Christmas Comes But Once a Year

Can you believe Christmas has already come and gone? Incredible. Every year gets better and better... and this year was no exception. I apologize that this post is sort of like a journal entry- but I just wanted to get it all down so I don't forget all the great things we did.

We started our celebrating on the 19th (Monday night) with a party at my parent's house. My mom always goes all out. There were presents EVERYWHERE and with 21 grandkids at the party it was quite the chaos. But we loved it. And unfortunately I forgot my camera.

Then after working during the week, Friday afternoon Ben and I drove up to Ogden to say hello to his dad and grandparents. We spent a few hours at their home talking, snacking, and enjoying their company, then drove to Morgan. Each year Ben's family does "Tea and Crumpets" with another family, The Wheelwright's. It's a musical showcase where everyone can perform a Christmas musical number. Since there are a few piano prodigies in both the Petersen and Wheelwright families, it was a really beautiful musical experience. We also performed the nativity- I had the honor of playing pregnant Mary this year :)

We slept Friday night at Ben's mom home then woke up Christmas Eve morning and talked to Ben's brother Sammy in Guatemala on his mission. He sounds like he's doing so great. It brought so many memories of my own mission. And then, since Ben's little sister is only 9, we had to open gifts before we ate or did anything else.

Chelsea got me a pair of Christmas earrings. I love how excited she is in this picture as I open her gift to me.

And of course Ben's mom got us some adorable clothes for the baby. A few days before Christmas I told Ben that we'd probably be getting some baby clothes for Christmas to which he half-jokingly responded, "Lame". Ha ha. But he loved getting the clothes just as much as I did.

After a wonderful Christmas breakfast provided by Jane we snuggled up on the couch and watched Christmas cartoons.

That afternoon Ben and I drove back to Provo so we could spend Christmas Eve together. My mom and dad stopped by momentarily but the rest of the night Ben and I snacked, watched "What's Up Doc?" and relaxed. It was a great Christmas Eve.

Christmas morning we woke up about 8 am. I was so excited for Ben to open his presents. He is so great- he made me a shelf for the freezer (since I didn't have one and everything fell out when you opened it) and also got me a Kindle touch. I got him a new winter coat and (since he asked for a toy last year) two Nurf guns. We also got a tripod for our camera as a family gift.

I had planned on making a delicious Christmas breakfast of buttermilk scones, but I forgot to proof my yeast and the dough I made decided not to rise. I may have cried (being pregnant I cry about just everything) but Ben lovingly took me in his arms and told me not to worry about it. He said, "We'll just have unleavened scones this Christmas!" Unfortunately the dough wasn't even good for that, but he made me laugh and I got over it. Good thing Ben's mom had sent us with leftovers from the day before.

Church was great- very spiritually uplifting with musical numbers and scriptures. And it only lasted 45 minutes. We left and Ben said, "That was like an advertisement for the Catholics!" After we had Kneader's french toast at the Pahl's, a family in our ward, then visited Laura and Gordon. Ben always loves going to Laura and Gordon's on Christmas because there are always fun toys to play with.

After a nap, the rest of the day was spent visiting a few families in our ward and then sitting by the Christmas tree talking. We realize that this is our last year without children at Christmas so we just spent time together, enjoying the quiet and each others company.

Christmas = marital compromise

What happens when a husband and wife can't agree on a picture for the Christmas card at the end of the year? If you're Ben and I, it may mean you end up using a picture of you both standing by a cannon at Gettysburg. Why? Really there's no good explanation, especially since said cannon is aimed directly at my head.


But when all is said and done, Christmas is about compromise isn't it? I'm proud to say we made this card together without a single disagreement. 'Tis the season to pick your battles (no pun intended).

Merry Christmas!

Pregnancy Chatter: 25 weeks

There isn't too much to chatter about at 25 weeks, but I thought I'd post about it anyway.

Behold the growing baby bump. She's really in there. And she loves to kick. Since 18 weeks her nudges have become full throttle pummels. And although it keeps me up some nights, I love it. That is until she finds my ribs. Then I'll really have something to chatter about.

