Christmas!

Christmas is by far my favorite holiday! I love all the decorations, the lights, the smells, the food, and most of all being with family. I also love my amazing mother and the little traditions that she carries on for us kids. Ever since we were little my mom has always gotten us each one new ornament. This year she got all three of us one.

This one is Joe's, it's Dale hitting an ornament that Chip is holding

This fairy is the sixth in a collection all of us girls have been getting

And little dumbo is for our little peanut :)

This year was so great, we celebrated Christmas Eve with all the siblings and had a progressive dinner starting at Savannah's house with homemade bread and hot cocoa (we were supposed to go sledding too but it was too slushy) and then we moved on over to our house where we had cheese balls and a relish tray. We played the candy bar game we play every year and them moved on over to my mom's house. We had the amazing seven layer dip there and watched a little bit of the movie White Christmas until it was time to go to Kayleen's house. She was the last stop for that night and we watched the Nativity Story and had cookies and milk. When we got home we opened our Christmas pajama's.

Santa also had a little work to do after that and left the tree looking pretty full. I guess we were good this year. :)

Christmas day was just as enjoyable as Christmas Eve. As I expected Joe woke me up WAY too early, he was so excited about opening presents. :)

Joe and his stocking

Opening the present I got him, his favorite statue of Christ. On his mission he got to move the original and meet the artist

Joe had a lot of surprises for me this year. He had me open this little one first to see if I could guess what the rest of it was (please ignore how tired and fat I look)

and it was a little sleeping bag...

I knew exactly what it was and hurried to tear off the blanket laying on the biggest package in the room

It was the Phil and Ted's stroller I wanted! Let's just say it's the most amazing stroller ever invented! And it included the chicco car seat I really wanted(the inside of the stroller will be red, they just sent the wrong insert)

The sleeping bag is specially made to fit into the stroller for the colder months and so of course I had to try it out...

Allie loved riding in the stroller and didn't get cold at all!

Here's the box the stroller came in, it says baby not included! haha

We spent the rest of the day with family at my mom's house. It was an amazing Cristmas and I was way too spoiled!

Seven Month Recap!

It's been a long time since I've blogged last, so I thought I would give a brief recap on what we've been up to!

Way back in June Joe and I were still working like crazy and I was chugging away at my school work. When July came along I graduated with my Associates and in August Joe got a job at the Marriott at the front desk! It has been such a nice change from Applebee's! The pay is better and he doesn't come home sweaty, tired, and smelling like fried food. :)

In between all the working and school work we got to enjoy a little of our summer with snow cones, swimming at Rigby Lake, and a little visit from Joe's youngest sister, Tiffany! We also got to go to Bear World. It was so fun! Here's a few pictures of our little adventure:

Here are the little baby bears, they were only 6 months old and so fun to watch!

We got to go on a tour bus and feed the bears doughnuts! They would wave at you to get treats!

Here's one of them waving at me to be fed

This little guy was so funny, he kept climbing up on the bus to get the most food!

And here's my funny husband getting eaten by a bear! :)

In September Joe celebrated his 23rd birthday! He had to go to school that day but I made him his favorite dinner and this awesome cake...

I also got him his favorite movie The Blind Side and bought him a pair of waders. He LOVES them and uses them all the time! :)

In October we found out that we are pregnant! I am 17 weeks right now and both the baby and I are doing great (minus the morning sickness and throwing up) but here's an ultrasound of our little peanut at 8 weeks.

We are due June 11th and are so excited for our sweet little baby!

November and December were awesome! Even though I've had morning sickness really bad I still got to enjoy the holidays with my family. We had Thanksgiving dinner at my mom's house and Christmas was busy but so fun! (I'll have to write a whole post just for Christmas) And now we are in a new month and a new year! Still can't believe that it's 2011 and that I'm going to be 22 tomorrow! Crazy! Hope that all of you had a great Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Procrastinating

Once again, I'm supposed to be doing homework but somehow I ended up on here instead! :) Not too much has been going on with us. Joe didn't get the job... :( He was pretty bummed about it but maybe it just wasn't meant to be. He also applied for a security position on campus but didn't get that one either. But on the bright side, at least we are blessed enough to have the jobs we have! :)

Work for me is stressful and so DRAMATIC! I swear we have the biggest bunch of gossipers I have ever met. And school is still stressful but I am really starting to LOVE my drawing class. Over the weekend we had to draw one of the masks in the art studio and apply full value to it. And every monday my teacher holds a contest for the best drawing and who ever wins gets one of his signed prints!!!! (For those of you who don't know my teacher is Leon Parson. He painted the murals in the Rexburg Temple. Needless to say he's an amazing artist!) Thus far I have won two prints!!! Yay- Go Me!! Most days he picks the top three in the class and gives them a print which is how I won the first one. ( I was third place) But today I won first place!! And I was the only one to get a print!! I will have to post pics of the prints and my drawings when I get them back. :)

The weather is starting to get a little bit warmer too! The sunshine just totally makes my week! Joe has been fishing like crazy and today I went with him and got a little sunburn! It felt so good!

