life lately.

according to my cellular device, this is what we have been up to lately...

lots of evening owlz baseball games//craft day with friends

saturday hikes//playing at the park//outdoor uno tournaments after brooks is asleep

doctor visits//day at the pool//feeling so pleased with a new forward facing carseat

new way to ride in the stroller//OBSESSED with books (makes this mama happy)//feeding the ducks

girls road trip//outside water shenanigans//fire & smores with friends

not pictured would be the millions of shaved ice, beverage, slurp runs that occur on the weekly.  along with pretty much daily swimming.

what can i say? we love summer <3 p="">

and you should probably follow me on instagram

@amylynn188

one random sunday.

a few sundays ago two of the most random/funny things happened in the same day that i felt like i needed to document them so i would not forget.

shortly after arriving home from church, brooks was a hot mess.  he was tired and cranky and in desperate need of a bum change.  matt laid him on the couch to change his bum and brooks was just sobbing and sobbing like his world was ending (which is unusual during a bum change.)  he was quite wet so matt decided to let him stand nakey noo for a little bit to air out.

he stood brooks up and as soon as he did brooks started peeing ALL OVER matt.  the best part was that brooks was still crying and throwing his head back and i just laughed my head off and took pictures... of course.

it seriously was SO MUCH PEE!!  he just kept going and going.

exhibit A

the next incident happened later in the evening after brooks had gone to bed.  matt and i were out on the back lawn having an uno tournament.  our backyard meets that awesome canal trail that goes from like provo canyon to cedar hills.  there are constantly people passing by and we've seen our fair share of interesting characters from time to time.

this particular night i kept hearing something in the brush.  i kept looking back but saw nothing.  all of a sudden, this human stumbles (and i mean stumbles) out of the bushes like he has no idea where he is or what he is doing.  

matt and i continue to play but are also watching closely to see what he is doing.  he stopped in the middle of the trail and just starred for a good five or so minutes and then continued walking a little bit further and closer to us.

he then stopped and starred at us for a good ten minutes.  i kid you not it was the most awkward thing ever and i was slightly creeped out.  we had our backs to him, but i kept track of him by my camera phone haha see below...

this human did not move or budge and we were feeling super weird about it.  after the longest ten minutes ever he creepily walks up to our fence, crawls through the brush and bushes, and says, "hey!"

i responded by, "can we help you?"

we then chatted with him for a few minutes and he was DEFINITELY off his rocker... drunk, high.. i'm not sure but he had no clue what was going on.

he kept telling us what a nice house we have and how beautiful it was.  that made me creeped that he was gonna come back and murder us or something.

after some small talk and him reassuring us that he can find his way home, he took off.  back into the bushes he went stumbling and nearly falling over.

it seriously was so weird.

and that my friends, is one random sunday :)

i'm the kind of girl...

i'm the kind of girl who...

-needs something sweet after every meal, except breakfast.

-goes as long as possible without washing my hair.

-can watch the same episodes of FRIENDS over and over, and still laugh.

-hates doing the dishes.

-loves getting my back tickled before falling asleep.

-is confident and comfortable in my own skin.

-always has my phone with me.

-forgives easily and believes in second chances.

-changes into sweats or leggings as soon as i get home.

-prefers a good tub over a shower.

-loves all babies and kids, especially my own.

-prefers to be a stay at home mom and pretend to love cooking and cleaning, rather than go out in the work force.

-has got your back.

-loves my little family more than anything.

top five.

top five things that made our january great... in no particular order.

1. brooks and i took a trip to california to visit my sister and her family while matt went on a business trip.  flying alone with a baby wasn't as bad as i anticipated.  brooks was a champ, but i did have some interesting moments....

-i managed to squeeze poop out of a dirty diaper all over my leg and boot.

-had to de board the plane and flight ended up getting cancelled.. so we spent an extra day.

-flashed my boobies anywhere from 5-7 times while trying to nurse on the plane.

-due to airplane pressure when i opened my contigo water bottle on the plane it shot out like old faithful and drenched all the people sitting in the three rows in front of me.

...to name a few.

2. attending BYU basketball games with my two favorite boys...go cougs!

3. gaining a new sister in law.  matt's little brother andrew got married to lauren and we couldn't be more happy or excited for them.

4. finally buying a high chair for brooks.  he loves it.