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

Nothing kicks off Christmas better than a visit to Temple Square, so that's how we got our holiday season started this year. Last week Ben's great-aunt Esther took us to the Lion House for a delicious dinner and then we walked around to see the lights. It's a tradition Ben's family has been doing for awhile and that I've been adopted into. It's one of my favorites.

Temple Square is special to me for multiple reasons but especially because it reminds me of when Ben and I were falling in love. We had been planning on going to see the lights for weeks and Ben had a great plan. He wanted to tell me he loved me for the first time in front of the reflecting pond. That would have been beautiful if I hadn't told him I loved him first... the night before we went to Temple Square while snuggling in front of my parent's fireplace. He said it back (whew!) but then later told me how I'd taken away the beautiful moment he'd planned. I just laughed. With time he's just learned to keep on his toes with me :)

Christmas 2009

There is such magic in seeing the nativities, the Christus statue and the beautiful lights all around. I love Temple Square and am grateful Ben's Aunt Esther has created a tradition so we have an excuse to go each year.

Me and Ben with his mom, Chelsea and Esther

This is a Monument

Ben made a video for his film class over the break that I really liked. We had a great Thanksgiving. Enjoy!



P.S. I promise there really was music playing in the background in the scene where I'm ridiculously conducting with a spoon :)

The Legacy of a Grandmother

On November 19, 2011 my wonderful grandmother Freda passed away and joined my grandfather again on the other side of the veil. It was bittersweet to hear about her death, but mostly happy. She was 95 years old and had been on hospice and living in a nursing home for awhile. In a way, her active spirit had left her a long time ago and was just waiting for her body to come along. There are times in life that death isn't the worst thing.

I wrote a post awhile ago about her legacy and I continue to be grateful for it. She was a wonderful, faith-filled woman who put the gospel first in all aspects of her life. I'm so grateful I had the blessing to know her.

Over Thanksgiving we also visited my Nana Ruby, who is also 95 years old.

Pardon my cheesy smile, but being with my grandma makes me that happy :) She's also a wonderful woman who has been an example to me of how to live my life with an attitude of optimism.

This Thanksgiving, I'm grateful for faithful and steadfast grandmothers who have both shown me righteous lives after which I can model my own life.

It's a Girl!!!

Do I see my nose? Ben's chin? It's all to be determined.
The only thing to be decided from this picture is she's adorable.

We are so excited to announce that we're expecting a little baby GIRL due March 28! On Wednesday we had our first ultrasound and it was wonderful. I cried as I got to see our baby squirm around (although I've been feeling plenty of squirming the past few weeks) and catch a glimpse of her little face, hands, and feet. What a beautiful experience. Even Ben, who's usually nervous when we go to the doctor, was beaming the whole time.

This is looking at the baby from the top.

I had thought the baby was a girl consistently for a few months until about a week before the ultrasound. Then suddenly I changed my mind. On the day of the ultrasound Ben thought it was a girl and since we weren't in agreement we made a bet. If it was a boy I chose that we would get ice cream at Coldstone (my favorite- not Ben's because of the price). If it was a girl... Ben chose that we would eat dinner at a greasy-spoon Mexican restaurant he loves called Beto's. Since I was so sure it was a boy, I agreed.

This is looking at the baby from the back. The bum is on the left and the legs extend out.
Can you tell it's a girl? I couldn't. The ultrasound tech had to explain.

Sounds like not only will I be eating my words, but a greasy Beto's burrito also. Oh well. Our baby is healthy and we're happy and there's not much else I can ask for.

The ultrasound tech got a kick out of our bet so she decided to
properly label the picture showing it was a girl. Ben was so proud he won.

Halloween 2011

Halloween is so much fun! Saturday was our ward and then my family party so Ben and I got all dressed up. Can you guess who we are?

If you guessed Paul and Rita DeBry (my parents) in the 1970's, then your right! Okay, maybe it wasn't that obvious but my mom and dad sure got a kick out of it. And although my costume wasn't a dead ringer for my mom (I couldn't get my thin hair to stay poofy), I thought Ben pulled off my dad very nicely.

Ben's suit was given to him as a going away gift by one of his elders in the MTC (when he taught there) and my dress, necklace, and shoes were compliments of Savers.

And the greatest thing about the dress? It fit my pregnancy bump. A week from tomorrow we find out what we're having. Can't wait!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!

