Avyn Mae

Wednesday, July 30, 2014. one of the best days of my life thus far. {tied with my wedding day/marriage to the man that brought me the next best day of my life of course 😉 }

prepare for too many details. I want to remember as much as possible.

at my 37/38 week doctors appointment a nurse approached me about a research study group that was going on for first time mothers. they are conducting a research study on whether it is healthier for babies and mom to be induced at 39 weeks instead of having to wait to be induced at 41 weeks {reasons: placenta’s functionality decreases, weight of child vs. c-sections etc}. after talking it over and getting more information from the nurse, Ty and I felt I had nothing to lose. I would either be randomly selected to be induced at 39 weeks, go into natural labor or I would be induced at 41 weeks – like all first time moms who go past their due date. plus I could chose not to do it at anytime if I felt uneasy about it. the one incentive to want to be induced at 39 weeks was not only to have my sweet little girl here but Ty’s brother, Johnny was in town until the 4th of August, so if I went over my due date he wouldn’t meet her until her blessing. so I opted to be apart of the study. once I had my next appointment I was 38 weeks, I was 50% effaced and dilated at a 2. { my thoughts: GREAT not much progression}….after a few days they called to put us into the study in a randomized program to let us know what group we would be apart of. we were put into the group to be induced at — 39 weeks — I got a little bit anxious and had a few butterflies now knowing EXACTLY when I would meet my little girl. so since I was technically 39 weeks on a saturday, they wouldn’t do the induction until the following week. so my induction was scheduled to begin the night of the 29th of July. I felt like that week and weekend were the longest ones of my life. I kept hoping for spontaneous labor but knew she was real comfy in there kicking my guts around so that was probably not gonna happen.

July 29th came and I was told to come into the hospital at 7pm. my mom came up to be there for the birth and to keep me sane after labor. since they inform you that you wouldn’t be able to eat again until after the birth, I had my “last supper”, which was a  tasty sandwich from Which Wich {yum}. then it was off to the hospital – got checked in and sat in the room and waited for the nurse.

Sharon, my nurse who I LOVED, came in to meet us and check my situation out. she let us know that I was 90% effaced and dilated to a 3.5/4. she then proceeded to let us know that since I was already 90% effaced they wouldn’t need to give me prostaglandin to soften my cervix and they could start the pitocin. she informed us that I would probably give birth somewhere around 3-4am. we told her Dr. Jacob, my doctor, was on call the next day. she called him and he said he would come in to deliver our girl whatever time it was – because he is that awesome — I hope he delivers all my babes, no joke. so we let that pitocin start drippin around 8:15pm. and my husband paced for the next 3-4 hours and gave Sharon the third degree {he asks questions and paces around when he gets nervous/anxious — its kinda cute}. although she said she really liked being asked questions — she was too nice so who knows if that is true or not.

so I had made no decision prior on whether I would get an epidural. I told myself I would just see how it went as I progressed. we let the pitocin work its magic and Sharon would check me every hour. time was irrelevant to me at this point – just working through the contractions. at first I felt the contractions were like period cramps. I was sure if that was all it was I could endure that! well i was naive. when the nurse came to check on me and told me I was a 5. I asked her when she thought I should get the epidural if I decided I wanted it. she suggested once I start having to breath through the contractions, then at that point I should consider the epidural. so I kept enduring. braving it. I started to feel the contractions in my lower back wrapping into my front but mostly the lower back. kinda like when you do yard work and are hunched over forever, the sore back feeling but then it began to get crazy intense. I could feel myself getting uncomfortable with each contraction. I kept enduring. my silly husband would point out to me when a “big one” was happening on the monitor…YEAH I know. I can feel it. He once made me laugh in the middle of a contraction and I thought I would lose it- smack a fool- because laughing at the same time that muscle is so tense was like hitting your funny bone but x20. it hurts SO bad but I was laughing because of what he had said. I told him no more of that… eventually I came to reason with myself, I could continue to tough this out and get myself dilated further, maybe to a 7/8 but I knew I didn’t really want to feel anything close to what a 9/10 felt like and I definitely didn’t really want to feel the pain afterward {squishing my belly and whatnot}. AND I was slowly getting that irritability for no reason other than: pain of contractions + people I love that are not in pain = irritated pregnant lady wanting everyone out of that room. so since I knew I really wanted my mom, marissa, susan, ty and melissa to stay in the room for the delivery, I knew it was going to be better for everyone overall once I got the epidural. I believe I was at about a 5.5/6 when they gave me the epidural…then from that point on, it was bliss. I slept a little. enjoyed what was going on around me. such a good idea. eventually they came in and broke my water as well. when that happened they informed us that there was meconium in the water {baby poop} so once she was born they would have to have the NICU team there just in case she swallows any of the fluid. one thing NO ONE mentioned to me that would happen that I feel like a lot of women forget about was the shakes. I literally COULD NOT stop shaking. they gave me a warm blanket in attempt to help calm it down. both my mom and Sue said how they forgot about the shakes. Ty even told me to stop shaking — unfortunately I can’t control this adrenaline rush silly husband.

