My Boise Life

Almost every day Nate comes home from work and asks me what I did that day. 

Most days it is difficult to remember if I did anything worth while.

I usually go on a jog/walk most mornings.

Then I watch the morning news and Live with Kelly.  Recently, I have been watching the Olympics.

The afternoons usually differ.  I might do a little cleaning, go to the grocery store, prepare dinner, sew, or watch more T.V.

I almost always take a nap around 3 or 4.

I must admit it seems most days I sit on the couch for 3/4 of the day.  It is pretty pathetic but then I have to remind myself (and Nate) that I am growing a baby inside of me and it is exhausting.

That's right, I'm Pregnant! 

I'm at the halfway point, 20 weeks!

Baby girl is due Dec. 26th but I am hoping she comes 2 weeks early.

I have had a pretty easy pregnancy.

I have never really experienced morning sickness.

If I felt sick it lasted at the most 10 minutes.

During my 1st trimester I had to remind myself I was pregnant because I usually felt the same as I did when I wasn't pregnant.  

The one thing that hit me was exhaustion.  

I have never slept so much in my life and still felt tried.

    Sleep has become my new best friend.  

My 2nd trimester has brought some changes. 

My ever changing body is a weird thing and I feel like it has been the thing I have struggled with the most.  The other day Nate was staring at my belly and said it is so weird.  I would agree.  It is pretty amazing what a woman's body can do but it is not always the easiest thing to live with, at least for me.

I have loved these past few weeks as I have felt my baby girl move.  Every week her movements are stronger.  She is a mover and she knows how to kick and punch already. (They are probably reflexes but they feel like a kick or a punch) 

It was fun to watch her during the ultrasound.  She was moving the whole time making it difficult to make sure everything was well but she looks to be a health baby and everything seems to be perfect!

I couldn't be happier about that! 

Here are some pics to show my progression as well as a few of baby girl.

                  Baby at 11 weeks @ 1st Dr. app.                                     12 weeks            

                                   15 weeks                                                         17 weeks

                                 18 weeks                                                            19 weeks

20 weeks

 My sweet babe.

 

This one is a little creepy. 

  

It's a Girl!

Here is to 20 more weeks!

Spring on the Palouse

Springtime in Moscow is beautiful. 

This is at the beginning of Spring when everything was beginning to turn green.

Morning run up the road from where we live.  I loved the clouds in this picture.

I go on walks with my friend, Chelsey, and her kids.  We always stop and see the animals.  This day they the gate was open and the ducks were walking all over the place.  We also get to see pigs, chickens, roosters, and horses.  Who needs a zoo when your neighbors up the street have animals?

The Arboretum on campus.  Our first time was 2 weeks ago.  So sad we didn't go sooner. I love this photo!

In the Arboretum.

I don't think these pictures do justice to how beautiful it really is right now in Moscow.

Everything is even greener since these pictures were taken.

I will miss the rolling green hills of the Palouse.

Spring Break

Spring Break was 2 months ago.

I am so behind.

I don't know if I will ever blog about something a few days after it occurs? 

Maybe someday...

For Spring Break we decided to go to Seattle.

Nate actually went to Seattle the week before for trial team.

He got to fly, stay in a $200 hotel and eat expensive food and didn't have to pay a cent.

Now that is the way to travel!

He was able to scope things out and then take me to the places he enjoyed the most.  

It was a nice trip but ended up costing way more than we thought it would.

Who knew that there would be a $30 parking fee per day at the hotel we got on Priceline.

We totally thought we were getting a good deal until we found that little piece of information out.

We saved some money by buying cereal and milk for breakfast and we brought sandwich stuff to make sandwiches for lunch. 

We also didn't spend money on the sites.  They are all expensive.  

We could have done a city pass but we were only interested in like 2 things so it wouldn't be worth it for us to do it.  

So we decided to see the things that were free.

We walked here every day.  I loved the fresh flowers and produce. I really wish I would have taken pictures. If we lived in Seattle I would expect fresh flower weekly.  They are so cheap.  Produce on the other hand not so cheap but looked amazing and I'm sure is delicious.

 

We drove by the Space Needle.  It looks old.

