Love this babies of mine so much! Little Eden is the sweetest addition to our family.
Summer was great. Sunny. Green. Full of tie dye and Alaska beach days.
Now it’s fall. And I love this season. Can’t help but think of Christmas and holiday time soon!
Temperatures have been cooling, leaves are turning yellow and brown, moose are being hunted, food is being harvested, and Apollo’s started preschool.
Life is good. Apollo and River are adorable. We love them so much. Chris’s work is going well and he’s done a lot of flying. And I’m pretty content too.
Can’t figure out how to add our fall pumpkin picture with this app being updated and I haven’t blogged for monnnnnths. K bye!
LOOK HOW AMAZING THIS TIE DYE TURNED OUT. What a dream to be in matching rainbow swirl tie dye with my boys. 💛
I haven’t posted anything on here in a long time, but I’m good at my Instagram stories and keeping my Instagram up to date! It’s a pretty good record of our life.
I used to keep the boys Instagram updated too, but I’m months behind and want to get caught up.
River is 14 months old tomorrow. Apollo is 3.5 years old. Wow, that means he’s almost 4, which means he’s almost 5 and then in kindergarten and then will be in school till he’s all grown up. 😭 I loooove my little boys. They’re the best.
We spent a couple months in California this winter and it was so so lovely for us. But with corona virus outbreak, we came back home to alaska a few weeks early. It’s great to be home.
Quarantine life is basically like my regular life, except I see less people, which I miss. People are good. But being cozy at home is really nice too.
Ok bye.
We love little River babe! He’s so sweet and soft and squishy and strong. Life has been busier and sometimes chaotic with our growing family, but I adore these boys and enjoy our days together.
With River in our family, I’ve learned about the importance and blessing of siblings and the lessons we can learn from each other. Though I am the most important person to Apollo and River right now, I’ve learned that I can’t meet all their needs. I need other people and they need other people. I’ve learned how much a heart can grow, and how life makes room for what needs to be.
And I’m constantly reminded that “babies bubble with bliss.”
What a blessing to mother these two little cherubs.
Valentine’s Day was 5 weeks ago, and the blessed day I went into labor with little River. I’m so happy he’s here with us and that he arrived at the perfect time. ❤️
I was 41 weeks pregnant and ready for baby boy to arrive. I was doing good things to prepare for baby and his arrival, and we knew a walk would help. And it being our Valentine’s tradition of a family beach walk, we headed toward bishops beach.
2018 Valentines
2017 Valentines
2016 Valentines
No beach walk pictures, but I did find this gem. And Dad gifted me a pregnancy test for some reason, which is extra funny because this is right around the time I got pregnant with Apollo! Found out a couple weeks later. :)
2015 Valentines
2014 Valentines
First Valentine’s Day wedded, living in a studio on the beach in Hawaii. Good times.
2013 Valentines
Long distance dating (ugh) and Chris came to Hawaii to visit. Good times! He planned a great valentine’s date for us.
Valentines before that… not much recollection of anything except for doing a huge group date with my Hale 2 friends freshman year at BYUH.
This year Valentines was extra special since I went to the hospital to bring little River to the world, completely surrounded by love.
Baby boy can arrive any day. And I am really hoping it’s Sunday or Monday, then all my people and birth team can be there – my mom, my sister, Chris’s mom, obviously Chris, and my favorite midwife! But I trust that baby will come whenever it’s best.
I’ve been accomplishing plenty of little home projects lately to prepare for his arrival, to have two kids, to recover well postpartum, and for my mother in law to get here. Apollo and I have gone on some good adventures and also have watched lots of magic school bus episodes. He knows the characters and it’s so cute. We adore him.
Looking forward to having another little babe to adore, and to receive a piece of life that I didn’t even know was missing. Still deciding on a name, but we’ll figure it out. Naming kids isn’t super duper easy.
