Wood Family

Happy Easter

2011-04-23T16:17:00.000-07:00

This past month has gotten away from me. It seems like we always have something going on or we're battling Rosty and his sleeping habits or lack of. Just wanted to do an update, especially with pictures of our latest happenings.

Update on baby #2: We are now 33 weeks....WOOHOO only 7 left. We went to the doctor this week and had another ultrasound. She says he looks great, he is in the downward position (which I think he frequently changes) and growing well. He weighed about 4 lbs 5 oz, so since it's been almost a week it may be more now. She said he should gain about 1/2 lb per week up until he's born, making him about 7 to 7 1/2 lbs when he's born. I go again in a week, then our every week appointments start. It's kind of surreal that we are already that close to having baby #2 at our house. This last week I was looking at pictures of Rosty as a baby and it's hard to believe he was born almost 2 years ago, so I suspect it will be similar with the new little guy.

Here are a bunch of pictures of what we've been up to. I wish all of you could see how much our little man is talking. Seems like everyday he's got new words he knows and uses correctly. Yesterday and today, just what I can remember, his new words have been Easter bunny (figure that one out), sunglasses, keys, and.....okay my pregnancy brain forgot but he does have a lot of new words. Enjoy.


At the Dinosaur Park. I just think he's so cute

We had our Easter egg hunt at our house today because of how busy they were at the ones in the community. It was way better than the one we actually did go to this morning. Exiting the house on his way out to hunt Easter eggs in the yard

Loving the egg hunt. He kept yelling, "I found it!"

Scouting out his next egg.

Showing off his loot

Isn't he so cute in his hat! He won't leave the house without it.

He was so excited to open them up and see what was inside.

"Open mommy?" I taped them shut so we could have a little control over candy intake.

He figured out to open one and went right to work on the jelly beans.

He loves to see pictures of himself, so I told him if he smiled I would show him and this is what I got.

We went to a Utah Grizzlies Hockey game with Grandpa and Grandma (my dad and stepmom) and the Real Salt Lake mascot was there and came to see Rosty. He loved it.

It was Grizzbee's (Utah Grizzlies mascot) birthday, so all the mascots in the area were at the hockey game. This little wolverine from UVU came and saw Rosty as well.

He was sick in the morning, then didn't get a nap and we were out late, so he spent his time with Aunt Missy and Uncle JD during the game. Ryan and I had a lot more fun (is that okay to say as a mom?) and so did he.

Riding the train at the mall for the first time. whenever we are at the mall playing and he hears the train whistle, he stops what he's doing, does kind of a gasp and yells to me, " Mommy choochoo!" So I took him

My very good friend from school (UofU), Marchaan and her daughter Paisley, came up to visit us that day and they went on the train with us too.

I think this looks like a first date. They had so much fun playing together.

Ryan and I promised Rosty if he was good one day when we were doing our grocery shopping, daddy would take him on the train. So they were off, and Rosty was so excited.

We finally had a warm day, and Ryan had to go to work early so I took Rosty to the Dinosaur Park once again. He had so much fun running around and playing on the toys. We even explored parts of the park we hadn't been before.

They had toddler swings for little ones like Rosty, but he insisted on riding the big one.

Yep, he's kissing the dinosaur.

I just thought this picture was so cute. He was walking around the Dinosaur Park eating his sandwich. He did not want to sit. He's such a big boy.


He wanted his picture taken in front of this dinosaur.

I hope you enjoy the pictures. They are in kind of a random order but pictures of our boy none the less.Oh I remembered a couple of phrases that he says now, "What's going on?" and "I want to talk to....(whomever I am on the phone with at the time he'll say their name)" It's pretty cute. Today at the Easter egg hunt we went to, we were standing around waiting for it to start and he kept asking, "What's going on?" Silly boy. Seems like yesterday he was born. How time flies. In all the cuteness I tell you about, don't forget there is a little devil inside of him too. He has always had a mind of his own, to put it lightly, and now he loves to be defiant. Sometimes we feel like it's a teenage girl living at our house instead of and almost 2 year old boy. Oh well, we wouldn't change him, except maybe his poor sleeping habits, for anything.

Ryan update:
He just finished his first semester at Weber State. He worked so hard, and we're proud of him. When we were picking his classes, we decided he would take them online. It was a struggle at first because of not being in school for a few semesters and because they were all kind of random (generals), but in his own words, towards the end of the semester he got in a groove. Because of the baby coming, he's only taking two classes over the summer, and will be starting the first week of May. Rosty and I are so proud of him and all the work he does to keep our family going. We're pretty lucky he's ours!

Tiffany update:
Nothing too exciting to report for me, just the fact I only have 7 weeks left. I love being home, most of the time, but do miss working. Because of being home, and being bored out of my mind when Rosty sleeps(you can only sweep so many times a day) I've taken up sewing again. So far nothing exciting has been made, but it has been fun. I made Rosty two hooded towels, I'm working on a blanket and matching pillow case for his birthday, and have several other projects started. It keeps me entertained some days.

All in all, we're doing great and we're greatly blessed!

Latest on our family.....mostly an update of Rosten for our families

2011-03-18T16:32:00.000-07:00

We went night skiiing with some friends the first part of February at a ski place near our house. Ryan is becoming quite the skiier and was able to take Rosten out on the bunny hill a few times. It was pretty cute, and Rosten loved it. We're starting him out a lot younger than either of us ever thought of starting.

Rosten has a few new obsessions, one being trains. Last summer we purchased a season pass to the dinosaur park in town, which included a pass to the train museum. We took Rosten for the first time in February and he loved it. They had a few little trains on tracks that you could follow around and he had Ryan running all over the place following them. We'll definitely be going back soon, and also taking advantage of another part of the membership which is the airplane museum at Hill Air Force Base.

On Valentine's Day, Ryan had the day off, so after Rosten was able to name 25 of the 26 animals in his ABC animal book, we took him to the Hogle Zoo (another annual membership we have). He loved seeing all the animals, and especially loved playing in Discovery Land. Aunt Miss joined us for the excursion, which we all really enjoyed. Rosten loves all his family so much!

Here is another picture at the zoo. Rosten had just finished saying, "raffe," or giraffe as most people would say. He loved all the animals, especially the "wunkeys, eefants, and raffes"

No your eyes are not deceiving you. He is quite the little ladies man. Since most all of my friends have girls, that's who Rosten plays with. This is my friend, Marchaan's daughter. They love to kiss each other. It's pretty funny actually. We went to dinner a few weeks ago, and we almost had to pry them apart because they just love to kiss. It's cute, but a little worrisome for both sets of parents. What will we have to deal with in the future???

Rosten is definitely a momma's boy. He loves me to hold him, love him, and he loves to pull my cooking stuff out of the drawers and bang it together. It is cute though. I may never have a girl, so if he wants to help me cook, I'm okay with that. He is a daddy's helper too. He makes us so happy. Don't get me wrong though, He can be the devil! Just ask me 5 out of the 7 days of the week and I'll tell you just how devilish he can be! ;-)

Another obsession is dinosaurs. There is a cartoon called "Dinosaur Train," that he has watched a few times and now he loves them. Just this morning he was singing the theme song to the show. I can't get him to sing any other song with me, but he'll sing dinosaur train. Silly boy! We had taken him to the Dinosaur Park several times before, but just the last week we took him, and he loved it. In the picture above, he's saying hi to the hairy dino. Daily we get a request for "dinasoar pawk." We're hoping the weather cooperates so we can take him tomorrow.

