All My Bags Are Packed I'm Ready To Go....

The weather forecast for today was up into the 100's again with 38% humidity...it's supposed to get hotter as the weekend approaches. It seems to me they ought to give mother's who have reached full term in these conditions the option of induction as sort of a mercy rule. Last week it literally felt like I had run out of fuel, this week I have felt more and more each day I'm running off some sort of miracle fuel the Lord has saved and let me borrow to get through these last couple of weeks. I have continued to stay active, especially with Mya who craves my attention and wants to go and play. We bought her a trampoline the other day, but still hasn't figured it out. Those of you who know me know I don't do well with the unknown, I have anxiety about loose ends, and am comfortable when everything is in its place (thanks mom..just kidding). So as a good omen, I have packed my bags, and I've gotten everything in order for the baby to come home. I thought it might be fun to see what everyone else packs when they go to have their babies and maybe get some good ideas...so far I have comfy pj's I found on clearance at Target, Going home outfit for the baby and I, miniature toiletries (Target), laptop, Ipod, Sudoku book, the book I'm trying to finish before Breaking Dawn, two-player games for Kimball and I, Martha Stewart Living, movies (Family Stone, Dan in Real Life, Harry Potter 1-5, Moulin Rouge, Grey's Anatomy season 1), favorite snacks, camera, extra batteries, socks, and my pillow. I think now all I have left to do is keep praying...

Remember when....

The Memory Post

1. As a comment on my blog, leave a memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you know me a little or a lot, anything you remember! If we're only blogging friends, write about a post that is most memorable.

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll be sure to write one about you... either on your blog, in my comment box, or I will email you back!

3. If the memory happens to involve my husband, please include them!

4. If you can't say something nice, don't say nothin' at all ☺(this goes mostly for my sisters)

And please do this on your page too, so we can all share in the fun times together. :)

What We've Been Up To...

Well since I couldn't allow myself to blog until some of my more pressing needs were taken care of (organizing the baby clothes, cleaning my house for the shower, doing my job as Activities Director, etc.) I'm finally at a place where I can take a minute to record some of the things we've been up to. Feel free to read/leave a comment on any or all or just enjoy what will probably end up becoming the world's longest blog post..I wonder if such a thing really exists......

Friday, July 4th

Our fourth of July holiday started off really early, Karey (Kimball's younger brother) had flown in from Utah the night before, and he helped set up tables and chairs early that morning for the annual ward breakfast that I was in charge of. It turned out great with almost 250 people! We had a bounce house for the kids, along with games and a bike parade. The breakfast was yummy and even better we had enough of it to feed such a crowd. It was fun but I'm glad its over!






Then after we got home we hurried and packed our things and it was off to Tyler. We got there and hung around for a bit, gramps took Mya for a ride on the lawnmower then that night we went out to eat and went to Lake Tyler and saw tons of awesome fire works.

Saturday, July 5th

The next day was the much anticipated Knackstedt family reunion. Larry, Kris, Kimball, and Karey worked hard all morning helping Grandma and Grandpa Knackstedt move into there new place, while Sandy and Mya and I went to the farmer's market and Sam's Club to pick up some things for the family reunion.



Then it was on to the Bell Family farm (a friend of Sandy's was gracious enough to let us use there farm as our meeting place.) where there were three play structures, a shed made into a play house with dolls and food and beds and kitchen, sandbox, tree swings, swimming pool, a pond with hungry fish to feed, and a tractor train that Bro. Bell drove the kids around in...Mya didnt know where to begin! (Sorry about all the pics, I actually was choosy about which ones to put up)














All in all it was a success, the kids had a blast and most importantly we were all together as brothers and sisters to be with grandma and grandpa (even though they had to leave a little earlier cause the heat was getting to them). Sandy was so excited to see all of her kids and grandkids together having fun.

Wednesday, July 9th

With the busy weekend behind us we waited until a couple of days after Mya's real birthday (July 7th) and had a little get together with friends on the Wednesday after. The theme of the party ended up being "it's my party and I'll cry if I want to", cause she seemed to be upset the entire time. We had a lot of fun though and some good food, all you can eat hot dogs, chips, birthday cake, and homemade icecream. She also got way more presents than she deserved for being so crabby the whole time. Oh well I guess this is what being two years old is all about.









The birthday Haul, all this plus the cozy coupe car we got for the back yard! What a lucky little girl!

Saturday, July 12th

Three days later was my baby shower thrown by four of my very good friends, it was such a fun party and I was very touched by all my friends who came to show their support for the baby and I. The food was yummy, the cake was adorable, and the games were hilarious. We played guess the baby food which I passed on... you would too if you were 36 weeks pregnant and took a whiff of pineapple glazed ham baby food. We also played guess whats in the poopy diaper (melted candy bars which you had to identify) Just the sight of it had me rolling and I loved to hear people say "You can't taste the diapers!". Above all the company was the highlight of the afternoon, even Kimball's mom and sister made the 2.5 hr trip to come which made me feel very loved. I've just now gotten done sorting through and washing all of the clothes and gifts and am overwhelmed by how blessed I am to have such wonderful friends.





I made these boxes as a thank you gift for my friends that helped with making the shower happen, I loved how they turned out. I have a thing for stuff that's really colorful. For the shower I had them all stacked up on eachother it looked like a fancy four-tiered cake.

The shower haul! It feels good to have everything taken care of, I don't think I'll have to buy diapers for quite awhile...what a relief!



Well what a busy couple of weeks it has been, I much prefer it this way as it makes the time go by faster while I otherwise sit and wait for something to happen. During all of this I also took some pictures I hope to post hopefully sooner than later... Mya's first trip to the movie theatre, swimming with friends, a mommy daughter date we had, and lots more. I did want to make sure to include one last announcement however that I felt couldnt wait. Warning: Only those of you who don't find me bragging about my husband annoying or rude should continue...if you've made it this far in this forever long post to begin with. As most of you know, Kimball took his board exams almost four weeks ago, and finally got his score back from the USMLE (test used for the M.D. residency applicants). All I will say is Kimball had to log out and back in two more times after he saw his score to make sure that it was for the right person. Needless to say he got an outstanding score, and we are very very proud of him. This means he will now be a competitive candidate for anything he chooses to go into, even when applying for M.D. residencies which opens more opportunities of where we can think about settling down. A few of the areas he did best in were Gastro/Intestinal, Reproductive & Endocrine, and Renal/Urinary. All surgical specialties he has thought about going into. Again I apologize for those of you who find this annoying, its just was a huge blessing to see his hard work pay off in such an unexpected way. Way to go honey you did it!

Holly or Mya...?

My mother sent this picture to me and Kimball put it on his desktop. Since then we've had a few people ask... is that Holly or Mya?...can you tell?