Shawn and Courtney's Blogspot

Gratitude

2012-02-12T12:53:00.000-07:00

At church this morning, a 12 year old boy spoke to the congregation about gratitude. It was a short talk but administered very well, so much so that the spirit of his talk lingers with me still. It is that spirit that reminds me of the many blessings that are mine and my families. I know that as we take time each day to reflect we will be able to see God's hand in our lives daily. I know His hand is in my life each and every day. I wish to share my gratitude.

This past summer I passed up job offer from a company I had interned with not knowing how I would take care of my wife and baby who was coming soon. I trusted that God would provide and He did! I love my new job and am grateful for it each and every day. With Jackson coming soon Courtney took off school and work to be a full time mom for Jackson't first months with us. That loss of income put us in a really tight position. Then an opportunity to house sit for some friends was offered. Now my income is enough to provide for our family.

Jackson has come! We have a roof over our heads, food, a great job, insurance and a beautiful baby boy who brightens each and every day! I'm so grateful for God's watchful care. I know He knows and loves us. I'm grateful for answered prayers and for an amazing wife who is patient, loving and manages sleepless nights with Jackson so well.

Hunger Games

2012-01-28T15:19:00.002-07:00

My commute to and from work has recently increased by 15 minutes each way, making it about an hour one way. You might think I'm crazy. Well, yes I'm crazy. However, I have found a way to survive my 2 hour commutes each day. Since I've started this job I've listened to all 7 books of the Chronicles of Narnia, books 1-6 of the Harry Potter series and in the last 3 weeks I listened to all 3 books of the Hunger that Courtney bought me for Christmas. Let me tell you, it has been an enjoyable past 3 weeks of commuting. If you haven't read The Hunger Games yet, I highly recommend them!! I can't wait for the movie this March!! I bet it'll be awesome!

I think next book on my list is Jesus the Christ. Let me know of any suggestions you might have and I'll look into local libraries to see if I can get them.

Naming our baby boy!

2012-01-07T12:12:00.000-07:00

This coming Tuesday we will officially be full term (37 weeks)! Our baby boy will be here before we know it, and we are super excited! His room is all set up down in the house in Payson, our hospital bags are packed, and as our doctor says, we are on "cruise control." Here's a 36 week picture from Tuesday. I feel like I just get bigger and bigger every day!

So now, we need your help. We are trying to decide on Jackson's middle name and thought it would be fun to make a list and get your opinions! Shawn and I both have our favorites, but I'm not going to tell you what they are so we don't sway your votes. The list is in alphabetical order so we don't play favorites :)

Jackson Alan Ward

Jackson Conner Ward

Jackson Emery Ward

Jackson Jeffrey Ward

Jackson Mckay Ward

Leave us a comment and let us know what you like best!

What am I getting myself into!?

2012-01-05T11:36:00.001-07:00

It is that time of year again. At the beginning of each new year there is a common theme of new year's resolutions that runs rampant. My friend once told me he hates this time of year. For those who attend the gym regularly, the gyms are crowded January and February as people try to be more healthy and active. By March it calms down as these same people lose their resolve to keep their resolutions. For those who regularly attend the gym, the gym becomes much less busy, he explained.

What does this have to do with me? Well, on New Year's Day Court and I were eating dinner with my sister and her family while discussing our resolutions for the year. I had recently seen an app called Couch to 5k and I wanted to get back to the days when I ran cross country and was in shape, maybe not the exact same shape but close to it. Not the greatest idea to bring this idea up to others, needless to say, the 4 of us (Sister, Sister's Husband, Court and I) are now planning to do the Utah Valley 5k on June 9th. Now there is no turning back. Who knows this could be a great thing for us all! I'll keep you up to date at how we do.

Another resolution of mine came to me at chruch Sunday. Ezra Taft Benson, a former Prophet of God and President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was quoted saying,

It is not just that the Book of Mormon teaches us truth, though it indeed does that. It is not just that the Book of Mormon bears testimony of Christ, though it indeed does that, too. But there is something more. There is a power in the book which will begin to flow into your lives the moment you begin a serious study of the book. You will find greater power to resist temptation. You will find the power to avoid deception. You will find the power to stay on the strait and narrow path. The scriptures are called “the words of life” (see D&C 84:85), and nowhere is that more true than it is of the Book of Mormon. When you begin to hunger and thirst after those words, you will find life in greater and greater abundance.

