2012 Christmas Devotional

On December 2, 2012 Kyle and I got to go down to Salt Lake and attend the Christmas Devotional. It was so fun being there live and seeing the first presidency speak. We got there about 1 hour early to get good seats and we were able to hear the Mormon Tabernacle Choir practice. If you have never had the chance to hear the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sing live, it is an amazing experience. Every time they open their mouths, it sounds like recording! They are amazing and we were blessed to hear them live. I love spending time with Kyle! There is no one else I would've rather seen this devotional with. Kyle is my best friend and I love making memories with him. It's crazy how fast time has gone. One year ago, we were set up on a date and my life has never been the same. Here are a few pictures from that night:

Our tickets were for the second tier but we could sit any where we wanted. Since we got there early enough, we were able to sit on the front row! 

The stage was beautiful! Even though there is no snow outside, the feeling inside the Conference Center made it feel like it was a winter-y night.

After the devotional was over, Kyle and I walked around Temple square. The lights were beautiful! They always do such an amazing job. At the time I wished that there was snow falling from the sky, but little did I know that not even 30 minutes later I would experience the worst rain storm EVER! Right as soon as we got onto the highway to head home, it was like we drove under a waterfall! Somehow after going through HARD rain, sleet, snow and not being able to see the roads the whole time... we made it home!

Christmas time is here!!

Over Thanksgiving break, Kyle and I had the opportunity to spend the holiday with my side of the family out at Flaming Gorge. It was so fun. There was food, laughter and great memories made. Kyle unfortunately had to leave Thanksgiving night because he had to work the next day, but I stayed out at the cabin for a few more days and drove home with my family. While I was out there, we went out into the forest and picked out a Christmas tree! I love the memories that I have when I was little, running through the forest trying to find that perfect Christmas tree and this year was no different. After about 1 hour of hiking around we finally found it... that perfect tree! Sunday we drove home and that's when Kyle and I put the tree up and decorated it. 

The finished product!

 

Later that night, we put a Gingerbread house together! I found out very quickly that I cannot decorate or build things! I will leave that up to my husband :)

Very focused

Guess who decorated this baby??..... I'm going to blame it on the frosting squeezy thing and say it blew up right as I touched it.

Kyle decorated the left... and yes that bare side is mine :)

Home Sweet Home

19 Weeks and counting!

I can't believe that Kyle and I are 19 weeks pregnant! Time has flown! Before we know it we are going to have a little baby BOY running around our place. We are so excited that we are having a baby boy! We had a doctor's appointment on October 26, 2012 to find out what we were having. That was a very exciting and fun day. Everything looked good and our baby is right on track with his growth. I haven't felt him move yet... at least I don't think I have. There have been times that I feel something move but I'm not sure if it's the baby or the food I just ate! Hopefully soon I will be able to feel him wiggle and move. We haven't decided on a name yet, however we do have a few that we are choosing between but we aren't set on anything. During the doctor's appointment, she said that in almost every frame there was leg! Ha-ha well if he's anything like me he's going to be all leg! Watching our baby move while in the ultrasound room was very neat! We were able to see all 10 fingers and toes. We also got to see his little face and head! Here are a few pictures from that amazing appointment:
 

His little foot!

His thigh, shin, and foot

Cute little foot

His sweet little face!

IT'S A BOY!!!

It is a pure miracle that within 19 weeks of me doing nothing, there is a sweet, innocent little baby boy in my stomach. God does amazing things in a little amount of time! It amazes me that our little baby is only about 5" long and he is pure perfection! We can't wait to meet him!


Kyle and I also had the opportunity to carve pumpkins for Halloween the other night. After breaking two knifes, filling a bowl with pumpkin guts, and filling our stomachs' with pomegranate seeds, here are the results:

Kyle hard at work

Seeds and Slime

Mmm good stuff!! That is one thing that I have been craving during my pregnancy! I cannot get enough pomegranates!

