Picture Fail

Sorry if you cannot see my pictures. I am in the process of fixing it. This is what I get for changing my settings on flickr. It was an emotional afternoon of pregnancy hormones. Andrew helped me figure out the problem. Let's just say Andrew enjoyed one of his favorite activities--taking advantage of my hormonal craziness by doing nice things to make me cry.

Flowers

I have been working on the scrapbook of our summer trip to Victoria, BC, with my family. Andrew took some beautiful pictures of flowers when we went to Butchart Gardens in June. He has been working on photography and I think he is getting better and better.

A Place To Sleep

My parents gave us the cradle that me and all my siblings slept in. My grandpa made it. It was getting old the finish was kind of nasty. So we decided to re-finish it for our little girl.


Andrew sanding the bed.


Me sanding and my beautiful garden behind me.


Andrew sanding with his graduation present (from my parents).

Don't we have a lovely patio?

After a lot of indecision between staining the cradle and painting it, we finally decided to paint it off white.


Andrew priming the cradle.


Andrew priming and needing a haircut quite desperately. Also, check out my beans--they did so well.


Me being Michaelangelo painting my Sistine Chapel. This was seriously the best way to paint the rungs.


Andrew Michaelangelo-ing.


Painting the bottom--almost done!


Yay! We are painting in our kitchen and there is horrible lighting!


Me putting the finishing touches on the cradle base.

It's done!




I love it.

Baby Girl gets to share a room with a desk, telescope, cello, and all sorts of storage. She is lucky. People put pictures of their cute nurseries up. This one isn't cute. I think you don't need a cute nursery when your baby is so darn cute. Her cuteness would overpower the cuteness of the nursery, making it obsolete.

And that was our big craft for the baby!

Exhausted at Seven

I climbed the stairs to our apartment seven times yesterday. That may not sound like a big deal, but it is. We live on the third floor. I am 33 weeks pregnant. I'm pretty active and walk 3 to 5 miles each day, but not up steep hills. I do climb the stairs two to four times each day. But after seven, I was pooped. My thighs hurt. My butt hurt. I got slower and slower each time.

First, I had to climb up the stairs after my morning walk.

Second, I had to climb up the stairs after taking out the stench of a trash can cuz I couldn't stand it for one more second. Usually Andrew takes out the trash.

Third, I climbed the stairs after walking to the grocery store. I carried a cabbage and a large can of tomato sauce.

Fourth, I climbed the stairs after watching Downton Abbey with my friend Shannon.

Fifth, I climbed the stairs after taking dinner to someone in the ward.

Sixth, I climbed the stairs after going on a walk and getting the mail with Andrew.

And the seventh time I climbed the stairs was after we had pie with friends.

I said to Andrew, "I should climb the stairs just one more time and make it an even eight."

Andrew told me not to. "In Hebrew culture," he said, "seven is perfection and complete."

On that note, I hope that my thighs and butt are perfect now. Since we are culturally Hebrew (not), that makes total sense. So far today, I have only climbed the stairs once and started off my day with a bubble bath.

A Season of Hiking

I have not done well documenting all of our outdoor adventures. That may surprise you, since every-other post is about an outdoor adventure.

Arches National Park

We went to Arches for our Spring Break in March. We had a good time and Wesley even joined us for an overnight campout.


Dark Angel


Delicate Arch

Greider Lakes

Our next hike was in a much different climate. It was May and still rainy and cold and there was snow. We went to Greider Lakes in Washington and it was tough. The road washed out so you had to hike 2 miles before getting to the trailhead (missed that in the trail description) and then we climbed incredibly high up 40 switch backs. I'm not sure if we'll do this one again. But, it was very beautiful up there.


The lower lake

Cherry Creek Falls

This was a pretty easy hike, but it was a good one. We went in June to Cherry Creek Falls. This place is beautiful. We went with Andrew's coworker and friend, Ben.


At the waterfall

Heather Lake

We are slowly discovering that everywhere worth hiking to here in Washington involves getting up on top of the glacial plain to the alpine lakes. At the end of July, we hiked to Heather Lake and it was beautiful. We will go again.


Heather Lake behind the trees


It seriously is that color--so clear and beautiful

Mt. Pilchuck

We hiked Mt. Pilchuck at the end of August and it was HOT and full of people (which we never like). But, we went with Ben and some of his friends and had a good time. You had an amazing view of EVERYTHING! The day was clear so we could see Mt. Baker and Mt. Rainier (both are volcanoes), the rugged and beautiful Cascades, downtown Seattle in the distance, all of Snohomish county, the Puget Sound, and the Olympic Mountains in the west. Amazing. I also felt like a power woman cuz I made it to the top at 30 weeks pregnant! Don't tell my OB/GYN, I'm not sure she or other doctors would be too happy about that.


