Still no baby . . .

My mom flew out last Tuesday, the 12, in anticipation of helping with the arrival of the baby any day . . . . now over a week later, still no sign of baby but it has been so fun to spend time with her. We've made toffee, cookies, caramel popcorn, bread, granola, and lots of yummy meals together. We've gone shopping and taken Mason to museums and the zoo, and David and I have been going on a date almost every day! It's been GREAT!

I have also been able to get a lot of last-minute things done, like finishing my Personal Progress as a YW leader in my ward, and finishing reading 50 books to complete my 2011 New Year's Resolution (this was a LOT better resolution than my one in 2007 to not eat desserts. Blah--never again!).
Here's my top 12 (I had a hard time narrowing to 10)--I read a LOT of great books but these I just want everybody to read if you need something to pick up because they are SOOO GOOD:

The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak (un-put-down-able)
Half The Sky by Nicholas D. Kristof (Probably THE most influential book I read this year)
The 7 Principles for Making Marriage Work by John Gottman (Everyone who is married or has been or will be should read this :)
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
Percy Jackson and Olympians series by Rick Riordan (totally for YA but very fun)
Mormon Scientist by Henry J. Eyring (Things just kept clicking in my mind as I read this)
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer (un-put-down-able)
Life and Death in Shanghai by Nien Cheng (Orwell's 1984 in real life)
Xenocide by Orson Scott Card (This might be nerdy but Card is BRILLIANT)
Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell (Anything by Gladwell is fantastic)
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (The best book you'll read in the shortest amount of time.)
Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell (Every American should read this!)

I'd love any book recommendations from anyone that I can get started on for next year :)

I have gotten a little discouraged now and then because my body just won't go into labor (and I've been going walking every day, sitting on a birthing ball, eating pineapple and spicy foods . . . ), but tomorrow is the big day--December 23, exactly one week past our due date. (Mason was only 5 days late. And I kept hearing and believing that our #2 baby would come sooner, and so it got my hopes up . . . ) We're checking into the hospital at 8 AM and hopefully she'll come that day! I never thought I'd be having the baby this close to Christmas, but as long as she comes and she's healthy we don't care what day she comes on :)

We'll post pictures next week! Keep us in your prayers--love,

Pregnancy pics!

I didn't take any week-to-week or month-to-month pregnancy pictures, but my amazing friend Catherine did offer to take some pictures for us last week so here are a few!

25th bday and snow!

Thank you everyone for all the texts/phone calls during my birthday--I have so many birthday memories with family and so I appreciate hearing from everyone. I feel so blessed for my family and the family I married into--I'm very very fortunate.

I didn't take any pictures from my birthday! But David did get some pizza for dinner so I didn't have to cook, then we skyped with family while opened presents and had an Oatmeal Cake (very delicious--actually tastes kind of like German Chocolate Cake) with candles that Mason helped to blow out. After Mason went to bed David took me to Red Mango for a treat and later gave me a much-needed foot massage :) He's so good to me.

But here's some other pictures:

Mason is still craving the outdoors, even though they should be freezing!

Mason is really into wearing my shoes/slippers lately. I got "Kate" a doll and stroller for Christmas, but, it's kind of for Mason so he can practice being nice to a baby :)

Since we're staying here for Omaha we pulled out ALL the stops and put up Christmas lights!! Can't wait to see my parents and Greg in a few days! And Kate!

Thanksgiving!

Ahhhh, Thanksgiving. There are so many things I love about Thanksgiving: the only stress you have is just cooking, (which I enjoy cooking, especially lately for some reason. I was a little stressed about a salad I was going to take to our dinner, and I woke up at 4 in the morning and couldn't stop thinking about it so I just got up and made it!), and I love eating, especially pies, as they are my Favorite dessert. We get time off of school, and it was so nice to be able to spend time with David as he's studying for boards next month like crazy.

Just us at the RDEP dinner!

Our "first" Thanksgiving dinner was a real treat because Mason was taking a nap and David and I were able to focus 100% on that yummy food. We ate with David's RDEP class, which has become in some ways our "extended family" or "family away from family." We love them and will miss them!

Our "second" Thanksgiving dinner was with a good friend, Steve, and the only thing that could have made it better was having more room in my stomach :) We had a "Normal Rockwell" type of dinner where everyone dressed up a little nicer and real dishes/utinsels. This time around, Mason was the only kiddo there, so it was nice to talk to a lot of adults. Mason did not care too much for the potatoes/turkey, but he really liked the cranberry juice and apples! We had some pictures from here that we'll have to track down at some point.

We made a Thanksgiving Wall where we write what we're grateful for on it, and Mason added a lot of things he's grateful for :)

Getting a little treat at Red Mango (Mason's favorite) during the break with Dad
Visiting the Mormon Tabernacle in Council Bluffs where they have a Christmas and gingerbread display set up. We made a gingerbread house to contribute, and it's the one immediately on David's left. White and Green and Red. We should have taken pictures of other houses there because they are AMAZING--like mini grand pianos inside three-story houses with balconies and wallpaper and lights inside. All edible. Serious stuff.

This is just a random picture of Mason's stacking skills while I'm in the back making yogurt-pancakes for breakfast on Friday. Yes, the peanut butter jar DID stay on top! I was impressed!

A poem recited to me by some of the neighborhood kids:

A turkey is a funny bird, his head goes wobble wobble.
The only word a turkey knows is gobble gobble gobble!

We are so grateful for all of our friends and family and hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!

Children's Museum

There is a really fun children's museum not too far from where we live and we went there this morning since David didn't have school. Here are some pictures! (We got a new camera in the mail but it didn't come with a memory card so we can only take 5 pictures at a time . . . . :)

Happy Halloween!

So we officially lost our camera. I am so sad because it had a lot of pictures on there from our last trip to Utah and our trip to Philadelphia that I never got on to my computer before it was lost.

But here's some pictures from Halloween! Mason was a lion, I was a witch, and we tried getting David a tin-man costume last minute, but this is as good as it got. We had a lot of fun at our ward Trunk-or-Treat, the dental school parade, and trick or treating in our neighborhood here. Mason really got into the trick-or-treating once he figured out the basic concept, and always went for the suckers and fruit snacks!

Funny story,

I was talking to a little girl, about 3, at my church and she asked about my belly. I said,
"There's a baby girl in there!"
"Oh . . . what is she doing in there?"
"She's just . . . swimming around!"
"Oh . . . there's water in there?"
"Yep."
" . . . Is she wearing a swim suit?"

Ha ha ha ha ha I can't WAIT until Mason starts talking--kids say the funniest things :)

I wish I could put up some pictures but I lost my camera :( but I'll keep looking for it and get a better update soon :)