baby boy.

I am in awe at how fast this pregnancy has gone by, yet at the same time it feels like it was forever ago that I found out I was pregnant.  Sometimes it doesn't feel real that in just a few weeks we will have the sweet spirit of a new baby here in our home.  I am so excited, and so scared, too.  I can't wait to snuggle this little guy, and smell his sweet new baby head.  To hold him close and stare deep into his eyes.  I can't wait for that split second moment when he is born and placed on my belly.  That moment where Kurt and I get to see and meet him for the first time.  That moment is so priceless and so special.  I can't wait for that.

This pregnancy has been so different than my first... everyone always says that each pregnancy is so very different, but you don't fully understand that statement until you experience it on your own.

My first trimester I was nauseous all the time!  I only threw up a handful of times, but the nausea was enough to drive me crazy.   My energy was drained all the time.  Simple everyday tasks seemed daunting.  I cried alot, about silly things, and took Kurtis on a roller coaster ride of emotions.  I had a hard time eating anything, because nothing sounded good.  I lived for trips to St. George so I could eat Cafe Rio and Pasta Factory... those places always sounded good!!  And then there was my neck... my dang neck that out of the blue decided to give out on me.  I was at the Chiropractor about every other day, just to survive.  Eventually it started to feel better, but I still have no idea what caused me so much pain. I am so glad that it went away and that I know feel back to normal.  Neck pain is no fun.

Then came the second trimester.  The nausea finally went away, but, was instantly replaced by every virus imaginable.  It seemed I was sick ALL THE TIME.  I had more variations of coughs and colds in those few months than ever in my whole life.  Not to mention the stomach bug that landed me in the ER.  That was fun.  In turn of me being sick all the time, sadly Miss Avery was sick alot too.  Just as I would feel better, she would be sick, and just as she was getting better, I would get sick again... and round and round we went. 

Then came the third trimester... I still battled some bad colds (and horrible coughs!), but the worst part was how incredibly uncomfortable I became, so early on.  I had another surprise trip to the ER, because of a scare due to some excessive bleeding, but after being monitored all day they couldn't find anything wrong and sent me home - with strict instructions to take it easy.  All of this took place shortly after we moved, so I am sure I over did myself during that time, and my body was letting me know it. 

To date, at 36 weeks, I am feeling really good (knock on wood!)  I think baby boy has decided to change positions, which has made me feel much more comfortable.  And, I have not been sick in almost a month!  Miracle!  I have been sleeping great at night (minus the bathroom breaks) which has felt A-mazing. (Let's all knock on wood one more time, just to be safe.)  I have enjoyed feeling this good... as good as 9 months pregnant can probably feel.

So now the waiting game begins, which in my opinion is kind of exciting.  The unknown of when he decides to come is strangely exciting to me - although this time around, having Avery, it might be a bit more complicated.  Not having family close by will make it a tad on the more difficult side, but I know it will all work out.  Thankfully, we have great friends here that have all already offered to help wherever we need it... and, of course, both sets of grandparents will only be a few short hours away once the big phone call is placed.

We can't wait for this little guy to arrive, and feel so blessed for the chance to be parents to another sweet spirit.

Spring Pictures - 2012

I Love how these turned out!!  I was pleasantly surprised at how well Avery reacted to the animals.  I thought for sure it would turn out to be a crying, chasing, up in arms, event - both from Avery and the bunny.  But, it turned out perfect.  A big thanks to my cute friend, Stacy Richards, In Brigham City, for taking such great pictures.

 

Love my Avery June Bug!!

Year #3.

Well, we made it to year #3.  Wow, time really does fly.  It seems like it was just yesterday that Kurt and I were dating, and only dreaming of what our future would hold... and here we are. 

We feel so incredibly blessed for the route our lives have taken.  We have accomplished so much, been through so much, and are in such a happy place in life.  As I have said before, it is amazing to me how much Heavenly Father has continually blessed us and how He continues to lead us in all the right directions, even in all our imperfection.  We are so grateful.

So, with that being said, Happy Anniversary to us!  We had a wonderful night out on the town... we ate hot dogs in the park and then went to Walmart for some groceries.  Yep, that's what you call the simple life.  Love it. 

And I also love the wonderful man I am married to. 
Happy Anniversary, babe.

BFF's in the making.