once the time came to push it was about 4:45am ish. Sharon called Dr. Jacob to come and she prepped Ty & I for what I needed to do to push. we started the process. contractions started, I pushed. Sharon was great and to my wonderful surprise, so was Tyler. I totally expected him to be grossed out, pacing around or not sure what he should do, maybe even passed out but he was really great. kept coaching me through each contraction to push harder to get our little girl out. everyone kept saying how much hair she had. it felt surreal. like was I really bringing a little human into this world right now?

Dr. Jacob said “one last push Nicole and I want you to lean forward to watch this one…” as I did what he said, I saw my sweet Avyn come into this world. seriously, no words can describe that feeling. and then another bizarre feeling of having all that space freed up inside me. my mind was blown. it’s extraordinary how for the last 3-4 months my body hasn’t felt like my own because I have been sharing it with that little one then –BAM- in an instant I feel that space we shared unoccupied and that occupant is staring at me, screaming and I have no words to describe the love I have for that little one. its beyond this world, that’s all I know.

I think I started to tear up and then they took her immediately over to the NICU in the other side of the room to make sure she didn’t have fluid in her lungs etc. she wasn’t making enough noise and I was getting worried. she had made one scream when she came out but nothing since….then the NICU team talked amongst themselves and finally took her off to the NICU. Tyler followed them. panic must have been apparent on my face because Dr. Jacob kept reassuring me that everything was fine. she just wasn’t expanding her lungs completely so she needed to be put on a nasal CPAP. he said she got a good apgar score and nothing to worry about….so we waitied. Ty sent pictures to us from the NICU. I was in love. all i wanted to do was to hold and kiss that squishy little face. and that is all I have done since that day.

Avyn Mae Richards was born at 5:39am on July 30. 7 lbs 12 oz. 19.5 inches. I believe in total I pushed for 50 minutes and the whole labor and delivery was around 9.5 hours.

I got to finally go see her after an hour. again tears of joy streamed down my face. I really did underestimate how much love I would have for her and my husband. she was perfect to me. and still is.

I have found a new immense appreciation to mothers. especially my own and ty’s. they have been amazing during this new adjustment period. I could NEVER have done this without them.

also BIG thanks to Melissa at Moxie Shots Photography for capturing these amazing memories for us. she has caught some of the most important moments in my life and can’t thank her enough!

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Showering the Babe

NOPE she isn’t here yet to actually “shower”. But I had the most INCREDIBLE showers given by my family and friends.

My first shower was end of June and was held at my Aunt’s house. All my aunts, cousins and cousin in laws came to shower this little girl. I was extremely grateful for all that they gave us to help us start this new journey of parenthood. Everything from blankets, clothes, diapers to a bumbo and my diaper bag! It was excellent. Couldn’t have asked for anything more.

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My next shower was put on by my sweet sister in laws, Erica & Ashley, and my friends Victoria & Haley. It was AMAZING. So cute. Decorated adorable, great food/treats and so many wonderful people came to show their love & support to us {Ty, myself and Susan — her awesome friends came!} Here are a few pics of the amazingness of it 🙂

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See I wasn’t joking. INCREDIBLE. It was so beautifully done. Loved everything about it.

OH and of course I was really tickled with all the gifts I was given…as you can tell (my expressions..oh gosh):

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I was stoked about the books – especially that “I love you forever” book. I was brought up with that book.

 

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cutest baby toms. swoon. thanks Kimmy.

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baby moccs with the cutest jean dress AND the hat. I was in complete bliss. Victoria knows her stuff

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My bestest girlfriend from age 11 (Devin) got me the most adorable gift basket full of so many goodies. A cool rubber ducky that gauges if the water is OK or too HOT, onesies galore, books and a lullaby seahorse — AND more. She is a keeper. All of my girlfriends that came are so amazing. They were all so sweet to help out in any way — taking pics, setting up, pitching in and THEN showering us. Girlfriends are the best.

