Spiritual Boot Camp - Wrap Up

Today wraps up the week of Spiritual upliftment and inspiration from our Boot Camp team!

Have you been following along?

In case you missed any of this week's posts, don't worry: I've listed them here for you!

DAY 1 started with me talking about how we teach our children about the Spirit and bring Jesus into our daily routine at home. Check it out HERE for 5 simple tips that can make a world of difference.

DAY 2 we jumped over to Jessica Poe at Jessica-Poe.com for tips on fortifying our homes. Read along HERE.

 DAY 3 Judith Kester pumped us up to prepare for Spiritual Attack with her post on our best eternal weapons. You can read her post HERE.

DAY 4 we had some awesome real talk from Pamela and Scott of That Mormon Couple. They shared their tips for strengthening an eternal marriage (or really ANY relationship that you want to last long-term). Check it out HERE.

and last, but certainly not least, was TODAY'S post from Lita Loves.

DAY 5 is a boosting post of motivation on the strength that comes as we simply love and serve others. See what Ashley has to say on her inspired post HERE.

I feel so grateful to be included with this group of strong and spiritual bloggers. Meeting them online through this project was really great and made my week so uplifting! I feel like I've definitely made new friends.

To keep up with all of us during the rest of the year, follow along on INSTA:

@Pineapple.Snow (my account for all things Alston family and our etsy shop)

@JudithKester (LDS family and lifestyle blogger in Sacramento, CA)

@ThatMormonCouple (Pamela & Scott MacDonald and their ADORABLE family. They lead with light and put their best faith forward. Such an inspiration and super cute to look at.)

@Lita17 (Ashley is such a breath of fresh air. Her blog is real and fun. Plus she talks about desserts all the time. ALL. THE. TIME. Who doesn't love desserts?)

@Jessica_PoePoe (LDS mama and all about family. Her thoughts brighten up my day!)

I really hope we can make Boot Camp a yearly thing. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this week and what stood out to you most! And above all, we hope that this week has brought an increase of the Savior and his spirit into your home. For more information on Jesus Christ and his love for us, visit LDS.org, and I highly recommend THIS article from the Liahona magazine, January issue.

"When we understand everything the Savior does for us, He becomes the most important person in our lives."

Have a happy weekend, and may the love of our Savior elevate your every day!

Teach Me to Walk in the Light | Teaching children about the spirit and bringing Jesus into our daily routine

While Edwin was standing near me the other day, Kate, who had just woken up from a nap, sat on the couch and leaned over the arm rest to grab Edwin's shoulder and push him down. I reacted quickly saying, "Don't do that! Why did you push Edwin down??" She stared at me unblinking, until her face fell into a frown and eyes filled with tears that she hid into the couch cushions. Mom fail.

 Edwin, who had since stood back up, scooted around the edge of the couch to stroke his sister's leg. He is only 15 months old, but he could tell she was sad and wanted to comfort her.
(I learn so much from one-year-olds!)

I mean really though, the interaction here now involved the whole family who was at home (Jon was at work) and I knew that the next moments would be critical for teaching, both in word and example. Edwin could see what was going on, and although he had been the one initially pushed down, he was now comforting his sister. Immediate forgiveness.

I took a breath and waited a few seconds for emotions to cool. I leaned close to Kate and explained that we needed to be nice to one another, and that included me being nice to her. I wasn't happy that she had pushed Edwin, but I also wasn't happy with myself for reacting hastily, and I told her I was sorry. She was still grumpy, so I let her lay on the couch a while longer, but explained that when she got up again we all needed to be nicer to one another. Our conversation ended with a hug and a kiss. I told her I loved her.

This excerpt of our day was just three minutes of the 24 hour cycle of crazy. There are many moments like this throughout the week where there is screaming, crying, frustration, and grumpy attitudes. But there are also just as many moments of laughter, giggling, exploration, and hilarity.

When broken down, there are many facets to this experience. What I initially thought was just another frustrating hiccup in our day, turned out to be the perfect way to bring the spirit of Christ into our home. In small and simple ways, I believe there are 5 traits of the Savior that can be easily adapted into our daily living.

1) LOVE ONE ANOTHER
John 13:34 "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another."
 
