Moving along...

Monday, March 16th, Jeff and I pulled out of the Daniel Boone Home in Missouri for the last time. Jeff had loaded our 16-foot Budget rental truck with all of our belongings on Saturday (he only had help with the couch and bed!). We hitched our car to the towing trailer and we were off! After all that heavy lifting, Jeff was privileged to drive the 31 hours across the country in the truck because he is older than 25 and therefore rental companies charge him less to drive. So I was his co-captain the whole way. The books we had on MP3 did not work until the 3rd day of our trip, so days 1 and 2 were rather dull.

Monday we drove 8 hours to Omaha, Nebraska and visited the DeNys family-- our good friends. Tuesday we drove 440 miles across brownish gray, flat, dull Nebraska and 360 miles across grayish brown, windy Wyoming (about 13 hours in our heavy, hill-hating truck). We stopped Tuesday night in Green River, WY at a Super 8 Motel with cold showers, and then drove the last 11 hours on Wednesday up through Utah and Oregon to College Place, WA (just over the Oregon border by Walla Walla). It was an exhausting drive!

Jeff managed to unload our bed by himself the night we arrived, and I helped balance the couch on his back. Then we went to bed and got up at 5:30am thanks to our central-time-zone sleep schedules. Jeff unloaded the rest of the truck and I proceeded to unpack and organize our new little apartment over the next 4 days. And NOW, we are all moved in!!! I'm going to miss our ward in MO and my gift shop ladies and living near my sister, but I'm also ready for a new adventure!

The DRIVER with a snack--those are Utah mountains in the background

I took this picture out of our window while we drove through Utah-- unfortunately, I totally forgot to take pictures of our truck rig: Since I have a tradition of long car trips with Beaker, I propped my Beaker doll up on pillows in our car's driver seat so he could see the scenery while we towed the car along.

Here's our new bedroom!

Little J's room-- no crib yet! That white thing is our "changing table." We have this wheely kitchen island, so we got a changing mat with a grippy bottom and tied it to the top... I hope it works ok!

Jeff in the living room-- his latest joy is using the TV as his computer's screen. Now he can just sit on the couch to use the computer (he got a wireless keyboard to make it happen).

Our kitchen and living room are SEPARATE for the first time in our 2 years of marriage! It feels SO SPACIOUS! I have to WALK around our kitchen to get things from cabinets! (in our old place, I could just lean to the left or right to reach almost everything!)

Here's our lovely kitchen-- my two favorite parts: the FULL-SIZED OVEN, and the SINK DISPOSAL. I made a REAL dinner for the first time in a LONG time on our second night here: I used our 9x13 pan and our 7x9 pan (chicken enchiladas and brownies, and also salad) because I haven't been able to use them in 8 months (our Missouri Nook did not have an oven). It was glorious!

. . . and last but not least, here's the only load I was carrying around during our move! (at least Jeff got to put the boxes DOWN when he brought them in!) haha, I am creeping up on 30 weeks: this picture was taken Monday, March 23 (29 1/2 weeks).

Hello, homeSTRETCH!

It has happened: I began the final trimester! That means that on the last post I was wrong about the # of months: NOW I'm at 6 months (27 weeks down, 13 to go!). Little J has been pretty active lately-- he pummels my tummy so it jerks visibly. I feel so tight-breathing gets restricted at times-and this "little" baby still has to put on 5 more pounds before he's done stretching me out!

We will be moving across the country to Walla Walla, WA on March 16th. Jeff is going to get his master's in teaching out at Walla Walla University. We are excited for this new adventure, but I am also sad to leave Missouri: I have loved being near my dear sister Em and I love my "gift shop ladies" so much! This week, the 5 sweet ladies I work with threw me a surprise baby shower in the gift shop! I was so surprised! Thanks! There were cake and punch and presents (if I get some of the pictures from it, I will post them!)

sooo tight...the last trimester is definitely the homeSTRETCH!

Still Expanding...

More of the same... I'm so vain, I keep posting pictures of myself every week. Now Little J and I have made it through 25 weeks (6 1/2 months) together, and I must say: my nausea is almost non-existent at last. I can feel hunger without feeling barfy (usually-- unless we're in a car, that is). That doesn't mean that I like any more foods, unfortunately. I seem to be adding one kind of food back to my list of edibles per week, though! Last week it was spaghetti and plain sauce, and this week it was (oddly enough) weenies and rice. [for those of you who don't know what that glorious dish is, you're missing out].

It is increasingly hard to find clothing that I feel good wearing. Em and I went to Target the other day where I discovered this wonderful invention called the Bella Band. Basically it looks like a stretchy tube top, but it's made to be worn around the tummy! I don't really know why it is so comfy to have a thick band around my roundness, but it is nice! Can you believe that in 2 weeks I will enter the dreaded 3rd trimester????

