Basketball

...is not a sport I necessarily play. Or really love for that matter.

But it's what my little sister Addie thinks is under my shirt. (She is turning 2 this week.) When I see her now she points at my stomach and repeats "basketball, basketball" to try and understand why there is a large bump sticking out of my body. A few people have tried to tell her there's a baby in there, but she really doesn't buy it. She just looks at them like, "yeah like I'm really gonna believe that" and then continues to think I am just sporting a basketball under my shirt. Sometimes she'll try and lift up my shirt but she doesn't need proof anyway. She knows it's a basketball.

(Meet Addie. She eats Dora off of her birthday cake. She doesn't care if it's plastic or not.)

My little 3-year old nephew Tayden doesn't think it's a basketball. He knows there is a baby....somewhere. He doesn't quite understand that it's actually inside of me but he knows two things. There is a baby somewhere and it's a boy. Whenever we see him he'll ask, "is that boy at your house?" or sometimes he'll just ask, "where is that boy?" If I try to tell him it's in my tummy, he immediately needs to see and will start trying to pull up my shirt, so we've stopped with that and now we just say he isn't here yet. He's pretty content with that answer.

(Meet Tay. He poses for every picture ever taken with a face very similar to this.)

Pregnancy is weird.

I guess I like it since I like the little boy in there, but sometimes I still can't wrap my head around the fact that there is really a human inside of me. And better yet, a human that is a little piece of me and Mike. I can't even imagine what he will look like. It could get a little scary with the vast gene pool we've got going. He could be dark, or light, or blonde, or black-haired... the possibilities are really endless. We even have red-haired genes on my side of the family. What if we have a brown red-haired baby? I can't really imagine that combo being cute... but I would hope that we would at least think it was.

You know what else is weird?
How the general public starts to take so much interest in the fact that I have a human inside of me.

I feel like any old lady I see puts their hand on my stomach and does a little "ohhh." The funny part is that every time they ask after they have already put their hand on my stomach, "Oh you probably hate when people touch your stomach huh?" Well if I did it would be a little too late now. I actually don't really mind at all. It's not like I love it or anything, but I don't really care if they need proof that there's something in there.

One thing I don't really love, but can get a laugh out of are the "Poor girl..." comments that I can hear. Okay so I've only heard one. But I'm sure there have been more! And it was a pretty "poor girl" type sight so I understand. I was trying to follow my very quick-walking brother in law and Mike as they crossed the street and I started to sort of jog across to make sure I didn't miss them. I must have been jogging weird because all the sudden it felt like my back was about to go out. Or break. Or both. So I had to slow it down and waddle across instead. I heard a guy behind me say quietly laughing to his wife, "poor girl.." haha I guess it was pretty pathetic looking.

The ones I don't mind though are the sweet 30-40 year old women who take the time to stop and tell me I look cute. This mainly happens at Target or Walmart in the check-out or parking lot. I totally don't believe them, but it's sweet because they have probably been in this situation before and know how it feels. If they could see my ankles (or lack there of..) though they would probably retract their comments.

All in all,  it's been a good experience though. I've learned how to eat a lot healthier. (even though I don't put that into practice all the time..) I've built up about 9 months worth of motivation to get back into shape after this baby too. Hopefully that sticks. It's also been a fun little experience to go through in our marriage. Mike's been so good to be supportive and making sure I'm feeling okay when we are out doing things. We have had a lot of fun getting excited about putting his room together too and imagining how things will be once he finally arrives. I can't say I'm gonna miss it. Maybe when it's over I'll miss it.. but right now those words and thoughts are definitely not coming. I'm just so excited to have my ankles back, stop the weight gain that seems to never cooperate with my wishes, and most of all to meet this little guy and be able to see physically that he's healthy and happy.

7 more weeks...7 more weeks...7 more weeks.

Party Time!

Last week was insane. 

As was this weekend. 

But oh so fun!

Mikey's birthday was on Wednesday so we did some fun little things for that. I got him "25 gifts for 25 years" and had him find things around the house throughout the day and then a few things after work. It was fun and he was a good sport about me making him follow my instructions. We went to dinner at Tucano's and then went to get our shop on at City Creek and Gateway. Mikey got some running shoes and found some dress shoes at Ross on the way home. I love his birthday. He's such a sweet boy and it's fun to have a day dedicated to him for once. :)

The next day was my mom's birthday. My step dad Nick threw her a surprise party over the weekend. I'll talk more about that in the pics below. :)

Friday we went to the temple, a wedding reception, and had dinner with my Dad and Tara. They are always so nice to cook for us. I love my dad's cooking. That's for sure.

On Saturday, my sweet friends Makenna and Kortnie put together a little baby shower for the little guy. It was really fun and they did such a good job with the decorations and food and all the other things that go into throwing a shower. I am so grateful for friends like them. Here are a few pictures. We meant to take some with the belly displayed but somehow forgot. I've got to get a grip on this picture taking business. That will be my mid-year resolution.

