Yep, the Rumor is True

We are expecting and still can't believe it!!  Baby Bell is due around Sept 20 (according to our math), but we still haven't had an ultrasound so it is still up in the air.  I wouldn't be mad if they told us our math was off and we were due the beginning of Sept...just sayin.

Above is me at 17 weeks (currently at 20 weeks).  Since then, I feel like I have fully blossomed into the phase "Is she fat or pregnant?" which is lovely and a bunch of fun!  We didn't tell our families until I was in the 2nd trimester and boy, oh, boy, it was a hard secret to keep.  I told my job just a week ago and have received a lot of funny/intruding questions since.

1.  "When did you guys conceive?"  Um...what!!??  I told her I didn't know and her response was "Wow, you two must be really active if you know what I mean..."  Okay, too far and super awkward.  I said something sarcastic back and went completely red.  How do you respond to that?
2.  "So who is the lucky guy?" and "Is it your boyfriend's?"  Somehow the technology department thinks Rich and I are just dating vs married even though I have told them otherwise.  Every Monday I still get asked "What did you and your boyfriend do this weekend?"  Hilarious.
3.  "What are your vaccination plans?"  Don't know.  I still need time to get used to the idea that we are actually having a child.
4.  "Are you going to use a midwife...?" and then a long explanation of why they are the only way to go and blah, blah, blah.
5.  And lots of opinions on if we should find out the sex or not.

We have been quite surprised/pleased by everyone's comments, well wishes, opinions, and questions.  It has been pretty entertaining.  We are thrilled about the news and grateful we can share the news with everyone!

Friends & Florida

Since moving to Iowa I haven't had a chance to spend a lot of time with my friends when I visit Utah.  A few hours here and there, but never a full day.  I have really missed them and I'm sure those of you that have moved away know what I'm talking about.

Every year a friends trip is put together and I haven't been able to go for the past two years, but this year Rich made sure I was going (thank you).  We all met in Fort Lauderdale, FL and had the best time.  Beach + shopping + Sonic happy hour + eating out = happy, happy girls.  We probably had too much fun...

We bought these awesome shirts that everyone and their dog had.  I have worn mine surprisingly/sadly a lot since I have been home.  

Party Like A Rock Star

For my B-Day a couple of months ago, Rich was extremely thoughtful and threw a surprise party for me with all of our closest friends. He went to a lot of work, decorating the whole place, making my favorite Krumb Cake, getting everyone together, and ordering the most delicious BBQ chicken pizzas. I am still extremely impressed with him. It was a Friday and I, of course, went to work with four day grease monkey hair so I looked like trash, but that didn't affect the fun. Unfortunately I took only one measly picture (above) after most everyone had left.

All I wanted for my birthday was to attend the DMU Winter Gala = prom night for med students. Lame, I know but it sounded like a ton of fun and something different to do. Plus Rich and I have never really been to a dance or club together so this was the time to get our groove on!! Last year the tickets sold out before we bought any, so this year I nagged Rich to death to get them in time. It was formal dress and there was no way I was squeezing myself into a prom dress...no way. So I opted for my fanciest LBD I had. It worked out perfectly, even though I was a little under dressed. We danced and sweat the night away. Lots of other students compared us to Baby and Johnny from Dirty Dancing. We thought it was pretty accurate :) Definitely one of our most memorable nights.

On the dance floor where we spent most of the night...oh and the chocolate fountain which I had a hard time pulling myself away from.

Playing Catch Up

Celebrating Rich's Birthday back in January with the Graff's, Krispy Kreme, and the Detroit Lions.

I really enjoy trying new places to eat in Des Moines. We heard great things about Spaghetti Works and it definitely didn't let us down. We stuffed ourselves with pasta, pizza, and bread. The button to our pants may or may not have been undone by the end of this meal.

The Mars Cafe held an outstanding art show by our good friend Curtis Poortinga. His focus for this show was birds. He's extremely talented and we wanted to purchase a few...too bad we are still students. It was such a fun night. We all chatted, looked at the art, and ate dessert while Curtis performed some live art. Definitely a night to remember.

