Christmas Time

So this Christmas Eve we went over to my parents house for our annual Christmas Eve traditions. We always have the whole family there ( and this year the Dickson's and all the cousins were there too) and we read from the scriptures about the birth of Christ. The kids dress up and act out the nativity story as we read it. (and some adults get forced to be in it as well.. ) Now this is always put on with no rehersal so its a little interesting to see how it turns out. This year's nativity seemed to have a biker wiseman, a mexican wiseman, actually I think there were 4 wiseman this year and it looks like Joseph was tad bit too old for Mary!!! But it turned out just wonderful, and its nice to be reminded of the true meaning of Christmas. To end the night we always have hot chocolate and krispy kremes. Mmmm... Yes, we are also one of those families that get to open one special present every Christmas Eve...can you guess what it is?? Pajamas... even baby got his first pair!! So cute! It was so much fun getting to spend time with all our cousins especially the ones who live in other states!!!

Christmas morning is spent at my parents house. We always open presents with all the family and then have a big brunch. Its so much fun getting to see all the little kids open their presents! This year I got Jesse tickets to the Suns/Cavs game (we went the Monday before Christmas) and Jesse got me the diaper bag I wanted! A super cute Petunia Picklebottom bag... yes, that means I have 2 diaper bags already!! What can I say, a girl likes her bags! Our big present from my parents was video camera so we can capture every little moment of our little one!!! After brunch, we headed down to Maricopa to spend the rest of the day with the Rucker Family! We got to spend time visiting and playing Wii. ( I, of course, watch while they played!!!) Jesse's parents suprised us (well me cuz Jesse knew) by getting us the chandelier for the baby's room. I was so excited. We both can't wait to start decorating the nursery now!!! I can't believe that next year at Christmas we will have a little baby boy to celebrate it with us! Its so crazy to think about!

So its official... I'm getting old. I can't believe I am 25, seriously, these years are going by so fast!!! My birthday was kind of a 2 day event... I got a mani/pedi with my mom on Saturday then Jesse and I went to dinner at Baci, a REALLY good italian restaraunt in Queen Creek. Sunday we had both families, the Greenwald's and the Ruckers, over to my parents for a big birthday dinner! I couldn't have asked for a better birthday!!!

Oh, and this is me at 19 weeks pregnant. I actually have a baby bump now...its small but its there! I was beginning to wonder if there really was a little guy in there or if I just made it up. I can't believe I am almost half way done. Its feels like yesterday that I just found out.

Well we hope that everyone had a Merry Christmas and have a Happy New Year!!!

IT'S A BOY

Baby Rucker


It's definately a BOY


His leg and foot


His hand


His first outfit and toy. We found out right before we went to the Suns game!!!


So after the big disappointment last Thursday, we finally got to find out what we were having today! We couldn't be happier to say WE ARE HAVING A BOY!!! We had both been thinking that was going to be the outcome... to tell you the truth we would have been completely shocked if it was a girl. I have been referring to it as a "he" since the first day we found out we were prego. So I guess we were right, and so was EVERYONE else that thought that too. (I don't think I had one person tell me they thought it was a girl)

The ultrasound went great. It was a level II because of some of my medical conditions, so it was pretty thorough. The tech explained everything she was doing and measuring. They said everything looked perfect and health. My expected due date is now May 18th. After our appt, we headed to the Suns vs Cavs game, despite me being sick for the past week and feeling terrible. (The tickets were my Christmas present to Jesse!) It was a blast even though they lost. We bought our son his first little out fit and toy! We couldn't pass up getting our boy some Suns gear!!!

Better Luck Next Time....

So we went to the ultrasound today....but we didn't get to find out what we are having. The baby's legs were crossed, the cord was going between the legs and the placenta was covering where she needed to see and the baby would not budge. Stuborn little thing! (It must take after me!) So at first the lady was saying it was a girl and then she thought boy. She couldn't give us a for sure answer so we left knowing there was a 50% chance of a boy and 50% chance of girl. Umm... hello, we already knew that. Needless to say, we were both pretty bummed and pissed off. Luckily, we have to have an ultrasound Monday anyways, so hopefully the baby will be a little more cooperative. We really really want to know before Christmas.

