The Dickinson Daily

Hello Again

2012-01-16T23:59:00.000-08:00

So I know it's been for ever since I last posted, like more than 6 months ago, but I thought I'd start out slowly into the world of blogging again. So no pictures this post, just my thoughts. Lucky you.

So lately I've been learning a lot about myself, like the fact that I'm an all or nothing kinda person and that things like blogging and having a clean house and making sure all of my FB posts and text messages are perfect give me anxiety. I think more than anything I've learned that I expect perfection in life for so many things even though I know that I'm not perfect and that life's not perfect. So now my new motto in life has just been to try. Even if I didn't spell out all the words in a text to a friend or even if my house is messy, it doesn't mean that I shouldn't send that text or that I should give up on my house completely. In the bigger picture this means that just because I can't read an entire book of scripture in one night or I can't attend the temple every week, it doesn't mean that I shouldn't at least try to read one verse of scripture a night or to attend the temple once a month, even once every other month is better than nothing.

So I have been trying. And the results are so much more than I expected. It's amazing what happens when you try and don't expect perfection. The results are much less disappointing. :) This definitely extends to my children. I get so much anxiety thinking about how I'm not the perfect mother and how everybody else does more and does a better job than I do. It's this kind of thinking that causes me to miss out on my children and their wonderful, beautiful souls. Heavenly Father sent them to me because I was meant to be their mother and they were meant to be my children. I know this now more than ever. Having them has been the greatest spiritual experience of my life in so many ways. And if I don't try with them, then I will miss out on all the blessings and experiences that were meant for me and them. They are so patient and forgiving of me. Now I know what the Savior meant when He said to be as the little children.

Today was a great day of trying. Not perfect, but still a wonderful, great day. We watched too much tv, as usual (I think that this is my greatest weakness as a mother, getting lost on the computer and on the tv), but we also:

played outside in the snow
built a snowman (eventually all his "teeth" fell out because the snow started to melt, I told Sophie that's what happens if you don't brush your teeth)
I exercised (a new goal of mine because it helps me feel so good inside and out)
Josh recorded a song for his work (it's pretty awesome, I might put it on here, then maybe he'd read my blog)
Soph, Noah, and I played on the bed in our bedroom while he recorded it and we had soo much fun throwing pillows at each other and jumping. It makes want to do that more often. It seems that whenever we're in the same room as the tv it somehow gets turned on and ruins everything. I've heard of people making covers for their tv's, I think I might do that.
I gave the kiddies a bath, always a fun time.
We ate dinner as a family, another goal of mine. It's fun to eat dinner together with no tv or music or anything, just us talking and laughing.
We read scriptures about how we can know the truth of all things if we ask Heavenly Father with a sincere heart. This was in place of our FHE because the whole day was kind of that since Josh had it off. We've been doing really good with our FHE's and I can feel the difference it has made in our home. I'm a believer! This is something I do feel good about as a mother. The funny part about tonight was how Sophie described the Holy Ghost. We told her it's like a burning in your heart and then she said something like, "Mommy, I have a fire in my tummy and so do you." Then she just kept talking about how some part of our anatomy was on fire. It was pretty funny. We couldn't stop laughing. I tried to tell her it wasn't really "burning", but it was too late. So now, whenever we talk about feeling the Holy Ghost, she thinks one of us in on fire. :)
I tried today. That was a good thing.

Anyway, I've been thinking a lot about what it must feel like to lose a child. I know that this seems kind of morbid and depressing, but I've known a lot of people lately who have lost infants in particular and I always wonder how you live through something like that. Tonight I found the blog of that family whose little girl fell in the canal in Idaho and drowned. She was resuscitated and lived for a week before passing away, and the thoughts of her mother are amazing to read. She is a strong girl and I want to be more like her. She truly has such a strong testimony of the Gospel. I do too, but sometimes I wonder what I would do if something like that ever happened to me. I think I know, I hope I know, but that's something I hope I never have to experience.

Through reading her blog though, I have come to a renewed want and motivation to live life to the fullest I can, with my children especially. To cherish every moment. To find balance in life. Being a good mother doesn't necessarily mean you have to be with your children every waking moment of their lives. That would deprive them of so many opportunities and learning experiences. I think that's what I thought being a good mom meant, never leaving your children for anything. But that's doesn't give me a chance to miss them and appreciate what I have. So tomorrow I'm going to turn the tv off, I'm going to hide the iPad, and I'm not going to get on the computer until the kiddies are down for naps.

I am going to live my life. I am going to play with my children, even if it's not perfect and even if I don't know what to do with them. I am going to challenge myself to be more of a mother, more of a person, and more of a daughter of God.

I am so thankful for all I have. I am truly so blessed. My life is not perfect. I am not perfect. My children are not perfect. But I am trying and that is all that the Savior has asked of me. Is to try.

Happy Father's Day!

2011-06-25T12:15:00.002-07:00

So I just to had to give a shout out to my hubby, his dad, and my dad and thank them for being great fathers, even if it is almost a week late. There are so many people that don't get good dads, and I'm lucky enough to have at least 3 of them in my life.

My husband is the best dad. He loves his kids so much and helps me with them whenever he can. He definitely is not just a baby daddy, but really is involved with and loves his kids. I hear these women complain about how their husbands don't even know how to give their children baths and I think to myself how lucky I am. He is the father I always wanted for my children.

I'm glad we're an eternal family.

My father-in-law is also a great dad. He helped to raise 5 great boys, 4 of whom have served missions or are serving missions and 2 of whom have gotten married in the temple to wonderful, amazing, beautiful women :) (right Kimberly?). He is a man of God and won't compromise on his covenants and personal standards. He has like 5 church callings, no kidding, and is a faithful servant of the lord. I am grateful he raised me a good man. And he tells some awesome lawyer jokes. :)

My dad is a wonderful man as well. To be honest, growing up I didn't really understand or appreciate him very much. He is pretty private and went through hard times with his first marriage, which I think made him more guarded, even with his own family. But he loves his girls, yes all 6 of them, fiercely. And I know that he has a testimony of the Gospel. He lives it daily. I am thankful that he hung on through those hard years and that he taught us girls simple truths that will stand the test of time. He is a great man and I love him. Plus, he has the oddest sense of humor, which I think is hilarious. What a stud! Look at that smile!

(BTW--That's my dad's mom and grandma in this picture, which makes my great grandma and my children's great great grandma! Shabam! I skyped with her the other day, not sure if she knew what was going on, and she told me, "I'm 96 years old." She's so cute. We share the same b-day. July 31st. It's also Harry Potter's b-day. Pretty awesome.)

So Happy Father's Day to all the men and daddy's in my life. I am so blessed.

Happy Father

2011-06-25T12:15:00.001-07:00

Recently

2011-06-25T11:50:00.000-07:00

So nothing too exciting has been going on, besides our kids growing and us living life. Sophie has been doing really well potty training, although we have yet to take her out with just panties on. I've found that when I put even pull ups on her she doesn't think she has to use the potty anymore. So lately we've seen a lot of this running around our house :):

Sophie pointing at her poo. Alright!

