Finish Student Teaching.... CHECK!!

First of all, can I just say that I sort of wish I was HERE right now... because Boise weather thinks it's playing a joke on everyone, but being 80 degrees one week and snowing the next. Not a fan. And I just miss Mexico...

Anyway, back to real life, I finally FINISHED MY STUDENT TEACHING!!! Such a huge accomplishment for me!! By the end, it was pretty hard to get through the days. Being 35 weeks pregnant and trying to teach and contain 150 9th graders a day is quite the task, and I was so exhausted every day! BUT... so so worth it!! I miss the kids already! I had such a great set-up, and my mentor teacher truly was one of the biggest blessings that got me through. She was so helpful and encouraging and flexible, and made things go so well.

Here is one of my more difficult classes... gotta love em all though!

The school I taught at was so beautiful! It was such a classic, red brick building, right in the middle of downtown. Everyday when I drove down there, I could see the capital building and the tall buildings of down town with the sun coming up behind them, and it was really a beautiful view. Here is the school... North Junior High.

Here is the classroom I taught in... There were huge beautiful windows that looked out to the tree-lined street. It was such a classical feel. Way different from the 6 inch windows I had at Centennial. This was an old style school, and I loved it. My teacher even still used chalkboards!! She doesn't like whiteboards, so she is the only one in the school with old-school boards.


It really was such an incredible experience, and it made me SO EXCITED to be a teacher and have a classroom of my own!! My last day, they threw a party for me. They made this big portfolio card that they all signed.

Here were some of their comments to me"
" Mrs. Davis, Thanks for being a great teacher... I hope you like your baby."
(thank you, i'm pretty sure I will like her :).....)
"Mrs. D, you rock, name your baby Chance like me!"
"Mrs. Davis, You made history really fun and clear! You should sing this song to your baby, 'I love you little baby!'" (not sure what that even is)

And one sweet little student from Afghanitstan who came such a long way wrote "Mrs. Davis, Thank you for being the best teacher ever. I really like U.S. History now because of you! Good luck in your life to come and with your baby!"
Comments like that are so sweet, and make all the hard days worth it.

Anyway, I only have a couple more paper/projects, and then i'm officially done and graduating this month!! Finally, I will be a real teacher... I can't wait. Now, getting a job is a WHOLE other story. I'm pretty sure Idaho is almost officially the WORST state in the entire country for education spending, but we will figure it out. It's just so great to be done with such a milestone.

ANYWAY, another fun thing we did recently was go to UTAH!!! My cute little sister-in-law and her husband Amanda and Jeremy graduated from Weber, so we went down to celebrate wth them! It was our last trip before the baby gets here!!

It was so great to be in Utah. I just forget how BEAUTIFUL it is until I go back, and I want to move there so bad!! Atleast for a few years.... now all i need to do is convince Josh that it is a godo idea. I finally got him to say that if there was a job for him, then he would do it!! So if anyone knows of a Utah job, let us know and we may be moving. :)

Here with are with Manda and Jeremy at their cute apartment. Thanks for being such great hosts guys!!

Josh and his little sister

Weber really is such a beautiful campus... the sun was out and we walked all around. It made me realize again how much i LOVE college campuses, and I really want to teach part time at a University someday...

They also had a BABY SHOWER for me!! So much work, and it turned out great!! Yes, I am defnitely 36 weeks pregnant in this picture.... but only a month to go!!

I got to see BENITA!!! It was so so so fun to see her!! And not just because she brought me the most incredible cupcake I have had in a long time. :) She is so darling, and I really miss those girls alot. Maybe if I move to utah we could see them more!! (I can dream, right??) Megs was in Texas, Linds in the midwest, and Jenna in Dallas with her baby, so we are still spread out all over the country.

We got a new camera and it has the best "SMILE" feature. As soon as someone smiles, it automatically takes the picture!! Hence my cheesy smile below.... but I think it's so cool! I'm sure that is nothing new, but it's new to me so I really was loving it. Can't wait to try it out on the baby when she learns to smile!


