Thanksgiving 2012

For Thanksgiving this year we went out to eat and it was wonderful! Rather than have someone host a dinner, my grandma treated the family members in town to dinner at the Country Club. Thank you Grandma Mimi! The food at the club was yummy and it was so nice to just leave all the dishes on the table once we were done.

There was also an amazing dessert table with about 30 options. I filled my plate with key lime pie, caramel cake, pecan delight, eclairs, chocolate mouse, chocolate creme puffs, chocolate covered raspberries, and raspberry jello - I ate until I could eat no more.

Dave and I have so much to be thankful for. We are grateful for all the blessings in our lives and are excited to see what this next year will bring!

Happy Birthday... to Me!

Yesterday I turned 27. I always love birthdays, but it's hard to believe how fast time flies by. Was I really only 20 when we got married? We started dating right right around my 20th birthday (he cooked me a steak on his roommate's George Foreman), and now look at us 7 birthdays later!

 While I was at work Dave made me my favorite cupcakes - funfetti cake with rainbow chip frosting. Mmmm!

For my birthday dinner we went out to eat at Tucanos. My entire meal consisted of meat and lemonade - stomach space is at a premium for me right now and I didn't want to waste any room on side dishes!

Baby + Tucanos = Big Bump!

I feel like I grew a couple sizes after dinner tonight. I'm a little worried that nothing will fit after Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow!

Welcome Winter

The last couple weeks have been pretty low key. We spent our time at home, and I found plenty of opportunities to take naps, drink hot chocolate, read, and start my Christmas shopping.

A big storm blew through Utah two weeks ago and we got about 10 inches of snow over three days. The storm taught me that Toms make horrible snow shoes, we haven't put an ice scraper in our car yet, and covered parking is awesome!

Despite the snow, we decided to drive down to Provo for Gifts of the Heart, a free clothing exchange for student families (there are some benefits of being eternal students!). I think our little girl should be set for the first few months of life. I can't wait until she's here!

After the exchange we stopped at my sister's apartment and Dave helped Anne build a "snowsman"

He helped her get the eyes and nose in, but she did the rest by herself :)

Since there was quite a bit of snow, they decided to make quite a few snowmen. It started out with a daddy, a mommy, and a baby and then Dave just kept adding babies until he couldn't make them any smaller.

While they played, I got to hold this little guy who wasn't all that thrilled with his makeshift snowsuit - I think he was a little overwhelmed by all the white. It was so pretty!

After the snow melted, a bunch of tumbleweeds blew into our complex. Dave gathered the ones by our building after we got home from church - I think there must be a tumbleweed breeding ground nearby...

Shooting Guns in Saratoga Springs

On Saturday we went up to the hills of Saratoga Springs to shoot some guns with my sister's boyfriend's family. It was a beautiful day and it was nice to get out of our apartment for awhile and enjoy the outdoors!

I spent most of my time operating a skeet launcher they found at the thrift store while the boys shot the guns. At one point there were 7 boys on the line - 6 with shotguns and one with a rifle - and I had to work pretty fast to keep the targets flying!

The shot guns we were using were a little heavier than I was used to. I have only ever shot a 20 gauge, and these were 12s, but I still managed to get a good hit on one skeet. Dave took awhile to find his rhythym, but once he did he was able to hit several targets in a row.

I was also proud of my mother for shooting a gun for the first time! She was a little worried about the recoil, but I was glad she tried it anyway.

Our future is looking...

PINK!

On Friday we had the big ultrasound and found out Baby Howe is a girl. We are both thrilled, although Dave is already preparing himself for the teenage years. We could see her moving around a lot during the ultrasound, but I still haven't felt any kicking. I'm guessing it's not going to stay that way for long!

Our little girl at 21 weeks - and yes that is our baby even though the name at the top is Suzanne Jones. The tech had it set up wrong. She's measuring 20 weeks 6 days, so right on schedule!

Howe Pumpkin 2012

I normally like to get creative with our pumpkin, but this year I've really only had one thing on my mind...

