Rainy Waterfalls

Today Spencer and I really wanted to go on an adventure. I've been looking at different things to do in Utah, and the other day I came across a website that listed all the Top 10 Waterfalls here. Lucky for us, there was one we had never visited, less than 30 minutes up the road! We grabbed some water bottles and jumped in the car. You have to walk/hike about half a mile in before you reach the falls, which isn't difficult, unless you have a very active baby living in your abdomen :) She was excited about something, maybe the fresh air, and felt it appropriate to show me by jumping up and down on my pelvis. Ouch!

On the way to the actual fall, there is a pretty little stream that you walk beside. We stopped for a second at this pool where is collects so I could take a little break.

We also found a miniature Cave of Wonders. I wanted Spencer to pose inside, but he wouldn't. Something about not wanting to get dirty. In. The. Outdoors. Yeah, I laughed at him too.

Anyway, after the fun little Nature Walk, the incline becomes pretty steep for a little ways.. And in my Infinite Wisdom, I didn't think it would be a problem to wear Flip Flops on this adventure. But with Spencer's help, we made it to the top. After the walk uphill,  BAM! Out of nowhere comes a beautiful waterfall!

There are actually 2 cascades, but since it's so early in the Spring, the other one was more of a drizzle. It was ice cold water, but so amazing. We found a comfy log to rest on, and enjoy the perfect view.

I'm so lucky to have married this guy. Look how cute we are! All in all, it was a fabulous Saturday. As soon as we got home, it started raining. Perfect timing. I took a couple pictures of the rainy weather, not sure if you can make them out too well, but I'll post them later anyway. Hope your Weekend is as fabulous as ours!

Ikea, Ovens and Food Cravings

Well, this week is almost over. I'm one more week closer to being a momma. Yes! Spencer is one week closer to the end of the HARDEST semester in his college career. Yes! And summer is just around the corner. Double Yes!! In celebration of long awaited endings and inspirational new beginnings, we took a field trip to Ikea and splurged on an AMAZING rug! It adds a pop of personality to our living room, and does a fantastic job covering up the rental carpet. I love sitting in the living room now, it feels so much better. Crazy how one square of fabric can change your outlook on life.

In other news, I'm getting weary of our oven's unique "burned food" smell, and am going to attempt cleaning it without the use of harsh chemical products. Thank you Pinterest! I found a recipe for overnight cleaning, using baking soda, salt, and water. I can't wait to try it out! Cleaning the oven is probably the most awkward and irritating thing for me to clean, but I'm gonna dive into this with a good attitude and hopefully emerge tomorrow victorious! I mostly want to avoid inhaling gallons of cleaning products, which is what put me on this "all natural" cleaning kick. That, mixed with my new-found desire to deep clean/reorganize our entire apartment. I'm walking the thin line right now between being able to move around fairly easily and, well, not being able to move around. I want to get all the spring cleaning out of the way before I can't anymore. 

(My usual attitude towards cleaning)

Along with going on a crazy cleaning spree, I am finally feeling the ever warned about pregnancy appetite. I am constantly hungry! I'm doing my very best to only munch on carrots, celery, and banana muffins, and drink gallon after gallon of water, but it's not very fulfilling when all you want is a huge freaking piece of chocolate cake!

 I did give in earlier this week and bought myself some powdered donuts. But overall I'm pretty proud of myself. It feels silly, but I really am worried about pregnancy weight. I wasn't supposed to gain much to start out with, and I feel like every pound is another obstacle that I'll have to deal with post-baby. I've done pretty well, I think I'm at about 6 lbs of total gain (after factoring in the 15 I lost in my first trimester, no thanks to morning sickness), and I have 9-14 lbs left before I reach my ideal size. Baby has about 4-6 lbs left to gain before she's considered full size, so I think we're doing pretty well. That being said, now is definitely NOT the time to go crazy with food. It does help to think about what I'm eating, and how it's essentially the same thing  I'm feeding Avery. With that in mind, I'm much more likely to reach for a spinach salad over the Nutella jar. And now, some inspiration for myself:

Song for a Fifth Child

Mother, oh mother, come shake out your cloth!

Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,

Hang out the washing and butter the bread,

Sew on a button and make up a bed.

Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?

She’s up in the nursery, blissfully rocking!

Oh, I’ve grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue

(Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).

Dishes are waiting and bills are past due

(Pat- a- cake, darling and peek, peekaboo).

The shopping’s not done and there’s nothing for stew

And out in the yard and there’s a hullabaloo

But I’m playing Kanga and this is my Roo.

Look!  Aren’t her eyes the most wonderful hue?

(Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).

Oh, cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,

But children grow up, as I’ve learned to my sorrow.

So quiet down, cobwebs.  Dust go to sleep.

I’m rocking my baby.  Babies don’t keep.

1958   Ruth Hulburt Hamilton

Although this poem doesn't apply to my exact situation just yet, I felt like I should post it for future reference. And even now, even while I can still carry my sweet baby girl in my womb and protect her from everything in the outside world, I can almost hear Ms Ruth Hamilton talking directly to me. I have been getting rather stressed out and emotional lately, which I am choosing to blame on a surge of hormones. I have been worrying about excessive weight gain, and how I can lose it after the baby's born, I've been worrying about whether or not breastfeeding is going to be painful, and on and on and on. But all these things I'm worrying about don't really matter. They'll happen when they happen, and stressing about things I can't control only hurts me. So, like the poem explains, I'm trying to step back, forget all the little things that I feel I "must" worry about, and enjoy this moment I have, experiencing this gift of being able to grow a little person, and feel her movements. That should be the most important thing right now. 

That being said, I also really want to enjoy the last 3 months that I have Spencer all to myself. I want to love sleeping all the way through the night, and enjoy finishing an entire load of dishes at one time. I'm positive that Avery will be the best thing that could possibly happen to us, but there are a few blessings we have now that are probably going to be a rarity in the very near future, and I don't want to discount them. I love our little family, it's exactly what I dreamed about having :)