This may seem like "no duh" advice, but it is so much harder to put into practice than we sometimes think. I know I'm supposed to love people, but what about when they're mean? or dirty? or head-butt me in the nose? (as happened yesterday in our church Sacrament meeting...) But I really think it comes down to the example we set. Will our children's outstanding memory of us be that of loving interactions, or harsh and disappointing criticism?

When Kate pushed Edwin down, I was upset. Addressing the issue was necessary. Teaching was important. But it was imperative that the interaction end with making sure that Kate knew I loved her.

The commandment even extends outside our immediate family interaction. Do our children see us love God and our fellowmen? How do we talk to others, or about others? Do we invite people into our home with love? Do we act kindly toward strangers at the grocery store? Are we honest in the checkout line at Target? I definitely don't mean this post to feel guilt ridden and chastising, in fact I mean quite the opposite! There is probably so much that you're already doing that you don't even realize which helps your children see the light of Christ and want to draw near unto it.
As Christ is part of OUR daily routine, it will instinctively become part of THEIRS.

Let us give praise and love, speak kind words, build friendships with our children, and serve others genuinely. Above all else, let us remember that "in family relationships love is really spelled t-i-m-e... Taking time for each other is the key for harmony [and a Christlike spirit] at home"

2) ASK FOR FORGIVENESS AND BE FORGIVING
There really isn't any interaction that more respects Jesus Christ's atonement than when we take advantage of the ability to repent and be forgiving. On a regular day at home with children, there is AMPLE opportunity for practicing this gift. I have never even counted how many times we say "I'm sorry" and correct behavior to try and do better again, but I would say it's upwards of 50 times a day.

When I shared the experience of Kate pushing Edwin down, I realized that there are plenty of chances for me to discipline,

but what I'm really teaching is how to feel remorse for actions, show love for others, and have a renewed heart for going forward with good intent. What better way for them to understand the true nature of Christ's atonement than when we expect the same at home?

Ultimately let us not as parents forget that we are imperfect too. Admitting to a child that you were wrong is a big action of humility, especially when they don't even know that you were in the wrong, but you still make the effort to point out your error to them and correct it. It builds so much trust and understanding when the forgiveness and repentance goes both ways. We are all working to strengthen each other.

In our family we are here to COMPLETE each other, not COMPETE with each other.

3) REMEMBER HIM ALWAYS
Luke 20:19 "And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me."
 
When Jesus Christ instituted the first sacrament, he asked that we do it to remember him always. Every week in our church worship services, the prayer repeats the words "that they do always remember him, that they may have his Spirit to be with them." (Doctrine and Covenants 20:77)

I can't say that I am the best at having Christ in my thoughts 24/7. Especially when I am putting Kate in time out, but I do always try to fill our home with uplifting scriptures and affirmations that help bring the day back into perspective when things go awry. For quite a while I had a large sign on the inside of our apartment front door that read, "How have you put the Lord first today?" When I caught glimpses of it in between my rush from living room to kitchen it would slow me down and was a good checkpoint for evaluating the progress of my day and if I was focusing on the things that really mattered most.

After a recent Sunday school lesson where we talked about Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10) I felt inspired to make a new sign the center of our living room focus:

Kate helped me paint and added the nice smudges and blob flowers near the bottom :) It's perfect.

"Is our home ready to receive the Savior?"

I thought, "If the Savior invited himself to stay at our house for the weekend, how would I feel about that? Does the attitude in our home reflect the atmosphere I would hope the Savior would feel comfortable in?" While I don't expect to literally see Jesus at my doorstep tomorrow, I do want our home to be filled with his spirit every day. And that's basically the same thing. If Christ wouldn't be welcome in our home because of our actions, then how could his spirit dwell there?

 Speaking of Christ is something that our family is pretty good at: His picture hangs on our wall, we have had Family Home Evening lessons about Him, it's not a strange name for the children to hear, and they can immediately recognize pictures of the Savior. I am glad that recognizing Jesus Christ is a regular part of our day, but I also don't want it to blend in so much that our home doesn't feel set apart for His spirit.

When we remember Him in all that we do, we are teaching our children that His way is a priority.

4) PRAY IN HIS NAME
We teach our children that prayer is a key element of daily living.

Every day we ask for the spirit to be with us, that we'll feel the spirit in our home, that we'll have happiness throughout the day -- but there is another step after prayer: we actually ACT on it. I can pray for more patience all day long, but when the opportunity comes to exercise that patience and I just fly off the handle instead, then I'm not even attempting to rely on that strength that I asked for earlier. To pray in the name of Jesus Christ shows a willingness to listen for his Spirit when we run into a wall.

