Time To Tell...

Yeah! We're having a baby! After everything looked good on ultrasound yesterday we held a special family home evening to tell the kids. Daisy was so excited she wanted to call everyone right that second. She grabbed the phone asking us to help her dial all her grandparents, cousins, and friends.

Top 5 Reasons I Would Complain if I Weren't So Excited:
1. My boobs are killing me.
2. I waste most of my time (asleep or awake) thinking about food.
3. I pee 643 times a day (and night.)
4. After my 2 mile run I feel as though I've tried to climb Everest.
5. I'm already getting fat.

Top 5 Reasons I Love This Stage of Pregnancy:
1. I can blame everything on the baby
a) "We're having cold cereal for dinner?"
"Sorry, I didn't feel like cooking, I'm sure you understand."
b) "You ate ALL the cheesecake?"
"Like I had a choice! The baby loves cheesecake!"
2. Ultrasound! Seeing the miracle move inside of you before you can even feel it is breathtaking.
3. I can spend hours reading What to Expect When You're Expecting and From Conception to Birth and not get bored.
4. Food tastes SOOO good!
5. Telling everyone!

I'm 12 1/2 weeks along putting the due date at May 4, which is pretty much perfect. Big and fat through the winter when I can just wear sweaters and hoodies, a brand new baby at the end of spring just in time for the warm weather and coming out of the sick season. Three's the charm, right?

Eight Things

Tag I'm it...again

Eight things I'm passionate about:
1. Jeff
2. my kids
3. the Gospel
4. food
5. the United States
6. Disney
7. journaling
8. education

Eight words or phrases I use all the time:
1. Is that a good choice?
2. You have to have one more bite.
3. I love you!
4. Daisy, stop sucking your thumb.
5. Remember the rules.
6. 'for real'
7. hurry!
8. I'm going to beat you (I know that is awful, but it's true!)

Eight things I want to do before I die:
1. Serve at least one mission
2. Run a marathon
3. Write and publish a book
4. Earn my doctorate degree
5. Make sure my kids know that my family is the very most important thing in my life.
6. (try to) Learn an Asian language (I bombed Chinese in college)
7. go white water rafting
8. before I die? Be spiritually prepared

Eight things I currently want or need:
1. A vacation with Jeff!
2. To get our basement apartment done so we are a little more settled
3. cheesecake
4. eggs (I forgot to grab them at the grocery store!)
5. fresh citrus (can you tell I like food?)
6. to pay my bills (yuck!!)
7. my windows washed
8. a hip new outfit (I am totally a frumpy mom when it comes to wardrobe.)

Eight Places I want to visit:
1. NYC
2. London
3. Rome
4. Togo
5. The Redwood Forest
6. Maine
7. Thailand
8. Costa Rica

Eight Favorite Restaurants:
1. Pizza Factory
2. In N Out Burger
3. Taco Bell (call me crazy, I love the place.)
4. Chilis
5. Olive Garden
6. Quiznos (what does it mean when half of my 'favorite restaurants' are fast food?)
7. The Bombay House
8. The Brick Oven

Eight TV show I watch:
1. I
2. Don't
3. Have
4. Television
5. and
6. haven't
7. for over
8. seven years

Eight People I tag:
1. Brandi
2. Kendra
3. Susan
4. Rachel
5. Jana
6. Mindy
7. Marissa
8. Mandi

"Our Dad is a Handsome Man"

Mandi tagged me with the 'husband tag' and even though I know Jeff will not be pleased with this, who can resist a tag? The title, by the way, is something Daisy says almost every day. I have to agree.
1. Where did you meet your husband? We met at Snow College. He moved into my apartment complex in January. He and his roommate came up to our apartment pretending to be our Home Teachers so they could get in the door and get to know us (remember Jana, Mindy, Lauren, & Christel??)
2. How long did you date before you got married? Six months to our engagement, married three months after that.
3. How long have you been married? 6 1/2 years.
4. What does he do that surprises you? Buy a horse trailer on ebay at midnight, then drive to Missouri to get it (yeah, didn't see that coming!)
5. What is your favorite feature of his? Mmmm. His butt, his hands, NOT his feet!
6. What is his best quality? Patience! He is seriously the most patient person I have ever met.
7. Does he have a nickname for you? Lover, sexy mama, sweet cheeks, the list goes on and on (haha) No real nickname.
8. What is his favorite food? Probably steak and potatoes, I guess, but the man will seriously eat anything. He is the least picky person ever when it comes to food.
9. What is his favorite sport? Football, but he's not a huge sports fan. He likes horses.
10. When and where did you first kiss? On our first date at his parents' house watching a movie.
11. What is your favorite thing to do as a couple? Be together! We like to go get an ice cream, meet for lunch, and lay in bed talking at night.
12. Do you have any children? Daisy and Levi
13. Does he have any hidden talents? He is a great driver. He can put a semi with two trailers anywhere you want him to. He doesn't get worked up in traffic, and he is totally aware of what's going on around him.
14. How old is he? 30!
15. Who said 'I love you first'? He did. I wanted to, but I was waiting for him to do it.
16. What is his favorite music? He likes pretty much anything, but his radio is always on the 'classic country' station (NOT my favorite - sorry Jana.)
17. What do you admire most about him? Oh, wow, nearly everything. I guess that's why I love him so much - because I simply want to be more like him. I admire his parenting skills, his work ethic, his sense of humor, the way he NEVER complains, and much, much more. I guess the thing I appreciate the most would be his sensitivity. He has this incredible gift to be able to put himself in someone else's shoes. This effects the way he speaks to, acts around, and treats other people, and it enables him to better serve those around him and meet their needs. Because of his sensitive empathy he is always careful to cast judgement. He is amazingly sensitive to me and my many moods. I say it's a gift because I sincerely believe that it is.
18. What is his favorite color? blue.
19. Will he read this? Yes, but not for a while.
20. Who do you tag? Brandi, Mindy, Lauren, Christel, Lindsay, Jana, and Tenille.

Apartment Sweet Apartment

I haven't lived in an apartment since my first year of college seven years ago. I must say apartment living is a little different these days now that I have a family, but it (so far) is not nearly as bad as I expected. We spent our first night here on Thursday and officially turn over the house tomorrow morning. I never in my worst nightmares imagined how incredibly difficult moving was going to be. Now I have some sympathy for all of you that have moved all over the country and back! It was entirely exhausting mentally, emotionally, and physically. I cannot comprehend what it would have been like without all the help of our friends, family members and ward members. They were right there with us every step of the way. They packed boxes, lifted and carried, kept the kids, brought in meals, cleaned, cleaned and cleaned. Through all these changes I cannot help but reflect on our abundant blessings. I thought I would feel deprived and sacrificial, but I have become so aware of what an amazing opportunity this is and how we have been helped every step of the way. Today as I listened to Conference and attempted to tackle some of the 437 boxes that are stacked floor to ceiling in the apartment, there were so many times that I felt reassurance, comfort, and motivation. I have always loved Conference, but it was such a sweet blessing for it to fall on the same weekend that we had to be out of the house. I so desperately needed the spiritual sustenance that I gain from General Conference. So now we are unpacking rather than packing and trying to get settled in. Other than that, it's life as usual: laundry, dishes, bills, etc. Normal is good.