As ready as I'll ever be.

It has been a crazy week or so. We have had accidents that probably should have involved stitches, nights with extra toddlers, lots of baking and visiting, and trying to prepare the house for the 20 people that will fill these walls come Christmas Eve. WHEW!

I have come to the realization that my house will have to be just what it is when my company arrives. Oh, how I have longed to scrub every floor, clean up every little pile of random papers that accumulates faster than I can sort it into the recycling bin, dust every surface, and finish little decorating projects and ideas to fill my bare walls. BUT, luckily, I know that my family loves me even in all my imperfections and dusty book shelves.

I will at least make sure they have clean toilets to sit on, clean sheets to sleep on, and clean dishes to eat off of. They will be happy, and my 30-week pregnant self will be grateful.

Cold mornings...

call for warm fun!

Warm peppermint tea,
fleece blankets,
lots of books,
and snuggling.

Success.

Book Review

I just finished this book a few days ago, and I thought it was wonderful! I had seen the movie based off of this memoir about a year ago and enjoyed it, but the book itself is really worth the extra time.

I loved reading about such a humble, patient, hopeful, and resourceful mother of 10. I love knowing that this was, indeed, a real woman! And I love that her daughter valued her example enough to write an entire memoir about her.

So, all you mommies out there, if you are looking for a new book to start--this is a good one!

The Rainy Day

The Rainy Day
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The day is cold, and dark, and dreary
It rains, and the wind is never weary;
The vine still clings to the mouldering wall,
But at every gust the dead leaves fall,
And the day is dark and dreary.

My life is cold, and dark, and dreary;
It rains, and the wind is never weary;
My thoughts still cling to the mouldering Past,
But the hopes of youth fall thick in the blast,
And the days are dark and dreary.

Be still, sad heart! and cease repining;
Behind the clouds is the sun still shining;
Thy fate is the common fate of all,
Into each life some rain must fall,
Some days must be dark and dreary.

Thanksgiving

What a perfectly wonderful Thanksgiving we had this year!

After a nice warm breakfast,
Marty took the girls over to their grandma's
to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving parade
while I set to work on the turkey and veggies.
Can you tell this girl is excited to have some papa time?

We did a Thanksgiving lunch instead of dinner
and shared it with some friends and family.
It was one of the best tasting Thanksgiving's I've ever had--
thanks to some wonderful sides and desserts from our guests!

Of course the turkey took longer to cook than expected
and it was pushing into nap time by the time we got to eat,
(a few mini-meltdowns made that fact clear)
but the glitches were outweighed by the warmth of the atmosphere.
I had such a nice time I forgot to take pictures of the actual feast.

I did, however, get a picture of the outfits
Dorothy picked out for herself and her sister.
My favorite part is that she insisted on squeezing into
the 12 month sweater and letting Lucy drown in the 2T size.
They were happy.
Who can argue with that?

I have been grateful for the chance to reflect all week
on the many blessings we have been given.
I feel this sweet little baby boy kicking inside me;
I have a beautiful, healthy family;
we have a warm home and good job;
we have freedoms many others do not.
I love how this holiday reminds us of all that we DO have
as we now enter a holiday season that too often
tries to remind us of what we feel we don't have--
and should put on our "wish list."

May we continue in the spirit of gratitude and Thanksgiving
as we now turn our thoughts to the miracle of our Savior.

Dot's latest artwork

I love watching my daughter create.
The other day
we were able to sit down and do several
water colors together before Lucy woke up from her nap.

These were the result:

My favorite part was her narration of each picture as she painted.
Every stroke and color had meaning.
She has gone from just smudging paints around
to creating a story with shapes and colors.

I may have to commission her to do a few
for our empty walls.

belly shot

Proof that I am, indeed, carrying our third child.

Greenery

We have this awesome family in our ward.
They throw great parties;
their son passes the sacrament to us each week;
they bring us plates full of chocolate-dipped goodies;
they are just good people with HUGE hearts.
And we love them.

Well,
a few years ago they brought us one of their famous
chocolate-dipped variety platters
and it was all wrapped up with a beautiful passion flower
tied on top like a bow.
At first I actually thought the flower was fake--
it just looked so ridiculously perfect and beautiful.
We thought it was so neat we made sure to thank them
for the treats AND the flower the next time we saw them.

Being the awesome people they are,
they didn't forget how much we liked that flower.
A few weeks ago they told us they had transplanted
a portion of their passion flower plant for us to pick up.
So my husband came home from mutual last week with the plant
and now I have THESE flowers to greet me:

This plant will definitely brighten up and beautify
our house in the cold months ahead.

Thank you, Vigus family!

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee're Off.....

To get some candy!

While we are still a family of four
we decided (or mostly I decided and everyone else went along)
to go as the Wizard of Oz friends this year.
It was our first year actually doing costumes and trick-or-treating
with the girls, and we had a great time!

