December showers bring... wedding bells?

Angela is about to get the phrase "You're next!" when Annie gets hitched NEXT FRIDAY!!! :) Saturday we had a bridal shower to get the festivities started! It was a great mix of family, YSA friends, and old friends (as in Annie has known them for a long time!) We played a game called "He Said, She Said" were guests had to guess which statement was made by the groom or bride on Facebook. Their personalities are different enough that this was a pretty easy to guess who ;) The second game was Love Bingo, a wedding twist on your typical Bingo game! Guests listened to statements about either the bride or groom and held up the name they thought corresponded. If you were correct, you got to mark out a square on your Bingo card. It was a delightful shower and made me even more excited for Annie's marriage!! Stay tuned for 12.21.12 :)

Guests (1)
Yes, Madilyn was invited to the big girl party ;)

Guests (2) And Annie!

Guests (3)

Guests (4)

He Said, She Said game

Love Bingo
I believe this particular statement was "obsessed with the way towels are folded."
Annie was indeed the right answer ;)

The lovely bride!

She was really excited about the waffle iron :)

Sisters! (Minus Angela)

Hosts & Bride!

YSA gals!

Moms :)

Food. Babies. Shopping.

Ah, the blessed time of year when family and food come together as one! I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving! In years passed, our Thanksgiving gatherings could be considered chaotic (but awesome!) as 30+ relatives gather in my grandparents house. This year we had 15 people dine at Becca's house. Yes, that may still seem like a large number, but comparatively it was rather small! Despite the lack of relatives, it was still a great Thanksgiving!! Sadly, I didn't document our delicious feast, and I totally forgot about these Thanksgiving props until Angela pulled them out!

Reese's pie! (Recipe courtesy of Caroline Barrington)

Angela was so proud of her pumpkin rolls!

You know I can resist my sibling's offspring! ;)
She wanted to play cards with the adults.

Ashley's team wasn't doing so well this round of Hand and Foot!

Carl & I were SMOKIN' everyone though!
Until round 2... Ahem.

Ryan took Imogen's place!

Best buds :)

And what happens after gorging on turkey, stuffing, and delicious pies? Shopping, of course!! I think I've gone Black Friday shopping every year for the past five or so years. Carl and I have gone together for the past three years, I believe! I ventured out for the midnight sales with Ashley and Autumn. Ashley likes to get feisty in line ;)

Mads was helping us go through the Black Friday sales ;)

Waiting in line at Target!

Waiting in line at Old Navy
Seeing a pattern? ;)

For Family Home Evening a month ago, we had a lesson about being grateful. I suggested we start a a thankful jar that night and write down one thing we're thankful for. So every night for the past month we would read our scriptures and record what we were thankful for that day. I somehow had three more slips than Carl; he must have not caught up after our Utah visit! Here are a few things we listed:

- for strong, secure hands to hold
- photographs
- the ability to provide for ourselves
- great books
- for days off






We are officially listening to Christmas music! :) I am a stickler about giving Thanksgiving it's proper festivities! We're excited to start decorating and remembering the reason for the season. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

The Last Virgin

This past weekend the last Virgin boy got hitched!! Carl and I had the grand opportunity to go to Utah and engage in the wedding festivities for Keith and Makenzie! It was a beautiful sealing with lovely--but snowy and cold!--weather as per usual for Utah. It was so good to visit with the Virgin family and be united for a brief time. I ended up getting a cold halfway through our stay, so sadly my only pictures are from the wedding festivities.

Waiting for the new Mr. and Mrs. Virgin to come out!

Love!!

The kids adore these guys! (And Austin secretly loves Makenzie! ;)

The girls couldn't get over Princess Makenzie!

Sneakin' a picture of us ;)

The Virgin boys!

All the boys (plus my pregnant belly haha!)

Carl & Quinten!!

Looking zazzy!

The Virgin family!!

Where there are Virgins, there will be dancing!

The little ones!

Austin & Ellie are perfect dance partners!

Keith is practicing his cake smashing skills!

The bouquet toss!

Compliments of the Virgin boys :)

Good work, boys!

We're so excited to have Makenzie in the family!

