So, It's Been a While

Hey all! I hope you haven't given up on me with this blogging...It's been a great past month that has flown. Nothing too exciting oh, except for the small fact that we are no longer in Riverdale and that we are soon to be proud parents given about 4 weeks. Here's what we've been up to as of lately:

Almost 36 weeks preggo…dun dun dun
This whole experience has raced by. Some days I think I’m ready, and then others I’m pretty sure that I’m not. We had an appointment on last Thursday and are happy that she is not breach anymore. She is a healthy baby with a strong heartbeat. Unfortunately she was not willing to show her adorable little mug for the ultrasound…maybe tomorrow. We feel so blessed!!!! Here are some pics that Annette took for us at 35 weeks.

(I love Ty's face in this one above)

Goodbye Riverdale…Goodbye living across the street from Wal-Mart.
We are moved out of Riverdale and living with Tyler’s Mom. Leaving the 3rd ward in Riverdale was pretty hard, but I know that we have friends forever there and we’re so excited for new adventures. Probably harder then moving out was being asked by the Stake President to bear my testimony after Tyler was released…sobbing through the whole thing…and then sitting down after doing so, and not exactly realizing anything I had just said. Hopefully it all made sense and came out as something I would have wanted to say. It was such a great 5 years there and where Ty & I started our lives together. It will forever hold a special place for us!

5 years and more in love then ever!

Absolutley can't believe we've been married for 5 whole years. We enjoyed a yummy dinner at Outback together and Ty suprised me at work with beautiful flowers. Most of the therapists there still think that I am 19 or something because they had a hard time believing that I was old enough to be having a 5 yr anniversary.

Baby shower with Coworkers

My sweet coworkers threw me a baby shower last Friday. I thought that it was so thoughtful of them. They got Ty and I lots of cute little outfits and other stuff for baby that we will thoroughly enjoy and use!!! I didn't get any pictures of the whole group :( ...Here's Bonnie and I laughing about something...

Birthing Class
We took the birthing class at Ogden Regional. Oh boy did we learn a lot!! It was the first time I've seen a movie of a birth, and not gonna lie, I'm a bit scared, but also amazed. I guess you could say that I've heard it all by now, and kinda figure that it is different for every person...Whatever happens happens :)

Older pictures:

Here are some pictures from over a month ago (Feb and March ish):
(Bowling balls)

(Teresa & Brandon had their sweet boy Max about 3 weeks ago)

(Our dogs hate us)
(Tyler's paradise)

Ps: I am not scared of the swine flu.

Boozer...

Finding Joy in the Journey!!

Ok, well here it is at 12:30 am. I have been laying awake for about 2 hours trying to get to sleep because I have to get up at 5:30 for classes tomorrow. But with so much on my mind I tend to be restless...so what do people usually do when they have a lot on their mind...They write it down sometimes in a journal. Well, since I have not really opened my journal for about 2 years. I will write it here.

I hate the unknown. With us moving in a few days and birthing in about 10 weeks, there is a lot you could say that is unknown. Such as:

* Where in the world are we going to put all the stuff that we've accumulated over 5 years?
* Uh, what do contractions exactly feel like?
* How big is the epidural needle? And are all of the bad things that could happen with that process likely to actually happen?
* How does the whole forwarding of address process work at the post office? I really enjoy my mail!
* Where exactly is Brynlee going to sleep? And where will we hang all of her precious little dresses and put her tiny little shoes?
* What is Rusty Roo going to do all day now that he won't have people walking by our house to watch or fire engines screaming down the streat to howl at?
* How is Tyler going to work, go to school, build a house, spend time with his new precious cargo, AND hang out with the asian woman that he calls honey?

Now, if you're Tyler, you simply tell me to not worry about the things that are beyond my control, or about things that could or could not happen...WELL, I'm a women and that's what I think we do very well (if not perfectly) is worry.

