Thursday, November 21, 2013

The BEST birthday ever!

Ryan really out did himself with my birthday this year, it wasn't a big one, but he knows I love to celebrate my b-day! A few weeks before he started bringing up my birthday surprise and then down playing it again and then talking about it again all I knew was that I was taking several days off work. Then the day before my birthday Ryan had me pack my bags and we headed to San Antonio for my surprise, we got there checked into a hotel and I was SO tired and passed out... I didn't even hear Ryan leave. I did hear a bunch of commotion when he came back at midnight (technically my b-day now) I heard a bunch of people singing Happy Birthday to be specific... my whole family (minus Aaron & Tyler) in my room! I was so excited and delirious/confused my first thought was that Ryan had gotten me home somehow and we where in a hotel in SLC haha! But nope my Mom, Dad, Emily, Kaylee and Charlotte had all come down to Texas to party with me for my birthday! Yep, best birthday ever! We had so much showing them around San Antonio and the Corpus Christi! It was a blast to have them all down to see where we live. Charlotte was a fan she LOVED the beach and the aquarium, she was too much fun. 
I was super sad for them to leave but cheered up pretty fast because that night Ryan and I where headed to a concert I had been looking forward to for months in Austin... Mumford and Sons! When the tickets went on sale Ryan and I had both planned on getting them for the other for a birthday present haha. Went went with Rachel and Phil and it was too much fun, they where amazing live!!!






















Baby E. Size of a lime. 12 weeks.

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Ryan turned the big 3-0 this May!
We celebrated with a 3-day weekend of camping! Yep camping while I am pregnant I sure love him :) Ryan found a place in the hill country of Texas that had miles and miles of awesome dirt-bike tracks so we loaded up and had a super fun weekend until the last day... when Taylor either and ate or was bit by a bug and had a allergic reaction and her poor little face swelled up in minutes and her hair went all spiking from the welts popping up all over. I had a panic attack, Ryan kept his cool and poured some childrens bendryl down her throat and saved the day!

Glad this dude was born!





T before and during her allergic reaction :(

Baby E

April was a super exciting month for us... we found out we where going to be parents! The story went a little something like this... 
It was the end of April and Ryan was getting ready to leave the country for work for a weeks and I had told myself that tomorrow was the day I could take a pregnancy test. I didn't want to jump the gun or be let down again if I wasn't but I had to find out before Ryan left. Anyways it was a Friday night and we were out on a date, just dinner and movie we where both super tired from the week and well anxious! On the drive home from the movie I couldn't take it anymore, I made Ryan stop at HEB on the way home to snag a few pregnancy tests, justifying with it's almost midnight so technically tomorrow :) Waiting for a pregnancy test results feels like forever, but when we saw the little positive sign we could not believe it! I took two more to be sure... and we of coarse could not go to sleep after that big news, pretty sure we each said "we are going to be parents!" like 50 times! I have always wanted to be a mom, it was so surreal to think it was actually happening, I loved that little peanut growing inside me from even before I knew it existed. But to sum it up I just felt so happy, exciting, content and a little panicked about all the unknowns ahead. And so Baby E's adventure begins! The next day before Ryan left we went to celebrate at our favorite... Black Sheep to talk baby non-stop... baby names, boy/girl, parenting and so on... so much excitement! 
Then Ryan left and I had this huge gigantic secret I could not talk to anyone about, torture! 1. Because we decided we wanted to tell our families first and 2. Because we wanted to tell them together. But I did it, I kept the secret! Ryan got home the day before Mothers Day and we decided that would be a perfect time to tell our families! (Well I did, Ryan was trying to get me to wait until June because he was planning a birthday surprise of my family coming out to visit, and he knew I would love to tell them in person. Which I would have, but I was too impatient)

Telling my family...
Because it was Mothers Day my whole family got to talk to my brother Aaron, who is serving a mission in New York for our church, on the phone for an hour. This happens twice a year so I was super exciting about the timing! I waited until the end of the phone call and then texted everyone the picture below of Charlotte saying she was going to be a big cousin. I waited and waited and no one was looking at there phone but I knew Emily could not go too long with looking at hers. Then I heard Emily "Whittney... what did you just send me?!?" So I told everyone to look at their phones and someone read it to Aaron because I did have a way to send it to him. Everyone was super excited and surprised apparently! Poor Charlotte could not figure out what was going on and why everyone was saying her name haha.


Ryan sent the picture below to his mom, who was at dinner with most of his siblings, so they found out that way! And we found out that our little Baby E was not going to be #8 but #9 because Ryan's brother Andy and Allyson where expecting too and due just before us! So excited baby is going to have a cousin so close in age! Ryan also just old-fashioned called up his dad and told him the good news!


The next day at work Taylor went in wearing this little sign around her neck to announce the good news to her Goose aunties. At first everyone thought that we where getting another dog, that Ryan might finally be getting the German Shepherd was was wanting.


Our first ultrasound! :)





Sunday, November 10, 2013

Spring 2013

Spring 2013
Spring time in south Texas is perfect! The weather is amazing, its my most favorite time of the year here. I especially enjoy it knowing that the brutally hot summer months are just around the corner. This spring we finally did something I have been wanting to do ever since we moved here... sailing! It was SO much, perfect weather, fun company, the open sea, I was all ready to become a sailor. That was until about an hour in and then I experienced some major sea sickness and was about ready to jump off and swim to shore. It was a long hour back to shore and I could not wait to get my feet on solid ground!

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We also got to experience another Texas must, the Houston rodeo! Our friend Gino and Jessica invited us and we had a blast. Rodeoing is actually really fun to watch. And some fun people watching too! The performer that night was Pitbull, Ryan had somehow never heard any of his songs, I knew a few of the popular ones. It was entertaining but let me tell you the women in that arena where going absolutely crazy, screaming on the top of there lungs, rocking their zumba routines the entire night it was madness we could not stop laughing.

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Ryan went to Utah/Idaho and got to see all of my little favorites, I was super jealous! I gave crawfish another go with Rach and Charis, yep, still disgusting as ever. When Ryan got home we attend another crawl fish boil with some friends in our ward here. Ryan got his fix, seriously how do you eat that stuff?















Date night to Port Aransas! 

Friday, November 8, 2013

A *lovely* trip home.

February 2013

I went to Idaho for a visit and got to be home for my sweet mothers birthday and Valentines Day, it was lovely! I also got to meet FOUR of the cutest little babies ever *finally*! Got lots of Charlotte time in. Kaylee and I got Emily ready for her sweethearts dance, she looked gorgeous! Emily and I spent a day snowboarding at Targhee, a very needed to the mountains, it was good for my soul! I had fun lunch dates and girls nights with my cute in-laws and got to see all my adorable nieces and nephews. (3 new little ones, what a treat!) Had a fun game night with Grandma, my cute aunties and cousins. It was a fun pack trip home as always!!!

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Oh and then there was the small factor of Ryan buying a dirt bike while I was gone... no we did not discuss this before hand. He most definitely dropped me off at the airport... took the rest of the day off... drove to Houston... bought a dirtbike... and waited to tell me about it until I was with my bestie because he knew I would be to happy to care. What a pill, but two can play that game I just need to think long and hard about what I want and when he is least expecting it... surprise ;) But he had fun with the dudes on his new bike while I was gone. :)

Meeting Mr. Tuck Moedl, love this little man!

Bestie time!

Charlotte and Aunt Nit-nie

Emily all ready for sweethearts

Targhee, best day ever!

Meeting Beckham and Baron, I could kiss these sweet cheeks all day!







A little early Valentines Day celebration at our island favorite, Black Sheep Bistro!