3 Year Anniversary

Last week Blake and I celebrated our 3 year Anniversry. I can honestly say that these past 3 years have been the best of my life. It is amazing how much each of us have grown and the things we have learned about eachother and ourselves. I am a better person because of Blake and he is constantly making me want to be even better because of the type of person he is. I am so grateful to have him as my husband and my best friend. Here are some things I love about him:

-even though he gets stressed at work and has a long communte, he always comes home with a smile on his face and gives me a kiss.

-he knows how to make me happy no matter what mood I am in

-he loves to play with our nieces and nephews and I can't wait for him to be a daddy

-he is always willing to help others even when it isn't always convenient

-he makes everything 10 times more fun when he is around

-he is very thoughtful, hardworking, and basically an all-around good person

Basically, marrying him was the BEST decision ever and I am so grateful for him. I don't know how I got so lucky.

For our Anniversary, we went out to dinner at one of our favortie restaurants, The Cheesecake Factory. Afterwards we walked around downtown Huntington and then headed down to the beach to enjoy the sunset and eat our cheesecakes on the lifeguard tower. It was PERFECT! So much fun and totally low key. Blake got me a picture frame with a bunch of different pictures of us together and I absolutely love it! It is such a thoughtful gift. I am one lucky girl :)

I had the red velvet cheesecake and Blake had the Reeses Peanut butter cheesecake. Red velvet is still our favorite :)

Happy 3 Year Anniversary Blake! I LOVE YOU!

baby shower ideas

I know a lot of people have been asking me what I want for my baby shower and so I figured I could give some ideas to people.

As for the nursery... I have FINALLY decided on a baby bedding.

Ok so I am not going all out with all the accessories or anything. I like the bedding and the colors and I am thinking to get the decorations separate. My sister-in-law Whitney said she saw some cute sports decorations at Tai Pan so I am thinking of just using the colors and doing my own decorations. But the theme of his room will be sports and these are the colors :)

As far as clothes go...here is kinda my style of what I like.

At Target.com there are some really cute tops for super good deals that I love..I think they are only avaliable online but it will give you an idea of what I like :)

long sleeve shirt...and here

short sleeve collared shirt ...I am a huge fan of simple collared shirts. They had these in a ton of different colors and I think they are adorable.

church shirts

simple hoodies

sporty clothes

shoes ...I have to admit, I am a sucker for shoes, maybe just because they are so small but I think they are adorable.

As far as onesies go..I'm not too picky :) just more on the simple side, nothing too crazy.

Basically, for clothes, I like simple things with not too much design. I love sporty clothes, church clothes, play clothes, onsies, the whole nine yards.

If people want to go in on group gifts, then you can check out my registry at either Target or Babies r us for some ideas. There is a ton of stuff on that.

A mom could always use diapers and wipes and little knick-knacks like pacifiers, bottles, baby lotion, books, toys, etc.

Hope this was helpful :)



4th of July Festivities

I don't know why but for some reason I just love the 4th of July. I love the fireworks and the BBQ's and swimming and just the whole atmosphere I guess. Not to mention it is another day that Blake gets off work! whoo hoo! Anyways, this year started out pretty good. We went to breakfast at Tastee's with our friends Whitney & Blake before we headed over to the La Verne parade or as our husbands' call it the high school reunion. Whitney and I both felt bad for our husbands cause it is quite obvious that they don't love the parade as much as we do but they were good sports and I least they had eachother to hang out with. Whitney and I both just love the parade and it has been a tradition ever since I can remember. It used to be more about the actual parade but now I love going and watching my nieces and nephews get excited to get the candy and to catch up and see people that I don't always get to see as well as cousins and other friends. I just love it and really do look forward to it every year. This year however, I was not feeling too hot but I couldn't stand the thought of missing the parade so I ventured out into the 100 degree weather and tried to stick it out.





Keith & Dylan watching the parade

 



Nancy, Me, & Heather. LOVE my cousins!




Obviously I wasn't feeling too hott in this picture. I think I wanted to pass out.




The kids waiting for candy.




Kira with a sucker in each hand haha. This girl has got a sweet tooth.




Love this little girl.




Mom & Brielle.




The Blakes hanging out together.




Swimming at my parents house.


After the parade, Whitney & Blake, Keith & Brittany, and Kurt & Natalee came over to go swimming. It was so hot that I am sure it felt really nice to go for a little swim. After swimming, or rather watching everyone swim, I had no more energy left and could no longer put on the happy face. I was feeling pretty miserable. We were going to go over to Keith & Brittany's for a BBQ and watch the fireworks but I felt like death so reluctantly I decided to stay home. I was actually really bummed that I didn't get to see any fireworks this year cause I honestly LOVE to just sit on a blanket under the stars and watch the fireworks. Instead, I sat on the couch feeling like death all night. It turns out I had a fever and I think the heat got the best of me that day. Oh well. Hopefully next year will make up for it.