Only 2 more days 'til we find out!!

Deseret Dairy

Dave and I are not able to participate in a lot of our ward events due to work/school/travel, so when the sign up sheet went around looking for volunteers to help at the Deseret Dairy, we put our names down.

Since we were working the evening shift, our job was clean up. Dave and I were put in charge of mopping up all the chocolate dust in the room where they make pudding and hot chocolate. It wasn't the most exciting job, but at least the room smelled really good.

It's hard to tell from this picture, but Dave's face is covered in water. When he went to rinse out our mop buckets, he had the high pressure hose turned the wrong direction and sprayed himself directly in the face. He was pretty startled, but I found it quite funny.

The best part was the "payment" we received for our services. Did you know the Deseret Dairy is the supplier for the BYU Creamery? We left with four bottles of chocolate milk and two pounds of cheese. Yum!

Day 5, Coronado Beach

We literally did nothing on day four - it was a much needed day of rest. On our fifth day, however, we went to the beach! Coronado has a beautiful beach and we really enjoyed the sun and sand. I just love the ocean and could lie on the beach for hours (as long as it's not too hot, or cold, or windy, or rainy).

The Hotel del Coronado - beautiful!

Dave with his seaweed "tail" he found on the beach. Anne could not figure out how he grew a tail and was pretty sure it was real until she touched it. Eww!

Dave was the only one brave enough to join my dad in the cold water for a little body boarding

I'm a little sad this picture didn't turn out better - in case you can't tell, it's a Mickey and Minnie head with a D+M. Awww, how sweet.

Day 3, Park 3 - Disneyland

Our third day in California was spent at the happiest place on earth - Disneyland!! I had a great time, but by the end of the day I was soooo tired of walking/standing. I swear the bottoms of my feet were bruised. Three parks in three days really takes it out of you... I'd have been a horrible pioneer.

Since we were visiting during October, the entire park had undergone a Halloween makeover. It was so fun and really put me in the mood for fall!

Riding the teacups with Anne - thankfully they did not make me sick. Since I wasn't able to go on the roller coasters, I got to spend a lot of time with Anne. We were good ride buddies.

Anne still spent plenty of time with her Uncle Dave. If you ever asked her who she wanted to ride with, her usual reply was "How 'bout Dave". We are both wondering how she will react when Baby Howe enters the scene and competes for his attention.

I took this video while we were in line to ride "It's a Small World". Can you tell she's excited? Anne sang this several times while we were waiting in line, but this rendition got applause from the people around us. My favorite part is her little laugh at the end - what a cutie!

Outside the Haunter Mansion, which had been redone with a "Nightmare Before Christmas Theme"

And this one doesn't really need any explanation - I sure picked a winner!

Day 2, Park 2 - California Adventure

We spent day two at California Adventure Park. It was so much more fun than the last time I went 10 years ago! The new Cars land was impressive to walk through, and the Soaring Over California ride will always be one of my favorites.

Anne riding the carousel with Uncle Dave - there is no doubt he is one of her favorite people. At one point in the trip I found her in a room singing to herself "Dave, Dave, Dave, Dave, Dave."

Being pregnant made this trip a bit different for me. I have always loved the biggest, fastest rides at theme parks, but most of those are off limits now. While the rest of the family was at Tower of Terror, my mom and I had a fun time with Anne in Bug's Life land.

In line for Toy Story Midway Mania - this is a newer ride that was definitely one of my favorites! You ride in a little car and have a gun that doesn't actually shoot anything, but the 3D glasses make it look like you are firing balls, darts, etc... at targets. My score wasn't that great because Anne was pulling the trigger while I aimed, but we both had fun!

The big event at California Adventure is the "World of Color" performance at night that uses water, fire, lights, and video projected on the mist. It was amazing! If you are going soon, make sure you get a fast pass for this as soon as you enter the park - it will give you reserved seating for the show right on the pier, and it's well worth it!!