It's a BOY!

Brian and I wanted to surprise our parents, for Christmas, with the sex of our baby. Of course, I was dying to find out too!!! I couldn't wait any longer to start buying things for this baby. (I mean what fun is it going to all those cute shops when you don't even know what you're looking for!) Anyway, we went to Fetal Studios last Monday and found out our little one is a boy! I wish I had a picture of Brian's face when that was determined. He looked so happy! :) Now deciding on a name...this is harder then I thought!



Baby boy at 16 weeks!


This is right before he started sucking his thumb! I can't wait to see this little guy in a few weeks at my doctor's ultrasound!

What's been going on the last month!

So...it's been over a month since my last post.  I don't know what is wrong with me...I have stuff to write about, I just can't get myself to get on here and write!  First things first...
I'm pregnant!  I'm not sure how many of you know yet but last Wednesday we heard the heartbeat, which is so amazing, and decided it was time to tell all our friends and extended family!  I am 12 weeks so far, due June 5th, and we can not be more excited!  I have been lucky so far with not feeling very sick.  I mostly really tired and just need to make sure I eat in the morning, never have an empty stomach, and stay away from certain smells and foods.  What I am really feeling is EMOTIONAL...wow!  I feel so bad for Brian having to see my tears all the time.  My eyes even started watering at a restaurant when Brian said he didn't feel like nachos as an appetizer!  Yikes!  
We feel really blessed though.  We are so excited to be parents!  It's funny how attached I already am to this little one.  Any guesses on what we will have?  Brian is thinking a boy.  Isn't that what all dad's think though?

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On to our trip....
A couple weeks after we were back in Utah we left for a trip to Europe.  This was our belated honeymoon!  We started in London and finished in Paris.  It was quite the experience!  It was our first time to both places and it was so amazing to see things I've only seen in movies and in books.  I have to admit that I was extremely tired!  I felt like I was always trying to catch up.   Despite that, we both had an amazing time!  I hope we can go again sometime in the future!

You have no idea how happy I was about the cotton candy!

Brian outside the British Museum

London

Our little mini rental car!

Outside of Notre Dame

Eifle Tower at night

Loved the chocolate/pastry shop! Yum!

Big Ben

Inside the Opera House in Paris.

Mona Lisa at the Louvre.

Back in Utah!

So, it's been a few days since we have been back in Utah and we are so happy to be back!!! We have been able to relax some and found a place to live. We will be living in north Orem. Earlier this week we went to the zoo, one of the things we did for my birthday, and it was so much fun. There were so many baby animals!!!





This little guy is about 2 months old.


Baby tigers!




Baby elephant!

Yeah, I don't know why but I was so obsessed with all the little babies. Everything is so much cuter when it's minature huh?

Anyway, I'll have to update more later. We are moving into our new place tomorrow!!!

Accidental Mickey...

From the Urban Dictionary:
Slip a mickey:
A term used to refer to put a sleeping pill in one's beverage.

Well this is what occured yesterday in our home...
Let's start at the beginning. Earlier in the week I was feeling a little sick and bought some cold medicine. I never ended up taking it. I made sure that I bought a daytime medicine.... Or so I thought I did...
Well, yesterday, right before leaving for work Brian said he needed some medicine. I felt like a good wife having some medicine on hand and rushed to the cabinet to get some for him. He took a dose of it and off he went.
Later that evening....
Brian walks in the door and he has a funny look on his face. I ask him what's wrong and he said it was such a weird day and that he was SO tired and he couldn't figure out why. He had to actually lay down in the car and take a short break. Now this was the first break Brian has taken in six months!!! He never takes a break. He said while he was laying there he was like what is wrong with me...what is going on??!!! Well, I thought that was weird and said he really must be sick. Next thing I know, he walks over to the medicine cabinet and pulls out the medicine I gave him earlier... He asks me... "Is this nighttime medicine?" I say, "no" and run over and grab the bottle from him! "It is", I gasped!!! I gave my husband night time cold medicine before he left for work. My poor husband has a wife that doesn't know how to read labels.


See bottom left hand corner....

Could happen to anyone right!!????

