Magic Song: LENNY

"Lenny," Stevie Ray Vaughan

I would love to drift into a deep winter's nap on the lovesac, wrapped in my favorite microplush blanket with this track swooning in the background. Preferably after eating a bowl of macaroni and cheese—the shells or spongebob variety, to be specific. Trust me, it would be heavenly.

They say he wrote this song for his wife, Lenora. I imagine Mr. SRV said it best when he said nothing at all—just let that sexy guitar do all the talkin, Stevie.

p.s. I hope your enjoying this Youtuber's aesthetic choice to "enhance this beautiful instrumental by SRV with natural pics of outer space, galaxies, stars etc..." as much as I am.

p.p.s. This song brings back a rush of good memories—mostly of my little brother, Sky. Dang, I miss that kid.

Confession

So I caved to my strange pregnancy cravings. I ate some snow yesterday. Like, from the backyard. Jacob let me...

and I LIKED it. 

Animals Can Be Almost Human

There are times when I get stressed/worried/frustrated. It's ok. It's a part of being human... and female. However, I have a husband who is a "fixer," a problem-solver, an engineer—and when these episodes arise, he really can't help himself. He must do what he does best. He must fix! Though I often resist his efforts (I mean, whatever I'm fussing over obviously can't be corrected simply by his intervention, right?), he must always try.

And sometimes, he gets it right.

For instance, the other night I was in stress/worry mode. I was sure I had lost my flash drive forever. The one I swore I would never lose. The one I should've backed up. The 8 GBs packed with all my project files over the last few years, all contained in a cute lil' orca-shaped device. The one that was irreplaceable. Gone.

Not the end of the world—but indeed, upsetting. 

Jacob's first reaction: Help me brainstorm all the places I could've left it. Jacob's second reaction: Search the house in all the places I probably didn't look. I admit, he is a lot better at finding my "lost" things than I am. However, both of these attempts prove to be futile. But his third reaction—now that was golden!

Jacob's third reaction: I am lying on the lovesac in pouting-mode. I have given up. I can't be consoled. After searching in the bedroom, he returns and sits by my side holding this volume of literature:

Yes, the 1979 classic from Reader's Digest, Animals Can Be Almost Human! He opens the book, leafs through the pages, and begins reading me the chapter entitled "Bear Tracks in the Bathtub" about a baby bear cub named "Mr. B" who becomes endeared to a family living near the Cascade Mountains in Washington.The story was cute, funny, and heartwarming. Triple-threat.

Goshdangit. It worked. Still no flash drive. But the stress? *Poof!*

So now you know the secret. If I'm losing it, just read me animal stories or show me a video of pug puppies on YouTube—I'm pretty sure Jacob has used that one too. I'm that ridiculously simple.


p.s.

Another fun fact about this book: It was gifted to me almost two years ago by Sister Amy Hansen, who gets home from her Tahitian mission like TOMORROW! Can't wait to see her! Anyway, I think she found this book at her grandma's house or somewhere, and intuition told her that it was obviously meant for me. Probably one of the best gifts ever.


p.p.s.

Please bless that I really do find that flash drive though...

Third Trimester Kickoff

This is why Mondays are currently the best...

I get to knock off another week on my baby countdown! Whoo hoo!

Another week of pregnancy survived. Another week closer to Baby Robinson.

The reason why this Monday is especially monumental is that it kicks off the beginning of my
THIRD TRIMESTER.
*someone strikes a gong*

(I kinda feel like I deserve a third trimester kick-off party, but I also feel like I deserve A LOT of things when pregnant)

But wow. It's HERE. The beginning of the end. I really have to start getting my mama-act together 

and seriously consider the idea of pushin this baby out... because it WILL happen eventually.

Any tips for surviving the third trimester?

This rookie needs your wisdom.

"As long as I can conceive something better than myself I cannot be easy unless I am striving to bring it into existence."            -George Bernard Shaw

Baby at 20 weeks

profile

legs and feet

The last look we had at Baby Robinson was the big 20-week ultrasound.

These photos just mesmerize me. 

That little profile. Those tiny legs and feet.

That's really our baby girl in there. 

A few facts about me and baby these days:

We love to eat ice. So much that I sometimes find the idea of eating a snowball in our front yard as a treat very appealing. Or sucking on an icicle. I've heard this means I'm iron deficient. Which probably means I should be taking a supplement... or eating more steak. I really don't want my love for ice to disappear though! If you were a fly on the wall in our home, you would often hear me calling to Jacob in the kitchen, "Honey! I want some CUBES!"

I've surrendered to my newly-discovered obsession with sweets. I've never been a huge sweets person to begin with. I've always liked cake, brownies, cookies, ice cream, etc—but never loved them. Definitely never craved them. I was always more drawn to tart and savory flavors. Not anymore. Suddenly, things like chocolate, waffles, pastries, and cupcakes are ever on my mind. So... you know... if you ever feel like randomly taking me on a date to Cocoa Bean or Awful Waffle.. I mean... I won't turn you away.

Just before you think I'm a complete sugar-glutton, I've also discovered a new love for baby carrots. Never liked raw carrots before. Now I eat them every day. They are basically my default snack. Pregnancy can work all kinds of weirdness on you, man.

I'm getting big, but I can still sleep soundly through the night. In fact, I think I'm getting better sleep now than I did a few months ago—although my dreams have been super weird and vivid, and I sometimes get woken up in the morning by violent kicks from baby. I assume she is hungry for her breakfast. Sorry baby! I'm up I'm up...

