lately

i've been a sorta lame blogger lately.  i keep waiting for something fabulous to happen or to get out of this little rut. perhaps i should stop waiting and make something happen.

here's what we've been up to in a nutshell.

our anniversary was last week.  5 years people!!  it was about the most low key anniversary ever, which is kinda how we like it, but we really didnt have any other option this year.  trae started school this week and his program is all night classes.  we went out to lunch, just us, then he headed to school and i headed to my moms to make a wedding cake for my brother until about midnight.  we didnt do anything fancy or even get to spend the day together.  maybe we'll do an anniversary re-do one of these days.

little girl #2 will be here before i know it.  its funny how with my first, baby things were constantly on my mind.  baby names, nursery ideas, colors, clothes, labor and delivery, etc. ect.  this time around, i barely stop to think about it.  that makes me a little nervous.  i'm just as excited for this girl, but haven't had the time to get all wrapped up in the details yet.  i better get on it though, judging by the size of my growing belly, and the continiuous jabs and kicks i feel, i am gonna be a mom of 2 in no time, like in 6-7 weeks. ahhh!  i have been feeling great however, despite some crazy back pain and the constant need to go to the bathroom.  i am just holding on to the last month or two with ave as my only kid and loving it so much.

last week we went to the cassia county fair and rodeo, of course, and it was fabulous. not so sure ave loved it as much as i had hoped but she looked cute.  she was pretty into it for about 15 minutes then all she was concerned about was getting some cotton candy and pop, and the clown that came and sat by my great grandma.  trae and i also worked in our stake booth for a few days.  lets just say i ate waaaaaay too many maple bars, and enjoyed every single on of them.

my brother got married on friday.  they are cute and happy together. we love jocelyn and her little girl raigen.  we are so happy to have them in the family now, officially, and for ave to have a cousin that she kind of adores. only picture i got was taken on my phone of us sisters, the bride and groom will come later.

the webb family had a little family reunion on saturday.  we dont get togeher nearly as often as we used to now that the grandkids are grown up.   it was so fun though and made me wish we did it a little more. the boys golfed and the sweet driving range, we played intense volleyball and kick ball games, ate fabulous food, let the kids run wild and had a great time.

(this is as good as you'll probably get of my almost 7 1/2 month pregnant belly, i'm not that much into belly shots and feel unflattering as it is so, this will do. the added weight has certainly been dispersed through-out unwanted parts of my body. blah.)

we survived trae's first week of school.  wasnt nearly as lonely as i thought it would be considering two of the 4 nights i spent at my moms and another whole day playing with meag and preston.  i wont get used to that but it sure was nice for the first week.  i'm sure i'll stay busy, this sassy little girl always helps.

thats about it for now. our simple, happy life.

can you believe its almost september? wow!!

summer lovin part 2

just cleaning off one of my camera cards with a few pictures from this summer.  its been an eventful summer, but not overwhelming.  i can't believe its already the middle of august and in 2 short months i'm gonna be a mom of two....crazy.  the highlight of the summer is watching avery experience so many new things that she didn't get to in brasil or just forgot from her previous summer in the states.

i only got three pictures from the jones family reunion.  this one is from one of the only times she was playing nicely with the other girls, she is still learning how to interact with kids her age after living with only adults for a year. 

this is her silly cinderella lamp that she refused to put down for the entire reunion.  she denies the fact that its a lamp and still carries it with her all day as one of her dolls. 

grandma with her two busy grandkids at the swimming pool. still can't believe that number is about to double in a few short months.

summer time

We are finally settled and making Idaho our home once again. It's no doubt that we love it here but it still feels a little odd after living on brazil and all over utah the last five years. We're living in trae's parents house for the next year or until it sells ( I'm hoping the year mark comes first.) it's WAY bigger than we need or know what to do with but we'll manage just fine i'm sure.  It's even better being only 25 minutes from my parents and close to my sisters. we have been taking it super easy lately and getting reaquainted with our old favorites.  besides averys confusion about where "home" is and my rapidly growing belly, life is pretty much the same as usual.  Here's a picture dump from my phone over the past week.

trae and rachel golfing at my grandpas driving range at his house. i am loving all this open space, especially after a year of skyscrapers.  

my two favorite garden picks so far this year. nothing beats fresh garden food

we've been spending lots of time over at trae's grandparents house since they live so close and avery is so  in love with them.  i think that picture of her and her great-grandpa swinging is priceless.

ave and her new pet friend cloud.  i'm so not a cat lover but she came with the house and keeps avery entertained so we can't complain.

ave and i on our way to the river to go canoeing the other day. 

and just one cause she's such a good mix of goofy and cute!

garrard reunion 2011

finally some family reunion pictures.  

saturday: swimming and dinner

sunday: church, luau, dinner (my grandparents took their kids to hawaii for their 50th anniversary and everyone brought back lots of hawaiian loot, so we had a party), fireworks, sleeping under the stars-(aka, worst night sleep ever)

monday: big 4th of july breakfast, golfing, pedicures, intense volleyball and kickball games, too much food, kids painting their village, fireworks.

this continues to be the greatest family reunion around, but of course i'm biased. i wasnt too great at capturing everything that went on but we had a seriously good time. 

