Maternity Photo

About two weeks ago, a friend from my ward took some maternity pictures with Russel and me. She had asked if I would mind doing the little photo shoot as she loves photography and is looking into broadening her repertoire to maternity in addition to the family shoots and portrait work she already does. I, of course, thought it was a lot of fun and Russel was an excellent sport to go along with the whole thing. :-)

This is my favorite picture from the day. Cheesy as it sounds, Russel and I spend a lot of time watching our little girl move around inside my belly and feeling her practice her kickboxing moves. Russ also talks to her a lot and I love that this picture shows us doing those things. I can't wait to meet her here soon - only 4 more weeks!

The Big Island

(Note - this is a very long post with a ton of pictures, but I couldn't help myself. Hawaii is too beautiful to cut anything out.)

The last part of August my immediate family (parents, brothers, sister and brother-in-law) and Russel and I all gathered for a beautiful and relaxing family vacation on the Big Island of Hawaii. It was the perfect getaway to enjoy spending time with each other and the beauty of the island. We stayed near Waikaloa on the Kona side. Kona is the dry side of the island, covered in volcanic rock and wonderfully clear and sunny everyday, perfect for hanging out at the beach. We stayed in two condos, Russel and I in one with Rebecca and Gerrit, and my parents and brothers in the other. I'll break up the rest of the post by highlighting our favorite things from the trip.

A-Bay
A-Bay is our "home" beach, just 5 minutes from the condos we stayed in. It is beautiful and has the added bonus features of sea turtles everywhere and chairs to lounge on.

Mauna Kea
This is another beach, but worth mentioning because it is the most gorgeous beach I have ever been to. It is a public beach but has a limited number of parking spots with beach access so you have to be there early. Once you're there, it's heaven. It has the softest white sand, warm water and incredible snorkeling. Perfection.

Fair Wind Snorkeling Cruise

My family has done this snorkeling cruise every time we've been to the Big Island. It is one of the must-do items on the agenda and it did not disappoint.

I wish I had pictures from the underwater camera that Jonathon used while we were there. The spot we go to has crystal clear water, even where it gets as deep as 25-30 feet, and we saw some beautiful fish.

Kona Hawaii Temple
We spent one morning at the LDS Kona temple. It is the second smallest temple in the world, but is just as special and beautiful as any other temple in the church.

The Waipi'o Valley
We went to the Waipi'o Valley lookout after church and it is breathtaking. The black sand beach and the raw, untouched beauty of the valley is stunning.

Bamboo Restaurant
We ate a ridiculous amount of good food throughout the week, but the Bamboo Restaurant is a cut above the rest. It is in Hilo, about a 40 minute drive from where we stayed, but so worth it. Everything there is incredible.

Zipline Tour

I didn't participate in the zipline tour, it's not exactly recommended for women who are 8 months pregnant, but Russel, Rebecca, Gerrit and Marc all went and had a great time. The tour took them on 11 different ziplines through lush rainforest and even took them past a few waterfalls.

The Luau

The night before we left, we attended a really fun luau. They had everyone watch as they uncovered the traditional kalua pork, which had been cooking in an Umu (earth oven) all day. The men take out the huge pig with their bare hands and prepare it for the feast. They also did some really neat polynesian dances, including a fire dance.

34.5 weeks

I have a lot to catch up on, but just for tonight, here is a picture of me at 34.5 weeks. I'm starting to feel like I'm ready to be done with this pregnancy, though I realize I still have over a month to go. I hope that's normal. Any suggestions for how to cope with when you don't want to be pregnant anymore but you're not ready yet for the baby? It's kind of a tricky one. :-)

Happy Birthday to Me

This lovely camera arrived today and I am so excited! We decided with our new little one on the way we would like to have a nice camera for documenting all the wonderful things she will be doing. We decided to make it my birthday present, as it isn't something I felt like we could justify buying just any old time. It took us a few months to decide what we wanted, but now we finally have it and I am looking forward to playing around with it so I have a clue how to use it by the time she is born.

I realized I never actually posted about my birthday, so here are a few memories from the birthday weekend...

My wonderful parents were in town (for Russel's graduation, and it just occurred to me that I never posted about that either) and we went to the waterfront in Old Town Alexandria

Hanging out in Old Town

We also took a drive out to Lurray, VA and enjoyed the beautiful countryside and this lovely old church.

On the actual day, posing with my cake and my cute nephews, Jimmy and Dane. They were busy checking out the cake and waiting to sing happy birthday so they could dive in.

At the end of a great birthday, with my sweetheart.

And just for fun, here is a picture of me at 29 1/2 weeks. Hard to believe baby girl still has 10-11 weeks of growing to do...scary.

It's Official

I must be pregnant.

All in the past week I have had strangers come up and touch my belly, heard unsolicited advice about the best way to deliver (without an epidural of course, because what kind of person would drug themselves while experiencing the miracle of life) and been talked about as "that pregnant lady" as I have walked by.