Chris has been extreeemely busy and we’ve hardly seen each other, but that busy time is almost over! However it’ll soon be replaced by transitioning to being parents of two darling boys. Chris’s mom will be around for a couple weeks. And my mom and Holly are usually always around too. Except my grandad just passed away so they’re headed to California next week. Hopefully they’ll be here in time for baby boy to arrive! So glad they live just a couple minutes away because they’re so helpful and good.
It’s hard to believe Grandad is gone. That’s going to be a big life changer for my dad, since he’s been with G&G for the past three years helping them out. He’s done an excellent job of helping grandad stay well. And now I like to imagine my baby boy in heaven, being prepared for earth life by his great grandparents, Grandad included. I’m excited to meet our boy and love him and share life with him, very soon!
It’s 2019!
My last day of 2018 was kind of dumb and lame, until we went to a New Year’s Eve party, then it got mucho better. But overall, the year was great, and it’s exciting thinking of all the prospects and possibilites ahead.
Just have to share this spectacular fireworks picture hahahaha. I feel like, for the most part, fireworks pictures with phones are a waste. And you look away from the actual beauty of the fireworks in real life to capture a crappy picture. Kinda funny. But it does preserve a memory.
Our two years with Apollo have been splendid, and our five years of marriage have been great, and we’re excited to welcome a new little boy in a month or so. Good things straight ahead!
Chris’s phone can take some great pictures, and I’m awake and pregnant in the wee early hours of the morning, so I’m sharing some from yesterday.
This pregnancy I often spend around an hour awake in the middle of the night, which I’ve sometimes been using for some productive português Book of Mormon reading. And other times I use that awake time for less productive instagram/amazon browsing.
Tonight it shall be blogging.
Yesterday was a good thankful Thursday. Apollo and I saw our good friends at story time at the library and went to lunch with them. Then Apollo got to play outside at two sisters bakery with the toys, and in his new coat! Unfortunately I had to haul him away from there with some kicks and screams, but after that came airport time with Chris.
Chris has been working on thawing the airplane out so he can go make some instructional flying videos, but it’s a lot of inefficient work to try and heat it up when it’s been so cold and snowy.
I picked up some $1.50 hot chocolates at the gas station on my way, and Apollo and I wen to the airport with him while he worked on that. It was nice to just hang out and watch Apollo be excited about watching airplanes. That boy loves things that go.
It was pretty chilly out, but it is so nice to have some wintry weather. We’ve had plenty of soggy, rainy, gray days thus far, so having snow on the ground makes a big difference. Seeing the sun and some blue sky yesterday was also much appreciated.
We need to eventually figure out how to enjoy some sunshine and warm weather each winter for a little bit. Need to find some Hawaiians who want to house swap for a month or so during mid winter. :)
Christmas is soon and I’m really really enjoying Christmas time and all the magic and traditions that come with it.
TIS THE SEASON!
Christmastime can be so magical. I love this time of year and all the lights and music and giving and love.
We went to the nutcracker faire, which is always a festive occasion. And when we came home, after cleaning up our messes, we did our 1st annual December box! Chris and Apollo and I all got some nice gray PJs and the lego advent calendar. Fun fun. Another good idea for the December box would be a new Christmas movie and maybe some good snacks, and I could use some good snacks right now. I want white cheddar cheese-itz haha. We’ve got a lot of new Christmas movies to watch though, thanks to Mom last year and Barb’s video close out sale this year.
It has been so fun singing Christmas songs to Apollo and teaching him and Mary and angels and baby Jesus. What a joyous time of year!
PS I am so annoyed with freaking dog hair and it’s driving and it’s driving me nutso.
PPS LIGHT THE WORLD
Naming our first little baby was not easy! But we put much thought, prayer, and searching of random baby name websites at night to find the name Apollo. I’m not sure how we initially came across it, but it made its way onto our big list of names. Through more late night deliberation, “Apollo” even gained its stars for a name that we both really liked.
