weekend review {Aladdin}

This weekend was a good weekend. And one of our most exciting ones to date! I have some fun news to share.... tomorrow ;) One of my friends from northern Utah came and stayed with us Friday and Saturday which was SO nice of her! I loved hanging out with Kyndra and her 3 year old so much that I totally forgot to take one picture together, sad! But she definitely made my weekend happier!
I'd been looking forward to Monday for awhile because we were finally going to see Aladdin at Tuacahn! I love to see these shows each summer and had been hearing great things about Aladdin! And there's just something about sitting in an outdoor amphitheater, surrounded by the gorgeous red rocks of St. George that makes life seem simpler and happier for a few hours! I love Tuacahn!

We bought all of that junk food during intermission, which oddly hit the spot big time at 11pm ;) And do you know what happened next? It started RAINING! It was coming down hard enough that they had to cancel the show. So we didn't even get to finish the last half of Aladdin! What a bummer. So! If you find yourself wanting a get away.... go to St. George, Utah.... and go see Aladdin! Then tell me how it ended :) And if you sleep in until 10am the next morning to recover from the late night, that will make me feel better about my sleeping in ;) ha ha!

20 weeks {BOY or GIRL??}

I am 20 weeks today! HALF WAY... woo hoo! :) I'm thinking I should have taken this picture after lunch (the belly always grows after I eat, ha!) because you can't really see much of a bump?! I actually feel like a blob who should have put make up on today... ha ha. I guess I'll start taking these weekly belly pictures more seriously next week. Promise!

Anyway! This is a BIG week for us! We have our ultrasound appointment that will tell us our baby's gender! I honestly have no "feelings" on whether our baby is a girl or boy.... but we are curious to see what you all think :) So tell me your guesses:

BOY or GIRL??

weekend review {better late than never?}

Now that the weekend is upon us, I thought this would be a good time to post about our previous weekend... oops! I've been a bad blogger this week :)
Saturday was a busy day! We had an early morning at the lake to catch some smooth water, then I had to rush to work, and from work I had to rush to my dad's 50th birthday party! But it was such a good day spent with family!
We went to church on Sunday and spent the rest of the day sleeping or watching tv, ha ha. We were both exhausted from our busy Saturday. Apparently it takes longer for my pregnant body to recuperate?!
Monday we went and saw Batman. Personally, I thought the best part was that crappy movie theater popcorn! But that's definitely a post for another time...
And Tuesday we spent the day with friends (go us!) to celebrate Pioneer Day. Thank you Utah for throwing in an extra holiday :) We went shooting, which I thought was pretty dang appropriate for the holiday, played games, ate good food, and just had a GOOD time! This town is starting to feel a little more like home each week :)

I made the boys get a picture together so of course they had to look as "tough" as possible, HA HA!

Well hello baby.... Eric kept telling me to lean forward and apparently our baby is the only one who listened.

Eric and I found out we kind of suck at pool...

But we did win 1 game by accident! Woo hoo :)

We can't wait to hangout with these couples again!

And just for fun.... a blooper picture for the day! 

I look like a crazy person, but Ashley and baby look cute ;)

Christmas in July

I don't know if I've ever looked forward to Christmas as much as I'm looking forward to it this year! Everyday I picture exactly how I'm going to decorate my home, I daydream about staring out my windows at all the snow, and I already have my Christmas play list put together on my iPod :) Why am I so anxious for Christmas to get here? Because... I'm going to have a brand new BABY!! I'm only a little excited ;) So when I saw the Christmas in July gift exchange floating around blog land I had to participate. I was paired with Jordan, and this girl is just plain awesome. Love her! She sent me the most adorable necklace ever! I never buy jewelry for myself (I have no clue what's cute, and what's not, ha ha) so I'm super excited about my gift :) She also mention sending our baby a little somethin' when we find out the gender... which is way too sweet!
Now it's time for a confession... I have not had 2 seconds to sit down and blog this week. Eric and I have actually been having a life in this little town (which we are loving) and I've forgotten how to balance blogging and real life ;) Ha ha, I'm kidding! But I'm ashamed to admit that the only picture I have so far of Jordan's gift is not the best. But I have to get to work in a few minutes so I'll be updating this post with more pictures at the end of the week (bad blogger- so sorry).

 This picture was taken on Sunday... the beginning of 19 weeks! (Can't believe I'm almost half way! Woo hoo!) Notice the necklace I'm wearing? SO CUTE! I love it, Jordan! Thank you so much :)

my happy place

My 50 year old dad...

