AJ's Newest Project

So, there hasn't been much excitement around here lately. I guess the big news lately is that AJ has undertaken the task of repainting his motorcycle. It's a far more complicated process than I would've imagined and a bigger project than I probably would've undertaken... especially, since he's done it before. He knew how much work it was going to be. Crazy man! But, as he pointed out, he does have more time than money right now. And I think he was getting bored and needed a project.

The weather was absolutely gorgeous last weekend. And so the bikes were out and about. No way AJ was going to miss out on the opportune moment. During one ride, AJ noticed a weird noise while stopped at a stoplight. He noticed some anti-freeze on the garage floor once at home and decided to check that out. He discovered that the cooling fan that kicks on at a specific temperature, (I don't know what it is, but it's pretty warm... well, maybe not for a running engine... anyways), the fan had kicked on and had chewed into the radiator on that side. Sad day. He checked into replacing it ($350... ouch!) and repairing it ($55-$100... still ouch, but bearable). His parents are coming through on their way to Vegas sometime next month so maybe his dad can help him repair it for a fraction of the $55. The bad news: He can't ride until that gets fixed. The good news: it snowed again on Sunday. And it hasn't been real warm since. Not exactly motorcycle riding weather.

The "Before" Shots. There aren't any pictures of it, but the left side has several areas where the paint peeled and the gray primer is showing through. There are also some stickers on the gas tank that he's not so crazy about.

He's begun sanding all the old paint off and almost has that all done. He's found that when the previous owner wrecked it, it was a worse wreck than he'd realized and not really put back together as good as it could, or should, have been. So, he's been doing so light maintenance and repair on that.

AJ leaving on his motorcycle for a week in Boise.

No word on what color this new project will result in yet. He hasn't decided, although he's got a few ideas and possibilities. It's been a good project for him. It's something he cares enough about that he's doing a good, thorough job and will stick with it until it's done to his standards. The only downside: he spends time in the garage, sanding instead of on the couch with me, cuddling. Hahaha. To entertain myself, I've finished my curtain project. We now have curtains hanging in our bedroom, over our backdoor, and ones that are finished and ready to hang in our family room.

On to the next project... hemming all my maternity pants... [sigh]. You can only wear the same two pairs of pants so many times a week and none of the others fit anymore. Oh, and decorating the nursery. Or at least deciding how to...

One of those beautiful Idaho sunsets. Kodak moment.
Maybe AJ should be a freelance photographer... =]

Elder Andrew's Address

Just really fast... I have Andrew's new address in Texas. He is in the Austin, TX zone and more specifically Ceder Park, TX. If anyone is interested in writing him, let me know and I will pass the address on. He sent quite a detailed email to Mom and Dad, and they passed it on. He seems to be doing well, and has had quite the eventful past five days. He is learning lots and enjoying this new adventure. He has already realized that Southern food is delicious and will easily add pounds to a waistline. =] I'm sure he would appreciate any letters you may be inclined to write...







{hint, hint}

;-]

Texas Missionary

So it's official, Elder Andrew McCurdy is in Texas and in his first area. Living the life of a missionary. He left Provo on Wednesday and flew into San Antonio. He was able to call and talk to Mom and Dad for about 40 mins before he got on his plane. I know all enjoyed that opportunity. His Mission President sent a quick email and a photo, to let Mom and Dad know he was there and safe and settling in. Good luck, Andrew! We love you and are proud of you!

Elder McCurdy at President and Sister Cutler's home, his Mission President, on the day he arrived in Texas.

Spring Time!

Spring time is officially here! Yay! Now if we could just convince the weather that spring time means no more snow. We have had three days of absolutely gorgeous weather... unfortunately, there's snow in the forecast next week. Guess I'll enjoy it and get the most out of it while it lasts. Hope you're all having a fabulous first day of spring!

Half Way There!