- "The Book of Mormon - Keystone of Our Religion" Ensign 1986

It was with those words I resolved to more seriously study the Book of Mormon along with other scripture in order to invite that power he mentions more fully into my life. Who couldn't use more of that kind of power in their lives? Ezra Taft Benson had a great love for the Book of Mormon and knew of the power it can bring to those who read it diligently. Check out this talk he gave about the Book of Mormon.

A New Phase!

2011-12-22T18:52:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since the last time we posted! Between Thanksgiving and the end of the semester, we have had a pretty busy month. One good thing about being so busy is that time has gone by REALLY fast! Now that school is over for me, it is time to start getting ready for our little guy to come in a few short weeks! Here are a couple of belly pictures that I have taken for your viewing pleasure!

32 weeks

34 weeks

We now have less than 6 weeks until Jackson's due date, and we couldn't be more excited! In the meantime, our old Bishop and his wife are leaving to serve a mission in Richmond, VA and have offered to let us stay in their house while they are gone for 18 months. This means we will be moving from our small little 2 bedroom apartment into a nice 5 bedroom, 3 bathroom house! We sure are going to get spoiled! One of the bedrooms is an office and another is going to be used for storage, so we will have the master bedroom, a nursery for Jackson, and a spare room for anyone who is in the area and wants to come visit! It's an open invitation for anyone who wants to come play!

Jackson is doing well! He moves around all day long, and sometimes Shawn and I just sit and watch my belly move as he kicks and wiggles around. At our last doctor's appointment Jackson's heartbeat was great and his head was down, so he's getting ready to come!

This year is our first Christmas not visiting family. We are too close to Jackson's due date to travel, so we are staying home and relaxing. We are having Christmas Eve dinner with our friends Rachel, Cory, and Tommy Stuart and then Christmas dinner with Shawn's sister Trisha. Shawn also was lucky enough to be able to work overtime the last couple of months so he could get all next week off. We are going to enjoy spending time together on Shawn's birthday, packing and getting ready to move, and preparing for our baby's arrival!

Playing with Daddy!

2011-11-19T09:18:00.001-07:00

This morning Shawn and I woke up at just about the same time (which doesn't happen very often). Jackson also woke up and gave me a pretty sweet kick to the side to let me know he was here! Shawn put his hand on my belly so he could feel Jackson kick, but the little stinker didn't move again. So Shawn started poking my belly, and Jackson kicked back twice right where Shawn had poked! So he poked again, and Jackson gave him three quick little kicks again!

I think Jackson and Daddy have a new game :)

Success!!

2011-11-10T09:56:00.001-07:00

Well, I have lots to blog about today, all of which is Jackson related :)

First of all, apparently the third time is the charm! Monday we had our last doctor's appointment and Jackson finally let us get the picture of his lips! In fact, it was the first thing that we saw when we started the ultrasound! I guess Jackson got over his camera shyness, or maybe he was just actually awake this time. She also printed out a picture of his face for us, which looks much more like a face now than a skeleton (which is what he looked like last time). Every time I look at the picture, my heart just melts and I get so excited to meet our little guy in a few months.

Here's his face without labels. It's ok if you can't see it, it took Shawn a while to explain it to me :)

Some labels to help you see it better!

We also found out at our appointment that our doctor will only let me go 7 days overdue before inducing, so by February 7 we will definitely have our little guy here!

Another exciting development from Tuesday is that we are now at 28 weeks, which officially marks the beginning of the THIRD TRIMESTER!! It feels good to finally be down to the last leg. I got to say goodbye to my second trimester with a stomach virus, which gave me quiet the flashback to the first 21 weeks of being pregnant, but all is well now and I'm back to eating and drinking like a normal pregnant woman. And of course, here is a picture of the baby bump (which is really more of a belly than a bump) at 28 weeks!