Overall, such a great couple weeks!! Now, I am just working a lot at the bank, and trying to get my MASSIVE to-do list done before the baby comes! Those of you who know I love to-do lists can only imagine how long this one is!! But it's so fun to get things crossed off, and know that each day gets us closer to the baby!! We have been going to some classes at the hospital, and I can't believe it could be happening at any time this next month. I am hoping for a miracle, and that she comes a little early.... we will see how that goes. :)

Anyway, love you guys and we will update soon!

Baby Thoughts

Well, Student Teaching is coming to an end this week, we are heading to Utah for one last trip before the baby gets here, Karalee is all married and happy, families are great, work is steady... I guess it's finally time to start thinking about BABY getting here!! As I am sure everyone already knows, it's still so fun to say that....

We really are counting down the days until May 25 when we finally get to meet her! I have been keeping a fun baby journal on my computer to document all the little and big things that have happened since we first decided to have a baby. It's so fun to go back and read it, and see how far things have come!! There is really so much to say, as I am all consumed with thoughts of pregnancy, having the baby, and constantly trying and failing not to complain about how ready I am to be DONE (Sorry joshy... and the rest of you who hear about it all the time)...

Here we are, just waiting to be parents, thinking this is going to be the longest 5 weeks left...

BUT, at the exact same time, I think that we only have 5 more weeks to get ready for this little one, and be prepared emotionally, physically, spiritually, and in every other way to be parents, and I start to freak out a bit. I know it will just be insane, but insanely awesome. I haven't really written anything about how we are feeling, what's been going on, and what we are looking forward to.

Pregnancy definitely has not come easy to me, and we have had a few scary issues come up, but things are going great now, baby is no longer breech :), fluid seems great, and everything seems to be on track!! My friends at work threw me an awesome SURPRISE BABY SHOWER! It was so fun! They said we were having our monthly staff meeting at a co-workers house, but we could bring spouses and it would be a bbq. I was thinking Josh was going to be pretty bored at a meeting, but the food should keep him happy. The meeting lasted all of 20 seconds, and then we walked to the backyard and there was a baby shower waiting!! So so so sweet of them.... Here are the cutest little pink shoes my friend Katy got for the baby...

It was a great day, and made me excited to really start focusing on the baby and what we need to take care of her. Oh, and to make her look really cute too. :) I have just been so swamped with my crazy full-full time schedule, but now, things are starting to relax a little bit, and I'm getting in to major mommy-to-be mode. Here is one of my favorite dresses that I begged Josh to let us buy. I went to Target about 4 times, picked it up, and put it back, saying we didn't need it. Finally though, on the 5th time, I told Josh we just had to buy it. Good purchase I think...

This is the start of her nursery!! She is sharing with the office... We bought a crib! That was an exciting and crazy day. Josh put it together, and after every nail or screw he put together I just kept asking him "Was that tight? Is that tight enough?" I don't want her to be falling out or anything!! haha... Josh puts up with alot. He deserves like a bazillion gold stars... The bedding we got is really, well, GIRLY. :) I surprised myself by picking it, but it was a great deal, and I love the rich textures and colors. I know it's a lot of pink, but it will look great.

Here is the diaper cake my friend Kelsey made for me at the shower!! And also some BEAUTIFUL flowers Josh got for me at the end of a particularly hard day. He is so amazing to be so patient, and he let's me cry on his shoulder... A LOT. Flowers always help though to calm me down and help me remember everything will be ok.

SO... as you can see, we have been getting very excited, and our house is filling up with pink stuff. My father-in-law Scott keeps joking that the baby will come out a BOY... I really really hope that does NOT happen. Don't jinx us Scott! :)

I wanted to take advantage of the AMAZING weather we have been having lately, and Josh and I went on an amazing hour walk on the greenbelt. Our apartment complex is right on the river, and we can finally start taking advantage of that again with the good weather!! Here we are, all ready to take in the beautiful (even though mostly dead and dry) scenery!!