Austin, Sarah, and Tatum came for a visit this weekend - which we always love and look forward to. We had a fun weekend full of playing, laughing, eating out, picnics in the park... and, even more exciting, 911 calls and ER visits. Yes, 911 calls. My first one. Lovely. One day, when sweet baby Tatum is about 16 years old, I will make sure she knows that I did not appreciate the scare. Thankfully, all turned out well, and sweet Tatum is still as perfect as ever.

Avery and Tatum are finally to the age where they can play and enjoy each other.  We've been waiting for this day!  They had so much fun together!  And we had so much fun watching them interact.  Such cuties these two are.  Love them both.

 

Of course we got a silly picture of the boys... trying to take a serious pic of these two is impossible, so we take what we can get.

 And a pic of the girls... where Sarah looks super model thin, and I look biggest looser big.  Gosh, I look HUGE in the pic.  Sad. 

Thanks for making the trek up here, Sarah and Aust.  We always love spending time with you guys and feel blessed to have such great friends!

Weekends well spent.

Our weekends have been full lately, to say the least.  So much has been going on - it is nothing short of a miracle that we have survived it all! 

Easter Weekend. 

My parents came down for the weekend to help us start the game of packing!  It was so nice to have their help! We boxed, organized, and de-cluttered.  Basically, we got everything ready to be loaded.  We did manage to celebrate Easter in the middle of all of it, too.  Avery was sick the whole weekend, which was kind of a bummer, but as always, she was still happy as can be and still managed to have a fun time.

She woke up Sunday morning and went to find her basket.  She found it, and had a grand old time pulling it all apart.

She just so happen to find Daddy's basket too, which she also enjoying pulling apart.

Such a cute little girl, that Avery June Bug.  Love her to pieces!

Conference weekend. 
Aside from enjoying conference, we also managed to keep up with our tradition of having fruit pizza.  Which almost didn't happen, seeing how finding energy to do almost anything was hard to come by that weekend.  As usual, I was not feeling too well.  How could I say no to these cute faces, though?  Couldn't do it.  So I mustered up the energy and made the dang fruit pizza... we ate it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  Perfect. 

Girls Weekend. 
I got to spend a weekend in Vegas with some of my great friends, and old SUU roomies, Melissa and Ali.  We stayed at the JW Marriott and had a great weekend.  2 of us pregnant, and the other going through a tough divorce, kept the weekend interesting... emotions, emotions, emotions!!   It rained all weekend, which ruined our plans of laying poolside while sipping on soda's and reading magaizines, but we still managed to have a great time.  We enjoyed manicures and pedicures, lots of shopping, and good food.  I love these girls and was happy I got to spend time with them!

I also got together with my old high school friends for a quick dinner at The Union Grill, in Ogden.  Oh boy, time with these girls is always a riot.  We all have so much fun together.  The old stories (and out of control laughter) that surface at these dinners is one of my favorite things in life.  Love them all!

{Hello, pregnant belly!}

Moving Weekend.
After what seemed like for-ev-er, we finally closed on our house!!  Thank you soooooo much to everyone that helped us move! Especially our parents! My mom and dad came down 2 weekends in a row and basically saved my life - helping in every way possible! Packing, moving, unpacking, babysitting, errand running... they did it all! I am seriously blessed with the BEST parents!!  I am also blessed in the in-laws department. Kurt's parents were in the middle of it too, helping with Avery and keeping her out of the craziness, showing up with a loot of guys to help unload the trailers,  and so much more! All of you... A-mazing. Thanks so much guys!!

We are so excited to be in our new house!  We will miss our cute, little, old house - and all the memories it holds, but it feels so good to finally have a place to call our own!!  Throughout all of the moving madness I continually thought about needing to catch a quick picture of all 3 (almost 4) of us at our old house, but sadly it never happened.  Totally bummed about it.  This is the best I got... Avery and Daddy taking a quick break on the porch for a little treat.  It will have to do.

And the best part of moving... Avery has 2 new best friends (Lakin and Landree) that live right next door.  Oh man, let me tell you, these 3 little girls have had so much fun in just this past week - I can't even imagine what is in store for their future!  Oh, and, Lakin and Landree's mom (who just so happens to also be named Ashley) is due to have a baby boy the exact same time as me.  Fun times ahead, that's for sure!!





And that is that. Busy weekends and lots of changes going on around here...