BOY or GIRL??

So we find out this Thursday what we will be having!!! We are both so excited! We thought it wasn't going to happen this week, but there was no stopping us. We were determined to find out! Of course Jesse is hoping for a boy and as for me, I would be really excited for either. Anyone have any guesses now? I will definately post on here as soon as we find out Thursday!

Here are a couple of the ultrasound pictures that Dr.Gebert did while I was visiting Michelle in Texas.

13 weeks 3D ultrasound




Here is a profile shot


Here I am at 16 weeks.... trying to convince myself that maybe you can see a baby bump if you squint....I know I will regret ever being sad about not looking prego when I am HUGE later on. :-)

A Little Dull

It's kinda weird with how little has gone on in our lives recently. For one, we're expecting our first child in May and there just isn't much to really blog about. Second, with Christmas coming up there still isn't much to blog about except the fact we are both so excited for this time of season. The colder weather, gloomy skies that actually kinda make it feel a little Christmasy, the holiday music on the radios, and most of all, the PRESENTS!!! HAHA! And last, we're both just still working and I'll start school again on January 20 at the beginning of the upcoming decade, lol. I'm still working for Direct TV and Mallory is still working at Junky Trunk and also helping her brother a couple hours a day at his office. Which has been nice getting the extra money so we can buy gifts for people this year, lol. But I guess the most recent thing that has happened was Mallory went to Texas for a week for her best friend Michelle's baby shower. They are having their second child and we just love them. As much as I missed my beautiful wife while she was gone, I did love watching my sports games all day, lol. She'll let me watch some while she's here but I got to watch it all day, lol. We'll have some pictures to post up soon of the next ultrasound we are having done on the 17, which should be THE ULTRASOUND. That's the one where we hopefully find out we are having a boy. Lol, well as a guy I hope it's a boy and of course Mallory wants to dress up a cute girl. But in the end, we both just want a really happy and healthy baby. So either a boy or a girl will definitely be the best blessing in our lives. So until then that's really all that has been going on around here.

BABY RUCKER

6 WEEKS

8 WEEKS


Any guesses on what you guys think it will be? Hopefully we will find out before Christmas!

BABY ON THE WAY....

So here's just a little update: Jesse and I have been trying to get pregnant for the past 6 months with no luck. I began seeing a fertility specialist at the end of July and had some tests run the beginning of August. The results were not what we had hoped for. They told me that because of my medical problems and the things they had found it would make it harder for me to get pregnant. I would most likely have to do different procedures in order to get pregnant. So as September came around we were trying to figure out which option would be best and most affordable. Just a week before I was suppose to go back in... I kept having this random feeling to take a pregnancy test. I kept putting it off because I didn't want to read another "negative" result. After finding out a couple MORE of my close friends were pregnant I decided to just take it... to my suprise it said "pregnant" I ran downstairs and asked Jesse if I misread the test (even though it was a digital one and its kinda hard to misread) He about died... I still couldn't believe it... I took 4 more tests out of shock..and had a blood test done. I was in fact pregnant. We just had our first ultrasound done this week. I am 6 weeks 5 days pregnant. Which means I will be due May 24th, 2010. We got to see the teeny tiny baby and hear its heartbeat. It was the most amazing thing ever! Granted, the baby is about the size of a grain of rice and in the picture it doesn't really look like anything. I still can't believe it. The cool part is, I get to be pregnant the same time as all my best friends. Michelle is due in Jan, Tiffany and Brittani are due in Feb, Kallie is due in April and Me in May. Not to mention the rest of my good friends who are all pregnant right now too. CRAZY huh! We are both SOOOOO excited now ( we were too scared to be excited at first because of my medical problems) Seriously we can't wait to meet our little one! Jesse is of course hoping that it is a boy and as for me, I really don't care. I am just so excited to have a baby. We should find out what we are having before Christmas. I don't know if we can wait that long!!!
More to come later....

Look What I Found....

