Odd things about being pregnant...

So I'm almost 13 weeks preggo and the strangest changes have been going on...I'm not flashing back to my middle school years of change (which were horrible by the way) but I will say that pregnancy hits a close second to that traumatic time.  Here are some things I've noticed:

1) My taste in food has done a complete 180.  This baby definitely has Tim's taste buds.  I love salty foods; I went to Red Robin the other night and only ate French Fries, skip the hamburger...just give me salt.  I have been a sugar-aholic since I was born; my first word was probably, "Canny".  I buy loads of candy for my classes and they eat about half of it and I eat the rest.  But since I found out I was pregnant, my taste for sugar has dropped to about a zero.  This has seriously NEVER happened to me before!  My last surprising food aversion (besides Mexican food) is pizza.  Tim and I use to eat pizza at least once a week.  Walking past the pizza aisle last week made me throw up in my mouth.  I just have no more cravings for pizza - any kind.  My family ordered it last night and I cut the pizza in half and just ate the crust.

2)  I can cry at the drop of a hat.  We went shopping for a pair of shoes for Tim Friday night.  We found a good-looking pair and he wouldn't try them on because he thought they were too expensive.  Tears started welling up and before I knew it, Tim was walking around in those shoes like they were slippers.

3)  My face looks like it did in middle school: covered with zits and fat.

4) Body changes?  Let's just say some good some bad; mostly I just want to wear a robe.

To My Husband

"How do I love thee? Let me count the ways..."

1. I love that we are best friends
2. When you come home from work and give me the biggest hug
3. I love that you are so hardworking
4. That you want to be successful in whatever you do
5. When you shave your face on Saturday just because you know I like it
6. That you are always so happy in the morning
7. I love when we are about to go to sleep at night, you express how grateful you are for me
8. Your little dance moves whenever there's a song on
9. I love when you make dinner and clean up the mess when its over....I love that!
10. That you secretly like "Sense and Sensibility"
11. That you love teaching and are an amazing teacher
12. I love that you talk to me about anything and everything
13. When you clean the house to surprise me
14. That you do your laundry every Saturday
15. That you always answer the phone when I'm calling and say enthusiastically, "Hey Beautiful!"
16. Your avid interest in politics
17. That you want to be on time for your church meetings and attend all three
18. That you spend hours reading the Book of Mormon
19. I love that you make sure we pray as a couple every night and that you always hold my hand
20. Those uber-soft lips....yum
21. I love that you are sometimes nervous in social settings but you always want to make others feel comfortable.
22. That you are always up for a walk
23. That you acknowledge anything I do around the house
24. That you are always so willing to go to the grocery store with me, or anywhere for that matter
25. I love that you laugh at my silliness and that you can be silly too
26. That you want to look "sharp"
27. That you make my birthdays so special
28. I love how well you can keep a secret

Tim, you have made me so incredibly happy. Thank you for being the best thing in my life. I love you with all my heart. Happy Birthday Tomorrow!

Big News!

Tim plus me equals NEW BABY!  That's right, I'm pregnant!  I am officially due August 10th.  We could not be more thrilled!  We are even more excited because Tim's sister-in-laws are both pregnant too!  We will all be two months apart. Tim and I will probably be moving up to Provo in June so I will have to switch up doctors midway but the weather will be so nice and I can take walks up the canyon.  Tim will be starting Law School just two weeks after the baby is born so hopefully its not too overwhelming. I am so excited to be a mom and can't wait to go baby shopping.  I feel like I've been doing it for years, but this time its for real! Should be a piece of cake!

New Plans

Tim and I have been talking about going to Law School for a while and now, its official.  Tim was offered a spot at the J Reuben Clark Law program at BYU.  It was definitely Tim's first choice.  I am definitely NOT looking forward to going back to the freezing cold but my sister is there and some good friends.  I will have a party while Tim is studying away!

Latest and Greatest

1) School is officially half way over!  I always love the first semester because it just flies by and with all the holiday breaks, I always had something to look forward to!  This next semester will be like walking through mud but I just take deep breaths and know that it will end eventually.

2) Christmas this year was so much fun!  The following pics are from Christmas Eve and our trip to Newport after Christmas. Thanks Mom and Dad for the nice vacation!  It was so relaxing and just what I needed before heading back to work!

Happy Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving season has been one of the best yet!  Tim and I got to see the Jubilee of Trees this year and were so impressed by all the gorgeous trees!  We saw Santa Claus and even got free popcorn - it was perfect!

Thanksgiving day was a blast!  My uncle Randy put together a scavenger hunt for all the kids this year.  We were running around town trying the find the locations to his clever (very clever) clues - we got third place (which is another word for last) but it was so fun.  The feast afterwards was incredible and of course, I made myself sick by eating way too much.  How could I help myself?  After dessert, we headed to Walmart for Black Friday (which started at 10 pm this year).  I have NEVER seen Walmart that crazy!  It took Tim and I about 10 minutes to find some DVDs we liked (Thanks Rand for our third place prizes - it went straight to our Black Friday DVDs) and another hour to stand in line.  Hey, its all about the experience and it was quite the experience.  Now, bring on the Christmas season and let's get wrapping!  Happy Holidays!

Workin' Woman

I get up to the sound of Tim's automated alarm this morning. "Get up Carlee and Tim.  It is time to conquer the day.  The weather outside is..."  After cuddling with my husband for what seems like another 5 minutes - shoot, make that 20, I rush to the closet, throw on a skirt and one of my many (many) cardigans and run to the bathroom.  I mutter complaints as I splotch on my make-up (I really hate wearing make-up every single day - why do I feel its such a necessity?  Is that a zit?  Ok...), and sit down for my morning bowl of Bran - hey, it works. After giving eachother pep talks and telling eachother how cute we look (if you saw Tim, you would think he looked pretty cute too), we turn off the lights, lock the door and head out into the cold morning darkness.  I kiss Tim goodbye, he tells me to be safe and we get into our freezing cold cars.  As I drive to work, my mind becomes focused on all the things I have to do today.  I get excited to see my favorite students and gear up to see my not-so-favorite students.  Do I need to make those copies? Will that teacher stop by for his daily chat and how can I get rid of her?  Mostly though, I get an overwhelming sense of purpose.  I love working because I see that it makes my life full...full of purpose, accomplishment, security, and well-being.  I am so thankful that I have the opportunity to be a workin' woman!