Playing at the Dinosaur Park. He prefers the slides. No pictures of that though. It takes two of us to make sure the little dare devil gets up the steps and down the slide without killing himself.

They have speakers set up throughout the park that make dinosaur noises, and in the picture he's leading daddy towards louder noises.

Our little miner (at least that's what we think it is?)

I love these two so much! I'm one lucky lady!!

I took this picture about the time Rosty realized what was behind him. As soon as I snapped the picture he was running into my arms saying, "momma, scawy(scary)!"

Last obsession, CARS!! I think I have seen that movie over 500 times now. I about can't handle even hearing it anymore. We went to the mall, both yesterday and today, just so Rosty could play on the cars. This particular one happened to have a dog as well, which he absolutely loves. What a little ham!

"Mommy, car says VROOM, VROOM"

I tried to add our ultrasound picture from this week, but for some reason was unable to get it to load, so this one is from January 21st. The baby as of Monday, is measuring at 28 weeks. The doc says everything looks great. Less than 3 months left! We're so excited to have another little guy in our house. Ryan is convinced this one will have his nose, so we'll see. He and his family have told me how strong his families' genes are, then he'll look at Rosten and say yours must be stronger, so we'll see whose strong genes win out this time. Hopefully he'll be as much fun as his big brother.

Finally the last picture. I thought I should throw in one picture of my since I always get ragged on because I'm usually behind the camera. This is me about 3 weeks ago at 25 weeks. I'm going to be 28 weeks tomorrow. Hello 3rd trimester!! I'm thinking the baby will come early, but we've decided until the doc tell us we need to be induced, we just going to hold out and wait for him to come no matter when he comes. Rosty likes to point at my belly and say "bruder." He's finally past the stage of lifting my shirt to look at my belly which I am very grateful for! One more story about Rosty. Last week he crawled up on the bed as we were laying there. He sat on my lap facing me, and had a book and was telling his little brother all the things in the book. He would say, "Was dis? an eefant, bruder. Was dis? a ball, bruder. Was dis? a buket bruder." (translation: What's this? An elephant, brother. What's this? A ball, brother. What's this? A bucket, brother) It was so cute. Then he would kiss the belly and say "Wuv u!" I think he's going to be such a good big brother, when he's not teaching his little brother to do all the naughty things he does. ;-)

Hopefully, I'll be better about updating this thing more often. I hope you enjoyed the update.

Oh Rosten...

2011-02-22T12:03:00.000-08:00

This was lunch today, and every other minute of every other day. Oh I love my Rosten, but sometimes I tell you.

Oh, and we went to the doc today. Baby sounds good. I go again in 3 weeks, then start my every 2 week appointments. Crazy!

Update....finally......a year later

2011-02-21T15:42:00.000-08:00

It has been a long time since I last updated on our little family. I'm not going to try and catch up on everything, but I'll give a little blurb about each of us..

Ryan

He's such a great husband and daddy. He is working hard to provide for our family and going to school. He started this semester at Weber State University and it studying Criminal Justice. His ultimate goal is to get into the Secret Service. He should be done in a couple years with the credits he earned in England before his mission. He earned the equivalent of an Associate's degree over there, and several of the credits were able to transfer; lucky for him. Since we moved into our house, we haven't done a lot of fixing up, and Ryan is very antsy to get it done. We now have a plan in order to get going on things and make our house what it has the potential to be. If I even hint at wanting to do something, he jumps on it and goes as far as I'll let him go. He's so funny. Rosten and I are so proud of him and all that he does for us. We feel pretty lucky that he comes home to us each day.

Tiffany

My beautiful grandma, Rosten, and me

Wow! Big changes for me since the last time I wrote. I finished my internship in April and the next day started a Social Services job at a nursing facility in Salt Lake, and graduated from University of Utah a few weeks later. It was a lot of changes in a short time, but very exciting. I worked a lot of hours and sacrificed a lot of time for the job, but I did love it. Rosten went to daycare and he loved it, but I didn't. I didn't like someone else raising him, so after a lot of talk, Ryan and I decided I would quit in September, and look for another job closer to home. Rosten's behavior changed so much and we all loved me being home, so now I'm a stay at home momma. It has it's moments, but for the most part I love it. I wish I could work part time, but struggle giving up family time. I was offered several full-time positions in Ogden and Layton, and another in Salt Lake but decided not to take them after much thought and prayer. Now my days consist of naps, snacks, cooking, occasional cleaning and laundry, and entertaining a toddler. Quite the change from before, but it has it's perks. I'm planning on going back to school at some point to get a degree in nursing. I had often struggled back in forth between social work and nursing when I was in school, and decided on social work. Now I realize what a great benefit both degrees would be together and miss helping people, so nursing will happen one of these days. My Grandma Sullivan passed away the 22nd of January, just a month ago. It was something we were all expecting, but still sad. I think about her daily, and know that she is happy again with my Grandpa. She is amazing, and the reason I am who I am. I love her so much, thus the reason of the picture with Grandma.

Rosten

Our little monkey is growing so much. He is now 21 months old and talking like crazy. He can be a monster at times, but we're so glad we've been blessed to have him in our lives. He loves animals; the picture above is at the zoo this past week when it warmed up for a minute. We decided to make a trip to the zoo that day after we went through his ABC animal book and named every animal (minus the urchin). His best friend is his dog Wally, must to my dismay. I would love to get rid of the dog, but I just don't have the heart with how much Rosten loves him. Rosten loves Sesame Street and Mickey Mouse, and has a strange obsession with cars or anything with 4 wheels that is bigger than a car; specifically, tractors, forklifts, etc. He is a momma's boy, and relies on me for everything. The most common thing he'll say is, " Momma, hand," and stretch out his hand to lead me where he wants me to be whether to get his ball from under the couch or get him a snack. He's been in nursery for the last few months, and loves it. I spoke with his nursery leaders, concerned he was causing them the same grief he causes me daily, and they told me he's a good helper, consoles the other kids when they cry, shares, and listens to their lessons. My first thought was they were liars (sssshhhh....don't tell them I said that), but after a member of the Bishopric told me the same, I knew it had to be true, just hard to believe. Rosten loves to look at books and pretend he's reading them, and he likes to climb on anything and everything. We love our little guy so much!

Baby Boy #2

That's right, baby #2 is on his way. Sorry no picture provided. Our last picture is over 4 weeks old, so I'm sure he's changed a lot by now. We are 24 weeks 2 days, and so excited to get this baby here. He is due on June 13th. Rosten is so excited to be a big brother. He loves to lift my shirt either pat or kiss my belly and say "bruder." It is so cute. We were not planning on having another this quick, but we're glad to have him on his way. We haven't been able to agree on any names yet, but we do have a middle name picked out. It will be Winsper, after my Grandpa Sullivan. It was his middle name and my great-grandmother's maiden name. I have always loved the name and look forward to our son having the same middle name as my grandpa. Baby boy, we can't wait for you to get here. You have been so much fun so far, with all your kicking, and we can't wait to meet you and enjoy your presence.

