Getting Excited

Babies are such a nice way to start people.  ~Don Herrold

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2 weeks.....actually less than 2 weeks until we find out if this little munchkin is a boy or a girl.  I'm pretty excited.  I think I'm most excited to get a chance to see the baby again.  He or she has probably changed a lot since his last blurry picture at 11 weeks.

  

I'm also getting excited for how we're going to find out.  We've decided not to find out at the ultrasound, but we are having them write down if it is a boy or a girl on a piece of paper and putting in a sealed envelope.  Then we are giving that sealed envelope to a friend who is going to especially prepare a cake that has a layer of either pink or blue frosting on the inside (and chocolate on the outside).   That way we get to find out if it is a boy or a girl when we cut the cake. 

So, this means that the baby needs to cooperate.  *Do you hear that in there?  No crossed legs or excessive wiggling.* :-P

In other news, life is going great.  Stephen has some very promising leads on the job search.  So far it's looking like we'll end up in either Wisconsin, Utah, Washington, or Florida.  Haha, so pretty much anywhere.  My work is going well.  My tummy is getting rounder by the day.

So many changes are coming, but so far they're all good.  Thank you all for all your prayers and support!

Exciting News

Babies are always more trouble than you thought - and more wonderful.  ~Charles Osgood

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For those of you who don't already know, Stephen and I are expecting our first baby!  There you have it; it's out there on the world wide web.  We are increasingly excited.  Here's the short of it:
*I found out I was pregnant October 30.
*My baby is already the cutest.
*I am due in the beginning of July.


Here's a few more details:

On Sunday 30 October I found out I was pregnant, and I have the pictures to prove it!  It was rather surreal!

On  Monday 21 November I got to see my baby and the heart beat for the first time.  Cutest little bean ever!

Over Thanksgiving break, the new Muppet's movie made me want to cry several times....
Haha, I blame pregnancy hormones.

Saturday 10 December the very first people (Stephen's and my parents) received our announcement.  Everyone was very excited.  Stephen's Dad and Stepmom were suspicious because I ate so much at Thanksgiving.  Nathan thinks we should name the baby Jesus, Mary, or Joseph.

Today (20 December) I got another (unplanned, they couldn't find the heartbeat with the sonogram) ultrasound.  The baby was jumping up and down and waving at me.  It was pretty much the cutest thing I have ever seen.  We got a blurry picture, so I hope that you can catch a glimpse of the cuteness I got to see today!

Still Alive

To live is so startling it leaves little time for anything else.  ~Emily Dickinson

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It's been forever since I updated, and I'm not  sure what I'm going to say, but I felt that I should let you know that we are alive and well.


Summer is over, and I am sad, the only bonus is that the leaves are beautiful.  I hope fall lasts a little longer.


I am teaching preschool.  It occupies pretty much all of my time, but it is fun.  Those kids sure make me laugh.  Now if only I could get someone else to do all of the paperwork.


Stephen is back in school, and working two jobs.  Oh, and busy becoming an even more excellent photographer.  I'm not sure how he does it, but he is awesome.  Helping him with photography occupies my sparse free time, and I love it.  Recently we've been attending several "zombie" themed events, and we've got a couple of weddings coming up.  :)


Oh! and I almost forgot, we moved!  It was rather hectic timing, but it all worked out.  I LOVE our new apartment.  I did love our old apartment too, but our new apartment is closer to friends, and has a washer and drier (my favorite part). :)  It's really cute and homey. Oh, and we got some new fish, and a couple of crabs.


What else can I say?  Stephen and I have been recruited for ward choir again, and I have a new calling as a Relief Society Instructor.  Tomorrow I am teaching my first lesson.  It is from President Uchtdorf's talk You Matter to Him.  Excellent talk, I definitely recommend it.


So that's our recent life in a nutshell. 

Stephen using his new toy :)

My Mama's Visit

A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie.  ~Tenneva Jordan

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My mom came to visit in July and I never had the chance to blog about it, so I wanted to take a moment.


I was so much fun to have her here!  We drove down to Utah to pick her up on a Saturday. Quince (who was also in town) came to play games and hang out, and so did Amy, that was a lot of fun.


On Sunday we went to Dana's baby blessing, and then crashed her luncheon afterwards.  It was fun.  

Then we went and took some pictures at Nature Park.

Monday we went to spend the day in Idaho Falls.  We went to the zoo and got some pretty awesome pictures.  Then we went shopping, and ate dinner at Wingers.

Tuesday in the morning my mama and I went shopping and I got some fun new clothes (because I couldn't find any sandals I liked ANYWHERE).  We also made sure to go to the Taco Bus for lunch (I'm pretty sure that was my mom's favorite part of the trip).  Then during the day we went to Egin Lake.  It was so much fun, and luckily we all escaped without any leeches (that we didn't notice until after we were done swimming!).  


That evening went to see the movie "17 Miracles."  It was so good, and I'm pretty sure we all cried (except maybe Zak :-P) .


Wednesday we relaxed a bit and went to the Temple.  It was great to be there with a small part of my family.  It's such a peaceful place.


Thursday afternoon we all went for a picnic lunch in St. Anthony Park.  It was gorgeous and we had a lot of fun before Zak and Mom hit the road to head back to Illinois.


It was so much fun to have my mom here.  We had fun cooking meals together, and all my dishes were clean the whole time she was here! :-P  The only sad thing was that Dad, Ben, and Nathan weren't there.  Next time we'll have to figure that out. :)

Memory

Memory is a child walking along a seashore.  You never can tell what small pebble it will pick up and store away among its treasured things.  ~Pierce Harris, Atlanta Journal

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For family home evening Stephen and I decided to write a memory that we have.  Here's mine.


After devotional one day, Stephen and I were sitting and talking.  I can't really remember what we were talking about.  What I do remember, was something that made a distinct impression on me, and influenced my decision to marry Stephen.  The room was clearing out, and the chairs were getting cleaned up.  One of the people was carrying out some stools and was having some trouble.  Stephen got right up to go help, it was like he didn't even have to think about it.  I've seen that a lot throughout the time we've been dating and married, but this was the first time I really noticed it.  Stephen serves others and always helps.  He isn't happy to watch others work, he has to help.  That day I knew that Stephen would always be a help to me, because he was willing to get up and help even when he was talking with a girl he liked (I don't know that I'd do the same if I was with a boy I liked :-P).  So, that was just one tiny event, and I don't know if Stephen even knows that it made such an impression on me.  

Love Him!