Monday, December 31, 2012

It's a.....

Andy and I had our big ultrasound on Friday, December 21st, just a day before we headed out to Utah for Christmas. The nurse/doctor (ultrasound lady??) said that everything looks "beautiful" and I couldn't hear that word enough. It made me so happy to hear that our little baby was developing and growing at a perfect rate and that there isn't anything to worry about. I tend to get a little bit paranoid about these things...I read or hear things that can go wrong with babies and I assume that it will happen to my baby. I should probably get over this soon!!

Well, after checking his bones, heart, kidneys, etc. the ultrasound lady headed down south (or wherever the baby was) to get a good look at the private parts. Immediately when she pointed it down, there was the legs and there was the little pee-pee! He's ALL BOY! Andy was very proud of him (that's really odd to say, huh?) Boys and their "pee-pee" proudness, I guess. Anyway, so there you have it. We are having a boy! Our due date changes with every ultrasound, so now we are on May 3rd. Our little guy is growing and growing and I can feel him moving around a little bit more (depends on the day). I think I've started feeling a few kicks, instead of just a small flutter. But sometimes it's so hard to tell what it is that I'm feeling.

I know, just what everyone wants to see... but hey, some people actually do want to see. So here you go. :)
Andy and I are so excited to have a little boy! Sometimes it's just crazy to think about...and when we had a baby shower in Utah (more about that later), we got so many clothes and baby things, it was just all too unreal. Now we need to start turning my craft room into the nursery so that we can have somewhere to put all of our baby boy stuff.

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Halfway there...

20 weeks and 2 days!!
Well hello there! I thought I would post a little something-something on here, seeing as how I'm 20 WEEKS ALONG!!! How did that time go by so fast? I remember thinking of all of the other ladies I know who are pregnant and further along than me, and I thought that there is no way I would ever reach this point...time just seemed to be dragging. And now I'm here! Halfway! Wahooooo!

Okay, enough excitement. So I wore this outfit to work yesterday and decided that it REALLY showed off the baby belly. Kind of made me happy because I'm reaching the stage where I'm not just "fat", I'm "pregnant fat"; and I'm okay with that! I've bought a few maternity pants, because I just about die if I try to wear anything else. I've been that way for quite a while now, but am just now spending the money on maternity pants. Most of my shirts still fit and look decent, and hopefully if I don't get super fat, then I can just wear my normal shirts and have them be tight and then I'll look so cute with just baby bump...we'll see if I can be one of those lucky mama's.

I still haven't really had any weird cravings...just food, in general. I've had heartburn off and on, and it's super annoying. I read that can last all through pregnancy...Yay! I cough a lot, that's probably because of the heartburn. Drinking water gives me heartburn, makes it difficult to want to drink 64 oz. a day! A few weeks back I was having difficulty sleeping. My hips and my butt would hurt no matter what position I was in and I woke up every few hours. But I've been sleeping like a baby for the past two weeks or so. No hip or butt pain at all! I even bought a butt cushion for work so that would help with it, and I really think it has been helping. My hair seems to be falling out, like normal, but I was really hoping the prenatal pills would help that problem. Unfortunately...no. Last week I was having "round ligament pain" and it was freaking me out - big time! I just kept having this dull, achy feeling to the left of my belly button. And it would get worse and worse the more active I was. So I went in to see my doctor because it had been happening for about a week, and they reassured me that it was just the round ligament pain. It's crazy how you can feel such weird things, and you just have to be okay with it and know that it's normal... While I was at the doctor, they tested my pee, as they do, and they said that I might have a UTI - but apparently it's hard to get a nice clean sample from a pregnant woman. And I don't think I have one, because I'm not having any symptoms. Anyway...hopefully not!

I'm trying to think of what other symptoms I've been having... I really don't think I've been too moody. Although, I was holding back tears while trying to sing along to "Silver Bells" the other morning...that was weird, because that's not even a sad/touching song!

