Preggo Thoughts

My body is on loan for your development, Baby Girl. 

26 weeks! 

And you are so worth it. 

This is becoming more real every passing week, soon we will be a family of four!

Fun randoms about this pregnancy: 

Peppermint Smoothie Tums are my best friend and eliminate heartburn immediately. 

This pregnancy has graced me with a sweet tooth times ten.

I still have a hard time eating certain salads that I would eat on a regular basis.

I even like to drink milk this pregnancy (I normally only buy regular milk for Daddy).

Daddy feels your movements almost every day because you are so active.

Amberly always got the hiccups, but I don't think you've had them even once yet. You just jump all over the place whenever I'm sitting still.

We can still kick box together and it makes me so happy!

I tried a slow jog with you and Amberly in the jogging stroller and I have to go slower than molasses to avoid Braxton Hicks contractions.

The Braxtons started early in my fifth month, now in my sixth month they come even more frequently (take it easy, Baby and body. Let my little one grow!)

I still get nauseous if I wait too long to eat.

I was still able to sleep on my back and stomach until about a week and a half ago.

I LOVE not being freezing all the time. I called it my X-man power of pregnancy last time and my powers have returned! I'm actually more comfortable temperature-wise when I am expecting than when I'm not pregnant. 

My hair rocks, I hardly shed at all.

I can go to the bathroom on command, no really I can.

Amberly initially pointed to her tummy when I asked where the baby was, now she's got it down and she points at my tummy. :)

I feel like you and Amberly have known each other for a very long time and have a very special bond. Your spirits go way way back.

Daddy and I thought of another name we both really like. We're excited to have three top choices and to see which one matches you perfectly.

I am constantly tired and almost always hungry.

Daddy loves you and is so excited to see your beautiful face, to be around your spirit, and to see Amberly's face when she first looks at you. 

We love you, Little One. 

Love, Mama

Mecham's Rule - Lagoon 2015

My mom really wanted to take the her clan (kids, spouses, grandkids) to Lagoon for our immediate family reunion for 2015. Sometimes I wish that our "Griswold Moments" as I'd like to call them could be made into our own movie. Every family vacation we've ever had seems to have spurts of complete chaos, typically beforehand. The prepping for this get together was no exception to our rule. I wasn't present to witness the scene, but apparently my parents were stuck in traffic after already leaving an hour and fifteen minutes late, took the wrong exit to Lagoon, got the trailer stuck in someone's yard on the way to the campground, my dad fell in a knee-deep hole (booby trap!) while trying to get the trailer unstuck which hurt his wrist, and Kailee and Nayla were pouting in the truck because they had waited for three hours to get to Laguna Beach. My mom might have had a couple meltdowns, trying so hard to make the trip perfect and provide happy memories for everyone. On top of it all, my dad couldn't sleep the night before because he had an extreme toothache and is in dire need of a root canal! Timely.

But it all worked out. 

 We had to warm Amberly up to going on the rides by starting really small and making sure she either had one of us or her cousin Eli with her, but within a few minutes she was pointing at any ride she saw exclaiming "EEaaaassseee!!" (Please) because she wanted to ride every last one.

 Cousin Love!

 Eli is a little sweetheart and took such good care of my girl! I asked him to keep his arm around her on anything that went up high, and they were adorable little ride buddies!

Eventually my big girl was brave enough to ride the single kiddy rides! So cute.

Aliya did awesome as well! She rode with Keira most of the time.

(I wish I took a photo of Sarah and I doing the pregnant lady thing at Lagoon all day...glad we were in the same boat!)

They looked horrified the entire time, but Amberly and Aliya even rode Puff with their daddies!

The Mecham clan on the train ride. We sure missed Seth but we loved being together. 

This is Amberly NOT appreciating the camera in her face...

Stockton loved Rattlesnake Rapids! He was laughing the entire time. 

Dad and Brian watched Amberly and Aliya so the preggos could get at least one good ride in (without risking our growing babies)!

We took a family photo at Lagoon's western photography studio which needless to say, was probably the biggest success of the entire day...am I right or am I right?

 Priceless. The three cowboys in the front kill me. Okay everyone's facial expression kills me. These are too great.

Grandma and Stockton

Daddy and Amberly

We had a few Mommy Daughter moments where I got to be alone with Amberly and take her on some kiddy rides that adults are allowed on. I adore my daughter to pieces! Being her mommy only becomes more fun as she grows older.

 

Our family vacations/reunions always have a way of working out, even if they only provide humorous and embellished stories for the next year that we can laugh at together as a family. 

Thanks Mom and Dad. 

Anchored Always - Girl's Camp 2015

There are few things sweeter than serving as an instrument in the hands of the Lord. I am a mere instrument so that maybe a small miracle can take place in the life of someone I serve. These young women are His little lambs, and it is humbling and wonderful to see the spirit of God touch their hearts. As the assistant camp director, girls camp was more work and took even more preparation than I anticipated, but I had so much help from our camp director, all the other leaders, our youth leaders, and my Heavenly Father. I feel so grateful and I couldn't have asked for camp to go any better! Of course there was a bit of drama here and there, but not much overall. I saw these girls wrap their arms around each other and around certain people who needed it the most, I saw the light of Christ enter so many eyes, and the icing on the cake was hearing all twelve of these sweet girls share their testimonies the last night of camp. I love the young women program with my whole heart. I truly hope I can always be involved in this program and have a calling here the rest of my life. These girls energize me, make me feel like my true self (I'll always be a teen at heart:), and give me ample opportunities to share my testimony. They strengthen me. 

 I'm guilty of the human pyramid but I was shocked most of my girls had never actually done one before! Besides, I went to all that work to have all the parents sign the permission slips, I had to make it worthwhile...;)

 Ta Dah!!!

Trust Fall

Accompanied with the story of Peter walking on the water found in Matthew 14:24-31

And a discussion on what it means to be anchored always in Christ. 

All but one girl were brave enough to do the trust fall.

Skit Night!

We were so well-fed up there, it didn't even feel like we were camping! Thank you to our chefs!

 Captains of the ship all matchy matchy on our hike.

I'm so proud we were able to get the girls to hike 4.5 miles.

22 weeks preggers and feelin good!

Photo bombed by the smoke.

Karlee Boo is my neighbor across the street. I got to work closely with her as her Activity Days Leader when I first moved in and now as her Beehive Advisor.

Bonnie is a true mountain woman!

I love and respect each of these women so much. Also my cute maternity shirt was a secret sister gift from Lynette!

Service project picking up trash along the reservoir.

For our final day of camp certification the girls had to rescue our camp director with different skills they learned. So cute.

There were many activities and things I didn't capture on camera, but camp was a huge success. I'm so grateful for my family members who helped with Amberly at home so I could feel at ease while I was mothering these twelve girls in the mountains. :)