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