More giv eaways

2011-02-01T20:11:00.001-08:00

Hey everyone. I'm really trying to win these DVDs and you should too. Go to Be Well blog to enter to win Lindsay Brinn DVDs. The drawing will be held on Feb 2nd so hurry over and get entered. Good luck

Go here to enter for workout DVDs

2011-01-15T06:59:00.000-08:00

So the other day there was a great deal that I really wanted on baby steals, but I got to it too late. You can imagine my excitement when I found this blog giving the same dvds away. Find your best self blog is giving away lindsay brin's 60 day workout dvds! Go here to enter.

Finally an Update

2009-11-14T17:15:00.000-08:00

It's been 5 months since my last post. I can't believe how fast the time has gone. Our baby boy is going to be 6 months a week from today. What a little sweetheart he is. We love being mommy and daddy to our little angel. He is such a good boy and growing up so fast. He already has a tooth coming in on the bottom, and the one right next to it is coming too. He seriously is the most handsome little guy I've ever seen. His big blue eyes and sweet little smile just make me melt. He has recently started sleeping the whole night, in the last two weeks. Before that he would go to bed at around 8pm them wake up at 4:30am and have a bottle. He now goes to bed at 8pm and gets up around 6am so say bye to mommy, then back to bed for a while. He still takes two or three naps a day, which allows mommy and daddy, whoever is with him to do homework and clean up the house. We really are lucky to have such a good boy.
Other news since the last post...we bought a house in July. It is so nice putting money towards a mortgage instead of someone else. It's perfect for us and we're so excited to do a bunch of little projects in it to make it even better for us. The best part for us, is we now have a back yard where Rosten and his sisters and brothers (whenever they come) have a place to play.
Ryan has plans with my brother and dad to close in the garage and make a little workshop in there. He is so excited. We're also going to redo the basement. It's not completely finished now, so we're going to add another bathroom and bedroom and close in the laundy room. It's so much fun to look forward to these things we can do together. We'll probably start next spring or summer, as we'll need to save for a while to get it done. I think before we do anything in the basement, we're going to put carpet in ours and Rosten's room and maybe the living room. We now have hardwood floor in those rooms, and I don't like it because I want Rosten to be able to crawl. We'll see...
I'm in my second to last semester of college. I'm so excited to finally graduate. I right now am going to school two days a week, with online class. Next semester I only have my internship. I'm a little nervous about it because I won't be working at all. I'm doing the internship full-time so I can be done in May and graduate. I'm so excited!!! Ryan and my dad both said I need to walk at graduation, so I will be walking. My dad says it's a huge accomplishment I need to celebrate, and Ryan said Rosten needs to see his parents do important things like that, so it is something he'll know is important. As much as I want to do in the future, all of my kids may see me graduate at one time or another.
Ryan was accepted at Weber State University here in Ogden. We are so proud of him. He is such an amazing daddy and hubby for Rosten and I. So far they have accepted all of his credits from his associates degree in England, and we're waiting to see if they'll accept them as actual criminal justice credits. If they do accept them as criminal justice credits, he should only have a few years left until he will graduate. He wants to work for the secret service, so whatever it takes for him to get in there we will do. I am so proud of how hard he is working and doing his school work. He spends all morning taking care of Rosten while I'm at work, and does homework at the same time, then he switches me and I take Rosten and he goes to work all afternoon and night. What a hard working man. It has definitely been a challenge for us to not see each other very often because we have chosen not to have Rosten go to a babysitter (except for a few hours on Mondays and Tuesdays when I'm in class), but it's very worth it to know that he is being taken care of by his parents who love him and would do anything to protect him. Needless to say, the few hours or days we get to spend together as a family here and there are precious!

Other news in the Wood family, we got a dog!!! For those of you who know me at all, know that is totally out of character for me. I don't do animals or animal waste! But we love our doggy. His name is Wally and he's a cocker spaniel. Rosten is getting to the point now where he just sits and watches him and laughs. It's pretty dang cute. Wally has been such a good dog. We got him when he was only 11 weeks old, so he is still just a puppy. He's growing like crazy though. Last week, we decided to cute his hair, and now he looks little again. It's a lot of fun to have him, but a lot of hard work. Our biggest reason for getting him was we wanted Rosten to grow up with a dog. After we got him we thought we should have started out with a fish or something, but we wouldn't change him now for anything.
Our little dumbo

Rosten and his amazing daddy
Blast from the past.....I'm working hard to get back to this size again. I'll keep everyone posted. So far, I've lost 15 pounds. Only another 25 to go. I guess being happily married and having a baby really does ruin your body. Wish me luck because the training has begun.

Lastest News

2009-06-25T23:02:00.000-07:00

A lot has happened since the last post. First and most important is our little guy is growing so much. He is so cute and so much fun to be with. We had the opportunity, a few weeks back, to get some newborn pictures taken of him. We just got them back, so I'll post a few of those here. He is such a doll. I can't believe how much he's changed since they were taken. I took some more of him today, and he looks so much bigger. I guess that explains all of the eating he is doing. I think he spends 50% of his day eating. He's such a joy though. We also bought our first home. We're so excited to leave apartments and move to a house. It's going to be great! We cannot wait. We sign the final papers in a few weeks, then we'll start to move. We should be completely moved in by the beginning of August, at least we hope. We're hoping to bless Rosten in our new ward the first weekend in August. I don't have any pictures of our home right now, but as soon as I get some I'll post them. It's located in South Ogden, so it will be a little farther for both of us to travel, but I'll be done with school soon. I'm hoping that starting in January, I'll be able to just do my internship in Ogden and maybe find a job in Ogden so I don't have to drive to Salt Lake everyday. We'll see what happens. Ryan will continue to commute to his job in Salt Lake, and for this semester he'll go to SLCC this sememster, then hopefully he'll be able to transfer to Weber State University to finish up his degree. We have a lot of big plans...we'll see where is all turns up. That's all for now. I'll post more recent pictures of Rosten soon.

Rosten Parker Wood

2009-05-30T08:53:00.000-07:00

Introducing Rosten Parker Wood... He was born on Thursday, May 21st at 10:34pm. He weighed 7 lbs. 11 oz. and was 20.5 inches long. He is the sweetest and cutest little boy ever and we love him so much. We're so happy to have this perfect little addition to our family. The pictures here are not in order (couldn't figure that out) but you'll see how cute he is and is still becoming each day.

Hadlee, Ely, Mackray, Rosten, and Kache...His cousins

from my side of the family (notice all boys)

My doctor with Rosten

My older brother Jared came down to meet little Rosten with

his family. His youngest, Ely, couldn't wait to meet his

new baby cousin, Rosten.

Ryan and Rosten relaxing in the rocker. Ryan is the

best daddy. He is so in love with his son. I'm so

lucky to have such a sweet husband and baby.

Our friends have this tradition, and we copied it...Ryan went to the

store on the day we left the hospital and picked out Rostens'

going home outfit. Isn't he a cutie!

Being a mommy is the greatest job/calling ever. This is the only

time in the hospital we were alone and I could really just

talk to Rosten and hold him and love him.

