The Winterholler's

Chillin

2012-01-26T18:46:00.000-07:00

O the blog has been abandoned, and I imagine it will only get worse! I try to think of fun updates, but we are pretty stinking chill right now! Cody is a stud, SO busy at school and studying a ton when he is home, too. Tests right and left, and he is getting new patients every day. It is so fun to hear about the new surgeries he is learning every day when he comes home. I wish there were no tests, though:) haha that would be great!

We still get to hang out quite often. We are totally addicted to Monopoly Deal and Quirkle. Serioulsy, they are both such fun games. It keeps me sane playing a game or two at night. I would be happier if I won all of the time...but at least our chances are 50%! And of course, we still have our friday night dates. I look forward to them all week. I am uncomfortable in various ways, so they have changed to quicker meals and easy-to-digest meals, but they are still a date none the less! I just love my hubs, so glad I have him to, well, do everything in life with!

The boys...they are doing so great. No photos this week-no one wanted to cooperate. 28 weeks...just 8-ish weeks to go! That is pretty crazy to hear, write, and say. They are 2 lbs. 7 oz. and 2 lb. 11 oz. and around 16 inches long! Wow! That is getting big, and yet, so small. They still need to double in weight for this momma to completely happy! They are active as ever, and for the most part I can tell the difference between who is kicking/punching/hiccuping etc. For the most part I don't think they bug each other too often, but here and there they are definitely judo chopping one another!

Me. Doing great emotionally! I can't wait to meet these little guys. Physically my body is getting pretty tired, so I do my fair share of resting during the day. 1 hour up, 1 hour down seems to be a good idea for me most days. Other days, I do too much, and by mid-afternoon I am hurting! Then the next day I am down for the count. I just have to remember up, down, up down! I am staying sane by organizing the heck out of our house, chatting with friends, lunch dates, reading, reading, and reading, computer and tv. I feel pretty productive still, but I am sure as these boys get bigger I will slow down more and more. My lightheaded/fainting issues haven't been quite as bad the last couple of weeks...except I had an episode during a church class...that wasn't embarrassing at all! ha! It was horrible! But no worries, everyone is fine. Most importantly, I am just trying not to worry about these little guys getting her safe and sound. I know I will worry about them for the next 80 years, but I am just excited for them to actually be HERE. Usually I don't freak out too much, but because of sweet Warner I am just so anxious to have these boys healthy and in my arms. I am ready to cuddle them. Whenever I worry, they instantly bump me and tell me that everything is going to be fine...what a tender mercy. They are bumping me now as I type this. I love them so much already, it is unreal. I love nighttime when both Cody and I can feel their every move. We just seem so complete with them.

25 Weeks

2012-01-05T20:05:00.000-07:00

25 weeks, I can't believe it. Okay, so I can believe it. My Dr. said to me the other day, "So, how does it feel to be pregnant for 2 straight years?" Whew. That is a long time! But, so worth it to get blessed with sweet Warner, and now these 2 little boys!

This appointment was really fun. It is always better when Cody is able to go with me, it makes it feel more real. The boys were both doing great, just looking perfectly at the camera for us! Go boys!

Baby B is the baby on top. What a perfect picture, right?!?! I love his little lips. I can't believe how real he looks in this ultrasound picture. I can't wait to meet him! He is 1 lb. 13 oz. which is a great weight for a single baby, let alone twins! Yay! His right foot was all the way up by his head! Hopefully he is comfy:) He has a little more room than Baby A, since he is on top.

Baby A is on the bottom, smashed way too low for my comfort:) He is doing good down there, though, also weighing in a 1 lb. 13 oz.! They are twins that's for sure. He kept opening and closing his mouth during the ultrasound, so that was fun. Cute baby boys, growing wonderfully, I can't wait to meet them! Okay, I can wait at least 10 more weeks, actually:)

I am hanging in there, definitely feeling pregnant with twins. This pregnancy is so much different than with Warner, a lot harder on my body that is for sure. Lots of rest helps, but it might be a long few months. It is so worth it though. Keep growing boys!

This is our nursery chair. We got an amazing deal on it, and it is exactly what I wanted! It is going to get hours and hours of use over then next 10 years, that is for sure! I even catch myself just sitting in it now it is so comfortable! We also scored on the rug, it is light blue with gray stripes. It is plush and perfect! I can't wait to rock the babies in their room!

Dun, Dun, Dun, that is almost 4 pounds of baby(ies) in that belly...only 6-8 more pounds to add! Haha. I can't even imagine it. I am excited to see how big it gets, excited to feel the babies when they are that big, and not so excited to feel how it feels to grow that big:) But whatever it takes to get these boys here!

The best Baby Shower EVER!

2012-01-05T19:49:00.000-07:00

Seriously, where do I begin? My sister is amazing! She planned the perfect shower for the boys and I. She invited wonderful people, had amazing decorations, outstanding food, and was the best host ever invented. Really, she is the best party planner, and an even better sister. I am soooo lucky to have her, and to have our babies due the exact same day! My boys will love playing with her baby girl I am sure. Thank you a million times, Amanda! And mom, your house and hard work helped so much. You two women are rock stars in my book!

We had homemade cake balls-3 flavors...they are heaven on earth. Perfect soufflés, Asian salad that is to die for, and cute Katie brought fresh fruit skewers! I ate way too much, and everyone else did, too:)

Carrie, me and Katie. I loved having so many friends and family there to celebrate with us!

The Winterholler clan! I can't believe how lucky I am to have married into such a great family. We have so much fun and feel so loved by them!

My sister had me wear this cute tag the entire shower-I thought it was pretty creative! These boys better listen and stay in there until the date on the tag!

It is still so unreal that we are getting blessed with these two sweet baby boys. The amazing shower helped bring it to life a little bit, especially bringing the loot home and unloading it all! Our house is a mess! I am so thankful to all of the people who came and showed their love to us at the shower, and all of those who constantly keep us in their prayers. It helps so much to have the support of everyone around us, and I am sure we can take the prayers for the next few months...or years! We can't wait to meet these little guys!

Christmas 2011

2012-01-05T19:32:00.000-07:00

O Christmas, it was so fun to go home and spend time with the family! We were on the go a lot (more than I desired to be:)) but it was so much fun. We hit up all of our favorite restaurants, hung with our friends, played Quirkle with the fam over and over, and just loved our time in B-town! Cody's parents are moving so he spent quite a bit of time helping to organize for their big move. We are happy because they are moving across town-hopefully just a few minutes from where we will be living! Below is the only picture I got of Cody and I-it is a great one though!

Christmas morning we spent with the Winterholler clan. It was such a blast. Aaron, Erika, and the boys were there and it made me realize just how much I miss them living in Omaha. I couldn't believe how adorable and BIG the boys have gotten since we saw them last. I loved my 20 second hugs from Brevin, watching Jace read words and cuddling with him, and having my arms get tired from holding mr. Holt! He is a big, happy boy! Cody's dad got him a hand gun...dun, dun, dun...I might have started crying when he opened it! Oops! It was so nice of him to buy it for him, and Cody was super excited about getting it.

After church on Christmas day we headed to my house. We had a way-too-long present opening session, and for the last present of all-NERF guns! I was much happier about this plastic gun than Cody's real one! haha. It was such a blast! The boys were running around the house, building barricades for hours and hours. We will totally be instituting this as a tradition in our home.

Christmas Eve was spent at Grandma and Grandpa Stott's house. It was a really special reading of Christ's birth this year, because Cody gave them a present of a new program for each person to read off of! He did such an amazing job-the programs are beautiful. We had a wonderful evening, as always.

My sis and I are due the EXACT SAME DAY with our babies! Is that crazy or what? We are so excited to have kiddos the same age. I couldn't love her anymore if I tried!

Happy Birthday to me!

2011-12-21T18:56:00.000-07:00

26! It was a great day. First Cody made me homemade French Toast Sticks. O MY GOSH they were so good! I wish I could somehow bribe him to make them for me 1 time a week instead of 1 time a year! I loved them so much, and seriously, it was so sweet of him. They were beyond delicious. It made my entire birthday!

Then I had a regular OB appointment, boys were moving and grooving in there, so that is always fun! Came home and rested, napped, and hung out with Cody. It was so fun to just chill with him and do whatever I wanted to do! Presents were great, as always. Got a little cashola, a great table runner for Christmas, cuter-than-heck crocheted headband, pasta strainer that I have wanted forever, and an awesome Creighton hoodie (I have been checking them out for months!).

Since my cute friends are out of town for the holiday, we celebrated a little early! The girls made me a delicious lunch, took me to ice cream, and we just chatted our little hearts out. The best part was that they MADE me this pillow! O my heck, is it cute or what? I was seriously so impressed by their sewing skills. I love it!

On the night of my Bday Cody and I went to Biaggi's Italian. Whew. Talk about Italian food! It was amazing, and of course, they gave us way too much food. Seriously, the lady brought Cody enough to feed at least 3 grown men! It was pretty funny. Then we headed to one of our new favorite places, Freddy's steak and shake. We got awesome ice cream, came home and watched Parenthood all night. We are obsessed with that show! So funny, sad, and relatable.

I got to continue celebrating the next day with another cute friend who took me out to lunch and spoiled me to death with a "bored bag". It is full of all types of fun, entertaining items! Books, movies, puzzles, games, etc. O, and chocolate of course!

I had a great day and felt so loved. It is amazing how many people really love and care about me! I love you all to. Especially my cute hubs for my breakfast and hoodie:) Not to mention treating me great the entire day! 26 isn't too bad thus far... hahah.

Belly pics SO FAR!

2011-12-15T21:07:00.000-07:00

Okay, I was looking at some twin blogs the other day, and it was so fun (and SCARY) to see how big the mommy's got! I wanted to start posting Belly pictures, more to chart the journey for me than anything. It is fun to see how big I have grown thus far, and these babes are only 1 lb. each! O man...we have 10 lbs. more to go, of PURE BABY! It will be a wild next few months, that is for sure! By the end I am sure I will regret posting pictures of myself! ha. Bring it on, Grow babes GROW!

10 weeks

14 Weeks

16 Weeks

19 Weeks

22 Weeks

22 weeks

2011-12-13T19:12:00.000-07:00

22 weeks and growing strong! The photo above is Baby B...neither one was being very cooperative for photos today! He has his hand on the left side of his face. We had an appointment today with the perinatologist to make sure me and the babies were healthy enough to go home for Christmas. We are good to go! I have had a few contractions and fainting spells lately, but the Dr. thinks they are nothing serious. Just an increase of bloodflow to the babies, therefore less bloodflow to ME! I have to lie down or 30 minutes to an hour whenever I get lightheaded, and then I am usually good for a few hours. Just have to be careful I guess! Unfortunately, one of my spells and contraction episodes was at work...so...I am done until these babies get here. Just gonna take it easy at home. Up a little, down a little. Hopefully I don't ever have to be down all of the time, but we will just take it as it goes. I am soooo bummed about not working, I was hoping to be a trooper and work until the end. BUT, I gotta do whatever it takes to get these babies here safe and sound, and believe me, I WILL.

Cute feet, just hanging out on my right side...I definitely feel lots of bumps over there! Both of the kiddos are pretty active though, so it is fun.
Names? Ug. I will take any suggestions I can get...most people don't GET to think of 2 first names and 2 middle names all at once! Woo-hoo for us! Seriously, I feel so lucky to get these boys. Everyone keeps saying to me, "good luck!" or "relish in the time you have now"...etc. If only they understood how long we have been waiting for these little bundles of joy. (yes, I know, bundles of poop and crying, too, but we will take IT ALL!) Keep growing Baby A and Baby B! Love you!

The Condescension of Jesus Christ

2011-12-05T18:56:00.000-07:00

This talk is amazing. I wanted to share it with everyone I could think of as Cody and I were reading it this evening. It is a perfect season to remember Jesus Christ and all that he has done, as still does for us. I am so grateful for my Lord and Savior. I am blessed to have the knowledge that HE KNOWS ME, and has felt what I feel. I know that he loves each of us, and condescended below all in order to give us all that we have.

I know this talk is long, but if you can take the time to read it, you will feel the Spirit of God in your life.

The Condescension of Jesus Christ
David L. Frischknecht

During the time my family and I lived in Europe, we visited the Frederiksborg Castle in Denmark, where many of the Carl Bloch paintings of the Savior are displayed. The paintings are crowded into a small room, sometimes called the King’s Oratory. There is a glass partition on the floor in front of the altar.

As we viewed the paintings, our family members took turns explaining what was happening in each one. We progressed from the birth of the Lord through His temptation by the devil and His preaching and healing. When we got to the Crucifixion I said, “And this is when He died.”

The two youngest children insisted, “No, He’s alive.” I stooped down to ask them to use their quiet voices and to explain more about the Crucifixion. That’s when I saw what they were seeing. From their angle, we could see on the glass partition the reflection of one painting superimposed on another painting. One was the painting of the Lord on the cross, and the other was the painting of His Resurrection. In both paintings His arms are stretched out, in the one on the cross and in the other as He is leaving the tomb. When I first saw the paintings imposed one on the other, it startled me. In that moment the images seemed to match perfectly. It seemed as if I were looking at the Savior’s spirit leaving His body on the cross.

Upon closer inspection I discovered the illusion, then enjoyed looking at each painting separately—The Crucifixion and The Resurrection. But the memory of the two paintings superimposed is imprinted on my mind. In a single view, they encapsulated the Lord’s condescension and His transcendent glory. And in one moment, the reality of the Crucifixion and of the Resurrection was confirmed by the Spirit in my heart and soul.

This experience has come to my mind over the years when I have studied and pondered three aspects of the Lord’s condescension: the reality of His condescension, the breadth and totality of His condescension, and the continuing blessing of His condescension for us today.

The Reality of the Condescension

The condescension of the Lord Jesus Christ generally refers to His leaving His high and holy station in heaven and coming to live as a man on earth to accomplish the Atonement and Resurrection. Jesus came to live where mankind lives and as mankind lives so He could raise mankind to live where the Father lives and as the Father lives. Because He descended to earth to lift us to heaven, each one of us can have the “perfect brightness of hope” (2 Nephi 31:20) of progressing into the kingdom and presence of God.

President John Taylor (1808–77) said of the condescension of Christ, “It was further necessary that He should descend below all things, in order that He might raise others above all things; for if He could not raise Himself and be exalted through those principles brought about by the atonement, He could not raise others; He could not do for others what He could not do for Himself.”¹

Nephi’s vision may be the best scriptural summary of the Lord’s condescension, to the degree a summary is possible (see 1 Nephi 11:14–33). His description of the condescension includes the Redeemer’s coming to earth; His being baptized by John; the Holy Ghost descending upon Him; His going forth among the people with great power; their casting Him out from among them; His calling of twelve apostles; His providing for angels to come down from heaven to minister unto the children of men; His healing the sick and afflicted with all manner of diseases; His casting out of devils and unclean spirits; and His being judged by the people, lifted up upon a cross, and slain for the sins of the world.

The Lord’s coming to earth was essential to the Father’s plan. There had to be a Savior, a Redeemer, a Great Mediator. Jesus told the Father, “Send me” (Abraham 3:27) because He loved God our Eternal Father and because He loved us. He explained to the Nephites, “I came into the world to do the will of my Father, because my Father sent me” (3 Nephi 27:13).

The Breadth of the Condescension

The wonder of the Lord’s condescension is most meaningful when we contemplate how far He descended. The irony of the Jews’ rejection of Him pierces more deeply when we contemplate who He had been for them before He came to earth.

For example, before the Lord Omnipotent came to earth, He was known as “the Creator of all things from the beginning” (Mosiah 3:8; Helaman 14:12). Contrast that with the Jews’ query, “Is not this the carpenter?” (Mark 6:3). The Creator of all things became a carpenter.

Similarly, consider the contrast between “Shepherd” and “Lamb.” In the Old Testament the Lord was called the “Shepherd of Israel” (Psalm 80:1). Isaiah described Him as the One who gathers His lambs with His arm (seeIsaiah 40:11). In His earthly life, that lamb-gathering Shepherd became God’s Lamb, sacrificed for Israel and for the whole world (see John 1:36).

Consider this difference. Before Jesus came to earth He was called “the Father of heaven and earth” (Mosiah 3:8). On earth He was mistaken as “the son of Joseph” (John 6:42).

When the Israelites were finally ready to enter the promised land, it was Jehovah who stopped the River Jordan and made it stand in its place so His people could cross on dry ground (see Joshua 3). Contrast His power in performing that miracle with His humility when, as Jesus of Nazareth, He was immersed by John in the same River Jordan (see Matthew 3:13–17).

In ancient Israel, Jehovah spared thousands and thousands of firstborn sons on the night of the Passover (see Exodus 12). When He came to earth in the flesh, Jesus rasied from the dead the only son of a widow (see Luke 7:12–15).

The Lord saved thousands. The Lord saved one.

For those of us who live after the Savior’s life and suffering on earth, thehymn “Jesus, Once of Humble Birth” (no. 196) reminds us that Jesus came to earth in humble circumstances but will return one day in power and glory:

Jesus, once of humble birth,

Now in glory comes to earth.

But the Lord’s faithful followers who lived before His life on earth could have sung of His condescension with the same hymn, only reversing the order of the concepts in each couplet:

Once in glory o’er all the earth;
Now He comes of humble birth.
Once in heaven did He reign,
Now He suffers grief and pain.

Once, the Lord, the great I Am;
Now a meek and lowly Lamb.
Once His chariot was the cloud;
Now upon the cross He bows.

Once in glory He appeared;
Now He groans in blood and tears.
Once their King He was known;
Now rejected by His own.

Once exalted to a throne;
Now forsaken, left alone.
Once the great Anointed Heir;
Now all things He meekly bears.2

And each Christmas we sing in the last verse of “Silent Night”:

Jesus, Lord, at thy birth; Jesus, Lord, at thy birth.³

But we would be correct, too, if we sang, “Jesus, Lord before Thy birth.” Long before.

Consider the Psalmist’s attempt to describe how far the Lord descended:

“The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens.

“Who is like unto the Lord our God, who dwelleth on high,

“Who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth!

“He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill;

“That he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people” (Psalm 113:4–8).

The Lord Omnipotent, who reigneth, who was and is from all eternity to all eternity, descends from His most lofty position to the very lowliest—raising the poor out of the dust and the needy out of the dunghill.

