After we went to the yard sales, we wanted to go over to the Family Festival. First we stopped at a gas station and got my daughter a strawberry milkshake, string cheese and a Reese’s. (I love that I can give her stuff so simple and she get’s so excited! She finds the joy in the little things.) Then we went to the festival and we had a blast. It was oriented towards the kids* with booths and games sponsored by local businesses that are kid-related: pediatricians offices, pediatric dentists, etc. The whole thing is free, except the food. They were all giving out free samples and toys. My daughter got a balloon, candy, and a card for a free frozen yogurt, but she was the most excited about the free toothbrushes and toothpaste. Go figure right? She carried those around and showed them to everyone with the biggest grin on her face. I wish I could get that excited about dental hygiene.

My daughter’s favorite part though, was the area with the bounce houses and slides. She has never been in them before, but we figured that she was finally old enough to try the bounce house now that she’s 17 months. We put her in one with another little baby and she was afraid to jump. She basically just stood there while I jumped up and down on the outside trying to encourage her. I got all hot and sweaty while she just stared at me like I was a nut. When a few big kids got in and started jumping, we pulled her out so she wouldn’t get hurt and she was so mad! She wasn’t even jumping, but apparently she really wanted to stand in there and look lost. The other type of bounce house had slides. Hubby and I took turns taking her down them and she loved it! She kept saying, “Weeeeeeee….” It was so cute!

It ended up being a great day that was all about my daughter and I couldn’t ask for a better way to spend a Saturday. I love taking my daughter to new places and trying new things. Watching a child experience the world is so eye opening. They are amazed at all the small things and the joy is contagious. I love being a mom!

*There was one exception that absolutely made me see red. In the midst of all the happy, screaming children running around and booths that were handing out free candy and toys, there was one booth with a man selling knives. Yes, knives. What the hell? He had probably a hundred or so different knives laid out all over his booth and they weren’t in cases or anything. At any point, one of the children could have run over, grabbed one and hurt themselves before anyone had a chance to stop them. What an asinine thing to have at a festival for children and families!

Here are some photos of the breath-taking views and gorgeous scenery:

Doesn’t it look great!? I’m so excited to finally have some privacy! Ever since I found out that you can see well enough through our huge master bathroom windows to make out the entire shape of the person getting in and out of the tub… ahem… me… I have wondered if that’s why some of our neighbors have never introduced themselves…

I forgot to take a before photo, but here’s what it looks like now:

Photos don’t do them justice, but check them out anyway. “What do they mean!?”

Jason and I decided that it would be fun to do something different and wintery to celebrate. We drove down to St. George and after having a delicious dinner at Olive Garden, we went ice skating! I have only been once before when I was little and Jason has never been. It was a blast!! We were both a bit hesitant at first, but after a few loops around the rink, we started to get the hang of it. To my utter surprise and delight, Jason was amazing! He looked like a pro! He zipped around that rink like he had been skating for years. He looked pretty cute doing it too.

I was the one who suggested ice skating and Jason was a little reserved about the idea. I’m so glad he enjoyed it. We made some great memories this year and I hope that we can go skating again soon. Oh, and I only biffed it once when I tried to impress Jason by doing a trick. LMAO

When Jason heard that we were having a girl, he bought the domain name for her, www.mireyaruesch.com. He bought it from his iPhone, before we even left the doctor’s office. We are going to make a blog out of that website for Mireya to see when she’s older and for family and friends to stay updated on her progress. Check it out.

We know this will be a difficult pregnancy because of Lane’s Factor V Leiden (a blood clotting disorder.) If her placenta or cord develops blood clots, we could lose the baby. Lane is going to be on Lovenox, a blood thinner, throughout the pregnancy to hopefully avoid any complications. She is not looking forward to the daily injection, but it’s better than having a miscarriage. Hopefully, the only outcome of this pregnancy will be a beautiful baby. Now we just can’t wait to find out if we’re having a boy or a girl!

Thank you to all of our family that helped us with wiring the speakers and with the move itself.