This past weekend Joe also attended our ward's father son camp out. At first he was bummed because obviously we don't have any kids and he really wanted to go but my mom suggested he take my little brother Adam. So it was a win win situation...Joe got his camp out and I got the whole weekend to myself to catch up on sleep and homework. It was weird though being apart for that one night, it was the first time we had been apart since we got married, but we did just fine.

Tomorrow is hump day! And there is only 5 and half weeks left of school and we will have our 8th month anniversary this Thursday!

I will post pics up soon! xoxo

Facts of Life

I'm supposed to be writing an english paper right now but I've been working on it for four hours now and it's time for a break. So here is just a list of a few facts I have learned in the last week or so:

- Long weekends = LOTS of homework. I guess teachers feel the need to make up for the lost time or something, but let's just say that the weekend is over and I still have half my homework to complete. Yipee...NOT!
- If you were allergic to getting your ears pierced the first time, then you will probably still be allergic when you try it the second time. :( it hurts and it's quite sad.
- More often than not when you are waiting for something really important to arrive, it's going to take twice as long for it to get to you than you first anticipated, so plan accordingly.
- The dishes don't clean themselves and the laundry can't magically jump in the washer and dryer and come out perfectly folded. (you have to do it yourself or bribe your husband, other wise it never gets done) :)
- Everyone in this town is either engaged or prego. And if they aren't either of those then they are constantly complaining that their life sucks. Chill, it will happen soon enough.
- 7 more weeks of school!
- And last but not least, I love my husband and I don't know what I would do without him!

And just so I can share the exciting news Joe is applying for a job up on campus and I am really hoping that he gets it! It's a cook position at the new cafeteria called Crossroads and because it is working with the church it has amazing benefits! This job would ensure 40 hours a week, 9-5 Monday through Friday. It includes health insurance that is only $50 a month and an awesome phone plan. Not only that but it also pays $11.25 an hour, starting pay! And they give 6 credits free every semester! Free tuition! Holy Cow! Answer to our prayers? I think so!!! I really hope he gets the job cuz if he doesn't I think he will be pretty crushed... :( He is so tired of working at Applebee's but I keep reminding him that at least he has a job. So we are keeping our fingers crossed and our knees bent! :)

So lame...

I have officially decided that Facebook is LAME! I'm so tired of people posting hurtful things about others (especially about their spouses), or making comments that are rude. Not only that, but I am so tired of hearing hour to hour updates. There is NO need for that. Post a status once a day and leave it at that. Good grief!

And sometimes it feels like one big popularity contest. It's like everyone competes to have the most comments and "likes" for their status of the day, so they will say ANYTHING to get attention. (or they will add everyone and their dog as "friends" to show they have more friends than you) And it's a time sucker. I could spend hours checking my friends profile's but in the end it's such a waste of time. Yeah it's nice to know what people are up to, but in the end it's all so trivial.

I got so frustrated with it today that I seriously thought about deleting the stupid thing, it's not like I ever update it anymore and even if I do nobody seems to care anyways. I hate that I feel like I "need" the comments to let me know someone cares. It shouldn't be that way. I know that people care about me and love me without the help of comments on my profile. That's why I have decided to only update this blog. I am doing it for me and not for anyone else. This blog is kind of like a journal to me and if nobody even reads it then that's fine by me. (cuz I kinda doubt that anybody really does read it) :)

Despite what you may think, I did not come on here with the intention of venting. But man it feels good to vent for a little bit. Something about writing it down makes it feel a whole lot more satisfying than just complaining to Joe. :) Good riddance Facebook! I am free at last!

Update...

Sorry I haven't updated my blog in a while. It has been so hectic for us lately. I started a new job about a month and a half ago at the Marriott (working in the breakfast area) and started a full load of classes two weeks ago. Joe is still working full time at Applebee's, so needless to say we are pretty busy. But I must say that we are pretty blessed. Finding a job for me has helped us so much in the financial area. We are now debt free! Hallelujah! :) And we are now saving up for a second car and have extra to put into savings, which is the best feeling in the world.

Even though I am exhausted both mentally and physically all the time, it's worth it. I feel bad that I hardly ever get to see Joe and that all the house hold chores have fallen into his lap. But my schedule keeps me going until I crash into bed at night. In a typical week this is my schedule: Mondays and Wednesdays I have classes back to back from 10-5. On Tuesdays and Thursdays I have work from 5 AM-1 and class from 6 PM-9. And on Friday's I have work from 5 AM-12 and classes from 12:30-3. And in between all that I am doing homework and trying to keep some kind of order in our messy apartment. But Joe has been the most wonderful husband. In between his work schedule he picks up the house where ever he can and makes most of the meals now. But he never complains. He just supports me through my hectic week, even when he's just as busy and tired as me, and ignores me when I'm being grumpy and holds me when I have a mental break down. He is so wonderful! Sorry that I am getting all mushy about how amazing he is again, but I truly think that he is the most amazing and loving person. I couldn't have found anybody more perfect for me!

