It's a boy!!

Yes, for those of you who didn't catch my hint a few posts back, we are pregnant!! We are so so excited. We've had two official ultra sounds telling us it's a boy! They didn't give us a disk so I just took a pic of the prints. Pretty great huh?

I'm dabbling in nursery themes and/or color schemes. The first one that I've thought of is doing just a color theme: red and aqua. Is that girlie? I have white bead board, crib, and shelves. I want to have the curtains and quilt I make match. I have quilt material that kind of is a nusery rhyme theme. any sites you can send me to that while prime my creativity pump???

Oh the things you say...

Gracee talks a ton, and with that comes some really funny and cute things.

10. bye bye ___________ (to everything and everyONE! She is constantly saying bye bye to everything, ever since Grandma Peterman left home to AZ after a long summer stay.

9. "you mama" (this is her way of saying "I love you too)

8. ___________night night? (she asks this when ANYBODY is closing their eyes for any reason or has their head down.)

7. "too too chrain!!" (This is said in response to the sound of a train or the sight of a semi, a truck pulling something, or any vehicle longer than a pickup truck)

6. "too too chrain (jabber jabber) far (jabber jabber) see?" Me: "yes Gracee, the choo choo train is to far away to see right now huh?" Gracee: "Uh huh"

5. Me: "Gracee, do you want to go downstairs with me to switch the laundry?" Gracee: "uh umm.... (long pause) YAH! She considers every question negotiable and by taking a while to think it through before answering, it's almost like she is letting us know she is her own person.

4. "Pretty singing (a small pause for emphasis), Mama!" She'll do anything she can to get me to sing something and then finish off with that nice compliment.

3. The word "fesin" means "this one"--so clearly, it can mean several things. "Table...fesin. Ball fesin. Blanket fesin..." She lovingly taps whatever it is she is referring to as she chants.

2. (From Dorah the Explorer:) "Gracee, say 'swiper no swipin'!'" Gracee: "NO SWIPIN' NO!"

1. My favorite is when she'll run up and grab me with a squeeze and say "WUV!!!!" (meaning, of course, love.)

what we've been up to...

Having a Happy Halloween with my pirate bunch. Gracee got really good at saying "Arrrr!"

Running around with this little fireball.
getting together with some of my college roomies and VERY dear friends! Thanks for the visit Care!
laughing at Gracee...a lot! she always does funny stuff like this! she wanted to feel the cool wet wipe on her face that is on the floor under her head here.
i love this face! she is always laughing, talking, making jokes and singing and asking us to sing. Oh and she's going to be a big sister!!!

My friend Maddie

We lost a dear friend yesterday. My heart is aching and my spirit is weak. Madison Mecum was one of the purest spirits I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. I always kind of felt like she was too good and pure for the rest of us, too good for this world.
She was a hit by a car. The driver was a classmate of hers, both just 13 years old. I can't tell you how many times the thoughts have run through my head, "if that girl just didn't pick up her aunt's car keys," "if Maddie had only gone to her own bus stop that day," "if she had only been walking a few steps behind where she was at that time..."
I know those thoughts don't help. I am just so sad. I'm sad for me. Sad for her family. Sad for our neighborhood. I am mostly sad for her family though. We love this sweet family. They live just up the street a few houses. We have them over for dinner and games, Maddie and her sister are two Young Women I serve in my calling. Maddie is one of Gracee's favorite babysitters. Her older sister, Marnie comes over often just to talk with me and Russ about life. Her mom, Paige is also my dear friend who does massage/piano lesson trades with me. The Mecum girls are very important to us. Their dad died in a car crash in 2005. Paige and Marnie only have each other now. They could use financial help and have an account set up for donations. If that is something any of you are interested in helping with, let us know.
I know we will see Maddie again someday, for that I look forward to. I know she is much happier where she is with her dad. I know all of that, but it doesn't change the fact that I am really sad. Sad for us, not for her. I am so grateful for the knowledge I have of the Plan of Salvation. I know this pain would be much more hopeless without the knowledge that our loving Savior and Heavenly Father have prepared a way that we can all be together with them again.

We miss you Maddie. We love you. 'Til we meet again.

My birthday

I got the idea from my brother, Scotty to celebrate my birthday for a whole week! What a great idea! I figured my 30th was a great year to start. Here are some of the things we did at random times in the day, whenever we could fit them in:

My birthday week started with a family dinner at the Hannigs for me and our niece, Emrie. My sis-in-law made me brownies with nuts-my fav! Thanks Ryanne!

Went to our first BYU home game! Go Cougs! (Thx for the tix Smiths!)

Went to dinner

Enjoyed another tandem bike ride in the canyon (an annual tradition on my bday) but this year we did 23 miles! Woohoo! That was about as adventurous as we got, because all of the adventurous stuff would've been mostly just adventurous for the pocket book!

(Russ must REALLY love me to do this every year!)

Thx for the lunch Kenz! What a sweetie.

Went to Timpanogos story telling festival

Went to WAFFLE CONE Wednesday at TCBY and took cute pix of Gracee playing at the mall

Watched episodes of The Closer

Had a game night!!

Went and did a temple session together

Did and FHE at Discovery park with the Smiths with homemade ice cream, yum! Thanks Kenz!

My friend, Kim, threw me a shin dig at Kenzie's house where we dressed up from the eras that I've been alive in. (ok, I confess...we cheated and included the 70's! The 70's are irresistible!)

Isn't Russ's tough face so cute here?

Thanks Kim and Kenz, you guys rock! So do those "mom jeans" Kenz is wearing..yes!

The most touching thing ever, I was completely blown away--Kenzie made me a book with a bunch of people who'd responded to her with "30 things they love about Sus". I cried when I opened it and realized what it was and all the people who responded. I was so deeply touched by everybody's words. I will cherish it always. I know I will read it during low times in my life and be lifted and reminded of what amazing people grace my life. Thank you so much Kenzie and everybody who was able to add to the book!

Lunch with dad

Here is our first try with using video on our new camera. We have this tradition we've just started where almost every day me and Gracee go and bring lunch to Russ. It has been good for her to actually see us all three together a little more often, sad, but true! ENJOY, more to come!

I'm a big girl now!

This picture does not do justice to how FILTHY my hands and legs were!!

Hey guys! This is me after having SUCCESSFULLY changed my bike tire BY MYSELF! I've gotten flats several times while on the surface streets and have had to call my dad, my father in law and even got picked by my father in law once because neither of us could get it on right. I also was helped once by a fellow road biker who was driving to work and had mercy on my poor pitiful figure alongside the road, fussing with it. I even watched a youtube tutorial after the last frustrating experience. I'm so proud of myself. And it only took me 24 minutes! (I say that in jest cuz I know that is incredibly slow...)