Days leading up to his birth...

It definitely was a happy Mothers Day for me! Here's how it all started...

(actual birth day/story to be posted separately)

Thursday (May 5th) I had my 36 week Doctor's appointment. While there I was told that my blood pressure was slightly elevated & I need to keep an eye on it so if it stayed 140/90 I needed to call Dr. Nix ASAP. I was a little freaked out about it because I'd been having pretty bad headaches that week but figured it was just a little stress. I also found out I was dilated to a 2! Crazy!

Friday came & went. I didn't check my BP because I hadn't purchased an automated cuff yet.

Saturday morning I got a BP cuff. Checked my BP a couple of times throughout the day. Each time my BP was elevated to the point where I should've called Dr Nix but talked myself out of it. I figured the more I checked it the higher it would get because I was stressing out about it. Kyle wasn't convinced that my BP was that high & figured that the cuff was a little defective-I didn't completely disagree. Also I had been doing a lot that day. I was trying to finalize some stuff in Cooper's room as well as doing some laundry for him. I put his stroller together & we installed his car seat in the car. & the list goes on! So I decided I would check my BP first thing Sunday morning before I got all stressed out about it again...

Looking back at this weekend (& the days leading up to it) Kyle & I both agree it felt like things were about to change or like it was our last weekend as just the two of us. Here's some reasons why:

-We got our new car the week prior.

-The week before Kyle gave me a new phone which I wanted before Cooper's arrival.

-The weekend before our great friends, the Bartons, came for a visit. MinDee did my hair & we got pedicures together. We've hung out with them a million times in the past but they came were there the weekend before we got married too. So our last weekend before we were married & our last weekend before we were parents-we spent with the Bartons! :)

-Friday at work I cleaned out my desk (I already had a replacement), turned in one of my keys, & handed out all the Thank You cards.

-I put the stroller together & we installed the car seat (I had a strong feeling it needed to be done on Saturday)

-I couldn't just rest & enjoy the weekend. I felt like there was always something that needed to be done to get ready for Cooper.

-Saturday night Kyle & I went out to big dinner to celebrate Mothers Day. Afterwards we talked about how it felt like the last supper for us for some reason.

I'm sure there are more I just can't remember off of the top of my head! :P

Everything NEW!

So I have to admit-I was pretty spoiled the past week. Here's how:

I'd been available for a cell phone upgrade for over a year now but I've been holding out for the WHITE iPhone. We were hoping it would come out before Cooper's birth because it would just make life easier with the great camera, video, & face time features. I was starting to get nervous that Cooper would come before the phone BUT FINALLY on Thursday Apple officially released the white iphone for sell. :) Kyle said he'd buy it for me online & have it shipped to our house because we figured it'd be sold out by the time we got home from work & went to the Apple Store. I spoke with Kyle at lunch & he gave me the sad news that he'd waited too long & the phones had already sold out. This REALLY bummed me out because I was having a crummy day at work & I was really looking forward to some good news. (I made myself feel a little better with a chickfila milk shake. hehe) Kyle rushed home from work that day saying he had to run to the church to take care of some Elders Quorum stuff (btw he just got called to be the 2nd councilor!). Needless to say it was all a ploy. Kyle came back with the white iphone & made me one happy wifey! I'm one lucky lady!

Kyle taking a picture of his iphone with my iphone. It's never ending! (no I'm not asleep in the background just looks like it.)

Kyle & I have been talking about getting a newer/more reliable car for a while now. Our cars have been great to us but we wanted something secure with baby Cooper on the way. A week ago we went to check out the 2011 Hyundai Elantra but since they are selling like hot cakes we ended up looking at the Elantra Touring (same car but with a hatch back). I fell in love with the Touring version! I thought it was roomier & overall just awesome! :) We spent 2 days in that dealership trying to get everything to work out but no luck. We came home empty handed but Kyle went into overdrive & worked his booty off trying to find us a better deal at another dealership. His work paid off! Friday night about 10pm we were handed the keys to our new 2011 Hyundai Elantra! I'm so proud of Kyle for all the work he put into this! We celebrated by going to Sonic Drive In & stuffing our faces (we hadn't had dinner).

Kyle saying goodbye to his Jeep!

Goodbye Sonata! :( The only car I ever owned.

Our first picture with our new car. :)

We love you little blue Touring! We pray you will last 10 years like our last cars!

Saturday the Bartons came to visit. MinDee & I were able to get some MUCH needed girl time in by getting pedicures! It was so great to spend time together while being pampered. That night MinDee gave me some highlights & a trim.

SO I was right, right? I'm pretty spoiled! New phone, car, toes, & hair! The only thing that would've topped it is adding a new BABY to the list but negative-Cooper isn't ready yet. :)

Hartsville Baby Shower Weekend

Kyle & I headed to Hartsville for a fun weekend with family & friends. Saturday (March 5th) was my awesome baby shower thrown by my sisters-Susan, Jen, & Tiff! The shower was at Pat's house & it was really great! There was food galore thanks to Susan (including delicious cupcakes by Jen), a fabulous diaper cake by Pat, & a great turn out thanks to Tiff! It was so fun spending time with some really special people in my life. They all went over & beyond to spoil baby Cooper & myself. (Marc was our photographer so special thanks to him)

Tiff, myself, & Jen right before the shower!

Penny & Me (one of my Moms growing up!)

Tiff put up a laundry line that was quickly filled with super cute Cooper clothes!

Auntie Ann, Mom, myself, & Auntie Renee!

