It's the most wonderful time of the year!

We put up our tree and all of our Christmas decorations last night. Our theme this year is "Homemade Christmas." We found a real tree and made our own popcorn and cranberry garland. All of our ornaments are paper. My Aunt Dawnie, put so much work into them; each one took her at least two hours to make. When she passed away they were given to me. It is a nice tribute to her memory.

A view of most of our decor

When Josh got home tonight we put lights in our front yard. This is the beginning of a really great first Christmas!

Happy Birthday Linds!

December 5 is also Lindsey's Birthday! While I was in Idaho celebrating Sophie's birthday Josh was in Texas celebrating with the Joneses!

Linds, we are so blessed to have you in our lives!

You are so kind hearted and you always give of your time and talents.

You have a great love of family, and we all feel it when we are around you.

You are a fantastic example of a great mom! I look up to you a lot in this category!

You are so pretty, I swear you can pull of EVERY hair style and look absolutely amazing!

We love your sense of adventure and your easy going nature. You will try anything and have so many interests. You are always interested in the things your friends and family are doing even if it is not your first choice in activities.

Happy Birthday Lindsey!

Sophie Turns 1!

Our niece Sophie turned 1 on December 5! We had spaghetti (Soph's favorite) for dinner and then it was time for a new treat... CAKE! In my family it is tradition to let the birthday kid dig in to his or her personal cake. When they turn one they are "old enough" to eat (digest) whatever and this has always been a fun right of passage into toddlerhood. Sophie didn't like digging in hands first but once she got a spoon in her hand she went crazy. Such a little lady!

The theme of Sophie bells birthday was princess and the pea.

She was a BIG FAN of her "pea cake" (that's p-e-a ;) haha)

This is what it looked like when she had had enough.

Sophie loved getting her birthday gifts! She was so excited about the one's she had already opened that her big sister had to help her open the rest!

Madelyn was such a good helper!

Happy Birthday Sophie!

Boise

The Saturday after Thanksgiving our family drove over to Boise to see The Forgotten Carols. It was a really fun drive (minus the morning sickness caused by smelling Josh's corn nuts haha). Becky, Eithan, Grammie Del, My mom Josh and I all rode over together. Eithan was really excited to be going to his "state's capital city." He was really jazzed to see the Capital Building and ring the big bell.

We met Hattie, Jeff, Madelyn and Jeff's brother and sister in law for some yummy BBQ before the show. Josh was able to see part of the campus (that he might be spending the next couple years on) as we went to the theater. Michael McLean and the cast did an amazing job as usual!

The Christmas season has officially begun!

Thanksgiving

I have been trying for the last two days to get our pictures from Thanksgiving to upload, but it's just not happening. :(

Here is a quick run down of how we spent the holiday.

• We flew into Idaho Falls on the 18! Where there was lots of snow and it was very chilly for our weak Texas bones.
• We spent Thanksgiving at Hattie, Jeff, Madelyn and Sophie's house. They were perfect host's!
• There were so many people over for the festivities. Jeff's mom and brother, Aunt Danna, Lynn, Chase, Emma, Kaylene, JayC, Connell, Grammie Del, Cole, Jade, Jessica, My mom, Josh and myself.
• We had all the normal things for dinner: ham, turkey, mashed potatoes, yams with marshmallows, cranberries, stuffing, cream cheese and cranberry jello, rolls and pie!
• We also had some new tasty treats that our company was used to having: cheesy bacon rolls( Jessica) , cheddar biscuits (Jessica), green bean casserole (Lynn), and a pickle plate (Marie).
• This was the first meal I have had that stayed down... apparently I should over stuff myself all the time!
• I tried Soy Nog (because I cannot drink Egg Nog this year because of the baby) and it is superb!
• That night we played The Game of Things and as always watched National Lampoons Christmas Vacation!

It was a perfect day! Thanks Hattie and Jeff and everyone who contributed!

We are...

HAVING A BABY!!!!

(Baby at 8 weeks)

Pregnancy Q&A:

How far along are you?

We are 13 weeks and 2 days along.

When are you due?

Our little gift will arrive in June. My official due date is June 15 (my grandparents and sister and brother-in-laws anniversary! Also the day before our Granny's Birthday!)

What was Josh's reaction when he found out?

He was so surprised and excited! He had the biggest smile on his face. He wrapped his arms around me and we hugged and cuddle on the sofa!