Here is our beautiful Dorothy as Dorothy Gale:)
She kept asking where the Dorothy face
part of her costume was.
We had to explain that she already has a little girl face
and she just needed the clothes.

And here is our sweet Lucy as the Cowardly Lion.
I didn't dare try to paint a nose and whiskers on her,
but we thought she still did the part justice with her
lion mane and patch of chest hair.

We made a deal that it would all be homemade--
minus the ruby slippers.
We made enough time to get the girls' costumes done
and then spent the hour or two before trick-or-treating
running around to pull together costumes for ourselves.
But we had a great time!

Here is the whole gang!
Marty was our Tin man
and I rounded out the group (literally)
as the Scarecrow.

Happy Halloween, everyone!

Upstaged

Poor Autumn.

This season is having a rough time this year.
If you will recall,
the first week of October brought us 84 degree weather!
Apparently summer was not ready to let go quite yet.
If you look closely enough,
you can see a whole beach full of swimmers--
in October!
Crazy.

And then
apparently winter was a little jealous
and decided to get started early.
We woke up the other morning to this:

Luckily ours was just a dusting that melted by the afternoon.
There are a lot of people in the state that got several feet
and won't have power restored until at least Friday.
We will be praying for them.

Sheesh.
I love the seasons,
but I really love when they come at the
RIGHT TIME!

I can handle more snow now that we've entered November,
but if we pull another 80 degree day this month
I may start believing in flying pigs.

It's getting colder here!

And we LOVE it!

We're not actually wrapping up in hats and scarves quite yet,
but Lucy couldn't resist trying out all the goods
we unpacked the other day.

veins

So we are on our third pregnancy in the last 3 and a half years. And it definitely sounds even more crazy when I read it all typed out like that. Anyways, this pregnancy number three really seems to be doing a number on my little body (did anyone else have this experience?), and I'm beginning to think that my body is a little angry at me for asking it to, you know, grow three other humans in under 4 years.

One thing I never had with my other babies was varicose veins, but, wouldn't you know, they have shown up on one of my thighs this time. I was taking a bath with Dorothy the other night (we both had colds and needed a warm soak), and she looked at my thigh and exclaimed, "MOM! Who drew on your leg?" Oh, man. Did I need that! Nothing like something silly coming out of that girls mouth to make the world seem right. I looked at her and said "it was daddy." She responded, "yeah, it was daddy. And he did it on purpose."

Now if only they washed off as easily as marker...

Blue

Its our new color. That's right. Get ready to welcome our first little BOY Vieira in February!

Fall traditions

Last October our stake put together a celebration
for the 10 year anniversary of the dedication
of the Boston Temple.
We made a whole weekend trip out of it and
stayed in a hotel near the city and took the girls to
Walden Pond as well.
The weekend was such a beautiful experience that we decided
to replicate part of it on a smaller scale this Columbus day.

Our day started with a trip to the Temple grounds.
The day was freakishly hot.
Seriously,
when is it over 80 degrees in October?
But it was perfect weather for walking around the Temple,
letting the girls get out their energy on the grass
and looking at flowers.

The temple was followed by a quick stop to Trader Joe's
(oh, how I wish there was one a little closer to us!)
and a stop for lunch before we headed to the Pond.

With full tummies, we all started our the trip in good spirits.

Lucy quickly faded.
We realized that we had pushed a little too close to nap time.
She ended up passing out on my shoulder about
halfway around Walden Pond,
and I traded her off to Marty to keep up with Dorothy.

Like I said,
it was freakishly hot
and the beach on the pond was swarming with families
making a last swimming trip for the season out of the holiday.
Dorothy kept asking where her swimming suit was.
She had been such a trooper that I stripped her down
and told her to go have fun.
We've been potty training her, but had her in a diaper for the day.
It worked out well,
and she LOVED being in the water.
I think that as much as I try to convince her that fall is the best season,
she will forever be my summer girl.

It was a wonderful (but exhausting) day.
We're hoping to keep this new fall line up of traditions going.

"Just get here when you can..."

Last week, my sweet husband was a busy man. Wednesday night through Saturday afternoon were filled to the brim with all sorts of activities including a camp out with the boy scouts. By the end of his camping trip when he arrived back home and I insisted that he take us all out for dinner because I was not going to cook, he had a dead cell phone. So, thinking it was time for some uninterrupted family time anyway, he plugged in the dead phone and off we went.

Dinner was followed by the bedtime routine, a night of good sleep, and the usual Sunday morning activities. After everyone was in their Sunday best and I was downstairs packing snacks for church, Marty thought he had better check his now charged cell phone before we took off for a few more hours. To his surprise he had several missed calls and messages--three from the Stake Presidency. "Babe" he called down the stairs. "The Stake Presidency wants to know if we can be to church early. They need to talk to us before sacrament meeting." We grabbed our bags and rushed out the door hoping we could make it with enough time to discuss whatever it was.