Okay, on to the most exciting part!!!!! I FELT THE BABY!!! I was sitting at work and I felt this weird feeling in the area below my stomach, I assumed that's where my bladder is??? Anyway, so I was just wondering that maybe I did have an UTI and that's what I was feeling. And then I had a little realization that no, THAT'S MY BABY!! She (we are calling it a "she" this week) just wanted to say hi to her mama! Oh my gosh, it was so awesome. I told Andy that I'm glad most people know I'm pregnant and that it was a quiet day at work anyway, so that anyone walking by didn't think I was a huge dork for tearing up with a huge smile on my face! I've felt her a few times since that day, just little flutters here and there. I can't wait until she wiggles more and more. And I also can't wait until Andy can feel her moving! I think he's a little jealous right now that he can't feel her...poor guy.

We have our big Ultrasound appointment on Friday!! I can't wait. I'm really hoping that this baby will cooperate and show us the goods (or lack thereof) so that we know what it is FINALLY! I'm really excited that we get to find out right before we go to Utah, because then I can tell family and friends in person what we're having. It's so much more fun that way.

Okay, well I think that's enough for today. I'm sure I'll put up another post after Christmas. :)

Sunday, November 4, 2012

It's a BABY!!!

Hello there, everyone! I've decided to forego a lone post about our latest Utah trip. I feel like there just isn't a lot to tell about it besides about Rich's wedding. But then I don't have any pictures to back it up...so therefore, not going to say much. Rich and Amy's wedding was perfect. They are so cute together and yes, I cried. It was amazing, as usual, to see family and friends. But let's move on to bigger and better things, shall we?

Andy and I are joining the club and having a little baby. Yay!!! Here he/she is (unfortunately we won't find out the gender until December), but we will be calling it a "he" from here on out to make it easier.


Sucking his sweet little thumb
We started really trying earlier this year and we found out that this little one was on its way on August 25th. It was a Saturday and I had taken 2 tests early in the morning, but didn't trust them. So I stopped at Target when I was out and about running errands and just waited until I had to pee again. I made a stop at Ikea and as I was walking in I realized I had to go. I went in to the handicap stall so that I had plenty of room and I waited my 3 minutes to see if I was really pregnant. And this time...I believed it!

Yes, my friends. That is my pee stick. At least there is a cap on it, though...
 I cried and danced around for joy. And then I had to go into the store to finish my shopping...looking like an idiot with a huge smile and tears on my face. Every time I thought about it I would tear up again. And I could not wait to tell Andy!! I finished up my shopping and made the 25 minute trip back home. I got in the house and woke him up from his nap to show him my purchases. I had bought a few shirts and then I bought this little puppy dog. So as I was pulling each item out of my bag, he was getting more and more annoyed. I showed him the puppy and he said "What's that for???" I said it's for our baby! And instantly started crying. It took him a second to understand what I was saying, but when he looked up and saw me crying he just asked "did you test? did you test?" And then we just hugged and kissed and cried. It was so sweet and we couldn't have been happier.

The next weeks that followed were pretty darn stressful. I had had some spotting that was lasting longer than a few days. It never got very heavy, but still seemed abnormal. Unfortunately, I was too early to see anything on an ultrasound, so there really was nothing I could do if I was going to miscarry. So we just had to wait and see...and PRAY! We went in to the doctor at 6 weeks hoping we could see something and hear the heart beat, but we couldn't hear anything. The doctor pointed out the gestational sac and said there was "definitely something in there". That calmed our worries a little bit, but 2 weeks later we had our big check-up and we could see the baby, hear the heartbeat and had no worries after that. We have been ecstatic and just ready to tell the world. We started telling everybody over the next few weeks and that part was way fun. Oh I'll post this video, because I LOVE it and my girls (sorry Linds, at least you were the first "girl" to find out. Does that make it less sad for you that you weren't there?)

 
Now we've had our third ultrasound and everything looks healthy and normal (that's the top picture). It was so fun to see our little baby wiggle and squirm all over the screen. He was stretching out and arching his back. And then the nurse kept pushing him around to get her measurements and he just found his sweet spot and wouldn't budge much after that. Andy and I just stared at the screen and couldn't believe it. I'm sure every other new parent has felt that way. :) Lucky for us, a day after our doctor appointment my parents flew in to town to visit us. So we had a fresh picture of our little baby to share with them. I wanted to get some nice pictures to announce our baby so here's just a few. And also, he is my huge belly! I am so tiny, it's just popping out nice and big! I like it, but it's still kind of in that awkward stage where I could just be getting fatter...or I could be pregnant. So I'm not wearing very tight shirts these days. Also, I should have taken off my belt...it makes me look weird. Sorry about that... :) Anyway, here we go.

