Bus driver, Move that Bus!

It gives me great pleasure to announce the completion of our kitchen. I can't even begin to describe the joy I feel every time I turn the water on in the sink (for the last 5 weeks we've been using the bathroom) or when I turn the dishwasher on to do a load of dishes. The first load of dishes, Steve and I stood in the kitchen to watch. It was the first time in a year that we didn't have to hand wash a dish. I have to admit, a tear did escape my eye and roll gently down my cheek. We love everything about our new kitchen. New cabinets, new appliances, new tile, new lighting and a new paint job. It's just so magical. Below are some pictures of the finished product so that we all might bask in the miracle of the kitchen. Drum roll please...


OUR NEW DISHWASHER!!!! Isn't it the most wonderful thing you've ever seen?


Our new stainless steel sink (I've got goose bumps)


New stove and over the stove microwave


The breath taking view into the kitchen (notice the new tile, and the new curtains and the beautiful clock on the wall)


No more fluorescent lighting. Instead the very stylish track lighting.

It's the Holiday Season

As this is the first Christmas for Steve and I (and Mikayla) as a family, and we are in a house right now, we decided to pull out all the stops for Christmas. In November Steve put lights on the house outside, and we decided to get a real tree.



I grew up with real trees, but this was the first one for Steve. I think we did a pretty good job picking out the right one for our little home. The best part about the home though, has to be the fireplace. It's so much fun to build a fire on a snowy night and have all the Christmas lights on.



Little Mikayla already loves her little stocking. It's weird, whenever I stand in front of the stocking, she begins to tap on my stomach in morse code. I've only figured out the beginning part of the message. It says, "Tell Santa I want..." I hope she finishes the message before Christmas. Only 16 shopping days left. I'm not ready

Handy Work

We have been busy remodeling the kitchen these past 19 days and it's been quite the adventure. You can tell in the picture how exhausting it must have been to destroy the kitchen in one swoop. Unfortunately I wasn't able to help much, which can be frustrating at times. We now have the tile in, and the walls ready to paint. Dad and Cameron have been spending a lot of time down here, getting things put back together as quickly as possible. They've been a real big help, and we appreciate it. It's going to be one fancy dancy kitchen when it's all done. I just know it. When the cabinets are in, I will post more pictures.

Introducing...

Well, after the longest 20 weeks of my life, we finally know what we are having. We are having a girl!!!! That's right, a brand new spanking girl. Isn't she the cutest? I think she looks like Steve. Tom, the ultrasound guy, was the best, as everyone said he would be. He did play with us though, during the entire ultrasound, first acting like it was a boy, then a girl. Finally in the end, he let us know that he saw the three white lines indicating a girl! He put the due date as March 31, with the possibility of having her on April 1. I could totally see her coming on April Fool's, couldn't you all? What a trickster. Like mother, like daughter. So fun.

Ultrasound Appointment/Controversy

Yesterday I had my 18 week appointment and Steve and I were hoping that by some small miracle we would be able to get in for an ultrasound (it was Steve's birthday). But alas, it was not to be. "Tom" THE ultrasound guy wasn't in, so we had to make an appointment for the 14th of November. You can see in the picture it is at 4:00pm and with the one and only Tom. I can't wait to meet this infamous ultrasoundist. He is the best in the business, you know.
Halloween went off today without too many complications or difficulties. Sort of. I may end up on TV or in court for a controversial situation, but other than that, not bad. I absentmindedly threw together a costume, which I thought would be harmless and maybe a little funny. I had a black skirt, a black shirt and carelessly concluded that a nun would be a great idea. Apparently, I offended a catholic parent at the school and they called the District to complain. Oops. I guess what they say is true. Timing is everything. Now was not the time to be a nun.
Well, I want to say a word to my fans out there who are faithful to reading my blogs. I want to say thank you for always checking on my site, and that I'm sorry for not always giving the people what they want. I now promise to be better at maintaining my blogs. It's my Handy promise. (But don't count on anything really soon)

New Crib

We finally put together our crib, isn't it cute? We got it at Shopko, on sale, and we just couldn't be any happier. While Steve was putting it together, he dropped one of the pieces onto his foot, and it didn't look good. I thought it might have been broken, but after following Dr. Low's advice, I concluded that it wasn't. It was just badly bruised.
We also got our new furnace put in this last week. Dad, Cameron, and Laura came down 3 nights last week to get it installed. It works like a champ and we are very warm at night. We would like to send a huge shout out to those who helped us. We couldn't have done it without you.

