Z Sisters

Ie Li

Last couple of weeks:

• Attended Mei Li's kindergarten performance.  I loved every second.  Two-thirds of the kindergartners were dressed up as vegetables.  Mei Li was dressed as a farmer.  She was so much fun to watch.  I can tell she loves performing.
• T-ball and soccer.  This means we've got sports four times a week.  What are we to do when all of our kids are in lessons and sports?  I'm missing the simplicity that used to be my life, but it is wonderful to watch them grow and develop their talents.  
• Steve's car was in the shop for several days getting expensive repairs done.  That's too bad.  The big, unforeseen, but necessary expenses seem to keep coming our way.  Someday I hope our savings go towards something we actually plan to pay for.
• I've been better about getting out of the house.  I took the kids to the duck pond once and then took them to a really beautiful park that we hadn't been to before.
• We booked our flights to Hilton Head.  We're driving the family to Indiana in June to meet Ie Mei, and then Steve and I will spend four nights in Hilton Head.  We're so excited to have some alone time.  
• I read Stephanie Nielson's book and several Maisie Dobbs mysteries.  Stephanie's story is kind of amazing and miraculous.  She has so much to deal with, and I admire her for her ability to reclaim her happiness and love of motherhood.
• I went to the Mother's Tea at Stephen's preschool.  I had a great time with my little gentleman.
• Steve took Mei Li to a father daughter camp out.  He painted her nails blue and red.  Mei Li's top front tooth had been dangling for a while, but finally came out when she bit into her s'more.  Success!
• I took Stephen and Mi Na to the mall for ice cream and a carousel ride while Steve and Mei Li were away.
• My baby bump showed up two days ago.  Let the rapid weight gain begin!
• I mopped our kitchen floor for the first time in a while.  It did me in.  I was ready for a nap after that.
• Steve took me to eat Korean BBQ at Honey Pig on Saturday.  I can't stop thinking about it.  It's my favorite meal of this pregnancy.  We already have plans to go back.  I arranged for a babysitter, and I invited our Korean food-loving friends to join us.  I can't wait.
• Mother's day was beautiful.  Steve made banana foster on french toast (my favorite breakfast). There were berries galore, beautiful flowers, homemade cards, and bunting strung across the mantle.  We made brownies (from the box) for dessert in the evening, and then Steve and the kids presented me with my yellow Le Creuset tea kettle.  I love kitchen things that I am happy to display and that don't have to take up valuable cupboard space.  It was a lovely day.

This week:

• Resume my regular chores.  I'm feeling much better these days so I hope I can catch up with all that I previously neglected.  I still plan to take naps.
• Start my third round of antibiotics.  These urinary issues are getting so old.  I should probably see a urologist or something like that.
• T-ball and soccer.  
• Fathers and sons camp out.
• Get a pedicure with Mei. 
• Go to Honey Pig!

Annee

Last Few Weeks:

• I was able to convince Darin that I wouldn't be able to walk miles and miles around the zoo with Jane!  He was able to work it out so that he could go.  I was so grateful.  It was as predicted a darn hot day.  All the other teachers and parents at the zoo kept telling Darin what a good idea it was that I didn't go.  Though physically, I'm sure I could have come through and rallied, in the wardrobe department, I knew that I just didn't have the right combination of clothes to be able to wear my tennis shoes with all day.  I'm glad Darin saves me from a day of fashion faux pas!  
• I have been quilting a lot lately.  I finished one small quilt, and then I jumped in on the giant quilt that will be my last selfish sewing project before the babies!  I try to structure most of my days where I get my work and my errands done as soon as possible, with the promise of working on my quilt as soon as the jobs are done.  It's a good idea, but sometimes i just move so slowly and get so tired so quickly!  A few days this week I allowed myself to quilt first, and worry about my "jobs" later.  Sometimes it's the only way I can stay awake through a morning.  Unfortunately, it feels like the first trimester fatigue has returned.  I'm wondering if I'm anemic.  Is there another possible explanation to the fatigue, rather than just, "you're making twins"?!  I know I'm making twins, but lots of people make twins.  Do they likewise feel like they are immobilized with fatigue?  
• I bought tickets to go see Wicked! last February.  May seemed like an eternity away.  Last Friday (the 5th), our big date to the theater came.  I enjoyed the whole evening.  We managed to leave early enough to eat a casual dinner at my favorite Foster's Market.  We scored great parking without too much trouble.  The show started, and after about twenty minutes the curtain abruptly shut because they were having technical difficulties with Glinda's "bubble".  Though it seemed like a big to-do, in the end, it was so perfect because I ran out to the bathroom ONE MORE TIME, and was thus able to avoid the eternal women's restroom line at intermission.  Seriously, why is the women's restroom line so long?!  I have been a woman my whole life, I still don't feel like there is a suitable explanation. The play was excellent.  It was fun to be doing something so out of the ordinary for us!  Loved it all!!
• Darin finally turned in all of his papers to officially complete the coursework for his PhD!!!  Such a big deal.  It felt like he was writing those last two papers for an eternity.  I am so proud of him for getting it all done.  He makes it look easy.  On Friday he received two questions which represent his comprehensive exams.  He has six weeks to write about fifty pages worth of answer to these questions.  Once that is done, it's onto the dissertation.  I'm so grateful and impressed that he can set a schedule and execute it.  I never worry if he's going to get it all done.  He just does.
• Thursday night we joined in with throngs of hipsters old and young to attend the This American Life Live! event in movie theaters for one night only.  (But then that night did they say it would be in theaters a second night?!).  So grateful to have such willing and able babysitters.  It really makes life easier.  
• Friday I started worrying about our room arrangement come September.  There is some re-arranging that needs to take place, and I wonder when we're going to do it.  The longer we wait, the harder physically it will get for me to be helpful at all.  Henry and George desperately need new dressers.  I would love to have some sort of rocker, or comfy chair to use for nursing in a nursery.  We started our official search on Friday hitting up all my favorite local joints.  In the end, I found the Parisian farm table of my dreams!  Directly important from Paris, but with a $3200 price tag, I can't find anyway to justify it.  It will remain the table of my dreams, and I didn't find anything else that I wanted more.  Dressers, chair?  What?!  Parisian farm table!!!! 
• Woke up Saturday with the overwhelming desire to burn down Jane and Ruby's room.  They have storage issues!  But with two closets, two dressers, and a cabinet, I'm force to admit that it's probably a "stuff" issue.  ALL the Barbies and accompanying accessories were boxed up.  They are in the attic now.  This freed up an enormous amount of storage space.  New solutions for American Girl beds and accessories.  We accumulated one huge bag of trash, and one huge bag and a box of books and stuff to donate.  It felt SO SO SO good.  It took well over three hours, and by the end of it, my body was aching.  Then my whole mood went sour.  How can three hours of hard labor be the extend of my abilities now?!  Nothing vexes me more than my physical limitations.  I moped around, laid down in my bed waiting for the aches and pains to subside.  Darin finally got home from his Saturday jobs and offered that our mother's day celebrations start early by going out to dinner with all the kids.  In the end, it was the perfect way to end our day and lift my spirits.  He even volunteered that we walk through a baby super store to help me figure out what we realistically need in the coming months.  He's a great guy.  
• First Sunday without any primary responsibilities in nearly two years.  I was released last week.  It's always bittersweet.  You always wonder what more you could have done.  But my entire presidency was leaving.  I was down to just one counselor.  It wasn't realistic for me to think I was going to run the show alone for the month of May and June.  I think in the end, it's good timing.  These new aches and pains don't seem to be going anywhere.  I only made it through about fifteen minutes of Sunday School before I got a cramp so bad that I had to go walk around outside to help it resolve itself.  Ouch!  I have four more months of this!  And it's only going to get worse.  