This little unborn child of mine was very spoiled with many new clothes, blankets, toys, her stroller and just love. We are so incredibly grateful to have all these amazing things gifted to us. I think about how Tyler’s cousins from Denmark asked what a shower even was when they were visiting…{it is apparently an American tradition}. It really is such a sweet & great idea to help a couple that is about to embark on raising their first child. I know I surely appreciate it. I think it is all so overwhelming so any little bit helps.

My favorite questions I get  these days is “So are you feeling ready??” It is so hard to answer that because I feel I am ready to hold her and I mostly feel ready to go through labor — but again how can you ever REALLY be ready for your first child? I don’t know what to expect. I don’t know what it will all entail and I am always pushing all my fears aside about what happens after she is finally in this world. [Will she be healthy? Will she be one of those rare cases of diseases that you read on blogs about? Will she be a good sleeper? Will I be able to breastfeed? How easily will I adjust to this motherhood thing? Blah blah…] Like I said — I push all those things aside because I know going into this with open eyes and ready for whatever comes is my only real option. Can’t stress about something I ultimately can’t control.

What I can control is my state of mind. I am continually trying to keep my state of mind positive and clear. And that is what I am doing.

Now with only 18 more days until this little girls due date I have PLENTY to do but far less to stress about buying before she gets here thanks to the wonderful showers. I do however have a house to sign on (once it is done) and then moving…gotta love our timing 🙂 Wish us luck!

{Here is the house’s update}

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Sneak peek of maternity pics that Melissa with Moxie Photography did for us:

**more to come 🙂

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The Final Leg

The final leg of this lengthy marathon called pregnancy. Last trimester…down to the last 5-6 weeks or 38 days.

Here is a little recap:

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I know I am looking mighty fine in the most recent one. You’re welcome. Had to document the good and the bad 😉

I was thinking about how I wanted to document my pregnancy besides pics. I have plenty of week-to-week pics but I haven’t ever wrote down my experience. I think it is something I want to do so that when my kids ask me how my pregnancy went I won’t get confused if each one ends up being different. So I am doing one of those fun little Pregnancy Q & A’s.

How far along: 34 weeks and 5 days — 35 weeks 🙂

Total weight gain: Last time I checked I was around 24 lbs. But that was like a few days or so ago…I am trying not to be too concerned with it. I am just hoping to stay under 35 lbs total weight gain. But as long as my babe is healthy I will be fine.

Maternity clothes: I fought that for so long…then I gave in and that was the best decision! Maternity pants are divine. I live in stretchy dresses and skirts because they are so easy. As for my workout attire…I couldn’t convince myself to go buy any maternity workout clothes.

What do you do to workout during pregnancy: 1st trimester I kept it basically the same with my running, lifting and going to RIPPED class. 2nd trimester I could feel myself not being able to run or bounce around as much so I just took it a little easier. I stopped doing normal ab workouts. Right now I am getting to the gym like 3-4 times a week and I do 20-30 mins of cardio (elliptical) then I do some lifting for my arms and then no weight leg workouts. If I do any abs I only do oblique workouts. I also still go to a RIPPED class but I am doing less weight and WAY less bouncing around. I have found I enjoy a little prenatal yoga from time to time.

Stretch marks: None yet! I am hoping and praying that continues.

Sleep: I love it. I need it. But I hate it. When I wake up to go to the bathroom I have like the cringe type pain in my pelvic area — I think it is from sleeping on my sides but I am no doctor 🙂

Best moment(s) of this month: Going to the temple endowment for Lexi. Cancun trip with the Ang’s & Ashworth’s. The Ang wedding. Before Ty left on his trip to San Diego, I told him to give some love to his baby girl…when he did I said “say bye to dad”. He was like “weird…” It was precious, him realizing he is going to be a papa so soon. Also, this little babe was kicking and moving around crazy like one day, Nolan & John were watching her in awe. It was cute.

Best moment(s) of this week: I got baby girl’s fitted crib sheet ready! And made some cute bows for her…it’s getting real.

