so much that we decided to do it again this year for his 5th birthday. This time it was also fun because Jack was with us (although he was last time, just in the womb instead). We went on the 1st of June, not Haken's real birthday of the 13th, but close enough. With all the preparations for the baby coming I decided it was better for us to go earlier in the month. I don't think he minded celebrating early. 

We boarded the train at 9:15 AM. I think we only had a few minutes to spare when we got to the train station in Ogden. It was important that we got on that train because the next one didn't leave for another hour. 

I thought that maybe riding the train would not only be a fun activity, but also save on gas, after calculating fuel costs I found that it actually ends up being $2 more for us to ride the train down for the day. Although the kids are so much happier not be strapped into a car seat and Shad and I can sit and relax instead of being annoyed with every driver on the way down.

Here are a few pictures from our ride....don't mind Haken who thinks he needs to make a funny face or pose in every single picture lately...

The goofball himself

Jack loving the train. The first 5 minutes he wasn't sure,
but he warmed up quick.

Riding with Daddy

Both wanting a window seat to themselves

When we got to Salt Lake we rode the TRAX line down to the Gateway mall and met our family there.   Grandma & Grandpa Evans, Jenni, Cam, Lisa, Taylor, Riley, and Grandma & Grandpa G.G. ate lunch with us at Rumbi Grill and then we went to a 3D IMAX movie at the planetarium about animals in the arctic. Haken was fascinated with the whole thing. It was his first time at a 3D movie as well as mine. It was pretty cool, especially on an IMAX screen. Jack didn't want to wear the glasses, but sat relatively well for it being his first movie and during his naptime.

Sporting the 3D glasses with Grandma, Taylor, and Jenni

After the movie the boys changed into their swimming suits and we went and met cousins Grady and Amelia at the fountains. It was a perfect day to get wet and the boys loved it. Jack especially loved to stick his face right up to the hole and let it squirt him. Daddy also got pretty wet running around with Jack

Getting splashed in the face

Showing me how wet he is

Pure bliss

Cousin Taylor 

Getting warm with grandma

All worn out and ready to go

We were glad that grandma brought her car so that we could hitch a ride back to her house for dinner. Cousins Grady and Amelia came to dinner with us. I don't think I saw Haken for more than 5 minutes the whole time we were there because he was having a blast in the basement with Grady. The necklaces they are wearing are portable swords that they made. They can be straightened out to use at a moment's notice. We should really get together with them more. Haken had so much fun.

Sitting at the big boy table (this lasted about 2 minutes for Jack)

Waiting for his presents

Showing me how old he will be

Present from Grady and Amelia

 We were glad that Grandma and Grandpa brought up his birthday present (his new bike) early so that we could board the train a little easier on the way home.

At 8:00 grandma drove us down to the station by her house so that we could board the train back to Ogden. Once again we barely made it there in time so we didn't have to wait another hour, although we did have enough time to snap a picture at the station before we got on.

We made it to Ogden by 8:45 and got home around 9:30. It was a pretty exhausting, but fun day together as a family. This may become a tradition and we could head down for every birthday. Maybe next time I will make daddy take a few pictures so that I can be in a few...

Haken thinks that the best part is that he still has one more day to celebrate before his birthday is officially over. We sure do love him! I'm glad we can make him feel special all month because he really deserves it!

Jack loves Grandma

 It has been so fun lately to see Jack go to people he recognizes. He still has a bit of "stranger danger" but only for a little bit. He has really come to love his grandma Evans. Last weekend we stayed the night there. He followed her around everywhere and loved being with her. He especially loved the root beer float that she was willing to share with him. That is love if you ask me, he does some pretty serious backwashing through a straw. So glad that we have a grandma close enough that he recognizes her and even runs to her when we see her.

34 Weeks

Today I am 34 weeks! I really can't believe that we are this close to meeting our little GIRL! If she comes as early as the boys, she could be here in 3-4 weeks. Really no longer than 5 weeks since the Dr. will take me at 39 weeks. That is just a little bit scary for me. I made a "To Do" list for the next month and I'm getting nervous that I won't get it all done in time, especially with my lack of energy some days. Although, there have been a few days when my body must know it's nesting time and I get a lot done, like staining our front bench outside and painting the shutters all in one day! I know, I'm crazy! 

Her room is all ready to go with all of her dresses hanging in her closet (such a weird thing to see!). We moved the boys in together a week and a half ago, which has actually been a welcomed transition for both of them.

