chalkboard tutorial

we've been wanting a chalkboard to put up in our kitchen for quite a while.

they are pretty pricey in stores for the size we wanted though...

so after seeing some cute homemade ones my friends have done, i decided to make my own! 

9 dollars total covered a D.I. frame (i took out the glass to paint), 2 brushes, and 2 bottles of paint.

i did 8 layers of chalkboard paint on the glass to make it thick enough(change direction per coat).

it took me 4 layers of the red to cover the frame because it was a splotchy gold underneath.

vwala! this is now hanging proudly in our kitchen (which has splashes of red to match)!

our little princess

will and i both pictured having a boy first, we were SO sure that's what was going to happen.

it's not that we thought we'd love a girl any less, but we were just positive our baby was a boy.

now there's nothing better than imagining all of the fun and joy we will experience with a girl!

lately, i've been feeling waves of responsibility hitting me of just how much i'm being trusted with.

it's hard being born into the world at this time for any gender, but being a girl has it's own stresses.

i never want her to hear me talking negative of myself or see me with low self-esteem.

i want her to know she is a precious daughter of God and her body is sacred.

i want her to hold her head high and believe she is worth more than anything in the world.

i want her to feel safe, loved unconditionally, and that she can come to her parents with anything.

i think just knowing the pressures and emotions that come along with being female myself,

i can't stress enough how i want her to be raised with so much positive,motivating force around her.

and will's going to be ready for those boys when she starts bringing them home. ;)

16 week ultrasound 

the ultrasound tech called her "floozie" because she made it easy to get good pictures of her parts.

of course will didn't like that one bit haha i thought it was funny.

winter wardrobe on sale! 

18 weeks at the gym. i'm loving having my energy back during this 2nd trimester!

19 weeks- mid pregnancy ultrasound. saluting us?

we love you little princess and can't wait to meet you!

moab getaway

last weekend we went to Moab, UT with Will's family to cheer his sister on in a race.

after a few set backs with a flat tire and a trip to the E.R....

and Will and I ending up having to miss cheering Hayley on in the race because of said E.R. trip,

we got to enjoy hiking, biking, a late night swim, good food, and great company.

it was overall a great trip and we enjoyed being away from the stress of work and school.

my grateful list from the weekend:

-that 2 police officers pulled over just a couple of minutes after the tire went flat and helped.

-that there was a 24 hr. car shop open just a few minutes up the road from where we broke down (it was 10pm and we were basically in the middle of nowhere when it happened).

-that the dr. was able to pin point what was causing me pain and had meds to help quickly.

-that our baby wasn't harmed in any of this and is still growing strong in my belly. 

3 dogs

usually when we tell people we have 3 dogs they look at us like we're crazy. 

and i can't blame them because honestly, we are! 

me and will are the type to dive into things without thinking too hard first.

i'd like to think of it as just being spontaneous. :)

though all of them came to be with us on a whim, we are so grateful for them!

here are a few of the many reasons we have 3 dogs and love it:

- they are our babies! we struggled getting pregnant and these guys seriously got me through the rollercoaster of emotion. it was nice still getting to be a "mommy" when things got hard.

- there are 3 excited faces ready to greet us when we get home each day. 

-they depend on us for a lot and we love feeling needed and appreciated.

- camping, hiking, traveling is all so much more fun with a dog to share it with!

-they all love to cuddle and give "kisses" (licks), an instant boost any time of day.

- they have taught us so much patience and responsibility which will help when baby comes.

- our kids will grow up with pets, something we both LOVED when we were growing up.

obviously having them does make things like travel or spending the night somewhere more difficult,

but luckily we've been able to swing it many times (with the help of good friends and family).

banks, milo, and max ("moose") are part of the family and what makes us US!

we hope you have a paw-fect day!

mid-pregnancy appointment

today we had our mid-pregnancy ultrasound and check-up.

the ultrasound technician went through everything: heart, stomach, brain, kidneys, etc.

everything looked great and she is a healthy baby girl!

she ruled out spina bifida and reaffirmed that she's measuring right on track still.

it is seriously all such a blessing and answer to our prayers!

the one thing they couldn't get a good look at was the upper lip to check for cleft lip,

so they are going to be doing another ultrasound around week 30 to check again.

