letters to beth {zoo, peeps, & fence peeing}

hello my sweet friend,

i took my two kids to the zoo today. it was supposed to be 71 and sunny. i even went to three stores to find sunscreen b/c i've been burnt so many times this week. well, it was windy, cold, and there were 50,000 people there. brennan was emotional over everything, especially the carousel and went into my bag at one point to find his hat and gloves. it was hilarious watching him walk around the zoo in shorts and a t-shirt with his winter hat on. max kept running away, and i am certainly in no condition to chase her. it was impossible to not worry about losing her b/c it was so jam packed. i would get stuck in the stroller line of people, and she would take off with her itty bitty little self lickety split. the zoo is also under construction so not only were there massive crowds, but we were all bottle-necked into one way in and one way out. the same way, both ways. not pretty. we didn't even make it to the end b/c i was so over the morning that i finally just bribed them with juice boxes and high tailed it to the car. it was pure joy the entire way home in complete silence. heaven bless the double dvd system that plays two different movies, and the headphones they put on, so i can listen to my own music and not their movies. it was pure bliss. i even handed max a binky just to seal the sweet deal for sure.

did you know they have entirely chocolate covered peeps now? last year i found the dipped on the bottom ones, but this year i found the entirely chocolate covered ones, and it has been the very best of relationships ever since. for marshmallows i have found that peeps are actually a little pricey for my liking. maybe b/c i have to buy the chocolate dipped ones. not worth it without the chocolate if you ask me. easter conspiracy? i think so. nonetheless, i must indulge. my daily dose of reese's eggs must also not be left out, for i love them more than any chocolate dipped/covered peep out there. i would pay $50 for a pb reese's easter egg. i love them that much.

the easter bunny has purchased new sand pails for each of my little chickens, complete with new sidewalk chalk (hot commodity around these parts), coloring books, every style of reese's easter candy you can buy, my little pony and scooby doo readers, and of course the classic easter basket filling. i think i have enough of the easter basket filling to fill every easter basket in the entire state of utah. for ten years. i kept buying more and more, thinking i didn't have any, and then when we cleaned out the basement, and i kept finding more and more, and realized i have lots. it's amazing what you find when you clean out your basement. we also have a year's supply of printer paper, {or 5 years}, which is a great thing to have on hand. i just think it's funny that we have so much of it. the same thing must have happened with it as the easter basket filling.

growing up we always went to "the club" with my parents and grandparents after a good old fashioned easter catholic mass. tights, easter hats, and hard wooden church pews. the brunch at my grandparent's country club is truly my main memory of easter growing up. we took brennan when he was one. click here to see the pics., but haven't been back since. it is one of my all time favorite family holiday traditions/memories of my childhood. that and christmas morning/afternoon. anyway, it's this huge brunch with every breakfast food you could ever imagine, some of which are made right in front of you to your exact specifications by chefs wearing big tall white chef hats. tables full of chocolate covered strawberries, deviled eggs, bowls of freshly whipped cream for your waffles or ice cream sundaes, bagels, fruits, omelets,  candies, prime rib, salads, locks and bagels {which i don't like, but wish i did}, and other desserts. a genuine food lover's affair. then there was the petting zoo outside and the easter egg hunt on the golf course green. i always ripped my tights every year in the hay they laid down on top of the greens. it was inevitable. very stressful to me. my grandma joy would always buy us the see's candy easter bunnies, and grandpa dick would make a money bow tie as an added treat for the bunnies to wear. so lovely to remember those times. this year we will have a one week old baby, or so, so i'm hoping to send sean and the two big kids off to church for the morning and then be able to talk my mom into a feast at her house that afternoon. i don't like ham all that much, but i always feel an obligation to eat it on easter. why is that?

it appears that gibson baby #3 is thinking about making an entrance in the near future. now that we've made it this far, i'm ready to just wait another week for all planning purposes. also i'm really liking my sleep. i really hope that he patiently waits b/c sean has the week off the first week of april already, and my parents are flying in on the 1st for the occasion. whatever he decides to do, i just hope it doesn't involve my water breaking in a public place. the thought of that happening is just absolutely horrifying. not only do you have your bodily fluids all over the place, but you're the pregnant lady {who looks like she peed her pants}, with two kids in the middle of the grocery store, a cart full of food, and a baby coming out. no, no, not for me. i love my little planned inductions, and i just don't know what i would do with myself if i actually WENT into labor on my own. i just have no idea what that would be like. my burning skin belt, as i have fondly named it, has reached an all new level this week. it has distracted me from any other ailments i might have b/c it has become so intense. every night i sit on the couch and in bed with sean's aluminum water bottle full of icy cold water laid across my chest to dull the pain. it helps for about ten minutes, and it is a LOVELY ten minutes. have you ever heard of anyone having this? do you remember me telling you about this with max? my mom said that is the one thing she remembers when she was pregnant with me, but that is the only person i have ever heard of other than myself having it. i wish i was one of those women that didn't have to wear a bra. i'm sure that would help one thing, and hurt another. sean and i still cannot agree on a name. i've been trying to buy him out of his vote with everything and anything i can. he cannot be bought. i'm not giving up just yet, and i've also been reminding him that he only has one vote anyway, where i myself have two. rude? i think not, and i have varicose veins and a burning skin belt to prove it.