On the way we innocently thought that with stake conference coming up maybe one of us was going to be asked to speak. When we got to the building, the second counselor held the door for us and then ushered us directly to the Bishop's office. With about 5 minutes until sacrament meeting was to begin he sat us down and said " we hate to do this with so little notice, but we are restructuring the Bishopric and would like to ask Marty to be the first counselor to the new Bishop." Our jaws fell, and I think I even let out a little laugh. We did not see THAT coming! Our ward was restructured less than 2 years ago, and Marty was still fairly new to the whole Scout Master thing, so we really had no idea.

My sweet husband loves this ward--it is the ward he grew up in--and he has known many of the members most of his life. Although he is sad to no longer be over the boys in the scouting program, he is truly humbled and honored to be able to serve on a broader ward scale. I love that man, and I am humbled and honored to sustain him in his new calling.

Here's to another adventure.

Apple Picking

There once was a fall day
(that actually felt like fall)
when a mama lady was feeling pretty darn good.
So she packed up her two sweet munchkins
and drove out to the apple orchard.

While her wee munchkin loved the prospect
of picking apples from the tree and putting them in a bag,
her big munchkin cried because the smooshed apples
that littered the rows bothered her to no end.

So the wee one was happily put to work

And the big one was moved to the center of the row
away from the scary smooshed apples.
Peace was restored.

And they all ate apple cider donuts.

The end.

heard from Dot...

This morning during breakfast:

Mom: "Dorothy, please stop bugging your sister and come eat your oatmeal."

Dorothy: "Not a chance."

Well, I certainly see where I stand.

Good morning:)

our newest neighbors

These two lovely Tamworth hogs
will be spending about a month on our front pasture.

They have only been here about two days,
but they have already overturned almost their entire pen.
The whole pasture used to look like this:

We're all about cheap labor here.
They will freshen up the pasture, kill the weeds,
and get it ready for us to plant cover crops
before we extend the garden up a few feet next year.
And they look so darn cute doing it!

I kind of laugh at how we get to play "rent-an-animal."
We needed something to eat the pasture down,
my brother-in-law dropped off 9 sheep for a few weeks.
We wanted to start prepping the same pasture for garden,
so he picked up the sheep and dropped off the hogs.
Pretty handy guy to have around.


And I thought this was pretty exciting:

We grew our own dry beans this year!
I still have a LOT of shelling to do,
but I am excited to try cooking with them.
I hear fresh dry beans are oh-so-much tastier
then their bagged, grocery store counterparts.
And the best part is they took almost NO work to grow.
Seriously, we planted, watered, and barely weeded.

Our first pot of beans will determine if we were successful.

Now, if only we could get the cooler weather to creep back
so I can think about simmering beans...

Back to School!

I don't think I can tell you all enough how much
I love the fall.
I love the cooler weather, the fruits and vegetables, the colors,
AND
I especially like the return to school and learning.

This year, inspired by this wonderful woman,
I decided to start our back to school season off right
with a little family feast.

We all got a little antsy about an hour before dinner
excited about the bubbly, roast, veggies, gravy, and cake--
basically the kind of dinner I have not bothered to cook
since the morning sickness set in.
Oh, how we savored those slow-cooked flavors!
Goosey was particularly interested in the sparkling white grape juice.

Dorothy would eat nothing but roast and chanted
"I love meat!" over and over.
I was just happy she ate anything at all
because from the moment she saw the cake plate
(about 2 hours before dinner)
she insisted on telling me she wanted nothing but a big ole' slice.

We ended the night presenting Marty with a framed family picture
for him to have on his desk,
as well as a frame with our family theme for the school year:
"Seek learning, by study and also by faith" D&C 88:118.
We talked about ways each of us will focus on learning this year,
both spiritually and temporally.
It was a wonderful chance to refocus and set some new goals.

The next morning came with down pouring rain at 6am,
right when Marty had to get up to milk the goat before school.
He was wonderful, not complaining but just getting the job done.
He then came back in to dry off and have some hot chocolate and buttered toast
before heading out for his first day of school.

Happy new school year, everyone!
May we all find ways to learn and grow this year.

reasons I'm smiling today.

1. We made it to September--and that sweet feel of fall is on its way.

2. I ate spinach artichoke dip and peanut butter cookies for breakfast.
And I dare say it was just what I needed.

3. I still have this whole day to spend with my handsome before his
first day of school tomorrow.

4. There is a constant breeze blowing through my windows.

5. These two girls. Especially in these two poses.

Oh, and 6. It has officially been 7 years since my car accident!
I think that calls for some cake.

