21 Weeks!

Not a whole lot happened this week. Your Dad caught a really bad cold and was in bed for a few days. He has only been sick once since I've known him so when he says he's sick, I really know he is feeling pretty crappy. While he was sleeping the day away trying to get better I was taking efforts to not get sick! Since being pregnant my immune system has been pretty much non-existent. It seems like I've caught every sickness I've been in contact with. I loaded up with Vitamin C and did a whole lot of hand washing. Your Dad and I didn't even kiss for like 3 days. It was killing me! He'd only kiss me on the cheek to make sure I didn't catch anything. A sweet gesture, but I sure missed his kisses! Thankfully he it back to being his old busy self and I didn't get sick at all. Mission accomplished.

Miss Addisyn came over to hang out with me this week while Scott and Sarah went to a movie. I just love little ones. It makes me so excited to have a little one of my own to hang out with :) Addi and I hung out at home, ate lunch, brought your Dad lunch to work, then came back home and made some peanut butter bars. She has so much personality and is so dang happy. Love that little one.

We picked up the elk meat from the butcher this week! It was a little complicated because we didn't have enough room for all of it so we had to hunt down a freezer as well. We didn't want to spend too much money on one with my job being in limbo right now because of my hurt back. We found a good deal on one and with the military discount our family gets we got a great deal on one. I'm excited to try all of this meat! We are going to do a BBQ with friends this weekend and then we are going to invite the Stika's over on Sunday for elk roast. My mouth is watering thinking of all that meat already! Sure hope I love the taste! 

I'm sure feeling you move around a ton! We had to re schedule our ultrasound appointment because of a mix up with our insurance coverage. Turns out, we are still covered so we will get to look at you on camera at the end of next week. Your Dad and I can't wait! The doctor will measure your growth in your arms, legs, head, and chest to make sure that you are still looking healthy and strong. I'd sure love if you'd wiggle around for us! 

Cow Elk and a New Year!

It's official little man. You and I have been hanging out for 20 weeks! I have to admit, the past few weeks I have been feeling a little more nervous for you to get here! It's going to be a huge change for your Dad and I. It's a little scary but I am SO excited at the same time. Being a mom isn't for wussies, and your mother is definitely not a wuss! :)

This past week was an exciting week! The biggest hi-light? Your Dad finally filled his cow elk tag! He and a few of his friends bought tags earlier this year. When they bought them they didn't realize that most of the land was private land. After contacting a lot of people they found someone who would let them hunt on their land, which was VERY nice of them by the way. Well, the cow elk hunt ran from the middle of November to  December 31st. Your dad and his friend had been out 2-3 times previously with no luck. Finally on December 26th (talk about last minute!) they got a phone call from the land owner saying the snowfall had brought a whole bunch of elk onto the land. Grandpa Kelly, your Dad, Scott, and a few other guys headed up. They ended up filling BOTH the tags around 4:00. The only bad part about that was then they had to gut 2 cow elk, drag them to the 4 wheelers then drag them a few miles to the truck, then load them both in the truck, take them to the house and hang them both. LOTS of work! Your Dad and Grandpa Kelly weren't done with their night till about 1 in the morning. Hard work but sure worth all that meat! The next day we hauled it to a butcher in Tooele with Grandpa Jody. They are going to let it hang in the cooler until next Friday (apparently that makes the meat more tender and less gamey tasting) then they'll butcher it up and we will have a whole bunch of meat for us and plenty to share with family as well. Here are some pictures.

Those are some pretty big animals huh! They make your 6'5" Dad look tiny when he is crouching behind it!

Your Dad and I bought a new couch this week! Before we had the couch that came with the apartment (which was super uncomfy might I add) and a love sac. Our landlord picked up the couch and we gave the love sac to Kelly and Mollie and we moved the new one in. I'm in LOVE! 

We got these couches just in time for our New Years party at our place. We started out the night by going to dinner with Scott, Sarah, and little miss Addisyn. We went to Wingers. That has been one of my big cravings lately. They never let this pregnant lady down! :) After that we came back to our place and Grandma and Grandpa came over. We had chocolate marshmallow fondue with all sorts of things to dip like fresh fruit, cookies, and cinnamon bears. I'd also made a cherry strudel and peanut butter bars. Plus a whole bunch of soda of course. Sure was a sugar filled evening! We watched some performances that were being aired on TV and played a couple games. We laughed SO hard! Us oldies even made it till midnight! :P I'm sad I didn't get more pictures of the adults but I did get a few pictures of the night.

Your Grandpa Kelly is going to be the best Grandpa ever! He has always loved kiddos and they love him right back. Your Uncle Taylor is the same way. Plus your Dad is a baby hog lately wherever we are! :P You've got some pretty awesome guys that are excited to meet you and show you how to do all sorts of boy things!

Here are the newest additions to your nursery. I've been keeping my eyes open and finding things here and there to make your nursery just perfect. It sure is coming together! I'm so excited to see you playing in there!

Here is a picture of my hot date the other day :) Your Dad took me to Texas Roadhouse for some tasty steak and killer rolls. I ate way too much food, as I'm sure you could tell when you got all squished in there, but it was sure tasty! (P.S. Your Dad only looks miserable because he hates pictures. He was kind enough to let me take one though haha) What a stinker. 

