April

This has been the craziest month.

Let’s start with what April looked like going into it:

I need you to keep in mind that I’m truly a hermit at heart and so this was a lot of stuff.

Easter was great. We went to church at LifeGate and then came home to make some delicious Easter tacos and spend time with family. Mike, Marcie, Dan & Joanna came over and we got to eat food and hang out.

Jonathan also got some new Legos and candy/Tic Tacs so he was a pretty happy kid.

Stephen, Jonathan & I joint-celebrated Marcie & Mike’s birthdays because wedding week was going to be so busy that we didn’t want their special days to get lost in the shuffle. Hacienda for dinner is always a winner, even if I can’t have a tasty margarita right now.

Dad’s birthday turned out a lot differently than expected. I went to BSF and then came home to eat lunch before calling Dad. When my phone rang and it was my dad, I knew that it was the call that I had been dreading. My uncle Gary had been diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of cancer less than two months prior. Just before noon pacific time, my uncle went home to be with Jesus. While there is a lot of peace in knowing that he’s no longer in pain, there are still a lot of emotions that our family has been working through.

The bridal party activities that I got to crash as a groomsman’s plus one (technically plus two, and then Jonathan) were fun. The day started with the bridal party getting in a workout at Victoria’s gym – Colorado Athletic Club Union Station. The guy who ran the class was especially kind to a certain little man who has never met a stranger. We followed that with lunch at Tupelo Honey, which is just across the street.

We headed north to Broomfield to check in at our AirBNB, which was perfectly located for all wedding activities – 5 minutes from the church & 10 from the reception venue. Jonathan & Madelyn, the flower girl, became fast friends and spent much of the rehearsal drawing and playing. Jonathan literally did jumping jacks as Victoria’s parents were giving her away, so that was a little terrifying as his mother. We practiced a few times and developed a strategy to best contain him for the real deal on Saturday. The dinner that followed was delicious and had some great speeches from various family members. My favorite part was chopping veggies in the church kitchen for salads and then looking up to see Matt & Victoria’s families and friends all chipping in to decorate and set up. There are few things as beautiful as people coming together to support those they love with no agenda other than showing them how important they are.

Saturday started with breakfast and CrossFit (for those into that sort of thing). Rebekah, Stephen & Jonathan had to go to the reception venue early for getting ready photos with the bridal party, so Mike, Marcie & I joined them a little later. I walked in just in time to see my kid, the ham, posing for the photographer. Not just one pose, but more like 10. I can’t wait to see those photos. I got to enter the bridal suite and see Victoria all ready and beautiful. Various photos were taken and Joanna and I headed to the church. The wedding was beautiful, my kid didn’t ruin it (he did dance during the giving away of the bride but at least it wasn’t jumping jacks) and I only started crying the moment I saw Matt (so like one minute into the wedding). The reception was decorated beautifully and Matt & Victoria’s choreographed first dance was great. The food was so good (how often do you get to eat lamb korma & scalloped potatoes in one meal?) and Jonathan danced the night away between stints of playing downstairs with the other kids. A few photos:

The Rabon wife trifecta is complete and now all four Rabon sisters are official.

Our 26 week baby appointment confirmed again that Baby Rabon #2 is a girl! We are both well and healthy. I tested negative for gestational diabetes, my blood pressure was perfect, and the ultrasound technician was able to confirm that Baby Girl’s aortic arch looks good. We also got to watch her yawn, which was probably one of the cutest things ever, and Jonathan really enjoyed getting to see his baby sister.

Around this time we got the final confirmation that my uncle’s celebration of life would be on Saturday April 21 in Victorville. Our plan for that coming week had been to set out for Waco on Wednesday April 18. We would drive to Durant, Oklahoma that day and visit the headquarters of the Choctaw Nation. Thursday we would head to Waco, Texas to surprise Rebekah at her BFA Art Exhibition at Baylor. Then we were going to drive home on Friday so that Stephen could compete at the Festivus Games at Crossfit Loop.

What we ended up doing was driving to Durant for the night, heading to Waco to eat some In-n-Out and see Rebekah, then driving to Dallas. I caught the 6am flight out of Love Field headed for Ontario, CA by way of Denver. Stephen and Jonathan continued the drive back to CO.

 

I arrived in Ontario on Friday morning and was met at the airport by Mom. Dad picked us up and we headed to the High Desert. I got to see Dad & Marcela’s new house, meet their new puppy and then we had a lot of family over for dinner. It was wonderful to get to see everyone. Getting to just be with everyone as we process our loss & celebrate his life was so important. I wish I had more photos from the weekend, but Aunt Susan was the photographer this time so hopefully there will be more on the way. The service on Saturday was beautiful and deeply meaningful. I couldn’t believe how brave the Pineda kids were to get up and speak. I’m so grateful that the Pineda Tribe has so many people, family and friends, locally to support them through all of this.

 

The weekend was super fast, and before I knew it, we were back at the airport headed for Denver.

The rest of the month is less busy, but May ramps things up again.

Stephen has a work trip to Dallas May 1-4, a Spartan Race on May 6, our 30 week baby appointment on May 8 and then Jonathan and I head to California May 9-20. That will be the longest Stephen and I have been apart in our marriage. I’m not looking forward to the withdrawals that are inevitably to come. While we’re gone, Stephen will be volunteering at Crossfit Regionals in Salt Lake City, so he’ll be doing something that he loves too. As far as I know, that concludes all travel (for me at least) until Abigail gets here. I’ll be 32 weeks the day after I get back from CA, so that seems like a pretty good cut off to stay closer to home. I’ll probably need to nest or something any way. I’m also planning to spend the end of my pregnancy living at our HOA pool so I can be cool and weightless, so feel free to join me.