Great granite features on the way


On top of Pilchuck with the Three Fingers behind us (future exploration??)


I'm pregnant and I know it

Tonga Ridge

Just on Friday we hiked on Tonga Ridge. Like I mentioned before, everywhere worth going to is at about 5000 feet elevation (with us hiking up from 1000 or hopefully 3000 feet). Lucky for us, we got to drive to that elevation before starting the hike, so the hike was relatively flat. We saw some great mountain views, but missed the turn off to go to Sawyer Peak. Oh well. We were distracted by HUCKLEBERRIES! They were delicious. We picked a ton.


The view of mountains across from us


Me picking huckleberries


Andrew picking huckleberries


Wildflowers

Conclusion? The season ain't over yet!

We've had a great hiking season. I think that we will probably go on another hike or two before Baby Girl Platypus comes. And after she comes, we will have a few months and then we'll probably go snowshoeing.

So come visit us and we'll hike!

U-Picked HOW Many Raspberries?

Two weeks ago, when went to a U-Pick raspberry farm in Arlington, called Biringer Farms. The farmer wished us luck and told us where to go to get the most raspberries. It was, after all, the end of the season.



We picked for about two hours. Up and down the rows. I decided that raspberry farming is a very time- and labor-intensive industry. No wonder those wimpy things of raspberries at the store cost so much money!





But we are good berry pickers.

Probably too good.

We returned to the barn and the farmer said, "Holy!" We found a lot more than he thought we would.

He weighed our boxes. The grand total came to...

17 pounds.

Andrew and I were surprised. It cost us $50. But that $50 bought us delicious berries, which made delicious jam, which we canned in our kitchen without air conditioning on the hottest day of the year.



And it was worth it.

My Trip to Utah

It was a fun time in Utah. There were many parties (I love parties) and seeing friends. I am so amazed at how I'd only been gone for three months and so much has changed with everyone! Life goes on for everyone, and it is impossible to keep up to date with everyone you love. Just trying is a challenge, but it is rewarding to still love people after months and even years.

I went to the Farmer's Market in SLC with my parents and Leslie. This guy was playing the dijeridoo (or however it is spelled).



Leslie having a near-death experience at City Creek Mall.


The trout inside City Creek Mall. Leslie said, "How did they get the trout there?" And I made a joke. "Oh, you know, the Utah Department of Fish and Wildlife came in their helicopter and dropped the fish into the mall the way they do when they stock a lake. But the poor trout hit the glass ceiling and died so they had to bring them in in wheelbarrows." Unfortunately, my family didn't find it funny. Andrew did though. He understands.

So, sorry those who love it--not super impressed by City Creek. The stores were ones I would never shop at (too expensive) and it wasn't that cool of a mall. Maybe I just am not much of a shopper. I don't think it is worth all the hype it has gotten for its opening and since then.

And Saturday night I drove to Park City all by myself for the first time ever to celebrate the wedding of Andrew and Bree. Congratulations!


And coming back into Kaysville, I saw this fire on the mountain.

It was in Layton but they got it all under control pretty fast.

Monday! We had a barbecue and baby shower and birthday party with my family. It was great to see everyone and I got a haul!



Opening presents and looking like a dork.

On Tuesday I drove to Logan and visited friends and met babies.


Calvin--so chill, sometimes I even forgot he was there.


Kaylee--she used to love me but seemed rather wary of me. That's what three months does to you when you aren't even two years old.


And I had a fun shower with friends and, once again, it was great to see everyone.


John--love the big eyes :)


Me, Annie, and Audrey--Audrey was so sweet to want to come see me! I wish Andrew could have come so they could have played together.


The Logan Temple at twilight.

On Thursday, I had a shower with Andrew's family.

Big Andrew skyping with Kaleb and Olya's cute kids, Little Andrew and Emma.

FYI--I absolutely LOVE this picture and it was one of my favorite moments of the trip.


Little Andrew playing with naked Barbies with Glenn.


Me and Aunt Meagan. She is due the day before me and is having a boy. The plan is to have our babies on the same day.

And I had to get all my loot home.


I impressively fit everything in my suitcase. It weighed in at 51 pounds. The nice man at SkyCap didn't make me take anything out. I must have looked appropriately and pathetically pregnant.

And that was my trip to Utah. Fun times! But I was very glad to get back to Andrew.

Come visit us if you are in the Seattle area!