A lot of catching up to do!!!

So, it's been 3 weeks since I have last posted and shame on me! I thought I would do a lot better at this. I try to post at least once a week! I promise to do better! :) Part of the lack of posts is probably due to no internet, but it's up and running again! I guess I will start where I left off. My trip to Utah...

Utah

I wish I took more pictures while I was in Utah. My sister graduated from BYU in Biotech and Genetics!!! I am so proud of her! My parents have all the pictures from her graduation...but, I did happen to get a few pics of her little boy, baby Jared. I absolutely adore this little guy!

Seattle

I haven't been back to Seattle since last Christmas. I was so excited to see some old friends and hang out with my family. I wish Brian could have been with me but he was back in Baltimore working hard.

Me, My Father and sister Natalie

Natalie at the park!

I was able to hang out with my best friend Sarah a couple times. This is her cute new little boy. She has some cute kids!!! I can't wait to see her family again this December, with Brian there this time! :)

Snoqualmie Falls- One of my favorite places to go. This waterfall is amazing and has a good hike down to it. This waterfall is taller then Niagara Falls.

My mother and I at Picnic Point.

It was such a fun trip. Brian and I will be heading back there for Christmas this year. I can't wait to show him all around!

Last weekend in Baltimore

Our last weekend in Baltimore Brian went to Druid Park. It's a beautiful park and we were really looking forward to a relaxing day! At the park they had a green house and outdoor gardens that turned out to be pretty cool!

After leaving the park we decided to drive around and see what else we could do. We came across the Baltimore Art Museum. I don't know if you all love the arts, but Brian and I definitely do. Their current exhibits show works of art by Rodin, Rembrant, Van Dyck, Picasso, Chardin, Botticelli and a lot more. We were so happy to come across this museum.

The sculpture above is Rodin's "The Thinker."

Baltimore...SLC...Seattle!

Wow, it has been a couple weeks since I have last posted something new! So, last minute Brian decided that he didn't want me to miss my sister's graduation in Utah. He knew how much I wanted to go but I didn't think to buy a ticket till late and the flights were pretty expensive. Well, a couple days before he told me I am not missing it and I can also see my family and friends in Seattle! He is the best!!! Brian is always so thoughtful! He is such a hard worker and I'm a proud wife! I am really going to miss him while I'm gone but it'll be nice to be around my family and old Seattle friends! Thanks Brian! Love you!

Crabs, Water and Sand!

What a fun weekend we had! Some of the other couples out here have been to Ocean City, MD and have said it was a lot of fun. I guess it's a popular vacation spot for Marylanders! Well, we have been meaning to get together with Brian's brother and wife, Devin and Jess. We always have a lot of fun together! It's so nice to have family pretty close to us. Ocean City happened to be a good meeting point for us. We each had a 2.5 hour drive. So, we made the plans to meet up!

Well, Ocean City ended up being a ton of fun!!! It was wonderful to be on the beach, it happened to be my first time to the Atlantic Ocean! I love the whole beach atmosphere. I will admit that the waves kind of freaked me out with how much they were shoving me around. I believe the words you would say are, "The waves totally rocked me!" Haha. Next time we are at the ocean I won't be such a chicken and actually swim in the water more. :)

Anyway, we all hung out at the beach for a while then made it over to Bahama Mama's to have some crab. This was kind of a new experience for all of us. We all have had crab and have cracked crab legs open but never had to pry open the middle, scrape the guts and "stuff" to get to the meat. It's kind of funny/gross when you get to look at your meal in the eyes before eating it....even if it is dead already. The crab meat was really good though! All in all, we had a great time and hope to make another visit there before we go back to Utah.

Brian and I at Bahama Mamas! These were extra large crabs?!!

Ocean City Beach!

Last night I was so happy that I had the opportunity to talk to my little brother, Adam, on the phone before he left for the Philippines. My parents put him on speaker phone and my sister called me and did the same. I am so happy that I was able to have the opportunity to speak with him one more time before he left. I am so proud of my brother and my brothers in law. They are such great examples to me.

Brian's brother, Cameron, is serving in Mexico.