And Sophie turned 2, which is unbelievable and totally believable at the same time. It definitely seems like it's been 2 years, and to be honest it feels like she's been 2 for awhile (she's so advanced you know, must of gotten my genes :) ), but then when I think about the fact that I have a 2 year old, I think, "No way! I'm still a kid myself!" (which is mostly true). Sometimes I hate to tell people my age because they freak out, "You're sooo young!" I don't judge you for being old, so stop judging me for being young and choosing to have a family. Yes I chose to get married and then have children, not the other way around. P.S. Your mom.

But Sophie really is such a good girl. She is one of the most loving kids and is so concerned about the welfare of others, especially her brother. We tried to get pictures of them and everytime I set Noah down to get his picture she would freak out! "Momma pick up Noah! Momma hug Noah! Momma get Noah!" said with snot and tears running down her face while screaming. She never freaks out like that and tantrums are rare if nonexistent, so this was something new for me. Sweet, but kinda of frustrating when trying to get cute pictures done. :)

Noah is still the same sweet, precious baby. He sleeps through the night (thank the Lord, literally) and giggles and coos like no other. He even smells like a baby, Sophie never had that smell, and I just can't get enough of him. I truly love being a mother. I feel like this is what I was born to do. It's really hard to find the balance of me time and time with kids and the hubby and church and everything else we have going on in our lives. But to me this is 10,000 times better than a real job. I'm thankful to Josh for sacrificing for us, although I know that my job is hard too. I truly see why the women are meant to stay at home, we're cut out for it and I have no shame in saying that. I'm ok with the fact that men and women are innately different. We're supposed to be because we balance each other out. I have strengths that Josh doesn't and vice versa. Can you imagine if we were both the same one way or the other?

Anyway, sorry my posts are always so long, I don't do them very often so when I do they're ginormous! Like a spewing of all my thoughts over the last few weeks.

To end, here are some shots I took with my awesome Christmas present, I think I'm getting better. My dream is to be a professional photographer someday (along with opening up a clothing store for nursing mothers and toddlers, I hate not being able to wear dresses while nursing!). I love taking pictures. Capturing that moment. It's art.

We're Doin' Alright

2011-05-17T16:56:00.000-07:00

So now that I have two kids and have had them for 6 weeks and 3.5 days, I can safely say that we're doin' alright. It seems normal to have 2 kids now and I love the mother it's helping me to become. Don't worry, I still have "those" days (the ones where you don't think you'll make it out alive), but overall things have transitioned relatively smoothly. It's always hard once your mom leaves, moms make everything better, but once she was gone and I knew that it was me or me who had to take care of things, I somehow found the strength and determination to do it. Funny how that always happens. We're always so much more capable than we think we are.

But Noah is still the same sweet baby he was when he was born. All babies are beautiful, precious, and sweet, but some just seem a little bit more so than others...if you know what I mean. ;) He seems to already have the patience of a saint, he will wait for me while I take care of Soph--even if he's starving, he loves when you talk to him, and his needs are very basic. If he's dry, fed, and comfy, he's good to go. It might just be my confidence as a second time mom, but things seem so much easier this time around. I feel like I'm getting spoiled and that baby #3 will be our wild child since my first two have been so easy. Or maybe their teenage years are going to be their wild years--who knows! I don't know which I'd prefer, crazy babies, or crazy teens. How bout neither. :) We'll see, no one gets that lucky. haha

Soph is still great as a big sister. She genuinely loves her brother, and it's so wonderful to see her affection towards him. Apparently I wasn't so loving to my twin younger sisters, although I'm perfect so I don't know if I believe my mother's horror stories, but I'm grateful she is such a good girl with him. Rarely do we have to remind her to be gently, although she doesn't show too much interest in wanting to hold him yet, which might be a good thing right now. She has already developed so much more in her language and communication skills, probably out of necessity since I ignore her if I can't understand her because I'm so busy doing other stuff. She is so smart and the things she knows and understands amazes me everyday. Children are so much deeper than I ever understood and it truly is a testament to what Heavenly Father means when he says we should be more like little children. They are so forgiving and pure, no inhibitions or ulterior motives (yes, I just googled how to spell that word, totally thought it was with an a!), yet they aren't stupid. They still understand things so well, they just haven't been corrupted yet.

I'm doing alright too. Noah sleeps like a champ, so that hasn't been too much of an issue this time around. This time it's feeling guilty for always having the tv on to keep Sophie busy while I feed Noah or clean. It's not having the energy or time, or I should say not making the energy or time, to read my scriptures period, forget studying them. It's not feeling like I'm really communicating with my Heavenly Father and always remembering him. Most of the time I say my prayers in bed and fall asleep half way through. I feel lost sometimes, like I don't really know who I am anymore because I never have the time to think about it or worry about it. I am the dishwasher, the caretaker, the bathgiver, the diaper changer, the feeding machine, the food maker, the laundry doer, the mess cleaner upper, etc. etc. Don't get me wrong, I am so blessed with great friends and family who help me, especially my sweet husband Josh who always folds the clothes for me, but sometimes I think, should I have waited longer to get married and start a family? I never really had me time. But then I look at the rest of the world and my friends from HS who took that "me time" and aren't anywhere near as happy and content as I am and I think, I am so thankful I married the person I married in the right place and at the right time. And I know my children came when they were supposed to because I prayed about it and felt it was right and then Heavenly Father blessed me with healthy, beautiful babies. There is still a balance to everything and I take me time when I need it, like right now, but I know that my family is shaping me into the person I want to become more than anything else could. I truly believe that everything happens for a reason as I get older and see patterns and the causes and effects of things in my life. I know that Heavenly Father is indeed aware of me and my struggles and that he knows I'm doing my best. I think I feel guilty when I know I'm not doing my best. But sometimes even that's ok, it's impossible to do your best in ever area of your life.

I'm pretty sure Josh is doing ok too. I'm sure he feels like all he does is work, work, work! He is wonderful and always supports me and sometimes listens to me when I rant and rave about life, poor guy. ;) He is a great daddy and loves his family. He shows us everyday by working hard for us and by making sure we're taken care of. He is my other half and I couldn't do this without him.

Overall, we're all doing great. Noah is smiling more everyday and is starting to try to tell us all those thoughts we can see brewing in his mind. I just know he's going to have so much to say once he learns how to say it. I am so thankful for all I have, and I know that at this point in my life I am doing exactly what I should be--being a mother. As Noah gets older, I can start doing all these projects I have in my head that I want to accomplish, but for now I'm just happy to eat, shower, have a clean house, and maybe even a little makeup on. I'm so lucky and I count my blessings if not daily, then at least every other day. ;) haha

Here are a few pictures to show off how cute my kids are. =0)

So beautiful.

Easter baskets! I feel like such a grown-up/mom now that I'm the one who puts the eater baskets out. Sorry to burst your bubble if you still thought the easter bunny was real. :)

Daddy with the kiddos.

Mr. Man showing his personality.

Feet. I've been practicing with my awesome Christmas present that Josh got me. I'm doing ok, but there's definitely room for improvement. Photography is a lot harder than it looks, that's all I have to say.

My cute little darling!

Sophie on Easter.

Mr. Man.

Bath time--he looks a little psychotic here, but we swear he really is so cute!