So other than work and school, we are happy and content. We have been married for almost 7 months now and still love it! :) Or as a girl in my class put it, "Oh, so you guys are still in that, 'everything is perfect and blissful stage!' Awww!" Haha I guess that's one way to put it! Married life is better than what most people tell you. I love knowing that I always have support and someone who loves me.

And just in case any of you were wondering, last week I went to get tested for insulin resistance and I just got the results back yesterday. My sister Savannah was diagnosed with it and said that it would be a good idea for me to get tested because I had all the same symptoms she did. I was tired all the time no matter how much sleep I got and I was gaining weight steadily (not coo!). It didn't matter if I exercised or ate right, I still gained the weight. Plus Savannah told me that if I did have it and didn't take care of it I could be at risk for diabetes, I could have a hard time conceiving, or get gestational diabetes. I don't know about you, but I didn't want any of those. So the test came back with the result that I have moderate insulin resistance. This means that my blood sugar spikes up when I have a lot of sugar and goes right back down, which is what should happen, but when it goes back down it is still above the normal range. So I was prescribed a medication to help with the fatigue and weight gain, and it will help control my blood sugar. I started it today and have felt better already. I still have to eat right and exercise regularly but I can now effectively prevent any diabetes coming my way. :)

And my friend Lindsey had her baby boy, Talmage Grant, about two weeks ago! I was so excited for her and Jonathan! They are amazing parents already and he is an adorable baby. Joe and I went to go visit them in the hospital the day that Talmage was born and it was the most wonderful feeling getting to hold something so brand new from our Heavenly Father. He was perfect and beautiful and I didn't want to give him back to his mother. :) He reminded me of when my little niece, Allie, was born. She was so tiny and fragile but now (only 8 months later) she is so long, and has strawberry blonde, fluffy hair, and a smile that just makes you melt. Not to mention she is full of energy and already has a personality of her own. I love that baby to death! She looks so much like her daddy but when she smiles looks just like her mom! It's amazing how fast they grow up and I wonder what Talmage is going to be like. Either he will be quite and laid back like his dad or full of spunk like his mom. So far he just sleeps a lot so I guess we will have to wait and see! :)

Well I have some homework I need to finish before Joe gets home. Hopefully I will be back to blog soon! :)

Valentine's Day and more...

It feels so good to actually look forward to Valentines day! This is the first year that I have actually had a "valentine". But as Joe constantly reminds me, I would have a had a valentine last year if I hadn't screwed up! Last year we had just met at the end of January and I was totally opposed to dating anyone. But he was persistent and somehow convinced me to watch a movie with him on Valentines Day but I thought that we would just being watching a movie at his apartment. And at this point I knew he liked me ALOT and I didn't want to encourage the dating scene so I invited a friend to come along. Oops! We didn't watch a movie at his place but went over to the cheap seats, which he paid for. I felt so bad especially when he told me how crushed he had been, after we started dating...but in all fairness he never said it was a date! :) So anyways we have now been together for a whole year and it has just flown by! And this year we got a date alone! :)

Because Joe has had to work all week he wanted to celebrate it a little early. On Monday he surprised me with red roses in a vase (he knew I didn't have a vase still), a little pink teddy bear ("for decoration!"), and chocolate. It was by far the cutest thing he has ever done for me! He was so excited about it he could hardly stand still and was just grinning from ear to ear. He had even been diligent enough to save money for a nice dinner. So we went out to Olive Garden and it was so nice to have a date together! I feel like we hardly see each other, especially now that he works over 40 hours a week. But I am grateful that he provides so well for us! He never complains about having to work and even when he comes home super tired, he takes the time to be with me and take care of any of my needs. He just amazes me! He knows exactly what I need...if it's just a hug, a kiss, a compliment, or a little cuddling time, he somehow knows. I love him so much! So all in all our Valentines date was wonderful! After dinner we rented Julie and Julia and snacked on some candy until bed time. It was the perfect Valentines date!

Other than our date night, we have been pretty busy this week. I have been getting ready for a baby shower that I am throwing for my friend Lindsey on Saturday! And I thought that I would try to save a little money and make her a gift so I am painting some pictures for the nursery! I took back some of the flowers from my wedding to pay for the frames and am so excited cuz the paintings are going to look amazing in the cherry wood color I picked out! I also found out this week that I am being considered for a job at the Marriott as a breakfast worker! It's only two days a week but something is better than nothing right?

And yesterday all the girls in my family had a girls day out. It was fun to have all three of us and Allie and mom together for a day. We had lunch at Olive Garden and got their endless soup and salad! Yum!! And then we went shopping for baby clothes cuz Allie is getting so long that none of her pjs fit. And we were supposed to go see New Moon but we got the times for the theatre all wrong...instead we stayed home and watched The Time Traveler's Wife, my favorite movie of all time.

I hope that everyone has a wonderful Valentines Day tomorrow!
Happy Valentines Day!!!

xoxoxoxo