It is one thing to SAY prayers, it is another to genuinely MEAN them, and then takes real intent to MOVE toward those goals with purpose. The spirit can give us strength to overcome our shortcomings, but we also have to recognize them when they happen, and work to stop our actions, take the high road, or just plain say, "I'm sorry." (see traits 1-3)

By praying to our Heavenly Father and asking for help in the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior, we will be endowed with power to help us lead. Prayer is one of the strongest tools of parenthood. In that way we are also teaching our children that we can't do it alone. Strength for life comes from strength in God. When they can learn to rely on the Savior at a young age, they will carry that hope through many challenging years ahead.

5) TEACH WITH LOVING GUIDANCE
"In the home, the school, or the house of God, there is one teacher whose life overshadows all others. He taught of life and death, of duty and destiny. He lived not to be served, but to serve; not to receive, but to give; not to save his life, but to sacrifice it for others. He described a love more beautiful than lust, a poverty richer than treasure." -President Thomas S. Monson

Source: LDS.org

Jesus Christ is the Master Teacher. Whose example would be more ideal to emulate as a parent? As we teach our children by example and with loving guidance, then we are truly teaching as the Savior taught, and if He is the Master, then I'm not about to argue with his methods.

After Kate pushed Edwin down, I had a moment of decision. I could let the situation ruin our day and lead to more negative actions and hurt feelings, or I could teach with love, forgiveness, and with setting the better example. By choosing to teach with loving guidance I set a pattern which we hope will be an example long remembered by our children past the end of the day. It truly brought the spirit of Christ into our home.

---

When I really stopped to take a look at our daily activities, I realized that we each invite the Spirit of Christ into our home in our own way. It is perfectly ok that I don't have a Primary Sharing Time level activity planned out every day with felt boards and songs and a game and a treat to get the kids excited about Jesus every morning after breakfast. I mean, and really, that is what church is for. We teach principles in the home first, have weekly lessons and fun activities for Family Home Evening bonding where we might focus on a specific aspect of the gospel, but otherwise I was able to realize that I didn't need to go over the top to help my children learn about the Savior.

Ultimately, the goal of bringing Christ into our daily routine and teaching children about the spirit is not a list of Pinterest level activities and does not require excessive craftiness. Anyone can do this, make it personal, and create a home that is ready to receive the Savior.

 
So we cultivate a spirit of love that can be tangibly felt and is talked about regularly.
We make Christ the central core of our everyday living.
We forgive each other and give second chances.
We say prayers together and work together in teaching by example.

As our attitudes more closely reflect the life of our Savior, so will our children's relationship with, and understanding of, Him and our Father in Heaven.

I sincerely leave these thoughts with you as my testimony that they are true and that having the Savior in our home is a wonderful blessing and an accessible goal, whether you are single, living with roommates, married and do not yet have children, currently have little ones running around, or you have moved on to empty nester status. There are life boosting truths in here for everyone.

In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

The Idea of Baby Steps

 

Kate at 3 months

 Lately Katherine has been doing so much more than ever before. She chews on her fingers, she grabs at anything that comes her way and she babbles at lights, colors and sounds.

I find all of these changes fascinating! Seeing where she started and knowing that we created this little person is pretty cool. I get why parents are in awe of their children. It still doesn't make me want to update a status on FB every time she snorts, raises her eyebrows or smiles at Jon reading to her. I'd rather keep those moments to myself :)

After observing her pick up some plastic keys the other day, I said to Jon that it is fantastic how someday she will be able to do whatever she wants. I was listening to some classical music and thinking about the concentration and emotion it takes to play an instrument well. Muscle movement, breathing, watching, listening, embouchure and feeling. It's years worth of training to have such control over so many things going on all at once.

Although right now Kate's biggest achievement is making steady eye contact with someone, she will one day be able to read, write, draw, dance, sing, talk and love.

It made me realize more than ever how slow and tedious and NECESSARY baby steps really are. You can't run until you can walk, stand, and even get up off the floor! Fascinating.

So yesterday at church one of the speakers talked about our process of conversion unto Christ.