Christmas Part Dos - Hanks

There was a big change in my family since the last time I was home. Unfortunately I didn't get as many pictures as I should have. First, my parents moved!! They didn't move far from their old place, but the new house is exactly what they needed. Much bigger in the kitchen and living areas. I thought I would miss our old house however my parents had done a fantastic job making the new place feel like home. Being with my family is completely different than the hubby's. I have three sisters, two of which are married, but none of us have kids. So it is a lot more calm and relaxing. We love going to both places - it's a nice mix. We had tons of fun with my fam. Lots of eating out and eating in, movies, bowling, shopping, and just hanging out! It is always great to be home for Christmas.

We went bowling the day after Christmas. Above are our best bowling poses. Serious Sharice, Neat Niccole, Astounding Analese, and Combat Curt.

We take this pretty seriously.

Fam photo. Do you love the masked man? Oh, that would be my husband. After we got extremely sick at his parents house, he got a cold sore and was so embarrassed about it...he wore a mask for the next few days! It was so funny. I loved it when we would go out and people would gawk at him - we mouthed to the gawkers "Anthrax" while pointing to Rich.

It's become a tradition to have a friend hoedown for the holidays. This year we hosted it at my parents house. It was so good to see everyone! We caught up, ate soup and treats, played ping pong and reminisced. I wish I would have got a picture before everyone left...next time.

Do you love Rich in his new Adidas suit? His only Christmas wish...my goodness, it has become an obsession.

The besties.

Christmas Part Uno - Babies, babies & More Babies

Look at this chocolate face. What's not to love? For Rich's Christmas break and me saving all of my time off, we were able to go back to Utah. Rarely, Rich's whole family was there this year. When I say whole family, I mean all nine siblings and their families. Needless to say there were a billion people there. We did a lot of fun things but we started the vacation off right by hitting up ColdStone. If I could choose two things to eat for the rest of my life it would be ice cream and cereal...that's how much I love ice cream.

We also had a fun filled night at Trafalga. The kids rode rides, we played miniature golf (I beat Ricardo), laser tag, rock climbing and what I spent most of the night doing was climbing through those hard tubes and riding down the slide. Like the ones at McDonald's Playplace. James (boy above with ice cream all over his face) wasn't big enough to pull himself up on a step in the middle of the tube maze, so I was the designated Aunt that volunteered to go - times 20. I forgot how old I was. My knees hurt, my back ached, my hair was a static mess. Anything for a slide ride :)
Some of the nieces and nephews. This is right before Ricardo & I got virally sick. I mean really sick. Like throw up 15 times and other things, sleeping in the bathroom, and not eating for two days sick. It was the worst I have ever had it. Looking at those lollipops gives me a slight tummy ache.

The Nativity and Santa's visit was a complete comedy. When you are at the Bell's you have to expect someone to be crying and screaming at all times. This definitely held true Christmas Eve.

Above was date night with all of the adults and the tiny babes. This was the first time since Rich and I have been married that we went out with just the siblings and their spouses. It was really nice for a change. And we can't forget the babies below. Four of his five sisters were all pregnant at the same time! They tried to get me to jump on the bandwagon - um, no thanks for now.

Pictures Galore

These past few months have been busy, so these next few posts are going consist of a lot of pictures and a lot less talk.

At the Trick or Trunk with Ashley. We actually knew the kids this year making it much more fun.

Halloween is my favorite holiday. I love dressing up - Ricardo doesn't share this same passion, but he is a good sport. The Graffs' were nice enough to throw another Halloween party. Last year we went and didn't dress up because we didn't want to be the only fools...one of my biggest regrets and I wasn't going to let it happen again. This year we were Russell and the Grandpa from Up!! Thanks to my church calling in scouts I already had most of the costume. We went and grabbed Rich some glasses and some silver hair spray and we were good to go. Super easy and comfortable!

The Parks in our ward were nice enough to invite us and a few other couples over to their house for Thanksgiving. They made us feel right at home and the food was amazing. After dinner we played with their kids and scoured the infamous ads. We love the Parks!

Naomi and I...she's adorable

The Graffs' once again were amazing and planned a Hot Cocoa get together with all the second year med students before we all took off for Christmas. We really enjoy hanging out with these peeps.

This is Tamara. She is my best friend at work. She is absolutely hilarious and I think the world of her. Tamara turned 50 on Dec 9 and threw a wild birthday party. We ate, everyone else drank, Tamara entertained us with her beautiful voice and riotous songs such as "Camel Toe", we met her family and friends and loved every minute of it!

Christmas posts to come soon.