Warning: slight gushfest ensuing

If you're one of those people who doesn't like mushy stuff, stop reading here. Because I'm pregnant and I get to be mushy and emotional anytime I want, but you are so not required to read it.

May I just say that I married the greatest person I know? I'll even go out on a limb and say he's the greatest person out of people I don't know too. That's how great I think he is. 

Tyler sent me a text this morning, just asking how my day was. I said it was good and asked him how his was going. This was his exact reply: "Mine is great. Isn't it awesome that we are married?"

Yes, Tyler. It's the awesomest thing there is. 

Thank you for massaging my feet when they're swollen and sore, asking me to wake you up when I wake up with leg cramps in the night, smiling when I talk too much, and loving me no matter what.

You are pretty awesome.

Notes to self

-Please do those things that have been on your to-do list forever. You know what I'm talking about- just get it done.

-Don't be too hurt when the guy sitting next to you in statistics says, "Is it hard to go to class when you're that pregnant?" He is just ignorant and doesn't know what being really pregnant looks like. Yet. Take it easy on him.

-On the other hand, you're big enough now that you can't just get up and sit down on the ground like you used to... so do everyone a favor and find a chair.

-Put the cookie down! Didn't you make them for your visiting teachees, anyway? {I made THESE yesterday and they are delish!}

Weekend events

Thursday: Yes, Thursday. Our weekends have been starting early the last few weeks... this last one was no exception. Steph and her kids came into town Thursday night! It was fun having them stay with us. We stayed up late playing- Jeff came over since he hadn't seen the kids since before his mission! It's crazy how much kids change in such a short time.

Don't they look happy to see him??

iPods make for great distractions

Friday: Classes, doctor's appointment {everything looks good, thankfully}, lunch at the BYU Creamery, last exam of the week, football game craziness, and eating at Communal. Steph's kids are really into BYU right now so they thought eating at the Creamery was pretty cool. Bubba even got Lavell's Vanilla ice cream. Communal was fun! Definitely not somewhere we can afford to frequent, but it was great. We enjoyed the mashed potatoes the most, I think. Delish.

The kids loved our porch and ran up and down all day.

Everyone needs a strong uncle to play around with!

Saturday: walked to Bridal Veil Falls {BBRRRRRR. It was freezing}, BBQ with Steph's in-laws, RS Broadcast with some of Tyler's family, dinner at La Jolla Groves to celebrate Aunt Dana's birthday, and the movie Catfish. Saturday was a crazy day- I think I was home 2 hours total from the time I woke up til I went back to bed. 

"Take my picture while I dance in the leaves!" Something tells me this girl has had her picture taken once before...

This family picture will be complete about a week from now!

The Relief Society Broadcast was so great. I loved all the talks, but President Uchtdorf's talk was my favorite, if I may pick one. I'm really not sure what it was {oh wait, yes I do. Pregnancy!}, but as soon as he got up to speak, I started to cry, and pretty much didn't stop the whole time. I just felt so strongly that everything he said was true and good and meant for me {and the world} to hear that night. You can watch his address HERE, and if you haven't seen it already, I definitely think it's worth the time. I may or may not have already watched it again. 

Okay, on a totally different note, Catfish. Have you seen it? Blew my mind. It was weird and crazy and I can't believe it's a true story. I can't really decide if I recommend it, but if you're looking for a crazy true story about social networking, check it out sometime. 

Sunday: Ward conference, SAW ELDER JUERGENS, yummy dinner, skyped with family, and had birthday treats for Aunt Dana's birthday with their fam. I can't wait to get the pictures from Mitchell when he sends home his memory card- we finally saw him! After weeks of driving around the temple/MTC every time we saw missionaries out, we spotted him. We got to talk to him for a few minutes, and it was just so great. He looks so much older and more mature already and his Spanish is so impressive! Poor guy was shocked by my belly- it was cute to see him so excited about his niece. He'll leave for Mexico in about a week, so this was our last chance to see him! So glad we did- we miss and love all our missionaries so much. 

This week will be just as great. Tonight we'll watch Gabby dominate on the soccer field and watch my tummy change shape every two seconds- pretty sure Peanut is trying to be a dancer like her aunt Heidi! I've got some cleaning to catch up on, homework to do, and recipes to try this week. Then Kurt will be here this weekend for General Conference. Lots of fun stuff happening. Time just keeps flyin' by!

Some good stuff

I am happy to report that 3 people {all random strangers} have asked me when I'm due, how far along I am, etc. So apparently I'm finally starting to look pregnant to the world and not just fat. Hooray! 

I am also happy to report that this semester is 1/4 of the way over!! This means I have 3 tests to take in the next 3 days, but hey, each one down means one less to go. 

More happiness: taking a class with Tyler is so much fun! Nothing says romantic date night like memorizing titles of paintings over soup and grilled cheese sandwiches, huh?? And he's so sweet to me and to Peanut. She's one lucky girl to have him as her dad.