We got Rosten dressed in his own clothes at the

hospital because he was so cold and we wanted to

see how cute he was in his own clothes. Love him!

Daddy and his boy...this was after he told me he didn't want

to hold him because he was scared of how small Rosten was.

Our little family (sorry I'm half naked and scary looking, this is

literally about fifteen or twenty minutes after he was born)

Right after he came out. Ryan and I were both crying.

I don't think either Ryan or I have felt the spirit so strong in

either of our lives. What a blessing this little guy is and will

be for us!

Thank you to all of you that gave me so much advice and support leading up to the birth of our son. You were all right, it was all worth it!

We Now Have Hope

2009-05-15T19:56:00.000-07:00

We went to the doctor today for our weekly checkup, and left with hope. FINALLY!! First it was good because Ryan actually got to go with me. That was a nice change. Usually he has to work but since he switched schedules he was able to go. He heard our little guys' heartbeat for the first time since February. It was fun, and having him there helped me keep my spirits up, which I neede djust in case.

When the doctor walked in first thing he said is, I can't believe you're smiling...that's a good thing. It was pretty funny. Apparently it's not a common thing when you miss your due date. Then the checking and measuring began. We heard the little heart beat. It sounded good and strong, then they measured me. I lost a cm since last week, good news I guess because it means I've dropped. So now the good news....okay not really but it's funny.

As we were walking in I told Ryan since the last two weeks I had been dialated to a 1 or a 2, this week I would be a strong 2 just because I knew that would be how it was. Well that's exactly what he said, I'm dialated to a strong 2 and effaced to 70%. There was very little change, but it is some change, then we made a plan. The doctor gave me the choie to either be started on May 21st or May 26th. I chose the 21st obviously. He said there is still a good chance I'll have the baby before then, but in the case that I don't, I will be started, likely in the morning of the 21st. He called me this afternoon and said everything is set up and I'm a high priority for that day, so I should be in there early and get started.

I know that I've complained about being pregnant so long, but I'm hoping and praying that I will start natually. I have decided that I don't want an epidural unless I absolutely need one, and I know getting induced will cause it to be a lot more painful by forcing the contractions to come. I still want to do it naturally, but getting started may change that. Anyway, we at least now have an official end date. I'm so excited to finally be a mommy.

A girl I work with had her baby on Monday, and I was able to see the little girl on Wednesday. What a sweet, sweet little girl. It kind of made me nervous to think that Ryan and I are going to have something that small to take care of. It's kind of crazy, but so exciting. We've been waiting and preparing for the last 8 months or so since we found out we were going to be parents, and finally it has come. We are so excited. I can't wait to see my sweet husband as a daddy. As much as he loves me and takes care of me, I can't even begin to imagine what a good daddy he'll be. I am so lucky to have him in my life and have him be the father of my children and be my eternal companion. I think my Heavenly Father every day for giving me Ryan. When I was on my mission, one of the things someone said at the MTC was the harder you work on your mission, the better the spouse you will have. I must have worked extra hard, because I am seriously blessed and couldn't have found anyone better. I love you honey. Thanks for being so amazing.

Thanks all of you who commented on my last post. I do realize how silly I was being, I just needed a place to vent. Thanks for allowing me to do so. I'll keep you all posted on what happens with our little guy coming in to the world.

Pregnancy Blues

2009-05-13T19:53:00.000-07:00

So someone please tell me I'm not nuts!! I am due tomorrow and I don't think I've ever been so depressed in my life. Okay, so that may be a huge over statement, but really this whole pregnancy bit is getting to me. I feel like the baby is never going to come out, and if he does it won't be until he's about 20 years old. Has anyone else ever felt this way. Please tell me you have. Yesterday I was getting ready for work like always, and I started to get upset because nothing fits because I am so huge, and nothing is comfortable because I'm supposedly so close to giving birth. After this the breakdown began. I just laid on the bed whining to Ryan about wanting the baby out. Finally, after I was already an hour late for work I decided to head out. Then the waterworks began. I called my mom, who can't stand to hear me cry, and just cried to her that the baby was never going to come, that I just couldn't be pregnant anymore, etc. I know I'm pathetic. So I pull into work, and decided I better not go because I had been sobbing and just didn't want to deal with people, so I called my boss and started sobbing; luckily, she has been pregnant and was so understanding and just told me to take care of myself and the baby and not to worry about work. I then came home and laid around all day just hoping that the baby would come. It's a day later and he's still not here, but I feel a little better. I still don't think he'll ever come, but at least I'm not a basketcase anymore. I think writing about it helps, so thanks for anyone that reads this. Now I'm realizing how silly I'm being. One of my good friends reminded me of all the hormones running through my body, which was also another good reminder that one day I may return to normal....maybe. So everyone, please pray that this kid doesn't wait to come out until he's 20. I've never had a baby, but I think that just might kill me. Hopefully it will be very soon that he does make his debut, until then, I'm sure that these crazy episodes will continue, but next time I will spare you all the details.

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T09:27:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day Momma! I love you!

Here are a few pictures of my momma....

Getting a kiss from a dolphin in Honduras.

On our way home from Texas and a cruise.

On the way to one of our adventures on the cruise.

With my grandma Sullivan, another very important

woman in my life. Love you Grandma!

Mom, I hope you have the best Mother's Day Ever!!

Happy Mother's Day to all of you other mom's out there as well.

2009-05-09T07:21:00.000-07:00

So this is me about two weeks ago at 37 weeks. I've grown about ten inches since then, okay, only about 4 cm, but it feels like ten inches. This picture was taken at my baby shower up in Idaho with my family. It was so much fun, and as always, my family was overly generous. Thanks to all of you, and all of my friends at the baby shower in Utah for all of your gifts and support. We are now officially ready for the baby if he would just get here. I am now 39 weeks and 3 days now and we're just waiting. I went to the doctor yesterday and he said his best guess in with in a week or so, but we'll see. I'm completely convinced that he's never going to get out, but when he's ready he'll come.

All else is when with us. Ryan got switched back to the sing shift which is sad for us but it will all work out. We were hoping he could switch back in July after my maternity leave, then when I go back to work he would watch our little boy in the morning and I would watch him in the afternoons. It was a little sooner than we thought but that's okay, we'll make it all work. Ryan is still loving his job, and keeping busy with is. I just finished the semester and only have a year left until I graduate. I met with my counselor on Thursday and we filled out my graduation packet and had it signed, now it just needs turned in. I'm so happy to be almost done. What an amazing feeling.

That's about all that's going on in our lives. Hope all you Moms have a Happy Mother's Day! Hopefully I'll be a mom by Mother's Day too.

Only a month Left!

2009-04-12T08:44:00.000-07:00

Only a month left and our little boy is due!! (This picture was actually taken in February, so I've grown a lot since then, but it's a start. I had to have my sister email it to me because Ryan and I forget, and I don't like pictures.) I can hardly believe how fast the time has gone, but at the same time how slow it is going. Isn't it funny when we look back at something how fast it seems to have gone, but when we're in the moment and looking forward, it seems like forever. I've never experienced it quite like this before. I've been thinking back to when we first found out we were pregnant, I was 5 weeks along, and I remember thinking, I can't believe I have 35 weeks left. Now I think about it and think I can't believe I only have a month left. It's crazy!

