Easter pictures

This is my beautiful princess in her new Easter dress that Grandma Irma gave her. There are more pictures.

 

 

 

 

My parents had an Easter egg hunt in their basement today. The 4 youngest kids got to have a bedroom with their toys and candy in it, while the 5 older kids had the main room to search. I believe it was fun for all, especially when the adults went upstairs to talk. Dennis went down to check on the kids, and I guess Hannah and Katie were having a free-for-all on the candy. Shortly after that, Katie and I went home and took naps. Ryan wasn't able to come because he was sick.

 

 

 

 

Katie

This is what Katie wants every time she sees the camera. "Cheese!" she will say. And pose for a picture. Then, of course, she wants to see herself on the camera. She is such a cutie.



No more "Binky" for Katie since the last of February. Her "cousin" Ryot (Clarissa's dog) accidentally got her pacifier and chewed off the nipple. We had been considering whether we should take her off it now anyways, and this was a good excuse. She didn't seem to notice it was missing the first night or two, but then she was pretty ornery about going to bed for a couple of days. She asked for it once or twice, and I just told her I didn't have it anymore and it was broken. And that was that. Amazingly, she didn't seem to have any problems after the first week, which wasn't even bad in the first place.



Katie in the tub

 

 

 

Katie has been pretty off and on about baths. She liked them for a while, then didn't like them, and does like them now. I think that is because my sister gave me the hint of putting food coloring in the water (doesn't stain anything) to make it interesting. Also, Ryan bought her some "growing dinosaurs". They are little sponges in pill-sized capsules that dissolve in water and a dinosaur "magically appears". She seems to like them.

Well, since starting this post, we have gone to the doctor to get an ultrasound of the baby. She is a girl! We are very excited and trying to come up with some names. Katie has been cute about the baby. I don't think she understands at all, but she will pat my tummy and say "Baby". She also leans over and puts her head against my belly. It will be fun to see how Katie reacts to the baby after she gets here.

Dance

This is my complete costume. The belly dancing I do is different from the Hollywood type of belly dancing. Let me explain how many layers I am wearing. I have a T-shirt and harem pants (they are poofy, but not see-through) on top of any under clothes I wear. Then I put a decorated bra (I know, it sounds weird) on the outside of my T-shirt, with a vest over my shoulders and a stretchy scarf over my tummy. Then, I put 2 long silk scarfs and a decorated-with-moving-objects hip scarf around my hips. Then, I add jewelry and makeup. All in all, it probably takes me about an hour to get completely dressed and made-up.
So you don't have to worry about me being inappropriately dressed or showing my tummy. (As though I would WANT anyone to see my stretch marks.)




This is the group I perform with. We are called Iron Maiden Belly Dancers (IMBD). From left to right: Cori, Michelle, me, Fred, Debbe, Tamara (the teacher), Karen, Trish, and Tara. We have others that perform with us, or that have joined since.

This is a close-up of me talking to Debbe. Although it looks like we are glaring at each other, we really aren't.


I'm really enjoying my dance class. The exercise is great, I really like the people I dance with, and it is nice to have something different to tell people. I am taking it slower, since I'm pregnant, but I will probably keep dancing as long as I think I can. I'm staying away from the crunching and stretching of the stomach, and the rest helps keep me in shape.

Singing

Katie sings a lot now. It is so adorable. I recorded her at dinner last night. I don't know WHAT she was singing, but it is so cute. Also, at the end, she does this arms-stretched-out-thing to finish the song. First time we've seen that.

Katie's onsies are getting way too small for her, so I have started just putting a shirt on her. (Versus the onsie, then the shirt on top.) The first day I did, she pulled up her shirt and tickled herself. She does this cute little ksksks sound for tickle. It made me laugh.
Then, a day or two later, Grandma Paula was playing with her. Katie pulled up her shirt, and Grandma reached over and "took" some of her tummy and ate it. Katie just looked at her with this weird expression, and then indicated that Mom needed to give it back. So, Mom, being a good sport, "spit" out Katie's tummy (while trying very hard not to laugh) and put it back. Then Katie was happy. What a strange girl. We "eat" her tummy all the time, which apparently isn't nearly as serious as when you "take" her tummy. :)
The weather has been so nice the last couple of days. I think it actually got up to about 60 degrees today! It feels so wonderful to be outside and have the warm sun shining on us. Katie just followed me around the yard yesterday while we looked at the new plants coming up, and inspected the trees. I think we will have a fun summer.

Sunglasses

You might not be able to tell in this picture, but Katie's hair is long enough to put it all in pigtails. It is so cute. She loves these sunglasses. Her Grandma Irma gave them to her. Katie is still spending most of her time entertaining me.
She is currently on a granola and yogurt diet. She wants it for most meals. I am limiting it to just breakfast and a snack per day, but she really enjoys it. The granola has raspberries in it, and she tries to say raspberries. It is cute. After all, raspberry is a long, complicated word, so when it comes out as "rabspr" I think it is pretty close. Okay, it might not even be that close. But I know what she means, so it is easy to interpret is as such. Ryan heard it, and didn't have a clue what she had said.

We got so much snow Wednesday. Ryan hasn't been feeling well, (his throat hurts, he has a cold or something) so he couldn't shovel the driveway before he left for work yesterday, and the snow showed tracks from the bottom of the car on it. So, it was at least as high as the undercarriage of the car.

I have been following the advice of Elder Eyring. I write a few lines each night that show how God has shown His hand in my life for that day. I think it is a great idea. It helps me go to bed feeling grateful for ALL that God has done for me and my family. On the downside, I haven't felt like writing much here, because most of the good stuff is in my notebook, and who wants to read a blog that isn't upbeat or positive?

Also, we are expecting our 2nd baby, and I just really haven't felt much like doing anything. We are very excited, but I'm a little scared that I have forgotten how to take care of a baby, and when it comes, I'll forget to hold it's head or something. I guess I'll only forget once, right? :)

Anyways, the winter is never a really energizing time for me, along with the lack of energy that the baby is draining from me has proved to be a slightly depressing combination. Luckily, the sun is shining more, and the first trimester is over. I am feeling happier and have more energy. My outlook is better, I feel like Spring will actually come, and I'm more positive about the baby. Life is good again. Of course, it is always good. I'm going to have another baby! Hurray!