Girl!!! Its a girl, Its a girl, hallelujah & praise the Lord, Its a girl!!!
We feel so blessed. Thank you Grandma- I know you somehow arranged this. I don't know how, but I know its your doing. Your legacy lives on!
We couldn't help but notice that she looks just like Smurfy. I mean, I know ultrasound babies don't really look like anything- but can't you just see the elfi-ness? They're like twins! Oh, so cute!!!
I AM SO EXCITED!!!!!!
The kids had a 4-day weekend from school and I thought we would go somewhere & do something fun. As it turns out, we spent the weekend at home, but we found ways to make it fun!
Friday, I took the kids to the Classic Fun Center in Layton with Trish & her kids. Yippee. I had a pounding headache by the end of the day, but the kids had a blast. Tricia & I were wishing for the old days when you used to sit on the edge of the roller rink & hold out your hand and hope a cute boy would come by on his rockin' roller skates & give it a big slap! Oh, to be a kid again :)
On Saturday we made Valentines Day sugar cookies for Seth. (They are his favorite thing!) I actually let the kids do all the decorating, which made me incredibly tense, but finally I just said "whatever"! It was really fun. 
Saturday night we were invited to a party at Matt & Jodi's to celebrate Chinese New Year & the last day of Mardi Gras. Jodi made Jumbalaya (sp?) and it was so good! She also had tons of fun decorations & beads for the kids. They thought that was great.
Sunday, I dressed the kids super "Valentiney-ish" for Church, which Seth thought was incredibly embarrassing, but I thought was adorable. He gets so annoyed whenever I make my boys wear pink :)
After our Church, we went to Janna & Andy's ward to watch Andy get made the bishop. A bittersweet moment. We are so happy for them, but also feel bad with their new baby coming that they will have so many extra responsibilities! I just imagine Janna sitting on her bench all by herself for the next 5 years with a new baby & an exhausted toddler & a moody "tween" and my heart aches for her! I'm sure the Lord will bless their family greatly for their sacrifice.
Monday we had planned a fun family ski day with all my siblings, but we woke up to a socked-in mountain and pouring rain. Yuck. Needless to say, my family all changed their minds & somehow we ended up back at the Fun Center, with the incredibly loud music, stale pizza & sweaty kids......AGAIN! Oh well- it was a great weekend!
Last summer I had an unfortunate incident that involved a cliff..... and me, basically falling from it. For those who never heard, or need a recap, in June we were invited on a very fun couples Lake Powell trip by the Beckstroms. One of their LP traditions is to rig up a zip-line & entertain themselves by careening across the canyon walls tethered to said line.
So, after watching several men, and one brave woman make the descent, I decided it couldn't be that bad, and I went for it. Did I mention this zip-line was anchored a mere 70 feet above water???? Did I also mention that if performed incorrectly, it requires a 20-ft. free-fall before the rope "catches" and you begin to slide down the rope? Needless to say, I did it wrong, my arms couldn't handle the jolt, and I was ripped from the line, free-falling to my near-death. Oodles of fun, eh?
Well, in case you were wondering why I am re-telling this story in February, I recently found copies of the photo that was taken of me in my ridiculous free-fall on the Beckstroms LP Blogsite, and for your winter entertainment, I thought I'd share them with you! (Sometimes I get bored in the winter.....)
Anyway- I actually had several requests for this photo last year, but I didn't have access to it at the time, so here you go!
P.S.- Don't try this at home. OR at Lake Powell for that matter.
This first picture is a guy in our group successfully making the zip-line journey across the canyon. I just wanted to show you what it was "supposed" to look like :)
And here's me, free-falling through the air like an idiot. The crazy thing is that I am NOWHERE near the bottom. I wish someone had taken a picture from farther away so you could see how far I still had to fall before hitting the water, spread-eagle in the most perfect belly-flop their ever was. OUCH. Needless to say, my whole body was bruised for over a month. I had 2 black eyes, a black face, and black legs from top to bottom!
Here's some photo-shop editing so you can see my super-man dive even closer up. Like I said, I'm here for Your Entertainment (No wait, I think it was Adam Lambert who said that...... Oh well)
So, here I am 17 weeks pregnant & have no idea what I am having. For someone who is on their 5th kid, that shouldn't be too big of a deal, right? WRONG! I am going crazy!!!! It wouldn't be so bad, except for the fact that everyone has to chip in their two cents. "Oh, I'm POSITIVE its a girl", or "the chinese calendar says its a boy!", etc. etc.
All of this "information" is making it difficult for me to concentrate on ANYTHING, so at my last Dr. appt, I begged my doctor to check & see if he could tell what it was. As usual, he just told me to hang on & wait for my 20-week ultrasound at the hospital. He said I could go in as little as 2 weeks, so it really shouldn't be too big of a deal. But when the secretary called to schedule it, the hospital didn't have any openings until FEBRUARY 16th! That's still a full four weeks away. Well, I just couldn't take it. I called my sisters up & said, "We are going to Fetal Fotos!" It was a major undertaking to coordinate 4 busy mom's schedules, find babysitters, arrange dinner, homework, etc., but we all managed to meet at my mom's house last night ready for the drive down to Salt Lake City. Since we were going all the way downtown, we figured we should go out to eat at the Cheesecake factory while we were out. It was going to be a great night!
