This week in a nutshell...

...was basically fantastic.

The "good":

• NO huge homework assignments were due this week (for me).
• BYU Basketball. Need I say more?
• We still have a little baby boy... and I bought his first outfit :)
• Zumba FOUR days in a row. At 18 weeks pregnant. Yeah, I'm proud.
• Mom and Daddy-o are going to be here in 1 week.
• Three of my regulars told me I was "the best TA".
  
• I still feel good about accepting my IMC externship.
• Peter's homecoming talk
• Seeing lots of my Spencer family (mom's side, that is) and Spencer's family (the husband's siblings, that is). Confusing, right? I had "Spencer" in my blood even before I married one. :)
• Playing with Paul and Lilly. Yeah, they're family but they're getting their own bullet point.
  
• I made corned beef and Spencer said, "Holy crap, this is good."
• People are now brave enough to ask me when I'm due instead of following this sequence: glance at my belly, scrunch eyebrows, open mouths to ask something, and then quickly look away hoping I don't notice. (It's easier when you look obviously pregnant and not just a little... heftier.)
• Stacey's bridal shower
• Free pizza (score!)
• Utah Flash game with Aaron and Megan... and we won by 35 points!
• Spencer surprised me by fixing my car up all purdy.
• Babies are everywhere.
• Robin Hood (the new one) was surprisingly amazing.
• Rob and Steph fed us delightful desserts, as always.

The "could have been better":

• Spencer had three tests. Three days in a row. Woof.
• Heartburn
• Utter inability to sleep through the night without at least four trips to the bathroom
• I forgot to buy a body pillow and a belly band... and I'm feeling it this week.
  
• I DO have a ton of huge homework assignments due next week... so I had to start a bunch of them this week.
  
• Trying to figure out the driving situation to get up to Tuck's senior recital (I WILL be there, dang it...)
• Our fire alarms going off simultaneously for NO reason after going to bed. Three times.
• People are still coming into the clinic and work sick and I've become a HUGE germophobe since a fetus came into the picture. PLEASE STAY HOME (but feel better soon)! :)
• I've had the uncontrollable desire/urge/need to take a nap at about noon EVERY day... and I have had issues waking up when I want to. Naps are GREAT but way too time consuming.
• I learned that you really, truly need to eat something within 15 minute of taking a pre-natal vitamin... apple juice doesn't cut it. Lesson learned!
  

Yeah... I'm pretty excited that my "good" list is longer than my "could have been better" list. Life truly is amazing. Now if I could only get it to slow down a little bit...

Until next time...

Go Cougars!

It's a.....

BOY!

Spencer and I went into the clinic yesterday and the technician told us she was about 100% positive that our baby's "all man!" We are absolutely thrilled :)

To make things better... this came in the mail today:

AND... I got accepted for an externship at IMC! I'll start in June and finish before the little man arrives. All in all, it's been a dang good week. :)

Best Birthday Ever... wanna know why?

Because we got to see this...

Surprise! :)

Our three-inch-long little one showed off all of his or her toes and fingers along with some impressive ninja kicks during yesterday's 12-week ultrasound. Here the baby's waving "hello" to the camera.

You think it's cute now? Just wait till August!

A little bit of this and a little bit of that...

Relax, everyone! We're still alive!

You'll have to forgive me for not posting in more than a month. I lived my Christmas vacation to the fullest... which did NOT entail updating the blog. I did other things instead: sleep, play Dance Central on xbox 360 (which we now own, thanks to Santa Clause), build puzzles, and eat a crapton of food. We got back to our UT apartment at about midnight the night before school started back up, and wouldn't you know it? I have to be on campus at 8:00 am every day this semester (again)!

Just as expected, school was back in swing from day one and I've been spending every spare minute that I have exercising or sleeping. If I keep no other New Year's resolutions, I will keep those two. *Insert boasting here:* I've gone to Zumba, pilates, or yoga at least four days a week since school started back up and I play Dance Central on the others (except Sunday). Not bad, eh? Also... I've been getting to bed no later than 11:00. It's nice to finally get 8 hours of sleep a night!

