So mothers day looked a lot like this for me:

Riley was sick for like a week straight! Was not fun at all! I feel so bad for her when she gets sick! But Nate did surprise me with this!

All the things meant something. The bath salt meant he was going to give me a massage, cause I LOVE getting them and he doesn't like giving them, so it was a good present. The cards meant he was going to play a game with me.... hahah sounds dumb, but I always beg him to play games, and if anyone knows Nate, you know he hate's games (even though i secretly know he likes them once he's playing he just wont admit it) and the "sugar mommies" was just cause! He was quite creative! It was cute! And the card was from Riley aka Nate haha!
Oh and Nate stayed home with Riley so I could go to church! And let me tell ya, it felt so good to be able to sit through an entire sacrament meeting! I have learned that that is one of the greatest things once you have kids, is actually being able to go to church and enjoy it! So enjoy it all you with out kids! Don't take it for granted!
Anyways Riley is now feeling better (FINALLY!!!) and so we've been able to do some fun things! We pretty much go swimming everyday once I'm done working! Its nice now that its getting hot enough to swim! And its nice swimming when your hot and pregnant! This pregnancy is going by so fast! The other day I was sitting in the car and I was like man, why am I already so big, and so uncomfortable, Im just barely pregnant and I feel SO huge! And my friend said, "you know your like 6 months along and your due in like 3 1/2 months!" I sorta freaked out thinking holy cow, am I seriously already that far already! Im not sure if Im ready for this! But ready or not, here come September, we are going to have 2!
Here is a pic of Riley cause its pretty much the only one I have taken in like months, but this is what you can find her doing EVERY minute of EVERYDAY (that we are home that is)

Reading her new favorite "buggies book" as she calls it from Nate's mom!







And to continue on with the blog challenge:
Day #5
5. engagement/bridal pictures: let's see em!

Day #4

4. The ring: tell us about it! did you pick it out? did he? pictures! tell us about his ring too!

The ring! The most important part of the wedding right? Hahah just kidding! But VERY important to a girl!

Well, I know lots of girls want to be surprised by the ring, and have their fiance pick it out for them and everything, but not me!!! I am a pretty picky girl. I'm not like a snobby picky, (don't want to make that impression by this post) I just have always had a vision of what I wanted my ring to look like. So Nate was totally cool with that, so we went ring shopping, and I remember feeling so weird, and so young. People who worked at the jewelry stores would look at us twice to see if it was a joke! Haha But it was fun!

So I totally had in my mind what I wanted but then we went to a jewelry store and I fell in love with this band! So me and Nate sorta both designed my ring off this band that I loved! And we were talking to the guy that worked there and he was saying he could do it, but it was going to be really pricey! Well we went home, not making a commitment b/c of the price. But a few days later, kinda weird that this happened at this exact time, my mom was in the bank and this guy was in there and they struck up a conversation, and guess what??? He is an lds guy who designs and custom makes rings! Guess what else??? he did the ring for us for like 1/3 of the price of JUST THE BAND at the other store with out all the extra stuff we were going to do to it! I was so happy! So he made the ring for us and it was ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL and even better than I imagined!!

I don't have a picture from when I first got it, so this picture taken from my phone, with my swollen pregnant fingers will have to do :)

Day 3:
Proposal: how it happened, how long were you engaged for? was it a total surprise? pictures of that... etc

Ummmm.... hahaha the proposal was nothing big at all. I feel bad saying that cause I feel bad for Nate, cause I am a really hard girl to surprise!
But... we were already technically engaged when we got engaged! B/c I am a picky girl I was picky on my ring. So we got it custom made which took forever!!! So we had already been telling people we were engaged for months when he "officially" proposed! So for a few nights I guess he kept trying to surprise me, but I always knew he was up to something, so I was all nosey and trying to figure everything out! So I guess I ruined the FUN proposal! And Nate knew I was really anxious to get the ring, just decided to propose!
So one morning, I woke up about 6am to a light shining in my face, and Nate saying "look at it, look at it". He said I looked like a zombie waking up, but my excuse is that you cant be woken up with a light shining in your face! I couldn't even see anything! So after a few seconds of getting my vision back! There was Nate kneeling next to me, with the ring in the box(with a light, hence the light) and him saying over and over, "look at it!" So i looked at the ring, and it was more beautiful than I could have imagined! So Nate told me to put it on, so I did, but you know how your fingers are swollen in the morning?? Ya well it didn't fit! He started freaking out and I was trying to calm him down while happy freaking out that I got the ring! And I could wear it now! (not yet since my fingers needed to unswell) Ha so there is Nate laying on the ground all mad that he finally gets me the ring and it doesn't fit! And then he stops, and says, "Oh ya, will you marry me?" Hahah and we both just laughed! So that's our proposal story!

Oh and we were engaged for 4 months! Longest engagement EVER!!! Don't recommend a long engagement to anyone! Not fun! I just wanted to be married! My mom suggested that we get married a month and a half earlier than our set date, but I was a little nervous, cause I guess people were gonna think I was crazy and I guess I thought b/c we didn't date long at all, that I needed to have a longer engagement. She told me I was going to regret it! And boy oh boy did I regret it when that time came around!!!

