Thoughts On a Cool Blustery Day

1) One of my favorite things in life is when I get in the shower and my husband puts my towel in the dryer. When I get out, he brings me a nice super warm towel to wrap in. Honestly the best thing ever! He is so good to me!

2) I am looking forward to the day when I can move like a normal person again. I miss the ease of shaving my legs and applying lotion. I long for the days of 'jumping' out of bed or 'hopping' off the couch! Being able to lie on my back without my arm going numb is something that I am deeply craving!

3) I will miss feeling my baby move safely inside me.

4) I want this couch sooooo bad!

I will own this by the end of the year. I want to store my babies toys in that convenient little space! Plus, it does this:

Coolest. Couch. Ever.

At least, for my price range, it is the coolest couch ever!

5) I pre-registered for delivery at the hospital today. I don't understand why I needed to do that...

6) The thought of managing apartments another day seriously depresses me. But I am baffled at how anyone is affording to pay for rent. Seriously. It is so expensive.

7) Tums are gross. I will not miss eating Tums.

8) I love Winco. If you haven't been to check out their bulk section then you should go. They even have a machine that makes fresh peanut butter. It literally crushes the peanuts for you right there! Click here to check out what they carry in Bulk!

8 Weeks Is a Looong Time!

Dear Kacie,

You either threw a rave last night or you were trying to break out by kicking. Either way, it was a little uncomfortable for me! But thank you for letting me know you are still alive in there... that's comforting I suppose!

Here is your 32 weeks old picture:

I look worn out in this picture... because I am!

So I woke up today and decided that I wasn't going to get out of bed all day. I have been tired and sore so I decided I deserve a break. After daddy and I got showered and he got ready for work, I crawled right back in bed and haven't been out until now! And I'm only out now because your father will be home soon and I am going to make dinner!

Sometimes you make these consistent movements that are very repetitive. As I was lying in bed today I had an epiphany! That repetitive movement is you having hiccups!!! It made me so excited to realize that! I hear people talking about that a lot and for some reason just never even thought about it in relation to you having hiccups. It is cute and just made it even more real that you are a real live person!

You must have had the hiccups today because of the rave you threw last night.

Last night we went bowling with some friends from our ward. Your dad and I don't get out much but we had soo much fun! They have a little girl who is a year and a half and she is so cute! It just makes us even more anxious for you to arrive!

There are 8 weeks until your due date. Everyone says with your first baby you will most likely go past the due date. I hope that I take after my mother and deliver on your due date!

We make frequent trips to the bathroom these days... I imagine you kicking my bladder every time it gets even a little full and you saying "I need more room!" Some women say that they love being pregnant. I think they are crazy.

We are going to a prenatal class on Saturday. I'm excited to learn some things about what I should be expecting. I don't know anything about pregnancy, labor or taking care of a newborn! But if you are reading this then don't worry, I must have figured it out!

In FHE we studied a talk entitled "Lessons From Liberty Jail" I am humbled at what Joseph Smith went through but am so grateful that we are able to learn from his trying experiences.

"Indeed, you can have sacred, revelatory, profoundly instructive experiences with the Lord in the most miserable experiences of your life—in the worst settings, while enduring the most painful injustices, when facing the most insurmountable odds and opposition you have ever faced." - Jeffrey R. Holland

I think it's important that we remember to turn to our Heavenly Father in all times but I am grateful for the reminder that in the most difficult times in our life we can be strengthened the most.

We love you so much Kacie!

Love,
mom and dad

It's Worth Fighting For

Frodo: I can't do this, Sam

Sam: I know, it's all wrong. By rights we shouldn't even be here. But we are. It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines out it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going. Because they were holding on to something.

Frodo: What are we holding on to, Sam?

Sam: That there's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo... and it's worth fighting for.

I always think of this line from The Lord of The Rings when bad things happen in the world.

I have to remind myself that when bad things happen, it is spread all over the news and it spreads quickly. The media gives it so much attention, so much more than the bad thing deserves!

But when good things happen, they get hardly any coverage. The media doesn't make money by covering the good deeds that people are doing. We catch little glimpses of the good things but hours and hours of TV time are not put in for those good deeds!

I think if we stop and think about it, there is definitely more good in the world than bad and that the bad things that happen only bring out more good things.

Evil will never win!

My pregnant brain is not allowing me to remember specifics but I remember a church leader reminding us that we already know the ending. We already know that Christ will win.

We already know that we will have a thousand years of peace, love and joy!