Miss anything: running, sleeping on my back, sushi, working out like normal and having smaller boobs

Movement: yes she is an active little girl. I feel like if I have anything with sugar she is bouncing around in there…and she is always very active at night

Food cravings: nothing really. 1st trimester was anything savory and clementines. Then 2nd was just to not be hungry or full. Same thing now so I don’t overdo it or I know the consequences now…heart burn & feeling like I can’t move.

Anything making you queasy or sick: no actually. Haven’t had any sickness at all this whole pregnancy.

Have you started to show yet: OHH yes. Of course. I would be worried if I hadn’t (check those pics above 😉 )

Gender: girl 🙂

Name picked out: Well we do but I am going to wait until she arrives to see how I feel about it. IF we choose something entirely different I am coming back to this post to have it down what it COULD have been.

Labor signs: none that I have noticed. I question if I have had Braxton Hicks because I feel like my stomach gets really tight randomly but then I convince myself that is just her pushing against me really hard.

Belly button in or out: OUT. so out. I had an outie before pregnancy — again check those pics 😉

Wedding rings on or off: on

Happy or moody most of the time: I haven’t found myself THAT moody or emotional. I feel happy majority of the time.

Looking forward to: Baby shower. Reading books, sunshine –relaxing. Our house being built & finished. AND of course this sweet little girls arrival.

Pregnancy Must-Haves: Well I have found that I really enjoy my pregnancy pillow that my husband gave to me as a gift 🙂 At first I was not into it…but then once I really gave it a try I haven’t stopped using it. Stretchy dresses/skirts are what have kept me sane. SO easy to put on and most people think I actually am trying to look dressed up {I just do it because it is easiest to put on and its breezy}. Belly band was used for the awkward stage of not fitting into my pants very well but not wanting to buy maternity pants yet. I love ASOS for all their adorable maternity dresses and tops. H & M has great maternity leggings and jeans for pretty good price. I have also decided that bras with wires are awful once the belly gets too big, luckily I had a nursing bra gifted to me and it has no wire. It is heavenly. I believe it is from Target. Love that place.

Highlights of June:

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Our beautiful friends after their sealing in the SLC Temple.

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I was a bridesmaid — yeah I hid my belly behind the bride so what? 🙂

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Ty was a groomsman. Studly group of guys

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The gorgeous bride and her new niece. How cute is this!

OUR Cancun trip. Honeymoon for the newlyweds — BABYmoon for the soon to parents AND break for the already parents 🙂

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This trip was a blast. We had so much fun. I did a whole bunch of nothing but read, be in the sun, play games, sleep, eat and be walked around by these silly fools 🙂 Great way to start our summer and go out as a family of 2 — 38 more days (or so) til our life changes for good!

Time Flies…

When you are growing a human inside of you…

haha just kidding. But seriously I felt like the first trimester FLEW by. Then here I am just kickin it in the second trimester — like hello? Can it be August already?

Of course a lot of things have happened since I last posted. I struggle with the blog world. I think I am going to make an effort to make sure I post monthly starting now.

Things of the past 88 days:

– Ty and I finally bucked up and found a house. We signed papers in February and right now the house is being built! (ETA: July 2014) YUP scary! Could be moving in around the same time this little babe comes! Pic of ground dug into in slideshow!

-We found out the gender of our sweet little baby. AND had a “gender reveal” party to find out. See video.

-Went on a cruise with the Heaton’s to Cozumel, Honduras and Belize.

-I am growing at a rapid pace now 🙂

-Went to Portland to help Ty’s grandpa & grandma Hill clear out their house and move the remaining stuff to Utah so Sue could take care of them. {Portland was beautiful. Tried the Voodoo donuts. Some street tacos. Helped with the garage sale and saw Portland then drove back to Utah}

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Things of the next 88 days:

-We celebrate our 3rd Anniversary tomorrow. It’s been 5 years of knowing this wonderful hooligan. I wouldn’t change it for the world. He has made my life so enjoyable and kept me on my toes since the day we met. Keeps me laughing and working at being a better me. I love him more now than I did then and I can only imagine how much more love will come with the changes and years that are ahead.

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-Our friends, Matt & Lexi, are getting married! Exciting!

-Possibly one more “pre-baby moonaversary” trip

-Our house continuing to be built and possibly in 88 days we could be moving in (cross my fingers…)

-Getting ready to become parents (OMG – that is weird but SO exciting 🙂 )

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Life is changing and I know it’s for the better. Can’t wait for all that awaits. I will post more I promise!

