A Few May Events

May was very eventful for Jason and I. As if a birthday and baby showers were not enough, we still had lots more to celebrate.

You can’t forget about Mother’s Day! This year, Jason and I had the nerve-racking task of speaking in Sacrament Meeting. Personally, I think that is a messed up Mother’s Day gift for a pregnant girl, but thankfully it is over and done with. After speaking, we were able to spend the rest of the Sabbath relaxing and spending time with family.

Before heading the Alpine for a family dinner, Jason surprised me with these beauties for Mother’s Day:

 

I had been wanting to get some flowers for the window seal ever since Jason started working on the garden. The window area definitely needed something to make it feel more bright and more like home. It was such a fun surprise to have the flower box all planted with some of our favorite flowers! He did an amazing job picking them out! So pretty! He also got three pots that he planted with cilantro, basil, and jalapeno. 

The rose bush is alive and finally blooming!!

Our tomato plants starting to get bigger...how exciting!

After a relaxing afternoon at home, we headed to Alpine where we had a delicious bratwurst/hot dog BBQ with Grandma Gruber, Whites, Hymas’s, and Hadleys. It was very fun to have them all there. (Possibly pictures to come)

Later that evening, we headed to Draper to wish my mom Happy Mother’s Day and to surprise her with the family gift: a Blendtech! Blendtechs are AMAZING! Someday, Jason and I will get one...we love it so much and we are huge on smoothies! My mom was very surprised, and of course, loved it!

 

A few "fake presents" to throw Mom off

Playing some serious Fussball

Another big event in May was Memorial Day Weekend! While Jason was away on a fishing trip (more on that to come), I spent the weekend with some wonderful women in my life! I had a chance to spend time with my mom, with my sister Camry, got pedicures/lunch/and dessert with Kerstin and Alisha, and Amy got home from her mission! She served in Tulsa, OK (among other places), and loved it so much she even extended her mission a month. To say the least, I was very anxious and excited by the time she was on her way home. I’m so proud of her. She has grown so much and has gained such an amazing spirit and testimony. Welcome home, Amy! Now we can play and play, just like the good old days!


After Amy's Homecoming on Sunday, we ran over to Grubers to join in the celebration of George's birthday. Monday brought even more fun, as we joined up with my family for an afternoon at Seven Peaks in Salt Lake (thanks to the amazing Pass of All Passes), a delicious smoked pork dinner, and a Blendtech extravaganza!

 Jason coming down the big slide

Given the pregnancy belly, I became the self-appointed photographer

Dad catching some air!

Kimberly

Bryan getting sprayed in the face!

Jason

Tyson (excuse the random guy in the front)

Dad (no he is not being shot up from a fountain)

Waiting for the waves to begin

Blendtech Party!

We each got to take turns picking a recipe from the Blendtech Recipe Book, making it, and sampling it! So fun, so yummy, and so full!!

Memorial Day Baby Bump

Phew! What a fun weekend!

Showered With Love

I had two very fun and very special baby showers within two days of each other. The first one was a Thursday evening and was hosted by the sweetest girl in my new ward. I was recently called to the Relief Society Birthday Committee with Kylie Provost. She has a six month old baby girl, and she and her husband have lived in the ward for maybe a year and a half. When she was expecting, one of the ward sisters threw her a baby shower, and it really helped her get to know a lot of the sisters in the neighborhood and in the ward. So, Kylie wanted to do the same for me! It was sweet and thoughtful of her. Here she is, barely meeting me, and wanting to go through the trouble and hassle of hosting a baby shower for me! I was so impressed and felt so loved!

I was worried that no one would show up, since I didn’t know hardly any of the ladies in the ward, but to my great surprise, we had such a great turn out. Again, I was impressed by the number of sisters who came to celebrate my baby-to-be and who brought me gifts without even knowing who I was. I definitely learned a lot from that (being someone who has a harder time attending those kinds of events...like baby/bridal showers). I’m so blessed to be surrounded by such great women! The shower was complete with great food, gifts, and a fun craft (we spent the time chatting while cutting out iron-ons for onesies that were given to me for Baby Gruber...what a cute idea!!!)

