Frogs, snails and puppy dog tails...

That's what our little boy is made of!

I know it's completely horrible that I couldn't wait 12 days...But I convinced Brandon last Wednesday afternoon that we should find out early at the mall. :) Our little guy definately was proud to show off the goods! The one thing he was shy about, showing off the profile of his face! He kept bringing his hands/arms up to his face or he would just look at us straight on, just a little frustrating! It feels so realistic now. I can't express how happy Brandon and I are! My friend Janeal just posted this quote on my facebook and I think it's perfect! I think I might try to do something cute with it in his room...We'll see if I get crafty or not. :)

"Little hands and little feet, Little toothless grins so sweet, Little eyes that shine so bright,Little arms to hug you tight - Everythings little except your joy when you have a new baby boy."

What's that?!

I know this is me probably denying things again, but earlier this week I'm pretty sure that overnight my stomach pushed out abnormally! I was talking with my co-worker (not wearing a jacket for once) and she gasped and said "Look at your stomach! You're showing!" I know that it's a good thing, but it's definately something that is harder to accept; especially when I feel like I'm still looking in the 'fat stage' and not the 'pregnant stage'.

Brandon has been telling me that I've been showing for a little while now, but I've definately been ignoring it. I do have to say that this is the first day where I really had to undo the button on my jeans cause they were just pushing into my stomach too much! Brandon has been a good sport about things, he let me go out and get a few new shirts that are quite a bit looser. They are a lot more comfortable to say the least! It is very awkward shopping for larger/maternity clothes, especially when you don't quite fit into those clothes. Sweat pants have definately become my best friend ;)

I'm sorry I don't have a 'belly' picture to put up, I'll try and have Brandon take one this weekend. I hope everyone has a fantastic Mother's Day weekend! I'll try to get on another time this weekend to do a specific Mother's Day shout out to both of our Mom's!

New Changes

Have you ever looked at your life and thought, I would really like to change this about me...Or you think about new goals/aspects that would make yourself better? I have a problem with this. Recently I have a lot more time to think about things, and a lot of the time I think about how I use my time, or how I need to change and become better.

Brandon and I have recently sat down and think about goals we would like to start, or other habits we'd like to break. We sit down and write a list down thinking the next day we're going to change. It not that hard to break a habit right? Well I've learned, I can't do that. So the other day I decided I'm going to look at one of the habits, and change.

The past few weeks Brandon and I have been able to cross one of those habits off the list that we'd like to start. I'm so proud of us, and I can honestly say it's brought us closer, and the spirit has been in our house more. I've also been less stressed, and the days have felt easier to deal with one at a time. It's nice to be able to realize that I can conquer my goals one at a time, and I don't need to be so worried about changing everything at once.

On a side note, I have started to feel the baby, at least I think I can. It is by far the weirdest feeling ever, but it's kind of neat at the same time. Our next doctors appointment is next Monday, it will just be a normal appointment where we'll hear the heart beat and ask a few questions. Then the exciting appointment will be two weeks from then :)

Also this last weekend I was able to take a few engagements of my adorable sister in law and her fiance. Here's a shot I love of them. Congrats to Lauren and Jake! I'm so excited for their wedding on July 2nd.

Five weeks

In five weeks this beautiful girl will graduate high school.

It will also be our two year anniversary. :)

So far we don't have any plans for our anniversary, we do however get to find out if our little baby is a boy or a girl! We're both very excited, and it's hard to believe it's going this fast, yet at the same time it doesn't feel like to much has changed (minus me hating food). Other than that we're doing great, life is good, hard but good. :)

TV is chewing gum for the eyes

I've been reflecting over myself the past few days...about the things I need to work on, and things I need to let go. I've realized how much tv has taken over my life...I have detached myself away from family, friends, personal goals, etc...

Recently my routine is to come home, eat lunch, turn on the tv whilst I eat lunch, (and unfortunately I hate to admit this....) stay there for hours until Brandon comes home. How unhealthy is that?! Yes, I understand it's nice to sit down and relax, to veg and not think about what I need to work on for a few minutes, maybe even a hour...but HOURS?! How can I let myself waste that time?! How did I? Obviously there are many reasons, and I shouldn't make excuses. What I need to do, is to make a change.