I feel a bit like a walking circus act.

July in Review

We have had a great month, despite the record-breaking heat and my 6 1/2 months-pregnant self. Lets just say I'm looking forward to cooler temperatures come fall. But really, the heat aside, July has been a pretty fun month.

Fourth of July

We had a jam-packed Fourth this year. We started off with a pancake breakfast and parade Saturday morning at our church, followed by a Nationals game later that afternoon. What better way to celebrate the Fourth than a baseball game, right?!
On Sunday we went out to Daingerfield Island, a little place just across the Potomac River from the Washington Monument and the Capitol Building, to watch the fireworks with my sister-in-law Tiffany. It was nice to watch the official D.C. fireworks without all the crowds of actually being on the Mall. (Though that is really fun to be on the Mall; one of those things that you should do at least once in a lifetime.)

Star Wars in Concert

You saw that right - Star Wars in Concert. It's not that I have anything against Star Wars, I've just never been a fan beyond seeing the original movies and I think the first of the newer ones. Just not really my thing. But I saw an ad for this live concert with all the Star Wars music at the Verizon Center and immediately knew Russ would love it. He grew up watching Star Wars almost every Sunday afternoon after church with his brother and sister, and thinks John Williams is the greatest composer of all time. Suffice it to say, we went and I loved it!

Pioneer Day
Pioneer Day is a Utah-state holiday, celebrated on July 24th, commemorating the entrance of the Mormon Pioneers into the Salt Lake Valley in 1847. This year our stake had a big picnic out in Hume, VA to not only celebrate Pioneer Day, but also to welcome in the youth and leaders who were just finishing up a reenactment pioneer trek. We cheered them in and had a great day remembering the sacrifices the early saints made for us.

Belly Picture - 27 Weeks
Last but not least, I am only a few short days away from the 3rd trimester! Baby girl is due in just less than 3 months!

The House That Built Me

I've heard this song on the radio a few times recently and it has caused me reflect on the houses and the places that have built and guided me. I realized that it isn't just one house or one place that makes us who we are. Every new place we go teaches us new lessons and prompts us to grow.

Home
My Family moved into this house when I was 7 years old, about 6 months after my brother Marc was born. I remember the house we lived in before this one, but most of my memories from growing up occurred here. This is where I played with my american girl doll under the dining room table with Rebecca. (We were under the dining room table because we were refugees in World War II.) This is the driveway where I learned to play pepper (bump, set, spike) with my Dad. This is where I had the coolest luau-themed sweet 16 party ever. This is where I got in trouble when I did something bad and where most of my friends and I hung out the majority of weekends because my Mom kept our freezer stocked with about 3 gallons of ice cream at all times. It is the house that still has "Return with Honor" painted above the front door because even when my parents were preparing to rent while they served their mission, my friends (non-LDS, male friends) told my Mom she couldn't paint over it because it was what my family stood for.

San Diego, CA
San Diego is my hometown. I took the picture above in December of 2005 after I learned that my parents would be leaving on a mission the following summer. I knew I wouldn't be in San Diego as much over the next few years and wanted to take some pictures to remind myself of home. Even though I haven't called San Diego home for roughly 6 years now, I still look at this picture a lot. I went to this spot on the beach just to be by myself, think, and write in my journal. San Diego is also the place I was sealed for time and all eternity to my sweet husband. The San Diego temple will always be special to me not only as my hometown temple, but the one where Russ and I started our family.

Provo, UT
BYU was my home for 3 1/2 years and it will always be one of my favorite places. It is where I learned to be independent and self-reliant. It is where I developed friendships that will last me a lifetime. It is where my testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ was solidified and where I made crucial decisions about what I wanted to be when I grew up, serving a mission, and who to marry. It is also the place where I had more fun than I'm sure I will ever have again.

Barcelona, Spain
Barcelona was my family's home for 3 years. Though I never stayed for longer than 2 months at a time, I ended up visiting 6 times and spent my summers and Christmas' there. It is amazing how quickly Barcelona became "home" and how profoundly it has affected my life. Barcelona is where my family unified itself in a cause like never before. It is where I received my endowment (technically that was Madrid) in the temple of the Lord. It is where my family met Russel for the first time and where we where engaged. Barcelona is where I learned about sacrifice.

Washington, D.C.
This has been my home for the last 3 years. I moved here in June of 2007 for an internship and minus a four-month stint back at BYU, I have been here ever since. This is the place that really threw me out of my comfort zone. I came alone to a new city and had to find my way. This is where I learned I could do things I thought I couldn't do. This is where I met a man and fell in love. It is where I learned to be a wife and where I have created a home with my husband. It is where I will become a mother.

I don't know what other places may be in store for me, but I am grateful for the four "homes" I have had so far. They have molded and built me into what I have become and what I will be.