Picture of Kyle and I.... ok let's try it again and not do a creeper face ok Kyle:

Ok well at least we tried.

Wicked

Finished pumpkin!

I did the kitty and pumpkin one and Kyle did the wicked one! They turned out good!

Finally done! After carving for 2 hours!! (Well that's what it felt like at least)

1+1=3...???? Guess So!

Well it's been a while since the last time I posted a blog. Kyle and I are so excited to announce that we are having a baby! We can't believe that in 6 short months a new born will be in our arms. Brittin (Kyle's daughter) says the funniest things when we ask her what is in my belly. Her new thing is saying that I'm going to have a puppy. "Ashee has a baby puppy in her belly and I have a kitty in mine..." Uhh close Britt!! Brittin is going to be the best sister to this new little baby! She is so sweet when it comes to taking care of her doll. She definitely has a little motherly instinct in her.

When it came to telling our families that we were pregnant, we didn't want to do it the old fashion way. So we decided to take a cleaver picture and give that to them to let them know that we were expecting. This is the picture we gave both of our families:

Unfortunately that is how my pregnancy thus far has been :( Up until week 6 I was totally fine, and I kept thinking, "Wow if this is how being pregnant is, heck I'm going to have 10 kids." Well once week 6 came... my bed, pillow, and toilet saw me most of the day and night. I was really really nauseous, always thirsty (but for some reason water made me sicker than a dog), and always hungry (but for some odd reason the smell of food made me dry-heave before it got close to my mouth.)

Right now Kyle and I are 13 weeks pregnant and everyday I feel better and better. The weird symptoms that I'm having right now is major, major POUNDING headaches and graying/blacking out if I stand too long. My sister-in-law said that she got headaches when she was pregnant from 13-15 weeks... so i'm hoping that they will go away soon!

Well Kyle and I couldn't be more excited to meet our little baby! March 25th can not come fast enough!! I can't wait to hold our baby.... and Brittin wants to hold the puppy, like today!!  

Homemade Goodness

Since Kyle and I have gotten married, we have loved the idea of making a lot of the things that we use in our every day life in our own home. Like dish soap, lotion, fabric softener, smoothies, and detergent. There are so many things that I want to make and be able to say "Ya I make my own baby wipes..." but so far the things that we have made.... well let's just say it's harder than it looks. Our first thing that we tried was making homemade body wash. I think the final product was something like watered down melted soap. I still use it but honestly I'd rather use a bar of soap! The second thing that we attempted to make was detergent for the laundry. It surprisingly turned out really good! I think it smells great as well! It was super easy to make and the recipe that we followed said that it would last for almost 2 years until we run out. So I'm excited about not having to buy as much detergent.

Every morning Kyle and I make a smoothie from our Vitamix. It is AMAZING! If you have never had a smoothie made from a Vitamix you definitely need to try it. Kyle says it's like having a Jamba Juice every morning for breakfast! The way that we make it is super healthy. We put in about 2 cups of pure water, 2 spoonfuls of flax seeds, 2 big handfuls of fresh organic spinach, and lots of fruit. Kyle and I love making the smoothie every day! The best part that comes from drinking about 40 ounces of smoothie, each of us, every day is the energy that we get! We feel amazing and honestly it has been quite a while since we've had some sort of cold or sickness in the Tanner's home :)

The last thing that we made was lotion. Ok so we're following a recipe, I have high hopes on this one because I would love to be able to just make my own lotion every time I ran out. I melted things, refrigerated things, whipped the final product... and what do ya know... it worked! The final product looked like soft whipped lotion! I was so excited! Kyle and I poured the lotion into glass jars and put them in the bathroom. Then the real test came... I got out of the shower the next day and used my freshly made lotion. I don't know what happened but my smooth, creamy lotion somehow turned into this moose type stuff. It was so oily!! I honestly felt like I jumped into a pool of oil! The good thing is, is that the lotion will help stretch marks go away and help my skin feel healthy. But ya I probably won't use this lotion until I'm prego because I don't really have any stretch marks to put the lotion on. So for the time being I will continue to use my awesome sister-in-laws lotion! It is amazing stuff!!! If you haven't heard of her products you need to check her out! Her name is Christine Tanner and the product name is "Great". She makes everything from lotion, to chap stick, to this desitin stuff for babies! The price is good as well!