Front view with baby
 
Side view with a weird lookin' tush and belly
Aww...

Oh, I should probably mention Andy's mustache. He's growing it out for Movember (for men's health)

Andy loves touching his baby


 
And the whole fam. Should possibly zoom in...oh well.
Anyway, there's some nice pictures and I will try to be faithful with updating monthly or so. I told my parents I would so that they could see my baby belly grow and grow. Andy and I are just so excited and literally could not feel more blessed. Ever since I found out I was carrying this sweet spirit, I have just felt closer to Heavenly Father and feel so lucky to be trusted with one of his sweet angels. It's crazy how something like this just makes you want to be a better person, not just for yourself, but for your baby that you will soon raise and teach. I can't wait and I just hope that I can live up to our Heavenly Father's expectations.

****UPDATE: We are due May 5, 2012. Today I am 14 weeks along, just reached the 2nd trimester! Wahoo!!

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Rich's song

Okay, so I don't feel like typing up a whole long post about Utah just yet... but I cannot go another day without sharing this oh so cute song with you all! Rich sang this song to Amy right after they got married and honestly...I could not keep my eyes dry. And you know what? I don't think anyone else in the room had a dry eye either!! It was so sweet and I am IN LOVE with this song now (and this guys voice, awww yeahhhh!) Okay, enjoy. And please tell me if you were able to keep from crying (mind you, just think of Rich and Amy and how they are married. Try to imagine Rich singing this to Amy right after they are made man and wife. And then...try to imagine your husband singing this to you - and tell me you DID NOT CRY - like a BABY!)

Overwhelmed by Tim McMorris:



Monday, September 10, 2012

Vancouver Weekend

Well, let's see. I finally remembered that I actually took pictures of my little weekend trip so I guess that means I have to blog about it, right??

So we'll just do a quick little post while I'm bored at work. Good idea? Great idea!! My good friend Michele and I decided that we wanted to do a little Girl trip over Labor Day weekend (this was after it was already decided that Andy and I wouldn't be spending $1000 to go to Portland for the weekend and Andy is not a big fan of short road trip vacations - or maybe I just told myself that, because in reality I just wanted a girls weekend and that made me feel less guilty?!? Either way...)

We headed out at about 7:00 on Saturday morning and drove the 2 1/2 hours up to Vancouver, BC. I was pretty excited seeing as how I've never been to Canada. Also pretty excited that we could go somewhere cool and not have to drive forever. I can't believe how fast it went by. We didn't even get tired of conversation and have to resort to listening to the radio. I figured that was pretty good! We got the border and just slowly crept through. I really don't think we even had to stop. I didn't know what to expect with the border patrol-guy, but I didn't even really have to talk. He just asked a few random questions "What we were doing in Canada?", "How long we'd be there?", "Where we were from?"...pretty simple questions. We answered sufficiently and then we were on our way.

Canadian border flower-flag 
We had to drive another 20 or 30 miles before we hit Vancouver. We really had to watch our speed, seeing as how everywhere else but the USA uses the metric system, so the speed limit was in kilometers. Pretty interesting. Anyway...so we finally reach Vancouver and it is sooo pretty! I was amazing how bright and white and clean it looked. First order of business was to ditch the car and head over to Granville Island. Well, technically before that, we had to make our first purchases. $20.00 super fancy rings! Aren't they lovely? Now to just make sure I actually wear it...
No no no, it's not gaudy at all!
We walked down to Yaletown and headed out on this little pier and waited for the water taxi to take us to Granville Island. I really liked the island. There is a big Public Market where you can buy all kinds of foods, and some crafty things (not as much as at Pike Place Market).  
Yummy cinnamon-crispy things
I feel like all I spent my money on was food...but that's okay when you're vacation, right? It's how you experience things.... Anyway, the market had a ton of yummy food and there was this bakery with these super huge crunchy-cinnamon disc things. I really wanted to buy one, and figured I could just save it for later. But then the worker pulled out one that was broken and gave us free samples! It was amazing. And I'm so glad that I didn't buy a huge whole one for myself. It was way too sweet. A sample was all I needed.
Really hilarious street performer from New Zealand!
This little street performer was hilarious. He was from New Zealand and just made a bunch of funny/crude jokes. Haha! Michele and I were laughing a lot. And because of that...and because I was on vacation.... I gave him $5.00! I never do that...and afterward when I was wondering where all of my cash went, I really kind of regretted it. Oops...