So cute!

 Finished onesies!

The following Saturday, I had my big baby shower hosted by my mom, as well as some help from Shelley Larsen (where the shower was held), Jaleah, Bryton, and Kerstin. It turned out so beautiful. The Larsen’s living room area is so pretty with a giant kitchen area. They also have great big windows that look out into the back yard, complete with a swimming pool “oasis”. It was gorgeous! I was literally “showered” with gifts, yummy food, and with visitors! Again, I can’t help but feel so blessed with the people in my life. Thanks to all who attended and who helped make the shower so wonderful! 

Photos are courtesy of friends like Bryton, Kerstin, Alison, and family:

"Ready To Pop"

Cousins!

Freshmen Roommates: Megan, Bryton, me, Jaleah, and Alison

Love these girls!

Alisha and I...due two weeks apart with baby boys

(Alisha actually beat me...Logan was born Monday, June 11th! Congrats!)

Me, Kerstin, and Alisha

A Day for Grandpa's!

About a month ago, I was able to visit both of my Grandpa’s on the same day. I probably don’t visit or see my grandparents as often as I should...so it was a great opportunity to see them both on the same day.

I wish seeing my Grandpa Rich was under better circumstances, however. He was staying in the VA Hospital after just finding out that he has several cancerous tumors throughout his body. This came as particularly hard news, as my Grandma Rich just underwent surgery to remove a cancerous tumor and is currently going through chemo treatments. Talk about hard times! I know it has also been especially hard on my mom, as she is watching her parents go through such drastic changes and experiencing such pain. While my grandma and grandpa took their turns coming to Utah for medical attention, my mom was there every minute she could. She would stay many hours of the day, and would sleep on a couch in the hospital room almost every night. For Grandpa Rich, we are still unsure what the plan of action will be. Recovering from another surgery may be too taxing on his body and may not provide any positive results. We will see in the near future what the decision is going to be.

I’m glad Jason and I were able to take that opportunity to visit Grandpa Rich. Even with such hard news, Grandpa Rich seemed in high spirits and still had fun telling us stories about his youth and talking “fishing” with Jason. He always had such a great sense of humor and I love him for it!

After our visit with Grandpa Rich, we made our way to Taylorsville to Grandma and Grandpa Arbon’s. We had a fun party, celebrating Grandpa Arbon’s 80th birthday! Most of the cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandchildren were able to come. It is so fun to see the excitement they have for their first great-grandson to join the family. They are all smiles and are full of great advice.

How lucky am I to have both sets of grandparents still alive?! I don’t think many are as lucky as I am at this age. Love them all!

Happy Birthday To Me!

As of May 3rd, I officially turned 25! A quarter of a century! I can’t believe it. Growing up, I always imagined that once I was in my twenties, I would be such an adult...knowing everything! But that is certainly not the case! I definitely still feel like a kid and have so much to learn.

As is true every year, I was really spoiled this birthday. With both families living so close, we get to milk our birthdays. The Sunday before my birthday was spent with the Grubers. We had an amazing dinner, with yummy birthday cake (thanks to Jason), and fun gifts.

I always get lots of help opening my gifts!

The day of my birthday, Jason surprised me with a yummy breakfast of Belgian waffles and two different kinds of Jamba Juice smoothies (Peach Pleasure and Peanut Butter Moo’d)! Yum! He got up really early to decorate the kitchen with birthday streamers and balloons. I had work that day, but thanks to my part-time schedule, it was only four hours. I can’t complain!

Birthday decor!

Cute baby shoes from Jason

After work, Jason surprised me with a very special gift! A new Lazyboy Rocker/Recliner for the nursery! We had been shopping around for awhile for the perfect rocker, and we finally found one that we both loved. It is so comfortable!! I could just sleep in it! I haven’t felt the need to wait for baby to start using it. It makes the perfect reading chair! Love it!