Notice I say "was".......
Well, I had called fetal fotos earlier that day to see when their latest appt. was. They told me it was at 6:00. That sounded perfect to me. I thought I had conveyed the message over the phone that I wanted that appointment. I thought. I guess that's part of having a pregnant brain. On the way down, I got worried & called to make sure they were planning on me coming, and the lady on the phone said they didn't have any more appt's for the evening & that all their technicians had gone home for the night. "WHAAAAAAATTTT??????" But we're in Bountiful on our way! But I made all my sisters come with me. Can't you do anything????????
NOPE.
It was so dang disappointing. The worst part is, I know Seth won't give me a kitchen pass to go down there again. He was against the idea in the first place. Thought it was a complete waste of money.
So now here we are. No closer to having a sex for this little munchkin. Me still dying. 
A friend who is also pregnant told me about a method that she tried, known as "The Drano Test". Seeing as how I'm a huge sucker, I thought- "What the heck!"
Now, I had never heard of this "Drano Test", so for those of you who are as clueless as me, here's how it works. You gotta go to your nearest Home Depot or Wal-Mart & pick up some Crystalized Drano. Put a little in a paper cup, and first thing in the morning, before eating any food, before having your morning pee, just go ahead & hock a big ol' loogie into that cup. For those of you too proper to know what a loogie is, we'll just say you're supposed to SPIT into the cup. If you are having a boy, the crystals will start to bubble, turn black, & create a big puff of smoke. If you are having a girl, the crystals will do nothing.
SUPPOSEDLY.......
So, first thing this morning, I gathered up all the spit I could muster & hocked it right into the cup 'o crystals.
WHAT HAPPENED?????????
Bubbles. Blackening. Smoke.
Craziness.
So, according to the legend of Drano, I'm having a boy.
I'm curious, however. Has anyone else tried this? Does it have ANY legitimacy whatsoever??? Does all human spit cause this kind of reaction from Drano Crystals? Because I made Seth spit in there, too & it did the exact same thing.
Anyway- so far both the Chinese Calendar and the Drano test say I'm having a boy.
However, my recently passed away grandmother & my psychic sister say I'm having a girl.
What to believe?
I think I'm still holding out for modern science. The utrasound machine. Damn you February 16th. Why are you still so far away???????
Seth gave me an amazing new camera for Christmas. I have wanted one forever, but when I actually got it, I realized I was scared to use it. I didn't take a picture all day on Christmas. But, after my brother showed me what to do with it, I decided I was going to have to at least try.
The day after Christmas some friends came up to go sledding with us & I thought that would be a perfect chance to try it out. I think I got some great pictures, and the kids had so much fun! The thing about a small digital is its incredibly hard to capture that look on your kids face when their doing something like flying down a mountain at mock 10. With my new friend, though, I got it every time! I love you already!!!!!
This Christmas, I struggled with my kids bad behavior, the excesses of Christmas, and the general lack of “Christ” in Christmas. So, when I was able to be a part of a true Christmas miracle, my heart was overjoyed, and lets just say- it made my Christmas!
It started about 10 years ago. My sister, after trying for years, was able to have a child. They were a happy little family for awhile, but soon they began wishing for more children. When the doctors determined she couldn’t get pregnant on her own (their first child was deemed “an impossibility of science”), they turned to medicine, shots, hormones, whatever it took. Truly, their family was put through the ringer, enduring thousands of injections (literally), 10 unsuccessful rounds of artificial insemination, 1 unsuccessful & very expensive round of invitro fertilization, and one horrible pregnancy that kept Janna in bed deathly ill for several months and ended tragically with stillborn twins after only 14 weeks. After all that, it had been 7 years since they had Lauren, and their hearts & home was feeling empty. Finally, they turned to adoption, and received the most amazing little girl, Lillianne. She fits amazingly into their family, and I know it was meant to be that she was there. Still, after all that, Janna hoped in the back of her heart she could somehow have more. People told her about babies that needed adoption that maybe were for her, she underwent two surgeries to try to repair her defunct uterus, only to be told that the abnormality had grown back, and finally, gave up. At 35, she had finally realized her family of 4 was a blessing in and of itself, and it would be ok.
Christmas day Janna & Andy announced to our family that she is, by the grace of God, pregnant. After 10 years with a barren womb (she jokes that cobwebs are growing in there), there will be life again in the once hostile environment which is her uterus. I could not have been more happy for her & her family. It is the best gift I received this Christmas.
By the way- I am also pregnant, but really, who is that surprising to? No one. I am the exact opposite of Janna. The very picture of fertility. So, there’s not really anything shocking about that announcement. Still, I am so happy we’ll be able to do this together.
FIVE kids. What was I thinking? It’s going to be a wild ride.
I hope you all enjoyed your Christmas, and if but for one brief moment, were able to feel the joy that is the true spirit of Christmas.
Love,
Mandy
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