Our little Princess!

Howdy ya'll! =)

So this last week has been tiring, hot, humid, rainy, and yet still SOOOOO much fun! We went my Dr.'s appointment and everything is going great! I had gained 5 1/3 lbs. in the last five weeks, so that was up from my average, but I am gestational diabetes free! YEAH! Oh, that drink is nasty! =) With only about ten weeks left to go, we were becoming a little nervous about not knowing for sure whether it was a boy or a girl (more me then TJ) so after talking about it and some encouragement from Julie and Bowdi we decided to get another ultrasound! Don't worry folks, it's still a GIRL! She is so cute too! =) Still looks like a little alien but now she has some hair! She was awake most of the day UNTIL the ultrasound, would not wake up for ANYTHING, and then as soon as we left started bouncing around again! That little girl! I think TJ was a little crushed though, I think he still had some hope that a little boy would be delivered in Septemeber, but now there is no doubt about what we are having! Nervousness gone! (about that anyway!)
I worked alot this week but had most of the evenings off which was nice. TJ and I went for some walks, played a little tennis (definitely not as competative, I look like a retard when I run now! =) and even went camping and fishing! We went with some of our good friends the Christains and the Carriers! We went by a local lake and camped right by it! We had a great time! None of us got much sleep though because it was SOOOOOOO hot! We still made a fire so we could cook our dinners, then we HAD to roast marshmellows, sit around and talk, watch the sunset, try to sleep without success, then get up about 6:00 and started fishing! The fish were definitely smaller, but we had a lot of bites and actually caught ALOT of fish, even if they were little (I mean REALLY little) it was a great day! We arrived home in the afternoon, took a quick dip in the pool to cool off, then took a nap! What a great day! =)
We are so incredibly blessed each day and I am so thankful for the opportunity we have to live out here and for the time I get to spend with my husband. He has been the best little house "husband" the past two weeks. I come home to a clean house and dishes that are done every day and he helps out with cooking all the meals! I really appreciate all of his help and his willingness to help out with the not so fun house duties! I also have to thank him for getting us all ready to go camping while I was at work. All I had to do was show up and he did everything else including shopping (5 trips to the grocery store =), researching what bate and type of hooks to use, loading the explorer, packing our food, etc. THANK YOU SWEET HEART! I don't know what I'm going to do when he goes back to school, I'll miss my TJrella! =)
Anyway, we hope you all have a wonderful week and we love you all and miss you all very much!

Happy July 4th

We hope you are all enjoying your wonderful summer and we hope you all had a wonderful July 4th! TJ and I have been quite busy lately but it has been so much fun! We truly are so blessed to be able to enjoy time together and enjoy the east, however hot it may be! =)
TJ completed his first year of school on Thursday, June 26th! He celebrated by going to a movie that night (the hulk) and golfing 18 holes with several of his classmates! I of course had to work! =) Saturday morning we awoke but found ourselves torn between staying at home or driving 8 hours to Georgia to see his parents, his brother Travis and the Webers! After about one hour of discussion, we packed everything we needed, showered, got ready and filled our car up with gas in about 40 minutes and hit the road! It was a LONG trip but very worth it! It was a great time, however I forgot our camera, so we will need to have Julie send us some pics! I do have to share one visual with you though. Picture me, 28 weeks pregnant, sleeping on an air matress with TJ. Now, it would not be too bad, but in the middle of the night, I needed to role on my other side. Well, my abdominal muscles are shot, my center of gravity is WAY off and the bed has sunk down in the middle. So after about five minutes of trying to build up enough momentum to get over, TJ wakes up and tells me to hold still. I relay to him the dilemma I have been having of not being able to roll over. So, he tries to help push me as I roll over on my side! Needless to say I looked and felt like a beached whale with flailing arms and legs! =) It was quite comical!
We had a great time with TJ's family though and are so greatful that they could come ut and visit us! We went to the beach, showed them UNC and Duke university, Duke Homestead, the Fearrington cows (they look like oreos black in front and back and white in the middle) the temple, we went swimming AND watched some great baeball and fireworks. Not to mention we had some GREAT food! It was a lot of fun to see everyone, make some wonderful memories and celebrate our nation's freedom!
I have two pictures from their trip, they are of us at Duke Homestead, I will post more after I am able to receive them from Julie and Bowdi! =)
I am almost 29 weeks along! I am feeling really great and I have another Dr.'s appointment tomorrow morning! I get to do the glucose testing! YUCK! =) I had one of my patient's tell me this past week that I was having a boy and when I told him it was a girl, he refused to believe me! It made me quite nervous about not being 100% sure, but we will just have to wait! I am so greatful that I have been able to feel soo good and be able to continue working! It has been such a great blessing! Well, we hope you all enjoy your wonderful week and we love you all!

