My sister Serena (the DING-DONG) ok ok she's a ringer...

My sister Serena is a new member of the Bells on Temple Square!!! Technically that makes her a member of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. So now I guess she's famous - heh heh. Some of the family was able to go to Temple Square last night to see her get set apart, watch them practice. We even got a tour of the newly remodeled Tabernacle. To read more click here to go to my sister Heidi's blog. Her pictures and video are way better than mine and this way I don't have to tell the story again:) Thanks Heidi for the documentation!! Make sure you read the story at the end to find out what my three year old nephew Ethan said - very profound Ethan - couldn't have said it better myself:)

GAK

Remember GAK from when you were little and how your mom refused to buy the stuff for you?? Well, you can now make it from home! Just don't let your kids eat it - Brenna loves this stuff, but she's convinced it's candy and I have to watch her like a hawk when she's playing with it.

AND just a side note - as of the 23rd, GUESS WHO"S 18 MONTHS OLD??? This means she can finally go to the nursery on Sunday!!!! We're really hoping she'll stay in there so we can go to our classes - they do have a bubble machine... we'll see.



Here's the recipe I found - I actually used a 4 oz. bottle of glue and just cut the recipe in half.

You'll need a brand new 8 ounce bottle of Elmer’s Glue (don't use any other brand - it HAS to be Elmer's or it won't work). Empty the entire bottle of glue into a mixing bowl. Fill the empty bottle with hot water and shake. Pour the glue-water mixture into the mixing bowl and use the spoon to mix well. Add the glue-water mixture to the glue in the mixing bowl. Go ahead… add a drop or two of food coloring.
Measure 1/2 cup of warm water into the plastic cup and add a teaspoon of Borax powder to the water. Stir the solution. This Borax solution is the secret linking agent that causes the Elmer’s Glue molecules to turn into slime.
While stirring the glue in the mixing bowl, slowly add a little of the Borax solution. Immediately you’ll feel the long strands of molecules starting to connect. It’s time to abandoned the spoon and use your hands to do the serious mixing. Keep adding the Borax solution to the glue mixture (don’t stop mixing) until you get a perfect batch of Elmer’s slime. When you’re finished playing with your Elmer’s slime, seal it up in a zipper-lock bag for safe keeping. DO NOT LET YOUR KIDS EAT IT!!!!!

Baby update

I just realized it's been a while since I've updated everyone on the status of this baby. I have low amniotic fluid again but the good news is it's still higher than I ever was with Brenna. (I'm at 10cm right now and I think I was always around 6ish with Brenna) I've have to drink about a gallon and a half of water every day to keep it that high though - seriously - it's a good thing I stay at home all day because I LIVE in the bathroom! The funny thing is getting to the gallon mark each day isn't really that hard anymore - it's everything after that's hard. BUT the gallon alone wasn't doing much so I have to drink drink drink!

I'm 32 weeks as of today and at this point with Brenna, I was already going in twice a week for non-stress tests and ultrasounds. Brenna never really moved very much and this little guy is a serious soccer player or karate kid, so that and the slightly higher level of fluid, my Dr. isn't as worried this time around. I made it to 34 weeks with Brenna and for this one Dr. Fillerup is thinking I'll hopefully go to 38 weeks (there are 40 total and 37 is actually considered full term for those of you not up on your pregnancy lingo) :)

The crappy thing is I have to get another c-section or get a new Dr. You all know how much we LOVE Dr. Fillerup so we've decided to stick with her. I really don't mind having another one, except the recovery is so much longer. I won't even be able to hold Brenna for two weeks. My mom said she would come again though, so that will be a HUGE help.

I also had to get the steroid shots yesterday and today to help the baby's lungs develop faster JUST IN CASE the fluid stops increasing and we have to take him early like Brenna. You have to have the shots before you're 34 weeks along, so that's why we decided to get them again. Boys lungs develop slower than girls do for some reason, and since they worked so well for Brenna it seemed like the smart thing to do. We're really praying that he makes it to "full term". It would be SO nice not to have to go through the whole NICU experience again. I just wish they could figure out why this happens in the first place.

So that's the latest. Now I have to get back to my water drinking and I'll probably go to the bathroom again - Seriously, I should just go out and get some Depends!! Only kidding :)

Sweet Stranger Friend

Brenna has just discovered Elmo. I usually let her watch Sesame Street before her nap and her favorite part is Elmo's world. It's so cute to see her sing "lala lala" and dance when it comes on. The other day I was at DI (a thrift store here in Utah) and we were kind of looking through the toys and I found a couple of Elmo things to let Brenna play with in the cart while I pushed her around. I had just pulled out an Elmo puppet and a lady came up to us and said, "I've noticed she really likes Elmo. You know, I have a whole tub of Elmo stuff at home and you can have it if you want. I've been wanting to give it to some one and I didn't know anyone who liked Elmo this much!" WOW! I was like are you serious??? She insisted that she could bring it over later that day and she really wanted to give it to her. Well I gave her my number and she ended up dropping it all off just hours later. She, a complete stranger, made my day and Brenna's day. I really wish I at least knew her name so I could do something nice for her. It was just another reminder of how wonderful people can be.

Brenna was sleeping when she came over and you can kind of see the surprise on her face when she woke up and found all of it.

She is in ELMO HEAVEN!!!!!!

Elmo, Herry and John John

Just thought I'd share what I "get" to watch about 20+ times a day with Brenna Bug:)

And remember this Classic?? Brenna LOVES it!!!