How did you tell Josh?

I walked out into the family room and said with test strip in hand, "I don't think we will be getting that puppy anytime soon."

The next day I met Josh at the door as he got home from work and told him that something was wrong with our oven. He walked into the kitchen to check it out. I had turned the light on and in side there was a hamburger bun sitting on the rack.

Was this an accident?

Accidents are bad things like car accidents and when you accidentally drop/break your great grandmothers vase. THIS WAS NOT AN ACCIDENT! However we also did not plan to add to our family right now.

Have you been sick?

Yes! So very very sick! I haven't been able to keep much down the past few months. 

Any other symptoms?

I have been SOOOO tired! I feel like I could sleep all day!

My lower back has been hurting, a lot!

My hair! Wow it is luscious!

My skin...has seen better days.

Any crazy cravings?

I LOVE FRUIT! All fruit! Pineapple, cantaloupe, apples, strawberries, grapes, oranges.

Turkey sandwiches! I could eat one everyday! Yum!

Pasta!

Mac and cheese with sausage!

Mashed potatoes!

Any aversions to food?

EVERY DAY! Some of the big ones are anything green: salad, green beans, broccoli. (These things are just really terrible the second time around, if you know what I mean.)

Raw meat (I've been a major slacker wife, thanks for all your support Josher.)

How much weight have you gained?

Well because I have been so sick, I actually lost 15 pounds. I'm on some new medication that should help me keep food down. Cross your fingers!!! 

Maternity clothes?

I purchased my first pair of elastic tummy jeans! They are glorious! Soo comfy! 

My sister lent me some of her clothes. I have been wearing the items that I fit into without looking like I am wearing a silly amount of extra fabric around my mid section. Most of my pre-pregnancy clothes are too tight.

Finally

Do you remember this post from months ago? Well we (and by we I really mean Josh) finished it!

Nice job Josher!

Happy Birthday CBJ!

Monday was Josh's Dads birthday. Everyone gathered together at the Joneses for yummy Chinese food and ice cream cake!

The Hatch kids made sure poppy got all of his Birthday hugs!

A very sweet cake for a very sweet man!

Bruce blew out all of his candles on the first try!

For his birthday, Bruce got a brand new wedding ring (score one for Jerri). He also received several gifts to use on a mission in the next few months; a new tie, a book of quotes from the prophets, and a gift card to Jos. Banks.

It was great to celebrate having Bruce in our lives. We appreciate all he does for his family. He is a great example to us all. I specifically appreciate Bruce for the things he has taught his son. Bruce has shown Josh how to appreciate life and our blessings, to honor his priesthood, be a hared worker, respect women, be a gentlemen, to be clean and to have fun (and so much more). Bruce is a wonderful Dad.

Happy Birthday Bruce. We love you!

BYU vs. TCU

The Joneses are die hard BYU fans! Every time a BYU team comes to Dallas to play a school in the area, the Jones clan is there cheering on the Cougars! Even though the cougs didn't win this time, we still had a blast! It was so fun to hang out with Jerri, Bruce, Linds, Eme, Ashley and Collins. Our friends the Udy's also were able to sit by us.

Thanks Jerri and Bruce for a such a fun day!

And thank you Josher for explaining football to me so i could truly enjoy the game and know what was happening. It was nice to be cheering just as loud and at the same time as everyone else! I also knew some of the BYU chants.

*My favorite part- not all of a sudden being surrounded by standing fans (not a pleasant view) and not having any idea that something good was even happening. No one probably noticed before (when I was clueless) but it's embarrassing to be the last person standing.*

An Early Bday

You may remember this post when I made a Pottery Barn inspired bulletin board for our office. Well I attempted the project again and made these ones for Josh's sister Lindsey. They are her birthday gift from us this year... even though her bday isn't until December, I couldn't help but give them to her early (also her in-laws are coming to visit soon and new decor is always fun to have when guests come). I love craft projects, I hope they look fantastic in her hallway. Happy early birthday Linds!

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner... literally!

Josh attended a BYU Management Society luncheon on friday with his dad and brother. He was lucky to have a really yummy bbq lunch and listen to Clay Dover (a Raising Cane's Cheif Marketing Officer). Mr. Dover spoke about how "You are your own brand" and how your every action determines what people think of you. Josh also won a drawing for this gift basket.

