Happy Birthday, Honey!!!

Hehe...his tush is still cute :-)


Zac's Birthday 19 years ago...when he was 5!


My wonderful husband turned 24 today! I'm excited because we're the same age now and it will say that on the new baby's birth certificate. When Logan was born, I was all self-conscious because the line with "mother's age" was 22 and the one with "father's age" was 21. I know it's only a 6 month difference, but I don't like being older.

ANYWAYS, for Zac's birthday, it was pretty low-key. Sorry, babe. But Logan and I made him blueberry muffins and took him breakfast in bed...but we let him sleep in till 11. So it was more like brunch in bed :-) We also took him a card that Logan made (since the one I bought last week went missing...), but I think Zac liked the one Logan made better anyways. Since it was like 100 today, we spent the majority of the afternoon inside enjoying our newly repaired A/C, but later in the evening, we ventured down to Spanish Fork and went to the "beach." It's really a reservoir, but it was clean and sandy (-ish...more like fine gravel, but whatever) and the water was really pretty. So we set up our beach blanket, ate cheeseburgers (I decided against the steak...not really a beach food), and played in the water. Logan was pretty exhausted when we got home, so he cuddled with his daddy before heading up to bed. And to finish out the day in typical Zac style, he went to the lab on campus to work on his film. So just after he left, I made cupcakes and hopefully I'll be awake enough to surprise him with them when he gets home :-)

And just in case you were wondering, yes I'm still pregnant. My due date officially passed 6 minutes ago. But that's ok. I'll be induced on Tuesday, which is conveniently the morning after Jaylene and Savannah fly in from New York. So whatever. I'll have a baby in 3 days. Eeek!

OH HAPPY DAY!!!

(no, no baby yet. sorry if that's what you thought I meant...)


OUR AIR CONDITIONING WORKS!!!!!!!!!

7-Day Forecast...

Tuesday: Got a cute haircut from my neighbor, Heidi. It's a little on the short side, but refreshing. High: 92 degrees.


Logan and Heidi's daughter, Renee.

Wednesday: Going to see Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince with my hunny. It's our last movie we're going to see in the theater while being parents of only one child. High: 92 degrees.

Thursday: Getting my eyebrows waxed...FOR FREE! A day spa in Provo has relocated to a bigger place in Orem and they're having a Grand Re-opening so they're giving away free services. I tried to snag a free pedicure since I can't reach my feet and all, but I called a little too late. But a free brow wax will still be welcome!!! High: 94 degrees.

Friday: My last baby appointment! Also, payday. Also, meat sale at Buy Low Markets, which goes well with payday. High: 97 degrees.

Saturday: Zac's birthday!!!! (And my due date.) I'm trying to plan something, but it seems most of what I have in mind concerns food. His favorites, of course, but you'd think I could be a LITTLE more creative than blueberry muffins for breakfast, sushi for lunch, steak with salt potatoes for dinner, and cake. High: 99 degrees.

Sunday: Church. Probably clean up the house a little. Nothing else really planned. High: 94 with scattered thunderstorms.

Monday: Savannah and Jaylene fly in from NY!!!! High: 92.

Tuesday: Induction day!!!!!!!!! High: 92.

In summary: our swamp cooler better be fixed by this weekend.

GRRRRRRR...

warning: this post is a total rant about how pissed I am at this very moment. I make no excuses for it.


IF YOU WERE AN APARTMENT MANAGER AND YOU HAD AN 8 AND 3/4 MONTH PREGNANT WOMAN (WHO IS A FAITHFUL PAYING TENANT) COME INTO YOUR OFFICE AND PLEAD WITH YOU TO HAVE SOMEONE COME LOOK AT HER BUSTED A/C UNIT, WOULD YOU? WOULD YOU? I BELIEVE MOST PEOPLE WOULD!!!! ESPECIALLY WHEN SHE PUT IN AN EFFING WORK ORDER FOR IT 5 EFFING DAYS AGO!!!! ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU KNEW THE MOTOR WAS HAVING ISSUES WHEN YOU HOOKED IT UP NEARLY 2 MONTHS AGO!!!!!!!!!!!