This Week:

• Swim team starts again.  Every night of the week.  Ready or not, here we go!  
• Another OB appointment
• Cancelled the last subbing job I had scheduled.  I think I'm officially done.
• I will try to still honor my volunteer commitment on Thursday mornings.  I'll TRY.  
• 18 full days left of school.  It feels like 13 too many.  I am so tired of the 6:30am alarm clocks that go off.  The packing of the lunches.  The outfit dramas.  The always tardy despite our very very best efforts!  I'm just tired.  I want it all to end.  There will be non-stop parties and activities and yearbooks and functions.  I need to endure to the end!
• I might actually finish my quilt top this week.  I am really excited!  
• It's a small list, but it feels really big.  

Sarah

Last couple weeks:

• Taught Relief Society today (my new calling) on prayer. It went well but I was pretty nervous - I've been in with the primary kids for a very long time now.
• Had a great Mother's day full of love and help from Scott and the kids. Enjoyed a casual BBQ meal with Mom & Dad in their back yard with s'mores for dessert - my favorite! BTW - yes I did wear that dress AGAIN seeing as it's one of the only things that fits me right now. Since I was teaching today I knew I needed something I felt comfortable in and not too fussy so it was just right, but I realize I wear it a lot and I'm sorry about that (except not actually so sorry). 
• Put on our first rooftop concert for the season last week - great turnout, beautiful weather, great success. It was fun to be back into it, and also great to have so much good help this year. Weird to think at the next concert I will either have a tiny baby already or any day.
• Totaled my van. Thankfully and miraculously everyone was fine, but the car is dead so now we've been shopping for something new. I take responsibility for being a distracted driver and recognize the wakeup call. 
• Went to the groundbreaking ceremony for the Provo City Center Temple on Saturday. The kids were all disappointed that the shovels were small golden ceremonial shovels and not actual excavators. But it was historic and fun to be a part of and think about which of our kids might even get married there one day.
• Last OB appt went well - measuring about a week early and baby is in good position. Next appt is this week where they will test me for Strep B - I was positive with June and REALLY hope I'm not again since being hooked up to the IV with those antibiotics was one of the worst parts of that delivery.
• June finished her soccer season and started t-ball. She is the only girl on her team but hasn't seemed to notice yet.
• Brought up the baby boxes from the basement and went through everything. Bought a box of diapers, nursing pads. onesies, pacifiers, and some formula. This is getting real.
• Called and set up my maternity leave with HR

This week:

• Buy a new car. We went and test drove a few different cars wondering if we could get away from vans and enter the more sophisticated SUV world, but turns out you just can't beat the convenience and efficiency of the mini vans. Most likely we will end up as van twins with the Earnests again - we're liking the Honda Odyssey too. The past week and a half has been a struggle without a big car. We've thankfully been able to borrow Dan Reneer's Honda Accord (he has another car) but it was quite humorous when I came out of the grocery store with my two-cart-load forgetting I didn't have a big car and trying to fit it all in between the carseats  (the trunk was already full of other stuff). 
• Purchase plane tickets for summer plans
• Catch up on finances
• Massage & pedicure. I'm serious this time.
• Get new car seats for Huck & June. The insurance company will reimburse but say we're not supposed to keep carseats after a big accident. Need a big car to carry those big boxes.
• Get a new crib. I think this is the one: http://www.potterybarnkids.com/products/kendall-fixed-gate-crib/?pkey=bcribs
• Need to think about a nursing wardrobe. Ugh. That is not my favorite part of having a baby
• I should probably get a few book recommendations and find a new series I can watch on Netflix to get me through the above
• Think about how this baby should be born. Maybe I should go natural again? Sounds kind of exciting. I've had friends sing praises of hypno-birthing. Is it too late to learn something new? Guess I should discuss with the midwife this week.
• Set up a follow-up rooftop planning meeting. Sometimes it's hard for me to remember there is life beyond this baby being born. Need to make sure ducks are in a row so I can zone out for a while afterward.

