Pregnancy: Weeks 26-27

26 Weeks: I had a little scare this week. Really it was just me over reacting, but I was nervous! After having an awesome doctors visit the week before and finding out everything was looking great I was on top of life. My baby was becoming more active and I could always feel him when laying down for bed.

Well, during week 26 I felt like I wasn't feeling our little guy move as much. When I did feel him it was really subtle and it was down low in my pelvic area, and usually I would feel most of his movements up on my sides or by my ribs.

Needless to say, I made my self a worried little momma. I was reading things about how it could be signs of preterm labor. I was nervous something had happened to him and that's why he wasn't moving as much or as strongly. When I did feel him I'd beg him to move again, or make a stronger movement so I knew he was ok, but it didn't happen. I was tempted to call my doctor and go in for an early check up to make sure everything was ok.

I hadn't told Nathan of my worries until near the end of the week when I asked him to give me and the baby a blessing. I wish I would have talk to him sooner, because he helped me feel so much better.

27 Weeks: After scaring me the week before, this little boy has sure made up for it with a lot of movement! If I lay and watch my belly I can see him move around. I am feeling very relieved and a little dumb for worrying so much last week.

As far as pregnancy symptoms go, heartburn has made a come back and attacks me every single night. No fun at all! My back also gets tired by the end of the night, but other than that everything is great. Baby is about the size of an acorn squash and moving like crazy.

With Christmas around the corner we did an Angel tree with Nathan's family and picked a 6 month old baby boy. I was having a blast looking at all of the cute little boy things. Clothes, stuffed animals, toys... I was loving it all!

Pregnancy: Week 25

25 Weeks! Crazy! Our baby is now the size of a large cucumber. I feel him move quite a bit at night. I still don't have any cravings or aversions to food. Just going on with life like normal, except for the fact that I keep getting bigger.

Nathan and I still haven't figured out a name. This naming a person thing is really hard... It will come to us eventually. I hope.

We went in for another check up. Everything looks great and normal so far! Yay! He's measuring right were he should be, a little over 13 inches long and 1.5 pounds.

Baby boy was moving around a lot and it was hard to get some good pictures of him during the ultrasound. My doctor did get some though. The lips in the photo melt my heart! The second the image cleared up and we could see our little boy I instantly thought he looked like Nathan. I can't wait to kiss his cute little face!

Pregnancy: Weeks 22-24

22 Weeks: I love feeling my baby move. Sometimes it's weird to think there is a little person inside of me moving around, but at the same time it is the most amazing feeling in the world. Parent Teacher Conferences were this week and they wore me out. With the longer nights and this baby growing like crazy, I was beat.

23 Weeks: This little boy has found my ribs! He is getting stronger each day and loves to give me a little jump start reminder that he's around. The first time I felt him move up in my ribs startled me. Now I just laugh and push him down telling him to relax. Sometimes if I'm watching my belly I'll see him move as well. I can't believe our baby is almost a foot long and weighs one whole pound.

We had Friendsgiving this week up in Idaho Falls and got to see our besties. We took some pictures for fun. My friends are quite talented.

24 Weeks: Baby is the size of a large zucchini, about 11.8 inches and 1.3 pounds. I'm starting to feel like a stuffed turkey. The other day I was feeling this little boy move around a little bit. I decided to play around with him and push on my stomach where he was moving. He'd move a little, I'd nudge him a little. After one of my nudges he gave me a little tap and then a huge kick that bulged my stomach and startled me. I seriously made a little yelp because I was so surprised.

Thanksgiving was fun and delicious. We went to the theater with my family to see the last Hunger Games movie and then had dinner at our new place. Nathan and I made most of the meal and thankfully the turkey turned out.

I am so thankful for Nathan and to have this cute little boy as a part of our family. I can't wait to see how he's doing at my next appointment next week.

Pregnancy: Week 21

We went in for our next appointment on November 2. I was super excited and nervous for this one. They were behind on the ultrasounds because the person before me needed a little more attention. That got me nervous... What if they found something wrong with my baby or my pregnancy? Everything had been looking great previously, but what if?

