And just like that...

... I feel (almost) better.

I forgot how quickly it happens. Two weeks ago Thursday, I had an absolutely terrible day. I was sick most of the time. I may have cried a lot.

Then I woke up Friday with no sickness at all. I thought I was just having one of those good days that happened so rarely. I took it easy, afraid that I would lose that feeling. 

Then Saturday came, and miraculously, I still felt great. I actually did laundry for the first time that day.

On Sunday, I made it to church with fifteen minutes left of Sacrament meeting (we have 8am church), a first in two months. Since I missed the sacrament, I took it in another ward later that day. Between the bread and the water, and with my eyes closed and my arms folded, I got the impression that it was time to be a normal mom again. It was the greatest feeling ever. That night I cooked dinner for the first time in a long while.

And of course by Monday morning, I was still feeling terrific. I hadn't been that happy since finding out I am pregnant. I took June to the library that day. We went to Joe's Farm Grill for lunch to share a "burgerfries" (as June calls it), we drove to Barnes and Noble where we read more books and played with the train set, got a vanilla ice cream cone (another daily occurrence for me), and drove by the Gilbert Temple to see its continued progress. (June loves seeing the temple and saying that Jesus lives there.)

It feels so incredibly, wonderfully, magnificently, great to be a mom again.

I did say before that I feel (almost) better. I still get a little queasy at night (I'm not sure if it's the pregnancy or the prenatal vitamins). And the painful and intense heartburn/indigestion started waaaaaaaay earlier this time around (I didn't get it until my third trimester with June). But these are nothing compared to what I was going through before. I'll take what I can get.

My summer vacation officially starts now.

Our Garden: A Horror Story

I have to say that I'm surprised our garden even lasted this long. We don't have a lot of room in our side yard, and since it is a side yard, it only gets a small amount of sunshine each day. But last spring we took the chance... and it was glorious.

Baby plants and watering boots

We planted my favorites: tomatoes, strawberries, cucumbers, jalepenos, and five different herbs. June even pitched in to help watering it. It became her first chore. She loved it.

Sitting next to the garden, eating Otter Pops to cure the afternoon blues.

The jalepeno plant didn't last long. We got to eat a total of three strawberries, the rest were eaten by ants before we picked them. The herbs were used in various dishes. The cucumbers grew beautifully, and were as crisp and juicy as ever.

Taking a break from the pool to admire the plants.

Then our tomatoes finally came in. I was thrilled. I couldn't wait to add them to salads, sandwiches, bruschetta, and pasta dishes. They were plump and green, and almost ripe.

Showing her our glorious tomatoes.

Then the unthinkable happened: One morning we woke up, and the top half of the plants were gone. We puzzled over this. The next day, William came outside to water them, and noticed a "cute", "little" green caterpillar. But upon closer inspection, that "cute" caterpillar was a Tomato Hornworm, and seemed to have brought friends... or an army? There were hundreds... okay, maybe 20ish, but they were eating and pooping and destroying our beautiful lush tomato plants. What once looked like an appetizing treat, turned into a bloodbath (when William tore out the plants and threw them into our garbage can).

What's left of our garden and the ENEMY.

Next time, we'll be ready... and by "ready" I mean we're not planting tomatoes ever again.

Note: Yes, I realize most of these photos were not really focused on the garden, but on June. Sorrynotsorry?