Christmas in Utah

On my side of the family we don't have too many family traditions but we do have some family quirks.  One of them includes making music with chimes.  We don't do this every Christmas, just every once in awhile.  My sister is the Primary chorister in her ward and wanted to try out the chimes with us before borrowing them for Primary. 

Everyone who wanted to participate, did.

Even the youngest family member!

Later we found out that the Primary listened to instructions much better than we did...and they even paid closer attention.  They got a gold star for their performance while we were left with the bronze.  I'm not sure who took the silver but it wasn't us.

It was a fun evening with my side of the family and great to see everyone again.

Baby shower in Northern Virginia

My friends in No. Va. threw me a wonderful baby shower.  Check out that blue cake in the left corner of the photo.  It was so amazing...and tall.  And there was fresh fruit, yogurt and granola, muffins and cupcakes.  In fact, one of my friends knowing I am from Lehi, ordered some Lehi Roller Mills muffin mixes and made those muffins for the shower.  

The shower was full of fun, laughter and a lot of hugs.  What a great bunch of ladies!

I asked SM to join the party.  He said he would as long as he hid himself in the kitchen.  But as you can see, he still saw and visited with a lot of our friends.

We have been blessed with so many friends.  Thank you to everyone for your love and support.  It was great to see and visit with so many people.

And here are the ladies that threw together such a great party.  A big thank you to ya all!

Thanksgiving in the Outer Banks

For the week of Thanksgiving we drove to the Outer Banks and met up with three other families.  We all rented a beach house together and had a fabulous week together.  One of the things we did was visit the Bodie Island Lighthouse.

As you can see in the background, the Bodie Island Lighthouse was having a  facial.  Luckily, I have been here a couple of times and have better photos of the lighthouse.  This was the first time my friend had ever been.  Hopefully she'll come back another year and get a picture without all the scaffolding surrounding the lighthouse.

We had a house full of fun kiddos.  We had eight girls and one boy.  Luckily the boy was one of the younger kiddos and so he didn't mind hanging out with the girls.  We also took turns each evening cooking a meal.  Yum!

And we played games almost every evening.  The kids usually jumped into the hot tubs in the evenings and since they didn't need all of the adults watching them, we'd enjoy some fun game playing.  We taught our friends to play Seven Wonders and I think they all enjoyed it.  We also played Dominion with the final expansion, Dark Ages.  

The weather didn't cooperate too much while we were in the Outer Banks.  The first four days were full of lots of wind and sometimes rain.  But we did sneak in a few trips to different locations.  Here I am at the Wright Brother's Memorial.  We actually stopped by here three or four times because we didn't have enough time to do everything or I was too tired to see everything.  But since after the first time we didn't have to pay an entrance fee, it was really easy to do several short visits.

One of the first days of sunshine had us out and visiting the Currituck Lighthouse.  We took the opportunity to see it with friends and even hiked up to the very top to look out on the beach town below.  This was the last time we saw the sun that day.  By the time we made it down to the bottom of the lighthouse the clouds had moved in and it was windy and cold again.

SM pulled out Axis and Allies, a game he used to play in high school with one of the guys in this picture.  I had heard the stories about how long these games could go and so I declined the opportunity to play.  And it was a good thing I didn't play.  I think it took them around four or five hours to play the game and they didn't finish until midnight.

We filled up all these places with great friends and their kiddos.  We took an opportunity for everyone to share something they were grateful for that Thanksgiving.  I just wept the whole time...I'm blaming pregnancy hormones on that one.  Anyway, it was a wonderful Thanksgiving with lots of good memories and good food.

We deep fried two turkey, had mashed potatoes and gravy, apple cider green beans, sweet potato casserole, stuffing, rolls and lots of different kinds of pies and cakes and don't forget the Old Dominion Rootbeer.

The Friday after Thanksgiving was the first time I ventured to the beach.  The sun finally came out and the day was mild.  While at the  Outer Banks I reached the 30 week mark in my pregnancy and I was still feeling great.

What a wonderful week! (Sat. Nov. 17- Sat. Nov. 24, 2012)

Pregnancy photos

30 Weeks
I was at the Outer Banks when I reached 30 weeks.  I few things I remember from that week was that Gizmo got the hiccups very very often.  The bed was very firm and so my hips were killing me and I was turning from one side to the other every hour.  I brought green smoothies to drink every morning and went walking with a friend almost every day.

31 Weeks
We had about four days between our Thanksgiving trip and our Northern Virginia trip.  During that time SM put up the Christmas tree and some of our decorations.  Isn't this tree cute?  During this time Gizmo's hiccups decreased but my hips continued hurting...but I didn't have to flip over as often because my bed is pretty soft.  I did experience a couple migraines but have no idea what caused them.  Poor Gizmo is beginning to feel very cramped in the small space available.  I have felt an arm or leg trying to stretch occasionally.

32 Weeks
A few pregnancy quirks...my eyesight has gotten worse.  I hope that after the birth it will go back to normal.  My legs, ankles, feet and hands are beginning to swell and retain fluid.  Mostly at night or if I have been sitting working at my computer for long periods of time.  I am still walking when I can get out.  The weather in Georgia has been cooling down and neighborhood people have put out their Christmas decorations but it still feels weird without the cold and snow of Utah.  I have been able to drink water again without being grossed out.

Family Photos taken this summer

I love this man...even if he struggles to keep his eyes open if the sun is out.  Most of the summer he is wearing sunglasses when he's outdoors and the sun is shining.

Here's the whole family together!  Aren't we a handsome bunch?!

Here I am with my siblings and parents.

Here's grandma with the granddaughters!  Aren't they cute...and they are such good friends too!