Pregnancy Chatter: 18 weeks

In her excitement my mother-in-law Jane has already purchased us two items,

both of which I like very much.

Today I hit 18 weeks. Hallelujah for feeling better. Sometimes when you have morning sickness you fall into a pit of misery and woe and think, "I'm never going to be myself or feel better ever ever again". And usually this thought is accompanied by tears. Lots and lots of them. But what a relief to find that isn't the case. Life moves on, and so does the nausea.

With a first pregnancy there are a lot of new discoveries. Watching my belly grow has been interesting, but fun. My clothes are starting to not fit well and I've had to transition to some maternity wear. And just this last week I felt the baby move for the first time. At least I think I did. It felt like something did a somersault then kicked inside my belly, so unless I've developed a very acrobatic and strong tapeworm, I'm pretty sure it was the baby.

We'll be finding out what we're having at the 20 week ultrasound in just a few weeks. I can't wait. I thought it was a boy... then a girl... now a boy... let's just say I'm not too sure. Ben thinks it's a girl so we'll go with that for now. Be sure to vote on the sidebar or comment so we can see what you all think too.

To end all this pregnancy chatter, I thought I'd show you the most recent wonderful thing Ben did for his pregnant wife. I've been feeling great lately, but last week I had a fluke day and threw up a few times in the morning. I still had to go work a 12 hour shift after, but when I came home I found this in the bathroom. Ben later told me he'd been waiting the whole pregnancy for me to throw up a lot so he could buy me flowers. He's such a planner... and I love him a whole lot.

Inspiring

Every once in awhile you meet someone who really inspires you and recently one such person that came into our lives was Beth. Ben made a video about her for the Center for Service and Learning at BYU and I love how it turned out.



She and her family were a joy to work with. The best part was going to their home to watch the "premiere" of the video with their family. Beth was so excited- grabbing Ben's leg and hollering the whole time. I'm so proud of Ben and how he tries to incorporate service into his life, and I think this was one of his best projects yet.

Fun note: Beth later told me she wanted to marry someone as handsome as Ben one day :) It just melted my heart.

October Happenings

Here's a little update on some fun things we've been doing this October:

Ben's Mission Reunion

(L to R: Ben, Me, Landon Larkin, Jessica and Nate Shepard, Tim Wood,
Trevor Atkinson and Ryker. Not pictured: Brian)

On Saturday the 15th Ben invited a bunch of his mission friends over to our apartment for a get together. It was really fun to see many of the people so dear to him and also to get to meet Tim, a member from his mission who was visiting from Texas. We chatted until late and I got to hear some great stories from Ben's mission. He served with some great people and I loved having them come to our home.

Gardner Village

Halloween wouldn't be Halloween without a visit to Gardner Village. It is so fun to see the shops and how they decorate it. My sisters and I have the tradition to go every year.

Just a few beautiful things from the shops (and things I'll only be able to afford when we earn our first million)...

This chair, priced at $929 dollars, stole my heart. The fabric can be purchased for only $179 dollars a yard. What a great sewing project right? For that price I think I'd rather just buy the chair and forget the sewing.






And this amazing rug...












And of course, my beautiful sisters and mom:

Someone made a comment about my pregnant belly

A Fall Outing

Yesterday Ben and I had a lot to get done, but ended up going up the canyon to look at the leaves instead. We filmed a little footage while there, then realized that the audio wasn't on when we filmed. However that didn't deter Ben from making a fun little film of our excursion. Enjoy our outing!

My Secret Obsession: Bedding

This will be the third time I've shown a picture of my bedding on this blog so it must be evident I have a small obsession. That and a huge tupperware in my closet full of extra sheets and bedspreads for every season and color scheme: creme, red, blue, brown, white, spring, summer, winter, twin, king size... you can never have enough!

Having a mother who decorated three homes with six or seven bedrooms in each gave me the bug. When I went home once this summer, I saw two beautiful pillow shams she was going to give away. I had to have them. I brought them home to a puzzled husband asking, "Since when do we need more bedding?" and more importantly, "What's a sham?" After realizing that the shams would only match with my winter bedding, I put them in the tupperware and waited patiently for the first snow. This year I was rewarded early.