Some of Cooper's gifts! What a spoiled little boy! :)

Here are some more fun pics! Feel the LOVE!

The rest of the weekend was busy but a blast! The Ensign ladies went out to dinner & it was one of my favorite parts of the weekend. I was also able to see MinDee! It'd been WAY too long & little Khloee is getting so big! Bryant turned the BIG 3-0! We did a little celebrating. It was fun seeing him & Jilli along with Kevin & his crew! All in all we had a fantastic time!

Take a hike!

All last week Kyle & I kept throwing out ideas of what to do this past weekend but nothing really stuck. We finally just left it alone & figured we'd just enjoy a boring weekend at home. As soon as we decided that it all changed-in a good way! We were invited to our new friends', the Malan's, house for dinner on Friday. I offered to bring dessert because as most of you know I LOVE sweets! I made brownies with toffee bits, topped with coolwhip, more toffee bits & syrup. (I forgot to take a pic! Rats!) Anywho! We had a nice evening with them. I have actually hung out with Erin & lil Finn a few times but this was the first time our hubbys got together. It was fun chatting & getting to know each other. Erin made some yummy food including corn on the cob because she remembered me expressing Kyle's love for corn. :)

Saturday Kyle & I decided to head to Stone Mountain. We heard you could hike up the 835 foot tall mountain made of stone so we thought we'd give it a try. I dressed as if it was a rather quick & easy walk/'hike' to the top telling myself that if it's quite the tourist attraction for ALL ages that it has to be easy right? So wearing my jean shorts & sneakers (a last minute decision because I'm usually rocking flip flops) we headed out. Upon arriving we couldn't figure out where to start up the mountain. (there was barely any talk of the hike on the web site nor with the actual people that work there-Kyle & I later agreed that it must be because it isn't a money maker). After finally getting some vague directions on where to start our ascent we head off into the trees. We walked on this trail thru the woods for about 20 minutes wondering A-why it felt like we weren't moving up the mountain B-why are haven't we passed anyone C-if the mountain is made of stone-where's the stone?! Another 20 minutes of trekking ahead, sweating like crazy & swatting mosquitoes ticked on before we actually came across people & the REAL trail to head up the mountain. Come to find out we were on a trail that took you AROUND the nearly 600 acre mountain! By this point I'm frustrated at myself for the way I have dressed, wondering if it's worth it, wishing I had a snack packed for a quick boost & bugged that after almost 45 min of hiking we haven't even begun to conquer this mountain! So to cut to the chase we made it up to the top!! (after plenty of rest stops) It felt amazing to have made it & boy was the breeze wonderful! After doing some sightseeing, reading some fun facts, & actually lying down on the smooth stone mountain, we decided to take the easy way down by riding the Summit Skyride & head home. It was quite an experience & next time we will definitely be better prepared!

Stone Mountain

Kyle being awkward because I wanted to take a pic of him. :)

We were pretty happy about finally making it to the top!

(Kyle took this with his nifty new iPhone!)

Resting & enjoying the view.

Saturday evening we were invited to the Crolley's to play some games. Kyle & I were excited to hang out with Paul, Mandy, & lil Olivia! We introduced them to some of our new & fun games: Blokus & Ruckus! (shout out to the Adams for hooking us up!) We had a great time playing & before we knew it it was 11:30. We are so blessed to have them so close! They are so fun & have helped in making our transition into a new area & new ward so easy! Major thanks to the Crolley Crew! :)

Overall we had a great weekend. At one point this weeekend Kyle & I were talking in the car about how much we missed our friends! Especially the Adams in Mt P & the Bartons in MB! They complete us-haha! We really miss the funtimes & familiarity of it all. But looking forward we are SUPER excited for next weekend because we are heading home to Hartsville! There are so many family members that reside in the ville now! We can't wait to see everyone & have some fun!

I miss...

Today I'm feeling a pretty down on myself-just one of those 'woe is me' days so I thought I'd look at some pictures to cheer me up. I knew exactly which folder on my computer to go to: April 2008 Cruise Pictures! There are a ton & I'm mainly doing this for myself so feel free to skip this post all together.

I MISS:

These guys, the Bartons. They are amazingly awesome in my book.

Getting rained on with my honey.

Cuddling up for some entertainment on the ship with these guys!

I MISS:

The sweet hats & shirts we purchased.

This beach.

Eating Key Lime Pie in Key West, FL.

Getting my hair done everyday by the magnificent MinDee!

Realizing the cruise is over...well maybe I don't miss that realization.

the DELICIOUS food!

I MISS:

Jack Knife Geoff!

Being twinners with my bestie

Getting sea sick on the last day... ok so maybe I don't miss the whole being sick thing

but if I were sea sick that'd mean I'm on a boat & that'd be nice!

I MISS:

My toes in the sand.

The salty breeze on my face.

The scary "Independence Day" looking cloud.

The towel animals that surprised us each night.

I MISS:

Being 9o miles away from Cuba.

This bike ride around Key West.

These two waiters/servers-they were so good to us!

Snorkeling!

I MISS:

Being tan & wearing my swim suit all day everyday!

Dancing on the deck!

I miss our 'HUGE WINDOW' that turned out to be a small porthole.

Being the trophy wife of this Game Show winner & cruise ship celebrity! :)

I MISS:

This ship.

This drive.

& again-the Bartons.

In conclusion I also miss: "Sea Turtles", scoof scoof dancing, "My poney plays the mamba", eating ice cream cones at all hours of the day/night, & Celebrating Good Times with awesome friends.