It included a $25 gift card for some yummy chicken strips, two visors, two t shirts, a stufty, and two soda cozies!

Pumpkin Carving

Josh and I were invited to a soup, dessert and pumpkin carving party over the weekend. We brought homemade oreo's with purple, orange, and green centers. We had a blast with our friends from the ward.

Josh's favorite part was sticking his hand in side the pumpkin to dig out the goo...not!

Some of us took this adventure a little more seriously than others...

This is what the Joneses came up with.

and on the other side we put a J! for Josh... or Jones....

Here they are all lit up!

Pretty spooky!

Time Out

I had the pleasure of attending Time Out For Women this weekend with my sister in laws Ashley and Lindsey. The speakers were all so amazing. My favorite performer/presenter was of course the fabulous Michael McLean. I grew up going to Michael's, The Forgotten Carols, every year on Black Friday. Josh and I have the pleasure of going to see it this year when we get to go to Idaho for Thanksgiving!

I really missed Josh during the event. I think he would have really enjoyed many of the speakers. Plus I just like hanging out with him the best! The theme this year was hope. The main thing I took away from the weekend was:

Where there is hope, there is life.

Where there is life, there is hope.

Where there is hope, there is Christ.

Where there is Christ, there is hope.

While I was away being spiritually edified, Josh was home working on many, many-much applications. I am so proud of you Josher for getting so much done!

Also we have a "selling your almost new house, in the middle of a still growing neighborhood, during a less than desirable economic situation" update for ya'll! It is this, Friday we had not one but TWO people walk through our house. This was the first time we have had any traffic what so ever. We were given pretty good feedback. We are excited to see if this is it for 315, and if it is we are one step closer to going to grad school.

Life is so exciting!

Fair Day 2

I love the fair so much that we just had to go again! The fair was running a cool deal on Thursday that anyone with a movie ticket stub could get in for FREE! Josh and I had just been to see the movie "Easy A" (pretty good, by the way) and lucky for us we kept our tickets!

I had never been on the DART train before, so we rode it down to fair park.

The fair has a very interesting petting zoo. Besides the normal petting zoo animals like pigs, goats, ducks, baby lambs, and puppy's the Texas fair has...

Camels!

and Zebras!

and Kangaroos!

They also had a giraffe (who was more interested in eating her cage than letting people pet her), emu's, an ostrich (huge and scary!) and llamas!

This little goat really liked me!

After we walked through the petting zoo we washed our hands and went to get some more yummy fried stuff! This time we tried a fried peanut butter and jelly and banana sandwich! It was incredible!

One of the best parts of the fair is the great people watching! We spent most of our visit this time just looking at all the people enjoying the festivities.

I had a blast with you at the fair Joshie! Thanks for taking me again! I love you!

Going to the DMA with Jerri

My mother-in-law Jerri and I spent a day at the Dallas Museum of Art last week. The DMA always has the best exhibits! The exhibits this month are "African Masks: The Art of Disguise" and " The Mourners". I love learning about other cultures and art. Thanks Jerri for a great, fun day!

General Conference and Ashley's Birthday!

It has been a very spiritually uplifting weekend. Last night Josh went to the Priesthood session of General Conference. He came home with many things to tell me that he had learned. While Josh was away last night I made cupcakes for Ashley's (our sister in law) birthday and worked on vocabulary flashcards for Josh to use while studying for the GRE (graduate school entrance exam).

Today we woke up and listened to the first session of Conference for the day. I loved President Eyring's, Sister Cook's, and Elder Oak's talks. I honestly loved all of them! After the first session ended we got in the car to head over to Bruce and Jerri's house. We had a wonderful dinner of ground beef enchiladas (the birthday girl's favorite). We then listened to the last session of Conference. It was a wonderful experience to hear the words of the leaders of the church and to be with family.

Jerri always sets a beautiful table!

These are Ash's birthday cupcakes... there are 25 small ones and 1 big one... that makes 26!

Happy 26th Ashley!

These little girls LOVE cupcakes!

(or at least the frosting)

Future pianists!

We missed having Chris and Karim with us!

We have had a great weekend. It is so nice to have a chance to re-evaluate our lives twice a year. General Conference always gives me that extra little boost I need, right when I need it. It seems like every Conference I fill up my spiritual canteen and six months later when my canteen is about to run out... It is conference time again! We are so blessed to be members of the church. We are grateful to have had such fantastic weekend with family.