Eventually we were called back to the sonographer and got all set up. There was our little boy on the big screen. I love seeing his little profile! I swear he has Nathan's nose. She asked us if we wanted to find out the gender. We informed her that we found out at our last appointment and she wondered what percentage we were given on the gender. We responded with a laugh and told her we weren't given one because it was so obvious.

We were told everything looked great and got to enjoy staring at our little boy. The 3D ultrasound was really neat, but he looked kind of funny too. His little foot pressed up against the side was probably my favorite part. Seeing those tiny toes... I just love our baby so much!

We met with my doctor after and she said everything was looking awesome. She asked if I had any questions and if I could feel him move. She also asked what my pre pregnancy weight was so they could keep track of my weight gain. She was quite surprised to find out my starting weight and what I had lost from the diet. My doctor informed me she wouldn't have put me on a diet unless it was a last resort since I was already so healthy and active. Crazy. But all is good, and I'm just happy to be pregnant and healthy.

Pregnancy: Weeks 18-20

Everything is going great! I feel healthy and really haven't had any major problems. I feel like I am constantly eating because I'm always hungry. This little boy must be growing a ton.

18 Weeks: Baby is the size of a sweet potato. That's crazy! I cannot button up my pants anymore! Before now I could, but it wasn't the most comfortable. I bought a bellyband to help keep up my undone pants. It feels so weird to be getting bigger. Other exciting news.... WE CLOSED ON OUR HOUSE! We are so excited to have a place of our own with room to grow. I cannot wait to start on the nursery!

19 Weeks: What an exciting week! I'm 19 weeks pregnant and almost half way done. We have been moving into our new home. And my brother, Stefan, got married! Life is pretty great! Oh, I also told my 6th graders that I'm pregnant with a little boy. I couldn't hide it much longer. They were super cute and excited for me. Our baby is now about 6 inches and 8.5 ounces, comparable to a mango.

20 Weeks: HALF WAY THERE! Oh my goodness I am dying to meet this cute little baby. We have talked names a bit, but honestly I have no idea what we want to name this kid. Naming a human is hard! I've started to notice the baby's movements a lot more. Even Nathan has felt him a little bit. So cool! Baby is now the size of a banana and measured from head to toe at about 10 inches long and weighing about 10.6 oz.

Pregnancy: Week 16 or 17?

I finally decided on a doctor down here and I'm super excited about it. I decided to go with the Circle of Life in Ogden. I've heard great things about them, and was impressed with what I found online. Plus, they do an ultrasound every time you have an appointment. I was sold. I haven't seen my baby since my 6 week appointment and I've been dying to see how much the baby has grown!

Nathan and I went in for the 16 week appointment appointment on October 1 and I was really hoping to find out the gender and to see a strong, healthy looking baby. The doctor got a good strong heart beat at 147 bpm and then showed us where you can actually see the heart beating in the baby. It was amazing! We saw the cutest profile (and the whole front of the face too), ribs and the femur, and the baby was moving around like crazy!

Then the doctor said, "Can you tell what you are having?" Yep!

WE ARE HAVING A BOY!!!! 

We are beyond excited! Neither of us had much of a preference. Forever I thought we were having a girl because basically everyone thought we were having a girl. However, about a week before our ultrasound I had a dream of my doctor's visit. It felt incredibly real, and in the dream my doctor said, "It's a boy!" and then I woke up. I guess my subconscious knew all along.

Another thing we learned from the ultrasound was that our baby boy was measuring at 16 weeks and 6 days, changing my due date to March 12th instead of the 16th.

I'm glad that everything is looking great so far and I can't wait to meet this little boy of ours!

Pregnancy: Weeks 10-15

A whole month has come and gone and everything is still looking great for our baby!

10 Weeks: Baby is the size of a kumquat. I feel great! I was super nervous I would be really sick in my first trimester and that starting off a new year of teaching would be so hard. I'm glad I haven't been super sick.

11 Weeks: Baby is the size of a lime. That's crazy! We told my extended family that I was pregnant at the Bridal Shower we had for Stefan's fiancé, Lauren. It's so fun to announce our exciting news.

