Breathe...

Ok, so not right now because Russell may or may not have let something slip... (Whoever reads this--please don't be offended. My nose is offended enough for us both.) Back at the ranch, what I'm saying is I actually may have time to breathe now that the play I was directing for Swope M.S. is over and so is the Snow Riders club. Hooray! Now I have the fun task of catching up on all of the things I neglected/missed doing for the past couple of months. [Note: updating this thing is one of them.] The play went fabulously! We had 3 performances with good turn-out. I'm proud of the job that the kids did and without being cocky, I was quite pleased with what I did, too. It's nice to know that I can pull together some people to do what I profess in my classroom! The weekend was far too short to get "rested up," especially since we had friends over for dinner/games tonight, so I didn't get in a long nap and am not in bed yet...laundry doesn't wash and fold itself, you know. Russell has been so nice and helpful whether it was manning the video camera, running to get waters or pizza, or just putting up with lame dinners and stopping by a million thrift stores looking for costumes and props. He just reminded me about the housework that he did, too, lest I forgot. Well, dearest, let me remind you about the many Saturdays I spent in the cold while you snowboarded:"Touche," said he. :) We make a lovely team. I'm really looking forward to relaxing a bit more...we'll see how successful that is. I'm starting to notice a bit of a tum get in the way of bending over. Here's 22 weeks (Russell's losing the competition--I'm pulling ahead!):

Little Larry

I decided that a baby update deserved a post of its own. I'm now 21 weeks (okay...20 weeks and 6 days) and things are going well. Weight is starting to be gained, which is only good because this is a direct correlation to the appetite that I thankfully have back. We went in to the doc on Tuesday of last week and saw a precious ink-blot test. Actually, I was really surprised at how many details we were able to see of the baby's heart, brain, and other anatomy including the "3rd appendage." That's right, folks. We're having a little boy! This makes 4 grandsons on my side of the fam and a projected 6 male out of 6 babies born from my Pedersen cousins between Feb. and July 2010. Crazy! At least we know the little guy won't be without relatives to hang out with. ;)

Yes, we've been thinking about names (I have since I was like 8 years old) and no, we're not sure on anything yet except for the middle name: Lawrence. This is Russell's middle name and Grandpa's name (Dad's dad), so for now we can call our baby "Little Larry." Russell's also fond of Wendell, Cletus, Herbert, and the list goes on. For this child's sake, I'm glad I get a say, too!

16 weeks (I think...)



20 weeks


Russell's 20 weeks...pushing his stomach out. He said that it's looking like I'm pulling away in the Biggest Belly competition. I wonder why!


After our Dr. visit, we went to Costco and each picked out a little outfit. (Please note: the one on the right is in Seahawks colors. Russell's already started his Pee-Wee Football playbook.)

Happenings.

So, apparently I'm supposed to keep updating a blog and it doesn't do that on its own. Whatever. I've meant to, but blah, blah, blah. Anyway, since the end of January, some pretty exciting things have happened. In no particular order:

1) Someone in our ward quoted "Stairway to Heaven" in his talk and totally made it work. It wasn't weird or forced or anything--sweet.

2) Speaking of our ward, the second crop has come in--of babies, that is. 5 babies were born in about 3 weeks! It's pretty exciting. Last June/July we had the same thing happen. This summer (as far as I know) we'll only have 2.

3) I've been rehearsing for our play "Stop That Villain" at Swope M.S. It's been fun and exciting and we have a great group of kids, but since the shows are next weekend, I'm a bit stressed.

4) We've gone to Mt. Rose, Alpine, Northstar, and Squaw Valley ski resorts with my Middle School's Snow Riders club. As much as I love hanging out in the lodge (or out in the snow as the case may be with the Village-style resorts), I'll be happy to have my Saturdays back and not have to deal with lift ticket $ and bus rosters and lost gloves. You are welcome for the lift tickets, Russell.

5) Russell decided to grow a 'stache. Do I hate it? No. It's not my favorite, but it looks so dang good, that I can't hate. It's gone now, sorry you missed it. I'm sure the upper-lip caterpillar will come back again soon! (Uh-oh. Russell just said, "I think I'll grow a beard this summer. Actually, I want mutton chops; that'll be more fun.") I suppose I can't complain about his face-shaving habits...at least not until I increase the frequency that I weed-whack through the winter coat on my legs. Yeah, like that's gonna happen. I'll be lucky if I can see my legs pretty soon! (Wow...tangent.)

6) Back at the ranch, because the play I'm directing is set in Virginia City, NV, we took a little trip up there. After the carsick-causing ride up, it was worth the trip. The place was an interesting mix of tourism, old historic buildings, and bikers/ex-hippies. We walked around the shops and had a lovely picnic together. I picked up a few props for the play, so it was a worthwhile trip.


8) I do occasionally watch the Biggest Loser TV show. I'm not nearly as faithful this season as I was with seasons 7 and 8, but we were watching a previously-aired episode online and Russell decided to make the super healthy meal that they made on the show. Being an avid "I don't know it so I'll look it up on the interweb"-er, Russell found the recipe and made the dinner right on down to the kalamata olives, which we'll probably never use again. One of the biggest differences between Russell and I is that he actually follows recipes. I look at a recipe and realize I don't have half of the ingredients, but make something like unto it anyway. Nobody's dead yet, so we must be doing okay.


9) We went to Vegas and met Tina and Hunter down there. Thanks for the place to stay, Mom and Da'! We had a fun time doing a bunch of the "clean" things that there are to do in Sin City (is that an oxymoron?). Although we ate out tons, including at the Gourmet Buffet at the Bellagio for Russell's 28th birthday, I didn't gain a pound. This is probably because my lack of appetite was still kind of hanging around. The initial reason to go down was for Russell's PT interview at UNLV, but then it turned into a birthday weekend/BYU v. UNLV Bball game (let's not talk about it)/family time/perfectly-timed mini vacation. A little photographic evidence:

Who wants this guy as a PT student? He looks pretty dashy/confident, huh?

The man's dream came true...if only for 24 hours. Sorry, Cinderella, it's back to the Toyota Corolla, although it was way fun and worth it while it lasted! Thanks for all you believers out there who made this Corvette dream possible.


The ride to UNLV; mixed emotions. I was probably also trying not to get sick from someone's mad driving skills.
Happy Birthday, Russell! We celebrated in style, as you can see, and Russell even got a sweet tie from Hunter. Hunter just gives the best gifts...


The Bellagio birthday dinner. Russell's stomach contents: LOTS of good meat (including ostrich). Carolyn's contents: A baby and about as many desserts as regular people have in a year.


Our crew in the Garden area of the Bellagio.
We stayed in a cozy place that I actually wouldn't mind living in.
Sisters...presh. (It's not so clear in this picture, but the truth is that I'm pregnant and not just chubby.)


And what would a trip to Vegas be without taking a picture in front of a crusty casino we didn't drop any money into? Good--and that's what it was.

There you have it--a good example of why updating should be done more frequently. :)