AND THE KICKER? I'VE TALKED WITH THREE OTHER PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN HAVING PROBLEMS THAT DID NOT FILL OUT WORK ORDERS THAT HAVE CALLED THE EMERGENCY MAINTENANCE NUMBER AND HAVE HAD THEM FIXED AND WORKING WONDERFULLY WITHIN 24 HOURS!!!! ARE YOU EFFING KIDDING ME???????? DAMMIT!!!!!!!

I guess I'll be calling the emergency number bright and early tomorrow...

...OR SOMEONE IS GOING TO DIE!!!!!!

2 Year Check-Up...

First, I have to say that I LOVE going to a family practice. My OB is also Logan's (and the baby's) pediatrician. I remember being so irritated that I went to the same doctor my whole pregnancy and then once Logan was born it was like, "Ok, nice working with you, now go find another doctor to trust." But this time around, it's like, "Your uterus is great. How is Logan doing? Any concerns?" and I absolutely LOVE it. So last Friday, I had my weekly appointment and was able to schedule Logan's well baby visit for the same time. Because he was there, I opted to skip the internal exam, so I don't know what my cervix is up to these days, but here's the skinny...or not so much...on Logan:

Height: 85th percentile
Weight: 50th percentile
Head Circumference: 100th percentile (a little over, but they just put him in the 100th)


So he's tall and skinny with a huge head. And he's doing all the things a normal two-year-old should. Except when the doctor asked if he knew his shapes. He doesn't. We've been working on colors and numbers and letters so much that I have neglected shapes. My bad. But I never really liked geometry, so maybe we'll leave that one up to Aunt Savannah. When she decides to come back to Utah. In two LONG weeks. With "Mee-gah Jaylene." Which is how Logan pronounces "Grandma" these days. It's cute. Which is making me think of other things he says that are funny. So while my brain is going along, let's formulate a "Logan's Pronunciation Guide":

Bake-eek: Blanket
Basey Ball: Basketball
Basey Hewp: Basketball hoop
Daddy's Bit: Our bed, which is apparently Daddy's, and the only place he will fall asleep willingly and eagerly
Duce: Juice
Eese-eese: "This," referring to something specific he wants (see also "Wanna")
Mee-gah: Grandma
Nucks: Chicken nuggets
Oger: Yogurt
Pepeese: Pepsi or any carbonated beverage, not to be confused with "Puppies" which is usually intended to be singular
Pun-gah: Grandpa
Teese: Cheese, in string form
Touch: Catch (which involves a specific tennis ball and the person catching to sit on the floor on a pillow)
Tindy: Candy
Wanna: Thanks to Aunt Savannah, this is something specific he wants. I can't stand it.

Well, that's all I can really think of right now, but it makes me smile.

Fourth Festivities and Sunday Snapshots...

How about that for alliteration? So yesterday was the 4th of July and we lived it up Provo-Style. There is a huge "Freedom Festival" parade that goes through two of the main streets in Provo every year and apparently it's a big deal. The last few years, the police department has even had to set time restrictions as to how early you can camp out to reserve seats because people were doing it DAYS in advance. So now the first main leg of the parade route (University Avenue) cannot be staked out until 3:00 am the day of the parade. And the second half of the parade can't be reserved until 5:00 am the day of. And the parade doesn't start until 9:00 am. I told you, it's crazy. So we knew this, but weren't about to go sit 4-6 hours waiting for a freaking parade to start. We ended up leaving the house at 8:50. We didn't get a close parking spot (we still had to walk a good 6 blocks), but that turned out to work in our favor because we didn't hit any traffic when we left. So the parade was fun...but I don't think it would be worth camping out for. Unless you're like 20 and single with no kids and don't care about sleeping. But Logan really liked it. He loved waving at all the princesses and people in cars and fire trucks and LOVED clapping for the vets, and was ECSTATIC about the marching bands. It was really cute.

