Third Trimester

Well here we are!! I can't believe that I have already reached the third trimester of pregnancy! This little girl is going to be here before we know it. So far pregnancy has gone like this:

1st Trimester - ROUGH!! I had no idea that it was possible to feel that run down and tired all the time. Time was dragging on and it felt like pregnancy was going to last forever.

2nd Trimester - A BREEZE!! It was like a switch turned all the bad stuff off as soon as I hit my second trimester. I felt like I had more energy, I wasn't sick, and some days I even forgot that I was pregnant. Time flew by and I was feeling great.

3rd Trimester - Here are my predictions for the third trimester. ROUGH AGAIN!! I'm starting to feel achy. My hips and lower back hurt almost everyday. I don't sleep very well anymore because I'm uncomfortable the bigger my belly gets so, as a result I'm feeling more tired again. The crazy thing is everyone keeps telling me I'm tiny for how far along I am. Tell that to my hips!!

On a positive note, with the holidays, birthdays, and baby showers that are up and coming I'm thinking that this last trimester will fly by just as fast, if not faster then the last one. Which is good since everyone, especially her daddy, is getting excited and anxious to meet Ella.

Things I've Learned Since Being Pregnant

I have learned a few things since I've been pregnant and here is what I've learned...

1. You always think that you are bigger than everyone else does. People have started telling me that I've just started showing and I've felt like an enormous cow for 3 months now. I try to keep in mind that no one else sees me naked which is truly where it shows the most. Clothing can cover quite a bit!!

2. Feeling your baby move and kick is one of the coolest things ever!! Now I'm not saying that I'm one of those women who loves to be pregnant but, feeling her in there is unreal.

3. The movie "Juno" is 10 times funnier when you are pregnant. I loved the movie before I got pregnant but it has some pretty funny lines in it that you wouldn't find as funny if you had never been pregnant.

4. Random people will always touch your tummy. There is nothing that you can do about it. People will never stop. It just happens.

5. When you're about to get in the shower and your husband looks over at you and starts to giggle and says "your body looks like a roller coaster" try not to cry cause as soon as you look in a full length mirror you are just going to realize that he is right. Unfortunately!!

6. Picking a birth plan is hard. I'm currently under the dilemma of trying to decide on an elective C-section or a good old fashioned vag delivery (with drugs of course). I've always said that I wanted a C-section and my doctor is totally willing to do one if that's what I decide but, is it the right decision?? It's hard to say when you've never done it before.

7. This baby is completely stubborn. If I roll on to my side at night and she is on that side of my tummy, she will continuously kick me until I roll back over. Heaven forbid she move!! I shouldn't be surprised. She was bound to be stubborn since both her mommy and daddy are.

8. I'm already seeing a glimpse of this little one's personality and she is her father's daughter. Taylor is a huge Michael Jackson fan and we were watching "This Is It" on blu ray the other night. We had the surround sound going and every time a song came on this little girl would kick and move like crazy. As soon as the song was over she would stop and then start up again on the next song. Taylor thought that she might just like music but she has never done that before or since then even when I'm busting out the tunes in my car.

9. Overall pregnancy isn't as bad as I thought it would be. The first 12 weeks were rough but since then it's been pretty ok. I know that I haven't reached the miserable huge stage yet but for now I'm just kind of along for the ride.

10. People keep telling me that I'm all belly and that from behind I don't look pregnant at all. To them I just say "Thanks!!" Losing the belly is going to be hard enough. I would hate to have to lose a backside too! If I can keep this all in the belly then I'm doing good!!

11. Sneezing and peeing your pants is a real thing. People told me it could happen and I never believed them. Turns out it's true.

Those are my thoughts for now.

Coming Soon

I know that by now most of you know our big news but for those who don't let me start by apologizing for waiting so long to post about this. We had to wait until Cooper got home to post about our little secret. We were keeping the secret from him until he got home from his mission and he would read our blog on his "P" days. Now that he is home we have no more secrets. So now here it is....

COMING SOON:
BABY GIRL RILEY (Ella)
Due February 18th 2011!!

Taylor and I are both so excited to be welcoming a daughter to our family. She is already completely spoiled by all of her grandparents and she still has a ways to go before she gets here. She so loved by her mommy and daddy and we can't wait to meet her.

I'm 22 weeks and feeling great! Our little bean is quite active and kicks a ton. Taylor was finally able to feel her kick last week and it was one of the coolest experiences. The look on his face when he felt her was priceless. We had our full ultrasound last week and she is healthy and growing great. We got some pictures and I can already tell that she is going to be a little chunk. She has her mom's chubby cheeks and chunky looking legs. I can hardly wait to see who she will look like more.