12 Weeks: We had my 12 week appointment. We went up to my Idaho doctor because I'm still not insured with my new job and thankfully still was with my old one. Everything looked great! It was quick and I wish I could have seen the baby, but hearing the heartbeat for the first time was amazing! The doctor even found the heartbeat right around where I was pretty sure baby was sitting. The doctor said the heartbeat was in the 140s and sounded great. It was surreal! Baby is the size of a clementine these days.  We also told Nathan's extended family at the big Labor Day Picnic that Baby Ballard is on the way.

13 Weeks: Baby is the size of a small peach. Peaches are everywhere right now and every time I see a little peach I think of our baby. We announced to the world this week that our cute little baby will be joining our family in March.

14 Weeks: I'm definitely showing now, even in my more flowy clothes. Baby is the size of a large lemon, about 3.4 inches and 1.5 oz according to my baby apps. I'm dying to have my 16 week appointment and I really want to find out the gender as soon as possible.

15 Weeks: I think I've felt my baby move. Sometimes I second guess myself and wonder if it's just my stomach adjusting or something... But everyone once in a while when I'm sitting still or laying down I feel a quick little flutter around the same area each time. It's super exciting! Baby is the size of an apple and I feel like my belly is more round. It's still a little bump, but it's definitely getting more noticeable. Can't wait for our doctor appointment in a week. Please cooperate baby! I just want to know what you are!

Pregnancy: Weeks 6-9

Holy cow our life has been all over the place these days and I haven't written anything about being pregnant in weeks.... Hopefully I can be better about documenting this pregnancy.

So I got a positive home pregnancy test on July 11. WOHOO!!!! I called my doctor and set up a 6 weeks prenatal appointment on July 21 because I wanted to go in before the triathlon to make sure everything looked good before I did the hardest race I've ever done...

I took another home pregnancy test to make sure I was really pregnant on July 18. I was just so excited and still couldn't believe it. Plus, I really hadn't felt sick or anything. No pregnancy symptoms. Sometimes I thought about a nap, but I never really needed one.

Well, Nathan and I went in for the prenatal appointment and everything went well. It was kind of fun being told congratulations by everyone. It made me more and more excited! After all the questions and vitals we went in for the first ultrasound. I was so nervous... Would I see my teeny tiny little baby? Would there be a heart beat? And then... "Oh look! There's your cute little baby!"

I couldn't believe it! It finally felt real to me. I am really pregnant! I grabbed Nathan's hand and said, "Oh my goodness, we really are having a baby!" We were both pretty excited!! And maybe a little nervous too... It was nice having the ultrasound too so we would know if the fertility medicine made us have twins or not. (I was secretly excited at the idea of twins, but I'm just happy to have a sweet little baby that we will get to meet soon!)

The nurses measured the embryo and said I was measuring a little small, so they changed my weeks to 5 weeks and 6 days and put my due date as March 16th. (Happy Late Birthday Present to me!!) They were also able to find a heartbeat at 114 bpm.

Everything looked good and after talking with my doctor she gave me the ok to still do the Spudman Triathlon that Saturday.

This first trimester has been a blur so far with everything going on and I'm extremely grateful that I haven't been sick. Every now and then I get a little nauseous... but if I eat or rest it usually goes away pretty quick.

6 Weeks- Baby is the size of a chocolate chip! I completed the Spudman Triathlon and felt great. I definitely took a long nap after it though. I was tired! We also told our friends the Leavitts and Wetherells that we were expecting. (It was a little hard to hide with my crazy amount of napping, not getting in the hot tub after the Spudman Triathlon, and saying Jimmy John's probably wasn't the best idea for me because I can't have deli meat... haha) It felt so good to tell someone.

7 Weeks- Happy 4th Anniversary to Nathan and I! The baby is now the size of a blueberry. Packing for our move wore me out more than I thought it would. (By the way... the baby is tiny, but I have to get up and book it to the bathroom every. single. morning. around 5 am! It's insane!)

If I was any further along I probably wouldn't have fit in my wedding dress...

