Rumor is I have a new bike

All summer long Brian has been doing mountain bike races. On Wednesday nights they have a raffle at the end of the race and give away great prizes. He has always persuaded me that the race entry fee is usually worth it because of the prizes. But every week he would come home and regretfully tell me he didn't win the bike. I guess many weeks they would give away some type of cruiser bike and he really wanted to win it for me.

Yesterday Brian raced up at Soldier Hollow which is the venue with a playground, so we all drove up to watch him and play together. At the end of the race they began the prize drawing. A couple of names were called and everyone was teased about whether they would take the bike. Then the announcer said, "Well if you're not going to take it, I know Brian Blumer will." Wow! What a great surprise, and even better that the prize was for me! Now that's a prize well worth the entry fee.

I haven't really had a bike I could ride comfortably. I've been grateful for the hand-me-down bike I've been using, but it doesn't fit me properly and I usually choose to rollerblade while Brian bikes. This new bike is great because I don't have to strain my neck or bend over and I can even ride it pretty well 9 months pregnant! Should be fun to go on family bike rides now.

Thanks for the great present Brian!

Update on the Barn Swallows

When we returned from our family reunion we noticed 3 baby birds sitting in the swallow nest built on our backyard window. They were already pretty fluffy by then but the parents were quite protective and aggressive at times. Today the nest is empty. Hopefully the birds all flew away safely.

Rumor is I haven't been to the dentist for a long time

Six years. I haven't been to the dentist since Paige was born. Seriously, who has time to go to the dentist after having kids anyway? Well, we've decided to be better about it. So Paige and I went on a Mommy-Daughter date to the dentist today (fun date, right?).

This was Paige's first time to the dentist. We checked out some books at the library for Paige to read and prepare.

I went first so Paige could see how it was done. I was hoping that after six years the dental community would have come up with a new way to clean teeth. I hate that little pick tool. My gums are still hurting. But I put a brave face on and was glad Paige couldn't see me wincing under the sunglasses the technician gave me to wear (that was new and weird - I guess it was so the light wouldn't shine in my eyes so much). I was pretty worried about Paige having to sit in that chair for her turn.

I've never seen Paige sit so still and be silent for so long. She did such a fabulous job. I was totally amazed. They cleaned her teeth and filled her back molars with sealant. Luckily they were much more careful with the little pick tool. No cavities for Paige! And she was thrilled with the new toothbrush and toys she was given.

Paige said she wanted to go get some ice cream after the dentist appointment for doing such a great job. Then she stopped and decided that the dentist probably wouldn't want her eating ice cream. Pretty smart little girl.

My dentist visit didn't end up as great. I guess after 6 years, I couldn't expect any different. I have a couple of small cavities to be filled and I need a root canal and crown. :( I'm actually looking forward to the root canal, because hopefully it will get rid of the pain on the right side of my mouth. But with the pending $800 bill coming my way, don't blame me if I don't go to the dentist for another 6 years.

Porter Family Reunion 2011

There were many highlights from the family reunion this year. We spent a week in Greer, AZ and everyone was able to be there!

Due to my current condition, our little family was spoiled with the master suite. Ashby slept on the floor, Levi in the pack-n-play and Paige graduated to the girl cousin room.

My favorite part of the reunion was leading a morning work out. It was fun to put my 4 years of stake aerobics to work and share everything I've learned. (They were quite impressed with my ability, being 8 months pregnant and all).

The kids loved spinning on the merry-go-round thing.

We were able to take a short hike.

And catch horny toads. (Honestly I'm so excited that they caught some horny toads. These are my absolute favorite lizards and one of fondest memories of being a kid.)

We discovered a dead hawk and Cord pulled out feathers for all the kids. (kind of a yucky concept coming right out of a dead bird.)

Levi turned 2!  We had cupcake cones to celebrate.

It was really fun to see everyone perform in the family talent show. We did our "We're the Blumers" song that we made up for the ward talent show.  Paige also played "Merrily we roll along" on the piano and Levi started to hum the Supman theme song.

 We took the four-wheelers out for a little ride, until a cop stopped us. Most of the trails were closed because of recent forest fires. Oops.

Paige and Ashby enjoyed a little slip-n-slide softball game.

And Ashby caught his first fish! He was down by the pond with the other boys so I wasn't even there when it happened. But he was so excited!

The Tooth Fairy's first visits

It happened while we were in Montana. In fact, it was in the church of a small branch in a small town called Harlowton. This is the town Brian's dad grew up in and we were there visiting with him for his high school reunion. Grandad wiggled Paige's tooth and it ended up on the floor. It was definitely ready to come. Her new tooth was already all the way up behind the baby teeth. Well, Paige was so excited! Of course she went around telling everybody all about it.

Although she wasn't quite prepared (with us on vacation) the tooth fairy tracked us down and slipped a dollar bill under Paige's pillow that night. Paige had written a note to the tooth fairy asking if she could keep her tooth, and her wish was granted.

Paige's second tooth came out the very next Sunday in Grandad's fingers again! This time the Tooth Fairy remembered how much Paige loves to draw and gave her a new set of markers under her pillow. Perfectly executed!

Paige didn't really get to have a gappy smile because her permanent teeth were already there waiting their turn to grin. But the fun part was that she still spoke with a bit of a lisp for a few weeks while she was getting used to the new positioning.

Spontaneous Saturday

We returned home from our family reunion late Friday night and looked forward to a day of playing catch-up on Saturday. We dragged our feet to get chores done and spent the day weeding the flower bed. Later we got a phone call from our friends, "Hey, we saw you pulling weeds and thought you might enjoy cooling off at the lake." Wow! Boating at the lake? We never get to do anything like that. The rest of the chores could definitely wait!

It was the kids first time ever in a boat and loved it, of course. Ashby and Levi were a little apprehensive about getting in the water, but eventually took to it. Brian got to waterski, for like the second time in his life and did really great. I enjoyed relaxing on the boat and trying to hold my belly in place.

We were so glad to have the chance to do something new and exciting. We'll just have to find another day to start scratching things off our list of to-dos.

Thank you Nichols family!

What a CUTIE!

Totally T-Ball

I think he plays a lot better in our backyard. But its a learning experience and he had fun.

Trying to Sleep

Oh how I wish I could sleep on something other than my side.

I am usually a tummy sleeper. I would jump into bed and practically melt into my mattress. I looooove to sleep on my belly.

I made it as long as a could in this pregnancy on my belly. I would lift my knee so high out to the side just to make it work. It was a sad night when I had to admit to myself that I couldn't do it anymore.

Now I'm stuck on my side and there are just so many fewer options to sleep comfortably and its getting harder to feel rested. Guess it goes with the territory. But I am looking forward to the day I can sleep on my tummy again!

Balloon Launch