Welcome home, Elder Krop

 Two years ago, I dropped my little brother off at the Missionary Training Center in Provo, UT and cried my eyes out for the next few days. In June, HE FINALLY CAME HOME. Ryan and I took off a day of work so we could fly up to Seattle and be there (I think it was for like, less than 24 hours!) and it was the best. day. ever.

So many members of our family came to the airport to welcome him home. Aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents. It was one huge party. We waited for what seemed like six hundred hours with our posters and flags, as we kept getting updates on his slightly delayed flight and anxiously watched the elevators!

 This brother of mine. I sobbed when I got to hug him. We all did. It felt so right to all be together again.
After the airport we went straight to Chipotle and talked NON STOP about everything under the sun. We inundated him with questions and tried to catch him up on pop culture and past events. We introduced him to faceswap on Snapchat, because obviously that's crucial to his re-entry into society. 

Back at home we all sat on the back porch and threw the ball for Koda, letting Merr take it all in - being home. It was just so, so good. Oh this brother of mine. He is such a good egg. He's humble, he's kind, and every word and action from him is so thoughtful. Welcome home, brother.

Bump post: 26 weeks

How far along: 26 weeks!
Size of baby: Huge. No joke. I don't know what it was about hitting 25 weeks, but ever since, I've just felt like I'm actually pregnant! This bump really popped. Anyways, according to my app, little dude is the size of... "kale." Very helpful. ;) Thank you. Exact numbers - 14 inches long(!!), about 1.6 pounds.
Gender: Boy. Any name suggestions? I still haven't found any that I'm in love with.
Must have items: WATER. I have been peeing every half hour it feels like (TMI?), and I don't know if that's what's doing it or what, but I have hardly been able to keep up with how thirsty I am lately. Also food. Nothing new there. It's bizarre how fast my body burns through a meal. Will I ever get used to that?
Maternity clothes: Yessiree. Just got a couple nice flowy tops from Nordstrom Rack this weekend. Next step is going to be maternity pants, which I'm not looking forward to! The hair-tie trick isn't going to last me much longer! (I also got some shoes from the Rack that I fell totally in love with. Ryan was out of town so I needed retail therapy to deal with the isolation.)
Sleep: I'm still waking up frequently, but I don't feel like it's because of discomfort. I'm usually able to go right back to sleep after a few seconds. Still thankful for the pillow-between-the-knees trick! My hips don't hurt as much in the morning now. 
Cravings: Fruit smoothies! And that is literally it. In fact, these past two weeks it's been mostly just a bunch of food aversions instead of cravings. I'm turned off to pasta especially, still chocolate to the max, I'm getting a little tired of the things I normally turn to like chicken and turkey, and really nothing in the house ever sounds good! Even if I could have a miracle meal dropped right in front of me, I couldn't tell you what I'd want it to be. Appetite has taken a serious dip, but hunger hasn't let up. It's been a fun combo. Ryan can tell you how much he loves dealing with it and me at dinner time. [;
Baby movement: Lots of it! Little bumps and punches. I love it! The most fun is when it's as a reaction to something, like when I lean over the counter and it pushes into my belly a little bit. He'll do some little defensive kicks to establish his personal space and it's adorable. [: Still trying to get the stars to align where Ryan can be there and actually get to feel it! It happens mostly at work.
Belly button: Pretty much entirely filled in, and starting to stick out! I notice it the most at the gym, when I'm wearing my thin workout shirts. I catch sight of it in the mirror and I'm like... dang. That's weird looking.
Stretch marks: Maybe some light ones on my sides? It's hard to tell.
Anything new or unique during this week? I've felt some swelling in my feet lately! My work shoes, which I usually just keep tied at the perfect tightness so I can slip them on and off, were really tough to get on a couple days ago. I was so confused for a second until I realized exactly what it was. Adjusting them to the proper fit was fun... Bending over to reach my feet is not going so well recently. [; 
Challenges this week: Definitely dealing with my dang non-interest in most food. I'm usually already frustrated because of the insane hunger! And the fact that I can't find a simple fix tests my patience more than I'd care to admit. [:
Best moment of this week: Definitely girls night. Showering a friend who is expecting a little girl in October was so fun, but I especially loved how I got so much advice and encouragement from my friends who are young moms. I was so thankful! Plus it didn't hurt that it was done while chatting over cazookies from The Chocolate. [; That's one thing I can ALWAYS be in the mood for. 

The Gray family reunion!

Three full weeks of June were spent with all of Ryan's siblings, and their kids, all in one state for the first time in years! They are usually spread all over the globe so this was really a treat. Ryan's parents put together a whole calendar for the month with all the planned adventures: Pingpong tournament, Real Salt Lake and Salt Lake Bees games, family pictures, BYU soccer camp for the kids, the Provo Food Truck round-up, a weekend camping in Great Basin National Park, an adults night out, and more. And we really added so much more! The time flew by and it was so great to see all the little cousins together and for me to get to know Ryan's siblings and their spouses better. In no particular order, here's a report of the epic adventures that ensued:

Great Basin National Park

We rented an RV to drive down along with Rich & Laura's Expedition. Best purchase for the trip: the walkie talkies that kept all the adults very entertained as they passed travel information and status updates back and forth. Lots of "Vector vector..." and laughter. It was great.

Vera and Grandpa! ^^

Hiking buddies ^^

The wildflowers were out and they were so lovely:

I loved seeing the sage-y hills splashed with blue and red and yellow! ^^

 Snack break!

A sure-fire way to make Vera happy: let her hold Cousin Atticus' (or as Vera would say, "Attituss") hand!

The whole fam ^^

 My favorite nieces and I waiting for the astronomy night to start! ^^ I love hanging out with these giggly girls.

 Hiking to the bristlecones!!!

I love hiking with this boy. ^^

 I really love these rocks. ^^

My favorite tree!

 The perfect evening.

Atticus and his caterpillar ^^

Two cute bookworms hanging out in the hammock! ^^

Adult campfire chatter. Probably more about eunuch park rangers or something. ;) 

The boys went to see the Copa USA vs. Colombia game:

 Yeah, the turds. Jen and I had our own pity party by ourselves over Japanese takeout while watching the game on TV.

Lots of puppy playtime with Abby:

A cabin day:

Jen invited us all up to her family's cabin on Strawberry Reservoir! We went on a hike to the "Mummy Rock" and did a lot of chatting and laughing and relaxing.

And then had a pingpong scrimmage to prepare for the official tournament coming up. ;) It got pretty wild!

 A Salt Lake Bees game:

Takeaways: Stadium food is gross. Stadium food during the first trimester of pregnancy is mega-gross. But watching baseball with family is fun. [:

 And an RSL game!

This was one awesome game.

Family pictures:

Pretty dang good-looking group.

Then came the Gray Family Annual Pingpong Tournament:

The competition was brutal. The tensions were high. It was the best against the best, but in the end, the Pleasant Grove Grays came out on top!

 Ryan kicked butt in the singles division and made his way all the way to the top to take first!

And then we also emerged victorious in the mixed doubles division with some really epic matches and heartbreaking upsets. Brought home a lot more hardware than we were expecting! Custom trophies? The Grays don't mess around.

 Steakhouse dinner, just us adults, while the kids got the whole house to themselves with a babysitter.

Let's be honest. We ALL looked like this at the end of each of these Gray Reunion days. Talk about action-packed.

Until next time!