Baby Bump Update : 25 weeks!

My bump, my bump, my lovely baby bump.. Check it out!

(please read the above text to the tune of "My Humps" by Black Eyed Peas to gain the desired effect)

SO.. five weeks ago I posted a pic of my bump

and I just cannot believe how much baby boy has grown since then!

It's amazing how the belly just kinda sneaks up on you.

I haven't seen my parents since April, so this weekend we met up with them in SLC and when we pulled up to the hotel I jumped out of the truck and they both looked at my belly and screamed and hugged me. haha

Apparently I have grown quite a bit since week 20.

My sis Lauryn instagram'd these pics of me when we were catching some rays earlier today.

Do I look bigger or what? I'd like to think that it's only obvious when you see the side of me.. but it's inevitable, no matter how you look at it, I am sooo pregnant!!

Being preggers is still going well. I do have to admit that I don't feel like a million bucks everyday.

My back and ribs hurt when I'm sitting in class, at dinner, etc.

A few times a day I feel like I am gonna hurl.. (haha sorry.. I dont know how to put that gracefully..)

but the good thing is I never do, I just feeeel like it.. which is still not fun.

But I am not complaining, I am still loving life and Dad to be is sooo good at taking care of me!

As for baby boyyyyy.. he is still kicking a lot! I love waking up to him moving around in there. A new trick of his is that I dont just feel him in one spot but sometimes 2 or 3 places at a time!

I wish I knew exactly what I was feeling! Is it his hand or foot or cute little tooshie?

If I had to guess I'd say I've felt him kicking AND pounding at the same.. I think he wants out!..

Hang in there little guy, you're not done cooking yet!

Obsessive Compulsive Nesting Mode

According to parentingweekly.com, "Around the fifth month of pregnancy, the "nesting" instinct can set in. this is uncontrollable urge to clean one's house brought on by a desire to prepare a nest for the new baby, to tie up loose end of old projects and organize your world."

I feel relieved to know that my obsessive need to redecorate actually has a legitimate excuse!

I told Derrick we needed to "baby proof" the house... and he was in!

Before I bought a thing, I went through all my clothes

because apparently nesting mode is similar to spring cleaning.

THEN I made a quick buck selling my unwanted clothing at a fashion exchange store

and felt guilt-free on my search for a new 'piece' to add to our casa.

We call these our "little artichoke thingies".. they were my inspiration.

I found this piece of furniture at DI aka a thrift store for 40 buckaroos! It wasn't much to look at in the beginning, it was old and scuffed up and ready for a new life. My sister Lauryn and I had fun painting and refinishing it.

Urban Outfitters is one of my favorite places to find apparel and accessories. Their home decor section is pretty quirky and vintage-esque. I got my curtains from them. And my little not so secretive secret is that my picture frames.. are from Family Dollar! ... the trick is finding ones that can be beautified with a new coat of paint.

Next project: Baby Boy's nursery! I am so excited:)

We heart our Dads...

Happy Father's Day!!

Sunday was a nice day to celebrate another parent who made us who we are.

Derrick and I talked about some of the things we learned from our dad's growing up, our memories were funny and inspiring... oh the things our parents had to put up with..

In my Childhood Development class this semester, we have been talking about the things that kids need as they grow up. Yes the mother can feed them and nurture them and love them to pieces,

but dad's are so vital in a child's life!

I was blessed with a wonderful dad.

I remember as a kid, he was always rooting for me and encouraging me to be myself

...even if I was a little boisterous and quirky and slightly neurotic..

I had times when I stressed out about the silliest things: what to wear on Hippie Day, my science projects, if my school binder looked cool enough, and being so dang short!

My dad always found a way to make me feel confident and special and smart.

He's hilarious, he works hard, he's a friend to everyone, and always willing to help people.

My dad always puts the Lord and family first, what a good example that has been to me.

Because of him I was extra choosy when it came to finding my spouse, I needed someone that could measure up to the man I've looked up to my whole life!

And I am so glad I was, because I found the one just right for me and our future kiddos.

I owe so much to this man for being part of raising my husband!

