35 weeks and almost there!

Can't believe I'm already 35 weeks pregnant! In many ways, this pregnancy has flown by despite the periods of nausea, etc. I'm in the last stretch here and can't wait for little baby Isaac Emmanuel to come! We're getting anxious, especially me, for our new little one to make his way here but more importantly want things to continue going well during the last month before his arrival. We've been so fortunate to have had things go so smoothly throughout the pregnancy. The baby shows to be healthy and I haven't had too many problems with anything out of the ordinary. My back pain is progressively getting worse but that isn't too much to complain about, is it?! Also, it's been amazing to look back and see how we've been able to make everything possible for this little baby to come financially, emotionally, etc. The Lord has blessed us so much and with those blessings, everything has seemed to have fallen into place quite well and always at the time we need it.
I had a great birthday on the 21st as well. Can't believe I'm a quarter of a century! It's funny to think about this age when I still feel like I'm 19 years old. Manuel took me out to breakfast at Kneader's for my favorite french toast and then I spent most of the day shopping in Salt Lake with my sister. It was fun to go just the two of us since I don't even think I can remember the last time that happened. It will probably be a while before it happens again too! Jordan bought me lunch and I got myself a new winter coat. I won't be able to zip it up until after the baby's born but it fits everywhere else and I love it! Then in the evening, Manuel and I went to a special buffet at his aunt and uncle's new Peruvian restaurant called "Las Tinajas". It was delish. We planned on going to see "Julie & Julia" at the dollar theater after but my labor pains got the best of me and we decided to go home after we ate so I could lay down. Overall, it was a really fun day.
I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving this week and am really excited to make all of the yummy dishes I'm planning out in my mind. Manuel has already requested funeral potatoes and I'll also be making the rolls, cranberry sauce, some type of veggie dish, pie, and who knows what else will pop into my head before the big day. We'll see what actually gets made...not sure if I can stand on my feet that long in the kitchen at this point in the pregnancy!
Manuel will be applying to pharmacy schools this week and is also finishing up his independent study classes tomorrow with two finals. Hopefully that'll take some of the stress and pressure off he's been feeling this semester since he'll only have two classes to focus on after this until the end of the semester. We're excited for the holidays coming up and even more excited for our little Isaac. Hope everyone is doing well and love to all our friends and family!

7 months and loving autumn!

Can I just say how much I love fall? It is my favorite time of year (besides Christmas) with the cool, crisp weather, the beautiful fall colors and always looking forward to another holiday. I think besides the 4th of July, all of my favorite holidays (Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas) all come this time of year. It is fun to have my growing family and be able to establish my own traditions. Homecoming Spectacular has become a tradition for me and my husband since it was our first date. Although we may not be at BYU or living in Provo forever, we love taking advantage of October when it comes and going to see the show where we first began our relationship. Pumpkin carving comes next, which we have also done every year since we first started dating. I'm thinking that this year I might look more like a pumpkin myself than the one I will be carving! I also love having my birthday in the fall. To me, it feels like Christmas and I love it. Can't wait to have a Harry Potter weekend, which my husband and I like to do from time to time where we watch all the Harry Potter movies in one weekend. It helps us get into the season and get excited for Halloween. And Thanksgiving should be fun this year too. I'm already starting to plan out in my mind what I want to make. I love cooking and especially baking and have already embarked on my fall recipes. The first cold day we had in October I made my pumpkin soup and I have already stocked up on walnuts and almonds for the rest of my winter baking. As for the pregnancy, I am now 29 weeks along, which means I'm getting closer! Time has flown by but I have definitely been enjoying pregnancy and feeling all the fun kicks my baby boy gives me every day. It's amazing to think about all the processes taking place in preparation of bringing a child into the world. Some things definitely make me nervous but it's such a wonderful opportunity to experience something so great and knowing that I'm doing it all for another human being. I've been cleaning like crazy around the house and feel like I've finally gotten on top of the laundry (it's neverending). I love getting everything prepared for our little boy and trying to make our home a happy and healthy place. I've signed up for a lamaze class at the hospital where I'll be giving birth and can't wait to start. It begins on the 28th and will hopefully help me develop some good breathing and relaxation techniques for labor. So far, it's been an amazing journey and I am excited for our little boy to be in our home. 'Til then, I'll keep updating our fall activities and tracking my pregnancy. Love to all of our family and friends!

6 months and counting!