they told me not to worry at all, and honestly I'm just excited we will get to see her again!

i have had so much comfort and peace so far during this pregnancy...

whenever I start to worry about why I haven't felt more movement or what if she's born premature,

i feel Heavenly Father putting his arm around me reassuring me that everything is okay.

gosh we just love our little girl so much already and can't wait to meet her!

here are some more updates about my pregnancy:

HOW FAR ALONG? 18 weeks, 5 days

TOTAL WEIGHT GAIN: 4 lbs. so far

MATERNITY CLOTHES? not yet, just enjoying my looser/stretchier clothes and taking advantage of the old hair tie trick for my pants. :)

STRETCH MARKS? not yet

MOVEMENT: i'm pretty dang sure I have felt a few stretches since last weekend, all of them at night time right before i go to bed. EEE!

SLEEP: thanks to my new body pillow (thank you Liz!), it's been really good. now if i could just hold my bladder all night...

FOOD CRAVINGS: i feel like it changes alot, but i'm constantly munching on fruit or bread in between meals.

ANYTHING MAKING YOU SICK? i try to avoid all things spicy and italian for now, but more because of the heartburn that i've been getting from it.

GENDER: GIRL!

WEDDING RINGS ON OR OFF? on

BELLY BUTTON: IN/OUT? the top half is starting to poke out but the bottom half is still in... haha it's weird!

LOOKING FORWARD TO: visiting my family in May and registering for the baby showers!

23 years young

for starters, it was such a great birthday! 

fate smiled upon me when my birthday fell on National Pancake Day.

seriously, you can not find bigger breakfast lovers in the world than my family.

we celebrated in the morning with breakfast at IHOP (free stack of pancakes for the holiday).

then will had class so i did some solo shopping at target with my bday gift card from mom & dad.

i spent way longer than planned and practically took a nap in the nursery rockers on display.

i scored a cute button up, necklace, and sandals for me and a jacket and onesie for baby girl!

later, will surprised me with a beautiful dress, shirt, and earrings from one of my fave stores.

seriously, this guy knows me better than i know myself. i loved the gifts!

i changed into my new dress and we went out to dinner at a yummy little place called Stella's.

we found out about the place last summer and forgot about it until today, mm mm so good!

after that, we ended the night with cuddling and a movie. perfect ending to a great day.

23 years young! 

thanks to my sweetie for spoiling me and to my friends and family for their love as well.

my birthday wish came true early, being pregnant with our daughter is the best gift ever!

happy wednesday friends!

family birthday party

i was so excited to be able to have my dad up here so close to my birthday!

we decided to do an early birthday party last week so we could include him.

my mother-in-law, sisters-in-law, brother, and a bunch of our nieces and nephews came.

we had yummy pizza (thanks liz!) and will picked up delicious lemon meringue pie for dessert!

it's always nice having the family together, and i appreciate everyone coming out for me!

 thanks to my sister-in-law chelsea for taking these pictures for me to remember this fun night by!

18 weeks!

technically i'm 18 weeks on thursday, but who knows if i'll decide to look presentable that day so

here's what i look like 18 weeks pregnant! 

i love that i'm showing now! i feel like the winter layers have kinda hid it for the past 2 months.

it's funny to get people's reaction to the bump and then shocked that i'm this far along.

almost halfway! i've been blessed with being able to manage the sickness and symptoms i've had.

the biggest thing that changed my attitude was my sweet sister having a miscarriage...

she was due just a few weeks after us and lost the baby at the end of the first trimester.

i can't imagine the pain she has been dealing with and is trying to heal from.

because of that, i made a decision and dedicated it in my heart to my sister.

i made myself promise to not let any negativity come from my mouth about my pregnancy.

there are so many heartbroken people out there who would give anything and take on the
roughest pregnancy symptoms to bring their precious baby into this world.

that choice to focus on the beauty of pregnancy and birth has made me so much more grateful. 

my hugs and prayers go out to all who struggle and suffer while building their family.

xoxo

creeper status

this girl has been creeping the internet today entering every mom/baby giveaway known to woman.

how else am i going to pass the time on a saturday while will is off snowmobiling with scouts...

here's to hopefully getting lucky at one of these things!