Fireworks are also a big deal here (not only for the 4th, but for Utah's statehood day or "Pioneer Day" as it is fondly known). I posted about it last year. "The Stadium of Fire." Only this year instead of Miley Cirus it was the Jonas Brothers. And also this year, we don't live 2 blocks away so we knew we would have to drive and deal with traffic afterward. So on our way to the stadium (we were going to lie in the street like we did last year), I mentioned to Zac that maybe we could drive up the mountain. We'd be further away, but the traffic probably wouldn't be as bad and the noise wouldn't scare the crap out of Logan. He agreed so we turned east and headed up the mountain by all the rich, swanky houses. We eventually found a fairly clear spot near a really nice house with a gated driveway, pulled over, got out our blanket, and sat on the shoulder of the road overlooking Provo. There were a few other families there (4 maybe) and we were just sitting there waiting for the fireworks to start. Then a guy came down to the end of the driveway and opened the gate and said, "You don't have to sit on the road. Come on in and watch with us." These people had a HUGE yard with a drop-off that looked right out onto the city...and the stadium! It was the nice guy, his wife, his 3 sons and daughter and their families. It was awesome...we were just far enough away that you still got the "boom" effect from the fireworks (and heard it reverberating off the mountains behind us), but it wasn't so loud that it shook your organs. Logan was amazed and when the show was over, he was kind of upset that we couldn't get them to do more. So we did some sparklers with some neighbors when we got home and then sent the little boy off to bed. After all, it was a LONG day for him! But a fun one, I'm sure.

Speaking of fun days, we had another family fun day last Monday. We went up to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple open house. Before temples are dedicated by our church president, they are open to the general public so people of all faiths and ages can walk through and see the beautiful buildings and find out what exactly happens there. It was an amazing experience to be able to go to a house of the Lord with not only my husband, but with my son. He is too young (you can't get a recommend to go inside the temple until you're 12 years old) so we don't take him when Zac and I go. But it was a special reminder to me that because of the temple and because I was sealed to my wonderful husband for time and all eternity, I get to be with my family forever. So that was a fun day all around, too. And that time, I took pictures! So here are your Sunday snapshots of the Steele family :-)




And yes, I'm huge. But only 13 days till my due date! And 16 until my induction date!!! Or as Zac's friend Matt calls it, "the impending day of pain." Yay!

I WON! I WON! I WON!!!

EEEEEEEE!!!!! I posted about the author Bree Despian a few weeks ago, but in case you didn't pay attention, I will refresh your memory. My best friend Dani has a sister-in-law (also named Danielle) who had a roommate in college named Bree. Bree happens to be on her way to a magnificent career as a published author and her book, "The Dark Divine" comes out in December. I have only read the first chapter posted on her website, but from what I can tell, it is going to kick "Twilight" in the pants. After reading only the first chapter, I was like, "Seriously??? I have to wait until DECEMBER to get my hands on this!?!?!?!" and I was a little sad. But Bree, being as cool as she is, decided to give away some signed "Advanced Reader Copies," or ARCs. (Which I someday hope to get. You know, when I get all published. Which would require me to finish my book. But I'm getting sidetracked.)

ANYWAYS, I entered the contest. AND I WON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

To enter, she wanted to hear about your first crush. I thought about posting about being in love with Mark Cornelius in Nursery school, then about Ryan Circh in 1st grade (still upset he left me for Kati Gibeau...but whatever. She was cuter), but finally settled on Stan. Stan was our Schwann's Ice Cream delivery guy. And I loved him. And I don't really remember if he retired or just got a different route, but when he told us he wasn't delivering to us anymore, I was heartbroken. And I wrote him a song.

Well, Bree thought that was hilarious. So hilarious, in fact, that she made me the #1 winner of a signed ARC of her novel!!!!! I never win anything!!!!!! So, the official announcement of my winning is HERE if you want to get all excited with me. EEEEE!!!!!!!

(Also, I'm due in 20 days. And will be induced on the 21st of July if no action happens on its own. Life is sooooooo good!!!!!)

Happy Birthday, Baby Boy!!!

(Apologies for not posting this last week on his birthday...apparently I didn't hit "publish post," I hit "save now." Oops.)

