~August 22nd~

(Marie found this 22 in a parking lot this past weekend so here we are, posed by it!)

It has been a whole year! Just like every girl says that their wedding was the best wedding ever, (which really, mine was...) I'm also saying that this past year has been the best year of my life!

Happy Anniversary, babealicious ;) I love you!

My beautiful bridesmaids 

Surprised Steve with a song I wrote him called "So in love"

We're such performers :)

Since we had a whole week to do whatever we wanted (which was so nice!) it seemed like we celebrated our anniversary for 3 days straight. Haha. Somehow I never got a picture on the actual day, but on Saturday, the day before our anniversary we went out to Johnny Carino's, the place Steve took me the day we got engaged :) It's amazing, but there's a Johnny Carino's like 5 minutes from our house. Yay!

Steve updated the journal that he presented me when we got engaged. It retells how we met and the fun things we did together. He wrote about our first year of marriage and showed it to me while we were out to dinner for our anniversary. It was super sweet and that book is priceless to me!

Here he is at his new desk updating the book. Haha, so cute right? I had to take a picture :)

And on the actual day, we pulled out the top part of our wedding cake from the freezer:

I took a little nibble and Steve took a couple bites but we both couldn't get into it because this chunk of cake has been driven from Spokane to Provo and then from Provo to Dallas. In the past year it's been in 4 different freezers. So, sadly it just got thrown away. But at least we tried!!

What a wonderful year it has been :)

End of SuMmEr!

Steve has finally finished summer sales and a couple weeks ago we were able to move into our new apartment which is closer to the chiropractic school. We love our new apartment! It's in a cute little neighborhood and it just feels homey :) After Steve finished work, we had a whole week to get settled into our new apartment. We put pictures on the wall and decorated. We actually felt like we were on our honeymoon again: we had all day everyday to do whatever we wanted! So fun!

Steve finally got a little desk where he can do his homework. Yay! He's been needing once since we got married!

Here's our cute little dining room. I think that the red plates in the background are so cute! My mom gave them to us :)

Close up of the plates. Love them. Thanks mom :)

My mom has actually been very busy lately. She's given us so many things! First and foremost, she sent us our wedding gift which we got just in time for our anniversary. Definitely the most amazing gift I think I've ever received. Take a look at THIS:

Look at this amazing quilt! My mom made it! I wish I had a better picture of it, closer up that shows the details. This one will have to do until we get back to Texas and can take another picture of it. But we love it! Now we just need a room that is fancy enough to put this quilt in :) Thanks again mom, you're the best!

My mom also sent a glass bowl and plate that were given to me as a baby, and now I get to pass them on to little Parkster! And she also sent a cute white maternity shirt which I don't have a picture of yet either. In a couple weeks I think I'll fit it better :) 

While on our little "honeymoon" we decided to go to the Nature and Science museum downtown Dallas a couple Saturdays ago with Craig. He took this picture of us:

We've just been having a blast :)

Looks like we have a little turtle ;)

Earlier this month Steve and I got to go to the doctor to find out if we're having a boy or a girl!!

It was so exciting to see our baby's little fingers, feet, legs, arms, spine, face....SO CUTE!

The technician then asked us if we wanted to know the gender. Um, YES! "Because I already know," she said.

Well that kind of gave it away. She then pointed out what she called a little "turtle" and Steve immediately knew what it was ;) WE'RE HAVING A BOY!!!!! And we're both very excited :)

I still think about how crazy it is that I have a little baby boy inside me. Four months to go and we'll be holding this little guy in our arms :)

Steve was actually surprised to find out that we're having a boy because he was convinced that it was a girl. But somehow I wasn't really surprised. I kind of had a gut feeling that it was a sweet baby boy. Whenever I imagined what the baby looked like inside of me, it was always the image of a baby boy! We already had a girl name picked out (Natalie Marie) and so now it's been fun going through boy names. Looks like the little guy is going to be named Parker Stephen. We've now been referring to this little fetus as "The Parkster." Cute, right? :)

Here are some pics of me as a pregnant lady which some people have been asking about:

Here I am strutting my belly at about 22 weeks

And me again at about 24 weeks, taken just a couple days ago

The Parkster is just getting bigger and bigger and kicking away. Not only is he making my belly bigger but my face seems to be getting chubbier by the day too. Oh boy!!

Venus

Already I feel like the Venus of Willendorf. I got love handles overnight.

And I'm only a little more than half way there!

So, after I checked out every single pregnancy book from all 5 of the city's libraries, I came up with a pretty sweet prenatal work out plan. This includes swimming, yoga stretches, hand weights. So far I've kept to this plan about 75% of the time :)

Any more advice for me ladies? :)

Lazy Days with a Little Lemon Head

I have been M.I.A. because for the past couple months I’ve been feeling nothing but S.A.T. (sick and tired). And who wants to hear about that? But now that I am better…..