Happy Labor Day!

special helper

No doubt about it, Dorothy is one sassy girl. However, I think she has an extra dose of sweetness inside of her to make up for all that sass.

Thankfully I am on my way out of the morning sickness days.
But there is one thing I will miss from all those moments
with my head over the toilet.
This sweet girl,
my special helper,
liked to find me mid-yack
and rub my back.
"Momma,"
she would say in her sweet voice,
"it's okay. You'll feel better now."
Then she would pretend to cough and sputter a bit herself
and run off to cause some mischief.

Nothing like a two year old.

An Angel

An angel just called to tell me that she is bringing me dinner. I literally cried a few tears of joy when I got off the phone with her.

I've been feeling a little better yesterday and today, and I am very excited to think I can put all my efforts into trying to get my house clean and organized. No dinner (or dinner pots and pans!) to take care of tonight!

Who knew getting a chance to scrub my shower could make me so happy:)

I want THAT.

I get pregnancy cravings. No doubt about it. With Dorothy and Lucy, I hate to admit it, I craved donuts, ice cream, and pastries. I tried not to give in too often, but there was the occasional run to stop and shop at 9 pm to fill a "need." I remember cringing as the self scanner practically yelled across the store "please move your PASTRY to the belt."

This time around I have more varied cravings. However, instead of wanting something once every few weeks, I find myself wanting one thing for a week straight. My cravings this time have included:

Caesar salad wraps (but NO chicken, please. It currently makes me wretch.)
slurpees
eel, avocado, and cucumber sushi
pork quesadillas
fresh fruit
pizza (in varying degrees of quality)
potato salad
churros and hot chocolate (although this one was never fulfilled)
rainbow sherbet
flavored seltzer water
cheese and crackers

The caesar wraps were a little out of control. I literally ate one (or two) a day for about a week and a half. I was bringing all the fixings to church and making them in the kitchen to get through the meetings with a happy tummy. I was making them before bed to eat while I read. I don't know that I ever allowed myself to have one for breakfast, but I am sure that I thought about it. I'm a little sick of the wraps part now, but I have given in to eating just straight croutons and salad dressing. Once. Maybe twice.

I am always fascinated that when the sound of most food makes me want to yack, those dear old cravings go down nice and easy. Thank goodness for grocery stores and a husband willing to run a few extra errands.

My new Best Friend

Zofran.
It gets me through the days.
It gives me the ability to enjoy this summer with my family.

With a dose of nausea medication in my tummy,
we have had some truly delicious summer days:

The beach.

I too often forget to enjoy living 10 minutes from the ocean.
But these little girls love it so much,
I'm sure that we will be going much more frequently.

We braved a bumpy ferry ride over to Martha's Vineyard
for one of my favorite summer days.
Who doesn't love boat rides, picnics, carousels, and ice cream
all in the same day?

We headed over to Battleship Cove to see the ships,
walk along the water,
ride the carousel,
and,
of course,
jump up and down like Rocky at the top of these steps.

I mostly just love getting outside.
The fresh air is,
well,
refreshing,
and I always feel grateful when I think about
the long winter months that will be here before we know it.

Look at that dirt-covered face.
Now that is beauty.

Let's just put it out there...

because, honestly, I will not be even a semi-good blogger until I stop puking.

We're pregnant with baby 3, folks!

We'll be expecting our little one around leap day--and with my track record it is quite possible we will have a baby February 29th!

Until next time, my head is either in the toilet or on a pillow. Yehaw!!

a month break.

Well, we are back from our yearly excursion to North Carolina!
As always, we had an incredible few weeks
and came back with a lot of fun memories.

Lucy discovered she can play a mean mini piano.

She also discovered the joys of not being the smallest.

Dorothy played hard and passed out harder.

There were field trips,

cool cousins,

and nature walks.

A Heaps family reunion is never complete without dancing!

It was a non-stop party!

Our papa had to leave early for Scout Camp,
but we loved our first two weeks with his handsomeness.

We can't wait to go back next year!

Thank you, grandma and grandpa
for hosting the craziness!

A day for papas.

Oh, my Martin.
You deserve more than one day
to celebrate the incredible papa man you are!
Our girls know they are loved,
and every time I see you reading to them,
dancing in the kitchen (with a broadway spin or two),
taking a walk with one tiny bean up on your shoulders,
or speaking a little creole to our babies
it melts my heart.
Keep up the incredible work.

And to my daddy,
the Jazzman to beat all Jazzmen,
thank you for having the patience to raise me right.
I certainly did not make it easy,
but I am grateful everyday to have been raised in a home
with the Gospel and a righteous Priesthood holder.

(forgive the bare shoulders of yesteryear and just enjoy the sass)

I love you, papas!
This one is for YOU!