Valentine Adventure!

Happy Heart Day! Jeff and I decided to do our Valentine date in the morning instead of night because he had to be at the Boone Home by 1:30pm for an event. So, we reserved tickets online to the top of the Arch, and left for downtown St. Louis at 8am. It took us a little over an hour to get there, but we made it in time for our elevator to the top! We didn't take any pictures on the outside of the arch because it was so cold and cloudy, and we already have pictures of it from this summer. It was fun exploring and being a "tourist" again, even if we were in and out of the Arch and the museum in only about an hour flat. I put on my Adventure Shoes that I walked all over Europe in, and I found myself wanting to explore EVERYTHING!

It was cold and cloudy outside, and we were early, so we had a tiny capsule elevator to ourselves. I was definitely not expecting the elevators to be that small: there were 8 little elevators and each one had 6 seats in it, although Jeff and I pretty much took up a whole one with our long legs.

At the very highest part of the arch.


Jeff gazing out at the view--the floor in the observation room was curved like a hill!

The windows were tiny, so we had to lean on the slanted wall to see out-- kind of scary! After we had been up top for a little while, we felt the floor start swaying a little in the breeze, and I said "Let's get out of here!" All those high cathedrals and towers we climbed in Europe were much sturdier than this flimsy little arch.

I didn't love the elevator ride because it was so cramped and jerky, and it felt like the whole thing was going to putter out on us! After we arrived at the bottom, we strolled through the Museum of Westward Expansion before heading for home. A few hours after we got home, the sun came out and melted the clouds away!

We love exploring new places!

I know a young lady who swallowed a... cantalope

24 WEEKS DOWN! Jeff started calling our baby boy "Little J," (since we have 2 possible J-names for him) and it has kind of stuck-- now we just call my squirmy little tummy Little J all the time! I actually SAW my stomach twitch visibly yesterday, and Jeff has finally felt the little acrobat at work. Whew, I know I'll be way huger by the end of this ordeal, but BOY it feels like I'm already at the limit!

Bigger and broader... I think today may be the last day that I wear one of my non-maternity shirts for the next couple of months! This button-up one was quite snug...

Earlier this week, we had a gloomy cloudy day until sunset, when I looked outside and suddenly there was this eerie pinkish purple light flooding all over everything-- Jeff dutifully applied his photography skills. These pictures are taken from our bedroom window.

That white building is the "theater," where Boone Home visitors watch a 15 minute movie about Daniel Boone before the tour starts. It smells funny in there.

It looks like an old timey filter in a movie or something!

Oh BOY!

Oh BOY oh BOY! Friday, Jan 30th, I had the BIG ultrasound and the doctor interpreted the grainy black and grey images and told me it's a little BOY in there! Hurrah! It was fun to feel the little squirmy baby and SEE those same movements on the screen at the same time. His name will be Joseph Argyle White unless he's born on June 1st, (Jeff's birthday), in which case he may be named Jeff Jr. The "official" due date is June 4th, so we'll see! I only posted 2 of the ultrasound pictures, because in my opinion, if you've seen one, you've seen 'em all. Here he is:

This his little bent leg--the femur bone looks like it's just floating there!

Tilt your head to the right, and then pretend it's Halloween-- can you guess what this is? It's his face! I didn't know they looked so skeletal in there.

This is the external view-- my stomach has really taken off since last we documented it! This is at 22 1/2 weeks (the dress is courtesy of Em--thanks!). Only 17 1/2 more weeks left! (technically)

Rounding out

Well, folks, nothing photograph-able has been happening around the Nook lately, unless you count my bulging belly: this picture was taken today (Jan. 14th), and my tum-tum is 20-22 weeks along here. We find out the more precise due date and if it's a BOY or a GIRL in there on January 30th!!! yippeeee!

Big but small

On Sunday, I was trying to get dressed, and I noticed that my stomach has rounded out significantly in the last few days. Jeff and I decided that it has doubled in size since Christmas! Holy Cow! Monday I immediately went to Em's house and raided her maternity clothes. Oddly enough, they are mostly still too big! Dilemma: tight regular clothes, baggy maternity clothes, or sweats and a t-shirt? Every day but Sundays, sweats and a t-shirt win out. I must confess, I was quite used to my marathon-body, so looking down at this little bump is WIERD!

Jeff duly documented the growth-- this picture was taken Tuesday, Dec. 30th. The doctor still is not sure how far along I really am, so I could be anywhere from 17 to 19 weeks along in this picture--almost half way already! I know my stomach isn't very big at all, and it'll only get bigger... but it still feels so... round!

Merry Christmas!