 I thought I should let the whole world know that Steve and I are having a baby!! Our Little Lemon Head, as Steve so lovingly calls it, is coming December 20^th. We’re very excited of course, but also a little freaked out since this is our first. And the fact that we are so obviously first-timers is apparent almost everyday.

When we first found out, one of the next days was fast Sunday and the night before Steve says to me:

“So, I was thinking that this fast Sunday we could both fast about…yatta yatta.”

I just looked at him trying to see if he was joking or not. But he was serious!

“Are you kidding?? I can’t fast, Steve! There’s a baby inside me. I can’t starve my baby!!” I said.

“Oh really?” he said. “Where did you hear that?”

Haha. So yeah, obviously Steve has no clue when it comes to this baby stuff.

I also went hot-tubbing even after I knew I was pregnant but before I knew you weren’t supposed to when you're pregnant! Yikes. I guess I have no clue either. Thankfully, Little Lemon Head seems to be doing ok.

We have a lot to learn!

And that is what I’ve been doing. I pretty much checked out all of the pregnancy books from the library because I realize that since I’ve never done this before I am very clueless. I do feel much more educated now but I don’t think I ever realized before how many different and opposing opinions there are on what’s good and what’s bad when it comes to giving birth. Geez. How am I supposed to know what to do??  Here’s what I’ve been reading:

Misconceptions: Truth, Lies and the Unexpected on the Journey to Motherhood by Naomi Wolf. Although I don’t agree with everything she says, I really liked this book because I felt like it painted a real picture for me of what to expect in pregnancy and new motherhood. Sometimes I feel like everyone just tells you all the good and leaves out all the bad and so your expectations are totally off. And then there’s only room for disappointment. I really want to avoid that.

The Bradley Method by Robert A. Bradley M.D. I actually didn’t get through this book. I know there’s truth to what he’s saying but I can’t help but feel irritated the entire time I’m reading it. But I guess I’ll finish it and then comment on it.

Sleep Deprived No More by Jodi A Mindell, PhD. I have no idea why I’m reading it because I definitely don’t have trouble sleeping. I think I’m just prepping myself for when I have a newborn who needs to be fed every two hours during the night.

Understanding Your Moods When You’re Expecting by Lucy J. Puryear M.D. Honestly, I don’t think I’ve been all that moody. (ok, maybe a little). I just wanted to get a better understanding of what’s going on with all those crazy hormones and what the deal is on postpartum depression and everything. Sounds like if you sleep enough and take fish oil you’ll be alright. Sleep is key though and new mothers aren’t exactly able to get a lot of sleep.

Powering Through Pregnancy by Jane Simons. I got to get on the pregnant lady exercises now that I’m feeling better.

Fit Pregnancy for DUMMIES by Catherine Cram and Tere Stouffer Drenth. Looks like I’m gonna have to get one of those huge exercise balls.

And a bunch of books all named Pregnancy and Birth. All by different authors but all saying the same things.( I’m putting What to Expect When You’re Expecting in this category too.)

Although being sick all the time totally stinks and watching your body change makes you feel completely out of control and makes you lose your self image a little bit, being pregnant isn’t all bad. (I probably wouldn’t have said this a couple months ago…or I'll regret it in another couple months) There are some things that make it kind of fun. So far.

Below are what I like to call the “Perks to Pregnancy”:

Somehow, being pregnant has given me the right to:

- Grab a Butterfinger candy bar every time I check out at WalMart or Target.

- Demand that Steve talk to the baby through “the microphone” (my bellybutton) if I think he’s not bonding with it enough.

- Give into all the different foods I’m craving. And then once I get it, I’m over it like I never wanted it. This has included: orange juice, potato salad, fruit snacks, pastry pies from the gas station, chewy bars, Café Rio salad, ice cream, hot dogs, steak, extra sharp cheddar cheese, brie cheese (very expensive), hamburgers from Jack in the Box, caramel candies, cheddar crackers,  Whenever else would I have wanted to eat this stuff?

- Ignore the advice in pregnancy books if it’s not what I want to hear. No tuna or lunch meat for 9 months?? Yeah right!

- Have a nap every single day. Sometimes twice. And I always sleep through the night!

- Skip out on my prenatal vitamin if I just don’t feel like it.

- Laugh and not being able to stop when I feel the baby kick me. Well, at this point they’re more like little bubbles popping. It’s very cute. I never thought it would make me so happy.

                           Little Lemon Head at the first trip to the doctor at 12 weeks

In 3 short weeks we will know what we're having. And in five months we will have a baby and our lives will be changed forever! Right now I'm focusing on what to expect in pregnancy and birth. But I guess I'm forgetting what this is all about:  will I be a good mom?