{-October’s Very Own-}

That is me 🙂 {OVO}

The wonderful month of October has begun. Not only is it my BIRTH month…but it is the most exquisite month for weather. I LOVE fall. I love the leaves changing colors. I love the crisp cool nights. I love random RAIN storms (not snow) I love the smells. Pumpkin cookies, hot cocoa, fires, baked goods. That is what October means to me.

I love that I get to have this month for my birth month. So life has changed since I last posted.

Ty is a busy man. He is juggling a lot on his plate. Working the 8-5 then doing coding class Tuesday-Thursday nights {and Saturday morning}. He got a great job with a company called Tute Genomics. Working as a Director of Business Development. Then he started the company Dev Mountain with a few guys {http://devmounta.in} and since it is a school where they teach you how to code/program websites etc. Ty wanted to be involved but also take the course so he could program himself. SO basically I get my husband Monday nights and partial weekends. Rough life. But that is the life of an entrepreneur wife. Sorry for rhyming 🙂

I have learned to pass my time with crafts, cleaning, extra gym sessions or longer ones, and working longer. Plus I am enjoying my wonderful October.

I do love October but I think this is going to also be a hard month for my family. My aunt Linda was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in March and has made a turn for the worse this past week. Sadly, I think this will be the month she leaves us. I have seen how hard it is on her own kids and husband but also her sisters. My mom has had a very rough time with it. Many tears of sadness and frustration have been shed. I haven’t lost any immediate family yet so this will be the first. Both grandparents are alive and no one else has passed that I can recall {age 4 – great grandpa doesn’t count since I don’t REALLY remember it or him}. She has a Legs for Linda run coming up on the 26th, she is now not expected to be able to attend. I know everyone is given different trials in this life, I hope she is sent straight to heaven for having to endure cancer twice, two different types.

All in all, I am ready for the next month. Mostly because everyday I am feeling very grateful for so many different things and I love that there is a holiday to help us remember that feeling. Next post will be a post of gratitude 😉

Life lately:

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[p.s. totally stole that amazing quote from a girl’s insta post. OH and that amazing fall road pic. swiped. haha]

[a happy summer]

Once June came around, a wonderful arrival came with it. Lindsey and Nicholas 🙂

They came out a month before Scott because he was needing to study for his exams.

I got to play auntie for a whole 2 months!

He was pure bliss to have around. Pics to follow. I really wish they lived closer. He is the cutest little guy around.

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We took a little trip down to St. George. I took the crew {johnny, victoria, jeff & ty} to see Dixie rock a.k.a. “the ocean”. Johnny was NOT about that. Interestingly enough, I have never been on the many amazing hikes that the St. George area has to offer. So we went on the Kanarraville falls hike. AMAZING. It was beautiful & so much fun! Playing in the river, the awesome waterfalls and the red rock slot canyons. I loved it.

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4th of July was spent helping Kim & Brad setup their house they just moved into. Ty & Brad built an IKEA toddler bed for Luke….that was a lengthy ordeal. Then we went to the Robert’s for a little 4th of July  pool party BBQ. Love seeing my family. That night was Stadium of Fire with the in laws. Cirque du Soleil was mind boggling. Carly Rae Jepson was lively and fun but Ms. Kelly Clarkson was outstanding. She has some crazy vocals. SO good.

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I took a little trip to St. George with Scott, Lindsey & Nicholas. We had pool time, play time and then we went to see Mary Poppins at Tuacahn {not Nicholas of course}. Which was really good. I did however learn an unfortunate lesson that night. Greyhound is an awful business and idea. NEVER again will I ride a Greyhound bus. Let’s just say I took a midnight stroll on I-15 northbound. I will keep the rest locked away in my nightmares.

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Had a little camp sesh at Silver Lake with the crew {lex, matt, johnny, victoria, jeff & ty}. Didn’t sleep good. Normal. Ate tin foil dinners. Delicious. S’mores. MMMMMM. It was fun.

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LAKE POWELL. Quite a different Lake Powell from last years. Sadly, the grandparents and Linda couldn’t make it this year. Grandpa has been having a lot of troubles with stability, walking and didn’t want to be  a nuisance. Makes me sad. I love that man. Linda was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in March. It is fatal. Really hard for all of us. She was greatly missed. I don’t feel like it is something to go into depth in on my blog. It is very serious and we are hoping she can enjoy her last weeks with us. The one upside to Lake Powell was Nicholas came. I seriously spent every chance I got to be around Nicholas. He was completely in love with the outside, sand and playing in it. He brings all smiles. Pictures will tell all. Sadly they had to leave half way through the week to go back to Virginia 🙁 But we still had a fun rest of the week at Powell. Ty played with Luke lots. They are good pals.

