Last Trimester!

Well, I honestly feel a little uncomfortable with the prego-pictures (not on anyone else - just me), but I did promise Heather I would post a photo, so here I go. We are now entering the final trimester of our pregnancy! The belly is something to get used to, and I know I still have three months to go, but yikes I feel huge already. I love maternity pants because they are so comfy. As far as other clothes go, I've always worn my clothes fairly loose so most have room to stretch.

I love watching when Eliora is in a big kicking mood because my stomach twitches in the weirdest ways and it makes me laugh. How does she even have room to move in there? What is she doing, karate? Sleeping has become a little difficult at times, especially because I love to sleep on my back and that's not really an option anymore. Eric is very good though at tucking me in or giving me a little massage when I need to help me relax.

I took my glucose test last week and it looks like all is well (or at least, they haven't called me so I'm guessing that is a good sign). Our Bradley Method birthing class continues on - once a week - and it has been very educational. We are slowly easing away our fears of the birthing process and gaining confidence in our ability to have a baby without medication. I think it will be a great experience and am praying no unexpected complications arise. I especially look forward to working together with my husband as a TEAM to bring this precious life into the world. I know he will be key to helping me through the whole process; he gives me courage to do it.

And I mustn't forget to mention my Heavenly Father. It is He who gave me this great experience of carrying a special spirit child within me and helping to create a body for her. He has given this blessing to both Eric and I. With all of my excitement, anxiety, anticipation, and worries, I have an increased appreciation for my Father in Heaven, and ALL parents who sacrifice so much on behalf of their children. I hope I can learn to be as they are.

Our Snowmen

Here is a funny. It makes me smile more and more whenever I think about it.

Eric, with his cute creative self, made me a surprise last Saturday. We had just received a heap-load of snow and it was everywhere, including our street which by the way doesn't get plowed so the cars struggled a bit. Anyway, we both had to work but Eric arrived home a few hours before I did. While I was away he got busy making some snowmen in the front yard. If you can't tell from the pictures, one is a boy and the other a girl. He, of course, is the boy snowman and you'll notice that on his twiggy little arms are some buff snow "biceps." He also carved a six-pack into his stomach to show what a macho guy he is. The girl snow-woman is me and she had been given a generous amount of snow to her midsection (for "pregnant" - Eric won't let me say "fat"). When I drove up and saw him working on these snow creatures I couldn't help but shake my head and roll my eyes, all while smiling.

But that's not the best part! When I got out of the car and voiced my opinion of our look-alikes he said, "Should we do a c-section?" to which I promptly replied "No!" with a shocked face. I thought he was joking until he started chiseling away at my snow-woman's stomach with the shovel. He had something in there and I couldn't help but be curious. Finally he removed enough snow to show a small cave with a "snow-baby" inside: a mini snowman with three snowballs and stick arms and everything! It caught me by surprise. At first I was just impressed with his creativity, but then a part of me thought how strange it was at the same time. I think I reacted with, "That's sick," and Eric just laughed. Even so, it was kind of cute and silly all at once. Now I just look back and still shake my head and roll my eyes, still smiling. What a funny husband I've caught! He certainly makes me laugh and keeps life exciting.

P.S. - The snowpeople are holding hands if you didn't notice.

Thank Goodness for Little Girls!

Sorry, I'm a bit slow at getting the info out, and I don't have a great picture yet, but WE ARE HAVING A GIRL! I think 90% of guesses said it was a boy, but the feminine genes have won out. This is a rarity on Eric's side of the family seeing that Eric's dad has 3 brothers, his mom has 3 brothers, Eric has 2 brothers and only one sis, and two nephews. However, on my side of the family, girls seem to be the norm. I have many girl cousins and only sisters. But at any rate, we are both very excited. Eric told me a long time ago that he always thought it would be fun to have a girl first and I guess he got his wish. We have decided to name her Eliora Kristine Jones. Eliora, I think, sounds very pretty though it is not common at all. We thought it would be nice because we could call her Ellie for short. It also means "the Lord is my light" which makes it even nicer. Kristine is my middle name, named after my mother, which will now be passed to her, and then Jones of course comes naturally. Eliora Kristine Jones. I think it sounds lovely, and Eric agreed. She is starting to kick a little more and from the ultrasound 3 weeks ago she looks very healthy and is growing fine. We're just anxious to meet her! I know, we have a ways to go, but still, it's like waiting for a very special Christmas present that takes 9 months to prepare and that there's no way of peeking at until it's born (though I guess you could count the ultrasound as a peek). I wonder what she looks like...what her personality is like...whose facial features she resembles. Only time will tell! 4 months to go!

