I sure felt loved and spoiled on Mother's Day. I woke up to this darling wall decoration. The flowers had examples written on them of why they love me or what I am good at. On top of that John had gotten up earlier to make me a yummy breakfast. It was breakfast burrito that you actually bake the insides and then wrap in a tortilla. It was delicious.
I felt super maternal this year, with have three darling daughters and expecting one more in a month and a half! Holland and Miriam made me this cute necklace. To make the day even better it was rainy that morning which made for a lovely overcast day. I love overcast days, which is ironic considering I live in the Valley of the Sun. And a hibiscus flower bloomed that day. It is still rare enough to be noteworthy.
My 3 and 3/4 girls and me. :) My belly feels huge! How big is this baby going to be?
That day was so nice and relaxing. We had at home church of course. We also played games and just spent time together. John made me the yummiest dinner of salmon tacos. Super unusually, this recipe came from a different website than Mel's Kitchen Cafe. https://www.cookingclassy.com/grilled-salmon-tacos-with-avocado-salsa/
Just in case I lose the recipe somehow. :) I love the avocado salsa with the crunchy red cabbage. The flavor on the salmon is amazing, which might be the first time I have ever said that. I don't normally enjoy salmon that much. We even tried the corn tortillas that it calls for, which I don't think we have ever done before. They were a fun change up.
I love yummy food.
I am also a sucker for gifts. I had asked for a specific robe that John got for me. It works as a maternity robe and a normal robe. He also surprised me with some yummy treats: dried mangos, dark chocolate bark with toasted coconut and almonds, and raspberry jam.
He also had Holland do a questionaire about me, which is about my favorite thing ever. Some highlights include. My mom always says "get on task." She is happy when I "follow Heavenly Father." My mom does not like when I "do wrong things like play the whole day." The best thing she cooks is "mac and cheese." Her favorite way to relax is "sleep." She is really great at "doing things like planting." She's not so great at "I don't know. Making a cake I think." My mom favorite place to go is "Cafe Rio." She always forgets "it's May. Something she forgets." She really likes to "make peach oatmeal because it's so yummy. And she likes to do things together with me." My mom is as tall as "I don't know. How old is Erica? Let's just say Mommy is as tall as a stone." My mom looks her best when she wears "rainbow colors." I love my mom because "she loves me."
Miriam colored this lovely card for me. Eliza gave me about the sweetest card I have ever seen. It is kind of hard to read in the picture, so I'll type it up.
Dear Mommy,
I love you! Happy Mother's Day.! You are the best mom I could ask for. Thank you!
Love,
Eliza
Then she had four circles covering why she loves me.
1. She is considerate. She gives me cute notes.
2. She is patient.
3. Mommy is talented. She taught me how to crochet, and she is good at drawing and calligraphy.
4. She is kind and thoughtful. Mommy always knows how to make me feel better.
Along with number two, she had a bunch of items with sticky notes on them to tell about why I am patient.
Two dimes--You taught me math.
Paper with ABC's written out--You taught me to write.
Picture of Christ--You taught me about the gospel.
Cardboard heart colored red--You taught me to love and be kind.
Dusting rag--You taught me to work hard.
Paper book--You taught me to read. You are very patient.
Dice--You taught me games.
Popcorn--You taught me to cook.
Not surprisingly, this thoughtful card still makes me feel emotional. I am so lucky to be that girl's mom.
Miriam and Eliza had a top secret gift that they worked on for an entire week for me. They spent so much time up in Ellie's room working on it. They used code words like bows and arrows to describe what they were making. It turns out that Eliza taught Miriam how to crochet, and Miriam made me a soft mini blanket. I am not allowed to use it in anyway that will make it dirty. :) It was really sweet.
And speaking of sweet, I thoroughly (probably too much) enjoyed the chocolate pie for dessert. It is the same pie I always request, and it is always amazing.
I am so blessed to be the mom to these sweet girls. I love them so much!!!
The next step in our kitchen remodel after the countertops was the backsplash. We didn't even try to pick something out before we got the counters installed because we knew that we just wanted to pick out something complimentary to them.
