finally finals

over the next 2 weeks, i'll be closing a chapter of my life and opening a new one.

i have taken my sweet time in making big decisions and working toward my degree.

this has been a long (and hot) semester but finally i'm finishing my AS degree!

i am so excited to apply for my teaching program in the spring,

and feel doubly blessed that i have the opportunity to be a full-time mom at the same time.

these next few years will get really hard sometimes i'm sure,

but i don't doubt all of the sweat and tears will pay off in the end...

when i'm holding that degree in my hand, and our little girl with the other. :)

and now without further adieu… my 38 week preggo belly next to my tiny friend and her babe.

i'm so happy i got to see them while they visited and ask her a million birth questions!

our #1 guy

this is for the guy who caught my eye 4 years ago and stole my heart quickly after.

this is for the guy who understands me better than anybody else.. and loves me anyway.

this is for the guy that always fights to protect and provide for his family.

this is for the guy that has always strived to put me first and make me the happiest.

this is for the guy that is going to be the best father to our baby daughter.

this is for the guy that has given me handfuls of foot massages late at night.

this is for the guy that has wiped away my tears and kissed away my insecurities.

this is for the guy that is quick to try something fun or explore a new place with me.

this is for the guy that is always first to say "sorry" even when it's not his fault.

this is for the guy that believes in me and my abilities more than even i do.

this is for the guy that doesn't settle for mediocrity and dreams big.

this is for the guy who can't stop talking about holding his "little sweetie".

this is for the guy that lights up when we talk about anything sports or traveling.

this is for the guy that can make anybody laugh, even in another language.

this is for the guy that loves to kiss my nose and cuddle before bed.

this is for the guy that tells me he loves me after every conversation without fail.

this is for the guy whose blue eyes i melt into every day.

baby girl and i are the luckiest for having this man at the center of our lives.

we love you so much will!

utah baby shower

yesterday my mother in law and sister in laws threw me and baby girl a shower.

it was mostly will's side of the family that came to this one and it was good to see everyone.

the snacks and goodies were delicious! i'm sure i tried at least 2 of everything. :)

the decorations were so cute and perfectly themed for summer time.

here are some pictures that my awesome mother in law took:

i don't know if i'll ever be able to take the diaper cake apart, it is too adorable!

our jogging stroller, yay!

elizabeth is going to be such a great babysitter in a couple of years. :)

"grandma's biggest joy"

 my sister in law katie made the cutest little popcorn buckets!

my sister in law, chelsea, and me due 2 weeks apart. yay for cousins!

it's hard to believe in less than 4 weeks we could be holding our sweet girl in our arms.

hopefully she lets mom and daddy finish up their finals first, but if not that's okay too.

we're so anxious to welcome her into the world!!!

4th of july

we had a great 4th of july weekend with friends and family.

on the 3rd, we watched the eaglewood fireworks with our friends.

there were sparklers, snow cones, and great conversations involved.

it was such a fun late night!

on the morning of the 4th, my brother and his family came to our neighborhood parade.

my nieces and nephews all decorated their bikes with patriotic drawings and streamers.

even the youngest had flags on the handlebars of his stroller!

they helped me decorate my bike and we all rode in the parade together.

the parade ended at a local park where there were treats, kid games, and face painting.

we crammed as many donuts as we could into our mouths and did most of the booths.

the kids were way more creative than me and got some extravagant art done on them.

after the carnival, we went back to our house for lunch and played with the dogs.

we love when our dogs get practice being around kids, since they don't get much.

elizabeth especially had a strong connection with them.

that night, will and i ate some traditional american bbq at joe's bbq.

then we put on some patriotic music and watched the west jordan fireworks from the car.

when we got home we let our dogs out to potty and they did really well with the fireworks too.

banks and milo have been around them before and it didn't really phase them.

poor max got startled a few times by the really loud whistling ones but still watched them.

it is so hard to believe this was our last national holiday before our baby arrives.

as great as it was this year, i have a feeling next year will top it by far. :)