i ordered the melaleuca lotion for your boys on wednesday. it should be on its way to me now. i WILL {i hope} get it shipped to you before le bebe hatches. otherwise who knows how long it will be before i get organized enough to get it to you after that. i am also including the pacifier holder animal thing for bear. he will be in binky cuddling heaven, and so will you once he learns to handle it himself. i just give it to my kids around 4 months, and keep handing it to me for a few months until they get it down. i can't wait for you to get all of it. let's see, a 4 month old...both of my kids could sit in one of those excersaucer things right around 4 months, so they would have been holding up their own heads, but they were very much like a bobble head for the first little while. neither of them were crawling at that age. i have late crawlers at my house. it's a BEAUTIFUL thing to have late crawlers. i also started oatmeal cereal around 4 months with them on a spoon. brennan was a champ and didn't waste any time learning to eat it. that may have been why he never looked like he missed a meal too:) max on the other hand took forever to master the spoon feeding cereal thing. it was over a month before she stopped thrusting the cereal out of her mouth with her tongue. i don't think any of the cereal actually made it to her stomach until she was 6 months old. anyway, those are the two main things i remember about my 4 month olds.

you will not believe it, but the magically ups man just delivered your lotion as we speak. i still have stars in my eyes from getting it off of my front porch. and i don't mean stars of love for the ups man. although it is exciting when he comes. i mean i'm seeing actual stars from getting up, walking to the front door, bending over to pick up the box, and walking back to my desk. what a lucky day! and quite the turn around from the annoying zoo this morning.

this is what we did for saint pat's. how did your green dinner go?

sean says my letters to you are too long to read {and too girly for his liking}, but how is one supposed squeeze what would normally be an 8 hour day of cooking in my kitchen with you, full of conversation, eating, and naps, into less than 5 paragraphs??? it's impossible.

i'm getting my hair and toes done tomorrow in anticipation of le bebe's hatching. back to blonde??? i've been toying with idea for a year, but i just can't manage to let go of the dark luscious locks yet. i love the way my eyes pop out with the dark. i think i am missing my blonde hair b/c max's hair is so blonde, and i want to look like twins when she is little. silly? maybe so.

one last humor to leave you with.

brennan is back to peeing outside. he would rather walk outside to the back fence to pee than have to put the toilet seat up in the bathroom and wash his hands. my life is funny b/c he is in it, and i absolutely love him for it. he also strips down to his underwear the minute we get home from anywhere, and i let him stay that way unless we have anywhere else to go. less dirty laundry, more days we can repeat outfits. and yes his underwear is on backwards. he dresses himself now, and sometimes he gets his front and back mixed up. can't wait for swimsuit wearing summer days.

i hope you have the happiest of weekends!

love,

emily

old brennan

"i'm an old brennan, so i need this."

-brennan gibson

4 yrs old,

talking about his old man cane

...

and then he hobbled around the family yard hunched over,

making an "old brennan" face.

i got a sunburn on my arms.

and freckles on my face.

ok, my nose was a little pink too.

{do you know how hard it is to find sunscreen in the stores right now? hard!}

max wanted to be pushed in the baby swing for an hour.

last year's lack of spring is making amends this year,

and gracing us with tulips in our front flower bed

and green things growing everywhere.

i just wish that half of the green things weren't weeds.

i bought

watermelon,

jack o lantern,

sweet pea,

and

carrot seeds

to plant in this year's gibson garden.

i can't wait to eat them.

happy springing!

apparently,

my body knows what it's doing.

dr. nielson was SUPER impressed.

i was beaming.

so proud of my body.

it's truly amazing!

and just like last time with max,

he was confused as to how i was sitting in his office still pregnant this morning.

seeing as most people are in labor with those numbers.

i told him i have a pedicure, hair appointment, and plans to BBQ on saturday.

that was why.

{and dad and sandie would kill me if i went into labor without them being here}

{and sean sprained his ankle at boxing last night--

a gimp is no good for rushing me to the hospital}

but mostly just the hair and pedicure.

necessities people.

necessities!!!

JUST KIDDING SANDIE;)

xoxo

a round apple & two skinny stick legs {picasso}

brennan drew me.
then he had me trace him,
so he could draw himself.
the circle on the right with two lines coming off of the bottom?
yep,
you guessed it.
that's me.
the main circle started off as my head.
he told me what each part was as he drew it.
the two circles at the top are my eyes.
then he drew the baby in my belly under the eyes.
and gave me two legs.
and then said he was done.
i love that he gave me stick legs.
skinny pregnant stick legs.
pretty much made my day.
now about that round apple body...
notice the spikey hair he gave himself.
two eyes.
and then he drew his stomach.
and told me there was food in it.
so he could be strong.
max insisted on being next,
but kept moving her arms,
so she got one stubby limb.
everyone was pleased.

 oh how i love my washing machine.

and little Picasso:)

top o' the morning {or table}

TYPICAL.

work it, own it

when she puts on her princess heals,

she puts her hands on her hips,

and walks around like she owns the place.

it's so dang cute.

and she knows it.

we are in BIG trouble with this one folks.

