They forgot to mention...

They forgot to mention how quickly MOST people show with their second child. I woke up this morning in a huge panic thinking I slept for like 4 months! Have no fear...I am ALMOST out of the first trimester...I am just showing as if I was going into my 3rd! Did I mention with Lincoln I didn't start showing till I was 17-19 weeks!? Oh brother this is going to be a LONG 9 months!!!!

Family Fun Day

Today was so much fun! It was our first official family fun day and it could not have been better...aside from the 30 degree weather! Hey, at least it is not snowing!!! I was browsing the internet last week looking for different things to do around Layton so that we can explore and have something fun to do every weekend. I decided each weekend we are going to have a Family Fun Day (probably on Saturday) and then on Sunday we will work on finishing projects around the house. Lincoln happened to glance at the computer RIGHT when I clicked on the Hogle Zoo. Ever since then, he tells me at least 10 times a day how he wants to go to the zoo. I have been able to hold him off by saying when dad is home from work we will go. Well, dad was home from work today, and you better believe the FIRST thing out of Lincoln's mouth when he woke up was "I want go zoo!!!" So I made a hot breakfast, we all showered and got dressed and away we went. I wasn't THRILLED with going today since the high was going to be 36 when we were there...BUT I also knew I had promised Lincoln and I needed to follow through.

Let me tell you, I have not seen this boy sooo happy in such a long time! He has such a love for animals and it is so stinkin cute. His favorite was the elephants...and he kept asking to go back and see them. His least favorite was probably the Ape Encounter...only because the Giant Gorilla came up to the window and just looked RIGHT AT LINCOLN for a good minute...poor little man screamed his head off!!!  I was a little sad because a lot of the exhibits were closed due to weather, but he did not seem to mind. He did however, manage to talk us into buying Carousel Tickets...he promised he would love it and that he wasn't afraid...well he screamed. He refused to ride on an animal so Shaun and him sat on the bench...and he clung to Shaun the entire time (well he did let go a little the last 30 seconds). He LOVED being able to just stare in awe at all the animals. I am pretty sure this boy is going to work in the animal field in someway or another when he is older.

We grabbed some lunch before heading home. Then we stopped by the mall to grab a couple things, grabbed some milkshakes, and headed home. Now we are searching for a movie to watch tonight while snuggling and eating popcorn before we have to say bye as dad goes back to work. I officially declare Family Fun Day a HUGE success...with ALL 3 of us!!! It was JUST what we ALL needed! :)

PS Utah is REALLY starting to grow on me! I was even able to wear sandals today...in the 30 degree weather! lol

Lincoln the Champ

I gotta brag for a moment about Mr. Lincoln. He has been SUCH a TROOPER with this entire move. I cannot even begin to try to understand what is going in his little mind...but I know he must be confused. He didn't sleep that well until his room was all set up and then it was like magic...sleeping his normal 11 hours at night, and taking a solid 2 hour nap. He rarely has outbursts with me, (I should, outbursts out of no where...because come on, he IS three!) and our days are spent running up and down the stairs, playing with all his toy trucks and playing outside. He seems so happy here. I think he really just needed the space to play. We have been SOOOOO fortunate with the weather here (it has snowed ONE DAY) which allows us to take full advantage of having a yard. When his little self grabs my hand and asks to go on a walk, I eagerly hold his little hand in mine, and we walk around the neighborhood, saying hi to all the dogs, and finding little treasures along the way.

Another major change we have is we got rid of cable. Have you looked at your cable bill lately?!? We were paying $80/month for literally, Disney Jr. That was ALL we ever watched. I admit, I would fall victim to "okay shhh sit down and I will put a show on for you". I don't like to admit that, but it is true, I did it. I sat down with Shaun and we had a serious talk about the money we were wasting each month on that. We made a list of all the channels we watched, or would be sad to see go, and we could only come up with FOUR!!! Why were we spending so much on FOUR channels? So we said adios to cable and welcomed ROKU into our lives. We already pay for Amazon Prime so we knew we had all those channels included. Plus, my inlaws have a NETFLIX account so we can use that too. We hardly ever use the tv now. We are so busy playing and doing other things, it is never really on. I love it! The one show that we will watch before bed is...RUGRATS! HAHA...I love it because it was my favorite show when I was younger and now Lincoln will ask for the "baby with no pants". So fun!!! I am so glad that we NEVER have to pay a monthly cable bill AGAIN!!!

Anyway, Mr. Lincoln has been a champ at these changes and I could not be more proud! That saying is true (at least I think it is a saying) build a strong foundation of trust, love, and support, for your kids, and they will be fine. Granted, he does ask for his cousins from time to time, and he does ask to go see the cows (meaning his friend Austin's house) but that is totally to be expected. We have a little countdown in his room for when we go back to California in a couple months and even though I don't think he fully understands it, he does get excited when we take a chain off! :)

Work in Progress...

Welcome to Utah. Those were the words from the pilot of the plane as we slowly descended into Provo. I couldn't believe it. Suddenly, right before my eyes, all this change was REALLY happening. I walked off that plane with my son's hand in mine, towards our new future. I have never been more excited, scared, nervous, and happy at the same time. Thoughts were FLOODING through my head (mostly about how freakn cold it was as I stood in capris and flip flops!!!) but I tried my best to act calm, cool, and collected. We grabbed our luggage and hoped into the nice warm truck to head to the house. As we drove through the different cities, a weird feeling of peace came over me. I knew, for the first time, that I was where I needed to be. My little family was going through a MAJOR change, from a new city, to a new state, to a new job, to a new baby, to a new house, but I felt content knowing everything was going to be okay. Funny thing, that EXACT moment I felt calm, I also got an overwhelming feeling that it was going to be a ROUGH transition. Not that I ever expected it to be easy, but I knew it was going to be harder than I ever allowed myself to think. 

