Baby Young

So... we are pregnant! 

We are going to have a baby Young or a young baby, whichever way you want to put it. We are due October 29th. Since McKay's Birthday is October 21st he wants the baby to either come on his actual birthday, or as far away from it as possible. We'll see how that works out. We are only 10 weeks and change along, but this pregnancy feels like it is taking FOREVER! We pretty much knew we were pregnant immediately, so I have felt pregnant since the beginning of February. Since we had the miscarriage in November I had already experienced early pregnancy symptoms and was recognizing them almost immediately. We found out for sure on February 19th. It was technically the first day that we could find out whether or not we were pregnant, and I told myself we would wait longer, but I felt so sick, and so sure I was pregnant I just wanted to get the test over with. Needless to say, it was positive. As were the tests we took after that. 

We decided to wait a little while longer to announce this pregnancy because we had just experienced a miscarriage and now realize how delicate that little life really is. We decided we would wait to tell people until we had our doctors appointment and saw that everything was ok. We had an early ultrasound at 7 weeks just to make sure the baby was growing like it should and that it had a heart beat. The last baby didn't have one of those, so when the hooked me up to the Doppler thing and I heard the baby's fast little heart beat I started laughing and crying at the same time. It was amazing. I am so excited for McKay to be able to hear it's heartbeat at our next appointment later this month.

7 week ultrasound along with Baby's heartbeat

We had our regular first pregnancy appointment at 9 1/2 weeks. So far everything looks good. The doctor said that the baby is measuring 3-4 days smaller than expected, but that is not enough to change the due date, so we are still on track for October 29th for now. 

9 1/2 week ultrasound. Our baby looks like an upside down bug!

We are so excited to be parents (and also a little nervous) and feel so blessed to have the opportunity to start our little family. We both hope to have a girl first, but I keep feeling like it will be a little boy, so we will see what happens!

4 weeks, and soooo excited!

 10 weeks, and sooooo bloated!

We decided we should do stuff....

McKay and I decided we want to do more fun things with our time. We always have things we say we want to do, but unless we actually sit down and plan it out they never happen. So that is what we are doing now, we are planning things out. We made an extremely awesome personalized calendar on Costco.com and when we got it in the mail we sat down and had a major planning meeting. We sat down for like 2 hours and wrote down the things we wanted to do or see and tried to find times in the next few months that we could do them. Now our calendar is filled with things to do with our free time. We have already done a few things on our calendar list, and  they have been really fun.

First, we took a day and went down to the BYU Museum of Art and the Bean Life Science Museum. We have both been there before, but the last time either of us had been to them was before we graduated, and that is over a year and a half ago! It was really fun to see both museums with fresh eyes. It made for a nice day out.

Us with a nicely stuffed Black Bear.

I know I look way tired in this picture, ignore that.

Second, on Saturday we headed back down to BYU to watch the Gymnastics meet. It was sooooo much fun! When I was a little girl my family had season tickets to SUU's Gymnastics, so being there on saturday brought back happy memories, especially because BYU was competing against SUU (along with Utah State and Iowa State). We had awesome seats and I am so glad we shelled out the $10 to go. It was well worth it. Those Gymnasts are amazing. Since McKay and I are both failed Gymnasts so we could really appreciate their skill (Our bodies just aren't built for gymnastics, we are too tall and way too bottom heavy. Luckily I found this out much earlier in life than McKay did.)

SUU and BYU 

Third, we went out for a nice long walk near Utah lake. It was a beautiful day. It was cold of course, but it was sunny and we discovered a new path along the river that was absolutely stunning. We will be returning frequently as the weather warms up. One of the coolest things we saw on our walk was a broken water valve that was spewing water and had frozen on all the trees and bushes around it. It looked really cool. If it was warmer I would have wanted to play in it. Who am I kidding, I wanted to play in it, but my better judgement told me NO!

Fourth, we had some of our new favorite people over for dessert on Sunday night. Since moving into this new ward last summer the Geetings have wormed their way into our hearts. It was really fun to have them over and to have a reason to bake a tasty treat. I have felt sugar deprived during these last few weeks of dieting.

It is always fun when one of the geetings little boys are around, and Sunday was no exception. Audrey, thank you for letting me feed you and your family. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Last night we got to go up to Salt Lake with my family and have dinner at the Cheesecake Factory to celebrate my baby sisters 14th birthday. She is getting SO BIG! I love being with my family, even though my sisters tend to invite major drama with them wherever they go. Happy Birthday Jessica. I love you to pieces.

The Rogers Family

Jessica

The super cool zebra cake I made Jessica

That is all for now. McKay is working 20-25 hours of overtime each week so we only get to do fun things on the weekends.

Actually keeping a New Years resolution!