Josh kept betting that I would only make it to the first big bridge... and he was right. haha. my poor hips have really taken an awful beating lately, and that is literally about as far as I can go!! But it was probably a couple miles! Give me some credit Joshy!! As you can see, I am getting quite prego these days.... But I love that belly. It makes me know she is growing and moving, and I love that reassurance.

Josh is such a good, and might I add handsome, sport to let me take pictures of him all the time. I just have to document everything!! This river walk was definitely worthy of documentation...

A little panorma shot for you...

It was so, so nice to get out in the sun, and talk about the future and what's coming up. I love these long talk and walks about our excitements and fears and goals. Josh does not love them as much as me... but he is always a willing participant, and I do appreciate that :)

We did finally see some life growing! These beautiful pink buds!


Overall, it was a great day... We have a big week ahead of us, and then I will be working only 20 hours a week, getting ready for the next big step!! I am actually GRADUATING on May 15, and I could not be happier!! It has been an insanely hard graduate program, but I am so glad I did it. I absolutely adore teaching, and I love that the Lord let's me feel the reaffirming spirit a lot that it is where I need to be.

Here are some things that are making me really happy lately:
- We can't wait to see family this weekend in Utah!! Manda and Jeremy are graduating! wahoo!
- Big huge glasses of Orange Juice
- Having a married sister and new brother-in-law
- Seeing all my sisters and parents and in-laws all the time
- Washing the baby clothes in baby soft detergent
- Josh rubbing lotion on my poor feet and ankles because I can't always reach
- Jenna had her baby on Monday!
- Making the most amazing lists of things to do
- My incredibly hilarious, frustrating, and oh so cute students at my Junior High
- Cottage cheese and oranges (not together)
- Spending time with my amazing, supportive, perfect husband
- and most importantly, feeling the baby move ALL the time, and seeing where her little feet are poking out and kicking and my stomach jumping all around. Yes, it hurts, but it's adorable.

Life is great, and we really do appreciate all the love and support. Can't wait for the next month to go by! We start some baby classes tomorrow, so I will have to let you know how it goes...

WEDDING!!

Karalee and Austin officially tied the knot on Saturday, March 27. They were sealed in the Boise Temple at 9:30 in a beautiful ceremony, and then we partied the rest of the day! I don't really have any pictures from the temple yet :( I will try to track some down, but here are some great shots of the reception that Josh took. I think it turned out so beautiful, and they were such a gorgeous couple. Warning, tons of pictures to follow!!

They had their reception at this really cool coffee house/cafe place. It's in an old church building, and it turned out really nice!

The cake...

Me and my little sis... the two married sisters now!

Cutting the cake...

They had a first dance while my Uncle J played the guitar and my Aunt Britani sang. It was so beautiful. I love little Olivia's face in this picture...

My amazing husband, holding Raquel's baby Crew. Just getting in some good practice before our little baby comes... Josh was such a HUGE help setting everything up, and even sustained some battle injuries from hanging all those lanterns. Hope your finger is still not burned hunny!

The bubble goodbye...

The cute couple stopped for one last picture...

Everything turned out great. Everyone worked so hard, and especially my mom needs tons of credit. It was so fun to have family here from both sides. Here is a collage of some more pics from the reception.



Love you two! Thanks for letting us share your special day!!

Unfortunately, now I have nothing to distract me from the prospect of 7.5 more weeks of being pregnant!! Ahhh! So I have just started cleaning and organizing everything, and I think these next two months will go by way too slowly.... We just are too excited to meet her! Anyway, more on that later...

Karalee's Bridal Shower

Well, we have definitely had wedding on the brain lately. Little Karalee got married on Saturday! It turned out to be such a beautiful day, no snow or anything!! Here are some shots from the amazing Bridal Shower that Krystin and her friend Nicole put on for Karalee. It was so pink and so fun!

