Happy 4th of July

I think the Fourth of July is one of my favorite holidays (although Thanksgiving still ranks number one)! I just love it! It's all about warm weather, the beach, BBQ's, friends, family, summertime, good food, fireworks...I mean who wouldn't love it!

Our festivities began on Thursday when my friend, Lynleigh, invited us to the Air Force Base for the Freedom Festival. I decked Rian out in one of her four "4th of July outfits", this particular one courtesy of Bama Wendy, and off we went. When we first got there they were just starting the 'military police dog show'. We enthusiastically watched as the dogs continued time and time again to tackle the 'bad guy'. Then we enjoyed some free grub! I tried to take Rian to the bounce house, but there were too many older kids and she climbed out just as quickly as she climbed in! After the bounce house was a no-go, I tried to get her to stand in line for the clown, so she could get a balloon animal and her face painted. That was a no-go also :) Rian finally agreed to try another astro jump obstacle course thing, so we walked over to the line for that. This is where the picture was taken. She met a really nice girl in line, they even had their arms around each other at one point...too cute!! But seconds after I took this picture, the torrential downpour started and we ran for cover! The rain was coming down hard and our car was too far away, so we just waited it out (for a long time). Eventually it stopped, but it was too late, they were taking down the astro jumps. But even with all the rain, and Rian not really wanted to do any of the fun stuff, we still had a great time!

Matt had the day off on Friday, so we made some plans with our friends to head to the beach! We haven't been to the beach since we arrived back on the island, so Rian and I were very excited for this. We packed a picnic lunch and all our beach gear and headed out the door. I took this picture in the car on the way down. But as we drove further south, the sky turned dark and the downpour began again. However, Guam is known to have rainstorms one minute and blue skies the next, so we decided to continue on. It was still raining when we got to the beach so we backed our jeep up to our friend's SUV, and everyone hung out in the back of the two cars, which was actually kind of fun! We ate lunch and chit-chatted until the rain eventually stopped. Rian and I enjoyed the warm water while Daddy took a nap on the beach. Then, as promised, Daddy built sandcastles with Rian. Soon after they started though, the rain clouds returned and we packed up and left just in the knick of time! We were only able to hang out at the beach for probably two hours due to the rain and half of that time was spent in the car. But regardless of how long we were there, we still had a great time! We came home, showered, and cleaned up nicely so we could join a few friends for dinner at Proa. It was delicious! Good friends and good food, how could you go wrong?

On Saturday, I decked Rian out in another 'outfit' (this one courtesy of Bama Lois) and we had some friends over during the day for a BBQ, games, and Root Beer Floats and Red, White, and Blue Sundaes. We had a lot of fun, once again! Then we decided to take our chances and meet some other friends to watch the fireworks. Of course the downpour started once again as soon as we got into the car. The torrential downpour lasted about an hour so we waited it out in our car once again. When it finally let up, we had about an hour before the fireworks started. Luckily, we stayed dry the rest of the night!

I number the photo collage: 1-Our family waiting for the fireworks to begin.

2-Rian blowing her Fourth of July pinwheel. Bama Lois sent it out here and Rian loved it!

3-Rian jumping around.

4-Rian using her red, white, and blue wand (aka glowstick) to cast spells on everyone :)

5-Rian swinging her glowstick around in circles as the adults chat.

6-Rian smiling for the camera. Bama Lois (my mom) sent Rian some 4th of July jewelry along with the glowsticks and light up necklaces. Rian was all decked out!

7-Rian and Seth swinging the glowsticks! What fun!

8-The girls!

