Time flies!

Ashlyn is already 6 months old! She is so fun and getting so big. She sits up on her own now and tries to talk. I started working again at a daycare which is nice since I can take her with me. She has got this new excited laugh that she does and it makes me laugh. David and I are doing well and don't have much excitement going on. I do hope that we can find a new apartment this year. Our neighbors are driving me nuts! They smoke indoors and it wafts up to our apartment through the vents and they keep having these huge fights since he cheats on her constantly. I still want to go back to school so I will be busy applying and such. I can't believe how much time has flown this year! We have been so busy that I wonder if I will ever get her scrapbook done! (Or started for that matter). We have been enjoying the nice weather (on the rare occasion it is nice). We can't wait until it stops snowing and raining everyday! We do have a few trips planned this summer and can't wait for our daughter to go with us. She is seriously so beautiful and amazing :)

A New Year

Once again I haven't been on here as often as I should be. The last 4 months have been great! We have had many challenges and many wonderful moments. I thought I would never get through Ashlyn's first diaper rash or the period of purple crying but we have. I seriously don't know what we have done without her. She is getting tall and has such a personality! She loves to smile and laugh and is such a happy baby! She loves to take baths and cuddle :) It has been hard to have date nights so we have a lot of family time! I decided to go back to work and it is kind of hard. I am going to stick with it for a while and hope it gets better. I am working in an infant room at a child care center so I am with Ashlyn all day still but have other kids as well. I feel like I am taking time away from us or something. I love the kids and seems like I can't wait to go back to work but then again I can sort of thing. We had a great Christmas and the little one got really spoiled! It was nice to see family but so hectic! I am glad the holidays are over and it is a new year with so much ahead! Maybe my New Year Resolution should be to update the blog more often.

She's Here!

Our little Ashlyn Marie is finally here!! She arrived on October 14th at 1:21 in the morning. She weighed 6 lbs. 15 oz. and was 20 inches long. She took her sweet time and nothing went according to plan but that was ok. It all started with our doctor's appointment on October 12th, her actual due date. We had the doctor strip my membranes to see if labor would start. Sure enough contractions started immediately and lasted the whole night. I cleaned the whole house and David knew then that I was in labor. I went to bed and woke up on the 13th to use the bathroom and the contractions were stronger and lasting longer. I got up at 5 and couldn't go back to sleep, so I just timed my contractions. They were getting pretty close together around 8 when I decided to take a bath. Once in the bath tub the contractions stopped and I started back at square one. I got out and walked around and contractions started up again! By 11:30 they were 4 minutes apart for 2 hours and we decided to go to the hospital. They told me I was 5-6 cm. but baby was still high. We walked and used the birthing ball and we were told I was a 7 around 4 pm. I was so excited that I kept moving around and thought this isn't too bad! Then my "birthing crew (Kristyn, Mom, Dad, Tami, David) started to show up. I stayed at a 7 for about 3.5 hours before deciding to have my water broken. Once this happened contractions started to get stronger and closer together. Around 9:30 I decided after being at a 9 for 3 hours I would get an epidural to help my body relax so I could finish dilating and baby would move down. That was a lifesaver! Once that was done I dilated within an hour and a half and started pushing at 11:30. It was so neat to see her head crown in the mirror and David helped deliver her! It was such a great experience to watch her be born and to feel her head once it came out. I never thought I would be so happy but it is also surreal that I have a baby that will be going home with me! Once out she didn't cry but just looked around and made some noise. We finally got to sleep around 5 am after 24 hours of labor and we couldn't be happier to have our little girl with us!

39 Weeks

Our little peanut is being so stubborn! I am now 39 weeks pregnant and so uncomfortable! I have so much trouble sleeping and every time I eat I get sick. I have not had any contractions that hurt or felt too many for that matter. I am retaining a lot of water and my feet don't fit into anything! David has been so understanding of my mood swings, discomfort, and irritability. I don't know what I would do without him! He is going to be such a great hands on daddy! He always wakes up in the middle of the night when I get out of bed to eat or go to the bathroom. He has to make sure everything is ok before he rolls over to go back to sleep :) I am currently 4 cm and 80% effaced and we go to the doctor again tomorrow. I might have the option of getting my membranes stripped but not sure how I feel about it. My blood pressure was high last time so hopefully it has gone down. We have everything ready now just waiting for the show to start. David has been super busy with work and is planning to work from home for a little while after the baby is born. We got our windows replaced so now we don't hear the neighbors anymore! We also got our new dishwasher which is helpful since all I feel like doing is sleeping. We went on a quick trip to Yellowstone and The Grand Tetons about 3 weeks ago and it was so fun! I am so glad we got to go and have one last camping trip before baby gets here! It was so exciting to learn about how Yellowstone was formed and of course the little misadventures that happen on all of our trips :) We had a great camping spot by Jackson Lake in the Grand Tetons and had fun going into the water. In Yellowstone we saw a lot of the hot springs and of course, Old Faithful. It was one of the best spur of the moment trips and we are so lucky we got to do it. I can't wait to take our little Ashlyn there one day to show here nature's wonders! 