He descended below all, that all might be raised with Him and the Father.

The Lord Still Condescends to Lift Us

Another aspect of the Lord’s condescension that helps us exercise faith in Him is this: His mercy, grace, loving-kindness, and long-suffering bless us today, tomorrow, and forever. Because He experienced the condescension of mortality, He knows how to bless and succor us. “Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted” (Hebrews 2:17–18; see also Alma 7:11–13).

Can we have faith enough in Him and in the inclusiveness of His love to believe He hears and answers and helps us, even us, in our lowly, dingy, feeble state? That He still reaches to those who are spiritually in-the-dust poor and spiritually dunghill-filthy?

The Lord continues to do for mankind the things He did during His earthly ministry that were part of His condescension. He, Himself—or by angels or authorized servants on earth—preaches the gospel, administers ordinances, performs miracles, and heals the afflictions of people today. He continues to be mindful of us. He is mindful of us as a people. But most miraculously He is still mindful of us individually. In some marvelous way, and though He is not physically present with each of us, He still feels the tug on the hem of His garment from a humble handmaiden in the midst of a multitude. He still hears the cry of the blind, perceives the longing of the sincere publican, calls common men to be His servants, tells the repentant sinner to go and sin no more. He still pleads our cause universally and individually before the Father. He still calls us by name and invites us to arise and come forth unto Him. He still condescends from His high and holy place to lift us.

The gift of His grace, His love, and His condescension blesses us all. Many of us have felt that divine strength and support in our lives. I have felt it many times, but perhaps none more so than in the following experience.

One day during my service as bishop, I felt burdened, even overwhelmed, by the troubles and trials of the ward members. It seemed that every single one was suffering. In every home there was some kind of pain, heartache, sorrow, or worry. I knelt to pray, but as the sum of all the troubles accumulated in my mind, I sank from an upright kneeling position to a position of being stooped over, all the way to the floor.

In my prayer I poured out my soul, saying things like this (names have been changed):“Father, Mary is expecting a baby out of wedlock. She is no more than a girl herself. What will she do? How can she do it?”

“And her mother,” I cried. “Mary’s mother is heartbroken and devastated. How will she go on?”

The name and face of another ward member came to mind. “What about Roger? He has multiple sclerosis. The doctors say he is going to die. What will his wife and sons ever do?”

“And in the Smiths’ home. Their son is so crippled. They have taken care of him night and day for 35 years. How can they go on?”

And there were others. In every case, the answer came clearly and powerfully that God was very aware of each individual. He knew the unwed teen. He knew her mother. He had a plan for the husband with multiple sclerosis and for his wife and sons. And for 35 years, night and day, the Lord had watched over the crippled son and his family.

As each person appeared in my mind, the undeniable witness came, in words too sacred to repeat, that the great plan of happiness and the Atonement were active and efficacious in each life. One by one the burdens of these brothers and sisters were lifted from my soul. The Holy Spirit imparted feelings of comfort and reassurance as if to say, “Bishop, let the Lord take these burdens. Rise up. Do the best you can. Things will work out for these people. You’ll be fine, too. Go be their bishop. The Lord will be their Savior.”

I discovered that I had returned to an upright kneeling position. Little by little the load had been lifted. I knew with a sure conviction that the Savior knew each person. His suffering and death thousands of years ago had atoned for them. But just as certain and much more immediate was the sure knowledge that He bore their present burdens. His love was complete, His power comprehensive, and His intercession current.

May we remember the Lord—who He is, what He has done, and what He has promised to do. Before and after He was a baby in Bethlehem and a carpenter in Nazareth, He was and is the God of Israel and the God of the whole earth. He was and is the King of kings and Lord of lords. He is the Holy and Only Begotten Son of the Living God. He was with the Father from the beginning. He is in the Father and the Father in Him; and in Him has the Father glorified His name (see 3 Nephi 9:15). May we remember and believe that He has all wisdom and all power in heaven and in earth (see Mosiah 4:9). And may we have faith that He yet condescends to help and lift the least and the last, even you, even me.

Christmas Savior Reading Chart

2011-12-01T17:16:00.000-07:00

WE ARE SOOOO DOING THIS! We started tonight, and I can already tell we are going to refresh on our stories of Christ and make this a December to remember!

~Beginning on the first day of December, read one scripture passage a day with your family. Consider using your family’s talents by adding special musical numbers and singing together. When Christmas arrives you will find you have begun a new family tradition that will increase your knowledge of the Savior. Continue your scripture reading time together each day throughout the year to further strengthen the bonds of your family.

Day, Event, Reference, Jesus Christ

1      Jarius’ Daughter raised, Luke 8:41-56, Was compassionate
2      Sinful woman forgiven, Luke 7:36-50, Was forgiving
3      Nobleman’s son healed, John 4:46-53, Had power to heal
4      Temple cleansed, John 2:13-17, Was reverent and opposed to evil
5      Storm calmed, Mark 4:35-41, Had power over elements
6      Children blessed, Mark 10:13-16, Loved children
7      Savior dined with Mary & Martha Luke 10:38-42, Made people happy
8      Savior suffered in Garden of Gethsemane, Luke 22:41-45, Was Submissive
9      Apostles’ feet washed, John 13:3-17, Was humble
10      Apostles chosen,   Luke 6:12-13, Was prayerful
11      Christ’s wisdom advanced, Luke 2:51-52, Obeyed parents
12      Christ baptized,   Matthew 3:13-17, Obeyed God’s law
13      Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5:2-16, Gave counsel
14      Christ in the temple, Luke 2:42-49, Taught when twelve years old
15      The Lord’s prayer, Matthew 6:9-13, Taught proper way to pray
16      Parable of the Sower, Luke 8:5-16,Taught with stories
17      Parable of the Lost Sheep, Luke 15:4-7, Helped sinners
18      Story of the Good Samaritan, Luke 10:29-36, Was kind
19      Promised the Comforter, John 14:26-27,      Promised the Holy Ghost
20      Fishes and loaves shared, Matthew 14:15-21,      Performed miracles
21      Story of Lazarus, John 11:40-44, Raised the dead
22      Mary’s visitation, Luke 1:26-33, Is the Son of the Highest
23      Christ’s Birth,   Luke 2:1-11, Fulfilled prophesy
24      Shepherds visited & Wisemen brought gifts, Matthew 2:9-13 & Luke 2:12-16, Was worshipped as Savior

20 weeks

2011-11-29T17:09:00.000-07:00

Deep breaths of relief for everyone! The boys' 20 week ultrasound was today, and hip hip hooray! Everything looks wonderful so far! Their "long" bones, arms and legs, are exactly where they are supposed to be. Kidneys, heart, spine, stomach, and brain look great. These babies couldn't be doing any better. Thank you for this amazing tender mercy, Heavenly Father. Thank you!

In the Picture below, you can see BOTH off the babies feet! On top is Baby B's feet, one tilted horizontally and one tilted to the right. Then there is a white line which is the placenta separation. ON the bottom are Baby A's Feet, his heels closest to the placenta, on one- toes pointing down and the other is tilting to the right. So fun to get both of their feet in one picture! Probably the only thing that will fit in one photo of theirs until they are born!

Look at that spine! It is amazing what you can see on an ultrasound.

Profile shot of Baby B...we didn't get any of him last time!

Random-ness

2011-11-27T20:34:00.000-07:00

Thanksgiving 2011 was great, great, great. Cody and I slaved all day over yumminess! We had a blast doing it, and everything turned out more than delicious. I enjoyed every minute of just hanging with the hubbs. We also did our fare share of shopping, with plenty of resting in between:) O and the best part...the day after Thanksgiving is decorate the house day. We put up our tree and all of our other decorations, and started a new tradition. Cody makes the best meal...homemade noodles, broth, and mashed potatoes, topped with allspice. I know is sounds crazy, but it is a Winterholler fave. He made it for me as a surprise, I LOVED it! Seriously it was my favorite event of the entire weekend. It will now be a day after Thanksgiving tradition!

On Saturday we watched lots of football, including the Ohio State vs. Michigan game. Ohio was SOOOO close, but lost for the first time in 8 years! Bummer! It was a really good game though. I worked on my niece and nephews Christmas present the whole game, so that kept me a little more entertained. Then we headed to the Durham Museum. They have a REAL tree that they put inside the train station and decorate. It is the BIGGEST Christmas tree I have ever seen! It was really awesome.

Now for the random-ness. This is Ali and Teddy and I on Teddy's birthday, just a cute pic I had to post!

A cute pic of Hubbs and I that I forgot to post!

O and how could I forget to post this picture?! I love these 2 girls, Katie and Lucy. We had a blast hanging out when I went home, and I can't wait to see how much Lucy has grown when we visit again at Christmas! (I bet Lucy will be surprised at how much I have grown, too:) Haha

Here is the latest belly pic. Okay, so this is 16 weeks, and I am 20 weeks now! That's right folks, it's gonna be a big one! 16 weeks to go...lots of room to grow. That's okay, I want these boys big and healthy! Speaking of them...we so can't decide on names. Kinda driving us crazy. I have an appointment with OB tomorrow and perinate on Tuesday, so I am anxious, as always. I keep waiting to NOT be nervous for an appointment, it's just not coming. My faith continues to strengthen that everything is going to be okay, but I think I won't truly believe it until they are here. I am feeling, well...okay. I am about as big as full term with Warner, and feeling about full term. I can't really do full days of work anymore, it is totally killing me! We will see how much longer I last. I am trying so hard to be tough! Not really in my hands though, just gotta listen to the doctor's, and most importantly, the babies! Done with the random-ness. Life is great! 3 weeks of final-filled days for Cody. Ugg. But really, Life couldn't be better. We are so blessed.

The Meal

2011-11-22T15:21:00.001-07:00

I am so excited. Okay, so at first, and earlier this week, I wasn't so excited, but now I am. We are staying in Omaha for Thanksgiving, and making a feast just for the two of us. When you think of holidays you think of huge meals and the whole family, and we will totally miss our fan, that is for sure. But, sometimes you don't have a choice, so we are doing it in our beautiful home, just with one another. Cody has been excited about whipping up some yumminess for weeks. Really, he has been scoping out recipes and getting me to forget that we don't get to go home. He is making it FUN that we get to do a holiday with just he and I. I am so blessed to have a "be positive no matter what you are doing" attitude of a hubby. He sure is amazing. I love that he is my best friend, and I am his. I look forward to a weekend of nothing but him. We have our Black Friday shopping stores scoped out and hopefully find some good deals! We are just gonna eat ourselves silly one day, and shop ourselves silly the next!

Grandma's Rolls
Sweet Potato Filled Ravioli or Turkey Noodle Soup (just can't decide! Cody's homemade noodles:))
Cranberry Sauce
Delightful Mashed Potatoes
Whipped Sweet Potatoes
Homemade Stuffing (with no chunks!)
Brined Turkey Legs (We did this last year...perfect!)
Apple Crisp with whipped cream

I hope your plans are as fun as ours! Happy Thanksgiving, be thankful no matter where you are or what you are doing!:) Take it from me, it is way better that way!

Patience

2011-11-12T08:39:00.000-07:00

Does your patience ever hit an all time low? Mine does, alot, unfortunately. Especially when I am pregnant. I pretty much want what I want, and want it now. I need to chill. I read a quote today about how it is okay if the house is a mess, as long as you are making memories. Sometimes I concentrate on the house, and not the memories. I am sure this will only become more of a reality in the coming months.

You would think after all of these years, patience would have come to me! It is still a daily struggle, and probably will be forever. I hope I can have less "all time low" and more "it's not a big deal" moments. Better start praying for that, and soon:)

ON a side note, the boys really like Kashi whole grain waffles and fresh syrup. They have been bumping me all morning!!!! I love it.

Surprise!

2011-11-07T18:48:00.000-07:00

Well, it was the BIG appointment for us today. 17 weeks. I will get the facts out of the way for those of you who don't want to read about the emotions!

-Dr. R. checked the kiddos "long bones" (arms and legs). This is the largest indication of skeletal dysplasia. Both babies looked wonderful. One baby measured right on schedule at 16 weeks 5 days. The other measured 5 days ahead of schedule!!!!!!!!!!! YAY. YAY. YAY!
-Dr. R. also checked their genders....and...Surprise!

BOY and BOY!

They were wrong at the 12 week appointment...I could hardly believe it. We have two little Mr's in there! Okay, that's the important stuff, here are the details:

I have been dreading this appointment, and looking forward to getting it over with. I couldn't decide if I wanted to never, ever go to the appointment so that, if something was wrong, I wouldn't have to know. I have never been able to decide if it is better to know that there is something wrong with your child and have months and months to prepare for it; or if it is better to be shocked at an immediate outcome. I guess I think it is better to have the knowledge all along, simply because that is how I did it. Then again, if we always knew the outcome of our trials, we might just choose to give up, instead of going through the pain. In our case, there was so much pain. But if I could only explain in words how much greater the joy was at the end of our journey with Warner. The amazing peace that I am not sure I will ever feel again that I felt when I held him.

I have had days of anxiety, maybe even a week. I mean, I have been worried since the beginning, but actual tears of concern were in my eyes even thinking about this appointment. I would have times of peace, usually after I prayed for comfort or after talking with someone who sincerely would re-assure me that everything was going to be okay. I can't stop thinking about something my sister in law told me right before we got pregnant with the boys. She said, "Heavenly Father knows when you have hit your limit, and you have hit yours." This always gives me comfort to think about. Heavenly Father does know us sooo well. Last night I was talking to my dad, and I have a soft spot for him. I started balling with concern for my babies. I love that he can comfort me so quickly. He has just a perfect, tender stillness about him, and it helps to calm my fears.

Now for the appointment. On the way, I was feeling okay. A little anxious, but overall pretty good. I still wasn't able to separate my anxieties from my actually feelings. Deep down I knew they were going to be healthy, but on the surface it was just easier to fall apart and freak out. (I seem to be good at over-analyzing and scaring myself!) Cody met me there and the nurse took us back. I have been having some pretty intense pulsing and so I told her about it. She was really concerned and kind of freaked me out a bit, to tell the truth! I have been taking it easier, but she wants me to really take it easy. Hard for me because I am go, go, go! But, we will just have to figure out how to cure that! I can still blog to my hearts content:) ha. They measured my cervix and so far so good, so that's a positive. Let's keep it that way!

We had a great tech who took tons of photos for us, both 3D and regular images. She asked us if we knew the sex, and we told her that Dr. R. had told us at 12 weeks, and was almost positive, but not completely, and asked her to double check. Dr. R. came in the room, so we started measuring. Baby A looked great. Actually, more than great, 5 days ahead of schedule, in the 96th percentile. Nice, long, straight arms and legs, with head and tummy looking good so far, too.

At this point, tears began to fill my eyes. One healthy baby. One long-boned baby. One baby with no skeletal dysplasia. That was good, really good. But as quickly as I had tears of joy for him being healthy, real tears of worry started to come for the next baby. It is amazing the love and concern that I have for each of them. I don't normally notice feeling different love for them individually, because it is hard to understand that there are two babies in there. But, when I knew that one was okay, and was not sure about the other, I had very real feelings of two different, sweet children. (I hope that made sense.)

To continue, baby A was a boy! Baby A is laying with his head on my right side, feet on my left side, horizontally. He is also on the bottom, being smashed by Baby B. Not really smashed, though. The fluid protects him so he doesn't even know that someone is laying right on top of him! Whew! ha.

Then to Baby B (whom we "thought" was a girl...). Measured the arms and legs, and both looked perfect. This was when the real relief came. All my crazy fears were washed away and I had tears of joy for both of my healthy, non skeletal-dysplasia children. (Now, don't get me wrong, I would 100% love and embrace a child/children with skeletal dysplasia, my fear is just that they would have a lethal form, like Warner, and then I would only get to love them for a little bit, until after this life, when I could then love them forever:) ) Okay, so healthy Baby B...and, the tech went to check the sex. Dr. R. asked us, what did I tell you the second baby was? We said, a girl. He got a big smile, and told us that it was a BOY! I was totally shocked, started laughing, and said, "Are you kidding?!?!". Nope! There is was, two boys! Crazy, crazy. We were all laughing, Cody, as always, looked like he had known all along. He said he had a feeling that there wasn't a girl in there! He was right. No girl, just boys!

Baby B is laying with his head on the left, feet on the right, horizontally. He gets to be on top the entire time, laying on his brother! The chances of the boys being identical is less than 10%, due to the fact that they have their own sacs and that the placenta seems to be separate. We will know for sure when they are born, I guess!

Now, we are elated that all is going well. However, we are still so cautious! I think this is something that will always be built in us with pregnancies. We have a long way to go until these boys are home with us, safe and sound. And, I know that each subsequent pregnancy I will be just as nervous as I was today. Of course, the likelihood that Warner's condition is not random is sooo small, especially now that these babies look as though they are growing well. But, I worry, worry, worry! It's my job I guess. We will just keep praying that things keep going well, keep our heads up and our faith strong.

How many licks...?

2011-10-22T13:42:00.000-06:00

How many licks does it take...to find out the gender of our babes?! Yep, that's right, we found out the gender of our kiddos at 12 weeks! Can you believe it?! I am still questioning it a little, but don't worry! We will be double checking at our next appointment in 2 weeks.

So...what are they already?!?!?!?

BOY AND GIRL!

Lucky us gets one of each. We are elated, soooo perfect! Okay, let's be honest, whatever we get will be perfect.

We flew home to MT for Cody's fall break, and we were able to spill the beans to our parents about the genders...it was so fun to do it in person!

At my house: We gave each of them a sucker, and my mom went at it right away, she was so anxious to know the genders! My dad was a little more hesitant. He told us to "just tell him"! I told him that he better get to sucking or they would never know what gender the second baby was! By this time, my mom had sucked the chocolate off of a BLUE sucker..baby #1 is a BOY! Her eyes filled with tears. Dad then got to sucking, and when he took the sucker out of his mouth....it was blue! O SHOOT! I had mixed up the pink and the blue suckers! I swiftly grabbed another sucker (which I was praying was pink), he sucked it, and a little pink shone through. WHEW! It took a couple times, but we got it right, One boy, one girl! (Unfortunately, my dad is STILL determined that the suckers were right the first time, and that the Dr. is wrong. I guess we will see at our next appt if there are 2 boys in there, or 1 of each! HA!)