Christine

Last Few Weeks:

• Finalized the location for the wedding reception.  I had started to feel stressed and overwhelmed by the original location we had started to move forward with because it just was turning in to something so much bigger than I had ever expected to have.  For Steve's birthday dinner we all went and scooped out Patowmack Farms and it seemed like the perfect reception venue.  I instantly felt better and much more excited about the whole event once I mentally switched my focus away from the other venue to the new one.  I think it really will be perfect.  
• Went and looked at invitations with Rachel one day after work.  We found a couple good options that I actually really like a lot and would be totally thrilled with.  I think in the end that will be a pretty easy process.  
• Jon had a couple slow weekends and was able to come to town, it's always great when we get to spend some time together.  One night we grabbed dinner with Melissa which is always fun.  
• Ran into Rachel and Ken twice at Cafe Rio.  Some nights I just want something so delicious for dinner yet I'm too tired to really think of anywhere new or creative, so that ends up being my default.  It always transports me back to Utah for a minute.  
• Made treats for ward temple night.  It was an endowment session trip, so I couldn't actually join, but it was nice to feel involved.  In such a big ward it's easy to kind of get lost in the crowd and feel like you're not making much contribution.  Even some small involvement is great.  
• Went to the This American Life live show with Rachel last week.  It was a lot of fun.  They broadcasted the live show into theaters across the country, so it wasn't actually live, felt more like a movie, but it was still very interesting and entertaining.  It's always interesting to put faces to familiar radio voices.  And definitely awesome to have a fun and relaxing night out with Rachel.  
• Went to Morgantown this past weekend for Jon's graduation.  It was very exciting and fun to see him with all his friends from classes.  We definitely did college differently.  He thought it wasn't actually that exciting since he's just going back to school in the fall, but I kept trying to remind him that it's still a huge accomplishment and something to be celebrated. 
• Got a physical exam for the first time since high school, possibly even junior high.  I was actually really nervous going into it since I hadn't been in forever, I assumed they were going to find something horrible.  I was making Jon talk all about what our plans would be if I found out that I was fatally ill, I'm not so sure he liked those conversations.  Their initial impression is that I'm totally healthy, I have to wait a couple weeks for all the labs to come back to either confirm that or reveal the truth.  I think I also realized that I have a fear of doctors which is probably why I haven't been to one in so long.  
• Spent a ridiculous amount of time trying to figure out what Jon and I will wear for our upcoming engagement pictures.  It's dumb how complicated such a seemingly simple thing becomes.

This Week:

• Start the ordering process for invitations so that we can actually get them in time.  It's crazy how quickly time is going by.  I keep thinking that I have plenty of time to get everything planned and ordered.  Then all the sudden I'll realize the date and panic a little.  
• Exercise as much as possible.  I'm contemplating working with a personal trainer, mainly just because I have no idea what to do when I go to the gym.  I just want someone to tell me some good things to work on and show me how to do them.  Jon says he could do that but it's difficult when he's not actually here, and I'm not sure I actually want him filling that role for me, I'm not sure I would actually be able to take him seriously or if he'd be able to scare me/motivate me enough to get me doing things.
• Look at dresses and figure out what I really want to do about a wedding dress.  I don't know why I have absolutely no idea what I want or what direction to go in.  It's such a retarded process I've decided since the dresses I actually look at and try on are nothing like what the end product would be once it actually fits me and is altered.  
• Sunday Jon and I are going up to New York to take our engagement pictures with Blue Lily.  This next weekend is basically the last free weekend he has so it is the only time we'll be able to do the pictures.  Originally I had just resigned to finding some random photographer here in DC and hoping for the best, but Rachel alerted me to the fact that Wendy and her husband will actually be out on the east coast that weekend so I contacted them.  I realize it's quite an effort having to go up there, but I like that I at least know that we'll get good pictures out of it rather than the possibility of them not being so great.  Now I just need to really figure out what we're going to wear, so that's the main item on my to do list for the week.    