The one place we spent money at was a Thai Restaurant our friends told us about.  We loved it.  Nate loved the noodles.  They were really thin, thinner than angel hair.  The place was a little dirty.  We sat down and I looked on the top of the backs of our booth and the fabric was covered in dust.  That was a little sketchy but the food was top notch.

We enjoyed walking on the Piers.  I loved this view, looking back at the city.  There were some fun shops on the Pier.  Nate loved the Curiosity Shop.  They have two mummified humans.  Pretty weird but kind of cool at the same time.

Outside the Art Museum.

The famous gum wall.

Seattle has a lot of fun shops.  We enjoyed walking downtown and stopping at all the shops.  Nate had found a store called Watson Kennedy when he was in Seattle the week before.  He told me it reminded him of Anthropology, like the home decor section, so we went there and a lot of the stuff you would find at Anthropology.  We bought a book there about Washington, D.C. by M. Sasek. It gives all the facts about D.C. but in story form with great pictures.  The author has other books about Paris, New York and some other places.  Some day I would like to collect them all.

For a long time Nate has wanted to get a globe or a map of the world.  Seattle had a great map store so we bought a huge map.  It is pretty cool but I do not know where we are going to put it in our small apartment.  I read this blog called 71toes.  They have a huge map near their kitchen table.  The map is to help spark conversation about the world.  One day, I think it will go near our table so our children will talk about what is happening all over the world and know where it is happening.  I just love the idea!

Our trip home, from Seattle, was a nightmare.

It usually takes about 5 hours from Seattle to Moscow but it took us 9.

Outside of Seattle there is Snoqualmie pass.  Can you guess by the name what happened?

It snowed, big time. 

Just as we were supposed to go up the pass, cops were checking every car to see if they had chains or 4 wheel drive.  Well we didn't have either.  So we had to drive back 30 minutes to find chains.  Then we had to wait in line to get checked by the cops again.  We probably waited 11/2 hours.  Then when we were on pass we had to stop for avalanche warnings.  Once again we sat for 30 minutes.  The driving was slow going, too.  It wasn't sure we would ever make it home but we eventually did!

 

At the end of Spring Break, I went to Coeur d'Alene with some friends.  We stayed at a friends timeshare on the lake.  The view was amazing.  We stayed up until 4 talking, painting finger nails and eating.  The next day we woke up way too early to go shopping in Spokane.

The great friends I love here in Moscow.

 

We are moving in 10 days.  I cannot believe it is already time to pack our stuff up and move to Boise.  I think I am in a little denial because I tell myself we have lots of time left, but we don't.
I never thought I would be sad about leaving Moscow.  Well the truth is, I am not sad about leaving the city I am just sad about leaving the friends I have made.  I have enjoyed many a girls night, workouts, walks/runs, and movies all with great friends.

Noah's Big Weekend in Denver

This post is long over due. I have been meaning to blog about our trip to Colorado for over a month now but as you can see I haven't done it. Lets just face the facts, I am bad at blogging. Without further ado, here is our trip to Colorado.

Remember this cute little guy, Noah?

In February, the people that love Noah most headed to Colorado to celebrate him turning 6 months old. When most babies turn 6 months it is just one month older and another ordinary day for them.
For Noah, turning 6 months old meant his adoption would be finalized, he would receive a baby blessing and he could be sealed to his parents! His parents decided to do all three things in a weekend so family could be there for it all. That being said, Noah had a big weekend: on Friday his adoption was finalized, Saturday he was sealed and Sunday he was blessed. Noah was exceptionally good for the weekend (he has suffered from colic). Everyone, especially his parents, were grateful that he was happy, smiling, and enjoying the weekend!

I flew out to Denver a few days early to spend a couple extra days with Ryan, Rachel, Noah and my mom(who also flew in early). My mom and I stayed at Rachel's grandparent's (Jack and Elaine) house, who live a 1 mile away from her. It was so nice of them to offer part of their home to us. Elaine spoiled us with so many options for breakfast each morning. She is the cutest grandma and so fun. She is a tiny thing and she can eat whatever she wants. She says she loves it! Every morning she has a waffle with pure maple syrup. She was a doll.