I also have a lot to be grateful for. And the other night in our prayers I wanted to be sure to thank for those things that I don't have to worry about. There are so many who have to worry about where they will get their next meal, how they will keep warm for the night, how much longer a loved one has to live, and so on. My worries actually seem miniscule when compared to those worries...so I am REALLY trying to focus on everything that I have to be grateful for...such as:

* A wonderful Mom and Grandma Bates who came and helped me pack up pretty much our whole entire house today.
* A wonderful Mom-in-Law who is right now rearranging her whole house/life for us to move in and invade.
* Caring neighbors and friends who have offered any help they can give. Just their offering is a blessing enough.
* A patient husband, who I have yet to see get stressed out about this move.
* A healthy baby who I love a lot already!
* The gospel that brings so much stability and peace in this crazy world!
* A job that I love!!!
* Marie & Katie for working for me this whole week, to lessen my stress levels.
* Yummy food!

Today I got home and got a little overwhelmed so I decided to calm my self and read something spiritual. I typed into the search engine of LDS.org: "Life Changes"....and came up with this talk called "Finding Joy in the Journey" by President Monson. Ok, can you say perfectly what I needed to read. You can read it here: PRESS HERE

Here are some points that I enjoyed:

* "The difference between the changes in my life and the changes in yours is only in the details. Time never stands still; it must steadily march on, and with the marching come the changes."

* "I plead with you not to let those most important things pass you by as you plan for that illusive and nonexistent future when you will have time to do all that you want to do. Instead, find joy in the journey—now."

* "My brothers and sisters, there is no tomorrow to remember if we don’t do something today....Of course, there is no going back, but only forward. Rather than dwelling on the past, we should make the most of today, of the here and now, doing all we can to provide pleasant memories for the future."

* "Stresses in our lives come regardless of our circumstances. We must deal with them the best we can. But we should not let them get in the way of what is most important—and what is most important almost always involves the people around us. Often we assume that they must know how much we love them. But we should never assume; we should let them know."

* "Despite the changes which come into our lives and with gratitude in our hearts, may we fill our days—as much as we can—with those things which matter most. May we cherish those we hold dear and express our love to them in word and in deed."

This makes me excited to watch conference this weekend! Luv Sara.

A Comfy Cozy Baby

These are the beautiful quilts that my Mom made for our soon to be bundle-of-Brynlee. She put a lot of work and love into them and I think they turned out perfectly. I am not a sewer. There was many a time growing up that my Mom wanted to teach me to sew, but I always thought I had something better to do. Now, seeing the amazing things that can be done with a sewing machine makes me want to learn to sew so much!!!....The only sad part of this is that we won't be able to put them in a nursery for about a year, but we all will still enjoy them thoroughly. These quilts will definitley be treasured forever by us and Brynlee as a special gift of love from her Grandma and Grandpa Scott! Thankyou so much!

ps This was Ty's favorite picture of the bunch...we honestly didn't realize that the clock behind my head looked like horns until after the fact...

13 weeks left!!!!!!!!

A few have wanted to see my ever expanding belly. I really haven't expanded all that much...in fact just today, the adoption director asked me if I was pregnant or if I was just getting fat in the belly. You have to know her and know how funny she is...I wasn't offended at all. Well, here I am at 26 weeks:


I have felt so amazingly great in the past couple of months. No sickness, lots of energy, and a great appetite for what I love doing most....eating!!! Below is a picture of what I enjoy eating most--anything with SUGAR (Please note the massive mound of whipped cream!). Oh, and thanks to Grandma Bates for all of the yummy strawberries!:



And these are a couple that I got a kick out of. We like to think that Rusty is excited for the new baby, and that he will be her little protector. We will see exactly how that all rolls out come June.


On another note. I am so proud of Ty! About 3 weeks ago he got a promotion at his work. He'll be moving to a new department in about a month to be a program director. Congratulations Tyler Lynn!!!!!!! If you wanna know more what he'll be doing you'll have to ask him. I get confused.