8 Weeks- Baby is now the size of a jelly bean, or raspberry, and growing fast. I've needed a nap almost every day with all of the packing, unpacking, and cleaning. We announced to our families and close friends that we are having a baby. It was so fun telling everyone all together after they helped us move into our new apartment. There were lots of cheers and hugs.

9 Weeks- We are finally all settled in our new apartment in Utah. To take a break from all of the craziness of moving, Nathan and I took a trip down to Moab. It was my first time down there and I loved it! I still get a little nauseous if I don't eat regularly (when I'm hungry, I'm hungry and I have to eat right away), or tired here and there, but really I feel pretty great. Baby is now the size of a green olive. I need to find a new doctor down here so we can see our cute little baby again. Also, I'm starting to feel bigger. I know it's a tiny bump and not noticeable, but my body shape is definitely changing.

Test Results

Written the middle of July 2015:

On the 21st day of my cycle I went in to the doctor's office and gave a blood sample to check my ovulation levels. I was actually feeling pretty excited this time since I had gotten a positive result from a home ovulation kit showing that I ovulated.  A week later I got the results back from my blood work. "Hi, Nicole. I have your test results for you. It looks like your ovulation levels were still lower than we want (10 instead of 12) so we are switching you to Femara. I'll call in the prescription for you. Still take a pregnancy test to see if you are pregnant before you start your medication."

I was crushed! I thought for sure my levels would have been high enough. But then again, we were getting closer considering I was at a 2-6 level when we first started this process. I also had the doctor call in a medicine called Provera that helps me actually have a period since I don't have one on my own. I didn't want to pick up the medicine until after I took a pregnancy test though.

On Friday, July 3, I woke up sick! I was so nauseous. I kept thinking, I hope this means I'm pregnant! I took a pregnancy test and was super hopeful! After what felt like forever....

Result: Not Pregnant... 

I told myself it was ok and that we would try this next round of medicine. It would all work out. So I went and picked up my two prescriptions. I was going to start the Provera right away to get the process rolling again. But after talking with Nathan we decided to give myself a little break. Plus it was Girls Camp in a couple of days and I didn't want to have to stress about taking medicine and being moody at camp while I was camp director.

When I got back from girls camp I decided I should probably take another pregnancy test just to be safe before starting the medicine. I woke up early the next morning (Saturday, July 11) and took a test. I knew full well it would say "Not Pregnant" like always. After all I had taken a test a week ago saying I wasn't. I put the stick down and it started the hour glass saying it was working. I check on it not even a minute later to make sure it's still working and......

PREGNANT!!!!!!!!!!!

The test said Pregnant on it!!! I was freaking out! Does it put the word Pregnant first and then decided if it needs to put not before it? Am I really pregnant? What if it's wrong? About 30 seconds later it pop ups with "2-3 weeks". Oh my goodness I wasn't prepared for it. I honestly thought it would say not pregnant and I would start my medicine that day. I started crying and ran into Nathan who woke up wondering if I was pregnant or sick or hurt. I showed him the test and he hugged me while I cried tears of joy and pure surprise. And some tears of nervousness as well.

Once we got over the shock of the positive test I knelt down in prayer. I was so thankful to my Heavenly Father that I had not started the Provera during the week of Girls Camp. I was grateful for a positive test! (I know a lot can still happen, but I got a positive test! I can get pregnant! I AM Pregnant!!!) I already love this little Baby Ballard so much! (It's only the size of about a sesame seed. That's crazy to think about.) I hope and pray that my body will be able to grow a beautiful, healthy, and strong body for the sweet spirit we are blessed with.

It still doesn't feel real. I have been hoping and praying for a positive pregnancy test since October 2014 when we first started trying. After being told my ovulation levels still weren't quite high enough I thought for sure I wouldn't be pregnant this time. Plus I had gotten a "Not Pregnant" test result just the week before. I have my doctor appointment all set up and I'm crazy excited. I'm going to take another pregnancy test to be sure, but I'm so happy!

I'M PREGNANT!!! 

Round Two Update

Written the end of June 2015:

One thing I forgot to mention about this second time of doing Clomid is that I have also been going to see a foot zoner.

