25 weeks

Well, I'm 26 weeks pregnant now, but these pictures were taken at 25 weeks :)

Which one of us has the bigger belly? Rob tends to get these "food baby's" after he eats too much, but I am glad to say that at 25 weeks my belly is bigger than his. Things are going great, and the pregnancy is still going smoothly! Only three more months to go til we meet the little one and we are so excited!

Minnesota Makings

I am one of the luckiest girls in the world. You're expecting me to say it's b/c of my husband, right? Well, even though that's true, that's not it. I'm one of the luckiest girls in the world b/c I have the best sisters in the world!

This past week I was, by a miracle, able to go visit my sister, Erin, and her family in Minnesota. They've lived there for way too long, and we aren't able to get together near enough! It was so much fun to be able to escape life and join someone else's. She has the cutest kids that keep her busy, but they are so fun! Even amidst the busyness of her kids we were able to do some fun things! Erin is very crafty, and has made some extremely cute things for her little girl, and that's what I wanted to do while I was there. I was completely happy with staying home and making fun things for Brynlee who will be a part of our family in May!

These are homemade baby leggings! We did three different finishings on the bottom- ruffle, cuff, and whip stitch. They are super easy too! And made out of women's knee high socks. My favorite is the ruffle finish.

I'm so excited to put flowers, headbands, and bows in Brynlee's hair! These are the flowers we made.
This was the most time consuming project, but my favorite! A baby tutu, and a flower for her headband. I'm going to borrow Erin's idea, and Brynlee is going to take a few of her newborn pictures in her cute new tutu :) Britta's, Erin's little girl, pictures turned out sooo cute, that I wanted to make one too!
So as you can see, we were busy. Not only did she send me home with these fun things, she sent me home with a whole duffle bag of baby clothes and other baby necessities! I sure got spoiled while I was there.

We also whipped up some yummy food! Pizza puffs, strawberry and chocolate nachos on cinnamon and sugar tortilla chips, and homemade salsa. Mmm Mmm :)

I wish I had pictures of MN, but I forgot my camera. Even more than that, I wish I took pictures of her kids! They grow up a lot in between visits. Thanks so much Erin for such a WONDERFUL visit!

Catching up and Wrapping up 2011

A new year comes to a close once again, and what a year it has been! We have reached 2 great milestones in our lives this past year.

We got married in the Draper Temple on February 17, 2011 :) What a great day it was!

How does that song go? "First comes love, then comes marriage..." Oh yes! "...Then comes a baby in the baby carriage!" Yes, we also got pregnant in 2011. We are expecting a girl on May 17, 2012. And according to her ultrasound pictures, we are expecting her to arrive with a cute button nose :)

We were a little worried at first that she was going to be a fiesty one, and perhaps a rebel due to the fact that we can only see "the finger" in this picture. But as we looked closer, she is holding up two of her fingers, but the angle darkens out the other. Phew!

We are so excited to meet her! And also excited to be parents even though we have moments of panic. I think that's normal...

Well, our holiday season has been a busy one! I finished my internship at a retirement and assisted living home the beginning of December, and now I am officially a BYU graduate! Woo Woo! It feels so good to be done and look back on all the hard work it took to get here. I LOVED BYU, and I'm glad to be moving on to be a Mom. Rob just finished his first year at the Y and is loving it. He's currently studying exercise science, but is getting ready to change to the athletic training program to prepare him for med school, PA school, or possibly teaching seminary. He works so hard for us through school, work, and helping around the house that words can't say how grateful I am for him! Our first year of marriage has been one full of love, genuine happiness, learning new things, stressful moments, communication, and new adventures!

Here are some holiday pictures from our first Christmas as a family :)

I am proud to say I made these stockings for our first Christmas this year! I was going to make a third for our baby for next year, but wasn't 100% sure what name to put on it. We have found a few names we really like, but I keep coming back to the name I have loved since we got married... I'm feeling more and more sure she's going to be Brynlee because I try to like other names just as much but can't, but I don't want to commit to one name quite yet! Anyway, she'll have a matching stocking to go with ours next year.