Shawn wasn't home, so you get a mirror picture!

And lastly, my awesome friends Rachel, Vilja, and Colleen put together a baby shower for me (and Jackson) last Saturday. It was great to catch up with friends and family and we got some sweet stuff for Jackson. Thanks to everyone who was able to come! Here are some highlights.

Blanket from Shawn's mom with positive affirmations on the back

One of the few pictures where I don't have a weird expression on my face :)

Homemade quilt and taggie from Luone!

Tommy was our entertainment!

Thanks girls!

Be Grateful!!

2011-11-06T18:43:00.001-07:00

This morning I was visiting a gentleman, whom I feel is a very wise man, when he reminded me of these words found in the Doctrine and Covenants section 78 verses 18 and 19.

18 And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along. The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours.

19 And he who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more.

The gist of the conversation is that we need to show our gratitude for the things we have been given. If we are thankful for what God gives us, then He will give us more.

This makes sense. If you give someone a gift and they are not grateful for it, how likely are you to want to give them something in the future? Not as likely. However, when they are grateful you will give again and more if we can. God always has more to give.

I have seen that in my life and we are seeing this outpouring of love in our lives right now. We are very thankful for all we have and grateful that God is mindful of us!

Our outstanding October

2011-11-01T21:36:00.000-06:00

Wow!! Can you believe it?! October has come and gone so fast! Here is a little peak at our outstanding October.

Courtney and I decided to surprise our good friends down in Cali by showing up on their door step!! Their reaction at the door was priceless. Needless to say, we had a great time together just visiting, relaxing and catching up as best we could. Here are some pics.

Me reading to Addi!


Courtney and the girls!!

Addi vs. the Cupcake!


The whole gang together again!

Poor Adelle cried herself to sleep on Courtney's shoulder when she found out we were leaving the next day.

For work I decided to grow out a goatee to better fit in. I made it about 3 weeks before I got rid of it. It wasn't too bad for 3 only weeks time. What do you think?

To end the month we celebrated Halloween with some friends. Courtney decided it was my turn to be pregnant for a change. Below is the end result.

Good thing I had my doctor close by! The dress came stain and all for only $6 at DI! How do you like my socks with sandals?

Courtney is staying busy with school and work. She loves the classes, the teachers and her classmates. Jackson is kicking like crazy and harder than ever before. I can feel him kick more and more as we grow closer and closer to his arrival. I'm enjoying work a lot and in 2 months have gone through almost 11 books on tape just from commuting!

Oh yeah, and Courtney chopped off all of her hair . . . ok, maybe just 7 inches. It looks great!! Sorry, no picture.

Here's to an exciting November!

26 weeks and counting!

2011-10-26T21:22:00.000-06:00

Well, as of yesterday we've only got 14 more weeks until Jackson's due date! Exciting things that have happened in the meantime ...

- Our days countdown is down to the double digits.
- Shawn definitely felt Jackson kick the other day!
- I've started being able to see my belly move when Jackson kicks hard. It's pretty weird to watch.
- Our little guy is as long as "an English hothouse cucumber" (about 14 inches) and almost 2 pounds!
- Jackson and his future wife Jenna took their first picture together :)

Our Little Stinker!

2011-10-04T20:42:00.001-06:00

So, at our last doctor's appointment we had our big ultrasound where we discovered Jackson's identity, which you already know. What you don't know is how hard we had to work to get our pictures of Jackson. Our ultrasound tech was very patient, and tried everything she could think of to get all of the pictures the doctors like to look at (heart, brain, kidneys, arms, leg, etc.) Jackson wasn't quite in the mood to get his picture taken and we weren't able to get a picture of his lips. Jackson had nestled his head face-down in my hip and wouldn't budge. Lucky for us, that meant we got to have another ultrasound at our next appointment to get this elusive picture!

