Happy Family Halloween Party!!

Every year my Grandma Baker has a Family Halloween Party! The Monday before Halloween she invites all her family to dress up in costumes and come over to her house for pizza. We always have such a good time getting together as family and seeing all the creative ideas for costumes. I don't think anybody has ever been the same thing twice and this has been a family tradition for as long as I can remember. So you can imagine the creativity that must go on to have a new costume every year. Sadly, this year is the first time I will miss the annual Family Halloween Party! So I decided to post a few pictures of past parties and hopefully my Mom will send me some from tonight's party.
Happy Halloween!!!! Click on the photos to see the close details.
(Republican and Democrat Mascots)

(Pirates) and (Pink Panther & Inspector Clouseau)

(Peter Pan Clan) and (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang)

(Pilgrims & a Turkey) and (Hair Dressers)

(Wizard & Beautiful Witches)

(Zombies)

(Gilligan's Island Cast)

(David in the Lion's Den)

(Double Batman, little baby bat, Encarnacion, & Nacho Libre)

Genesis 3:16

For the past couple of weeks I have been focusing my scripture study on motherhood and fatherhood. Since Andy and I are going to be parents soon I thought this was a good topic to study and learn more about. One day as I was going through the Topical Guide I came across this scripture that I found to be quite amusing...

Genesis 3:16 - Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
After I read this scripture I was wondering why would our sorrows be greatly multiplied by having children so I looked in the footnotes hoping for some more insight as to what this scripture was really trying to say and this is what I found...
increase thy discomfort and thy size (i.e. in the condition and process of pregnancy).
I just started laughing because I felt like this scripture was talking specifically to me. Lately I have truly been discovering all about the increase in discomfort and size with being pregnant.

I can no longer wear my wedding ring because my fingers are too swollen.

(This is as far as it will go)

Most of my shoes won't fit anymore because again my feet are too swollen.

(Notice my toes barely poking out of the last strap)

My hair is falling out at a rapid pace; it's a good thing I have a lot to spare. My back hurts just from doing simple house chores. And last my belly is growing and making small tasks like bending down to get something out of the cupboard a lot harder.

(Me and my belly)

So the moral of the story is that you can really find answers to anything in the scriptures even if you don't know you are looking for them!!

A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes

So the weather here in Tennessee has NOT been cooling off enough for my liking. The other day Andy and I were commenting on how strange it was that the leaves on the trees were changing color but it was still like 80 degrees outside. Is this Fall? I think not. Then later Andy gets a call from his Mom announcing that it is snowing in Idaho. My heart broke as I looked out the window and did not see snow but rather hot humid weather. And all this reminded me of a dream I had when we very first moved here, hence, the title of the post.
I dreamt that it snowed. There were layers and layers of white fluffly snow on the ground. I was so excited I ran outside and layed in the snow for hours. When I woke up and realized that my dream was not true I started to cry. Andy, very puzzled, asked me what was wrong. I laughed through my tears and told him about my dream and how I longed for it to be true.
So all those who are enjoying the cool weather and snow do not take advantage because I am dreaming and wishing for days like this...

Tennessee Girl

Reluctantly I must announce that we are officially moved in, I just unpacked our last box yesterday. I guess I have been in denial this whole time, thoughts like, since we weren't totally unpacked we weren't really here to stay. No longer can I live in this denial so for now I will say that in reality I am a Tennessee Girl but in my heart I will ALWAYS be an Idaho Girl.
If you haven't guessed this hasn't been the easiest transition for me. First, I have never lived away from home. Second, we moved from a house to an apartment. Third, I like the cold and the snow and Knoxville is humid and very hot. Fourth, Knoxville is a lot more diversified than Idaho Falls, which is not a bad thing it has just taken some adjustment to be in the minority instead of in the majority. Last, I am pregnant, emotional, and I don't like change!!!
Although, there is a small glimmer of hope for a happy ending. Here are some highlights from our stay in Knoxville so far... A great weekend with my siblings Rob and Megan along with their families. A fun trip to the Knoxville Zoo. Eating dinner and playing games at a friend's house. Going on drives and exploring the city. Big thunderstorms; a nice break from the melting heat. Shopping for baby things. Looking forward to having my Mom come for Thanksgiving!
Yes, it is taking some adjustment to living here in Tennessee but I'll be okay! Andy is loving school and that makes me happy because he is doing something that he loves. I don't have any pictures to post yet but I will get some and post them soon. Hope everybody is doing well.

P.S. For those of you who don't know we are having a BOY!!!

Finally a New Post!!

It is apparent that I have been slacking off on our blog due to the fact that it has not been updated for almost three months. But, if you will accept it I do have a "good excuse". Shortly after the last post Andrew and I found out that we are expecting a baby!!!! We are so excited and can't wait to have a new addition to our family. Although, as the weeks have passed our excitement has been tampered with Extreme amounts of morning sickness, or should I say ALL THE LIVE LONG DAY sickness!!!!! So, here is my "good excuse"... for the last two and a half months I have spent what seems like every minute of every day at home in bed or in the doctor's office getting Vitamin B6 shots to help me with nausea. Everybody keeps telling me it is all worth it in the end and all I can say is, "It better be because we are only having one if it's not". But on a happier note we have experienced some amazing moments with being pregnant. Like the first ultrasound, hearing the baby's heart beat for the first time, and having the best doctor in the world, Dad.

ODE TO ANDREW

Today is Andrew's 26th birthday and I just wanted to share some of my favorite things about him. First, let's get the obvious out of the way - he is such a hunk! I have many people comment to me how cute they think he is and I can do nothing but agree with them. His smile lights up his face and is sweet enough to make me melt. Andrew loves to make me laugh. He thinks it is so funny to hear me giggle when he tickles me or to hear me squeal when he chases me up the stairs. Andrew is very mindful of my feelings, he does not like conflict and is quick to say he is sorry and even quicker to forgive me when I mess up. Andrew's least favorite task in the morning is shaving but he does it because he knows that his scruff feels like sand-paper on my face when we kiss. I love his freshly shaved face and the smell of his after-shave. Andrew puts up with my quirky habits; he lets me make him "To-Do" lists, he never gets in bed before me because he knows I don't like it, he gets up with me in the morning so I won't be lonely getting ready all by myself, and he lets me be obsessive compulsive about numerous things! Andrew is not afraid to be different and has really big dreams. He wants to be a famous opera singer and is not afraid to work towards that goal. Andrew is a Democrat. He takes the time to educate himself about both parties and respects my views even when they differ from his. At times our political discussions get a little heated but I am grateful to be able to see both sides of the political spectrum.

This is his favorite bumper sticker!

Andrew lets us keep our kitties even though he has allergies. He faithfully takes an allergy pill every morning so he doesn't get stuffed up from having Napoleon and Hermione around.
Andrew loves the gospel, he has a strong testimony and is a worthy priesthood holder. One of our favorite things to do is sealings at the Temple where we can hold hands across the alter and be reminded of our own sealing and the covenants we made that day. There are many more wonderful things I could say about Andrew but I am going to end with this... My favorite thing about Andrew is that he is MINE forever!!!!

Decision Time

THE ANTICIPATED NEWS HAS COME! We have heard from all the schools that we applied to. We have been accepted to UTK in Knoxville Tennessee and we have been accepted to IU in Bloomington Indiana. We won't know about scholarships until April 1st which is a bummer because that is a big part of our decision, but at least we know we have options. If anybody has any input as to where we should go please let us know because we are having a hard time weighing out the advantages and disadvantages of each place.