Spencer and I have also been trying to eat better. Meals have been smaller and more frequent and fruits and vegetables are playing a much more dominant role in the daily menus. Who knew that Spencer loves dried apricots?! Not me. Although the Christmas break was fun, I think it was the first time that Spencer and I realized how much fun eating is NOT when you do it ALL the time EVERY day. I'm glad to report that I already lost the 5 lbs gained over my 3 week break (and a little more, HUZZAH!) and Spencer still hasn't braved the scale (but I trust in his metabolism).

This week, Spencer met with his favorite professor from the Communications Department and officially applied for the major. This professor is on the admissions committee and coached Spencer through the process by editing his letter of intent, giving suggestions for classes and brainstorming some research projects Spencer might want to work on with other professors in the program. I'm really proud of him and we both feel like this is a big step forward.

My program is still very demanding but very rewarding. I have 3 clients in the clinic this semester in stead of 2 and I'm very excited. I had the initial feeling of "impending doom" before my first sessions, but once I was in the therapy room doing my planned activities, I was immediately reminded of why I love my program and the people I work with. It's a great feeling to know you're in the right profession.

I got sick on Friday, and because I'm such a sharing and generous wife, I decided to "spread the love" to Spencer. We were both couch-ridden all day yesterday and today's not looking much different. Although there's not a ton of "new or exciting" news to report, I felt that now, whilst sharing a blanket and playing footsie with my sick (but very cute) husband, is as good a time as any to update the blog. I can't post any of our pictures from Christmas right now because we don't know where the cord to my camera is. Oh, well.

I'll have to be better about finding the "extraordinary" in our "ordinary" lives so that my blog entries don't just say, "Well, not much has changed except we're still busy, we're still in love, and we're enjoying life more and more every day." Sure, it's true... but I'll bet there are some more substantive things to report on every once in awhile. Maybe I should make a late New Year's resolution to make the most out of my blogging... hmmm....

Well, that's it for now but Spencer and I love you all! Till next time...

The breather that's long overdue...

I did it. I actually did it.

Do you know that feeling of impending doom that you feel at the beginning of every semester? You know, the one where you look at your syllabi and your never-ending list of assignments and say to yourself, "Oh geez. I'm dead." Multiply that by 100 and you have my graduate program.

I am here today, breathing, to extend to each of you a feeling of hope. This past week I finished my seemingly endless project for my ComD 610 class: a diagnostic evaluation on a speech and/or language client from start to finish. Holy Moses... that project was a time sucker. This project is the END of my projects/assignments for that class. You heard me right... one class is completely finished! That makes Christmas feel just that much closer. I never thought this day would come, but for the first time (in years, it seems) I can relax. I'm sighing as I type this, just because I can.

This is what I subjected myself (and occasionally my husband) to for the past month:
- NO zumba. Absolutely none.
- NO homemade meals. We were all about cereal, spaghetti and good 'ole mac and cheese.
- NO house cleaning. I think my laundry pile was starting to grow fangs.
- NO socializing besides at school and church.
- NO sleep. This is nearly literal. I went to bed no earlier than 2 (sometimes 3) every night and woke up at 6.
- NO normally working bodily functions... don't ask for details. Just trust me.
- NO weekly television shows (which wasn't a huge sacrifice... since they've all blown lately).
- NO reading assignments for other classes were completed (but I'm all caught up now, don't worry!).
- NO relaxing piano breaks (because heaven knows I'd keep playing for hours).
- NO Halloween costumes (or trick-or-treaters... but because none ever came, not because they weren't welcome... sad face).
- NO blogging (duh)
- NO fun

I almost don't know what to do with myself now that I'm able to breathe again. I went to zumba last night for the first time in several weeks and my legs are ON FIRE. I checked facebook and half my friends had babies. I made dinner and went into shock because I forgot what "leftovers" were. I watched a part of Glee... and all but swore it off for the rest of time. I had time to prep for my session with my 3-year old client this morning and it went amazingly well. I played Christmas songs on the piano till my fingers hurt and didn't look at the clock once. I went to bed at 11:00. I woke up at 8:00. I appreciated the snow for the first time in my ENTIRE LIFE.