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Swooning over Seattle. It was the best. Best weather, best baseball game, best food, best experience and best short trip for Ty & I. I loved it. I literally fell in love with the place. I have always wished I could be a city girl and going to big cities makes me want it more. We got in on a Thursday, spent the afternoon with Doris & Ed in West Seattle. Had fish & chips on Alki beach then drove around the island. Got to see Ty’s old stomping grounds. Then we tried the infamous Pegasus Pizza. WHICH was really delightful. Greek salad, oh boy. Tom’s special pizza was tasty! The next day we spent exploring downtown Seattle. Pikes place market, Space Needle, water taxi, donut shops and more. Then we headed out to Auburn to spend the night at Ty’s uncle Peter & aunt Sondra’s house. It was quite an adventure! Swimming in their lake, playing volleyball, games and food. It was a good time. And they were kind enough to give us a gift certificate and reservation to a very nice restaurant, The Metropolitan Grill. When we left their place, we decided to go a highly rated restaurant, Paseo. LONGEST line ever. Worth it? In my books, YES! Then it was downtown to do some shopping. Which turned into an all day affair before our dinner reservation. Dinner was impressive {I mean a $75 steak?! Better be good}. As was dessert {Bananas foster}. Great dinner with the husby. The next day we went to breakfast with Doris & Ed. Then off to the Mariner’s baseball game. Beforehand I wanted to buy a Seahawks shirt while in Seattle. Picked one up then headed to the game. 4th row seats. SWEET! We totally thought the game would be a long one and we would have to leave to catch our flight but it was only a 2 hour game. So we went back to Pikes place market to buy one of those glorious $5 bouquet of flowers to give to Doris. All in all, I am a Seattle lover now. Can’t wait to return again someday.

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Last but NOT least was the cutest 1 year old alive had his birthday! YUP! 1 year old! 🙂 Pics will do it justice. You will agree.

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Lots of updates big and small. We are happy here in the Richards house. Plenty to be grateful for. Family & friends who we are blessed to have. Opportunities & wonderful adventures.

It’s Been A Minute…

Well looks like I slack again. I haven’t posted since FEBRUARY. A LOT has happened since then.

Update:

 Scott had a 4 generation Gibson photo taken with Grandpa Raymond, Robert, Scott & Nicholas…and Grandma 🙂

Valentines day with my hubs is the best. I can always count on that one day a year to be waited on. He makes me dinner and makes it ONE of the best days of the year {next to our Anniversary & my birthday :)} This year he went with authentic mexican tacos. Flowered me with love and gifts. I did the 14 days of Valentines for him. It was fun. And he gave me one of the sweetest notes. I love his homemade cards more than any Hallmark card out there. Short and very sweet.

Went to St. George. Twice or more? Who is counting? First was to get our bikes. Bike rides in STG in the spring are seriously the most divine things next to those sugar cookies I live to eat when I am down there 🙂 and also for Ty’s mission reunion. It is fun to listen to all his old companions and mission friends reminisce. Tried us some swig. I don’t drink pop but BOY I “swigged” that Dirty DP down like it was my job 😉

Fun times with friends is always a must. Matt & Lex. Devin. The Heatons.

We even had our first Cabella’s trip with Papa. Ty was pretty amused. It was lots of fun.

Next STG trip was for Macklemore & Ryan Lewis concert!!! Which was absolutely amazing. Like no joke. I had my hair in people’s mouths, sweaty armpits and who knows where else….all so I could be in the front section to get some epic pics. Mission accomplished. Never doing that again. Nast. BUT the next day we went to Vegas for some fun. Shopping, sun, tourist walkabouts. Gotta love Vegas….gambling? no we didn’t do that 😉

Weddings. Cousin’s baseball games. Ty using our ottoman & couch cushions to form a chair to be the dealer of our late night black jack games.

Holding Kacee & Sam’s new baby, Hayes.