John went to three different stores (not an easy fete in quarantine times) and video chatted with me to pick out samples. We also had to sterilize the samples or wait three days to make sure there were no virus remnants on them before touching them a bunch. That aspect of the quarantine got old really fast.
I also looked at what felt like 1,000,000 samples online to try to pick something out. Honestly it was probably about 1,000.
What is funny is that we ended up doing what we have done every single time we have bought tile. First, we started at Home Depot, got a bunch of samples. Then, we go to a tile store, Floor and Decor. Then we looked at a bunch of other sites online. Finally, we ended up at Lowes where we got a bunch more samples. In all we bought close to $400 worth of tile samples. Thankfully they are returnable. The funny thing is that we have followed this same pattern for the other tile projects that we have done too and we always end up deciding on something from Lowes. It held true again. I think it is funny that we didn't even think of starting at Lowes this time, but it just didn't occur to us until after the other places. We don't learn very fast, either that or we just like the tile at Lowes.
Here we are trying to decide between samples (didn't get any of these).
So many factors to think about: color, texture, how it complements the quartz and other colors in the room. How relatively trendy is it? Will it look dated in 5 years? How busy it? How busy do we want it? Do we want to make a statement or let it blend in.
From our after photos, you can tell we decided we wanted something to not be too busy or eye catching. But we wanted it to be something a little more interesting than just a plain tile.
We ended up going with a glazed, white ceramic tile that had just a enough interest with some texture and pattern in the tiles. We think it a little reminiscent of a mosaic tile or Spanish tile because of the different textures. But it is pretty mild because we didn't want it too eye catchy. We also went with a light grey grout to complement the countertops.
John had his second week of furlough, which, dang it, costs us a surprising amount of money. Turns out we count on his paycheck in full. That being said, it sure was useful to have that time off in order to do the house projects we had lined up. Our top priority was doing this back splash, which was definitely pretty time consuming. It took us most of the week to get it done.
One reason that it took us so long was that I thought I wanted the tile to continue above the arch. It took John a while to get the template made for that, plus to cut and install that tile. But the next day we changed our mind and decided that it was too much. So we spent some time that day removing that a couple of other tiles that we weren't satisfied with. We still need to redo the wall texture in that spot and repaint. The to-do list never ends. I think we made the right call though. It probably would have felt like over kill to leave it.
We finished! We love that we took the tile all the way down to the countertops. Often people have a 4 inch countertop splash that rims their counters. We think that taking the tile all the way down makes it look way more upscale.
John also took out the old phone jack and security system box that was on this wall. Plus, we had to get a new plant. Greenery makes things look prettier (as long as it isn't fake stuff stapled to the walls like our house had when we moved in).
We are really happy with how it turned out. Even though our kitchen looks super white now, I love it. So much work goes into each of these steps, it sure feels good to see them completed. Side note: I love having under cabinet lights. They are the perfect lighting in the evening.
Life continues on despite the quarantine. We are progressing in our project of finishing the kitchen and family room. We put in the new white blinds, book case, desk, under cabinet lights, and backsplash (different post about that coming). We have a bit left to do: tons of touch up paint, moulding under the peninsula, build some open shelving, reorient pictures, fix some cable issues, fix the internet issue that has come up,
The desk came with a smashed side. It took a while for a replacement piece to come, but when it did, I had to laugh at how much packaging there was. So much bubble wrap! I have never seen something so well protected. :)
We love our new office space behind the couch. It feels a lot more functional than our last desk, probably just because it is a lot bigger.
Still trying to figure out the bookshelf and photos. Maybe another bookshelf next to it? Lamps in a different spot? Definitely pictures moved. House projects feel like they are never actually done.
One of my favorite parts of my new desk is that I have a place to put a few more house plants. Plants make us happy. It is hard to know which ones to pick out though. Also, I hope they don't die.
Other plants that have been making us happy are our cherry tomatoes that we planted last fall. They have been producing like crazy. They have definitely been the most successful tomatoes that we have ever had since moving to Phoenix. We learned our lesson: only plant cherry tomatoes. The others theoretically will ripen faster, but they don't really. Plus cherries are super sweet and yummy.