At Cody's house: We had been talking about how "excited" we were to find out the genders, pretending that we didn't know. Finally Cody gave in and told me to get out the suckers...I gave one to Laurel and one to his brother, Will. Laurel went to town and just bit right through the chocolate, to a BLUE sucker. Will, on the other hand, left the sucker in his mouth until all the chocolate was gone...a good 45 seconds! A LONG 45 seconds! And pulled out a pink sucker. (We got it right!) They were so excited for us!
We had our ultrasound 15 days ago and I am just posting this! Sorry! Everything went just great. So far so good. *deep breathe of relief* The babies are both growing at the rate they should at this point. I am very, very anxious for our next couple of ultrasounds, though. Dr. R. (my perinatologist, who was also with us for Warner's) said that he will be able to completely rule out OI (Osteogenesis Imperfecta) at 20 weeks. I am almost 15 now, so not much longer until we will feel ~a little~ more safe.

I am pretty much a freak, though. I am so careful about what I eat, what I lift, what I push, how I walk, how I sit, how I, well, do everything! I know I am crazy, but I think most women who have had any type of a lost child can somewhat understand. I KNOW it's not my fault, but every little ounce of me just wants to make sure that nothing I do will hurt the babes. I think I will probably be like this for the rest of my pregnancies, and I guess it's not a bad thing, probably just annoying for everyone around me, and my Dr. who gets a call about every out of the ordinary pain.

I had a really amazing experience last night. Often when I was pregnant with Warner I would be so, so worried about him. I would pray, and Heavenly Father would always give me comfort in some way. Sometimes it was just a feeling in my heart that everything was going to be okay. Sometimes it was a whispering in my ear. Sometimes others would call or send me cards that would give me the comfort I needed. One time, I hadn't felt Warner move in a really, really long time. I was getting extremely worried about him, So, I prayed. I prayed for comfort. Immediatley, literally within seconds, I felt a swift kick from my little boy. I began to cry the happiest tears I had cried in a long while. Heavenly Father had answered my prayer so quickly, there was no way that I could even question it. I knew at that moment that my son was okay, that GOD LOVED ME, and could hear my prayers. I was blessed with a tender mercy from the Lord.

In 1 Nephi 8:8, it states, "And after I had traveled for the space of many hours in darkness, I began to pray unto the Lord that he would have mercy on me, according to the multitude of His tender mercies."
To read more, CLICK HERE.

What comfort that scripture gives me. We all travel through darkness, but that Lord is willing to extend mercy to us, whenever we need it.

Back to my experience last night...I had a dream. Well, a nightmare. I dreamt that only one of our sweet babies was doing well after birth. I woke up before a real diagnosis was given, not knowing if both babies had survived, almost gasping for air. I was breathing so fast and so hard. I knew immediately that it wasn't real, thank heavens. My first instinct was to reach down and feel my belly, to feel those 2 sweet children growing inside of me. For the next 10 minutes, I watched and felt my babes moving. I have felt little flutters in the past weeks, but nothing like this. I could physically see their actions beneath the skin. At only 15 weeks. I, once more, was blessed with a tender mercy from the Lord. I knew that it was only a nightmare, and that my babes were safe and sound, (and maybe punching eachother:) ) in the womb. Our Heavenly Father loves each one of us, each one of you, and is willing to send us tender mercies, just when we need them the most.

Journey of Life...twin babes!

2011-10-07T20:38:00.000-06:00

As I sit here, 12 weeks pregnant with our amazing twin babes, I can't help but think of Warner. I remember feeling the same excited, happy emotions that I am going through now. 12 WEEKS. We made it! Especially after the last two miscarriages we have experienced, this seems like a big deal. I am so happy to be here. I am so grateful that they are both safe. So far so good. At the same time, I long for Warner. I long to have my 17 month old baby running around my house like a mad man, experiencing this all with Cody and I. I want to explain to him that there are babies in mommy's belly...I have to remember that he knows that though. He is watching over our every move, just from a distance. I think I just know what an amazing blessing he would be to us on earth. If Heavenly Father needed him so badly, I can only imagine what WE WOULD HAVE LEARNED from Warner in this life! I know that he is working hard in heaven, anxiously awaiting our arrival, and hopefully preparing his future siblings to come here, and...to STAY for a while!

So many thoughts are going through my head. A dear friend told me today that I need to be recording this journey we are on. I knew, at the moment, she was talking about this journey of pregnancy. The feelings, the emotions, the physical joys and hardships. But, I couldn't help but think to myself, "I need to record our JOURNEY OF LIFE." Sometimes I am great at this, sometimes I fail. I fall into the path of most online journalers...I ALWAYS share the positive. I share the fun, the laughs, the travels, the events. It is hard, though, to overcome the fears of opening your heart to the world. ON the flip side, it is comforting to me when people tell the truth. The real truth.

The last 12 weeks have gone by S.L.O.W. We obviously were having problems getting pregnant, then keeping a pregnancy for the long haul. So, we decided to start infertility treatments. Which means, from day 1 in that hospital room, we knew that we "might" be pregnant. Day 7, my sciatic starting aching, so that was a GREAT sign (For some strange reason this happens to me early in pregnancies). Day 11, I took a pregnancy test (3 days early) and it was positive! We were at a cabin with all of Cody's family, but I only told him. I even woke him up at 6am with a big, fat kiss! He knew right away what that meant. Day 14, I took another test, and we announced it to the fam. His entire family was there. I cannot believe the love that was in that room. Tears were lacing everyone's eyes, if they weren't running down their cheeks. We knew there was a long road ahead, and that we had all these people right behind us on the trek. Bert offered a beautiful blessing, adding us to the list of necessities. When we made it out of the mountains the next day, we told my family and a few close friends who knew we were shooting for the stars just 14 days prior.

Since then, the day by day has been FULL of well, everything. Happy, HAPPY emotions just like the naive girl I was when I was 12 weeks pregnant with Warner. Tears. Tears of worry, anxious tears, tears of fear.

Today, though, I have both. Happy, happy tears of joy for being 12 weeks along. VERY HAPPY TEARS! And, the few tears of sadness I shed as I read some of Warner's blog posts. It is amazing how often I refer back to those posts for strength, comfort, and meditation. All the more reason to record this journey, as well. And hopefully I will learn my lesson, and really continue to record our journey of life.

I had reservations on sharing our experience with the everyone. This sounds crazy, but especially with those around us. I wasn't sure how they would react. When Warner was born and passed, so many people shared their thoughts and sympathies in many different ways. Some good, some bad. I have come across people I rarely speak with that have CRIED as they have learned of our pregnancy. Literal tears of happiness for us, someone they barely know, but somehow can feel empathy and compassion for. I pray that I can feel for others as deeply as these women have expressed they feel for me.

IF you are happy for us, if you have cried tears for us, we thank you. But most of all, we ask for your PRAYERS. The more the better. We know the road ahead we cannot control, but we have been through alot, and we KNOW that the LORD is right by our side through it all. The ups, the downs, the tears, and the smiles. I can't wait to experience them all.

If it is anything like our journey with Warner, we are going to learn more than we ever imagined.

We are going to grow closer and closer through each up, and through each down.

We will feel the comfort of our Father in Heaven around each bend.

The encompassing love from prayers offered will change our every action and emotion.

We will be blessed with a family for eternity, not just the here and now.

It's amazing. As I wrote each of those, they all applied to these sweet, living babies in my tummy; but also, to our sweet, spirit of a Son, waiting for us on the other side. I am so grateful for my eternal family.

The Details:

~Due Date: April 18, 2012 (C-section probably at the end of March, however)

~Latest ultrasound: Today! The babes were great, both just moving around in there! One was punching the air, wiggling arms like crazy! The other was sucking their thumb, bobbing the head right along with the sucking! It is so fun to see them in there, healthy and happy.

~YES, IT IS TWO: Double the joy, double the poop, half the sleep, double the feedings, double the smiles, double the messes, double the giggles, double the happiness we will feel for getting to experience all of those DOUBLES!
~Identical: probably not, but there is always a chance, less than 5% chance. They each have their own sac, own placenta, so that is good. They are each receiving their own nutrition from mommy, so no sharing!

~Approximate size of mommy: hmm...wait and see, I guess! I am thinking, well, BIG! I am about the size at 12 weeks as I was at 20 weeks with Warner, so, take that and let your imagination run...

~Physical feeling: Can't complain. Nausiousness here and there, as long as I eat every 2.5 hours I am good to go. My sciatic is getting pretty bad, however. Hopefully is doesn't increase! Headaches are on and off, just like with Warner. 2nd trimester was bad for headaches with him though, so we will see what these babies do!

~Working? Yes, Yes, and Yes. Hair, photography and surgical assisting are still going strong! I hope to continue through my entire pregnancy. I just hate being bored, and work helps solve that problem.
~Next Appointment: regular OB, 2 weeks. Perinatologist, 4 weeks.

On with the journey!

Summer Vaca

2011-08-24T09:01:00.001-06:00

Our vacation this summer was MUCH needed. The past few months have been crazy with Cody studying for his board exam...which he PASSED! YAY! It was so, so fun to get the letter in the mail and see those four letters, pass. What a relief! He got it a few days before we left for Montana, so it was perfect timing.
We flew out to Montana late on Friday night, and we got to see my parents finished house! (well, Cody got to see it, I had seen it a few months ago). The next morning I got up early so I could visit my cousin Katie and her new baby girl, Lucy, who had just been born 4 days before I arrived! Great timing, Lucy! We only hung out for less than an hour because I had to get back to drive with Cody's family to Island Park, Idaho for a family reunion.

The entire clan made it! It was such a great reunion. We had not seen some of Cody's siblings and their kids for over 2 years! Everyone has changed so much, and all gotten even cuter than before. We all stayed in one cabin on the lake. It was quite the crazy house! The kitchen was stocked, clothes, swimsuits, and shoes were strewn everywhere, and there was always some action to find. We had a blast and we are already planning on doing it next year, too!

Cody and I on the dock at sunset...it was so beautiful. He attempted fishing, but no luck!

MUDDIN! We rented 4 wheelers and Rhino ATV's and drove through the mountains ALL DAY. Cody pretty much loved it. Talk about a puddle! It looks more like a lake to me!

Wild man with his beard. He grew this out forever....beaming pride. Hehe.

Part of the reason that I had so much fun at the cabin was because of these boys! I miss them living across the street from us more than you can even imagine. It was so awesome to have them run up to me and give me the biggest hugs ever, read them books, and just chat with them. They rule.

This is baby HOLT! O man, I cuddled with him all week. I could barely put him down. He is a perfect angel baby. I miss him so much already.

The lake! Our cabin was right on the lake, and we couldn't stay away. The kids were constantly jumping on the boat or jet ski...if they could find all of the grown men for it!

Love this goofball.

One night we went into West Yellowstone to see a play at Playmill Theatre. When I was a kid, I attended quite a few plays here and loved them. We went to High School Musical. Unfortunately, it was kind of a let down! But, we still had fun spending time with those who went with us! Side note: It was so great to hang with all of my sister in law's. They are such amazing women and they make me laugh, cry, and just appreciate life. I love you girls!

We took some family pictures...just had to throw this one in there, it is pretty cute!

After the Vaca to Island Park, we drove back to billings and spent time with my awesome parents! It was weird to stay at their house, we have never been home since we have been married when we could actually sleep at my parents house! One of my siblings would always beat us to it! So, it was fun to spend time with them. We kinda just hung out! Shopped for the house, ate DELISH food that my momma made, and my favorite, we went to the Farmer's Market!

This market BLOWS AWAY other farmer's markets. It is like 4 blocks long, and just packed with delicious vendors. I could spend all morning, (and alot of money!) at this market.

Cute mom and Cody. I miss my momma! I can't wait to move back and go to the market with her every week. Not too long...just 2 years! Actually more like 20 months...

June came and went...

2011-07-05T20:45:00.001-06:00

Whew...it has been a month since my last post. Probably for good reason...not much has happened! The first two pictures are of this crazy Omaha weather! The spring and summer are so crazy here, there is always a rain storm, a thunder storm, or a tornado looming! The rolling clouds are so neat, all of our neighbors usually congregate outside as the warning sirens are going off, not the smartest thing to do, but check out the pictures! Recently we are dealing with flooding, flooding, and more flooding. It is getting really bad here, hopefully those MONTANAN'S stop sending water our way! Ha.

Cody is a study-a-holic. He is seriously being such a trooper. He has the first half of his Dental Board Exam one week from today. (Happy day! Happy Happy DAY!) He has been studying before school, during school, after school...pretty much anytime he should be sleeping, he is studying. Which means, I have been bored out of my mind! I have worked my hardest as staying busy, busy, busy. Work, hair, and pictures have kept me somewhat occupied, but what really helped was my food blog! I have 2 to 3 posts a week ready for the next month. Get ready for some yum-o recipes!

This one is one of our new favorites, Thai Chicken Pizza. O man it was good! I have tons more coming so check for updates!

Poor Jane, she is only 10 months old and she already knows that when I am around she might as well just smile for the camera and it will be over a whole lot quicker! She is so awesome, she will seriously look at me, smile, and then continue playing. She rocks! Good thing she is so stinking cute!

We threw a baby shower for my good friend Crystal in June. It was so much FUN! All we did the entire time was make bows for her cute baby girl. What a brilliant idea, it was a hit. I will always do this for friends when they are expecting a girl!

We had our 4th wedding anniversary in June. Wow. It seems like these 4 years have flown by. We had such a great date night together. I got Cody some new basketball shoes, he plays every thursday and was in dire need of some new kicks. For part of our date, Cody took me to Von Maur and told me to get any dress that I wanted! O my heck it was so fun. I found this perfect, beautiful khaki colored dress that is fitted on the top and pleated from the waist down. It was awesome. He is such a good shopper, way better than I will ever be! Then we headed to P.F. Chang's. O my delish. I forget how much we love this place! Our Friday date night usually consists of Chipotle, so this was a nice change. We both chowed on our meals and chatted the entire time. It was such a great anniversary, and probably the first one in 4 years that we haven't golfed on! I am sure we will never make that mistake again...hehe. I sure love this man that I am married to. So many joys and so many tears have been shared between us. He handles everything we go through, for good or bad, with such ease. He is so perfect for me and my dramatic ways! I love him so much, and it just keeps getting better. Can't wait for the rest of our lives!

Home.

2011-06-08T21:11:00.000-06:00

Home. O how I love HOME! Not so much the place, the food, or the travel time...but the people. Pretty much everyone that I love was home this weekend. (No, not everyone, I missed the other family members!) But, my sister, her kiddos, and my brother all traveled to B-town this weekend. It couldn't have been any better! I also got to see my amazing family in law and my awesome friends. I was busy 99% of the 3 days that I was there, and it was perfect...Read on to hear what I did!
Friday: I will give you $5 if you can guess where my family and I ate out...FUDDS! I probably remember eating out about 1 time every 6 weeks or so growing up, and every time, it was Fuddruckers. I love it...I am always trying to get Cody to go to Fudds with me in Omaha, but he just doesn't have the deep rooted love for it like I do! It was so yummy to chow there with the fam.
Then...dun dun dun! I got to go and see my parents new, finished house! YippEE! It was so awesome to go through it for the first time. If I say so myself, my dad makes a dang good general contractor and my mom makes an outstanding interior decorator. Maybe I will enlist them in a couple of years...
Friday night Nate, Amanda and I stayed up late and chatted. It was so much fun. I miss my sibling so much, it was great to catch up. My fave was probably Nate laughing his head of at some pictures we were taking on Nate's ipad. So funny.

Okay, I am rambling. Let's see...other highlights...
Baby shower for my bestest cousin, bestest friend, gonna-be-an-amazing momma woman, Katie! I also got to take a few maternity shots of her and Millie. I can't wait to meet this little princess.

Branding baby! It wouldn't be a trip to the ranch without some branding! The boys were tough stuff, and Katie and I were pretty awesome walking around the manure-filled field in our fancy shoes and girly clothes! Ha! Good thing I was just on picture duty...

After branding I visited my awesome friend, Carrie Jo. Her and her hubby just built a brand new house, and it was such a blast to chat with them and see their awesome new pad! The only bad part is that I couldn't stay longer!
Saturday afternoon was the best part of my trip. I know, sorry everyone, but this little guy won me over. When I pulled up to the cemetery, I was just hoping and praying that Warner's stone would be in, and it was! I literally jumped from the car and ran to see it. It couldn't be any more perfect. It was amazing to sit and chat with him. My dad and I went back on Monday and he dropped Warner off a golf ball...It looked awesome with his stone!

Saturday night we hung out as a fam. We had a great dinner, then did a photoshoot of my cute niece and nephews. They have so much personality, it was such a blast trying to get some good shots of them. We actually ended up with way too many! They are some stinking cute kiddos. I will put up more pics on my photo blog soon. After pictures, we had a bon fire with Joel and Robbin's family, it was such a perfect night.

Sunday was pretty relaxing, and I got to visit Cody's family. O man, I couldn't have married into a better fam. They are so much fun. It was great to see Will, Wendy, and their kids. I couldn't believe how big they all were! Man I miss the whole Winterholler clan so much, can't wait to get back and see them more often.

Monday we hit up the splash pool, visited with grandma and grandpa, then dad and I chilled for a few hours. It was so fun to spend time just with him. I am a daddy's girl, that if for sure. Between the Blizzard nazi and the fake flower decorater lady, we had our fair share of laughs.

Overall, my weekend at home was completely and totally worthwhile. I missed Cody so much, and I think he missed me too:) He kept himself pretty entertained, and our friends definitely helped out with that as well. We have a fun, busy weekend ahead, so I am sure there will be some additional posts to come! Don't forget to check out the photo blog, there are going to be alot of updates soon!