The Black Death

So I've had quite the challenge this year with my class and I was at my wits end, not knowing what to do. In Social Studies we are learning about the Middle Ages and I decided to incorporate the feudal system into the classroom. Well, over the weekend, a stroke of genius (or inspiration) came to me to take care of this class once and for all. I decided to use the plague to "wipe" out the class. The kids rolled a dice four times and if they rolled a 4, they were dead. Then, anyone who was left alive, if they were caught talking to anyone who was dead, would die instantaneously. Kind of like playing pigs. Well, all I have to say is that today was a dream. I couldn't have asked for a better day. It was almost as if the children weren't there today. Calgon take me away. I just need to figure out how to keep this going until the end of school.

No more counting

As I have looked back over the last 12 1/2 weeks, I realize how tortuously slow they have gone. And I came to the conclusion that I just can't keep counting week by week. It's killing me. Time doesn't exist anymore and April will never come. I've decided to dedicate my blogs to just life and comical situations. Nothing funny happened this week, but I've determined that if nothing happens in the coming week, I will make something happen. Okay, that's it. Over and out.

Baby's Booty

The title of this blog is deceptive, so don't be scared. It is not referring to the baby's bottom, which is extremely small at this moment (imagine a lime with a bum), but rather all of the goods the baby has accumulated thus far (Pirates booty). Some of them have been graciously given as gifts from various loved ones, and others were first time purchases by two excited and anxious parents. I want to draw attention to what three of the little onsies say. One says, "Mommy's wake up call." Another says "What happens at Grandma's house, stays at Grandma's house," and finally, "Mommy's new man." I know what you are all thinking, "What if it isn't a boy?" Then we shall wait until a boy arrives. Case Closed.
So, today I received a new calling. I was called to be the second counselor in the Relief Society. The same calling I had before I got married. Crazy. Should be fun.

Lime

The baby is now the size of a lime (getting big) or the size of this cat's head with the lime on it. You take your pick. We are now up to the 11 week mark. Not bad.
So far we have had quite the eventful week. My lesson went well on Sunday, no one booed me or fell asleep so I guess that is a good sign. That night we had two couples over for dinner and we cooked chicken a la Shalane. They really liked it and asked for the receipe. Tonight we are going to go get our new temple recommends, so that should be fun. The End.

Substitute Teaching

I was asked a week ago to be a substitute teacher today for Relief Society. I will be teaching lesson 18 in the manual, which is about having a honorable, successful marriage. Should be fun, I haven't taught a lesson in a while, so I hope I don't talk to them like they are 11. BYU gave a valiant effort yesterday, but wasn't good enough. It was fun to watch the game, and little f liked it a lot too. I thought I felt him give a chest bump to me, but it could have been gas too. Either way, I like to think he was cheering his little heart out (which beats at 160 beats per minute).
Later skaters.

Plum

I had my first appointment today and we got to hear the heart beat!!! It's true what they say, the pregnancy begins to become "real" when you hear that little heart. It is real, we are having a baby!!! I am now 10 weeks and "little e" has grown into "little f" (little fetus). It's amazing how fast these little guys grow up. It just seems like a few weeks ago he was a twinkle in our eyes. His current size....a small plum.

9 1/2 weeks

I am still new to this blogging business but I hope you all like it. You will all have the opportunity and pleasure of accompanying me on my journey of pregnancy. I am currently 9 1/2 weeks. Little E (what we affectionately call our little embryo) is approximately the size of a grape (see picture at left). Is it going fast for all of you? Because its not for me. Thank you for your time in reading this. Enjoy the pictures and memories.