We have taken just a couple of walks as a family. Poor kids haven't gone anywhere in so long.
Our yard has been enjoying the lovely weather too! Pink hibiscus, desert rose, and knock out rose.
This desert rose has exploded with blooms. They are stunning.
We love love the hibiscus. The rain on Mother's Day made this bloom particularly lovely I thought. One day Holland was playing in the yard when she raced in the house upset because as she said, "I saw snake moving." Of course, I kind of flipped out. Rattlesnakes are way too common around here. John went out to investigate, and Holland showed him where she had seen it. Turns out her snake was a little inch worm, thank heavens!!!
Because the fairy house that we made was such a hit, we couldn't resist getting out the old fairy house present from David and Patti from a few years before. The kids had forgotten about it and loved setting it up in the yard. Cutest little house and furniture.
They had to enhance their other fairy house with some extras too from that kit. Holland was a big fan. We didn't keep it up that long though because summer heat came hard and fast. We wanted it to stay nice so we packed it up and brought it inside for the summer.
Baby girl is getting bigger and bigger. I suspect this baby might be my biggest. We are earnestly trying to decide on a name. We are debating between Darcy Taylor or Clara Taylor. Taylor for John of course. Darcy because we love Pride and Prejudice so much, and Clara just because Holland brought it up once and we liked it. We are switching calling her each name day to day and it seems like Darcy is sticking a little bit more. Maybe she'll be Darcy? Would it be weird to name my baby girl after two men? :)
The girls all love talking to the baby. She has started to more noticeably respond too. They definitely wake her up by talking and kissing her and then she starts moving around like crazy. She also gets the hiccups all the time! Several times a day she has to go through a round of hiccuping.
I have been having a lot of braxten hicks contractions and round ligament cramps. Definitely the cramps are worse--they hurt so bad. Thankfully I have discovered that if I stay really well hydrated, try to exercise a little, stretch, and stay off my feet when I need to, that I can keep them from being debilitating.
I love, love seeing how much the girls love on my belly and their baby sister. They are so sweet. I am also enjoying planning on another sweet little girl. I had to order some new bows and a couple of props for new born photo shots. I just couldn't resist.
Looking down at Holland kissing my baby belly.
The girls eventually had to start real school again, albeit online school. Eliza does it completely solo, but Miriam needs some help sometimes. The only thing I have really had to help her with is doing essays. We have just had to think through them a little bit together. Also, I helped her go through and edit and revise it. Hopefully that amount of interference is appropriate for her age. I have enjoyed going through the colonial America material with Miriam. In addition to school work, they do just 15 minutes of typing practice daily. Between the two, I have been so impressed with how much they have each improved in their typing.
We also do specials on Friday, which are fun and awful. It always seems to cause a fight, even though the activities are pretty fun and cute. Holland joins in on most of the activities.
I have continued doing preschool with her. She still practices reading, writing, and addition/subtraction. Some days are more productive than others, but still definitely seems worth our time.
With all of the daily tasks, we have reimplemented the summer bucks system. So many of the rewards have been purchased, but I am a softy and when Holland wanted to make pink cupcakes with her "make a treat" purchase, I said yes, even though it was a bit much for the purchase price.
It was fun to pull out cake decorating stuff.
The girls unintentionally coordinated with pink and red clothes. Pretty cupcakes.
This little one was super thrilled.
Holly girl is so funny. We love, LOVE age 4. I will write a lot more about her on her birthday post, but I just have share how sweet she is. She loves to give huge kisses and cuddles. She also is so imaginative. In this drawing every little thing she drew is intentional and works together in the drawing (even if it doesn't really make sense to us).
It was so sad one day when she was playing outside and she stepped on a bee. Our first bee sting with a kiddo. Ice, medicine, a show, it all helped it feel better.
We have not been very good with keeping an early bedtime (especially the adults). We love staying up a little extra late to play games and watch shows. This silly threesome loves it too.
With all of this time at home, and not being able to go swimming at the HOA pool, I came up with the idea of getting our own little pop up above ground pool. Needless to say, it has been a HIT!!!
