Fourth of July (a little late)

It is August! Oh that time just keeps on flying. I do want to remember our fun Fourth of July weekend we spent up in Pocatello about a month ago. Carrie and her boys came, which is always a party, so Chris and I came up and spent the weekend.

The Fourth was a great day. We went to the parade and of course ate delicious food at Grandma's. My favorite is that my mom sent a picture of me to Park a while ago. He was hilarious and basically said I was huge and super pregnant. And of course he asked "When's the BABY due?" We sure miss him. If he could only see me now :)

Happy Asher enjoying his baby Cheetos.
He was hilarious.

sweet Carter. he's so cute!

Sure love Care!

I requested a trip up Scout Mountain to roast hotdogs with Grandpa Boyce. I must confess I was mostly motivated by the desire for some smores. It was really fun! We did get rained on, but waited it out and were able to roast some marshmallows! My mom saved the fire while the rest of us sat in our cars. Go mom. And can I just say there is nothing better than a perfectly golden smore cooked over a fire. Of course, I pride myself on being an excellent marshmallow roaster so that helps. It was a memorable little adventure. And now Chris has experienced one of my favorite summer activities in Poky.

my delicious smore

Jack. look at that happy face

I know this is blurry, but I kind of loved it. my mom told us to
"look like we love each other." We sure do.  He is the best!

Chris had to drive back on Sunday to work, but I stayed and went to Bear Lake with the fam. It was a beautiful day, not too hot. All of the boys were so cute and loved it. We sure loved having those Allen boys around. Chris and I are such fans of Asher. He is just too yummy and fun. We'd be more than happy with a little baby boy like him.

oh Max. I love that little face.
he was so happy eating those cheese balls

Asher resting. yum

Almost There

Happy Summer! It has been weird for me to be in an Elementary School this late into the summer, but I have been grateful to be able to do my student teaching now. I have one more week, then I will be all done!! And it feels so good. Turning in my Teacher Work Sample and doing my last observation happened on Monday. We're on the last stretch. Then I will get to graduate in August! I made it!! Of course I will be 36 weeks pregnant, so we'll see how pleasant Graduation will be :) But we're very excited and blessed.

I spent the majority of my student teaching in a sixth grade classroom, which was more pleasant than I had originally anticipated. I enjoyed it even with the soon-to-be middle schoolers that sometimes had a bit of an attitude. I have spent the last couple of weeks in a second grade classroom. It was quite the jump to these little people. They are so funny, and it has been a good experience. I am excited to be done though.

My body keeps growing along with our baby boy. I am 28 weeks along. We have arrived at the third trimester! I really have been blessed with feeling quite well. I did have a little stretch of very awful back pain. Luckily it happened when I was in Pocatello, so my parents took care of me. My wonderful dad and grandpa gave me a blessing. The pain did not stop right away, but by the end of the week I was back to normal (well as normal as being pregnant is). We were very grateful for this blessing because I didn't know if I was going to make it if I was in pain the rest of the pregnancy. 

Chris did come home for almost a week at the end of this little ordeal. I felt so spoiled to have him home, and we pretty much just partied for a week. I cooked on Sunday, but other than that we ate out every night. Scandalous, I know. We also went to a couple of movies, visited Seven Peaks with our Pass of All Passes, bowled, etc. It was a delightful little week. It was very difficult to say goodbye again. That was about 3 weeks ago. I must admit it has been tough. Maybe it's being pregnant or something, but I have definitely cried more than normal. Thank goodness for my fabulous parents to keep me company. They are truly the best, and we've had fun weekends going back and forth. Chris will be home this week sometime, and I can hardly wait. I've wished he was here to experience the joys and sometimes not so joyful moments of all of the pregnancy. But he will be home soon to finish it off with me before we welcome our baby boy to our family. It was so sweet to have him here for the week so he could feel our baby kick and move. I loved him talking to our son in both English and Spanish (to give him a jump start on being bilingual :). 

