Update

The last month has been a pretty crazy one. My parents bought into the Hogi Yogi franchise and a LOT of our time has been spent helping them out. Paul works his job at the Corner store, goes to school, then runs over to my parent's store in Orem. We have had a lot of late nights trying to get the store up and running, but I really think it will pay off in the end. The previous owners really let the store go. It looked like it hadn't been cleaned in years and I think at least a few of us wanted to cry when we saw all the work to be done. There's a lot of scrubbing and remodeling going into the store right now and we are hoping for a grand reopening in June (even though they technically aren't closed). The whole family is involved (with the exception of Ryan who travels a lot for his work). I am excited to see how it does during the summer. This has turned out to be a blessing for us because Paul will be able to pick up a few extra shifts a week, supplementing my income.

Reanna. Such a dedicated worker!

School is almost over, but we're pretty burned out. At this point I am trying not to stress. If I don't do so well on my finals I'll just have to deal with the consequences later. Right now I just need to get through this pregnancy. I have been sick quite a lot. I've had 2 flues and 3 colds along with all the other joys of pregnancy in just 3 months. I've missed a lot of work and school as a result. It hasn't been easy for me at all, and now that the bloatation is settling in I'm really not loving being pregnant. I can't wait to meet this little guy and have my body at least somewhat to myself again.

On a more positive note, I passed my glucose test last week. I was so afraid I was going to fail. My doctor told me that I was at higher risk because so many family members are/were diabetic. So that was an exciting bit of news. Everything with baby James is looking good. He's definitely a strong baby. He wakes me up just as much as the frequent bathroom breaks in the middle of the night with his violent little martial art moves. We have been trying to save up for the crib, but so many things have happened unexpectedly. The tires went out, some brake drum thingy is broken, I need to renew my driver's license, I have to buy my contacts SOON or I'll have to get another eye exam, emissions is coming up, etc. All of these things add up and so we still don't have the crib. I wish we could get that out of the way. It makes me nervous the closer we get. Only 11 weeks to go!! I've posted some random pictures of what's been going on in our lives below. Enjoy!

Extremely cute outfit!

Getting bigger. 27 Weeks.

Rosi and Reanna decided to cover Paul with pillows while he was taking a nap. Such an easy target.

And lastly, I wish that Spring would get the memo! We had yet another snow storm last week. I'm so tired of it!

24 Weeks and the Kindness of Strangers

So here I am at 24 weeks. I can't imagine how huge I'm going to get in the next 16 weeks! James is kicking harder and harder every day. He now wakes me up several times a night with his violent little kicks and punches. It never stops startling me!

Lately we have been so blessed. With me quitting my job in a few months we've been struggling to try to get all the things that we need for James AND putting some money away to pay for the birth. I've been on a blogging website with other expectant moms and have made some online friends. One woman took a particular interest in our lives. She has been SO generous. She told me that she had a few things leftover from her son and wanted to send them to me. She ended up sending us WAY more than that. She sent us a baby bouncer, a pack and play, a high chair, a stroller, a baby monitor, and a few onsies--all BRAND NEW. We have been very overcome by her kindness towards us-people she doesn't even know. On top of it I put an ad on craigslist for cheap baby items and have been overwhelmed with what people have offered. Most people were cleaning out their closets and were going to just give these things away to DI but have given them to us instead. One woman made me a matching burp cloth and blanket! The kindness we have received from total strangers has been overwhelming! At this point all we need is a crib, clothes, and the usual baby things like diapers and ointments. I can't believe how blessed we've been. I can't wait until we are at a point in our lives where we can pay it forward to another struggling couple.

Here is the baby's nursery. Right now it's just full of all the things we've been given. Once we buy our crib I'll start moving it around and putting things away.

And here is one of the super-cute onsies we were given. I love it!

Valentine's Day, Being Sick, and a Name

Nasty Cold
So I'll start with the fact that I've been very ill for a week now. I never really understood just HOW much medicine helps to cope with being sick...until now when I can't have anything but Sudafed! I'm afraid I've had a pretty bad week. I had mid-terms at BYU and barely got any sleep trying to study for them. On Thursday I couldn't breathe and ended up waking up at 3 am. I was so miserable in my night class that I burst into tears and ran to the bathroom. Talk about embarrassing. I ended up staying in the bathroom until class was over. I'm still sick, and two nights ago I must have slept funny because I have a horrible ache in my shoulder muscle. HORRIBLE. This is the worst cold I've ever had in my life. I slept until 3 Sunday afternoon though, so that's good because I haven't been getting much sleep. My house has been a total disaster area. I haven't done laundry or dishes for a week! Paul cleaned up while I was sleeping. He's such a sweetheart. I'm hoping to get beyond the muscle aches and something done today since I have the day off.

