Anyway, we bought a desk at a neighbor's yard sale over the summer and we finally got around to refinishing it! It turned out pretty good if you ask me.
Here's the deal. We really like the idea of projects. And we really like the idea of DIY projects. But sometimes we aren't the best at actually following through. We're great at starting projects. And we're pretty good at getting the MAJORITY done. But...we have a bad habit of not finishing when we only have a small amount left. We're getting better though. :) Go us! Anyway, we bought a desk at a neighbor's yard sale over the summer and we finally got around to refinishing it! It turned out pretty good if you ask me. The BEFORE picture: Notice the drawers don't have hardware. It worked though. Still a pretty nice desk. There's this thing in pregnancy called "nesting." I'd never heard of that before, but I've quickly found out what that means. According to Jake, I've been "nesting" for quite a while now. Every cupboard, closet, room, and corner in our house has been organized. (Expect for my closet, which we decided would be better to clean out AFTER I wasn't feeling whale-ish.) I was able to get through the organization a lot faster than I originally thought. I guess that's what happens when you're alone all day and it's freezing outside! Plus, it's better to get it done now, rather than after the baby comes. Anyway, I've started taking on projects of my own to keep me busy. I'm really not one to just sit. And sit some more. So I've been trying to keep busy! I still have 4 more weeks of pregnancy. That means 28 (give or take a few) more days to fill with projects and such. She's going to have WAY too many little things like the above. This could quickly turn into a problem.
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Exploring and HikingIt's been a long time since I've updated the blog. There has been a lot happening, so I'll just briefly touch on a few of the big things. :) We were really hoping to go to Devil's Den State Park -- but we didn't ever get around to it. But, we were able to go to a local place called Tanyard Creek. It was just beautiful! When we first moved to Arkansas, I never knew how beautiful it would be. Laminate and the NurseryWe had discussed replacing our carpet with laminate flooring, but had decided it was a project for a future day. BUT, then the laminate we liked from Sam's Club was on sale and we decided it would be easier to do before the baby came. It would be a DIY project--meaning lots of noise, dust, and random object laying on the floor. Jake's parents were nice enough to come up for a weekend to help us out. I, being 6 months pregnant, was really not going to be much help. It was a huge blessing. Ron and Jake worked on the floor and Lisa and I worked on the baby's room. I think we got the more enjoyable job anyway. :) It was cold and rainy for the majority of the weekend, which was a bummer. But we were inside for most of the trip anyway. We were so lucky to have Jake's parents up with us to help do this massive project. They provided much needed help and we are so grateful! Meanwhile, while the boys were slaving away on the floor. Lisa and I were working on the baby's room. Which, was a much more enjoyable job, if you ask me. We finished the baby's quilt and made curtains for the room. I just love how it turned out! I don't know why these pictures are upside down. On a completely (almost) unrelated side note, this was Halloween weekend. I was super excited to have trick-or-treaters this year. I love seeing little kids all dressed up and excited about their treats. So, on Halloween night, I got the candy out and we continued to work on our projects. The night went on and we did not get a SINGLE trick-or-treater. Not one. I don'y know if that's because no one knows us, or our neighborhood has older children, or maybe it was because of the rain. But we didn't have ANY. And we were left with a bunch of candy. So disappointing. Our baby's crib also arrived this weekend! (Another big shoutout to Jake's parents! Thank you!) And the boys put it together. We love it! BYU Football in Kansas CityA few weeks after Halloween, we headed up to Kansas City, MO (with Jake's parents) to see the BYU vs. Missouri football game. We arrived late Friday night, and the game was Saturday night. Saturday, we went to different church sites. There were so many people walking around in BYU stuff, it was awesome. The poor sister missionaries were a little bit overwhelmed, but they were still wonderful. Our first stop was liberty jail. I haven't been to a lot of the church history sites because we lived so far away. It's been really cool living closer so we can experience all they have to offer. Liberty jail is where Joseph Smith spent 5 months while waiting for his trial. The place building we are standing in front of is an exact replica