***This exact desk but black***


So this weekend Jesse and I decided to FINALLY take a trip up to our cabin.(Jesse had only been asking to go up there since I met him... almost 2 years ago. Haha) My parents were already up there for the holiday weekend, so Jesse and I decided to meet them up there Friday after work. We left at 6 and after 2 hrs of driving and 45 min of sitting in traffic we finally made it there. Even though it was raining part of the time, it was still nice to "get away" for the weekend. We just hung out, ate and watched tv all weekend long. Saturday on our way into Payson for Dinner and a movie we stopped at this super cute antique store called Moose Mountain in Pine.( Debbie - you would love this store, along with ALL the others there!!!)They happened to be selling some furniture out front..this super cute black desk (it is the exact desk pictured, just black) I had been wanting a differnt color desk. I asked the lady how much thinking maybe if I was lucky it would be around $100... to my suprise she said $40... can you believe that... 40 FREAKIN DOLLARS for a desk. Granted it was a little banged up and my mom did drop the drawer but for $40 it was in GREAT condiditon. So we bought it and loaded it up into the truck. And Jesse says I can't be cheap...Pshh! Now the good part... so after we got home Jesse was moving the desk upstairs and noticed where the desk was originally from.,BALLARD DESIGNS. One of my fav decorating stores. Its like Pottery Barn but cuter and more expensive. So I was like "Sweet" and then decided to check it out onlineto see how much it was and if they still had it. To my suprise they did, so I stole the picture to put on the blog so everyone could see my amazing deal I got. Ok so have any guesses on how much the desk cost on their website???? $100... $300....$400... NOPE, $700!!! Can you believe that... I just scored a $700 desk for $40 Pretty sweet, huh? So all in all, the past weekend was a blast.Relaxing with my hubby and parents. Watching movies and eating good food! Mmm, Macky's Grill. Can't wait to go back for that. So if anyone is down for going to the cabin with us... just lets us know! Its lots of fun. Who knows maybe next time we will even do some of the outdoor stuff! haha!

Check It Out!

So be sure to check out our other blog were doing to see if it'll work. It's right under our playlist of songs for our blog and its Mals Home Business/Hobby. It doesn't currently have everything on that she's making so just keep checking back every few days to see if new things are on there. Thanks!

Brody's 1st Birthday

So this past weekend we celebrated Brody's 1st Birthday at Matt and Beth's house. We were so excited that they were having the little family party at their house since we hadn't seen it since they moved in (a year ago). And, I must say, Jesse and I are sooooo in love with it! We wish we could have their house! They did an AWESOME job with the decorating and their backyard is AMAZING! Beth made this huge dinner that was just like being at Costa Vida/ Cafe Rio. It was soooo good. If you love mexican food or Costa Vida or Cafe Rio Salads you have to get the recipie. So after dinner Brody opened presents with some help from his big brother Colby and then we had cake. The picture above is Brody eating his massive piece of cake. He was so cute! He just totally dug in while everyone was watching his every move. I can't believe he is 1 already. Man, the nieces and nephews sure do grow up fast!

American Idols Live Tour

The Top Ten

#1 Kris Allen

#2 Adam Lambert (My favorite!!!)

#3 Danny Gokey

#4 Allison Iraheta

#5 Matt Giraud

#6 Anoop Desai

#7 Lil' Rounds

#8 Scott Macintyre

#9 Megan Joy

#10 Michael Sarver


So as soon as Season 8 ended on American Idol, I knew that I was going to have to get tickets to see the concert this year. You better believe that I was on my computer at 9:59 to be the first one to get tickets at 10:00. We got floor seats...only a couple rows back. Jesse wasn't too happy cuz he thought we would be standing most of the concert but luckily we didn't have too. Now just so you know, I have already managed to drag Jesse to the American Idol concert last year and yes, he had to go with me this year too!!! I think he secretly liked this year's concert...minus Adam Lambert (who of course was the only one I was really there to see) The concert was actually really really good. They all sounded so much better than they did on the show. Matt was actually one of the best performers of the night. I would definately go see him concert. Adam was also AMAZING. He really knows how to put on a show. And his voice, I could listen to him sing all day long...sing, not scream! Kris was just Kris... very mellow. You could definately tell that Arizona was an "Adam Lambert" state... the croud seemed to go CRAZY for him...all the little girls, older women and gay guys. It was great. and yes we all "knew" that Adam was gay when we watched the show, but let me just tell you that now that he is "out of the closet" he is definately more flamboyant! All in all it was a good concert and we had a great time. I am glad I got to spend it with my hubby.

