The Harris'

Five year olds are funny.

2012-01-19T15:40:00.001-08:00

Sometimes I hear the most hilarious things come from my kids mouths. I overheard these conversations in the kitchen today:

boy: "Your the baby."
other boy: "But I can't be the baby. I am the dad because I have a real job."

girl: "Would you guys please by quiet. Can't you see I am on the phone?"

It makes me wonder what they are hearing at home. The funniest is when I hear them repeat things I have said such as:

"You have three choices."
"That is unacceptable."
"Please go put your head down."
"These are privelages (although it sounds more like "privages")."
"You are doing a very nice job on your work."

4 Months

2012-01-12T14:25:00.000-08:00

Ellie,
You have grown so much this month and we swear you just keep changing and getting bigger by the day. You are the calmest most relaxed baby and you are willing to give smiles to anyone. It seems like you have been in our lives forever and we couldn't be more in love with you. Thank you for loving us and for choosing us to be your parents. We love you little girl.
Love,
Mom and Dad

Some things you are doing this month:

Still loving bath time especially now that you have figured out how to splash.
Great at sleeping and you have started going to sleep on your own again.
Found your feet and think they are pretty funny.
Loves to touch faces and stare at people.
Try to mimic the noises we are making.
Tried solids for the first time. Bananas. You LOVED them.
Love sucking your thumb.

Stats at four month appointment:

Head 17 (90th)
Height 23 inches (90th)
Weight 14 lbs 12 ounces (90th)

Even though you are 90th for everything the doctor said you should weigh more for how tall you are. She called you skinny. We laughed cause you are our little chub ball.

Preview of blessing pictures.

2012-01-05T21:46:00.000-08:00

My friend Bev has done it again. She took pictures of Ellie and us on her blessing day (which I still need to blog about). They are adorable. Thanks friend. You are amazing.

In 2012.......

2012-01-01T00:01:00.000-08:00

I will gossip less.
I will complain less.
I will brag less.
I will say kind things about people.
I will get organized.
We will get Ellie on a set schedule.
I will excercise more.
I will try and keep my house clean.
We WILL get out of credit card debt. (so close)
We will buy a house.
We will be happy with the things we have.
We will save more money.
I will be a better wife and mother.
We will pray more and read the scriptures.

These are some of the things we have decided to do in 2012 either as a couple or individually. Looking over this list it seems doable. I am sick of talking bad about people and being unkind. I try hard to say nice things and not get caught up on gossip but I know I could do better. As you can tell, one of our big goals is to get out of our condo and into a house. We are giving ourselves exactly a year.... We will make it happen.

Happy 2012 to all of you. I hope you are able to reach your goals as well.

Three months.

2011-12-12T00:14:00.000-08:00

Ellie,

Where have these three months gone? Your dad and I were noticing how you are not an infant anymore and you are really turning into a baby. We can't believe how fast you are growing and it seems as if you change everyday. Your cheeks keep getting chubbier and people can't resist kissing and squeezing them. You are the happiest most content child and we feel so blessed to have you in our lives. We love you little girl more than you can even imagine.

Love,

Mom and Dad

Some things you are doing this month:

Picking up toys and focusing on them.
Drooling like crazy.
You are wearing anywhere from 3 month to 6 month clothing.
You love lights and watching the TV and phones.
The babysitters is one of your favorite places.
You hold your own bottles.
You LOVE the bath.
You also LOVE all of your grandparents.
You love when we sing to you and read you stories.
Still hate your carseat.

My dad.

2011-12-08T21:40:00.000-08:00

(This was the last and only time my dad saw Ellie. Needless to say these pictures are priceless.)

In less than a week my dad will be back in town. He moved to Dubai for work for the next three years and we don't get to see him very often. My mom will be joining him in March and it feels very bittersweet. I am so excited to see my dad and see how Ellie responds to him. He left the day after she was born and it breaks my heart to think how much she has grown since he left. We skype a lot but it is not the same. Long story short....we will be spending every waking moment we have with my dad for the next three weeks. Love you papa. Can't wait to see you.

laughing.

2011-11-24T16:05:00.000-08:00

Ellie laughed out loud today. Like really laughed. It was the most adorable, sweetest thing we have ever witnessed. We are convinced this little girl can do no wrong. Being a parent is amazing.

Friends.

2011-11-17T16:05:00.000-08:00

This is Brooks. Him and Ellie are birthday friends. They aren't sure what to think about eachother yet. I am sure that will change.

I imagine their conversation went something like this:

Brooks: Girls are smelly. I am not going to even bother with you.

Ellie: Do you think my crosseyed look is sexy?

Ellie: What are you looking at Brooks?

Brooks: Mom, really? Why are you making me sit by her?

Brooks: Parents are SO embarrasing, making me put my arm around this girl.

Ellie: Can I put my head on your shoulder?

Brooks: I hate my life

Ellie: Thank you. Your shoulder is so comfortable.

Brooks: If I cry will you please get me away from her?

Ellie: My arm is really tasty.

Harris family pictures.

2011-11-17T15:08:00.000-08:00

We had family pictures taken a couple weeks ago with A.E.'s family. They turned out so cute even though it was freezing. Enjoy!

This was meant as a joke. Awkward family photo anyone?

Single sister Katie. She is leaving on a mission soon.

Brother Chris and Sister in law Ashlee

Single brother B.J.

This one is on our Christmas card.
The whole fam.

Sleep.

2011-11-17T14:10:00.000-08:00

Three orders of business in this household regarding sleep:

Last night A.E. and I went to bed together for the first time in months...it was nice but strange.
Ellie is sleeping 9-10 hours at night these days.
Ellie has decided that she doesn't like to be held to go to sleep. This is so bittersweet for me. My baby is growing up way to fast.

Two Months.

2011-11-12T16:48:00.000-08:00

Ellie Grace,
We cannot believe you are already two months old. You keep growing right before our eyes and it is very bittersweet. This past month has been a fun one and you have had a lot of firsts. Your personality is really starting to show and you give out smiles to anyone and anything that you come in contact with. You also love to talk and kick your legs like you are trying to run a marathon. One thing that you have started doing recently is sleeping through the night. Mom and dad couldn't be happier about this one and you are the happiest baby when we come and get you in the morning. Speaking of sleep, you are one crazy sleeper. We find you in crazy positions when we peak in your crib. You are still an excellent eater and it shows in your rolls. You are wearing 3-6 month clothing and size 2 diapers....these two things make your mom very sad because you are growing way too fast.
One thing you decided to hate this month is your carseat. The minute you go in your carseat you scream. If you didn't have your binky it would be bad news every car ride. You also hate to lay down and fuss if your not sitting or standing. You are wanting to grow up so fast.
You are such a good baby and you are the center of our universe. You get more beautiful every day. Please stop growing up and stay our baby forever. We love you pumpkin.
Love,
Mom and Dad

Some other things you are doing:

batting at toys in front of you.
Loves reading books.
Still love your binkie.
LOVES the bathtub.
Hates naps.
follows mom and dad with eyes.
Starting to mimic what we do with our mouths.
lets out little giggles. No belly laughs though... any day hopefully.
Rolls from back to side and stomach to side.

Stats at two month appointment:

Height - 24 inches (90th percentile)

Weight - 12 lbs 10 ounces (90th percentile)

Head - 16 cm (I can't remember percentile although I know its below 50%)

According to our doctor, she should be taller for how much she weighs so with her weight and height combined she is only in the 25th percentile (if that makes sense). We have a short fat daughter with a small head and she couldn't be more amazing.

Eye color - prettiest shade of blue

Hair color - strawberry blonde and curly when wet.

Halloween 2011

2011-11-03T15:37:00.000-07:00

Halloween this year was so much fun. I did miss being at work and seeing all my cute kids in their costumes, but I enjoyed being home with my baby.

The festivities started out with a party at my parents. If you know my mom she goes all out for every holiday. Their Halloween party is always a blast.

She was the chubby chipmunk... I think she did well with this role.

Alvin and the chipmunks. A.E. made our costumes. Yes A.E.

The next day some of the girls went to Grand America for the witches tea. This is a must.

Isn't Ellie's witches hat the cutest.

Cheeks and Chins

2011-10-24T10:12:00.000-07:00

We are convinced that nine of her eleven pounds are in her cheeks and chins. Yes chins. She has about twelve. She loves to eat. She gets that from her mom. Chubby babies are the best thing ever.

Count the chins. There are twelve.

New born pictures.

2011-10-22T09:39:00.001-07:00

My best friend Bev took pictures of Ellie when she was just four days old. We love them so much. Enjoy.Thank you friend!

Birth announcement

Pictures from the hospital.

2011-10-22T09:01:00.000-07:00

Fresh from heaven

Birthday friends. Born on the same day. Brooks is adorable.

Love my grandpa

Yay for great grandmas

We look exhausted

A.E.'s best friend Austin

Another happy aunt

Cousins only five days apart

Happy new aunt

Bf Allie. Thanks for coming GIIRRRLL

Such a binky baby

Favorite picture ever from hospital.

We love to snuggle

Content after eating

Coming home

I know these are almost six weeks late but better late then never. We had a lot of visitors in the hospital and it was great to see so many people love on our sweet baby girl. Thank you everyone who sent texts, called, came and visited and just simply thought of us.

One Month.

2011-10-12T21:52:00.000-07:00

Ellie,

Today you are one month old. Right now you are sick with a cold that you caught from your dad and I. We just can't help kissing you and it has created problems. Even though you are sick you are still your happy content self and we stll can't get enough of you. We still can't believe you are ours and are constantly telling you, eachother, and anyone that will listen how amazing you are. You are the most loved baby we have ever seen and everyone wants to love on you.

Some things about you this month include:

Starting to smile at mom and dad.
Making eye contact with people and things.
You make the cutest sounds when you sleep.
Almost sleeping through the night. You have done this a couple times.
You love to cuddle with mom and dad in bed.
You are now wearing 0-3 month clothing. You now weigh over ten pounds.
Still really good at nursing. You transition from bottle to mom really well.
You spit up A LOT. We are working on getting this under control.
You love to lay on your play mat and talk and kick your legs.
LOVE binkies.
Starting to love baths.
Love watching what is going on in your surroundings.