So that's our news for now. I'm sure there will be plenty more pregnancy posts to come. It's been so hard to not be able to make a post until now.

Relief

Once again this post comes with mixed emotions. I found out that Matthew was rejected from the service due to a medical condition. Matt was born with no hearing in his left ear. He was told that this wouldn't hinder him from joining the army if he could get a doctors release. He got the release but was unsuccessful in making it into the army. I feel some what guilty at how relieved I was to hear this. He was so excited to do this and I feel terrible that he is not able to do something that he had his heart set on. On the other hand knowing that my brother isn't going to the middle east to blow up bombs feels really really good. My heart goes out to those with friends and family to serve in the military. It's an amazingly brave thing to be a soldier but it is also so hard to sit back and watch someone you love do it.

Accidents Can Be For The Better

Two and a half years ago, after a winter of pretty bad snow storms, I told Taylor that I wanted a 4wd vehicle. I was tired of sliding off the road and feeling unsafe. We decided to get a Honda Pilot. I loved the Pilot! It was great in the snow and had the potential to be a great long term vehicle for us. My only problem with the car was that I felt it was a little to big for me. I'm only 5 ft tall and that's really big car. Taylor assured me that with time I would get use to driving it and everything would be fine.

Turns out not so true. About 6 months ago I was leaving my Aunt Michelle's house on my way to sign some final paper work on my house, and I backed in to my Uncle Bob's car in the driveway. Luckily his car only had a scratch on it. Mine wasn't so lucky. No dents or anything but there was a good amount of paint taken off the bumper. Then last Tuesday I was leaving for work and I backed into Taylor's car in our driveway. His car was not as lucky as Uncle Bob's. The front end of his got a nice big dent right in the driver's side front fender. At that point I was done! Obviously I wasn't getting use to driving the Pilot. It was just too big for me!! Lucky for us we had leased the Pilot and our lease was up 3 1/2 months anyway. So we took the car in to Carmax to see what they would give us for it. I was totally expecting to maybe break even. Turns out we had $4000 in equity in the Pilot!! So we turned it in and after many, many years of waiting I FINALLY got the car that I have always wanted. Yesterday Taylor bought me a 2010 Honda CR-V!! I love it! I've wanted a CR-V since they very first came out in 1998. My Aunt Michelle had one and would always let me drive it. I've wanted one every since then but for one reason or another was never able to get one. But now it's mine!! It's still 4wd but is small enough that I don't feel like I'm going to take out anything and everything that comes near me when I'm driving it. It's still big enough to accomodate the size family that we plan on having and will hopefully be the last car that we buy for a very, very long time.

Mixed Emotions

A couple of days ago I found out the my baby bro Matt had gone and enlisted in the Army. I didn't know what to think about this. I mean we are living in a time where deployment to fight in the middle east is pretty much a guarantee. But, the more I thought about it the more I became proud of Matt. He's really excited to serve his country and just because he is in the army doesn't mean that he has to go out fighting in the front lines or anything. This could be a really good thing for him. He needs a little structure and responsibility in his life.

So last night we all went to my mom's house for dinner. Matt was super excited because he was going to tell us what he signed up to do. So we all gathered in the kitchen to hear Matt's news only to find out that he is going to be an E.O.D. If you are not familiar with what an E.O.D is, they are the people who go in to try and defuse bombs. It's a super dangerous job. My heart just sank. It was everything that I could do to hold back my tears, my mom was already crying enough for the both of us. I know that I need to be supportive and I'm really trying my best but I am so scared. He's only 18!! I'm soo close to my siblings that the thought of any of them being in a dangerous situation like that is just terrifying for me. I just don't know how to feel about this. When I think about it I just cry.

Grandma Burnett

Two years ago I watched my dear sweet great-grandmother break down as she buried her only child when my grandpa passed away from lung cancer. Tuesday night at the age of 93 she was reunited with him again. As I get older and more and more people slip away, it makes me so appreciative to have such a wonderful family. We'll miss my grandma but know that she lived a very full life and it was her time to go.

Matt's Graduation

My baby bro graduated from high school last month leaving me feeling extremely old!! Matty I'm so proud of you!! I know that you are all grown up now but you will always be my baby brother! Good luck with whatever life throws at you! Here are a few pics from his big day.

Brown Topper or Dipped Cone?

