Happy New Year, 2009 consolidated!

We found out right before Christmas that we were pregnant with #3, which is a big reason why blogging took such a back seat. I started getting my normal deathly sickness around 7 weeks, which lasted until about 20 something weeks. The boys were so excited when they found out, which has been a fun thing to go through with them. They always want to read out of the "pregnancy book" - which just tells them what is happening with the baby every week, and what is growing on the baby. They are so excited, it's hard not be excited because of them!

Anyway, this post will cover January through March. Since I am so far behind on blogging, these posts are going to have to be shorter so I actually get them done. So here goes a half-hearted effort in getting in the last eight months.

For New Years Eve this year, we went to the Ahlander's for a fun night of fondue and games. I'm pretty sure that I ate more that night to last for the next 3 months! (which was a good thing, since I didn't eat hardly at all for the next several weeks!) We ate yummy food, laughed a lot, and played some of the craziest games of Twister I have ever seen!









































































We had our second ER visit with Max in January, which is awesome to start the year off with an ER bang! We were at the Whitings to play games, and he was running and playing and slipped on their floor and cut his chin open. He was NOT like Jackson, who doesn't bat an eye in the ER, and flipped out at the sight of any nurser or doctor. But they didn't have to put stitches thank goodness...they just glued it shut!

Russ was so helpful when I was so sick the first few months, and the boys were pretty patient with me being so sick. I think Russ had gotten them ready for church in this picture, and had taken this picture. It makes me smile because all my boys were so good to me over this period of time!

The first of the year brings a lot of busy primary things, epecially for the scouts! We had both the Blue and Gold Banquet and Pinewood Derby back to back, which was a lot of work on my friend (and 2nd counselor) Kate espcially. Little to my knowledge, these were going to be two of the last things that we were going to do as a presidency, since we got released around Easter time. But I wanted to document how emotional this release was for me. We had grown so close as a presidency, and had gone through so many ups and downs together, I truly felt a Christ-like love for each of them. It was a nice time to be released on such a high time for all of us and because I was so sick with being pregnant, but it sure was hard for a long time. The primary children are just fun and so uncomplicated and have such a sweet spirit with them!





Jackson and Max wanted to make their own pinewood derby cars this year, and Russ and Zack were good sports to "help" make the kids cars for them to race after the boy scouts. Shockingly Max's car won overall, and he couldn't have been more excited. He loved his "bumblebee" car!


For my 30th birthday this year, my dear friends threw me the biggest surprise party and showed up a few nights before my actual birthday with a hummer-stretch limo. I was so SHOCKED and such a spoiled queen for the night! We got to drive down to the Vegas sign to take pictures (which was the first time I had ever been to the sign!), then down the strip, to end up at the Cheesecake Factory for yummy desserts. They gave me a darling diaper bag and some jewelry, and made me feel so special. I have seriously got the best friends in the world!







I don't know why I didn't get any pictures of my special date night with Russ, but he was not to be outdone either. He surprised me with dinner and then tickets to Phantom of the Opera. I know he doesn't love to do things like this, but knows that I do, and he was so sweet to surprise me and take me! I love my husband so much and am so lucky to be married to him. He's always trying to outdo himself and make my birthdays special!

In March, we also took the boys up to Utah to go thru the Draper Temple Open House. Russ wanted to take them so badly, and even though I didn't feel good, I wanted to take them as well. The temple is such a special place anyway, but it was so neat to get to take them through all the rooms and explain what happens in each one of them. Their favorite rooms were the baptistry and the celestial room, and they wanted to know everything about them. We had a great time!