Rachel

Last Two Weeks: 

• Continued completely reorganizing the house and our closets.  This required 2 trips to Ikea and lots of hours for Ken putting the Ikea purchase together.  In the end we have a better clothing storage situation, but it is a rough road to get there!
• Tuesday, May 1 CZ and I went to visit Dandelion Patch to look at wedding invitations.  We looked through all their letterpress books and CZ identified 2 or 3 that she really likes.  They're so cute!  
• Last week I bought a bunch of clothes to see if any would work as spring/summer work clothes.  This week I returned about 80% of what I bought.  The returns are annoying, but it's easier to order everything online that looks like it might work, then return the rest later, rather than to agonize for days should I get that or not.  
• My car was in the shop all week so Ken and I did a lot of creative car sharing.
• Friday, May 4 was the office Tax Olympics.  We played all sorts of sports, volleyball was the main one I was excited about.  It was a fun change of pace and always a little strange to see your co-workers in such a different setting and attire.  
• Friday night we went to the mall to try to see Hunger Games.  Lines were outrageous as people we there to see Avengers.  We shopped and had dinner instead.
• Saturday we braved the crowds again for the last showing of Hunger Games.  It was good!  But, Peeta is so weird looking!  
• Saturday before the movie we decided to go to Cafe Rio.  Shortly after we got there, CZ and Jon walked in!  Fun Cinco de Mayo celebration.
• Sunday, May 6th our upstairs neighbors had a HUGE party.  His wife is Ethiopian so the cooking smelled so weird and the guests were loud and dressed festively.  We tried to stay out of the house as much as possible so we visited Jill in her new house for Sunday dinner.  
• Tuesday, May 8th I finally bit the bullet and got a haircut. I've been so nervous to try a new salon.  In the end I like the cut and highlights but the price is twice what I'm used to paying, so it's not a real long-term solution.  Ugh, more searching.
• Wednesday, May 9th we had a meeting at work where we talked about productivity and procrastination.  On that subject, Mark Twain said, "Eat that frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day."  This inspired me to make a list of the FROGS weighing on my mind.  I worked through 8 of the 11 by the end of the week.  Feels so much better to get those behind me!!!  Last 3 frogs - book a hotel in Paris, finish Hud's bookkeeping, update the photo wall at the office.
• Thursday, May 10th CZ and I went to see the This American Life Live show in Alexandria.  She brought FrozenYo which was the perfect dinner treat.  Annee also watched the show from NC.  We should do that "together" more often!  
• Friday, May 11th I worked, read during Everybody Wins lunch and was home by 630pm.  Ken and I couldn't decide what to eat so we ended up back at Cafe Rio.  Guess who we ran into in the parking lot.  CZ!!  Second time in 2 weeks!  
• Saturday, May 12th was a super productive day where I finished reorganizing clothes and sorting through storage.  I got new plants for the porch.  Ken installed new blinds in the kitchen windows.  We celebrated 18 months of marriage at Chef Geoff's for dinner that night.  
• Sunday, May 13th my Mother's Day treat was that Ken was assigned to teach my primary class allowing me to go to Relief Society.  So nice!
• Sunday afternoon I cooked all the rest of the veggies in our fridge to make lunches for the week.  
• I finished reading 1919: Six Months that Changed the World about the Paris Peace Conference after World War I.  Very interesting.  

This Week: 

• Work on site at Long & Foster in Chantilly.
• We are headed to Paris from Monday, May 21-31!  It's time to finish planning our activities and, most importantly, pick a hotel!!!  Cannot put this off any longer.
• We will spend the first 3 days in Normandy area before making our way back to Paris.  We're planning to meet up with my friend Kristen Hill who's working at Disney.
• Decide if we're going to open a Capital One checking account.  They have 0% foreign currency conversion fee, our banks are 3%.  Could it be worth the hassle?  We disagree on that point...
• Buy salt water sandals to wear on our trip.  I already bought a pair of Clark's wedges (like mom's) that I think will work great. Determined not to bring too many shoes.
• Manicure/pedicure.
• Saturday, May 19th is the Lucketts Spring Market.  My favorite Saturday of the year!  
• Saturday is also the PCS BBQ at one of the partner's houses in McLean.  It'll be fun to have Ken meet everyone.  
• Laundry!  
• Deep clean the house on Saturday/Sunday.  It's so much easier to leave when the house is super clean.  
• Bake Texas Sheet Cake.  No really good reason, Ken just wants some.