Another man at work asked me if I am expecting twins. When I told him no, he looked concerned and said, "You look well-along." To that, I wanted to say, "Dude! I AM well-along! I've been pregnant for HALF of a YEAR." I should have something to show for it, right?

People say all kinds of awkward things to you when you're pregnant.

I want so badly to buy baby clothes and all the adorable baby merch out there, but Jacob keeps reminding me to wait until I've had a baby shower. He keeps me practical. Still, so so tempting.

I signed up for a hypnobirthing class. Kinda nervous. Kinda excited.

Me and baby do yoga together, though some of those poses are becoming more challenging with my big belly in the way. Can't give it up though. It's our bonding time.

She has a name. And a middle name too. At least, we are pretty sure about it. If you ask me, I'll probably tell you. But I don't want to "announce" anything until she's here and it's final.

We love our baby girl.

He has set His heart upon us

"God's desire, so manifest in the texture of the created order, is to enlarge the sphere of human joy, and we discover the marvelous truth that our joy is His joy. What greater motivation could there be for us to seek out and secure our own, our friends', our families' happiness, than to know it adds to His. Truly, God has made us His central concern, and as long as we humans live—He will share in all our sorrows. But He also shares in all our triumphs and joys. For He has set His heart upon us." -Terryl and Fiona Givens, The God Who Weeps

why do men say anything ever

Yesterday, a brief conversation between me and a fellow employee (who is a man) went as follows:

Man: So Holli! How's the pregnancy going? Do you only have a few weeks left now?

Me: [Really? Am I that HUGE already? Do I have to answer this? Whatever. He doesn't know anything. Just be nice.] Ummm... actually, it's more like a few months, haha. I'll be here until mid-March and then the baby should come sometime in April.

Man: [Looks very surprised. Obviously knows he put his foot in his mouth. Obviously.] Ohhhh... really? You sure you're not having TWINS???

Me: [Seriously? Worst recovery ever, dude! Are you TRYING to destroy any remains of the healthy body image I once had?] Hahaha...[forced laugh]...Yep!...We're pretty sure!...Just one baby! Haha...

Man: [Decides it's a good idea to elaborate on this topic] You know, my wife had twins once. It was a big surprise for us! She got REALLY big REALLY fast!

Me: [more forced laughter] Ha ha ha...

OHMYGOSH. PLEASE JUST STOP TALKING TO ME.

2012 in Photos

So we're officially halfway through January already, but I still wanted to do a little recap of 2012 via photo.

Here it goes...

We kicked off 2012 at the happiest place on earth—DISNEYLAND!

January 1st 2012, 3:00 am, SPACE MOUNTAIN

Arches Nat'l

Goblin Valley. One of the coolest places in Utah. Period.

Our first married Valentines.

Our short, but enthusiastic obsession with BLADES!

I got a new job at the Church History Library in SLC. This pic somehow represents that.

My fam came up to Utah for April conference

We built a fire pit in the backyard

Jacob turned 23, and we celebrated his "Michael Jordan" birthday

Sadly, we were released as primary teachers in the Spring, but I'm so thankful for the time we got to teach these kiddos.

spontaneous trip to AZ to see my brother's band's last show before his mission

SOLAR ECLIPSE!

Sedona, AZ

Another trip to AZ for Sky's missionary farewell

Got our pass of all passes and hit "the peaks" all summer

It was the summer of BBQs

Camping in Rexburg

YELLOWSTONE

Jackson Hole, WY

Hiking in the Idaho back-country.

4th o' July

My first time going to Girls Camp as a leader!

tubing the delta in Stockton, CA

beautiful Yosemite

Santa Cruz Boardwalk

Cruisin the PCH

Celebrating our 1st anniversary in Morro Bay

fulfilling tradition

LA

Riding the Ferris Wheel at Santa Monica Beach

And this is when things start to get interesting...

Watching the sunset at the beach

Can you tell that I just told Jacob a really good secret? Like... I might have a tiny baby inside me? Well, I did. And we took a picture to document this precious moment in our lives.

Staying at the Imperial Palace in Vegas

I never imagined I would be taking my first pregnancy test while staying in a goofy casino-hotel on the Las Vegas Strip—but I wouldn't change it for the world. Definitely one of the strangest, funniest, happiest experiences of my life.

POSITIVE!

Parents-to-be

So we're having a baby? Good thing we're in Vegas to celebrate the good news!

Zions Nat'l

KIMBRA CONCERT!!!

We planted our first garden, and grew a ginormous banana squash!

Jacob's fam came for October conference

Our very first look at Baby Robinson at 12 weeks

We tell the world about our good news

Beautiful Fall in Provo—kinda poetic when you think about the magnificent changes taking place in our lives

the "bump" begins

Provo's first big snowstorm—and our power gets shut off, but it was a good adventure

16 weeks and sucking her thumb

IT'S A GIRL!

Our first Christmas tree

halfway there!

Baby at 20 weeks

A wonderful 25th birthday

Christmas in Mesa

If you can't tell from the pictures, it has been a very monumental year for me and Jacob.

It's pretty amazing to look back and remember all the good memories we've made together and the steps we've taken as a couple.

Of course, the biggest step being the baby girl that is growing inside me at this very moment.

She has already changed our lives so much, we already love her so much, and feel incredibly blessed to know she will be in our arms soon.

Can't wait to meet her in 2013.