Ryan is getting so excited to be a daddy. He'll be so cute with out little boy. I've been having a lot of contractions, which puts him into panic mode, so he put together our playpen, stroller, and bassinet. It's all so cute. He's also making me pack my hospital bag to keep in the care and he had me pack the diaper bag as well. I think he's a little excited. I love it. I really did marry the best man ever. I've more and more convinced every day.

Thus far, I've been pretty lucky with the pregnancy, and I assume it will continue on that way. I have my days where all I do is cry and complain because I am so uncomfortable or fat, but for the most part it's not so bad. I'm still running on the treadmill, which is pretty nice. I think the biggest complaint I have about this pregnancy business is the weight gain. Seriously, I have never eaten so healthy in my life, and I gain 4 pounds from one celery stick. Okay, big exaggeration, but I can't wait to be able to start losing the weight again. For those of you who have always known me, you know I was quite large before my mission, and I have a huge fear I'll get there again if I'm not careful. Once the baby is born I know it will be better, it's just quite discouraging right now. I think my thighs have tripled in size, which grosses me out, but what can I do. I'll just love my baby boy even more. Luckily, I have a husband who loves me no matter what and thinks I'm the most beautiful woman ever. Please someone tell me I'll be able to get back to normal after our baby is born.

Well, that's as much of an update as I can give right now. I really can't think of anything else. We hope everyone has a great Easter, and remembers the great gift that our Savior gave to us. Love to you all!

What I've done

2009-04-05T07:04:00.000-07:00

I saw this on a blog and thought it might be fun! To participate, just copy and paste in your own blog, and bold all of the things you have done.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Ran a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby (having a baby in a month)
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Seen Mount Rushmore in person
101. Learned to play an instrument

Updates

2009-02-25T05:24:00.000-08:00

YIPEE!!! I finally reached the third trimester (according to all the reading I'm doing). I didn't think I would ever get here. Time went so fast in the first part of the pregnancy, but now it just seems to drag, maybe because my due date has changed by two weeks, so I'm living some weeks over again. I still think the baby is due on May 14th though. We'll see who's right, me or the ultrasound. Hopefully I am! I am so ready to get this little guy out of me and have him here to watch and play with. I am so excited about being a mom. It's weird. I never thought I would get this excited, but I am. He's a sweet little boy.

Not much is happening in our lives. We hope everyone had a great Valentine's Day. Ryan spoiled me as always. We decided that we don't like Valentine's Day on February 14th because everything is marked up for the holiday, so we were going to celebrate in the summer or some other time when there's nothing going on. Well to my surprise, when I got home from work on the 13th, I walked in the house and it was lit up by candles, and he had made us a candlelit dinner, with roses and a teddy bear. It was so much fun. I'm so lucky. I was completely surprised, especially since he usually can't keep things from me. We just sat and ate dinner then cuddled on the couch, well as much as we can without me feeling crunched because of the belly. I'm still in the process of working on his gift. I'm always behind on the holidays; I'm so bad, but when I get it done I'll post pictures or explain.

Last weekend we were able to go up to Idaho to visit my family, and it was my sister's bridal shower. It was such a fun weekend. While we had the shower, Ryan went out with Hal, my stepdad to feed the neighbors elk. He looked so cute. He had hay all over him and he was in chaps and a levi jacket. I just love that man. He's ready and willing to try and do anything. He's never been around a ranch or a farm, but he's so interested in what goes on.

I am faced with a really difficult decision. I have been working in my job for about 3 months, and my boss just gave her notice. She's going to work at another facility and offered me a position to go with her. The pay is better and it's close to home, the big problem is now I'll have to go part time. We have really enjoyed being able to save so much money since I'vebeen working full-time. The job with my boss would go full-time, she's thinking in about two months, a month before our baby is due, and that's still no guarantee that it will be full time at that point. After I have the baby, I'm going back to work, so I think going with her and only being 2 miles from my home would be great, that way I'm close to my baby, no matter what. On the other hand, I have a history with the place I work now, and I'm always guaranteed full-time, but I don't know who my new boss will be and how they'll feel about me going on maternity leave, my school schedule, and all the doctors appointments that I have to go to. Ryan and I have talked and talked but we can't come to a decision. Hopefully my boss doesn't want an answer today because I'm not ready to answer. I really worry about the economy and what could happen if I were to leave my job now that's full-time. Any advice?

Happy February everyone. I can't believe it's going to be over this weekend. Maybe time is going fast.

My Love and I

2009-01-24T16:24:00.000-08:00

My sister tagged me to do this about Ryan. Now all of you can learn why I love him so much!

1. Where did you meet your husband?

It's a funny story really. We met through mutal friends. I was roommates with Kirsten and she was dating Damon. Ryan and Damon were roommates and had been mission companions. One day I after telling Damon and Kirsten I was done with dating for a while, they had Ryan come over and we met. I thought he was cute and interesting and later he told me he thought I was beautiful. Well Kirsten and Damon set it up so we went on a double date with them to a U of U football game and the rest is history. We are so grateful that Kirsten and Damon helped us. Otherwise we would have taken a little longer to find each other.

2. How long did you date before you got married?

Our wedding date was exactly 3 months after our first date. I guess you know when you know ;)

3. How long have you been married?

We've been married 1 year, almost 13 months.

4. What does he do that surprises you?

He puts up with what I put him through, especially with my hormonal mood swings since I've been pregnant. He also surprises me with flowers and always no matter what makes sure I know he loves me.

5. What is your favorite feature of his?

He's pretty hot if you ask me. I love the way he looks at me, so I guess my favorite would be his eyes. He does have a nice bum though :)

6. What is his best quality?

His desire to take care of me and our family. He works so hard to provide for us and make sure that we have what we need. Also, the way he makes me feel so beautiful and like I'm the only woman in the world.

7. Does he have a nickname for you?

Sweetheart...My Love

8. What is his favorite food?

When we got married he said he had no favorite food, now he tells me it's anything that I fix. As of late he loves the Chicken Cordon Bleu I made recently.

9. What is his favorite sport?

Rugby

10. When and where did you first kiss?

At my house...he just laid one on me. It was cute because he was so nervous.

11. What is your favorite thing to do as a couple?

We love to play Mario and compete to see who gets farther (he lets me win though) Also, we love going to the temple together.

12. Do you have any children?

We have a son that's still growing in my belly. He'll be out in May.

13. Does he have any hidden talents?

He can wiggle his ears like Alfalfa on Little Rascals.

14. How old is he?

15. Who said I love you first?

He did. I knew I loved him I just was scared to say it.

16. What is his favorite music?

He likes most stuff. He opened my eyes to Bob Marley and I love him for that.

17. What do you admire most about him?

His kindness to people that walk all over him and that always have and his patience. He always strives to be better and he honors his Priesthood.

18. What is his favorite color?

Blue

19. Will he read this?

Eventually. I think he'll read it at work when he's bored sometime.

20. I tag Candace, Molly, Cortney, and anyone else that wants to do it.

Finally an update!

