A little bit OF CAMPING

Bryce and I decided that it was time that we went on a camping trip. Seeing as our summer was basically made up of me laying sick on the couch, we needed to make the most of the last of the good weather. We planned out our destination (sort of) and bought all of the necessities. And...of course, as things always do, nothing went as planned. Bryce ended up working late and we didn't get on the road until 5:30. And then we realized that we both had different ideas of where we were going!

This meant an extra 15 minutes of trying to decide whether to go towards Salt Lake or Spanish Fork. I was feeling nice, so I let my dear husband win the battle and we headed to Spanish Fork ;-) By the time we found a decent campground, and paid our 20 bucks!! it was almost dark. Bryce, using his great Anasazi skills learned straight from White Beard, quickly set up the tent while I used my awesome girl's camp skills to start our fire.

Within an hour, it was pitch black, and we were already running out of fire wood. Let's just say that Bryce and I are the greatest planners of all time. The hunter/gatherer/survival instinct kicked in and we managed to scavenge some branches. While our fire wasn't the most impressive, I think we did the Anasazi tribe proud.

 At about nine, I was falling asleep already (funny how pregnancy does that to ya) and it was absolutely freezing so we ate our hotdogs in a snap and crawled into the warm sleeping bags. I fell asleep in about ten minutes, woke up at 2am to Bryce asking me if I could sleep (I was sleeping...until he asked me that dumb question) and then woke up again at five with a raging pregnancy bladder about ready to explode. I got my revenge on Bryce, woke him up, and had him walk to the outhouse with me in the pitch black. I gotta say, it was a strange experience peeing in the dark with Bryce holding the door open so I could just see the outline of the toilet while knowing that there were about 50 other campers nearby. Oh well, what can ya do?

We had just enough firewood the next morning for Bryce to roast his fruit pie and for me to warm up. Then we headed up a trail to get a good view of the area. If you haven't been to the mountains, now's the time to go!

 After that, we packed up and headed home. While it was short, cold, and not well planned, I'd say our first camping trip was a success.

Week 10

Another baby update! I'm in my tenth week and things are starting to look up a little. The nausea is settling down somewhat and I'm praying that by the end of the first trimester that it will be gone for good! I have my first appointment coming up on Monday and I couldn't be more excited! Cross your fingers that they will do an ultrasound and I can get my first look at the little squirming alien inside. I also finally had my first baby dream...and it was a boy! And my grandma had a dream as well that she was holding an adorable fat, blonde, baby boy. Seeing as both Bryce and I were blonde as youngsters, I'm starting to have my suspicions. I guess we'll see though.
On other baby news, my sis Amber is currently having contractions and expects to be in the hospital by tonight! Hopefully we'll be welcoming another baby boy into the family soon :)

So here's what's going on with my baby:

All of the babies vital organs have formed and his fingers and toes have fully separated. Every minute, he is producing 250,000 brain cells! He is also about the size of a quarter, but in just a couple of weeks he'll be as big as a kiwi!

OOOOH Baby!

Everywhere I look I see a baby. Babies crawling on the floor, babies around the door, babies walking on the walls, babies down the halls! Congratulations to all of my family who have recently or will soon have a baby! Here's the big list...Bryce's brother Jay and his wife Sofia just had their third child, Lucas, yesterday; My brother Jake and his wife Rashmi had their third son, Zander, a couple of days ago; and my sis Amber is expecting her second son and fourth child in the beginning of August! Three new little baby boys :) And congratulations to myself and Bryce because we will be having a baby at the end of February! Surprise! 

Right now I'm about six weeks and already this little thing is taking a toll on my body. Luckily, I haven't barfed yet...but it's been close. Just last night I was spending time with friends from the ward and we were all snacking on smores. However, as I watched them take bites out of those crunchy chocolately bits of goodness I suddenly felt like I was going to throw up! What in the heck??? I love s'mores! I guess the baby doesn't! I had to step away for a while and I couldn't watch them eat anymore! 

I've also been a bit emotionally unstable...okay, more than a bit. Poor Bryce, he's going to have to deal with a grumpy wife for the next nine months! But he's so excited I think he'll survive somehow :) 

So right now my baby is about the size of a grain of rice! Pretty darn small! The nervous system and all major body organs have begun to form and it's facial features are beginning to develop. 
We are soooo excited for our baby to get here! Hopefully we can be as good of parents as all of the amazing examples that we have! 

A Little of Twin Falls

While Provo is a fun place to be for young couples, Bryce and I always find ourselves looking north to Idaho. Twin Falls is where we grew up, where we met, and where most of our family lives. It was great to finally be able to go home and visit everyone, especially all of those adorable nieces and nephews who need a little smothering.

This adorable little man has grown a ton since I've seen him last. Jaxton will be one in September and he's already rambunctious...I don't know how his mamma keeps track of him. Jax is the first child of my sister Emma and her husband Deyson, and boy do they know how to make a cute baby. Lucky for me, Jax isn't people shy and had no problem with me kissing his fat cheeks and squeezing his chubby body. I definitely haven't gotten my fill of this little guy. He better prepare for a lot of lovin from Aunt Haylee! However, he also gave me a cold so I think I'll stay away when he starts sneezing!