Birthday Weekend Part Deux...

Well today was party day! I got up this morning and hid Logan's present that we got last night (because it was big and I wasn't about to waste time wrapping it). After that I started the potato salad, thawed the white hots, thawed some red raspberries for fruit salad, and baked the cake. And surprisingly enough, I didn't mess up the cake!!!!!! After it cooled I frosted it and made:



A Wall-E cake!!!! There's actually a Wall-E cake pan that Wilton makes, but I wasn't about to spend $20 on a pan I would likely use once, so I just did a normal 9X13 and frosted it all cute-like. I was kinda proud of it :-)

Two of Logan's good friends came...Parker and Kanoa. Parker also brought his little brother, Evan, and his parents. And Kanoa brought his mom and aunt. His cousin Casey (who recently came home form serving a mission for our church in Chile) also made it, along with Aunt Savannah and her friend Owen (who Logan also loves to pieces). Add Logan and us, and it was a pretty full house. Which wouldn't have been a problem had it not started DOWNPOURING ten minutes before the party started. And yes, it continued until after everybody left. Which also meant that the hot dogs (white, polish, and classic) we had intended to grill had to be cooked inside on our George Foreman grill. But whatever, they were still tastey!

After the food we did presents and Logan got sooo much cool stuff! He got a bike from Grandma and Grandpa Steele (and Aunt Nana, of course):



A school bus from Kanoa, a Crayola ColorWonder kit from Parker, a book that he ADORES from his Great-Aunt Karen, movies from his Great-Grandparents, golf clubs from Aunt Liz (that he got to open before she left), and a ton of stuff from Grandma and Grandpa Thomas that included (but was not limited to) super-cute clothes, a life jacket, Wall-E swim trunks (which he would wear to bed if we let him), books, and Cars cars :-)






And lastly, we thought about making him wait until tomorrow for our present, but it was taking up too much room in our downstairs bathroom, so we gave it to him this evening:

Yep. It's a "Baskey Ball Hoop." He is a huge fan :-)

After presents, we dove into the cake (which had the candle blown out twice by me laughing and once by Parker before Logan finally got his chance...but he did it!) and then everyone headed home.




And the rain finally stopped. Oh well, I think he had a good time :-)

Birthday Weekend Part One...

Two is a big deal. Big enough for us to make a whole weekend out of it. So we started celebrating today by taking Logan up to Salt Lake to "This is the Place Heritage Park." I guess for you New Yorkers, it's comparable to Genesee Valley Country Museum. You know, old replica homes, people dressed up in period clothing, farm animals, etc. Today they were running a special...only $5 admission. So we went. Highlights included:


Walking around the farm country and looking at the "A'mals"


Being approached by the sweetest little lamb you ever saw and being TERRIFIED of it


Riding the trolley when we got too tired of walking in the heat

(No picture...sorry)
Waiting in line for 20 minutes for the horse ride which Logan was certain he wanted to do...until we actually approached the horse. Then he freaked.


Then finding the biggest hit of the day (next to all the candy Daddy gave him...notice the candy necklace): the train ride. He loved it so much, we went around SIX times. The little train circled a pond and went over a covered bridge. And every time we went through the covered bridge, Logan would put his arms up and yell "WHOA!!!" It was precious. Clearly precious enough that we went on six times :-)



So aside from all of the "traumatic" events surrounding the farm animals getting too close, this birthday weekend got off to a good start!

Top 10 Reasons Logan Needs To Nap...

Recently, Logan's naps have become very inconsistent. And it's totally not on my part. He has just been refusing to sleep...even with compromises (watching Wall-E, napping in Mommy and Daddy's bed, taking a cup of juice with him, etc). I think it's too early for him to give up naps completely. So I've compiled a list of reasons he needs to nap and maybe after reading it, he will be convinced.

