I am thankful!

Thanksgiving is always a great reminder to how many abundant blessings we have and this year especially, I have reflected on how much the Lord has truly blessed our lives. Eric came home this morning after being in Boise for a month and it was so great to have our little family back together! Even though I saw him somewhat recently, Austin hadn't seen his Daddy since he left! He was so ecstatic to see him and all day was his little shadow. It's amazing how much more grateful we are to family when we don't see them as often. This past month has been difficult without Eric around, but it has made our family stronger and I am grateful for that. I am also grateful for our extended family, mine and Eric's, and how much they truly love and support us. Without them, we wouldn't be who we are today. I have always thought that everything good that I am comes directly from my parents. They have taught me so much, mostly by example, and I hope I can only fill their big shoes as parents, companions, etc in this lifetime. I am grateful that Eric comes from an equally wonderful family, one whom I consider my own, and I love them dearly. There are so many little things to be thankful for, the list could go on for days, but I mostly wanted to reflect on how grateful I am for family and for the fact that we will be together forever. What a blessing that is! Without the gospel in our lives, we wouldn't have the foundation and knowledge that we have of our Savior and the great plan of salvation. It's what brings our family together and is what strengthens us. With the world we are living in now, it is the very core that will keep us together and help us return to HIM. We are moving tomorrow to Boise and a new chapter in our lives awaits...I am excited and grateful that the Lord has led us there and know that it will be a great experience for us!

Fun Times in CA

Since we are packing up and heading to Boise in a few days, I had to do a tribute, along with some memorable photos, to my family who has graciously put up with us for 6 months! It has been such a blessing to be able to stay with them this long, and most of all, so great for Austin to get to know his grandparents and aunt so well! We will always treasure those moments and look back at them with great fondness! WE LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH!!! THANK YOU FOREVER!!!!

Horseback riding

Yesterday we went horseback riding with our family's good friend, Tina Hansen. She has 2 horses, one of which is her granddaughters. We took Austin up there to ride and feed them, and he had a ball! Even though he's technically ridden a horse before (and doesn't remember it), he thoroughly enjoyed holding the horse's "leash" and brushing her. We also got to feed some cute rescue donkeys and he loved that! They were so minature and sweet, and they seemed to love the attention. Austin was enthralled by the horses' saddles, stalls (as he liked to call them "cribs"), and even their blankets (which we told him were their jammies!). All in all, it was a fun experience and hopefully we'll get to do that again someday!

Austin's buddy Bandit

The last 6 months we've been in CA, Austin and my parents' dog, Bandit have been the best of friends. I had to blog this before we leave because it's been so cute how much they love each other! Bandit is quite old now, so he can't quite keep up with Austin, but he does let him maul him to death! Every morning, Austin trots downstairs and lays on Bandit "lovin him up" for a good 10 minutes. He can get a little rough with the dog though- tackling him, putting him in headlocks, pushing him down to lay down, squeezing him, laying on him, the list goes on...It's funny though, because even when we've been gone (like when we went to UT for a week), Bandit missed his little buddy despite the abuse! My mom said he would just mope around the house and everytime someone would come in the door, he would be wagging his tail hoping it was Austin! I don't know what Austin, or Bandit for that matter, are going to do without each other around when we leave! I guess we're just going to have to get a dog soon!!!!!

My trip to Boise

I went to Boise this weekend to see Eric and to find a house! I was stoked to see my hubbie (who I hadn't seen for 2 weeks) and get an idea of our new surroundings. Surprisingly enough, I hadn't been to Boise before, but I totally loved it! It was big, but not too big, very laid-back, and family oriented (and die-hard Boise State fans!). Oh, and my favorite part... very outdoorsy with tons of greenbelts, bike paths, parks, open space, etc! I totally had that feeling that this would be home and we would love it here! Before heading to Boise Friday afternoon, I had scheduled about 15 appointments to view homes Sat and Sun, so I knew it would be a busy, un-relaxing, and possibly stressful weekend. But I was still excited and motivated to find the right home for us to rent. (We want to wait to buy while we get to know the area, neighborhoods, schools, etc.) Unfortunately, Friday night I started feeling sick with a major sore throat, stuffy nose, and achy sinuses! After only 3 hours of accumalitive sleep that night, and some drugs Sat morning, Eric and I hit the road to find a house. Oh, did I mention, I had lost my voice completely too? It was awful-what great timing, huh?! By Sat. night, I was so exhausted and sick, I went to bed at 9pm and slept for almost 11 hours! Sunday was a little less busy, so I was also able to take a nap. After narrowing it down to a few houses, we walked through them all again, did some negotiating, and now, have moved forward with a great little house in an AWESOME subdivison (community pool, park, greenbelts, etc) and the best part, only 5 min away from Eric's work! Eric comes home Thanksgiving morning and we head out moving truck and all, that Saturday!

