Updates

First of all, Merry Christmas! I hope you all had a wonderful Holiday! We got so many fun things and really enjoyed our time with our families. We are looking forward to an exciting 2009!

I haven't blogged in awhile, so I wanted to post some updates.

Baby...I am finally past throwing up everyday and I am so happy to be feeling better. From what everyone has told me this is the time you feel the best so I need to enjoy the next few months! We have our ultrasound scheduled for January 14th to find out the sex of the baby, we are SO excited!

New Callings...Nic was called to be in the Elder's Quorum Presidency and I was called to be in the Primary Presidency. We are both really excited and are looking forward to growing in these new areas. I worry about Nic's time while he is in law school, but I know he will be watched over and blessed.

Everything else in our lives is going great! We are looking forward to 2 awesome bowl games next week (Penn State in the Rose Bowl & Utah in the Sugar Bowl)!

Holiday Etiquette

I don't know about you, but I constantly have etiquette questions (especially around the holidays). Who do you buy gifts for, how much should you spend on a gift for your Boss, how much do you tip people around the holidays?? Nic bought me a book a couple of years ago that has been a lifesaver, Emily Posts Etiquette Bible. I would recommend it to anyone. I get her monthly newsletter and I really thought this one was helpful:

Holiday Tipping Is Really Holiday Thanking
The holiday season is traditionally the time Americans choose to thank those who provide them with year-round services. In these tough economic times it’s important to remember that holiday tipping is truly about saying thank you. With a little creativity you can accommodate everyone on your list this year without blowing your budget.

Holiday Thanking Recommendations

The table below contains our recommendations for holiday thanking, or tipping. These are not rules. Remember that averages and ranges can vary based on the type of establishment, regional customs, and your own budget. You never have to give cash and a gift, except in a few cases, such as when your child may give a gift to a babysitter in addition to your tip or thank-you. We understand that some people aren’t comfortable picking out gifts for those they don’t know well so there are cash amounts listed below, as a suggestion only.

The table is posted on her website at: http://www.emilypost.com/everyday/holiday_tipping.htm

2nd Trimester! Boy or Girl?

I am enjoying my second trimester much more then my first!! I feel like I can function again because I am not throwing up all day. It feels nice to be able to eat normal foods again and not feel quite as tired. Well, that special time is quickly approaching for when we get to find out the sex of the baby. I would love to hear your guesses of what we are having!

You all know what a fact geek I am. I am loving reading all kinds of books and articles on pregnancy and babies. Here are some facts that were especially interesting to me:

A baby is born every seven seconds.

While in the uterus, babies spend most of their time sleeping. By 32 weeks, a fetus displays rapid eye movement (REM), the hallmark of dreaming. No one knows what babies dream about, although floating around in the warm, comfortable dark is probably a recurrent theme. Scientists believe that fetal dreaming plays an important role in brain development.

By week 34, babies can recognize a specific piece of music. They might even move along with the beat.

Your blood volume will increase by about 50 percent during pregnancy (although this increase varies from person to person). This additional blood volume contributes approximately 4 pounds to the average woman's overall weight gain during pregnancy!

Babies are born with very poor vision but can recognize their mothers almost right away.
Babies are born with swimming abilities and can naturally hold their breath. However, they shortly lose this instinct.

Thanksgiving Weekend

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend. We had the neat opportunity to go with my side of the family to a cabin up in Oakley. It was so much fun and such a great location. It was a lot of fun to have the whole family together and sleeping in one house. It was fun to wake up to snow both days we were there. Such a fun way to spend the Thanksgiving weekend! It was a little sad that my sisters and I missed the Black Friday shopping, but it was worth it.

When we returned home on Friday Nic and I bought our Christmas Tree. We always get our tree the day after Thanksgiving. To us, the season goes by way too fast as it is. Might as well start early, right? Here are some pictures...

Do you have your tree yet? How is your Christmas shopping coming? Only 24 days until Christmas!!

Post #100!!

There are many reasons for us to give thanks
Like food on our table or money in the bank,
A gracious Father looking down from above
Or a brand new baby to increase our love
Wait just a minute! I’ve let it slip
That my expanding belly and growing hips
Will be more than a product of delicious food
And my emotional swings not just a bad mood.
Because this year more than the turkey will be
Stuffed to the brim…Yes, I’m talking about me!

I was able to hear the most amazing sound today, the sound of my baby's heartbeat! I can hardly believe that Heavenly Father has blessed Nic and I with this incredible miracle! We are expecting our little bundle of joy around the end of May. We are scared, and excited, and did I mention scared? I am looking forward to all of you giving me your words of wisdom and advice!

Thanks to my sister Wendy for writing the cute poem!

Faith Hill's New Christmas CD

Faith Hill is my favorite singer by far! I was so excited when my sister bought me her brand new Christmas album. I think she honestly has the best voice in the whole world. PLUS, she is the prettiest person in the world (in my opinion). I really love her song "A Baby Changes Everything". You can listen to it here: http://www.faithhill.com/index.php?em2917=1034_-1__0_~0_-1_10_2008_0_0&content=videos&em3254=&em2913=&em3120 . Her voice is so powerful, I could listen to her sing all day. I highly recommend this CD if you are looking for a good Christmas CD!

44 Days Til Christmas

I love this time of year! People seem so happy during the Thanksgiving through Christmas season. How are you doing on your Christmas shopping? With the exception of 2 gifts, I am completely done. I always do my shopping throughout the year. That way I can pick up things for people when I see something they would like (and I don't feel the pressure of finding a great gift in a month) AND it seems a lot more manageable financially. If they were selling Christmas trees, I would have mine up today!

Nic and I have already started watching Christmas movies. We are trying to build up our collection. This is what we have so far, but I wanted to see what other holiday favorites people suggest!
It's a Wonderful Life
Miracle on 34th Street
Polar Express
White Christmas
Christmas Story
How the Grinch Stole Christmas

What other Christmas movies do you you love?

Merry Christmas! Ok, Happy Thanksgiving for now :) !