And on one final sad/happy/stressful/exciting/what the heck note...we sold our house today. Well, it's still not final, but someone put an offer on the table and we have accepted. In a market like this I have no choice to be grateful for actually being able to sale! And after all of the apprehension I was feeling a couple of months ago about selling, I suprisingly feel a sense of peace and feel like this is actually the right time to be moving. I was sad and teared up when Ty told me, but only because we're selling "our" first house, and moving away from people that we love (our ward family). So, yeah...I took the day off tomorrow and everything to paint the extra bedroom pink, but I'm not so much gonna be doing that tomorrow....Mom, wanna go to Kohl's?????

Halitosis

Rusty had his teeth "professionaly cleaned" exactly one week ago today, and already his breath smells a little like an overflowing sewage pipe....why?

How you can get pregnant from ice skating...

I can already tell that baby Brinlee is a sweet spirit by the simple fact that she has already brought so much joy into Tyler's and my life. We love just laying there on the couch with our hands on my buddha belly waiting for her to kick or move. We also love to think about how are lifes are going to change and how much this little baby will be a big focus of our time and love. Yesterday was our monthly appointment...It's always fun to see her little face, hands, and feet and see her wiggle around. And I must say it is always a relief for me to know that she is still alive and kickin'. I love our doctor too. I know for a fact that he's heard all the questions before, but he doesn't act like it's the same-old song and dance,...he always answers our questions thoroughly and is great!

Only problem is that the time before she gets here is going faster then I imagined. I was thinking about what was about 3 1/2 months ago...Halloween! Ok, that seems like just barely. And in that same amount of time we will be birthing. Holy bananas! I am sooooooooooo excited, but at the same time starting to freak out just a bit.

Ok, so you're probably wondering about the title of this blog. Well, this is how "Ice skating turns into getting pregnant":



This is a picture of Tyler and I's 3rd time together (one week after we met). It is also the first time that we ever held hands. The story goes something like this (don't feel obligated to read):

"My friend Anna and her friend Brent kept talking about a guy they wanted to set me up with. I had pretty much been set up by one-too-many dates by Anna. Don't get me wrong, I love the girl, but the dates she thought I would like were either too into themselves, or a little akward. Well, I guess Brent finally gave his friend Tyler my phone number because I got a call from this guy they had been talking about. On the phone he was very nice, and a little shy (which I love about Ty) and also my first impression about him was that he was a cowboy. For some reason back in 2003 I assumed that everyone who went to Fremont High was a hick who wore wranglers. Well, anyways we talked for quite some time on the phone and then he finally asked me out for that Friday (November 14th). The date was awesome!! It was a big group of probably 20 or so people, but I couldn't tell you who was there now. All I remember was the great time that I had with Tyler. We went to Olive Garden and then back to Tyler's to watch a movie. Anyways it went really well! We hung out one more time before this infamous picture and then the following Friday we all headed up to the Gallivan center for some ice skating. I honestly don't remember much about the night, but how much I enjoyed spending time with this guy!!!!!!!!! I do remember that we held hands for the first time on this night and sparks flew...woot woot... I also remember hearing my friend Tommy making fun of us for holding hands...All kidding aside, it was definitley one of those moments that I hope to never forget. And the rest is history. The rest of our dating and engagement is a story for another day, but that is basically how ice skating results in getting pregnant. Since I didn't post anything for Valentine's I thought it would be fun to share this picture. Tyler and I fell in love a little over 5 years ago, but are now much more in love!"
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Valentine's was great even though Ty had a slight case of Pneumonia. After taking care of Tyler all day and nursing him back to health we were able to go to dinner and a movie. Mostly it was just fun having Valentine's be on a Saturday so we could hang out with each other all day.

Ok, gotta go...Rusty is crying for chocolate, which I will not feed him, but I will try to appease him with some other doodah of a snack.

Congratulations Lovebirds!

Congrats to my wonderful Sister-in-law Ashley who just recently got engaged to Brock!!! They are planning a summer wedding and couldn't be cuter.

I will post later on Valentines day and updates with our little baby Brinlee, but I just wanted to make sure Ashley & Brock knew that we are excited for them!

GOALS:

I thought I would post some of my goals on here, since I check this more often then not...