So in times of heartache and trouble we must remind ourselves that "there's still some good in this world... and it's worth fighting for."

'My People I will Preserve'

"This is a troubled world. Discord and disaster are everywhere. It sometimes feels as though mankind itself may be hanging in the balance. Foreshadowing our day, the Lord said, 'The heavens shall shake, and also the earth; great tribulations shall be among the children of men, but my people will I preserve' (Moses 7:61). We should take great comfort in this promise." - Keith B. McMullin

Kyle Freakin' Gonthier

Dear Kacie,

I seem to forget to put updates on what is going on in your dad's life...

But let's be honest, it's all about you now, isn't it?

I know I talked a little about school in the last post. He really enjoyed his psychology classes this semester and it makes me so happy to see him excited about the things he is learning. Last night he was talking about his final paper and explaining what he had evaluated from it. It is really interesting stuff!

He is working at Greenwire Global right now. Basically he is just on the phone all day helping people set up there diabetic monitors for an insurance company. If you ask him how is work he says 'It's work...' but I think he secretly kind of enjoys it, like in a "providing for the family, feeling accomplished" kind of way!

Your dad really wants to participate in an ironman, but for now is aiming for a triathlon. He wanted to be in one on June 15th but then I reminded him you are due on the 19th. Either you will have just barely been born, or mommy won't be very comfortable to go and cheer him on! Plus, if he waits a little longer than me and you can be waiting for him at the finish line! Then we can take one of those cute little "yay for daddy" family pictures... 

We are thinking of getting him a bike and he could ride it to school/work. That will not only help him train but it will save us gas money!

What I really wish is that we could find him a waterpolo team to play on. He misses it so much and I still haven't gotten to see him play! But Kacie, I hear he was really good at it! He doesn't brag about it but I always do! I'm sure he's shown you his Nationals ring that he won.

Well dear, we are down to 62 days left.

Here's to hoping it's actually only like 52 days!

Dad is so excited for you to come! I always tell him when I feel you moving around and he runs over to feel you. Of course, you almost always stop moving when he puts his hand on my tummy but now that you are getting bigger it's hard to hide from him. Sometimes I just poke and jab him in the stomach and say "That's what it feels like."

I've only seen your dad cry a few times (he says he doesn't have tear ducts) but I think that he is going to be a big softie with you around! And I can hardly wait for that!

Love,

Mom and Dad

He Is The Light

Dear Kacie,

You are 31 weeks old today! I only have 9 more weeks of carrying you safe inside of me.

I had my doctors appointment today. They say everything looks great! I heard your heartbeat again which is a weird thing to hear coming from my lower 'stomach.'

This was the first appointment daddy couldn't go to and I was so sad! hopefully he won't have to miss anymore!

Part of the reason your dad and I moved to Utah was to attend UVU where he would be in the Pre-Physical Therapy program. Dad has decided that he doesn't want to do that anymore! He's been taking some Psychology classes this semester and he really likes them! Earlier this week he went in to talk to the counselor and he found out that he is right on track to get a masters in Psychology!

He'd been feeling like there was no light at the end of the tunnel and that he'd be in school forever. After he met with the advisor and I asked him how he felt he described it as a flickering candle light. That is improvement my dear!!

But it was interesting because later that night we were reading a talk given by Brad Wilcox entitled 'His Grace is Sufficient.' There is a quote in that talk that we loved!

"He isn't the light at the end of the tunnel, He is the light guiding you through the tunnel"

'He' is referring to Our Savior of course. And we realized that the flickering candle at the end is wonderful but the burning flame we always have with us is even better!

Kacie, I hope that when you are reading this you will know Him. That as your parents we will have taught you as best we could that The Savior is always there to help guide you in life. He picks you up when you are down and carries your burdens when they are too heavy. I hope that you have had his guiding light with you throughout your life and that you know it is there!

Someday, when you are all grown up and have to pay for bills and take care of yourself you will think that your world might end sometimes! Things will get a little overwhelming and stressful and you will feel more like this:

But then you can remember that you don't need the light at the end anyway because you have the light in your hand! What a wonderful blessing that knowledge is to us.

Well, here is your 31 weeks old picture...

I look pretty good in the picture but don't let that fool you! I am getting uncomfortable! Just remember, the you are allowed to be born a little early... and if you do, I will buy you a candy bar!

What's that you say? Candy bribes don't work on infants?

Blast!

Dad picked out the song we are going to play for you when you are born...