The Baby Kicking!

Well, I don't have any cool photos to illustrate this post, only description. This past week was the first I really thought I was feeling our little baby kick. I've suspected it before but could never tell with all of the other strange changes in my body and weird digestive moods. On Thursday I had my day off and was doing something seated on the couch, very relaxed. I felt a few bumps from the inside, very quiet and small, and thought they must be the baby because nothing else could have caused them. It was an exciting revelation for me because there aren't too many outward signs yet that a baby is growing. Sometimes I look for that little reminder that there really is something there and I'm not just imagining. 18 weeks! Crazy. We go to the doctor this week and then will schedule another visit two weeks later to find out the gender. Wahoo!

A Bun in the Oven!

Ta dah!!! A miracle is born! Oh wait, I'm getting ahead of myself. A miracle is on the way. Yes, we're having a BABY!!! Can you believe it? I can't believe it! In fact, I almost thought it had to be fake or that my mind was just playing tricks on me until we visited the doctor and had our first ultra sound. It's for real! I was only 10 weeks along then, but still they were able to poke it and we watched it move. It was only about 3 centimeters long then - about the size of a cinnamon bear. Now we're at about 13 weeks (tomorrow) so it should be a bit bigger. My all-day queasiness is finally starting to wear off and food is beginning to be appetizing again. What craziness! My body is going through all these changes, and so are my emotions. But one thing is for sure, and that is that Eric and I are very happy and excited. We look forward to this next step - and challenge! - in our lives and all the responsibilities that come with it. Best of all, my child will have Eric for a daddy, and my daddy for a grandpa! Can it get better than that? Maybe grandma =). Our due date is Aril 19, just a few months after my sister has her second. Our kids will be friends, of course. Now if only we could cut the distance...

On a personal note, I just wanted to say how much I look forward to being a parent. Of course I know kids are A LOT of work (you don't need to be a parent to see that) and I could never count the many sacrifices my own parents made for me, but there is nothing in the world that could be more rewarding. To live your life for someone else, to give everything for them, that is the whole point! That is at the heart of Christlike living and everything that He taught: lose your life to find it. I know there is so much to learn in family living, especially being a parent, and I know children are a great entrustment from Heavenly Father. Thank goodness we have so many good examples to follow. Here's to the best legacy we could ever leave.

Our little cinnamon bear!

Here's our baby with its hand in front of its face. Can you see it?

St. George Honeymoon

Can you believe I'm actually doing my blog again?

So, at the request of some, I need to put up some pictures of our honeymoon adventuring in both St. George and McCall. Both were GREAT! We had so much fun.

This is a picture at the end of the Johnson Canyon Hike. It was actually closed for the season, but they had a special tour-guided group going and we were able to participate. It was great being able to learn about different elements during the hike. Plus, it wasn't too long and had a beautiful scenic ending spot. This is Eric in front of the ending cliffs. It's amazing to see all that green in the middle of a red rock desert. We passed a beautiful arch, some tadpoles, and plenty of lizards on the way.

This is us outside the St. George Temple. It's a very beautiful building with a lot of cool history. A very different style than many of the new temple designs, I still love it's pure white and elegant feeling. We had a lot of fun going through the visitors' center and learning about the Temple as well as many other church historical sites.

This is us at our "Honeymooners' Picnic." St. George has a ton of bike trails spanning the city. We really enjoyed going for rides and listening to all the frogs in the ditch as evening fell. On this particular afternoon we packed a lunch and stopped at a quiet little park in the middle of the city. It was so relaxing. Eric was even kind enough to run and get me emergency allergy medicine so I could enjoy the breezy outdoors even more.

This is us at the top of Dixie Rock. It seems to be a common city tradition to climb the rock and watch the sunset, so we tried it out. The rock gives a great overview of the entire city, plus it's nice to just sit and watch everything light up as it gets dark. The Temple looks beautiful lit up. We sat up there for a while just enjoying the evening with a few others who decided to make the climb. The best part was just being there with my HUSBAND (what a wonderful word!).

A big thanks to the Irvines for letting us stay at their place while we were there. It was very comfortable and luxurious =). We were so glad to have access to making smoothies and watching movies on a big screen and coming and going when we wanted. The bikes and the pool were also greatly appreciated bonuses. You're the best!

McCall Honeymoon

So here are some pics from our McCall Adventure. It was a complete change of climate from St. George so we experienced a good variety.

