Me and Lindsay Sue

When I was in 5th grade, I sat next to a quiet girl named Lindsay.  I don't remember how or when we became best friends, but we started eating lunch together every day and having sleepovers and playing with each other every spare moment we had.  Half way through 5th grade, my family moved from Highland to Layton.  But Lindsay and I stayed friends, continuing the phone calls and the sleepovers and tons of letters (we still used snail mail then...).  

The summer before my junior year of high school, my family moved to Alpine, which meant that I would be going to the same high school as Lindsay.  We were pretty excited about going to the same school again, but it turns out that while we were really good friends when we didn't live by each other, we had different types of friends in high school.  To be honest, we didn't really talk too much during high school and we sort of lost track of each other afterwards.  

I did get a wedding invitation from Lindsay about a year and a half after high school graduation and I went to the reception.  We promised to get together but those promises were not fulfilled until this last Saturday when Lindsay and I finally got together for lunch.  It was so much fun and it felt like we had never stopped being friends.  Truthfully, I don't think we ever really did.  I think the measure of a true and long lasting friendship is if you can go a long time without seeing or talking to someone, but the minute you see them, it is like you were never apart.  I have a few friends like that and Lindsay is one of them.

After trying to decide where to go for lunch, we got lost in talking and catching up and didn't leave her house for another hour.  We had decided on Zupa's and Lindsay and I are both pregnant (she is 3 weeks behind me and also having a girl!) so we wanted to eat somewhere relatively healthy.  We stayed at Zupa's for another hour at least doing more talking and catching up.  (Funny story: Lindsay ordered her food first and she ordered the exact same thing that I was going to order!  We hadn't even talked about it beforehand either!)

Then we drove over to Ross and shopped for maternity clothes together and ended up buying a few things for our expanding bellies.  (Can I just say that is it SO nice to have a few pieces of clothing that really fit me without being stretched out?)  Afterwards, we drove back over to her house so I could drop her off and I could meet her husband who I hadn't met since the reception.  He was super nice. 

Before I left, he also took a couple pictures of Lindsay and me.  We joked around that this was our kids first play date of many to come and we promised to get together again soon at my house so they could see it and also so they could meet Covey.  All in all, I had a fantastic day getting together with Lindsay and I hope we can do it again soon!

25 Weeks

25 weeks

I have reached (and gone past) the 25 week mark!  I can't believe that it is already 1/2 way through October and I am almost 2/3 of the way done.  While it doesn't feel like time is going by really quickly, I do feel like it is going by at a good rate.  I'm sure I'll be singing a different tune come the beginning of the year, but for now I am happy with how things are going.

There are some really fun things that have happened in the last little while that have helped make being pregnant seem more real:

1. The baby kicks me all the time!  Mostly when I am sitting still, but other times throughout the day too.  The other day, I was sitting on my bed with my hand on my stomach and I felt a little movement right under where my hand was!  I watched for a few more seconds and she moved again and my hand moved too.  I called Covey into the room and had him watch my stomach, hoping she wasn't done kicking.  She didn't disappoint and Covey saw my stomach move too!  At first he accused me of flinching, but I told him it wasn't me.  As if to prove my point, baby girl kicked again.  Covey thought it was pretty neat that he could see her moving from the outside, and I had to agree with him. :)

2. We bought a crib and set it up.  We actually did this a few weeks ago because there was a good crib on sale at Walmart (it was a good brand too) so we just bought it.  Covey was itching to set it up, but there were a bunch of other things in the way so we had to wait until those were all cleaned up before putting it together.  We still don't have any bedding but I am hoping we'll get some when I have a baby shower.

3.  Baby clothes!  After we found out that we were having a girl, we went to the store and bought a couple of outfits for her.  They are so stinkin' cute and I can hardly wait for her to wear them, even though one of them won't even fit her until about a year from now!  I've received a few gifts here and there from family and friends and it is a lot of fun to think that what they are giving me is for a real little person who I've never even met, but is with me all the time.  (I find myself talking to her sometimes, especially in the morning when I'm trying to motivate myself to get out of bed.)

Unfortunately, there are a few things about being pregnant that I am not so happy with:

1. My clothes don't fit--either at all, or not the way they are supposed to. I am at that awkward in between stage with my clothes where I'm too small for maternity clothes and too big for all my other clothes.  People keep assuring me that I am a "cute pregnant lady" but some days I sure don't feel like it.

2. I can't sleep at night!  I literally wake up in the middle of the night (or early morning as the case may be) WIDE AWAKE, even though I am tired as can be.  Yes, yes, I know we're going back to the whole "it'll prepare you for when the baby is here", but I don't buy it.

3.  My internal temperature is all screwed up, especially at night.  My poor husband doesn't know what to think about it all.  When before, I was the one cold and needing extra blankets, now HE is the one who needs the extra blankets and it's all I can do to stay cool at night, even with the temperature turned down and a fan blowing in our room.