I don't have any pictures of the proposal, but I have this picture from when we were engaged, and Ill post it, Cause this was a fun day!! Haha love our purple wet suits!

Day #2:

When you knew he was the one: self explanatory.. but how and when did you know?

This is actually a really hard question for me, cause I don't to sound dumb and be like 'it was love at first sight'! But honestly for me, even when Nate was on his mission, I always felt something different towards him than I have ever felt before. I think that it was Heavenly father telling me that something was really special about this boy. And if I wouldn't have done certain things, like run to my mom and rush her to invite them over when Nate came back to visit, or go to California when he invited me, even though it scared me to death to go somewhere I don't know and spend an a week with people I don't know (B/c under normal circumstances I would NEVER do anything like that!!) But if I wouldn't have done all those things I don't think me and Nate would have ever gotten married.

But then when I went out to California, the feeling I had when I was with him, just talking about life, and talking about what I want out of life, and what he wanted, I felt so right about him! And I came home seriously thinking that it was going to work out. When it didn't at first, it was actually really hard for me! I know that sounds so dumb! Like I was just some young girl with a big crush thinking 'OH I am going to marry him!' But as time went on, he was ALWAYS in the back of my head!

After he came down to visit for a week and then moved back and that first night he took me out and pretty much proposed to me. I remember sitting there, sorta like I was in this dream, and the man who I wanted to marry was now professing his love to me! I just remember feeling so special, and I was just imagining every day of the rest of my life with Nate, and as he sat there telling me he wanted to marry me, I knew that he was the one! Ha I dont know why I said the things I did after he told me he wanted to marry me. I was honestly just so scared. I dont know why I was so scared! I was just terrified that I knew now who I was going to marry and that it was happening so fast! But I would say that that was the night that I knew with everything in me that he was the one!

Day#1 (see post below)
1. how it all began: how you met, first date, first kiss, how long did you date? first picture together.....etc.

How we met:
Nate served his mission here in good ole Mesa! The first time I saw him was when he came over with his companion Elder Walz for dinner and a family missionary message!(I was a junior in highschool) I remember right when I saw him I had a MAJOR crush! Then he started talking out of the side of his mouth and in a "California surfer" accent (he is from California, and is a surfer) and I seriously was IN LOVE!!!! Seriously Ask all the girls in my ward, I always talked about him:)
Kinda embarassing to admit, but I knew where the missionaries lived, so I would go out of my way on my way home from almost anything, to drive past their house in the hopes of catching them outside so I could admire Elder Howard!!!
And just in case anyone is wondering, NOTHING happend ever on his mission, no flirting, hardly any talking, unless he was asking me question about the gospel or asking me to invite someone to listen to the discussions and it was always in front of my family! So just to clear that up:)
But luckily my parents are into missionary work and my mom sometimes does missionaries hair, so I did get to see him quite frequently! And he was in our stake for 9 months, which is like 3-4 transfers straight! And that doesn't ever really happen! I could go on and on about little encounters but they are probably only fun to me!
One TOTALLY weird side note: that 1st night they came over, I said to my family as they shut the door to leave, "welp, I just met my future husband"! Little did I know, I really had!!!

First date:
Well it was more like a first REALLY LONG date! what happened was, well let me give you a little side preview. After 'Elder Howard' went home in February of 2007, he came back to visit in March! And luckily he came to our ward to visit! And I happened to spot him by the bishops office when I got out of Young Womens! I seriously booked it into Relief Society to grab my mom so she could tell them to come over to our house to visit! They ended up coming over that night & stayed awhile! I seriously was smitten by him! There was just something about him that I LOVED!! His whole countenance was just like, I dont even know how to describe it! But I was just totally head over heels for this guy! Anyways so they left, but he left his cell # with my mom so they could stay in touch! If you know my mom she is friends with everyone and loves to talk to people (more like talk their ear off) but it doesn't sound weird that she got his number if you knew my mom! So they talked a few times and my mom mentioned to him that if he ever came back to mesa for a visit that he should take me out (THANKS MOM!!!) So he said "well hey, my family goes to a lake house every memorial weekend! Why dont you send her out!" So he called me and asked me to come out to California to spend almost and ENTIRE week with his family at a lake house! Well it happened to be the day after I graduated that i would leave! So I spent 5 days with him and his family & I loved EVERYTHING about him and his family, and I know this sounds weird considering how long I knew him, but it was like I knew I was supposed to be there and I felt so comfortable and I seriously thought I am meant to marry this person! Well I came home from that trip telling my mom we better start planning my wedding ASAP! Cause I KNEW Nate Howard was the man I wanted and was supposed to marry!!:)