 

 It is not all at once immediate, nor is it something that most of us will ever achieve fully in this LIFETIME. In fact it is an ever constant eternal process. The speaker said that in the gospel we learn line upon line, and we practice true discipleship with BABY STEPS. And it clicked! I can say now that I truly know what baby steps look like :) And they aren't quick. They are one day at a time. One thing, and then another. Weak, and then a little stronger, and a little more controlled. Until finally we are reaching our goals.

It made me happy to know that I might not be where I want to be yet, but I'm always working towards it, and the Lord doesn't expect me to "just get it already". He waits for our baby steps. And I'm willing to bet that every day we get a little closer, he is absolutely thrilled.

 



As a Matter of Happiness

Yesterday I was thinking of where my life is now, and considered a time earlier in the year when I was faced with a big life altering decision.

 

The specifics of the decision aren't important. What IS important is that at the time I wished I could have seen 15 years into the future to weigh out each option. Where would each decision take me? And which one was going to make me happier? I thought that if I could be told from the beginning which one was going to make me happier, then the decision would have been easier to  make.

 

Yesterday I tried to picture what each future might have looked like - and in my mind, each one looked equally happy. Well that didn't make sense! One should have been clearly better than the other. But as I thought about it, I realized that I would have been satisfied either way. And I never really needed to "see" the future after all. So which one really was better? Well, it was all up to me in the first place.

 

No one could have told me which future was going to end up the better one, because it was all based on my choices. Which future did I choose to be happy about?

 

The decision that I made was absolutely the best one, I'm sure :) And it's because I chose to make it the best.

 

This is not to say that our circumstances don't affect us, and that we aren't somewhat swayed by the situations that surround us. But I am not a believer in fate. We can act for ourselves and create our own futures. However bad the present may seem, the path that we walk moving forward is what decides our ultimate happiness.

 

I've believed this for a long time, but looking through this lens at my recent life choices made everything all the more clear.

 

As I thought about this yesterday, I asked myself if the decision that I made really was the best one after all? And the answer to myself was a resounding YES - because I chose it to be that way :)

 

And as I look down at the smiling baby asleep in my arms, I have never been more grateful for choices.



Blessings, Birthdays and the Best Things in Life

Well, we have a lot to catch up on!

At the end of August I officially turned 25. This was our picture for the day:

It could not have been a better day! My best friends called and visited, sent cards and texted. We went to my parent's house for lunch, spent most of the day chilling at home with Kate, and then Jon and I went out to dinner at FAT'S. After dinner we made it to our friend's gender reveal party for their baby due in January. It's a GIRL! It is so much fun having friends having their first babies at the same time as us :)

My mom got me these gorgeous flowers (which gave me the opportunity to practice my indoor photography)

and between the dresses and the shoes and the nail polish and the sewing supplies, I was TOTALLY spoiled :) Maybe 25 will be the best year ever??

Meanwhile, our lives have been crafty and creative. Both Jon and I seem to have an endless number of projects going. He made this journal for my sister:

As well as a walking stick for Kate (which he did before she was born). He really loves woodworking and burned "Oh the places you'll go" - my favorite Dr. Seuss book - into the wood after carving it down. The grain is gorgeous! He even added a leather wrap as a handle near the top.

Between these hobbies, working with hemp, sewing, jewelry making and preparing for upcoming baby showers, we definitely have our hands full!

In baby news - Kate is 5 weeks old as of yesterday! But I'm a little behind, so here's her picture from last week :)

She is still a calm, sweet baby and slept from 10:30pm - 6:30am last night.

Most days she chills around the house with me and Jon. Margo likes her most of the time.

Last weekend, Jon was able to bless Kate in our church. Traditionally babies are given a name and blessing within their first year of life. It is not a baptism or christening, but an opportunity for the priesthood holders closest to the baby's family to welcome the baby into the world and bless them with all of the things Heavenly Father wishes for their life. Whenever possible the baby's father performs the blessing. It was so neat to watch Jon do this for our daughter!

The day before her big day, we took some pictures. While we were getting Kate dressed, she gave us quite the smile. It just lights up her face! I can't wait to see this more :)

I made Kate's headband as well as this little bracelet for her to wear:

The shoes were probably my favorite part!

 

 And as soon as she was dressed we had a meltdown :) She couldn't stand how pretty she looked HAHA! Good thing this was just the practice run.

 Aw, there's our peaceful girl!

Our family on Kate's blessing day - yes, she slept right through it.