So, this year, one of our resolutions (along with a million other people I am sure) was to loose weight and get in better shape. However, this year, unlike any other, I have extra motivation to do so. I have had almost a trimesters worth of pregnancy weight hanging onto my body because of my miscarriage, and then add some holiday weight on top of that. Well, I want to be a mom as soon as possible, but I have also wanted to get rid of that extra weight and get my body back to where it was before my miscarriage, because otherwise I would have ended my next pregnancy with almost 3 extra months worth of pregnancy weight. YUCK. So I joined Weight Watchers with my mom and  have been hitting the diet and exercise thing pretty hard for about 2 weeks, and I have lost 10 pounds! Can you believe that!?! 10 freaking pounds in 2 weeks. I guess my body really wanted that  baby weight to go away, because it has been very cooperative. McKay has also lost that much (and maybe even a pound or two more) in two weeks. I am thrilled right now. I don't expect things to keep going that fast because A) it is not really healthy to keep losing that much weight that fast, and B) our bodies are over the initial shock of diet/exercise. I think my body is now starting to become good friends with fresh fruits and vegetables. So, here is to loosing weight just so that I can get super fat again. YAY!

Sorry if this post is a little bit scatterbrained, it is after 1:00 a.m. and I am really, really, really tired, but my brain will not shut up and let me sleep. On the plus side, I am having lots of good crafty ideas. Tomorrow I am going to make something really pretty. Be prepared!

The Holidays! 2010

November and December were busy months for us. We had a lot of big events, and I am going to post a little blurb about each of them in this post.

First, we found out we were pregnant in October so we got really excited about being parents, and I got really, really tired and sick.

 Second, the week before thanksgiving we were lucky enough to go out to California to attend McKay's cousin Dekan's wedding. McKay was a groomsman, so we were involved in all of the wedding events. McKay and Dekan's mom's come from the Dunbar clan so, for the wedding rehearsal, Nicci and Ilse made the most gorgeous kilts for the boys to wear, in the authentic Dunbar tartan. The kilts were a surprise, and everyone got a kick out of them.

The Rehearsal dinner was really relaxed. We went to a fancy Pizza Place and took over their back patio. It was really fun to see some of McKay's extended family that we haven't seen in a long time and to meet other family members that I had never met. 

The actual ceremony was beautiful, but long. I had never been to a catholic wedding before, but it was nice. And the place that they got married had large windows that looked out over the ocean, so the whole time we were watching the ceremony we could also see the ocean behind them. I'm sure the location made for gorgeous wedding pictures.

The Reception was awesome. I don't think I have ever had food that good and that plentiful at a reception before. The Physical atmosphere was also gorgeous. It also made it fun that we rode there in a limo-bus. There was a lot of dancing. It was really entertaining to watch some of the tipsy bridesmaids bust it out on the dance floor, especially when they were dancing with my little nephew Benjamin who is in 1st grade. It was really fun to be able to watch Dekan and Elyse on their wedding day as well. Dekan was soooooooo happy and excited all day.

Congratulations Dekan and Elyse!

Third, we took a little trip to the Valley of fire on our way home from California. We had a lot of fun playing on the rocks, even though it was a little colder than we expected.

Fourth, I had a birthday and turned 23! We celebrated by going to dinner at Ruby River with my family, and my uncle Allen's family, and my cousin Jackson. It was neat to have everyone together, and the food was awesome.

Fifth,we had a busy Thanksgiving. This year my extended family had Thanksgiving dinner at my mom's house so we got to see my grandparents and most of my aunts, uncles and cousins. It was busy and a little bit crowded, but always nice to see everyone. I saw some of my cousins that I haven't seen in a really long time. The little girls in my family LOVE McKay and had fun playing with him.

Sixth, the first week of December we had a miscarriage. We lost the baby at 9 weeks. It was a sad week for me. Luckily as far as miscarriages go it was a pretty good one, without any complications.

Seventh, we had lots of Christmas activities. I was able to get together with some of my high school friends. We wen't out to lunch and then had fun chatting and decorating gingerbread cookies.We also got together with some of McKay's high school friends and had a big Christmas dinner.

We had a busy Christmas eve and day split between our two families. On Christmas eve we had Chinese food for dinner and then had a little talent show and lots of Christmas music. McKay picked up the guitar quite a bit over the holiday season and I really enjoyed hearing him play Christmas music on the guitar.

On Christmas morning we opened presents at my parents house. It was a really pleasant morning. 

Once things died down after Lunch we wen't over to McKay's parents house for more presents and more food. 

Something really funny happened on Christmas. McKay and his dad each got each other gifts, the same gifts. It was really funny to hear McKay's dad give him hints and hear McKay whisper,"it sounds like he got me the same thing I got him. Did he?" It was really hard not to tell him the answer.

Seventh, we took a trip up to temple square to see the lights, no holiday season is complete without a trip to see the lights on temple square. We almost turned around and drove back home when we go up there because it was so busy and crowded. There was some kind of performance going on at the conference center, so there was absolutely nowhere to park. I am glad we stayed because I love it up there. I have so many great memories of temple square, it's nice to be able to add to the memories. 

Eighth, we celebrated our third anniversary. Yay for 3 awesome years of marriage. Sadly McKay had to work and then the restaurant we went to eat at had a ridiculously long wait, so we decided to celebrate our anniversary China Style. Last year we went to Pizza Hut in Wuhan for our 2nd anniversary, so we got pizza from pizza hut and had a great evening at home.