Bitter Sweet

2011-05-22T21:15:00.001-06:00

I am not sure where to begin. Today is bitter sweet...Bitter for Cody and I, sweet for the Sadler's. Aaron got an awesome job in Casper, Wyoming and they left Omaha for good this morning. I am so sad. It has been kind of an emotional roller coaster for me. I am so, so happy for Aaron and Erika. They have been in Omaha for a long time and I know that they will miss it, but I also know that they are going to love Casper. I just can't imagine living here without those four. It is amazing how attached you can get to people without really realizing it. I think that we took if for granted them living right across the street. I know we didn't see them every day, but the fact is, we knew they were there if we needed each other. We also knew they were there because of:
-the constant knocking on our back door and Brevin sneaking in without Erika knowing.
-the "Chang! Ching! Chang!" noises coming from the boys FOAM swords clinging together.
-Erika sitting outside in the shade of her ONE tree reading and trying to keep from sweating horribly while the boys play outside for hours on end.
-We couldn't have made it through our trials and blessings of Warner without their constant care, blessings, and love. Not to mention the amazing pictures Erika got of us loving our sweet baby boy.
-Erika and I stalking one another, always asking "where were you from 4:23 to 5:14 last night?!"
-Late night cookie drop offs, Cody is really going to miss those
-Aaron was great at popping in just to check on us, make sure that we were surviving our crazy lives
-I will never forget Erika asking me to come over and see something and her showing me baby Holt's ultrasound picture. We were both crying. I can't wait to meet him, and I feel a little jipped that they left just 1 month before he makes his appearance.
-The "Naked Jedi's" running around in their star wars undies, they kept the neighborhood on their toes
-Brevin screaming across the street telling me about his day at school
-Erika was my constant replenishment when I ran out of eggs, anything from costco, etc.
-BBQ's when we could squeeze them in...my faves were Aaron's spicy wings
-I loved picking Brevin up from school, he did great in his class and it was so fun to watch
-The hugs, O the hugs. I just got tears in my eyes just thinking about the hugs. Those boys are willing to give love whenever you ask for it. I will never forget the hug I got from Jace right before we left for the hospital to deliver Warner. It was perfect.
So many more reasons to miss them, I can't even write them all. I am so beyond glad that they were here for at least a little while during our lives here in Omaha. I have grown so close to Erika, and I know that is something that we will never lose, and that we never would have had if we hadn't lived so close. I feel like I have lost my best friend, but good thing I will never really lose her because we are family!

We love you guys so much, if you decide you can't take being away from us you are welcome to move back anytime!

I mean, really, how could you not love these boys...?

Prairie Club

2011-05-11T20:39:00.000-06:00

Spring Break. Ahhh. Spring Break. May 1-3 we went to the Prairie Club in Valentine, NE. It was much, much needed this year! Cody had his hardest round of finals yet, and they are OVER! Hallelujah! We really, really needed to get out of Omaha and really have a break.We love Omaha but it is nice to go on a vacation every once in a while. Cody and Scott went to this golf club last year, and they haven't stopped talking about since. They loved the golf, the sheets(haha seriously they raved about the "spa sheets", they were pretty stinking soft, I might have to purchase some:)), and the food. We had all of the same experiences as they did! We were treated so well, and it was so nice to relax and just golf it up with my hubby. I really am beginning to enjoy golf a whole lot more, and Cman is so happy about that!
This picture is the "point of solitude"...

Beautiful course...smack dab in the middle of Nebraska if you can't tell! The drive there was actually so beautiful. I am really learning to love, love, love the beauty of rolling hills.

Gotta love self portraits. Good job camera!

This was my favorite tree. Isn't it awesome!? I was seriously obsessed with it. It looks so awesome just sitting up there all alone. Not to mention the lone fence on the right side...I should really edit this pic into something amazing. I will work on that asap. (Okay, not asap, I am in the midst of editing my latest photo shoot of Jane. It is a killer awesome one...get ready for some smiles!)

Okay...look close at the picture below. There are 2 balls on this green. One is at about 15 feet, one is at 2 feet. Which one is mine? Which one is Cman's? Mine is the closer one! YAHOO!! Not only is it the closer one, but I hit this with a 5 iron from 160 yards out! I was so happy! I even grabbed the camera and took a picture of my happy face...but I will spare you.

The O-So-Happy couple. We had a blast. I love my hubbs, I love spending time with him, I love golfing with him! It was a great weekend.

P.S....I had to throw this picture in. We didn't exactly have perfect weather for our first day of 36 holes. Cody was jumping in and out of the cart into a downpour of rain/sleet for abour 18 holes. I stayed in the cart cuddled up in a quilt I took from the hotel! Pretty creepy clouds, huh!? We still had the time of our lives, though!

Best Buds

2011-05-11T20:38:00.000-06:00

These are our best buds, the Elder's and the Theurer's. We are pretty much attached at the hip with these guys and their kiddos. We are so lucky to have such good friends here! These are just some pics from the first of our MANY BBQ's ahead of us this summer!

Me, Teddy, Ali

Anders, Pete, Ali

Teddy, Scott

White Coat Ceremony Class of 2013

2011-05-08T21:03:00.000-06:00

Cody had his White Coat Ceremony on May 7, 2011. This is basically a right of passage, after the White Coat Ceremony, the students become Dr.'s and are able to begin treating patients. Yep, that is right, he is going to start first thing tomorrow morning numbing, filling, poking, and prodding innocent people! He will be quite the Dr., I can't wait for him to work on me...hopefully just for a cleaning:) I took quite a few photos, I know I am the annoying person with the camera but in the end every is always asking me for the pictures so it is worth being annoying!

Dr.'s McNally and Dean Barkmier

Hubbs and I:

The pops came for the ceremony, and we have enjoyed every minute!

The whole clan: Jace, Chelsea, Cody, Brevin, Bert, and Erika

Cody's good friend Jeremy:

....and a super cute picture of Erika and I!

Happy Birthday to Warner

2011-05-07T10:14:00.002-06:00

Can you believe it? It has been one year today since our sweet Warner joined our family. For all of you, I am sure you would say that this year has just "Flown by"...not so much for us. I am not going to lie, this has definitely been the hardest year of our lives. Through losing Warner, then struggling to get pregnant, and losing two other pregnancies, I would say it has been a tough year for us.
Part of me wants to say that I am tucked in my bed crying my eyes out today, but that is just not the reality. I have been dreading today for weeks. So, in turn, for weeks, my eyes have been laced with tears here and there. However, when I woke up this morning, tears did not come to my eyes. I smiled.
Similarly, the weeks leading up to Warner's birth my eyes were laced with tears. I was scared of the unknown, of meeting our little man and not knowing how long we had with him. The morning of his birth, May 7, 2010, however, tears did not come to my eyes. I smiled.
It is amazing the comfort that surrounds us. There is really no sadness in not being able to celebrate Warner's 1 year birthday today. There is so much peace. A friend told me that "Warner is a mighty missionary and angel on the other side". I think that is a perfect description. It might sound crazy, but it just wouldn't feel right if he was here. We miss him, but we know that Warner is exactly where he needs to be. Our Heavenly Father needed him by His side to help and love those on the other side. We know that he is doing such amazing work that he never would have accomplished here on earth. We know that we have a perfect child waiting for us to come to him in heaven. We have so much to do to be worthy to raise him after this life! We can't wait. We can't wait to hold him and chat with him, and play a round or two of golf:) We can't wait for our family to all be together again...Warner, our future kiddos, and us, after this life, for all of eternity.
So through the tears, there are so many smiles. We have only happy memories of our time with Warner, and feel so blessed to be his parents. We are so excited to someday get to add to our little family and know that our Savior will be by our side through it all. We are so thankful for the love of our wonderful friends and family, they have helped us get through our day to day struggles this past year and have supported all of our decisions and trials. We love you all, and love our Sweet Baby Boy! So...no tears, just smile!

Forced Productivity

2011-04-25T19:15:00.000-06:00

So...I have been bored lately (My Grandma doesn't approve of that word...sorry Grandma!) Cody has been a study maniac. I mean, getting up at 4 am, going to school all day, then studying until who knows when at night. He has been a little better at going to bed earlier lately, which makes me happy because you need sleep just as much as you need to study! I don't think he would agree, but that is my philosophy.
I stay pretty busy doing my job, photography, and hair. Actually, I wouldn't want to do too much more because I kind of get sick of working how much I do! The amount that I do now is just perfect for me. I usually have ample time to spend with Cody, make our meals, and ah-hem, clean our house. Since Cody has been on this study kick, however, I have been a little lonely. I have been trying to force myself to be productive, (amidst the american idol, office, and biggest loser watching), these are a few things I have been attempting to keep me busy:
~First I begged for a dog, Cody entertained the idea for about a week, but has since shot me down daily. ~Then, I overhauled my food blog and our family blog, (I should do that to my photo blog as well...that's an idea!)
~Food storage. I have been trying to add to it weekly, little by little it is coming along!
~Organizing. My storage room, and I don't know if I should admit what else I organized, it is a little compulsive. But I guess if you are still reading this I have probably already confessed it to you in person. My spice cabinet. Seriously, I have a million spices for all of my recipes. It drives me nuts that I have to search through them all to find one little spice! So I alphabetized them. Yep. Loser.
~Started a personal journal blog, (which has proved to be an awesome outlet. I do 5 positive things every night before I go to bed. It lifts my spirits even when my day sucked!)
~done some in-depth studies of Christ and tried to learn more about Him and His life
~dived into a Jodi Picoult book, "Handle with Care", about a child with OI, the same disease Warner had. It is a great insight into what life would have been like had Warner survived and lived daily with OI. I cry, I laugh, I feel every ounce of the mother's pain. I truly am loving this book, as well as all of her other books.
~workout kick...well hopefully. My leg still bugs me quite a bit but Zumba, yoga, walking at night, and water aerobics seem not to bother it too much. Let's hope they keep loving me, because I love them!
~shopping, unfortunately. Food shopping, clothes shopping. Spend money shopping. shoot.
~My most recent project has been to update our 72 hour kit. You see, my adorable momma found out that Cody and I didn't have a 72 hour kit before we moved to Omaha. Her motherly concerned jumped right in and she gave us theirs!(I sure hope they have since acquired a new one...hmm.) I hope she doesn't read this, which she will, but I never opened it until this week. I know, what a shame. She had us very well prepared, but of course, no personal undergarments, extra clothes, etc. I updated all of the food so it won't expire for 2 years, and pretty much did an overhaul of it. I know I could add so much more, but this is what we now have: (I think I remembered it all!)
~~~bowls/utinsels
~~~matches
~~~playing cards
~~~pens/paper
~~~food for 3 days
~~~4 water bottles
~~~shampoo, lotion, body wash, dish soap
~~~washcloths
~~~undergarments
~~~pants, shirts, and socks for each of us
~~~tin foil
~~~duct tape
~~~knife
~~~feminine hygiene products
~~~flashlight, extra batteries
~~~ponchos
~~~heat blankets
~~~whistle
~~~candles
~~~first aid kit
~~~ace bandage
~~~sewing kit
Whew! If there is anything you can think of that I am missing, fill me in! I am sure I forgot something, or at least forgot to write it down here.

Wow. That was a pretty pointless blog. Better get to doing one of those things I guess...go be productive Chelsea!

The Lord is on my side

2011-04-24T19:34:00.005-06:00

It is Easter Sunday. I fasted today and had a great fast. I read Jesus the Christ about His final hours, and plan to do this every year before this special holiday. The hymns that we sang were so comforting to me. They spoke of Christ lifting my burdens and helping me to carry them. One was Be Still, My Soul. Thy Lord is on my side. I know that. I felt the power of His Atonement as I read of His crucifixion and suffering on the cross. I felt the love of the blood that he shed for me as I read about his sufferings in the Garden of Gethsemane. I was able to be testified to that he had to go through all pains, all sufferings, that anyone who is on this earth has gone through. I read when Christ said, "My God, why hast thou forsaken me?" and felt so deeply how horrible that would be. Such appreciation came over me when I read that and realized that I would never have to feel that feeling. The Lord is on my side. Most of all, I felt so deeply as I read of the Savior's resurrection. My testimony flourished as I witnessed Him speaking to Mary Magdelene in his spiritual state. My knowledge was re-affirmed that I would get to be with Cody forever, and hug my sweet, perfect son someday. I know that I will be able to spend eternity with Warner and the rest of my dear family. The Savior's sacrifice makes this available to us. The Lord is on my side. He wants us to be patient. He needs us to prove our worthiness to Him. We must go through some pain and suffering to realize just a tiny bit what He went through for us. We must feel sorrow and hurt mentally, physically, and emotionally in order to be worthy to live in His presence. How can I expect not to go through any trials here on this earth and to deserve to sit on the right hand of God? We must all pass through the refiners fire. I am so glad that I don't have to do it alone. Not only the support of my husband and family, but the amazing atoning sacrifice that our Savior made for us is my support. How can I ask for more? He gave all He had for me, to allow me to return to live with Him. The Lord is on my side.

Sunday Will Come

2011-04-22T19:37:00.000-06:00

This video made me ponder today. All week I have been trying to study the week before Christ's crucifixion, and have learned about and loved Him more along the way. Elder Wirthlin says it perfectly,

"Each of us will have our Fridays, the days when the universe itself seems shattered...we will all experience broken times.

No matter how dark your Friday, Sunday will come."

SUNDAY WILL COME.

Day 2 of Birthday celebrations

2011-04-10T15:01:00.000-06:00

Since Cman's birthday was on a Wednesday (lame-o) we celebrated with friends and family on Friday. It is master's weekend, so he walked in the door from school and said, "I love you hunny, but I've got some Master's to watch." (There was a quick kiss thrown in there too!) Little did he know who would be joining him for the viewing...

Jane! I love this picture. She is looking at him like, "Seriously, is that magazine really more important than ME?!" She had fun watching golf with him for a little while. In the meantime, Teddy and I were preparing Cody's bday "cake". Then he and I went out to Rivera's, a beyond delish mexican restaraunt in Omaha. He always gets carne asada, and I get lobster and rock shrimp enchiladas. O my yummy. We have leftovers that I can't wait to chow on today! After dinner, can you guess where we ended up?! The golf store, of course! We chilled there for a while, he hit some clubs into the simulator, then headed home for the big reveal.

I was so excited to bring Cody's cake up to him! You see, Cody doesn't really have a deep love for cake. He does, however, have a deep love for homemade oreos. Yep. Pretty easy for me! I was a little bored, though, so this year I snazzed it up a bit with a centerpiece!

He seriously LOVED it! I was so happy. It is not often that you can get a reaction out of Cody, and I got an awesome one this year! Look at that smile! I am so glad that he was impressed with it. The only problem is...now what do I do next year?!?! (He has already requested a full golf ball instead of one cut in half! Ha!) The back had his "weezer/winterholler" sign on it. He is always drawing this on doodles.

Okay, okay, I will tell ya how easy this was. We just whipped up some rice krispies and shaped them into a half ball. After they hardened a little bit, I made some homemade fondant. We placed it over the top, smoothed and trimmed it, then used an actual golf ball to make the divots in the "cake". It was so fun and turned out great! (We had to have the oreos on the side, of course:))

The man is 26.

2011-04-06T19:27:00.002-06:00

He is 26. Just a few favorites I can think of today...there are many more, but this is what I got...

~He is super positive, all the time. ALL the time.
~So supportive of me and my crazy 100's of hobbies.
~Isn't always a chatterbox, he has this quiet calmness about him.
~He is patient. SO patient. Even with those things he wants with all his heart, he is patient.
~Knows when to talk my tears away, and when to hug them away.
~He is dedicated. To his family, the church, his schoolwork, his career.
~He would give anyone who deserves something all he has. Especially his family.
~Always has his priorities straight: wifey, golfey, vacationey. Haha.
~Is always ready for fun. Fun. Fun. Fun.
~His mom and I were talking yesterday, and we think he was sent here to cheer us up. Make us laugh. Make us forget about the sucky things in our lives and remember the happy things.
~Knows that he and I are a family. He knows that together, WE can do anything.
~He is great about making sure he and I have 1 on 1 time. It's like he doesn't need anyone else in the world except me. We are best friends.
~He looks hot when he golfs. Way to end on a shallow note, Chels. It is true though.

In all honesty though, I couldn't do it without this man. I liked him in high school, I adored him when we dated, I loved him when we got married. Who knew that your love could grow so much? I thought I loved him as much as I could when we got married, but I love him so much more now. It is amazing how trials make you grow closer and stronger. He is such an amazing strength to me and to our family. The past couple years of our lives have given us more challenges than I ever would have expected. I need him so much. I couldn't go on one more day without his smiling face to help me through it. He makes life so much better. I couldn't love you more, Hubbs. (Maybe I shouldn't say that, because I just told you how I didn't think I could love him any more and then the trials came and continue to prove me wrong...hehe.) I should say, I can't wait to see how much I end up loving you in 50 years! MUAH!

More to come, his "party" is tomorrow...you will get to see his awesome cake! ha! Wait til you see it, you will laugh.

Teach me how to....Holla

2011-03-23T18:58:00.002-06:00

He definitely knows how to Holla! (Okay seriously, if you don't get that...we need to get you into the world of BYU/March Madness. Jimmer? Anyone? We are obsessed, basketball is on the TV 24/7. Too bad that my bracket is killing me. I DOMINATED last year and kicked about 50 peoples butt's, but no such luck this year!) ANYWAY, Cody rocks. He played in his first golf tourney of the year and won a flag prize. For those of you who have golfed with him, you won't be surprised to know that it was for Long Drive. He had a perfect drive right down the center of the fairway, and won this brand new Ping C1 Hoofer bag! He has been wanting this bag forever but his mean wife wouldn't let him get it because it is quite pricey! We can now put that *discussion* behind us. YAHOO! Keep winning stuff babes!

I have been keeping busy with making cakes! The one above I made for Ali's 2 year old, Anders. He loved it...my hands cramped for about 2 weeks but it was so worth it! It was so fun to make it with Ali and to see how happy he was to have a Percy cake.

This was a Purse cake! I made it for the Relief Society Birthday party, the theme was the "Purse-suit of Happiness". It was a wonderful party and I had a blast making the cake with a friend, Marissa. I did all of the cake classes with her and we loved them! She is so fun!

For the recipe CLICK HERE.

(O, the flowers are made out of sliced marshmallows rolled in sugar and smashed...the rest is self-explanitory!)

Photography. I love it. I am slowly but surely improving and continuing to love every moment of it. I snapped a few shots as Cody and I were playing with the boys.

Cute Jane. She is 7 months old and can sit up now! She is so fun! She is always my test dummy for pictures, and she is a perfect model. To see more pictures of these cute kids,

CLICK HERE.