However since then it seems to have gotten warm again and Ben and I wake up each morning sweating under the feather comforter. But it's so worth it! The bedding is so beautiful! At least that's what I keep telling Ben and myself, mostly to avoid having to switch back to the summer bedding. We'll see who breaks first: me or the warm weather.

The Best Mission on the Planet

Please do not think me arrogant, but I have to state my opinion on something. Just like everyone else who has served a mission, I believe I served in the best mission on the planet. It's a similar emotion to a parent believing theirs is the most adorable child ever born. There is no true validation for said parent unless they win the Gerber "Most Beautiful Baby" contest or something, but even without winning a contest, I know my mission was the most wonderful ever. If you're not convinced, here are my arguments for why the El Salvador San Salvador / Belize mission is the best:

Argument #1) I got to serve in two countries, see numerous cultures, and learn multiple languages. Not only did I get to enjoy the culture and people of El Salvador upon my arrival in the mission, but I was also able to serve the people of Belize for 14 months. In Belize we spoke English, Spanish, and even a little Creole sometimes.



Argument #2) I had the opportunity to see/do all this and more:




Argument #3) Look at this handsome group of ex-missionaries:

Don't they just look like they changed lives? :) These are just a small number of the missionaries I served with in Belize, including the Dunford's, the senior couple that are sitting.

We had a reunion at their home the Friday night before conference and it was such a great event. We spent most of the time catching up, reminiscing about Belize, talking about the members, discussing areas and people we taught, and we later skyped my mission president and his wife in Guatemala. For great memories from our last reunion click here.

Argument #4 (the same reason every other returned missionary believes their mission is the best): For a time, Belize was everything to me. For 14 months, my life was the church, the investigators, the members, and the salvation of the Belizean people. And for the other people pictured, it was as well. We all gave everything we had for the same people and culture and that common purpose ties us together. That and the fact that we all lived through the same heat, illness, and at times, rejection. I guess some of that suffering can tie you together too.

Note for Ben: I guess the Louisiana Baton Rouge Mission was pretty cool too :)

Pregnancy Chatter: 13 weeks

I hope you all enjoyed Ben's last post as much as I did. He's such a funny guy and I really love him so much.

On that note, I hit 13 weeks this week (yes, I am counting every week). Woo hoo! I'm almost out of the first trimester. One night shift this week I had a coworker Doppler the baby's heart beat just to reassure myself that there is a reason I'm still feeling sick (the experience of having your baby die and make you vomit every day after for 6 weeks makes you desire some reassurance in the next pregnancy). It was strong and regular at 145. What a relief.

And more good news: I'm starting to feel a little better. Still nauseated at times but my energy is coming back. There's no longer a perpetual pile of dirty dishes in our sink now. And my bedside no longer looks like this:

Granted this was taken when I was pregnant in DC, but the idea is the same. Please note the box of flavorless cereal, water bottle, juice bottle, puking bowl, crackers, scriptures, and computer. Also the untidy bed. When morning sickness hits, I feel proud if I only shower and make the bed each day.

But now I exercise (wow!) and cook (incredible!) and clean the house (amazing!). Okay maybe not so phenomenal but I'm relieved that I'm starting to feel like myself again. When you're pregnant and morning sick, that's about all you can ask for.

IKEA catalog/catalogue, pregnancy, and the things Athena says when she's high

(Please have your personal copy of the latest IKEA catalog nearby or you will not enjoy this blog post)

I’m sitting here debating what the most efficient use of my time should be in this moment. You see, I’m developing a blog post in my little mind, yet Athena’s IKEA catalog just came today. The debate is this: do I cut carefully cut the cover off the catalogue (I’m not sure how to spell catalog, so I’ll utilize both versions sequentially, besides, it’s such a nice catalog/catalogue, it’s worth mentioning twice) and replace the contents of the catalog/catalogue with something entertaining, say, a heap of papers from my sophomore year of high school, or should I simply go through with a Sharpie and make ridiculous comments throughout the entire magazine, OR should I write a blog post? So many tantalizing choices… I think I’m going to save the hassle of finding scissors and old papers from high school. I’ll write a blog post while I make snide remarks and draw pictures throughout the IKEA catalog/catalogue!