We think you are pretty amazing and can't believe how fast you are growing.

We love you little lamb.

Love mom

Two weeks.

2011-09-28T13:11:00.000-07:00

Getting to know each other
9/26 two weeks old

We had Ellie's two week appointment today. I can't believe she has been in our lives for this long and that we have been able to keep her alive. This whole parent thing has been the best and hardest experience so far. The first week with her was one I am okay with being done with and it was spent trying to figure each other out. Needless to say, week two has been far better and it is amazing how much we already know about our little girl. One thing that is for certain is that we are in love and this little girl consumes every thought and conversation. We think she is the most amazing thing on the planet and keep saying how we can't believe she is ours.
Some things about Ellie are:

She hates to be swaddled. It only took us one sleepless night to figure this out.
She will only sleep on her sides.
She loves to have a binky for comfort.
She is an excellent eater. I am so thankful that she is good at nursing and we are usually done with feedings in fifteen minutes.
Speaking of eating, she is so good at it that she now weighs 8lbs 11 oz. She has gained two ounces a day since we left the hospital. The pediatrician was very impressed.
She is a great sleeper at night. We wake up once anywhere from 2 - 4 and then we don't get up again till 6 or 7. Yes I understand this is rare and trust me I am so thankful for a good sleeper.
She has great neck control and loves to be sitting up.
When she is fed she is about as content as they come. She only cries when she is tired or hungry.
Likes to be rocked to sleep. This one worries us. When we put her down she won't just fall asleep. She will go down by herself with a binky but as soon as the binky comes out she screams....We may have problems in the future.

Needless to say we have been blessed with a fairly easy baby. We love this little girl more than life itself and can't imagine our lives without her.

Some pictures.

2011-09-23T09:09:00.000-07:00

My friend Bev came and took pictures right after Ellie was born. She captured the emotion of that day perfectly and I find myself crying everytime I look at them. These are pictures I will cherish forever and I am so glad she took them. Enjoy. (These pictures are out of order. Go from the bottom up.)

Favorite picture ever. This shows their bond so well.

First weeks home.

2011-09-22T09:21:00.000-07:00

Trying to eat everything in sight.

Only picture we have of her being swaddled. She hates being swaddled. We found this out shortly after this picture was taken.

Fresh out of first bath

Cute new hat

Uncle Shawn

Classic Ellie face

So pretty

The first weeks home were an adjustment. We had some very sleepless nights but we made it through. We were loving the time we had together before A.E. went back to work and we were basking in the love we have for this little girl.

Crying.

2011-09-20T12:15:00.001-07:00

Dear hormones,
I really wish you would stop making me cry for no apparent reason. Like last night while I was eating dinner. What was that about? Please get back to normal asap. Thanks.
Me

The birth.

2011-09-15T10:04:00.000-07:00

I was right about one thing when it came to Ellie's birth....it was far from boring.

We went in at 6:00 a.m. to be induced on Monday the 12th. They admitted me, got me hooked up to pitocin and then we waited. When they checked me I was 90% and almost a 3. At this point the contractions weren't too bad and I was feeling good about the whole thing except for the fact that I could never get comfortable. At around 10:00 my doctor came and broke my water which made my contractions speed up. My contractions started coming every two minutes and were so painful. I waited as long as I could to get the epidural but I just couldn't do it anymore so I finally got it around 12:00. The epidural is fabulous, after you get it. The getting part sucks....The needle was surprisingly not what hurt me. It was the stuff they put in you that pretty much sends electric shock down your legs...It was worth it though. Anyway.

They checked me at about 1:45 and I was only at a 4 but I was now 100%. I finally got some sleep but I kept feeling pressure and cramping on one side so then I would have to switch to the other side. I was trying to lay on my back but I kept feeling like I had to throw up so I couldn't do that at all. Two hours later at 3:45 they came and checked me and suprisingly I was complete. We found out later that's why I kept feeling like I was going to throw up and why I could feel the pressure on either side. I was progressing so fast my body couldn't keep up.

The nurse said that her head had to decend so we would give it an hour. I layed on my side and about 15 minutes later started feeling so much pressure. AE went and grabbed the nurse and to everyones surprise she was in the go position. I started pushing and let me tell you, next time I am pregnant I am working my arms out because they were so sore from holding up my legs. Anyway, I was pushing and then would have to take a break because my doctor had three women become complete at the same time. He kept running and working on each woman then would have to leave to the next one. Very exciting for him to say the least.

Well at this point I am feeling a lot of pressure, more than you should with an epidural. Come to find out my epidural was wearing off and I was pretty much pushing all natural. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be just so much pressure and burning. At this point I was getting so incredibly sick and kept feeling the urge to throw up. After a couple more contractions I looked at the nurse and told her that I wasn't going to make it and that I really needed to throw up. She handed me a bag and that's just what I did (sorry tmi). While I am sitting there throwing up it was helping push Ellie out and it actually made her crown.

So there I am feeling everything with her crowned and I couldn't push. I kept telling them I needed to but I had to wait because my doctor was delivering a baby at that very moment. So we waited and waited for 20 mins which ended up being a good thing because I hardly tore at all. They gave me a little more epidural which helped me to relax and we kept waiting for the doctor. Finally at 6:07 he came back in the room and one push later she was in my arms. After pushing for two hours, give or take a half hour, she was here and neither of us could believe it.

Her birth was the most exciting, exhausting, humbling, amazing, etc. experience of my life. I would do it again 1 million times for this sweet baby that we have. She has brought a spirit into our home that I can't describe and everyone is smitten with her, especially her dad. Her and A.E. have the most amazing bond that makes me tear up on a daily basis. Anyway, we are loving being parents and feel honored that Ellie picked us to take care of her.

Perfect.

2011-09-14T20:19:00.000-07:00

Introducing

Ellie Grace Harris

September 12th, 2011

6:08 p.m.

7 lbs 7 oz

21 inches long

She is perfect and we are in love.

I am sorry Ellie.

2011-09-08T16:17:00.000-07:00

First of all...wow three posts in one day. I think that may be some record for me.

I feel bad for my post below... It is super negative and that is not me. I have loved every minute of being pregnant and wouldn't trade where I am at right now for anything. I was just frustrated and at the end of my rope. I was super selfish and wanted her here for us. A couple more days won't kill us and will definitely make her stronger.

I went and had my stress test done and all my frustration went away. Our little girl is so "perfect" as the tech kept calling her and she looked so content. She is healthy and thriving and that is all I want in the end (I would still love her more than ever even if she wasn't). I was really humbled with the way I acted and almost apologized to my sweet baby. She obviously knows that being in there is safer right now and a couple more days will only make her stronger. I know that when she finally does get here it will be well worth the wait.

So everything looks great with me and with her and now we play the waiting game till Monday. I have a feeling that her entrance will be anything but boring. Stay tuned.

Progress? What progress?

2011-09-08T07:29:00.000-07:00

I went to the doctor yesterday. I have dreaded going for the last five weeks and I officially hate the words 1cm. If I never have to hear them again I will be happy. For some reason this little girl is REALLY comfortable where she is at.
Good news is that she is sitting really low and my doctor seems to think she will just kind of slide out when she is ready. You know your baby is sitting super low when your doctor keeps saying things like "Wow, I can tell she has hair" or "Holy cow that is her head. She is really low!" So why have I not had her you ask? No one knows. My doctor just keeps saying that babies come when they want. We have set an induction date for Monday but I go in for a stress test today to see if there is any reason to induce me sooner. I guess when you go overdue your fluid levels can drop a lot and can pinch the cord. No he is not worried about anything he just wants to see how my levels are and how my contractions (which are minimal at this point) affect the baby. Its sad really but I hope they decide to keep me there....

I had a melt down this morning because it seems like everyone else is meeting their babies except for us. I cried (okay more like bawled) to A.E. and in true A.E. fashion he talked me down off the ledge. Its just frustrating and I told him it almost feels as if we are trying to get pregnant all over again. Everyone else having success except for us. We have just waited SO long that I am kind of done waiting. Yet again, I am left being patient. I guess I am really bad at it.

Anyway, for now I will be sitting around finding more stuff to clean and do before baby gets here.

Five years.

2011-09-08T07:20:00.000-07:00

(I love this picture because no one makes me laugh like you)

Being married to this man for five years has been the best!
We went to dinner last night (because when you are over your due date you fear doing anything big) and talked about how year five has been by far the best and hardest year yet. We talked about how we love eachother way more than we did when we got married and that it feels really good to know that our love is stronger than ever.

A.E.,
I have loved being married to you every second of every day. I would marry you all over again if I had to. I can't imagine life without you.
Love your wife.

A letter.

2011-09-06T08:30:00.001-07:00

Dear baby,
Today is your due date. We thought you would be here by now but apparently you have other plans. We know you feel really safe in there but we promise your father and I will take good care of you out here. We are DYING to meet you and see your face. I think your dad is going to go crazy from you not coming yet. You don't want him to go crazy do you? We love you so much already and really really want to have you in our arms. We have waited forever for you and don't feel like waiting anymore. All that we ask is that you come soon so the doctor doesn't have to induce me because we really want you to come on your own. Tomorrow is our anniversary, five years. We decided that the best anniversary gift would be you. Just keep that in mind. We love you baby and really can't wait to meet you.
Love forever,
Your parents

p.s. Everyone is SO excited to meet you. You're quite important around here.

We had a party.

2011-09-05T09:39:00.000-07:00

Since A.E. graduated from college we just knew we had to throw a party. Thank you to all those who came and sorry to those who got blown away by the wind at the end. I am so proud of my husband and can't believe we are both college grads....It seems so unreal to me.

A.E. really excited about his U of U canopy that his family gave him.

A.E.'s brother and neighbors
A.E.'s best friend Austin
Some cousins

Again I have the most amazing niece in the world!

Some of my family. Nice face Nate.

My grandparents and dad

A.E. and I at 36 weeks pregnant.

Some of his aunts and uncles.

The set up. A.E.'s awesome U of U canopy his family gave him.

These two are in the exact same place as us right now. They are due with a baby a week after us, and Justin just graduated from the U as well. Plus me and Linds are both teachers! I love having friends like this.