Happy Father's Day!

(Pics of TJ's PA class at a birthday party)

Happy Father's Day to all of the wonderful Father's out there! Life defintely needs good dad's! I'm especially greatful for mine! I am also very greatful for my husband who will be a dad in just about 14 weeks (give or take). So I got him a little "special" Father's day gift this year. It was a "First Dad's Kit" It included: some air freshener for those stinky times, some Shout wipes for those messy spills that get all over you and baby, some baby powder, baby lotion, baby sunscreen, travel pack of wipes for bum and face, purell, some M and M's and some golf balls! It was a lot of fun to watch him open them all up and read the little notes attatched to each one! I got the idea from a co-worker and I couldn't pass up the opportunity!
This last weekend was quite fun! It cooled down quite a bit and the high's were only 93-95 instead of 99-103 so it was much more pleasant to be oustide! =) Friday night I took TJ out to eat for Father's day (plus I was exhausted from work) so we headed to the olive garden. We haven't eaten there for about 2 years! It was pretty fun and I realy enjoyed my food. TJ says it might be another 2 years before we eat there again! =) Then we headed to Target to pick up some things and we ended up registering while we were there as well. So now we are registered at Target!
Saturday I had to work and TJ studied for his LAST TEST! (hooray, hooray, hooray) That evening we had been invited to our first southern fish fry! It was back out in Siler City (the country) and we had a great time! It is alwasy so interesting to go out there because you never know what to expect! The food was really tasty, all of it was basically deep fried so you felt like the grease was coming out of your pores just from sitting there, but it was a good time! That evening we also stopped by a birthday party for one of TJ's classmates. It is always fun to see everyone!
Sunday was pretty low key as we ate, when to church, ate some more and then I slept ALOT! I don't know why I was so tired, but I think I slept for about 12 hours on Sunday! Needless to say this morning I feel VERY rested! =)
I continue to feel really well and my stomach is growing like CRAZY! I swear, it has doubled in size in the past two weeks! =) oh well, it happens right! aheha. Anyway, I hope you all have a wonderful week and I look forward to hearing from you when you get a chance!

Pictures of the Horse Pull!

So, here are some pictures from the great horse pull that was mention in the before posting! There are also pictures of us in front of some great tractors and of the pig/duck/goat/potbelly pig races we also saw! It was a lot of fun! Plus, while we were there TJ entered into a drawing for a free golf cart! Well, today I got a call saying that our name was chosen to be in the final drawing on June 30th and we already won a two night three day trip to one of 26 locations in the US and a $20 gift card to Outback! We are pretty excited! If we actually do win the golf cart, we've decided I would just take it to the grocery store! It would save on gas..... now if only they made a car seat for a golf cart! =)

Hot, Hot, Hot!