Well, our next appointment was yesterday, and our ultrasound tech went to work again. This time, our little man first wouldn't turn so we could get a profile picture. No problem, I turned instead. Then he stuck an arm and a leg in the way of his face. So we poked and begged and moved around, and ultimately Jackson crossed both arms in front of his face so all we could see was his chin! We either have a very shy, or a very stubborn little boy on our hands. Back to the ultrasound tech next month!

We got one picture yesterday of his face from the front. The ultrasound tech called it his "first Halloween picture" since it looks like a skeleton. He is on his side, and you can see his eye sockets and where his nose would be.

We also have some ultrasound pictures from last time that didn't get posted that I can share too! And of course, it's time for another baby bump picture!


Arms and elbows on the right, bum on the left. I think he likes to have his arms by his face, just like Mommy does when she sleeps on her side :)

His foot and leg

His legs on the left, close together

Baby bump at 23 weeks!

Here are a bunch of clothes Rachel helped me pick out at the Just Between Friends Consignment Sale a couple of weeks ago. He'll be a well dressed little boy!

General Conference Weekend

2011-10-01T12:36:00.000-06:00

Once again, it is General Conference weekend. This is a wonderful time to hear from the Prophet of God and the leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! If you want to hear what they have to say, you can watch it on BYU TV or watch or listen to it here at LDS.org.

President Monson announced more temples to be built: Republic of Congo; South Africa; Colombia; Paris, France; Wyoming; and another temple in Provo! How awesome is that. This will be the first city to have two temples! Watch or listen to hear what other exciting things they have to say.

Check out this link to see more info about the new temples!

Halfway There!!

2011-09-19T20:42:00.003-06:00

I meant to write this post last Tuesday when I actually hit 20 weeks, but I've been super swamped with reading for school. So, as of last Tuesday, we are officially halfway to having our baby here! Now that I'm a bit farther along, I can feel Jackson move quite often. He wiggles and squirms throughout the day now which helps me feel more connected to our little guy. I'm excited for when Jackson's movements are strong enough for Shawn to feel them too. I'm sure I'll feel differently when he is kicking and squirming while I'm trying to fall asleep at night, but for now it's really exciting!

Other not quite as exciting developments is the pain in my tailbone that started this morning which I'm hoping will go away, but from what I've read I'm not holding my breath. I'm also still getting sick about every other week. I tend to have a week where I feel okay followed by a week where I'm pretty sick, and then back again. I decided just to accept the fact that I am probably one of those lucky few that will be sick for 9 months rather than continually waiting for the day when I feel better and being sorely disappointed when the nausea and such starts again.

All in all, it feels good to be on the downhill side of pregnancy and we are super excited for the day when we can actually hold our little Jackson in our arms! I'm trying to coach him now to be an amazing sleeper when he comes, so we'll see how that goes :)

Call me crazy but . . .

2011-09-17T20:52:00.000-06:00

The other day Court and I attended a graduate BBQ along with Rachel, Cory and Tommy. I eat so fast that I was the first one to finish and volunteered to take Tommy for a walk because he didn't want to sit still.

While we were walking, Cosmo the Cougar, BYU's mascot, came and gave Tommy a high five. Tommy spun and jumped and then we played a fun game of Tommy running away when I call him to follow me. It was at this moment that I got really excited. Why you ask? Call me crazy but I was really excited for the time when Jackson would be old enough that I could chase after him!!

Ch ch ch changes!!!

2011-09-10T15:51:00.000-06:00

I don't know about you but life would be boring if everything were the same every day of our lives. Change can be difficult sometimes but often brings growth and opportunities to stretch ourselves. Hopefully, we learn to adapt and excel with changes that occur in our lives. Many times we are given opportunities to touch others' lives or be touched by others in return as we build new relationships.

I was offered and accepted a job offer as a the tech guy for two middle schools in a school district north of here. Although, I spend about 55 hours working and traveling to and from work, I'm excited for this opportunity. Gratefully, I'm able to get home at a reasonable hour and spend time with Court.

Through these past few weeks of looking for work, we have seen the Lord's hand in our lives. I know he hears and answers our prayers. I'm grateful for change and am excited for this new opportunity for growth.

And the winner is . . .