We are SO grateful to everyone who could come!

From left to right: Mike (Jon's brother), Steve (Jon's dad), Whitney Mariner, Uncle Mike, Aunt Judy, Jenny, Chris (Jon's mom), Emma and Katie Roth, Spencer, Craig, Lynnette and Claire Hardy, Mike, Karen, Breanne and David Weber (having a girl!!), Nancy (my mom), John (my dad), Jenni and Ken Thomson, Tiani and Brandon Taylor (having a boy!!), Aby Pineda, Bryce and Crystal and Jace DeWitt, Anna Joyner, Carmen and Christian Joyner, Sarah Isbell, Brenda and Jake Joyner, Me and Jon and Kate, Morgan and Jon Joyner, Jared and Lindsay Joyner, Hayley and Jonathan Joyner, Breanna and Ben Baker, Michelle (my sister), Kelly and Tadd Barnett, Jeremy Leonard and Danielle Howe, and Charlie. HUGE thank you to Louis Mariner for taking this group picture!! (not pictured: Kacy Wyatt, Ken Williams, Amanda Gray, Candice and Parker Humes - thank you all for being there!!)

Back at the house we were able to visit with everyone and Kate was snuggled left and right. She slept through everything until around 11:30 when she woke up to eat. I am so thankful for this girl and her sweet spirit! Some of our friends were only able to make it to the open house. Karin and Larry Hart, as well as Quincy Douglas and his boys - Justin and Shawn. Thank you to everyone who was able to stop by!

Breanne, practicing for her little girl coming in January:

Kate loves to sleep with her hands up:

 

It's become a running joke

 

 Lastly, some before and after pictures of Kate's dress.

I knew I always wanted to have an ivory colored dress for our baby's blessing, but finding pretty vintage gowns online is EXPENSIVE. My mom and sister went out with me and we found this cute one at JC Penney! I liked that it was ivory with the detailed overlay, but the downsides were that it was 12 month size, sleeveless and had this HUGE bow on the front. It doesn't look huge in this picture, but on our 4 week old baby it was overwhelming... I saw a lot of potential though, so we went with it :)

And here is the dress after:

I took in the shoulders to fit Kate better. I liked that the dress went down past her feet, so that was perfect! MANY thanks to Candice Humes for helping me work with Kate as a baby model :) I added the cap sleeves, which I was really proud of!

I took the bow off of the front and added pearl clusters to match the flower that had been in the middle, which I used to turn into a headband

I was lucky enough to find the perfect shoes at Macy's!

 The whole outfit turned out classy and beautiful.

Happy blessing, baby Kate! We love having you in our world :)

April Showers and May Flowers

As April ends and May begins - here is a little of what we've been up to!

California weather can never make up its mind this time of year, so we've had a pretty varied month of cool rainy rays and HOT sunny days. Last Sunday in particular was AMAZINGLY perfect. No breeze, just the right amount of warm and cool. We sat outside without needing sweaters, and I felt absolutely great!

Jon was working on some wood carving:

and I took some pictures around the yard:

I just like to capture sweet days like this, because I know that someday I will look back and appreciate the beauty and simplicity of it all. I also love thinking of taking pictures as a way to tell our kids who we are and where we were before they were born. It's like a step back in time.

Also, I will appreciate that at 6 months pregnant I could still see my toes.

I love how Margo and Shasta are such good friends! Shasta came and tumbled Margo over in the grass while she was mid-run and Margo retaliated with some jumping and twirling at Shasta's face! The pictures were blurry, but they cracked me up - I just couldn't resist sharing :)

Shasta is always so good at letting Margo share her toys.  She hardly even bats her paw.

During the rest of the week I went with my parents and sister to my cousin Chelsey's wedding in Utah!

 My hair for the wedding. I am getting pretty proud of my swooping french braids!

The wedding was absolutely gorgeous. I loved being in the sealing room at Mt. Timpanogos with my family, grandmother and cousins. The day started out drizzly and when we left the temple it was beautiful and sunny!

There was such an awesome spirit there and it almost felt like watching my sealing day all over again. I especially loved when the sealer talked about Heaven having their eyes on Philip and Chelsey and Heavenly Father having a destiny for them. I am so thankful for the temple blessings we have here on the Earth to create eternal families. It is amazing!

Unfortunately the only pictures I got were a few with my cell phone.

