Oh, hi!

Ok, well, it's been a long while since I've posted.  But what I really wanted to write about, I couldn't yet.  But now I can.  Yay!  So here's an update on us...

Steven is all done for the semester!  Woo Hoo!  (And how many more years to go?  You can do it hon!)   He passed his last test a few weeks ago, and now he's just studying a little to get a jump start on the classes he'll be doing starting in January.

I am almost done with this semester.  I have two weeks left of classes, and then finals week.  I am SO ready for that.  We were lucked out and got tickets to see the Mormon Tabernacle Christmas Concert on the Saturday after finals week, so I am also SO excited for that (maybe mostly because it will mean I get a vacation from school!)

I think that the last time I posted was around my birthday.  Well, I got a present that I didn't tell anyone about.  I found out that my lifelong dream of becoming a mom is going to be a reality!  I found out on September 20th that I'm pregnant, and I'm due on May 28th (which is the day after Steven's birthday).  So basically, it's a birthday present to both of us!  We are so excited, and since I'm moving into week 14, I'm starting to feel good without the magical (and I mean magical) concoction of half a unisom and 25 mg of a B6 vitamin.  That stuff has gotten me through this semester with my grades intact.  We got to see our little Sea-Monkey (nickname courtesy of my funny sister on a mission) on October 22, and our baby must have known we were watching and waved to us.  :-)  While seeing that little bean on the screen was cool, I think hearing the heartbeat was the most awesome.  We got to hear it again just a week ago.  I am not really showing yet, so the heartbeat just makes it seem so much more real.  (That, and the fact that my jeans are feeling just a little too tight lately).

We started spreading our excitement the Sunday before Thanksgiving when we told Steven's mom.  Wednesday and Thursday we took joy in telling the rest of our family members.  My siblings are so super excited.  This is the first baby on my side, so we have brand new Grandma, Grandpa, aunts and uncles-- all of which are EXTREMELY excited... and some are telling our baby which gender to be (boys are saying boy and girls are saying girl... go figure).  I told them that the gender (whichever it is) is not going to change no matter how much they want it to.  Me?  I just want a healthy baby (and please one that doesn't come too early... I have graduation!).  I learned my lesson on posting wishes here and then here.  So that's all I'm saying about that.

We are excited and possibly a little nervous, but mostly we are just excited to become parents!

Fall! I love Fall!

Because of the colors!  And, of course, my BIRTHDAY!

This year, we went to the Zoo for my birthday, with my cousin and his wife.  We had fun!

 I love the new Rocky Shores Exhibit.  But I really wanted the polar bear to get in  the water, not just drink it...

 Us with Matt and Jenica by the Elephant encounter.

And we stopped in Sardine Canyon to take a picture on our way home!  BEAUTIFUL colors!

South of the Boarder Skillet

I found this recipe via Pinterest, and we had it for dinner last night.  This is SO good, and it's pretty cheap to make.

 

                            Cook the rice                                     Saute onions in cooking oil

Add the spices (cumin, garlic powder, chili powder, and salt) and cook for about a minute

  Remove from heat.  Add the kidney beans, eggs, milk, rice, and cheese; mix (I added cheese on top too)

 Bake it (either in a cast iron skillet, or just a regular baking dish) in the oven at 350 for about 25 minutes (until the center is set).  Eat it with salsa and sour cream.

*I think this would be good with some ground hamburger, or shredded chicken in it as well, if you want to add a little meat.

That's it for now, I just wanted to share this delicious meal we had!

So-long Summer!

Well, we had an awesome summer, here's a recap.

My Lil’ Sis got a mission call (she's going to Zambia... that's in Africa, in case you didn't know) and she came to Logan to go through the temple.  I was TOTALLY ok with this since we live about 3 minutes from the temple.  No traveling!  

We had a great time!  After the temple, we went to the Center Street Grill, where my 81 year old grandma shot her straw wrapper at me from across the table.  I guess I should set a better example.

We hiked to the Wind Caves!

We gave blood for our stake's blood drive.  This probably wouldn't have made the recap... except, well... (here's your gore warning- if you don't do blood scroll past the pictures quickly... the story will follow)

So, when we went to donate, Steven got done a couple minutes before me and walked over to the snack table.  By the time he sat down, I was done and had my snack.  Almost as soon as I sat next to him, he said he was getting light headed, and then he tipped over; first onto me, and then onto the floor face first.  His glasses somehow survived the fall, but in the process they sliced his eyebrow. 

The first picture is the patch-job the red cross people put on it so it wouldn't make a mess on our way to the InstaCare.  When we got there, they took off the tape, cleaned it up and numbed it.  The doctor asked me if I had pulled it open to see how deep it was... and since I hadn't, she did it for me so I could snap it.  Then she stitched it up.  The last few photos are the 2 days after the stitches went in.

They told us to come back in 5 days to get the stitches removed... but we were going to be in Oregon in 5 days, so she gave me a kit that had scissors and tweezers in it so I could take them out.  (I have no pictures of that happening... sorry)

That brings us to the next thing we did... OREGON!

Temple!  This one is so beautiful!

Beach!

Japanese boat dock

We think this was jellyfish... they were all over the beaches.

Beach sunset on our last night

This much needed vacation was a blast.  :)

Right after we got back from Oregon, we went to Manti.  I only got a picture in front of Temple, but we also went to the pageant the night before. 

We went to Bear Lake- my favorite place, I wish we could go more often.

On the 4th of July, we went to Hyrum and watched the Fireworks.

Sparklers!  Lovin' the patriotic holidays!

I went to a parade and saw these guys...

Since my sister is going on a mission, my mom took her on a trip to see some temples, and I went with.  This is outside the Twin Falls Temple.

 This Shoshone Falls (Can't go to Twin Falls without seeing this...)

This is the Colombia River Temple, we also saw Rexburg, Idaho Falls, Seattle, Portland, Medford, and Reno.  It was a long, exhausting, fun trip :)

And I drove the car through a redwood tree!

My cousin got married in the Oquirrh Mountain Temple, and we went to the copper mine between the lunch and the reception.

Welp, that's the summer!  It was a good one, and now school is in full swing.  First week and I already had 2 papers due yesterday.  But it's alright cause it's my last year.  Bring it on.