9.28.2010

BABY MOVEMENTS & BUS RIDES

We have officially hit the 22 week mark, and this little girl is a mover! When we went in for our ultrasound, the technician said we would have to get her a pair of running shoes... let me tell you, I can feel her running and doing flips (mostly on my bladder, unfortunately) more and more every day! Although I have been able to feel her sweet little movements since week 15, she was still too tiny for Jared to feel her move. However, yesterday was the first time that Jared was able to feel her kick!! It was so exciting and was such a special day for our little growing family!!

Something miraculous also happened today... I now look pregnant enough for people to offer me their seat on the campus bus, bless their hearts. This reminded me of one of my favorite stories about my little sister, Michelle. When Michelle was 2 or 3 years old, my mom was telling us a story for family home evening about how important it is to think of other people. In the story, there was a crowded bus full of businessmen who had just gotten off of work. Because there were no more seats available, quite a few people had to stand... among these people who were standing was a lady who was 8 months pregnant and a very elderly lady. Although it was a long bus ride, no one offered either of these women a seat. When she was done with the story, my mom stressed the point that when we are in a situation like this, we need to be considerate and think of the needs of others. My sister had been listening intently to the whole story. When my mom was done, she asked, "Now, what did we learn from this?" Without skipping a beat, my little sister piped up and said, "When you get lost in the forest, never talk to strangers." Not quite the point my mom was trying to make, but close enough :)

By the way, the baby is now as long as a spaghetti squash! She is about 11 inches long and weighs about 1 pound!



9.23.2010

IT'S A...

GIRL!!!

MY BROTHER'S MISSION CALL!

My little brother Peter has received his mission call to the... Mexico Villahermosa Mission!! He is so excited and we are so proud of him! He will be an amazing missionary!

19 WEEKS!

I felt the baby move for the first time at week 14, so we know he/she is moving and kicking in there! I can definitely see and feel my tummy growing pretty steadily these days!


The baby is the size of... an heirloom tomato!

FROM IOWA TO UTAH... PART II

On our way home, we spent one of our days celebrating our 2 YEAR ANNIVERSARY!! We spent the whole day in Colorado Springs, and it was so much fun just spending time together.

Our day started out touring the grounds of the Air Force Academy. Our brother-in-law graduated from there, so we had to check it out. It was a beautiful place, and I especially liked seeing the chapel.

We also explored the Garden of the Gods, and although it was rainy it was still beautiful!


Next we walked around the grounds of the Broadmoor Hotel. Our favorite site: a mama deer and two baby deer... after we watched them for awhile they crossed the street, and we figured they were pretty savvy deer because they used the crosswalk!

We finished up our day of fun with going to the Flying W Dude Ranch. The show was awesome and the food was scrumptious!

FROM IOWA TO UTAH... PART I


We were incredibly excited to finally be coming back to Utah, the land of mountains and no humidity! Pregnancy and extremely long car rides don't mix very well, so we were happy to take our time on our trip home.

First, we visited Adam-ondi-Ahman; it was so beautiful and peaceful!

Next, we made our way to Far West and Liberty Jail. We felt so blessed to be able to see these beautiful church history sites. The Spirit was so strong, and it was special to be at each of these places. The temple site was in a quiet, remote area, and you could feel that it was special. Certain parts of the Liberty Jail, such as the dungeon floor, are still the originals; it was mind-blowing and humbling to realize the hardships that occurred there.



One of my best friends in the world is serving in the Missouri Independence Mission, so we were also able to see her!

HELLO, FROGGY!

Do you see that little tiny green frog in there? We discovered him wedged in the frame of our screen door right before we left Iowa... we weren't sure if he was dead or alive, so he is probably still there. The finale of our wildlife adventures in Cedar Rapids!