of the one they spent time in. The lower level, where the men were being kept, was very small, cold, and cramped. The ceiling stood no more than 6ft. tall (which most of the men were over 6ft, which really made it difficult.) It was extremely cold during the winter as well. They suffered through a lot there, but they continued on in faith. What great examples. Unfortunately, I don't remember everything the Sister missionaries told us about Liberty Jail. But if you're in the neighborhood, definitely go check it out. Our next stop was Independence, MO. Another great church history site. This Visitor's Center informs people about the past and present lives of the saints as they traveled. It shows how they lived and how they would have spent their days during 1831 and 1839. Again, a wonderful place to become informed about the history of the church. For more info, please click the link below. We headed to dinner shortly after exploring the church history sites. We wanted to try authentic Kansas City BBQ and we found a place online that looked promising. When we arrived, we were slightly shocked at what we found. It was a little hole-in-the-wall place that was no bigger than the average kitchen. It was TINY. And a little bit sketchy. But rather than try to battle with the traffic to find another place, we decided to stay. It was...an experience. We'll just put it at that. Then came the BYU vs. MIZZOU game. Without knowing it, we purchased tickets in the MIZZOU student section in the end zone. Oops. We didn't have any problems though. The fans were nice (mostly) and we enjoyed the game. BYU didn't win, but it was fun to be supporting our alma mater. We'll always be BYU fans, even if they lose. Let's go Cougs'! Christmas DecoratingWe were going to Utah for Thanksgiving, and we wanted to optimize our time with our Christmas decorations, so we decorated early. :) Jake and I have a tradition when we travel. When we go somewhere new, we like to get an ornament for our tree. This one is in honor of my family. When I was a kid, my mom entered a drawing and ended up winning a Christmas tree that was decorated with Beanie Babies. Since then, the tradition has been to decorate the entire tree in Beanie Babies. So, rather than doing that to our entire tree, we just have one for memories' sake. This comes from Seattle, WA. Before we knew we were moving to Arkansas, Jake was interviewing with a LOT of companies. One of the companies was Amazon, which took us to Seattle. I was lucky enough to be able to tag along for a fun vacation. Seattle is known for their glass blowing, and we just fell in love with this ornament. Costa Maya Mexico was one of the very first places. (Our first ornament came from Roatan Honduras, but this was the second place.) We were on a cruise for our honeymoon when we came up with the idea of collecting ornaments. We look at these ornaments and memories of starting our lives together come to mind. The finished product. We loved decorating this year. The stockings were homemade and so was the ornament garland. We felt pretty crafty. I made a stocking for the baby, but Jake insisted that it not be put up because she wasn't physically here. I disagreed, but he won that argument because we was hanging them. Next year, we'll also add names. But this Christmas, we weren't technically "mom and dad" yet. But we will be next year! Utah TripWe drove to Dallas, then immediately headed to the airport for a 3 hour flight to Utah. It was rough. Very swollen ankles. But, it turned out okay. We landed in Utah really late, but it was the start of a fun week! We flew in the night before Thanksgiving, but landed late. The next day (Thanksgiving Day) was spent cooking and spending time with family. After a big dinner, we headed out for Black Friday shopping. (Even if it was Thursday). The next few days were just hanging out with family. Jake, unfortunately, had to fly back to Arkansas for work. I stayed back to spend a little big of time with my family. On Tuesday night, my mom was kind enough to throw me a baby shower. It was so fun to see old friends and neighbors. I loved being able to catch up and chat with many of them. We are so blessed to have so much support. But really, how cute are these decorations?? My mom is super talented. With some of our free time, my mom and I went to the Festival of Trees. People decorate these elaborate trees, then people come in a buy them for thousands of dollars. All the trees are donated, and all the proceeds go to benefit the Children's hospital. Along with trees, they have beautiful quilts and giant gingerbread houses. So fun! It was so fun to visit Utah after a year of being away. I also loved spending time with family, even if it was just for a short time. Christmas in Texas70 degrees doesn't really feel like Christmas, but we certainly didn't complain! Tornado warnings