4. Bellybutton issues.  I never thought of myself as having an innie or an outie bellybutton but ever since about 15 weeks or so, my bellybutton has slowing been making its way outward.  I'm not such a huge fan of this.  Bellybuttons are weird to start with and having it poking out for all the world to see is kind of awkward.

I'm sure there are a few other things that could go on both of these lists, but I can't seem to remember them.  Darn that pregnancy absentmindedness!  But truthfully, I have really had a great pregnancy.  Sure, I feel sick sometimes, can't decide what to eat (even though I'm hungry all the time), can't sleep, can't fit into my clothes and my bellybutton protrudes.

BUT...

I wouldn't trade it for anything because Covey and I are having a baby girl in January!  :)

Introducing Dani and Stephen Jones!

My sister got married this last Friday!!  She and Stephen got married in the Salt Lake Temple and it was AWESOME!  It was kind of a surreal experience but so exciting. :)  After pictures, we went to the Spaghetti Factory at Trolley Square for a luncheon with immediate family.  Then we drove (as fast as traffic would allow us) to Alpine to get ready for the reception.  We made it there about 5 minutes before it was supposed to start and Dani and Stephen were behind us!  Oh well, they made it there eventually and it turned out alright since most people were running on Mormon Standard Time anyway.  ;)

The reception was beautiful!  They had it in a cultural hall but you never would have guessed it by the way things looked in there.  It was pretty awesome.  I don't have any pictures because I stopped carrying my camera around once we left the temple.  I know, I know, I should have kept it with me but honestly, it was the last thing on my mind with everything that was going on with the reception.

We were finally able to shoo the two lovebirds out of the church just after 9pm and then it was time to clean everything up.  Thankfully it all came down a lot more quickly than it went up (they spent a good 8 hours the day before setting it all up!) and then we finally got to go home.  I was SO grateful that the next day was Saturday because I had a killer headache the next day and it was nice to have a day to recoup and not think about anything wedding.

 Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Jones

Dani was pretty excited about being married ;)

Me, Chey, Dani and Sayler (niece)

Dani and Jennie

My mom and her long time friend Nancy

Mom and the bride and groom

Chey, Nancy and Steve

My step sister Brooke and her husband 

Me and Sayler

Kissy face

We are so cute

All the sisters (Desirae, Chey, me, Danielle, Jennie)

Dani and sisters

All in all, it was a good day, even though I am ridiculously happy that it is over with (as I'm sure they are too).  Getting married is great, but being married is even better and I am excited for them to start their new lives together! :)

Dani's Bachelorette Party

Last Tuesday night, I hosted my little sister's bachelorette party.  We decided to have the party at my house rather than a restaurant and I think it worked out just perfectly.  Talk about a lot of girls!  I am so glad that my living room, dining room and kitchen are so open because otherwise there is no way that everyone would have fit!  She got a lot of fun (and useful) presents to use as a married lady and she was pretty excited about them.  We played a couple games and laughed and talked and ate.  Basically the perfect girl party!

Oreo Crumb Cupcakes that I made.  Yummy-ness!

Some veggies to balance out the sweets

Me and Becky!

One of Dani's friends gave her footie pajamas!  

A few of the girls Dani works (or worked) with

Cravings, Cooking and Crazy Dreams

A common question I get asked by people is, "So, do you have any weird cravings?"  The answer to this is "No, not really."  I mean, I have certain things that sound good, like fruits and veggies, but none of those crazy concoctions you hear about pregnant women having (i.e. pickles and ice cream, dirt, mayonnaise on everything).  Every once in a while, I crave some chocolate or maybe a burger, but I craved those before I got pregnant too.

HOWEVER...

I do have the desire to cook up a storm!  (It's probably a good thing I'm not at home all day because our house would be full of more food than we could consume!)  I have a Pinterest account (yes, I'm kind of addicted) and the thing I post more than anything else are recipes!  I've tried probably 3-4 new recipes over the last few weeks, but that's only because Covey has talked me out of trying more than that (I have a much wider variety of food that I like compared to my husband so sometimes trying new recipes on Covey can be a challenge).  

Last night I was looking through the recipes I'd saved and one kept calling my name "Doughnut Muffins".  I couldn't stop myself from making them (although I did half the recipe).  I pulled out the mixing bowl and all of the ingredients needed (good thing we had it all) and got to cooking.  And oh baby, they were GOOD!  I ate 2 last night and 1 this morning.  Odds are I will eat another one (or two) tonight before I go to bed.  Covey just laughs at me and I tell him it's the baby's fault. :)

Lastly, I have had some CRAZY dreams.  Having weird dreams is not all that unusual for me, but these are really strange, even by my standards!  I can't say what the dreams are about besides the fact that even while I'm dreaming, I'm thinking, 'This is just weird'.  The worst part about these dreams is that they wake me up in the middle of the night.  (In addition to having to wake up all night to go to the bathroom and change positions, this is just one more thing that usually prevents me from sleeping through the night.  I know people say this is to prepare you for the baby, but seriously.  Couldn't I try to catch up on my sleep a little bit before the baby's born?!)