I now have a banana growing in my belly... well, he's still a baby, but he's the size of a banana. About 10 inches from head to heel and weighs almost 3/4 a pound. I figured today deserved a little bit of a shout out, being as we are officially halfway done with this pregnancy. YAHOO! In some ways, it feels like it's been forever since those two little pink lines showed up... and yet it seems like only a few days ago. Usually, it's the forever scenario though. And it's only going to get hotter and bigger and heavier from here on out. My biggest sadness: our baby won't be born until the end of summer. We're gonna miss out on all the camping, family reunions, roller coasters, hiking (I can barely walk, it's more of a waddle, let alone hike), and just the general laziness of summer days in the sun. We didn't plan our timing very well... lol. Then again, we didn't really plan it at all. At least not as fast as it happened. Oh, well, what's one summer for a bouncing baby boy, right???

Some times I wish I could evict my little tenant, but the we'd have to buy Barbie clothes to dress him in at this point... and I drop things a lot. Better to keep him where he is, for now at least.

The Newest Addition to Our Home

Our newest adventure within the last few days has been to acquire, set up and care for... an aquarium! Ok it's really more of just a fish tank than an aquarium. Aquarium kinda carries a not of glamor and it's not real glamorous. It's not really that big of a deal, I mean it's not like we got a dog we actually have to potty-train and play with and take for walks, but we're low-maintenance kind of people and this is our kind of pet. =] Not only that, they don't shed and poop all over the place. That means I don't have to clean it up. Yay!


We had actually been thinking about getting fish since last summer, but we knew we were going to be gone for several weeks and decided that it probably wasn't the best time to try and keep pets alive. So, we decided that maybe after we got back we'd look into it again. Well, we didn't. AJ had brought it up and that got me thinking that maybe I could do that for his birthday next month. When he brought it up I told him my thoughts for a birthday present. We decided to look around and see what we could find. (I got my birthday present last year a month early, so it's fair game to call it a birthday present.) Since I'll be in my third trimester of pregnancy this summer we won't be going very far from home, so we decided that maybe we'd check it out. We got to looking around and found a tank, stand, and a few other accessories for $20. We thought this was quite the steal after we did some research and found out how much a new aquarium costs!


Well, we bought the tank and then went to the Dollar Tree to find little ornaments for the fishies to play with. We got two buildings and a hammerhead shark figurine. It was fun trying to come up with ideas and ways to make things work. AJ commented more than once on what dorks we are. And it's true, but at least we can be dorks together.


We got everything home and AJ started tinkering with it all. He figured it out... but also figured out there were a few "accessories" that weren't in great shape. One of the outlets was plugged on the air filter, the diffuser bulbs were gross and didn't work real well, some of the tubing was faulty, things like that. He figured out what we needed and we headed off to our local Petco. We decided that maybe Wal-Mart would be cheaper... it was. We got the replacement accessories we needed there, as well as some fish food and plants. The fish, however, were cheaper and Petco... so back we went. We got 18 little feeder goldfish (figured we better start with something cheap, in case we killed them all) and went back home.

AJ spent hours cleaning gravel, washing up the tank, getting all the filters and tubes and hoses connected like they should be, and setting up the tank the way he wanted it. We ended up making a quick run back to Wal-Mart at 11:00pm so we weren't breaking the Sabbath and got a few things AJ found we still needed.


By the time 1:00am rolled around we finally had a fishtank full of water! And there were even fish in it! We fed them, watched them eat and then decided to call it a night and went to bed. We got up the next morning and all 18 fish were still alive. Yay! We have only had 2 casualties thus far, but it's about what we expected (if not better than expected) with feeder fish. We even named a few of them... the ones that looked different enough we can tell them apart from all the other fish. And, happily, none of our named fishies have died.

It's been a lot of fun watching our little fishies swimming in ther new home. And when they do die, its ok. We just flush them down the toilet. And as a wise fish once said, "all drains lead to the ocean." (-Finding Nemo) Every fish's dream right? Whether dead or alive.

"The Money Shot"

So, for clarification, just thought we'd let everyone know...

Don't feel bad if you can't tell from the ultrasound pictures that we're having a boy. I didn't post the "money shot," as AJ calls it. The thought of it felt a little dirty and I'm sure in 15 years our son will be thankful that the entire Internet community didn't have access to such a personal photo, regardless that it was in utero. But, I promise... it is a boy!

Drum Roll, Please!