On Thursday, the girls(+Noah) had a good time shopping, eating at the Cheesecake Factory, playing with Noah, feeding Noah, and making Noah laugh. Noah was a trouper and seemed to love shopping!

On Friday, Noah's adoption was finalized in court. We woke up early and headed to the courthouse, where Noah was officially adopted around 8:30.
Everything went really fast. The judge asked Ryan and Rachel each a question having to do with why they are great parents for Noah and how he has changed them. Then he approved the adoption and Noah was officially theirs!

Photo with the judge. The judge gave Noah the little bear.

Noah with his amazing parents. He is one lucky baby.

Rachel's sister, Sarah; Rachel's dad, Mike; Rachel; Ryan;
baby Noah; Mom and me outside the courthouse.

After the adoption, we went for breakfast where I had this amazing coconut Belgium waffle with topical syrup. It was like dessert but I didn't care because I was on vacation.
The rest of the day we hung out, went to the fabric store, I made dinner for my family who came in Friday night, spent time with Katie and Drew's families (Noah's birth parents), played with Noah, made a Noah tie, and just enjoyed being with family. I made my family Butter Tandoori Chicken with this recipe , that I got from a friend. It's an Indian dish and my family loved it. They raved about it said it tasted better than a restaurant. You should all try it out.

Saturday, was another big day for Noah. He was sealed on February 11, in the Denver Temple.
It was a special day. Noah looked adorable in all white. He also sported one of my ties! He might need to become my model for them.
Noah was a little fussy in the sealing room and was not too happy to have/try to put his hand on his parents for the sealing but it was a beautiful ceremony. A few tears were shed for this happy occasion.
After the sealing, family and friends celebrated outside the temple. A lot of pictures were taken to document this wonderful day. Noah was pretty chipper for the pictures even though it was freezing. He managed to get through it better than I did. From the pictures it looks like he was not dressed very warm but he was well layered under those cute clothes. Don't worry his mother was looking out for him.

Such a beautiful family! I love this picture.

All the family and friends who came to witness this special day.
Noah is really loved!

Nielson family

After the temple, we all headed to Olive Garden for late lunch/early dinner. We all enjoyed each others company. Later, we hung out at Rachel's dad's(Mike) house, played with Noah, and enjoyed some good laughs while playing the "celebrity" game.

The last day of our trip, Sunday, was also the day Noah was blessed by my brother Ryan. Noah sat very quietly in Ryan and the priesthood holder's arms. I was so impressed with how well he did. Noah is a pretty vocal baby and makes lots of noises but he sat very content, watching all the men around him. Ryan gave a beautiful blessing. Rachel wrote about it on her blog and she gave me permission to post it here.
Rachel says it so much better than I could ever so here it is:

He told him that the miraculous circumstances surrounding his birth had strengthened the faith of many people and that he will always be able to think of the selfless sacrifice of his birth parents as an example of Christ’s Atonement. He blessed him with health, happiness, and understanding. He told him that we love his energy and enthusiasm. He encouraged him to learn from his mother how to serve others (yeah, this was basically the sweetest thing ever--made me feel so good). He blessed him to feel his Heavenly Father's love and to remain close to Him throughout his life.

I thought it was beautiful. I especially loved how Ryan told him to learn from his mother. Rachel is the most service oriented, charitable person I know. She is always looking to help and serve others. She is always doing kind things for others. One thing I love is the cards she sends Whether to say hi, thank you, wish you a happy birthday or whatever it may be, she loves to write and send people cards.
She loves stationary and loves to shop for it.
I have been the recipient many times and it I love receiving them.
I really should learn a lesson or two from her about service.
Did you know she has a nonprofit organization? Click on the sidebar, "The Hogar del Nino Project," to learn more about it and help spread of the word. She is always looking for good volunteers.

Back to our trip in Colorado.
After church, we all went to Mike's house for lunch. He made his famous tortillas soup, along with cornbread and salad. It was delicious. I think we all over ate because it was so good. We also had yummy desserts.
Mike was a great host, offering beds and food to my brothers and sister-in-laws. He was a great host for the rest of the company who came to celebrate "Noah's weekend." He welcomed us into his home and made us feel like family (I feel like we practically are).

Blessing day!