Attempting to make lotion.
Melting coconut oil and shea butter






Letting my awesome lotion cool in the fridge



Final product of my homemade lotion





Yeah can't wait to use it..... When I'm prego...
So it'll be sitting in my bathroom for quite some time.



Detergent... AWESOME stuff!!!




Smells way good too!



Green smoothie... Looks gross, tastes so dang good




The Best blender on earth!



Green smoothie! So good



The best lotion! And they all smell way good!
The best part is, is that these are homemade!



Takes away any redness in your face! Love it!

"I DO" have a great life!

Kyle and I got married on May 11, 2012 in my backyard. It was a gorgeous, simple event and the weather was perfect! The backyard was a perfect place to have our reception/open house because there were many things that were available that kept the kids occupied while the adults conversed with each other. After the reception/open house, Kyle and I headed down to St. George where Doug Porter lent us his condo for the night. The next day we were on the road again going to Long beach, California where boarded our 7-day cruise to Cabo San Lucas. It was one of the best vacations that we have ever been on. There is nothing more exciting and adventurous then spending 7 days with your best friend and experiencing the world together. 

Married my best friend on May 11th

Loved you yesterday, Love you still, Always have, Always will!

The Money.... I mean HUNNYMOON!!

               On the beach of Cabo! It was so pretty. The water was very blue, but very cold!

We were waiting for our shuttle to pick us up at our hotel in Long Beach, California. The hotel that we stayed at was called Hotel Current, and yes.... the hotel was very current! It was very modern. Both Kyle and I were amazed at little things like the sink and even the neat chairs that were in this hotel. This is an awesome Hotel and would definitely recommend it!

This is in Cabo at the place where you can swim with the dolphins, we didn't swim with the dolphins but we were able to watch a few people who did.

We went snorkeling by the Lovers Beach in Cabo. It was so pretty. There were many fish that were colorful and bright. It was my first experience going snorkeling and I was a little nervous, but that hunk of a husband I have sitting next to me held my hand the entire time which helped me relax and enjoy this amazing experience. 

This is the famous arch in Cabo. One side of the arch is the Sea of Cortez and the other side is the Pacific Ocean. It was neat to see the two collide.

Kyle and I just after snorkeling taking a boat ride.

Kyle went paddle boarding one day. He said that it was really fun and a great experience but a huge workout! It took a little bit to get used to standing on the board and not falling off when you would come across a wave, but by the end he was a pro. 

 The view from the beach! So pretty!

The Carvinal Cruise line that we came in on. It was a very fun and entertaining cruise. 

This picture was taken as we were on our way to go on the zip line course. We took a small boat ride to get to the other side of a lake where we jumped into a van and went for a 45 minute ride up into the mountains in Puerto Vallarta. It was a great experience! Unfortunately no cameras were allowed during the zip line course, so we weren't able to take any pictures. 

At dinner on the Cruise Ship. We looked forward to every night because we were able to try new foods that we would never try if we had to pay for it. There were frog legs, lobster, and many different types of soup like strawberry soup and peach soup. It was fun being able to try new things.

While on the cruise we did everything from snorkeling, to stand-up paddle boarding, to flying through the canopies of gorgeous trees on 14 different zip lines. The cruise line was very fun; we made some friends, attended comedy shows and entertainment shows and spend quality time with each other without having the stress of life on our shoulders. We have now been married for one month, and to be honest I have no idea where the time went! It seems like yesterday that we said "I do" to one another. We have never been happier and are excited to see what life brings us in the next 50 years.