A wedding.

2011-09-04T19:48:00.000-07:00

Now that I am officially done with work until November (you hear that baby, I have no more obligations. You can come!) I figured I have time to catch up on the blog.

A few weeks ago my sister got married. Even though I was 37 1/2 weeks pregnant, I still had a grand time and was so glad I made it to the wedding with a baby still in my belly. We had a lot of fun dancing and enjoying each others company. The wedding was beautiful and we are so excited to have Shawn in the family. Enjoy the pictures.

Her beautiful bouquet
Her awesome hair.
Sisters!
Walking down the aisle. Isn't her dress amazing?!
Her and shawn exchanging rings.

Isn't my niece the most adorable thing you have ever seen?
My brother and his cute family.
A.E. and James
Bill and Joan

A.E. and I

Ansley and my grandpa dancing.

The preggos dancing
Mr. and Mrs. Dille leaving

And here are some pictures from her bridals:

We always have to do a jumping picture

Ansley in her amazing dress

7 Days

2011-08-30T16:33:00.000-07:00

What do you do when you are a week till your due date, nesting like crazy and not progressing for the last four weeks?

Me? I teach 67 Kindergartners. I lost two today because I have so many and pretty much five year olds have a hard time listening. Don't worry we did find them but its exhausting to say the least. Apparently they are planning to get another Kindergarten teacher after I leave but everything will change while I am gone. It should all be very interesting. I told my Principal that I am ready to have 30 needles shoved in my back.

I went to the doctor today and he said next week we will talk about induction but that he won't induce me until I am AT LEAST a week over... I am okay with this because I really want her to come on her own but seriously....I want this child here so bad. He was going to strip my membranes but I am not progressed enough and he said I would be in so much pain I would probably leave crying. So he can't even help things along. Any tips on how to put yourself in labor would be greatly appreciated.

A ticking time bomb....

2011-08-25T21:42:00.000-07:00

That is what I feel like. I have loved being pregnant but this has got to be the worst part about it. Every day I go to bed I think "could this be it?" I just wish I knew when she would make her debut so I could plan better.... ha ha children.

I am progressing just at a turtle pace as my doctor likes to put it. I always feel defeated when I leave the doctor. On Tuesday he is going to help things along so we shall see. A.E. keeps saying he feels like she will be coming on Wednesday. Maybe he knows something I don't. I just can't believe we are so close....Come on baby girl. Get here so I can kiss your sweet face.

Something I have always wanted.

2011-08-14T10:48:00.000-07:00

I have the greatest husband in the whole world. He surprised me the other day with a stand mixer! Now I know this may seem like a silly gift but I have wanted one FOREVER. Before we even got married I voiced my thoughts on having one and he always told me that one day he was going to find a way to surprise me with one. I guess having a baby and being married for five years are good enough reasons (these are the reasons he gave me when I asked him why) so he bought me one. I am in love. I can't wait to start making things in it. Thanks husband, you are amazing and always find ways to make me feel loved.

A special place for Ellie Grace.

2011-08-09T07:02:00.000-07:00

Many people have asked me to post pictures of her nursery so here they are. For the most part everything is done I just have a few more things to do.

When it takes you awhile to get pregnant you have a lot of time to think about what the nursery will look like when it does finally happen. I honestly only had a girl room thought up so when we found out it was a girl I got right to work. I love the way dark purple and gray look together so that is what I went with and it turned out better than I could have ever imagined. Yes this room is all of what I want right now because I am sure her room will become her own later.

My favorite part about the whole room is that everything made with fabric is hand made by either me or someone else close to me. When I was looking for bedding I was not willing to spend hundreds of dollars and I wanted someting very modern, simple and something I could use for either gender. I made all of her bedding (bumpers and crib skirt) for under 50 dollars. Enjoy.

(sorry about the pictures. First of all my camera sucks as stated in the post below and second the room is tiny so capturing a good angle is almost impossible.)

I am in love with this rug. Thank you Ikea for having inexpensive rugs.
Notice I need to paint the last two knobs but we got this dresser for free because it was dropped off a truck. Also we recovered the cushions on the glider.
Close up of the fabric on the bumpers.

That pink pillow is one that A.E. made forever ago. It some how manages to always make it's way into her crib. He is cute. And isn't that elephant pillow to die for?! My mom's friend made that for her. I am still in the process of making her quilt but I will post a seperate picture when that is done.

One of my favorite details about the room. The white dress is her blessing dress that I got

for $16.00 dollars....Love it!

I still need to add books and a stereo to this shelf but notice the elephant lamp. Also notice how close the door is to the shelf and the crib. I am telling you this room is TINY.

Showers.

2011-08-07T09:07:00.000-07:00

To say that this little girl is spoiled and loved is a huge understatement. I feel very blessed to have people in my life that care so much about me and my little family. We have had a total of six showers and they have provided us with more than everything we need. Thank you everyone for supporting us in this great time in our lives and for loving our little girl. These last pictures are from my family showers. A.E.'s families threw us a shower and my family threw us one. We got so many great necessitites and other things.

(I am well aware that our camera sucks. I told A.E. the other day that we are buying a new camera asap. I hate that people's camera phone pictures look better than our point and shoot)

Ferrante family shower:

Presents!

Hard to see but these are amazing elephant cookies that my mom's three best friends made. They also bought me my elephant lamp that I wanted! I was shocked to say the least. I know someone got my face on camera when I opened that gift and if I get it I will post it. I almost cried.

The great treat table. Every detail was perfect. See the elephant? My mom bought that for her. Love it!

Close up of amazing banner that was at my shower.

The amazing banner that my aunt MaLinda made. It is now hanging above her crib. I am in love and it fits perfectly in her room.

I don't have pictures of anyone that was there but so many people came and supported us. Thank you everyone who came to this shower especially my mother in law, sister in law Katie and Grandma Elly. They drove thirty minutes to support us. Also thank you to my amazing family and family friends that made this shower possible. I feel so blessed with great people in my life.

Harris/Hillam family shower:

Sister Ansley. Love you sister.
Me and Lindsey. We now have the same due date because her baby is measuring big. It is amazing how different we are carrying. She is having a boy. We have already planned on them dating. 34 weeks at this point. I am now almost 36 weeks.
Ashley gave us diapers. We didn't have any so I was ecstatic!

My cute sister in laws. I am so glad we all get along and we are all blonde now.

More cousins and my amazing mother in law

L.V. and Karra A.E.'s Aunts and Grandma Elly

My amazing family. Ansley, Grandma Bev, and my amazing mom.
Some of A.E.'s cute cousins
A.E.'s cousin Emily and his great aunts Kathy and Susan who threw the shower.

Grandma Elly. This is one of the people that inspired little girl's name.

Not a great picture but its of the great highchair they gave us.

A.E.'s family spoiled us with big gifts like an older car seat and a highchair.

Mom or Dad?

2011-08-03T14:16:00.000-07:00

Two year old Cassidy
Two year old A.E.

The whole time I have been pregnant I can't help wondering what this little girl could possibly look like. Will she be a mixture of both of us or will she get one person's genes over the other? I do hope she gets certain traits though like:

Both of our mom's olive skin and dark hair. Is it possible for genes like this to skip generations?
Great teeth from both of our parents. I heard this one does skip so we are crossing our fingers.
A.E.'s skinny feet and fingers. Please don't inherit my hobbit feet.
My nose
Both of our blue eyes
My head of hair
A.E.'s smile.

I do have a feeling she will be adorable and have really chubby cheeks. I can't wait to see for myself.

No more finals!

2011-08-03T14:02:00.000-07:00

A.E. is officially done with college come Friday. I don't know who is more excited about this me or him but I can tell you, it feels like a huge weight has been lifted. Our whole marriage A.E. has been in school so I am excited to see him a little less stressed. No more finals, no more tuition, no more late night studying. It feels so fabulous. And it couldn't come at a better time because this little girl will hopefully make her debut four short weeks later. If you ask me everything is falling into place quite nicely.

p.s. I asked A.E. what he is going to do with so much time on his hands when he is just working one job (which is still to be determined by the way. That is a story for another day). His reply was that maybe he would get a second job as a Wal-Mart greeter (which is a joke of course) but then got excited when he realized he would be over qualified.

Baby Wise

2011-07-21T13:03:00.000-07:00

Everyone keeps telling me that I need to buy this book and read it. I want opinions before I spend the money so please share what you think about this book. Thanks.

Sleep.... or lack thereof

2011-07-20T17:37:00.001-07:00

I have always been a great sleeper. I never have to wake up to go to the bathroom and I tend to sleep very deep. I have been this way from the beginning (or so my mom tells me). Well pregnancy has changed that. I hear it is preparing me for when she actually gets here. I hate not feeling well rested. It scares me a lot to go on little sleep because frankly for my sanity and everyone else's, I need sleep.

So from now on everynight I am praying our daughter has good sleep patterns like me and AE. I hope I get a sleeper because I know I will be a better mom.

Is it weird to pray about something like this? Is it sad that I am more nervous about her not sleeping than labor?.......

Maternity pictures

2011-07-19T15:32:00.000-07:00

My friend Beverly took maternity pictures of us when I was almost 30 weeks. She did an excellent job and got some great pictures that I will cherish forever! She also knows that I love black and white pictures so that's just what she did. Sorry there are so many but I love a lot of them. Enjoy.

Independence Day!

2011-07-17T12:11:00.001-07:00

The 4th of July has got to be one of my favorite days out of the whole year. I love holiday's. I love spending time with family. I love seeing people get just as excited as I am. I love love holiday's that involve no presents (I also love holiday's that involve presents) because than we can really focus on why we are even celebrating this event. Independence day is a huge celebration in my family and this year was no different. My family knows how to party so if you want to join us you can. I am so thankful for those people that sacrifice their lives to serve our country. We have been blessed to have many people in our family serve our country and therefore we take this holiday very seriously. I hope everyone had a great 4th!
My cousin Emily and I. Her due date is exactly one week after mine. She doesn't know what she is having but I think it is a girl. So excited to have cousin so close in age. I was 30 weeks and she was 29.

Cute cousins dancing together

We do a massive slip n'slide every year. I of course did not participate this year for fear that I might go into labor.