In other news...tomorrow is Cody's first patient! I can't even believe that I am writing this. These first two years have flown by, and now he is about to become a Dr.! May 7 is the official day that he begins to take patients on a daily basis, but tomorrow he gets to do a filling on a real person. Numb them and everything! He is going to do great.
I am working my butt off in the salon! It is great...I even got a shampoo bowl installed so I am super official now. I love doing it and it is definitely keeping me busy. On top of my oral surgery job, I feel like I am working 6 days a week! It is good though...busy is always better...except not really for the blog, I have really been slacking, sorry! Hopefully more updates soon...!

I just saw this picture on my Sister's blog. I love my little Meg-ster. I made this Tutu for her for her birthday, and it was so worth it! It was super easy to make, and seriously, could she look any CUTER in it?!?!

Katie visits Omaha!

2011-02-06T19:59:00.000-07:00

Katie is the best. She flew all the way to Omaha last week just to see me! (and Cody.) Seriously I could not love her any more. She has always been my best friend and still is. Her and Dan are living in Billings right now, and if all goes as planned, the same summer that we move back to Billings, they will be leaving! arg! That does not make me happy at all. I just love spending time with her. Everyone was shocked that she was coming for 5 days, but it FLEW by. We had such a blast.

We did soooo many fun projects! First we made little onsies for her on-the-way baby. I am so happy for her I can barely stand it! We did a boy one and a girl one, just so it would work for no matter what sex her baby is. We also did car seat covers...gender neutral as well! Our last project was chalkboard menu boards! We bought super cute picture frames and painted the glass with chalkboard paint. It took a few coats, but they are so adorable and super functional, too! Cody hasn't crossed anything off the Menu yet, so that is a plus! Ha.

We did our fare share of eating while she was here...we have always been good at that! We made her amazing chocolate chip cookies, the best cinnamon rolls I have ever consumed in my entire life (soon to appear on my food blog), german pancakes, frittatas, and many more fattening meals. We also got to go out a couple of times...Panara, Rivera's Mexican restaurant, (where we each consumed way too much on our main dish, then went on to eat 5-6 sopapillas EACH!), and the picture above is from Dixie Quicks, a local Diner, Drive-in, and Dive. We got delish food there, including a CACTUS scramble...seriously? Cactus? It was to die for.

We also hit up about every historical site in Omaha. I really tried to show Katie around the whole city, I am trying to convert her to moving here for Dan's medical school. I just know that they would love it! We went to the Kanesville Tabernacle, the Mormon Trail Center, the temple, the Durham Museum/train station/Abe Lincoln exhibit, shopping, Hobby Lobby x12, and Whole Foods (which she L-O-V-E-D). We also got a pedicure, and that is so much more fun with someone that you love to chat with!

Lastly, she inspired me to change my living room wall! We have had the picture of George Washington and the Prayer at Valley Forge on our living room wall since we have been married. It is a beautiful picture, but I was really needing to have some more personal stuff on our walls. This is what I came up with...I love it. Love it. LOVE IT. We have pictures from our engagements, wedding, Warner's birth, and other family pictures. It is a beautiful reminder of our amazing eternal family!

Catch Up

2011-01-20T15:14:00.001-07:00

(Gotta love the pictures where the table is the photographer...we have way too many of these!)

Ah. Where to begin? I know it has been a while since I posted...alot has gone on, and at the same time, nothing at all has happened! (Yeah, I know, that made no sense, sorry.) The pictures in this post are all from December 2010 but they are pretty randomly placed. Last time I posted was beginning of November, so since then...

Cody finished the most killer semester yet of Dental School. I couldn't believe how hard he worked. He even got to work on his first patient...me! He cleaned my teeth and did a beautiful job. He never poked or hurt me once! (The hygenist that checked his work, on the other hand, was BRUTAL. I was seriously almost in tears. She was horrible. I will never, ever let her near my mouth again. Ever.) This semester seems to be a lot more lab work for Cody. Lab work is great because he is learning actual skills instead of just reading about them! It is alot more pressure though...less than 4 months and he is into the clinic, working on real patients. Man time flies. I can't even believe he is almost 1/2 done with dental school. We will be back in B-Town before we know it.

Me, me, me. Huh. I pretty much feel like I am just working and coming home from work to do hair...aka more work. Good thing I love to do hair because it is getting crazy around here! I feel so busy all of the time but that is great. I love to be busy. I guess the highlight of my life right now is Friday night which is date night. I love it. Our weeks seem to fly by so fast so it is great to know that we always, no matter what, go on a date on Friday. (Okay, so this week was the exception, we did it on Tuesday because Friday is our Ward Chili Cook Off. Cody is gonna rock it.)

(Me and the bro. I loved hanging with him over break. He's a pretty big deal, or so he told me...!)

Christmas break was great. I was able to get a few days off of work so we went home for 9 days! It was the perfect length to visit for. I love the fam, but I really love my bed, too! We didn't do much but chat with family and get spoiled to death! We did have a gingerbread house party...which was quite entertaining. Nate's house was all about snowmobiling-go figure! Mom's was a masterpiece, and Cody's and I's, well...not so amazing. We did have fun though! As always, I pretty much got a ton of kitchen loot. That is what makes me happiest right now though, so that makes sense! I scored a ton of really amazing, beautiful kitchen things that I never would have bought for myself so it was great. Along with some clothes, nintendo games, movies, giftcards, books, etc. We made out pretty stinking well!

(Dane, Whitney, Brevin, Jace, Halle)

Seriously? How stinking cute are these kids? I hope our kids can live up to them someday! We had such a great time playing with our nieces and nephews. Brevin had a birthday while we were home and who better to celebrate it with than the entire family! (well, almost...) He scored big time with the usually Cars and Thomas stuff. He is getting so big, it is crazy. My bday was wonderful, too. Cody got me super hott jeans :), Pioneer Woman's new cookbook (which I L.O.V.E.), and New Moon. I lucked out with an awesome gift giver of a husband!

(Dan, Katie, Me, and Cody at the Christmas Eve party at Grandma's house.)

I am super duper excited because awesome Katie is flying to see me in just two days! I can't even tell you how happy I am. For the past couple of years we have only been able to spend an hour here, and hour there, together...usually at the holidays. We were torn between families and eachother, and it stinks! Especially after being inseparable for 20-some years! So, we are going to have blast. We will take lots of pics so that we can each share our eventful party-ing on our blogs! ha!

(My adorable mom and me.)

Momma, o Momma. I miss you. (Now you can see how awesome her gingerbread house was...) Can't wait to spend a ton more time with her in a couple of years!

(The parental's new kitchen!! Yahoo! Finally!)

My parents are moving into their new house...well...today! Yahoo! It was so close to being done at Christmas but not quite live-able yet. So...they are now in their beautiful home that they planned and built and did everything on! They worked together pretty good I think...and it turned out AMAZING. I love it. love it. love it. Can't wait to see the real deal...in like 8 months...sad...seriously?! Sad.

(Teddy (with brown hair!!!), me, and Ali)

Man I missed these two over Christmas break! Teddy was gone for 3 weeks, and Ali for 2.5 weeks, I was so lonely! We have got some good time in since they have been home though. This was pizza night...the boys were there, just in anti-picture mood. We also got to spend a girls night together last Saturday and it was soooo fun. We headed to the mall and shopped-it-up! We all ended up getting a thing or two, which makes the trip so much better. Then we went to Panara AND Red Mango! (Probably didn't tell the boys that on purpose...so I shouldn't have posted it on the web...o well.)

(Cody, Brevin, Jace)

Had to end with this picture. It makes me smile just looking at them laughing their heads off.

Mom Visits!

2010-11-14T20:13:00.000-07:00

Talk about an amazing weekend. Man I love my mom! She was able to come visit over her Birthday, October 29 to November 1. It wasn't quite long enough for me...I loved having her here. I wish we could spend weekends together like that all the time. I can't wait for a couple of years from now when I can see her whenever I want to!

The first night that she came we headed to CRAVE...Cody and I's new favorite restaurant. We had some amazing food and even more amazing chats! Then we went to Red Mango...aka heaven on earth. We are 100% addicted to this place...if you ever have a chance to eat there, do it!

Saturday morning we went to a Diner, Drive-in, and Dive...Dixie Quicks. O MY YUM! It was sooo good, I pretty much had dessert for breakfast, obviously! It was french toast with banana, chocolate, and maple syrup. MMMM! Mom and Cody both got yummy meals too...I can't wait to go there again. Then we went and looked for lights for my parents house, and then to Whole Foods. This store is only the most amazing grocery store ever invented! My mom loved every single moment in this store. The picture at the top is us in front of the self-serve flax...hahahahahha. Love you mom.

Then it was off to the Pedestrian Bridge, lunch at Panara, yummy treats at Delice bakery (bought in advance for mom's birthday on Sunday), dinner at Chipotle (Sorry for the rub-it-in-your-face butt dial Dad), then we strolled around Target. Cody and I have to get our weekly Target visit in...we love that place...and it loves us! Then we went home and watched How to Train a Dragon...soooo cute!

Sunday was my mom's Birthday! I love spoiling her...she has spent almost 25 years spoiling me so it was fun to pay her back, if only for a day. I got up and made her a super delicious fritatta for breakfast, then we went to church. After we came home and went to the Gardens. Mom was in heaven! I loved walking around with her and listening to all of her knowledge about all the different trees and flowers. She knows so much! We made an O-so-Yummy dinner and just relaxed! She opened her and my dad's birthday present, and if I can say so myself, it rocked! (Dad got to open it again when she took it home!) It was a ton of work but it definitely paid off...

I deco-podged each member of our family's pictures on a block, and different scrapbook papers on each side of the blocks. Then sanded the edges and stained them, and this is the finished product!
My cute mom left on Monday morning and it was so sad! I wish she could have stayed for another week. I can hardly wait 5 more weeks until I get to see her, my dad, and my brother!

Our Cruise

2010-10-25T17:55:00.000-06:00

Where to begin? We had an amazing 7-day cruise to the Eastern Caribbean. It was great to leave the world behind and spend 7 straight days just with my hubbs! Getting on the ship was quite the ordeal. It seriously took 1.5 hours just to get us from checking in to getting us to our rooms. Then, from there it still took 5 hours to get out bags! So, a quick note to myself: pack all essentials in a carry-on. Essentials being, A SWIMSUIT! The first day was so nice and I would have loved to lounge by the pool, but our suits were in our luggage which wasn't delivered to our room till late. O well. Instead we just explored the ship...and boy O boy there is a TON to explore! The first place we went, of course, was to our room. I was so excited to see our 200-sq. foot room with no window! However, my sneaky, sneaky hubby had changed our reservation without me knowing! He upgraded us to a balcony, and seriously, it was SOOOO worth it! We spent HOURS every day on our balcony just reading and relaxing. I can't imagine being in a box for a week! It was so fun to be able to go stare at the ocean on a chair on our own private balcony. Thank you, thank you, thank you Cody, for knowing me so well!

The boat fit 4500 passengers and 1800 staff, it is one of the largest cruise ships on the ocean right now. I could not believe everything that was on the ship! Theaters, clubs, swimming pools, tons of bars with stages for shows, restaurant after restaurant, the spa, bigger-than-life televisions, pretty much Las Vegas on water. It was amazing!

We spent Saturday, Sunday, and Monday on the ship. I thought we would be bored, but there was definitely no room to be bored! We played Bingo, ate our hearts out, (mainly on desserts...we are major, MAJOR food snobs, so the food didn't quite impress us as much as we hoped) layed on our balcony, (attempted to lay on the pool deck, but there were literally 1000's of people just swarming the pools, not quite our style.) hung out at the spa in the awesome steam rooms, saunas, and massage pools, ate some more, went to the comedy club, and way more!

Tuesday was spent at St. Martin, U.S. Virgin Islands. Talk about beautiful! I could barely get Cody to leave the water...he sure loves the ocean. We body surfed on the waves and just relaxed! Then we headed to town to go shopping.

Cody found a Belgian Chocoate shop, and O MY GOSH! It was seriously so amazing, the best chocolate ever invented! We spent, well, way too much on chocolate. We brought some home so I can't wait to make some KILLER chocolate chip cookies!

We had to eat some food from the island-ers, so we ended up eating conch fritters, jerk wings, (Cody had to eat these, my lips were on FIRE after one nibble!) and coconut shrimp that was to DIE for. We even had to opt for a second order of those:)

Next, we were ready to head back to the ship and saw a yummmmmmy ice cream shop. We were so full from our meal but decided we would give it a shot. Best strawberry cone I have ever had! Ever! I am so glad that we chose to stuff ourselves even further! Ha.

St. Thomas was beautiful as well. Both St. Martin and St. Thomas were pretty ghetto, I was shocked! There were amazing beaches with views like I have never seen, but how the people lived was so, so sad. It really makes you grateful for everything that you are blessed with, that is for sure. We were able to go a calm beach for a few hours, and once more, Cody didn't leave the water! The ocean was so clear here, it was crazy. I could be in water up to my chin and still see my toes!

After swimming we went shopping and I got to barter for an adorable purse and wallet. It was great!

Every night on the ship we went to a different show. Cirque Dreams and Dinner was probably my favorite. There was 10 or so different acts with acrobats, etc. It was seriously amazing what those people could do! We also went to dueling pianos a couple of times. O Man I wish I had my video camera. These guys were out of control good at the piano. You could give them a request for ANY song you could think of and they could play AND sing all the words. They even played the best Lady GaGa rendition we have ever heard. AhH! I wish I could go see them again tonight! There was a improv comedy act that was pretty entertaining, as well as Bingo nights as I mentioned before. One of the really cool shows was Legends in Concert. They had impersonators of Britney Spears, (seriuosly? Is she really considered a legend?) Rod Stewart, and Michael Jackson. Michael was outstanding. Seriously, he looked the part, sang the part, and holy cow could he dance!!! There were seriously people in the theater that I swear thought it was actually him! (He is dead....just in case you are one of those people reading this that thinks we actually saw HIM.) They were screaming and had their hands out to touch him...it was pretty comical!
I am pretty sure that Cody's favorite show was this:

Blue Man Group! They rocked. Period. We loved every second of their show...especially when Cody got called up on stage! It was so fun to see him up there with the blue men! They rubbed blue paint on his face, put him in a jumpsuit, and took him backstage. Then a backstage camera came on and showed us what they were doing to him...hanging him upside down and throwing blue and pink paint ALL over him! Shooting water balloons filled with paint right at him, and then they left him there, hanging upside down, all alone! I was dying! (Half laughing, half kind of worried...) A few minutes later the stage crew rolled out a big black box with a huge jello mold on top of it. The Blue Men ripped the jello apart, and who's head was in it?!?! CODY'S! He went through quite a lot...from my point of view anyway...
It turns out that they faked us out that it was him backstage getting painted on and hung upside down, but he really did put his head in JELLO! It was a blast. We even went back another time to enjoy it again.

The last day of our cruise we went to Nassau, Bahamas. It was pretty crazy to see the two different parts of the island. One is Nassau, where all of the islanders live. It was COVERED in flea markets, taxi drivers, and pretty shabby homes. There were a few areas that had some nice shopping, but they were still randomly placed in the middle of ghetto areas. Then there was Paradise Island. This is where the Atlantis resort is. (We went and saw it, it was pretty neat but I wouldn't ever want to actually vacation there. There were tons of tourists, like us, just swarming the place. If I paid the big bucks to stay there I would want it a little more private). Paradise Island also had some GINORMOUS homes. People like Oprah Winfrey, Tiger Woods and Ted Turner have homes on the coast and they were pretty stinking amazing.
We had the opportunity to go Scuba diving in the Bahamas. It was insane. It was awesome! We were trained for, O, about 20 minutes, then shoved underwater and told to breathe! (We had to pass a few tests, but it was pretty simple). It was so neat to be able to breathe underwater! We really enjoyed it and are thinking about getting certified.

Wow, if you made it through that post, you get a gold star. If not, no worries, this is really for us to remember all the fun details! Overall it rocked. I am so glad that my hubby has the insight to know that I really needed this break. I loved just chilling with my best friend for a whole week. It relaxes me just thinking about it!

We're Back

2010-10-17T19:57:00.000-06:00

A report of our awesome 7-day cruise will soon be posted! I have to develop our waterproof camera first...hopefully it doesn't take too long. Be excited to hear about all the fun that we had!

Bye, Bye!

2010-10-06T17:27:00.000-06:00

Yep, Cody and I are leaving in 2 days to hit up the Bahamas on THIS CRUISE SHIP. I can't even believe that it is finally here! Our ship is awesome...two of the shows on our ship are Blue Man Group and Cirque de Sole. It is a brand new ship and I can't wait to explore it! I had to add a couple pictures to jazz up my farewell post...so you get cute Teddy, Ali, and of course, JANE! I am going to miss these 3 girls so much...I literally see them every single day, talk to the on the phone every day, and text them every day! (I know, all three seems like a bit much...!) I don't think Teddy or Ali will grow much while I am gone, but Jane will probably look a whole lot different. I will sure miss them.
On the other hand, 12 days, TWELVE days after I get back, my MOM is coming to visit. O my gosh. Honestly, I can't wait. CAN'T WAIT. I will have her all to myself, and maybe share with Cody a little.
Bye, bye! See you in the Bahamas....or you will see pictures of US in the Bahamas anyway!

10 Days Until Bahamas

2010-09-28T20:52:00.001-06:00

Yep. This is a countdown. In our shower. (With washable crayons...cute, HUH!?) We only have 10 days left until our 7 day cruise to the Bahamas. 7 amazing days with my out-of-this world hubby, who surprised me with this present 4 1/2 months ago. How did he know that I would need it SOOO bad right now? He is one rocking dude. Can't wait to be with him and only him for an ENTIRE WEEK. O, and for the beach, the shows, and reading to my hearts content. (And...he made dinner for me tonight. AND cleaned up. Enough said.)

Hot Dog Party!

2010-09-04T20:24:00.005-06:00

Yep, you read it right...we had a hot dog party! The day before the fall semester started our Cody and I organized a Hot Dog Party for our neighborhood, and it was a hit! We had at least 10 different types of toppings for hot dogs...I know, it sounds so gross. But really, they are all so different and so delish! Some of the toppings made the hot dogs not even taste like a hot dog! It was quite the event, we have decided that it will now be a tradition. Some of the flavors are below for you to check out! Cody did the BBQ dogs, pictured above, ALL BY HIMSELF! He homemade the BBQ sauce, yes, slaved for seriously 3-4 hours on it! He also made the slaw, he was like superman in the kitchen that day. I made the bruschetta dogs, and they were my fave. I LOVE fresh basil and tomato, and these even had balsamic vinegar...YUM!