This is my "Husband" (yes!) on his bike. What a stud! We had to rent bikes instead of having them provided (like in St. George...thanks Scott & Michelle) but they were pretty comfortable. They were called "comfort bikes" with a larger seat and shocks to make for a really smooth ride. The only downside was that there was very little traction. At one spot we were at a steep dirt hill and Eric spent about five minutes getting on and off his bike just to ride it up the hill because the tires kept slipping. Silly boy. He's so determined.

Our bike ride took us up through Ponderosa State Park's wooded trails. It was beautiful. We rode to a lookout point over the lake and really enjoyed the view. On the way back Eric coaxed me into taking an intermediate mountain bike trail. Whew! It was a little rough. The first bit caught me off guard quite a bit with dips, large tree roots, and sharp corners. I fell off several times and almost made Eric crash into me from behind, but we made it through. In fact, once I got used to the trail, it was pretty fun. It was a nice scenery change and made the ride interesting. Eric was right. I should trust his judgement more.

This is us at the lake. One evening we took some icecream sundaes to the dock and watched the sunset (we have a thing for sunsets and cool clouds) with our dessert. The weather was perfect (the mosquitos thought so too). Another thing I loved about McCall was that it wasn't a big town. It was a quiet little mountain town which meant we had the dock to ourselves. It was peaceful. And very romantic =).

Never mind the blurriness of the picture. The point is: we went kayaking!!! It was so fun! It was another one of Eric's great suggestions. I was nervous because I thought they tipped easy, but to my surprise not only was it very stable but much faster than a canoe. We kayaked across the entire lake - 3 miles if I remember correctly and it was a blast. We sang several of our own versions of "Row, Row, Row Your Kayak" (Eric's verses were hilarious) and did some splashing =). One of my favorite things was when the wind stopped and the water was silky smooth. I had to touch it because it looked so nice. We sat for a bit just to look at the water, sitting in the middle of a lake, surrounded by beautiful scenery.
What an artist Heavenly Father is!

This last picture - let me explain. When we got back to the beach, Eric really wanted to take a picture of us in the middle of the water. So he set up the camera on a bobbing dock and pushed us off hoping for the best. I thought it turned out pretty cool despite the blur. It's enough to see what's going on and makes me smile to remember my thoughts, "Please don't let my camera fall in the water!"

Honeymoons rock! We both agree, and decided that we need to go on more. In fact, I think it will be a lifetime pursuit. How does that sound?

Our First Home

Finally I have surfaced for a bit of blog air, but it is going to be brief. You will soon read why. Eric and I have spent the better part of the past month - no, a bit more - house hunting. And boy, it is a time consuming chore. It also was an adventure I must add. We've had a great realtor who kept us well informed and taught us some of the ins and outs of home buying that first timers like us might not know. Plus our parents gave a lot of much needed advice (they're so wise and experienced =). After walking through many homes and asking many questions, we finally picked a house we liked. And then after a bit of bartering, our offer was accepted. We just closed the whole deal yesterday, and Eric moved his few belongings in. I can barely believe it. We have a house! An actual building with walls and a ceiling and windows and doors (and a mortgage) and it is beautiful! We have yet to gather furniture and supplies to fill the space, but that is just a minor detail.

I also must write of Eric's sweet surprise for me. We got some help from buddies to move Eric's things over along with our couch, but before I could walk in Eric insisted that he carry me over the threshold. I had almost forgotten about that little tradition, but I thought it very cute that he remembered. He carried me in to the living room where it was dark and told me he had a surprise for me. When he stepped out of view, I saw a beautiful mahogany piano with some fancy ribbons, a card, and a vase of my favorite flowers: lilies. Once again, I couldn't believe it!!! This man is too good to me. It is a beautiful piano, and definitely one unexpected surprise. I look forward to the beautiful music it will fill our home with in the upcoming years. =)

The upstairs bathroom.
My Crazy Man standing in our soon to be bedroom.
The kitchen is still a mess, but will be great when it's clean.
Wow! A Piano!!!
He's just "too marvelous for words!"

Super Soccer Man

That smile of his just makes me melt!      

He's so fast, only looks like a blur as he flies by... (the blue & white one in the middle)

Eric the Blur!

Here's round two of today's blog posts.  Eric just joined a soccer team with some work buddies and has been pretty pumped about it.  They play every Tuesday evening and today was his first game.  It was an intense game; both teams were really good.  In fact, the only goal was scored within five minutes of the game's end (by the opposing team, unfortunately).  As a completely impartial bystander (wink wink),  I would have to say that Eric did absolutely fantastic.  He is very cute on the field - I mean - very MANLY, BUFF, and INTIMIDATING, and is a great motivator for me to be more active.  Way to go my Athletic Studmuffin!  When do we get to play racquetball again?  