I had my appointment with the Dr. yesterday and everything looks great! Still measuring a bit small, but he's not worried. I had my Group B strep test which I'm pretty sure will come back positive since it was with Jack. The next appointment is in 2 weeks in which he will do an ultrasound to make sure she is positioned right. Who knows, maybe that will be my last one...

How far along?  34 Weeks

Total weight gain: 26 lbs.

Maternity clothes?  Oh yes! 

Stretch marks? Nope

Sleep: Woke up the past few mornings at 6:00 for some reason but sleeping great otherwise. I haven't even had to use my body pillow this time around.

Best moment this week: Going through the boxes and boxes of girl clothes my friend gave me (SO grateful for her!) and hanging them up in the closet. I can't wait to dress up a little girl!
Funny moment this week:  Getting my pregnancy T-shirt from my brother and sis-in-law in the mail for my birthday (see picture below) Best present ever! Thanks!

Miss Anything?  The energy I used to have.

Movement: I always feel her on my right side, never on my left. Doctor said she must have her back turned that way. She is a serious mover. Sometimes I feel like my belly is jello.

Food cravings:  Licorice 

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope...well...maybe the thought of having to get off my butt to make dinner. Kind of getting tired of that lately.

Gender: GIRL!

Labor Signs: Not really, just braxton-hicks contractions

Belly Button in or out?  How about "flush"? I keep waiting for it to pop out.

Wedding rings on or off? On, unless we just went for a walk out in the hot sun, then they are stuck.

Happy or Moody: Pretty moody, especially towards Shad. Poor guy. He is really getting a double dose of estrogen lately. I swear it was not this bad when I was pregnant with the boys.

Looking forward to: Not having my belly bump into things all the time and not having my clothes cut me in half at the waist when I sit down.

34 weeks

My Birthday shirt. "Bake at 98.6 for 9 months.
Remove very carefully with salad tongs."

Day of many Celebrations

The 24th of May was an eventful day for our family. It was my 27th birthday and Haken's preschool graduation. I was glad that I could share my day with my BIG soon-to-be kindergartener. After you get past 25 it's nice to have something to distract you from remembering how old you are getting...although having a kindergartener doesn't make me feel any younger!

Grandma and Grandpa Evans came early before the graduation and brought Haken an early birthday present....A NEW BIKE!!! He was pretty excited about it...especially the fact that it still had training wheels like his last one. We will be working on getting them off soon...

One happy little boy!

On his maiden voyage in front of the house

Jack had to test it out for himself.

Before the graduation we enjoyed a yummy Mexican dinner at "El Parral" here in town (everyone should come to visit Tremonton just to try out that place). Thanks to Grandpa for treating all of us!

The preschool program was so cute. Mrs. Francom has done such a fabulous job with Haken this year. I heard that she was good, but I didn't really realize how much Haken would learn in only a few months with her help. He also made lots of new friends with the other 9 kids in his class. I'm so glad that he was able to get into her preschool. Here are a few pictures from the graduation. I wasn't able to get a full picture of his class but we have the whole program on tape, which I am sure he will want to watch over and over again in the months to come.

Haken's class in silhouettes. They all drew their own picture too.
 Haken's is the blue one. Not too bad for a preschooler, I think!

Loved being the star of the show!

Such a grown up boy! 

With Mrs. Francom and his friend Kason who we carpooled with everyday

Proud parents

Proud Grandparents

Mr. cheeseball himself...

Silly brothers enjoying the refreshments afterwards

With friends Karen and Kason

After the graduation we headed home for some cake and presents for mommy. Shad insisted on putting 27 candles on the cake. They took quite a while to light and 3 or 4 blows to get them all out with my lack of breath-support. 

It was such a great day! I am so proud of my sweet "Haken-Bacon." He loves to learn and I'm proud to be his mommy. I'm a little scared to send him off to kindergarten in 3 months, but at least I know that he is totally ready for it!

I thought I would also throw in pictures from the first day of preschool and the day of his graduation. I didn't think the boys had changed that much until I looked at these pictures next to each other. I think they are both some of my favorite pictures. They really show just how much these boys love each other 

First day of preschool

Preschool graduation

Penguins, Popsicles, Parks, Pets, and Pudding

The letter of the month is "P"

This last month has been full of lots of "P" fun! Luckily not the wet kind :) Here is an overview of what we have been up to....

Penguins...

