My sweet Husband

I'm not sure if it is because Valentine's Day is so quickly approaching or all of the hormones (I suppose it could be a good combination of both!) but I can't seem to get my sweet husband off of my mind. He is in the room over still sleeping, but I had to take a moment to blog about him. He is such an amazing man and I really can't figure out what I ever did to deserve him! I just want to give you an example:

Last night we were going to find a shower gift for his sister and of course, our conversation of choice lately is the baby. I asked him what kind of parent he sees himself being and he said, "A very hands on parent." I see the way he interacts with our nieces and nephew and I believe this to be true.

He has taken such good care of me as I have been so sick with this pregnancy. He comes to rub my back while I am hunched over the toilet throwing up everything I have eaten ever because he knows I am scared of not being able to breathe again. He makes sure I have everything I need and want.

I could go on for days, but I love him dearly! How grateful I am for his kindness, his love, his generosity, his chivalry, the little gestures of love he shows everyday. Para sempre meu amor!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Baby A is on the Way!

It all seems so surreal.
I keep thinking it's a dream and I will wake up, and it will all be gone.

Since I was a little girl, the only thing I really ever wanted was to get married and have a family. When I wasn't married by the time I was 20, I thought I was watching my dreams crumble before my eyes. In fact, Prince Charming didn't come to get me with his big white horse until I was 22. When we had been married a little over a year, we decided it was time to go off of birth control and start trying to grow our family.

It didn't work.

In fact, we tried relentlessly, endlessly, tirelessly....hopelessly....for five years. We had been through test after test and the only thing that came back was one of my hormones was low. Clomid was the answer. My doctor said we would try three rounds and then start talking about in-vitro options. I thought I had been punched in the stomach. How could it be that the one thing I want, had prayed for, had even gone so far as to ask Santa Claus for, was evading me? In every other sense of the word, we were happy.

One round of Clomid. I got through it and I asked a fellow instructor, "So, am I pregnant yet?" (All of the students call her a Ninja because she is just that intuitive!) She did a couple of things and said, "I think so. Go take a test." So I bought a pregnancy test. It was negative.

I told Ninja it was negative. She looked at me again and said, "Yeah, I think I was mistaken." But I have had literally dozens and dozens of negative pregnancy tests over the past five years so it wasn't a big deal to me. And a week later, I decided to test again for some reason.

Positive.
Two pink lines. I didn't believe it, so I did it three more times.
And then again a week later to make sure it wasn't a fluke.
And then again a week later because I still didn't believe it.

November 11...Our missionaries would be moving in and I knew I had to tell Matthew. I went to Target and bought these cute little baby football shoes and wrapped them up. I got out my recorder and gave him the box. "What does it all mean?" he says. "We are pregnant!" My great big husband became putty. Since, he has taken care of me, catered to my every throw up and cry of pain. He is everything and more than I could have ever hoped for.

Our due date for "Baby Blue" (as we have been calling the baby) is July 22, and we couldn't be any happier. I have been sick Sick SICK!! Even now at 16 weeks I have to be extremely careful about what I eat because more than likely, I will throw it up. I have started eating with the thought, "Yeah, I think this will taste okay coming back up." But I will take it. I will take every bit of nauseousness, heartburn, swelling and sensitivity to smells that I can. Because it means I am not dreaming. It means baby is really in there. It means Blue is healthy.

One thing I have learned from all of this is it has nothing at ALL to do with MY timing. MY timing means nothing. I can sure tell you, this is not the time I would choose to have a baby. Raises haven't come through for two years and Matt is out of a job. And I always said I didn't want to be pregnant during summer. MY time means nothing. I think Heavenly Father is saying, "Trust me my daughter. I have this all worked out, if you would just trust me." And so, I am learning more to trust. I am learning more to relinquish control because, there is a greater plan.

A Quick Catch Up

I was stunned, astounded, even a bit horrified that I have not blogged since OCTOBER! i have missed being "connected" to the world via computer access. Matt got the Internet hooked up last week and I was so stoked to be able to blog again, only to find out our modem went out. I am supposed to be grading papers, but I decided I better blog while I have the opportunity.

How does one even begin to catch up on the last few months of our lives? I'll see what I can catch up on quickly....
We moved into our home in October. It is such a beautiful home and I really need to clean so I can get some pictures posted. How lucky and blessed we are! It is in our ward which is lucky for me as I get to continue to be the Sunbeam teacher. It has been a blessing beyond comprehension for me. I have learned so much about the Gospel and children from those little ones!
In November, we had our first set of missionaries move into our home. It, as well, as been a blessing. The spirit is so strong in our home and we are grateful to be able to house two of Heavenly Father's choice servants. I think it has taken some major adjustments on our end, but having them here is a blessing. Matt and I would get spooked out living in this huge house all by ourselves, so we are grateful for two more warm bodies.
In November, we also discovered....WE ARE PREGNANT! It still seems so surreal, but we are so grateful for the opportunity to become parents. (I plan on blogging specifically about that as well. )
Matt is still looking for a job and we hope it comes soon so I can stay home with the little one, due July 22. Wally and Doogie are such great additions to our family. Before we found out the little one was coming, we talked about how our family felt kinda "complete" with the two "boys." Wally knows all sorts of tricks and makes us smile constantly. Doogie just stares at the pup and I think laughs on the inside.