Some day I’ll write a blog post about IKEA, Sweden and the endless desire women have to decorate and how this is the cause of global warming. Today is not that day. No, today there are more important issues of national merit that need addressing. Like, say, why did Athena call me no fewer than six times in less than two hours? I will try to explain, but this particular topic may end up on the new IKEA shelf that surely will be the dire result of our new catalog/catalogue. (I found the perfect shelf for my future topic depository… see page 259 of the latest catalogue/catalog. I chose the green one. Why don't you pick out your favorite too? In the meantime, I’m feeling a little light-headed from the Sharpie. I never knew IKEA could be so much fun for so cheap. I didn't even have to stop and buy any Swedish meatballs! I drew several figures sitting in the chairs on pages 64 and 69. They seem like comfortable chairs, or, at least the people I drew seem comfortable). I digress. On Tuesday, I was planning to meet with Athena during her break at work. We’d established a ballpark time of when we’d get together. Pregnancy and ballparks don’t mix. Athena called me 6 times to confirm, reconfirm, and rereconfirm when and how I was coming. Pregnancy does strange things to a woman. But then again, so does morphine. You see, the last time we did this whole pregnancy thing, it ended it a bit of a mess. As an analogy, let’s say the unattended candles on page 286 of our fine catalog/catalogue were to catch the fine flowers next to them on fire. This would be a mess like unto the last time we went through this pregnancy bit.

Speaking of flowers, let’s go to the hospital where we find Athena in a state of delirium the morning after her miscarriage. She’s coherent, yet still missing the finer points of her usual intellect. Enter me... with a beautiful bouquet of red roses and a big smile. Athena: “Wow! Who are those from?” Ouch. I laughed about it, but I learned a good lesson: buy more flowers for your wife more often or just say someone else sent the flowers and pretend to be the delivery boy.

Back to the morphine. Let’s go to the Sunday evening when we rushed to hospital because Athena was bleeding like a… like a… no analogy here… she was just bleeding. They swept her off to surgery and dropped me off in the waiting room with a mediocre sandwich and a stack of magazines. I paced around the waiting room for what seemed like hours while Athena went to the operating room for an emergency D&C. Finally, after what really was hours, I went prowling around the deserted hospital in search of my wife. I found a nurse who kindly directed me to where Athena was coming to after surgery. What followed then was several hours of morphine induced remarks that will forever cause our posterity to double over in laughter. So, cozy up in an easy chair (the one on page 67 of our catalog/catalogue looks comfy), put your Swedish meatballs on that particle board coffee table from IKEA and enjoy what I’ve titled, “The things Athena says when she’s on drugs:”

• (in the OR right after the surgery) All you ever think about is food and Honda.
• This is such a drug trip.
• (I was feeding her ice) One for me, two for you
• Man, this catheter is a trippy feeling. I feel like I could pee all over this room right now, but I know I can’t.
• (To the nurse… 6 times) What was your name again?
• Do you know how good this ice is?
• Nurse: How are you doing? Athena: I’ve got a balloon in me, so I guess I’m doing fine.
• Wow! I’m tripped out. I’m never, ever doing drugs.
• To the nurse: Jorge do you speak Spanish? I speak Spanish. Yo puedo hablar español por la anesthesia (I can speak Spanish because of the anesthesia).
• (after the blood transfusion) Somebody else’s blood runs through my veins now. Am I still a DeBry? Who knows.
• Can I have some more drink? What Jorge brought me was wonderful, but I finished it.
• (To the nurse) Did you spike my Sprite?
• Tell Landon it’s too bad there isn’t a nurse name Betsy—I’d get more views than him on YouTube. (watch this for high quality entertainment)
• This catheter thing is great isn’t it?
• The pain isn’t terrible, but it’s just bothersome. Do you have some anti-botherment medicine?
• Wow what good blood pressure! I get to go home! Good job body.

She had me rolling. I don’t know if reading this captures the spirit in which the statements were said, but she was so funny! I wouldn’t wish a miscarriage upon anyone, but if you’re there anyway, make sure to write down the funny things that happen. Well, I’m blogged out for the day. I will wrap this up with one mystical question that may turn into a future blog post: why in the world is there a printed ruler on the spine of the IKEA catalogue/catalog? I’m just going to leave that on my new particle board shelf and walk away, gently humming ABBA songs to myself.