Anyways, that is the update on my life.  That and the fact that I'm turning 26 tomorrow!  I'll officially be over a quarter century old.  I actually like being 25.  24 was good too.  But turning 26 makes me that much closer to being 30 and I am way too young to be turning 30!  Oh well.  I will post a picture of me and my growing belly soon!

17 Weeks & 21 Weeks

I seriously thought that when I got pregnant I would be a lot more diligent in taking pictures and documenting everything about my pregnancy.  Turns out, this is not so much the case.  However, I am trying to be better and in an effort to do so (and to catch up), I am posting a couple of prego pictures that are 4 weeks apart.  Granted, you probably can't tell much of a difference but I sure can and so can my clothes!

17 Weeks

21 Weeks

See?  There's a little difference between the two! :)  I have to say though (and I hope no one takes this the wrong way), it is really a new thing for me to be gaining weight, especially in my middle area.  I've just never been one to gain weight anywhere on my body and now that I am, it's just kind of interesting.

Anyways, I will be 22 weeks on Tuesday.  I can't believe how time flies, and I feel like it is only going to start flying faster with the holidays coming up and preparing for our little girl to get here!

Full Moon Sundance Lift Ride

On Tuesday night a small group of us (Me and Covey, Dani and Stephen, and Dan and Kanessa) went up to Sundance for their full moon lift ride.  Each month during the summer, they open the lift during the full moon and let people take a ride.  We missed it last month and were excited to get to go this month.  It was a lot of fun, even though it was kind of chilly (an unfortunate preview of the weather to come).

 

After the ride, we went to the gas station and got hot chocolate!  Yum, yum!

Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails...

...are going to have to wait!  We are having us some sugar and spice!  

That's right--we're having a GIRL!  (She was actually being quite the little stinker and not letting the ultrasound technician get a good shot of her.)  We are SO excited!  We got a DVD of most of the session but as a result, we didn't actually get any pictures printed off.  Here's a picture of her that I did a screenshot of:

Tomorrow is the Day!

Tomorrow we find out what we are having!  I seriously can't believe the day is finally here--it's so surreal!  My appointment is at 3:30 and then I am working at the temple at night so unfortunately I won't be able to post anything until late tomorrow night or early Thursday morning.  But be assured that I will tell you as soon as I can! Oh happy day!  :)

Pretty Sure

I'm pretty sure I just felt the first baby kicks!  (Considering I've never done this before and I'm not sure what I'm looking for..)  It actually startled me a little!  I'm just sitting here at work and all of a sudden I feel something inside me push on my insides.  (Great description, I know.)  

I've had what kind of feel like gas bubbles every once in a while that I've been told are the baby moving but this is the first time that i'm (pretty) sure that what I just felt was the baby kicking and/or punching.  It was a crazy feeling but so cool that I just had to write something down right away!  :)  Only 6 more days until we find out what this baby is and I can stop calling it 'It' or 'the baby' and actually say 'boy' or 'girl'!

1 Week

Only 1 more week until we find out the gender of our baby! :)

Dani's Getting Married!

My little sister Dani is getting married!  

To make a long story short (you can ask her for details--she will be happy to give them to you), Dani and Stephen started dating at the beginning of this year (after being in a biology lab together for all of Fall Semester and not even talking to each other).  Stephen saw he was going to lose his chance if he didn't ask her out soon so he did and they have been dating ever since!

Yesterday morning, they got engaged.  They are getting married on October 14th in the SLC temple and I am so happy for them.  Congrats!!  

Here is a picture of the happy couple:

3 Years, 3 Months, 3 Weeks and 3 Days

Last year, I happened to notice the little wedding counter on my blog said Covey and I had been married for 2 years, 2 months, 2 weeks and 2 days.  

Today, I happened to notice that we've been married now for 3 years, 3 months, 3 weeks and 3 days and I just have to say that I love it!  Being married is by far the best thing ever!  I count myself so blessed to have found someone who is as perfect for me as he is and I know that each day life just keeps getting better because he is here with me. :)  Love you babe!

 

3 weeks from today

...we will know the gender of our baby!

I can't believe that I am almost 1/2 way through my pregnancy!  It is still so surreal.  I have a feeling that once we find out what we are having though, time is going to go by even faster.

As part of the fun, I have put a little poll up on the side of my blog where you can cast your vote as to what you think Covey and I are having.  Then if you're right, you get the satisfaction of knowing you were right! ;)

Trafalga

On Friday, we went to Trafalga with a group of our friends, including the Vallens who have been visiting.  We started off with mini golf, then the boys played laser tag and afterwards the boys wanted to go in the water bumper boats--they got soaked!  We had a lot of fun together just playing and watching the kids (both young and old).

Poor Hunter was soaked!  This is his pouty face.

The guys

The girls