what to do at 4 am...

I thought of several things I could be doing rather than tossing and turning in bed: finish painting the nursery, make Halloween costumes, organize closets, clean the dog's cage, prepare freezer meals.... but most of those things would wake the kids and we won't be having that.

Instead I am going to add a few back-dated photos to the blog. I literally have 1000 pictures that need to be uploaded... but for some reason or another, I just can't find the motivation to do it. I've decided that taking a couple of bites a day might be the best way to eat the elephant. Here are some from our trip to Bear Lake.

I heart the picture above. Not just because I'm smoking hot in my pink maternity swimsuit... but because I had the best time sharing an air mattress at the lake with some of my favorite women. There are a lot of women in this world to love... I feel lucky to be related to some of the best. My sisters are suchs blessings in life. I have four amazing blood-related sisters... and five incredible women who have married my brothers. Amy is the only sis-in-law in this picture. She is saucy, hilarious and always up for a good time.

Here are the cutest little newlyweds you ever did see. These two are both SO INCREDIBLE with the kids. Matt is one of the oldest of nine children and Cindy is the baby of ten (aunt to 35) so they have had LOTS of practice with snotty-nosed, cry-babies. They are going to make awesome parents someday (no kids for them for a while.)

All of the cousins, but especially the boys, had an absolute blast at the lake catching fish and snakes! I am not sure how many fish they captured in their buckets, but probably around 50? This was our own little private lake. Not exactly fancy, but so much fun for everyone. Those weeds were hiding all kinds of animals!

ALL of Debbie's girls are beautiful, but this one could be a centerfold. Her personality is something else too. All I can say is that I feel for my sister and what she's going to have to deal with when her daughters are teenagers. Wowza.

This was taken minutes after we arrived in Idaho. Simon jumped in the water before I was able to take off his clothes. He was seriously SO HAPPY to be there. I let him play for about an hour before I actually put on his swimsuit.. not because I wanted him walking around with a 20 lbs diaper, but because every time I tried to take him out, he gave me the look of death.

"Don't you dare try to take me out of this water..."

Each night we made S'mores and enjoyed the beautiful cool summer air.

This isn't a great picture, but it's the view we had from the back deck. So unbelievably breathtaking. While there, I kept thinking we should name our baby girl HAVEN. I was so peaceful and just kept thinking about what a beautiful word that was. Too bad my husband and I don't agree on anything.

this is Debs and Betty. Words cannot describe how much I love them. Debbie and I spent two solid weeks together, most of the time without our husbands. I wish she was my sister-wife and lived with me always. She is such an inspiring, incredible, amazing girl. So lucky to have her in my life.

The bed Simon and I shared at the cabin is one of the most comfortable beds I've ever slept on. I was so sad we had to leave! We would fall asleep with the windows open and most nights we could hear the rain pitter-pattering against the glass. Simon fell asleep next to me one night and I just had to get up and take a picture of him. He was delirious from a long day at the lake. He couldn't keep his eyes open, but he was fighting sleep like I've never seen before. He lids were open while his little eyeballs would roll in the back of his head. Each time it happened, I would laugh hysterically. Then he would laugh (eyes closed) as if to say, "I am still awake and part of this conversation... I know what is so funny!" It happened a dozen times before he finally crashed. While he was sleeping peacefully, hands on his cute little tummy, I thought about how much I love each of my children. Simon was wearing a pair of pajamas we had purchased for Benjamin at that age. Each of my boys had rocked these comfy pj's... and they are so worn out now, but I just can't get rid of them. As I laid next to him and stared at his unbelievable eyelashes, the baby girl was kicking inside my tummy and I just felt so.... blessed. This is when I finally got up and took a picture of the moment. I am so grateful for these busy/exhausting days of motherhood. I hope I never forget how much joy I have in my heart at the end of (most) long days.

Ten pictures down, 9990 to go.....