Christmas morning in our quiet, little apartment. I'm glad we slept at home and had our own morning. Afterwards we got ready and headed up to be with family for the rest of the weekend.

We've decided to try the pj tradition. So these are our Christmas Eve pj's. We'll see if this becomes a tradition over the years or not. We enjoyed it this year!

The St. George Temple Christmas lights. They don't compare to SL, but they were very very impressive, and colorful! We had fun visiting "warmer" St. George in December.

A close up view of our tree. Lent to us by my Aunt Mary (who's basement we live in).

This year has been a great year full of new experiences and lessons learned! We've gained a lot of new family and started one of our own. We're looking forward to this next year's events including:

1. Baby Girl Draper due May 17

2. Our one year anniversary on Feb. 17

3. A trip out to MN to visit Erin and Jared (sister)

4. Sister Lindsey Draper coming home from the Oklahoma City mission in September

5. Turning one year older and wiser too

6. Experiencing our firsts of everything with a new baby, and learning how to be parents!

Hope you had a great holiday, and have a great New Year!

Halloween

We are still getting use to this whole "Building Family Traditions" thing since we've been married. Halloween is really the first big holiday, other than Easter, that we've had as a married couple. With being pregnant, our activities are very unpredictable, and thus played a role in the things we did for Halloween. But we still had fun!

Sorry we don't have any pictures to share... we are horrible at documenting events by photo. But we did the following things:

1. 2 Halloween parties with old people at my internship- which is always full of surprises and fun!

2. Costume party with some EFY friends that included Halloween Bingo, games, and yummy caramel apples!

3. Decorating sugar cookies

4. Annual Halloween party with old roommates and their husbands

5. Rob dressed as a nerd and I dressed in a pregnant Halloween shirt. Next year we're going to do a family theme. Can't wait to be able to have a little baby to dress up!

All in all, we had a great holiday!

The Autumn Mood Swings

Being pregnant is a whole new life to me. Though I haven't been too sick, thank goodness, I have been having so many conflicting emotions and they change so rapidly! Fall is my absolute most favorite season of them all :) I love the changing colors of the leaves, being able to look at the colorful mountains every day, the occasional rainy days, wearing sweats after work, snuggling up in a blanket and reading a good book, the Autumn smells, cooking soups, making pumpkin chocolate chip anything... you get my point.

Unfortunately I feel like I can't fully enjoy my favorite time of year due to these emotional swings I've been having. On days it's rainy I wish it was sunny. On days it's sunny and warm I want it to rain! I never want to cook anything like those yummy soups and pumpkin treats, but when I do get the energy and desire to do it, I realize I'm missing one or two ingredients! I borrow a new book to read, but then I just feel like sitting in front of the T.V. The leaves start turning colors and it snows in the mountains covering half of them up. Complaint after complaint. This is no way to live! I'm going to ruin the best season of all :(

So on the upside, these are a few things that I have been able to enjoy so far regardless of mood swings, and other circumstances:

1. We got to go up the canyon and play games on Sunday and be surrounded by all the beautiful Fall colors

2. I have finished two books in under two weeks regardless of times of laziness and fatigue

3. Anytime I'm not feeling good, or I'm feeling like being a bum on the couch, I get to snuggle in that warm, fuzzy blanket I enjoy so much

4. I was given some cute decorations from Mom, and made some myself. We have a Halloween and Autumn decorated apartment to help keep me in the mood for Fall.

5. I have a wonderful husband who will make me a treat I want if I'm not in the mood to make it myself.

6. Halloween is coming up quickly, and I am getting a pregnant halloween shirt to wear :)

So it hasn't turned out horrible yet. I just wish I could push the pregnancy hormones aside and enjoy every single minute of Fall and Halloween that I usually do! On the other hand... I love being pregnant. I haven't felt movement inside me, or gotten fatter yet, but I am beginning to understand the love a Mother has for her child, even when they are giving her a headache and stomach ache ;) I love my little embryo! And I love Autumn time :)

I'm Gonna Be a Mommy!