My Opa Blietschau did reflexology from his home and some of my fondest memories with him are when he would massage my feet and tell me to drink more water. When I first found out I had PCOS the first two thoughts that I remember and made me emotional were:

• I'm not allowed to fast... How will I get pregnant if I can't do a fast asking for help. (After that first silly thought I realized I could still fast and ask my Heavenly Father for help, and that he would understand why I had to eat every meal.) 
• I really wish my Opa were here to help me get my body on track with reflexology.

Since I couldn't have my Opa do reflexology I honestly didn't give it any other thought. Then I was talking with my sister-in-law, Meg, and she had mentioned maybe trying foot zoning (It's a lot like reflexology) to see if it would help. I decided to look more into it and see if I could find anyone in Idaho Falls that I would want to go to.

I sent out emails to a bunch of foot zoners in the Idaho Falls area and they were all very nice and helpful. However, one thing I was nervous about was going to some random person's house that I didn't know anything about... Well turns out I did end up knowing one of the foot zoners I emailed. Kellie was a 5th grade teacher at a school I was an aid for during my college years at Utah State. What a small world! I felt so much better going to her with already knowing her.

When I went to Kellie's house for my first session I was still a little nervous. But when she opened her door with a huge smile and treated me like her best friend I felt instantly better. I felt safe and comfortable in her home. I enjoyed talking about her journey to get pregnant with her two cute twin boys, my Opa, my journey so far trying to conceive, the Gospel, pretty much everything.

After the foot zoning she told me to tell her as soon as I got a positive ovulation test so we could schedule for me to come back in. I was super hopeful that I would actually ovulate this time around, but wasn't sure.

I started taking ovulation tests at home around the time I should start ovulating... Nothing.... Then we had a camping trip planned with Nathan's family for the weekend so I stopped taking the tests because who want's to pee on a stick while camping?

When we got home from our trip I decided to take another ovulation test. I was praying for a smiley face with sunbeams around it to show that my levels were high, but instead I got just a smiley face, which meant I was at my peak!!!!!!

Oh my goodness you would think it was a positive on a pregnancy test, I was so happy! My body was actually working! I got a hold of Kellie and saw her the next day for another foot zone! Kellie was so excited for me and gave me great encouragement and advice. She told me even if I don't get pregnant this time around, at least we are getting my body in the right direction.

Round Two

Written the beginning of June 2015:

Well I was put on Clomid to help me with my fertility. Waited the 21 days and went in to get my blood work done to see if it helped me ovulate.... Nope... So we upped my dosage.

I just finished round two of the Clomid and now it's the waiting game again. This time around I was sick and nauseous the second to last day of the pill. It made me nervous that I wasn't reacting well with the medicine. However, I was fine later in the day so who knows?

Later I'll go in and get my blood drawn again. I just want my body to ovulate. If I get pregnant, AWESOME! But really at this point I just want to know my body is working so that I can get pregnant.

Another thing I learned I should avoid is soy. That's fine, I can give up soy sauce, I don't usually buy things with soy... Wrong! Soy is everywhere! Who knew? I was taking soy protein... oops... and it's in cooking spray... and worst of all.... chocolate. My one saving grace with this crazy diet has been little happy bites of dark chocolate. I have found some 70% dark chocolate chips and bars that are soy free, but they are a little pricey.

On a brighter note, Nathan let me get a way nice blender. I am in love with it! It makes amazingly smooth green smoothies, hummus, spinach dip, crepes made from oats, and more. But best of all... ICE CREAM! I just blend up frozen fruit with some cream and it is heavenly. I guess it has more of a frozen yogurt consistency. Either way it makes my heart happy! I am quite pleased with our purchase. I've used it at least once a day since we bought it. :)

Until next time with more fun updates!

PCOS Update

Written the beginning of April 2015:

It has been quite the two months since I found out I have PCOS. I have literally not had ice cream the entire time!! Ok that might be a tiny bit exaggerated because I had the teeny, tiniest lick of Nathan's Dole Whip while we were in Disneyland. But we were in Disneyland, and I don't even feel bad about it. Plus, I was being so good on that trip. Any way here's a few updated on how life has been...