On a postive note...I am 32 weeks! It is crazy how fast time is flying by and soon enough our little guy will be here! We also found out that Whitney and Blake are having a little boy and I am so excited that our kids will be the same age and hopefully they like eachother as much as we do. We are hoping that their kid will be really tall so that he can protect our little guy from bullies :)  All I can say is hopefully they get along cause they are going to be seeing a lot of eachother. It has been so much fun to have my best friend be pregnant the same time as me so we can share stories, ask questions, and complain about all our aches and pains together.  For me, the only part of pregnancy that has really gotten me (besides my aching ribs) has been not being able to sleep. It is a given that I will be up every night from 2-5 so if any of you are suffering from insomnia and happen to be awake during that time then feel free to give me a call.

32 weeks..and growing everyday.

Rat update

WARNING: if you are a rat lover....DO NOT READ!

Do you guys remember the story that I posted here of the rat that camped out in my car? Well since it was such a hit, I figured I would give you guys a little update.  A couple of days after we found this guys bachelor pad in the hood of my car, we set out a nice rat trap to see if we could catch him. Well sure enough, the next day this is what we found.....

First of all, look at how big that guy is. He is a monster! Second, yes that is a maggot coming out of his head and yes that is gross.

Well the story gets better. Just last week, so about 3 weeks since we caught the guy, we went to go take my car to get the oil changed.  The man who worked on our car opened up the hood and got a nice surprise when he went to change our oil.  He said he smelled something really bad that kept getting stronger and he soon discovered.....ANOTHER RAT.  But this one was melted.  Blake said he knew there was a dead rat in there because he had smelled a lot of dead rats before when he was in Guatemala but he gave up looking for it once we caught the first one and just figured it was something else.  I felt really bad for the guy that had to change our oil. I probably should have given him a tip or something.  So, lets analyze this situation.  1. I have been driving around with a dead rat melted to the hood of my car for almost a month now... cool. 2. We weren't just dealing with ONE mastermind, they were a little partnership, maybe they were even husband and wife and if so I am glad they are both dead so one of them wouldn't have to be without the other. At least I am somewhat sympathetic right?

One Lucky Kid

So today, as I was leaving to go on a little jog, I walk outside and find this big boy sitting on my porch.....

I especially loved the added message on the side of the package :)

So let me give you a little background...  Most of you know that I played soccer at BYU for the past 4 1/2 years and it was one of the best experiences of my life.  One of the reasons why I loved it so much was because I had the most amazing teammates ever. Honestly.. these girls became my best friends and I would have done anything for them. The spring before my senior year, my teammates began to call me Mama.... probably because they would come to me whenever they forgot what time we had practice or where we had to meet cause I was the "responsible" one. Anyways, the name stuck and so now I am referred to as Mama Kristi by all the soccer girls. As for the milk part...well I'm sure you can figure it out but here it a picture that does some of the explaining...

 Ok..so some of you might think this is a little disturbing and quite frankly it probably is but it makes for a lot of good laughs. 

Anyways, back to the package. I opened it up and was in SHOCK when I found this amazing baby blanket made by the one and only Hallie Keenan. She is honestly amazing! I have to admit that my eyes may or may not have teared up just a little bit but I can blame that on pregnancy too right? It honestly meant so much to me.... more than I can even express and I am so grateful to have such amazing friends. This is his FIRST BABY BLANKET and I am so excited for him to get to use it in a few months. I am already in love with it.  THANK YOU SO MUCH HALLIE!

I love the colors and the patterns and I think it is safe to say that I may just be a little obsessed.

Writing on your belly is a lot harder when you can't see below your belly button.

Baby Jackson (I know I need to find a real name for him but give me a break) is one lucky kid and he is already loved by so many people. Here is a few more things that I can wait for him to get to wear...

I can just see him hanging out in this little tank top!

Thank You Aunt Karen for this adorable baseball outfit.

Love the sayings....thanks Natalee!

This past weekend, Blake and I went on a Babymoon. What is a babymoon you ask. Well it is our last vacation together before the baby gets here!  We decided to take a quick trip to Vegas to hit up an all you can eat Buffet and watch a show. We got there late Friday night so we decided to sleep in Saturday. We stayed at a hotel called Renaissance (don't ask..but all I have to say is priceline is not my favorite) and we walked to the strip which was almost a mile away. Blake wanted to check out all the different hotels so we went hotel hopping and enjoyed all the different themes and styles of the hotel. We got a late lunch/early dinner at The Bellagio Buffet and we both wanted to roll out of the place when we were done because we were so stuffed. We both agreed that the food was amazing but the dessert was whatever and for those of you who know Blake know that he is a dessert lover so he was a little disappointed. I have been to a couple of the other buffets in Vegas with the soccer team and I think my all time favorite would have to be the Wynn. Anyways, after dinner we watched the water show and then headed over to Treasure Island to see the  Cirque de Soleil show Mystere. We absolutely LOVED it! It was honestly amazing the things these people could do. Blake loves to watch all the acrobatic stuff so he was absolutely in heaven. We had so much fun! To top the night off, when we were on our way back to the hotel, Blake wanted to stop and get a pina colada and when the guy saw that I was pregnant he gave it to us for free! I guess there are some advantages to having a belly :) Overall, we had so much fun and I am so glad that we were able to take a quick trip before things get a little more crazy for us... in a good way.

