2018 January-February

You know when people say, when it rains it pours? That one phrase basically describes this year so far. We ended 2017 with a bang! We were blessed to spend one week with the Jensen's before Christmas. Kayla, Jake, Lily, and Charlotte were able to come from Texas so we got to see them for a bit. Jake gave Charlotte a beautiful blessing and all of the family was there including Grandma and Grandpa Sharon & Carl Jensen. It's always so fun to spend time with everyone. We left for Mississippi a couple days before Christmas. That plane ride with Eli was pretty rough! He refused to go to sleep and was very tired by the end of the day. We spent the next two weeks in Mississippi with the Lowry family. We thought we would be escaping the cold but of course we brought it with us! The South experienced some of its coldest weeks while we were there- leading to Bree's pipes freezing and her heater breaking! It was pretty dramatic! Christmas was wonderful. All of the family including Josh, Kashella and their girls were able to make it. We exchanged gifts and ate a yummy dinner. The next couple of weeks we spent there we did as much as we could to help take care of Grandma Millie (whose health is decreasing pretty rapidly). It was sad to go home but we were ready to be in our own place again. Thankfully Rexburg wasn't too cold when we returned. At the start of the new year I began doing a trade for the local gym here. I am working in their daycare and in return I receive a membership. It has basically been the downfall of our health! Working among so many sick kids that carry so many germs has made Eli and I sick quite a few times already this year. It really stinks! We have had colds, fevers, ear infections and sinus infections. To top that off, Justin's back started acting up again Thanksgiving of 2017. He actually thought it was a pulled hamstring because his leg was hurting so bad and he was hunched over a lot of the time. Well it wasn't getting better so around the beginning of February he finally went to see the Physical Therapist- who told him it was his back and not his leg. So he's been doing therapy a couple times a week which has pretty much drained our already starving savings account! But, we are just grateful that he is feeling better again. He is walking normally and is able to be of much better help around the house... which is very good news, seeing as we are expecting baby number two!!! I am still very early at the moment but ecstatic. We began trying for another baby in September 2017 and haven't had any luck. We were starting to get a little discouraged and then finally it happened! It was interesting to me because before I even took a pregnancy test I had a feeling that I was pregnant. I think you can just somehow tell a difference. Anyways, we found out while we were visiting my parents for President's Day weekend. I had told my mom and Steph (Brayden's girlfriend), that I was feeling different and I might be pregnant. So of course while we were there they begged me to take a pregnancy test. It was still a couple days before my missed period so I was worried that if I took it too early the results wouldn't be accurate. Of course they coerced me into taking one and so appeared one solid line and accompanying -faint- line. For some reason I still didn't want to believe it was true although they were both convinced! It wasn't until I missed my period that it really started to sink in. I went to the doctor this week to get a confirmation and indeed, it's true! Baby number two is due October 31st of this year. I'm hoping to do a better job of documenting this pregnancy than I did with Eli. I find myself wishing I could compare where I'm at right now with where I was with Eli. When I first got pregnant with Eli I noticed right away that my digestive system was running at a much slower pace than usual but that hasn't been the case with this baby. I am currently five weeks along and the only symptoms I've experienced so far are: mood swings, fatigue, tender breasts, and cramping. I think with Eli the nausea began around six weeks, so if this baby follows that same pattern then I can expect about only one more week of good eating! We are looking forward to March and hoping that the weather will get warmer. Hopefully my immune system can also catch up so I can start feeling healthier. I can't wait for warm weather so Eli can enjoy more time outdoors. The poor kid has been stuck inside most of the winter! Our daily routine consists of watching his favorite movies: Boss Baby, Finding Dory, Little Einsteins or Spirit, playing with his choo choo train, painting, playing with play dough, going to get the mail, going to the grocery store and going to the gym! This age that he is at right now is SO much fun. He learns new words every day and loves to copy anything that we do or say. Right now his vocabulary includes: Mommy, Daddy, Papa, Bray Bray, Meow, Woof woof, (all animal sounds- elephant is our favorite, he throws up his arm as he makes the sound), shoes, socks, baby, mink (binky), snack, juice, honnnnkkkk, out (for outside), boots, woody, this , that, waffle, toast. I'm probably forgetting some but those are the only ones I can think of at the moment! He has a book with pictures that he looks at and tells us what he sees. There's a picture of "cry", "yawn" and "laugh". He will do the actions for the words when we point at the picture and it's sooo cute! I will try to get a video. Justin is doing well in school this semester. It's been so cool to watch him learn and grow. I never imagined he would be where he is now when we started dating a few years ago. His ambition has more than tripled and he has such a huge desire to be successful. I'm really proud of him for going for his dreams and doing something he thought he couldn't do. When he first started back at school I was helping him a lot with writing papers, reading and just some basic assignments. Now he does everything on his own! I know he will be successful because he just has that drive in him. We've got another couple of years before he graduates but we are really enjoying it here in Rexburg- a lot more than we anticipated! We attend a family ward and really like it. I am serving in the Young Women's presidency as the second counselor. It's been perfect for me because it has allowed me to get to know a lot of the families in the ward through the young women. The young women President, Heidi, is a wonderful young mom (a little older than me), but it's been so fun getting to know her. We are actually going to be staying in her family's home this summer while they are away in Texas on summer sales. It's a huge blessing for us because we will save some money and we will have a big backyard for Eli to play in during the summer! YEAH! If you can't tell we are so ready for summer to get here.