25 weeks

love the bow tie 

Los Cucos. delicioso 

I was too busy eating to get a good
picture before it was almost all gone.
I love their green cheese enchiladas.

Ruby River Steakhouse. yum

28 weeks!

I have loved feeling this baby move around inside of me. I get the feeling he will be an enthusiastic little boy. I am grateful every day for this miracle.

New Things

It has been an eventful and exciting couple of weeks.

I finished my last finals week at BYU! It was pretty low-key with not too much stress. I also said goodbye to the TC.

We celebrated Choco's birthday the last day of finals. We went to Goodwood Barbecue for dinner, which was so yummy. We had some friends over that night for cake. I made some tres leches cake. It was my first time, and I think I need some more practice. But everyone seemed to enjoy it. Choco appreciated the effort and said he liked the cake, so it was a success. I gave him some new shirts and a fedora. He is so cute in it. He also got a pull-up bar. He is now officially 27! old man :)

enjoying his Goodwood meal

We packed up our first home. My parents came down and helped us move last Saturday. They are the best. It was a long but good day full of lots of cinnamon rolls, packing, cleaning, driving, lunch at JCW's, and unloading. We have been getting settled in to our new place. It is in a great neighborhood. We're in a larger basement and loving it. 

at our new apartment (in front of the closet...classy right?)

I started my student teaching with SIXTH graders at Columbia Elementary. I'm really excited about it, and it has been a great week with them. I was scared of them at first (and maybe still am a bit) but they are wonderful. I'll be teaching more this week, so I'm looking forward to that. We're even doing some salsa dance for P.E. this week, so we'll see how that works.

In other news, my husband is now in Oklahoma. Crazy huh? But the company he works for is slowing down here, so they sent him off to Oklahoma. He will be there 3 weeks, home for 1 week, then gone again for 3 more weeks. It is hard to be apart, as we learned last fall semester, but we will survive. I will be busy with planning and teaching. He will be working a lot, so it will be fine. I'm grateful for his willingness to work and sacrifice for our family. He's hoping to even see a Thunder game while there.

Choco's new work safety glasses that have his
prescription.  He loves to wear them at home too.  

saying goodbye at the airport today

In other exciting news, my belly has kind of really started to poke out this past week. That boy of ours is growing. It is so fun to feel him moving around inside of me. I'm feeling good and doing well at 21 weeks. It is crazy we're past the halfway point.

look at that belly

A few weeks ago, my mom came down with my grandma and grandpa for a short but sweet visit on a Wednesday. I must confess I really love these people. Grandma and Grandpa wanted to go to the Tulip Festival at Thanksgiving Point, so I met them there. We first ate lunch at this fancy and adorable little restaurant. Although it seemed too huge, I managed to finish my whole chicken club sandwich. yum. Then we headed to see the tulips. It was a little chilly and windy and it is too early for all of the flowers to be out, but it was beautiful. It is huge! I think my favorite was the little secret garden. It was a fun outing.

dear mom

G and G Boyce

Mom and I left and hurried to my doctor's appointment. It was time for another ultrasound! We got to see our sweet little boy. Everything seems to be good with him. The tec was pointing some different parts out to us (bladder, kidneys, etc.) and we just had to trust her because it was a little tricky to see. He was kind of in a funny position. Silly boy. But it was great. I still am so amazed at the miracle taking place. We sure love our boy. He weighed about 10 ounces at that appointment. Just a shout out to my wonderful mother for this cutest cardigan for baby L. We've got his Easter outfit all set for next year.

So, we are doing great. Feeling blessed and busy. 

Last day of class ever!

Today, I had my last day of classes at BYU! What?! It has been an amazing four blessed years. I'm so grateful for the education I've received and the many ways I have grown. After student teaching, I will officially be graduating in August. So, I've been thinking how I and my life has changed in these four years. I remember being a freshman on my first day on campus. I was overwhelmed at the amount of people walking around. I have had many amazing and life-changing classes. I've grown spiritually. I met my husband and we got married. And now we're expecting a baby boy. It has been an eventful and rewarding four years.