I know there aren't very many people who read my blog, but I guess I do it as kind of another type of journal for myself and Rob... and our new family of 3! Yes, that's right... I'm gonna be a Mommy :) Am I ready? No. Did I expect it to happen soon, or even plan on it happening soon? No. Am I nervous beyond all reason? Yes. Am I thrilled and excited? Yes!!!

We went to our first official Doctor visit this week and I'm 8 1/2 weeks along. Just one more month and the morning sickness will be gone... or so I hope. We're due May 18, 2012. It seems like so far away, but I can't wait. I've had days of sickness, fear, excitement and when it all comes down to it I can't wait for that day to come.

So we're excited and getting use to the idea of it all :)

The Luckiest Girl Alive... and Do You Know Why?...

I'm the luckiest girl alive! Do you know why? I have the best Mom and sisters in the entire world- hands down. If you have sisters then I hope you know the kind of bond I'm talking about. It's indescribable, but it's the best bond a girl could ask for. If you don't have sisters, I hope you have great sister in-laws, or best friends who are like sisters. Well, I'm the youngest of 7. I have 4 incredible sisters, and a sister in law who is just another sister in my eyes. I am constantly amazed at their abilities and talents. They are all Moms and the definition of a super mom! Including my own Mom. As I prepare to be a Mom someday I hope to emulate even a little bit of what my Mom and sisters do. I hope to be just a small part of what they are!

And here are a few things that I look up to each of them for...

Mom: I can't say enough. I am fortunate enough to have grown up in a home where Mom was always around. She was always waiting for me when I got home from school. Being a homemaker and Mother is the greatest gift my Mom could have ever given me b/c she gave me her time and love. She is patient, compassionate, understanding, a great listener, gives great advice, selfless, creative, organized, spiritual, actively involved in her kids lives, sacrifices her time and talents, and has the Mother's touch. She was the one who could fix any hurt I was feeling and comfort me through any trial. I love her more than I can ever express!

Carrie: What an amazing woman! She always has a smile on her face and a positive attitude. She is always looking for fun things to do with her kids and loves spending time with them. She is the first person to care if one of her kids is sad or hurt. I've never met a more caring and sincere woman. I hope to have the same compassion for my kids that she shows for her own. And I hope to always have a smile on my face like she does :)

Kristen: She has always been a great example to me! She comes up with the most creative things to do with her kids even if it's just as simple as a reward system for doing things around the house. She knows how to take time out of her busy day and play with her children and enjoy them. She seems to always have things under control and it's so much fun to go visit her and see how she does it, even though I still don't know how she does! Her children come first and I have seen first hand the amount of time and effort she invests in her family. I hope to be able to remember that it's the small moments and spending quality time with your family that is important. She's always got family dinner ready and family mealtime is important. I hope to always be able to do the same with my family!

Laurel: Laurel is the perfect example of someone who sacrifices anything she can for her family. She is a busy person, but is always wanting the best for her kids. She makes an effort to take her kids fun places and make sure they're enjoying life. She laughs with them and enjoys the fun things they say and do. I can tell how much she loves her family by the way and how much she talks about them. I hope to be a fun Mom like Laurel and take my kids fun places. I hope to think of my kids first and foremost before my own needs like she does!

Erin: Erin is one of the funnest people I know, and that didn't change when she had kids. Two kids within less than a year apart? Most people would be so stressed, but she is a great example of someone who lives life to the fullest and has fun with her kids! We live far away from each other, but from stories, phone calls, visits, and pictures, I see how much she enjoys her kids! She dances with them, sings with them, takes time to sit down and play with them, and documents everything they do! I admire how she documents their growth and development. I hope to always be a fun mom and remember to be a little crazy at times!

Andria: Though she doesn't have kids yet, I know what kind of Mom she will be b/c of the kind of person she was. She was always the one I would go to when I was sad, lonely, wanted to play, or simply wanted to spend time with someone. She never got upset with me or turned me away. She invited me into everything and took me fun places. She loved everyone and did anything she could to make someone else a little happier. She was a positive and happy person who knew what it meant to be filled with charity. I can't wait to her cute family and her kids someday!

As you can see, my family is amazing! I can't wait to be a Mom, and I hope to be even just a little bit of what my Mom and sisters are. I love them with all my heart and look up to them in everything they do :)