One more happy report: Steph and her kids are coming to visit this weekend! We are going to eat at Communal {have you been there? Is it good?} and just have a jolly time.

I lied, there's more. Fall officially begins soon {tomorrow? Friday? I can't remember} but I see it in the mountains already. It's so beautiful and the weather has been amazing lately!

Last one for real! Credit card rewards are just awesome. I have probably about $100 worth of maternity clothes coming in the mail, and another $50 gift card to spend. For how much of this did I pay, you ask? Nothing.  I <3 Discover.

Dear Peanut,

Every day brings us closer and closer to meeting you! We can't wait to see your beautiful face and hug you and kiss you.

Grandma came to visit for a few days, and she helped me make some cute blankets to keep you warm when you get here. You're going to look so adorable wrapped up in these!

I just love the rick rack around the edges!

Your dad and I rode our bikes down to the Riverwoods on Saturday. He's helping me to stay active even when I don't feel like it so you and I are both healthy. 

He loves his hat that has his initials on it. He looks so good in hats!

We just can't wait for January to come, baby girl! 

To have and to hold

I'm a pretty visual person. Especially when it comes to accessories- if I don't see it sometime in the process of deciding what to wear, I don't even think about wearing it! So on Saturday I tried something I saw on pinterest and I'm loving it so far. 

An empty can of oats (I ended up throwing the lid away)

+

Mod Podge

+

Scrapbook paper (or fabric)

=

My paper didn't quite make it all the way around so I improvised

a headband holder!

I turned it upside down so that I could use that side to hold little clips as well. Final product:

Happily positioned next to the tissues and Tyler's monstrous tub of hair gel. 

Now I just need more headbands! It's funny how these kinds of products turn into more projects.

23 Weeks

17-ish to go! Please also notice that my nails match my pajama pants. Awesome.

Tyler and I were called to be ward missionaries last week, and we're enjoying it so much! We visited two new families this morning and love getting to know people in the ward. Pretty fun. I tried THIS recipe for dinner today, and it was pretty good. I think being pregnant has affected my taste buds, so I can't really trust my own opinion of how food is. The important thing is that Tyler loved it, so he can have the leftovers for lunch tomorrow. Friday night was spent with Dane and Taylor- Zupa's and "Ghost Town." BYU's Marriott School also put on an event that evening, and we went for free J-Dawgs and sno-cones. My belly may not be big, but I manage to spill things on it already! Awesome. We had fun organizing our extra bedrooms Saturday, in prep for having family come to visit randomly over the next few months! I also filled a drawer with clothes for Peanut... this little girl is already spoiled and she's not even here yet. :) We cleared out some space for each of us to have a study desk, and I've got a little craft corner to have fun with too. We just love this apartment! Then we watched the BYU game over some chips and chili and had a relaxing evening. 

I made something on Saturday that I've been meaning to make for a long time. It's a great feeling to cross something off your list that's been there far too long! But I'll do a separate post for that, since there are a bunch of pictures. For now, I'm going to eat a {okay, another} snickerdoodle and relax with my hubby. Sundays are the best!

Random stuff

-I love 3-day weekends, but it's so hard to head back to reality! Thank goodness we only have a 4-day week ahead of us. We're only a week into school and I'm feeling ready for it to be over! But we'll make it... gotta make it.

-Lately, and thank to pinterest, I feel like I'm obsessed with food! I've found some great new recipes to try, and many {okay most} are desserts, so it'll be really fun to try them all out. I'm very into easy or short meal prep lately, so if you have any must-eats, please send them my way!

-With this dessert/food obsession of late, I've wanted to try my hand at some fun cakes. I found clipped to a magnet on my fridge a $50 giftcard to Williams-Sonoma! 2 years after our wedding, we're still finding that we haven't used up all the gifts yet. So now the only trouble is making a decision of what to get. Tyler and I went to the store yesterday, but I was just so overwhelmed at not knowing what half the stuff was, so we left empty-handed. Help?!? I'm thinking some round cake pans would be good, but stuff like this is just so fun!

-I was complaining to Tyler yesterday, and I guess I didn't get it out of my system because I feel the need to vent here. I am STILL in that {is she pregnant or fat? I think she's just fat} stage. This is super-annoying because I cannot fit into most of my old clothes, nor can I wear a lot of maternity clothes without looking like I'm drowning! What do I do? 

-We are having so much fun being back in Utah. It's so great being close to good friends and so much of our extended family for another year! We want to make the most of it before we move away. 

-I have finally found a new list notebook, and all is right in the world again.

Genetic pool

Now that we know peanut is a girl, it's so fun to imagine what she might look like. Maybe she'll look like me?

But if we're really lucky, our baby girl will get her dad's good looks!!

See what I mean? Cutest. kid. ever.