How long did you date?:
Well lets just say coming home from that trip, I didnt start planning my wedding! Basically long story short, Nate met someone a week before I went out there, and then they started dating sometime after I left. And so pretty much almost a year goes by, here I am moving on with my life without him :( and then all the sudden he calls me and tells me he is coming in town. I was sorta dating someone else at this point but it wasnt official, So i went out with him a couple times while he was down, and though I will say they were the best dates in my life, I pretty much went into it with a closed heart because I didnt want to fall madly in love with him again for him just to leave and not call me again! Well I guess this time he had the experience I had had the first time! Cause he called me 5 days after he had gone home and told me he was moving to Mesa in 2 days, and he was moving there becuase of me! So the day he got down here he took me to Tempe Town lakes and got takeout from Outback and we went and ate and sat along the lake and here is the gist of what he said to me, "I know that I am supposed to marry you, and I want to marry you, I have never felt like this in my life, and if you say yes, I will marry you tomorrow!!" Now just think, we had spent, up until this time a total of 8 dates/days together!!! Well here is what I said back to him, "Im not sure what I want, and I sort of want to date around!!" He said it was like someone kicked him in the gut! Now what I was thinking: I knew I wanted and was supposed to marry him! But I was FREAKED out! When getting married is all the sudden a reality it really scared me, and I was still a little hurt when he hadnt called me for almost an entire year after I had fallen madly in love with him! Well long story short the whole dating other people thing went like this, go out with Nate, every single night, because I couldnt stand not to, and then go out with that other guy I was dating on the side after I would come home from being with Nate! Hahah I know i was dumb! But It went on for a week and a half until I finally told the other guy I was gonna marry Nate and I told Nate I wanted to be exclusive! So we became bf/gf on a Tuesday! That weekend we went to six flags where I fell more in love with him, and now had no doubt in my mind I was supposed to marry him! So that Monday (6 days later) Me and him were sitting on my couch and we decided to get married! Basically just told each other we wanted to marry each other and thats when we started telling people we were engaged!!! So from the time he moved down there to the time we got engaged was I think 2 weeks and 5 days!!!

First Kiss:
I know people are going to think we are crazy! but our first kiss was the night we got engaged! So this is how it happened! After we decided to get married we were cuddling on the couch and we were talking about it and I said, "well now that we are getting married, we should probably kiss!!" Ya think? haha so us both being too shy we let the whole night go on getting a couple times close to kissing but didnt, so as I walked him out to his car I was like "Ok seriously we have to kiss!!" so Nate was like ok lets kiss! And we would almost kiss but then he would get all awkward and would be like "well what kind of kiss are you expecting, are you expecting just a kiss or tongue or like a peck??" So I was just like "just let whatever happen!" So he was like "ok on the count of three lets kiss!" So he held my face with his two hands and said "one, two, three!" and then leaned his head in with his lips pouched and his eyes closed! But didnt go all the way! So I laughed a little with him and his pouched lips and eyes shut, holding my face, and had to lean in the rest of the way for the kiss! And let me tell you, It was the best kiss EVER!!!!!

First picture together:
This picture was about a week after he moved down to mesa, it was General Conference and we were eating lunch between sessions!

So I never blog right? And I want to start because I want a place to come back to with fun memories of our family! So i saw this cute blog challenge on a friends blog, and I am going to copy her and do it here! And hopefully (fingers crossed) it will get me in the habit of blogging!

So here is the challenge: (its about me and my favorite person in the world!!)

1. how it all began: how you met, first date, first kiss, how long did you date? first picture together.....etc.
2. when you knew he was the one: self explanatory.. but how and when did you know?
3. proposal: how it happened, how long were you engaged for? was it a total surprise? pictures of that... etc.
4. the ring: tell us about it! did you pick it out? did he? pictures! tell us about his ring too!
5. engagement/bridal pictures: let's see em!
6. the colors: show some of the flower and colors you used
7. the dress: was it what you always imagined? did you have it made for you? white or ivory?
8. the little accessories: you know, veil? shoes? jewelry? what did your bridesmaids wear?
9. the reception: where was it at? show us some pictures! what day did you get married?
10. the cake/food: i love food. so tell me about what you had at your wedding!
11. your song and/or the first song you danced to at your wedding: share a music video or lyrics if you can!
12. favorite part of the day and least favorite part of the day: can be anything.
13. honeymoon: where did you go? was it good? ;) haha...jk.
14. thoughts on marriage: what is the easiest/hardest part? if you could change anything, what would it be?
15. first place that you lived together: pics if you have them!
16. kids: do you have any yet? if not, when do you plan on it? how many do you want? any tips on good/bad birth control?
17. most recent picture of you and your significant other and what you love most about them :) and any other thoughts.

BOY!!

We found out we are having a boy!!!



Nate really wanted a girl, but i had a feeling this one was going to be a boy! And I have been really excited!

Nate says now that we are going to have a boy and girl that he is fine if thats all we have. I just laugh! Hahaha

I am still nervous about having another baby, and all the things that come along with a newborn. I guess Im mostly scared about the lack of sleep Im about to have! And now that I already have one this time around, there will be no napping while the baby naps! But hopefully this one will be a sleeper:)

Riley now thinks that her tummy is called baby! We show her where "baby brother" is but she thinks she has a baby too!