1. Dejunk our basement and closets by 02/07/2009.
2. Plan something special for Tyler for Valentines Day (He doesn't read this blog unless I tell him to, so no worries...).

3. Make these blocks (From Larkandlola.blogspot.com):

4. Read my scriptures more!
5. Take Rusty on a walk/Get my light pregnancy cardio in at least 3 times a week.
6. Organize and prep the spare bedroom for painting by 01/31/2009.
7. Paint and prepare baby Brinlee's room by 02/21/2008.
8. Get straight A's this semester...haha!
9. Learn how to do this with Adobe Photoshop (From Misty Cato Designs):

Man, I have a lot to do...I better get to it!

How many licks to get to the middle of a Dingo?

Well, for Roo.........

One....Two....Chomp! Yum!!

Also, Rusty loves to play. His favorite playmate for the past 4 years has been Rambo. A few weeks ago he was introduced to this sweet thing. Her name is Schotzee and they are getting along fabulous. This video is their first meeting (Um, you will have to ignore my fake sounding laugh...I honestly don't usually laugh like that):

In other non dog-related news...I just now put Adobe photoshop on my computer. Help!!!!!!!!! Anyone have a good website to help me learn or know of a class of some sort? I will be using it mostly for scrapbooking......................................??????????????????????????????????????

Life sure does go fast when you're having fun!

Wow! The last month has been great!! We had such a wonderful Christmas and New Years break...I miss it! We were spoiled by our families and each other with wonderful presents and time spent together. It was also great to see friends you only see once or twice a year. I love the holidays and can't wait to do it all over again next year!!!!!!!! Um, what else...Tyler turned 27 on Dec 22nd. I met this wonderful man when he was only but a wee thing at 21 years old (he turned 22 a month later). He only get's better and more wonderful with every passing year (I'm trying to be cheezy here, but am being honest at the same time). Also on his birthday we found out that we're having a baby girl! Tyler jokes that now he will be outnumbered in our house when this little one comes. He's right, but I'm sure his girls will shower him with tons of love too. We haven't quite decided on a name yet, but are somewhat leaning towards Brinlee....The names Addison and Taya are still in the mix as well, but when I get the "hmm...that's nice", with a shrug of the shoulder kind of thing, then I tend to stray away, but I think we both are liking the name Brinlee, but we will see when she pops out if she looks more like a Molly or some other random name. Also just with in the last few days Tyler decided to put our house back on the market. We put it up this time for much cheaper then originally. This market is a killer, and so we are not expecting to get what we wanted out of it, but I think Tyler is anxious to get into something a little bigger while interest rates are nice and low. As for me I would be happy in Riverdale for 5-10 more years. I guess whatever happens, happens for a reason. Oh, note to self, don't go see a movie that will make you cry when you are expecting a baby. I saw two of these (Marley & Me, and Benjamin Button). Somehow I really don't think they were all that sad, but once you start tearing up with all of these random hormones running through you...those tears don't stop, and before you know it your sleeve, your kleenex, and your face is sopping wet. How embarrasing :) Ok, that is all. Here are a few pictures. I really haven't been hauling my camera around like I should, but am vowing to be better. Loves to all! -Sara-

p.s. Stay tuned...tomorrow is our "big ultrasound". Happy MLK day!

Tyler kinda looks like he secretly wants to attack me here

My friend Keri & me

About 30 minutes after giving Rusty a stuffed animal...this is what he does to the poor things.

I stole this picture from Ashley's blog. I really took zippo pictures on Christmas day.

Me at 18 weeks

Don't Judge Me :)

There's only a week left week of Christmas and....

I just barely got my tree and decorations up at the first of this week…ooops.

Just so you know I am usually the first person to put the tree up…usually before Thanksgiving, but somehow this year it didn’t happen until pretty much just now. Don’t ask me to explain why because I honestly can’t. But it is up and that is all that counts. I am a bit regretful that I didn’t just take a couple of hours earlier this month or last month to put it up because I could seriously sit here for hours looking at the pretty lights. Oh, and also, this is the first year that our house doesn’t look like a gingerbread house on the outside. We decided that it wasn’t worth Tyler risking his life…especially since he will be a daddy in a few short months.


