05.26.09 ~ Exactly 6 Months Pregnant ...

Here I am! ... In all my "fat" glory! I feel like I am getting a lot bigger lately, but I'm feeling great! Acid reflux is still my main issue, but I have started to notice swelling in my ankles if I stand too long as well. And yes, of course, more stretch marks on my belly ... yuck. I saw the doctor today and got to hear the heartbeat again - such a nice sound to hear. Dr. Tyler said everything looked great and sounded fine, and I can't believe I am only a few weeks away from being in my third trimester! It is all going by almost too quickly.

05.25.09 ~ Camping at Estes Park ...

For Memorial Day Weekend, Nate and I went camping up at Estes Park Campgrounds with our friends, the Browns. We had such a good time! There is nothing that compares to camping. Even though it rained off and on, and it was cold at night and in the mornings, we still had a wonderful trip. We both had "blow-up mattress" issues ... Kristen and Cody's mattress never fully inflated, and our mattress completely broke and deflated through the last night ... but that was seriously our only issue! The rest of the time was a blast, and we even got to see stars our last night there, as we sat around the campfire, eating s'mores. Good times ...

Relaxin', reading a book around the campfire...


Nate, the great cook - we ate so good over the weekend! Thanks to Nate's parents for letting us use their nice camping stove.








Cody, Kristen, and Tessa ... we went on a walk while the sun was out and saw deer, elk, and beautiful nature ...


Baby Tessa - she was such a trooper and so fun to have around ...




Chillin' in our tent ...






Nate and Cody - the "firemakers" of the trip!

05.17.09 ~ Visiting Family in Utah ...

Last weekend, I got to go to Utah and babysit for Tiff and Brian's family. It was a short trip - I stayed in Salt Lake from Wednesday night to Sunday night, but was so worth it in so many ways. I loved being able to spend time with my amazing nephew and nieces, I got to see most of my family on Sunday afternoon, and spending lots of time with my mom is always an added plus. The kids were great, they were all really helpful ... I had such a good time and can't wait to go back to Utah to see them all again! The picture below was taken at Aubrie and Taylor's soccer games, in Orem. We made a fun day of it, and spent time with Cami and Taylor down in Provo as well.

05.13.09 ~ Messy Baby Room!

I am so excited about all the garage sales I've been to lately, and for free baby stuff people have given me. I also went and got baby furniture for the nursery - that was quite the adventure putting it all together ... never again. So now this is my next project - to get the nursery all organized! I've got a lot to do, as you can see. Good thing I enjoy organizing and cleaning, eh? I'll definitely have to submit an "after" picture once I've got the room all set up and lookin' good for all to see.

05.01.09 ~ Gotta Love Springtime ...

I just had to take a picture of my beautiful potted plants outside my door. I got them for way cheap, and they have been a true joy to have as we have moved on to warmer weather. I love Spring ...

04.30.09 ~ Turning 28 Years Old ...

I had a great 28th birthday! My boss, Suzanne, gave me two very nice gift cards (one to Baby Gap, and one to a yummy restaurant), and she also gave me the afternoon off from work! What a great lady. Also, Chelsea, a good friend of mine, came by my office at lunch time and surprised me with balloons and a yellow carnation! She also took me out to lunch, and it really made my day. She was so thoughtful. My day was not over yet though ... I then went home after lunch, and took a fabulous nap. After I woke up, Cindi (my mother-in-law) stopped by to give me gifts! They were all so thoughtful and it was fun to sit and chat with her for a bit. After Cindi left, another good friend of mine stopped by ... Kristen ... and she came by to give me a gift as well! I visited with her for awhile, and it was great to have good company on my b-day. I also received many texts, phone calls and emails/facebook messages from friends and family ... and to end it all ... my Dad, Mom, and Aubrie called me at 10 PM and sang "happy birthday" to me over the phone. I must say, I teared up after hearing my Dad singing in his operatic, booming voice ... gotta love family.


Nate was out of town for work this week, so he made sure to make my birthday special even though he wasn't with me by sending me some beautiful roses ... with this note (attached below) ...


I love my husband. He's the best ...

04.27.09 ~ We've Got Some Visitors ...