We love Noah, and Callum (Noah's cousin).

Our trip to Denver seemed too short but it was a great weekend.
Thanks for the great weekend Rachel, Ryan, and Noah. We are so glad we were able to come for Noah's big weekend.
Noah, we love you and are so glad you are a part of our family!

On the Road

We have had a busy Christmas break and a lot of it has been on the road.
Nate finished school on the 15th, I finished teaching on the 16th, then we headed south to Poky on the 17th.
Moscow-Poky: 556 Miles.

The 1st week of Christmas break consisted of relaxing, sleeping in, spending time with family and grandparents, shopping, and preparing for Christmas day.
This week was needed since the week after Christmas would be spent on a road trip.

Christmas Eve was spent with the Nielson's.
Dinner consisted of ham and potato casserole with warm homemade rolls.
We then had a little program. We read Christmas stories and sang Christmas songs.

Christmas Day was split between the Nielson's and Cuoio's.
The morning was spent with the Nielson's.
We started the day off going to church.
We then indulged ourselves with pumpkin waffles.
Opening presents came next.

This year, I was surprised with the presents I received.
The past couple of years I have picked out most of my presents but this year I did not really know what I wanted so I left it up to my mom and Nate to find me things.

My first pair of toms

I cannot wait to use my new cast iron pot!
Nate had no ideas for presents either.
He received money...
and more money... He was excited!

The kids showing off clothes and my new boots.

Christmas afternoon was spent with the Cuoio's.
We enjoyed dinner and opening presents with the whole family.
We came away with money, clothes, a fun black and white camera and a photo/history book about the Cuoio family. No photos:(

Now for our long Road Trip.
Started in Pocatello and headed south for Las Vegas: 590 Miles.
We spent Monday Evening-Thursday Morning in Vegas with the Nate's parents, Andrew and Camille.
We enjoyed
the Australian Bee Gees.
the circus.
It was my first circus and I was very entertained.
Nate loved this guy. He did a routine with a whip.

the Cosmo.

walking the strip with the lights.


On Thursday Morning we headed to Sacramento to spend the weekend with the Nielson's.
Vegas to Sacramento: 559 Miles.
Thursday night we went to the Sacramento Kings vs. Chicago Bulls basketball game.
We watched Jimmer and Derrick Rose go head to head and Derrick totally won.

Before the game we watched the teams warm up.
Jimmer is going in.
Derrick Rose at the line.
He was really fast.
He was amazing to watch.
He made playing basketball look so easy.
Friday we went to Fairfield, CA.
Sacramento-Fairfield: 42.8 miles.
We spent the morning at the Jelly Bean Factory.
There are a lot of pictures made out of jelly beans. Did you know Jelly Beans became famous because of Ronald Reagan.

That afternoon we shopped.

In the evening we attended another wedding reception for Cole and Sara.
Nate was this happy to be thereAs the night went on, he cheered up.

Saturday we went to San Francisco.
Fairfield to San Fran and back: 94.8 Miles.
We started off at the Golden Gate Bridge.

Then Lombard Street
(the crookedest street in the world)

We then headed to Fishermans' Wharf for some clam chowder and shrimp.
Pier 39 was next.
Alcatraz not too far from Pier 39
Our last stop of the day was Union Square to look around and shop.
They had a Macy's in two buildings with 6 stories each.
All the merchandise was overwhelming.
How does someone choose what to buy when there is so much to choose from?

Union Square has some interesting people.
Actually San Fran has a lot of interesting people.
They dress up to make money.
Angel dude.
That evening we headed back to Fairfield to ring in the New Year at Sara's house.
We ate good food, Nate played b-ball and noodle hockey, and I did some dancing before midnight struck.

Nate bought these lovely glasses in Vegas to help ring in the New Year.
They were a hit.

On Sunday we hit the road back to Poky.
Fairfield- Poky: 740 Miles.

In a few days we will make our way back north to Moscow.
Poky to Moscow: 556

At the end of our Christmas break we will have traveled 3,138.6 miles + all the miles driving in the cities.

There was a lot of time spent on the road this Christmas but we have enjoyed spending time with both families.
Once we get back to Moscow we will hibernate from driving long distances for the semester.