And the grandsons with grandpa.  Each of my siblings has one son so each of these boys represent  one family.  Can't wait till my son joins the gang!!

Chicago

SM had to go to Chicago for a conference.  He decided to go to "the bean" again.  He took a few photos but then decided it was too cold to be a tourist.  But here are a few of my favorites.

SM took the pictures with his iPad...one of his new toys.  I liked this photo because it shows him taking a picture of himself.

And this photo is just cool!  I believe it's the inside skin of the bean...skin being a loosely definition.

Blog options

Hi Everyone,

I've been wanting to post...actually I've tried posting a couple times but at this time Blogger says I've used all my free portion and now I need to pay to use their services.  I have put it off for awhile but now I'm trying to get caught up and have decided to go ahead and pay a monthly fee so that I can share my photos and thoughts with all ya all.  So, as soon as I can figure out how to pay for more space on this site, you'll see more photos of my family and what we have been up to.

Toodles!

Bedspread

I made this bedspread but we can't put it on the bed until the weather cools down since it's made from flannel.  I have planned to make a couple pillow shams...but it hasn't happened yet.  And so I decided just to buy some brown pillow cases and "someday" I will make some small throw pillows.  Meanwhile, I love how this looks and how warm it is at night.  So comfy!

29 Weeks

How far along?  29 weeks
Total weight gain?  It's actually been awhile since I've weighed myself...I know I've gained over 20 pounds and I'm closer to 25 pounds gained.
Maternity clothes?  Yes, and I'm enjoying it.  The bishop's wife is an angel to let me borrow her pregnancy clothes.  Because of the cooler weather I am able to wear my own winter clothing.
Best moment this week?  Getting over the flu, for sure!  The flu lasted at least 10 days and I'm happy to report that we are almost back to normal.  Both of us have a lingering cough and runny nose but the achy muscles and bones no longer sticking around.  I am trying to figure out if my tailbone is out or if the stomach is just pulling on my lower back making it very sore and difficult to walk around.  Oh, those subtle joys of being pregnant!
Movement?  I think Gizmo is starting to get a bit cramped.  One of the newest movements is the feeling of being kicked or prodded near my ribs.  That is a new one.  I'm used to the lower kicks...like against my bladder but those higher pokes are fun and a bit surprising.
Food cravings?  Still enjoying grapefruit and oranges.  Luckily it's the season for them.  Oh, and I've been enjoying a bit of hot chocolate in the evenings.  Yum!  Soon it will be the season for eggnog...can't wait!  This has nothing to do with pregnancy cravings, just holiday indulgences.
Looking forward to?  Thanksgiving next week!  We are traveling to the Outer Banks and will be hanging out for a week with some really great friends.  Looks like it's going to be rainy but we don't have to be outside and we'll have a great time all together.
Sleep?  I would like to complain about sleep but I can't.  It was so hard to sleep while we had the flu that right now it's heavenly to sleep without being sick.
Belly button in or out?  In...and after talking to my mom and sister, looks like it may stay in all pregnancy long.  It may just stretch and stretch!
Wedding ring on or off?  Still on...though after my morning walks I don't even try to put it on.
Exercise?  Yep, starting back up after being sick.  It is a great time to think and plan and day dream!  Love my morning walks!
Baby?  I read somewhere that at seven months the baby is starting to feel a bit squished and assumes a more typical fetal position with he legs bent into his chest.  He should also be able to open his eyelids and that his eyelashes are forming.  His taste buds are well developed and will respond to sweet and sour tastes.  Apparently he has more tastebuds that he'll need after delivery and some of them are lost before birth.
During this seventh month he should start putting on a little bit of fat to fill out his contours.  He brain also is enlarging and the surface of the  brain is becoming folded and wrinkled.

And a fun picture of me being a little bit silly!  Got to share a little bit of  my personality...right?

27 weeks of pregnancy

27 Weeks

I didn't get this posted because both SM and I got a beastly flu that had us sick for around a week.  So this is the week before I got sick.  I did go shopping this week and found four cute shirts and one pair of pregnancy pants.  It was a lot of fun.  The bishop's wife brought over a box of her pregnancy clothes and said I can borrow them until I've had the baby.  I've enjoyed going through her stuff and finding out what my own style is...or isn't.  Anyway, I think I've reached a fun point in my pregnancy where I look pregnant and  want to look cute AND pregnant.

Baby Shower

The ladies of the Macon Ward threw me a wonderful baby shower.

Do you know how humbling it is to have a baby shower?  It is extremely humbling for me.  I have attended many many baby showers, and often they would bring tears to my eyes not knowing if I'd ever have one myself.  I can't tell you how grateful I am to have this opportunity.  I have been truly blessed.

The baby shower was also a luncheon.  There was a yummy creamy tomato basil soup, a fresh green salad, and grilled  cheese, turkey and creamy pesto sandwiches.  And for desert, a homemade apple-spice caramel cake that was to die for...oh so heavenly!

Here's the bishop's wife, working on all those grilled sandwiches  (on sour dough bread).  She hosted the party at her house and made the cake.  She is an awesome chef and I've enjoyed our friendship.

And here's one of the homemade gifts that Gizmo got!  I want to share a quick story here.  I went shopping the day before and bought that white delicate sweater.  Well, just as everyone was eating their yummy lunch, I put my plate down on my seat to adjust the seat next to me so that my friend could sit there.  Well, after adjusting the seat, I sat right back down...into my food/soup.  My new white shirt had a big spot of soup in the back.  Another friend helped me get cleaned up and later I was able to hand wash the soup out of the shirt.  I guess that is one of those crazy pregnancy stories.