Potty Training Woes

I seriously need your help! I am almost embarrassed to even blog about this, but I just don't know what to do at this point. We started potty training Rian when we were in California just a few months ago. She was doing amazing and she actually liked the idea of going on a big girl potty. I thought she would be fully trained quickly.
Then our lives started to get hectic. It was our last 6 weeks in the States and we were traveling here, there, and everywhere. We brought her potty and encouraged her to go, but not having a routine or any kind of consistency in our daily lives did not help the situation. At one point, while we were still in CA, I was putting Rian on the potty and she was screaming bloody murder. My mom asked me why was I pushing her if she clearly did not like the idea anymore. My response: She is 2 1/2 and she needs to be potty trained. But obviously she regressed and both Matt and I decided that maybe we should hold off on the training until we got back to Guam and into a normal routine again.
So here we are. We've been here for a month and have made no progress :( Rian is a very smart girl (we have full on conversations) and I know she could totally do this if she wanted to, but that's the problem, she doesn't want to. She said she will give the baby her diapers, but the baby isn't here yet, so that isn't really working at the moment. I've put her in big girl panties, but she peed right through them. She loves the idea of being a big girl, but when it comes to the potty she'll say she is still a baby. I've tried pull ups, but obviously the 'cool sensation' doesn't bug her the least. We've rewarded, but she just told me yesterday "I'm fine, I don't need that".
I hate to just give up again and say she is not ready. I know she can do this! But I am started to think again, maybe she just isn't ready. But that feels like an excuse, and that bothers me. She turns 3 in Aug, how can she not be ready yet? And I feel like it reflects on me as a mom. I don't want to push it too hard. If she tells me she doesn't want to go, I shouldn't force her, right? And they say not to get upset if she goes in her diaper, but I can't encourage that either, so what do I say at that point? I am seriously contemplating just leaving her naked for a day and waiting to see what happens. Please, tell me I'm not the only one with a 2.5-3 yr old in diapers and PLEASE SOMEONE HELP ME!!!

Sonogram Pics

Today I had a nice little surprise when I went to the Dr. I was a little concerned last Monday when I went in for my 16 week appt. The Dr had a really difficult time finding the baby's heartbeat. He kept finding mine, but really struggled to find the baby's. When I showed my concern, he blew me off. So you could say I left the appt very unhappy.
I really wanted to know that the baby was okay, so I switched doctors and asked for another appt. My new Dr rocks! It took a few minutes, but the nurse found the baby's heartbeat and then told me to wait for the Dr. While I was waiting, the nurse wheeled in the ultrasound machine! I was very surprised. My new Dr explained to me that normally she would not do an ultrasound at 17 weeks, but since I was concerned with my last appt, she wanted to reassure me that everything was okay with the little baby.
She put Rian up on the table with me and pointed out everything to Rian and me. Everything, but the sex :) Rian saw the baby move his/her feet, and open and close his/her mouth! She was so excited! I left the office feeling so comforted. And most importantly, feeling like my Dr actually cared about me and my concerns. The first picture is a shot of the head. You can see the huge forehead, eye sockets, and the mouth opened. The second picture is of the spine. Our next ultrasound is scheduled for July 23rd. I put up a poll for you to guess the sex, so we expect everyone who reads this to vote!

Dance Class

We signed Rian up for Ballet/Tap Dance. Wednesday was her first day and she absolutely LOVED it! She did so good! She listened and did all the moves, well kinda, she still has a lot to learn! So lets say she tried to do all the moves! She liked ballet, but really enjoyed tap. What child doesn't like to make tons of noise, right? All the little girls looked so cute in their leotards, tights, and tutu's!

At the bottom of the post are 3 links to videos of the class on youtube. I had a really hard time uploading them directly to blogger. Some of you may not be interested in them, but I know our families will want to see them for sure! Hope you enjoy!

Butterfly stretch. Flapping the butterfly wings.

More stretching. Stretch arms up.....and stretch over to the right!

This is where she tried! First Position. Second Position. Third Position. Too cute!

Twirling around on tippy toes! Plies at the barre...Eleves (tippy toes) at the barre.

It's tap time! Following the teacher's instructions.

Here are the links to the videos of Rian dancing.

First video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rO85U_yI7O8

Second video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CC0bfJE9c4E

Third video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xO5owTzRpmk

My Growing Tummy

From the week we found out to today! Click to enlarge. There's more posts....scroll down!

Grillin' & Chillin'

We actually bought this grill the day after Thanksgiving, but haven't used it until now (because we didn't want it sitting out on the lanai for the five months we were away). We were so excited to use it for the first time! We love to grill and we expect to spend a lot of time out on our new lanai grillin' and chillin' (yes, we moved to a bigger place with a bigger lanai in the same building)!!!

Representin'

We can't get enough of her! We just got out of the shower and while I was getting ready, Rian started playing with my hat. We thought she was so dang cute, we had to post these!

Kristin & Joel's Wedding

My friend, Kristin, got married on May 16th. That's really why I stayed back in California while Matt went back to Guam....and I am sure glad I did. I had the BEST time! It was so fun to see Katie and Luke! And of course, I always love to hang out with Marissa and her hubby, Andrew! Kristin made such a beautiful bride and I know her and Joel are so happy together! Congrats! Oh yeah, and I had to post a picture of the cute 'kiddie' plate the caterers brought out for me. I was feeling a little nauseous, so I was munching on some saltines. The caterers noticed and asked if I needed anything. I declined and just explained it was the morning sickness. Five minutes later they bring me a plate with fruit, yogurt, crackers, and bread. It was a really kind gesture and everyone at the table got a kick out of it!

