Growing

Tom and I have one more reason to be excited for warm weather: gardens. I've been sick of the cold since just after Christmas, but now that we've started our own garden I'm more anxious than ever for the danger of frost to pass. This is our first time gardening on our own. Tom built two 4 ft by 4ft boxes that we're planning to fill with dirt and start planting in tomorrow. We want to grow salsa, so we want tomatoes, tomatillos, onions, bell peppers, banana peppers, jalapeno peppers, cilantro, and basil. And we're also growing sugar snap peas, green beans, cucumbers and carrots. That's the plan anyway. Like I said, it's our first time, so if anything grows we'll be ecstatic, and if something doesn't grow we'll learn from our mistakes.

In other news, I totally have a baby belly. Some days I like it, and other days I have to remind myself over and over that I'm supposed to be gaining weight. I knew that would be a little hard, and it is; especially when people around me are trying to loose weight. The doctor told me that my growth is normal. That makes me feel good. Other people keep telling me that my body will never be the same again. It's for a good cause. Tom is sweet and likes my baby belly all the time. That makes it all a lot easier.
Now that you've seen a picture, what do you think "it" is? Boy or girl?

CONFIRMED

So this post has been a long time coming. We kind of hinted at it way back when we weren't 100% sure that we were pregnant. But now we've been to doctors and heard a heartbeat and whatnot so we figured it was time to let the cat out of the bag (if you didn't already know anyway). So, yeah. BABIES! YAY! Well, baby, as far as we know. Just one. Don't know the gender yet; that will be a post for another day.

As far as life for us in the last month that I've been slacking? (Yes, the delay is my fault.) Not too shabby. Still looking for a more permanent work solution. The BYU Teacher Fair is coming up in less than 2 weeks, so I've started to do some research of the schools that will be participating so I can figure out who I want to go talk to. As far as Lovetta's concerned that means anyone that will hire me. I'm quite hopeful I'll be able to find something this year. Things are looking up much more than they were last year, so keep your fingers crossed with me.

Lovetta survived Parent-Teacher Conferences not too long ago. Everything seemed to go quite well as far as she was able to tell. That's always a plus. No one likes to be confronted with an angry parent :( Especially if you thought everything was going well with the student! No drama there, though.

Not much else from the last month that I can remember as being too terribly important. You can expect lots more updates here in the near future as Baby takes over our blog (and, subsequently, our lives). Stay tuned, and I promise I'll be better about posting more frequently. Lovetta's already got me pinned into the commitment pattern.

New Year's Day

My mom told me that looking at family pictures does more to put you in a good mood than chocolate or alcohol. New Year's Day was my birthday, the perfect day to try to be in a good mood. It makes perfect sense, therefore, that my family and I decided to go take pictures. We went to Discovery Park and a few other places. Look closely and you'll spot my favorite gloves. Tom makes fun of me for them all the time, but I know they secretly make him love me.

It was a cold but relaxing day. I love my family.

Here is a picture of some grapes outside our house. I think it's cool how they froze in the snow.

I also should mention that Tom is an excellent gift-giver. He knew what I wanted even when I didn't. It was nice to have a birthday present separate from Christmas. For Christmas he got me a popcorn-maker (also known as a microwave), and for my birthday he got me a new sports bra, which I had been needing for quite a while. I'm sure that wasn't very easy for him to shop for. :)

Happy Holidays!

This may not be the Holy Family, but it's our holy family.

So this whole entire last week was spent up in Idaho, basking in the glory of my family that were there. It was good times indeed. The trip up was fantastic, though doing a whole 6-hour stretch in a car does a number on the legs. We spent a lot of our time feasting on some of the best food I've had in years, nay even my life. Just look at this glory of meat and spices!

It really doesn't get any better than that for you meat-lovers out there. Trust me. Christmas presents were good. Lovetta got me a sweet Argyle sweater and some hair clippers. I got her a new popcorn-maker (read: microwave). My sister, Tania, bequeathed us a cooking legacy in the form of an America's Test Kitchen cook book and an electronic copy of my Grandma's cook book. Happiness! I drank a ridiculous amount of egg nog (nog-o'clock, whut?) and played my brains out some games of Nerts. Ahh such good times!

Joy of Cooking, eat your heart out.

I gotta say that holiday times are the best times. Food. Family. Fun. I hope that all of you had a wonderful holiday break from whatever it is you're doing. Also, I hope that coming home from the holidays doesn't greet you with a bulldozer in front of your house (like it did for us!).

You'll shoot your eye out!

So, Lovetta and I just got done hosting the Papercuts Book Club at our place for the annual Christmas party. We shared a few Christmas picture books and watched A Christmas Story (as everyone should this time of year). How is that book club oriented, you ask? Well, it was based on a book! Any excuse to watch a funny movie...

Christmas time has always been an interesting time for me. Watching that movie has only really made me realize how much this time of year has evolved for me as I've gotten older. When I was a kid, I remember totally going through the same kinds of things that Ralphie did (drooling over particular presents and whatnot). That's kind of what the holiday seems to mean when you're a kid: an opportunity to get new toys. Oh yeah, and there's that baby Jesus thing, too.

The older I got, the more my focus seemed to swap. Holidays (birthdays included) stopped really being about presents. When I was on my mission, it was nice to get things for special occasions, but it never quite meant as much to me as knowing that loved ones remembered me. I could have cared less about what it was that I got. The things I wanted were less tangible.

Now, I see holidays more as time to spend around people I love. This makes it difficult for others. Some have asked me what I want for Christmas this year. Honestly, I still don't really know. What I'm most looking forward to is heading up to Idaho this year and spending time with some of my family. Moving out here to Utah kind of gave me a slight separation disorder and I crave being around them. Beyond seeing them, everything else is a bonus.

I'm trying to turn my attention now to the only things I can hopefully make last over the years. Memories. My childhood memories are splotchy at best (ask Lovetta how well I remember some of the Primary songs). I don't remember too many Christmas gifts from yonder days. But the memories I have now of spending time with family are what I seem to find more and more precious.

I just hope that everyone has the opportunity to really focus on what I think are the most important parts of Christmas. Service. Love. The birth of the Son of God. Family. Here's wishing you a fantastic holiday, free from stress and full of joy.

New Camera, New Opportunities

We bought a new camera! (Nikon D3000) We planned to get one when we got our tax return, but we found a good Christmas deal and decided not to wait. Now we just have to figure out how to use it perfectly. :) Here's a picture of our camera, taken by our computer. Here are some pictures of us picking out a Christmas tree with my family.Here is one of my experiments with my new control of depth of field.Now that we've spent money on a nice camera, we are determined to continue this wonderful emerging habit of documenting our lives through photography. Christmas time is full of opportunity.