Now, on to getting this baby boy born (whom is sadly still unnamed) ... I need June to get here FAST!  I am already about to pop!!

In our neck of the woods, we've...

Been loving the hint of Spring Mother Nature has been teasing us with. We had a 3 day marathon of park visits, that included picnics and all our favorite friends. Oh how we love the warm sunshine! I can not wait for summer!

Been busy trying to get things tied up for the closing of our new house. Yep, new house. Crazy (and long) story, but we just so happened to find a great house to buy, days before starting to build the house we had planned on. It was a tough (not to mention emotional) decision not to build, but, we feel it was meant to be. We had invested so much time and money into our building plans, but when we just so happen to run across this house, we both fell in love with it.  It needs a little TLC (like finishing the basement and working on the yard) but we are so excited to jump in and make it our own.  The house is on over an acre of property, which is one of my favorite things about it... so much room for kids to run wild and for big plans and future projects (think: dream playhouse for Miss Avery, lush garden for me, and a shop/extra garage for Kurt!) All in all, it was just a better choice for us right now and we can't wait to get moved in!  It amazes me how much Heavenly Father continues to bless us, by leading us to where we need to be... even when it takes a few hits over the head to get us there.  We feel blessed.

Been squished. Me that is. My belly is growing at rapid speed and I feel as if I am already going to pop. This little man inside me is either really big already or is in a position that does not agree with my body. Can't bend over, can't sleep, can't breath... and I still have 3 months left!

Been having fun. Girls trip to Vegas, flag football games every Wednesday night, time in St. George, last minute Jazz games (two weekends in a row) ... just to name a few.

Been shopping, shopping, shopping. It is crazy the amount of things that you are required to buy when you are moving into a new house... yes, that's right, I said required. New kitchen table and bar stools, new coach, new rugs, entry table, new bedroom furniture for Avery, washer/dryer, new bedding for everyone... the lists goes on and on.  I have withheld from buying anything new for so long, always saying I would do it when we had our own house - and here we are.  And you know I can't be patient and just slowly buy/collect things as I go... I want it all now.  I want my house to be decorated and perfect right off the bat.  Wishful thinking, I know.  Kurtis is about ready to kill me... poor guy.

Been cracking up. Avery has us rolling in laughter these days with her crazy imagination and full of energy attitude. The things that come out of this little girls mouth is beyond entertaining. My favorites to date:

"Hi, Mom, whatcha doin', Mom?" (or whoever she is talking to.)
"Drive safe, have fun, see ya later."
"Rock out, dude."
"Come play with me."

Been planning a vacation. Our friends, Chet and Lisa, had the beyond great idea of planning a cruise for next January. And to my surprise, Kurtis actually went for it. We have planned, booked, and will set sail to the Caribbean the end of next January. I am a tad on the nervous side to leave 2 kids home for 9 days... but, I am also very excited. I am sure by that point I will be in need of a get-a-way vacation and won't even think twice about it.

And that, my friends, is what we've been up to around here.  It has been somewhat crazy... but, as always, such is life.

birthday girl.

Somebody please tell me how this baby girl of mine is already 2!? I am still in disbelief about the whole situation.

This year, we had her birthday party at the cabin in Panguitch. We had all our favorite people there (minus a few) and we had a ball. Sesame Street was the theme of choice this year, per Miss Avery's request.

Here is the birthday girl, in all her glory. I think I snapped about 50 pictures in a 1 minute time span, trying to get a smile out of her... this is the best I got... (hello terrible two's!)

Now this is a little better! There is that adorable smile that we love so much! Notice her shirt... gotta love it.

My best attempt at my Pinterest cupcakes... I think they turned out pretty cute!


Avery got everything on her birthday list - and she loved it all! We now have enough dress up's, shoes, and accessories to outfit all of the little girls in our neighborhood . Love it. Thanks to everyone for all the great gifts!

She loves her vacuum, too. Thanks G'ma Noyes!

Oh, and the Dora doll with "styleable" hair. G'ma Noyes, you hit it out of the ballpark this year!

Avery enjoyed the cupcakes - 3 of them, actually.

We ate Pizza, fruit kabobs, and old fashion soda's.

Happy Birthday, Avery June Bug! We love you! And even though you are growing up WAY TOO FAST - we love every minute of it!!

{PS - I did get a family picture of us 3, but unfortunately my big pregnant belly was disturbingly big that day (not to mention my fat face) so I am totally overruling any requests, and leaving it out of this post.}

bounce back.

