I Love to See the Temple

On May 1st we made a family day trip to the Winter Quarters Temple. With my health improved, we wanted to make it to the temple one more time before the baby comes. It sure is a long drive (2 1/2 hours each way) and makes me miss our former commute to the Provo temple (5 minutes), but it helps us to appreciate the sacrifices of those who make temples possible.

The Stake had an Elder's Quorum meeting in the morning. Tyson was a speaker and did a great job sharing experiences about attending and also working in the temple. Then we were fortunate enough to meet up with our friends, the Jones Family, who currently live in Des Moines, Iowa. We had a picnic lunch and then did a babysitting child swap so we could take turns attending the temple. It's fun to meet up with old BYU buddies clear out here in the Midwest!

The Winter Quarters Temple has such a special feeling in and around it - I know I've written about it before. We feel humbled to have walked on this sacred ground and are so excited for the pioneers to see what has sprung up from their difficult time spent here. We'll miss this temple when it's our time to move on.

Things That Make Me Excited For Baby Girl!

Here are some things that make me excited for the arrival of Baby Girl!

New sit and stand stroller

Beautiful borrowed wooden cradle

Just 4 of the cute, cute dresses that are out there for little girls!

I received a surprise package in the mail from an old Layton friend. Can you believe all of these adorable bows? The knit hat is from a Provo friend. Such talent!

And finally, the thing that makes me the most excited - a wonderful husband (and amazing father) and beautiful son. They were so sweet to me on Mother's Day!

Looking Handsome

Ready for Church in a tie that Uncle Justin used to wear when he was a little tyke. And we can't forget Blue Blankey.

Easter Colors

Happy Easter!

Arizona Next!

After our fun in Utah, we made our way south to Arizona where the blossoms are blooming and the citrus trees smell amazing. Flights were too full to fly down so we rented a car for a one way trip and made the 11 hour drive. Thanks to unusually pretty scenery (apparently it has been raining a lot so it was quite green), a portable DVD player, lots of snacks, and a present for Tyler to open every hour (he accumulated a LOT of match box cars), the drive really wasn't bad at all. Plus, who knew that Kanab was so beautiful with it's red rocks? Now I do.

Tyson has a lot of family in the Phoenix area, plus Brianne flew in the same time we did, so we got some good quality family time. This was great for Tyler as he got a lot of play time with his only cousins.

Perfect weather means lots of park time.

Grandpa Jim made a house that was the hit of the week. At one point, Uncle Dustin, Aunt Lindsay, Tyler, and Polly were all in the house. Tyler asked Aunt Brianne to join them, but I don't think she fit.

We were so excited to be there for baby Kaylee's blessing in Church on Sunday.

Soccer with Malia, Tyler, and Uncle Dustin.

BBQ at Dustin and Lindsay's new house. Isn't Grandma Joyce a cute grandma?

See, Baby Girl? I really was pregnant with you (this and the one above are the only pictures we have of this pregnancy). And the best part - I didn't feel sick at all on this whole entire vacation!

One day we all went to one of those indoor kid amusement parks. Tyler was extremely nervous at first, but he slowly warmed up to the rides. This is the train with Tyler, McKenzie, Grandpa Jim, Uncle Dustin, and Aunt Lindsay.

Tyler and McKenzie on the Merry Go Round.

Pizza break with Tyler, McKenzie, Malia, and Emma.

Tyler hit the ticket jackpot with one of the arcade games. All he did was insert a coin, push a button and watch a ball drop into a numbered hole. With all his tickets he scored some styling sunglasses (thanks for helping him pick them out Uncle Dustin) and a really, um, great (loud) whistle. That has since disappeared...

The plane ride home. Who needs a window to look out of when you have a few new cars to play with and a tray table that you can put up and down and up and down and up...

Thanks Plastows for having us, for indulging Carrie's (and Tyler's) crab cravings, for the walks (we hope Polly has recovered), the games, the citrus we took home, the outings, the family time, and the spoiling. We miss you already!

Utah First

With a baby on the way, March was our last chance to go out West and visit family. We were looking forward to some vacation time with both of our families and to escape the still-cold South Dakota.

Packing for the trip. "I have a camera. I'm all set!"

We made it in time for Carrie's Dad's birthday, March 20th.

Along with trips (plural) to Cafe Rio, movie theaters (that's rare with a 2-year-old), candy from Paris (Lisa flew in to SLC from France right before we did), El Matador with Grandma West (Carrie's favorite!), Nursery during Church with Opa, pedicures with Lisa (Carrie, not Tyson), IKEA (shopping for Baby Girl), and lots of Grandma and Tyler time (thanks for all the babysitting!), Tyson and Carrie even set aside a Provo day to visit old friends and BYU. Tyler was the happy recipient of his first baseball hat.

Opa also took Tyler (and Carrie and Tyson) to the Aquarium. Tyler had a blast! We took him there for his 1st birthday and he was mildly curious. It was fun to see him there nearly 2 years later, running around, and having a great time.

Thanks Hilliers for having us, running us around everywhere we have been missing, and for spoiling us!

If You Can't Beat It, Join It

It's 20 degrees outside (plus the windchill factor), but we happily enjoyed an ice cream outing tonight!

Relaxing on a Sunday Evening

Yes, that is Tyler's Halloween costume. Yes, it's February.

Baby Girl Pictures

It's a girl!

 The ultrasound was this past Tuesday and it's amazing how technology has improved since Tyler's ultrasound 3 years ago (or maybe this doctor just has better equipment). There is no doubt that it's a girl and along with the regular Skelator-like sonogram pictures, they pulled out the 3D camera as well. Very cool!

Here she is!

Look, she's smiling! And look at that nose! I fell in love with her right when I saw that cute little nose. She was very active during the ultrasound and appears very healthy and whole so far. Hooray! We are thinking of Lydia for the first name, but are open to suggestions for the middle name. Maybe Anne or Nicole or Mariah?

A Big THANK YOU From Us to You!

If you read the October post, you'll know how very sick Carrie has been and how much Tyler needed care these past 3 or 4 months. We are eternally grateful to all of you family members who came out to South Dakota to act as nurse, cook, and nanny and to all of you who helped in other ways - i.e. donating sky miles, paying for plane fees, contributing toward medical bills, etc. We quite literally couldn't have made it through these past difficult months without you!

To Carrie's Mom - You were here during the worst of it. So sorry we got you sick with the flu too! Tyler thanks you for hooking him on bubble baths.

To Carrie's sister Lisa - Thank you for giving up a whole week of your vacation time to come take care of us when you could have gone someplace more exotic like Paris.

To Tyson's Mom - Thank you for getting Carrie to eat again and for taking Tyler on lots and lots of walks.

To Carrie's brother Matthew - Thank you for taking Tyler on lots of outings (thank goodness for your GPS) and for the Thanksgiving dinner you cooked.

To Tyson's sister Brianne - Thank you for all the cookie activities and for teaching Tyler to clean up his toys.

To Carrie's Dad - Thank you for sacrificing Christmas at home to come and spend it with us and for spoiling us.

To Carrie's brother Justin and our sister-in-law Michelle - Thank you for driving all the way up from St. Louis to see us before your move. For playing make believe in Tyler's room and for fixing Carrie's computer and other various things around the house.