5. the end of a two week sickness for brooks, which included millions of baths.

praying we steer clear of any sickness for the rest of the winter.. blah!

we also had some game nights with friends, many beverage runs, a 7 month old birthday,  family ice cream date, several take your wife and child to work with you days, family sleepovers, a trip to the E.R., business trips, movie nights, and lots of poopy diapers.

we live a good life.

so long, january.

new year.

via

i always love the new year.

clean pages, starting fresh, making goals.. ahh it's so refreshing.

however, i always feel like a few weeks/months down the road the excitement is lost and my goals get pushed aside or lost in the shuffle of the daily grind.

i haven't actually written any of my goals down yet, as they are all just bouncing around in my head but i saw this idea on a blog (for the life of me i can't remember whose it was.. so i'm sorry i can't give credit where credit is due) and i thought it was a fun alternative to simply listing goals..soooo i'm borrowing it :)

a bad habit i'm going to break:

checking my cell phone 1,000 a day.  

today i was playing blocks with brooks telling him the colors and shapes and right in the middle of it i found myself grabbing my phone to check instagram.  seriously?! i am so ridiculous. 

a new skill i'd like to learn:

i would like to learn to sew.

i asked for a sewing machine next christmas so i'm hoping to learn the basics throughout the year in time for a sewing machine.

a person i hope to be more like:

our Savior, Jesus Christ.

selfless, caring, loving, without judgement

a good deed i'm going to do:

i am going to pick up someone's bill in a drive thru and be more aware of service opportunities daily.

a place i'd like to visit:

i would like to visit the beach/cave where matt proposed to me in California, and also take my baby to disneyland.

a book i'd like to read:

i plan on reading 27 books before september, so pretty much anything i can get my hands on.

(open to suggestions)

a letter i'm going to write:

letters to some missionaries, love note to my husband, and gain a penpal.

a new food i'd like to try:

i'm pretty content with my current food selections. 

i'm going to do better at:

many things...

showing/telling the people i love more often,

cleaning my house,

not avoiding people i know at stores,

growing spiritually,

and more.

sometimes.

sometimes i get stressed about money. i feel bad spending it or complaining that we don't have enough when i'm not bringing any in.  

sometimes i feel like i'm "just" a stay at home mom, as if it's not good enough.

sometimes i feel like i need to do more.

sometimes i get annoyed because my husband works too long and too hard.

sometimes i feel selfish.

sometimes i cry about above things.

BUT

i always have a husband that reminds me the being a stay at home mom IS good enough and supports my decision 110%

i always have a baby boy that brings more joy and happiness into my life than i could have ever imagined.  who turns my tears into laughter within minutes.

i always have friends who will bring me drinks and spend hours doing nothing but talking.  and those hours doing nothing usually end up being the best part of my day.

i always have a Heavenly Father who i can turn to in prayer, who will comfort me when i feel down and send angels into my life to lift me up.

currently.

loving// spending time outdoors with my boys.  every sunday after church we go up the canyon.  it has been so fun to explore new places together as a little family.  i kid you not when i say my child loves nature.  i'm sure it's just the stimulation overload, but he can't get enough.  also, utah is so beautiful and i love living here.

wishing// i had extra money to go shopping.  it seems like i spend all my money on baby clothes these days which i love.  buuuut, i'm wanting some new updates for my wardrobe.  i'm in one of those "i have a closet full of clothes and yet feel like i have nothing to wear" phase.  does anyone else ever feel like that?

waiting// for my newest baby nephew. he's not due for a few more weeks, but i am so excited!!  after having my own newborn, it has made me appreciate those little bundles of pure, fresh joy oh so much.

thinking// about starting a monthly or possibly weekly post (eventually maybe a link-up) called "people watching wednesday"  where i will post my latest people watching gems.  you see, i find pure joy in taking sneaky pictures of interesting people i see around. 

refer to here and here

eating// everything in sight!! seriously though. lately i have had the biggest appetite and get the late night munchies like none other.  i think it's from nursing, but man i swear all i think about is food.  i can't tell you how many times a day i tell matt what sounds good or what i am craving.

addicted// to beverages.  it's so bad.  i think it's safe to say that matt and i go on a beverage run 5 out of the 7 days of the week.  it's amazing that i'm not 500 pounds because i feel like i have consumed a beefy amount of soda lately.  those dirty dr peppers just call my name.

grateful// for a loving husband who works his booty off.  i don't share my appreciation enough, but he needs to know how much i admire him.  i am a weird duck and he loves me regardless.

what are you currently doing?

the time has come.

guys,

my baby could come anytime.

tonight, tomorrow, but for sure by saturday.

this is pure craziness!

i'm excited and very anxious.

much like this!

for ten months you have this human growing inside of you and sometimes it literally feels like you are never going to meet him/her.  then, all of the sudden it becomes real.

matt will be a father come father's day.

i will be a mom.

we will have a child.

i'm so excited to start this new chapter in our lives.