We pulled up to the house in Layton. The house we bought without EVER seeing it in person. My heart raced before I opened the door HOPING it would be as good as the Realtor made it seem. HOPING it didn't need major work. HOPING it would work for our little, growing family. Surprise Surprise...IT WORKS!!! It is just as I imagined, and with a little paint, and care, it is going to be the perfect little starter house for us! I couldn't be more thrilled. Finally a HUGE yard for Lincoln to play in, a lovely basement for entertaining, and a bedroom for both kids so they don't have to share! Things were once again, going to be okay. 

That week flew by. Shaun and I must have made over 30 trips to Lowe's to get things for the house. With every little project we tackled, a sense of pride of ownership shinned through on both our ends. With a little paint, the rooms were starting to feel like home. By the way, NO ONE EVER mentioned how HARD and TIRING it is to paint!!! Oh my lanta...I have not felt THAT tired in a LONG time!!! In fact, we have taken a break from painting...but now it makes me NOT want to start again! HA. 

Of course the first room we tackled was Lincoln's. We both wanted him to feel at home here, and we knew his little 3 year old mind couldn't fully understand what was happening in his life so we figured the best way to make him comfortable, was to give him his old room back. The picture below will show a DARK GREEN room (Lincoln was drawn to that room from the beginning...he walked right in and said, "this my room"). We had to do a coat of primer AND 2 more coats of paint WITH the primer included, to get this room to the light grey we wanted. Finally after a day of drying/airing it out, we were able to move all his bedroom things in. His little face would light up everytime an old piece of his room went upstairs. He has been sleeping in there wonderfully and I am sooo thankful for his huge amount of flexibility. 

                                                  

To keep on track with Lincoln and making him feel comfortable, I wanted to complete the basement. I knew part of it was going to be the 'family/entertainment' area, and another part was going to be the play area. FINALLY a place for ALL his toys that is NOT in my main living area...a mom could NOT be happier!!! This room was a PAIN to prep. In fact, towards the end of the prep, we gave up on sealing the ceiling and just said "be careful towards the top". HA...it was a pain! We lucked out BIG TIME with the paint color for the basement. While at Lowe's I happened to notice a 5 gallon bucket of paint with a color pretty similar to the one I originally wanted marked for only $30!!! These buckets go for $150 at Lowe's...and just 1 gallon is $45...I was ALL OVER THIS DEAL!!! It is a little darker than I originally wanted, BUT it works lovely in there! Once I find the right pictures/art for the room (vintage looking theater stuff) it will lighten it up JUST enough! :) *Bonus I found those AMAZING red/white ottomans at Target for $15...originally $50...when I bought them I wasn't even sure where I would put them...BUT I KNEW that was a killer deal and I wanted them! :) All Lincoln's toys fit LOVELY in the little cut out in the basement and he LOVES being able to go down, make a mess, and leave it all day, until I make him clean it up at bedtime. We still need to add a couple long shelves to display all his board games, and stain all the oak color wood a darker color,

 




but other than that, it is finished! Well, we do have to decide on what to do with the bathroom down there...it's pretty plain but I actually really like it! 

Now onto upstairs...the living room is just an open room right now. We need to find the right couches to get in there, and once I find those, we will choose a paint color and go from there. It just sits empty for now! :) The dining room is half down (remember how I mentioned taking a break from painting!??) I LOVE the red color on the bottom and HOPEFULLY next week we will get the grey ontop of the red and finish the dining room. We are going to hire someone to do the kitchen the same grey color (I dread going around the cupboards) so that part will be on hold for a couple months. 

The tape was still on in this picture...we aren't THAT bad of painters! ;) 

My FAVORITE room is the upstairs bathroom!!! If you know ANYTHING about me, it is my LOVE for teal/black together!!! I have always loved the combo and when I saw a picture on Pinterest with a bathroom based on those colors, I KNEW I HAD to have it!!! I dumped the ugly typical boring mirror that comes with homes (I think they are called builder grade mirrors or something) and threw up my HUGE black mirror I scored at Ross for $30. Then it was all about the right color blue, and finding all the black accents that I wanted/needed. I still need to find items to go on the 2 shelves that are in there, and I hope to get the vanity stained next week (going all black) AND one day, we will redo the floors...I have seen these awesome tile that look like wood in a grey/slate color...oh yeah those are totally going in...ONE DAY! 

So as I said, the first week went by FAST! We had project after project to work on. This week though, reality has set in a little. Shaun is back at work, and Lincoln and I are home. Luckily the weather has been AMAZING so we play outside every morning and after naps. I realized I need to get him more outside toys (thank goodness Easter is right around the corner). It has been hard with Shaun gone, wanting to tackle all these other projects, being in a new state, AND trying to find the energy to entertain a toddler while in the 1st trimester of pregnancy...BUT we are managing. It is a learning experience every single day....and I wouldn't trade it for the world!!! 

Hopefully next week we can tackle our Master Bedroom (we LUCKED OUT BIG TIME and don't have to paint that room...it's a color we already wanted!!!) so we just need new bedding, some curtains, and new lamp shades (everything that goes on the walls will come in due time..I am just focusing on the MAIN ASPECTS of each room). I also really want to get the vanity stained so it can be DONE!!! Knowing we have 1 room completely finished is a great feeling...I just can't wait till the WHOLE HOUSE is finished...or even till we have a couch upstairs! ;)