Still kills it while water skiing!

So I had to prove that I can still wake board...

But this pregnant girl didn't attempt any jumps. Not worth the risk of wrecking bad!

Oh Eric...

My dad tried to kill him, ha ha.

Little brother knee boarding.

I mean seriously... 50 years old!!

Future grandad took us for a little put-put ride around the lake. Probably the only time he hasn't tried to throw us off the tube :)

I live for days like these!

Spending a day at the lake, on a boat, is definitely my happy time.

I'm hoping to enjoy a few more of these happy days before the summer ends!
 Who wants to join us next time?? :)

week 18 {MOVEMENT!!}

So I totally have a "cutesy" plan for my weekly bump pictures, but it's not quite ready for this week. Which is totally okay because this story deserves a whole post of it's own... I've been feeling movement this week!! And the best part? Eric feels it, too!!

 There it is. 18 weeks 4 days (basically 5, that's why I look so hammered, it had been a long day) Keeps growing!

I'd been dying to feel our baby move for the last week or so. I knew it was pretty common to start feeling your 1st between weeks 18-20, but I was hoping to get lucky during week 17. Didn't happen. Sunday was my 18 week mark so I was really paying attention this week to see if I could feel anything. When Eric and I woke up Monday morning he told me he felt the baby move the night before. What the heck? How could he feel it when I couldn't?? I didn't believe him. We had a doctor's appointment that afternoon and they were asking me if I felt baby move and I was so bummed to tell them no. Of course, Eric starts bragging to the doctor that he felt baby move... so they both put their hands on my belly to see if baby would make a move. Didn't happen. We heard the heartbeat and recorded it on our phones! I'm not telling you how many times I've listened to that amazing sound since our appointment ;) We set up the gender reveal ultrasound appointment and then we headed out!
Tuesday morning I went to spin class (go me!) and while I was stretching after class I felt two distinct thumps inside my belly. It was totally our baby! As soon as I got home I told Eric about it and he just said, "well.... yeah." with a no-duh look on his face. Ha ha, he can be so snoody when he thinks he's right :) But the BEST part of the the day was bed time! We were laying in bed, me on my right side, Eric on his back with the back of his hand/fingers resting against my belly, watching a movie to wind down and go to sleep. All the sudden I felt my stomach kind of pulsing and realized it was baby! The same moment I realized the movement, Eric put more pressure on my belly. The man wasn't lying!! He was totally feeling the baby move as well! I asked him if he could feel it and his reply was, "yep! I told you I felt the baby move..." ha ha. And then we laid there for a few minutes in awe, feeling our baby go crazy in my belly. I had one big, stupid grin on my face the whole time :) I realized I had felt this movement multiple times before, but I never recognized it because I was expecting a gas bubble type feeling, or butterfly type feeling. But the only way I can describe it is a pulsing, like a heart beat pulse, but much faster. But I am so happy with the moment that I actually recognized it, because it's a moment that Eric and I shared together! I think that's so special because I've heard the hubs/dad usually doesn't feel movement for a couple weeks after the mom does. I am one happy mama!!

weekend review

I'm tellin' you guys... Saturdays are out to get me! Every time I actually have plans, something always comes up to ruin those plans. I was looking forward to some girl time at the lake but I woke up to rain. Not that that bothered me! Utah is in desperate need of rain and I was enjoying it! But by 10 or 11am the rain and clouds had cleared and it was sunny with blue skies the rest of the day! By then, plans had been cancelled and life had moved on. What a let down! So I spent the day stuffing my face, being lazy, and taking naps on the couch. Ooooh the life of a pregnant woman, ha ha!
Saturday evening my friend, Laura (my 1 friend in this town- ha), called me and invited me to a festival/jamboree this town was putting on. It was SO nice to get out of the house! There was a huge car show and tons of junk food. But the best part was the people watching. Don't ask me why I decided to be a bad blogger and not take one picture.... because there was good material at this festival, ha ha. When Eric got off work I met up with him to go walk around the car show (remember- he loves his hot rods!) and again, didn't take one picture! Shame on me. But it turned out to be a good night :)
The rest of our weekend was spent running errands, celebrating my dad's 50th birthday, and a date with new friends! Say whaaaaaaa'? You are totally wondering if you read that right.... and you did! We made new/more friends! YAY!

We tried out a new pizza place and loved it! Apparently a new restaurant is a big deal in this town...