on the other hand...not so great. The weather is just a little bipolar. Unfortunately, we didn't take a lot of pictures while we were there. We had a lot of fun though, even if we don't have pictures to prove it. One really cool thing we did was visit the Gaylord Hotel to visit their ice display. Every year, they make these huge sculptures out of ice. They are so fun! They have to keep the room cold enough, though, that they give you these massive parkas to keep warm. This was the only cold part of our Christmas. Jake and I made the mistake of packing for cold weather. We forgot we were going to Texas. We did not need the sweatshirts, long sleeves, boots, or hats we brought. While there, my really awesome sister-in-laws and mother-in-law took me out to lunch as a mock baby shower. It was fun to spend time with just the girls. Unfortunately, we didn't take a picture. Christmas Eve was spent with family. We had a fabulous dinner, followed by the kids opening pajamas from Grandma and hats from Jake and I. We also spent time watching the family video. It's so fun to see how much everyone has changed in the past year. Christmas day was a busy one! First thing in the morning, we went to Jake's brother's house to see their kids open presents. After that, we made our way to his brother Jaren's house to see their family. When we arrived at Jaren's house, we immediately jumped on the computer so we could be a part of the phone call with my younger brother, Elder Kevin Hamilton. It was so fun to talk to him! We was his usual goofy self. He only has 4 transfers left! His last year has just flown by. It is amazing to see how much has happened in the last two years. By the time he gets home, he'll have 3 little people who he hasn't met yet! So fun! Plus, Cayson will be driving and almost dating. That's weird even to me. After the phone call, we spent a few hours with Jaren's family, then we headed home to have our own Christmas. It was nice to relax after a long day of happy moments. We were shocked when Jake's parents brought out our Christmas gifts...BIKES!! We are so excited! We've been wanting bikes for a long time, but we've been putting off spending the money. Now we don't have to! We wished we could have ridden them more, but we were both feeling a little under the weather. It was still so fun though! It was awesome! The next day, we spent some times running errands and enjoying our last day in Texas. We also went and saw the new Star Wars movie. Jake and I both really liked it! On our way back from the movie, we met a crazy rain and thunder storm. There was also a tornado warning 30 minutes from us. Scary! There was also a tornado warning in our home town of Centerton! This weather was so out of the norm for December. I'm just glad no one we know was hurt during the storms. On our way home, we could hardly hear each other talking because the rain was coming down so hard. The drive that took us 5 hours on the way down, took almost 6 1/2 to get back. But, we made it safely. And it was a fun week! A Tribute to Rio, Our ShibaWe did receive some unfortunate news while we were in Dallas. Some friends of ours were watching Rio while we were gone. Being the curious pup that he is, he found a small hole in their fence and slipped out. We didn't know what happened to him for a few days, and we (especially me) were pretty emotional for a few days. I've always been an animal person, so I took it pretty hard. He was a really unique personality for a dog. He doesn't like coming easily and he is just so curious. We had been told by some friends they might have seen him by our local Harps. When we got back into town, we went and checked, but we didn't see anything. But that could have been the rain. The next day, I called Animal Control to see if they had seen him. Our friends had been right, they did see him by Harps, unfortunately, animal control didn't find him alive. They had his body in their freezer and wanted to know if we wanted to confirm it was him. In tears, I called Jake to tell him the news. Being the awesome husband that he is, he left work to go check so I didn't have to. While the news wasn't ideal, at least we knew where he was and what happened to him. We had been worried because the weather was so bad. The poor thing was probably starving and cold and scared. May he rest in peace. Rio was our first pet as a married couple and we will miss him dearly. Its hard not to look out the window and expect to see him looking back at us. But, rather than being sad, we'll look back at all the good memories we had with him. Such a funny dog. We did love him. Anyway, we just wanted to post some photos of him so we could remember all the good times. :) Luckily he's in a better place now. He was very well behaved. He had his weird quirks, but overall he was a great dog. He was a great dog. We'll miss you, little buddy.