My sister, Cami, and her husband, Taylor, came to visit us over this last weekend! They arrived Thursday evening, and left Sunday morning. It was a short trip for them, but very memorable! I loved having family come and visit, and I think Cami and Taylor had a good time. I really tried to "sell" Colorado and show them why I love living here so much ... it was a great weekend.

Friday was a beautiful day - the weather was in the 70's, and we took advantage of that. We headed up to the Red Rocks, went on a mini-hike, and then had a yummy picnic lunch at the amphitheatre up there. It was the first time I've been up there, and well worth the visit! So pretty ...








Friday evening, the plan was to go downtown and see the sights, eat dinner, and then head to the Rockies baseball game. But the weather turned extremely cold after the sun went down, so we headed home after having dinner at Marco's Pizza (really good authentic Italian pizza). They got to see some of 16th street mall, which is a great part of downtown Denver ...



Saturday, we went to the Denver temple in the morning. It is always wonderful to be able to go to the temple with family. After the temple, we ate lunch at Panera, then went to Southlands mall to catch a matinee movie - The Soloist. After the movie, we went home to play some Settlers, and then we went out to dinner at an Italian Restaurant called Brio. It was extremely yummy - one of Nate and I's favorite places to go and eat. It was great that we still found ways to have fun - even though the weather was cold and rainy today ...



The tulips were in full bloom at the Denver temple grounds. They were absolutely beautiful!

04.26.09 ~ Exactly 5 Months Pregnant ...

Man, I feel like I already look huge, so it's a little scary to think I'm going to get a lot bigger from here on out! 5 months ... 20 weeks ... half way done with the pregnancy baby!

04.23.09 ~ Pregnancy Update ...

The last couple of days, I thought I had started to feel the baby move, but wasn't sure. After having my anatomical ultrasound, I definitely know what it feels like when the baby moves. After all of her poking and prodding, she made the baby move a few times, and I then confirmed what I had been feeling really was the baby moving! It is such a wonderful feeling and I am excited for the day when Nate will be able to feel him move as well.

I also just wanted to quickly mention how grateful I am for not being a "sick pregnant woman." The worse thing I've had is acid reflux, but the doctor told me it was safe to take Zantac, and that has helped immensely. I was getting it every day, but now that I'm taking Zantac, I hardly ever get it anymore. Phew! Other than that, I can't complain! I can still exercise (in moderation), I sleep very comfortably with my body pillow, I don't ever get sick or throw up ... I'm so lucky and feel so blessed!

I did get my first stretch mark a couple of days ago, but I am trying out three different body lotions/oils on my belly right now to see if it will help minimalize how many I get, and hopefully it will make the one I got go away! If not ... again ... not the end of the world ... I've accepted the fact that when you are pregnant you get bigger, you get stretch marks, your body changes - and that's okay.

I've been very blessed and I can't believe I am already half way through my pregnancy! And now that I know we are having a boy, I get to go shopping and make this all a reality by putting together our baby nursery room. So exciting ... I'm so happy to be pregnant! It was well worth the wait to feel this happy!

04.22.09 ~ "Miracle Baby" at 20 Weeks ...

I went in for my anatomical ultrasound, where the ultrasound specialist goes through every detail of the baby and measures its organs, bones, brain, etc. She also announced that we are having a BABY BOY! The picture below has an arrow pointing to his "boy parts" and she said she was very sure that it is definitely a boy! You are looking at the bum, and you can see the bottom leg with his thigh bone, but the other leg at the top gets blurred out ... and in the middle, is his "boy parts." I am so happy for Nate - he really wanted a boy. I was happy to just have a healthy baby - she said all the measurements were perfect for 20 weeks - but now I'm also relieved that we are having a boy, so Nate can be just as truly excited as I am!


This next picture is of our baby boy's face ... he looks very "skeletal" at the moment ...


The next picture below is the best side profile she could get of our baby. He was curled up in a ball during most of the ultrasound, and it was difficult for her to get the whole side of the body. I thought she got a great shot, nonetheless. It is a side profile of his face, and his arm is sticking up, with his hand up in the air - like he's waving! Say "hi!"