Starstruck

Please forgive me at being such a horrible blogger.  I rarely update our info, or even respond to anyone else much.  I'm trying to get better at it, but it's gonna take some time...

Anyway, this is some info from over a month ago.  Eric, being the thoughtful man he is, went to work with lots of yellow construction paper and tape just so I could fall asleep under the stars =).  I love it!   Of course, sleeping on a bunk bed means that they are RIGHT above my nose but they still are magical nonetheless.  I also wasn't too thrilled at putting any pictures of my bedroom on our blog, but if that's what it takes to show off my man, so be it.  

Merry Christmas! (A Little Late...)

Merry Christmas!  Or at least, we hope it was for you.  As for us, we had a great one this last year (that makes it sound so long ago, but it was less than a month).  We spent the holiday in Boise with my family doing crazy things like making gingerbread houses, braving icy roadways for skating on more ice, building a tiny snowman of un-packable snow, games and movies and sweet goodies, and best of all just being together.  On Christmas morning Eric surprised me with the biggest stocking of my life, and HE WAS IN IT!  It turns out that he was sleeping under the Christmas tree the whole night waiting for my appearance.  When I found him in his very red sleeping bag, he popped his head out shouting "Merry Christmas!" and handed me a box of chocolates.  It was so cute!  He always has a sweet surprise to make me smile.  How lucky I am!!!  Anyway, before we knew it the week was up.  The time passed so quickly we barely noticed.  All I have to say is that my family is amazing and I am so grateful Eric is joining as a permanent addition!!!  =)  Life is sweet.

Heaven

Here are some of our engagement pictures, taken when the weather was a bit nicer and there were still leaves on the trees.  This first one is a silly one.  We had a lot of fun, and Eric's cousin, Travis, did a great job.

Weehaw!  I'm so Happpeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

I've always wondered what heaven is like.  Now I know.  Life is so good with Eric by my side.  I can't think of anyone I'd rather spend forever with.  I am so grateful that through the restoration of the gospel I know my family can be together forever.  It is a blessing that can't be measured.  

"Shall Give Thee Experience"

What do you think?

So, a month ago was the deadline for the art competition hosted by the Church's history museum.  I was working on a painting to enter and barely finished in time to be an official entry (I always seem to be working up to the last minute on things).  As of yet I haven't heard anything back, but that's not so important to me.  Mostly I painted to portray a feeling and a lesson I am learning through life, and especially now.  The picture is of towering Giant Sequoia trees with the evidences of fire below.  However, at bottom center is a tiny sapling beginning to grow.  For anyone unfamiliar with Redwood trees, they are serotinous which means their seeds open only under intense heat.  Generally this means fire.  This is a handy survival technique because once the fire has destroyed the surrounding competition it leaves plenty of room and fertile soil for the new trees to grow.  I love the symbolism here because our lives are the same way.  Sometimes Heavenly Father teaches us and prepares us to grow through very difficult, very fiery experiences.  But through it all, His merciful hand is always extended and sees us through.  And because of Him we grow to become more than we ever imagined.

Happy Halloween!

So, I know I'm slow at updating our blog, but better late than never.  Halloween was pretty fun.  Eric had to work late but eventually made it to the festivities.  We attended a big singles' bash in downtown Idaho Falls and wow, they really went all out to give us something entertaining to do.  There were all sorts of inflatable games, sumo wrestling, movies, karaoke, video games, pictures, pizza, a live band, dancing, and lots of candy.  What more could you ask for?  It would have been nicer though with Eric there the whole time.  Eric was quite the hot lookin' Peter Pan.  We made his costume ourselves and due to our excellent teamwork it turned out pretty sweet.  What a stud.  I went as a crazy Princess Tiger Lily and got a little carried away with drawing on my face, but it turned out all right as well.  Dancing was a blast, though the music was often a little on the loud side and more for a jump-up-and-down kind of crowd.  Still, my man swept me off my feet =).  We ended the night with a little play boxing.  Isn't it obvious from the pictures who came out on top?