2011-09-06T20:50:00.000-06:00

For all of those who have been waiting patiently, the end is here. That is, if you consider halfway the end. Courtney and I went to the doctor today and had the ultrasound. Here is Courtney's baby bump at 19 weeks.

I'll show you the pictures first and let you guess before I reveal the answer.

This is the baby's profile. Head on bottom. You can see his spine and ribs.


This is the baby's legs and bum. . . and yes, his manhood!!

That's right, we are having a boy! We are going to name him Jackson!! Courtney said I smiled from ear to ear for like an hour after we found out. We are so excited and can't wait to welcome him into our home January 31, or whenever he chooses to come!! We are excited to be able to call him by name and better prepare for his coming.

Has Apple reached it's pinnacle?

2011-08-25T16:58:00.000-06:00

Steve Jobs has stepped down as CEO of Apple.

Huffington Post

There are very few people who are able to put into form what people want/need before they themselves know. Example, Henry Ford said "if I had given people what they wanted, I would given them faster horses." I believe Steve Jobs was one of these people.

My question is, can Apple continue on this path without Steve Jobs at the helm? Has Apple reached its pinnacle?

. . . and thanks for the ding dongs!

2011-08-21T21:27:00.002-06:00

Friday, our good friends and neighbors moved on to bigger and better adventures. I'm just realizing that our week was so busy leading up to and directly following this event in order to distract us from the fact that this momentous occasion was coming. In a way the Lord was being kind to us.

I just wanted to say thanks for allowing us to be part of your lives and for always being great examples of faith and love. You will be missed, but now we have an excuse to come and visit you in California! Good luck and when you become wildly famous we will be one of the first ones to be there to tell you "I told you so"!

This is a note of thanks and in no way represents a good bye.

Let the Guessing Begin!

2011-08-10T13:07:00.002-06:00

At the end of our doctor's appointment today, like usual we scheduled our next appointment. That alone isn't super exciting, but what is exciting is that at our next appointment we are going to have our big ultrasound!! The big day is Tuesday, September 6th! So, Shawn and I thought it would be fun to get some guesses as to whether you think our little one is a boy or a girl. Shawn thought it would be even more fun to have everyone give a name suggestion with their guess too :)

So, let the guessing begin!!

One down, two to go!

2011-08-02T11:51:00.002-06:00

I felt like today was a blog worthy day because today I am officially 14 weeks, the start of the 2nd trimester! According to BabyCenter.com, our baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck its thumb! Our baby is about the size of a lemon, 3 1/2 inches head to bum and 1 1/2 ounces. By the end of the week its arms will have grown to be proportional to the rest of its body. It's fun getting emails each week to tell us the big developments in our baby's growth. It helps make things more real!

I'm excited to be putting the 1st trimester behind me. As soon as we got back from vacation, my morning sickness kicked in hardcore and I was sick all day every day. I spent the last few weeks sitting on the couch, trying to figure out what foods would stay down (not many, by the way) and watching Supernatural on TNT. In the last week, I've started to feel a little bit better and have gone from being sick all day every day to mostly just at night. Hopefully, it will keep getting better and maybe I'll have whole days where I don't feel nauseous :)

Oops, we did it again!!

2011-07-23T11:34:00.001-06:00

You may wonder what I am referring to in the title of this post. Let me tell you. Courtney and I went on vacation for a month . . . again!!! Almost three weeks of that was spent in Hawaii!!! Not fair?! Yeah we know! People are starting to get upset with us for taking a month every summer to go travel and play. We figure that with Courtney having summers off as a school teacher and with me working summer jobs between semesters at school, we should take advantage of this while we are young and can get away. Now that I have graduated and we have a little one on the way we figure we won't have opportunities like this for a long time to come.

It was early this year that I was talking to my friend Nate and he suggested we come and visit him and his wife Deb on Oahu this summer. Little did he know we would seriously consider it. Courtney and I decided we would go as a graduation/anniversary/birthday present to ourselves. We spent ten glorious days with them on Oahu and then met up with Rachel and Cory Stuart on the Big Island for another seven days!!!