BIG

trouble.

{thank you to brennan for messing with my camera settings. we now have blurry pictures.}

mac

in what way do you make your mac?
it has been brought to my attention that there is more than one way.
i however have the BEST way.
this is what i told sean.
of course.
1. melt the butter with the hot noodles.
2. stir in the milk to get it moist.
3. add the cheese.
4. mix.
blended to perfection.

really though,

i'm right.

right?

friar tuck {37 weeks}

there is no more room at the inn.
i'm not talking about my house.
i'm talking about my stomach.
there is just nowhere else for anything to go.
there is no room for food.
there is no room for anything in my lap.
except the belly in my lap.
and too big of a drink of water can be downright uncomfortable.
i even got stuck on brennan's bed last night and had no way to get off.
i envisioned a graceful roll off the side like something from mission impossible.
well, let's just say it wasn't.
sean has given me the nickname "friar tuck."
but not in a mean way.
in a cute way.
if you know him,
you know what i mean.
i adore it.
he said i "friar tuck'ed" him at the bathroom sink.
we both laughed.
i MAY have almost peed my pants.
i had to watch robin hood with brennan to really get what he was talking about.
just watch the opening credits.
you'll get it.
and then you'll laugh too.
just know,
i was in a do or die teeth brushing situation,
and he was in the way.
desperate times call for desperate measures.
so get OUT the way:)
i knocked over a small child during nursery at church yesterday with my belly as well.
i didn't know he was there.
i turned right,
he flew back.
straight onto his back.
he didn't know what hit him.
but i did.
it was my belly.
and i MAY have giggled before i asked if he was ok.
he was ok.
in case you were wondering.
i am now officially "pregnant."
by this i mean that in my mind i have officially reached the point where i can use any and every claim to pregnancy b/c i'm not just halfway there, kind of showing, or almost to the end,
i'm just plain there.
friar tuck belly and all.
37 full term weeks.
the turkey button has popped.
the skinny lady is singing.
{i say skinny b/c in no way should the word "fat" ever be used when talking about a pregnant person or in reference to anything pregnant.}
it's just downright wrong.
so i'm going with skinny lady.
you get what i'm saying.
i know you do.
i love that people open doors for me.
look at me with adoring eyes.
and really care about how i'm feeling.
man, i wish that would last after the baby is born.
my sleep is interrupted by braxton hicks and painful contractions that never happened with my other two.
i wake up to them taking my breath away,
wait for them to stop,
and nod back off to sleep.
this happens a lot.
all night.
but some nights it happens less.
there is no rolling over in my sleep.
i have to wake up to hoist myself into another direction.
and i must change directions.
the burning skin belt at the top of my belly requires it.
i must also lay with the top arm slightly back to keep my shoulders in a good posture.
otherwise the burning skin belt will also wake me up.
throbbing from hunching forward.
it's a fine tuned process.
for which i am very proud.
two 4 hour chunks of sleep at this point is definitely something to brag about.
sometimes a straight 6-8 if the braxton hicks aren't interfering.
thank you cold spring nights and open windows.
yet i still have to have at least a sheet to pull up over myself.
i don't make the rules.
this is just how i sleep.
pregnant or not.
my legs feel like i've run a marathon at all times.
if i have to bend for something there is no guarantee that i'm coming back from it.
bend at your own risk.
this is what i think.
every time i take the risk.
i'm never cold.
unless it's 60* in our bedroom it's too hot.
i had an anxiety attack on saturday b/c sean put the bassinet together,
and i realized that we were going to put a baby in it in two weeks.
and that i was going to have three kids.
and i felt happy, excited, anxious, and sad all at once.
weird how that happens.
i can't wait to see if he is going to look like brennan.
if he will have the same nose as brennan and max.
if he will be over 9lbs like brennan or smaller like max.
if he will have hair.
or be bald.
if his eyes will be brown.
or blue.
or green.
eventually.
if he will be healthy.
if he will be long.
b/c i've really been feeling like he is long.
i'm there.
and everything's going to change.
even though i can't imagine how.
b/c it just feels like i have a friar tuck belly.
and a body that doesn't get around very well.
and a stomach that moves every 3 hours or so.
there's a baby in there!
a real live baby in there!
under that ball on my belly.
with his head down and his bum up.
feet in my ribs.
real live baby in there.
that will be out in two weeks.
like he matriculated from thin air,
but he didn't b/c he's in there.
right now.
just letting me carry him around all day.
utterly and abstractly amazing.
let the countdown begin.

my win {GIRL cookies}

he won't even try the samoas b/c "they're girl cookies."
we tried to break the news to him gently that they are all GIRL scout cookies.
he shook his head and said "no, they are kid cookies, THAT ONE is a girl cookie."
it appears we are still in operation "i don't like girls."
or anything that resembles a girl.
except mommy, and makenzie, and the grandma's, and audrey, and miss kim.
those girls are fine.
he says.
it's a very intricate process of thought.
with lots of exceptions to the rule.
apparently.
his loss.
my win:)