2009-01-24T14:58:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I posted on here. Let's just say life has gotten very busy with my new job and school starting again. Since the last post we found out we're having a cute little boy. He has grown so much since the last ultrasound we had. We were so excited when we saw him. He's an active little boy. He loves to step on his mom's bladder and make me really uncomfortable. Oh the joys of pregnancy. I do love to feel him more though. It's one of my favorite things. One day at work, he started spinning circles in my belly. It was so weird. I tried to describe the feeling to Ryan but I just couldn't think of the best thing to explain. It was like I was getting sick to my stomach and dizzy but all in by belly. He is a lot of fun though. The other day Ryan sang him "Families Can Be Together Forever." It was so cute. I have the best husband. He's so excited to have a son. We've been buying clothes for him off and on since we found out. What we're really excited to get is the crib and car seat and fun things like that. We've found a lot of stuff we like, so one of these days we'll do out and actually buy some of those things. We've picked a few names but I'm not sure what we'll go with. My favorite is Rosten Parker. Ryan's favorite is Corven (we haven't picked out a middle name for that name yet). We really don't want to pick anything until he is born. We'll see him and know, at least we hope.

Just yesterday Ryan got a call that he'll be working the 7-3 shift at his job. We're so excited; we'll actually be able to see each other. Between me going to work in the morning at 7:30 then going to school and him going to work until 11 at night, we really just see each other in passing. We're so happy we'll be able to be a normal couple for a few months and be able to go on dates and go to bed together at night.

We had a great Christmas. It was a lot of fun to just be together. We were supposed to go up to Idaho, but due to bad weather we couldn't go so we were able to spend the four days we had off after Christmas together. On the last day off we celebrated our first anniversary. It's amazing how long it's been. I truly believe we met before we both came to this earth and fell in love and now we're together again. I can't even express how grateful I am for such a wonderful husband. I'm so excited to spend the rest of forever with him and especially raise a family with him.

We hope all of you are doing well and that you're all safe.

Thanksgiving Meal

2008-12-01T13:41:00.000-08:00

We had quite the feast for Thanksgiving. It was so much fun. Can you see all of this food!!! It was just for the two of us; three if you count the baby. I'll give you a run down of all the food. We had a giant turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, creamed corn, stuffing, candied yams, homemade rollsm pistachio pudding, cranberries, pretzel salad, and deviled eggs. I started cooking the turkey at 7:30 in the morning and we were eating by noon. It was wonderful. Sadly as excited as I was to eat, I couln't eat a lot of food. About four bites into my big plate of food, I was full. I guess the baby was sitting on my stomach so I couldn't eat as much. It really is a good thing though. I feel like I'm turing into a big blimp so the less I eat the better. So about this dinner. This is the first Thanksgiving dinner I cooked by myself. Last year Missy was with us and she helped me, but this year it was all me. I was so proud when I got done because of what I had done. It sounds dumb, but I felt all grown up after finishing it. I guess I'll be prepared when our little family grows. Now that Thanksgiving is a few days in the past, we're still working on the about ten pounds of turkey we have leftover. We got the turkey for $8 after buying all the other stuff we needed for the meal, so how could we pass it up even if it was gigantic. Since Thanksgiving I've made turkey roll-ups and a turkey casserole. So for any of you needing to get rid of turkey, this recipe is amazing. It's for the turkey roll-ups.

1 roll of cressant rolls (the kind by the butter at walmart..pillbury maybe)

leftover turkey, stuffing, cranberries, and turkey gravy

about 1/2-3/4 cup of cheese

-connect 2 cressant rolls together in a rectangle.

-put a little bit of turkey, a little stuffing, a spoonful of cranberries and about a TBSP of cheese on one side then seal the edges. I baked it at about 350 for 20 minutes. Just watch the dough to see when it's golden brown. Take it out and put turkey gravy on top. It's so good. I don't like the buttery cressant rolls, but if you like that, go for it.

Also, with the leftover mashed potatoes, I combined them with any leftover stuffing and a little oregano and parsley and made patties out of it and cooked them. Serve them also with gravy on top.

This was a really nice, easy meal that got rid of a lot of leftovers. Something a little different and a lot of fun. I usually go crazy with leftovers or any type of food. Ryan is lucky I like the traditional Thanksgiving otherwise he would have got one of my many creations.

The baby is doing well. I think I may have felt it for the first time on Sunday. It was a really weird feeling, so I was pretty excited. I'm starting to show a very little. We were going to take a picture, but forgot so soon I'll have some of my growing belly coming soon. Hope everyone had a great holiday weekend and had a blast shopping.

It's a GREAT day!

2008-11-26T17:56:00.001-08:00

It has been such an amazing day for us!! We went to the doctor this morning and we heard our baby's heartbeat for the first time. I almost cried! I've been so nervous because I'm not showing and I don't feel anything, so hearing the beat was such a relief. My baby is okay. The little sweetheart seems to be growing great, and we scheduled our ultrasound for next month. In about four weeks I'll be able to tell you all what we're having. I'm like a littl kid waiting to see what Santa Clause brought me on Christmas morning. I think this is so much better. I'm so grateful to be entrusted with one of God's children. What a blessing it is!!

Next great thing...I got a new job!! It's at my old work, but it will be a lot easier the bigger I get, and they're very understanding. I went in to visit old friends from before and was convinced to apply and I did and was hired. It will be stable income compared to my serving job and stable hours. Plus it will definitely be a pay raise. We're trying to save as much money as we can with the baby on the way, so this is such a huge blessing to us. All I can say is thank you Sid.

Also today I was able to talk to one of my favorite mission companions, Erin Barker. She's amazing. We haven't talked in over a year and haven't seen each other in almost two years. Because of this guy Sid that convinced me to apply for the job I got, I was also able to talk to Erin. I told him I must owe him a kidney now because he's been so great today. Hopefully he'll wait until after the baby is born. Again, I'm so blessed to have such great friends.

One last note, I'm so excited for Thanksgiving tomorrow. I'm cooking for just Ryan and myself and can't wait for all of the leftovers. I think leftovers are my favorite part of the whole dinner. Since I was a little girl we have always made these amazing sandwiches with the leftovers that I introduced Ryan to last year. He loves them now to. So for any of you that have never tried them, this is what you do...

Take two pieces of break and put miracle whip on them (mayo if you prefer, but I hate the stuff!)
put turkey, some stuffing, cranberries, pickles, and anything else that looks good on it and enjoy. It will be the most amazing thing you've ever had.

Anyway, I hope all of you enjoy your Thanksgiving and be safe whatever it is you're doing.

I've been tagged!!