We had our ultrasound today. The paper told me to come with a full bladder, so I did my part and drank extra. Well, I'm on the table and the tech squirts goo all over my tummy and starts looking around. She commented, "Wow, you're bladder is really full." I was like, "Yeah, I know." I had to go to the bathroom soo bad! She let me go a little so I didn't wet my pants while she was measuring the baby and everything else. Thank goodness!


Things are going well. We have a healthy baby. Two arms, two legs, two hands, two feet, eyes, nose, lips, ears and a head are all accounted for.

We even got to see the different chambers in the brain and the four different chambers in the heart and watch it beat. There are two kidneys and a stomach, just like we'd hoped. =] She even showed us the umbilical cord and the blood flow through it. That was kinda neat.


She took measurements and our little bean is right on schedule. She didn't do a length measurement, but AJ had a dream a few weeks ago that it was born 22" long! I'll have those two little feet poking out my throat before it's born! She did get a weight: 8 oz. Which is normal for this far along (18 weeks, by the way).


At the beginning of our appointment the tech was panning back and forth, looking at the baby's position. She'd already asked if we wanted to know gender, to which we had answered, "yes, please." Before the tech could even explain what we were looking at AJ nearly shouted (in excitement, I'm sure), "Hey, it's a boy!" So, Daddy gets a new little buddy and all the subsequent little beans we may have get a big brother. I was slightly disappointed at first that I don't get to buy frilly outfits and play dress up. But, I'm adjusting to the idea that my Mother's Intuition doesn't work... and I'm excited for my little boy.




(If you click on the pictures, it'll make them bigger and you can actually see what everything is. And the labels on the pictures will help...)

Anticipation....

Well, we're finally on the downhill end of these past few weeks apart. It's been great being able to spend time with my family and I definitely appreciate the generosity and hospitality (and plane ticket...). These past few weeks have made me remember why I hated long-distance dating so much. Sometimes you just need a hand hold, or a kiss on the forehead, or to actually see their face and hear their voice. Phone calls just don't cut it. And around a bunch of other Army guys they aren't always conducive to the environment. There have been a few tough days and we always seem to fight more the longer we are apart. [[Our solution to that: we just never need to be apart for days and days at a time. And we shouldn't be allowed to fight in text messages either.]] But, not to worry, my loyal readers. Despite any previous conversations or other interactions of the past few weeks, we are still madly in love and still going strong. At least I am, but I'm pretty positively sure AJ feels the same way.

The highlight of this week, besides getting to see each other and finally go home together, is Thursday. We have our ultrasound. We're hoping to find out whether it's a boy or a girl. And, of course, that everything else is going well too. I still haven't felt the baby (or at least haven't recognized it as being the baby... there was one time I wasn't sure, but I think it was just tummy bubbles). It's making me a little nervous, but I still have about 4 weeks before I need to really freak out. I'm sure that'll make it a little more real that there's a baby in there, not that I'm just having "fat days" everyday of my life.



Soo, all I really want is a healthy, happy child and whatever gender it turns out to be will be welcomed and anticipated, but... I see definite pro's and con's to both. I mean somethings will be the same, like AJ's gonna wrestle and play with our bean regardless of gender. And it'll be loved and nurtured and taught regardless. I feel so neglectful calling my baby "it". But, are we gonna play dollies or legos? Dress up or cars? Hot Chocolate Parties (because we don't drink tea) or with building blocks in the dirt? It's hard for me to get real excited because I don't have this 'fantasy picture' in my head of what life with our bean will be like. (I know: late night feedings, utter exhaustion, no more sponenaiety, toys and poop and barf everywhere, ect...)

I always kinda wanted my oldest to be a boy, so my other kiddos would have a big brother, but a little girl would be a lot of fun too. I've kinda felt all along that it's a girl... but I'm not sure if that's mother's instinct or my secret wishful thinking. I know AJ would love a son to teach all the 'boy' things to... tools and cars and motorcycles and roughhousing and camping and building cities out of legos, but I also know that if it's a girl, she'll be Daddy's Little Princess (and he thinks it's hard to say 'no' to me...). Either way, it'll be amazing. I'm so glad we were able to schedule the ultrasound for when AJ can go too. Now, if we could just get him out of Annual Training the three weeks before our baby is due...