Our Fun Christmas Break!!

Josh and I are really enjoying our break so far. Since I only have about three weeks left until I deliver, we can't travel anywhere, so we're here in Provo for Christmas. It's been a great break so far. Last night, we made caramel popcorn for the first time and watched a chick-flick! (Thanks Josh!) We've also enjoyed reading Harry Potter 4 together. It's been snowing like crazy here. Yesterday, we probably got like 8 inches. We opened our blinds, turned on our Christmas lights and read together! It was wonderful. mMm....Looks good huh!?

Today, we set up Anna's crib!!!! We couldn't WAIT to do this! My brother and sister-in-law left us their old crib to use while we're here in Provo, (thanks y'all). We picked it up from our friends today, and Josh set it up. Look how cute Josh looks working on it!

How do you like the finished product? We're going to wait to buy (or maybe make) real crib bedding until we move. So we bought a little pink sheet and are using the blanket I made this summer for now. It looks great!! The bear adds a lot too! It is SO much fun having a crib in our house. It makes everything feel more real. I keep going back to the bedroom just to look at it. We can't wait til little Anna is actually in it!

We've been busy trying to get everything a baby needs. We're almost done. Today, I FINALLY got a diaper bag! I didn't think I would ever find one. This one is neutral so I can use it for future babies too! It's really big and even comes with a smaller diaper bag for times when I don't need such a big one. It's perfect! I'm so excited. As soon as I got home, I filled it with diapers and wipes and all of the other essentials a little baby girl needs. It's SO exciting!!

Happy Birthday Mama!

I have the most wonderful mom in the world. Today is her birthday, and I feel especially grateful for her today. My mom is always so wonderful to her family, always putting everyone first before herself. She is so selfless and loving. I have learned so much from her. She has really helped to shape my life, and I feel that I could never repay her for the goodness she's shown me. Hopefully, I'll be able to be a great mom to my children like she has been to me. I love you Mom! Happy Birthday!

Anna's New Bear

Recently, we realized Anna doesn't have a stuffed animal. So, to start the spoiling off, we decided we had better get one as soon as possible. But of course, there was only one bear good enough for Anna - the BYU Bookstore Bear. However, as you may know, you can't buy the BYU Bookstore bear. No, you have to buy $100 worth of BYU Bookstore merchandise before Thanksgiving to recieve your bear for free. Sadly, Thanksgiving passed and we weren't able to get our bear (who has $100 to spend at the bookstore?) At book sellback, we thought we could redeem ourselves by winning a bear at the "Book Sellback Extravaganza!" But alas, we only won a Rubik's Cube and a CamelBak.

So when we saw the "BYU Bookstore Bears" ad on craigslist, it's hardly necessary to say that we immediately emailed the seller. So here you go Anna -- your very own BYU Bookstore Bear.

Henry Ray Lovelace

Our friends Jeremy and Stephanie blessed their baby Henry today, and we got to be there. It was so nice to go and be there with them. They are such a great family and really good examples to us. Their little boy Henry is getting so big so fast. It makes us both so excited to have little Anna here.

I LOVE December!!!!

We decided to do something fun in the spirit of the Christmas season. I've never made homemade gingerbread cookies before so I decided to give it a whirl. We invited the Harrisons over for some fun cookie decorating. Josh and I had no idea we were inviting over such talented cookie designers. Their cookies turned out WAY cuter than ours. They completely blew us out of the water. It was so fun to make though. This is definitely a tradition we want to carry on in our family. Afterwards we watched Home Alone 2, a classic I know. It was a really fun night!

This begins the cookie making process. We had some pretty cute little guys in there. These cookie cutters were so cheap and so fun. Definitely an investment in my eyes.

Josh has really mastered the art as you can see!

The Harrisons did a great job. We were all very impressed with their colorful display.

I still think ours turned out really cute too, especially Josh's!! I can't wait to do this with our little kids one day.

Decorating for Christmas

Yesterday, Josh and I decorated for Christmas. It was so much fun! Thanks to my dad, we were able to get some great decorations and make our home feel extra special. Thanks Dad! Don't you just love Anna's little stocking!

I got this little raindeer at Roberts Arts & Crafts and spray painted it gold. I love it!

These are really cute little salt shakers.

Josh loves to try to figure out what I got him.

Rocking Chair Redone

The last couple of days we've been working on our rocking chair. I spray painted the wood dark brown and Diana made slip covers to cover up the ugly green. It turned out awesome! In total, it cost $37 - $20 for the chair, $10 for the fabric, and $7 for the spray paint. Totally worth it!