(picture overload)

wedding weekend

i have lots of catching up to do, here's a start.  last weekend trae's sister macey got married.  she's so gorgeous and fun and we love her and her new husband.  he fits right in.  its was such a fun weekend with family. avery thought it was the coolest thing to see a real princess in a white dress get married in a castle. it was a 2 year olds dream come true.  there will probably be lots more pictures coming but this is it for now.

mace with brian and in-laws

uncle matt teasing ave with delicious snowcones+ice cream+fruit

family reunion coming next.

simple pleasures and surprises

i'm happy to be here.

we made it! it was a long 2 days but it feels so good to be home.  we had a safe trip and only a few minor hold-ups. avery and i had slightly different tickets than everyone else that sent us to dallas late last night instead of spending the night in miami.  i was a little apprehensive about that whole set up, traveling by myself with a toddler and tons of luggage (pretty much our lives for the last year plus car seat and stroller stuffed into suitcases) so my mother in law changed her ticket to come help me out since we would be staying in dallas for 12+ hours.  we got lucky that we came to dallas last night because the rest of the family that stayed the night in miami got stuck there all morning, had to rearrange flights and wont make it to SLC until super late tonight. 

there have been so many simple pleasures we've been able to enjoy since landing in the U.S. yesterday.

-i watched the most amazing lightening storm from the sky last night. prettiest things i've seen in a long time.

-i slept in a bed instead of on an airplane and woke up feeling refreshed instead of jet lagged.

-i ate a huge bowl of cold cereal with real milk this morning.  it has never tasted better.

-i bought american food and treats for avery in the airport that i didn't know were possible to miss.

-i flew over so many mountains covered in snow that seemed more beautiful to me than miles of beach and palm trees.

-i got butterflies in my stomach the minute our airplane touched ground in salt lake.

-i loved flushing toilet paper down the toilet instead of tossing it in the garbage. (sick but true)

-i drank the biggest cup of root beer. really the only pop i love and missed.

-i cried a little bit when i saw my parents at the airport and watched them with avery as she gave them her special card she made.

-i washed my face in warm water and it was lovely.

-i talked to my sisters on the phone instead of skype.

-i drank water out of the tap instead of a culligan-like filter.

the list could go on and on, but i think its clear we're glad to be home.  

oh, this is a little peak at what avery's super homemade special card said:

 october 16th, and we couldn't be happier.

loving lately

just a few things that i have been loving lately.

my kindle.  we dont have too many english book stores available here in brasil, but this little gadget has been the greatest replacement for bookstores. i occasionaly miss holding a real book, but very rarely. i have read so many books over the last few months.  what are some of your favorites. i'm almost done with my current book and don't have one on my waiting list.

pinterest.  i started using pinterest a few months ago and am still slightly addicted.  i think of it as collection of favorite magazine clipping, but online and much neater and organized.  most of you have probably jumped on the bandwagon, but if you havent and want an invitation to join, give me your email address.

mindy gledhill. her music is so calm and refreshing. i'm loving it and could listen to it on replay for hours.

moraccon oil.  greatest hair product i own.  it has been so fabulous here in brasil.  i think i can count on 2 hands the number of times i've blow dryed and straightened my hair while living here.  the result isnt always the prettiest hair, but its way too humid to dry it and make it more brittle just to have the humidity get ahold of it an hour later.  magic in a bottle.

these shoes.  i'm still undecided on regular toms.  i know i'm a year or two behind, but i've been out of the loop for a while in brasil and i just decided i am loving their wedges.  if they are as comfortable as everyone says the regular shoes are, or close, i think they might be winners and something i'll have to get when i get home. am i missing out by not trying the normal toms?

and of course, i am loving these two.  they have made the last year in brasil so bearable and fun.  they both make me laugh on a regular basis and make my heart beat a little bit faster everyday.  i love them most of all.

(taken during trae and ave's late night swim the other day)