Still Pregnant

I've served Bub C his eviction notice, but it turns out he's a stubborn tenant. This is officially the longest I've ever been pregnant. Yesterday, my friend pointed out that this is my fault since, "technically", I'm only a few weeks into my third trimester. My little guy must think he's still got a couple months left. One of my goals in life is to NOT have a baby bigger than my sister-in-law (whose "little" girl weighed in at a whopping 10 lbs. 8 oz.), so I hope this baby decides to vacate soon. Very soon. (As a side note - you know how you hear those stories about women who don't know they're pregnant until the baby pops out? Yeah - that could never happen to me. Look how Huge my belly is!)
In the meantime, we've been keeping busy with lots and lots of company. Some of our good friends from BYU (who now live in Wyoming) came down to Orlando for a conference and we got to spend a few days with them. We've known they were coming for a very long time (maybe even before I found out I was pregnant) and made lots of fun plans, including spending a day at Magic Kingdom. Note to self: 9 months pregnant + hot day at Disney = less fun.
The first hour we were there was scorching hot and miserable and I seriously questioned whether I would make it through the day. The saving grace, however, was that my friend Dave is considered handicapped because he has a bum knee. We discovered that the only way to do Disney is to go with someone who can get a handicap card - this allows you to automatically go to the fast-pass lanes on all rides and attractions. Waiting in lines? Non-existent! It was brilliant!

Dave & Bethany, Erin & Aubree waiting for our "fast-pass" ticket to see the fairies (thus avoiding an hour long line!)

The day ended up being really fun because of the handicap card and a nice, cooling breeze. We managed to hit all the main attractions and even got to visit with the princesses (again) and the fairies. The fairies were hilarious; WAY more entertaining than the princesses and definitely worth visiting.

As the afternoon wore on, it started to rain. "Don't worry," I knowingly told our friends, "it will probably last just five minutes or so." When the thunder and lightening started, I had to rethink my prediction. After an hour, thoroughly soaked, we admitted defeat and decided to head home. We boarded the air-conditioned bus to head back to the hotel for our cars and proceeded to freeze. Quite the switch from how we started our day!

Mark, Bryce, Erin, Jenn, Bethany, & Aubree

We got to have Jenn & Dave & their daughter, Bethany (who is just a few weeks older than Aubree) stay with us for a few days after our Disney day. That was such a blast! Bethany enjoyed playing with both Aubree and Bryce and they equally adored her. We adults got to play games until way too late at night (a tradition dating back to pre-baby BYU days) and spend time chatting and catching up.

Aubree, Bethany, & Bryce providing impromptu post-dinner entertainment

We were sad when they had to go, but didn't have to wait too long for the next distraction - grandparents! I decided not to go to the all-day Space Center tour and VIP launch with Mark, so his dad flew down to attend those events as Mark's guest. Of course, there was the added bonus that they would be here just in case I went into labor and they could then watch the kids. It's nice that now my kids are old enough that they remember their grandparents and the "get reacquainted" time is significantly shorter than it used to be. Even Bryce was quick to warm up and was soon calling, "Come-on G-pa, come-on. Let's PLAY!"

Grandma & Grandpa Winters & Aubree enjoying the corn fritters at Dixie Crossroads (a tradition every time they visit)

Erin, Bryce & Mark (Bryce also loved the corn fritters)

While Mark & Grandpa were at the Space Center watching the shuttle launch, Grandma and the kids and I braved the crowds and set up camp at the river near our home. Since I clearly wasn't in labor, I questioned whether I should have gone to the launch with Mark. A short phone call where I learned he was sitting in bleachers in the sun with no backrest for hours pre-launch made me feel much better about my decision! Instead, we set up our beach umbrella and camping chairs and waited out the pre-launch hours watching the crowds and DVDs. Even that was plenty uncomfortable. The launch, however, was spectacular. Usually we're lazy and just walk across the street to watch, but since Grandma was here we made the extra effort and it was great to see it a little closer. Plus, now there are only two launches left.

Grandma and Grandpa Winters leave early tomorrow morning, but my sister Kira and her daughter Kylee will be arriving tomorrow evening! Kira's coming to help watch my kids when (if?) I go into labor. She's an angel and we can't wait to see her!