Our next events: Seeing Phantom and Grease here in AZ!

UPDATE

So last Saturday Jesse and I went out looking for a new car. We wanted to trade my Honda Civic in to get something a litter bigger so that Jesse could fit better and be more comfotable in the car I drive. Plus, we wanted a car that would be easier to fit carseats in and get kids in and out of better(No, we are not prego yet but we have decided that we are going to start trying soon). So of course we decided to go looking at the dealership where Dave, our brother-in-law, works. We didn't think we would find one so soon but we actually found a car that we both liked. Dave got us a smokin' deal on a 2009 Chevy Equinox.(and we really really appreciate him doing that) It is white with a tannish/greyish interior. Of course I am a brat and wasn't sure if I liked the interior, but it has grown on me the past couple days. I love driving our new car. It has so much room and its so clean and shiney. The only thing wrong with it right now is that the windows aren't tinted. But don't you worry, I already made Jesse make a call to get that done. Arizona is WAY W?AY W?AY too hot to not have tinted windows. I literally can feel the sun burning my skin as I drive, and no I am not being dramatic. So we are really excited about our new car... of course we are the outcast of the family with our GMC Sierra and Chevy Equinox. All of my family seems to drive Nissan. Matt's family has a Nissan Altima and Armada. Marshall's family has a Nissan Armada, Titan and 350z and my dad has a Nissan Altima.. I guess my mom is an outcast too. Ha. So that was our excitement for the weekend.

Not much else is new... Jesse is looking for a new job that will treat him better, have better pay and work with his school schedule. (Sears said they would...but now they aren't going to) I am also looking for another part time job to make some extra money. I am also in the prcoess of getting my business liscense so I can sell my diaper wipe cases to boutiques and online. I actually already has one boutiqe want to sell them. We are also hoping that the people that are renting the other house that my dad owns decide to move when their lease is up. We have decided that we would love to move into that house. It is bigger, nicer and has a pool. It would be great for kids. Plus it has a big back yard where the dogs could run around. So anyways thats all folks!

California 2009!!!

So we've been home for about a week and a half now and are just now getting these pictures put up. It's just amazing how long it takes sometimes to get back to the normal life when you return from a full week of vacationing and laying on the beach all day doing nothing. So we went to Newport Beach, CA for our week at the beach with Mallory's family. Every summer her parents rent a beach house right on the beach for a fun family trip where we all just get to spend lots of time together and just hang out. We spend a lot of the time on the beach and playing in the cold water (which I never go out farther than I can touch cause everyone knows of my fears of sharks, stupid movies and animal planet). Then we go to all these family favorite restaurants that are over there for dinners together. Two of the favorites are a little Italian place called Mamma Di's and a Mexican joint called El Ranchito. Just some of the best food ever. Mallory's favorite part of CA though, which I'm sure everyone can guess, is the shopping. We actually ended up going to the swap meet twice which was good cause everything is just so cheap there. She ended up getting a new luggage set that she found online that was 120 but at the swap meet I got the guys to give it to us for 70. She gets emberrassed from my haggling that I do cause I refuse to pay full price for anything, haha. Then she wanted to find a laptop bag cause I told her we could get her one, and it was perfect cause we ended up finding a perfect match to her new luggage set at another stand in the swap meet. So she was happy she got a whole new complete luggage set. She also found some clothes at the swap meet that were real cheap too. I think I've finally taught her all there is to know about bargain shopping and finding the best deal out there. Not much really for guys to buy there but some electronic stuff but it wasn't really cheaper than you would find at best buy or something like that so I didn't get anything except a cover for my iPhone to protect it. It just so happens that we were there over my birthday so I got plenty of nice gifts for my birthday and had the best birthday breakfast that morning. Newport doughnuts. There are no better doughnuts than the ones we get at the beach. They even beat krispy kremes. We went out that night to Claim Jumper to eat where I was treated to a steak and lobster tail dinner which was mighty delicious. Then we went to see Transformers 2 the next morning with my brother and his wife who are doing some sales in Rancho Cucamunga for the summer and we loved it. It wasn't as good as the first one (which not many sequals are), but it was still pretty good. We also saw The Proposal while we were over there which was very funny and also just happened to see it the same night I proposed to her last year when we were at the beach house. Aside from that it was just alot of hanging out with family and going shopping and hanging out on the beach. But I'm sure I missed some things that Mallory will post in the next post on our blog. We look forward to going next year and hate waiting a whole year to take another week long fun vacation.