Ten days on Oahu was perfect. With Courtney having morning sickness and Deb being full term and ok to deliver at any time ten days gave us enough time to see everything we wanted and still relax and not have to rush ourselves. Diamond Head had amazing views, the Polynesian Cultural Center was fun and educational, Hanauma Bay was so fun and exciting being able to snorkel with the fish and Pearl Harbor was very eye opening and brought new humility and gratitude for our specific freedoms! We were lucky to have Nate and Deb as tour guides and hosts for our time there.

On the Big Island we were able to see the volcano along with its lava rock fields, craters and calderas! We did even more spectacular snorkeling and were able to see sea turtles! We loved having so many things, including beaches, so close by. The place we stayed in was amazing and hard to leave. We were able to eat some amazing food with Rachel and Cory would go back again if we ever got the chance.

The remaining part of our trip was spent in Washington with family and friends where we were able to catch up and enjoy time together. The 14 hour car trip there and back was fun but long especially when your wonderful wife is fighting being sick. It was an amazing vacation and we were able to do some unforgettable things. We are very lucky to have been able to do it and are very grateful. Below are some pictures. Enjoy!

Here we are at Kailua beach with Nate and Deb!

We got leied at church on Sunday! The congregation there was so welcoming!

I just thought this was a cool tree.

Here is the view Honolulu from Diamond Head!

Welcome to Waikiki beach! The water was so blue!

This is the USS Arizona Memorial that we visited in Pearl Harbor.

This next group is us at the Polynesian Cultural Center. Here we are playing tititorea(sticks).

Courtney and Deb trying to beat the heat.

Samoans in the Samoan village preparing food.

Nate, Deb, Courtney and I enjoyed the fruits of their preparations!

This is the Laie Temple. We had time to go through. It was very beautiful inside and out!

These next few are of Hanauma Bay!

Rachel and Cory on the Big Island!

Rachel and Cory gone island crazy!

What great stories this guy had to share.

He was too cute, I couldn't help myself.

This is one of the places we snorkeled.

Another cool tree!

Rachel and Cory's future home!

Courtney and Rachel in a heated game.

Good.

Better.

Best!

This is one of the classic style beaches we visited! We loved it!

These next one are at the volcano.

Here is Cory and I in a lava tube!

These next few are where the lave meets the ocean!

Here is where the lava met the road . . . or took over it!

View from our luau.

Just before we left the Big Island we stopped by the temple in Kona. It is small and beautiful!

Kissing

2011-07-07T00:59:00.000-06:00

Tonight we were having dinner with the Stuarts and the topic of kissing came up. How we got on this topic is a long story in itself. I just wanted to share this quote.

"Well, if you were to kiss yourself you probably wouldn't be very impressed." - Cory Stuart

Enough said.

Changes ...

2011-06-18T11:31:00.010-06:00

Well, it's time for my first post on the blog. Shawn has decided that since our blog is titled "Shawn and Courtney's Blogspot" and he has had it for a couple of years now that it's about time the Courtney part actually writes something :) So it's my job to update you all on our crazy, changing lives!

Since graduation, Shawn has found a part-time summer internship at a company called Doba that was totally fine with the fact that we are going to be gone for a month on one of our epic vacations right in the middle of the summer. That was definitely a blessing. He is a Software Engineer Intern and has been been learning a lot. Some days he comes home frustrated because he's gotten stuck on something as he is working on the programming, but overall he is being stretched and growing and we hope it is all for the best! The plan is to have a full-time job with benefits in the fall, either with Doba if they offer it to him, or with someone else if not.

As Shawn's work life is beginning, mine as come to a close. Yes, that's right, after 4 years of teaching junior high math it is time for me to take a break (probably a permanent one). Back at the end of January I was talking with a friend at work about eventually going back to school getting a master's degree, and something just seemed to click. I decided that "eventually" was going to turn into "in the fall." In a week, I got all of my letters of recommendation, wrote my statement of intent, filled out my application, and had applied for grad school at BYU in the Instructional Psychology and Technology program. In March we found out that I had been accepted! In April I was offered a paid 20 hr/week research/teaching assistantship. A couple of weeks ago I was offered a scholarship that will cover a big part of tuition for the fall. Things seem to just be falling into place, leading me to grad school. I think often times in my life, the Lord needs to literally "push" me into the right path for me because I just don't seem to come up with that path myself. My plans are never the Lord's plans, which I struggle with at first but have learned to trust them because His plans for me are ALWAYS infinitely better.

