I'm a total blogging slacker!  This pregnancy has been so different from my last that I feel like I'm going through pregnancy for the first time.  And even though I am 18 weeks in, I'm not getting that 2nd wind I got when I was pregnant with Jamison.  I'm still sick and tired and don't want to do ANYTHING!  So I do the basics and things like blogs and (sometimes laundry...which should probably count as a basic...) get pushed to the side.

But I had some time while Jamison napped and realized it was high time I did some updating.

The weather has been glorious most of the past two weeks.  We are soaking it in.  Jamison and I are outside daily.  Yesterday while I was at work, Jamison and Tyler were in the backyard my entire shift at work!  It's great, we have been missing the time outside and starting to run out of indoor activities.  In fact, recently Jamison had taken to turning on the t.v. several times a day.  Yikes!  Thank goodness spring is just around the corner.

While the baby in my belly might be growing bigger every week, the rest of me is getting smaller.  My doctor lectured me about needing to gain weight at my last appointment.  And I've been disappointed to discover the most people STILL don't realize I'm pregnant.  Tell me honestly, do I really just look fat? 

Tyler has found the perfect way to get his college education without giving up the job that he falls more in love with every day.  (except today when he didn't want to stay at work because there was just so much to do...)  It's an online program, which means he can still work full-time and just do his work at night when he gets home.  And the best part is that it will cost about the same as tuition at UVU.  It will take more personal discipline but I have great faith in my husband and I will be his number one cheerleader and supporter the whole time.  I am so incredibly proud of everything he does!

Jamison is still the chatter box he has always been.  He is also a parrot now.  He repeats almost EVERYTHING he hears, so watch out!  Not only that, he repeats actions too.  We have to keep a close eye on his behavior these days because he's picking up all sorts of habits I'm not thrilled about.  He's such a doll though.  He is always enthusiastic about helping me do things around the house and I love hearing him say, "a help?" as he reaches his hands out to pick up the laundry basket, throw away some trash, or put his toys where they belong.  Maybe I'm a little biased but..I have the best baby!

(and so handsome too!)

Life was pretty chill for a couple weeks (other than first trimester woes) and then suddenly it got crazy!  Jamison is going through this weird phase where I compare him to a PMS-ing teenage girl.  Yesterday was the first time in a week that he didn't spend most of the day whining and throwing himself on the floor in rage.  It was a nice break.  ;)

I have two crazy stories to share too.  Both of them tell you all about how awesome my husband is.  He's such a manly man and I love him so much!  Okay, sorry for the mush.  I'll just share the stories...

1-Sunday night I had to work.  And when I got off work, it was snowing.  Which was a total bummer because I didn't have a snow scraper in the car (because we had cleared everything out of the car a few weeks ago after Jamison and Tyler were in an accident and we sent it to get fixed...and we just never put the stuff back in...). It was alright though because it wasn't ice so I just used my sleeve to clear it all off the windows.  What I didn't realize, though, was that the snow had made the roads pretty slick.  Especially in my neighborhood which, if you didn't know, is on the side of a mountain.  There are HUGE hills leading up to our house.  When I got to the least steep hill in the area, which is the route I have chosen to drive all winter long, I found there were about half a dozen cars stuck on various parts of the hill.  So I did my best to navigate around them and was doing great until I had a car coming down at the same time I was trying to go around a car stuck on their way up.  Then I had to put on the brakes and I got stuck.  Boo.  So when the coast was clear I backed down the hill and started again.  And I was doing it!  YAY!  And then...a stupid van got stuck and started backing down practically on top of me!  I was mad, and a little scared.  Luckily there was enough room for me to pull out of their way but the loss of momentum left me stuck.  Boo.  I called my husband in anger and frustration and he grabbed Jamison and literally ran down the hill to come save me.  I love that man so much.  He just backed us down the hill, got a good start, and zoomed up, by-passing anyone who was going too slow.  We made it home and I was oh-so-grateful for my knight in shining armor!