So, thank you BYU. It's been a good run. Thank you dear professors. Thank you tithing money and the church for making this possible for me. Thank you mom and dad for your support and encouragement. Thank you Choco for your love and support. Woo-hoo!

in front of the McKay Building (aka my home on
campus for the past two years)

my excited face

We're having a...

We had our first ultrasound last Wednesday to find out the gender of our babe. I was really nervous and excited before. I was worried they wouldn't be able to tell or something. But it was pretty easy to spot that a little boy will be joining our family!

A little boy. We are very excited and grateful. And I must say, he is so adorable (at least from what we can tell). His little hands and feet are so fun. It was a really sweet experience to see him moving around. He is the size of an avocado this week. It is miraculous this little avocado already looks like a little person. He was sweet and moving his hands to his head and walking with his little feet. We just love him so much already.

I'm trying to get used to the idea that I'll be a mom first to a boy. I look forward to and daydream about exploring outside together, going on treasure hunts, playing in the dirt, and just learning together. We'll take trips to the library and museums and the park and wherever else. Probably not too much dressing up or barbies will be happening, but it will be fabulous. I already feel some of the weight and responsibility on my shoulders for raising and teaching this little boy. But when I feel overwhelmed, I just think that I can do hard things and with God I can do all things. I have a feeling we'll need Him on our side for this journey we'll be starting. What a blessing to be able to turn to the best parent for help.

And so, that's where we're at. I'm excited we'll have an older brother for our family-to-be. I'm sure he will teach us so much. We took a couple pictures after we just found out. Also, I had to throw in a couple of Chris a few Sundays ago. He is so cute. I hope our little boy looks just like him, especially that dark curly hair.

15 Weeks. Apple.

This week has gone quite quickly. It's been good with school. And I'm now 15 weeks along. Baby L is the size of an apple. And honestly, I think my bump has grown. Who knew I would be happy for my pants getting a little snug in the waist?

I had another appointment last week. It was very short but sweet. I love to hear that little heartbeat. On Wednesday (as in this Wednesday) we have our gender check appointment! Can I tell you how excited I am? I know that whatever the baby is, he/she will be exactly who we're supposed to have join or family. So, obviously we're good either way. But, we maybe would like to start with a boy. Because that's maybe what we want, we both think it is a girl. And today, I really think it is a girl. Only time will tell. To be honest, I go back and forth trying to imagine our little one. I would like to say I already "know," but I really don't so we'll see. I think I've had dreams of both scenarios.  Anyways, enough rambling. Gender revealing coming soon. 

Here is me (and Choco) at 15 weeks. (I thought I would be so good at taking these weekly but that hasn't happened.)

Sister Boyce

Today, we went to hear my dearest cousin talk before she leaves for the MTC on Wednesday! Katie and I had a little date to the temple on Thursday. It was so special to be in the temple with her. A dinner of temple cafeteria food was a perfect way to finish off the evening. I even had a piece of chocolate cream pie. Yum. Ever since we were tiny, Katie and I have been close as cousins and friends. I sure do love her. I'm so proud of her and her good decisions. Seattle, Washington is receiving an amazing Sister.

She spoke on the Atonement and did a wonderful, sweet job. I'm excited to hear all of the experiences she will have. Oh dear Sister Boyce.

Last weekend, we took a little trek up to Pocatello. Highlights of the trip included Grandma's annual tea party (honestly I love this tradition and was so happy we could be there for it. Thanks Gram!); seeing and visiting with Carrie, Kev, and their adorable boys; sending Brit and Addie off on their European adventure (so excited for them!!); and Sunday dinner of yummy roast, potatoes, carrots (delish). I love my parents, and it's always so great to spend time with them. We are so grateful for them. 

In other news, practicum is going great. I feel so tired every day, blame it on the pregnancy,  but with a little nap after school I make it through the day fine. I'm still not feeling so hot but hanging in there. Third grade is pretty great I must say. I also found out that I will be in West Jordan for my student teaching, so we're on the hunt for a new home for a while. Life is going great.