One final note...I am officially in my third trimester! Only 3 more months to go. I can't believe he is going to be here so soon. I am already getting anxious.

getting bigger everyday..and yes I know this is not a flattering picture.

May Update

I have been telling myself for weeks now that I need to blog because we have done so many fun things this past month but I guess that is exactly the reason why I have been to busy to get on here and post it all. Anyways, this month has been a very exciting one for us and like I just said extremely busy. First of all, WE GOT A HOUSE! We are beyond excited and are anxious to get settled in. It is going to be a project cause there is so much work to be done but we can't wait. I say there is a lot of work but to be honest, the house is on 5 years old and is in amazing condition but it is basically a blank canvas. Everything is white. So that means there is a lot of work to do to make it "ours" so that it feels like a home...so if anyone has some cute house crafts and decorating ideas, I am up for suggestions :) Here is a look at the outside of the house.

It is in a gated community and a beautiful neighborhood. We couldn't be more pleased. And we will also be in the same ward with a lot of family and friends (when I say a lot I mean I am basically related to or good friends with probably half the ward) so we should feel right at home :)

For Mother's day my mom wanted our whole family to go to the flower fields out in Carlsbad. Some of the boys weren't too excited but since we all love and adore our mom they decided to go. It was really pretty there and the kids had a ton of fun running around and getting stamps at the different stations.We went on one of the last days of the season so a lot of the flowers had died and the colors were fading but it was still really pretty and it was fun to do something together as a family.

Blake anxiously waiting to go inside the flower fields.

 

One of the highlights of the day was the sweet pea maze. We all went in thinking it was going to be really easy but we were wrong. Blake wanted to show off and beat everyone so he ran through the maze.  Blake wanted some additional entertainment so he t had Benjamin and Devon go though the maze again and race and bribed the winner with $2. These boys will do anything for money. It was actually pretty funny because Devon kept getting lost and going back the same direction. We finally had to send Byran in to help find him. 

Blake running through the maze

Blake being really proud of beating everybody through the maze.

Benjamin the winner of the Blake's bribe

Kurt and Natalee

Bryan dragging Kira through the maze.

A couple of weeks ago, my mom, my aunt Dottie, Brittany, and I went to the Ellen Degeneres Show.   My mom and Dottie were super excited because 2 of the guest stars were Donny and Marie Osmond. Brittany and I were a little more excited for Bradley Cooper but hey it worked out. It was a fun outing and we all got Donny and Marie CD's (whoopy)  but my goal is to get on the Mother's day show one of these times. I tried so hard to get tickets for that show but I didn't know how so if anyone knows the secret please fill me in. I was heartbroken that I couldn't get on this year since they always give away amazing stuff. Oh well. I guess I will just have to get pregnant next Mother's Day ;)

A couple of weekends ago we celebrated Kurt's (Blake's brother) birthday. We went to Cafe Rio down in Irvine and then went ice skating and then back to Andrea's house for cupcakes. Since I couldn't ice skate, I got to hang out with Liddy and be the photographer so I had a great time. Tyson and Carter had so much fun, probably because they had their aunt and uncles hold their hand the whole time and take them around the rink. Neither of them wanted to leave.

Blake and Tyson getting ready to ice skate.

Ryan and Liddy

Cute Liddy

Singing Happy Birthday to Kurt.

This past weekend we also had Kaiden's 5th Birthday Party and it was a carnival theme. It was so much fun and the kids all had a blast. There was a bounce house, carnival games where the kids could earn tickets, prizes, food, cake, and great company. Too bad I couldn't find my phone for most of the party and I didn't get a chance to take pictures but  hopefully Brittany will post some soon so I can steal some of them. It was a fun day! I did however steal a picture of this cute guy....

Christopher is such a good baby and every time I hold him it makes me more and more excited to have one of my own. I could honestly just stare at him for hours. I can't wait for our little guy to get here so those two can be buddies and hang out together.