I think its safe to say that life is starting to feel normal again.

Dinner is again being prepared.
Hair and outfits are back in order.
Laundry pile is diminishing.
Tears are down to a minimum.
Sicknesses are on the mend (knock on wood.)
Agonizing neck pain is gone.

Bottom line, things seem to be back in order around this household. The winter blue's are on their way out, and a hint of spring is right around the corner! Hooray!

Here are a few things we've been up to:

Delivering Valentine goodies to all of Avery's friends.

Enjoying some much needed sunshine! 50 degrees here in Richfield is pure Heaven!

Spending time in sunny Saint George, with some of our favorite people!

Including Avery's new best friend, Dezi.

Lots and lots of coloring!!

Helping Dad with the snow removal.

Mani and Pedi. The perfect pick-me-up.

Enjoying some homemade smoothies!!

Getting ready for church... Avery loves packing her church bag!

Enjoying a Saturday drive to see the Manti Temple.

Yep, things are most definitely looking up.
Good thing!!

IT's A BOY!!!

Here I am at 20 weeks, on our way to the ultra-sound!

"IT'S A BOY!" the tech says... oh man, you should have seen the little dance Kurtis did!

How did we get so lucky? A girl AND a boy in the first go around? One of each? We are so excited!

Avery however was not so excited... in her words... "NO! Baby sister!" I think the idea of a baby brother is now growing on her though, as she loves to talk to baby brother, sing him songs, pats my belly and ask him what he's doing in there... and so on. She will be a great big sister.

Most importantly, baby brother is super healthy! All organs are functioning and all limbs are accounted for (despite the dream I had about a missing arm!!) Finding out the gender is so exciting, but hearing them say everything looks perfect is the very best part!! They say he is measuring pretty big, but I could have guessed that on my own. I am sure another 9+ baby is in the works!

20 weeks down and 20 left to go. Whew, this is going by fast!!

Not so wonderful.

Usually my blog documents all the great and wonderful things in my life. Naturally, when I look back at this in 20 years, I want to remember all the great and wonderful things in my life. Well, this time, in this post, there's not a whole lot of wonderful going on. The past few months have been somewhat of a blur, to put it lightly. Plainly put, I've been miserable.

As if the typical pregnancy symptoms haven't been enough to throw me over the edge, add in the fact that I have somehow managed to injure my neck. How? No clue. It has been the weirdest thing. I have had to see a Chiropractor almost every day just to stay somewhat functioning. He says the disks in my neck are inflamed from the pressure of my mis-curved spine and that is what is causing the pain. Wonderful. Just wonderful.

In the past 2 months I have battled every sickness imaginable... from the worst cold of my life (times 2), and the stomach flu (which landed me in the ER.) I swear it never ends. And of course, being pregnant, I can't take any drugs to take the edge off, instead I get to suffer. Yep, just suffer.

The month of January is always the worst month of my life, and this January has been no different. Not only do I have all my 4th quarter tax returns to complete, but I also get the joy of compiling and processing over 750 W-2's. 750. That is almost double what I did last year. Yippee! Shoot me.

Okay, and seriously, I hate the cold. Hate it. I am not functioning this winter - at all. Richfield is sooooo much colder than anywhere I have ever lived. It is bitter cold. Miserable cold. Shoot me cold. I want to move back to sunny St. George, just for the winter, then I will love Richfield again.

I am in that stage of pregnancy where my emotions/hormones are off the chart. Up, down, and all around. I am happy one minute and crying the next. Normal everyday tasks, such as a sink of dishes, seriously brings me to tears. I remember going through this when I was pregnant with Avery - and it wasn't pretty. Poor Kurt.

And in the midst of all this misery, I get to chase around an adorable almost-2-year-old in the middle of it. And even though this cutie pie of a little girl brings an instant smile to my gloomy face, and helps me see the light at the end of the tunnel, I do admit to being a not-so-good mom through all of it. Patience, where are you? I need you.

I will end with some wonderfulness... the referred upon cutie pie herself. She is adorable, and hilarious, and full of an incredible amount of personality. Sadly, this picture is a perfect example of the neglectful mother I have been. No pants, hair in her eyes... bad mom, very bad mom. I do love her to pieces though, and continue to promise her everyday that happy mommy will soon resurface.