Almost There...

While most of our apartment still looks like this:

And this:

The baby's room is finally ALMOST DONE! It's a good thing she decided to measure small and have her due date pushed back three weeks otherwise we wouldn't have made it. We still need to put up shelves in the trees and a few other little things, but it's really and truly ALMOST DONE! (Can you tell that we're excited to almost be done moving and building and fixing and unpacking after nearly 3 months??)

Zach refinished the glider for me and I made new cushions for it. He also made all the shelving in the closet. I made the curtains and the bedding and the changing pad cover. I made the poms above the crib and our good friend Chelsey Hancock made the adorable button "N" above the bookcases. I still have a few more pictures to get up too...

Closet:

We're really excited to get the apartment all finished and have our own place (obviously) but we're even more excited to welcome Baby Ellie home in a few more weeks and to be able to spend time together as a family.

Welcome September

When Zach and I decided to move to Canada, we decided that it was the very best thing for our family while ignoring one very large stipulation: we wouldn't have any health insurance until September 1st. And when you expecting a baby sometime in late September/ early October, that's kind of a big stipulation just to ignore. But it's September today, and I am officially health insured again! Yipee! If fact, not having insurance these past two months has really helped me to be super patient about having this baby. I know a lot of people get really anxious towards the end of their pregnancies, but as of right now, I'm feeling really content waiting some more... Maybe that has to do with the fact that the suite isn't quite finished yet though.... I am excited to go to the doctor tomorrow because I haven't been in a month!! Hopefully all goes well and baby's measuring good and happy!

Saturday Trip to Victoria

Zach and I drove down to Victoria yesterday for my old friend Wade's wedding. It was a lot of fun to be able to see some long-lost friends and to be able to celebrate Wade's marriage. Zach and I also went to the Oak Bay Marina to look at the boats... but it was so hot we were forced to take refuge in the nearest Dairy Queen!








In other news, my belly is huge and Zach just got a new calling in Church as a Faith in God leader which means he gets to work with the cubs. He's pretty excited about it I think. There are 13 very active boys in the program who lost no time at all in telling him that the way the program works is that they play dodgeball every week! We'll see if that's the way it will continue...

I've been meaning to blog for awhile now, the problem was just coming up with something worthwhile to write about. My camera batteries are dead so I can't even blog about all the headbands I've been making lately... But seeing as it's Sunday, I thought I'd write about something that's been on my mind this week.

A few days ago, zach and I were reading in Ether in the Book of Mormon. We read chapter 6 which is where Jared and the Brother of Jared make the journey across the sea to the Promised land. While they were traveling, they were constantly tossed to and fro and buried In the depths of the sea. It sounded like a trying trip to me and it lasted 344 days. What really struck me about this story is that the people were so grateful for the tender mercies of the Lord (the wind, the storms etc) that eventually got them to the Promised land. In verse 8, it says that "that the wind did never cease to blow towards the Promised land while they were upon the waters."

How often do we feel like we're being tossed all around from one trial to another, through one storm straight into the next without realizing that the Lord is constantly directing the wind and the waves to lead us to the promised land, or in other words, back to Him? I know that God is our Loving Heavenly Father and that He truly does have a plan for us that will enable us to be the best people we can be, even though it feels sometimes like we're left alone to fight through the storms of life ourselves.

The Crazy Life we Lead

So, a few weeks ago, I won a game of rock paper scissors. And then we decided to move to Canada in exactly one week. We said goodbye to our friends and family, our apartment (which got leased in one day = huge blessing!), our lovely ward, our bountiful garden (Amber, is it dead yet?), and a bunch of other stuff. But the last straw? My houseplant. I nearly broke down when Zach suggested we throw it away (you can't take plants across the border...). I have a reputation for killing plants and that one (his name was Fritz) had nearly survived to see his first birthday. It was such a huge feat for me and he was so green and pretty that I left him outside the front door instead of in the dumpster. I can only hope the new tenants accepted him into their family.

Since we've been here? Zach saw a bear up the mountain. We saw 30 bald eagles in a bay in Courtney and then we went back another time to take pictures. There was only one there that night, but the beach was littered with fish carcasses and heads of the eagles' lunch. We're slowly settling in and eagerly awaiting the flooring to be installed in our soon to be basement suite so we can move into it at least a little.

Our girl is growing a ton and kicking a ton too. Zach was surprised to know how hard she kicks when he actually saw my belly move. I don't mind those ones at all, but she's also developed the awesome habit of kicking my bladder every 5 minutes which really isn't as cute.

Easiest Newborn Dress Ever

On pinterest I came across this free pattern for a newborn dress. It is so easy, and required so little fabric that I made two! No zippers/ buttons/ sleeves = my kind of sewing project! I'm sure it won't fit our baby girl for longer than a week, but I couldn't help it...

Ugly Ties?

Last week, I decided to tackle our closets. When I was cleaning and organizing Zach's side of the Master closet, I was confronted with a mess of ties. As I started to sort through the disaster, it occurred to me that my husband is an avid collector of UGLY ties. The only way I can describe them is to say that they look like Star Trek....

I pulled a few out to take to DI, but when Zach came home he shoved them back into the closet declaring that he loved them. Oh well. I gave in... Until I found this Needless to say, Zach doesn't love his ties more than he loves free donuts! So, if you, like me, find yourself in this predicament, grab one of those ugly ties and head over to Krispy Kreme in Orem for free donuts!