This morning I was reading an article on www.lds.org, it's called 'Television and Time - By Elder F. Burton Howardof the First Quorum of the Seventy.' There were quite a few points in his talk that caught my attention, but by far this paragraph hit me hard...

"Now, brothers and sisters, one of the great cries of modern man is we don’t have time to do the things we should do. We don’t do our genealogy because we don’t have time. We don’t love our neighbor because we don’t have time. And yet we spend more time watching television than any other single elective thing in this world. I don’t believe the excuse is going to hold any water with the Lord. I don’t believe that we can ever say we didn’t have time. I think all we’ll be able to say, rather lamely, is that our priorities were not the same as the Lord’s."

How profound are these words, and he wrote them in 1979!

My goals are to start reading more, to clean up throughout the week, so Saturdays aren't spent with all day cleaning. To be more aware of my family, neighbors and friends, to start attending the temple more often, etc etc. I need to set my priorities to where they are more intune with the Lords.

** Side note - There are a few shows I just can't give up. I do feel that I can watch some tv from time to time and be ok...But not what I've been doing. I'm ashamed. **

New Balance

I believe some of the best news you can read/hear is: New Balance: $0

This year when Brandon and I were writing our goals for the year we decided that we wanted to pay off as much debt as possible. With tax season around the corner I was actually quite nervous, you see last year when Brandon and I paid our taxes together for the first time we ended up owing. This year while we were starting to enter our information in it started to show us that we were owing...again.

Well thanks to prayers being answered, and for us buying a home, we were able to actually get a return this year! At first it was looking like we'd only be able to pay off one of our debts (my credit card), and then put the rest into savings. But then, on a glorious Friday afternoon after I got home from work I checked the mailbox. There was another tax form, from a mortgage company. I didn't think much of it, assuming it was a duplicate form, but opened it, checked it...double checked it with the mortgage tax form we had already received....It was different! It was able to raise our refund so we could pay off both Brandon and my credit card (and put a bit in savings)! What a blessing!

Anyway, today we received the refunds, and we urrgently paid off our credit card debt. I can't explain the happiness it brings me to know that we are a little bit closer to our goals of paying things off this year. It is such a relief to look at our account and see 'New Balance: $0', and in a way it makes me feel a bit proud to know that we were able to pay it off.

I am so grateful for our Heavenly Father. I am grateful for him answering the many prayers I plead to him throughout each day. I am grateful he is patient with me, and always there to listen whenever I need him there. I have recently realized that he will bless us with what is best for us when the time is ready. I love him, and am very grateful for our relationship and the joy he is to my life.

One of the reason's why I miss my Y.W. president!

Many years ago when I was still in Y.W.'s I had the most wonderful Y.W. President. She is full of patience, love, kindness, etc etc. She has always been an amazing seamstress, and I always begged her to make me a quilt. But to my sadness, she would not make one for me. However when I was around 16 or 17, she said she would help make a quilt. I decided I'd make a star quilt, so I purchased all the fabric, washed and cut it all and started to make the pieces. Winnifred helped me with every step along the way, including having me piece together about 5 squares.

Well I moved to Arizona, and the quilt pieces picked up dust in Winnifreds corner...About a year later I moved back and decided I needed to work on it again...Well I had forgotten how long it took to do one piece (have I mentioned I'm not very patient?). So I made another block, and then got busy again. Shortly thereafter I met Brandon and definately ran out of time for the quilt. We got engaged, and married a few months later. I was really hoping she'd be able to come to our sealing in May, but she was going to go work on the Panama temple that weekend. But she had a surprise for me. Winnifred had slowly been working on the pieces and had been finishing blocks for me!

About a year or so later, it's done! Look how beautiful it turned out!

So the point? Thank you Winnifred so much for sharing your talents with me! I promise the next time I do a quilt it will be more simple, and I'll finish it!