Trip to Utah

While we were in the states, we wanted to take the opportunity to see Matt's family and our friends up in Utah. We had such an awesome time! We started off the trip with a trip up to good 'ole Logan to visit our very good friends The Rubens! I totally felt like we were home the minute we drove up the canyon. Logan will always hold a special place in our hearts! When we lived there we would meet up with Matt's cousins at Firehouse Pizzeria every once in a while, so of course we had to do that the first night we were there. We also walked around campus for a bit and took some pics. We enjoyed some Aggie Blue Mint....a must! And of course had a blast spending time with Eric and Andrea and their adorable new baby, Maci! We love you guys and we had so much fun hanging out! Thanks for letting us crash at your place!
**click to enlarge**
We left Logan and drove straight to The Carrolls! I still remember the first time we met April and Markham. It was our first Sunday at church and the ward was having Linger Longer. We sat at the same table as them and when we mentioned that we were from San Diego, Markham spoke up that he was too. We instantly connected with them, especially once Matt learned that Markham played ice hockey too! April quickly became my hockey watching buddy and we went through our first pregnancies together! Now we are both pregnant again :) We even brought our new babies to USU Hockey Games together....remember that?! We love the Carrolls and are so happy that we had the chance to hang out with them again!

Rian and Kaity had so much fun playing together! It was so cute to watch them interact!

We also spend some time with Matt's Grandparents. Grandma enjoyed reading to Rian and even gave us some Dr Suess books to take back to Guam. Rian absolutely loves Dr Suess, so they were the perfect gift! We are so happy that we were able to spend some time with Grandma and Grandpa before we left the country for 3 years. It was so nice living so close to them (actually all of Matt's extended family) while we were up in Utah. I loved spending holidays and Sundays with them and getting to know them better! I've really grown fond of all of them.

Matt's Aunt Patty and Uncle Jeff graciously offered their home to us for the remainder of the week. Rian loves her best friend, Aunt Patty! Whenever you are around Aunt Patty, you are bound to have a great time! Rian helped her plant her spring flower pots. Patty asked Rian to make a hole in the soil for the flowers and Rian would poke her pointer finger in the dirt.....it was too funny! But hey, at least she tried! They also baked some cookies together! Aunt Patty even let Rian crack her very first egg....video below! We love you guys! Thanks for the wonderful hospitality! We really enjoyed ourselves :)

I feel the need to explain this picture of myself. Matt took it and said "Of course, this is how Tracy gardens. No matter what she is doing, she always has a hand on the phone"! My sister called while I was breaking up the soil for Aunt Patty. She had some news and I really hadn't had the chance to talk to her all week. But anyone who knows me, will get a kick out of this picture....because it is Typical Tracy:)

Here is a video of Rian cracking her first egg. Aunt Patty was very brave to let a 2 year old crack it. Now every time we use eggs, she asks if she can break them! Enjoy!

PQ Fiesta and Dad's Concert

The community our parents live in holds an annual Fiesta! Basically they close down part of the street and set up carnival rides, carnival food booths, and a bunch of local vendors set up booths too. I was excited to be in town for it this year. Rian was at an age where she could actually enjoy it and she sure did!

We bought a few tickets for Rian to use on the rides. She loved them! Then we had some frozen yogurt for lunch, since it was a really hot day. Yum! Of course we saw a lot of people too. Especially considering my parents have lived here for over 25 years. We had a good time at the Fiesta. Then it was time to walk home and get ready for my Dad's Concert.

My Dad plays the tuba and has been performing with the Poway Community Band for over 10 years now. I've always enjoyed going to his concerts! And this concert is by far my favorite one, besides the Christmas concert of course! The best part??? Rian loves going to his concerts too....and she always has, ever since she was a newborn.

I love this concert so much because it's outside at the Old Poway Park. Everyone brings picnics, blankets, and lawn chairs and it's such a nice and relaxing way to spend the afternoon. Rian spent most of her time dancing along to the music! They even played some songs from West Side Story, one of my favorite musicals. I loved it! And I know Rian did too! I also love going because I get to see my Dad do something that he really enjoys! He loves playing in the band, and I love that he loves it! We love you Dad :)