4th of July/Birthday (These Two Holidays are Always Combined for Me)

 Despite the fact that my husband was 600 miles away, I still managed to have a great 4th of July and an awesome birthday. Get ready, because this post contains a few very unflattering pictures of myself. Pictures that any normal, self respecting human being would stop at nothing to keep off the internet.  Instead, I am shamelessly putting them on.

Enjoy.

 

We went to this festival in Orem called "Colonial Days" featuring grown adults dressed as ye olde colonist townspeople. Some even went the extra mile and spoke using Colonial jargon, which I appreciated. We were by far the oldest group there, but I've never seen a pair of eyes light up like my dad's did when he caught sight of the authentic iron bellows feeding a fire (in 95 degree heat, ugh). Some other favorites were the hand carved coffin tent and the wool carding display.

Once this picture had been taken, I found myself legitimately stuck and squatted there struggling to free myself for minutes before I realized that the release latch was within easy reach. Obviously, my brothers found this hilarious and were of no help. 

 I was doing yoga out on the grass before the fireworks started. I stole the moves from a really low budget prenatal yoga video I've been watching. Basically, a pregnant woman with awesome arms, but an otherwise mediocre body, set up a tripod and filmed herself breathing and stretching on a towel for 30 minutes. Hey, she made at least $5 (plus shipping) off it!

 My brothers Jeff and Joel along side a festively clad whale, washed upon shore to enjoy some fireworks. What a salty, fun surprise! No really, this is the picture I probably shouldn't have posted. I honestly have only gained 25 pounds this pregnancy, which according to the doctor is right on track. I think our little baby is just very... horizontal in there.

 My cute parents. I wasn't thrilled about my mom's choice in shirt color, but since pink is a derivative of red, I guess I won't question her loyalty. She comes directly from Massachusetts after all; patriotism is in her blood.

 I woke up to this email the morning of my birthday. Too bad I've been treating the entire year of 2012 as a birthday, as far as my gym habits go.

My mom and I went and got Japanese food for lunch. It was fantastic. While not in the least bit healthy, the tempura vegetables offered me and the baby some much needed nutrients to make up for the white bread and chocolate I've been living off lately. Seriously, during the 9 months in which nutrition really counts, I've had the hardest time.Vegetables have never tasted worse and Taco Bell has never tasted better.

There is nothing cuter than adult shoes in baby sizes. Brock sent me these for my birthday. A week later, I'm still squealing with delight every time I look at them.

This is another unfortunate shot of me, but it showcases my preferred birthday dessert- Peanut Butter Pie. It isn't your typical birthday cake and ice cream, but it is SO much better. I've also graduated from the mass of melted candles dripping wax all over and opted for the 2 and 6 candles. Numeric candles are a sign you're getting old, I decided.

I made myself this little birthday sign to display in my parents' house. When you have three brothers, a dad and a mom with self admitted third grade boy handwriting, you have to do these things yourself. The best part? A week later this sign is still up. It has provoked a lot of unnecessary "Happy Birthdays" from unknowing visitors, some of which I have graciously accepted without saying a word.