Dessert at Sub Zero. They use liquid nitrogen to freeze the ice cream. Fun to watch and even better to eat :)

He's kind of an ice cream snob and didn't love his... but we really are so happy to have our favorite ice cream spot in town!

Ashely and Austin

In case you didn't get enough of my face with our ice cream... yay! We have new friends!

I totally tested our friendship by pulling out the camera and taking ridiculous pictures for the blog. They couldn't figure out why I'd want a picture of the pizza, and they were dying over my excitement for a group picture (which didn't happen. we all know how Eric would rather not be in pictures...) If they still want to be friends with us then it was meant to be, ha ha! 

On a serious note... things are looking up in this town! I am so happy that we are slowly making friends, and it's a relief to have something to look forward to :)

half a century... old?

summer 2011

Yesterday was a huge milestone in my dad's life... and I feel so bad that I wasn't able to get to my computer to talk about it.

I've always looked up to my dad! He's such a hard worker, but so adventurous and fun!

Thanksgiving 2011

He's also a bit prideful.... he grounded me from taking pictures around him. I don't know why? It's not like that picture is very flattering of me either... ha ha!

But the best part is that my dad is always proud of us kids! The love he has for my mom, and the kids (including Eric and Alycia, he really loves them as if they were his own kids. But I guess they are now, marriage brings families together that way!) is unconditional. I hope to be just as loving to my own kid!

 December 2011

Happy 50th Birthday, Dad!

Sorry it's a day late in blog land :)

I hope you know how loved you are, and that you're the best dad ever!

We love you!  

if you really knew me...

I've seen this post circulating blog land and I thought it was such a fun idea! I don't even know who came up with the idea, so sorry I can't give credit! But I thought this would be a fun way to get to know me, Eric, and the two of us as a couple :)

If you really knew me...

- you'd know that I sucked my thumb until I was almost 8 years old. I know, so embarrassing! My parents tried everything in the book to get me to stop sucking, but I just wouldn't let it go. One Christmas I asked for nail polish and my mom told me Santa (I believed in Santa for as long as I could :) ha ha) wouldn't bring me nail polish until I stopped sucking my thumb! You better believe I dropped the habit in time for Santa to bring my polish!

- you'd know that I have a horrible habit of cracking my knuckles. I'm trying to quit!

- you'd know that I'm addicted to gum. Honestly, I think it's an addiction! And I've had it my whole life. When I was young I'd ask complete strangers to give me gum... I was always embarrassing my parents :)

- you'd know that I love being in the water! A swimming pool, the lake, the ocean, it doesn't matter. I love it all!

- you'd know that as much as I'd love to be a happy, easy-going girl all the time... I actually get stressed out very easily. And I stress big time. I have a really hard time trusting that everything will work out, and so I hang on to the stress way longer than necessary.

- you'd know that I never wore sunglasses before Eric came into my life. Now I can't be out in the sun without them! Is that weird or what?!

If you really knew Eric...

- you'd know that he is so into building hot rods and muscle cars! His dream is to have a huge shop in our backyard with endless amounts of money so that he can fix up cars all day :)

- you'd know he is the best handyman ever. I'm not even kidding you. He can fix anything! It's amazing.

- you'd know that he speaks fluent Spanish. He has the accent down and everything! He gets compliments all the time on how well he speaks the language.

- you'd know that he is my pickiest client. The man cares way too much about his haircut. Don't ask me why, since he's ALWAYS wearing a hat.

- you'd know that he laughs hysterically during the saddest or most tender scene in a movie/tv show. It makes me so mad because I'm usually crying... and he makes me feel dumb! But he laughs so that he won't cry :)

- you'd know that he really enjoys baking. Eric used to watch Martha Stewart when he was young and re-create some of her recipes :) But seriously, you'd rather have him be in charge of dessert over me. He's so good at baking!

If you really knew us....

- you'd know that Eric is going to rebuild a mustang for me. We aren't sure on the year yet, '65-'67. It's going to be bubble gum pink with sparkles! 2 flat black racing stripes. Black leather interior with pink stitching. And black rims with pink accent. That's right people, my very own barbie car ;)

- you'd know that we are so ecstatic about becoming parents! But you probably actually know that about us already....

- you'd know that our love is an open book. If we are annoyed with each other we have a really hard time hiding it... that means when we hangout with friends we will totally roll our eyes at each other, snap at each other, or tell one another "you're buggin' me" in front of them. So classy :) But then we go right back to loving each other and making our friends gag, ha ha.