We got one that could fit on our little cement pad. It is 12 ft in diameter and 30 inches deep (although that ends up being about 2 ft of water). It is about 1700 gals of water. Even though it is more kiddy sized, it still fits all of us. We can float and relax and splash and play. The kids can swim underwater. It really has been so nice. We thought about getting a bigger, more oblong shaped one (16 ft x 10 ft x 48 inches) which would have been even nicer, but it turns out that shape was crazy expensive. Instead of about $300 for the pool, it would have been more like $1400 just for the pool. Then there was the filter, chemicals, and cover. We used old carpet remnants to put together a mat of sorts for the bottom covered with a tarp.
We definitely don't have it all figured out yet: chemicals, keeping it clean, etc. But we have been loving it anyway. The only con as far as we can tell has been that the bees are super attracted to the water and chemicals. They won't leave us alone in the pool. No one has been stung though and we're experimenting with peppermint oil to repel them. Fingers crossed it works!
The kids have been loving it so much. They have only skipped a day or two swimming since we got it. I love it too. It warmed right up in the Phoenix sun, and it's delightful. We are actually concerned that it will warm up too much. We got a sail shade to string up over the pool to offer shade when it really heats up outside. Despite it being a bit of an eyesore in the yard, we are asking ourselves why we didn't get this a few years ago. It is so nice to have a pool so convenient! The kids can just go swimming without us. And because it isn't very deep, we are pretty comfortable with Holland being out there. We still have her wear her puddle jumper if there aren't any adults in the pool though.
One fun activity we did together was make some paper flowers and cards for a stake service drive. I think they are delivering them to nursing homes, where they aren't allowed visitors right now.
Another fun date night: painting roses. We're very talented. ;)
Feeling tempted to give John a quarantine hair cut. Bowl cut with Mohawk.
Elizabelle finished her big project!!! She crocheted the softest baby blanket for our new baby. It is interesting to see how much her crocheting improved throughout the blanket. She finished with a darling border that coordinated with the pink of the blanket. It also has white and grey. She came up with the border herself, which is kind of amazing. I did show her how to do a little shell stitch, but she put it all together. I am so proud of her for doing this big project. I love how she didn't give up on it, even though at one point she realized it wasn't turning out even, so she unraveled almost all of it. She redid though, and it turned out gorgeous!
We have still been loving have church at home. We have been doing Come Follow Me and the Sacrament. It takes up a substantial part of the day, but it is totally worth it. I think it is cool that we can pick the more interactive, hands-on activities to do with the kids. For example in the picture below, we read a passage in Mosiah about how the church was instructed to be and then we wrote how it is similar to the church today on slips of paper. We taped them to blocks and built a church. It was great.
We also typically make a poster or page or something to hang up on our pantry door. We call this our Come Follow Me door. I love how this latest poster turned out. "Everyone makes mistakes. Heavenly Father will help me learn and grow and try again." We all took turns doing fun writing, and the kids came up with a cute border. Kids make everything more fun. Well almost everything. ;)
We have been keeping in touch with neighbors and friends at least a little. My ministering companion came up with a whole system of texting three times a week for: Touch Base Tuesday, Thankful Thursday, and Spiritual Sunday. I am glad she thinks of things like this because I am sure it would have never occurred to me. The girls have also been being pen pals with their cousins Hailey and Lindsay. Holland has been writing notes to friends. We have also been doing weekly Zoom (video) calls with the Deru side. Those have been surprisingly fun. I think it is fun to chat with my siblings. On the Pearson side, they started using a new app to message which has been working a lot better than regular texting. Some people's phones were only allowing messages to go to a certain number of people, and it got messy really fast. It is a little unusual for more than a day or two to go by without someone from the family using this new app to reach out about one thing or another. We miss seeing friends in person, of course, but I feel like in some ways this has been better for these relationships than just normal life would be.
John made this video for the ward primary. He had to play the part of Abinadi. He is a good sport. :)
We love going outside when the weather is nice. The new pool is helping that a lot!
It is next to impossible to catch baby girl moving on film, but this video was an attempt.