Anywho, that's my life in a nutshell the last few weeks. Hopefully I'll be back again soon my adoring fans!

He's Here!

2011-04-13T15:59:00.000-07:00

Noah Joshua Dickinson was born on 4/1/11 at 12:41 pm weighing in at 8 lbs. 6 oz. and measuring 19 3/4 inches in length. Phew! I never thought I had 8 lbs. plus of baby in me. :) He is healthy and strong and has one of the sweetest spirits. He is sleeping for 2-4 hours at a time, hallelujah! And he eats like a champ. We feel so blessed! My mom was here for a bout a week and a half helping us transition to having 2 kiddos. I miss her terribly and was so glad she was able to share this experience with me.

Sophie has adjusted to being a big sister beautifully. She is so sweet with him and always gets very concerned when he cries. She shares her blankets with him, although promptly removes them and says, "Mine!", we're working on that one, and is always rubbing his head or being sweet with him in some way. She has been craving more attention, but since she was not cuddly in the least before, I am loving it.

Labor, delivery, post-partum stuff has all gone so much smoother this time around. I don't know if he's just that good of a baby, or if it's Josh and I's confidence this time around, but it seems a lot easier. I keep waiting for everything to go to pieces, but so far so good. I know that day will come when Josh will come home and I'll just break down in tears because it's been one of "those days," but so far I love having two kids. I know what people mean now when they say their family is complete. We've been waiting so long for him to join our family, and now he's finally here. Yay!

I'll share my labor story later, nothing too exciting, although it was only like 4 hours, holy cow! And can I just say that I love epidurals. :) I so admire those women who do it naturally, but for now I am content with my pain meds.

My mom with the babes. (Love this picture!)

Here's me right before going in to get induced. Looking at this, I could believe there was an 8 pound baby in me. Whoa mamma was I big! Thank goodness I've gone down way quicker this time around, another pleasant surprise to being a second-time mom. Although those after labor contractions were quite the nasty little things. And yes, I surrendered and gave in to the temptation of Pitocin. And on April Fools, nonetheless, poor kid. I was already dilated to a 4, was 100% effaced, but was having 0 contractions and had been like that for about a week. I was dying. Or at least I thought I was. It literally felt like he was going to fall out when I walked, sat, breathed. It was probably a good thing I had him when I did otherwise I might have had to deliver a 9 pound baby. Then I probably would have died, for reals.

Here's my two awesome children loving on each other. How lucky am I?

Anywho, we're all doing great. I'm dealing with the baby blues a little, sometimes I just start crying and get incredibly sad for no apparent reason. But it's so much better than last time. Maybe it's having my own apartment this time around and not having to experience first-time motherhood in a house full of boys and other people, maybe it was having my mom here with me and not just visiting during the day, maybe it's my experience as a second-time mom, but whatever it is, I have immediate joy from this little man. He is a gentle soul and I know he was sent to our family, to me, for a reason. Let's just hope we do right by him. Lucky little devil. :)

It's a Baby...

2010-11-22T15:37:00.000-08:00

Boy!! So on Nov. 15th we got to go and have our ultrasound. Baby is totally healthy and quite the little mover. I haven't scanned the ultrasound pictures in yet, but it's definitely a boy. And unlike with Sophie, I already knew what the name was going to be if this one was a boy. So, we're excited to say that this little man will be called Noah Joshua Dickinson.

I have always LOVED the name Noah, so I thought it was a great pick for this little boy. I was really shocked that it's a boy--I totally thought it was a girl (maybe because everyone in my family is a girl). But since Josh comes from a family of all boys, I guess the odds were in our favor. At least we know for sure we'll always have one of each. :) Now onto the clothes shopping since everything we have is totally girlie.

Sophie was so cute during the whole ultrasound. She kept saying, "Bebe, bebe!" She already gives my belly kisses and asks to see my "bebe" multiple times a day (I actually think she's trying to say bellybutton, she thinks it's really funny to see our bellybuttons, but I like to pretend that she's talking about Noah). haha I guess that's my right as a mother to make things up! But we're so excited to welcome this little man into our lives. Now I get to learn about scouting, the different priesthood levels, a mission, and all that good stuff that comes with having a son, although with girls you get to plan their weddings. :) And as Grandpa Dickinson said, at least we know the Dickinson name will live on. My poor dad has to rely on his siblings' kids to carry on our family name of Bateson. Sorry dad! But girls really are the best. :) Anyway, we can't wait to meet you Noah sometime around April 6th-ish.

P.S. Sophie better learn to share by April 4th, 2011 because...

2010-10-11T13:01:00.001-07:00

we're...

Yep, that's right, Baby Dickinson #2 is on the way.

Eek! Two kids?! What was I thinking...at least this one was planned.

Here's what Sophie had to say about the whole thing, "I'm not ready to share my mommy!" It's ok, she'll learn...hopefully.

D-Day for this little person is April 4th, 2011. I'm about 15 weeks along and showing quite a bit already. I've heard that happens when you have 2 kids close together. You find out you're preggo and then 2 days later--POOF! At least that's how I felt. I'll put up belly pictures soon. I want to be better about documenting this pregnancy week by week with pictures. I've been feeling great, I don't get very sick with my babies, sorry for those who do. Some days are worse than others, but overall I feel less tired with this baby. Even though I have Soph, with my first pregnancy I was working, in school fulltime, and had a hefty church calling. Now I still have a hefty church calling and a baby, but I don't have homework, I don't have to walk to and from school in the snow everyday, and even though I work 2 days a week, it's not bad at all. I do need to be better about exercising though. I feel fat--without the ph. But I'm grateful to be able to have children. We're so excited for this little person. I hope it's a boy, I already have a name (which I'll reveal once we find out the sex in mid to late November). I guess I'll be happy if it's a girl....j/k! At least we already have all the girl stuff. Healthy, happy, and a good sleeper is all I care about. :)

The Last Little While

2010-10-11T11:58:00.000-07:00

Soooo, here's a little something to satiate those tastebuds of yours. I've just come to accept the fact that this is more of a quarterly blog, not a daily, weekly, or even monthly one. ;) But I am more determined to capture the moments in ours and Sophie's lives. So here's some pictures and a couple of videos, hopefully they load, of the last little bit.

At the Puyallup Fair with Spongebob. She liked him, surprisingly enough. She kept trying to pet him like a cat.

At the beach in Cali with mommy. Ow ow!

Eating leftover strawberries and chocolate from the wedding. Yum!

Sophie carries on her mother's legacy. Don't ask. :) And don't worry, I didn't actually let her eat any...I think.

The happy couple holding the cutest baby (although she was pretty wiped at this point in the day, we all were)

Isn't where we live BEAUTIFUL? This is a new walkway they opened up going down to the beach that we love!

So handsome and pretty. :)

Sophie at my sister Cheyanne's wedding getting a kiss from her cousin Jordan. Muah!

At the beach in Cali--how I miss nice beaches with sand instead of rocks and dead jellyfish.

Sophie and Jordan playing in the sand.