i know that everything will change.  

but it will be good changes.

i've wanted to be a mom since i was a wee little one.

and now, my dream is coming true.

next time i post you will all meet my child.

the baby boy that matt and i created and i carried for 10 months.

i already know i'm going to be an emotional hot mess the first time i lay eyes on baby brooks.

i cry reading other people's birth stories daily.

i already love him so much and he's not even here yet.

when i think about seeing him for the first time and the doctor laying him on my chest i truly become overwhelmed with happiness and love.

it is such a miracle what our bodies were made to do.

he will be the purest, most heavenly thing.  he will literally be perfect.

i feel so blessed every single day that i have this opportunity to carry a child and become a mother.

pregnancy was not the funnest, easiest thing for me, but i know that when i meet him it will all be worth it.

oh, i just love him!

on a lighter note, as i was looking for this jumping picture i came across some other doozies that matt captured of me on the beach.

now, generally i would say i'm a pretty cute person....but man i can sure do some ugly things :)

over and out.

wish me luck!

and feel free to send prayers my way :)

the time i went to the hospital.

once upon a time i was deathly ill.

it started out really slowly.
i began having headaches and getting bouts of dizziness every now and again.
during the heat of the day i was freezing and often times bundled up in a blanket on the couch.
at night, i was sweat balls mcgee even though we had the fan on, window open, and swamp cooler blasting.
i literally would wake up drenched in sweat from head to toe.
after a few days of that, my body began to be extremely weak.  i literally had no energy and i hurt EVERYWHERE.
i kept trying to pass everything off as weird pregnancy things, but the truth was i just did not feel good.
i wasn't sleeping well and i was exhausted.
last monday night was the worst of the worst.
like any pregnant lady, i wake up multiple times a night to go pee.  this particular night, i was waking up every 10-15 minutes, no joke.  i was so upset.  i was so tired and so achy and i just wanted to sleep, but i literally had to pee all the time.
at about 3am i got this pain in my lower side back area, so i decided to take a tub.
(i frequent the middle of the night tub sessions)
i took a tub, hoping it would relax me and i would be able to fall asleep, but that was not the case.
i went back to bed and immediately started sweating bullets, then i had to pee, then i was in pain.
it was miserable.
all the while, my dear husband is sleeping away like a champ.
bless him.
i kept feeling my forehead and thinking i had a fever, but i wasn't for sure.
i then moved to the couch to try and read or watch something because i knew sleep was inevitable.
however, my eyes were so tired and i was so out of it and feeling like death i couldn't concentrate.
i decided to say a prayer.
i prayed to know if i needed to go into the hospital or if i just needed to tough it out.
about a half hour later it was 8am and i decided to wake the husband.
(mind you i was still peeing every ten minutes)

i went into our room and probably started crying.  i don't remember for sure, but i've been doing that a lot lately so i don't doubt it.
i asked him for my phone and i googled
"is it normal to pee every ten minutes when pregnant?"
yeah, i choose good searches!
most of the things i found were women laughing and saying yes, but then i stumbled upon a comment that said you probably have a bladder and/or kidney infection.

so then i typed "bladder and kidney infection" symptoms into google.
sure enough, headaches, sweats, chills, dizziness, frequent urination, pain in the kidney, etc. were all symptoms of the infection.
it said that if you are pregnant to get to the hospital right away.
so that is what we did.
literally threw on clothes and headed to the hospital.
note to self: eat food next time before going to the hospital.
we got there, checked in, and i gave a pee sample.
right away the nurse said, "oh yes, your pee is not normal...something is wrong."
soooo, while they tested my pee i got my very first ever IV.

i'm terrified of needles and all things pokey.

i didn't watch.

and if you look closely you can see that the nurse failed on my left arm and then did a retry on the right.

so essentially, i was stuck two times.  it hurt, but it actually wasn't that bad.

they started pumping fluids into my body which just made me need to pee more.

after the tests came back, i definitely had a bladder infection that was moving up to my kidney.

they said i did the right thing by coming in, as it can become very dangerous to me and to baby.

they added some medicines to my IV and my back/kidney pain began to fade.

the whole time they were monitoring baby and my contractions.

baby was taking it all in like a champ.

i was having relatively no contractions which they just wouldn't accept.

they were certain that someone as sick as i was surely was having contractions.

after 198 trips to the bathroom, 4 hours on the IV, and many ice chips later, they sent me on my way.

i was checked down there and i'm not even dilated in the slightest.

my doctor said something to the extent of, "that wall right there has a better chance of giving birth than you do."

had i been dilated, they would have induced me right then and there, making matthew and i the most unprepared mother and father in the world.

we have nothing packed.

our nursery was in shambles at this point.

baby laundry strewn across our living room floor.

