Announcing Howe Baby #3!!

New state, new job, new house... new baby!! In July we found out we were once again expecting with a tentative due date of March 4th. If this baby decides to go full term we will be three for three with kids and March birthdays - party all month long!!

It was kind of crazy to learn about this on top of everything else we had going on, but also the most wonderful news. We never really know how long it will take us to get pregnant so this was the best kind of surprise. This time around we weren't really trying, and I was still waiting for my cycles to return to normal after I stopped nursing Davey in May, but I guess the timing was right for a new addition to our family. 

I was hoping to escape bad morning sickness this time around, but had no such luck. It was a little bit of a bummer to feel horrible during all of our summer vacations, but well worth it. At this point even that is starting to fade and my energy is slowly coming back as the second trimester begins. So far everything looks good and for now we are referring to this little one as "Peppercorn" until we until we can confirm gender. 

We will soon be the Howes, party of five - hooray!!

The best shot we could get before Davey ran away

Upgrades

Dave and I are always slow to upgrade. Part of that is because we have been students for 6 of our 8 married years, and still have 2 more years ahead of us, but also because we just don't feel compelled to have the latest and greatest when what we have works. This month, however, the Howes are finally moving forward!

First upgrade was a push reel mower for our yard. For the last year we had been using a weed whacker, but  now that Sophie is old enough to play outside, we knew something better was needed. I had been searching the classifieds and finally found a good deal on mower. We cut the grass as soon as we got home and it looked so much better! A few days later we also trimmed the edges and pulled the weeds, and now it looks like a proper lawn. I'm sure Sophie will spend many hours out here this summer.

Cutting the jungle

Sophie doing her part to help clean up the grass clippings

Hunting for eggs (one of her favorite activities) on the newly trimmed lawn

Next upgrade was a new camera for me. When Sophie started walking and 9 out 10 pictures I took were of a Sophie blur, I realized my little point-and-shoot was no longer adequate. So when we got our tax return, we decided to put it towards a DSLR. It came in the mail on Tuesday and I have no idea how to use it, but I'm looking forward practicing a lot on my crazy girl. 

Sophie was interested in the new camera

....and a little unsure. Hopefully soon I'll be capturing smiles instead :)

Last upgrade was new phones for me and Dave. This is where I really moved out of the stone age. 4 years ago, when smart phones were starting to get popular, we decided that we could wait and signed a 2 year contract on the freebie flip phone. Then 2 years ago, when Dave started his PhD program, we talked and decided that a smart phone was necessary for his school, but that I would keep my little phone. Now that my flip phone is 4 years old, we decided that it was time for it to retire. This time we went through Costco and it was a breeze - we are never going to the Verizon store again. After only 30 minutes at the store we came home with new phones, free accessories, and a reasonable contract.

What I am nervous about : breaking it - my little brick phone was virtually indestructible. It was chewed on, dropped a hundred times, thrown into a bag without thought and nothing ever went wrong.

What I'm excited about - finally having a decent camera so I can take pictures on the go!

My old and new phone  

Side story: Dave's new phone turned out to be defective. To return it, however, we needed the original packaging and we had already tossed the box. So today after work I got to go dumpster diving! I was able to find everything pretty quickly, and without too much grossness. Phew!

The one you've all been waiting for

You'd think after four years of looking forward to this day I would have come up with a creative way to share our big news, but I didn't; so I'll just skip right to it and say that Dave and I are excited to announce that Baby Howe is finally on the way! Hooray!

We are scheduled to find out the gender at the beginning of November, and are due around March 22, 2013. So far everything is going great! I am relieved to be feeling a bit more energetic now that I'm in the second trimester, although I did take a 2 hour nap on the couch tonight, and most of the nausea has passed. Luckily the emergency sickness bag I stashed in the car has only been needed once so far. Phew!

We are both thankful for all the thoughts and prayers from family and friends over the past four years. We are looking forward our future as a family of three, and will be sure to keep you all updated during this exciting time in our lives!

I am currently 17 weeks along and Baby Howe is about the size of an avocado, which feels both huge and tiny to me at the same time. We both have a lot of growing to do...

Two Degrees Down, One to Go!!

Dave graduated from the BYU MBA program on Friday!! My parents, his parents, and his sister Elizabeth all joined me at the Marriott Center for the big event (and big it was - there were almost 1,000 graduate and undergraduate students walking).

We are both so glad he decided to go back to school and can't believe how fast the last two years went by. It was a great experience! According to Dave, however, finishing the MBA program for him was kind of like graduating from middle school. He has completed one more step in his education, but still has the final big step to complete - the PhD. University of Utah, here we come!!

The graduate student robes have strange sleeves, kind of like a dementor, don't you think?

The academic hood that looked a lot like a tail before we figured out how to put it on correctly

He's done - I am so happy and so proud!!

Some Reasons to Celebrate!

Today we've had some exciting things to celebrate! (Next week looks to be pretty eventful too, so stay tuned...)

We got our taxes done with only 3 days to spare! Procrastination? Yes, but last year we wrapped everything up right on the 15th, so this year was actually an improvement. Woo hoo!

A not-so-subtle hint the Easter Bunny left for Dave on Sunday

More big news - today Dave gave his acceptance to the University of Utah, David Eccles School of Business PhD Program! Who ever thought we'd be going over to the dark side?? Just kidding :) Although we are BYU fans at heart, we are excited about this opportunity and are really looking forward to the next 5 years!

And last, but not least, my sister Amy had her baby! Richard "William" Hindman arrived early this morning and is a handsome guy. We are excited Amy and her family will be in Utah with us for another year - we hope to spend a lot of time with little Will!

Something to Celebrate!

Exciting news! Today Dave was awarded a $3,000 scholarship for fall semester! We weren't expecting this at all and were very happy when he was notified of his achievement today. Dave worked very hard this year and finished in the top 10% of his MBA class. I am so proud!!

Also exciting - today was the last day of school!! I didn't just survive my first year, I loved it! I'm looking forward to getting the office organized over the summer, but it sure will seem quiet without 550 little bodies of energy to watch over.

4th graders heading home for the last time this year

Today was also parties-all-around day and when you work at the front desk all leftover treats eventually make their way back to you. And because I didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings, I accepted all offerings that came my way, which is why my lunch today was: a slice of 6th graduation cake, a birthday cupcake, a Krispy Kreme from 1st grade, popcorn from 4th grade, grapes from 2nd grade, cotton candy from 3rd grade, nothing from 5th grade because their party was at a park, and some white chocolate pretzels that mysteriously appeared on my desk. Feeling sick yet? I didn't until later that night. Oh  oh oh oh....

After my delicious and nothing nutritious (except the grapes) lunch, I still had room for dinner so we went out to eat. Texas Roadhouse has a great early bird special, and we LOVE their rolls. Then to top off the day we decided to do something we never, ever do - order a drink :)

Adding some extra lime to my cherry limeade. Mmmm. It was a good day

 

And, per Dave's request, I will add this last picture because it is a family blog and he does have input and I love him. I don't like it, but it's his favorite. He thinks I look very happy with my drink (which I am), but I think I look like I've had a few too many (which I haven't - this was 100% alcohol free).