Kansas City and Prairie Club

2010-08-31T18:07:00.007-06:00

Alright...we have done quite a few fun things as of late, I have just been a totally LAME blogger. Seriously, I have TONS of recipes to blog about on mmmcafe, and haven't posted one in over a month! I guess you could say that life is a little crazy. I have been SUPER busy with hair, and I have even done a few PHOTOSHOOTS in the past few weeks. I really do love taking pictures, I should try to promote myself more because I enjoy it sooo much. Make sure you hop over to my photography blog to check them out!

Now for a re-cap of the past month of our lives...

We went to Kansas City with the youth a few weekends ago. I was so scared that it was going to be a nightmare, but the kids were really good and we actually had a blast. Teddy was supposed to come and her Dr. told her that she couldn't at the very last minute, I was majorly bummed...like brought to tears bummed. It would have been quite a bit more enjoyable with her there, but we survived! Scott was a trooper and hung with Cody and I and a few other leaders all weekend. We were able to go to some church sites, and I learned so much! We visited Adam-ondi-Ahman first:

then Far West:

Then Independence which included the Mormon Visitors Center, the Community of Christ Temple (crazy experience), and Liberty Jail:

We were especially excited that we were able to go to Scott's favorite BBQ joint, Oklahoma Joes. It really was amazing, some of the best ribs I have ever had! Good find Scott!

Whew...lots of pictures!

Next is the big Golf-Trip-Of-The-Year with Scott and Cody. They woke up at 4 am and drove 5 hours accross Nebraska just for a golf course! The Prairie Club Golf Course is outside of Valentine, NE. They played 36 holes the first day and 36 holes the second day...talk about some golf! They had a wonderful time, (and Teddy and I had a wonderful time, too! We spent an entire day working on cute Jane's bedroom, it was seriously soooo much fun. Then we headed out to dinner and to YUMMY red Mango. We had a blast and a half together!) Here are some pictures to commemorate the boys' 2 crazy days:

Holy cow...I hope you kept up with all of that craziness! We have been having a great time while Cody was off for a few weeks, and now back to the grind! He is back to studying like a mad man and I am working away. Until our next adventure....!!!

Family Pictures

2010-08-12T20:37:00.003-06:00

I have finally posted our family pictures! I am so sorry that I kept you all waiting, but finally they are here. We are so happy with the memories that we will have of Warner Nathan. He made such an impact on our lives, we are so thankful for eternal families and the blessing that we will get to see him again after this life.

CLICK HERE to see our favorites.

Love these girls

2010-07-31T19:07:00.005-06:00

I just had to share a super fun evening I had last week. It was Ali's birthday, and Teddy and I surprised her with a girls night out! It was so extremely fun. Pete (Al's hubb) blindfolded her, walked her around the neighborhood (aka the parking lot with 1 screaming Anders and 1 happy Owen) until he sat her in my car and off we went!

We went out to dinner at the Cheesecake Factory and shared pizza, lettuce wraps, and a to die for Greek Salad. Then off to the mall for a shopping spree! Pete supplied the funds for her shopping and we went crazy buying her stuff left and right. Then we went to Whole Foods for some amazing homemade gelato and a really gross white chocolate coconut cookie thing. At least the gelato was worth going there for! It was so fun, I wish we could repeat it every weekend. These two girls make each and every day so much better for me...I already dread two years from now when they leave Omaha...tear...let's not talk about it!

Are you ready?!

2010-07-08T18:37:00.017-06:00

Seriously, are you ready for a MAJOR LONG post?! I have so much to update on...where to begin?

Well, the last week in May Cody and I took a little vacation to Rhodes, IA to play a course in the top 100 golf courses in the country. It was so beautiful. It was only 3 hours away so that was great! We spent the night at a perfect little hotel with a balcony looking over hole #2-so pretty.

We made a pit stop in Des Moines, Iowa on the way to the course. They have a super big, nice mall and...well...that's about it. I did get some new mineral makeup at the mall(thanks for the recommendation Wendy) and so far I really like it. It is a little time consuming but my face does feel cleaner and clearer!

Next...sushi night! We had our best friends over, Scott and Teddy, and we had a sushi night! We had so much fun, all of us were making it together.

We even decided to FRY entire sushi rolls...O my gosh! They were out of this world. Not to mention SOO healthy...ha. We also made sticky rice with mango coconut sauce. TO DIE FOR. That recipe will be on my food blog soon!

Okay...I can't even believe this one...3 year anniversary! June 23, 2007 we were married and it has been 3 years. It seems so short and so long. I feel like we have been married forever. We went golfing and out to P.F. Chang's. It was a great day, and I love, love, love the man I am married to. I can't say that enough. We are perfect for eachother!

We headed out Golfing to Iron Horse, a course just outside of Omaha. It is super nice, and it was so super fun. We went with Scott and Teddy and it was so fun to have Teddy for company out there on the course. We have such a blast together, and so do the boys so it is great. They golfed in a tourney at the same course a week after and WON! They are so awesome, and winning always makes it better.

Alright, last but not least. We headed to Minneapolis, Minnesota this past weekend for a getaway. It was so much fun...We couldn't believe how CLEAN this city was! Really, there was not trash anywhere! When we pulled into downtown Cody said, "Whoa, it's like we are on another planet!" The buildings were super future-istic...it was unreal.

Our hotel was so neat...it was downtown in the middle of all the hustle and bussle.(sp?!?!) We spent an entire day at the Mall of America! It was so much fun...we shopped our hearts out. There was a Nordstrom. Need I say more? Seriously made us so happy! We used to go to Nords every week when we lived in Provo, just to go, not to buy anything! We were in La-la land, it was great. We also loved the Puma store, Nike store, and Nordstrom Rack. The mall was SO huge, there were 520 stores and 26 rides in the middle of the mall. There was a huge movie theater and a mini putt course. We went to the movie Eclipse and both loved it! What is not to love?! Vampires, Werewolves, yeah! (heheh mom?!)

We ate at a totally awesome restaurant called Crave. We had a sushi roll, calamari from heaven, and GRILLED caesar salad. After we left we found out that they are in the process of building the same restaurant in Omaha! O my gosh we were so excited. It should open in the fall and we can't wait to eat there.

We also ate a JUICY LUCY. A super juicy burger STUFFED with cheese. Cody found this hometown favorite on Food Wars on Food Network. I am so glad, WE are so glad, that we went. This burger was awesome! We are already trying to figure out how to make our own perfect Juicy Lucy...I am sure that you will hear about it when we make them!

And...what is a vacation without some golf?! We hit up a course just outside of Minneapolis, and it was really neat. They all are! We had a great time, except for the first 5 holes...rain, rain, o yeah, some more rain! It was absolutely pouring.

O the horizon...pictures of Warner! I spoke with the photographer from Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep a few days ago, she said in the next week we should have our pictures. O my heavens I can't wait to see them.

We are also heading back to Billings for a weekend! We are elated. Cody is going to play in the yearly golf tourney, the Tangle, at Briarwood with my pops, and I am going to enjoy our families, especially my 2 nephews and niece! I can't even talk about it I just get so anxious!

Warner's Journey

2010-05-24T09:02:00.006-06:00

Click on Warner's picture at the top right hand side of our blog to read Warner's Journey. We will soon, okay in 6-8 weeks, have more pictures of our family of 3 and of Warner. We are excited to share them with you!

Warner Nathan Winterholler

2010-05-09T19:42:00.002-06:00

Warner Nathan Winterholler

Born: May 7, 2010

4:28 pm

3 pounds 2 ounces

13 inches

Passed: May 7, 2010

5:08 pm

33 Weeks and 1 more test!!

2010-05-04T18:07:00.006-06:00

Cody and I went and took some pregnancy pictures of me and our Baby W...I am so happy with how they turned out! I will post more soon, so keep your eyes out! These are me at 33 weeks!

Cody only has 1 more test until he is officially a SOPHOMORE in Dental School! That is so crazy...this year has flown by. The test that he has is a huge one, but I am sure that he will do great. Then he has a 3 week break, goes back for 6 weeks, then another 4 week break before the fall semester begins. He is so excited to spend as much time as possible golfing, and, um...golfing, and....GOLFING! There is a really cheap course about 10 minutes away from our house that he has been hitting up lately; and loving every minute of it.

As for me, just working away! Hair business has really picked up lately so that is great. I love doing hair so much! I can't wait until that is the only work that I am doing. However, I really, really love my job as a surgical assistant, too. It is so interesting, my hours are super kush, and I am learning a ton. I am working just 2 full days a week and 2 half days...I don't think it can get any better than that.

Physically, the pregnancy is still as perfect as it can be! I am getting to the o-so-uncomfortable stage, however! I feel like I can't breathe unless I am sitting up completely straight, standing, or laying on my side. Sitting on a couch is 100% uncomfortable! I have been having some back contractions lately which are no fun, but I guess those things just come with the territory! Heartburn has been my enemy...O my gosh! I didn't know that I could get so miserable from eating, or from not eating enough...it totally is not fun. I don't wish heartburn on anyone...not a fun way to live each day! Honestly though, I have NOTHING to complain about; my pregnancy has been easy-peasy.

Hmmm...what else? Cody got called into the Young Men's presidency, so that has been a new adventure. There are only like 4 young men in our ward, so he has to be creative with lessons and activities. He really likes the guys that he serves with, so that makes it super fun.

We have been Chipotle maniacs lately...not sure why, but it just always sounds so good! We have also just been grilling up a storm. It is just so dang easy! Easy to make, easy to cook, easy to clean up! (AKA...perfect for the uncomfortable preggo lady!)

For those of you who don't read our Baby W's blog, we will be expecting our little one in just 3 weeks...it can't come fast enough, believe me. Keep us in your prayers, we are feeling the impact of every prayer in our direction...thanks and love you all!

29 weeks and Easter

2010-04-03T17:43:00.009-06:00

Well, here is my 29 week belly! My mom just asked if my belly was growing, so here is the proof. It is so fun to actually SEE the fact that I am pregnant...especially because I don't really feel pregnant. I have started to have some sciatic pain on both my right and left sides, but other than that I am feeling great! I am getting a little bit more tired, similar to weeks 6-12, but I am not quite as deflated yet. I really have been so fortunate thus far to have such a healthy pregnancy...hopefully all of my pregnancies are this easy!

I just got done posting the latest Baby W update, so if you would like to read it,

CLICK HERE

Cody and I went to Target last night, that place always makes my day! (And steals my money!) We went with nothing in particular to purchase, and left with:

-a new shirt for Chels for $7 (in pic above)

-a new shirt for Cody for $8 (that looks like it cost $30!)

-the BluRay of New Moon (which we have yet to watch...Final Four Baby!)

-tennis balls (for the one time we will place tennis in the next 4 months)

-Rhodes Rolls (for monkey bread on easter morning)

I am excited for Easter tomorrow, really for no reason at all! Easter was always so fun growing up, one more day to be spoiled by my parents! Man, they sure treated us good! I didn't do a basket for Cody, and now, at 9:40 PM, I am wishing that I did. O well, hopefully the dinner will make up for it. Here's what's on the agenda:

Grandma's Rolls

Ham with honey glaze

Mini potato casseroles

Oven roasted green beans

Lime Merengue Pie(yeah, just subbing the lime for lemon...

not sure if that will turn out, but I am going to give it a shot!)

The last Easter dinner I made was a TOTAL flop....TOTAL. My rolls were like baseballs, they didn't rise at all. My ham was cold, despite the 3 hours in the oven (still not sure what happened!) I butchered the potatoes...the list goes on. I am hoping that my meal tomorrow will end up better! Wish me luck!

By the way, I am loving LDS general conference this weekend. Every talk has been so good. Click here tomorrow at 10:00 am MST if you want to watch it, too!

Boring post

2010-03-28T19:07:00.001-06:00

Hmm...time for an update, huh? It is finally nice here, about 50 degrees most days, and we are actually seeing the sun! HALLELUJAH! I seriously think we had 4 months with no sun. This week is supposed to be in the 70's, and I can't wait. (Too bad I have to work! Even though I am not quite sure what else I would do!) We have been spending the last few nights outside watching Aaron and Erika's boys run around, so that has been fun. I am so happy that it is BBQ weather, it is fun to see everyone going for walks and chatting outside.

This week was pretty brutal for Cody...he had 3 HUGE exams, so he was pretty non-existent around the house. (He has been studying at home rather than at school though; so even though he is busy, it is nice to be in the same house with him!) He is anxious for the summer to come. He has a break May 7-May 31 and July 16-August 10. (or around those dates). He is planning on trying to find a job at the dental school to pic up some extra kwan so that he can go golfing as much as possible! There are quite a few nice courses in Omaha, as well as many within a few hours of here. Hopefully he can get alot of time in this summer, because after this summer he doesn't really have a break for the next 3 years. He is really excited about BBQ weather too, our BBQ is pretty awesome and he is getting all into it...last week we bought him a tenderizer and

we are constantly looking at new gadgets to purchase to make his BBQ-ing more eventful.

March Madness had been, well, a BLAST in our home. For those of you in the STOTT Bracket, yes, I am KICKING BUTT. Seriously, even before the sweet 16 there was no way that I could lose! My dad has been calling me pretty much every day to update me on how much I am STILL winning by! It has been a blast...I will have to let you all in on my secret way of picking winning teams...but maybe not for 10 or 15 years. It is fun rubbing it in all of my Uncle's/Dad faces (who think they are know-it-all's of bball!! Ha!

My bro, Nate, got shoulder surgery this past week...man he is a trooper! He went in to get a artroscopic(sp?) surgery and came out with 3 pins in his shoulder! The doctor told him that he doesn't know how he has even been living with his shoulder torn up as bad as it was. He is tough, bottom line! Hopefully he is able to get better fast so he can still hit up the links and play a little summer softball league.

Okay, I am done rambling. I obviously don't have much to say, but wanted to update anyway. Thanks to everyone for all of the prayers coming in our direction! We can really feel the comfort that they are bringing into our lives. We have another appointment on Thursday, so keep those prayers coming our way! We love you all!

New Baby W News

2010-03-20T19:34:00.003-06:00

Click Here

to get an update on Baby W.

(These are his first pair of shoes...yes...they are golf shoes!!! A friend in our ward dropped them by today, could they be more perfect?)

He Rocks

2010-03-13T19:54:00.003-07:00

"He" is my big bro, Nate. Right when I found out I was preggo I started bugging him about sending me some awesome Komatsu baby clothes. Well, 6 months later, he hooked me up! Seriously, this shirt is awesome, Baby W is gonna LOVE IT! (Okay, so Komatsu doesn't make baby clothes, so this is the smallest size they have, a children's 4-5. I am going to try making it smaller, but I don't want to ruin it! I will either have to wait and experiment on some other clothes first, or Baby W won't be able to wear this until he is like, 10!)

He also sent me a PINK, yes, PINK Komatsu hat! I can't wait to go golfing, or do anything outside for that matter, so that I can wear it! Nate, seriously, you rock, I love you! Baby W will be so lucky to have an awesome uncle like you. (We can wait a few years for the Komatsu lunch pail...but reserve one for us!)

I had to post...

2010-03-08T17:33:00.005-07:00

I just had to post about these little morsels! Last Friday night we ate dinner at home...okay, that sounds weird...You see, every single Friday we eat dinner out. I work until 5 on Friday's, and the last thing that I want to do is get home at 5:30 and start cooking a meal. We are well, to put it lightly, 80-year olds! We like to eat at 5:00 ON THE DOT every night. My Grandma Beverly will be so proud when she reads that! I partly think it is because of her that I started doing this with my family! That, and we really like food and hate waiting any longer than necessary to eat. ANYWAY...last Friday we didn't eat out because we had just gotten back from our Arizona Vacation on Tuesday, and frankly, we were all restraunted-out! So, after a quick dinner at home, we headed out shopping...okay, by shopping I mean walking in and out of stores and buying nothing! After "shopping" we wanted to get a snack. Since being here in Omaha, we have had NO LUCK with finding a snack spot that we love. In Billings it is Dairy Queen; Cody gets a Grape Freeze EVERY time, and I get, well, usually a cherry dipped cone, unless I feel like really going for some major calories and getting a Blizzard. In Provo, we liked to hit up Jamba Juice if we were feeling fruity, Sweet Tooth Fairy for a way-too-caloric cupcake, or the delicious Red Mango. Red Mango is simply, to DIE FOR. It is a ice cream/frozen yogurt type dessert with 60 calories in a CUP! Yes, a CUP! O man, it is good. You can add all sorts of toppings to it...I, of course, always threw some chocolate something on there to make it more fatening, but Cody would always get MOCHI. Mochi is "a Japanese rice cake made of glutonious rice pounded into a paste and rolled into shape", aka, a DELISH gumdrop! He loved mochi so much that for his birthday I bought him an entire pack of it...sick, seriously, sick:)

Whew, back to the Friday night snack...we headed to Whole Foods to see if we could find something, and look what we found:

YES...Mochi! IN NEBRASKA! Not just any Mochi, Mochi filled with ice cream in all sorts of flavors. Our flavor of choice was Mango...although I know that we will soon go back to experience the others! This treat was a little piece of heaven. Too bad we have to go to a really expensive grocery store to get it! ($9 for 8 little morsels!)

I also thought I would post the 24 and 25 week preggo pics! I usually only take them every 4 weeks but wanted to prove that we went on a vaca with Baby W!

Arizona Vaca

2010-03-05T15:02:00.004-07:00

Well, we headed off to Morena, AZ for a little getaway this weekend. We actually saw SUNSHINE!!! Crazy, huh?! I swear the sun hasn't come out in Omaha for 4 months...it is getting depressing. We really needed to get out and go somewhere warm, and it was Cody's Spring Break so we decided to jet off!

It just so happens that we ended up at a golf resort that a PGA event was held at 3 weeks ago, Dove Mountain. (If you know Cody, you know that we don't go anywhere without amazing golf!) The course was beautiful...who knew that AZ had mountains?! Okay, so I am sure everyone else knew that, but we didn't! It was so neat to see terrain COVERED in cacti, big, small, fat, skinny, I couldn't believe all of the different ones that we saw.

Our friends from Utah, Tanner and Brittany, live in Phoenix and drove down and spent two nights with us. I am SOOO glad that they came...we miss them a ton. Their son, Blake, is 8 months old and we just got to meet him for the first time! He was so much fun to be around, and loved me! That makes it much better!

