Going Private. . . .

It's true . . . . I've decided to take the plunge and make our blog private. I know that people don't like to sign into blogs (I agree it's a pain) and that everyone will probably stop visiting our blog once I change it, but I hope that's not the case! We have loved staying in contact with friends and family through our blog and seeing your comments! So, if you think you can handle the "extra work" of signing in, and you still want to view our blog, please send me your email address so we can add you to the list and make you an "invited guest"! I will change the comments portion of the blog so that only I can see your email and it will not be posted for everyone to see.

Memorial Day in Florida!

Memorial Day weekend, we decided to use the long weekend to drive to the panhandle of Florida. Jeff's family had a family reunion a couple years ago at this resort called Sandestin, so we decided to go there. Jeff's sister's family joined us and we split a townhouse at the resort. Normally the water is flat and crystal blue, like in the Bahamas, but that weekend that had a lot of waves. The sand was the best sand we had EVER seen. Literally is was like sugar. We had an amazing time, and it was good to get away.

We also went to a town right next to Destin called Seaside. It is the town where they filmed the movie "The Truman Show", so it looks like a dream world utopia. I love that movie, so it was fun to see all the places in the movie.

At night in the resort they had a bunch of activities going on to celebrate Memorial Day. Jeff and Rich got to ride a zip-line across the lagoon, and they had an impressive fireworks show. This is a picture of the fireworks...Jeff's head is not on fire. :)

New Orleans!

On our way to Florida, we spent the night in New Orleans, and we had a blast. We pulled in late, and our hotel was right next to the French quarter, so we decided to walk down Bourbon Street to get the real New Orleans feel. Did we ever....it was crazy! The street was packed with people (mostly intoxicated) and we couldn't do much, since it is not a place that caters too well for Mormons. Jeff said it definitely reminded him of his mission in France. It was fun to see all of the lights. The next morning we went with Beck and Rich to the famous "Cafe du Monde" for some famous French beignets. They were delicious.

Jeff got some beads thrown at him from a lady on a balcony.

They were selling these mardi gras masks for cheap... we couldn't resist

Beignets at "Cafe du Monde" with some hot chocolate...Mmmm.

Houston Astros Game!

Jeff and I went to a Houston Astros baseball game with our brother-in-law Rich, and his brother Will. The stadium in Houston is amazing, there was definitely a lot of money put into it. The Astros won! It was a good way to enjoy a spring night

The view from our seats!

It's a . . . . . . . . . BOY!

Having the ultrasound was such a neat experience! My parents were here for the weekend so they got to come to the ultrasound and be a part of it. When the technician announced the baby was a boy, Jeff said, "Nice! I'm going to save a lot of money!" I guess there aren't quite as many accessories I can buy for boys. I asked Jeff if I could still put a rhinestone binky in his mouth and he definitely didn't like the idea too much-I'll just have to work on him a bit! All kidding aside, we are very excited! It was so amazing seeing him move around inside me and seeing his tiny body parts. He wasn't being very cooperative for the pictures. He had his head tucked all the way under and I'm hoping that means he is a cuddler. We also got to see him in 3D which was even crazier! I also started feeling him move about a week ago. It is so weird feeling little jabs and knowing that it's him kicking me. I'm sure it will only get more surreal as the kicks become more pronounced!

Pregnant Pictures

Some people have been asking when I was going to post some pregnant pictures, so. . . . . here you go! The one on the left is when I was 17 weeks and the one on the right was just taken yesterday when I hit 19 weeks! I definitely feel like I have "popped" a lot more in the last week. We get to find out this Friday if the baby is a boy or girl. We can't wait! The chinese calendar says it's a boy and anyone that knows me knows I have relied heavily on the calendar for predicting my friends babies. I know there's a whole 50/50 chance, but it is a pretty accurate predictor. On the flip side, a lot of our family thinks it's a girl. What do you think it is?

3 Years!

On May 12 Jeff and I celebrated our 3 year Wedding Anniversary. I can't believe how quickly time has flown! We watched our wedding video the other day and it was so fun to reminisce about the day. It was beautiful in every way and we were so lucky to be surrounded by so many wonderful friends and family! Here's a quick walk down "memory lane":

Crawfish party

In April, the tradition here in Houston is to have a southern crawfish boil, and they sell them everywhere. We went to a crawfish party and after some peer pressure, I got the courage to actually try one. It takes alot of work to get to the little bit of meat, but it is not bad. Kind of like a mini lobster.

It was sad because when you cook them, you have to put them in the boiling water alive. There were some leftover crawfish that we didn't use that were still alive, so we let them go in a pond. It made us feel better about eating their friends. PETA would be proud.

Easter Weekend in Austin!

Jeff and I drove to Austin over Easter weekend since we had Friday off and we had a blast.

Look at this picture Jeff took of the cows at the Bluebonnets!!! I love it! While we were driving up to Austin from Houston, we just saw fields and fields covered in wildflowers and these bluebonnets. We stopped by the side of the road and Jeff got this picture. Don't those cows look happy! And of course, we had to "frolick" in the bluebonnets ourselves as you can see below.

We took a tour of the state capitol. It had beautiful architecture inside and it was nice to learn more about the history of Texas.

We went to some botanical gardens in Zilker Park. If can't tell by now, I really love flowers!

Near the gardens we saw a peacock on the side of the rode so we followed it and ended up in a random wildlife preserve where there were around 15 peacocks walking around. They are such pretty/interesting looking animals. Just as we were talking about how we didn't think they flew, a car startled them and a bunch flew up in the air and one dive-bombed right past our heads trying to escape.

They have a pretty lookout spot in Austin called Mt. Bonnell. It looks over the downtown and the river where there are really expensive houses lined up along the river where Sandra Bullock, Matthew McConahey, and others live. Really pretty view.

Jeff and I tried out the "Love Tester" at the restaurant we ate at in Austin. As you can see, Jeff was pretty proud that he got the "Hot Stuff" level...one from the top! He insisted though that it must have been broken because he definitely deserved the top spot. I would have to agree!!

Texas is known for it's BBQ, but everyone in Texas knows that the best place to get BBQ is at "The Salt Lick", which is about 30 minutes outside of Austin. Jeff and I went here last September, and we have both been dreaming about it ever since. So, of course we had to pay a visit. They BBQ everything in a big pit like you see below, and their sauce is heavenly. If you like BBQ, we will take you here.

Texas Wildflowers

A few weeks ago we drove around the Texas hill country and countryside to see all the wildflowers that were in bloom....All I can say is.....BEAUTIFUL!!!

A "Jolley" Visit

My parents came to visit us last weekend and we had so much fun seeing them! They were only here for 3 days, but boy did we make it an action-packed weekend. On Friday we went to a place called Kemah Boardwalk. This place was so cool and it was such a beautiful day outside so it was a perfect day to visit. It is on the way to Galveston and it has tons of fair rides/games, shops, places to eat, and a boardwalk next to the ocean.

My dad was determined to win at this game . . . and he did! Look at the intensity on his face - he's got the eye of the tiger for sure.

We went to some pretty gardens near our place. It's on an old Houstonian estate so we got a tour of the house and then walked around the gardens after.

My mom and I love hydrangea's! They are such pretty flowers.

Yep. . . that's my third and final visit to the rodeo! I'm pretty much an expert now at this whole rodeo thing so if you have questions, come see me. My parents couldn't visit Texas without going to the Rodeo. There was a girl that was doing barrel racing from Fresno - we were so excited and cheered way loud for her!

I love fair food! This corn was amazing!

Jeff and my dad and our friend John went trap shooting on Saturday morning. Here's Jeff looking tough.