I also got to see my sister Alisha's kids, Tristan, Grace, and Aedon as well as my aunt Jennifer and her kids, McKenna, Ethan, Kallie, and Logan.

 We had such a great time visiting with these kiddos! Grace and Aedon look like they've grown two feet! And Aedon definitely isn't a baby anymore. Of course, all of their mustaches are coming in quite nicely.

And now, a little tribute to my cousin McKenna. McKenna will be 12 in January and she is honestly the sweetest, most helpful, amazing girl ever. McKenna doesn't mind helping her mamma out whenever she needs her and is absolutely adored by her little brother Logan. McKenna, otherwise known as "Sissy" is a wonderful big sister and has always been an angel child.

Since she's turning twelve, soon she'll be going into Young Women's and start getting callings in the church! I'm so excited to watch as she continues to grow into a beautiful and faithful young woman. Her mom is a little nervous about her going off to Girl's Camp...and eventually...dare I say it?...dating! And boy are the boys gonna be running after this girl. She's both beautiful inside and out and luckily not quite boy crazy yet. I just know that any boy who wants to take her out is first going to have to go through an army, with her dad heading it. Now THAT's a scary thought! I absolutely adore this girl and even had her as one of my bridesmaids! She's like a sister and it was great getting to see her.

The second day in Twin, we were able to go boating with Bryce's family and Mark and Heidi Wasden at Murtaugh Lake. While I only went on the tube once, I had a heck of a time watching Bryce crash into the water. However, that boy's got skills on the knee board.

I think we both needed some fun and we sure did get it. We also got massive sunburns. My shoulders and thighs are still aching from that blistering Idaho sun. Maybe next time I'll take Ann's advice and put on a little sunscreen! Despite the burns, we had a great time on the lake.

Probably the worst experience was the drive-in. Both Bryce and I had been looking forward to going to the Twin Falls drive-in, and got even more excited when we found out that the Avengers was playing. We got there late and came for the second movie. We met up with Jenny, Ken, and their family and sat down to enjoy the show. Of course, literally five minutes after we got there that wonderful Idaho wind decided to make an appearance. Not only was it blowing great amounts of dirt around in the air, it was also ice cold. So there I was, in the middle of June, having just enjoyed the 75 degree weather earlier, now wrapped up in a quilt with just my eyes poking out. It was so cold that we had to leave, as did a lot of other people. 12$ wasted :( McKenna decided that we had brought the wind in with us.

Needless to say, by the end of the weekend we were bushed and ready to go home. Bryce was so tired he basically fell asleep wherever he sat down. It was great to see the family and it was also great to get home and back to our own bed.

Saint George Triathlon 2012

I don't know what it is, but for some very strange reason my husband loves the sweat, exhaustion, and chaos that unreliably comes with triathlons. For those who don't know, triathlons are races that consist of swimming among hundreds of other frantic racers, jumping out of the water and taking off like a madman on a bike, and then finishing it off with a refreshing run. Needless to say, it is a bit intense. This has become Bryce's hobby and somehow, his whole family has gotten into it! This brings us to the Saint George Triathlon where craziness is abundant and shade is scarce. Bryce, his two brothers, his dad, and a cousin all signed up for the triathlon. Bryce signed up for the Olympic distance (.93 mile swim, 25 mile bike, 6.2 mile run) along with his brother Jay, and his dad, brother, and cousin all did the sprint distance (.47 mile swim, 12 mile bike, 3.1 mile run), two of which did a beginners distance which was a little less than the sprint. We were invited to stay with Jay and Sofia in their condo...which was AMAZING! 
The morning of the race, all the boys got pumped up, drank down their Gatorade, and prepared for the heat. 

And trust me, it was toasty out there! Poor Sofia bravely faced the sun while pregnant so she could see her man perform. She even helped him puke up the water he had swallowed during the swim...now that's the kind of lady a man should marry! 

The best part of the whole thing was when Bryce ran out of the water, straight up to me, and gave me a huge, wet/sweaty kiss! The whole crowd awwed...he won major points for that one. This is the shot I got of him coming out of the lake. He kind of looks like a creepy water zombie but I just see sexy ;-)

The rest of the race was a success for everyone! Bryce finished with a great time and lots of cheers, his brothers, despite the fact that Jay barfed it up, made it to the finish triumphant, and Old Man Burke pushed through and crossed the finish line with screams from his devoted fans (nothing beats Ann when she is showing support!) Jay and Sofia's children were angels and we all got free Cafe Rio burritos when it was all over. Plus, all of our husbands got a little bit more attractive with that medal around their neck!

Needless to say, now they are all hooked on triathlons and I have a feeling we will be spending a lot more time out in the sun cheering our men on. 

Nobody shows the excitement better than Gabby and Tiago.Hurrah for Bryce, Burke, Jay, Kyle, and Tyler!