But, just because it took me this long to decorate doesn’t mean that I’m not excited for the holiday…I even went to what many of you would consider a “dorky” Christmas sing-along at the Energy Solutions Center with a couple of coworkers…..SO FUN!!!!!!!!!! Singing Christmas songs will definitely put you in the mood. I’ve actually been singing them since right after Halloween. I’m not kidding when I say, that it was the ONLY music on the radio that didn’t make me sick to my stomach in my first trimester. I am the type of person that loves pretty much all music, but it was the Christmas music that kept me from losing my lunch and kept those happy nutrients down for little baby Hodson to enjoy.

Ummmmm……..I don’t know what else to write, so here’s a way funny video that I'm sure a lot of you have seen (and ps I am not trying to advertise for Budweiser):

Now, to finish shopping......

Oreos drenched in milk!

Um....so I am the type of person who can take on:
--2 jobs (30+ hrs/wk)
--full-time school
--a busy church calling
--cleaning a house
--and a husband

...all with usually 5-6 hours of sleep.

Now, I'm down to the following:
--kinda 2 jobs (less then 20 hrs/wk)
--2 online classes
--a piece of cake calling that requires little to no extra effort
--somewhat keeping the house in order
--and hopefully paying enough attention to my husband so that he knows he's still loved

...all with about 10+ hours of sleep...with random power naps throughout the day.

It's amazing to me how much energy I don't have these days...thus, also the lack of posting to this website I call bloggaboo.
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Well.......These are some things that I would have made into seperate posts over the last couple of weeks, but now you get them all in one helping and condensed:


1. 11-21-08 Kari and Rob's wedding was such a beautiful day! I am so happy for them! It was a long day, but I thoroughly enjoyed myself. The ceremony was beautiful, the weather was perfect, the luncheon was so nummy, and the line to congratulate the couple was horendous (in a good way)...I loved seeing old friends and acquaintances that I haven't seen in forever. The following is a slideshow with pictures from my Aunt Rhonda's camera. Thanks Rhonda, for taking these!:

(ok...I'm getting tired, so I'll post these sometime tomorrow or Wednesday...Here's 3)








2. THANKS to everyone for the congratulations on here and Facebook...Ty and I feel really blessed to have so many good people in our lives. This is a picture that I wanted to post a long time ago, but couldn't. Remember the picture of Ty sewing on the sewing machine? Well, this is the little number that he created:

3. 11-29-08 I went to Twilight. I suprisingly enjoyed it and am a bit anxious now for the next movie. Tyler was off-the-wall excited that he did not have to sit through the movie...although I'm sure he would've if no one else could've gone. This is a pic of us in front of the movie poster...except for the guy taking the picture cut off Edward's big forehead:

4. 12-02-08 I was sad to hear of Elder Wirthlin's passing, but then I heard that he was 91 and his wife had died a couple years ago, and so sadness turned to hapiness thinking of the reunion with his lovely wife. Almost immediatley after hearing of his death I kinda wondered what the last thing he left us with last conference was...so I read this talk, "Come What May, and Love it". It talks about how we can react to adversity, sorrow, and hard times. I recommend reading this short little talk...what a great man with some great wisdom. I liked this quote from the talk...and definitley need to take it to heart:

"The next time you're tempted to groan, you might try to laugh instead.
It will extend your life and make the lives of all those around you more
enjoyable."

Ok, that is all. Happy last minute Christmas shopping to you all!

Thankful for----The 2nd Trimester!!!!

We are thrilled to announce that we are pregnant...with a baby!!!! Tyler is going to be a daddy, I'm going to be a mommy, and yes we are a little overwhelmed, but so excited and grateful for this blessing.

Technically the 2nd trimester isn't for 2 more days, but some of you know how hard of a time I have keeping secrets.

This is something that we have been wanting and praying for for a long time. We just feel so lucky and can't wait for little baby Hodson to get here...June 12thish. A summer baby :)

Turkey day is sneaking up!