Bun is still in the oven....

So, it's definitely time for another update.  Sorry, geez I'm bad at this blogging stuff!  Life has been extremely busy for us, but it's also been so great.  We have so much to be grateful for!  The baby and I are doing wonderfully, just very uncomfortable at the moment.  She is healthy as can be and growing bigger every day (I'm just praying that she's not over 8 lbs when she is delivered!)  I'm currently 37 weeks and 1 day pregnant and almost done being pregnant!!!  Just in time, before the heat of the summer arrives.  So, I'm still working and plan to continue working until Kathryn is born, then I'll take some time off for a couple of months to be at home with her before I go back to work part-time.  I think we're pretty much ready - her bedroom is painted and fully furnished, we have all the clothes and almost all the other items we need (including a ton of diapers), and the hospital and diaper bags are packed.  I just need to find a cute little outfit for her to wear on the day we bring her home.  We're also looking forward to Jacob's birthday coming up, I am planning on spoiling him a bit.  We'll at least go out for a nice dinner and get him a fun gift.  Unfortunately, our focus is somewhere else lately, but it'll be great.
     Our Beehive class activity was so fun this week.  I asked the missionaries in our ward to host an evening for the girls and they did such a great job!  They organized a scavenger hunt and then had a lesson and showed a short video on the restoration.  The spirit was so strong, and the girls loved listening to them speak.  Afterward we had dessert - Strawberry short-cake, and ended up just talking with the elders for almost an hour.  It was such a good experience and I'm so grateful for their help.  I'll miss Young Women's while I'm out with Kathryn, but I hope I get to continue working with them for a long, long time.  Our youth are so special!

     Well, I guess that's about it.  I'll try to keep you updated in the weeks to come!! 

Love, Ally

I'm back... with some news!

Hi again! Sorry for the long absence! Things have been really great for us over the past year. Just to catch up a little, we have been mostly working full-time, but as for a few things that have happened: I was called as YW second counselor in my ward about a year ago and I completely love it! We had our new carpet laid in September (throughout the entire house - yay!) But our biggest news is... we're expecting our first baby in July - July 4th to be exact - and it's a Girl! Jacob and I are so thrilled, I can't even put the feelings into words except that we are very happy and ready for her to join our family! I will attach a picture of our first ultrasound, unfortunately we don't have any recent ones downloaded on the computer yet, but I will share more as they come. I am currently 6 months pregnant and she is kicking me at the moment, so I guess that's her saying hello to you!
My brother and his wife recently had their first child too - a boy, born on March 1st! His name is Corbin, and he is the cutest little guy I've ever seen :) I'm so excited to watch our families growing, and Jacob and I wish them the best. I will be sure to let you know about my upcoming baby showers and such, and hope you will be able to come!

Love you all, thanks for stopping by!

~ Ally

Happy President's Day!

Hello again finally! Today is a wonderful, sunny, work-free Monday and all of my household chores are finished, so I figure it's a great time to sit back and catch up on the events of the past 6 months. Wow, time has really flown! Jacob and I are both working full-time right now. He is still in HVAC and I am a Certified Medical Assistant, working in OB/GYN - which I really enjoy, but can get hectic like any job. So each day, by the time we get home, have dinner, clean up the house, spend some time with each other, and get in a good work out... we're pretty much beat. So, sorry for our lack of socialism - we promise we aren't avoiding anyone ;) So, what else is new? Well, we are officially throwing in the towel and taking a major shortcut so that we can finally have our bathroom floor tiled by this summer. The major problem is all of the adhesive and paper that we (I) have to pain-stakingly scrape up with a razor blade. Believe me, of everything we've tried this is the only real way to do it. Although, I will be trying one more chemical remover, but if that doesn't work, I am putting down the new tile anyway. I will have to post a pic so that you can see how awful it has looked over the past 8 months.
Otherwise, the house is fine. We are getting ready to measure for carpet, which I am very excited for! My mom's bathroom is finally finished and beautiful, thanks to all the family members who lent their support. Jacob and I had a great time last weekend when we joined with my brother and sister-in-law, and my uncle, to finish the job. It looks really great - Congrats Mom!
This Saturday was really fun. We had an activity night with two of our married-couple friends and their kids, and we all made pizza together. The dinner was really great and included a tasty side salad, and Jacob's special recipe caramel popcorn for dessert. I also had apple-soda for the first time - that stuff is good!! Then we watched Mystery Science Theater 3000, which sounds wierd, but actually turned out to be absolutely hilarious. I love commentaries that poke fun of cheesy movies! Altogether it was a perfect night.
Anyway, things have not been too eventful over the past 6 months, we just get caught up with work, and church, and friends, and family. We feel very blessed each day.

All good things...

- Like weekends - must come to an end. Today has been really great. Jacob and I woke up early, went to church, came home, took a nap, and had hamburgers and french fries for dinner (Jacob's request - and totally great!). Now he's at a church meeting and I'm sitting here talking to you which is a complete fulfillment of my time (I'm sure). I went outside earlier this evening while Jacob was grilling the hamburgers, and took a close look at our garden - I am so amazed! We've had such a good haul for our first year of using our vegetable garden. There have been peas, potatoes, zucchini squash, peppers, tomatoes, banana squash, gray hubbard squash, and cantaloupe (in the works). I feel super-impressed that anything could grow in that old clay-pit, I guess that 3 weeks of weeding, two truckloads of mulch, and a long day of rodatilling really help in the end! I'll have to post pics some time soon.
Anyway, I think I feel like reading a little while. I just love books that I can lose myself in and honestly, they tend to be children's fiction books. Like right now, I'm reading the Fablehaven series, which is really, really good. I'm smack in the middle of the third book and it gets very difficult to put it down, especially on my lunchbreaks at work! But tonight I can read undisturbed, aside from Jacob - who will likely pounce me at an intense moment like he so often does. He just got home, so watch out! Well, I hope you have had a great weekend like I have, and I will talk to you again soon :0) ... Take care!

Saturday is a special day...

This weekend has been classic! Jacob left early yesterday afternoon to go on a 50-mile (you heard right!) bike ride with the Young men in our Ward, and he won't be home for a little while longer. So, what did I decide to do with all that time by my lonesome self? Well, chill with Callee of course! I just have to make it known that I have the best friend in the entire world -- The contest is over and I win! Not only is she super sweet and a massage therapist (ahhh....), but she is the complete opposite of me and really helps me to step out of my comfort zone and do things that I really enjoy, but wouldn't normally do. Today was sooo much fun - we slept in after pulling a late night of catching up with one another, then we woke up and had cinnamon toast and fruit for breakfast and hung out for a while. However, the best part came when we picked up my favorite 8-year-old girl, and made good on our promise to take her swimming this summer. We hit the local water park for a couple of hours and had such a good time, I'm still beaming. Hooray for girl-time!! We all need some quality time with our sisters, especially when our 'misters' are out of town. I am really excited for Jacob to get home tonight though, and to hear all about his ride. Now I just need to find the energy to get up and mow the lawn before he gets home, so that I can surprise him. Well, hooray for weekends at any rate!

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Hi, I just want to see what my first message will look like :0)