Derrick's dad, Rick, is a great dad. Derrick always says, "My dad can fix anything!" and it's true, also thanks to Rick, Derrick is quite the handyman with our house and vehicles.

He taught Derrick and his siblings the value of hard work at a young age.

From the two years that I've gotten to know his dad,

I've noticed that Derrick has definitely learned patience and unconditional love from him.

Rick always has a giant friendly smile and babies love him!..

Well the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree, does it:)

Bottom line: our dad's are amazing. We love you dad's!

Vegas Vacation

We seriously spent hours and hours searching online for the perfect

escape vacation where we could legitimately celebrate our 2 year anniversary/ my bday.

The dilemma was weather conditions and staying within our price range. If there is anything that I just really, really wanted, it was a nice warm vacay. So even though it was quite a drive, we decided to

chase the sun to Vegas.

It was perfect. And because it was Memorial Day weekend, prices were great!

We broke it up by leaving after school and spent time with my lovely friend (and former mission comp) Laura and her bf. We met up in SLC for a fun night of sushi, chocolate, hiking around the capital,

followed by laughing and reminiscing over pics from the mission.

The next morning we drove only a few more hours to our destination.

The weather was perfect and Derrick and I had so much fun!

We soaked in some sun at the pool.

It was so nice finally getting some sun!

I've never been so proud of having a sunburn.

Did some shopping while checking out the sites..

Believe it or not I didn't go crazy and buy tons of clothes with my birthday dinero.

It's so hard to find things to fit this growing baby bump!

But Derrick found a new suit that he looks very dapper in if I do say so myself:)

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Had some delicious food...

We drove out to the temple and had a lovely picnic...

Of course this it located on the opposite end of Sin City.

It was peaceful and the perfect way to start off another day.

Went to Madame Tussaudes Wax Museum...

Honestly? It was kiiinda on the creepy side. I felt like I walked into a party but everyone was frozen.

We seriously thought that at any moment one of the wax celebrities was gonna reach out and grab us!

But Derrick had fun posing with them and we took some fun pics.

Then we saw the most amazing show... The Phantom of the Opera.

It was so beautiful I almost cried!

I wasn't sure if Derrick would appreciate it like I knew I would.

But lucky for me Derrick has taken a whole new liking for the arts since he had to take a

required class at school where he learned all about high quality music and art.

He loved it, of course I loved it more because Phantom is something I grew up with.

We will definitely see this show again.

I never thought I would vacay in Vegas. But after this weekend we have already made plans to come back and try new hotels and see more shows and do some post baby shopping:)

Maybe next time we'll have to bring some friends!

My Golden Birthday

On 5-25 I turned 25!

Am I really in my mid-twenties? I thought that by the time I hit the golden bday

I would be mourning this supposedly high number. But ya know what? I am proud of it!

I am excited about all of the things I have learned and been a part of in my 25 years of life.

The best part is there is so much more to come!

So my bday landed on a Wednesday which meant a full day of school.

When I got out of the shower Derrick called me into the kitchen where he had a

cake, flowers, and a gift laid out on the kitchen table.

Now this wasn't just any ol' cake.

(He had spent three hours the night before preparing it.

I had no idea what he was making, he banished me from the kitchen and so... painted my nails)

He made me my favorite cake ever! Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake. mmmmmm...

I love this cake so much that I remember on my 18th Bday I went to Cheesecake Factory with my family, ordered a slice, brought it home and took only one bite a day so I could savor it for a whole week! haha And Derrick didn't even know that story til after he had made it. Needless to say I love him more because of his thoughtfulness.

My only regret is that I would have taken some good pics! We just dove right in that morning and by that time I thought of taking a pic, it was mutilated. But wow it was amazing!

This is Cheesecake Factory's version. Derrick's was just as delicious.

So that was my start to a wonderful birthday.

It was a beautiful day, perfectly warm and only slightly breezy.

I got lots of love from family and friends:)

What Derrick and I were really excited for was the coming weekend because

we had big plans to spend our 4 day weekend wisely

and celebrate our anniversary/my bday somewhere fun.

But we still hadn't decided where to go or what to do! Jackson? Yellowstone? Salt Lake? Park City?

were St George and Las Vegas too far?