We spent a on of time eating delicious food, including ordering up some room service desserts. I had the best creme brulee I have ever eaten, and their molten chocolate cake with ice cream was to die for! We ate some of the best food I have ever experienced all in one weekend!

We swam, went on the super fast waterslide...aka...really slow waterslide...hiked, golfed, and ate ourselves silly. I am so glad that we had a little getaway...thanks for planning it Cody!

And it all begins...

2010-02-14T16:54:00.006-07:00

Let the sewing begin! When my mom and pops came to Omaha, we went shopping for a sewing machine. (Yes, even Jim came...and he was a big help! I know you are laughing, but he actually did help our decision alot!) I walked out of the store with an amazing sewing machine that has like 30+ different built in stitches...it is so awesome. (I never, ever, thought I would say that about sewing, and I am sure that I have days that I will be cursing the machine just as much as I am praising it now...)

I know that my future will have a lot of hemming in it due to Baby W, so I figured I should start simple. You know, actually learn how to sew a straight line, etc. Erika, my sis-in-law, brought me some fabric that I could start out with. Thanks, Erika...they will be well used! So...here you go, a burp rag that is far from perfect...but honestly, he is just going to puke on it...ha! The stitch is just one of the 30 that I can do...I am so excited to do more of these...bring it on!

I finally decided that my bump was blog-worthy. This is me at 21 weeks. We have been taking pics every 4 weeks since the very beginning, but they weren't quite preggo pics...more like CHUBBO pics! (Ignore the face...I haven't been able to wear much, if any makeup since about week 10...my eyes get all swollen and dry! Tear!)

I have felt so spoiled lately, we have got all sorts of packages coming to our house. Bert sent me some beautiful flowers and chocolate for Valentines day, what a good father-in-law, huh? Laurel sent a HILARIOUS card of a dancing hamster...Cody has been quite entertained by it! Carrie Jo sent me a perfect package full of fun boy stuff! A completely adorable frame, bibs, bath towel with an awesome hoodie, and bath washclothes. She is such a great friend, always doing things that make me feel like the most important person in the world! Aunt Wendy also sent us a package with this in it...

I so wish that I would have thought of that! It is so dang cute! I can't wait to put our little man in it. It was even more fun calling Wendy to tell her thank you, she was laughing the whole time! It made me so happy. She also sent some other adorable clothes and her favorite type of binkie, which she instructed me MUST be taken into the delivery room so that the nurses don't put those HUMONGO binkies in his mouth. I so agree! I want him to like the little tiny binkies, not the massive ones!

By far the most exciting thing that has happened to us lately is that Amanda had her little boy on Friday, February 12. His name, we think, is Hunter...it isn't official yet. He did come to visit one month early, but he is doing pretty good. He is getting some help breathing so he will be in the NICU for about a month, but we are so, so happy that he is here. I totally feel like I am missing out! With Ian and Megan I was able to see them either hours or days after they were born, and I have no idea when I will see Hunter! I bet he can't wait to meet me, either! hehe! I guess I will let him meet his brother and sister first, though...! He is SO HANDSOME, I can't believe how much I stare at his picture! I can't wait to meet you little man!

Visitors!!!

2010-02-06T11:40:00.003-07:00

My parents came for a visit last Thursday and we had such a great time with them. We had been planning their visit for about a month, and it was perfect timing because they came 1 day after the news of Baby W, so we really needed their love and support. Thursday night I made them this meal, and they loved every bite!

Friday Cody went to school and I showed them a little bit of Omaha. We first went to Cody's school and had a little tour. It was fun for them to see where he spends all of his time...he even showed us his cadaver! Sick! Then we headed to Panara for lunch....O so yummy! Everyone enjoyed their delish, carb-loaded meal. Then we toured Whole Foods, an amazing grocery store. Okay, I don't know if you can even label it a 'grocery' store. All of their food is organic, aka, twice the price! The store is massive and 1/3 of it is buffets of delicious food that you have never experienced before! Mom was in heaven at the all-you-can-buy flax wall, and we had a great time tasting yummy cheeses. I also had to take them to THE MART. Nebraska Furniture Mart is like the only place to get furniture here. There is something for everyone's budget, every brand you can think of, and it has 3-4 different COSTCO size buildings of furniture! CRAZY! We also headed to Hancock Fabrics and the parents got me started on my new adventure of learning how to sew. We figured I better learn quick, Baby W's clothes are going to need some altering. I already headed to another fabric store and I am anxious to start practicing! I am going to start small, with burp cloths and blankets and then when he is born I will move up to little jeans and shirts!

That night we headed to Chipotle, then to the movie Extraordinary Measures. I would definitely tell you to see it, it was a great movie, but maybe just as a rental. We all enjoyed it though.

Saturday we got up, got ready, my dad fixed a few things around the house, (Thanks DAD!) then loaded in the car and headed to Lincoln for a Nebraska vs. Oklahoma basketball game. We of course had to stop at the Cabella's on the way to see how it compared to others we have been in. It was still pretty massive, but Sandy, Ut's is still larger. I ended up with a pair of Privo shoes for $20 and some awesome slippers! Yeah!

The basketball game was at 12:30, and as we pulled up to the building where the game was and got an AMAZING parking spot, we were a little scared that Nebraska didn't have any fans. We were only 1/2 hour early and there was NO ONE there! Well, it turns out that Oklahoma was snowed in, their flight was delayed, and the game had been postponed until 7:00 PM! Ahhh! We drove the hour drive all the way back to Omaha, then loaded in the car again at 5:30 and drove BACK to Lincoln. Who know the 2 hour basketball game would require a 4 hour drive! We had a really good time nonetheless, and my pops even got to meet Tom Osborne, a Nationally known football coach; he was pretty pumped!

The next day we headed to the zoo. Omaha seriously has an awesome zoo. Every time I go I see something I missed the time before. This time we discovered The Leig Jungle....holy cow! It was awesome! I cannot believe how extensive this zoo is! My mom LOVED the Aquarium, I think she could have stayed their for DAYS!

It was pretty chilly out so we probably only saw half of the zoo, but we loved every minute. Well, every minute except for the ones with the snakes, right Mom?!

We had such an amazing time and loved being with the parents all weekend. It was great to show them our home, where Cody goes to school and the city that we live in. We are so happy that they are in our lives and what a strength they are to us. We love you, thanks for visiting!

She rocks!

2010-02-06T11:19:00.005-07:00

Seriously, my sister rocks! Amanda made me this Cover up for when Baby W is born and I can't wait to use it! (Obviously, I put it on right when I opened the package!) She even made an adorable burp cloth to go with it! I can't wait until I can sew like her, which probably isn't far away considering I need to learn to sew quick so I can start altering Baby W's clothes! Thanks Amanda, YOU ROCK!

Baby W's Journey

2010-02-01T18:42:00.005-07:00

We have decided to start a blog about our new journey with a child who has Skeletal Dysplasia, more commonly known as dwarfism. I will still be using this blog as well, but for all updates on our journey's with Baby W, please

CLICK HERE

It's a boy!

2010-01-28T21:11:00.002-07:00

For sure!

We are having a....

2010-01-25T20:35:00.004-07:00

Boy...WE THINK! Yep, it is NOT for sure! The little baby was wiggling their bottom the whole time, and somehow had their tiny little feet right between their legs! There were a few glimpses that make the sonographer think that our baby was a boy, but she was only 80% sure. So...we will get another ultrasound soon to confirm!

Today is the day

2010-01-25T06:13:00.001-07:00

Today is the day that we find out what our little person is...boy or girl? Cody wore blue today....hmmmm...we will see if he is right!

Boy or a Girl?

2010-01-15T18:23:00.006-07:00

If you haven't voted on our poll to the right...you only have a little over a week to do so! I can't believe that it is almost time to find out if we are going to have a little boy or girl join our family in a few months.

This weekend I heard rumor of a sale at Gap. I decided to go and get some maternity clothes, since my pants are getting a little on the tight side. Little did I know what happens when you walk into the #1 cutest baby clothes store and find clothes that are more than 75% off!!! I ended up buying BOTH boy and girl clothes....and I will return half of them in a week. (I am crazy, I know...but this sale was INSANE!) I got winter coats for $5, shirts for $1.50, jeans for $4...it was a blast. Here are some of the things that we bought:

Boy:

Girl:

Looks like we have a feeling it is a boy, huh!??! We will know soon enough!

Practice Makes Perfect...

2010-01-01T09:43:00.006-07:00

Yep! We are having a baby on June 23!!! Our Anniversary! (Cody wasn't really playing with this little baby...just helping Meggie, our niece, feed her new baby from Uncle Nate on Christmas morning!)

We are so, so, beyond excited and feel so blessed to have this baby come into our lives. One month from today we get to find out if "Baby" is a boy or a girl! I am 4 months along and feeling just wonderful...I know, I know...all of you previously pregnant woman just hate me, go ahead, you can groan...! I haven't really even noticed that I am pregnant except for my pants are beginning not to fit, I am hungry quite often, and I was super tired for the first couple months.

For my birthday, Cody was a totally awesome hubby and got me this:

It is soooooo beautiful, awesome, amazing, I LOVE IT! I had been dreaming about this crib, and Cody was dreaming about the dresser/changing table, knowing that we would never have it. Then, SURPRISE! It was set up in the baby's room! Woo-hoo!!!! That is about all that we have, except for some white onsies, cute (either sex) socks, a ducky that tells you if the water is too hot, a teething ring, and this beautiful diaper bag/awesome purse!

So, get ready for preggo pics, me spending too much money on stuff for our kid, and you probably getting sick of hearing about it!!!! So much to look forward to!

My Hubby Rocks!

2009-12-19T18:52:00.005-07:00

Today is my birthday...and it has been the best! He made a cake for me! Yes, Cody baked. It was a total shock. He didn't make just any cake, either, he made a cake with HOMEMADE Cream Cheese Peanut Butter frosting. I had resee's cups on top, and even fresh shaved chocolate. Way to go all out, Cody! I told him that he now has to live up to that every year from here on out!

He topped off my cake with the DVD Julie and Julia, which I had never seen. It was so super cute, and now I just want to cook, cook, cook!

He also gave me the best present ever, which I will put up a picture of after Christmas Vacation...I know, I know....suspense, right?! Hopefully you think it is as awesome as I do!

After a nice relaxing day of getting my huge surprise, watching a girlie movie at 9 in the morning, eating cake for lunch along with some spiderman mac and cheese(yes, I eat this!), and doing a few loads of laundry to get ready to fly home tomorrow (Yippeeee!), we headed to a delicious italian restaurant called Lo Sole Mio. It was divine. I am now going to go eat a sugar cookie from Paradise Bakery and call it a night! Thanks for the best day ever Hubb! (And stay tooned for the reveal of the big surprise!)

O Christmas Tree!

2009-12-14T19:46:00.004-07:00

This is our BEAUTIFUL Christmas tree! I had to beg...and maybe shed a tear or two...to get it. Isn't it awesome? I love it so much. It makes my day each time I get to turn the lights on. We had a good time decorating it...especially when we got a box of Cody's Christmas ornaments from his parents. They were so fun to see! He has one from each year of his life...from trains to planes to golfing santas and polar bears! They are so cute!

Omaha is insane. Yes, insane. I thought Montana had snow...NO WAY! It is so crazy here...we had 4 inches of snow on Monday of last week, and 11 on Tuesday! School and work were cancelled, so Cody and I just partied! Okay, so Cody studied and I, well, I am not sure what I did! It is freezing here...and did you know there is such a thing as freezing rain? It coats on your windows of your car and you have to start your car for at LEAST 30 minutes before you even attemp to scrape your windows! It is INSANE!!! I have never worked so hard in my life!

I also had to give you a preview of things to come on my food blog:

These tasty little treats made an appearance at our soon-to-be annual neighborhood Christmas Party. We had our cul-de-sac of neighbors over for a little treat night as well as some 7-11 game playin'! It was such a fun time...and the 7-11 got pretty heated! If you don't know what 7-11 is, you are missing out!

MONTANA COUNTDOWN: 6 DAYS!!!!

Love this time of the year

2009-11-22T19:55:00.004-07:00

Thanksgiving! Christmas! I love this time of year. I am so, so excited for this week....maybe it is because I only have two days of work, maybe it is because I get to see my hubbs for 4 days in a row, maybe it is because my mouth waters just THINKING about Thursday, who knows! I just know that I can't wait for the upcoming month.

We are having Thanksgiving dinner with Aaron and Erika. They are frying a turkey (yes, FRYING...I have heard it is D-licious, even though I am a little scared!), Erika is whipping up homemade pies, (she is a better woman than me, I would have resorted to Costco!) and she is making corn. I am doing the potatoes, (sweet with brown sugar and marshmallows AND mashed regular ones) homemade rolls, (I am trying a new recipe so say a prayer for me!) and homemade stuffing (don't you worry...I have a box of Stove Top on hand just in case I fail miserably!) Overall we should have way too much food just like every other Thanksgiving meal.

This year, for the first time, Cody and I have been scoping the Black Friday sales. I guess when you get really poor and in debt buying stuff for 1/4 of the price, even if it is at 4 am, sounds more appetizing! We have seen quite a few things that we would like to shoot for, but it sounds like we will have to narrow down our options and get the one we want/need most!

It is only 30 days until we fly home for Christmas! We can't wait! I am bummed, however, that I will, again, be missing the family Progressive Dinner Party. It is my favorite. I can't wait until we live in B-Town again and can join in that fun. My sister and brother will both be home for Christmas so it should be a blast. Not to mention the 8 days with no work or school...SWEET!

Just a couple of side notes:

-I love Rummikub. LOVE it. Me and hubbs played it tonight. It made my day!

-We saw New Moon on Friday, loved it...I am pretty sure this one will be my favorite of all four movies considering it was my favorite book.

-I want to see the new Sandra Bullock movie, "Blind Side" I have heard that it is amazing.

-I can't seem to get anything done lately. Not sure why, just laziness I guess!

-It makes me happy beyond belief to talk on the phone to people I love. I hope I get a bluetooth for Christmas so I can talk even more, and multi-task!

-I am so happy that my dad didn't die jumping out of an airplane last week!

-Life is good, really, really good.

Nebraska vs. Texas Tech

2009-11-02T14:52:00.004-07:00

Well....two weeks later I finally get around to posting this! We have had a busy, busy two weeks! Cody has had like 7 tests...he is a mad man! Not to mention I had to work last Monday so my life has been a big jumble. It totally messes me up when I have to work on a day I am supposed to have off...I hate it!

Anyway, a couple of weeks ago we went to the Nebraska vs. Texas Tech game. It was INSANE. I seriously could not believe how much RED was there! I looked like a total idiot in my green coat...seriously, people were STARING at me! I should have had a sign that said, "I am from Montana, sorry". Maybe I would have gotten less weird looks that way. We had a great time despite a little kid puking on our seats, and the fact that the game was a blowout! hehe! Anyway, short update, but we are alive!

Omaha's Friendly animals...

2009-10-12T18:29:00.007-06:00

Okay, I guess I have been on an animal kick lately....

This squirrel seriuosly would have came in my house if I let him! It was so crazy! Erika feeds squirrels all the time, and when she walked over to my house tonight one followed her over. We proceeded to give him a bite of a cookie here and there, which he ate right in front of us. Finally, we just gave him an ENTIRE cookie! He grabbed the whole thing....yes, the silver on the bottom of the picture is my DOOR FRAME...he was so close to us!

This is Big Fred...

He was ginormous! I couldn't even believe that a praying mantis could get so large. He lurked around our house for a week or two...until the frost hit. Then Cody dug him a grave and he and Jace buried him...poor Big Fred.

Finally a picture of us! YESSSS!! It has been a while! We went to The Melting Pot this weekend....O was it ever divine! (Okay, divine for me, a small little piece of down under for Cody...no, not AUSTRALIA...the other down under!). He wasn't into the "cooking your own food one piece at a time" thing. I loved it...so many different meats all on one platter, and the dessert! Cody did love the dessert, which was smores chocolate (milk chocolate with marshmallow and graham in it). They give you an entire dish of yumminess to dip in the chocolate, including oreo covered marshmallows and rice crispies!

We are like these monkeys...

2009-10-01T19:12:00.005-06:00

Okay, we are lame. Seriously, I work, Cody studies, we eat....YEP! That is about it! We pretty much look like these monkeys by the time our day is over! Unfortunately, each week I come and sit down at my blog and try to think of something to write, and, nothing comes!

I did do something last week while Cody was studying, though! I thought I would share this picture of the spider monkeys at the Omaha Zoo. Seriously, this zoo is AMAZING! It puts Hogle Zoo to shame...maybe you Utahn's should come and visit...you know who you are! Every animal you can get soooo close to, it is crazy! I went for a short trip with a neighbor, Jaime, and her little man, Gabe. We had such a blast. We only went to the Aquarium, giraffes, seals and the monkey building. (Seriously, it is a BUILDING...it has THREE levels...crazy!) The aquarium is unreal. They have everything there from penguins (did you know that emperor penguins are born with BROWN, long fur and are as big as their parents in only weeks?) to jellyfish(so awesome!) to seahorses(yes, they really exist!) to sharks...big, scary sharks. I was seriously afraid they were going to come through the glass and bite my head off...it was totally freaky how close you can get to them.

In all of the exhibits they have these certain areas with inverted sections that you can literally be IN the tank/cage of the animal. It is so creepy! The penguins swim right up to your face and under you, the gorillas sit on your head! ahh!

In the monkey building there was a baby gorilla who I just wanted to cuddle with. He was sleeping on a zoo keeper's chest, wearing a diaper and drinking a bottle...just like a real baby! His momma wasn't too comfortable being in the same cage as him, so sad, so the zoo keepers have to raise him.

Okay, the by far most entertaining part of my trip to the zoo was the spider monkeys. They were in trees above a swarm of fish...seriously like 1000. Jaime wanted me to bring some bread to feed them, and I was so skeptical. Seriously? I am not five. WELL....I GUESS I AM INSIDE! It was so awesome, you would throw a piece of bread to them and they would snatch it out of the water below and chow it down. All of the fish would trample eachother to try and get it but the monkeys were to speedy. This is our favorite monkey....