- you'd know that we will never have a pet. Eric pretty much despises (or fears, ha ha) all animals and I certainly won't be the one cleaning up poop every single day. So.... no pets for us!

- you'd know that we do NOT watch scary/horror movies. And we probably wouldn't ever let guests watch that in our home... we just hate the feelings of fear those movies leave behind.

- you'd know that we are going to take ballroom dance classes together someday! Hopefully sooner than later. Eric is totally game, and I think it would be a fun/sexy twist for date nights :)

I'm curious if any of these little facts surprise you guys?? And I'd love to get to know you better! Tell me some fun facts about you, or if you do a post like this leave a link in the comments so that I can read it :)

I tricked you

You guys left the sweetest comments in this post about my "baby bump" and I loved them so much! But I decided it was time to come clean.... The bump has definitely made its appearance this past week, but it's just not as big as we all thought. Sometimes when I eat a lot of food... I bloat. A lot! And my belly was extremely bloated that night, ha ha. How embarrassing! Here's a crappy cell phone picture to show you what the belly actually looks like :)

17 weeks 4 days (almost 5 days, ha!)

I snapped this picture at the end of the day so my belly definitely grew since morning :) But it's been fun to finally see it pop out! Everyone told me it would just happen one day, and it totally did! If you didn't know any better, you probably wouldn't even think I was pregnant, so I'm looking forward to actually looking pregnant. I'm so over the in between stage :)

I'm thinking it's time to start weekly baby bump pictures now! I'm excited to see my belly change as baby grows, and to finally update more on my pregnancy. I need to be better about documenting my experience! But I promise I won't go overboard with the documenting... I don't want to drive everyone crazy by talking about baby too much. Or have I done that already? Ha ha!

1 more reason why I love Eric

Only my husband....

Seriously, look at that grin! 

His beloved Red Sox hat, his pregnant wifey, and his gun.

That is all this man needs to be happy!

So easy to please.

I have a lot to learn from him!

weekend review

We had the best weekend! My grandparents (my mom's parents) celebrated their 50th anniversary in June! We'd been planning a family celebration but weren't able to get everyone together until this past weekend. It was the best excuse to spend a couple days in northern Utah! 

The 50th wedding anniversary celebration was lovely! My mom and her siblings really made it a special night for my grandparents. We had gorgeous weather, amazing food, and the funnest time hanging out with our family! I miss living close to my extended family  :)

The rest of the weekend was spent running errands and visiting our friends. This was the first time that Eric and I have been up there together, and had enough time to see people. It was JUST what I needed... I only wish we had a week or two to spend visiting everyone we miss :) I am grateful for our amazing friends, even though they live a few hours away. 

We also registered at a couple baby stores! I know it's pretty early (I'm just over 17 weeks) but the only store we have in our town is Wal Mart. And since we were up there together for once, I thought it'd be funner to register with Eric than by myself. He likes to be involved with anything that has to do with our baby :) I almost died when I saw how much they charge for certain baby items. Good grief! But I was so grateful for the advice I got from all of you momma's... it saved us from registering (and spending money when we're ready to buy) on really pointless items. So thank you!! The best part of registering was the anticipation I felt... I can't wait to bring our brand new baby home from the hospital, snuggle up in all those cozy blankets, and just love on our baby!!

kind of a venting post?

I've been in a funk these past couple months and I'm having a hard time snapping out of it. I hate to blame it on hormones, but I'm guessing that all of these changes my body is going through definitely isn't making life easier. One minute I'm the happiest girl and the next minute I'm throwing a pity party for myself. I can literally feel like I'm on top of the world and am so blessed to have the best friends, then suddenly I feel like I've been trampled into the ground and my friends hate me. Am I pushing them away? Do they just not want anything to do with  me? Am I not a likeable person anymore? And then other moments I just feel... worthless. I don't even know if worthless is the right word, but I just feel like I "exist". Nothing more, if that makes sense? And then I feel guilty for feeling that way because I'm growing a baby for heck's sake! It's just so confusing.... poor Eric! I don't know how he puts up with me. Seriously, can I blame these crazy ups and downs on the hormones? I'm usually not an unstable girl, ha ha.

I'm the type of girl that thrives when I am surrounded by loved ones and friends! People are like sunshine to me, I just need them in my life! But the last 6 months have been pretty lonely because of Eric's crazy work schedule and living in this new town.... I guess I'm still having trouble adjusting.

