First comes love, then comes marriage...

I think I'm making progress!  I am writing within 2 weeks of my last post!  Hooray!  This is a post I've been really anxious to write for such a long time, though, so maybe you shouldn't totally count on updates too often ;-*

I forgot to mention in my last post (not that it wasn't important...I'm just a little brain-dead sometimes) that Jordan and I celebrated our second (WAHOO!) anniversary earlier this month.  You might guess that it was a night of reminiscing over caviar and lobster, then sharing a straw as we sit side-by-side, enjoying a very expensive choc-choc-chocolate chip milkshake--which came after our cheesecake and molten lava chocolate brownies at The Cheesecake Factory.  You might even assume we got to snuggle up close and enjoy our favorite movie together in the comfort of our new home.

And you would be wrong.

That night, along with many nights before and many nights after, I spent most of my time curled up on the bathroom floor.  A lovely picture?  Something you need to know?  Absolutely.  We went to bed at 8:30.  We ate Life cereal and oatmeal for dinner.  We tried to get shakes at Steak and Shake, but I only got through a few sips--unheard of for me, huh??  There was no movie, nor a TV show to remind us of good times.  And there was definitely no snuggling.  It was far from what most would call the "ideal" anniversary celebration.

And yet, it was maybe my favorite day ever.

Why??? you ask.

Because despite feeling rather miserable, we had some fantastic news that makes it all worth it.  Finally (and yes, it really does feel like such a long time) Jordan and I have the opportunity to be parents.  That's right: we're having a baby.  And just that morning, I got to see him and hear his little heartbeat for the first time.

Do you know what this means??  It means that life is really changing!  We get to play real house now!  We get to do more than just smile and nod when people talk about their kids around us and we have to act like we totally know what all that potty training stress is about!  We get to have our own screaming-in-the-middle-of-the-night child to wake up the neighbors and keep them up all night before a 7am final the next day!  We get to "decorate" the house with outlet covers and baby gates and blocks and squeaky toys and rocking chairs and Johnny Jumpers!  We get to fill our house with Dr. Seuss classics--not just anatomy textbooks (although I'm sure those will keep coming ;-*)!  We get to tell our friends we can't go out tonight because it's the baby's bedtime--and then we get to read stories and kiss goodnight and watch our little miracle fall asleep!  We get to wake up at night every two hours for feedings and wash several more loads of laundry each week and lug around an extra 50lbs. of baby diapers and burp cloths and quiet books wherever we go!  

But we're so much more excited about the real stuff...first, that there is a baby--a human body that we created--growing inside me as we speak.  Second, that even with stressful schedules and difficult challenges to deal with, we get to turn our focus even more to our family.  We get to try our hand at that same thing Lehi and Sariah, Abraham and Sarah, Adam and Eve, Mary and Joseph, Erik and Debby, and John and Kathie have tried--and done so well with.  Who can deny that even with the trials and the heartache and the occasional feeling of failure that accompanies family life, this is where the greatest happiness is found?

And despite the illness, the exhaustion, the random breakdowns and the massive amount of tears from the physical pain I've experienced, I really do feel absolutely wonderful.  We could not be more excited, and we could not be more grateful for such a beautiful blessing.

Just in case you're interested in seeing photos, I have a few for you:

Two ultrasounds (nevermind that they are sideways) of our sweet baby!

A bit closer up.  Some (like my brother, Brian) would say this kid's head is too much like an alien's.  I just tell them it's because our child has Jordan's brains and they are obviously bigger than Brian's.  Besides, Megamind wasn't all bad inside, was he??

And, for the record, the baby is due in February.  I am still teaching school this year, but I'll get to take a few weeks off when the baby is born.  The future will happen as it happens, but we'll keep you posted as we make more decisions and as more falls into place.

So it's been a while...and Blogger has changed quite a bit.  So much that I'm not sure I want to keep using this.  But I do have some good things to share, and I would be so ungrateful if I didn't.

First, Jordan got accepted to dental school in Louisville, Kentucky.  That was way back in February, but it's exciting now because he started classes about 4 weeks ago.  He is LOVING it and he seems to really be getting into the swing of things.  So far the classes are not horribly challenging because they are a review of things he has already learned...the tricky part is just being prepared for tests (which happen almost every other day!).  It's going to get a lot more stressful when the fall semester starts, so this is a good way to get the students used to the rigor.  Jordan is doing great, and he's just so excited to be here.

Speaking of here, we are living in Kentucky--obviously--and we love it.  It has been awfully hot and humid just about every day since we moved in, but we're lucky enough to have plenty of cool air and shade in and around our apartment.  We also have a pool at our complex, so that offers some relief ;-*  The tennis courts have probably never seen such horrid players before, but we are loving the chance we have to try to learn a new sport together.  Nevermind that we've both played hundreds of times before...each time we go out there together it's like our first time ever using a racket.  We are not so good...but it's still fun.  We feel so grateful to be in a place that is comfortable and clean and full of people in our same situation and not breaking the budget!  We've been so blessed.

We're both getting really excited for the Olympics--which start on FRIDAY!!!  Oh my heavens, I get emotional even just from hearing the commercials and the music on TV.  I don't know what it is about the Olympics, especially considering I'm sort of anti-athletic and anti-sports of any kind...(I know, that makes me sound like a bad person!  I just don't ever get into the hype and the ridiculous amounts of money people spend on sporting events and the insane "royalty" status we give sports stars)  But when I hear the Olympic music, and when I see teams earning medals, and when I watch their faces and the faces of their parents in the crowd when they cross the finish line....oh man.  I am just a crying machine!  It's so powerful!  So, GO USA! ;-*

This week I've spent time with my family in Pennsylvania, and we even got to go to Delaware (my first time ever!) to visit my grandparents and my aunt and uncle (who just had a new baby).  It was so nice to have a change of scenery and to see what life is like on an Air Force base, and to be able to play at a real beach.  I love being around all the cousins, and we had a lot of fun together this week ;-*  In spite of all the craziness around here when there are so many people in the house, I'm grateful to be home for a while.  Yesterday Jessica and I made cookies--and I haven't made cookies in months!  Brenden and Brian and I played a ton of card games and I even taught Brian how to shuffle cards (and do the bridge!).  Then I got to watch Les Miserables with my dad--the Liam Neeson version--and, well, I still think he's a horrible actor.  But the movie and the story was great.  We also got to skype Nathanael and Saraiah in Idaho--so the whole family really was all together for a while!  CARAZY but fun.

Welp, I really don't have a whole lot more to post for now, but I'm just getting back into the swing of things here.  Maybe I'll write something delicious after opening ceremonies on Friday night ;-*  Maybe.  Until then, have a marvelous day and enjoy the week!