I GOT TAGGED!!!!!

Ok, so I was recently "tagged" by a friend which means that I'm supposed to think up 7 interesting and random things about me. I don't know how good or creative this will be (I think these things are supposed to make you feel like some kind of weird, kooky loser!) but here's worth a shot! Maybe it will help that it's late and I just drank a Diet Coke! Oh, and some of these things might not be a surprise to some people!

1. I am deathly afraid of snails, ok, maybe not "deathly", but the very sight of them in my path, makes the hair on my arms stand up! I think it has to do with this memory of when I was about 7 years old or so, my babysitter was chasing me in the front yard with a snail and put it down my back! Isn't that creepy?! So, I have a valid fear, don't I? Why has nobody suggested seeing a therapist about this?

2. I am addicted to my body-pillow, especially when I'm pregnant! When I go to bed, it is what I look forward to the most, cuddling that between my knees and arms! It's absolute heaven, it's just so nice and cozy and soft! Needless to say, Eric hates it! He has even nicknamed it, "my replacement", appropriately named! Of course, I don't see it that way, but maybe if he was a tad more soft and squishy, it wouldn't be so mandatory for me to sleep with!

3. I have wake-boarded nude in broad daylight with only a life jacket on! Ok, I know, I can't believe I'm admitting this, but it's true! (Some already know this about me.) C'mon, it was back in my college days (and no, I was not drinking!) and everyone who knows me knows that I can't resist a DARE! And yes, there were plenty of witnesses! What can I say, it was a once in a lifetime opportunity! Did I mention it was March and the water was not warm!

4. The last one leads to the next random/interesting thing about me. I'm a really sore loser! Most people know that I am ultra-competitive about everything whether it's in a race, a card game, or even with my past jobs (hence the reason I was good at sales)! I hate losing especially when it's something I'm good at! My family likes to poke fun at me especially when I lose in the game, Phase 10! I don't know why that game frustrates me so much, but whenever I play it, if I'm way behind everyone else, I just quit! I can't stand to play if I'm losing by a lot!

5. I am addicted to exercise! The last 3 years or so, I have calmed down quite a bit in that department (having a kid gives you less time for that), but I love a good work-out! I guess that's good that I went into Fitness and have spent most of my career helping people achieve healthier lifestyles, but there were times that 2 hours/day wasn't enough! I love anything that gets my blood pumping and heart racing especially taking a long bike ride up a steep canyon (probably my favorite), skiing, lifting weights, rollerblading, yoga (it has to be power yoga), kick-boxing, you name it! Luckily, I am not so obsessed now, but I hate to go a week without working out at all, even on vacation!

6. I am not a big TV person, but there are a few shows that I cannot miss. Some of which are understandably cool, funny, and entertaining (like The Office and Greys Anatomy). But I also have a couple of reality shows that are guilty pleasures of mine! I love The Bachelor (I really can't explain why, that show is so predictable and dumb, not to mention, cheesy! But those cat fights make good TV!), The Amazing Race (that one not so dumb, but I love it! Eric and I would kick butt on that show!), and Hogan Knows Best (that show is hilarious!). What a sad world we live in where those kind of shows entertain us, but man, could we live without them???

7. Last, but not least, I have a small handbag fetish! Not that I spend lots of money on handbags, but you can't go wrong with a great handbag! I get bored with the same old one, so every 4 months or so, I either trade it in for one I already have (I probably have a dozen!), or find a great steal somewhere! It's terrible! Maybe another reason to visit a Therapist??!!

Ok, so now I'm done and can breathe. Hopefully you either learned something kind of interesting about me or got a good laugh! I'm tagging ABBEY, MO, AND SHAYNA!!!

It's a BOY!!!!!!

Well, for all those who doubted my strong motherly instincts that I was having a boy, HA! You're all wrong! I am 5 months along now, and we had our ultrasound today to see the little bugger and make sure he's developing good. Sure enough, he is doing great, actually he's measuring larger, so they pushed my due date up to March 28th! I'll take an extra week or two less! My mom and Austin came with me since Eric is already in Boise (I know, sad!) and Austin was fascinated with the "jelly on Mommy's belly" and the video screen that showed the baby and all its parts! It's funny, even though he's only 2 1/2 he totally gets that Mommy has a baby in her tummy and he likes to talk about it all the time. He thought I was having a boy too, so of course, making it official was even more exciting! Luckily, this baby is a mover and a shaker too, and he was moving quite a lot in the ultrasound! He waved at us, he kicked his feet (which the x-ray tech said were quite large, hmmmm, wonder who those came from?!), and his "boy part" was very prominent! The tech even commented on his male parts by saying, "wow, he's sure excited!" We just had to laugh at that! (And yes, the ultrasound pictures show it very vividly.) All in all, it was a fun experience and I am quite relieved that I could save face! 2 for 2 so far!