Jelly Bean

It started with THIS:

Hmmm...what do YOU think? Well it had Scott and I going crazy all day. Did we really see a faint line? Are we just imagining it? The next test was much clearer:

We did something special for the reveal with each family. For example, my mom opened this card and my two sisters each unwrapped a binkie. I'm really glad Scott recorded both of the reveals on his camera. We treasure those videos!

I had my first ultrasound on Scott's birthday (December 16) where we first saw the little Jelly Bean, as we all lovingly refer to our growing embryo.

When I tell someone the news, the first question I'm always asked is how I feel. I haven't thrown up, but I was constantly queasy Weeks 6-11. However, if it weren't for all the changes happening to my body, I would have no clue that I was growing a little human. Other symptoms? Well, here are some of the texts my husband gets from me while I'm at work (mine are blue, his are gray):

           

Scott has been an absolute ANGEL through all this. He never complains and is always eager to serve. I'm very grateful.  And YES, I'm already reading 3 or 4 books about pregnancy/childbirth. Would you expect any different? ;)  I waited to announce it until after my next doctor's appointment. My cousin Lauren was in on the secret, and she did a photo shoot for us.

Despite common opinion, pregnancies are never perfectly planned. I believe in a Divine Father who has a plan of His own, and I trust that He is invested greatly in the timing of sending his spirit children down. I don't understand it, but I'm so grateful for this opportunity. Most of our family is on team Girl, but Scott and I pray only for a happy, healthy baby to call ours. (I think Scott desperately wants a boy, because the thought of being completely surrounded by more things PINK is too much!)

Seattle

Scott and I went to Seattle to celebrate our 1st Anniversary! I have been planning and saving up for this trip ALL year.

I bought this months ago, read it in my spare time, and it was our Bible during the trip. (This is Washington in the background)

We broke up the drive up and spent the first night in Boise at the Hampton Inn.  We got a stellar deal.

The hotel's free gigantic hot breakfast was Scott's favorite.

All the state lines are rivers so it was impossible to get out of the car and take a picture on a bridge without being a road hazard. 

On Saturday, August 8, we celebrated 1 year of marriage and went out to dinner/shopping in Federal Way. I love marriage! And I love Scott! 

These are our incredible hosts and friends! So grateful to Mike and Connie Biggs for making our Washington trip perfect!

 Mike and Connie took us on a tour around the outskirts of Seattle on Sunday. This is Lake Wilderness.

Washington's WEED is wild blackberries. (Lucky them!) Scott enjoyed snacking on them. 

The Green River gorge

Snoqualmie Falls!

Monday we began our tour of Seattle!! Because the Space Needle is iconic, it was cool to see for the first time, but I expected it to be a little more grand. (It was when we went up the next day!)

The International Fountain puts ALL Utah splash pads to shame! Seriously the most remarkable fountain I have EVER seen. It was so fun to watch the kids play. People will literally sit for hours just staring at it.

We decided that the CityPass would be best for our Seattle wanderlust plans. It's good for 9 days and gets you: 2 trips up the Space Needle, 1 trip to the Aquarium, 1 trip to the Pacific Science Center with a show (or you can choose the Chihuly Gardens), 1 trip to the EMP museum (or you can choose the Zoo), and 1 Harbor tour....plus a bunch of coupons and discounts. We did ALL of it!!

Scott riding a weighted bike at the Pacific Science Center. What a daredevil! ;)

Michael Jackson Laser show at the Science Center...because MJ!!!

I am pretty sure the Butterfly exhibit was Scott's favorite. We have, like 100 pictures and slo-mo videos.

Believe it or not, Scott is actually standing straight (with a TINY lean) in this picture! It was a slanted optical illusion hallway.

The guitar art piece at the entrance to the EMP Museum. Two musicians at a music museum? YES PLEASE!

There were so many booths and things to do in the sound area, and it was so crowded we could hardly get to everything! If you plan to go to the EMP museum, get there early in the day so you have time to do everything and you aren't fighting the mid-day crowd.

There's even a stage where you can sign up to perform: band-style, in front of an audience! We didn't have time for that, but we did get to be Macklemore for a minute. #boss

Hou-DINI!!! Yes, that's me + a real Jawa. The EMP museum has a huge science fiction section.

After we left the EMP museum, we added our stickers to the sticker pole. Since we didn't get a chance to contribute to the gum wall, this had to suffice. 

Tuesday morning we waited in an eternal line to choose our two times to go up to the Space Needle. If you want to include the Space Needle in your trip, get in line VERY early in the morning!

You can download the Space Needle app while waiting in line, and when you get to certain "hot spots," 3D Space Needles appear! It's really fun and makes others look at you funny when you're laughing and pointing at the ground and they don't see what you're seeing. 

You can also add your name to this fancy touch screen wall (see us?) and share pictures from Social Media. It's the coolest thing!

Then we rode the monorail down to Pike Pier market. You could spend a whole day there.

Washingtonians report an uncharacteristically warm summer this year, and that Tuesday was no exception. It felt like San Diego on the Pier!

We had so much fun at the aquarium! It looks really small, but they had so many exhibits!

A picture of a super cool sea otter, posing for the camera. 

While waiting for our Argosy Harbor tour, we got ice cream cones. Scott wanted both of them.

The Harbor Tour was definitely my favorite of all the things we did in Seattle.

 Where else can you get a view of Seattle from this angle??

 It was great to sit and relax for an hour after walking around all day.

After the tour, we went to Ivar's on the Pier and ate some fresh seafood.

Here, there is a sign actually ENCOURAGING you to feed the seagulls! I think we spent a half hour doing so.

Our last stop downtown was one of the most important for me. The Seattle Library. 11 stories of pure joy.

The bathrooms were a little weird, though. Glad I'm not tall...

Finally, we rode the monorail back into City Center. Scott took a really cool timelapse video of the monorail ride.

The top of the Space Needle at dusk is stunning! It was a great end to our Seattle city tour.

A couple days later we went to Bellevue to do a session at the Seattle temple! It was the only time I saw rain in Washington, and it was just a brief morning shower.

It was finally time to drive back to Utah.  We had planned to make the whole trip in one day, armed with plenty of road trip snacks. Unfortunately, we ran into this in Oregon.

So we had one more night of adventure in Baker City, Oregon!  We were grateful that they reopened the roads in time for us to head out the next morning. We had a wonderful vacation, and of course we are also happy to be back home!