Sophie does all kinds of stuff right now. She's running around like crazy, she's started climbing things, oh dear, she says all kinds of words, and she's learning karate. That's right folks, she's a ninja! And it's the cutest thing I've ever seen. Sometimes I look at her and can't the baby that she once was, it's amazing how they change and grow. I always wondered what she would look like as she got older, and now it's so neat to see who she's becoming. Her baby fat is starting to disappear, he legs are slimming and straightening out, and she's starting to look more like a little girl and not a baby. :( Sad, but good at the same time. Her hair is getting longer, and she has tons of teethers coming in. Her little toothy, gapped smile is so endearing to my heart. It's the best smile in the whole world. Some of the words she says are: bapple (apple), nana (banana), dogdog (dog), kitty (I hope you know what this is), uvoooo (love you), bapa (grandpa), mama (mom or grandma, depending on who she's talking to), brapes (grapes), Dat (Uncle Matt), Dadam (Uncle Adam), Drew (Uncle Drew), she doesn't really say her auntie's names cause she never sees them (sorry!), and I'm sure there's more, but I can't think of them right now. She'll repeat, or try to repeat, pretty much anything we say.

Anyway, I love her and I am so thankful that she seems happy and is heathly and is showing me how to love the simple things in life again. I love being a mom, I have people ask me that sometimes, "Do you like being a mom?" I think, you have to ask me that? I LOVE being a mom! The sleepless nights sometimes are the hardest part for me, but I love just about everything else. She has helped me to be excited for the littlest things again because she is excited for them. I worry about teaching her to stand for what's right in a world that makes you feel bad for doing so, but I know that if I teach her the Gospel and lead by example, the rest will follow. I am so grateful to have the Gospel as my guide. And she goes into Nursery in December--I CANNOT believe that! We're excited for the holidays because she's old enough to kinda get them. We're gonna be the Flinstones for Halloween (her hair is perfect for Pebbles!). Now I just gotta make the outfits. Blah! But at least we'll look hott! Woot woot! Anyway, toodles! I'll try to post more throughout the holidays!

P.S. Josh got laid off about 2 months ago and we still haven't had any luck with a job, so if you hear of anything near Tacoma, WA, let us know!

Sophie's Pink Little Pony :)

2010-07-11T15:11:00.000-07:00

Here's a video of Sophie riding her little pink pony. Grandma and Grandpa Dickinson got her this pony for her birthday and she loves it! It's so funny to watch her ride it. She truly is my daughter, she loves horses. That's my girl! She cracks me up! Love you soo much Sophie! I can't believe I uploaded a video! It actually worked! Yeah! Many more videos to come, but for now I've got to go. Toodles!

4th of July

2010-07-11T14:37:00.000-07:00

So the Fourth of July here was ridiculously cold--no, freezing is more like it! We took some pictures to document just how cold and windy it really was. The fireworks really weren't even that great, but it was still fun to have Josh there. This is the first 4th of July he's been with us in about 3 years or more. Every year he has to work on the 4th, so I loved that part. Of course, the week after the 4th it was blazing hot. Washington weather is so weird! But I still love it here, it's beautiful and so unique--I mean, I got to watch fireworks over the water for free at a golf course! So cool! I loved the way it lit up the water and Sophie would just say, "Oooooo!" Everytime one went off. It was soo cute! She fell asleep right before they went off because it doesn't get dark around here in the summer until like 10 or 10:30, so she was tired. But she woke up part way through them and loved them. All in all, it was a lot of fun. And cold. :)

Our family!

Matt trying to fly. I love this picture because the blanket is blurry, like it's moving, but he's not. So cool!

Daddy and Sophie.

Everyone playing on their gadgets trying to stay warm and waiting for the fireworks, it took FOREVER!

Grandpa and Sophie. Everyone wanted to hold her because she's like a little heater. :)

Cute girl! We got her a bow to wear to church for the fourth, I love it! She's so cute!

Mommy and Sophie! I love how her eyes are soo blue, and mine are so brown, looks kinda cool in pictures.

Mommy and daddy getting blown away!

She really does look like she's getting blown away.

Sophie and Grandma, look at her cute hair!

We missed all of our other family that we couldn't be with on the fourth, i.e. my family. But you were there in spirit! Love you all and happy fourth! I'm so thankful to all those who fight for our freedom and to be able to live in a country where I can worship how I want. The Gospel is so important to me and I can't imagine living somewhere where I wasn't allowed to live it. I am proud to be an American.

Lotsa Stuff!

2010-07-02T15:24:00.000-07:00

So tons of stuff has happened since the last time I blogged, what was it now, 3 months ago?! Holy cow! We moved, got an awesome new iMac, which I'm still adjusting to and learning how to use, Josh got a full time job at Wild Waves as the Foods Manager (hallelujah!), and our baby turned 1! Where did the time go?! So here are a few pictures to satiate your tastebuds. ;) I'll be trying to post more over the next little bit. We've done A LOT of stuff!

1. Sophie's 1 Year Birthday Party!

Sophie on her royal princess couch from Grandma and Grandpa Dickinson. Look how popular she is already...haha j/k It was fun to have all those kids running around though.

So these are out of order because blogger is stupid and I don't have time to rearrange them, so work with me here, but here is her demolished cake. I seriously have never seen a kid actually eat their cake like she did. It was awesome! She ate it true fatty style!

After. I don't know what's on her eye, I don't think she got cake on it, maybe it's just the way the picture turned out. Still pretty cool though!

Before. I had to help her dig in, then the rest was history.

Mommy and Sophie on her 1 year birthday.

Her birthday hat and pin.

Her cake.

The cake for everyone. It turned out awesome! Go Safeway! (Nope, I didn't make it. I'm not creative like that. Safeway did a great job for me! haha)

The decorations, courtesy of Josh and his brothers. They actually did a really good job!

2. We went on vaca with my family to Lake Mojave, it's been a few years since I've been there, or seen the sun for that matter. :) haha Josh couldn't come because of his awesome new job! We missed you!

Sophie with her Grandma and Grandpa Bateson (my parents), her Great Grandma and Grandpa Bateson (my dad's parents), and and her Great Great Grandma Wagstaff (my Grandma Bateson's mom). Wow!

Sophie wasn't too fond of the the dogs at first.

But she warmed up. :)

The desert IS beautiful!

Sophie on the beach, she loved it.

We went innertubing! My little daredevil!

First bath camping. Fashionista!

Sophie and Tommy the Turtle. They were friends. haha And yes, that is my sister shaving her armpits in the background--hahahaha The joys of having a blog that your sisters don't check. :)

3. Josh and I went on a date to the temple, I hadn't gone since before Sophie was born! Awful, I know...but it was soo nice to go back!

I love us! Especially him ;)

I love my new dress! Thanks Josh for letting me buy stuff I don't technically need, but really want every once in awhile! I think it's healthy to do that sometimes. =0)

4. Random goings on at our house. The zoo with Josh's brother David, his wife Kimberly and their adorable little girl, Lydia. Etc., etc., etc.

Kimberly and Lydia.

The polar bear was actually awake!

Sophie looks happy.