Oh speaking of cash, I have a very embarrassing story of trying to get my cash. We ran to the ATM because we figured we would need cash to buy stuff at the market. So Michele got her cash out and pointed out how pretty it was (it was all Canadian money). It was my turn, so I put in my card and got out $60. I grabbed the receipt and then walked back to the market. Oh but when I tried to buy something...I couldn't find my cash anywhere!! Apparently, I had left the ATM without taking my cash. How brainless could I get?? So I ran back to the ATM...no cash anywhere. I asked the little shops by the ATM's and no one had turned in anything. I searched my purse, but I knew that I had not grabbed out the cash. There was this really nice lady that was helping me and just told me to say a prayer that everything will work out. I decided that I was just going to have to suck it up and get more cash out, because I was still going to need it. So I tried again...and this time, I paid better attention! There was an error and it hadn't gone through!! Wanna know why? Oh, because I was trying to use my credit card...holy cow....again, brainless! I couldn't believe that I didn't even realize that it didn't go through the first time. But man, was I relieved. And the sweet lady was still there and she said that she just said a prayer in her heart that everything would work out. What a cutie! People up there are super friendly!
Picking the nose

View of the city from the water
We hung out on the island for quite a while and then headed back to check into our hotel. We were so tired by that point. We got to our room and it was super pretty with a really nice view of downtown. And then we just crashed for a few hours while we decided where to eat. 




We made reservations at a nice Italian restaurant back toward Yaletown, but then decided against that since we were too lazy to walk very far. We asked the concierge if there was a yummy Italian place nearby and there was! Yay! We walked there and sat outside. I wish I would have taken pictures (especially to try and make it last longer since it was so darn expensive!), but I just didn't think about it. My meal alone was $60...I couldn't believe it. Oh well, it's okay if you're on vacation, right? Vacation is a good excuse for everything. After dinner we headed back to the hotel because we were both full to the brim. We watched HGTV and fell asleep at 9:00. Haha! Some crazy girls weekend we had!

The next day we were so tired and didn't make very wise decisions. We decided to get up and go to breakfast at 9:30...and at the same time thought we needed to check-out of our room...So after we had breakfast, there was literally nothing to do because everything was closed. Sunday in Vancouver was like a ghost town. We just walked around trying to kill time until things opened and kept trying to come up with something to do. But because of our expensive dinner the night before, neither of us wanted to spend any money! We decided to just get our car and drive around Stanley Park and then go to North Vancouver and stalk rich people's houses. It worked...but we were both just exhausted. After a quick lunch we decided to just head home.
Japadog! Crazy Japanese hot dogs...you can get a hot dog with Yakisoba on it. So weird!
Bridge crossing over to North Vancouver

On the bridge, I was a little scared being so high up
We decided that if we go to Vancouver again, we will definitely plan our days out better. That way, we can save money and do different things without wasting time. All in all, we had a lot of fun. But it was also a good learning experience for us. :)

Monday, August 13, 2012

Happy 4 year Anniversary!