Pregnancy and Newborn Books: What got you through?

Lately pregnancy occupies nearly all my thoughts. That's probably because everything I do has to revolve around my pregnancy somehow (i.e. what I eat, what I carry in my purse, where I go and for how long, etc.). That's why I'm starting to get big into pregnancy books. My current read is What to Expect When You're Expecting. I was so pleased when I got it at DI for just $2 (along with What to Expect in the First Year ). The great thing about this day and age is you can get on Amazon and get almost any book used for less that $10.

Then last week I went to lunch with a good friend who just had a baby. She recommended The Happiest Baby on the Block and The Nursing Mother's Problem Solver. That's why I'd like to know, what are some of your recommendations? Obviously no book will make me the perfect parent right away, but I figure it doesn't hurt to read a little beforehand. All I know is if I can increase my knowledge by 1% in the next six months, I'll be more ready to be pregnant and a mom than I was three months ago.

A Morning Sickness Memory

With this pregnancy, I've been battling morning sickness pretty consistently since week four. However there's a miracle drug that I've been prescribed this pregnancy called Zofran. It has kept me going and more importantly keeps me from throwing up at inopportune moments, such as on my patients while at work. I know this to be a potential problem, since I once almost cleared a DC subway train at rush hour. Having said that, I'd like to resurrect a memory from the days of my last pregnancy when I had decided to battle morning sickness without medicine, on my own.

While in DC, Ben and I planned a fun weekend off for our anniversary. We awoke early one morning to go to Williamsburg. We were so excited because for the first time we would be riding an Amtrak train as well as getting out of downtown DC for a bit. Below is an email I sent to my family the day of the fateful incident.

Hello everyone, This past week in my pregnancy I've thrown up a few times at night. However this morning we had to get up early (5:30) to be at Union Station (the train station) at 7am. I ate breakfast but we were rushing around all morning and I didn't feel well. We took the subway at rush hour and as we were approaching our transfer station I started to feel very sick. I told Ben, "When we get off this train I have to find a garbage can". Well the train didn't stop quite soon enough and before I knew it I had thrown up in my hand. I won't be disgustingly descriptive, but let me just say that it isn't an easy task to keep vomit in a cupped hand. Anyway, at that point the train had stopped and a bunch of people were standing in front of me, crowding to get off. I was standing behind two very well dressing business people. I wanted to scream, "Get out of my way!" but I knew I couldn't open my mouth or I'd be paying the dry cleaning bill for the $2,000 Armani suit of the guy in front of me. Finally the door opened to the metro train and I ran out.

There are no garbage cans on the bottom floor of the metro, so I ran under a staircase to a barred off area and let it all out. For those of you who don't know, Ben can't stand the smell of vomit or to see anyone throw up... so he kindly offered to go find the station manager to get someone to clean it up. So thoughtful :) So I stood there by myself with all our bags making a spectacle of myself. The funny thing is, yesterday was St. Patrick's Day and every DC pub was packed so I'm sure there weren't just a few people who thought I was a hungover drinking amateur. Oh well :) But there were a few women who came over and offered me wipes and tissues. When I told them I was pregnant they were both sympathetic and said something like "been there done that". Even the women who were in the station manager box asked Ben if he knew the gender of our baby after he told them I was downstairs throwing up. I later reflected on my mother's advice: "You always need to carry a plastic bag". It was the good advice I didn't take. For the record, it was my first time ever throwing up in public.

I later snapped a picture of where I threw up. If you know DC, it may
interest you to know it was at Metro Center, off the red line.

After having repeated this story, I must say that I am feeling much better about this pregnancy. Yes I am sick, but I have yet to throw up in my hand during rush hour on the Subway in one of the busiest cities in the US. Or on one of my patients for that matter. So far, I think I can call this morning sickness experience a success.

A Second Bun in the Oven

You are officially viewing the picture I sent to Ben on his second day in Honduras. Yes, while he was away I happily stumbled upon this surprise. Too bad for us that he didn't have reliable internet access and we weren't able to talk until two days after. With hormones a-racing it was a little bit of an adventure with him gone, but I survived. And thankfully, so did he.