For those of you who did not know, this is a brown topper. It's a vanilla ice cream cone dipped in chocolate that hardens and gets crunchy. You can get these at Artic Circle although I just found out that they simply call them "toppers" now. Taylor says I'm crazy and that this is a called a dipped cone. To him I say "FALSE" it is a BROWN TOPPER! And the battle continues in our house as to what we will call this delicious summer treat!! Everyone run out and get one!

Weight Watchers Round 4

I started Weight Watchers for the 4th time last week. I've done it in the past and had success but lose my motivation fast. Hopefully this time around I'll stay motivated. I'm down 6 lbs in a week so I'm feeling pretty good. Wish me luck!

Brown Topper

OK fellow bloggers, I'm doing a little poll. How many of you know what a Brown Topper is?? I was under the assumption that anyone who had ever spent a summer in Utah knew what this was however, Taylor had no clue. Not only that but he is certain that my family is crazy and made this up. So whether you do or don't know what this is, leave a comment. I'm curious to know.

He's Coming...

...and I'm going!! My amazing husband bought me tickets to see Paul McCartney!! As I am sure you all know, I'm a HUGE Beatles fan and could never pass up the opportunity to see one of them in concert. I'm so excited!

Love

Every night when I get home from work Moxley jumps up and sits on my lap. But she doesn't just sit like a normal dog. She sits up like a person, leans her head into my shoulder and has me scratch her back. And when I'm done she gives me a kiss on the nose, jumps down and goes about her business. It usually only lasts about 5 minutes or so, but I seriously love these moments. It's one of the highlights of my day. Just our special time together. It reminds me of the unconditional love animals give. They don't care about the things that you may have done or said. They love you anyway. No matter what. We are so lucky to have her.

5-5-5

Five years ago on 05/05/05 I married the greatest man in the world. I'm sure we all say that about our husbands but I'm certain that I've really got him. Sorry ladies :)

This year for our 5 year anniversary I decided I would post 5 things that I love about Taylor. Of course I have way more than 5 but I don't want to get too carried away or you all could be reading this post for days.

1. Taylor can always make me laugh. Even when I'm mad I can't stay mad for long because he always gets me laughing and smiling. He keeps the mood in our home light and fun even on the grouchiest days.

2. I love our history. I love that we can talk about times when we used to ride our bikes and play house when we were kids. If we only knew then that someday we would be playing house for real!

3. I love that all he has to do is pull me in and snuggle me against him and all the problems in the world just melt away. Nothing makes me feel more safe.

4. I love his infectious laugh. Any one who knows Taylor will tell you that when he starts laughing you can help but start laughing too. Even if what he is laughing at isn't really that funny :)

5. Most of all I love how he tells me and Moxley every night "I love my little family." I know that he loves us more than anything. The way that his face lights up when we talk about expanding our "little family" makes me excited about what our future holds.

Tay - I love you more and more every day. The last 5 years have been so crazy, but so amazing too. I wouldn't trade them for anything. Happy Anniversary. I can't wait to see what the next 5 years bring us!

Next Time

Things I said I HAD to have in my next house...

- A fire place
- A jetted tub
- An open floor plan
- More than 2000 sq ft.
- A 2 car garage

My new home has NONE of these things and I am completely in love with it although, I have made a new list of things that my next home MUST have...

- Bigger closets
- 2 bathrooms

That's it. Short and sweet but next time I'm really not bending. One bathroom is fine until you both have to go #2 at the same time. No one wants to go after the other person has made it all stinky. This surprisingly happens a lot at our house.

I Looked Out the Window And What Did I See...

Popcorn popping on the apricot tree... Ok not really. We don't have any apricot trees in our yard but we do have two gigantic trees in our front yard. I know that its still cold but I've been looking at these too huge trees wondering if I should just cut them down because they are so big and ugly. That was until last night when I got home from work and saw this....

These two trees literally bloomed over night and they look amazing. These pictures don't do them justice. Spring has sprung! These trees have earned their spot in my yard. I know I'm going to be waiting for spring now every year so that I can see this again.

A Little Behind The 8 Ball

Taylor and I will be celebrating our 5 year anniversary on May 5th. I can't believe it's already been 5 years. But, what this really meant was that we have been married for nearly 5 years and never went and picked out and ordered our wedding pictures. We FINALLY went tonight and got them all picked out and ordered. When we got there the girl who helped us asked us when we got married. When I told her it had been 5 years she laughed and said that we hold the record for the longest pick up time. The prior record was 3 years and we beat that out by 2 whole years. Yes!! I'm kinda excited to get these now. I'd just kinda put it to the side for so long I'd forgotten how fun the pictures were.

