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!

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

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

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

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?

23

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!

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

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.