They had such a beautiful spread of treats, and tied tons of pink balloons everywhere.

Yummy Cake Pops!

Yes, I'm looking very pregnant these days...


Watching the video questions that Austin answered...

Karalee's friends


Krys and Nicole did so awesome. We played so many fun games, and Karalee got tons of really cute stuff. It was a great kick off to wedding season.... Thanks for letting me come girls! Love you Karalee!

Strength of the Gospel

Well, so much has happened lately, and we have had so many amazing experiences happen in our lives. I can't wait to post pictures and talk about my beautiful little sister's bridal shower and amazing wedding. She was such a gorgeous bride. I am finishing up student teaching, and the baby is coming in less than 2 months!! We even bought a crib!

But, before I can post all those things, something completely tragic happened last night, and it has really made me think about a lot of things. I just found out today that last night, a family in my ward got in a car accident. The mom and four of her daughters were driving in the van to go visit a brother in Rexburg. It was the first time that the 15 year old was driving on the interstate, as she had just gotten her license. They were in a terrible car accident, and one of the daughters, Courtni, was killed at the scene. I just can't even begin to imagine the pain they must be in as a family. The mom is still in a coma, last I heard, and two of the daughters were in intensive care. I am, however, so completely in shock that Courtni passed away.

I had the wonderful pleasure of teaching Courtni in primary for about 6 months. Then, she turned 12 and moved to the young women's, and starting in January, I was called to be the Young Women's sports coordinator. I got to talk to Courtni all the time. She was a dancer, and we swapped stories alot about dance competitions and hours of practices. Also, we recently finished up young women's basketball. Courtni was always my first young woman to show up, and was so excited to play and be there. I teased her about her shot, and she really did get better as the weeks went on. It was so fun to see her grow every week. I really had a great relationship with Courtni, and she was such a smart, cheerful girl. I wanted to take her a thank-you-for-playing-basketball gift or treat, and I never did it... now it's too late. It is really unbelievable how fast things can change.

I just can't wrap my mind around the fact that she is no longer on this earth. I really can't even begin to imagine what the family must be going through. I have been so stressed lately, with so much going on with school, baby, wedding, work, and everything. Then, once I heard this news, I really had to stop and think. It caught me totally off guard, and made me think about the gospel perspective. It really put things in perspective for me. It made me even more eternally grateful to have the gospel in our lives. Only a testimony of the Savior and the plan of salvation could get someone through an experience like this. I am so so happy that we have the strength of the gospel to help us through tragic times. I know so many prayers are with the Henretti family right now. I still just can't believe that she died. She is such a young, innocent girl, with her whole life ahead of her. Josh keeps reminding me that the Lord is in charge, and that she must have been needed on the other side. Still, my heart breaks for the loss of her life, but I really am grateful for the gospel. If it wasn't for my testimony of the plan of salvation, I wouldn't be able to cope with this or anything like this that happens in our lives. i can't imagine what the family must feel, but I just pray that their friends and family will be uplifted and strengthend through this time. Send your prayers their way.

Anyway, I know that our Savior loves each of his children so much, and I know that Courtni is being watched over and loved on the other side. A similar situation happened about 6 years ago, when a young girl I coached on the Lowell Scott Dance Team died at a young women's activity. The picture above really helped me get through that, and I know when I look at it, that our Savior is with Courtni right now too. I just couldn't let this pass me by without saying how thankful I am for my testimony, and the support I have from the Gospel. I am so sorry for this family and their tragedy. I hope everyone takes a minute to stop and appreciate the family and friends that have, and tell them they love them everyday. Things change so fast... I know families are eternal, and as we are getting ready to start our little family, I know that testimony will keep us strong and together, no matter what...

WAY BACK TO CHRISTMAS....

There are so many things I want to blog about...