Living in Texas

Well, it's been a few weeks but I wanted to post about what's been going on around here!

At the end of May my dad came to visit me and Steve here in Texas and we had a blast! I thought it was fitting to post about it today since it's Father's Day. He was only here for a couple days but we're glad that he came to visit. Happy Father's Day dad!!

On Thursday when he got here he took us out to dinner!! We went to The Cheesecake Factory which I had never been to. I forgot my camera so I had to use my cell phone to take a picture.

                                                   So yeah, it didn't really turn out. Too dark.

On Friday, sadly Steve had to work, but my dad and I went to downtown Dallas and had a blast! I had heard about a museum downtown documenting where JFK was assassinated. We loved it. It was very interesting to learn about JFK's life and his sad assassination and all the conspiracy theories about it!! We had a great time. Thanks for taking me, dad. :)

 Here we are at the museum :) I didn't realize that the old man I had asked to take the picture couldn't see very well. But he was nice enough to take it anyway.

          Historic Landmark outside the museum. They have X's in the road where he was shot both times, too.

 Here's my dad. You can see the corner window on the 6th floor of the school book depository in the background!

                                                                      And here's me!

Well, for the past month this is what I have been doing in all my spare time:

-Lots of baking! Including lemon squares, strawberry shortcakes, brownies, chocolate chip bars, blueberry shortcakes! Sugar overload. It's been fun though :)

-Decorating: We're leaving this apartment in a couple months so we haven't nailed anything to the walls but here's what I've done instead:

 I had these blocks left over from Christmas and some pretty paper from the wedding that I just glued to it. This was a 5 minute project. Even though it's a Christmas decoration, I left it up because it matches our living room nicely. :)

It's almost been a year since we got married! (In fact, a year ago today we got engaged :) So, I've been thinking about it lately. I watched our wedding video- twice! Such happy memories :) I put up these snap shots from our wedding on my magnet board for fun. It's just on the floor but we see it every day.

             I found a cute frame that my mom gave me to put a honeymoon picture in. It matches perfectly!

                                            And another frame for another wedding snapshot :)

Other than that, I've also been reading lots of books! I just finished "A Tale of Two Cities" by Charles Dickens. I'd never read it before and it made me cry :( I definitely recommend it.

I also go to the pool with the other wives whose husbands are selling pest control. We go to the library together so their girls can go to story time and we also watch the Bachelorette together every Tuesday! Not my favorite show, but hey! we have fun.

Steve didn't get "featured in this post," as he said. So, let me tell you how he's doing: working very hard! Summer sales is tough stuff! But he's doing pretty good for his first year! We've been looking into what apartments we'll live in after this summer and getting excited about that.

I hope everyone's summer is going well!

4th grade: Cute but totally Clueless

Take a minute to picture me as a 4^th grader. Cute, right? :)

When my mom was in town for my graduation from BYU, I started thinking about how amazing it is that I actually graduated! I was never one of those kids who had their life planned out and just knew that they’d graduate college one day. I was reminded of some of the things that I did during my 4^th-grade-career and I shared them with my mom and Steve one evening. I might have been kinda cute, but I was totally clueless too.

Here are some examples of me as a 4^th-grader that will illustrate this:

It’s a little embarrassing to admit this, but I didn’t learn how to tell time until 4^th grade. Actually, it was at the end of 4^th grade! Yikes. I remember this one specific time where our teacher let us spend the period in the library finding a book for our book reports. 

“Be back to the classroom by 10:30.” 

Thankfully, all my other classmates seemed to know when the clock read 10:30. I would peek around the bookshelves in the library to see if my classmates were still around looking for their book. And if they started to leave, I would follow them to make sure I was back in class on time. 

Finally, after this happened on several occasions, I think that I admitted to my mom that I didn’t know how to tell time. It was making me anxious all the time! My dad sat me down one evening and taught me how to read the clock. I think it took less than 10 minutes. And I remember thinking “Well that’s not hard at all.” It was the numbers. I let them intimidate me. I’ve always been really bad with numbers.

At that age, it was also chapter books that intimidated me. Pages and pages with only words and no pictures??  How could anyone sit and just read for that long? I literally thought that I just couldn’t do it. 

So, when my 4^th grade teacher assigned us to give a book report on a chapter book of our choice, I was stumped. I had no idea what I was going to do. Like I said, I went with my class to the library and picked out a chapter book for myself. It was one of Lois Lowry’s series Anastasia Krupnik, I can still remember that. It was a perfect-for-4^th-graders chapter book. 

