Good Friends

I must admit we have some wonderful friends! On Wednesday I got into my car to run some errands only to discover it simply wouldn't start. It made a clicking noise that sounded like a machine gun going off. At first I figured it was my battery however all of my lights came on and my windows still rolled up and down. Confused and rather annoyed I called my friend Nate who was willing to put aside everything to come and help. Not 5 minutes later I received a call from our friend Stu who had just gotten off of work and said he was on his way to relieve Nate. Stu worked on my car for 3 1/2 hours. He figured it was my starter however in my 2001 Dodge Stratus the starter is in a very inconvenient location so he had to take apart part of the engine to reach it. We headed to Auto Zone where they directed us to another store location because my starter was out of stock. The gentleman there took the starter to test it and low and behold... it worked just fine. Confused as to what the problem might be we returned back to the apartment and Stu put the car back together. Before he left he decided to clean the connections to the battery and tried jumping it. It started. I felt so bad! He wasted soooo much time when all it need was a jump. We just like doing things the hard way!

The next morning we tried starting it again before Jakob left for work. Dead as a doornail. (I never quite understood that expression.) Stu came over once again to test the battery (it was toast) and to help Jakob take it out and put a new one in. I am so thankful for such wonderful friends who are willing to sacrifice their time to help us whenever we're in need. We are so blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful people!!

Awkward!

While at the NYE party at the Wynn, several people came up and asked me if I was really pregnant or if it was just part of my costume. I can't think of anyone off of the top of my head who would dress up as an 8 month pregnant clown for the fun of it but perhaps that is just me. Everyone wanted to touch my belly which is nothing new. I'm used to feeling like Buda. The funniest part was this little girl who was watching me. She couldn't have been more than 6. Some girl pointed at my belly and asked if I was having a boy or a girl. I told her we were having a girl. The first girl with wide curious eyes asked again; "Is that a baby?" while pointing at my bulging belly. I smiled and said yes. Her expression turned from confusion to terror in seconds. "YOU ATE YOUR BABY!!!?" I reassured her that no I had not eaten my baby that it was growing and then she asked me with judging eyes still believing I had consumed my child "Then how did it get in there?!"

I mean what do you say to that?? Do you start the birds and the bee's talk?? Do you walk away as quickly as possible?? I was at a loss. It took a second to compose myself. I just smiled and told her that the baby needed to grow inside of me to get healthy and I quickly moved onto another task because she was realizing I hadn't answered her question. Oh to see the world from a child's perspective!

New Years Resolutions

Holy Moley! How did 2011 slide by so fast?! I remember looking back in June thinking December was forever away and here it has already come and gone in the blink of an eye! I remember looking forward to 2011 with a heart full of goals. I was determined to change, to evolve somehow and perhaps I have in some ways but not to the extent I would have liked. I wrote out my list and simply left it there. This year I want to actually achieve some of those goals on my list, hopefully I can be better this year! Here are my New Years Resolutions for 2012.

1. Be a dedicated mother. It is one thing to simply raise a child and another to put all of your might mind and soul into being a parent. I want to be a mother who adores my children, who laughs with them, who plays with them. I don't want to be looking at the clock thinking "only one more hour until bed time." I realize that of course every parent has those hard days, sometimes even hard weeks but I want to be actively involved in my children's lives and I want to start day 1.
2. WORK OUT! I know everybody puts this on their list but after our little girl arrives I will have more motivation since I'll have some extra pounds to lose. I want to do this the healthy way instead of starving myself which I have done my entire life. I was anorexic throughout high school and the first bit of our marriage. Jakob has helped a lot with getting me to eat and realizing there is a right and a wrong way to stay thin and be healthy. After Ethnie is born I want to stay healthy and love myself regardless. Perhaps that means I will no longer be 5' 9" at 120 pounds and a size 3 and I will have to accept that and realize that it's okay. :)
3. Once again I am putting keep a clean house. It has been so much easier now that we have space to move around but there is always room for improvement! Organized I am but I need to do deep herbal cleanings more often.
4. Once again I am putting magnifying my calling on here. We have just been called to be the "Bear Den" Leaders. I feel uncomfortable because I do not know what that entails. I have some time to get it figured out before our little lady arrives but I want to be there for those boys and ensure that they are having fun and their testimonies are growing!
5. Read my scriptures every day..... yeah I've fallen off of the band wagon. Enough said.
6. Scrapbook!!! I put this on here last year and then somehow I got even worse!! I didn't make a single birthday card this year. I know I suck! This year I need to be more prepared and prioritize. It isn't hard to make a card, time consuming perhaps but I think it means a lot to know that someone cares enough to take time out of their lives to send a simple card. Maybe that is just me but I always appreciate it.
7. Fall in love with my husband even more. Over the past year I have realized that our marriage works and thrives because Jakob and I continuously strive to make it that way. Over the past year I have grown to love him more that I ever knew possible. I want that to continue and it takes effort on both parts. I am so lucky to be in love with my best friend!
8. Don't sweat the small stuff. I'm getting better at this but I still have a long way to go. I have some OCD issues and I know it. It's the small things that get to me and I'm learning that in the end it doesn't matter! Just go with the flow :)
9. Dance like no one is watching! This is more of a metaphor than a literal statement. I want to live life to the fullest instead of just gliding on by. I want to make mistakes and learn from them. I want to saver moments with family and friends. I want to put my whole heart into things that I do. Sometimes that might mean failure and I have to accept that that is okay. Most of the time it'll mean an adventure, a story, a journey, a success and that is what I am aiming for!
10. Join the choir. I love to sing. I think the choir would be fun.