Diet: I'm sure no one want's to know this, but since I've been on this low sugar, low carb, always check the glycemic index diet I have lost about 10 lbs.... That's crazy! I don't really have 10 lbs to lose... I can definitely say that I feel better with this diet though. There are days I miss having a sweet treat every now and again, but honestly I've loved not having all that sugar in my life.

Some things that have helped me live with this diet are:

• Finding out I can have some sourdough breads, or super intense whole wheat lower carb breads (and when I do have bread I try to stick to one slice, once a week)
• Quinoa instead of rice (again only once a week if I have it)
• Yogurt and smoothies are my ice cream
• Low glycemic chocolate protein bars (I LOVE the Balance Chocolate Mint Cookie one! Quest Bars are good too.)
• Best of all.... DARK CHOCOLATE!!!! 70% Dark Chocolate has a glycemic index of 23 (55 or less is considered low glycemic). Best news of my life! I treat myself to a square every now and then when I've been super good.

I eat a ton of fruits and veggies. I have slightly bigger meat portions than I use to because I'm not filling up on potatoes or breads. I also never realized what a staple bread/grain, and potatoes were in my life. At first this diet seemed a little tricky to me, especially trying to make sure Nathan could still have a somewhat normal meal, but it really hasn't been too bad. And Nathan likes that we are eating healthier as well.

More tests and results: After being diagnosed, starting my diet, and taking Metformin, the next step was to see if my body could ovulate on its own with the changes I've made. The day before I got my results from my blood work I was super nauseous... It was no fun. But I didn't have time to get a sub so I went to work... Everyone asked if I was ok and I just mentioned I was a little blah. Instantly they'd ask if I was pregnant! It made me laugh... But then they got me thinking... Maybe I could be?! Maybe my body does kind of work! I tried to not get my hopes up too much. Well the next day I got the call from the doctor and my body does not ovulate... That's a bummer. I still took a pregnancy test to make sure and it came back negative.

I'm glad I know that my body needs more help and that we are continuing in the right direction to hopefully get pregnant, but at the same time it's still a little disappointing to find out that my body really doesn't work right on it's own.

Nathan has been so awesome through the whole thing. He's been supportive of my diet. Keeps telling me excitedly every night that are going to have a baby. He makes me smile and helps me not worry about what's wrong with my body. I love him! When I told him I was getting put on fertility medicine he responded with, "Here come the triplets!" ha ha Oh my...

Well that's all the updates for now.

I Have What?!

Written at the end of February 2015:

Nathan and I decided it was time to start a family and we were super excited about it! But I wondered how it would work out...

I was put on birth control in High School because my body stopped having a period. For real it just up and disappeared. Which was nice, but stressful at the same time. What was wrong with my body? I went to the doctor and they just put me on the pill and we called it good. However, in the back of my head I've always wondered if I would be able to get pregnant later in life.

Flash forward to present time. I go off the pill in October and... nothing... I'm not pregnant, but I'm not being visited by that wonderful monthly friend either. After three months I went in to my awesome doctor. We did some blood work, which came back normal. That's great and all, but doesn't help me any. Next, I do a not so fun ultrasound, and it comes back abnormal. I've never heard that word over my results from the doctor. I get called back in and we go over the ultrasound.

"You have PCOS.", the doctor tells me. What in the world is that?! "Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. You have a ring of cysts all around the inner lining of your ovary. You have quite of few. When it looks like this we call it a string of pearls." That doesn't sound good. 

This is an example of what mine looks like. All those black spots shouldn't be there....

Long story short, apparently sugar messes with my body. I've been put on a very low sugar, low carb diet. No more potatoes, breads, rice, sweets, and treats. I check with the Glycemic Index to see if what I eat is considered a low glycemic food, and I need lots of protein. Thankfully I can still eat fruit and dairy, but I do have to be careful of what I eat. Meal planning has gotten a lot more intense at our house. I'm also taking fancy medicine (Metformin) to help with my blood sugar, even though I'm not diabetic. It's weird.