Puppy Cuts!

Well this isn't really something that happened in the last few days but we had the puppies groomed a while ago. Since we're both to scared to cut their nails, we always just wait til we take them to get their hair cut and just have them do it, haha! Anyways, the other day after we had taken them to get them cut I was laying downstairs on the couch and they both came to lay with me and they ended up falling asleep on me. I just happened to have my phone in my pocket and was able to take a picture and when I had taken the picture I then noticed and just thought it was cute that Bella always takes one of her front legs and wraps it around her little sister Maya to try and keep her warm, lol! They of course now have much longer hair and are in need for a trip to the groomer to have their hair cut again.

MY NEW HOBBY

So I have decided to start making crafts again in my spare time. Since so many of my friends are pregnant and I will be needing gifts, I decided to kill two birds with one stone and make baby things. So this week it was wipe case covers. These are just some that I have made so far but I am going to be doing lots of different colors with differnt buckles in the middle. I have round ones, square ones, hearts, fluer di lis's.etc... I am also going to do different designs with different patterns and fabrics.

I have also decided that I am going to attempt to make bling binkies (binkies with rhinestone designs), binky holders (the clips that attach the binky on to the baby's shirt), burp clothes with cute designs and patterns.. of course for that one I will have to learn how to sew... Yeah, I doubt that is going to happen, but we'll see. Jesse came home and saw all wipe case covers I had made today and he was like "These actually look good." Pshh..Like I was going to make something ugly. Anyways... well I will keep you posted on all of my new crafts. If you like any of these and you want one...justt me know.

SUMMER IS HERE...

So Summer is definately here, at least it feels like it. I was on my way home from the doctor's office (yes, I am always at the doctor!!!)wednesday and decided to stop by my parents and to my suprise both of my sisters-in-law and their kids were over to go swimming. So I decided to stay for a bit and lay out by the pool to chat while the kids swam. Of course I didn't have a swimsuit but luckily I had a tank top on and I borrowed a pair of shorts from my mom. I have to say I did get some sun that day and I realized why I like to tan at the tanning salon. Arizona is FREAKIN HOT! I was only laying there for about 10 minutes and I thought I was going to DIE!!! So no more outside for me...looks like I'm gonna stick to the tanning beds until I'm on the beach in Cali this summer! I did have fun watching the kids though. Maddie can swim all the way to the deep end now and Andrew has gotten so much better too. I can't believe how old they are and all the things they can do now. Colby was shooting baskets and man, I can tell he is going to be one good basketball player just like his dad!!! Ema is just like her Auntie Mally... she just likes to float on raft or lay out on a chair! I swear she is my long lost child! I think Brody was the only kid who didn't seem to have too much fun in the water. Beth tried to stick him in this floaty thing but he just started screaming when he was put in the water... I guess he doesn't like baths either. Lol! So all in all it was a good day, I was just sad that Jesse couldn't be there to spend it with me!!! Maybe next time!

Playing with the Kids!!!

So last week Jesse and I met my Mom at San Tan Village so we could hang out with Andrew and Ema, whom she was babysitting. We watched them as they played on the playground... well Andrew played on it while Ema sat next to me and my mom like she always does! We love spending time with Andrew and Ema, its just too bad that Maddie is in school all day. So we don't see her as much. :-( After the playing, we got pretzels( their favorite and mine) and headed home. Sometimes I really love that I only work part time and Jesse isn't in school all the time. That way we can have relaxing days spending time with eachother and family!!!

EWW...GROSS!!

So here is what my hand looks like after they removed the bandages. Gross,huh! It stillhurts pretty bad and Ihave to ice it all time. At least now, it is just in a splint and in 10 days I get the stiches taken out. Hopefully, it won't hurt too much and my scares will heal quickly