Ninth, we celebrated New Years Eve with my family and a fondue dinner. We celebrated new years at 10 when the ball dropped in New York and then wen't home and celebrated ourselves at Midnight. 

So, Happy New Year! 

And now I am caught up on the happenings of the last 2 months and don't as bad about my blog neglect.

Playing with guns by Utah Lake

Over the weekend we had really nice weather (probably for the last time this year), so to take advantage of that we decided we would either go golfing or go shooting. We ended up choosing to go shooting because it is sooooo much cheaper. We had a little fun with this excursion and decided to recreate one of our first dates.

Back in May of 2007 a really cute boy that I had only been on one or two dates with decided to take me on a really long drive to the unpopulated side of Utah Lake. It was really hot out and his car didn't have air conditioning and my window didn't roll down all the way. I was a little bit grumpy on the hour long drive to get to the right spot to go shooting. McKay is super lucky that I grew up with my father who collects guns and has taken me shooting since I was a little girl, otherwise this kind of a date could have put an end to us. McKay was a brave boy taking girl he barely knew into the middle of nowhere to go shooting. Luckily I am the kind of girl you can do that with. Maybe that is why we ended up getting married. Anyway so on this date we had fun shooting his handful of guns and then finished the drive around the lake and had a picnic lunch/dinner in the Provo Harbor. McKay planned the whole thing so all he brought was cheese and crackers. The cheese wasn't even sliced so he whipped out his pocket knife (which was kind of dirty and grossed me out) and cut off little slices for us. We sat by the edge of the lake and talked for quite a while and had one of my most memorable dates ever.

So, fast forward 3 1/2 years and you will find us, recreating that date. The drive to the other side of the lake was much more comfortable because our car now had air conditioning and windows that roll down all the way. Plus, we know each other really well so there were no awkward silences on the drive. This time we spent even more time shooting. We were out there for close to 2 hours and it was a blast! After that we drove to the American Fork Harbor (because that is closer to where we live now) and had cheese and crackers for dinner. However, this time we pre-sliced the cheese so that no dirty pocket knife was needed. I am so lucky to have such a fun, awesome husband. We decided we will have to go shooting more often. This time we definitely won't wait 3 1/2 years to do it again.

Us in May 2007:

We look so young!

Us in November 2010:

Halloween 2010

We were able to start our Halloween festivities a little early. On the 23rd we had a birthday/Halloween party at our house and had a ton of fun. I made way too much food, and we ate the leftovers for the next few days!

How cute are these pumpkin cupcakes?! This is my new favorite cupcake recipe!

On the 28th McKay's work threw a Halloween party for the families of their employees. It was geared towards kids, and since we don't have any kids we borrowed two of our nieces for the afternoon. We had a fun time watching them play all of the games and get their faces painted. I laughed pretty hard when one of my nieces to the person doing the painting that she wanted to be a dead cinderella. The face painter tried to talk her into a pretty butterfly on her face, like her sister had, but it didn't work. So she got scars and blood and a skull painted on her face. You could tell the lady doing the painting was a little uncomfortable, but she obliged a very stubborn little girl (who absolutely LOVED her face paint by the way).

On the 29th I had my school Halloween party. All I can say is my preschool kids are soooooo adorable and I had a blast with them.

Luckily my mom also teaches at the same school I do, and my sister goes to school there, so we all got to hang out together for a little bit during the school costume parade.

On the 30th I delivered a wedding cake to Springville that I have been working on FOREVER, and then we went' to a family party at McKay's mom's house. We ended up getting there about 2 hours early, but we had some good time to visit with My mother in Law and McKay's aunt Ilse. After pumpkin carving, home made donuts and hot dog soup we headed to our house briefly to be there for trick-or-treaters. It was raining so hard that we didn't have to many people come by. Then we headed down to Heather and Doug's apartment in Provo. We had such a fun time at there house. Lots of good food and people. At the end of the party we were playing apple to apples and I was so tired that everything was funny and I had a minute or two where I seriously could not stop laughing. For some reason cabbage was hilarious.  We went dressed up as a cowboy and an Indian. Costumes are awesome. I wish we could wear costumes every weekend. 

On Sunday we had a few stragglers come trick-or-treating. Luckily we had plenty of candy left over to oblige them. All in all it was a great Halloween!

McKay's Birthday

On October 21st McKay celebrated his 27th birthday. He just barely started a new job at Fidelity and had training all day, but we were able to celebrate during his lunch brake and after work. When he came home for lunch I had pizza from Pizza Hut ready and waiting for him, that has been a tradition for us since China last year.  When he was done with work he opened presents and then we wen't to Macy's and bought pumpkins. Then we carved our pumpkins as we watched season 4 of Fraggle Rock (one of his birthday presents). Our pumpkins turned out pretty cool, and this is the first time we have had jack-o-lanterns at our house for Halloween!

After we finished our pumpkins we had birthday cake. It was  really weird singing Happy Birthday to McKay as a solo, but I just had to sing it. For his birthday he requested a green funfetti cake with tons of sprinkles, and I delivered. He blew out one giant candle and then we ate cake!

Happy Birthday McKay, you are the coolest guy I know! I love you!