Speaking of the Lord's plans for us, he has changed our path even more! After a year of frustration, tears, and then eventual patience and understanding, at the end of May Shawn and I found out that we have been blessed with a little one on the way! And since it's not April 1, be assured that this is not one of Shawn's April Fool's jokes :) We are so excited to have the opportunity to be parents and know that the Lord has saved this little child for us at this time. We had our first doctor's appointment this week and found out that my due date is January 31st. We had an early ultrasound and think our baby kind of resembles a little lizard at this point, and we got to hear the baby's heartbeat. Even with all of that, we've decided that it still doesn't seem real that we actually have a baby coming. Nevertheless, Shawn has begun "nesting" and has started cleaning/organizing some part of our apartment every day when he gets home from work. I've been feeling pretty nauseous and tired most days and Shawn is quickly learning that my eating schedule is not the same as his anymore, and usually consists of "I want to eat something fast that I don't have to cook right now." We've also learned why many fathers-to-be gain weight when their wives are pregnant, because oftentimes I can only eat half of my food, so Shawn ends up eating all of his and half of mine.

We'll keep you all updated as we find more out about the baby. Shawn's decided that it will be my job to post about the baby, so you should be hearing from me more often :) I'll leave you with a picture of our first ultrasound!

College Grad

2011-04-29T09:50:00.000-06:00

I finally made it. I graduated this last week and let me tell you, I'm not missing school at all. My parents came into town for graduation and we had a good time celebrating. Trisha, Moroni and their kids were able to make it too. The week before graduation Courtney's mom was in town for Courtney's Spring break. Needless to say, we have been spoiled these past few weeks. Now I just need to find a job. If you know of any job openings let me know.

Here are some pictures from graduation.

Only twice a year

2011-04-03T09:27:00.000-06:00

Two times a year we have the opportunity to hear from the prophets and apostles of God. This weekend is one of those opportunities. Today you can go online to www.LDS.org and watch this conference at 10am and 2pm Mountain Daylight Time. If you missed yesterday's or today's sessions LDS.org also has the video and audio recordings available. What a great opportunity to hear the words of God for us in our day. So far the talks have been very uplifting and can help us to better withstand the pressures we see all around us in the world today.

I thought all of the talks so far were excellent. Some of my favorites were Elder L. Tom Perry's talk about Jesus Christ being the center of our lives and Elder Quentin L. Cook's talk about women being amazing from the Saturday morning session. From Priesthood session Saturday night I really enjoyed President Uchtdorf and President Monson's talks. I can't wait to hear the talks given today.

Два раза в год мы имеем возможность получить известие от пророков и апостолов Бога. Этот уикэнд - одна из тех возможностей. Сегодня Вы можете пойти онлайн в www. LDS.org и часы эта конференция в 10 и 2 Время Дневного света Горы. Если Вы пропустили вчерашние или сегодняшние сессии, LDS.org также имеет видео и звуковую регистрацию в наличии. Какая большая возможность услышать слова Бога для нас в своё время. Пока переговоры очень вздымались и могут помочь нам лучше противостоять давлениям, мы видим все вокруг нас в мире сегодня.

Я думал, что все переговоры пока были превосходны. Некоторые из моих фаворитов были Старшим L. Разговор Тома Перри об Иисусе Христе, являющемся центром наших жизней и Старшего Квентин L. Разговор повара о женщинах, являющихся удивительным от сессии утра субботы. От сессии Духовенства в субботу ночью я действительно наслаждался переговорами президента Монсона и президентом Учтдорфом. Я не могу ждать, чтобы услышать доклады, сделанные сегодня. Я не могу ждать, чтобы услышать доклады, сделанные сегодня.