The Waiting Game

I am bad at writing on our blog and keeping people updated! I am currently 32 weeks pregnant and ready for this little one to come out!! She is getting bigger and stronger. She kicks constantly and is all up in my ribs. We are so excited and I love seeing David's face light up when he feels her moving. :) He is going to be the greatest dad to our little peanut! We decided on the name Ashlyn Marie Luker. Well I wrote down names I liked and David came home one day and said I know her name. Then he put the names together and it fit! I could never decide a name because he didn't like it, he is just really picky about some things. We decided not to move right now and it might be better since David had a minor surgery to remove some kidney stones and neither of us can move much heavy stuff. We (mostly me) are just cleaning and organizing our house trying to get ready for this baby. I think our little cockroach scare was one that crawled through the drains because I haven't seen one since I poured bleach down all the drains. I have been moving so much stuff that I'm surprised I haven't gone into labor! Right now I am just working on getting all the final stuff we need (crib, bassinet, dresser, changing table, swing, stroller, etc.) All we have are clothes and some diapers! I am also doing little crafty things like painting letters for her room and getting some stuff to decorate. :)

Our Little Family

Our little family has been doing good the past few weeks. We have been busy figuring out if we want to move along with working and me finishing school. I am not working as much as I was before as I am swelling in my feet and legs. We just got back from Vegas for my birthday. We had fun but it isn't really enjoyable being pregnant and taking care of 3 drunk people. We had fun and won some money. We found out last week that we are expecting a little girl! It will be so fun although I don't know how to do little girl hair. I guess we can work on that though. I am really excited that we don't need a lot since my sister has 2 little girls also so we can get what they grow out of! It is stressful thinking of names and birthing classes, and hospital tours but somehow it will all come together in the end. I had a feeling today while in the library that I have no idea what to do or what we will need when we bring baby home. I really feel helpless in not knowing how to do everything. I hope we will figure it out one way or another. Hopefully we will have wonderful people to help us out. As of now we don't have a name but we have a few months to figure that out. Now we just need a few days to relax and enjoy being home!

New Beginnnings

I am having trouble posting as much as I would like due to lack of time. We have been so busy with work and me with school. It is nice to get a moment to write a little bit and update everyone :) We have some wonderful news to share! We are having a baby!!! We are so excited for a new beginning in our lives and can't wait to meet our little peanut. We aren't picky about what gender it is as long as it is happy and healthy. I have had a few obstacles with my pregnancy but that is expected with other problems I had a few years ago. I may have to stop working earlier than I want but I will be staying home and going to school. We are currently on vacation and are traveling through the Midwest. We haven't done much as it is not the right season but we did see some friends of mine in North Dakota and stopped at Devils Tower. We did have one minor problem with the alternator but got it fixed for a decent price. Hopefully we have a great last 2 days and enjoy the time together. David is making me laugh so much! He says the funniest things while we have been driving. I hope everyone is doing well, thanks for reading!

Tis the Season!

So it has been a while since I have been on here! It has been crazy these past few weeks/months! We did go to St. George the day after Thanksgiving and had so much fun relaxing! We climbed Angel's Landing and had a great time with each other. Then the craziness started with me getting a job at Walgreens. I am so glad I was able to get a good job working with great people. We had a great Christmas and spent the day after with my family. It was crazy but so much fun at the same time. It was good to see all of my nieces and nephews at once and get pictures. They are all getting so big! We also went to see David's mom who was ecstatic that she got a framed picture from us. She didn't have a picture of us so it was perfect! We relaxed the day after Christmas as I have been working like crazy barely having any time to do anything! I did get our tree taken down and some of the house cleaned but not like I want it to be. I am ready to get back on days even though that means walking to work at 6:30 and being up at 5:45. I would prefer being on days and not working until 12:15! I am also starting school again in the spring thanks to my honey :) He is paying for classes as long as I get decent grades and keep on top of school! I will try to keep up on the blog but not sure how that will go with work and school.