Michelle and me in front of the temple:

At the reception:

Holy moly, their cake was amazing!

 Here are some of Philip and Chelsey's bridals. Their photographer is amazing! And the earrings Chelsey is wearing were made by her younger brother Dallin. I can't wait to see all the finished pictures from the wedding day :)

Oh, and remember my recent sewing project? Well here it is all finished!

I made this apron for my cousin Megan. She LOVES to bake. Her blog is named "Raspberry Mousse" for goodness' sake. When she came out to SF in January we were talking about how she loved cute aprons. Well I've been wanting to work on my apron skills and just loved this fabric. The teal definitely made me think of her. I was glad to have the excuse of going out to Utah so that I would have someone to practice for! I was so proud of how it turned out. I lined it and all of the stitching turned out super straight. It made me more inspired to keep making things for the baby too!

Megan, modeling her cute new apron. And as it turns out, teal is one of her favorite colors! I'm just that good.

In other news: Jon is graduating in 2 weeks with his master's! I would post pictures of his recent book binding projects including his thesis, but I'm not sure if he's ready to share :) And I want to save it all for a super amazing awesome post about his graduation. I am so proud of him!!

Last, but not least:

Baby Alston and I have officially hit week 28!

Since hitting the third trimester I have popped out more. The baby is active ALL the time. We've started doing kick counts and it only takes about 5 minutes for the baby to roll, move or dance 10 times. I feel so blessed to have an active baby!

Jon says that the baby must be super awesome and over-developed though, because I've been having contractions. Previous to being pregnant, I thought contractions were a lot more scary, but here are a few things I've learned:

One - it is totally normal to have braxton hicks contractions in your third trimester as long as they are not regular and most of the time eating or changing your position will make them go away.

Two - early contractions (for me) do not feel ANYTHING like what has been described to me. I was told at my 24 week check up to be concerned about cramping. What I didn't think about is that my whole belly is baby, not just the lower abdomen, so when I went in a couple days ago for my routine monthly physical, my midwife said "Have you been having a lot of contractions?" and I said "Not at all!" and she said "Newsflash - when you laid down for me to check the baby's heartbeat, you were having a contraction."

Ooohhh! Well in that case - I have them a lot. I mean like probably about once a day. So no big deal. But she told me to just watch and if they became regular then I should call in. She told me that for first time moms it is not uncommon to be unaware of contractions because you don't really know what you're waiting for. To me, they feel like the baby is in a ball stretching WAY out and making my tummy tight. They never hurt, but I can tell when the baby seems to be "stretching".

So yesterday... I'm sitting at the computer and Jon is making lunch, and the baby "stretches". I felt my tummy and it was definitely tight all over. I drank some water, moved around and it went away. 5 minutes later, it happened again. And then 5 minutes again. So I laid down and ate some crackers and a muffin and drank some water. And by the time 45 minutes had gone by I was getting contractions every 3 minutes and they were getting tighter and tighter. I told Jon I thought we should probably call in.

The nurses didn't sound too concerned, but they told me it was probably a good idea to come in and get checked out. We were at the doctor for about 4 hours. My contractions continued the whole time. They hooked me up to some tummy monitors and checked to make sure I wasn't going into pre-term labor. Luckily the baby was super happy and nothing looks like it's progressing too soon. The whole experience basically ended up being me and Jon getting to listen to the baby's heartbeat for a few hours while I had contractions every 1 - 2 minutes that were never super painful, but they were so frequent and did get much tighter so that they started to hurt in my back quite a bit. It was like an intense pinching in my spine. They ended up giving me a shot in the arm to make the contractions go away. I call it: the miracle shot.

It made me glad that I can now recognize what the early signs of labor are like, and I just really really wanted a nap. I'm also even MORE certain that when I really go into labor, I will be getting an epidural. If those were just practice contractions, I know that I could not go through natural labor all the way. I totally respect women who do, but I was so exhausted by the end of my 4 hour episode that I slept the rest of the day.

So we are still good! Everything is fine and I feel great. I just have to take it easy and watch in case they come back again. It has been the most "eventful" day of pregnancy so far - so it felt worthy of the blog. Hopefully Baby A will chill until week 40! He or she must just be too excited to meet us :)

I mean - what baby wouldn't be excited for parents like this???

And in case you're interested - our awesome registry is now open for viewing here!