My crazy little munchkin, oh how I love her. And do you like my pedicure, I did it myself, I was very proud. :)

It's been a lot of fun moving into our own place, we LOVE our apartment, it even has a dishwasher (woo hoo!), having Josh start work again, and watching our baby grow. I can't believe it's already July, partly because time goes way too quickly, and partly because it still feels like it's January--it's been oh so rainy and dreary here. I love my life, sometimes I get lonely staying at home with Sophie all day, but I'd rather be here than anywhere else in the world. It's been interesting managing our own budget again, making our own food again, and being our own family again. Josh's family was so gracious to us for letting us live with them for a whole year, but it's really nice to feel like a real mommy and wife again, I kinda felt like I was faking it when I wasn't able to make meals for my family and really feel the full weight of being a wife and mother. I must say, it feels good to do laundry and take care of my own house; to be alone with Sophie and see how just the two of us interact. It's refreshing. Maybe that's why we had to live with Josh's family, so that I would really appreciate being able to have my own family and being a stay at home mother. I look at it as a blessing now, and not a curse. Not to say that everything's perfect and that I don't get frustrated, bored, overwhelmed, lonely, etc., sometimes, just that I love every minute of it--good or bad. I love the time we spent with Josh's family, but I love my family time even more. :)

More posts to come. Hopefully I can finally figure out how to get videos on here that don't need to be shorter than 2 seconds. :)

Great Wolf Lodge

2010-03-14T19:57:00.000-07:00

So for President's Day Weekend in February we went to the Great Wolf Lodge. It was Sophie's first time playing in water besides her bath, and she seemed to like it! We have some great pictures to commemorate the event. Sophie got 2 new bathing suits, which are both soo cute! We had a great time! And please disregard our whiteness--we've lived in UT for 4 winters, and Washington for 2 summers. It was hopeless that we'd tan. :)

Josh on a ride--what a dork! I love him! I know he's hott, but please refrain from drooling over him, he's a married man. :)

Our family! Again, please refrain from Josh's sexy hairyness. I love him!

She's so funny! Love's mouths.

Cheese!

We thought this one was so artistic. I was pretty proud of myself for taking the picture.

Toodles!

Happy Belated Valentine's Day

2010-02-20T15:56:00.000-08:00

So I know it's a little late, but Sophie wanted to say, "Happy Valentine's Day!" :) Love you all!

Recent Happenings

2010-02-20T10:26:00.000-08:00

So here are just some random pictures from our recent excersions and such. Sophie is now 8 months old, as of yesterday, and has her two bottom teeth. She really is such a mellow kid. She just kinda goes with the flow. She doesn't really cry, and when she gets overtired or upset, she goes stiff as a board and crosses her little legs straight out in front of her--it's so funny. And it's always left foot on top, we've tried to put her right foot on top and she always uncrosses and then recrosses them, the "right way".

Here are some things I love about my little Sophie:

1. Her squishy, soft face
2. Her blue, blue eyes
3. They way she smiles, even if you just look at her
4. Her sweet little spirit
5. They way she watches new people until she deems them ok
6. That she touches my face sometimes and just watches me talk or make silly faces
7. I love that she usually doesn't cry very much, I hate when babies cry--I know, I know, our next baby will be a cryer. :)
8. That she crosses her feet when she's overtired or upset
9. That she sits and plays by herself for long periods of time
10. That she's so mellow--it's like she says, "It's cool if I don't crawl, I'll just roll there, no big deal!"
11. She's cautious about situations until she knows it's ok--like the way she watches people
12. That she LOVES the kitty and talks to him, sometimes he comes over while I'm out of the room and will lick her--GROSS! I know, but she loves it. She gets so excited and will kinda pet/grab him. He's a really good kitty and doesn't scratch her or anything.
13. That she rolls under the coffee table and plays with your feet.
14. That her tongue is always sticking out, especially when she's concentrating or happy. :)

There's so much more that I love about her. It's wonderful to be her mother and have a set rythym in our day now. She makes everything new and exciting for me. I get so excited because she's excited. I've been amazed at how children come with personalities all ready to go. It reaffirms my testimony in the Plan of Salvation and that we did live in the preexistence before we came here. I am so thankful to have her as a part of my life forever.

The crossed feet, she must be tired.

Touching the sea creatures with daddy.

Cute face!

She loves her unicorn that Gramla got for her. And I love her little barette. So cute!

Our little beauty on her 8 month birthday. Gorgeous darling! I love her little sunglasses!

At the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium. I LOVE this place. MayrLu and Clay got us a membership for my birthday, and I love taking Sophie there. She loved the fish.

Sophie with daddy looking at the fish. I made her hat, I was soo proud! I love my new calling as an Activity Day Assistant. We learned how to loom hats. Awesome!

She's blinking here, but she loves to roll under the coffetable. Half the time I don't even know how she gets under there, but she especially loves it if someone if sitting there because she'll roll under the table and then start playing with their feet.

Momma and Sophie on her 8 month birthday. Yay for Sophie!

Coming soon--our trip to the Great Wolf Lodge! It's an awesome indoor water park, because it's always raining in WA, and Sophie's first time playing in water besides her bathtub. The pictures are on my in-laws computer, so it might be a little bit.

P.S. Josh has been applying for work everywhere, but still no responses. There is one place that he's had 3 interviews with! But they still haven't let him know if he's got the job or not. They're driving me crazy! If you hear of any work near Tacoma, WA, let us know! Thanks! :)

Sophie's First Encounter with Santa

2010-01-23T11:35:00.000-08:00

So here's our family at the ward Christmas Party on the 19th, which was actually Sophie's 6 month b-day (she's getting soo big)! Josh looks a little drugged up, but that's ok because me and Sophie look cute, which is really all that counts. :)

So this is actually the second picture we took with Santa, because Sophie woke up for it. She wasn't scared of him or anything, she was just kind of indifferent. But still, fun memories none-the-less!

Here's the first one, where she was sleeping. So cute! (and I loved the elf, oh Taylor!)

Daddy and his girl! Apparently Josh's face tasted good--weird! haha

So funny!

The End!

I gradiated--It's Official!

2010-01-22T18:30:00.001-08:00

So I got my diploma from BYU in the mail today. It was kind of anticlimatic because I've been now for awhile, but we still managed to make an event of it! So following are pictures of me "receiving my diploma." I worked really hard for this, by the way. It took a lot of patience, hard work, sleepless hours, and tons of determination to finish. My internship was really hard for me to do since I had to leave Sophie at home--but I finally finished! I officially graduated with a degree in the Recreation Management and Youth Leadership major with and emphasis in Therapeutic Recreation. Now all I have to do is pass my national certification test--it's always something. But now I must go because everyone's waiting for me to go get Papa Murphy's Pizza to celebrate! And thanks to all those who made this moment in my life possible. You all know who you are and I love you to death! I'm an alumni!! Woot woot!

Sophie with mommy and the diploma.

Dang it feels good to be a gangsta. :) G-Unit!

Woo hoo!

I wonder what could be inside. (And please disregard my muffin top, I'm still working on it!)

I felt like I was getting a mission call or something. Awesome!