That is my appendix...Please don't touch

I know the title for this post is weird but it fits more than you know! I have decided that we truly are meant for each other. We have the best relationship I could ever imagine having. We love and support each other so much! I can't believe I can be so happy with someone or love them so much. It just seems so surreal to look back and look at where I am today. I have a wonderful man who would do anything for me and who spoils me so much. We have so much fun just being with each other and joking around. Hence the title of this blog. We are so excited for the holidays to come. David's birthday falls on Thanksgiving this year which kind of sucks but we may get out of town for the weekend to somewhere like St. George so we can relax. We are planning a trip to North Dakota in January so I can see my friends and show him where I lived for a while. I am so EXCITED for the next few months!!! I finally got all the bills for my hospital visit and have decided that if I can fix something myself I will avoid the hospital at all costs...They charge an arm and a leg for services (and that's with insurance). Next time I will risk losing the use of my finger which I can't really use sometimes like when I am typing and it still tingles from nerve damage :( It sucks! I will just super glue it next time and put it in a splint. My luck is looking better, for now. I have been having weird flashbacks from this time 2 years ago when I lived in North Dakota. I keep thinking about what I was doing at that time and the people I was around and makes me wonder what would have happened if I stayed. I have this weird feeling lately and I'm not sure what to attribute it to...Maybe it is nothing but I kind of miss my past and the people I knew. I know that all sounds really weird but there is some part of me that wishes I was still as carefree and not a worry in the world! It's comforting to know that I have made new friends and amends with old ones. I am lucky to have people in my life who are positive influences. Mandy is one of those people who have been great to have in my life. She understands and we can talk for hours about nothing and everything. She is a great friend who has been there when I need someone to talk to and I hope I can do the same for her. She is my person regardless if I am her person or not (Grey's Anatomy thing..She got me addicted). She will always be that one person I consider to be a close friend no matter what. As far as me and David..We are doing great and happy to spend everyday together :) I don't think I could imagine being with anyone else. We are so glad to have our own place and starting our own life together.

Well just call me Murphy...I have absolutely no luck anymore. I cut my finger, lost my job, got a flat tire, the ignition lock in my car broke, I got sick, and now the seat in my car broke. I swear it is just one thing after the next. David laughs at me all the time because of my bad luck. No one can comprehend why I have been having such bad luck. On a better note: David got a raise only after 3 months of being with this company. I am so happy for him! He finally has a great job that he loves. I have been saddened this baseball season as my Red Sox lost to the Angels...I was super upset but that's what happens when the pitching staff doesn't know what the hell they are talking about. We have been so busy lately with everything I barely find time to update our blog! I feel like I clean a lot and apply for a ton of jobs all day. We went deer hunting this past weekend and had a lot of fun just being outdoors. I enjoy trips like that where I get to spend time with my family (pictures soon). I love that I get to spend the time with my niece and nephews. Although I did run into an unexpected someone who reminds me of the past. My brother-in-law's stepfather. I used to like my brother-in-law's stepbrother. I can honestly say he is the first guy to ever give me butterflies. It is so weird to think I liked him so much. It just gives me this weird feeling just thinking of how he made me believe there is such a thing as love. I know that was a long time ago but it still stirs up this feeling inside of me knowing that the one night I spent with him was so special and significant in my life.
Anyway...I love living downtown so close to everything!! I just want to experience all of the little shops and restaurants. I love being able to walk everywhere!! I love being able to see the sunset and rise. I am so glad we found our place when we did! The one downfall is that no matter where I go people ask me for money! It drives me nuts! It would be one thing if they would just say hi and ask how you are but they beg. If you didn't say anything or just said hi I might be more compelled to give you some money. Also they act like I drive a Mercedes or something. No I drive a POS with a broken seat. I barely have $5 to buy my own groceries and sometimes our money is gone before we get it. We barely scrape by some weeks. I am just lucky I have David who can help support me and pay the bills or I don't know what I would do. We are so lucky to have a roof over our heads and food to eat. Now lets see who is complaining about me buying extra food a month ago. I bought extra in case we might not have money the next week. We are planning on taking a vacation to Bismarck, ND after Thanksgiving just to relax (and for me to see old friends). Maybe I will write again when I can actually think of what to write...