Finally Settled

I'm happy to say that Taylor and I are FINALLY all settled in to our new home and loving every minute of it. Between packing, moving, unpacking, setting up, hanging pictures and buying everything we needed, we are ready to relax. I will post some new pics of the house with our stuff in it as soon as I can. Our camera took a spill into the sand in Mexico and doesn't really work very well anymore :(

Packing!! UGH!!

The joy and excitement of buying a house is quickly being over shadowed by the fact that I have to pack and move again. I've moved 9 times in 9 years! It's all for the better right??

Super Fun Date Night

Taylor and I went out last night on one of the best date nights we have ever done. Have you ever been out to dinner with friends and you feel like you are being rushed out of your table? You'd love to stay and talk but the server keeps coming back or the restaurant even starts turning the lights off on you? This seems to be the case every time we go out with our friends Brandon and Kendra so Taylor had a great idea. Why not do a progressive dinner? I'm sure you have all heard of these. You go to someone's house for an appetizer, the next person's house for dinner and so on. My family always does a progressive dinner at Christmas time so that we get to see everyones decorations. Well last night we decided to do a progressive dinner at downtown restaurants and it was a blast. We started out having an appetizer at Squatters, moved on to dinner at P.F. Changs and ended up with a dessert at The Melting Pot. It was so fun to go from place to place. We never felt like we were getting booted out because we knew we had to get to the next place anyway. It was a little pricey last night but you could definitely go more reasonable by going to some less expensive places. There are so many different restaurants that the possibilities with this are endless. Plus it gives you the opportunity to try new places or places that are maybe a little expensive. For example, Taylor and I have wanted to try the Melting Pot but didn't know if it would be worth the money. By just getting dessert there last night we were able to try it but not have to drop a full bill going there. I would seriously recommend trying this date night out with friends. It was a ton of fun!

This House....

...will be ours on March 10th!! Taylor and I were able to find this adorable house in Murray, in the same neighborhood that we already live in, and we instantly fell in love. We put an offer in this weekend and it was accepted last night! We will be closing on March 10th and we couldn't be more excited! We will finally have a free standing house with a yard for our little Moxley and the best part is we won't be leaving the neighborhood that we have fallen in love with. We will still be within walking distance from Aunt Michelle and our good friends Sherie and Todd. Its gigantic at just under 1200 sq ft but is perfect for our needs. 3 bedrooms, 1 bath, cozy and cute. Just what we needed to get us through the next few years.

It's Here!

  VS.

GO COLTS!!

So Where Were We......

We were here!

Watching these guys...

try and make their way here...

for the 2nd time in 4 years and.....

THEY DID IT!!! The Colts beat the New York Jets in the AFC championship game and we were there to see it all!! The Colts are headed to Miami to take on the New Orleans Saints in the Super Bowl in 2 weeks!! Now if only we could afford to make it there ;)

Spontaneous Weekend Trip

Where are we headed??? More details and pics to come when we get home on Monday night. Few hints...

1. We are taking a plane to get there
2. We are going for a specific event
3. Taylor and I have never done this but have both wanted to for a long time

Any guesses???

Great Christmas

Two of the greatest presents I've ever gotten and they both came this year for Christmas. Thanks to mom and Nolan for my rockband game! It's sooo fun. And thanks to my amazing hubby for getting me the Beatles Anthology DVD box set. I've seriously wanted this since I was 13!!

Ek' Balam And More From Mexico

Eating Lunch at a beach side place just before heading home

Pics of the house we rented. It was really nice.

This cute dog lived next door. She was really scared of us when we first got there but by the end of the trip she was super excited to see us every time we came home.

I had to talk Taylor out of buying this. I think he was seriously considering it.

More Puerto Morelos Pics

This was a really pretty church at a town we stopped at on our way home from the Ek' Balam Mayan Ruins

From the top of the tallest building at Ek' Balam. The view was amazing but I'm too afraid of heights. I couldn't bring my self to go to the top.

Michelle and I stayed at the bottom. We were too chicken to climb to the top.

Ek' Balam was really cool to see. It is amazing how old these structures are and surrounding it is nothing but jungle.

These are pictures from the Cenote. Mexico has tons of under ground rivers that flow into the ocean. When limestone wears away over time they create these natural sink holes or centotes as they call them. We spent all day at this cenote going off the zip line and playing rope wars as you an see in the above pics. This has to be one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. Just beautiful blue water surrounded by jungle. It was amazing. This was by far our favorite day in Mexico.

Taylor and Russ went night snorkeling and were able to see some really cool fish. Taylor's wet suit was just a tad sung.