When I first found out I had PCOS I honestly felt broken. Why doesn't my body work correctly? I'm healthy, and fit, and active! Why can't I easily get pregnant? The more I've researched it, and the more I've talked to friends and family, I've discovered I'm not alone. I'm surprised how many people I know that have PCOS, and they have cute little babies too. Being able to talk to, get food ideas, and motivation from them has been incredibly helpful.

I never thought I'd go so long without ice cream, a little sweet treat, or delicious Jimmy John's bread, but wanting to have a baby is super motivating. Guess we'll just have to wait and see how things go.

Fun in the Sun

Summer is always a blast, and we have been having a great summer so far! Lots of camping. Lots of triathlon training. Lots of fun all around.

Karl's Graduation:

My little brother graduated from high school this year. Oh man that's crazy and exciting. We're so proud of you Karl!

Ballard Family Camping Trip:

During Father's Day weekend we went camping with Nathan's family. We had a great time soaking up the sun, eating amazing food (Trent and Meg are camping cook experts!), and just enjoying nature.

Triathlon Training:

We've been biking, running, and swimming as much as possible these days. I definitely need to practice more swimming, but we are all getting super excited for the tri coming up.

Jenny Lake Hike:

We went on a day trip to the Tetons with our awesome friends, the Leavitts, to do the Jenny Lake Hike. It is a beautiful easy hike along a lake and up to Hidden Falls.

Rigby Days:

Went to Rigby Days for the first time in the 4 years we've lived up here. We partied with the Wetherells and Leavitts at Rigby Lake and enjoyed the fireworks at night. (The little island they set of the fireworks off from caught on fire... That was exciting! Also I failed at taking pictures this day...)

Grandma Kae's 90th:

Nathan's Grandma turned 90 years old this summer! We celebrated at the Brick Oven in Provo with family. I got to meet some of Nathan's dad's side that I had never met before.

Fourth of July:

It isn't the 4th of July unless we run the Firecracker 5k with the Leavitts. We enjoyed our race, the parade, jet skis at the lake, BBQ, and fireworks. It doesn't get any better than that! (Karly, Wade, and Ivy have not only become some of our best friends, but they are also our Idaho Family. Thanks for letting us tag along with all of your family on the 4th! PS cute little Ivy was loving on me all day. She is the cutest!)

Girls Camp:

I was camp director again this year. It's a lot harder being camp director for Ward Camp instead of Stake Camp. Last year I didn't feel like I had to do too much, just show up and have fun. This year I had to show up and have fun, but I also had to plan EVERYTHING! It turned out great though, even with the rain! And it was awesome having Nathan there too! We went with the whole Doctrine and Covenants 4:2 "Embark" Theme. My favorite part was probably the Faith Walk where we gave the girls charms for each symbol we talked about.

Wow, how's that for an update? :)

We Bought a.... JEEP!

Nathan has been dreaming of getting a Jeep for quite a while now, and we finally bought one back in April! To say we are in love with it would be an understatement. We are so excited and try to go off roading every chance we get. If you're wondering what we're up to this summer... We'll be camping and taking trails with our Jeep!

One thing that I love about Nathan is that he is a problem solver, and when he gets an idea he makes it happen. We have made a bed for the back of our Jeep. It is probably more comfy than our own bed... haha When we lay down the back seats the bed fills the entire back. Nathan bought a memory foam and cut it to fit perfectly in the Jeep. Then he created a pattern and had me sew a sheet for it. I thought he was a little crazy at first, but it turned out and we love it!

To make camping in our Jeep experience even better, Nathan made mosquito net screens that stick to the door with magnets to cover the open windows. We get to sleep in our comfy warm Jeep while enjoying the fresh, cool mountain air.

Nathan also installed a back up camera all on his own because it would be cheaper than having the dealership do it. He never ceases to amaze me! I'm sure I will be writing about more projects Nathan does on the Jeep in the near future.

My Daddy

So, my Dad turned 50 this year! So crazy... A couple of months ago (in April to be exact) we surprised him with Marie Calendar's Pies and then the next day took him to the Olive Garden for lunch. We had a great time just chilling as a family.