This just goes to show that my mom's (and now my) mantra, "This too shall pass" is a true and eternal principle. Before I know it, it'll be Thanksgiving break. And then Christmas. And then I'll be done with classes. And then I'll be working as an intern. And then I'll have my M.S. And then I'll be a certified clinician. And then Spencer will be a successful (fill in occupation here)-er/man. And somewhere in all of that we'll have lots of adorable babies.

And I want to enjoy every minute of it. So whenever you have hard times, just think, "this will be over soon," work harder, and you'll be breathing a sigh of relief in no time.

And of course, never forget to pray. Sometimes it may seem like the only thing you can do but it's always enough.

Till next time...

Imagine my joy when...

...our wedding song came on last night and the hubs came up behind me and asked me to dance in the kitchen?

*sigh*

And the dinner turned out pretty well, too.


P.S... I finally deleted this video clip because it was covering up all my blogs. One day I'll figure out how to change the size of the video screen. That day is not today.

Back from the Dead... well, almost.

Hey all,

I've been a little bit "preoccupied" with this little thing called "Graduate School" and regretfully admit that my blog has been neglected more than pretty much anything else in my life. Luckily, I have treated some things with greater respect than I have my blog (i.e., husband, clients at the clinic, homework, personal hygiene, etc.) I'm not sure that my nutrition would be on that list, however... Spencer and I have gotten used to eating baked potatoes or spaghetti for dinner. Oh, well. You win some, you lose some (more).

Although we've been unbelievably busy, we've still managed to remain unbelievably happy. Spencer's life may be a little bit more fun than mine right now: he's going to school part-time, working part-time, friends with half the BYU Football team (his fantasy bromance coming to life) and still has time to watch ESPN whenever he feels like it. Then there's me: exercise classes at 6:00 am, school from 8:00-5:00, three jobs, cooking dinner, homework until the wee hours of the morning, and maybe if I'm lucky I'll have time to read something besides a textbook before calling it a night (or morning).

Oh, to be an undergrad...

Here are some things that have happened since I posted last (and not in chronological order):
- Tuck got married (woohoo!)
- Fall semester started and with it, two new jobs (teaching assistant and research assistant)
- I got two new clients at the clinic
- I read a gajillion more books (most of them before school started up again, but still several since. And yes, gajillion is a real number)
- Chase lived on our couch for about a month
- I convinced Spencer to join the ward choir - and he recruited about half the ward to follow suit
- I had the stomach flu and passed out during a session with one of my clients
- Spencer and I did sealings at the Provo Temple
- General Conference!
- In-laws from both sides came to spend some quality time in Provo
- I joined the BYU Aerobic Fitness Program and have kicked my own butt doing Yoga/Zumba/Pilates/Step Aerobics every day. Almost every day. Yowza.
- We discovered the Big Bang Theory (thanks, JaiCi!)
- We've attended all the BYU football home games so far (it's a sensitive subject, okay?)
- Spencer quit his second job at BioGuard and the happiness in our home increased dramatically
- Jeff, Becca & Paige moved to England
- I sold a car
- I ate an entire carton of ice cream on my own (don't worry, it took me a little over a week and it was a QUART, not a GALLON)
- Paul turned 3
- Hugh turned 25
- Lilly is turning 1 this week!
- Raylyn turned 31
- Becca turned 22
- Dad turned... older
- Mom and Dad are currently on their first cruise ever and I am, once again, jealous of all those who have ever been on a cruise
- AND... I forgot about my blog for a significant amount of time (oops!)

So, that's that. I promise my next post will come before January.

I love you all!