The name Apollo is associated with a few big things: the Greek/Roman god of sun and light, the Apollo program of missions to the moon, and the boxer from the Rocky movies. For starters, as much as I’ve grown to love Rocky the past year, we didn’t name our boy after Apollo Creed.
The Greek and Roman god Apollo has been recognized as a god of music, prophecy, healing, archery, poetry, and of course, sun and light. We see our boy seeking truth and goodness throughout his life. And in naming our babe, the main reason I wanted to choose the name Apollo is the connection to sun and light.
There’s a legend that talks about Apollo taking the chariot of the sun across the sky each day. When I look at my boy, I see him spreading the light of the sun (or the Son) as he goes about his day. His smiles, his curiosity, his magic, Apollo is a spreader of light wherever he goes. <3
Long after Ancient Greece, came Project Apollo, which sent space flights to the moon! Super neato. I love looking up at the night sky, feeling small yet significant, and think it’s pretty incredible that humans have been to space. Chris, being an aviator, also likes the flight aspect of it all. And little Apollo always seems to notice to the moon in the sky, weather it’s day or night. He’s connected.
We want Apollo to reach for the skies, to look up, and to know how connected we all are in this vast universe. We hope he understands that anything is possible and he’s capable of so much. His potential is infinite.
Apollo turns two today. My sweet little ray of light has been growing and learning (and teaching) on earth for the past two years, and it has been the best, most joy filled time. Oh how we love our little Apollo!
I have this picture on the laptop desktop, and it’s a treasure. Not sure what year this is from… though it was when we were all at Chapman school so I had to be in 1st or 2nd grade, making it 1996 ish. Or maybe 1995. Just makes me grateful for my siblings and family.
And looks like overalls were big that year!
Apollo and I just got home from a biiiiiig trip. We were gone almost four weeks and that is too long! But our journey was wonderful and we were able to spend some great time with people we love.
First we stopped in Seattle a few days to play with my BFF, Carla girl. And of course to meet her new puppy, Tucker.
Then on to California, where we spent 11 days with my sister, Stacy, and her family. Apollo had such good cousin time (for the most part) with Brady and Hudson. My dad and grandad and uncle and aunt were also in Ojai, CA while we were there. It’s always so great to spend time in Ojai.
Utah was next. We were there six days and stayed with Chris’s mom, Apollo’s grandparents. I really wanted to go on this trip to keep Apollo connected to everyone and it happened just like that. Our family members were really happy to see him and I want Apollo to know who they are. Oh, and I ate Cafe Rio three times and it was so good.
Then came Vegas, where Chris’s brother’s family lives. I flew there with Chris’s mom and spent a couple days there, and ate Cafe Rio two more times haha. Apollo’s cousins loved seeing him and I loved watching them run around and play together. Really glad we stopped there on our way home.
AND NOW, we are home. And it feels so good to be back home, in my space, and with my number one homie. 😊
(Pictures from our Monday, Saturday, and Friday family walkies)
PS. 24 weeks pregnant with baby boy and doing pretty well. Love feeling the baby move and I love my pregnant belly.
I keep having great thoughts of what to blog about, and then I get distracted on instagram and forget. Oops.
The weather has been gorgeous lately. The sunniest summeriest September. I feel like I could and should be spending more time outside, but inside is nice and cozy too. :) And I moved the rocker recliner from Apollo’s room to the living room and it is so comfy. Especially when you’re tired and pregnant.
I’m 19 weeks pregnant. It’s going well and I love being pregnant. I haven’t noticed baby moving around yet, and look forward to that because it makes the pregnancy so much more real. My belly is growing and I love that too. Who doesn’t love a good pregnant belly.
I’m concerned with how Apollo will adjust to a sibling. He’s the center of our world right now and soon he’s going to need to make some space for another little babe to join him in the center. I think a sibling will be wonderful for him though, and I’m excited to watch him become a brother.