Well, I am now 6 months pregnant and can't believe how time has flown by! In just 3 short months our little baby boy will be here in our arms! We are so excited and anxiously getting ready for him to be here. There is still so much to do! Over the weekend, we cleaned and cleared out the other room we've been storing stuff in to make room for our baby boy. We put the crib together and I bought some cute bedding on Saturday that I liked. As far as the pregnancy, things are going pretty well right now. I haven't gained too much weight which I worried about from the beginning but pregnancy hasn't exactly been anything I ever expected either. A lot of changes, that's for sure and things I've never experienced...like heartburn. That's what I've been getting a lot of lately. Other than that, I've been back to a pretty typical appetite and have had a lot more energy. I haven't been taking any 3-hour naps lately and I can stay up past 10:00 pm now! There's just so much I want to get done every day that I'm glad I've had the energy for it. Labor Day weekend Manuel and I went to Las Vegas for a sort of last "hoorah" to celebrate our 2nd anniversary which was August 23rd. We knew we wouldn't get an opportunity like that for a while after the baby comes since we'll definitely have our hands full and our finances tightened! We had a blast and loved being together just the two of us. I love our little trips just the two of us. :) I was hoping that maybe we'd be able to go somewhere nice for my birthday for a few days in November but considering that I'll be 8 months pregnant and it will be cold, we'll most likely be staying right where we are which is alright with me. I love being inside where it's cozy and warm in the middle of winter. Well, I've posted some pictures here from our Vegas trip and what I look like at 6 months. Hope to post more soon, especially with holidays and birthdays coming up this fall--it should be pretty eventful. Can't wait for our fall traditions like pumpkin carving and hay rides! And I can't wait to get baking! Love to all our family and friends...

IT'S A BOY!!!

Manti Pageant, Camping, & the 4th of July

So, just thought we'd catch up with some pictures of the Manti pageant, our most recent camping trip and some time we spent on the 4th of July (also my sister's birthday). Manti was a fun little trip we made to go see the Mormon Miracle Pageant which was our first time there. The drive was stormy and we didn't think the weather would hold out for the show but we got lucky and the clouds disappeared just before it started. The temple was beautiful and we enjoyed a barbecue turkey & potatoes dinner from the local stake before we made our way over to claim seats. It was an awesome performance.


We had a ton of fun camping up in Hobble Creek Canyon and of course I made foiled dinners! I mean, what's camping without foiled dinners and s'mores?! We set up our tent along the creek which made it kind of colder at night, but it was still nice. Here's some pics from our campout...











Last but not least, the 4th of July was a lot of fun. We went to get some breakfast in the morning at Macey's and decided to stop by the parade. We still had our camping chairs in the trunk of the car so we went and watched the parade for about an hour. Then, we started getting ready to go over to my sister's for a 4th of July barbecue and to celebrate her birthday. I made my mac 'n' cheese and there was a ton of good food from everyone. I think we found the funnest part to be watching the nieces and nephews playing in a mound of dirt for about 2 hours. It was so entertaining. Fireworks were fun and Nathan's face was the cutest when he got all excited about them. Here's some pics:




I hope that covers what we've done so far this summer! We are flying out to Oregon in about a week and a half which we're so excited about. My mom has rented a beach house for a few days and I'm just excited to be in Oregon and relax for a while. We'll definitely post pictures when we get back. It will be fun to be all together with my parents, my sister and her family. Pregnancy update: I'm 17 weeks along now, time is flying by and I'm so excited to get back from our trip to Oregon to find out what the baby will be. Boy or girl, we'll be totally happy with either! I'm finally getting over my morning sickness but have been super tired. I can't believe I can take 3-hour naps in the middle of the afternoon! We send all our love to our family and friends and we'll be in touch soon!

We're having a baby!

As most of you already probably know, we are expecting our first baby! We are really excited about it and I'm almost 13 weeks along now. Due date is December 27th which means we will be having a beautiful Christmas bundle! So far, the morning sickness has probably been the worst part so I'm anxiously waiting for it to wear off--hopefully soon. We can't wait to find out what it will be and have already been thinking of names for both a boy and a girl. We will update you with our final decision later down the road. Other exciting news--we've finally submitted Manuel's residency papers and so far the process is going pretty quickly. He already has his appointment for biometrics (fingerprints) and then we'll likely have our interview before the end of the year. Manuel is also starting a new job doing cancer research in a lab on BYU campus. He's really excited about it, as am I. It should be really good for his experience towards pharmacy school. We have certainly been extremely blessed and are especially excited about our baby on the way. We'll definitely keep updates on how the pregnancy is going and any other future news. Love to all our friends and family!

Between conference sessions...

Well, Manuel and I went to the park between conference sessions today (since we live a block away from it) and had a little picnic to enjoy the sun and wish for spring to come faster! Here are a couple of pictures so you can see my new bangs. Still getting used to them and need to learn how to do them better :)