Week 18How big is baby Taylor: The size of a Sweet Potato (about 5.6 inches, 6.7 oz) Developments: She's yawning, hiccuping, sucking, and swallowing by now! I've been able to feel her move, but Jake hasn't. In this dress, you can see the bump, but most clothes still hide the bump. Mom's feelings: Loving life. Feeling great. Week 19We forgot to take a 19 week picture, but I had snapped this picture because I was feeling like the bump was showing more. How big is Baby Taylor: The size of a mango (6 inches, 8.5oz) Developments: She's working on developing her senses! How is mom: Doing great! Starting to get the baby bump! Week 20Happy Half Way!! How big is Baby Taylor: The size of a banana (6.5 inches, 10.2 oz) Developments: She now has working taste buds! How's mom: She's still feeling great. I can feel the movement, but Jake hasn't been able to yet. We were able to go in for our anatomy scan ultrasound. It was truly amazing! She was measuring a little bigger than expected. Everything else checked out to be working great. We were able to see her heart beating. She was being difficult by moving too much. The technician was having a hard time getting a picture of her face because she kept moving. The second picture is a 3D ultrasound of her face. She was hiding behind the placenta and was trying to cover her face with her little hands. I wish we had been able to get a picture of her spine, because it was so cool! We just loved seeing her. It certainly made it feel more real. There really is a small person growing in there! Week 21How big is baby Taylor: She's as big as a pomegranate (10.5 inches, 12.7 oz) Developments: She's continuing to get bigger! Mom's Feelings: Just trucking along! Week 22How big is baby Taylor: She's as big as a papaya (11 inches, 12.7 oz) Developments: Her eyes and lips are more developed, making her look more like a human! She's sleeping about 12-14 hours per day, but I can feel her moving in there! Week 23How big is baby Taylor: The size of a grapefruit! (11.8 inches, 16oz-- 1 pound!!) Developments: Her face is fully formed, she just needs to get more fat on her face! She's able to hear our voices and my heartbeat. Mom's feelings: At this point, we were at Sam's Club just hanging out when we spotted a diaper sample table. I wandered over, because seriously, we're going to be needing diapers--a lot of diapers--soon. This is the conversation that happened: Me: Just looking at the diapers Sam's Lady: Do you even have a need for these? Me: Yes, actually. On its way! Sam's Lady: Well, how about you come back in 9 months when it's real? So....I guess that's that. I guess you have to have a baby in the flesh to buy diapers at Sam's. Week 24How big is baby Taylor: She's as big as a cantaloupe (12 inches, 18oz) She's getting so big! Developments: Her skin is currently transparent, but it is becoming more pinkish! That is because her capillaries are forming. Week 25We didn't take a picture this week. We weren't very on top of it. How big is baby Taylor: As big as Cauliflower (13.6 inches, 2 pounds!) Developments: She knows which way is up and down! How doctors figured that out, I'll never know. But I'm sure they are right. She's also gaining more weight and growing more hair. Week 26We also didn't take pictures this week either. It was a busy couple of weeks! How big is baby Taylor: As big as a head of lettuce (14 inches, 2.25 pounds!) Developments: Her eyes will start to open. She also has full grown eyelashes. She's getting so big! Mom's Feelings: The doctor had me take the glucose test at the hospital to test for gestational diabetes. At the doctor's office, they gave me a little bottle of the orange sugar drink. (Which, didn't taste horrible, but it certainly makes you feel horrible.) I already have blood-sugar issues, so that was fun. Anyway, the nurse at the office made it clear that I needed to drink the sugar syrup BEFORE going to the hospital and show up no later than an hour after. I had my drink and we headed to the hospital. We wanted to get to the hospital early because I had been fasting. It was a perfect plan, until we hit Bentonville work traffic. I was stressing out because we were on a time limit. Then, the hospital was taking a long time to check me in. Not only were we pressed for time, but that orange drink really does a number on your body. Weird feelings. Anyway, we finally showed up at the lab, with 5 minutes to spare. I told the nurse my situation, only to be told there was nothing they could do. I had to drink the orange IN the hospital, then wait the hour. I had to come back another day. Ugh. Disappointing. The second time went smoothly. It felt just as icky, but the blood draw was quick and easy. Week 27How big is baby Taylor: As big as a rutabaga--whatever that is! (14.8 inches, 2.5 pounds) Developments: She's really working hard to develop her lungs! She's also starting to show brain activity! Mom's feelings: Traveling to Utah was a little rough. Being in a car for long periods of time and then flying was pretty hard. I've started swelling a little bit. Overall though, I really can't complain. This pregnancy has been really easy, relatively. I love being able to feel her moving. She has gotten so much stronger! You can also see the movements on the outside. Such an odd sensation, but lovely and wonderful at the same time. I feel so blessed to be this little one's mommy. I was never an emotional person. I didn't cry at anything. Ever. But now, anyone mentions a baby or