What else… Chris is out of town right now. I’m headed out of town in a couple weeks. Edel pooped all over the hall last night. 😭 Bel had an abscess on her head. Piper wakes us up at night by scratching that the window. And Apollo is angel.
Lately I’ve been craving Cafe Rio. Still am. Yum. Okay bye.
Oh my beloved summit pass.
My favorite place in all the world, maybe. I think it’s these mountains that gave me a love for mountains and valleys and hiking and camping and backpacking. I’m always really happy here.
Even if it’s pouring down rain. Thought it’s much more pleasant when it’s not! This short trip there was a lot of rain and a lot of chilly weather. Apollo had his rain suit (AND LOOKED ADORABLE), but we could’ve been better prepared. We took a couple friends with us this year and had a really nice time together. We really only saw each other while hiking though, because the rest of the time we were waiting out the rain in our tents, or setting up/packing up camp. Funny.
There were LOADS of watermelon berries along the trail and Apollo looooved it. Nice little trail snack. And as you can see, I carried Apollo, and Chris pretty much carried everything else, with the exception of a couple things in Edel’s pack. I had never packed so lightly for a camping trip! Could’ve used more warm clothes. :)
Happier campers when the rain stopped! LOVE THIS KID. And he loved the river – Summit Creek, which comes from Summit Lake. Oh beloved Summit Pass. <3
Almost every morning when Apollo wakes up, we start our day with some journal drawing. And of course some cuddling! And honestly, some days I wake up to him yelling, “Mom!” next to me then slapping me in the head to wake me up. It’s funny to write that, but not so funny when it happens.
So I have a notebook journal that we use each morning. It’s always on my nightstand along with a few pens and maybe a colored pencil. Once Apollo is awake enough, he points to that red owl notebook and says, “draw.” Sometimes I reach over and grab it for him or other times he crawls over me and walks all over the nightstand, knocking things over and grabbing the supplies he wants. Then he climbs back between Chris and me and we start drawing.
We find an empty page and he requests things for us to draw. At first it was always circles, then hearts and babies, and now he’s into boats and Earth and planets and Mars and stars and spaceships. Sometimes he’ll put the pen into one our hands and tell us what to draw, and sometimes he takes the pen or pencil in his left or right hand and colors his own circles and scribbles.
Once I feel ready to get out of bed and start the day, we put the journal away and go brush our teeth. Sometimes Chris is present for all these morning moments, but now that seminary has begun, he’s usually already gone.
I’m so grateful for all the time I get to spend with Apollo and the simple things he teaches me. We love our boy and are looking forward to meeting our new babe in February.
PS I want to journal more. It’s important to me.
Some puddles ahead and some puddles behind. Apollo likes to splash in them all. ❤️
Yesterday I was telling Chris that I wished our driveway weren’t so bumpy, but today I’m realizing how much Apollo loves these bumps and puddles. He likes to fill them with big rocks and small rocks and throw dirt in them. Such a darling boy he is.
Summer is a great time. There’s challenges like allergies, Chris being super busy, Edel, money, feeling extra sleepy and a little pregnant, and our lawn growing incredibly fast, but summer is a beautiful adventure time. Here’s a few random pictures of some happy grand moments.
Stacy has been here for the past month which is AWESOME. And my BFF Carla came up for some days too. <3 So good. And Apollo is an incredibly adorable boy who fills me with love and joy. AND there’s another baby growing in my belly which is equally exciting. Can’t wait for the belly to grow more and more and more.
I assume Apollo is teething. That means it’s been a challenging week at the Palmer house, or at least that we’ve had some lower lows than usually.
But GOOD NEWS! Our kings size bed is a dream and I ordered llama sheets on amazon that are very excellent.
Last night pictures of Chris watching the North Korea-USA signing of something with President Trump and Kim Jong Un and me and Apollo reading and Edel munching on Piper. Grateful for the good times on our wonderful king sized bed with llama sheets!