We have been tested and tried and we are so grateful for the blessings that we do have.

Home Ownership!!

So, we have been in our home for about three weeks and we have had such a fantastic time. Pictures coming soon, we hope. We haven't hooked up Internet access yet, so no facebook and I don't get to blog either. We love our new home! However, I really need to find a money tree so I can fix and get everything together that I want. I guess one thing and one step at a time.

I guess I never realized how much work owning a home is. It is always something. I have been raking leaves like a mad woman, cleaning, getting things together, and now with the snow fall, well, lots of shoveling to do! We got DUMPED on and it is incredible and beautiful!

So, that is our super quick update. We are still hoping and praying that Matt finds a job soon. Other than that, all is well! Hopefully, more details to follow! Sending love and hugs!!

Five Years Together!

Today is our Fifth Anniversary! Five years ago today, Matt and I were married in the Bountiful Temple for time and all eternity. It was a beautiful day in September! Looking back five years ago, I never would have thought we would be where we are today. I had in my mind the route that our "happily ever after" would take, but I know we will look back someday and understand why we had to go through what we are. I am so grateful to my wonderful husband and the man he is. He is the man I dreamed about marrying as a little girl. He is my Prince Charming, my knight in shining armor. I can't imagine spending eternity with anyone else! We are a perfect fit for each other!

When we were in the Single's Ward in SLC, I was offered a job at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. I called Matt, who was my home teacher, to tell him about the job offer and to tell him I was going to the temple to pray about it. He asked if he could accompany me. My answer was clean, I knew I had to go. We sat in the Celestial Room and I remember looking up at him and asking him if he would still be my friend when I left. He looked down at me and said he would be my friend always and forever. That was so significant. I didn't find out until later he was sitting next to me praying about me, praying about asking me to be his girlfriend. And really, the rest is history. We were inseparable! I love him dearly, truly, eternally.
Para sempre meu amor!

Our New Home

We are so excited to introduce our new home! Well, it is not officially ours, but we are pretty sure of it. :) We close on September 24, which is our 5th Anniversary. Looks like I won't be getting that second band for my ring after all. But all is well. We only have a couple of pictures from the exterior. But here are the specs:
4 Bed, 3 full baths (Not looking forward to cleaning all of that space!)
Family room and sitting room (I call the sitting room the visiting teaching room)
Unfinished Basement, Heated Garage
Built in 1973 and still has all of the original everything! I have a lot of remodeling to do, but I am excited. We really only plan on living here for about 5 years, fixing it up and selling it. We are going to be in the same ward. We find it quite funny because we were looking at homes everywhere, but were drawn back to the ward. We think we still have some unfinished business to take care of there.

The view from the the front yardOur HUGE tree! We love it!

Our backyard is ginormous!

Hopefully, more pictures to come soon. Thank you all for your prayers! We are so excited to be homeowners!

Happy 30th Birthday Matthew!

Happy Birthday Matthew!
I am officially married to an old man! Today is Matt's 30th Birthday! I love him oh, so very much! He is my rock and I am ever so grateful to be married to such a strong, faithful man! All of our photos are packed, so I only have what we have uploaded on the computer, which are just the last couple of years (I am kinda behind). I included a few photos of my handsome man from the past.
30 Things I love About Matt:
1: His little boy smile
2: He is a worthy priesthood holder who honors his priesthood
3: He makes me smile
4: I love when he cuddles me at night
5: When I can't sleep, I love the way he rubs his fingers across my face and sings me a lullaby
6: He wants to make me happy, even at his own expense
7: Matt is so faithful
8: I love the way I fit so perfectly in his arms
9: He sticks EVERYTHING on his forehead
10: He is so tall and handsome
11: He is going to be a fantastic father to our children! I know because I see the way he acts with our nieces
12: I love that he tries to fix things. What a man thing to do!
13: He will occassionally get a laughing fit that makes me cry and it just cracks me up to see him laugh so hard!
14: He is so smart, smarter than I could ever hope to be
15: I love him for taking me to the temple to marry me for time and all eternity
16: He always wants to be and tries to be better
17: Matt supports me in anything and everything I do
18: Matt has a HUGE heart and he loves unconditionally. He would give the shirt off of his back for anyone
19: He has an incredible voice!
20: Matt is one of the most sensitive men I know
21: He knows so much about the most random things
22: Matt is incredibly patient. I'm not sure I deserve the patience he gives me
23: He will do silly things to try and make me crack up
24: He is a mountain man and loves and respects nature
25: I love that the wants to provide for our family
26: I love that his feet are ticklish
27: He serves anywhere he is asked. I love when he helps me with my Sunbeams!
28: Our hands fit perfectly together!
29: He has thick hair, and long amazing eyelashes!
30: EVERYTHING! We are a perfect fit for each other and I wouldn't change him for anything! Happy Birthday hunny bear!