Memorial Day Fun

Yesterday (Memorial Day) was also our 2 year anniversary. YaY! As part of our anniversary/Memorial Day fun (also the first day off together that we've had in a long time), I wanted to get in some fun/important shopping. Brent was a super good sport and even got a little excited when we went into Carters and started looking at all the cute baby clothes!

First we went into Babies R Us to check out some baby gear. I was in heaven.

See the pretty lei around my neck? My sweet Brent got that for me for our anniversary. I loved it! It was the prettiest and yummiest smelling lei I've ever seen. We had to cut it and let it hang open like that because Hawaiian tradition says that a closed lei is bad luck for pregnant women (it's symbolic of the baby being born with the umbilical cord wrapped around its neck. We don't want that!)

Motherhood Maternity had this fun little "fake baby belly" for me to use while trying on their clothes.

I liked it! I'm kindof excited to have a baby bump that big!

Then we went to Old Navy. No such "fake baby belly" there. So we had to improvise with a rolled up pair of pants. Not as cute ... not as cute.

For my anniversary present, Brent got me 5 maternity shirts and a cute pair of maternity shorts, which I'm wearing today. I must say, I should've been wearing maternity pants all my life; they're so comfortable!

Then we went into Carters baby store. If you haven't already heard - we found out we're having a BOY! And we couldn't be more excited. In fact, we got a little carried away when we walked into Carters and saw all the cute baby boy clothes. After we took a minute to think things through rationally, we decided we could each pick out one outfit for our little boy.

Then we also added on a pair of little baseball jammies that we couldn't resist. Baby shopping is fun!

We ended our day with a yummy dinner at Chili's; complete with their molten chocolate cake -- best dessert ever!

Now I'll take just one second to be mushy - since it was our anniversary and all. These past two (three) years with Brent have been the best of my life! And I can't imagine my life or eternity without him. He's the greatest/sweetest/funniest and it makes me so happy to get to spend every day with my best friend. I sure love him. And I can't wait to see him hold our little boy. The end.

It's Official

A couple days ago, I received my diploma in the mail. I'm an official college graduate with a BS in Public Health from Brigham Young University. And I graduated Magna Cum Laude!

Even though it's a really pretty diploma, I have to admit that it all seems rather anti-climactic. I finished school in December, but had to transfer my last four credits from BYU-H back to BYU, so I didn't officially graduate until April. Of course, I couldn't make it back to Provo to walk in the commencement exercises, so it kind of just feels like I stopped going to school and all I have to show for the last four years is this piece of paper. But hopefully that'll all change in December when I'll get to walk in BYU-Hawaii's graduation ceremonies. Sure, I'll be walking at a school that I didn't even graduate from, but it's still a BYU. And, in all honesty, I think BYU-H is the coolest place ever to get to graduate from. And this is why...

People in Hawaii go crazy with the lei tradition at graduation. And it's awesome. Plus- my parents, grandparents, sister, some close family friends, and maybe even a couple of my brothers will be coming in December to watch me walk, give me leis, and meet our new little baby:) Can't wait!!

The Bump

I think my baby bump has finally decided to appear. Of course, I don't think it looks much like a baby bump yet; more like I'm just eating way too much. But I thought maybe it was time to take a picture. So I took this yesterday - at 16 weeks and 2 days pregnant.

Can you see it? It's little, but it's there. And I can't really suck it in anymore.

At my appointment 2 weeks ago, we also got an updated picture of the little one.Sorry it's blurry, but I can't figure out which setting I'm supposed to use on the camera to make it clearer.

Starting to look more like a baby, huh! My next appointment is on Thursday, and hopefully within the next couple weeks we'll be able to find out if it's a boy or a girl. My guess has been boy all along. What do you guys think?

My sick days are becoming a lot fewer and farther between. There's usually still some dry heaving every morning before breakfast, but it's not too miserable and it's become so common that I don't consider it an inconvenience anymore. And I think I've finally gained a pound! My food aversions are beginning to smooth over as well. One thing I've found interesting is that I've become a lot more fond of fruity candies since I've been pregnant (Sweetarts, Starbursts, Skittles) and I've been eating way less chocolate. It used to be that I'd eat any chocolate I could get my hands on and pass by the fruity candy. But now, most the time, I say 'no thanks' to chocolate and crave some of the fruity stuff. Plus, I'm always in the mood for some pizza or strawberries.

My obstetrician's name is Dr. Foley. He's English and just the friendliest chap we've ever met. I think I extra like him just because of his accent and the funny English words he uses that I've only ever heard before on Harry Potter. But he always makes Brent and I feel super comfortable and important at every appointment and he never seems to be in a rush to move on to other patients. It's like he's happy to give us all the time in the world to answer our questions and just get to know us better. We feel really lucky to have found him. So if you're ever looking to have a baby in Hawaii, we'd recommend Dr. Foley.