We went to the Kaysville fireworks with my family. They never disappoint.

Kaysville fireworks.

Changes.

2011-07-07T20:48:00.000-07:00

*warning: if you are a guy reading this, you may want to stop now. Don't say I didn't warn you.

While being pregnant my body has gone through many changes. I don't mind them but some of them are just plain weird. The two weirdest ones for me have been my boobs and my belly button.

Before I got pregnant I had an average sized chest but now I swear they are growing at an extreme rate. I have officially grown two cup sizes and I am afraid they are going to get even bigger. I swear half of my pregnancy weight gain is in my bra. No lie. I will never get a boob job and that is official.

My belly button has got to be the weirdest change of all. Right now it is sitting at a very shallow innie. I am waiting for it to pop any day now but it just seems to get shallower and shallower. It is the only part on my stomach that ever itches. It is really strange.

Sorry if this was tmi but seriously pregnancy does strange things to your body. That is all.

Update on this little girl and pregnancy.

2011-06-28T16:50:00.000-07:00

She is growing like a weed.
She is in fact still a girl ( I had him check one more time because people keep guessing I am having a boy from the way I am carrying) and we are just finishing the last things on her room.
Her new favorite place is my right rib cage and she frequents it often. So comfortable for me.
She is a mover, a roller and I am pretty sure she is pulling some sweet dance moves in there. I am getting afraid that we may have a non sleeper on our hands.
Still measuring right on which means my chances of having her late are looking like reality.
She is head down in the go position. She has been this way the entire time. I feel very lucky.
She is measuring about 3 1/2 pounds. That seems so big to me but yet still tiny.
She gets hiccups almost daily and they melt my heart.

Update on pregnancy:

I am 30 weeks today. I can't wait for these ten weeks to be over.
I am still having a text book pregnancy. I feel very blessed to be so healthy. Everything looks perfect in side and it seems as if we will have smooth sailing to the end.
I am no longer worried about her birth. I really just want her here now even though she needs to cook a little longer.
It is getting so hard to sleep. Every joint and muscle in my lower back and legs is killing me.
I get to start going to the doctor every two weeks now. This means we are officially on the downhill slope. I think this alone will make the time go fast.
My extreme fatigue has come back.
I am now up to 13lbs of total weight gain. I thought for sure it would be more but my body has really surprised me.
I am so in love with this little girl and can't wait to see her face.

I was 28 weeks here.

Running.

2011-06-21T18:02:00.001-07:00

Now that it is getting warm outside I suddenly have this huge desire to go running. I really miss it and I can't wait till I can put my shoes on and head out the door. I see people running all the time and it makes me so jealous. I wanted to continue running while pregnant but with working full time I would come home completely exhausted and with no motivation... and now I am kicking myself for it. Oh well. Running shoes, I will see you in September.

A day in labor and delivery.

2011-06-14T13:16:00.000-07:00

I spent three hours in labor and delivery today. It was fun... ha ha not so much. I went in on doctors orders to make sure I wasn't in labor. I will give you a background story.

So Sunday night when I laid down to go to sleep I could feel some contractions. Since they are normal at this stage in the game I didn't think anything of it. Monday rolls around and I was in Logan for a gifted conference and had been sitting all day long. I get to my hotel around four and laid down on the bed and all of a sudden they started coming again. They were starting to worry me because after an hour they hadn't eased up and were coming really close together. I started monitoring them and realized they were coming every minute with some coming every thirty seconds. I continued to monitor them for the next five hours and nothing changed. This scared me because I know that contractions are normal but not this close together and they were starting to cause cramping. I took a bath and went to bed where they eased up to about every 30 minutes apart.

This morning when I got up I was still having them but they were coming every half hour to an hour apart. I called my doctor to see what he wanted me to do and he said I needed to get to labor and delivery because the way that they were coming yesterday is not normal this early. So they get me checked in and start monitory everything. They also checked me to make sure I hadn't progressed and ran some tests. After three hours the nurse came in and told me I need to be moving as much as possible...... what kind of pregnant person gets put on the opposite of bed rest? Oh well I prefer this over bed rest anyway. They also told me that I was dehydrated (even though I drink 12 oz. of water a day) so I need to drink 3qts of water a day and that I am forbidden to lay on my back anymore because that speeds my contractions up. The great news is that baby won't be coming anytime in the near future and I have not progressed at all.

I hope the next time I see that place will be in September!

Anxiety.

2011-06-09T15:21:00.000-07:00

I have had many people ask me how my anxiety has been since I last talked about it on here. Honestly it has been very minimal and I am so happy about it. I figured to help anyone else that may be suffering from anxiety I would write down some of the things that have helped me. Now keep in mind that anxiety is different for everyone and these may not help you but they have helped me so they are always worth a try.

Talk to someone that has gone through the same thing. I have been blessed to have people in my life that have had anxiety and depression and they have helped me more than anyone. They have helped me to see that I am not alone and that my anxieties don't make me a horrible person.
Talk to your spouse. This one was really hard for me at first especially because some of my thoughts were terrible and about A.E. I thought he would hate me and judge me but let me tell you.... he did the exact opposite. He would sit and listen and was so incredibly understanding. He would tell me I wasn't a horrible person and that he knew I was going to be a great mom. Us talking has strengthened our relationship so much and it just shows the level of trust we have with each other. Plus the things he would say made me fall even more in love with him. One of our conversations went as follows:

A.E.: Why do you think you have these anxieties?

Me: Because I love our baby...?

A.E.: And you honestly think that I would be mad at you or hate you for loving our baby? If anything these thoughts make me see what a great mom you are going to be no matter how horrible they are and that makes me love you even more.

He is great. A.E. was also willing to give me a blessing at the drop of a hat. Blessings help a lot and really put your mind at ease. So does going to the temple. I am just saying.

Take your vitamins! I cannot stress this one enough. My doctor suggested I take a DHA supplement along with folic acid and my pre-natal. Let me tell you these have been my saving grace. The biggest one is the DHA. I noticed that it really was making a difference when I ran out a couple weeks ago. It took me a couple days to get to the store and I started to notice that I was worrying more and it was harder for my brain to work through my worries. People, vitamins are no joke and they will make a difference plus they are healthy for you and your baby. I use the Target brand of DHA and pre-natal and the Nature Made brand of folic acid. Most pre-natal's make me sick but non of these do so that is why I chose them.
The power of positive thinking. This sounds stupid but it works. I noticed that when I was thinking negatively about anything my anxiety got worse and worse. I started to think of happy things and only surrounded myself in good situations and happy people and it has helped a lot.
Find your trigger and stay away! This one is hard to figure out at first but you will eventually realize what they are. One of my triggers was a television show. Sounds stupid but I watched it a lot. I grounded myself from the show because it was making things worse.
Yoga and deep breathing. These two things clear your brain so much. When my anxiety would get really bad I would close my eyes and focus on my deep breaths. No it didn't take the thought away but it made it more manageable. Plus Yoga is really good for your health. A lot of times doctors suggest to patients that have anxiety and depression to do Yoga.
Make the Internet and books your best friend. I have been reading like crazy and that is where I got most of my suggestions from. One of my favorite books is You: having a baby. It is written by Doctor OZ. That man knows his stuff. I found out by reading this book that when you are pregnant your brain shrinks, literally shrinks, and you lose a lot of supplements. This shrinking can cause anxiety. He talked about taking a DHA supplement to help with the loss. I then talked to my doctor and he confirmed that it was true. Did you also know that DHA helps with postpartum depression as well? You better believe I will be taking it after she is born.

These are just a few suggestions. There are other things that have helped me a lot but these are probably the biggest. Like I said they may not work for you but on the other hand they might. I really didn't want to be on medication and I figured if I can find other ways to cope that work just as well I was going to do them. Yes I still worry but it is minimal. I am worrying like normal now(you know about NORMAL things. Like how it will be when I go into labor or if my body will allow me to nurse) and I don't feel my thoughts getting out of hand and running my life like they were before. All I know is that these things have made my life and the people around me (poor A.E.) better.

My husband can do anything.

2011-06-08T08:51:00.001-07:00

Yesterday he called and got our comcast bill lowered from $90 to $30 a month. Nothing changed about our plan.. just the price... Yay for saving $60.

My friends are great.

2011-06-06T15:15:00.000-07:00

I have some of the best friends ever. Last Saturday my three best friends from highschool threw me a shower and it was a great sucess. Thank you everyone for coming. We got some of the most adorable little things for little girl. I can't wait for her to get here so I can use them.

Everyone that came.

The three best friends anyone could ask for!

sorry it is so blurry. I am so glad Allie is back in town.
I got some of the best gifts. This one is from Bev. It is a carseat cover. She also made a matching skirt to go with it. I have very talented friends.

The amazing cake. It was red velvet my favorite.

A milestone and a daddy's girl.

2011-05-29T10:56:00.000-07:00

Today we have hit a milestone in our pregnancy. We are now at 100 days left and we are officially going into the double digits. I honestly never thought this would happen and I can't help but be thankful each day for this pregnancy. Because this is such a big deal I will leave you with the most precious story that is bound to melt your heart

To say that this little girl already loves her dad is an understatement. Every morning AE will turn over and rest his hand on my belly to feel her before he goes to work. Every single time, without fail, she will find where his hand is and kick a million miles a minute. At first we thought this was a fluke but she has done it every day for the past week and a half. We have also tested it with other people and nothing happens. She won't even do it with me. I don't know if it has to do with the heat from his hand, the pressure, or just the fact the she already knows who he is but I love it and so does he. The bond that they already have is priceless and melts my heart straight out of my chest. I can't wait till they meet each other for the first time. I am pretty sure my heart is going to explode at that moment. We are definitely excited to meet little Ellie and kiss her sweet face.

Me at 25 1/2 weeks. I really need to work on my posture.

(its official, I can't see my toes)

I had a thought today...

2011-05-24T20:44:00.000-07:00

That there are only two ways this little girl is coming out of me....I am starting to get nervous....People do it all the time and live though right so I have nothing to be afraid of.

Nope still scared.

Two days and a shower.