I forgot to get pictures of the guests, but I did manage to get one of my work girlies after everyone else had already left. They are so cute. I feel so grateful to get to work with them, they've become some of my besties.

Then later that day we went to my mom's surprise birthday party! We all met at Buca Di Beppo and had some dinner. She was super surprised and had lots of friends come to wish her a happy birthday! 

They had a DELICIOUS coconut cake for her too. I could have eaten the whole thing it was so good.  

Then on Sunday we celebrated Mothers Day with our Mothers. All 4 of them. They are all so special to us in different ways but we are grateful for all of them. The day started with Mikey speaking in church. He did a really good job and focused his talk on how to make sure we express love to the women in our lives. (mostly directed toward the guys I guess) But it was really sweet and I loved listening. I love when he talks in church and I get to listen instead of talking with him and being so nervous haha. Then after that, we went and visited our step moms and brought them a little gift. We have some awesome step moms who teach us lots by their examples. We wrapped up the day by hosting a Mothers Day dinner at our house for my mom and Mike's mom. It was fun to give them a break from hosting and they had a good time relaxing. Through the weekend, I thought a lot about the things I learn from each of the "mothers" in our lives and I wanted to write down some of the things that I love about each of my mothers. 

Michelle (Mike's step mom): Michelle is the sweetest lady. She's so compassionate and cares about everyone's feelings and how everyone is doing so much. She is always there to listen and will always make sure each child and grandchild feels loved and cared for. Such a good example of a good, nurturing mother. 

Tara (my step mom): Tara is the most generous person I know. We rarely go over there without coming back with some sort of gift or something sent home with us. She's also so fun to talk to and we always have fun around her. She always invites us over for dinner just to be nice, and best of all she shares Addie with us. Another thing I love about her is that she really tries to always make us feel welcome and loved and she'll always tell us how much Addie loves us. She's a really good friend to us which is really unique to have in a step mom I think. We love being around her.

Dawna (Mike's Mom): Dawna is a little party animal. She is always up for anything and it's so fun. She makes herself and others feel comfortable in all situations which is a rare quality I think. (Mike has taken after her which I always admire about him.) She is ALWAYS willing to help with anything. No matter what it is. She also is always willing to rearrange her plans or whatever she has going to spend time with us, which makes us feel loved for sure. She is so energetic and talkative. I admire her energy a lot of the time. 

And last but not least...

My mom (Darlene): My mom is the most organized lady in the universe. She labels everything. She is really productive and she's the type of person that sets goals and reaches them. She's not your typical teary-eyed, hugs all around mom, but I love her the way she is. She's driven and she tries hard to make God a part of her life each day, which I think is really admirable. We are really different and maybe a little bit opposite in a lot of areas, but she teaches me strength where I am weak which is really important. She's really smart and is really good at making decisions which I can definitely improve on. One thing really unique about her is that she is really hard to offend. She doesn't think into things a whole lot (like most of us crazy women) and I usually don't have to worry about ever unintentionally offending her by the things I say or do. She's really low-drama and it's refreshing a lot of the time. She's also really straight-forward. She will tell you what she thinks without the filter. I've learned that if I want the truth on something I can ask her and she'll pretty much always deliver. She's a good lady. 

I love all my mothers and hope everyone else had a great Mother's Day as well! Here's to more birthdays this week!  Happy birthday to Bethany, Jenn, Mikey, my mom, and me! 5 birthdays in 10 days! Woo hoo! 

My Mikey

It's this boy's birthday today! He is 25 years old. I can't even believe it. 

25 seems old. 

I love him oh so much and can't imagine finding anyone in the world who treated me as sweet as he does. 

I hope he has the best birthday ever!

Happy Birthday to my Mikey!!!

(PS sorry about the ancient picture-- I don't seem to take many pictures lately... maybe because of the extra huge stomach...yeah probably because of that)

Easter Easter!

Easter is becoming one of my favorite holidays. 

I think it's primarily because of the candy. 

Mike's Pick:

My Pick:

If you haven't had those jelly beans, your life is really lacking. They are so good!!! Mike loves those eggs, but I really don't like Reese's so I am not a fan. I'm also not a fun of kissing the boy after he's eaten them. Yuck. Yuck. Yuck. 

For Easter this year, we went down to St. George. We have some family there and my Brother-in-law's brother just got home from his mission so we went down to join in the festivities and see him speak in church. He did great and it was fun to hang out with everyone. I may or may not have eaten about 15 brownies over the course of our two day stay.

On our way down, we stopped in Provo and went to a little spot we found by the tabernacle. I've never been there but it was quite tasty and such a cute little spot. Lucky Provo-ites who can go here all the time. I really loved it. 

On Saturday, our nephews Breckan and Tayden did some easter egg hunting as well and got quite the loot.  

