Sunday, December 16, 2012

Reflecting

One year ago today, I was in the hospital for a D & C after finding about having a miscarriage. I've been thinking about my whole miscarriage experience and comparing it to what is happening in my life right now. I am three weeks away from my due date and bringing a little man into this world.

The other night I spent the evening making a crib skirt and decorating a nursery, when a year prior I had been laying on the couch trying to force myself to eat. Though the two experiences were polar opposite, and in spite of my extreme sadness and worry I still felt blessed last year and continue to feel so blessed and excited for the change about to come into my life.

I tried not to ask myself the question "Why me?" last year but it happened, and while I still don't know 'why' or if there really is a 'why', I feel like I've learned a lot about myself and my relationship with Steve and my Heavenly Father because of that trial. For that I am truly grateful to have had an experience that brings me closer to where I need to be. In many ways, I feel so grateful that I had to experience the pain and sorrow of a miscarriage so I could fully appreciate the happiness, anticipation, and excitement of being pregnant.

I really can't believe that my life could change any day now, I'm trying to get the finishing touches going on the nursery and I need to pack a hospital bag, and wash all of the little baby clothes etc. What I'm really trying to focus on is enjoying these last days/weeks I have with just me and Steve because I know it will never be quite the same after we bring our little guy home.

Wish me luck- I might be a mom by the time I get around to writing another post :)

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

September and October



We had an incredibly busy couple of months in September and October. We were lucky enough to visit family all over the place, move homes and start getting ready for this baby. We enjoyed every second of being with family and now are really starting to anticipate the arrival of our little man. 

We kicked off the Fall season with a visit from the Hale family over Labor Day weekend. Mike and Erin's new baby, Sarah, got blessed that weekend so Annie and Joey and Brent and Sandra came into town to celebrate with us. 



The 22 week bump


We spent a whole lot of time feeding lettuce to the giraffes at the zoo... 


And did lots of snuggling with this adorable little girl

Check out Abbie's face. Classic. 


At the end of September we moved! After 5 years of marriage we got our first non-apartment home!!!! We were hoping to rent or buy a house but the timing just wasn't quite right. We rented a slightly larger townhome with a two car attached garage- definitely a step up from our last place. This place is tall and skinny so we have lots and lots of stairs. It took some getting used to but now that we're used to it, it's not so bad. Its helping me get some exercise :)

A view of the new living room...

Kitchen- This one has more cupboards than we've ever had before! Woot woot! 

We took a drive into the mountains one Sunday to get a peek at the fall colors. It looked like we were about one week too late but still got to see some of the brilliant gold aspens against the deep green of the pine trees. 





The 26 week belly... 

One week after moving we took off to Utah to see BYU beat Utah State in a football game. It was also general conference weekend so we hung out with family and got in a leaf peeping trip up the Alpine loop and took part in the Annual Hale Family Leaf Peeping Photo Shoot. The colors were phenomenal and we so enjoyed listening to conference talks as we drove through the mountains. 
The 27 week belly... 







Our next stop was to Arizona. We had a whirlwind trip there that included an awesome baby shower given by my momma and cousin. I got showered with lovely gifts from family and got to hang out with my Mom and Dad and Megan! Unfortunately, we were sooo busy playing numerous games of dominoes, eating good food, and chatting that we didn't take too many pictures but snapped a few shots just before we got in the car to go to the airport. I LOVE my family, I really miss living two hours away and getting to see them pretty much every month. 


This is the 29 week belly...

Three days after we got home from Arizona, we hopped on another plan to Atlanta Georgia. Steve's sister and brother in law moved there last December and we have been looking for an excuse to get out there. When we found out that BYU played Georgia Tech this season, we decided that would be the perfect time. All of the Hale's minus Annie and Joey were there. We visited a Civil War battlefield, saw a football game, got some authentic Georgia BBQ and played lots cards. Laura and Jordan also happen to live around the corner from their cousins so we got to see some extended Hale family as well! It was a whirlwind of a weekend. The best part of the weekend was a Lucy story....

Steve and I stayed in Lucy's room so the first morning we were there, she came in and she and I played together while Steve was in the shower. A little later I had left the room and Steve was in there. Lucy came out had this casual conversation with Laura...

Lucy: "Hey Mom, who's that boy in my room?" 
Laura: "What boy?"
Lucy: "You know, Kalli's friend."
Laura: "You mean Uncle Steve?"
Lucy: casually- "Oh yeah. Uncle Steve."

Steve didn't like that he was forgotten so he worked extra hard to get Lucy to love him :) The fastest way to her heart is through reading her a book... Steve did lots of that to win her back. 







The Hale clan at the battlefield. It is the one "mountain" in Atlanta. It was a beautiful fall day and so cool to see this historic sight. This is the 30 week belly :)