2011-05-24T18:05:00.000-07:00

So in two days one of the biggest events happens.....SYTYCD (So you think you can dance for all those non fans) is back!!!! I am so excited that I can hardly contain myself. I look forward to this show every single season and I think I am the most excited about this season. I am really excited for Alex Wong to come back because he will totally win it all. Come on Thursday! You are taking to long to get here.

On a pregnancy note, because really that is all I talk about these days, I had my first shower last Friday. My school threw me a shower and spoiled my little girl. I got lots of cute clothes and a jogging stroller. Yes my work is that great and bought me a jogging stroller (okay really they just put money toward it but still, it paid for a lot of it!). I am so excited for when I can start running again and get back in shape. I love my job and the people I work with. Thank you everyone for spoiling my little girl. Also thank you mom and Ansley for coming!

Advice and comments.

2011-05-14T10:08:00.000-07:00

I have enjoyed some of the advice and comments that have been made while I have been pregnant but seriously some people have no tact. I intend to enjoy the comments and advice from people that have given birth multiple times. They know what is up and always seem to make you feel great about being pregnant.

Women who have only had one baby....they are a different story. Now this doesn't apply to every first time mom but a lot of first time mom's always try and make you feel worse about your situation especially when your pregnancy is like mine. I have come to the conclusion that they do this to try and make themselves feel better about their pregnancy so they belittle other first time mom's into feeling just as bad. I could write a book on the comments women have made to me but I will just leave you with a few:

"You have only gained five pounds? Wow just wait till your third trimester I bet you gain like 40." Actually my doctor predicts I will only gain about 20 pounds total if that so bite me.

"You will be wearing maternity clothes two sizes bigger than what you are now by the time you are in your third trimester especially if your belly keeps growing like it is." This one bugs me a lot because I can actually wear a size SMALLER (in maternity clothes) than what I did before I was pregnant thank you very much.

"You're all belly. That will change I promise. Pretty soon you will gain pregnancy everywhere."

"By the time August roles around you will be a cow. You won't want to leave your house." I am sorry but it is never okay to tell anyone they will be a cow, pregnant or not.

That is all for now. Like I said this is not all first time mom's. Infact I have a lot of friends that only have one baby that have said nothing but sweet things to me. So thank you. Just please people before you speak to the pregnant person think about what you are saying and have a little tact. That is all.

Pregnancy update.

2011-05-06T15:18:00.000-07:00

I am 22 1/2 weeks along today. This pregnancy is still flying by and I can't believe I am on the down hill slope. I had a doctors appointment today and my doctor stuggested we take a class. What do you guys think? Would any of you recommend it? I have to sign up soon so I need to make a decision. Here is a just a little of what is going on.

Weight gain: I finally gained five pounds. I am ecstatic. Although it is nice to not have a chubby face. I am sure that will change.

Name: We have officially decided on Ellie Grace Harris. We don't care that it is out in the open and if you want to steal it go ahead. We just feel right about it and know that this little girl inside of me is supposed to be an Ellie.

Movement: I feel her a lot and AE has felt her a few times. Some days I feel her way more than others but she is definitly in there doing cartwheels. Today while laying in bed my stomach literally jumped. It was insane. I would love to see what she is doing in there.

Cravings: Still the same old. I don't really care for chinese food though.

Clothing: Everything I wear these days is maternity. My stomach has grown so much that I don't fit in anything else. I really don't mind though.

And here is a current picture:

Thoughts.

2011-05-05T07:39:00.000-07:00

My thoughts as of late:
One of my best friends is moving back from Texas. She called and left a message telling me that she had some news for me and I screamed as I listened to the message because I knew what it was. I have missed her like crazy. Life is just not the same without all of my best friends in the same state. I have been blessed with the three best girl friends on the planet and I can't wait for us to all be together again. Girl I am so glad you are coming back! And just in time to see our baby girl be born. I love you girl. Hurry home!

Lately some crap has happened in our lives. It sucks and has affected a lot of people I know and love. Sometimes I get angry and wonder how this can keep going on. I am usually pretty forgiving but this has tested that. So that is what I am working on especially because they talked a lot about it in conference. I have come to realize that we need to move on and go on with our lives because that's the only way it is going to get better. We are enjoying our lives and the events coming up and I am happy for that. It is starting to feel like the crap never happened and that is one thing I am greatful for. I hate stuff like this but I have come to realize that when I am doing what I am supposed to my life will be blessed and that is all that matters. I am thankful for my great family and my great in laws.

I have realized that people are fake. They put on a face to please other people and then turn around and turn into a completley different person. I always try and be real with people and it bugs me when they do not do the same. I have been blessed to work in a school where everyone is genuine and no one is afraid to speak their minds. It makes life so much easier and I think that is why we all work so well together.

Anyway, I had to get these thoughts out. It's really just for me but read if you want.

A sunburn.

2011-05-02T19:47:00.001-07:00

I got a sunburn today after going to the zoo with my kids. Even though it itches I am excited. Finally some warm weather. My sanity was kind of counting on it.

A sneak peak, Easter and some randomness.

2011-04-25T18:14:00.000-07:00

I just spent a week having a fabulous spring break. I did way to much lifting and not enough relaxing but I don't care because I got a lot done. I am the type of person that when I get an idea it has to be done that minute or it pushes at me until I do it. So needless to say when I got the urge over spring break to get baby girl's room together, I did just that. Now it is not done but it is coming a long. I also had the fabulous idea to make a mobile because well, I am picky and very particular. It was super easy but So time consuming. Don't ever work with invisible thread. It tangles way to easy. Here is a sneak peak of her room so far. It is turning our better than I hoped.... YAY!

Easter was great this year. Both of our families don't have many little kids so the easter egg hunts involve money, gift cards and some candy. Me and Ae made out with over 50 dollars combined from both of our families easter egg hunts and just enjoyed our time with family. It is great to reflect on why we have easter and that the savior did an amazing thing so that we could have the atonement. I am so thankful for that and could not imagine my life without it. (Sorry no pictures)
*I came home one night and AE and my mother in law had surprised me by painting the nursery. I almost cried. I married into the best family.

* Last but not least. My sister is getting married August 20th! We are thrilled. However, if you notice that is almost exactly two weeks to my due date. I am just hoping she stays in there long enough.

I will have this.

2011-04-19T12:34:00.001-07:00

I am determined to have this light in baby girls nursery. The only problem is that this light is expensive. I showed it to AE and he told me to get it until I showed him the price. I am trying to justify getting it because we didn't have to buy any furniture but he still won't budge. It makes sense why it is expensive though. It is perfect for kids made with material that is impossible to break, it doesn't get hot and it is made in Italy. Oh and guess what else, they make these lights in other animal shapes that are to die for (like a penguin). I am going to find a way to get it. Any ideas? If you want to buy this for me for a baby gift let me know. I will let you know where to get it.

New friend.

2011-04-18T08:29:00.000-07:00

I made a new friend. My mom said we were destined to be friends and it is true. Nikki married one of our family friends sons and we clicked instantly. I don't know if it has to do with the fact that we are 7 weeks apart in our pregnancies or if we just really clicked. I do know however that I like it and I am glad we have become friends.

Me at 20 weeks and her at 27 weeks. Yes I am well aware she is only slightly bigger than I am.

Some thoughts about little girl.

2011-04-09T15:18:00.000-07:00

When you find out you are having a girl your emotions go crazy. Ae and I automatically started worrying A LOT. We have both agreed on one thing and that is that if we could we would keep this little girl locked up at all times so no one will ever harm her. But we can't so we go on worrying hoping that we will be the best parents ever to keep her safe. We also keep wondering and talking about what she could possibly look like. We are almost possitive she will end up with blue eyes, curly dark hair and chubby cheeks. Thinking of this makes us so excited to see her.

We think we are going to name her Ellie Grace. We both love it and so do our families. When I call her that it just feels right. It could change but as of right now that is her name.

All the men in our families thought she was a boy and they were also wishing. I was upset because I could tell they were a little disappointed but now that has changed. Ae's brothers keep talking about how they are going to buy her a million pink things and how they won't ever let her out of their sights. Ae's dad asks me how she is constantly doing and my dad loves having so many girls in his life that I think he is so thrilled to get one more. One thing I do know is that this little girl will be so loved especially by the men in our families that I shouldn't have any worry.

I really wish it would get warmer outside so I could get started on her room. I have a room envisioned in my head. I hope it works out.

Anyway, these are just some thoughts I am currently having.

Crazy me.

2011-04-07T17:34:00.000-07:00

I have been in a funk lately. I won't go into much detail because well I don't want to. I have had the easiest pregnancy and I am not complaining. Seriously I tell Ae all the time that I often forget I am pregnant until I feel her kick me or I look down and notice my ever growing belly. I guess you tend to forget when your not barfing your guts out and when you have very minimal symptoms (did you know being exhausted doesn't go away in the second trimester like the rest of the symptoms? Yes I have more energy but I still find myself going to bed at 8:30.). Anyway, the only thing I have struggled with this entire pregnancy are my emotions. They have been pretty bad at times to the point where I get scared and want to beat my head into a wall from the awful thoughts I have(no joke). I am learning to cope with these emotions by reading a lot, talking to people who have dealt with the same thing, eating better, taking my prenatal's and other supplements every day and praying a lot. They have seemed to help a lot but there are still some days I can't get the thoughts out of my head. I came to the conclusion that writing the things I am grateful for might help with my emotions so here goes:

My amazing wonderful husband who listens to me complain about my crazy thoughts and who is also more understanding than I have ever given him credit for. It almost makes me cry to think how wonderful he is and sometimes I feel like I don't deserve him. I am so excited to see him be a dad and I just know that he will love this little girl more than anyone.

This little girl growing inside of me. She is not afraid to let me know she is in there and kicks me all the time. I am loving it. I can't wait to see what she looks like.

My great family. They are wonderful. That is all.

My friends. I can count on them for any advice.

The gospel and having the priesthood in my home. I went to the temple last night by myself because my soul was needing it. Let me tell you, it was so worth it and I felt so empowered.

A job that I love.

A roof over my head.

A wonderful well behaved dog who I am sure will hate her life come September.

My reliable car.

Having summers off and getting paid for it.

So many more things. My life is wonderful and I really can't complain.