Valentine's Day!
I woke up early and made Paul some heart shaped pancakes with whipped cream and strawberries before he had to go to work. I went back to bed. When I woke up Paul was just getting home. He brought me some chocolates, and a beautiful potted Daffodil plant. He's getting much better at more romantic gifts. LOL. Last year for Valentine's day he told me that we were going someplace special only to take me to church distribution for some underwear and scriptures. NOT what I was expecting.
He let me sleep for a few more hours before we got up to go to dinner. I've had this craving for pizza for days and we ended up at the Pie Pizzeria in Salt Lake. After that we went to Trolly Square and looked at rings. When we got married he felt bad that I couldn't get something bigger. I didn't care since I wanted to marry him more than I wanted a ring, but he said that after he graduates he wants to buy me a new one. He's still two years away from graduation, but I think he was just trying to make me happy. Who doesn't like looking at sparkly rings?? Then it was off to ice cream at Cold Stone before heading home. It was nice to get out of Utah county and spend time with my hubby. I love him :)

A Name!
We finally agreed on a name! James Rodney Phalen. James is his Grandpa's middle name (for those of you that don't know, his Grandparents raised him so he's like a father to him) and Rodney is of course my dad's first name. We knew we were going to use my dad's name from the beginning, but deciding on a first name took us a little while. Baby James is kicking harder every day. We've been getting things ready for his arrival, but we still have so much preparation! I've been trying to pick things off craigslist to save money and have found some great deals. I just can't believe how much stuff is needed for a new baby! In any case, we are both really excited.

It's a Boy!

The doctor's appointment went great. We were both pretty nervous about finding out. I think mostly because it's going by so fast and it makes it that much more real. We don't have any names picked out. We've been so busy and the few names that we've tossed around we haven't agreed on. We decided to not bother coming up with names for both genders, so now that we know what we're having, we need to buckle down!
Ok, so the baby was moving around like crazy! He kept kicking and punching, but was very stubborn about the position he was in. He had his face planted towards my spine and really didn't want to roll over to let us get a profile of him. He rolled over once really fast, puched his little arms, and rolled right back. So all of the pictures we got were "crotch" pictures.
I love having an LDS doctor! He was talking about how this little guy had chosen us and that he had done all that he had to to get down here. It's really significant to think how far Paul has come in the gospel so quickly, and now he will have a son to pass the priesthood onto one day. It's an amazing feeling!
When he (the doctor) first told us it was a boy we didn't believe it. The first few months of pregnancy we knew it was a boy. Then about a month ago we both started having crazy baby dreams, and in all of our dreams the baby was a girl. So we started second-guessing our first premonition. But that soon faded away and Paul was just beaming with pride. LOL. Trust me, it was cute.
The doctor also bumped me up a week AND said that he's a pretty big baby already. Joy. I'm just glad he's healthy and strong!
Now to buy all the cutesy baby stuff!

Moving, Christmas and stuff

We started our move on the 18th. We had the car and several snow storms that made the move take 4 whole days. It was long and horrible and cold and once again, I never want to move again! I'll upload pictures of the new place after we're unpacked.

But then it was Christmas came on full force! We set up the tree and bought our new Hallmark ornament (Willardson tradition is to buy a new one every Christmas). Paul surprised me the first night of our move and set up the tree while I was in the shower because he knew how much I was looking forward to Christmas. He's so sweet :)

Then Rosi and Reanna came over on the 23rd for a cookie baking party/sleepover. We spent most of the day running from store to store trying desperately to find a gingerbread man cookie cutter. After 5 stores, we finally found one at Bed, Bath and Beyond. May I add that it was was a freezing cold day. The divinity came out just like Grandma Willardson's despite being cooked a little too hot and the gingerbread men were a lot of fun, not to mention tasty (and scary thanks to Reanna's fabulous cookie-decorating skills)!

On Christmas Eve our family went out to Chuck-a-Rama. I will say that our tradition of going to Home Town Buffet tasted sweeter, but there isn't one in Utah, so Chuck-a-Rama has to do. Rosi and I slipped things in Paul's drink while he wasn't looking. Salt, pepper, sugar...the usual available stuff on the table. He drank it though and didn't notice a difference, which makes me wonder if there's something wrong with his taste buds. Later on the family all went sledding. It sounds like they had fun. I stayed home with Muffin and Figaro. Last year I sprained my wrist sledding so badly that I couldn't use it until August, so I decided being pregnant and all I'd make cocoa for when everyone came home. Meanwhile,

Figaro decided to play with the baby Jesus. We've determined that the cloth Jesus must have some sort of stuffing in it that's related to cat nip, because every year Figaro destroys the cradle. Every year.

Here's Paul shedding his sledding overalls in my parents' living room. Nice.

Figaro and his Christmas mouse.

The back yard at my parents house

My Gift to Paul. It took him a while to put it together, but he's really excited about it. Now if we could get a clear night that wasn't so cold!

Paul's gift to me. He definitely gets a gold star!

Our Christmas Tree :)

Well, that was pretty much our Christmas. We had a great time and we're looking forward to everything the New Year will bring!