He would snatch a piece of bread, savor every bite, and right when he was done he would throw his hand up in the air like he was asking for another piece! HE WOULD NOT PUT IT DOWN UNTIL WE THREW HIM ANOTHER ONE! It was hilarious! He stared right at us forever until we finally ran out of bread! Everyone around was watching us feed him, it was the highlight of my day!

I can't wait to go to the zoo with Cody, I know he will love it, and I can't wait to see the rest of the animals! I am definitely taking bread with me!

2009-08-31T17:46:00.005-06:00

I have loved this picture lately. I don't know why, but it calms me. Hope it does the same for you.

Well, a little update for everybody is well overdue. We are trucking along and already feeling the effects of first year dental school. Cody is staying up until wee hours of the night studying and even waking up early...like 6 am...on Saturdays before heading to the library to get in a few extra hours. He is getting to know a few more kids in his class, which is soooo good. I am ready for some friends to start coming our way any day now! His first mega exam is this Friday, so I am expecting not to see him much at all the next 3 nights, and then to party hard on Saturday! We are excited for the long weekend and hope to have a BBQ on our nice big grill.

We have still been working on our house here and there. We are getting closer to getting all of our pictures on the walls and more decorations up. There is just so much space to cover compared to our little 1 bedroom in Provo! I am getting my sink put in for my salon in two days and I can't wait! Hopefully then I can slowly start building my clientele and get a little extra money rolling in. We have been hanging with Aaron, Erika and the boys non-stop, and I am loving it! They are so fun to be with, eat with, shop with, pretty much do everything with!

I am staying busy, well, occupied, anyway! Work is going great, I work 3.5 days a week, which is just perfect for me. I swear the other day and a half I am cleaning my MASSIVE house! Okay, so it just feels massive! I have been experimenting starting an actual website instead of just a blogspot, so we will see if the fruits of that labor are ever shared with all of you!

We had a nice weekend and watched a few movies. We just joined Netflix, and it is so crazy getting movies in the mail! I LOVE IT! We watched Race to Witch Mountain and Push this weekend and they were both actually pretty good!

Okay, I am obviously out of stuff to talk about...sorry!

Carrie got Married!

2009-08-18T20:16:00.003-06:00

I am so happy for Carrie! She got married to Chris Fimrite this weeked, who, let's face it, is the BOMB! They had such a beautiful wedding, and I got to be a part of it! I flew into Billings on Thursday afternoon and from there on out it was go-go-go! We had a rehearsal and a dinner that night, which was o so fun! Carrie and Chris are so thoughtful, that has always been Carrie to think of others more than herself. They gave everyone who had anything to do with their wedding a present, I got clip on earrings(homemade by Mr. Fimrite!) to wear at the wedding and also a photography book, which I LOVE!

Friday we made flowers, well, ALL day! They all ended up beautiful, especially Carrie's bouquet.
I learned a ton about making flowers for special events and spent some quality time with the other bridesmaids. That night we had a BBQ and PJ made THE BEST pulled pork ever! I have to get the recipe asap so I can whip some out and impress some people! Then Carrie packed for her Honeymoon to MEXICO! Fun! FUN!!!!

Saturday was the BIG day! At 7:30 am I headed to Carrie's house and we went to the Dan Walt Gardens to set up for the Wedding and the Reception. It was quite the task, moving tables, setting centerpieces, hanging decorations, planning the fun for the evening. Then we headed to a hotel suite to do hair! And DO HAIR we did! I curled, and curled, and curled for about 4 hours! WHEW! Everyone looked so beautiful, especially Carrie, I LOVED her hair! She even had a Mary Kay lady come to do makeup, everyone looked so amazing. At about 4 pm (only 1 hour late!) we went back to the gardens to start the festivities. Picture time was a blast, I especially loved it! After pictures we headed back to the bridal suite and that is when I whipped out my camera, I think I got some really fun shots! We had a blast getting Carrie all ready to say I DO! Then came the ceremony. It was SOOO beautiful. Rose petals were scattered down the aisle and the weather was perfect. There were a TON of people there. I only cried once during the ceremony when Chris was saying his vows and telling Carrie how much he loved her....that really got me! I am so glad that she found such an awesome man...and he is even more lucky to have her! They said their I do's and it was of to the reception. Everything went perfect, we laughed and great food and amazing cake, (not to mention those cream cheese mints...mmmm!), and danced the night away! It really was an amazing night and I hope they loved every minute of it! I can't wait to see some of the pictures that were taken, but until then, click the pic below to see some of the ones that I took!

Carrie's Wedding

I am in love...

2009-08-09T15:59:00.003-06:00

I am in love with my new Kitchen Aid Hand Mixer. There is nothing better than 9 speeds of mixing bliss. Thank you Mom and Cody for helping me get this little bit of heaven into my kitchen!

The Last HooRah!

2009-08-05T19:04:00.008-06:00

Yep...it has come down to the wire. Cody has 4 days until he starts dental school!!! This summer has gone by so fast. I think that we are both ready for him to start school, however. He is ready to get down to business, and good thing, because we hear this first year is pretty intense. He will do great though!

We weren't planning on another vacation before he started school, but the cards just fell correctly! Cody's parents decided to buy a motor home(which we are so excited about and hoping that they just might come visit us sometime soon!), and they bought it in Michigan. They asked us to fly and pick it up so that Bert wouldn't have to drive the 23 hours from MI to MT. So, we bought tickets on Thursday evening and flew out on Friday evening!
(JUST A WARNING...we took around 400 pictures in 2.5 days...it was amazing!)

We stayed in a hotel that night and picked up the brand new 2009 motor home on Saturday afternoon. It was fun to see it first and check out where Bert and Laurel would be spending some time! Thank heavens for the couch in the motor home, I don't think I could have taken all of the hours that we spent in it without that baby! Poor Cody just had to hang out in the front while I was on the comfy couch for hours on hours!

Saturday afternoon we went to Ludington, MI and went to the beach. Yes, the beach! We walked out into Lake Michigan and saw an awesome lighthouse. I have never seen a lighthouse before and it was so, so neat! That night we headed to Arcadia, Michigan and we spent the evening in a motor home park on Lake Michigan! I can't even believe how beautiful it was...I had no idea that we would literally be playing ON THE BEACH for an entire weekend! I felt like we were at the ocean. The sand was beautiful, so white and perfectly soft. The water was warm and not salty like the ocean...score! It was perfect in every way. We had a great time just walking on the beach and snapping pictures at sunset.

Sunday morning we golfed at Arcadia Bluffs...one of the top 10 public courses in the nation! It was breathtaking. I have never been on a golf course quite like this one...I will just post some pictures because I can't explain it! They don't even do it justice....

Sunday night we got on a carferry and went across Lake Michigan to Wisconsin. We were all over the map! We got there at about midnight and woke up at 5:45 am on Monday so that we could make it to Whistling Straights, where the PGA Championship is being played in 2010!

Need I say more? It was absolutely outstanding! Cody had a caddy and it was so fun, he has never had a caddy before. The guy totally carried his clubs and gave him advice on each and every shot. Practically the ENTIRE course was on the shore of Lake Michigan, and it couldn't have been more beautiful.

After golf we had our best meal of the weekend at the restraunt there. I had a spinach chicken salad and Cody had smoked turkey club. Okay, I know, they both sound so, so simple. They were out of this world! You know if something that simple can be so delicious they are doing something right! We drove the 9 hours back to Omaha and got home at about 11:00 pm. WHEW!!!!! Great weekend and, as Cody says, it was the "vacation of a lifetime"!

Do you wanna see our House?

2009-07-27T17:29:00.005-06:00

From Jul 27, 2009_2

Do you wanna see our house?

Click the "July 27, 2009" link below the picture to come inside!
Make sure to read the captions at the bottom. Obviously we are still working on some things...okay, a lot of things, so finished pictures should be up in about, o, a year! ha!(I am sure that there is an easier way to see these pics but I can't figure it out! Sorry!)

We are here!

2009-07-19T14:18:00.004-06:00

Well, we made it to Omaha last Wednesday thanks to a lot of help from both of our parents packing up our truck and Bert driving with us to our new home. I was SOOO worried that Omaha was going to be flat, flat, FLAT! However, it isn't! There are no mountains, of course, but more trees than I have ever seen in my entire life! From every hilltop all you can see is trees with a few skyscrapers mixed in. Omaha is a HUGE city, but I think that we are going to adjust quickly. Every time we speak with someone new they tell us how good the food is here, and we LOVE to eat out, so I can't wait to experience it. Last night we ate at an italian restraunt called Lo Sole Mio...to die for. Every bit was throughouly delicious!
I LOVE our home. I think I have told Cody about 5 times each day how much I love it. It is just perfect for us. I know that so many of you want to see pictures, and they are coming, I promise! I just didn't think that you would want pictures of boxes in every room...it just has a different effect when we have made it our own! We are getting close to being done. The first day I set up my kitchen, of course! I have so much storage space and, because of my amazing sister, a perfect amount of counter space. She gave me a kitchen island and I seriously don't know what I would do without it! Thanks Manda! We have almost finished our living room, but our bedrooms and basement still have lots of work to be done. I can't believe how many closets we have. I have already found myself trying to spread things out on the shelves to make them look more full! I am sure that in a year or two I will be complaining about the lack of space, but right now it is overwhelming!
Something really exciting happened to me the day after we got to Omaha, I got a job! I have been going through the interviewing process over the phone for a couple of weeks, and I met the Dr.'s on Thursday and worked on Friday! I am going to be an Oral Surgery assistant, and I know that I will love it. One of the Dr.'s does facial plastic surgery like botox, nose reconstructions, brow and cheek lifts, etc., as well as regular tooth extractions, jaw surgeries, and more. I am so excited to learn more about this field of work. The Dr.'s are both really nice and both love golf, so Cody will have to go out with them! I really like the girls that I work with as well and know I can learn alot from all of them.
Anyway, just wanted to fill you in that we are here safe and sound AND loving it! Pictures are coming, I promise!

Good TImes, Craziness Ahead!

2009-07-11T08:36:00.015-06:00

Well, we have had a wonderful last week here in Billings. For the fourth of July we went up to the East Rosebud with Will, Wendy, and the kids and had so much fun! We got a campsite, started a fire, did some fishing, and it was BEAUTIFUL! I was flashing pictures like non other, and loved every minute of it.
That evening we drove to Nye and joined my family at a friend's cabin. We had great food, went for an amazing hike, and watched great fireworks. Amanda drove all the way from Lake Tahoe to join us that night! It was so good to see her and the kids....and we sure miss Kevin!

The next few days we had "girls days". It was such a blast. We pretty much did shopping, shopping and more shopping! We ate out at some D-licious restraunts and spent some great quality time with eachother. We also went to see the movie "My Sister's Keeper". I give it an A+. It is my very favorite book of all time, and I think that they did well when making it into a movie. Make sure that you have, o, probably about a box of kleenex with you, however....it is a major tear jerker.

My mom also taught us how to sew! Okay, so she taught ME how to sew, Amanda is a pro!(Take a look at her blog to see her latest dress for Meggie.) We had so much fun making our table runners, and they both turned out amazing! I can't wait to put it on my table in my new house! Thanks mom!

On Wednesday night Nate came into town, and I haven't seen him for 6 months so it was so good to give him a hug! He has such a great sense of humor that I sometimes forget when I am just talking to him on the phone. Thursday morning we woke up and headed to Yellowtail to go boating! It was an absolutely perfect day. I realized how much I have taken for granted the scenery up there. Every time we headed down another canyon I was amazed at how beautiful it is. We rented a pontoon(I am sure that I spelled that wrong!) boat and had such a relaxing day. We also had our jet skiis up there, so there was some major getting wet as well! Cody and Ian fished all day, seriously, ALL day, and never caught a thing...poor boys!!!Friday was a very special day. My cousin Lacee, her husband, Luke, and their two baby boys, Colby and Kaden, were sealed in the temple so that they can be together forever, even after this life. I was able to go and take pictures of this celebration. The boys were little angels, and both had great smiles...they aren't very coordinating at smiling, unfortunately! After the sealing we headed to Grandma's house to have an ice cream party with the enitire family. It was quite the event! Kids running around screaming, girls talking about girly stuff in one corner, boys talking about who knows what in the other. It was great to catch up with all of my family, I love and miss them all so much!

Now we are off to Nebraska on Tuesday...I can't believe that it is already here. Part of my can't wait for all of the new friends, new experiences, a new home, a new ward, a new city! They other part of me is so sad to leave my family and other friends behind. I hope that we can adjust quickly to our new, and very different, life!

2009-07-01T23:07:00.000-06:00

O my goodness...we own a house. I guess that makes us adults.

2nd Anniversary!

2009-06-28T14:54:00.003-06:00

We had the most amazing anniversary this year! Cody suprised me on the 22nd by giving me an envelope that included a map through the Beartooths and Yellowstone National Park, hotel reservations in Jackson Hole, WY, whitewater rafting passes, and tickets to Grease at the Playhouse in Jackson. O my gosh I was so excited! The views were absolutely amazing.

We spent about 10 hours driving to Jackson, I think that going through the Beartooth Mountains was my favorite. We probably stopped 8 times in the Beartooths alone! We got to our hotel at about 8:00 pm and had the nicest dinner at an Italian restraunt. I had homemade gnocchi...to DIE for! Cody got a delicious fire-cooked pizza and we also had the best lemon tarte ever made. Not to mention the delicious sourdough bread as an appetizer...now I have to find some way to master that recipe, Cody is addicted!

The next day we got up and went white water rafting. It was a perfect 75 degrees, and, of course, I forgot the camera! (I figured it would be a pretty crappy idea to take a real camera on a river, anyway!) Cody and I sat in the very front of the boat and got drenched on every single rapid. We had such a blast and can't wait to go on bigger rapids someday!
Then we headed back to our AWESOME hotel and got ready to go to GREASE! It was so much fun, I am absolutely obsessed with that movie. It was a perfect end to an awesome day.

Can you guess where the picture above was taken? Okay, so in every single other persons photo journal of their trip to Yellowstone, they will have a picture WITH Old Faithful, right? Well, because of the somewhat sketch lady who took this picture for us, we can only tell you that we WERE at Old Faithful. She just happened to miss the whole, "Make sure that the fountain is in the picture with us, Okay?????"
Thank you, thank you for such an amazing surprise for our 2nd Anny, babe! (I don't know how this one will be topped...better start thinking!)

58 What?!!?! Tribute to the Studs...

2009-06-22T22:27:00.003-06:00

Yep, these men are amazing. My pops, Uncle Joel, my cousin Payton, and Cody golfed in the "Beat the Flakes" Golf tourney last weekend and did so good! It was a scramble, and the boys golfed a 58! That is so amazing! They all contributed and ended out with 3 flag prizes...Glen Campbell Tickets(which my mom and pops attended and LOVED), Mustang tickets (which Cody and I plan to use in the coming weeks), and a shirt and hat (Payton is going to sport his hat the next time he takes his hunting gun on the golf course, and Joel can now replace his PINK nailissimo shirt with his new Pella shirt!). They all made out pretty well! (Not to mention that we are pretty sure Joel and Payton won the grand prize, a trip to Big Sky, and just "FORGOT" to fill their team in...hmmmmm.....)

Me and Hubbs....

2009-06-13T19:46:00.003-06:00

Click on the link below to see me and hubbs (that is totally incorrect grammar, I know, I know!) recent photoshoot! I was so excited when I moved back to Billings and Heather Mosser contacted me about taking her family pictures. She is a photographer as well, so I suggested that we trade...and she agreed! I was anxious to have some urban pictures taken of Cody and I, and have been scouting out the exact pictures and places in B-town. Heather did the perfect job of capturing what I was looking for, and I hope that I can do the same for her when we do her family this upcoming week! (P.S. I am blowing up one of the pictures to put on a canvas in our new house...once I narrow it down I will put up a vote for which one it should be!)

OUR AWESOME URBAN PICS

Back in MT

2009-05-15T09:02:00.005-06:00

Well, are all of you wondering if we EVER made it to Montana? I am sure you have been checking our blog multiple times a day just to find out...hehe! We did, barely. I can't believe how long it took to pack! INSANE. I was definitely the world's grumpiest wife for an entire week...we are still married though so I must not have been that bad! Basically, I never want to move again, wait, we are moving again in 6 weeks, crap. There goes that goal!

We really are happy to be in Montana, though. Cody's parents generously took us in again, and we are visiting my parents constantly. I know I am going to miss them all so much when we leave! We have pretty much been doing, well, nothing! A little golfing, visiting the extended family, a little shopping, some movie watching, eating out...it is like a summer break when I was 14, before I could work! Of course, we have eaten at both Z Pizza and MacKenzie River...delicious as always.

We saw Star Trek on Wednesday...I know, I know. Don't judge me. I was definitely skeptical...but it was so dang good! I really liked it! I have never seen any Star Trek movies before because, well, they look lame. I thought the story was a little to sci-fi for me, but Cody loved every minute. I would recommend seeing it over any other movies in the theaters right now. So, what are you doing tonight? Maybe going to STAR TREK!?!?!!? (Come to think of it...maybe we will go again!)

We are also trying like crazy to get everything in order for our move to Nebraska...working on student loans, finding the cheapest rates for car and health insurance, etc. We switched our car insurance to Geico...yes, we jumped on the bandwagon. For good reason though; we are paying for TWO cars in Nebraska the same rate that we pay for ONE car in Utah! Is that crazy! Thank you Nebraska for being so stinking cheap to survive in your state! More updates later....!

He Graduated!!

2009-04-24T22:36:00.004-06:00

It is official...Cody graduated college today. It is hard to believe that we are already at this point in our lives. Graduation was, well, graduation. It was really exciting to see Cody walking toward the stage, ready to get his diploma. This was one time I was actually HAPPY that our last name started with a "W". I had something to look forward to through all of the other 600 names! He was about 30 people from the end, and he was well worth the wait. I wish I could explain how he feels, but if you know Cody, he is very good at taking things in stride. He knows that this is an amazing accomplishment, but also that there is still a long road ahead. I couldn't be more proud of him! It has been a long haul to get to this point. I wish that you could all know Cody as well as I do. He amazes me every single day with his positive outlook on life, his outrageous sense of humor, his knowledge, his concern for people around him, and his personality! I love the picture that I got of him above, it proves he is a happy man, not to mention that he has HOPS! I love you, babe...way to go!!!!