Long Time Coming

Well, it's been a long time since I've posted. In fact, I'm not sure I've ever gone this long without finding something to post about. Sorry. But with Brent starting up Spring term (two accounting classes and statistics all to be started and finished within 6 weeks)there just hasn't been time for any Hawaiian outings. We did have one outing a couple weeks ago. It was actually one of the best outings I've ever been on.

Brent and I drove into Haleiwa Town on the North Shore and we got to see this...

Cute little thing, huh?! We're in love already.

We also got to hear our baby's strong little heartbeat, which Brent recorded and we listen to it often:) Our sweet baby is due November 4, so I'm about thirteen and a half weeks along now. Some days I'm feeling pretty good and some days are still pretty bad. All I can say is that I have the most amazing husband in the world. Brent has been so understanding and comforting. He makes frequent trips to the grocery store, then calls me at home and tells me everything he sees, and we attempt to find something that actually sounds appetizing to me. Even with his incredibly busy school and extracurricular activities, he's helped out a TON with the cooking and cleaning when just the thought of the kitchen makes me sick. I think things are starting to get a little better in that department, so hopefully I can step it up and be a good wife to him again.

We are sooOOoo excited to be parents and I can't wait to see Brent with our little one. He is going to be the most amazing dad! I've already got ideas for nursery bedding and decor. I can't wait to find out if our little one is a boy or girl so I can get started!

Mini Vacay

Brent's semester ended last friday (hallelujah) so this week we've been partying it up; taking advantage of Brent's mini break before Spring Term starts next Monday. Yesterday, we started the day out with some Leondard Jr's Malasadas. Delish. Then we made our way over to Hanauma Bay, stopping at the Halona Blow Hole.

Hanauma Bay is a nature preserve and one of the prime tourist/snorkeling spots on the island. It's beautiful.

I love how the wind is blowing Brent's shirt in this picture. Makes me laugh every time.

After a few good hours in the sun, we made it over to downtown Honolulu to the Ala Moana mall. The biggest, most beautiful mall I've ever been to. It's chock full of stores, including Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Tiffany's, Harry Winston, Prada, etc. I got myself my first pair of Crocs to wear to work where I'm on my feet all day. They're pretty cute ones if I do say so myself. I'll have to get a picture someday.

We finished off the day at the Cheesecake Factory on Waikiki. Humongous, busy restaurant. We left at 10pm and people were still being seated. Craziness.

Today, we borrowed some surfboards from friends and walked to temple beach. It's a beautiful, 5-minute walk from our house to my favorite beach on the island. I was talked into surfing because I was offered a cute pink surfboard; I couldn't refuse.

I mainly just floated and balanced on my board; didn't go after any waves. But my ankle band made me feel really cool. So I took a picture.

Then I caught some good pictures of Brent out battling the waves. And he got up today! Success!

And here I am looking cool carrying my surfboard. It's all about looks, isn't it?:) Just kidding. But I did feel cool today.

Lost in the Lights

Last Thursday was the night of the BYU-Hawaii Winter Ball; the dance that Brent has spent all semester planning and putting together. On Thursday morning, Brent woke me up and told me to come eat breakfast. I told him I wasn't done sleeping yet (always my response when someone wakes me up). He told me I could go back to sleep after breakfast. So I walked out to the table and found this waiting for me.

In my oatmeal, there was a token with "Brent?" written on it. Ah, sweet boy! Then he headed off to school while I ate my delicious breakfast. He even set out jam for me to eat with my toasted bread letters:)

When he came home later that afternoon, I had this waiting on the table for him.

It may not make perfect sense, but my main concern was purchasing yummy candy:) I was going to buy some markers and a posterboard to make a full on candy bar poster for him like I would have in high school, but the one store in Laie charges a ridiculous amount of money for things like that since they have a monopoly on the whole town. So I had to settle for a piece of paper, a pen, and few pieces of candy that sounded really good to me at the moment.

The ball was held in Hale Aloha at the PCC. The theme was "Lost in the Lights" (like that scene in Tangled). There were lanterns and twinkle lights everywhere. It looked beautiful. The band was amazing. The dinner (kalbi steak, grilled chicken with tropical salsa, macadamia nut rice, grilled asparagus, caesar salad, and fruit and chocolate tarts for dessert) was beyond delicious. Over 700 students came and everyone seemed to be having an amazing time. Besides just dinner and dancing, there was also karaoke over by the villages and "Just Like Heaven" was playing in the PCC's IMAX theater. The winter ball was a huge success and I was proud to be the date of the handsome man in charge.

NCAA Basketball

From the title of this post, you may think I'm blogging about the Cougar's sad loss today, or Jimmer's amazingness, or maybe even my failing bracket. While all of those things are important to me (my current ringtone is even "Teach Me How To Jimmer"), this post is about the fact that BYU-Hawaii's men's basketball team is headed to the NCAA Division II Championship Game. That's right, they made it into the Sweet 16, the Elite 8, the Final 4, and just beat West Liberty and are headed to the Championship Game! And no one even knows about it. I know Division II isn't as big a deal as Division I, but still, our team is going to the championship. And I thought they deserved some recognition. So there you go. Go Seasiders!