A Hike in the Rain

This past week was General Conference and Eric and I headed down to Utah for the occasion.  The morning meeting on Saturday was great and we had planned to head up in the mountains to enjoy the second session.  Eric seemed to have a specific spot in mind.  It was raining...a lot!  I was amazed he still wanted to go.  I unfortunately forgot my camera so Eric stopped and bought a disposable one for me.  That was nice.  We arrived in Sundance a little after the session had started and headed up the mountain trail with our portable radios.  The reception wasn't great but still enough to make our hike in the rain all the more enjoyable and uplifting.  We stopped to listen every now and then, and finally reached Stewart Falls when the session had ended.  To fill in a bit of background, Stewart Falls has always been a special place for Eric and then for us both when last fall he chose to tell me he loved me =).  It created a beautiful memory in a beautiful setting, and this occasion only added to it.  At the falls, Eric had a ball of yarn for the both of us and had us create a "web."  We took turns placing a strand and with each one mentioned something we loved about the other.  Then Eric read a beautiful poem he wrote about how the strands link us together, drawn out by every experience we share, to withstand the tempests of time.  When our web was finished, he took the strings up the hill, wrapped the ends around our ring fingers, and told me how he wants to be with me forever.  And then, as he gave the string a final tug, something shiny from "heaven" came sliding down.  It was a ring!  He asked me if I would marry him and then remembered at the last minute to get down on one knee.  I of course accepted.  It was a beautiful, unexpected moment that I'll never forget.  

     So, to make a long story short, I'm officially engaged!  We are looking forward to a spring wedding and couldn't be happier.

Happy Birthday, Eric!

Yay!  September 19, 2008 meant Eric Whitney Jones has officially graced the earth with his presence for 28 years.  And I have been so blessed to know him for only a part of those.  On Friday we both had the day off.  I let him sleep in a bit and then we made a belgian waffle, rasberry danished, and whip creamed sweet breakfast.  Actually, Eric did most of the cooking while I decorated.  We played some racquetball and Eric SKUNKED me.  But mostly the day was pretty casual.  In the evening Eric made his world famous sloppy joes, and then we headed over to his house for cake and icecream.  When we got there..."Surprise!"  Several friends from our branch were there including some of the presidency.  We sang happy birthday and had some awesome banana cream pie Dairy Queen icecream cake.  Then we played a few rounds of Mofia and talked until late.  It was a good day.  Especially with a happy birthday kiss to top it off.  Happy birthday, my sweet boy!  

By the way, we had A LOT of fun with the styrofoam peanuts from the box Eric's dad sent.  Maybe too fun; the floor was quite the sight by the end of the night. ;)

Mud Volleyball

Today was an insanely dirty day, and boy was it fun!  My sister, Celeste, and I attended a multi-stake mud volleyball activity that was too good to pass up.  Celeste of course was muddied within the first five minutes of playing.  She tried to grab my arm and pull me in so I tackled her!  We rolled around for a bit and then I topped her off with a big ball of mud in her hair.  Ha ha!  The only thing that would have made the day better would have been to have Eric there so I could do the same to him.  It wasn't the same going without him.  Fortunately we will be closing the gap between us soon since September 1, Labor Day, I will be moving to - yes! - Idaho Falls!  Lucky day, we'll only be about a block away.  

Whitewater Rafting

There's nothing like the fun of floating through turbulent water on an inflatable plastic boat with nothing but a few sticks to steer past treacherous boulders, dips, and eddies.  No seriously, it really was a blast.  Eric and I, along with six other people, spent most of Saturday rafting down the south fork of the Snake River, enjoying the scenery, paddling a lot, pushing people in the river (including each other), and then getting out to do it all over again.  The weather was beautiful and the water was COLD, but by the second run it felt pretty good.  We all joked around a lot and had a great time.  Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could do that every weekend?

The Surprise Box

Eric has been working for some time now on a super secret project for me.  I never quite got it out of him, but I did find out that it had something to do with painting, and on one funny occasion he slipped and told me it was a box.  I have been waiting in suspense for weeks to find out what it was but he never finished it.  Finally, after all the planning and who knows how many hours of painting, he finished and presented me with his surprise.  It was BEAUTIFUL!  On the top was painted a beautiful sunset scene on the beach with the phrase, "Paradise is holding you close, and knowing it's Forever."  How romantic!  Inside the box was filled with sand and memorable keepsakes from our Oregon coast trip, along with a very realistic looking painting of the moon.  I was so thrilled!  And he did such a good job.  I am so grateful to have such a sweet man in my life.

Super Incredaleuca Eric!

Every once in a while Eric will have a crazy dress up day at work, and Eric, being the enthusiastic character he is, always participates.  This day was "Super Hero" dress-up day.  Can you guess who Eric was?  Actually, we're not even sure.  He had a black sure, an Incredibles' t-shirt, and a stylish green Melaleuca vest.  Whatever he was, he sure looked good!  He can come rescue me anytime he wants.