I was able to squeeze in some time to see friends who we left behind in Utah! It was so good to reconnect; it almost made me want to move to Utah ;)

Diary of a Pregnant Lady

Don't worry, I'm not going to get all TMI on you. In fact, if you've noticed, I haven't talked too much about my pregnancy. Not because I'm ashamed of it (I'm ALREADY the PROUDEST mama EVER!) but because this life I am growing inside me is an individual. In this world abounding in social media, it's far too easy to let your personal life become public. Besides, how am I to know what he wants others to know? ;) However, some thoughts just need to be written down. Hence, this post. Here are the big changes I see in my life thus far:

1. My belly button has a mind of it's own. I previously had an innie belly button. A deeeeep innie. I knew that when Everest started growing bigger, my belly button would become more shallow. But it's gone further that. I have these odd lines around it from all the deep skin inside that little hole. That made no sense, I know. Carl is obsessed with it because of it's huge change! (For Ashley, Becca, Angela, and my mom, "I think my belly button has stretch marks.")

2. I hate pants. I love clothes shopping. More than anything. Sometimes I wonder if I should have majored in something that had to do with shopping. Now that my large belly is lower and my hips are becoming wider, I really don't enjoy shopping. You might think, "Oh good, that will save your bank account!" Just wait until you get to #4. And I could really use some good maternity clothes, but I really don't want to even peek inside a dressing room.

On the other hand, I love love buying clothes for Everest. I went to a consignment sale a month ago and went a little crazy (but stayed in the budget Carl gave me, thank you very much). Funny fact though, I need to hide the clothes or else I want to buy more. His clothes to be are hiding in the green suitcase on my side of the closet. Just in case you want to know ;)

3. I am a leaky faucet. Oy vey. Why does Carl leaving for work have to such an emotional moment for me now?? Of course before this I was a little sad he left but not in a sobbing, the-world-is-ending sort of saddness! I'm surprised my tear ducts aren't shriveled up! Poor Carl, he has endured tear-soaked sleeves and has handed me many a tissue for silly, absurd situations.

4. I have a desperate need to craft. I think many would characterize this as nesting. We are currently living in a one bedroom apartment, so there is no way I could put together a baby room at this point. But I honestly feel a real pull to whip up pillowcases or holiday decor all the time. Thank you, Pinterest.

5. My stomach moves. This is quite a recent development! Before I could just feel his internal movements from his punches and kicks, but now, if I lay on my back after eating, I can SEE my stomach move up! I think it's safe to say this is the oddest thing my body has ever done.

6. I put on my shoes like Mr. Rogers. When it comes time for me to bend over for whatever circumstance, my belly immediately stops me. And for some reason it surprises me every time! You'd think I'd know not to go that route any more. So when it comes to putting on shoes, I have to sit down and cross one leg over the other. It's no wonder I feel like an old man sometimes ;)

Well, there you have it! My internal diary put to words. All in all, I am so happy to be pregnant and give birth to this little boy in three months!

October

Carl and I have had quite the October month! Carl absolutely loves Halloween, and I think he fostered this love from his mom. (You should see her home decorations!!) We watched a handful of scary movies together, though Carl watched even more on his own! He's a brave soul. Our collected movie watching included:

• The Ghost of Mr. Chicken
• Dark Shadows (stupid, stupid movie)
• Clue
• The Others
• Six Sense
• Devil
• "And Then There Was Shawn" (Boy Meets World, ya'll!)
• Hocus Pocus
• House on Haunted Hill

We only watched half of The Others and I fell asleep during House on Haunted Hill since we were watching it in bed after my "bed time." But it's safe to say that I never peed my pants during any of the scarier movies and I was able to use the bathroom in the middle of the night without bringing Carl along to protect me from the looming characters of my imagination ;) I think I am becoming more brave!

Halloween Day Carl and I completed our tradition of pumpkin carving! This started our first year dating actually! We buy just one pumpkin and together decide what we want to carve. This year's pumpkin is probably my favorite! Carl get an awesome job on his eyes. I can't remember what we named him... pregnant brain at it's finest!!

Our babies ;)

He's so handsome!

Carl said, "Look! He's eyeing our lunch!"

All lit up!