I know this is a long post but I have one last story for your entertainment. The other day when we were leaving Kaiden's birthday party we noticed a nasty smell coming out of our air conditioning. So Blake decides to pull over and open up the hood of the car and take a peak at what could be making our car smell so bad. Well, apparently, my car is a mobile home for a rat. Yes you heard me correct. A rat has been living the luxury life in the hood of my car. Here is his little set up....

Let me explain what you are looking at. No we did not put a dog bowl in the hood of my car. That is where you change the oil and the little guy has been stealing our dog Colby's food and making a little food storage for himself. That little grey circle is his nest that he made out of the ventilation on the car. So as you can see, we aren't dealing with your average rat. He is a smart guy with a lot of creativity. We even put rat poison out and he ate all the up as well and yet he is still just chillin in my car. I wonder if he ever goes on rides with me or if he peaces out once I get in?  It is a mystery to me.

LOVE vs. don't love

These past few weeks I have been thinking a lot about things that make me happy and how blessed I am. Of course with all the good there are some things that I wish I could change but I guess those things are there to help us to appreciate the good things. Here is what has been on my mind...

Things that I LOVE <3      
                                             
1. Spending time with Blake. Honestly, I take every second I can get with him and I try to cherish it (ok that might seem a little over the top) but seriously, I just love being with him. My favorite part to any day is getting in bed and just talking (until Blake falls asleep which somethings is in like 2 minutes because he is so tired but I take what I can get.)

2. Feeling the baby move. Seriously, one of the coolest things I have ever experienced. Even though I have felt him move for a couple of weeks now, it still never gets old. I love to just sit and watch my belly move and it never fails to put a smile on my face. Oh look, there he is kicking right now. He must know that I am talking about him.

3. Taking long, hot showers. I don't know why but this has become something that I look forward to everyday. Most days I take 2 showers just because I love it so much. I could honestly just sit there for 30 minutes and be completely happy.

4. Being able to exercise. I realize how much I took working out for granted before because over the past couple of months it has become a lot more difficult for me to do but I still love it. If I miss a day, I feel totally out of wack. I am so glad that I am still able to at least jog even though this belly is making it a little bit more difficult. I definitely do a lot more walking now but sometimes I still like to jog just to know that I still can :)

5. Being an aunt. I honestly love just hanging out with my nieces and nephews. They are all so different but so much fun to be with. They never fail to put a smile on my face.

6. Being with family. This is a given but I feel so lucky to have such an awesome family.

7. Reading a good book. I think this year alone I have read more books than I have ever read before...and I love it! Getting lost in a book is one of the best things ever. Some good ones I have read recently... The Help, Matched, The Secret Life of Bees, The Host, A Thousand Splendid Suns. The Five People You Meet in Heaven, Lemon Tart. So those are just a few from the top of my head. There are so many more.

Things I don't love....

1. Blake's work hours. Don't get me wrong, I am SO GRATEFUL that Blake has a good, stable job but he is always gone and his commute is miserable. He sometimes has to work Saturday's which is usually our one day to hang out and get stuff done. I try not to complain but can't a girl want to hang out with her husband. I guess that is a good thing right?

2. Not being able to sleep.  Getting a full night of good sleep has taken on a whole other meaning to me.  I lay in bed just wishing I could sleep on my stomach meanwhile tossing and turning from side to side because my body is so sore from not being about to get comfortable.   I have to admit that I try to sleep on my back for a little bit to give my sides a rest but then I start to go numb so I have to turn back over. I can't wait for that first night when I can sleep on my stomach again. It will be a beautiful night. The plus, however, is that I blog early in the morning..meaning 4 am.  haha Since I can't sleep, I might as well get something done right.

3. Not being able to play soccer.  I didn't realize how much I missed it until I went to my cousin Tahna's soccer game a few weeks ago.  I wanted to be out there so bad!  Whenever I see a ball lying around I still try to juggle but it isn't the same. (cool but totally random..my uterus is now the size of a soccer ball!) And of course I miss all the girls on the BYU team.  Once you move away is it hard to keep in touch as well as you would like but that's not to say I don't miss them all like crazy.

4. Not fitting into clothes. So I feel like I have been in this awkward stage of pregnancy for quite some time now and I just can't get out of it. I still fit into a lot of my pre-pregnancy clothes but they are quite snug on me. Let's just say my shirts are quite form fitting. However, when I wear maternity shirts, they make me look like an oompa loompa. Seriously. Not flattering at all. And when I do wear them, I get blamed for trying to camouflage my belly. Really, I'm not trying to hide it anymore, I know it's there and it isn't going to get any smaller. I'm just trying to wear a shirt that fits ok.

5. Losing my mind. Sometimes I feel like I have lost it.  I can't tell you how many times I have forgotten where I put my phone and I am searching for several minutes before I realize it's in my pocket. I am hoping I can blame this on pregnancy.... if you haven't noticed, I like to blame everything on being pregnant because that means I have an excuse.