Having a Baby

So four weeks ago I found out that I am pregnant! I wasn't really expecting it, but I couldn't be happier. Paul is really excited and it's cute to watch him as he reads books about being a father. I love him :) I'm still kind of nervous because I'm only seven weeks--a little over half way through my first trimester-- and I know there's a real chance of miscarriage. It's hard for me to get excited or look at baby names because I would hate to have a name all picked out and then have a miscarriage. So I keep on trying to get through classes and work and not worry, but just relaxing is easier said then done! But all the same, I keep on going.

In the Beginning

Today as we were gathered for dinner at my family's house in Spanish Fork I started thinking about how seemingly small events-little choices we make every day-lead to the rest of our lives. Take for instance back in 2005 when I first moved out to Utah to go to BYU. It wasn't where I really wanted to go, but everything seemed to be pointing me in that direction. My daddy told me to hang out in front of the law building and snatch a lawyer to marry. I'm ashamed to admit that I actually hung out there quite often with those hopes in mind.

I had been there for a week when a guy with a tattoo, earrings, shaved head and chipped front tooth (my father's total nightmare for his daughter) addressed me and my roommate on the stairs of my apartment complex to say, "hey ladies, how are you this evening?" I brushed him off so fast and as soon as he was out of earshot proclaimed to my roommate, "that guy is a total creep."

He joined the church not to long afterwards. I remember one night laying in bed chatting with my roommate. For some reason-and I am ashamed to admit this- we were discussing the new year callings and who we would least like to serve with. First on my list, "creepy convert." To this day I'm not sure if the Lord was punishing me for discussing such things, or blessing me. Maybe a bit of both. The very next Sunday I was informed that I would have a new FHE co-leader, and that it was indeed the creepy convert, Paul Phalen.

I was bitter about working with him at first. But as time went on I found that he was really eager to learn more about the church and we became friends. I'm not saying that we hung out outside of FHE, because we didn't really. That is until I found myself in a strange, dark club known as "The Forsaken." I had just gone through my first BYU breakup and my roommate had a raging crush on the leader of this "club." It was designed for people who were so sick of dating but still wanted to associate with others on date nights in a non-date-like manner. This guy happened to be Paul's roommate, and so I found myself tagging along with my roommate so she wouldn't feel so awkward hitting on the president of an anti-dating club.

At this point you're probably thinking that we're close to living happily ever after. Not even close. Another one of his roommates caught my non-anti-dating eye. Before I knew it the club had disbanded. My roommate and the "dark lord of celibacy" as he liked to be called, were dating. I was dating roommate #2 and Paul was dating a girl in the ward. The stars were not lined up yet.

Then the summer came. Things weren't working out with roommate #2. Not at all. Paul's relationship was on the rocks. Somewhere in here, while we were dating other people, we became actual friends. I would go over to his apartment and we would think of ways to break up with our prospective others.

We broke up around the same time, and surprisingly, this breakup was hard for me. The night we officially broke up, Paul walked me the malt shoppe and bought me a malt. I remember that night his exgirlfriend said I would find a better guy...someone like Paul. Through my tears I said, "what, do you hate me or something!" I swore off dating for good at this point and determined that falling for any other members of apartment 61 was completely impossible. Thus I spent a lot of time there, taking comfort in the fact that dating was taboo with these guys. Paul was on a "dating fast" as he prepared to go to the temple for the first time. It was safe.

His ex could not get over him. We were close friends by now and I found myself hanging out with Paul most of the time. This made for a VERY unhappy apartment life. There were nights that I would drive out to Spanish Fork just to avoid the awkwardness of it all. Then in September something totally unexpected happened. I knew. I had been told by my married friends that when you've met the right person you just know. It was a terrifying experience for me. I loved Paul as a friend, but didn't like him like that. In a desperate attempt to trip up fate I dated anyone and everyone in sight. At one point I was going out with a kid that hadn't even left for his mission yet! Not to mention the guy that wore shoulder pads outside his clothes, or the guy that broke every bone in his body to evade the army. One problem though...I missed my best friend.

So Christmas rolls around and his dating fast is over. Because I already know the person I'm going to marry, I figure we should date or something. You know, the normal thing to do. So I approach him one night and say, "Paul, I think we should date." He keeps looking at the book that I know he's no longer reading and says, "oh yeah, why do you think that?" I then go into a long oratory about how we're best friends and if we don't date we'll never know and that if it doesn't work out between us our friendship is gone, but if he marries someone else it is to, so either way we lose unless we date. He looks at me for the first time and says, "so we're not talking about dating, we're talking about getting married. I already know you. What's the point in dating? Let's just get married." I thought a second. It wasn't the response I had expected, but he was right. "Ok," I said, "let's get married."

So while I was sitting there, eating my dinner of boiled pork (thanks to one of Ryan's friends adding a potful of water to the crock pot while no one was looking), I was thinking how incredibly odd it all is. Things didn't turn out the way I thought they would, but I couldn't be happier with the way that they have.