There we are! My top ten for 2012! I am so thankful for all that we have been blessed with throughout 2011, it was a wonderful year! I am looking forward to all of the adventures that are in store for us in 2012! Happy New Year everyone!!

New Years Eve

This was the first year since we've been engaged/ married that Jakob and I were able to spend New Years Eve together. It was really nice! We both worked the annual NYE party and the Wynn. I was a clown and Jakob got to be the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland. I must admit he was the cutest bunny. Not nearly as cute as our niece Lucia on Halloween but he was a close second. We did not however get to share a New Years Kiss, it was a little bit difficult through his costume and he was a little bit sweaty once he got out! I hope everyone's NYE was wonderful! May 2012 be everything you hope and dream it to be!

32 Weeks

Yikes, I can't believe it's time for our monthly update already!! Time needs to slow down!! 2012 is RIGHT around the corner... how did that happen??

How far along? 32 weeks
Total weight loss/ gained? +23 lbs (143 lbs)
Name? Ethnie Lauren Tobler
Maternity clothes? I got a few treasures for Christmas which was wonderful. My regular t-shirts no longer cover the bottom of my belly. It's so nice to have something long!!
Stretch marks? I'm super surprised and very relieved to still say... not yet. Only 8 weeks to go... I wonder if I can hold out!
Sleep? All I can say is "I love my bed." While in Canada my appreciation grew a little deeper for my bed. With all of this extra weight tossing and turning is now a full blown challenge!
Best moment this week? Flying! Our little girl loves to fly, the entire 3 hour flight she was just a wiggling away. She also loves to rock in the rocking chair.
Missing anything? Being thin. I'm still super tiny for 32 weeks but shopping for clothes is not nearly as fun when you can't fit into anything. No fear, I'll hopefully be back to my thin self within 12-20 weeks.
Movement? She is super stubborn. I felt really bad that she wouldn't move for any of my family members. Any time someone would stick their hand on my tummy she would freeze. Perhaps she's just a Mommy's girl and that's alright with me :)
Food cravings? Oranges?? I guess my body needs more vitamin C because I can't get enough!!
Anything making you queasy/ sick? No sir!
Labor signs? Contractions!!! I get quite a few throughout the day. I'm glad I can at least feel them now.
Belly button in or out? Out.
Wedding rings on or off? On baby!
Mood? Super happy to be home and getting back into my routine!
Any fun symptoms? Slow movement. I still think I'm thin... I was trying to squeeze in between two people yesterday at the grocery store and I totally plowed into someone with my belly! It was embarrassing. Oh yes... and Super Sleeeepy!
Looking forward too? Finishing Ethnie's room, and getting ready for her grand arrival!

Tigger Dog

This is my dog Tigger. Over the past 3 years I can honestly say that I can tell how old he's gotten. He used to jump and play but he's old now and even eating has become difficult for him. It's so sad to see! He has been such a good dog for our family. I'm not sure I'll get to see him again making this goodbye was a lot harder than any other. I love you Stinky McGee.

Wonderful Visits

Some of our favorite moments from Canada this year were visiting with friends. We got to see so many people that we love. It was the perfect way to make this Christmas season that much brighter! We don't have pictures with everyone we saw which I'm disappointed about. I don't know what came over me... I'll be sure to take some more pictures come July!

This is the Hall/ Mooy family. Jakob baptized Richard Mooy (not pictured) while he was serving his mission. It was wonderful catching up with them. We missed seeing Richard as he was at work!

We got to visit with my adopted Oma and Opa Zapf. I've considered them to be my Oma and Opa since I was a little girl! It is always a pleasure visiting with them! They are quite little so they stood on the fireplace. They are so cute to watch together. It's so precious to see how much they love each other!

I just loved their tree! Oma put some fake candles on it and it looked wonderful!! They have 2 real candles on their tree which they light on Christmas eve, wish each other a Merry Christmas and blow them out. Candles are such a fire hazard :).

Momma, Daddy and G-ma joined us for the visit to Oma and Opa's It was lovely!

These guys must have called each other before church to coordinate their outfits! On the Left is Adam and the right is Al Lubbers. Jakob and I got to spend a wonderful evening with the Lubbers! Bro. Lubbers was the ward mission leader in Mission Hill when Jakob was a missionary. Let's just say they bonded. Jakob adores Al.

Thank you to all those who welcomed us into your homes and came to see us! We had such a wonderful time with you all and look forward to seeing you again in the summer!!

Smile

Trying to get everyone together for family photos was difficult. Chris just started a new job and his schedule was very demanding hence no family Santa photo this year. I figured I have a fancy camera and these would do... plus we've never done it before! It was a lot of fun taking pictures. Here are some of our favorites.

Momma & Daddy

So cute :)

The Kiddos

The Ladies

The Gentlemen

This is hands down my favorite photo!! Gosh darn it I love it!

Jared is a lot like Jakob, he gets distracted pretty easily!

Once again, our signature photo. I can't wait until our little girl is here so we can stop clutching onto my belly.

Our attempt of outshining Jared and Katlynn, we lost. :) It was a fun afternoon!!