- thoughts about baby

- wrapping up 2009

- looking forward to a CRAZY 2010

- student teaching

- birthdays

BUT... here we are, stuck back at Christmas!! 

It really was a great holiday!! We had Christmas Eve Dinner with my family and the Petersons! And then we headed over to the Davis' for Christmas Eve night and Christmas morning. It was a blast to get to be with everyone! here are just some random pictures to give you a taste of how much fun it was :) Alot of my pictures got deleted, but I just have to post what I have or else I will never get started.... 

Karalee and kayla... i just love my sisters. 

Tons of puzzle time!! They actually completed a 2000 piece puzzle, which i thought was pretty impressive...

The Whole crew... mom still buys us matching jammies. Thanks mom. :)

We got to make an AWESOME GINGERBREAD VILLAGE!!! The buildings were as follows...

- Ally and Karalee: The hospital (naturally, since they are both studying in the health care field)

- Krystin: The perfect little house

- Heather and Josh: The school... complete with slide and playground

- Michaela and Austin: The Eiffel tower (apparently we were making a french village)

- Mom: A beautiful garden full of candy flowers

- Dad: An impressive train station

We loved making the village... I, for one, was definitely NOT that good at it, but Josh kept us going strong.

At the Davis' we loved playing Mario for the wii with four players, and had an awesome christmas morning. I will never get over how much I love being close to our families and getting to see everyone for the holidays! It's just so crazy to me that next Christmas, we will have a little baby around!! :) can't wait!!

Anyway, since then, we have had TONS of birthdays, an awesome New Years, I turned TWENTY FIVE! (I was not too happy about this for some reason), looked back at a great 2009, and can't wait for our already crazy 2010. Maybe I will get to blog about all these things soon.

We are 24 weeks pregnant now!! It's so amazing, and we love getting ready for our little baby! Stay tuned for updates... we are having another ultrasound on Wednesday, and we can't wait. 

Back to November...

I'm not ready to post about Christmas yet, but it was amazing! :) I felt like I needed to go back to November and catch up on an awesome Thanksgiving! This year, we ate Thanksgiving dinner at the Bateman house, and once again, the dinner was incredible!! I wish I had any of the cooking skills my mom and sisters had. Well, some sisters anyway... haha just kidding girls. (But really, Krystin is unbeatable). Here are some pictures from the holiday weekend, out of order, as usual...

We got to go to the BSU game Saturday night in the POURING RAIN! We were literally soaked through by the end of the 1st quarter, but we love the Broncos enough so it was worth it.

Here is Josh and I, loving the smurf turf.

Little Krys was all bundled up...

Cute little Ally and Kar... hanging out at Mom and Dad's.

The family sitting down for dinner....

Cutest Mom, organizing and cooking queen... in her new cute apron!

We enjoyed some SERIOUS Beatles RockBand sessions.... just singing as loud as we could. It was awesome...

Josh making fun of my pose... i always put my hand on my hip.

The RockBand Crew

Kay Kay helping me peel potatos

The girls in aprons, helping cook.


The food was amazing, and the people were even better!! We are so lucky to have BOTH families so close and to see them so often.

The rest of November went by fast!! I was really struggling to get through the semester, but i FINALLY finished about a week before Christmas, so that was a huge relief. After pulling possibly the LAST all nighter of my 19 year school career, I finished everything, and am getting ready to student teach full time next semester, and then to graduate AGAIN in May! I can't wait... Josh is still working a lot, and is probably starting school again next semester. So we are keeping very busy.

We loved decorating our apartment with our christmas stuff!! I will post pictures with our christmas post. But Josh did the BEST SURPRISE for me. I mentioned to him that I wish we could have a REAL christmas tree, and that I didnt like fake. So when I came home from a long long day of work and school, he had a REAL TREE, all set up in the stand, making our apartment smell so good! What a great surprise! THANK YOU JOSHY!! Best christmas ever...

More christmas pictures to come...