Glad You Came by The Wanted

As you read the lyrics think of a pregnant lady and a baby coming into our life, not the literal meaning!

The sun goes down
The stars come out
And all that counts
Is here and now
My universe will never be the same
I'm glad you came

You cast a spell on me, spell on me
You hit me like the sky fell on me, fell on me
And I decided you look well on me, well on me
So let's go somewhere no one else can see, you and me

Turn the lights out now
Now I'll take you by the hand
Hand you another drink
Drink it if you can
Can you spend a little time,
Time is slipping away,
Away from us so stay,
Stay with me I can make,
Make you glad you came

The sun goes down
The stars come out
And all that counts
Is here and now
My universe will never be the same
I'm glad you came
I'm glad you came

You cast a spell on me, spell on me
You hit me like the sky fell on me, fell on me
And I decided you look well on me, well on me
So let's go somewhere no one else can see, you and me

Turn the lights out now
Now I'll take you by the hand
Hand you another drink
Drink it if you can
Can you spend a little time,
Time is slipping away,
Away from us so stay,
Stay with me I can make,
Make you glad you came

The sun goes down
The stars come out
And all that counts
Is here and now
My universe will never be the same
I'm glad you came
I'm glad you came

Kacie, we are SOOOOO excited for you to get here! We love you so much!

Love,

Mom and Dad

Breaking my Rib

My husband is making waffles for dinner tonight... yes it is 9:30 and we haven't eaten yet... They smell delicious!!

Also, what is with this snow in April? I was not prepared for that. Good thing I didn't have to leave today! Hoping it doesn't snow tomorrow since I do have to leave!

I thought this little outfit was kind of funny! I might buy it someday when I'm rich...

Anyway, baby Kacie is all up in my ribs and stuff... I'm still trying to figure out how I have two months left and yet she is supposed to grow 400% more... That will be interesting...

I'm ready for June!!!!!!!!

Peace Out...

Welcome Home You Lovely Red Truck.

So technically it's illegal to move to a new state and not register your car at the DMV... Buuuut I had paid for those two years of registration and I was not going to waste that money.

So we moved to Utah in December and our registration expired in June.

June comes and we are going on a trip to AZ. I decide we could use a little extra money for the trip and that I would register it as soon as we got back to UT. Besides, my little sister was going to be here and she could come hang out at the DMV with me while we waited.

Then the worst trip ever happened! You may remember reading about it here.

Basically our truck broke down half way to my parents, we spent a bunch of money getting it fixed and towed. It didn't actually fix it. We barely made it back to UT and now we had expired registration and our check engine light was on.

Sweet.

Well we spent the next couple of months trying to fix the 'problem' and it kept turning out that what we were fixing was the initial problem but not the real problem.

At this point Kyle was only working here at the apartments and we weren't making enough to pay for what needed to be done leaving us with expired tags on a truck that won't pass emissions therefore can not be registered! Oh and we are broke and can't fix it and only have the one car to drive.

Have I avoided the cops before? yes, yes I have. After a total of 15 months of illegal driving I am pro at not getting caught. (probably shouldn't admit this online... maybe I should remove this part...)

Fast forward to March 29th - 9 months later - and you will find us getting pulled over for expired tags.

I am happy to say that the officer did not impound the car.

1) License plate is taken away.

2) Ticket is given, 14 days to resolve issue.

3) We call and get estimates on the fix. $1500 - $1600. We totally have that laying around.
4) After spending four days trying to figure out how to pay for it we are given a referral of someone who can give us a discount and can allow us to make a couple payments.

5) drop off truck thinking it will be 4 or 5 days without the vehicle - manageable.
6) Wait.
7) Get rides from Kyle's brother to work.
8) Wait some more.
9) And some more.

10) There was more waiting but you get the point. almost 2 weeks after dropping the truck off, the problem is fixed. Good news, we saved 3 or 4 hundred dollars.
11) Truck passed emissions and will be registered tomorrow!!!!!!!!

How many times can you be blessed in a month? A lot.

It's always hard to see those blessings, especially when they are wrapped in $1250 of car fixes.

But if there is one thing that I learn over and over (why I must forget, I do not know) is that when I am doing the right things and openly allow Heavenly Father in my life, I have a lot more blessings come my way. And while I think the blessing should be someone handing me $1200 to pay for my car repair, He always seems to have a better idea.

Even if it involves a little body kicking me in the ribs.

Seriously guys, How did I get so blessed?

30 Weeks!!

Happy Birthday Mommy!