Baby Harris is....

2011-04-04T17:34:00.000-07:00

Girl!

General Conference.

2011-04-03T19:03:00.000-07:00

I loved watching General Conference this year. It seemed that the messages were mostly about marriage, temples,forgivness and service which are all great things. I especially loved Quentin L. Cook's talk in the Saturday morning session and Richard G. Scotts talk in the Sunday afternoon session.

My favorite thing in Elder Cook's talk was how he told others not to judge mothers that work instead of staying at home because you don't know their circumstances or their situations. This talk made me feel so good. AE and I have prayed a lot about our decision for me to work next year. I will continue teaching and we feel really good about this decision. We have many reasons why and I feel good about the future babysitter we have set up. I have been feeling guilty (mostly because of comments people make) and this helped to reasure me on our decision.

Richard G. Scotts talk was so sweet and even brought tears to my eyes. The way he talked about his sweet wife and family were so cute. It made me appreciate AE even more and the relationship we have. I am so excited to see AE as a dad and I am so glad I get to spend eternity with him. When you get the chance read or listen to his talk.

General conference was much needed and I am so glad I took the time to watch all four sessions.

Any Guesses?

2011-04-02T12:24:00.000-07:00

We will find out on Monday if baby is a mini me or mini AE. I have always thought it is a girl and will be shocked if it is a boy and Ae admitted to me the other day that he thinks it is a girl. Most People think it is a girl. We shall see. If you would like to guess just leave it in a comment and then I will post as soon as we inform our families.

I keep thinking about what this baby could possibly look like. We both have very strong features that run in our families so I am thinking our child could be really un-attractive or extremely cute....I am thinking the latter and also hoping. Only 22 more weeks.

One more thing... Baby has been kicking me a lot the last two days and it is the bomb.com. Yes I did just say that ha ha. It is so surreal to me but I love it and crave for it to kick me. Sometimes the way it rubs up against my stomach tickles me and makes me laugh. ha ha Baby movement has got to be the best part of pregnancy.

Anyway, like I said leave a comment and I will update as soon as we know.

Counting to 100!

2011-04-02T07:05:00.000-07:00

In Kindergarten the states goal is that all Kindergarten kids should be able to count to 30. This seems easy but believe it or not most my kids could not do it at the beginning of the year. I try to get them to thirty and then to 100. Most of the time when kids can count past thirty they can do the rest because its a pattern. I have a hundreds chart with their frog on it and when they count to 100 they get to put a fake fish in a fake fish bowl and they get a prize. They are so proud of themselves when that number moves to the 100. Its hard to explain and I will post a picture later.

Yesterday I was having some kids count for me. I looked at the hundred's chart when I was done and felt so proud to be a teacher. All but 8 of my 50 kids (A.M. and P.M. Kinder) can count to 100! I was a little worried about a lot of things at the beginning of the year and this was one of them. I should have taken a before and after picture because the difference is amazing. I am so proud of my kids and their parents for working so hard to get them to this point. It is a huge acomplishment and I couldn't ask for a better job. I love what I do.

p.s. 85% of my kids are also reading books with 4 of my kids reading on a mid second grade level (they came in already reading). Most my kids hardly knew any of their letters and sounds at the beginning. They are so ready for first grade and it makes me so proud to be their teacher. People tell me it is my doing but I really can't take all the credit. My kids are so smart and have worked so hard to become good students. Seriously this job is so rewarding. I am not trying to brag so please don't take it that way. I am just so proud of the hard work my kids have put in.

Things I am currently loving or looking forward to.

2011-03-30T16:55:00.000-07:00

My pregnancy books. I am currently reading three. I just want to be informed okay.

Maternity pants. I don't know why people are scared of these things because they are FABULOUS!

Awesome family, friends and co-workers who are as just as excited as we are about baby Harris. They are constantly calling, texting or asking how baby is doing and we have already been given tons of stuff.

Hopefully warmer weather this week. Finally.

General Conference this weekend. It almost feels as though my soul is craving it.

The Chic-fil-a that was built down the street.

Pre natal vitimans.

8 more weeks of school.

My ever growing belly.

The fact that I felt baby move two days ago.

The cute fabric I bought online to make bedding.

My amazing husband!

That is all for now.

Q & A.

2011-03-26T06:38:00.000-07:00

I am well aware that this blog is turning into a pregnancy blog and frankly I don't care. That is what consumes my mind 90% of the time so I want to write about it. Anyway. I have been asked six questions by more than one person so I figure I would write them on here in case anyone else was wondering as well.

Q: Do you want a boy or a girl?

A: We want a healthy baby. We really would be happy with either. I however have felt very strongly that it is a girl. I haven't had any dreams or anything just a really strong feeling and I keep invisioning a girl room. AE would be happy with either but he keeps saying he wants a boy first to protect our girls so I think deep down he wants it to be a boy. I think girls scare him a tiny bit because he grew up in a boy family. Him being a dad to a bunch of girls would be so awesome though.

Q: How much weight have you gained?

A: Not a pound. Infact last time I went to the doctor I had lost three pounds from my starting weight. People are starting to tell me my face looks thinner. I don't understand how someone like me that can count on one hand how many times they have thrown up has not gained a pound, where as someone who throws up three times a day gains five in their first trimester. I actually hate that I haven't gained anything and I ask my doctor about it every single time. He just tells me to be thankful and that apparently pregnancy agrees with me. He says that he is not worried because baby is growing like normal. I guess I should be thankful because then it won't be as hard to lose. I am just hoping I don't gain 40 pounds in my third trimester. I guess one other thing I hate is when people look at me like I am not eating because I haven't gained anything. Trust me I eat all the time and big meals too so please stop giving me that nasty look.

Q: Have you felt baby move yet?

A: Once when I was 14 weeks but not since than. I have now almost 17 weeks. I really want to feel it move and every now and then I worry something is wrong because I haven't felt it again. I did however find out at my last ultra sound that baby was situated so perfectly that when it kicks or punches (which it does A LOT on our ulra sounds), I wouldn't be able to feel it because it's kicking at my spine. I hope I feel it soon so it can put some of my worry aside.

Q: How are you sleeping?

A: Great. I have always been a great sleeper and that hasn't changed much since being pregnant. I am sure my answer will change when I am further along.

Q: What colors do you want for a nursery?

A: I am going to do grey bumpers to make it neutral so I can use them again. If it is a girl I will add accents of purple and if it is a boy I will add accents of yellow. I have the rooms invisioned in my head we just need to find out the gender so I can start spending money.

Q: Any names picked out yet?

A: Our first boy will be named Bennett there is not even a question about that. We both love it and have felt very strongly that our first boy should be named Bennett. We don't even have other names picked out. Girls however are a different story. I am in love with the name Eliza Ae hates it though. It would take some pretty strong convincing to be able to use that name. I also like the names Lanie and Kennedy. Ae is ok with Lanie and he loves Kennedy. It will most likely be Kennedy for a girl depending on what she looks like but for a girl we may be waiting till she is born and then we might have to fight it out in the hospital.

So there you have it. Those are the questions I can think of at the moment. If you have any more for me let me know and I will type them on here.

Week 15.

2011-03-17T19:13:00.001-07:00

I figured I should post a current belly picture because let me tell you...I popped at 14 weeks. It is amazing how people can now tell I am pregnant and not just fat. I am loving my growing belly and I actually enjoy wearing maternity clothes. Keep growing baby.

Week 15

This week has been really hard on me. In fact I have named this lovely week "the week from hell." I have been really even kill with emotions up until this week. This week I have had many thoughts go through my head that have made me feel like I am going crazy. One day I almost had a panic attack thinking that baby wasn't okay and what if it was dead and then the next day I kept thinking I wasn't going to love this baby and I wouldn't want it. Which led me to crying uncontrollably and made me feel like I was the most horrible human being. Of course I want this baby. I waited forever for this baby. The thoughts I had the day before tell me I love this baby so why was I having those thoughts. It was a very dark place that I don't ever want to return to. I have talked to A LOT of people and they tell me this is normal but it still worried me. It got so bad that I called my doctor twice in two days to talk to him about it. I have come to realize that talking about it, praying, and having the priesthood in my life will help me get through these hormonal thoughts. Anyone else have crazy thoughts like this? I have loved being pregnant but I do not like this part about it.

One more thing. We find out on the 4th whether baby Harris is a boy or girl (I feel like this pregnancy is flying by)... I am thinking girl and AE is hoping boy. I will update as soon as we know.

Texas.

2011-03-17T18:53:00.000-07:00

I have been so busy I keep forgetting to post about Texas. We flew out on the Thursday before Presidents Day weekend to spend some time with one of my best friends from highschool and her cute family. We loved getting away and enjoying some very warm weather (80 degrees). Thank you Bryan and Allie for letting us stay with you! Enjoy the pictures.

We visited:

The Bureu of engraving and printing. This and Washington DC are the only two places that they produce paper money. Texas makes 60% of the money in circulation.

Cute Crew!

The Fortworth zoo. Hogle Zoo you are pathetic.

The stockyards.
We also attended a Toby Keith Concert, and watched the PBR (Profesional bull riding) in Cowboy stadium. Now I am not a Cowboy's fan by any means but that stadium blows your mind!

We also spent a day in Dallas getting lost, seeing where JFK was shot, seeing the temple and eating at a really good barbeque place.

We went to a mall that had an indoor ice skating rink and a louis Vuitton store.

The X is where JFK was shot officially or as Allie said "the shot that blew is brains out."

A story about baby Harris.

2011-03-08T18:30:00.000-08:00

Disclaimer: Keep in mind this post will be very vague in some details because I just don't feel they are appropriate to tell over the world wide web but you will get the idea. I write this post to give hope to other couples who may be experiencing the same thing we did. Also this post will be long.

It took us about a year and a half to get pregnant. This was always one of my biggest fears and then when it was happening to us it became more like a nightmare. You always hear about other couples going through fertility issues but you never believe it will be you especially when you come from families of fertile mertiles. Needless to say we spent a lot of time praying and crying because of what we were going through. It sucked... It just plain sucked.