2008-11-25T14:48:00.001-08:00

8 TV shows I like to watch...

1. The Biggest Loser
2. Law & Order: SVU
3. CSI: Miami
4. The Unit
5. The Office
6. Today Show
7. Rachel Ray
8. Days of Our Lives (I became a days junkie when I was so sick..pathetic I know)

8 Things that happened yesterday...

1. Drove home from Idaho
2. Babysat Oaklynn
3. Ate pancakes with my hubby
4. Studied for a test
5. Worked
6. Went grocery shopping
7. Washed clothes
8. Talked to Kirsten

8 Place I like to eat (no particular order)...

1. Paradise Bakery
2. Meadow Creek Lodge
3. Texas Rhodehouse
4. Sizzler
5. any of the members houses in Houston
6. My house-home cooking is the best
7. Fong's
8. Olive Garden

8 Things I'm looking forward to...

1. My baby being born
2. The big ultrasound next month
3. Spending forever with my husband
4. Being a mommy
5. Finishing school
6. A trip to New York with my hubby (someday)
7. Thanksgiving and eating turkey
8. Feeling good again

8 Things on my wishlist...

1. My baby keeps growing and stays healthy
2. Health for my whole family
3. A date with my hubby
4. To finish school even after the baby
5. Buy a house
6. Live a long, happy, and healthy life with my family around me
7. Be the best mother I can be
8. Go to the temple this week

8 People I tag...

1. Missy
2. Kellie
3. Ashley
4. Cortney
5. Kirsten
6. Jena
7. Julie
8. Megan

I'M SO THANKFUL FOR GREAT FRIENDS

2008-11-10T08:01:00.000-08:00

This picture was taken about a year ago on Ryan and my first date. Kirsten and Damon are also married now. They are the couple that introduced us.

Yesterday had to be one of my favorite Sundays ever, minus a few from the mission. Kirsten and Damon took Ryan and I to Stake Conference (luckily Kirsten told us it was Stake Conference cause we had no idea). I got to hold their baby Oaklynn and play with the little doll. She's adorable. After we got done at church, Kirsten and Damon came over for lunch/dinner with us. It was so much fun. I don't know how the lamb was that I made, but we really did have a great time. A little history on Kirsten and Damon and us. Damon and Ryan were mission companions a few years ago, then roommates after they both were off their missions when Ryan moved back from England. Kirsten and I were roommates when her and Damon started dating, then about four months later they introduced Ryan, and the rest is history. They are such great friends, and it's nice because it's not one of those forced friendships. We were all kind of friends in a different ways before any of us got married. Also, we're neighbors! After lunch, we all just kind of chatted, watched a movie, and then the height of Ryan's night, Ryan and Damon played video games. I don't usually let Ryan play when I'm around because I hate the stupid machine, but I had Kirsten and little Oaklynn here to help entertain me, so it was fun for all of us I hope. I'm so thankful for friends like Kirsten and Damon. They're the kind of friends you hope you always have. We all just kind of do our own things but at the same time we can come together occasionally and have fun. I really appreciate Kirsten and her help. She recently had Oaklynn, so it's nice to have her here to ask questions about the whole pregnancy thing. It's good for Ryan to have Damon around too. He can ask Damon any questions about being a dad. I truely believe that God puts people in our lives to help us be better and so learn from each other. I just hope that we're as good for Kirsten and Damon as they are for us.

Baby News: Everything with the baby seems to be going well. I've had a cold for a few weeks and last week was the worst. I think everything is magnified when you're pregnant because I've never complained so much in my life as I did last week. I'm now feeling a lot better. This week I start my second trimester; apparently the honeymoon stage of the pregnancy. We'll see. I'm still waiting for the reality to set in that I'm pregnant. It's hard to explain how I feel, which I'm sure those of you who have been pregnant can understand. I know I've been sick and I know I've seen the baby on the ultrasound and see the heartbeat, but I don't think it will become a reality until I really have a belly. Right now I feel like the weight gain is because I haven't been able to exercise for sometime. But happily I report that I jogged this morning. It felt so good. I don't go as far, as long or as fast as I did before but just that little was nice. As soon as you can actually tell that I'm pregnant, I'll post pictures, until then I'll just tell you all about it.

We saw our Baby

2008-11-01T18:23:00.000-07:00

We went to the doctor again this week, hoping to hear the heartbeat of this little rascal inside of me, but no such luck. As I began to panic, my doctor said she would give me an ultrasound just to make sure everything was okay, and here it is. If you look close at the black spot in the middle, you'll see a little grey area, that's Baby Wood. We were able to see the heartbeat as well as the baby. It was such a relief to know the little thing is okay. I've had some cramping so I've been kind of worried about our baby, but the doc assured me everything is fine. I know they make plenty of books about pregnancy, but I've decided when women are born, they should come with a manual of life, so they can know and understand all the things that will come, especially pregnancy. I guess when I get to Heaven, I'll be talking to God about that.

Poor Ryan during this whole pregnancy, he puts up with a lot. I'm not exactly the friendliest person on earth anymore. For some reason my hormones are are driving me mad; literally. My poor husband doesn't have a clue when I might get upset or sick. Hopefully it will level off at some point so I'm not so mean. Lucky for me I have a wonderful husband, even if he feels like he's living with a grizzly bear. He takes such good care of me. I've never seen anyone worry about someone like he worries about me. It's so cute. On top of being grouchy, I'm exhausted. I guess that comes with all this. I've been told, my body is running at the pace of a marathon runner 24/7, that would make anyone tired. Because I'm tired I don't clean and I only cook occasionally. Someone please tell me this is normal. Or at least give Ryan some reassureance.

Enough about all that, some more exciting news in our lives, I've decided to start scrapbooking. This was a sudden decision today, so Ryan and I went out on an adventure to find all the fun stuff we could for me to scrapbook. We had a lot of fun. HobbyLobby is an amazing place to catch sales. We got a whole lot of stuff for a little price. Now I just have to start. I think I'm going to start with our wedding and how we met. We were really good at taking pictures at the beginning and not so much anymore. I admire all of you that take pictures of everything. That really is the way to do it.

One last note, it's election day on Tuesday night. Everyone get out and vote. Make your voice heard, no matter who you're voting for, your opinion matters. We're having an election night party. Pizza, drinks and watching the election results coming in. Exciting I know, but I love it and so does Ryan. I guess we were made for each other.

I really am pregnant.

2008-10-11T19:33:00.000-07:00

Last Friday I finally went to the doctor. That was a blast. Talk about feeling violated, but I've always been a very private and modest person, but I've been told that's going to change quickly with the pregnancy. The doctor gave me my official due date. Drum roll please.........May 14, 2009. I can't believe that somewhere around that date I'm going to be a parent. I'm still trying ot figure out how to take care of myself and a husband (ok honestly, Ryan takes care of me) and now a baby. I'm so excited, but so nervous. Anyway, back to the doctor. Any of you that have been pregnant know that you have to pee in a cup. Well from this they called me on Monday and told me that I had a UTI. Fun, huh. Well this is where the part comes that I know I'm pregnant. I ask the lady on the other line if the checked to see if I was really pregnant because I just couldn't believe it. There was a long silence, and then I said well I took four pregnancy tests and they were all positive but I'm still just not sure. This is the response I got, "Honey, if four pregnancy tests say you're pregnant, then you're pregnant."
Next I've finally experienced morning sickness. I make it sound like I wanted it, but I guess I had thought since I hadn't had it yet I wouldn't, boy was I wrong! I missed all of my classes and all of my work this week because of being sick. I'm happy to report I think I'm finally free. It's liberating to know that I can walk around and kiss my husband without turning green. I talked to my mom today and she was overjoyed that she could finally talk to me without me saying I had to go cause I was sick. I'm so thankful for friends and my mom for all of the ideas of getting the sickness to go way.
I have nothing more to report about the baby. From the website that emails me, it is the size of a grape. That's exciting. It's hard to believe that in just seven or eight months it will be a little bundle of joy. We're very excited to have whatever it may be.