And thanks to our survival, we're both here now to make an official announcement that we are pregnant again! All my coworkers have known for weeks (aren't they always the first to know?) so I thought it was about time to announce it to the internet world and our blogging family.

Today I had my first appointment with the doctor and we made sure there was a heartbeat. If you'll remember, on the first pregnancy I never got to hear a heartbeat, so you can imagine what music it was to my ears to hear the beautiful "thump, thump, thump". Yes, this 10 week old kumquat in my belly has a strong heart that's racing along. Not that it means we're out of the forest for miscarriage, but the doctor said my chances are greatly reduced if there's a strong heartbeat at 10 weeks.

And I will say that now there seems to be more purpose to the morning sickness I've had since week 4. More to come on that. Ben's been threatening to write a post about all the crazy things I've said and done during pregnancy. It's been said that pregnancy sometimes makes you the worst version of yourself, but that's all we'll say about that for now.

Otherwise, we just keep hoping and praying that everything will go well. The Lord has spoken peace to our minds about this pregnancy, so we'll just move forward with faith. And when I get tired of being morning sick, I can just remember that wonderful "thump, thump, thump". Really, there's nothing quite like it.

While the husband's away...

This morning Ben woke me up at 6:45am to kiss me goodbye and pray with him before he left for work. Amazingly I haven't been able to sleep since. Kind of funny since I was going to bed at 6 am yesterday after a full night at work. Sometimes I don't understand my body.

And as I lay in bed trying with all my might to fall back asleep I had an impulsive idea. I suddenly decided I wanted to change our blog. Redecorate. So I did. I wonder how long it will take Ben to notice.

A Summer of Weddings

This summer we've had so many friends and family members get married. Most recently it was my good friend Annie. Annie and I have been friends since the 9th grade when we took Ancient History together and she knew me as "the girl who loved to use her agenda". After that we formed a bond and have been friends ever since. I was so happy to get to go to her sealing last week and see how happy she looked. Congrats to Annie and Eric!

Montana Take 2

We had a chance to go to Cooke City one last time this year. This time we were accompanied by my family: 28 children under the age of 15 and 11 adults. Aside from the chaos, it was a really wonderful experience and great to be with my family.

We shot another movie with all the kids- about cowboys, indians, and
miners of course. My mom provided the amazing costumes.

3 cute indians

The "older" indian crowd

Ben getting a shot of the Indians running to battle

We took a 4-wheeler ride and visited the old mining towns

After our "hike" to Leckie Falls

It doesn't matter where we go; Ben and I have a great time together.

Sweet Summer Saturdays

We had an especially fun Saturday a few weeks ago and although I didn't get as many pictures as I would have liked, I still wanted to document what a great day it was.

We spent the morning with Jane helping to do jobs around the house. I organized the tool bench while Ben de-caulked the shower. After a few hours of working and lunch, we inflated Jane's rafts and went down the Weber River. We did it last year too and it was just as fun. Since the water was a little cold and Ben would be paddling, I had to give my ceremonial lecture that "it is not funny to tip the raft". Poor Ben :) But whether or not my lecture was effective, we did not tip and had a great time on the way down.

Later that night we met up with Ben's grandparents in Sandy for dinner and the Real Salt Lake game. It was our first time in Rio Tinto Stadium and we were very impressed. We cheered loudly and even though Real lost, we enjoyed getting together with Kent and Nyla.

The stadium and players

Kent, Nyla, Me, Ben and some guys in the back who wanted to get in on the action :)

Ben and I after I pulled him from "soccer mode" so we could get a picture

What we've all been waiting for...

Tomorrow Ben comes home. I can hardly contain my excitement. Last night I watched "Roman Holiday" and made him this banner. I guess that's what married, childless people (whose spouses are out of town) do on Friday night.

And the good news is... I get to pick him up from the airport! His plane gets in at 11pm and although I work from 5pm to 5am a coworker is covering me for a few hours so I can drive up there. Actually it'll be more like: speed to the airport, pick Ben up, drive him home, and drive back to work by 1am. It'll be crazy, but so worth it.