(don't worry though, its basically done now and ready for a baby human to live there)

i am currently on 4 antibiotics a day and i pee quite a bit less than i was.

now i just feel the normal "i'm 39 weeks uncomfortable" that i imagine most pregnant women feel.

all i can say, is that i am extremely grateful for answered prayers.

although it was such a silly thing to type "is it normal to pee every 10 minutes" into google, i know that it was an answer to a prayer, because it led me into the hospital where i needed to be.

i am also very grateful for modern medicine.

i feel SO much better.

now, if i could just make this baby come early.

haha

kuddos to you if you read my novel.

since i've been horrible about actually writing in my journal, this is the next best documentation source.

also,

we did have some fun while at the hospital and sent people pictures making them think i was going into labor.

said people didn't think it was quite as funny as we did! haha :)

phone dump.

--sunset pictures at the lake.  matt and i have been spending a lot of time exploring nature.

--first shaved ice of the season.  i'm telling you, there will be A LOT more. we were both feeling super ambitious and ordered the biggest size, but neither of us were able to finish.. haha oh well.

--cutest baby A.  my best friends took me to lunch and gave me baby presents and the only picture i took was of this little lady.

--no bake watermelon cake.. a pinterest success found HERE.  it was a hit at sunday dinner!

--matt and i took a sunday drive up the american fork canyon and ran into a moose friend on the way.

--watching matt rock climb.  all i can say is pregnant woman were not meant to hike at 9 months. i felt SO out of shape haha.

--coronado beach picture with our favorite ladies

--memorial day bbq with the family. 

--spent lots of time with my little ladies lately, this one loves the swings.

--matt and i flew together for the first time, so of course we had to document it.

--new flowers for the kitchen.

--my oreo body.  my belly is so pasty compared to the rest of my body haha i look gooood!

--more memorial day pics with cute babies.

--padres game with our free sunglasses.

i love that boy.

and that my friends, is what i like to call phone dump.

accomplished.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

day sixteen:

what's your biggest accomplishment?

-graduating college & obtaining a teaching license from the state of utah.

-marrying the man of my dreams

-housing a baby for the last 6 months

i'm awesome.

day fifteen:

list 10 things that make you awesome.

1. i eat ice cream straight from the carton with a fork while blogging.

2. i sometimes go 5+ days without washing my hair.

3. i am not easily offended.

4. i'm not ashamed or afraid to be myself.

exhibit A

5. i have crooked pinkies that make my hands very distinguishable.

6. i'm the perfect balance of low/high maintenance.

7. i think know i'm pretty funny.

8. at age 25, i still prefer a tub to a shower. and i call it a tub not a bath.

9. i am a genuinely nice human.

10. that fact that i love disneyland/world more than 8 year old children do.

and many more i'm sure ;)

daily routine.

day ten:

daily routine

sundays are pretty chill around the harris house.

we wake up at 8:30 and hurry and get ready for church.

we attend church for 3 hours where i sometimes sneak pictures of my husband.

during the second and third hour of church, our calling is to teach the little 6&7 year old nuggets.

after church we come home and most definitely take a nap.

especially today...daylight savings killed me!!

matt sleeps with an eye cover every night and it makes me laugh!!

after our nap, i usually read or tidy up while matt does homework.

we then go up to matt's parents or my parent's house

(or sometimes both!)

for family dinner, dessert, games, and good times

some of our cute nieces and nephew.

in the evening, we return home and usually watch an episode or two of something great.

right now it happens to be law & order SVU.

then i make up a grocery list and meal plan for the week, while matt does more homework.

i only go grocery shopping every two weeks, because i absolutely hate it.  pregnancy has made me despise being at the grocery store.

at ten we begin to wind down for the night, get ready for bed, read scriptures, say prayers, and every sunday night we watch the latest episode of walking dead online.

so creepy and slightly disturbing at times, yet so addicting!!

and that my friends, is a typical sunday at the harris abode.

be sure to tune in to the blog tomorrow!!

i am participating in a HUGE $200 giveaway hosted by Cara in honor of reaching 1,000 followers.

childhood memories.

day four:

best childhood memory

basically from the time i was born i was in a swimming pool.

my parents always called me a "little fish."

i grew up with a swimming pool in my backyard

and

we also traveled a lot so i was always in the water.

my favorite childhood memories all involve some type of vacation, swimming, water activity.

to this day i still love being in the water, whether it's a tub, shower, pool, river, lake, or ocean.

warm weather, sign me up :)

also, i have created a FB page for my blog

like Harris Inc. here