Celebrating 2 years with the man that brings me the most smiles, laughs and love I could ever imagine. Best 2 years of my life and many more to come. He seriously is my best friend who I can get annoyed of but never want to get rid of. Best decision I ever made. AND he surprised me with Paramore tickets. I nearly cried. {Then Hayley got sick and cancelled the concert…but it was the thought that counts AND the fact that if they come back we will go 🙂 }

Ty graduated! He is no longer a college student. A BYU Business Management Graduate. How proud I am of him. He really is a talented lad. Taught himself a lot of things to better himself with his web design. His artistic brain will always amaze me and top it with his dedication to something. It is impressive. I wish I had his artistic eye for things.

THEN I did the “unbelievable” I cut 10 inches off of my hair. Oh boy! And it was kind of a surprise to Ty. But after the initial shock, he ended up liking it. I gave it to Locks for Love. Plus it was time for a little change 🙂

Another Vegas trip with Matt & Lex. We saw the show Kà in Vegas. AMAZING. It was seriously the best stage and acrobatic insanity I have seen thus far in my life. We also went to the show called the Mentalist. That gave our brains a workout the rest of the night. We explored places I have never seen in Vegas. Lots of fun.

Brought Rookie to STG with us for Mother’s Day and to help mama with her Spokes for Hope race. We made her breakfast and promised her a family photo shoot once Lindsey, Scott & Nicholas were back in Utah. It was also fun having mom attend church with us 🙂

Spent time with the hubs and took Rissa on the hike to the Y. Man my legs hurt for days after.

That about sums up the snippets of our life this last few months. I know I will slack again but I hope I can keep up so I can at least put a little more detail into these snippets 🙂

 

{Life Lately}

A week spent at our Corporate Business Summit. Snowmobiling. Segways. Meetings galore. Super fun week.

Monster truck rally with friends. Which was alarmingly loud. (Ty can’t handle that loud of noises) Followed with some Buffalo Wild Wings. Jazz game. Fun times with all our friends.

I need to take more pics. I am realizing this now.

It’s been a long, been a long, been a LONG time.

Yes if you have seen “How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying”  THEN you know where that title came from. No shame. If you haven’t seen it-your bad. It’s interesting the times when your brain decides to reach into your memory and pull things out to correspond with the current moment. I like it.

SO it really has been a long time! THANKSGIVING?! Like for real Nicole? I mean it is almost half way into the first month of 2013! Yikers.

Quick update:

Won the best gingerbread house contest at the Christmas party. Ty is just really good at what he does. Glad he has that artistic brain. Hope our kiddos get that!

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Christmas was festive. I loved it. Decorated mi casa for the first year. House smelled like Mistletoe all month long. Treats, Elf, Christmas wrapping, Family, Snow and remembering the birth of our Savior. Loved it. We spent Christmas with my family this year in St. George. Warm and sunny. That is MY kind of Christmas 🙂

Ty & I finally met Nicholas, our nephew!! We spent a Sunday evening with the Heiner’s at their house for dinner and Nicholas time. I got to feed him. THEN when we drove to St. George, Lindsey and Nicholas rode with us! It was wonderful. Got to spend the next 3 days cuddling, kissing, feeding, playing and loving on the cute little nephew of mine. I AM OBSESSED. plain and simple. Don’t care how annoying my obsession is either 🙂

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The best part about spending so much time with Nicholas was seeing how much everyone loves this little guy. Tyler fell in love and Nicholas would smile real big for Ty, they became pals. It was so sweet seeing my dad play with him, he is such a good Grandpa 🙂 and my mom was infatuated with her grandbaby. It was my favorite Christmas besides the one spent in Haiti. To sum it up, I love that little guy and it made me want one. YUP I said it. I want a baby. BUT I also saw how much responsibility and sacrifice it is to have a baby. (woke up a few times from him crying in the middle of the night…) One day when I have one I know I will feel it is worth any sacrifice and feel privileged to have my own child.

Ty and I got ourselves some nice bikes from Santa! We love Santa! And Ty got his new fav sweatshirt (OVO) Thanks Rissa!

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NEXT-

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Can’t believe it is already 2013!? WHAT?! First Ty & I went ice skating with a group of friends then hit the Pie in SLC. And then we decided for 2013 that we were gonna try out this “hipster” thing.

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HA just kidding. We just tried on some hipster glasses for a pic 🙂

Met the cousin K’s for our annual Christmas lunch. THEN rang in the new year with my one and only.

 

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Here is to 2013! I am going to improve myself each day, be the best Nicole. Make sure to live my life to the fullest, enjoy all the blessing I have been given and then love hard on those who have blessed my life.

xoxo

TTFN til next time.