My brother Adam, serving in the Philippines, and Brian's brother Kyle, serving in Georgia. (They entered the MTC at the same time!)

WE LOVE YOU GUYS!

Yay for Animals!

So, I LOVE animals! I love the zoo. I love the aquarium. I love watching tv shows and movies (Planet Earth) on animals. Love it! So, when Brian said we could do whatever I wanted this last weekend, the National Zoo in DC is what came to mind. Now if you are ever in the area you should definitely make a stop here. I was a little concerned at first when I heard the zoo was free. How good can a free zoo be? I was pleasantly surprised though. There was lots of active animals, meaning...they actually looked alive and the zoo grounds are huge! We didn't even have time to look at all of the exhibits. After the zoo we made a stop at the Jefferson Memorial. That was cool too. All these monuments are pretty amazing to see in person! Thanks for joining us Aaron! We miss you Jeni and Jett! Can't wait for you to be back from Utah!

Brian checking out the crocodiles!

This frog was kinda funny. He moved around kind of slow and sneaky.

Tigers are one of my favorites. This one was running all around!

This turtle came right up to the window when I bent down to get a closer picture.

Another favorite animal.

Out in front of the Jefferson Memorial. (Yes this is out of order.)

Brian and Aaron in front of the elephant exhibit.

Us out in front of the elephants!

Chocolate Cake!

So, I got this recipe a few months ago from a lady working at Williams Sonama and I'm so glad she shared this with me! Every time I have made this cake it has been a hit. I'm not saying that I'm a great cook...because the cake itself is REALLY easy to make! I thought I should post this for all of you so you can enjoy it too! :)

Chocolate Bundt Cake

Mix:

1 devil's food chocolate cake mix

1 large box instant chocolate pudding

5 eggs

1 cube butter, melted

16 oz (regular size tub) of sour cream

1 tsp vanilla

A pinch of salt

Then add:

2 cups chocolate chips

Mix it all up, the batter will be thick like brownie mix. Bake in a greased bundt pan at 350 for 55 minutes. This serves well by itself or topped with cool whip or ice cream and berries.

Deer and Frogs

Sunday evening, Brian and I decided to go for a walk to a nearby park. We've been to this park before, but not this late in the day. What a difference it makes! There were little frogs hopping around the water and bull frogs croaking (is that what it's called?). Brian was the only one that actually saw the bull frogs. He tried to scare them so they would jump in the water so I could see one too. I always happened to be looking away when they would jump in the water. Maybe next time. :) We, also, saw deer running through the park. All and all, it was a nice time to relax and enjoy nature.

Me trying to be all creative with the black and white... yes, I know... so original.

Flower Brian picked for me at the park. :)

Brian trying to scare the frogs so I can finally see one!

4th of July

I love the 4th of July! I love the fireworks...BBQs...and just being able to hang out with friends and family. With that being said, I was not sure how this year's 4th was going to turn out. I thought, up until the the day, that the guys were going to have to work a regular shift. They ended up getting off earlier! :) I didn't get to see fireworks or go to a BBQ, but I did get to spend a nice evening with Brian and our good friends, Aaron & Jeni and Vak & Kelley, at Ruth's Chris. Yum!

Brian doesn't like this picture, but it's the only one we have of the evening, and I think he looks cute! :)

Visiting Utah

So, I've been back in Utah for the last week. I forget how nice the summers are here...I love the hot weather. It's really green too! I suppose that is from all the rain they have been getting. I do not miss the Baltimore humidity at all!!! I do miss being out there though. This is the first time that Brian and I have been apart since we have been married and it's not fun! I don't know how my married friends that have husbands, that travel for work, do it! You are tough ladies! I miss Brian a ton! I've been having fun visiting family and friends and been able to get a lot of errands done. Even started to look for places to live when we get back, any suggestions? I, also, got to check out this cupcake shop in Provo called, "The Sweet Tooth Fairy." It is absolutely delicious!!! :)

Trail that Brian and I like to walk on along the Provo River.

Cupcakes at Sweet Tooth Fairy...these kind of places are popping up everywhere!