2-Last night Tyler and I were sitting in the living room and suddenly we hear this weird noise in the kitchen.  It sounded like the cereal and stuff we keep on the fridge was being moved around.  We stop what we are doing and listen.  It stops.  Then it happens again.  It made me wonder if we have a mouse or something like in South Carolina.  I got up and started for the kitchen to inspect.  I wasn't quite to the kitchen yet when I heard something sliding.  It sounded like a window being opened.  I turned back to Tyler and said in an urgent whisper, "Tyler, that sounded like our window opening!"  So Tyler grabbed me and headed to our bedroom.  "Stay in there," he instructed.  Then he grabbed his gun and loaded it.  (We don't keep it loaded for obvious reasons but it sure takes a lot of time to load when you are anxious about your safety!!!)  My heart was pounding and I realized this was kind of serious.  I almost started crying, but I held it together.  Tyler grabbed some extra bullets and headed back to the kitchen.  I sat on our bed and listened for anything.  That's when I realized...oh my gosh, I don't even have my phone.  It was sitting next to me on the chair but I didn't grab it!  I can't even call 911 if I need to!  All these horrible scenarios started going through my head...you know, like a robber with a gun, my husband being shot, anyone being shot really...and even illogical things like, "They've come to kidnap Jamison!"  I didn't hear anything at first and I'm shivering with fear and fighting back tears.  Then I hear someone creeping down the hall.  All I can assume is that it's Tyler because I didn't hear a scuffle in the kitchen. Then Tyler is back.  "All the windows are closed," he said.  "And all the windows on that side of the house have bars over them."  I'd forgotten about that.  But we still can't shake the feeling that it sounded like a window opening.  We double check the entire house, just in case.  Tyler going first with a flashlight and the gun.  The whole time I'm wondering how I'm going to sleep at night.  Tyler even goes outside to look for footprints in the snow.  Nothing.  So we go back to the kitchen to inspect.  Ready for the punch line?  A bag of cereal we had on top of the fridge had slid down the side of the fridge, between the fridge and the wall, and that's what all the noise was.  Yup.  Because of a bag of cereal, I thought we were being robbed and Tyler was walking around the house with a loaded gun.  Now that it's over and I'm breathing normally again, I guess it's kind of funny.  But the feelings associated with thinking someone is breaking into your house are still too real and scary for me to laugh.  I'm so grateful that Tyler can stay cool in situations like this!  Phew, glad that's over and we are all okay and it wasn't anything more serious than rogue cereal!

Is life crazy of what?!  Now for some more normal things....Jamison and I have played indoors a lot because of all the snow, inversion making the air awful, and COLD!  But yesterday Jamison begged to go out in the snow (which is so weird for him!).  So we went outside and he walked back and forth along the sidewalk in front of our door for like 20 minutes, stomping the snow with his shoes.  Then I told him we should go out back and see how it looked with all the snow.  It was really pretty and I'm glad we went back there, even though I hate being cold and snowy and I didn't have appropriate footwear.  Jamison and I walked around the yard and then he got upset about getting snow in his shoe and also he didn't want to wear his socks anymore (socks on his hands because I can't find his mittens anywhere...) so we went inside. Here are some fun pictures though:

Consider yourselves updated.  :)

Raise your hand if you read my blog.  Just checking.

Tonight I went visiting teaching.  I love going visiting teaching!  I love the girls that I get to visit and the relationship I am starting to have with them.  I enjoy how it helps me meet more people in the ward and feel a sisterly love.

Jamison is starting to get a chest cold so I couldn't take him with me.  Which was weird because it's always me and him everywhere.  I pretty much don't go anywhere without him.  It was also weird because for the first time in his life, he wasn't baby sat by a family member.  I was so worried that he'd be cranky and cry the whole time.  He's got a cold, he's teething, and I was leaving him with a stranger.  But she told me he was perfect the whole time.  I obviously had a harder time with it than he did, because I almost cried when I left!  I am glad he was good though.

Yesterday Jamison had his 9 month well visit with the doctor.  The kid keeps getting taller and skinnier.  He's in the 73rd percentile for height and the 13th for weight.  Which freaked me out, by the way, because he keeps falling into a lower and lower percentile for weight.  The doctor told me it's fine though, because he's still gaining weight and he looks and acts healthy.