10. He, like his mother, gets very cranky when an afternoon nap is not in place.
9. He only sleeps about 10 hours at night and (according to my parenting books) needs to make up that other 1-2 hours during the day.
8. When he doesn't nap he becomes over-tired, making bedtime even more painful.
7. When he doesn't sleep, I don't shower.
6. When he doesn't sleep, I sometimes don't even get dressed. (e.g. it is 4 pm and though Logan is bathed and dressed, I am still in my gym shorts and sweaty t-shirt from my morning walk 7 hours ago).
5. He is precious when he sleeps.
4. He is super cuddly when he wakes up.
3. I don't want to strangle him after he naps.
2. I can get things done (i.e. dishes, vacuuming, laundry, cleaning and organizing our room) when he is asleep and out of the way.
1. I feel just a little bit more sane when I get an hour to a two hour break from mommy-hood.

Anyone else have an opinion or idea as to why Logan should be napping at this moment?

p.s. I just looked over to find him shaking a bottle of children's Benadryl. Maybe he's trying to tell me something???

You Know I'm All About Winning Contests...

Or at least entering. I rarely even win anything. In fact, the last contest I actually remember winning was in 3rd grade. It was a US Postal Service thing...something to do with outer space and space travel. So I drew a sweet picture of the solar system (back when Pluto was still a planet) and colored the entire background black. I'm fairly certain I won because of the time it clearly took me to color around all the stars and planets. That was talent for a third grader.

Anyways, I'm entering another contest that I need to blog about in order to have a chance at winning. It's my friend's sister-in-law. She is a photographer offering a free session. And we all know how precious it would be with a new baby in the family. So here's her blog:

Red Bean Photography

Wish me luck!

Visiting Daddy At Work...

Logan got to go visit daddy at work today. And I got to see a level of the Harold B. Lee Library I've never seen before...the basement! And I didn't know there was a sixth floor until this year, either. The things you continue to learn, even when you've been in the same place for 6 years...


Helping move the trash bins


The basement!


All done...time to go home!

First Big Boy Haircut...

So I've been trimming Logan's hair here and there, but we decided maybe it was time for a real haircut. I was a little hesitant to take him to just any place that does hair because I was afraid he would freak out (past experience has shown us that he does NOT like the clippers that are so convenient when cutting boy hair). So I looked around and found a place that exclusively does children's haircuts called "Cookie Cutter Haircuts for Kids." It was just up in Lehi (20 minutes north of where we live), so we went for it. The salon was amazing...it had a playplace/tree house thing with a slide that Logan loved, the interior was in bright primary colors, and every haircutting station had a cool car or airplane to sit in (instead of a regular chair), and a TV where your kid can watch a movie or play Playstation. It was really sweet!


Waiting his turn with daddy

So once they called Logan's name, he got to pick out a movie to watch. They didn't have "Wall-E." We went with "Cars" instead. Then he picked an airplane to sit in. And then the hair stylist put the cutest penguin cape on him. Which is when he flipped out. Zac held his hand the whole time, but clearly it didn't help:





The stylist still did a really good job, despite the heart attack Logan was having. So after she was done giving him the cutest little faux-hawk, Logan got a sucker and a balloon and went right back to the slide like nothing had happened:




So since we were in Lehi anyways, we also stopped by Zac's cousin Emily's house. We haven't seen them in forever. Which is dumb because they only live like 20 minutes away. Oh well. I'll blame it on the pregnancy. Which could be over a month from today if I so choose. July 11th. I could be done being pregnant on July 11th. But I think I'm going to hold off because no one will be here! Savannah is going back to NY for like 3 weeks (till July 20th), Liz is moving to Vegas for the summer, and Zac's mom can't be here until the 22nd. So unless anyone else wants to come help out :-) I think I'm just going to wait for this little girl to come on her own.

Early Birthday Present...

So Logan's birthday is in 11 days. He's going to be 2!!!! Crazy how time flies. But he happened to get an early birthday present from his very best friend in the whole world the other day:



They are his favorite shoes ever. Whenever we get ready to go out anywhere, he starts yelling "Wall-E Shoes! Wall-E Shoes!" And pretty much refuses to go anywhere without them on. Unless I have to run upstairs to get socks...in which case he is forced to wear sandals. Thanks, James!!!! We love you!!!!!