Being pregnant

Baby girlfriend is set to arrive soon and 

I

CAN'T

WAIT!

I can't wait to see her.

I can't wait to hold her.

I can't wait to GET HER OUT OF ME :)

While I've had a pretty easy pregnancy I'm just beyond excited to not be pregnant anymore.

I'm excited to be able to bend over and buckle/tie my shoes.

I'm excited to be able to sleep on my stomach again.

I'm excited to not have heartburn anymore.

Hurry up

Payton Liberty Foster!

Mommy and daddy can't wait to meet you!

24 weeks

39 weeks

And here I am doing a cartwheel at 39 weeks pregnant :)

We're having a baby girlfriend!

And I'm kinda a little shocked.  Honestly, I was excited about a boy or girl.  And going into the doctor's appointment I had no intuition on what it was going to be.

But now that we know we are beyond happy about it!  I always wanted at least one baby girl to pass all my dancing skills onto :)

Now I gotta go shopping!

We're homeowners again!

Last August {2011} Nick and I decided to make the move to Houston, Texas.  And on October 1st we were already official Texans.  Because the move happened so quickly we moved first into Nick's parents' house.  Well, his parents own a trailer park in southern Texas where old fogies like to spend their Winters, so they were spending their Winter down there.  We decided then to stay in their house for the Winter.  That was AWESOME so we could spend some time looking for a house and saving our moneys!

By the time April came, Nick's parents were back living in their home in Houston and Nick and I had still yet to find a house we liked.  And let me tell ya, we were taking this whole house buying thing seriously.  We wanted to find a house, move into it, and never move again...or at least not again for a very long time.  The problem was compromising on the many things that we both wanted in our future home.

Anyway, so Nick and I moved into one of his parents' rental homes the second week of April.  Two weeks later, Nick and I found a potential home for us. 

Pros

• Location: It's in an area with tons of trees, has a country feel, but is only a couple miles from the freeway and shopping
• 1/2 acre lot
• No deed restrictions and no HOA, meaning we can do WHATEVER we want with the land
• Big-ish kitchen
• Inexpensive

Cons

• Built in 1980
• Ugly flooring in entire house, each room has a different type of flooring than the room before
• Old and outdated kitchen cabinets
• House wreaks of smoke 'cause they were smokers
• Run-down, detached garage

In the end, we bought it.  But it did eventually get it.  Nick had to do A LOT of convincing on his part to get me to agree to it.  Eventually I agreed because since the house was so inexpensive we would be able to spend the money needed to renovate the entire house and make it OURS!

Despite the fact that there is a whole lot of work to be done on the house, I'm actually very excited about it all.  We are finally homeowners again!  Nick is particularly excited to begin all his new projects on the house.  I'm so grateful to have a husband who loves to do all the hard work!

Tanny and Tommy are married!

My baby sister got married...{weird}...to Thomas Manning.  They are one cute couple.  I'm so glad that Nick and I were able to go to Arizona to be there for it.  And to pretty much plan it all!  We spent a lot of our time there driving all around Mesa getting decorations and food for the reception.  It was a lot of work, but I think it all turned out great!  Here are some pics of the joyous occasion!

Baby baby baby Foster!

Well, I did it.  I peed on a stick and that good ol' lucky plus sign was there!  It WAS something that husband and I were desperately wishing for and were planning on.  So, no surprise there.

We are absolutely thrilled about the news and can't wait to see baby girl or baby boy Foster who is due to arrive December 5th!

So far I've been feeling pretty good.  In the afternoons I do feel a little queasy and sick to my stomach, my sense of smell has amplified times 10, and I'm tired ALL THE TIME!  Seriously, at any point in time of the day I could take a nap.  But, nothing to complain about here.  I'm just excited to have a little human being inside of me!

Mason's Home!

Husband and I went "home" to Mesa from March 7th-March 14th.  It was so wonderful to be back and spend some quality time with my family.

March 7th- Tax Time

But before we could have any "FUN" we had to get down to business and visit Uncle Ray the CPA to do our taxes.  Hours after our plane touched ground in Arizona we were sitting in his office getting it done.  It's so great to have a CPA in the family.  Last year we got married, bought and sold a house, moved states, did work on our house in Texas that we own and rent out, I made some money (from my millions of different jobs that I'm technically self-employed in), and he of course made some money.  Trying to do it all on Turbo-Tax would have been a living Hell!  Ray got it done in just over an hour.  A week later we got our Federal tax return and our Arizona return should be here anytime.  BAM!  That felt good.

Then the FUN began.

March 8th-Tanny's Bridal Shower
Tannis got engaged on Valentine's day!  And she's getting married April 27th...yeah, THAT soon!  And being her big sister I HAD to throw her an awesome bridal shower.  Since I was already planning on being in AZ for Mason's homecoming this weekend I decided to hurry and throw one together for this trip.  It was a great success!  Yummy food, fun decorations, lots of great people, and she got loads of gifts!

March 9th- Elder Mason Rhett Crandell returns home from his mission in Boston, MA!
The ultimate reason why husband and I even planned this trip was to be there when Mason got home.  I'm so happy we sacrificed the money and time so we could be there.  Husband and I met and got married while Mason was on his mission.  So when Mason got off the plane at Sky Harbor and walked past security it was the first time husband and him met!  I cried a little.  I'm very close to Mason so it was really fun for them to finally meet.  It was pretty much complete chaos with everyone at the airport.  The kids all had balloons attached to them and they loved running around with them :)  Husband and I took our nieces Paige and Emery up and down the "Eskimos" to help keep them entertained.  It was cute how all the kids ran up to Mason to give him a hug.  My favorite was when my nephew Ian ran up to him and the first thing he said was, "Hi, Uncle Mason!  Do you want to come to my house and see my garbage trucks?"  The boy LOVES his garbage trucks.

March 10th- Family Pictures

Objectives:  

1) Wear jeans with red, black, or grey top. 

2) Get everyone in the shot. 

3) Smiling, looking at the camera, and/or holding still...optional.

Photos by

Mallory Willyerd Photo

She did a fantastic job!

By the way, do you notice the flowers on the orange and tangerine trees behind us?  It was the PERFECT time of year to be in Mesa because all the citrus trees were in bloom.  They not only look pretty, but the smell is fantastic.  Husband and I spent lots of time just sitting on my parents' front and back porches just basking in the great weather and the amazing aroma of the blossoms.  I'm convinced there is no greater smell on this earth.

March 11th- Mason speaks in church

He did a great job!  I'm so proud of my little brother and the man that he has become.  I can tell that his mission really has changed him.  If anyone knows of any single ladies...send them his way!  :)

March 12th, 12 am- Midnight run to In-N-Out

Long before husband and I started dating...actually, long before we even met...Mason would go on midnight runs to In-N-Out with his buddies.  {They went at midnight because by then it was technically not the Sabbath anymore.}  When husband and I started dating and it became apparent to me that he was just as much {if not MORE} of an In-N-Out fan as Mason, we started up the tradition again.  There were very few Monday @ Midnight In-N-Out trips that we didn't make while dating.  And when Mason got home we told him we'd take him on his first midnight run since getting back.  

March 12th to March 14th- Eat more In-N-Out and hang with Mason

These were some of the funnest days while in AZ.  It was great to just relax and spend time with Mason and the rest of the family.  

March 14th- Fly back to Houston

April 21st- Fly back to AZ for Tanny's wedding!