Man, 4 years....each year gets more crazy and crazy to think about. Time just flies by so fast, it's like a year isn't even that long anymore! As I'm writing, I realized I didn't take any pictures of this (sad day!), but on the morning of our anniversary I surprised Andy with 4 hanging clear balloons in each doorway that he would walk through that day (in our apartment anyway). On each balloon I wrote the number 1, 2, 3 and 4. And in each balloon was a piece of paper that contained my favorite memories of that specific year of our marriage. It was really fun to reflect back on each year and think about the things that happened in that year. I told my mom what I had done and she said "Oh, wouldn't that be fun if I did that for 34 years of marriage?" Could you imagine that? I wouldn't be able to do that....4 years was hard enough to think of a specific memory in that specific year. Anyway... I think Andy liked it, except I don't think he appreciated the loud noise of popping balloons that early in the morning.
We went to work and we were able to get off around 3:30 (after I had received my lovely flowers from my lovely husband). Oh, another tradition that popped up for our anniversaries - I always want to be able to remember what we did on each anniversary. So whoever plans the date that year (we switch off each year) has to do something that was done in an anniversary in the past. Like, on our first anniversary, Andy and I drank orange soda in goblets while eating our wedding cake. So last year for our anniversary I had orange soda in goblets with our dessert when we got home from dinner. This year was Andy's turn, and he got me my stargazer lillies because that's what my bouquet was when we got married. Make sense? That's really hard to explain for some reason... Anyway, so I loved my flowers  EXTRA this year, because Andy put some thought into them instead of just buying whatever.
After we got off work, we headed downtown to Seattle. We did a little shopping while killing time before dinner (I bought 2 pairs of pants for $25! Yay! Love me some H&M). Andy also bought a skinny little wallet/card holder (very exciting, I know)... We went to dinner at Mexican Cantina, which is a delicious Mexican place where Andy and I ate when we first came to visit Seattle. I love that place...the BEST chips I've ever had, I think. If Jan remembers, she can attest to it because we ate there when she came to visit. Again, anyway.........after dinner we headed over the 5th Avenue Theater to watch Rent. This is Andy's favorite play and I was very excited to be able to watch it with him. (I'm super annoyed because I can't get the other pictures to upload that aren't sideways!! So this is all you get, at least it's not a bad picture of me. Ha!) I really enjoyed Rent. The music is fun and full of meaning. The actors did a really good job, too. Plus, our seats were amazing, I even had a clear view of the stage.
Overall it was a really nice anniversary. I've always been so grateful that Andy and I are able to spend as much time together as we have. I'm not sure how I would ever be able to handle it if Andy had to work crazy hours and go out of town a lot. I'm grateful for all of the struggles and trials that we've been given in order to make us grow closer together. Throughout the 4 years we've been married, we have really learned how to work together as husband and wife - and that is so important! We've made so many fun memories and I honestly cannot wait to see what the future has in store for us. I love you Andy Tolton! Thanks for having the patience to deal with me on a daily basis and for showing me your unconditional love every minute of our lives. Happy Anniversary!

Saturday, August 11, 2012

New Home in Juanita

Man...it feels like it took me forever to get the house somewhat organized, and I still have a lot to do. But I know you've all been dying for pictures of the new place (right?!?), so here we go. 

Here we are after the move, just picking up a few last things and locking the door. It was a little sad to say goodbye to our first home in Washington. But excited for the new adventures ahead.

Saying goodbye
I told Andy that when we came back for the food that we needed to remember to bring a bag to put it in....well, we both forgot the bag. So we just threw it all into the trunk. Made for a funny picture. 
Fridge items...in the trunk because we forgot bags. Oops!
Okay, so here is the tour of the new place:
Entryway
Take a left...head to kitchen, dining room, and living room
Take a right...head to bedrooms and bathroom
Full size washer and dryer = HEAVENLY!
Second bedroom. Still needs to be organized and turned into my craft room.
Master bedroom. I love the window benches in both rooms!

Bathroom
Closets and shower
Bathroom again
Kitchen. Beautiful granite counter tops and nice appliances. None of that apartment-quality crap.
Dining Room. So big and bright.
And living room. 
So that's the new place. I have been keeping a list of the little things that I want to make/buy so that I can decorate. But that will all come with time, seeing as how we don't want to spend a fortune all in one month. I am trying to be thrifty though to keep it fairly inexpensive. We really like it so far, the area is pretty quiet (except for the ever present crows...man, I could kill every crow I see...). It definitely sucks to move on a Tuesday and have to work the rest of the week. We were so tired and it's taken us a little while to recover from the move. Andy had a super busy and stressful week at work, so our weekends have consisted of unpacking and just resting. I'm sad that we haven't taken advantage of the nice weather to enjoy the beach and the rest of the area we moved to; we could walk 10 minutes and be at the beach, but we will get there soon enough, maybe tomorrow. Tomorrow will be our first Sunday in the new ward. I'm looking forward to it, but you all know how it is...just kind of nervous-making having to get used to a new ward. I'll let you know how it goes. :)

Monday, July 16, 2012

We are moving!