So I guess after all that, this is all I get, a little piece of paper. But really I know I got so much more from the experience. I'M DONE! YAY!!! :)

Zoo Lights

2010-01-22T18:00:00.000-08:00

Every year we're in Washington for Christmas we go to the local Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium and go to the Zoo Lights. They decorate the entire zoo with Christmas lights and it's awesome! This year was no different and Sophie loved it! She loves lights anyway, so the fact that there were tons of them everywhere meant that she was in heaven!!! And our camera did a pretty good job of capturing the lights without making them too fuzzy or anything-awesome!

Speaking of Christmas, this Christmas was great for us. Because Josh has all brother we have to plan having Christmas in between missions with his family. His brother Adam will be serving a mission next Christmas, so we were in Washington this year for the Holidays. It was kind of nice not to travel, but we sure did miss my family! I'll be posting another set of pictures of Christmas Eve and Christmas morning later. Enjoy!

Fish!

We're the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow!

Josh's family under the rainbow.

So this isn't the Zoo Lights, but one day she was laying and playing on the floor and rolled herself up in the blankets and then fell asleep, how sweet!

Our family!

Us again, I love this one! (Of course we forgot the stroller, but Sophie's carrier worked out better anyway.)

Mirror!

Watching the Meercats. What a sweetie! You can see how tired she was.

Mirror images!

More lights! They really were beautiful.

Josh and his brothers in their natural habitats. :)

Daddy and Sophie.

Our cute little family.

Beautiful lights!

Mommy and Sophie, I love her bear hat and mittens!

Our Growing Girl

2009-12-23T16:35:00.000-08:00

So I know it's been awhile since I've blogged, but here are some recent pictures of our little darling. She is now 6 months old, crazy, the time has literally flown! She sleeps pretty good through the night now, hallelujah, and hasn't gotten any teeth yet, although I always think that she's teething. She has the most adorable laugh! That's my favorite thing to hear. She doesn't do it very often, but sometimes, esepcially when she's tired, she really gets going.

She's loving her first Christmas and has been a joy to all. She's my little angel! Solid foods are still a little bit of an issue. Apparently she has an extremely strong gag reflux, like her daddy, so whenever she smells or tastes rice cereal, she gags, shivers, and then throws up. Apparently when Josh was younger, he used to throw up everytime he went to the dentists office. Oh joy--this should be fun! But she does like bananas, or nanners, as I call them. And we're slowly exposing her to more solid foods. Everyone in the family is always giving her tastes of things--they think I don't know. :)

At her 6 month appointment a couple of days ago her stats were: 17 lbs. 8.5 ozs. (75%), 25 and 3/4 in. long (45%), 17 and 1/4 in. for her head (85%). The doctor told us to enroll her in college because her heads so big. Haha! We are truly so blessed and will put up videos and things soon of our growing girl.

Also, something else really exciting is that I finally finished my internship!! YAY! I am so proud of myself, it was sooo hard to do it with Sophie. But thanks to my sweet husband, my in-laws, and my family, I did it!!! I'm officially gradiated!! Merry Christmas!! (pictures of her first Christmas will be coming soon as well).

Sophie getting a ring from her future husband--Landon. ;)

Sophie in her new highchair that Grandma and Grandpa Dickinson got for her. She loves it!

My sweetie pie eating Santa :)

Sophie helping momma cross off the last day and week of her internship!! YAY! Woohoo! Finally!! :)

Sophie with daddy on his Birthday at Sushi Revolution--it was awesome!

So cute! I love this headband (Josh always takes them off, but then I put them back on :) haha)

Merry Christmas!!

Out on a walk with her bear hat and mittens!

Our cute girl in her Christmas dress--sorry it's kinda blurry!

Momma and baby!

Tummy Time

2009-10-04T23:49:00.000-07:00

So here's a video of Sophie when she's exactly 2 months old (8/19/09) doing tummy time--definitely not her favorite activity. :) Enjoy! (Sidenote: these next few posts over the next little bit are going to be all over the place as far as Sophie's age and development go, so bear with me. I'm blogging whenever I have a free moment, which usually isn't for very long)

2009-10-04T13:02:00.000-07:00

Here are some more pictures from after she was born!

Uncle Drew

Grandpa Clay
Grandma Dickinson
Dickinson fam, my mom came later :)
There are those lips!

She's Here! (as of 3 months ago that is)...

2009-10-04T11:49:00.001-07:00

So about 3 1/2 months ago Sophie Ciera Dickinson came into this world. She was 6 lbs. 11 oz. and was 18 1/4 inches long. She was beautiful!! She had huge, pink lips, and a dark, full head of hair. She cried once when she first came out, but was quiet after that, just soaking things in. They put her right on my chest and nothing has ever felt so natural and good to me. It was a rough first couple of weeks--mostly on momma's end. I have never been so emotional, so overtired, or cried so much in my entire life. It was all soo overwhelming. But we made it! And she's such a good girl, we truly are blessed. She's healthy, happy, and grows by leaps and bounds everyday. I'll be posting more over the next weeks to catch up on the last few months we've missed.

Here is Daddy with his girl when she's only a few minutes old.

We were so excited to finally meet her!

Right after she was born.

Right when we got to the hospital. This is before the contractions really began. Don't worry, I looked and felt much worse later. Contractions truly make you feel like you are dying, or being split in two--the rumors are true. Both things suck, a lot. But I'm still alive! And I would do it all again, but not for another year or two. :)

This is right before we left for the hospital. My water broke at about 4:45 am. I got up because my stomach hurt, I know, the classic story. When I stood up I felt the water start to trickle out and I thought--no way! So I ran to the bathroom and sure enough, my water had broken. I got so excited I didn't know what to do first! So I kind of thought about the fact that I was about to have a baby for a minute and then I ran into the bedroom, threw the light on and excited yelled at Josh, "Josh, my water broke!" He sat straight up in bed and asked, "Are you serious?" No, I'm joking...:) He jumped out of bed and we both kind of ran around like chickens for the next little bit (I hadn't packed my bag yet--oops!)

I was grateful for my sister's advice, her water broke too, to take our time. Josh took a shower, I packed, washed my face, cleaned our room a little bit. Then we left for the hospital. I was shaking because of the adrenaline rush. I had minor contractions on the way to the hospital, but nothing too bad, about 7-5 minutes apart.

When we finally got to the hospital we didn't know where to go in. So first we parked across the street from where we were eventually told the labor unit was and walked around for awhile trying to read signs and figure out where to go in. Then we drove to the emergency room and asked, "Where do you go to have babies?" They started to tell us directions and then asked, "Are you in labor?" "Yep." They seemed surprised I wasn't screaming. They should have come into my room a few hours later--haha.