We ended the night with 50 cent corn dogs from Sonic and "And Then There Was Shawn" and Hocus Pocus! A great night to end a super fun month!  

Happy November 1!!

The name is Alisa... Aunt Alisa.

I think many know of my obsession of being an aunt. Oh my goodness, it's my greatest pride and joy!!! I never thought I'd be like this with my siblings children, but I totally am. I love my Imogen, Ryan, and Madilyn (Mads) SO much. And because of my adoration, here are some cute pictures of "my" little ones taken in the past couple of months!

Carl's candid shot of Imogen
He took it and said, "Look how cute she is!"

I love how she lights up when she loves something!
You should see her outside! It's like she belongs there!

This is Mad's famous picture.
Rock on.

Ryan doesn't know that Captain America is actually beardless.

I just love the little joys in life, especially these little ones! :) I can't believe I'll have my own little one in 3 months!! I am so blessed by family!

Fall General Conference

Who doesn't enjoy General Conference?? One of my favorite things about General Conference is that millions of people are listening to the same thing, but get different messages that apply to their own life. I love talking to people about what they thought the "theme" was because odds are you're going to get a variety of answer. And I think that is a good thing!! As an education major, I firmly believe that a great teacher can reach out to different types of learners simultaneously. And as we all know, Jesus Christ is the master teacher. It just goes to show that the speakers chosen for Conference are in tune with what they need to teach and how to teach it.

So, you are now probably wondering what I got out of Conference, yes? ;) I loved each and every one of the speakers, but the ones I'll highlight brought out my personal theme: being a converted member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Here are just a few speakers and quotes that stuck out to me:

Quentin L. Cook's talk

• "In one of the most profound verses in all of scripture, Alma proclaims, 'If ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?' ... With all that we have received in this dispensation... Alma’s challenge has never been more important."
• "Immersion in the scriptures is essential for spiritual nourishment... When our commitment is diminished for any reason, part of the solution is repentance. Commitment and repentance are closely intertwined."

 M. Russell Ballard's talk

• "Great things are brought about and burdens are lightened through the efforts of many hands 'anxiously engaged in a good cause'” (D&C 58:27). 
• "We are to love God and to love and care for our neighbors as ourselves. Imagine what good we can do in the world if we all join together, united as followers of Christ, anxiously and busily responding to the needs of others and serving those around us—our families, our friends, our neighbors, our fellow citizens."
• "There is one simple daily practice that can make a difference... In your morning prayer each new day, ask Heavenly Father to guide you to recognize an opportunity to serve." Then stay focused.

Neil L. Andersen's talk

• "Like the intense fire that transforms iron into steel, as we remain faithful during the fiery trial of our faith, we are spiritually refined and strengthened."

Jeffrey R. Holland's talk

• There is so much I could put for his talk, but simply enough, "We have a life of devoted discipleship to give in demonstrating our love of the Lord."

Russell T. Osguthorpe's talk

• "Conversion is the goal of all gospel learning and teaching. Conversion is not a onetime event. It is a lifelong quest to become more like the Savior."

David A. Bednar's talk

• "Typically, we treat the topics of testimony and conversion separately and independently. However, we gain precious perspective and greater spiritual conviction as we consider these two important subjects together." (Side note: I always love his unique perspectives! It makes me think, 'Why haven't I thought of that before??')
• "Conversion is an enlarging, a deepening, and a broadening of the undergirding base of testimony. It is the result of revelation from God, accompanied by individual repentance, obedience, and diligence."
• "Testimony alone is not and will not be enough to protect us in the latter-day storm of darkness and evil in which we are living. Testimony is important and necessary but not sufficient to provide the spiritual strength and protection we need."
• "I now want to use one of many possible interpretations of the parable of the ten virgins to highlight the relationship between testimony and conversion. Ten virgins, five who were wise and five who were foolish, took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Please think of the lamps used by the virgins as the lamps of testimony. The foolish virgins took their lamps of testimony but took no oil with them. Consider the oil to be the oil of conversion." (LOVED THIS.)

I could go on and on, but alas you can read or listen to these and other talks for yourself! :) I hope you each found your personal message in this General Conference and use the concepts you have learned (or, like me, relearned) to better you life. Until spring 2013!!