I think that I did initially have the intention of actually reading the book, or at least trying. But the night before that book report was due, I still hadn’t read any of it. So what did I do? I looked at the cover that had an illustration of Anastasia Krupnik and so beautifully depicted what happened in the book and then I just wrote the entire book report based on the cover. That’s right, I completely judged that book by its cover. What can I say, at least I have an imagination, right?? ;) This book report included a summary, my opinion on the book, and even a cross word puzzle that I drew up on the board when I presented it!  I swear, I was a crazy kid.

It gets crazier, though. At my elementary school in California, all the kids in 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd grade knew that once they got to 4^th grade, they would have to write a HUGE report on one of the missions that are scattered across the coast of California. 

                  

I remember absolutely dreading it and not understanding how the teachers could possibly expect something so huge from us little kids! To help us out, my teacher pulled up the overhead-projector (old school…yeahhhh) and she started writing down a ton of information on these different missions in California to get us started. She told us to copy what she wrote. I obediently copied everything down and it was a LOT!

I don’t remember stressing about this report too much during the following weeks before it was due. But the day before, again, I had absolutely nothing to show for this “report.” This was before the days of the internet (especially for a 4^th grader) so I went to the information that I had handy: the notes I’d copied from the overhead projector. I remember thinking “Hmmm, I wonder what my teacher wants me to do with these notes…??” Clueless. I was absolutely clueless. 

And this is what I did. I went through those pages of hand-written notes copied from my teacher; I crossed some t’s, dotted some i’s and voila. I was done. And that’s exactly what I turned in to my teacher the next day.

And then my family conveniently moved to Germany. See? I was crazy. The fact that I knew that my family was soon moving to Germany probably played a part in how I handled this assignment.

I always look back on this and cringe a little bit at the thought of my teacher reading my “report.” It would have been something like “heyyyy..this sounds familiar!” Maybe she never did though, since I had moved away. Maybe that’s what I was banking on all along. I can’t really remember WHAT I WAS THINKING???

Well, I can now proudly say that:

* I know how to tell time.

* Not only can I read chapter books now but I enjoy it too!

* And I also learned how to write a real report on pretty much anything I’m assigned. (In English and German!)

But seriously, who would have ever thought that this crazy, clueless 4^th grader would graduate college one day?

A New Life!

Well, we have now been in Texas for almost two weeks! And life is completely different for the both of us.

I said goodbye to Sewell Direct, where I worked for close to 4 years!

                                                                      "Farewell Faxer"
This is the goodbye cake my co-workers made me. Cute, hu? For the first couple years I worked there, they nicknamed me "faxer" because when I they offered me the job after my second interview, the supervisor asked me to fax back a certain form they'd given me to fill out. And I replied "Oh, I don't have a faxer...." HA! Can't say I'm all that embarrassed about my response since in German they are called "Faxer" and I'd only been in the United States for like a month at this point. And besides, we also say print-er, scann-er(not print-machine or scan-machine). After this incident, I learned that it's not called a faxer, but a fax-machine. They still decided to hire me but called me "faxer" for years. Even though I never referred to a fax-machine as a faxer ever again.

So, now that I've said goodbye to Sewell Direct, I no longer have a job: change # 1.

Change #2: Steve and I both GRADUATED! We took a TON of pictures (like everyone else so I don't feel so bad;)

Classic!

Emma took most of the pictures :) Thanks for coming and thanks for the presents!

I like this one...with the Y in the background!

Poor Grandpa is in the shadow and we didn't even know it. Thanks for coming Grandpa :)

YEAH!

Steve's family was there too. Thanks for coming, guys!

Me and my mom. I think this is a cute picture of both of us :)

and this was like the first time I'd seen Connie in like 2 months. And it was also the last time I'll see Connie in who knows how long!!!! :(

And just a few more pictures.....

Can't forget the diplomas. Not really the real thing, but it's nice they give us something to show off.

                                                                        And there's mine..

And my Linguistics friend, Geneva. (she took Welsh, too!)

Yeah, I pretty much made sure I was in ALL of the pictures. subconsciously of course. Except, look at this...

Ok, I don't know what to think of this picture! As all the grads were sitting in the bleachers waiting for our grand entrance, I was having a conversation with my friend Abbey (sitting next to me) and then we realize the other girls were taking a picture and Abbey thought it would be funny to sit in on the picture. I didn't really think that I was in the picture, but there I am, with a cheesy smile, totally out of place. I hope the girl doesn't hate us for ruining it! Oh well. It's not so bad. Right??????? I saw this pic on facebook, it's the only reason I have it. They didn't even tag me. Oh boy......:S

Moving on...I'm enjoying this change # 2. No school. What a wonderful feeling. I can spend my time doing whatever in the world I want to. Whatever I want, whenever I want. It will probably get old soon here, but it hasn't hit yet. :)

No school, no job...We also said goodbye to family :( Change #3

And friends:

 

And then after all this, we moved to Texas! Change #4

Everything's so different! It's a new life!!