Andy and I are moving...again. It's the same old story, our lease was up, they increased our rent, the apartment size still stayed the same. We had a good run though; 2 years in the same place...that's pretty good for us! We looked and looked for an apartment in our ward boundaries, but it was just not gonna happen....unless we wanted to pay $200 more a tiny bit more room. Not gonna happen. Therefore, we decided to venture out of our ward boundaries (I know, I know...how could we??) and we found a TON of condos to rent - double the space and only a little bit more a month. *Please note that the decision to move and the searching all took place in a matter of 1 week* We looked at 2 places on a Wednesday, really liked the second one, but were kind of holding out for a condo we were going to see on that following Saturday. They couldn't really wait for us that long to submit our application, so we decided to just submit the application and eat the $100 if we liked the other place better. Friday rolls around, and we weren't feeling too confident in getting that first place we liked because of the other parties interested, but we knew that this place we were checking out on Saturday would be the one, if it looked the pictures (big IF!). But I get home from work, got a phone call - it was the Saturday condo saying that they were cancelling our appointment because someone else was interested and their apps looked good. Boy was I upset! This was the condo that was making me OK with moving outside of our ward...now what to do? Oh well, check your email, Kellie! And that's what I did. Right after I got off the phone, I checked my email and the Wednesday condo said the place was ours if we wanted it!!!! Boy, did we want it! So we got the ball rolling, put down the deposit, signed the paperwork...and we move in on the 31st! Yippee!! I just love when things work out how you want them to.
I'm not sure how long this link will work, but if you click here then you'll be able to see few pictures of the new place. And obviously I'll write a post about it once we get in and all settled. But I'm just excited for 2 bedrooms and 1050 square feet! Wahoo! I've never lived in that much space (well, except at the in-laws for a few months). But 1050 sq. feet of my own...man, I can't even believe it. We went from around 300 sq. ft. in Logan to 570 sq. ft. where we live now. There is going to be so much space!!!!!!! Until a little one comes along and takes up all of my newly acquired, much-loved space (but I can't complain about that, now can I??) :)

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Utah Visit

A few weeks ago, Andy and I were able to visit Utah for my oldest niece's baptism. I can't believe she is already 8... I wish I had gotten pictures of her, because she looked so beautiful all in white. More about that in a little bit.

So we flew in on Wednesday night and got there around 10:30. We HAD to head straight to Meg's house to see her and for Andy to meet baby Aidyn. Oh.My.Gosh! He is the cutest little boy and he was just so sweet the whole time. He loved Andy immediately. Meg said that he is not a snuggler, but he snuggled right up to Andy. I loved it!
Sweet baby snuggles
We were lucky enough to get to sleep on a wonderful air mattress while we were there, so you know we got some GOOD sleep. Haha! But that's okay, we don't expect to sleep much whenever we visit family and friends. The next morning we woke up and little Gracie and Benson were running around and playing. It was so fun to have them at Mom and Dad's house while we were there so that we could play with them all the time. Gracie was scared of Andy pretty much the whole time...He's probably just too big and bearded - I'm not sure. 
What we woke up to each morning. Benson in his diaper, hanging on Uncle Rich!
We went to lunch with Rich's girlfriend, Amy. It was so nice to finally meet her! We went to Chili's and it was delicious. I really miss having a Chili's around here. Amy was super sweet and I really like her. It's so cute to see her and Rich together...holding hands...but I missed out on any kissing scenes...dang her shyness!! After lunch we headed to Dave and Shell's house and played with the kids. They have a trampoline! And it was amazing! It was pretty tiring to jump on, though. I really don't remember ever getting tired from jumping - guess I'm just an old, out of shape, lady now. 