They were so cute about finding their eggs. I can't wait until we can be Easter Bunnies ourselves. It was fun going with my Sister-in-law to pick out the stuff for their Easter baskets. 

And here is a little peek at our little guy's face that we got at our last appointment. We are excited for the little pig nose it looks like he has! haha And no, the black stuff is not hair...(some people have thought it was haha) it's just where the camera cuts out. He's cute so far though. We are getting really excited! Oh and we have a name too! Wahoo!

Babies!!

This weekend I got to play with one of my favorite little babies. 

This girl has a ridiculous memory. She walked in my house, and started chanting "dance, dance" because about a month and a half ago we played Just Dance when she was over. She loved it so much. Too bad Mike wasn't home, and I can't figure out electronics. Just Dance was out of the question for us. 

So we went to Chick-fil-a instead. Woo hoo. 

We also went to the park. I was so proud of Addie and being so brave to play by herself on the big kids toys. She wasn't afraid one bit. She really liked to walk back and forth across this little bridge on the playground. So she did that about 463 times before we left. 

Then we went to the bookstore. She was in heaven. She couldn't even stand still she was so excited. 

So I watched as she played trains and looked through books. I love how smart she is. I also love how she is so independent and just loves to play by herself. Maybe it's just the age, but it was so cute to watch her entertain herself. Every once in awhile she'd glance over to make sure I was still there or she'd come show me something, but for the most part she was an independent little woman.

What a cutie. I can't wait for our next pay date!

Light in the Darkness

Anne Morrow Lindbergh said, “I do not believe that sheer suffering teaches. If suffering alone taught, all the world would be wise, since everyone suffers. To suffering must be added mourning, understanding, patience, love, openness and the willingness to remain vulnerable.”

Without going into too much detail on a public blog, I wanted to post honestly about the past week and hope that those who know the situation can read this and know that things they have heard are not true. I believe with my whole heart that they aren't, and the situation at hand is in huge ways different than what it has been portrayed to be.
(For those who may not know what I'm talking about, I kind of laugh to myself because your mind may be thinking of the worst things possible that may be going on in our lives. Not to worry, Mike and I are happy and fine, and the baby is doing great.)

We have been impacted in extremely small ways in contrast to some of my family. Those around us have suffered much. And without much justification. The media definitely twists things into something very ugly. They don't know the facts or the background, so they focus on rumors. Which is so sad.

But there is light in the darkness and I think that's the most important thing to focus on. In suffering or watching others suffer, I've really been able to feel closer to the Savior. To catch a small glimpse of some of the pain he must have gone through for all of us. For that I'm grateful. I'm also grateful that hard things bring people closer together. I've watched so many in my family move their concern from themselves to others and it's been really touching to see the how much support helps. And to those who have been so sweet and so supportive, thank you. :)

We're a few weeks over halfway! And it's sunny today! What a fabulous day. 

We've been doing little things here and there to get more ready for the munchkin. A few weekends ago Mike (and me a little) painted some stripes on one of the walls for our little guy's room. We haven't quite gotten anything else figured out as far as his room goes, but it is filling up quickly thanks to hand-me-down things we've been getting from our really nice family. We also bought a stroller and a car seat so we made our first big purchase. I'm taking a rest from purchases now, because I can make up my mind what I like or how I want to do his room. We'll see how it goes. 

These are our stripes. Mike did a great job. I just helped a teensy bit, but he's such a trooper. I love him for always being excited to hear my ideas and put them into action. 

Yesterday was our big appointment where they looked at all the body parts and we got to see the little guy in 3D. It was so cool. I wanted to hang out in there forever and just watch him move around. I was so relieved to hear that everything looks good and he's right on track with all his development. She said that he's right around 22-23 weeks in his development and weighs about 1 lb and 1 oz, so we are right on track if not a little bit ahead of schedule. I was also happy to know he has all his fingers and toes! What a miracle it is that these little ones can just grow like that! What a blessing, really.

He already has a little bit of an attitude I think. It made us laugh though. Every time the doctor would try to get a good shot of his face, we would put both hands over his face so we couldn't see. He kept snuggling right to the bottom of the uterus, (sorry uterus is kind of a gross word) so she had me laying upside down to try and get him to move out of there, but he just didn't like the idea. So she started trying to push his little head up a little and both hands would fly up to his face and he'd cover it. Then we'd go to another body part, and every time we'd go back, his little hands would go right back to his face. This was the best shot we got of his little face. You can see his little thumb up by his right eye, he had just moved his hand out of the way for one second. Maybe this is only a face a mama could love, but he just looks so sweet to me. His little nose is just so cute. We also got some pictures of his tiny feet too. He has my weird long second toe. Poor guy. Seeing him moving around and looking like a real little human definitely got us excited for July. 

Other than that everything is going really well. I've felt really blessed recently and I'm so grateful for prayer and answers to those prayers. :)

That's all for today. Hope everyone enjoys the sun!!