Since Shad is a state delegate this year he had the wonderful opportunity to head to Salt Lake for the day to go to the state republican convention and vote on April 20th. He was actually pretty excited about the whole thing (although I could not think of anything I would like to do less.) Since he was making the trip down anyway, we decided to make it a family event and go see my parents in Bountiful. While Shad was at the convention we headed to the Living Planet Aquarium in Sandy with Grandpa, Aunt Lisa, Uncle Cam, and cousins Taylor and Riley. The boys had a blast. Haken has been really into sea creatures lately so he especially liked it. I think his favorites were the penguins and the sting rays that you could touch. We have been there before, but I don't think he remembers it since it has been about 2 years. This was Jack's first time. He spent most of the time in the stroller since he is such a wanderer lately. 

Afterwards we went to a nearby park and had a picnic. The weather was perfect and Haken always loves the time he can spend with his buddy Taylor.

Trying to find just the right time to touch the sting ray

These little boys looked more like twins than cousins
with their somewhat matchy shirts

Grandpa giving Haken a better look through the glass

Loving the penguin exhibit

Haken is as big as an Emperor penguin, like on "Happy Feet"!

Can't remember the name of the penguin,
but Jack was just the right size.

Popsicles...

After the aquarium we headed back to Grandma's house for a nap and then a BBQ. I think Jack is going to have a love affair with popsicles this summer. I think he ate 2 whole ones on Grandma's lap after dinner.

Parks...


With the weather starting to stabilize for the summer (or so we thought) we decided to walk to the library and hit the park afterwards. It was nice when we left but once we got there a freak hail storm came in and made us really glad the library was right there so we could take shelter. We waited it out for a half hour and picked out some books. It stopped hailing, but the walk home was pretty freezing. I guess you never know what to expect in April when you live in Utah. Since then we have had a few more successful trips to the park where it hasn't snowed on us and we have actually gotten sunburned. Hopefully it stabilizes soon we don't have to bring our jackets!

Pets and MORE popsicles...

With the beginning of May comes the awakening of our pet tortoise, Gus. We inherited him from my brother a few years back and he has become part of the family. He hibernates in our basement from about October to May and then we fatten him back up during the summer. He roams around our yard, sleeps under our porch steps, and eats our fruit and vegetable scraps. He is a pretty low maintenance pet (until he finds an escape route and we have to go searching for him), and Haken has finally decided that he is a pretty cool pet to have. This year was Jack's first time really meeting Gus. I think it went well and he didn't try to pick him up, which is a good thing because he can be pretty heavy. He is the love of the neighborhood and all of the kids come to feed him his favorite food: dandelions.

Pudding...


Jack had his first taste of chocolate pudding for our Family Home Evening treat last week. To say that he liked it would be an understatement. Although, I think more of it ended up all over him than actually in his mouth.

28 Weeks-On to the 3rd Trimester

I have seen this on a few of my friend's blogs and thought it was a great way to keep track of things during the pregnancy. I have forgotten so much about the pregnancies with my boys and wish I remembered more. If nothing else, this is for my own records so I can remember past last week with my pregnancy brain....

How far along? 28 Weeks 

Total weight gain: 19-20 lbs.

Maternity clothes? Mostly maternity, some of my "fat" clothes still fit

Stretch marks? Nope, but the varicose veins on my right calf aren't too cute.

Sleep: Sleeping great, especially with our new king size bed that gives me lots of room.

Best moment this week: Going bowling with my big pregnant belly, boy it gets in the way!
Funny moment this week: Coughing and not being able to control my bladder (one of the worst parts about being pregnant)

Miss Anything? Being able to workout to the extent that I used to

Movement: Usually in the evening when I am just sitting and relaxing. Gets hiccups often.

Food cravings: jelly beans (probably because of Easter)

Anything making you queasy or sick: I made these ham/egg quiches that sounded so good at the time. I froze a bunch and ate one for breakfast last Sunday. I was burping up green onions the whole day. They don't sound good at ALL anymore.

Gender: GIRL!

Labor Signs: No

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody: Happy this week....moody last week, at least for a day (I think we all deserve one of those once in a while though.)

Looking forward to: Being able to do Insanity again...for real

Here are the pictures for the week. I'm looking forward to my new camera coming this week. We just can't figure out the settings on our other camera and I'm tired of packing the huge thing around. Hopefully I don't always look that red faced for real! Doctor says I am measuring just a centimeter smaller than average but he is not concerned because I have a smaller build.

20 Weeks

28 Weeks