We decided to start trying for a family back in August of 2009. I thought I would get pregnant really fast but after six months I started to get discouraged (okay who am I kidding, I was discouraged after the first month. Can we say impatient much?) We felt it was the right time to start trying so we had a hard time understanding why nothing was happening which of course we know now why it took so long. After about 10 months I had a feeling something was not right. I kept thinking maybe I was jumping the gun and should give it more time but in the back of my mind I kept having these thoughts that something just wasn't right.

At our one year of trying I went and saw my doctor. He told me that couples are considered infertile when they have been trying for a year.... that news broke our hearts. No one wants to be told they are infertile. Thank heavens for my doctor though. He immediately wanted to find answers for us so he requested we do some testing. Testing sucks and that is all I am saying on that matter.

Anyway, the day I got the call from him is one I will never forget. I answered my phone and my doctor told me to sit down. He told me right away that the results weren't good and that he could not help us any further. He told me that we needed to go see a fertility specialist. I thought I would cry and be angry but I felt nothing but relief. I was relieved that we finally had answers. I called AE and told him the news. He was upset but also had the feeling of relief. We finally felt like we were moving forward.

We met with our fertility doctor in November 2010, who by the way I love, and again he made us feel like we were moving forward and actually getting somewhere. He explained to us that he wanted to do more tests and then if all of those came out good we would proceed with insemination. We were shocked. We had been waiting so long for a baby and now we were only a month away from possibly being pregnant. We left from that appointment stunned,excited, happy (pretty much any emotion you can come up with.)

We did more tests and everything came out great so we proceeded with the insemination (this is the only detail I will be giving you on this matter.) After the procedure they told us we could take a test on Christmas and if it was a yes to give them a call. Yeah right. I did not take a test on Christmas. I took it the day after.

When I took the test all I could do was cry. I didn't believe it. I used up all the tests we had in our house which trust me, after trying for over a year you acquire a lot. AE was home and I just showed it to him and then we shared a moment. It was fantastic. Ever since then our lives have never been the same and we could not be more thankful for this little miracle growing in side me. That is all.

The bump and how we told our families.

2011-02-23T18:59:00.000-08:00

I really need to post about Texas but I want to get these posts out of the way because I have been wanting to post about them forever. So hang in their while I do one more pregnancy post. This post is full of pictures so maybe that will be more exciting.

Like I said I showed super early. Really people couldnt' tell that I was getting a belly until about nine weeks but I definitly could. I think I am really starting to look pregnant now though because people have started to touch my belly and I love it. I really wanted to document how I have changed week to week so my friend Morgan has been taking a picture of me every short day to show the difference. I am so glad I have done this. Here you go.

Four Weeks

Six Weeks

Eight Weeks

Ten Weeks

Telling our families.

We told our families super early, like at five weeks. We could not keep it a secret and I figured if I miscarried I would want their support. Anyway, we told AE's family while doing family pictures. I think they were confused at first but their reaction was great especially his mom's. His dad is so excited to say the least and asks me about baby every single time I see him. Anyway, enjoy the pics.

This is the sign that got their reactions.

We got someone in my parents ward to help us. They told my parents they needed to take a picture of families in the ward for a fireside. My family had no idea and all of their reactions were priceless and these pictures are priceless. Enjoy!

I laugh so hard at Nate's reaction.

Next up: Our trip to Texas.

Pregnancy.

2011-02-22T17:21:00.001-08:00

We are back from a much needed vacation to Texas to visit one of my best friends and her cute family so I guess I will feel you in on my pregnancy so far.

Babies due date is September 6th. The day after Labor Day and the day before our anniversary. Pretty exciting huh? So that puts me at twelve weeks today. My pregnancy has been really easy and I am loving it. I really can't complain because I have had very few symptoms. I have felt nauseated a handful of times and I have only thrown up four times. I feel super lucky to not be that sick because frankly I don't think I could do my job. Other than that I have only felt exhausted, hungry ALL the time, back pain and extreme cravings. I have a lot of sympathy for those woman who throw up every day their first trimester. They are a lot stronger than I am.

As far as cravings go I crave a lot of fast food it is almost gross. I could eat hamburgers morning, noon and night. Don't worry I try to limit it to two a week. I am shocked that I haven't gained any weight yet because frankly I haven't been eating very healthy (I should work on that in my second trimester.) One thing I am happy about though is that sweets don't sound good to me at all. I have also craved Root Beer, fruit drinks like smoothies, air popped popcorn, pop tarts and cereal. I am sure I have craved more things but these are things I crave ALL the time.

Like I said above I have already been having back pain. So bad infact that my doctor suggests I go see a Chiropractor. He said the way that everything is growing is pushing on my spine and making everything move up and out. Which would explain why I showed super early ( I started getting a belly at 6 weeks). He told me to expect severe back pain in my third trimester and that I will probably feel most of my labor in my back.... Joy. The back pain is very tolerable as of right now though.

One thing I have learned about being pregnant is that no two womens pregnancies are the same. Women tell me all the time how my pregnancy will go and I just laugh when it is the opposite. I have learned not to really listen to anyone but my doctor about my own pregnancy. I love the suggestions I get for things like back pain and stuff but I feel like my doctor is the only one that can tell me what is best for my pregnancy.

Anyway, like I said I have loved being pregnant and I am actually excited to be nine months in August because I bought the cutest swim suit. I will fill you in as more comes about.

Day 30: 5 things no one knows about you.

2011-02-18T19:10:00.000-08:00

Wow I can't believe I made it to my last post.

I have never been to Lake Powell.
I have an uncanny ability to remember people's names. I have 53 students and I can remember their first and last names without looking at a class list.
I get really jealous of people that live in big cities. I love reading people's blogs that live in New York and Chicago. I want to be them.
I love doing laundry especially folding it.
We are expecting our first baby Labor Day weekend and we are nothing more than ecstatic! More on that later.

Day29 - your dream house

2011-02-17T19:05:00.000-08:00

I have actually thought about this a lot so here goes:
3,000 square feet
Porch swing attached to a wrap around porch.
Acre lot
Three car garage
Beautiful back patio
Sun room
Master Closet and bath
5 bedrooms 3 baths
HUGE kitchen with marble counter tops and white cabinets
Wood floors
Two levels

That is all I can think of now. If I think of more later I will write it on here.

Day28 - what did you do today

2011-02-16T19:01:00.000-08:00

Very typical day:

got up at 6:30
Showered, ate breakfast and watched the news
Left my house at 7:20 and Arrived at school at 7:45
School started at 8:10 and ended at 2:55
Cleaned my classroom until 5:00
6:00 made Dinner and took it to the Gardners because they had a baby.
And currently I am watching American Idol.

Day27 - a favorite quote

2011-02-15T06:09:00.000-08:00

"I never said it would be easy, I only said it would be worth it."

This quote has helped me through some really hard times. It helps to remind me that things may not go our way but everything happens how it is supposed to and we should just enjoy life.

Day26 - something you have to forgive someone else for

2011-02-14T05:53:00.000-08:00

Refer back to the post about how I am different. I have forgiven everyone for things they have done to me but I will tell you a story.

I dated this guy in highschool. I dare say he was my first love even though now that I look at it, I realize I wasn't in love with him and I am thankful our relationship didn't work out. Anyway.

Our relationship ended badly, like so badly I fell into depression. My friends tried to help me by setting me up with other guys but I just could not let him out of my life. He was so rude to me and said some things that no one should ever say to another person. He blamed me for things that were very clearly not my fault but I kept holding on to him. All this time he had no idea how badly he had hurt me.

Our lives moved on and I finally started dating again while he was on a mission. I met AE, fell in love and got married. I had all but forgotten about boy. Then a month into my marriage I received an e-mail... It was from him asking how my life was. I wrote him back told him I was married and I never heard from him again. Keep in mind AE knew about all that is to follow.

Then about two years later he added me on facebook. He wrote me a message explaining how he felt bad for what he had done to me. I wrote him back and told him how much he had hurt me. It felt good to get everything out and It felt good to be able to officially forgive and let everything go.

Day25 - something you bought recently

2011-02-13T05:50:00.000-08:00

A really cute sweater. These posts are getting boring... Sorry about that.

Day24 - what's the best thing going for you right now

2011-02-12T05:45:00.000-08:00

My job. I love it. Even though it is hard it is worth it every single day.

Oh and I am leaving on a vacation soon to see a really good friend.....I am so excited I can't even contain myself!

Day23 - a child I love

2011-02-11T21:00:00.000-08:00

The child I love the most is my niece. I know I have already written about her on here but she is that great! I will show you another picture just so you can see for yourself. Okay just kidding... I don't have a current picture of her.... I guess I need to get one. Trust me though when I say she is amazing!

Day22 - what makes you different from everyone else

2011-02-10T20:54:00.000-08:00

I think the number one thing that makes me very different is that I cannot hold a grudge to save my life. I almost count this as a talent of mine. I never have and I am okay with that. I have had people do some pretty aweful things to me and yet I tend to let it go a day later.
I had a friend in highschool that held grudges like it was her day job. She was always mad at someone and always seemed very unhappy. I swear half of the time she couldn't even remember why she was mad but she was okay with staying mad at the person.
I have come to the conclusion that grudges only make people bitter and half the time the person doesn't even know that you are holding a grudge against them so it is only harming you.

Day21 - a book you've read that changed your views on something

2011-02-09T17:00:00.000-08:00

The Element. Everyone should read this book especially if they are a teacher. This book taught me to never ever push my kids that I teach and my own kids to be anything less than what they want to be. It was also part of the reason I really knew I was supposed to be teaching. Its great.

Day20 - a favorite recipe

2011-02-08T16:52:00.000-08:00

Easy and good!

Taco Soup

1 1b hamburger, browned

1 can of red kidney beans, undrained

1 can of corn, undrained

1 can of stewed tomatoes, undrained

1/3 cup taco sauce

4-5 tsp chili powder (or to taste)

Dash of Garlic

Dash of onion salt

Brown hamburger and drain. I large pot combine all ingredients and simmer for ten minutes, then serve. Garnish with crushed taco chips, sour cream and grated cheese. Makes 6-8 servings. Freezes great!