Mr. Krue! He has gotten so big; he looks so grown up from when I saw him in December

Sweet baby snuggles for Aunt Kellie. Mommy was jealous...
On Friday, we went to Rian and Paige's Kindergarten graduation. They sang such cute songs, with cute hand actions...it was adorable! 

So hard to get pictures when every other person in the room is also trying to get pictures!

Cute cousins playing with each other


After the graduation, Andy, Meg, Aidyn, and I headed down to Salt Lake to meet up with Jan and Spencer. We ate some German food at a place that they love and then headed to the new City Creek shopping center. Meg and I had some fun at the sunglass shop. They have some ridiculous looking and ridiculously priced sunglasses there.  

Lookin' so fine
We did some shopping and I bought a few things. We tried to get Meg to buy a few things...but the things she bought, she eventually ended up hating. Except one shirt, maybe... But either way, we all had fun. It was so much fun to hang out with my friends and my sister. Because that used to never happen! Whit eventually made it down to Salt Lake and after a little more shopping, we headed to Jan and Spencer's house to just hang out and Andy left to hang out with Derek and Brian. We had some good laughs at some old memories and shared secrets. Haha! Whit also brought her waxing stuff. I told her I didn't have anything to wax...but she found something! My nose!!! I didn't even know that was possible, and I thought it would be the most painful...but it didn't even hurt one tiny bit!

The girls
The boys...Andy was the only loner who didn't wax. He sure missed out!
Saturday rolled around and we had family pictures (see post here). It was a fun time, as always. We got them done pretty quick and that was a good thing. They really turned out well! Now I just need to get them printed for our house. We headed to Jade's baptism after that. It was so neat...I love baby blessings and baptism. The spirit is always so strong! I think it even brought Andy to tears (and that just doesn't happen very often anymore). Jade was so sweet and was trying so hard to be reverent and really feel the importance of this day. She did such a good job. After the baptism, Jade and her parents and grandparents all went to dinner and guess who got to babysit the other kids?? Andy and me! And only Andy and me! It was amazing...and so much fun. So we had Canyon, Rian and Paige. They were so cute, and so good! At first when Dave asked us to babysit, for some reason I was imagining having all 5 kids. I was a little overwhelmed, but more than willing to do it. But when you take out Jade and the baby, that only leaves 3 and that's more manageable. They were seriously so much fun and they love their Uncle Andy so much! They kept laying on him on the tramp and calling him "their comfy couch". After dinner, everyone came back over and we watched a movie outside. I love Utah summers! The weather was so perfect and hot and wonderful! I was in heaven.

Rich moved up to Logan the same weekend we were there, so we drove up to Logan to see his new apartment. He'll be there for 2 months while he takes a few summer classes. I was so happy for him to be a real bachelor and have his own place! He was pretty nervous on Friday when he moved, but once he got there and got everything just how he liked it, he didn't seem too nervous anymore. 

Doing his first load of laundry

Kitchen

Closet and bathroom

Sweet view...he has horses as neighbors

Silly Andy...can't ever smile normal

Cute Richard! So excited to be doing laundry
We took a scenic route home, driving by the new Brigham City temple, and down old North Plain City road. It was really fun to just take our time getting home and enjoying the country feel.



We had a family get together on Sunday, complete with a delicious meal of Hawaiian haystacks. Yum! It was so much fun to be together as an entire family. It was not very hard to say goodbye to everyone, because we still had one more day in Utah. But, since it was Monday...everyone was going back to work, Rich had school, and we had to pack. So Andy and I just took the day for ourselves. We ate at Training Table...and it was fat, and delicious. We went and watched Snow White & the Huntsman, it was really good. And then we headed to pick up mom so that she could take us to the airport. 

I tell ya, the man cannot smile normally

Just a little sleepy looking
I cried after we left the house, saying goodbye to Judy, Benson and Gracie. It was really hard for me this time...I just really missed everyone and we had so much fun together. But lucky for us, Mom and Dad are coming to visit in October! Yay!!! So I hope that the time goes by fast.