Crazy Month

This month is all sorts of crazy! First I had a medical scare with pain on my right side which just turned out to be an infection. Then we got lost in the Uintas, but still had fun! I hurt my foot on that hike so I still have a hurt toe. Things were going good this week....I was loving my job more than I thought I could (how many of us can say we love our jobs?). Then it turned around completely Thursday morning. I woke up to make David a tuna fish sandwich, the usual. I was using our Pampered Chef gadget to drain the tuna. I got the first can done and got his sandwich made so he wouldn't be late. I moved onto the 2nd can and the gadget got stuck and it was in there good. David tried to get it out and broke one of the sides off...great. He left for work so I kept trying to get it out with every tool I had, still no luck! So I decided to try and cut the bottom with a knife and try to push it out that way (I AM accident prone with knives!) I got a hole in the can and as I was trying the knife slipped and cut my finger. I knew right away it was bad as it bled all over. I washed it out then got toilet paper to put pressure on it, even though paper towels were closer. I bled through that so I grabbed an old towel to apply pressure then called David to tell him to meet me at the hospital. On my way out I realized I still wasn't wearing a bra under my white shirt so I grabbed that and put it on as I went down the stairs. I got to the hospital and waited. They saw me and had to call the hand surgeon since I cut through most of my tendon. I fell asleep then was told I had to go to IMC and he would operate on my finger between his other surgeries. I drove to IMC with it wrapped up knowing I had to hurry to get to work still. I got checked in and got a wonderful nurse who got me food and a drink. I relaxed a bit then waited 2 hours for the surgeon. In short he figured what needed to be done and did it. I am glad I was numb through all this. Then he made a splint for me so I don't rip it againt before it heals. It all looks worse than it is. I am just lucky to have David who is so sweet! He came home and cared for me and has been cooking and doing dishes. I am so lucky! I am ready for this to be over!

This past week

Well camping was fun! We went up to the Uintas around Clyde Lake, and of course we got lost! We always get lost when we go up there but we still made the best of it. We took my mom's little dogs with us and they were such troopers! We set up camp and made the best of not knowing where we were. We thought one sleeping bag would be fine, we can share right? WRONG! It was so crowded with just both of us and the ground was so hard to sleep on. We finally found our way back and made it back safe. The sad part of our week was David's grandma's funeral. It was a wonderful thing to know she is not in pain anymore though. I didn't forget about 9/11 either. How could I? I have the military all around me! I LOVE telling soldiers how thankful I am for them serving our country. But I also have my own soldiers in my family that I love dearly and though I don't thank them everyday I hope they know I appreciate what they do for our country. I am LOVING my job still! It is so great to see the children learn from me and draw pictures for me. I love that I am making a difference in their lives. I just want everyone to know how much I love David! Words cannot explain what he means to me. He is truly the man I want to be with for the rest of my life. He does so much for me and loves me more than I know. I love to catch him looking at me with love in his eyes. I ask him, "what are you looking at?" He will reply, "I just love you and love looking at you is that ok?" Of course it is! He makes me feel like such a princess! We have started a new tradition of going to a new restaurant each week to try new ones and show each other ones the other didn't know of. I love doing this and just having quality time to spend with him after a long work week. We went to the Avenues street fair today and had fun. We also went to the Greek festival and had fun there trying food and watching the dancers. The single reason I know we are meant for each other: This morning we were taking a shower and I said something like we belong together or something along those lines. Then David busts out the song from Grease!! We sang in the shower for a good 10 minutes. I laugh when I think about that and how it will always stick out in my mind. I can't believe I found someone who is not afraid to be silly with me! It makes me happy that we can have these fun and completely ridiculous moments but they mean so much. I found my better half who loves me no matter what. He is brilliant and amazes me everyday with how caring and smart he is. Even though he makes fun of the things I say (my blonde moments) I love him and know that will NEVER change. I still get butterflies when he looks at me and kisses me. Off to bed for me since I know my body wont let me sleep long...Good Night

New Beginnings!

We are now moved into our little apartment up on 1st Avenue! We love it!! We are so close to everything and can walk everywhere downtown. It is so nice to have our own place FINALLY! I do miss my parents and like to go see them often but it is nice to have my own space and not worry about them living upstairs. We aren't fully unpacked yet but we will get there. It is so hectic seeing as we both have full-time jobs and are usually gone 10-12 hours out of the day. It is nice for both of us to have jobs that will support us.  David is working for a contractor for the Department of Defense. We are going camping this weekend just not sure where yet. We are so excited to finally get away and have a trip together just us. We haven't camped at all this year and didn't do anything on our anniversary so this will be fun for us.