Day19 - A picture of something that makes you happy

2011-02-07T20:04:00.000-08:00

Anyone that knows me, knows how much I love my dog Bella. Since she is the closest thing I have to a child right now, I talk about her like she is one of my children. She is the sweetest most well behaved dog and she always makes me happy.

24!

2011-02-06T19:49:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I had a birthday. I am convinced that everything is better when you teach especially your birthday. I was spoiled by parents, my kids and faculty. I love having birthdays. On Saturday we went to dinner with some good friends to PF Changs. It was a blast. Thanks everyone for coming.

Steve and Jayme Young. She is also a teacher at my school.

Having a dance party in Morgan's room with some of the teachers.

I work with a girl named Morgan and the minute we met we were instantly friends. We discovered, soon after meeting, that we were born on the exact same day in the exact same year. It was very obvious that we were meant to be friends and I have enjoyed working with her. Love you Morgan!

Day18 - someone or something you definitely could live without

2011-02-05T12:28:00.000-08:00

There is no one that I could live without. Everyone is in my life for a reason. I definitely could live without some things though. The biggest thing I could live without I already gave up and it feels so good. This thing would be Facebook.

I have had many people ask me why I got rid of it and the truth is, it took over my life. I was addicted and would spend countless hours on the computer. I soon realized that there were better things I could have been doing with my time and deleted my facebook.

I feel so free and so good to have it out of my life. I actually enjoy not knowing every single thing going on in people's lives. It is wonderful.

Day 17: A hobby.

2011-02-04T06:00:00.000-08:00

I have blogged about this before I kind of feel like I am repeating myself so you can go and read about my hobby of sewing under our blog post titled summer. I would link it but I don't know how. If anyone wants to help me figure this out feel free.

100th post!

2011-02-03T05:54:00.000-08:00

This is my 100th post. Wow it took forever to get to this point but I did it! Yeah for me!

Happy Ground Hogs Day!

2011-02-02T05:54:00.000-08:00

Punxsutawney Phil predicted that Spring will arrive early this year.... I sure hope he is right. Hope everyone has a good Ground Hogs Day!

Michigan.

2011-02-01T17:48:00.000-08:00

With how cold it was today, I am now 110% convinced I am NEVER moving to Michigan.

Day 15: A travel Story.

2011-01-29T07:08:00.000-08:00

On our first trip ever to Washington State we decided to drive early in the morning to get there fairly early the next day. We filled up with gas somewhere in Idaho and thought that we would be able to make it well into Washington before we needed to fill up again.

As we are driving in the middle of nowhere Idaho we noticed that our gas tank was getting significantly low and then all of a sudden we were driving on empty. We kept praying that we would see a town we could stop in but everything was so dark and it was three in the morning. All I could think about was stoping in some little town and then it turns into a scene out of Texas Chain saw masacre.

So we keep driving and see that a town in Oregon Called Baker City is about thirty miles away....THIRTY MILES and we were already empty. We were sure we were going to run out of gas and have to walk to Baker City in the middle of nowhere. Did I mention the next 20 miles were up hill...yeah that didn't help our situation.

So I started praying and didn't stop until we reached Baker City (Which by the way, is one of my favorite little towns). We got to a gas station and suddenly remembered that you can't pump your own gas in Oregon and it was very obvious that the gas station was not open. We figured we would take a nap and wait for them to open. After about five minutes though we noticed that someone was working inside so we went in and talked to the guy.

Come to find out the gas station didn't open until five but he had felt he needed to go in early to work that day. He filled up our gas tank and sent us on our way. To this day I totally believe him being there was an answer to our prayers.

Day 14: Put your ipod on shuffle and write what comes up.

2011-01-28T07:02:00.000-08:00

Well I don't own an ipod so I will just write my top ten favorite artists as of right now.
1. Taylor Swift. Have you listened to her new CD? Its amazing!
2. Carrie Underwood.
3. Rihanna.
4. Boyce Avenue. He does covers. You should look him up.
5. David Cook.
6. Eminem. I love his new CD as well.
7. Bruno Mars.
8. Katy Perry.
9. John Mayar.
10. Kelly Clarkson.

Day 13: a picture of someone/something that has had the biggest impact on you

2011-01-27T10:53:00.000-08:00

Easy.

Guess what happened at school today......

2011-01-26T18:45:00.001-08:00

I arrived at school to find a car on fire. It was a parents car and the flames were completely engulfing the car. It was intense. We had to bring our kids inside for fear of the car exploding. I made them write about it in their journals because they would not stop talking about it. Needless to say it was a very exciting way to start my day.

p.s. Keep in mind this was after the fire department had arrived and put out the fire. I had to take care of my kids before I took pictures. Also don't call child protective services on the dad in the picture with his little girl. He is a firefighter and knew everything was under control.

Day 12: Someone you didn't want to let go, but just drifted away from.

2011-01-25T18:31:00.000-08:00

This question was very hard for me. I am a big believer that people come in and out of your life for a reason and so it was hard for me to think of someone that I really wish I still had around that isn't. I did however manage to come up with not one but two. My two best guy friends from high school, Jeff Brown and Jake Cutler.
These two saved my life my senior year. Without them I don't know if I would have survived. Yes I have my best girlfriends and of course they are amazing but I think it is very important for girls to have best guy friends.
I remember playing hours of Halo with these two. I remember calling them up crying when I had a bad day and they would come pick me up and do their best to make me laugh. I remember Jake taking me to see his favorite band on my birthday and falling in love with them too. I remember helping them with girl problems (Cortnie if your reading this please tell me you remember this). I remember eating many lunches at Jeff's house made by Jeff because he was trying to get into culinary school. I remember going to dances with both of them. Oh man so many memories.
I think the reason they are not in my life anymore is because we just got older, our lives were going in different directions and that's how it always happens. I know that if I were to see them we would pick back up where we left off and that is the way I want it. I love and miss you guys.

Day 11: A favorite book.

2011-01-24T18:22:00.000-08:00

I have a lot of favorite books but one that I read recently that I absolutely fell in love with was
Sarah's Key. I love LOVE anything to do with the Holocaust and this book was no exception. It is a fictional story but the way the author writes makes it seem like it could be real. Read it. I promise you will not be disappointed.

80.

2011-01-23T18:12:00.000-08:00

My beautiful grandma turned eighty on Saturday. I have the most amazing grandparents that love their family so much. My grandma is the most giving person you will ever meet. All growing up my friends would call her Grandma Bev and they all loved her like their own. My grandma is also the most amazing cook and if you ever get the chance to eat her waffles, you should do it. I love you grandma. Here's hoping for another 80(okay maybe I am pushing but really I am hoping you stay around for lot longer.)

Day 10: Top ten pet peeves.

2011-01-22T08:18:00.000-08:00

Very few things bug me but I do have some pet peeves.

People who speed up when you are trying to get over. This is by far my biggest pet peeve. Come on people be considerate.
When there are no parking spots.
When people wait an hour for a good parking spot. Don't they realize they could have been in and out of the store if they would have just parked.
People who bring their dogs with them EVERYWHERE! We were eating lunch at Mimi's once and these people brought their dog in with them. No it wasn't a seeing eye dog. Really people....
Women who smoke when they are pregnant.
People who don't keep an eye on their children or people who are constantly passing their kids off to other people.
People who stop to watch the person changing their tire on the side of the road. STOP RUBBERNECKING! Drive people we have places we need to be.
People who say things like "I seen it." I promise that talking like this makes you sound uneducated.
People who make up excuses for their children. Being a teacher I see this ALL the time.
People who are always late to things. ha ha my family is terrible at this but lucky I married AE who hates to be late so I have gotten better.

Wow I realized that a lot of my pet peeves involve driving or being in a car. Maybe I should stay out of the car then I would never get bugged.

Day 9: Something you have to forgive yourself for.

2011-01-21T08:10:00.000-08:00

When I was a junior in Highschool I was asked to my prom by the nicest guy named Steve. I thought we were just friends but he had other ideas. He asked me by filling my car up with balloons and confetti and used a frog for the asking part. It was very cute and I thought it was great that he took all of that time to ask me.

Here comes the forgiving part. At the time I had a very serious boyfriend (Jeff) that I was crazy about. We had talked about going together but he hadn't officially asked me. I should have said yes to Steve because he asked me first but I couldn't think about going with anyone but Jeff. Needless to say he was crushed and I still feel terrible to this day.

p.s. Jeff did end up asking me. He was on the drum line so the whole drum line marched down my street to ask me to the dance.

Day 8: A picture of you and your friends.

2011-01-20T08:04:00.000-08:00

I couldn't resist posting just one picture. These three girls have been the best friends anyone could ask for. I can count on them for anything. I love you girls.

Morgan I wish I had a picture of you on my computer because I would put one of you up here too.

28!

2011-01-19T07:59:00.000-08:00

This handsome guy turned 28 today. I can't believe I have a 28 year old husband. That makes me feel kind of old. AE works very had to support us and I know that what ever he decides to do career wise, he will always be able to provide for our family. I love you honey. Thank you for being you. Happy Birthday!

Day 7: have you ever thought about giving up on life? when and why?

2011-01-18T07:55:00.000-08:00

Some of these questions on this challenge are silly but I am trying to answer them the best I can.

I have only thought about giving up on life once in eigth grade. That was a terrible time for me as I think it is for most kids that age. I was very depressed and just thought I had nothing going for me. I was also in transition with friends and I hated it. I soon realized though that taking my own life was supid and selfish and that I would hate to leave my family.

Day 6: a funny (and true) story.

2011-01-17T08:28:00.000-08:00

I hate this one because most the time if you tell a funny story it was one of those where "you had to be there." None the less this story is from back in highschool.

When I was a sophomore in highschool we had very few friends that could drive so our friend Brady always ended up driving his parents blue astro van. We loved it because we could fit a million people in it and it was always a good time.

Well one particular night we had stopped at a friends house to hang out and then decided to go to a different location. As we walked out the door I noticed someone had left the sliding door open and thought it would be really cool to see if I could do a jump, tuck and roll to get in the van.

Needless to say, it ended really badly. I totally missed the van and hit my face on the edge of the van. It hurt a lot but I had my friends laughing hysterically at my stupidity. Oh the things we did in highschool. I wish I had a picture but I don't. Sorry to disappoint.