Although most months out of the year here in North Carolina the weather is so pleasant, but this past week has been SOOOO HOT! It is truly summertime out here right now and TJ and I are defintely experiencing it! Warning to our families, when you come out bring several changes of clothes because half way through the day you will want to change out of the sticky sweaty clothes you are wearing! =)
Besides the heat, we have been doing really well! TJ started school again, but honestly, the next few weeks are going to be SOOO much easier then the past year! He is studying a little bit but most of his time is doing class projects which are much less stressful! This upcoming week he is doing a disaster training session where they pretend to be in a REAL natural disaster and are trained how to react. It should be pretty fun!
My work is going pretty well. I still have enough energy at this point to be able to work, but I am defintely exhausted by the end of the week! Plus I am eating like crazy! I seriously eat so much I can't believe it! I keep trying to eat healthy foods, but you can only eat SO many grapes! =) I went to the doctor last week though and I am gaining about 3/4 lb a week, so right on target! I am defintely starting to show more and more though and she continues to move like crazy! The other day I thought for sure she was going to come right out of my belly, she was doing flips or something! It is really fun though, so far so good!
This weekend we tried something we had never done before! There was a "mini" state fair weekend. Basically it was like a car show, but for TRACTORS! Needless to say TJ was in HEAVEN! More John Deere tractors then you could imagine! It was a lot of fun to see all the old and new tractors! Plus, we made it to a horse pull! It is kind of like a tractor pull but they use horses. The horses were beautiful and it was fun to see how powerful they are! Teams of two horses pulled up to 10,500 lbs. and they had to pull it about 27 feet! It was great! The horse pull was on Friday night, Saturday I had to work but then we went swimming to cool off in our pool, ate some dinner and then walked around the mall just enjoying the evening and the atmosphere! It was pretty low key, but a lot of fun!
Anyway, we are doing really well and are so amazed at how fast the last year has gone! TJ only has 2 1/2 weeks left of work and then he is done with the first year! I only have about 15 weeks left until Kaitlynn arrives! =) We are so greatful to be out here in this beautiful state! We really are so blessed to be here and are enjoying all the new things we have been able to try! We love you all and are so exciting to see our families this summer when they come out to visit! We hope you all have a wonderful week!

Ode to my husband! =)

So, I just have to say that I really love and appreciate my husband and I am really sad that he has to go back to school today! The last ten days have been so much fun and I really enjoy the time we get to spend together! =)
After returning from Asheville we were able to spend some top quality time with Eric, Laura and Trey! We stayed up most of the night on Sunday talking, until around 2:00 a.m. I think. Needless to say, TJ and I were exhausted but so excited they came out to visit! Memorial day would not be memorial day without a barbeque! So we had a large barbeque with several of our friends and went swimming in our "chilly" pool that evening! It was so much fun! We also took them around Duke looking at the Stadium, Duke Gardens and the Chapel! It was a beautiful day! Tuesday and Wednesday I had to work, but TJ entertained them. They went to the Homestead, Staggsville, and Bennet Place. Of course they also had to go golfing, twice! And, what would a trip be without some GREAT rook games! =) We had a wonderful time and thank you so much for coming out to visit us!
After they left I had to work on Thursday, but TJ slept (ehaheheha) and did some homework. On Friday we headed to the North Carolina Zoo which was BEAUTIFUL! We walked the ENTIRE thing which took us about 4 hours! We went with our friends the Carriers and their sweet boys! They were such troopers in the hot weather, but the animals were great! It was so much fun!
Saturday we relaxed. We hit some garage sales for some cute little clothes, then TJ did some homework as I tackled the HUGE mountain of laundry in our bedroom! =) Then we cleaned the house, ran some errands and that evening we went miniature golfing with Josh, TJ's classmate, and his girlfriend Melissa and her mom Holly. It was alot of fun to meet them and I golfed the BEST game of my life! I beat TJ by like four strokes! I even got two holes in one! It was so much fun!
So, I just have to mention my sweet husband again. He took care of my family the entire time they were here. He was so eager to help me with EVERYTHING from cleaning the house, doing the dishes or fixing dinner. He is such a sweetheart and I really appreciate everything he does for me and how willing he is to help. Thank you so much for spending so much of your vacation helping me! =) Especially when you went to the grocery store with me, I know it's hard to realize how much I can really eat! =)
Anyway, I know this is long, I will post pictures of the zoo next time. These are picture from Eric and Laura's trip! Plus, we decided on a first name. Her name is going to be Kaitlynn. Not Katie, not Kate, but Kaitlynn! =) We are throwing some middle names around including Kaitlynn Jo (which I think sounds REALLY country, but TJ likes it! ) Kaitlynn Kameron, Kaitlynn Kandice or Kaitlynn Kianna (which is my favorite, it is Hawaiian for "heavenly"). We figure she will need all the help we can give her to not be a little wild child! =) I mean, just look at her parents! hehaheh. I am 24 weeks this week and I am doing pretty well! She is moving like CRAZY now and it's TJ's favorite thing to try to wake her up at night and feel her kick. He is such a sweet dad!
Well, I hope you are doing well. We miss everyone and love you all and hope to hear from you soon! If anyone is just DYING to come to Durham, we would love to have you! =) It really is beautiful, it's hot, but beautiful and we really are so blessed to live in a such a great place. WE LOVE YOU ALL! Have a wonderful week!

