I'm Late...I'm Late

These days I am starting to feel like the rabbit in Alice and Wonderland. I am not sure where January has gone, or December for that matter! We had a fabulous holiday season. We spent Thanksgiving in Orem with the Blackhams, and we spent Christmas in Wyoming with my side of the family. I only have a few pictures, and the rest are on Sam's phone. My iphone skills are lacking, and I don't even know where to begin trying to transfer pictures, so please forgive the sparseness. It was wonderful to be able to spend so much time with family. It was especially nice to be at my grandparents in Wyoming for Christmas. It has been a long time since my family has all been together (ALMOST all the cousins were there, and everybody else made it!). It was also great fun to have little ones around on Christmas morning. We had lots of yummy food and lots of presents and lots of laughing and being together. I am so thankful for family and the time we get to spend with them, even though it's sometimes few and far between.

We are also anxiously awaiting the new addition to our little family. I can say anxious now because our car seat/stroller came this week. We can bring him home now! His nursery is a work in progress, but we are getting closer. I am hoping for that spurt of energy that I hear comes at the end. We start childbirth classes this week - crazy. I didn't think the end would ever come, and now I'm nervous and anxious and TOTALLY IMPATIENT. We still have 7 or 8 weeks to go (or more if he's running late...and with his genes he probably will be). But it's nice to be on the downhill slide. And that's what's happening in our neck of the woods.

Our Babymoon

When we first found out we were expecting, we started perusing all sorts of literature about what to expect, what to buy, and on and on. One suggested new parents-to-be take a babymoon. At first I thought that was a bit hoity-toity, but as my fall break from school got closer and closer I began to see the wisdom in such an idea. Sam and I packed our bags and hopped on a plane to New York City. We didn't really want to stay in the city though, so we rented a car and drove up to Boston. We really enjoyed the beautiful fall weather and changing leaves. We also visited several historic sites, went to the temple in Boston, saw a show on Broadway, and even visited two Sleepy Hollow Cemeteries. One is in Concord, MA (my favorite of all the places we went). Concord was the home of Louisa May Alcott (another one of my favorites), Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and Nathaniel Hawthorne. It was also very close to the first battlefield of the American Revolution. I think I might want to live in Concord one day. We really did have a great time, and I was reminded of how much I love to travel with my husband. It was a great trip...and now we can get down to business and start choosing a crib and nursery colors and all sorts of fun stuff. Sam can't wait!

It's official...

...We are having a boy! The doctor was able to get some great shots of the little guy's arms and legs and face and so on. He appears to be quite healthy and is big for how far along we are- 11 ounces (which doesn't really seem big to me; but hey, I am an accountant, not a doctor.)

Anyway, now we really are in a pickle. Heather and I just can't seem to make any headway on names, unless we want to give the boy a complex to go alone with a girl's name. So, be sure to pipe in with the best (and worst) names you can think of. (My thought at this precise moment is Eagle.)

During an earlier visit to the doctor I was able to video little Eagle's heartbeat (ok, just kidding. No one is calling him Eagle.) Check this video out. It's amazing!

Earlier this month we took a trip to New York, Boston, Concord, Salem and elsewhere. We will post some pictures of our trip soon (my favorite are the pictures of the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. A perfect visit for the Halloween Season!)

With all going on, we are doing well. Heather has been very sick during this pregnancy and we continue to hope and pray she will feel better. She is a trooper for keeping up with her students at school and keeping me out of trouble, all while being pregnant! We are excited for the changes that are coming and are look forward to this exciting time in our life.

Oh, and for those of you who were wondering, the following name have been officially vetoed: Stone, Platinum, and Grave-digger. Maybe next time.

:)

Happenings at our House...

We are expecting! But we're pretty sure it's not a "bun". We are thrilled! We still haven't resolved our previous name issues. We don't know yet if we should be choosing little girl names or little boy names, but we think it might take us the next 28 weeks (which is when this little bundle is scheduled to make his/her arrival) to agree. Suggestions are appreciated, and sometimes welcomed, depending on how cute I think they are.

Trip to Utah

We spent about 10 days in Utah during July. Sam's brother, Sterling, left on his mission. He will be serving in Guadalajara, Mexico. He will be a great missionary and we're so excited for him! We also got to attend one cousin's reception and one cousin's wedding. We went four-wheeling and wave-running at Bear Lake. It was a great trip, and we loved seeing so much of our family. Miss them already! P.S. I can't figure out how to flip these pictures...so deal with it.

Sometimes I Thank God...

You know that country song "Unanswered Prayers"? Well, today I am really thankful for answered prayers. I have had a situation at school that I have been dealing with for some time. It would be inappropriate to go into much detail, but suffice it to say that I attended a big meeting today. Not everything was resolved exactly as I had hoped, but I was able to be calm and communicate well. The people that matter came away with a good impression of me, the way I did my job, and my honesty. I am so grateful that I can pray for help and receive it when I need it. Please excuse my ramblings, but I can't help but feel relieved as I get ready to start the next school year - tomorrow. Yikes. In other news, it has been an eventful couple of weeks. Stay tuned for posts and pictures.

Rocky Mountain High

My two sisters and I went to Denver for a few days this week. We had a great trip. We went hiking, shopping, eating, and river-rafting. We all agree that the highlight was the river-rafting. We rafted on the Clear Creek River and because of a mix-up we ended up on the advanced trip. Please note that I am most definitely a beginner when it comes to river-rafting. We were on a raft with two other women and our trusty guide. He called us the Dream Team, but I'm pretty sure I detected some sarcasm in his voice. We encountered a couple of small falls on our trip, and much to my horror we did not beat the odds at 50/50 Falls. Two out of six stayed in the raft, and I was not one of them. I even have the bruises to prove it. The rest of the river voyage was less wet and much more fun for me. It was fun to spend some time with just my sisters. I am so thankful for them (and the rest of my family), but let's face it - there's just something different about a sister.

In other news, it's our first anniversary today. Our first year has flown by, and we are still glad to be married :) I came home from Denver to a spotless house and a husband who had planned quite a gourmet meal for today. I love him and am looking forward to many more years together.