becoming a mom, and I turn into the water works. I just don't understand. But I love this baby, no matter what she's causing my body to do. Week 28How big is baby Taylor: The size of an eggplant! (15 inches, almost 3 pounds!) Developments: She's getting fatter -- which is a good thing! Her skin is currently wrinkly, but will smooth out as she gain more fat. Her lungs are mature enough that if she were born, she would likely survive. Each passing week is another blessing! Mom's Feelings: More movements--yay! So fun! She really is an active little thing. Jake was trying to feel her one night, when suddenly, his face lit up and he exclaimed, "Oh my goodness!" And he sat up. She had really kicked hard and he was lucky to feel it! So fun. :) More swelling. Could be worse. Week 29How big is baby Taylor: An Acorn Squash (16 inches, 3 pounds!) Developments: Getting so big! She's moving so much, and getting much stronger! Mom's feelings: I can't wear my wedding ring anymore. It still fits, but if I haven't had enough water, my fingers start to swell and I start to panic. My nurse told me she had to have her ring cut off during her pregnancy--and I didn't want that to happen! So, just to be careful, I don't wear it anymore. I wear a ring I owned in high school--it's a little big. But it'll do! I'm still running and feeling good, so counting my blessings. :) Week 30How big is baby Taylor: A cantaloupe! (16.5 inches, 3.25 pounds!) Getting so big! Developments: She's working on developing her brain! She's now strong enough to grasp a finger. Mostly, she is just working on getting fat on those little bones. She's supposed to gain about a 1/2 pound each week from now until she's born. She's got a lot of work to do! Mom's feelings: Swelling. Lots of swelling. Jake thinks I just don't take enough time in the day to put my feet up--there's just so much to do before baby girl arrives! Cutting down on salt has also helped. Week 31 How big is baby Taylor: the size of a pineapple! (16.7 inches, 3.5 pounds!) Developments: Her irises can now change according to light. She also has all 5 of her senses now. We went to the doctor and he told us that in 3 weeks, they would not longer stop labor if it happened. Crazy!! That certainly made it feel more real. Only 3 weeks until she could come. Granted, I still have 8ish weeks, but it makes it feel so close! The doctor also made sure to tell me I'll probably be really uncomfortable for the next 2 months. More swelling, less sleep, harder to get situated. Why? Because baby is getting bigger! I'm okay with that. She needs to grow and I want her to be healthy, so I'll take a few more weeks of being uncomfortable for her. :) The doctor also told us she is already head down! Good news! Mom's feelings: Bladder is squished + lots of water...typical pregnancy problem. I really can't complain though. I've had a pretty easy pregnancy. A few quibbles here and there, but overall pretty good. It's been so fun because her movements have become really distinct. We can tell what body parts we are feeling (usually). She's also gotten into the habit of kicking me in the ribs... Anyway, brace yourself. My old roommate, Tabitha Sumsion, took maternity photos for us and I LOVE THEM. I didn't put them all up, but I put up a few of my favorites. (It was hard to narrow it down this much.) We were un Utah for the pictures, which allowed for beautiful snow pictures. Cold, but beautiful. I just really like how they turned out. If you are looking for a photographer, I would definitely recommend Tabitha. She is super talented. :) Week 32How big is baby Taylor: The size of a squash (16.7 inches, 3.75 lbs)
Developments: She's in the head-down position, so she's ready to go! (Not for a few more weeks, but at least she is headed in the right direction.) She's just working on putting fat on those little bones. Most of the developing is finished (key word: most) and she just needs to put on some pounds. But she's getting there! She moves a lot! She seems to really like kicking into my ribs and diaphragm. But that's okay, I like to feel her moving around. She also seems to prefer to be situated on the same side that Jake is sitting on. The other night, Jake was sitting on the right...so was baby girl. Just to switch it up, he moved to my left side. Almost immediately, I could feel my stomach convulsing as baby girl shifted herself to the left side as well. We could very well be imagining things, but it is much more fun to think we already have a little daddy's girl. :) Mom's feelings: I've been contracting more, but they aren't painful, so we should be good. :) Other than that, we're just getting excited to meet this little one! I can't believe how quickly the due date is coming up. It feels like it wasn't too long ago that we were finding out gender, now we're weeks away from delivery and the biggest change of our lives. People keep asking if we are ready. To be completely honest--I don't think we will ever be ready, but we are excited. :) We love this little girl so much and can't wait for her to be a part of our lives (more so than she already is). Here's to a new year full of changes, love, and new adventures! Happy 2016 y'all! |
Life is better when you're laughing. AuthorMy name is Kira Taylor. I love to run, cook, and be with my husband and daughter. (Who truly is my better half.) We live extraordinary lives...well sometimes. Anyway, this is our life. Archives
November 2018
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