People who don't understand blogging laugh (and I don't blame them) at this world. But I just can't say it enough... I am so grateful for all the friendships I have made in blogland! Some of you I have met in real life and I cherish our times of hanging out. And the rest of you, I swear, always know what to say exactly when I need it to be said! I am just so thankful for the love I feel from you all!

When I feel like I need my friends the most, I don't know how to reach out and ask for the support. I don't know how to pull my mind out of the dark, let alone ask someone to help me do it. But I am so lucky to have friends that call me randomly, and without knowing it, they set me back on track. I don't think my friends will ever understand how grateful I am when they make time in their busy lives for me. Whether it's a phone call or a visit, I am grateful! And those times when my friends are slacking (ha ha, kidding of course)... I have a very loving husband and family to turn to. Seriously, I'm blessed!

I realize this post is totally all over the place... I guess what I'm trying to say is that I know I have so much to be thankful for. And I am thankful! I'm learning to control my emotions with all of these hormones taking over my body... and in the process I've been able to see how I've been blessed with the BEST people in my life! My family will always be our rock. We feel so much love from them! I have the best friends that are there for me when I need them. I belong to this awesome world of blogging! :) And I am slowly making new friends in this town, and these friendships mean the world to me! Best of all, I am married to the hottest baby daddy ever! And he's going to be the BEST dad. Hormones suck, but my life definitely does not suck! :)

baby HELP! {seriously}

I'd like to think I'm going to be an amazing mom! I pray that it will come naturally to me.... and that my baby always feels loved and well taken care of. But the truth is, the only baby I've had to feed, clean and take care of daily is:

My 26 year old husband. Yup.

So! I'm asking for as much advice as you all will share with me! Eric and I (did I say Eric and I? Because really, I just meant Eric) like to research, research, research before we make big purchases. And we have a whole lotta big AND little purchases coming up.... and we don't really know where to begin.
So momma's, PLEASE share with me your favorite and least favorite purchases you made for your precious little one. What MUST we have, and what can we live without? What are your favorite brands for bottles, pumps, car seats, strollers, cribs, baby shampoo, high chairs, anything and EVERYTHING! Diaper bags... is Petunia Pickle Bottom the only way to go? What's your favorite material for blankets (not that I'll be making any... I can't sew. But that doesn't mean I can't drop hints for what I'm hoping my loved ones will make for my baby, right? HA!) Seriously though.... I really want to know your opinion on everything! Eric and I are getting ready to start making purchases so that we aren't paying out the $$ just before the baby comes. It seems less painful to spread it out, right? :) I'll tell you ahead of time that we appreciate all your thoughts and advice... thank you!!

4th of July

Check out all that candy!

You can't go without the deep fried goodness at these shin digs!

He loves baby!

My personal favorite from the parade...

Want to know why? I'll remind you...

Same precious mini horse that we love :) Read about that here.

Okay, back to the 4th!

Eric had to work until 8pm and we were both so bummed! Being a grown up is lame sometimes.

We look forward to celebrating the 4th of July at Eric's hometown each year because they go all out (and are sorta redneck, which makes it even better!) When it comes to 10 cent hot dog day and the 4th, this town has got it down :) So even though Eric had to work, I decided to go spend the day with my in laws and have some fun!

They start the day with jets from a nearby (like 3 hours away, ha) air force base flying over main street to start the parade! I've never seen a town be so generous with their candy! I ended up holding my nephews candy bag because it was "too heavy for him" :) After the parade the whole town heads over to the park where there are fun activities for the kids, plenty of junk food, and friends to catch up with! People will stay at the park all day long, but we always go home and have an amazing family bbq!

The best part of the day is the demolition derby! This is where the redneck kicks in.... the people in this town are crazy! But that makes for the best demolition derby EVER! I didn't get to watch it this year because I went home to spend the evening with Eric. We watched the fireworks together then went to bed. But the whole time we were super bummed we weren't at the derby. The sounds of the engines get the adrenaline pumping and for some weird reason, you feel extremely proud to be an American as you watch the cars smash into each other :) The derby is over 4 hours long with an amazing firework show in the middle of it! We definitely missed out this year.... but next year? I'll have plenty of pictures to show just how awesome it really is! :)

I am truly grateful to be living in this country. I can't thank the brave men and women (and the families) that fight for our freedom daily! And I am so lucky I get to celebrate Independence Day with so many loved ones!

I'm blessed to be an American!