Today is a wonderful day for celebration...

If only I were in Arizona to enjoy the celebration with my family...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the best mom I could have ever asked for!

There are a lot of great people in this world and a lot of women that I look up to. But none of them even come close to how amazing my mother is in my eyes. I honestly believe that Heavenly Father knows exactly what we need in this life and that he planned our families exactly as we need them before we even got to this Earth.

Some of the horrific things that my mom has gone through are things that no one should ever experience, but the things that my mom has taught me from her experiences are things I would not have learned any other way.

Her steadfast devotion to the Gospel and to our Savior is something that can not be over looked. She has always taught me that even in the toughest of times, there is light found only through the Gospel. That even when you can't see the light, holding on to the hope that there is light is better than giving up.

I know that people think she is 'obsessed' with Disneyland but this 'obsession' has taught me to have fun. She has taught me that I can find joy in life and that I can enjoy life. That even when things are rough, and even when it's a long journey away, there is still a little magic in the world!

And who doesn't want to believe in magic?

Took at Disneyland summer of 2008

My parents breaking the rules in Disneyland Oct of 2008

Sweeping things up in, you guessed it, Disneyland!

Just trying on size 15 shoes

My parents took me to see Kyle after his mission. I introduced them to Vanilla bean frappuccino from Starbucks...

They loved them and were sad when they were gone...

I'm pretty sure this picture was taken on one of their secret trips to Disneyland... but they will probably deny it so I guess we will never know!

Now that I am pregnant and having a girl of my own, I hope to be as good of a mother as mine is. It's really fun to kind of get a glimpse of how she sees me. I can't wait to share my mommy with my kids. She is going to be a wonderful grandma!!

I love you mom!!!

Is There A Reason For This Post?

Dear Kacie,

You are 29 weeks and 1 day old today. Apparently there are only 79 days left to your due date. AAHH!

I had a doctors appointment yesterday. It was the one that everyone told me was awful! I had to drink this orange flavored stuff in 5 minutes and then get my blood drawn exactly one hour after. Everyone said it was going to be terrible but it really wasn't as bad as I was expecting. Now I just have to wait for the results. I'm pretty sure they are going to come back bad... I'm gaining too much weight and I eat sugar a lot... Did I just confess that online? Oh well... 

Anyway, now my appointments are every two weeks and then next month they are every week and that is just crazy.

When I think of the fact that it's only a month and a half I freak out a little cause it's so short!

When I think of it being 11 weeks it seems even shorter than the months. My weeks seem to go by in a blur these days so only having 11 it's like, where did they all go??

But when I think of it being 79 days, it is a little overwhelming! You are kind of getting all up in my ribs sometimes and it's not all that comfortable.

Plus there is the fact that I have 6 friends that have just had their baby or are going to have in the next few weeks and all these pictures are making me soooo anxious! And I see your crib and your clothes and imagine holding you and have dreams about you crawling around our home and it just makes me sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo excited! (and the thought of being able to bend over is appealing as well)

Here's to another 2 and a half months!

Love,
Mom and Dad

Happy Easter

Our Easter weekend festivities started out with a walk to the grocery store! We picked up an egg dye kit and headed home!

Kyle's minion egg - Dave - even had arms and little feet!!

This was about as creative as I got... My creative juices just aren't flowing these days like they used to...
It's Baby Kacie swaddled up!

We were having such fun dying our boiled eggs and didn't want to stop so we dyed a bunch of our un-boiled eggs too... 

Our Easter festivities continued with a box of presents from Kyle's parents...

If you couldn't tell, Baseball season is starting and Kyle is jumping right in to supporting his team... GO CARDINALS!

Kyle was very excited for this little onsie! It says "Daddy's little Cardinals girl" It's actually very adorable and I can't wait to put Kacie in it!

Gotta keep the Gonthier Lifeguard tradition alive!

Our Easter celebration continued on Sunday. 

The Easter Bunny came and brought Kyle his favorite cereal and the third book in The Beyonders series. I got a new skirt, which is perfect and I love it!

We went to church and enjoyed sacrament meeting. Then we were both in nursery. After church I made some delicious deviled eggs that turned out sooo good!

We went to our families house and ate Easter dinner there. It was some seriously delicous ham and potato casserole!

We ended the day with a surprise mini birthday party for me!

I got some necklaces, a scarf and some foot rub and nail polish so that Kyle can give me a foot massage - Perfect gifts!

What a great weekend!

Hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend as well!