December 25th, 2008, 5:00am-- I woke up to go to the bathroom and eat a snack, and then I was wide awake. So... I tapped my sleeping husband and asked him if he wanted to get up and open presents. He was awake in no time. On came the Christmas music and out came the stockings. Merry Christmas! We increased our game collection quite a bit with Mad Gab, Deja-Moo, Go Nuts!, and Clue on the Go. We love games!!! Now we just need a family to play them with...

Us on Christmas morning, around 6:45am

Jeff's parents sent us a Rosettes Kit, and Jeff promptly whipped up some perfectly star-shaped Rosettes. Mr. Gourmet Chef Jeff.

For Christmas Dinner, we went to Em and Jesse's house 30 minutes away, and ate yummy ham and cheesey potatoes and played games with a ton of fun people. Merry Christmas!

Laurs is BACK!!!!

My BEST (non-husband) friend in the whole wide world (and my roommate for 2 1/2 years), Lauren DeNys, got home from the Baltic States Mission on Friday, Dec 12th, 2008!!! So, I drove the 7 hrs to Nebraska for a little visit on Dec 17th-19th. It was so good to see Laurs again! We were both tired the whole time (she was jet lagged and sleep deprived, and I am a pregnant lady), but we did manage to go on a nice long 4 mile walk and go to the Winter Quarters Temple in the short time I was there. I LOVE YOU LAURS!!

Best friends!

Some things never change...

Ready for the temple!

The night before I left to drive home, there was a huge sleety winter advisory storm where the DeNys family lives, so it took a good half hour to defrost, de-ice, and chip the car out of the whiteness.

Must Be Santa!

Special night, beard that's white.... MUST BE SANTA! Ok, I couldn't resist quoting one of the greatest Christmas songs ever written. Here are a few random pictures of what's been going on in and around the Nook this month:

Our finished Christmas tree, complete with garland, my old favorite ornaments that Mom mailed us (thanks!), and some presents... a few of you may recognize some of them because I wrapped all the ones I'm going to mail and put them under the tree to give it a happy Christmasey look.

I used our Christmas Tree's clippings to make a rustic wreath for our door-- wreath-making is a lot harder than it looks if all you use is yarn to tie the green stuff together!

Out here at the Boone Home, the first 2 weekends of December are Candlelight Tours!! Jeff spent the last few weeks washing thousands of mason jars and a couple hundred lanterns for the event. Unfortunately, I am rather bad at taking night pictures, and Jeff was only able to leave his duties briefly, so we have this one ok picture of the little Boonesfield Village lit up with candles. It was pretty pretty.

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The other reason Jeff didn't take more pictures of the candles is because on the 3rd night of the event, he managed to accidentally dump a gallon or two of boiling hot chocolate on his foot, and we spent that evening visiting the hospital. I think his ballooning blisters are too disgusting to post straight onto this blog, so you strong-stomached few may view them by clicking on this:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/photo.php?pid=30227127&id=116900710&ref=nf

And now for the Must Be Santa portion of our program: I found a cute craft idea online and adapted it for my own purposes: a tin can Santa! Yep, there are tin cans underneath all of those cotton balls! Last week, Em, Cammie, and I made lots of English toffee, so I put some of it in the Santa-heads under the hat for gifts to some friends!

Em-- I TOLD you they'd be cute!

If you want to see the site where I found this idea, feel free to check it out:

http://crafts.kaboose.com/tincansanta.html

So when you are lucky enough to have the cutest nephew on the planet, it only makes sense to post a picture of him every now and then, even if Em does do an adequate job of photographing him. So Steve has learned all about my "bag of tricks," which means he knows that since I'm a pregnant lady now, I never come visit him without bringing a bag full of my snacks. Steve loves to explore my bag, pull out a baggie of cereal, bring it over to me, and do a cute little begging dance until I share some food with him. In this picture, he is anticipating some Honey Nut Cheerios.

Oh, Tannenbaum!

Deck the halls! We got our Christmas tree this weekend! It was our first live tree, so we also had to get a tree stand and some ornaments. Our cute little douglas fir is about 5 feet tall, and its trunk is slightly S-shaped so it looks kind of crooked from some angles. Here are pictures of the tree setting up process:

Putting the slightly stubborn stand together

Bringing in the tree

The Lowe's man cut the tree bottom crooked, so Jeff had to saw it straight. One problem: we have no saw. Jeff got out his Leatherman fold-up tool, which has a small finger-sized saw in it. He managed to saw the bottom of the tree off! Nice work.

Bringing our Christmas tree home made the Christmas Spirit extra strong here at the Boone home... it snowed that night! Jeff woke up Sunday morning and took a few winter wonderland pictures. burrrr

Our cute little Christmas nook: Sunday night, we decorated the tree and hung the stockings that I made last week over the "fire"... Jeff found a 10 minute fire video on youtube and we played it on repeat on the TV all evening. Even though it wasn't warm, it really added a nice ambience to our decorating. Christmas, here we come!