After that fun surprise, we were on to the next....dinner at Cheesecake Factory at the new City Creek Center. Cheesecake Factory is definitely one of our favorite restaurants, and we hadn’t eaten there since our trip to Hawaii. What a perfect birthday!

 Love the Avocado Eggrolls!

 ...And LOVE the Bang Bang Chicken and Shrimp!

 
The following Sunday was spent celebrating with my family. We had a delicious roast beef dinner with mashed potatoes and fresh pineapple (among other things)! My favorite! I was spoiled with great baby gifts too: a Bobby and a video monitor! Thank you family!

 Gotta love anything with chocolate frosting!

And the countdown begins until my next birthday....can't wait!

 

Bun in the Oven...

Yes, yes, we all know I am pregnant by now...but I had more than one kind of bun in the oven as of late.

Jason is a huge lover of bread...and so am I. He had requested a couple times that we make our own homemade bread. So for the last several weeks, I have been making homemade bread. Now, don't be too impressed...I have been finding the easiest recipes online and hoping they turn out tasty. Lucky for us, most of the recipes have been satisfactory for us. So far, I have successfully made white, whole wheat, french, and an artisan style bread. I would happily make any of them again.. however, the artisan bread needs a little more practice (or at least the right backing tools...I had to improvise with that one).

Buttery White Bread

Crusty French Bread

Crusty Artisan-Style Bread

Yeah, it turned out as a tall monster...but it still worked out great for grilled paninis. 

Sorry, no picture of the whole wheat bread.

And now onto the most important "bun" of all:

At our last doctor's appointment, we got to have another ultrasound and check up on Baby Gruber. Everything is looking good and we couldn't be happier. Baby Gruber is measuring a little big....the ultrasound measurements put us delivering on June 6th; however, the doctor is keeping our official due date at June 12th. We'll see when he decides he wants to come.

 Proof of his boy parts

Can you tell what this is?

It is his face! You can see the right side of his face...forehead, eye, cheek, and a little bit of the nose and mouth. Crazy!

And here is the latest belly shot:

"These buns are cookin' fine!"

 

April Dates

Jason and I had several fun date nights this month. Can I just say we have some of the best friends in the world? I have to admit, most weekends Jason and I tend to hang out at home watching Netflix or Red Box (after dinner out, of course)...we enjoy just being lazy. But we definitely also love spending the weekend evenings with friends.

Rich and Kamilla (recently married) had a "house-warming party" of sorts. They invited us, Nate & Sarah, Trevor & Krista, and Parker & Ali over to see their new basement pad and to eat dinner. They made some delicious meat and cheese quesadillas and homemade chocolate chip cookies. They are living in the basement of a very well-to-do couple with a huge yard. The men definitely took advantage of yard space, playing football and soccer. The kids loved playing on the play ground. And the girls enjoyed hours of great conversation...and great advice for this mother-to-be.

We had another "house-warming party" date this month, but this time hosted by Jason and I. We invited Kerstin & Jed and Alisha & Nate over for dinner and to see our new apartment. We served Brandalee's Chicken and Rice, Cheesy Herb Biscuits, and Apple Poppyseed Salad. I was thrilled that everything turned out well and delicious. For dessert, we had Root Beer Floats (thanks to Kerstin and Jed). After dinner, we played Ticket To Ride...and Jason and I dominated the board...however, not really fair since we were technically teaching the others how to play. Bad friends? We can't help it that we like to win!

Lastly, thanks to my new part-time schedule, I had a day off last week. Jason and I took that opportunity to visit the new City Creek Center. The weather was great and the mall was beautiful. We were quite impressed. We are stoked that there is another Cheesecake Factory and H&M in Utah. I was very excited to see a small maternity section in H&M...I was desperately in need!

With Jason's flexible work schedule, I have loved having lots of time with him lately. I know I won't be taking this time for granted come baby time!