Bum, Bu Bu Bum, Bbbbuuummm

Last night I got to experience Christmas 3 months early. Came home from the football game to find this waiting patiently for me:

Guess what it was! Our very first box of diapers and wipes! Aaaahhhh! So exciting! Everything really is becoming more real.

I understand that the 5th, 20th, 50th and 100th box of diapers probably won't be as exciting as this one, hence the documentation of this event. Now I can always look back on this and remember that at one point in my life I really was excited about buying diapers. 

I can't wait to wipe, pat, rub, squeeze and love that little bum that is growing within me.

Birthday and Baby

Oh, you didn't hear? We're having a baby! A boy baby! We're pretty excited in case you couldn't tell.  I've been avoiding saying anything on the blog because I knew once I started that there would be no stopping. Hopefully you don't get bored with all my preggo posts. I have a feeling there will be many to come.

Since Darin's 26th birthday and our ultrasound were only a day apart it just made sense to put the two together in a full-blown celebration of birth (so I guess we weren't really celebrating our babies birth, more like celebrating his boy parts, but any excuse to have yummy food and friend time is a good enough excuse to me).

Darin's birthday was on Saturday so for our Friday night date we decided to do something fun for our families and made this:

Darin didn't believe me when I told him you can find a photo booth in a bowling alley. Sure enough, I was correct. It might have been the tiniest little photo booth I have ever seen in my entire life, but it worked (next time we'll make sure not to blow up the balloon so big).  

We took a quick break from thinking about baby boy and went and watched the new Spider Man at the dollar theater. To anyone debating whether or not to see it, see it. It was worth it. After the movie we went home and whipped up some frosting and started filling cupcakes for Darin's party. We filled them all with blue frosting but topped them with both blue and pink so that everyone would have to bite into them to know if "it" would be a boy or girl. I've never filled cupcakes before but it was surprisingly easy and I think that cupcakes are a lot better this way. There's just never enough frosting when it's only on top. I'm seeing many filled cupcakes in my future.

Saturday (Darin's birfday!) started out with me working and him playing back to back intramural games for his kickball and soccer team (so proud of him for scoring a goal to help the team win!). The afternoon was spent in the company of friends and family at Tucanos Brazilian Grill (love their free meal birthday cards! Sign up if you haven't already!)

Darin got to participate in the birthday song and while they were singing, Cohen's face was to die for. The best part was that he made this face every time they started singing to someone, which seemed to happen quite often.

After eating we went to our apartment where we met up with Lance, Sunshine and Jason for some food and games. Lil Kaitlin had a concert and Skylar had to work, but we were lucky enough to have little man Rackham spend the evening with us which was so fun. Our little boy has a lot to live up to with this sweetheart around. He is the best baby (toddler?) ever! And SO freaking adorable!

Birthday boy feeling a little uncomfortable with all eyes on him while we sing:

Everyone took a cupcake in the color of their choice to show their guess of whether little Self was a boy or girl. Looks like everyone was pretty in tune with our child since they all picked blue (well, except for my husband.  And Jason who had already bitten into his cupcake by this point).

And they were right! Little Self is a boy!

We are both very excited and feel very blessed that we will be parents to this little baby boy (currently the size of a "pop can". That's a soda can for anyone who didn't know. Don't worry, I was confused too. It took me a minute to realize that the ultrasound tech was talking about a soda can and not some medical term unfamiliar to me). 

We also feel so grateful for our wonderful friends and family; for your love and excitement for us as we start a new chapter of our Self family life together.

Thank you.

Bumblebees and Skateboards

One of my good friends is having a baby. What a great excuse to cross off "making a baby quilt" from my bucket list. I went back and forth for months about whether or not I should take on such an endeavor (just for the record, I grew up fighting my mother anytime she tried to teach me anything about a sewing machine, I hated going into fabric stores and never once opened the sewing books I would get for my birthdays. I'm a terrible daughter). Just kidding, I'm NOT a terrible daughter because GUESS WHAT?! I made my first quilt! I am becoming a real woman! Can you tell I'm proud? You have no idea. I really struggled when I stuck this little guy in a box and sent him off to Iowa. We went through a lot together.

I am sooo thankful for my wonderful mother for leading me through this project. If it weren't for her, "making a baby quilt" would still be on my bucket list.

Unfortunately the time in PA flew by and all we got done was the top. So my mother packed me up and sent me off with instructions on how to finish the quilt. I was pretty scared out of my mind and put it off as long as I could, BUT, I am proud to say that many crooked lines around the quilt later, it's done!

I won't lie, I did almost give up quite a few times but am thankful for my darling husband for encouraging me and even helping me with the sewing machine when I was about to throw the whole project out the window. And thanks to him for the lovely picture of one of my tantrums below. He's so thoughtful.

Yay! Loving the finished product and what was that? Already wanting to go buy fabric for the next one???? 

All I have to say is that I have A LOT more respect for my mother and mother-in-law for their love of quilting and especially for the quilts that they have made for us (and not baby quilts mind you!). I give you my complete respect. You two are awesome.

Stay tuned for future baby quilts! (but no promises) Until then....

Wishing little baby Johnson many happy nights!!!

The BIG Game

BYU vs. Washington State

 I spy JIMMER

 He takes the white-outs pretty seriously

BYU vs. Weber State

Tonight: BYU vs. Utah

Let's Go Cougars!!!

Vacation Wrap-Up

It's past time that I close the PA-vacation chapter of my life and move on with my life. Here are the last little tid-bits of what made our vacation fabulous.

BOWLING

 We all broke 100!!

SUNDAYS IN THE PARK--BINGO AND ICE CREAM

(courtesy of Rye Township)

Darin won twice and won us our very first salt/pepper shakers and a water bottle. That's my boy. Bingo master.

THE BIG 2-5

 I wait all year for this day for one reason: cheesecake!

SPIKES BASEBALL GAME

A brother from our church got the youth a hook up to a suite at this minor league stadium at Penn State. And let me just tell you, the suite was SWEET (pun totally intended). Chips, popcorn, sodas, hot dogs, hamburgers all on the inside and beautiful baseball on the outside. It was fun to feel rich for a night.

On top of everything else we went and saw The Avengers, played softball, listened to lots of Les Mis, watched my cute chubby butt on home movies, played TONS of family feud and ccchhhiilllleeeddd.

Thanks to my wonderful family for letting us crash the house for 2 weeks. It was great!

The End.