Eventually we found the labor and delivery unit and got checked in. It was pretty calm. My contractions were pretty regular but then they slowly faded away. So I walked, and walked, and walked to get them going again. But to no avail. So they gave me pitocin. I've decided that I hate pitocin. Boo! I went from 0 to 100 in about 2 seconds and it hurt! I didn't know what to do. I tried breathing through them, which sorta worked, but they hurt so bad they took my breath away. I had to really concentrate on breathing. Poor Josh. He said afterwards that I was so mean to everyone. I don't care. I was trying to survive. They couldn't get me the epidural fast enough. I LOVE epidurals!! What heavenly peace, especially after so much pain. Then, a few hours later, she was born at 5:52 pm. I only had to push a few times to get her out. Pushing was hard--especially to do it right. I finally got it toward the end, but it took some practice. The doctor was at his office across the street and had to run over because I was getting her out so quickly. He even had to yell at me to stop pushing at one point because she was coming out so quickly. I was so grateful for the epidural because I was able to enjoy the experience of having her more. I loved holding her afterwards--they let me hold her for along time after she was born without taking her away. I was surprised by that. I was pretty torn up, but I won't go into details :). Thank goodness for percocet! Nursing was hard too, I was surprised. But she was a good eater from minute one and we both caught on pretty quickly. I was soo tired and sore. And I literally cried all of the time, I couldn't help it. I loved her so much it hurt, I didn't know what to do with all of my new emotions and hormones. But we made it through the sleep deprivation and she's finally on a sleep schedule.

Sorry this is soo long! I'm making up for lost time. Love you all! I'll post more pictures in another post.

The end!

Coming Attractions...

2009-09-25T00:08:00.000-07:00

Sooo, lots has happened in our lives in the last few months, and I haven't blogged about any of it. I told you, I suck at this. But I will shortly be blogging about all of it. Sophie being born, us being in Washington, my internship. So be looking forward to these coming attractions. Right now I am doing my fulltime internship here in Washington and it is the hardest thing I have ever had to do in my life. I hate having to leave Sophie everyday, even though I know that she is in good hands. I feel like I am missing so much of her. I keep telling myself that's it's better to miss her now than later when she's doing the really important stuff, like saying her first words, taking her first steps, etc., but the truth is that it's all important, and I hate missing any of it. But I want to finish my degree. It's a promise I made to myself a long time ago and I'm going to do it. I also want to set a good example for Sophie. I want her, someday when she wants to give up on school or whatever it is in her life that she thinks she can't do, to be able to look to my example and to see that I did it, I finished what I promised I would. I also want her to know how important it is for women to get an education, regardless if they are going to be "just a stay at home mom".

And I hate that phrase, by the way. Now that I have Sophie, I understand and have gained just a glimpse into how much all mom's sacrifice for and love their children. It is something that no one can truly understand until they've experienced it. I would do anything for Sophie--anything. I love her in a way that I can't explain. I know all parents say that, but it's completely true. It's helped me to understand a little better the sacrifice that Heavenly Father made for us in given His only Begotten Son for our sake. Even knowing what He knows, I still cannot imagine how unbearable that must have been.

But I have a new respect for my parents and for how much better they know me and for how much more they love me than I thought. It is the hardest job in the world and anyone who thinks that staying at home with your children all day isn't a respectable calling must not have children or doesn't understand how important it is for children to have a mother in the home raising them, if possible. My mom worked growing up because it was what she had to do to keep our family alive, but even then she did everything she could to make sure we had at least one parent at home with us all of the time. And what a difference it makes. Soon I hope to be able to do this. If anything this internship is helping me gain a greater appreciation for being able to be at home with my children someday fulltime. I know the grass is always greener on the other side, but I feel like it's my calling in life to be a mom. I love it. It's definitely something that took some time to get used to, and which I am still getting used to everyday. It turns your world upside down, inside out, and something which doesn't let you sleep, like ever. Good thing the rewards and blessings are ten fold. :)

I keep thinking that there's going to be a day that I will finally say, "I can't do this anymore!" But I've been doing it now for almost 4 weeks, and I know I can finish. It's been a huge faith builder and it's taught me to learn to rely on other people and to let them help me. I've always had a hard time letting others help me, but right now I have to let them. I couldn't be doing this without them. So count down with me the weeks until I finish my internship and hopefully get to be at home with my little sweetheart. 10 weeks and counting.

And can I just say that I absolutely love my husband. He has been a saint through all of this, including labor. :) I love him, and I truly could not do this without him. His mom has also been wonderful. She watches Sophie for us while we're both working, she lets us live in her house rent free, she feeds us her food, and she has a smile while she's doing it. I am so thankful and try to count my blessings everyday. I also want to say how much I love my mom and family. I miss them terribly and am so thankful for their love and support as we navigate our way through this new chapter in our lives. We are truly blessed and thank our Heavenly Father for all that we have.

So, long story short, be looking forward to my post about Sophie's birth, even though she's now 3 months old and quite the chunk, and to more information about my internship and about where we are in life and what we're up to. Thanks for your patience, love, and support. It truly means the world to us right now.

40 Day Eviction Notice

2009-05-15T11:28:00.000-07:00

So I stole this from a friend because I thought it was sooo cute--and true! Enjoy! Oh yeah, and I FINALLY finished her quilt!! Yeah!! So I'll put up pictures of it soon, I was soo proud of myself! :) We can't wait until we can finally meet her, I'm 34 weeks so only about 4-6 weeks left! Woo-hoo!

Little Ms. Dickinson:

I hereby issue 40 day notice for EVICTION. You will have 40 days in which you can either gather your belongings and promptly vacate the premises, or wait until the final day, after which, you will be physically removed from the property.

You are being evicted due to breech of contract and destruction of property. Expansions only to the FRONT of the house, within reasonable limits, were discussed.

Not only have these limits been exceeded, but additions to the back of the house were also made! Remodeling and gutting of the home was never approved, nor was changing the initial layout and base structure.

And due to property damage, there are now leaks in both the upper AND lower levels of the home. On top of which, the landlord has received numerous complaints about nightly disturbances.

After 40 days from this day that you don't comply with the notice will result in immediate and forceful removal at my discretion.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Love, Mommy

New Preggy Pictures!

2009-05-07T12:06:00.000-07:00

Here are some new preggy pictures of me from about 30-32 weeks. I'm getting rather large, but still cute--right? I can't wait to finally meet her and have her on the outside of me. Yeah!

I went to Seattle for a day with my sister when she came to Washington to visit me and look for jobs.

So this picture is pretty much awesome--it's me, Josh, and my brother-in-law. We went up to Sundance for dinner for our graduation. They all thought it was so funny how big my belly is. Yeah, really hilarious guys, haha!

My new chromed-out Jesus sandals. I got them because nothing else fits or is comfy anymore.

I also got a new dress from the BYU Bookstore. I think it's so cute--yeah!

And here I am in all my glory at 31 weeks. Sexy!! :)

Graduation!

2009-05-07T11:52:00.001-07:00

So Josh and I finally graduated! Yeah! Him for real and me semi-for-real...I still have to do an internship after our little one comes. But almost there! At least they let me walk. But here are some pictures from our exciting day! We didn't actually get one in front of the BYU sign in our caps and gowns, but this one will have to do. :)

Woo-hoo!

Because we're in the same major we even got to sit next to each other at our college commencement, how cool is that?

Yeah for us!

I was one of many women to graduate from BYU prego. Woot woot!

He is the cutest man alive, I'm so proud of him!

Hiccups!