Exciting News!!

2008-09-23T19:07:00.000-07:00

Well for those of you that read this, which I'm sure there aren't many...we just wanted to let you in on some exciting news. We're expecting. We just found out this past week. I think that I'm about six or seven weeks along, so the baby will be born in May sometime. We're very excited. This was an unexpected surprise, but with talk with friends I thought we should check if we were pregnant and we are. Ryan is hoping for a girl (along with everyone in my family) and I'm hoping for a boy, but really we just want a healthy baby. I can't believe we're going to be parents. The original plan was to wait until I finished school, but God has other plans for us. It's such a blessing to know he is trusting us to raise one of his children. I still haven't felt too much sickness. I hear that it may be coming soon. Maybe I'll be one of the lucky 1/4 of women that don't have morning sickness. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. It's going to be a very exciting 8 months. My mom is thrilled. I told her before we told anyone else, and believe me she had a hard time keeping a secret. Now we're just going to tell everyone. The original plan was to wait 5 months to tell anyone, but I have a classmate that is 4 1/2 months pregnant and she is showing a lot, so how can we hide it. Anyway, that's our great news. We're now off and running in our new experience of swollen ankles, big bellies, morning sickness, and whatever else comes on the journey to our baby.

Another new beginning!

2008-09-20T07:04:00.001-07:00

Our exciting news for the week is that we moved...again. This is the third move for us since we got married 9 months ago. We decided that this was the best for us and it needed to be done, so here we are. It's a cute two bedroom apartment in North Salt Lake. We love it. The biggest challege of moving has been only having one car. Last month, Ryan decided to sell his car, so now we're just down to the new one. It's been fun getting around on the bus and trax for both of us (Thank goodness for public transportation!!). Though both of our schools we get free passes for the bus so we're pretty lucky. I guess since they already charged an arm and a leg for the tuition, it's only right that they give us something back, besides a higher education. Anyway, we're still unpacking, which has turned into a really long process. I've never been very organized, so unpacking is not a strong point for me. I would much rather just throw everything in a corner and find it when I need it, but this is where Ryan and I differ. I have come to the realization that he is a neat freak. Oh well, it's all in our best interest I suppose. So wish me luck as I finish unpacking the last room. Only one left, and I'm done!! I can't wait.

Good Times

2008-09-09T20:47:00.000-07:00

In several of my classes today, we were reminded to keep good relationships with classmates, so that in the future we can refer back to these people to help our clients. I'm studying Social worker, and believe it or not, networking as a social worker is just as important as any other career. One of my professors even said that if you don't get involved in the politics in social work, you're not a good social worker. Interesting....Anyway, one of the activities we did in my last class was to take a problem that one of us had then we had to work through it. Well, we all agreed on one problem that was common between us, losing weight/being healthy. I told the other four girls I want to lose 20 pounds and of course it was echoed by a few others. As we discussed this we decided that the biggest change was to be mental. One of the other girls, who really is amazing and will be a great social worker, shared with us that she had an eating disorder. She had received the help needed, but shared with us she was cured but that it would always be there. How interesting! I had no idea. Anyway, as we discussed this I said something about what I had eaten during the day, and she told me not to feel guilty what I had eaten. She really helped me see that i need to focus on the positives rather than feeling guilty for something I had eaten. What she said really struck me. After much discussion between the five of us, I decided that I will just be healthier. I feel much better when I do eat healthy, so why not try it and make an honest effort. I don't want to be watching myself on how much I lose, but how good I feel. The reason I write about this experience, is because it's relationships like these that I'm going to be able to form over the next few years. I know they will help me become a better person as I prepare to help other people as a profession. I'm grateful for these types of friendships that really help me to be better.

Other good times for the week....We visited Kirsten and Damon and baby Oaklynn on Sunday. What a great experience. We haven't seen them since a while before we were married, and have hardly talked to them. It was such a wonderful thing to see them. It was if we picked up where we left off, just a little catching up to do. Oaklynn is a beautiful baby.. I'm so happy for them. They have a nice little family. I have to admit, seeing them with their baby, made me want to start my own family, but for now we'll just enjoy all the babies that our friends are having.

A little about me

2008-07-29T08:19:00.000-07:00

Copy/paste the questions ( before the colons) and replace the answers with the first thing that comes to mind.Ready?!?!.....GO!

i am: so happy I'm almost done with the semester
i think: way too much
i know: I am loved
i want: to travel the world
i have: a final in a few hours I haven't studied for
i wish: we could leave for Hawaii today
i hate: rude people
i miss: my mission
i fear: not ever finishing school
i feel: tired and stressed
i hear: the dryer
i smell: air
i crave: watermelon
i search: for great deals for travel
i wonder: when it will happen for us
i regret: nothing
i love: Ryan
i care: helping people
i always: procrastinate
i am not: ready for my finals this week
i believe: in God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost.
i dance: around the house with Ryan
i sing: just to make Ryan giggle
i don’t always: eat healthy, but doing a lot better
i write: a lot of papers for school
i lose: everything and anything
i never: will give up on my dream
i listen: to music and sing along
i can usually be found: in front of my computer typing a paper for school
i am scared: SPIDERS!!
i need: to go to the temple
i am happy about: my life!!

Maybe I'll have Ryan do one too.

Our First Post

2008-07-09T22:39:00.000-07:00

WELCOME TO YOUR FIRST DAY IN THE LIFE OF A WOOD!! So I was never the type to do blogging, I'm not even sure what it's all about, but what better way for Ryan and I to keep a journal of what's going on. The big news for today....IT'S MY 24TH BIRTHDAY!!! WOOHOO!! How did I get so old? Okay for you all that are out there, that are older than me, you understand, how did the time pass so quickly? My mom came down yesterday to spend a few days with us and celebrate my birthday. Really I have the best mom, and I'm so thankful for all the prayers and Heavenly Father for keeping her here with us. She's our family miracle! So about us. Well...we've been married a little over 6 months now. My goodness how time flies. We're very,very happy. We often talk about how we must have known each other before this life and promised to find each other. It was really by chance that we met, but boy are we happy that we did. I'm a student at the University of Utah, studying social work. I'm starting the program in August. After I finish in 2 years I want to get a degree in nursing, followed by a Masters degree in Social Work or Nursing. We'll see which I love the most at that point. My life long goal has been to work with people with AIDS in Africa, so I figure with both, I'll be able to counsel and treat. I am about to start a new job, serving at Red Robin. I'm pretty excited. It should be a lot of fun. I'm still kind of working at my old job at a nursing home, where I did central supplies. Ryan is working full-time at the LDS Church as a security guard. Talk about the dream he dreamed of as a little kid. His mom told me that he always said he wanted to guard the Prophet. With this job, he can work his way to that point, if he still wants to. Yeah for Ryan for going for a dream. I'm so proud of him. To get the job, he had to take an intense four week course, and he passed with flying colors. Also, Ryan is a student at LDS Business College. Right now he's working on his Associates degree in Business. Too bad that degree from England didn't transfer. Oh well, we're loving life together and the stuggles that come along with being newlyweds and going to school and working and running around like crazy. Well....I guess that's all for now. Cuai.