I love TJ's break!

So, I'm really sorry that I have not posted for a few weeks. I always love keeping up with everyone and so I apologize that I have been so poor at it lately! Things here have just been really busy, but so much fun! Last weekend TJ started his 10 day break from school, so needless to say we packed our bags and left! We headed to Asheville North Carolina, where the so called "mountains" are. We had a wonderful time!
We started out by watching Travis play some baseball! He even pitched on Friday night which was so fun to watch! I have to say though, we got some really dirty looks from people around us as we cheered for him since he was on the opposing team. We met this really nice family behind us though, and they were even cheering for him a little. They were so nice! We spend the night in Hickory, then headed to Asheville on Saturday morning!
TJ was pretty tired, but I woke up bright eyed and bushy tailed and ready to hit the road for a hike! I was so excited it almost felt like Christmas morning! So, after waking up at 6:50, and waiting for him until 7:25 (very patiently =) we ate some breakfast and were off! We arrived ready to hike and started out on a beautiful moutain skyline drive! At first there were only pull-outs, without trails, so we took some pictures of us pretending to hike. Then, we found a trail that was 1.5 miles and somewhat steep! Just as we started, the rain came and sprinkled enough to get the trail muddy, but the real problem was the fog! You can see it in some of the pictures. When we go to the top, all you could see was fog! It was quite comical! We met some really nice people on the hike as well. Everyone we met was so wonderful and nice and so helpful. It was very refreshing to meet such wonderful people!
We also found some tunnels on the drive. However, TJ ignored the signs that said "turn on your lights" and so halfway through the first tunnel we realized we could not see ANYTHING! He slammed on the brakes, and turned on the lights just in time to see the side of the tunnel INCHES from our car! It was pretty scary at first, then we just laughed about it as we went through several other tunnels! =)
After our hike we picked up Travis and his friend Mike and ate at what was considered a five star Mcdonald's. It had a player piano in the seating area! However, the food was the same! Then we took pictures at the field and drove around the town. We even tried to visit a memorial of John Wolfe (we had no idea who he was). Come to find out he was a famous author of one book. Quite a disappointment! =) That night we watched another game with Allison and some of their friends. It was a lot fun and the weather was perfect!
Sunday we went to church however TJ and Travis did not have church clothes and so they went in shorts and shirts, luckily I had a skirt! Then we had a little picnic by a river and we drove home in time to pick up Eric and Laura and precious Trey from the airport! Don't worry, I wll post again and add pictures from their stay as well!
It was wonderful to spend time with TJ and to enjoy the mountains and the wonderful people in North Carolina! Not to mention it was nice not to work for a while! One of my favorite things was that we were able to attend the temple on Friday morning and do our first session in the Raleigh temple. We have been doing initiatories, but had to order some more clothes for TJ since they don't have clothing rental. It was very refreshing to visit the temple and I was so happy we were able to go!
Anyway, I know this is long, I promise to post again soon to let you know about our week with our family and plus add pictures from Memorial day! We love you all and hope you are doing well!
P.S. I am already 5 1/2 months along, I can't believe it, but my belly sure had started to grow the last few weeks! Plus, she is getting SO active. The other day she kicked TJ's hand so hard, it almost came off my stomach! She is a strong little girl! Oh, and I think we have decided on a name, I will post it later! Love you guys!