We've had some funky Rexburg weather this past week.  Lots of snow on Sunday and Monday.  Then Tuesday and Wednesday it was super duper windy but must have been warmish because all the snow melted and was running in rivers all over the place (so obviously not warm enough that the ground had thawed).  Today started out nice and sunny and then got cold and windy.  I guess we are supposed to be getting more snow this weekend.  It's been a mild winter here, but I still can't wait for warmer weather.

P.S. Look at how cute my baby is.  I sent this video to Tyler and he said it's absolutely adorable.  And I find it adorable that my husband would say something like that.  It melts my heart to see how having a baby makes him act sometimes.  :)

When we moved to South Carolina, we drove across a good portion of the United States.  We made a similar journey when we moved back to Rexburg.  During those trips, I found that there is beauty all over the world, but it is different in every place.  I was having a really hard time with coming back to Idaho.  I had really enjoyed the trees, the weather....the things I was used to in the southeastern United States.  Idaho didn't have as many trees, I knew the weather would be a lot colder here, and I wasn't excited about it.

The last two weeks, our family has taken a few drives to see the way Idaho looks in the fall.  At first I was disappointed because...well...see for yourself:

There's a big difference.  But that doesn't mean there aren't trees in Idaho.  You just have to look a little harder to find them.  We looked, and we found.  Southeastern Idaho has a lot to offer when you know where to look.

 

All these images were taken within 45 minutes of Rexburg.  It's a different kind of beauty, but it is beautiful all the same.  God loves us, and things like this remind me just how much He loves us.  

I have been on and off super cranky this week.  It's ridiculous.  And this morning while I was making my bed I realized that it makes me a real pain to be around.  So today I'm trying to work on being more positive.

This week it snowed, which I'm super not happy about.

(Jamison's first snow experience...he wasn't sure what to think...)

Remember Tyler's painting job?  It didn't work out (are we surprised after how many times the guy rescheduled the training???) and he got a job landscaping.  But, if you couldn't figure this out, you can't really do much landscaping in the snow.  So along with all the potato farmers, I'm pleading with God that the snow will go away and stay away for a while.  My husband needs a job.

Oh, but look at the cute hats my baby boy is sporting these days.

My cousin made him one and I loved it so much that I began experimenting to make more.

Jamison won't be keeping all of these.  I'm thinking Christmas present for his cousin and also I might sell a few to the local students to supplement our income.  Wish me luck.  I'm certainly no pro but I think they are pretty adorable.  Or maybe it's just because I have such a stinking cute model!

The Positive Side of Snow

One of my resolutions for this year is to try to look on the positive side of things. Over the past few days, I feel like I've been thrown a lot of situations I could view negatively. And I'll admit that in a few of the situations I have been kind of negative. But I'm working on it.

We had a lot of snow in Rexburg last week. I've never been a huge fan of snow. Especially when I have to drive in it, or walk through the slush it becomes once others have driven through it. However, with my new positive attitude, I decided snow isn't so bad. I can at least admire its beauty.

I don't know if Rexburg has more trees in comparison to Utah, or if I just never appreciated it until I was older, but I love how the snow looks in the trees up here! The other day when Tyler and I were out for a drive, I took some pictures so that I could share that beauty with those of you who couldn't witness it for yourselves. (Just be aware that I took all these pictures through the window of a moving car!)

This is possibly my favorite picture. Look at the gorgeous, untouched, snow on the ground. And the fence off to the side, covered in snow...and the trees, covered in snow...

The best sight in the summer or the winter; rain, snow, sleet, hail, sunshine, midnight...you get the point. I LOVE THE TEMPLE!!!

I'm also a big fan of pine trees with snow on the branches. And there are a lot of nice pine trees in Rexburg. So a big thanks to whoever has been planting them around town for years. :)

It seems like there are trees everywhere that I had never noticed before, and all just covered in a blanket of white. It's so beautiful!

And So It Begins...

This morning when I woke up, Tyler was walking away from the window saying, "I'm sorry, honey." I knew that couldn't be good news...


This was the view out our front window. Snow. On the ground.

This was the view on the road. Snow. In the trees.


This is the view from the car. Snow. Everywhere.
I guess winter is here.