2009-04-16T12:03:00.001-07:00

So I am now at 30 weeks into my pregnancy and everyone's been telling me how when they were 30 weeks, even earlier, they could feel their baby hiccup. Well I've been getting a little jealous because I haven't felt anything remotely close to hiccups, although in the last couple of days she has been wiggling all over the place! But I love it, it's the coolest feeling! Anyway, back to my story...so we were in the doctor's office here in Provo for our last appointment before graduating and moving to Washington when all of the sudden I felt this rhythmic little "popping" in the bottom of my belly--could it be?...it was! It was her hiccuping (sp?) for the first time! They lasted for about 5-10 minutes while we were waiting and it was so cool! So I can now officially be inducted into the hiccup club with all of the other mommies to be.

But today our doctors appointment went great, we are truly blessed. Everytime we go in they say that everything looks perfect, my measurements, my blood pressure, etc. I hope that this doesn't all come to a crashing halt once I go into labor. I finally watched some labor videos today and now I'm a little terrified, but I know it's going to hurt--at least it's worth it in the end, right? :) But I'm all for the epidural, at least for my first time around. I want to see how my body reacts to being in labor. For our other kids I might try the other millions of cool techniques out there, I really want to try a water birth, but for now I'm perfectly content delivering in a hospital.

I told Josh that we should make shirts that are like football jersey's and that say "Team Dickinson" on the back, then we could put black under our eyes like the football players--here we come Labor Day!! That would put me in game mode!! :) haha But I'm getting nervous/excited for Labor Day, as I call it. I hope all goes well, like the rest of my pregnancy. But thanks to everyone for your love and support--we really appreciate it! And be looking forward to an up and coming post about my Utah Baby Shower, it's this Saturday and I'm so excited! Thanks everyone whose helping to put in on! Yeah!!

Baby Shower in Cali!

2009-04-07T18:12:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from my babyshower in Cali. a couple of weekends ago, it was so much fun and we got such great stuff from everyone. Thanks so much! Enjoy the pictures and my ginormous belly! Yeah! :)

Me with my new car seat--it's awesome!

I pushed our stroller around outside for quite awhile, I can't wait til there's someone inside of it. :)

I'm so hott...

An awesome snowglobe my mom gave me that had a mother and daughter holding hands. It plays music too, I love it. Thanks mom!

Me and Dani with my cute nephew Jordan. You should see him dance.

Yeah!!!! A way cute diaper bag--we call it our "Pooh" bag, and not just cause it has Winnie the Pooh on it, heehee :)

Me picking the cutest baby made out of playdough.

Another game my mom made up involving lots and lots of candy bars...oh yeah!

A game they had to play--making babies out of playdough.

Me in my royal throne--kinda blurry, sorry!

The Momma--or should I say Grandmomma! haha

Mmmmmmm, yummy!

My mom got the cutest napkins.

Pink and green, so cute!

I suck at blogging :)

2009-04-07T10:32:00.001-07:00

So I just wanted to let everyone know that I will soon be posting pictures of my pregnancy on here soon. I'm terrible at things like this--I just never make the time. But soon you'll be able to see my largeness :). But things have progressed perfectly so far. Our little girl, yes it's a girl, it a mover and a shaker already. I had my first babyshower in California this last weekend, and I'm having another up here in UT on the 18th, so be expecting invitations if you live here! Josh and I graduate, or walk, in a couple of weeks, and I can't believe that June 24th is only a couple of months away now. We are so excited to meet out little girl!! Thanks for everyone's love, support, and help these past few months. We love you all!

Our Exciting News!

2008-11-01T17:03:00.000-07:00

So we recently found out, as of this week, that we are expecting our first child!! It was very unexpected news, but exciting and wonderful nonetheless. I still can't quite believe it, but I have been feeling a little nausea and I have to eat all of the time, I guess that's better than throwing up! I have my first official appointment with the doctor on Nov. 20th, so hopefully everything goes good until then. We are praying everyday that everything can go ok and that my body will be able to support this growing child.

Josh has been very sweet and is really excited. The only kind of bad news is that I am going to have to do my intership, which will be the only thing I have left to officially graduate, in the Fall with a baby. We are planning on moving up to Washington by Josh's family so that they can help us. We are so grateful to all of our friends and families support in this new journey. We are going to try to keep everyone updated on here as to how things are going.

As far as we have calculated, I can only be a few weeks to about a month along, so please pray that everything keeps going well, and that I don't get too sick! But here are some pictures of when we first found out that we were pregnant. I took four pregnancy tests because I didn't believe that the first 3 were right...I know, I know, duh! But this was big news, and I wanted to be sure. Besides the first few were weird and didn't look like the manuals said they should. Anyway, here are the pictures, enjoy!!

Babies!

2008-11-01T16:37:00.000-07:00

Yep, there's the first two. The second two came the next day.

Yeah!! It's starting to sink in!

Starting to get excited...

Not quite sure what to think...

Yep, that would be a positive!

And even more pictures!

2008-11-01T16:17:00.000-07:00

Our friends, Laura and Ben

Josh with his Samari sword that he won at our retreat...yep, he is almost 25...=0)

My boss, Angela

The whole work crew, awesome!

And again...

Us, behind a waterfall...sweet!

So cute, although he looks a little frightened...wait a minute!

Us in the bumper/spray-each-as-much-as-you-can boats. They were awesome!

Josh getting wet

I love his face, and my grill!

Sooo hott!!

We are awesome Raquel!!

Can you say white trash? haha

She means business, do not interrupt her while she's making a haunted house, she will kill you...

Us making our houses!

Here are some more pictures!

2008-11-01T16:10:00.000-07:00

Our cute Haunted House for Halloween, see the face?

Pretty view of Vegas

Cool mushroom things in the Bellagio

Beautiful paintings on the ceilings of the Venetian

At the Gondolas at the Venetian, we were trying to get a couple kissing, but it was hard!

Pictures! Finally!

2008-11-01T15:45:00.001-07:00

So here are some random pictures from a dinner we went to for married students at BYU, of which we were the poster children for ;), our work retreat, an FHE we had with some friends of ours making haunted houses (like Gingerbread houses for Christmas), and the "Amazing Race-Las Vegas" that we did for Amber's 30th birthday. We had tons of fun and I'm excited to finally put some pictures up! Yeah!!

2008-11-01T15:35:00.001-07:00

At Circus Circus...

Us!

We met a few celebrities while we were there.

MGM Grand Lions.

The Luxor

Us in front of the famous Las Vegas sign

Cutie husband at the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris ;)

We thought this sign was hilarious!

Of course my dad would do this...

Hott...

Cheese! Gosh I look like my mom, weird....;)

Our First Entry

2008-10-07T12:27:00.000-07:00

Hello all and welcome to our blog! I never thought I would have one of these, but it's something that allows me to look crafty and cutsie without actually being so. ;) Awesome! As most of you know, we are currently going to school at Brigham Young University and are both planning on graduating this April. I will graduate in Therapeutic Recreation and Josh will graduate in Commercial Recreation. I will then do my Senior internship while Josh applies to MBA programs, which he will hopefully get into. We have been married for a little over two years and love life together. It's so fun to have your best friend as your spouse and to have someone whose always on your team, who supports you, and who you know loves you no matter how many times you fall asleep on the couch. ;) We hope to start a family somewhere in the near future and look forward to being parents, although I realize that's easy to say now that we don't actually have any children...haha. But we hope you enjoy our blog! Welcome to The Dickinson Daily!