When we were down celebrating his birthday he pulled out his mission pictures from Germany that have just been sitting in a box. I told him I'd take them and do something with them. So for Father's Day I gave him a photo album with his pictures all organized and a digital copy of all of the pictures I scanned. It was really neat going through them, and then having him look through the book and talk about each picture.

I am so grateful for my Dad and all that he has taught me. Some of my favorite things we've done together or that I've learned from him are:

• SPORTS! (He taught me how to play basketball and baseball. I was his little Tom Boy!)
• Watching Jazz Games
• Cleaning (Yes, I am grateful he taught me how to be clean.) 
• Scripture Study (When I was little he would sit on the edge of my bed and read a couple of verses from the Book of Mormon every night. I really enjoyed those quick moments before bed.)
• Baptizing and Confirming Me
• Yelling in German thinking he was so funny
• Asking him to bless the food in German at family dinner
• Father's Blessings
• German Heritage
• Bike Rides
• Backstreet Boys Concert
• Watching his favorite, super long movies (aka Ben Hur-1959, The Great Escape, Sound of Music, Spartacus-1960)
• His silly dancing and hula hooping skills
• Teaching me the power of prayer
• Encouraging me to always do my best and practice
• A love of German food, lasagna, cheesecake, and ice cream
• Having swimming races
• Halo Tournaments
• Father, Daughter Dance at my Wedding

I could go on and on with many happy memories and lessons, but most of all my favorite thing about my Dad is how much he does for me and my family and how he loves us so much.

I love you Daddy!

Spring Break 2015: Disneyland

Nathan and I started talking about ideas of what to do for Spring Break this year, and basically Disneyland was at the top, middle, and end of our list. So, we went to Disneyland! We love that place so much. Maybe too much.... because we purchased a 5 day park hopper. It was a blast though!

We flew in to LA Friday night, got our rental car and some groceries, and went straight to bed. We woke up and went right to California Adventure to check out Car's Land. Its super cute and the Speed Racers ride was fun. We did most of the rides in California Adventure, but Tower of Terror was closed so we didn't stay too long. Nathan was devastated that the ride was closed. He checked the ride closures online before we bought our plane tickets to make sure it would be open too. Haha poor boy.

We headed over to Disneyland and hit up lots of fun rides over there as well. For being Spring Break, we were able to do basically everything in both parks on day 1. Besides the closed rides that is. We felt pretty accomplished.

By the way. We are crazy to go to Disneyland with... Our hotel was a mile and a half away from the gate and we walked there and back every day. Not to mention we are all about getting and using as many Fast Passes as possible so we would run between parks. We ended up walking/running 16.5 miles on day one.

Thankfully the next day was Sunday and we slowed things down a bit. We ate at one of our favorite places in California called, "Daphne's California Greek". Super good! Then we went to the Newport Temple and Manhattan Beach.

The next two days were packed with some more Disney fun. Rides galore, World of Color, and Tower of Terror opened back up! We may have gone on the ride 5 times the day that it opened. Nathan was so happy.

Wednesday was another beach day for us to recover from our Disney craziness. We went to the coolest beach called, "Leo Carrillo" up by Malibu. It has rocks, tide pools, sea caves, perfect sand... It was amazing! We also stopped at Santa Monica Pier on our way back to our hotel. Walking along the beach at sunset is one of the best things in the world.

When we got back to our hotel that night we discovered that we could see the Disney fireworks from our room. AWESOME!

Bet you can't guess what we did for the next two days of our trip.... That's right! DISNEYLAND!!! It's just so magical! We probably went on the Tower of Terror more than 20 times. I'm not even kidding. But we also enjoyed the shows. Fantasmic is always good, and Aladdin was fun. The Geenie was hilarious! Also, did you know that Disneyland does an Easter Egg Hunt?! It was way fun finding them around both parks. We also checked out Angels Stadium.

Our flight flew out in the late afternoon Saturday. Before we had to return our rental car we went and relaxed on the beach one last time. While there we found a beach cruiser rental place. We road bikes along the beach for an hour before we had to leave for the airport. It was seriously the most perfect way to end our amazing trip.