Props to the Man

So I'm really going out a limb here...admitting to something that I'm pretty sure NO ONE knows about me. Not even Wayne or my Mom. I LOVE GEORGE STRAIT. There it is, I got it out. Why is this so hard for her to admit you may ask? Well I'm not one to brag about being a country girl from the sticks. When I was a kid I always wished I lived somewhere a little bigger. Now looking back I would never change growing up in Neola (yes that is a town..approx 800 people), it will always be home, but I just never really got into the whole country girl gig my madre wanted for me. I was too scared of horses to be a cow girl and working on a farm just was not fun at all. I swore I would never marry a cowboy...and that I didn't.

But don't worry, my mom is trying to make him one. She has provided him with a Cowboy hat, cowboy jeans, a cowboy belt, a big ole belt buckle (that he wears pretty much every day), bonified cowboy boots and last but not least - horse riding lessons that he was bucked off the horse while my mom was leading it around in a circle on a rope. That was his favorite part, she told him not to tell me because I would never let him ride again, but I figure its not any more dangerous than the things he does on the snowboard, wakeboard and skateboard. Anyway he does make a pretty cute cowboy, I'm just glad he's not really one and I don't have to take care of a farm and animals! If you could only see the cowboy strut I taught him...its pretty hilarious if I do say so myself.

So back to George Strait, he was just honored with Country Artist of the Decade and I'm watching a two hour special right now on CBS. I've just always loved his music, I remember listening to it with my Grandma Leavitt when I was young. So there's the one thing I will admit about being just a little bit of a country girl...deep deep down inside. You go George, you're the Man!

Thanks

(Picture stolen from Chels, "the crow", hope she doesn't mind :)

First I want to thank all of you for your loving words and prayers. I can't even begin to express how much they have helped us through this difficult time. Most days I'm amazed at how well I seem to be holding up, but I know its not me who's holding things together, because seriously I'm not that strong. Through your prayers I've felt the Savior's arms wrap around me and bring me comfort and peace. Yesterday was pretty rough, with every doctor's appointment, ultrasound, EKG our little girl's situation seems to unravel more and more, and appear worse and worse. Our biggest concern right now is that she is not growing the way she should. Its going to take a miracle to get her here, and then many more miracles to keep her. Please pray for us, we need it more than ever now. And if you have little ones, hold them extra tight tonight, just because you can. :)

Couldn't think of a title...

This is a posts that I feel like I need to write, whether its for myself or someone else. Its one of those posts you don't ever imagine yourself writing and there's really no way to go about it, so I'm just going to do it.

Some of you may already be aware, most of you probably have no idea. In the past couple of months Wayne and I have found out that our pregnancy and baby are not exactly what we expected. We are both doing really well, but of course there are some hard things that we have to deal with. Our little girl, Kaelyn Ruth, has been diagnosed with Down Syndrome. Along with that she has a pretty serious heart defect that will require surgery when she is around 4-6 months old. She's also really small, we've been told that is typical with babies with Down Syndrome and we've also been told its not...I liked the answer that it was typical, so I'm going with that. We're really excited to get our little girl here, but the medical complications she may or may not have are the scariest part. We've felt so much strength and comfort through the prayers of our loved ones. My testimony has grown so much during this time. I know my Heavenly Father loves his children so much and that he is always with us. I'm grateful for this time that we have to prepare for Kaelyn to get here, I know it will help us get through the tough times.

I'm grateful for the support we have around us. One of the biggest realization that I'm come to in the past few months is that people everywhere are going through some really hard things. Whether they are medical issues, addictions, loss of loved ones, or something else...its all hard. I just wish I would have been more aware of people's sufferings and helped them more. When life seems to be going just as planned, that's an easy thing to forget. I don't ever want to forget, I want to remember so that I can try to support those around me when they are suffering, just like I've been supported so many times. Another thing I've realized is that we can't take anything for granted, especially healthy children. My eyes have been opened to all the children out there that have medical issues, I was just so blind to it before. I wish I would have said more prayers for those children and their families. If I could give anyone any advice, it would be to treasure the health of your children and the health of your family members. It is so fragile.

Thank You UNC!

Since North Carolina advanced to the championship game, I WIN THE BRACKET AT WORK! Who hoo! Now I get to decide where I want to get my $25 gift card from? I love gift cards, there is nothing like guilt free shopping!

People keep telling me that I don't LOOK pregnant...

well I'm afraid that is all about to change after what I found at Harmon's last night. (At least its light, or so they claim. Personally I think it tastes way too good to be light.)



Its like a grasshopper shake (One of my two favorite flavors...other is oreo banana), but like 100 times better because its hard ice cream with big ole soft-ish chunks of oreos. Yes this is the most delicious ice cream I have ever had, I raved about it sometime last year and have been looking for it every time I go to the grocery store. I was so happy last night, I bought the only two cartons they had and am going back today to see if they have more. Yes, I have already eaten one of them, in less than 24 hours. Told you I could do it.

It's no longer an it's...

Did I Mention....

We are buying our first home!!!! I'm so excited, you have no idea...or maybe you do. I have been researching buying a condo/home for the past two years, and I can't believe we are finally in a position to be able to do it. It was well worth the wait because its such a great time to buy, we were able to find a beautiful home in Daybreak (South Jordan), for much less than it would have been if the market were up. We are buying it from the bank as a short sale, which means it was foreclosed on and they are selling it for less than was owed on it, so we're walking into instant equity. It has been a little longer process than normal because we are getting it from a bank, but it looks like it will be definitely worth it. Its 3,250 square feet, which is HUGE for our first home. Especially compared to the 425 square foot apartment we spent the first two and a half years of marriage in at the University Village. It has a full unfinished basement that we can finish up one day when we need it, but for now we will be just fine using it as storage. Its three bedrooms, 2 bath with a big bonus room over the garage. We don't know what were going to do with the bonus room other than put our big ol' love sac in there! We had an inspector check it out and he was EXTREMELY positive about it. He said he on a scale of 1-10 he would give it a 9.8 and the minor flaws he found are things we can fix for almost no cost. The plan is to close on March 11th, so we should be able to move in that weekend. Wayne hates packing, which is just fine because I'm so pumped I don't mind packing everything, just as long as he will haul it all.

I am so excited to live in Daybreak too! I've had my eye on this development for a couple of years. It reminds me a lot of the neighborhoods back in Virginia that I absolutely love. I just love all the fun looking houses, parks, sand volleyball courts, basketball courts, pools, tennis courts, lake, schools, and of course the new TEMPLE. Its just down the street! I also like the idea of not having a huge yard to care for. I grew up taking care of my parents GINORMOUS yard and planters and garden, and I swore I would never have one of those beasts. The only downside is that we don't have room for a tramp, that has always been a dream of mine! If you want to find out more about Daybreak, check out their website - www.daybreakutah.com

Here are some pictures of the house now, decorating
it will be fun but I'll need lots of help :)

I've been glued to HGTV whenever I'm home alone.
(Wayne doesn't appreciate it as much as I do.)

Living Room

(I love that there is tile that runs from the front door to the kitchen so the carpet won't gets all roughed up.)

Master Bedroom

Master Bathroom

Bedroom #2

(This will be baby's bedroom, its right next to the Master Bedroom)

Bedroom #3

500 Sqft Bonus Room