We sure love you little man! I love feeling you kick and wiggle inside of me. My belly is feeling a lot different over the past couple weeks. I can tell you are growing and moving a whole bunch more. I can't wait till your Dad can put his hand on my tummy and feel you move too. Until then, I get to be selfish and the only one lucky enough to feel you and your active self. 

It's the Small Things That Matter Most

Hey little man,

Yes, I know, it has been 2 weeks since my last post but hey, I can explain! Well, actually, I can tell you my excuse. Last week (week 18) your momma was  a little bitter. I was hurting a lot that week and just felt like a scrooge so instead of blogging I decided I would skip the post that week and hopefully be feeling better by the next. And guess what? It worked! There are a lot of different things that made my weeks go by better but here are just a few of them:

I've been busy working on getting your nursery together. I know that we have a LONG time till we get to finally meet you and bring you home but since I'm stuck at home anyways I figured I might as well get a little sewing done. Instead of getting lots of Christmas presents for each other this year your Dad and I decided to buy you your crib and dresser. We got that and decided to write letters to each other as gifts instead. I think we might make that a little bit of a tradition in our house from now on. Your Dad and I tell each other we love each other a lot and we get along really well but there is just something about being able to write down exactly how you feel as well as receiving and reading that letter that is pretty special. So, this Christmas my little man was all for you already! :)

This little guy has sure made my day too lately. He is such a sweet puppy. He somehow just knows when you need a little snuggle or someone to play with. That night we put your Dad's hat on him and Grandpas reading glasses. He didn't seem to mind too much!

This is picture of me at yet ANOTHER physical therapists office. Although having to be at a PT office doesn't make me happy, they finally were able to make a difference in how I was feeling. It's not better by any means but I feel like they might be on the right track.

Since momma can't walk around much I didn't get to go see the lights at Temple Square. That's something that I love to do every year and a tradition I look forward to. So this year, my friends and husband being as awesome as they are, decided to all to drive through the lights at Thanksgiving Point. It was fun to be able to see some holiday lights and not have to walk around to see them. At the end of the drive we walked over to the campfire they had and looked at the Reindeer. They sure were big!  

On Tuesday of last week you hit your 18 week mark! I'm sure feeling a difference in my belly and hips! You must be growing big and strong!

On Wednesday of last week your Uncle Taylor flew out to Richmond, Virginia to really start the mission. He has been in the MTC here in Provo since he left a few weeks ago. He got there safe and sound and said he really liked flying. (It was his first time being on an airplane) I have a picture of that phone because that phone was on speaker when he called us from the airport. It was so good to hear from him. We could all tell his spirit has changed already in the few short weeks that he's been gone. I hope someday it is you that's calling us from the airport and headed out on your mission. It has been really hard to have my little brother gone and I can't even imagine how hard it would be if it was my son leaving, but I am also so incredibly proud of the choice he has made in going out and serving the Lord for 2 years. I know without a doubt there is no better place for him to be right now than serving the people in Richmond, Virginia.

All this yarn (and some not pictured) has also made me happy over the past couple weeks. I made NINE scarves for some of the girls in our family. I've done that the past couple years. I've made different styles, but still scarves and it seems like they really like them so I keep on making em :)

This is a selfie. I took it just as I was leaving for Church on Sunday. It was the Christmas program and I sang a song called "Breath of Heaven" in Grandma and Grandpa's ward. I've sang it for the past couple years now and It's something I really like to do. It was different singing that song this year though. It meant so much more to me. The song is written from Mary's point of view and she's asking Heavenly Father if he is sure she is the person he wants to trust to bring the Son of God into the world. She is scared but she says she will do her best and knows that he will be there to help her. It meant so much because right now I know I have a sweet little child of his in my tummy too. Sometimes I worry about not doing a good enough job and wonder if I am really ready for this. When I sang the song it made me remember that I'm not in this alone. I have your Dad, our families, and most importantly I have the gospel and a Father in Heaven who is always there for me to lean on when I need it. 

These pictures are from Christmas Eve and Christmas. On Christmas Eve we always have a big ham dinner, read the Christmas story, play games, eat pie, and open some pajamas. We had so much fun laughing and playing but we all missed Uncle Taylor. It just wasn't the same without him there. 

Also, Beth, Malia, and Milo stopped by for a little visit! It was sure fun to see those little ones! They LOVED playing with Sebastian and carrying him around. It was also really fun for me to visit with Beth. She is like the sister I never had. I love catching up with her and talking about babies! :)

These pictures are from my favorite part of Christmas :) Uncle Taylor got to Skype with us for an hour and a half! It was so good to not only hear his voice but to see his cute face too. He is doing so good! Right now he is in a place called Newport News, Virginia. His area is 4 miles by 2 miles and there are 130 different churches built in the area! He said everyone there loves Jesus and love to talk about him with the missionaries. Not many of them are LDS but they sure love Christ. The area is a little scary though. There is a part of the area where they aren't even allowed to go because it is all controlled by gangs and drugs. I think the rest of the area is scary too but it's a lot safer than that specific part I guess. They are actually making the area a 3 companion area instead of the normal 2 because it isn't as safe there. There's safety in numbers! I'm a little worried about him but I try not to thing about it very much. The Lord is watching over and protecting him while he does his work. So proud of that boy! 

Well handsome, that has been our last couple weeks together. Nothing too crazy but lots of small things that cheered your mom up :) Love you little man! Talk to you soon!