now she's here, suddenly i know

Ember Belle Shirley

She made her grand debut April 27th at 6:32 p.m.

6 pounds 15 ounces

18 3/4 inches long

a perfect, beautiful little girl

you and me have something pretty neat

Two years ago today, Jeffree asked me to marry him.

So glad he asked.

So glad I said yes.

Happy Easter!

happy due date

so good to be by your side

Now that he's home, I'm glad it happened this way.

Jeffree left on Sunday for the long drive down to Southern Utah. I cried. A lot. It's awful to be without him, but being 9 months pregnant certainly added to the dismay I felt as I watched him drive away.

Monday afternoon and this morning he interviewed with several principals. On the drive home, he got two job offers. He accepted a third grade position at a great school. We are so thrilled!

We've been wanting to move to Utah for a while now. Warmer. Close to family. Warmer. Warmer. Warmer...

We feel so blessed that we have this opportunity. It's so nice to know where we'll be this coming year (and hopefully for years to come).

And it's really nice to have him home with me.

Now all we need is a baby...

trying to pretend

We thought we'd have a little fun... Over a year ago, one of Jeffree's friends emailed us pictures of what our babies would look like. Scary.

Apparently our babies are getting cuter, because the pictures we did today didn't turn out so creepy.

I'm certain little e will be much cuter.

Of course, there's a chance she'll come on her due date, which is Hitler's birthday...

Here's to hoping we make cuter babies than the internet does :)

i hope it's nice where you are

Spring break 2011

woke up to this every morning. enough said.

whenever you smile

Remembering when we first saw our little angel on an ultra sound. She was only an inch long then. Oh how she's grown. Oh how I've grown! It was such a sweet moment to see her tiny body and watch her arch her sweet little back and know that there was a little human growing inside me.

To celebrate, Jeffree and I went on a "babymoon." It's crazy to think of how different life is now. And it will only change more in the weeks to come. As much as I have loved this time with Jeffree, I look forward to having a little princess to share our kisses and cuddles with.

I know once she's here, I'll miss these days. I just hope I'll have the strength to cherish every new day, both with little e and with my darling Jeffree.

after all the time we've spent together

Sometimes you just need to get out of the house. But there aren't many options in Rexburg. Winter makes it harder and being pregnant limits us even more.

A few weeks back we found ourselves resorting to the classic thrift shop date. Picking out clothes for each other, then doing a little fashion show.

It's pretty obvious I married him for his flawless taste.

Love Jeff's face in this one :)

Can you believe this date actually wore me out? It doesn't take much these days.

a place in your heart

dear e, If you decided to come today, I wouldn't be upset. Neither would your Daddy. We're pretty excited to meet you. Dad has been practicing holding you and dressing you with a little stuffed bunny. He is too excited to play dress up with his little girl. You've probably heard him singing you lullabies. He is in love with you already. Your mom is tired and a little uncomfortable. But I know when I see your sweet little face that I'll forget all about that. I am thinking of enrolling you in a kick-boxing class, since that seems to be your passion.

I can't wait to snuggle with you and feel your soft baby skin and kiss your sweet baby cheeks. We wonder what you'll look like. What will your personality be like? Will you have Dad's eyes? Will you be smiley or solemn? Will you like us?

I know we'll be tired and we'll make some mistakes, but we love you so dearly. I promise we'll do our very best to take care of you. You are so precious to us both. We hope to be holding you soon.

All the love in the world,

mommy and daddy

look at the blue, blue sky

Conference crepes... a tradition introduced to me by a college roommate. A tradition Jeffree and I have kept faithfully since we got married. Every conference weekend we mix up a batch of delicious crepes - either for breakfast or for lunch.

Here's the recipe we use:

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup white flour

4 egg whites

1 cup skim milk

dash salt

2 slight T oil

*If you use store bought wheat, then you don't need to mix half and half. But our home-ground wheat is a little too course and the crepes come out tough.

Wisk ingredients together and cook on a skillet over medium heat.

Our favorite toppings:

Peanut butter

strawberries

bananas

(any fresh or frozen fruit)

cool whip

chocolate syrup

nutella

applesauce

Happy Conference!

stay tuned - much requested belly pics are on their way!