Bitter Sweet Weekend!

This last weekend I spent 3 whole days in Logan. ( I never get to stay that long ) Friday, I had a daddy/daughter day with my dad. He took the day off of work so we could hang out. We shopped and ate all day and it was a lot of fun. I love my dad, he's gonna be an awesome Grandpa.

On Saturday, I had 2 baby showers! I know, I'm spoiled, right? Well, they were both so much fun. The first one was put on by my Sister in Law Virginia and she did awesome! Especially for doing it all by herself. The shower was for Family, Family Friends and Ward members. There was a great turn out and it was so good to see so many people that I hardly ever get to see anymore! Everybody was also VERY generous! The baby hardly needs anything else now. It was great. The second shower was put on by my friends Chelsie and Amy. It was really fun and good to see my friends. I love hanging out with them and they also spoiled me! I'm so blessed to have such supportive friends and family.

After the showers, Dave came to Logan. He was on his way to Montana with a semi truck load of some farm equipment and decided to stop in Logan for the night and then continue driving to Montana on Sunday. I was very excited to see him because I hadn't seen him since Thursday and knew I wouldn't see him for a few days since he'd be in Montana. My mom, dad, Brady, Virginia, Dave and I went to Aggy's for dinner so we could watch the Boise State football game at the restaurant. Then, we just went back to my parents and relaxed the rest of the night. It was a veerryyy long day, so everyone was really tired.

Dave was going to Montana for work to load bales of straw onto helicopters so they could drop the straw onto land that had been burned by wildfires. Sounds pretty cool, but neither Dave or I were excited for him to do it. He is STILL gone and won't be back until Thursday (tomorrow) night. I can honestly say that this is the longest that we've been apart since we've been married...I hate it. Of course, I don't see him a lot when he is home but I hate going to bed at night by myself, cooking for myself and entertaining myself. Not to mention, our house is super creepy at night so I tend to scare myself.

I am 35 weeks pregnant today. Feet are still swollen and I have been told that my nose is looking puffier. I feel like a cow and it doesn't help that people make stupid comments. Why is it that people don't think before they speak sometimes? Doesn't everyone know that pregnant women are emotional already, and that they don't need to add to it! I've heard so many comments about how "large" I am and how I look "Ready to Pop!" and I even got offered a motorized wheel chair at Wal-Mart by the door greeter the other day because he said I looked "miserable". Come on people! Anyways, I have a doc appointment next week and they will start checking every week to see if I have started dialating. I'm getting very excited and I'm sooo ready for this baby to come! :)

Bubba has officially left the Provo MTC and is in Dallas Texas. He was really excited to get out into the mission field.

That's all I have for today! Have a great week everyone!

Eastern Idaho State Fair

Well, the state fairs are over! I'm very happy about that. We took sheep to the Eastern Idaho State Fair and the Utah State Fair. I was only able to go to the Idaho one because the Utah one was on a Wednesday and I had to work. The Idaho fair was in Blackfoot Idaho which is about 20 minutes North of Pocatello and was over Labor Day Weekend. It's about a 4 hour drive from Santaquin. We took 10 Hampshire Sheep. In the past, I have usually helped a little in getting the sheep ready and then showing them in the showring but being 32 weeks pregnant at the time, I was tired and was very achy so I didn't really do too much. Our sheep did pretty well at the show. Our yearling Ram got Reserve Champion (which is like second place out of all ages of the Rams) Our Ewes didn't do very well, I think we were like 4th and 5th most of the time with the Ewes. Anyways, here are a couple pictures of the lovely adventure. I was the picture taker and had a really bad angle...sorry! Dave's sisters and Jesse's Girlfriend, Katie Glade washing the sheep Dave and McKell taking a break The yearling Ram Class The final 3 still in the yearling ram competition and ours is acting up! It's a good thing Dave is strong to hold him back. The final two, we took first and the other guy took 2nd. His name is Alvin and he ended up winning a lot at both the Idaho and Utah Fair. The winter lamb class, Dave is helping Katelyn, these are the final two and we ended up getting 2nd. The sheep of Alvin's ended up getting Grand Champion. This is the Champion round where we got Reserve Champion. This is the Yearling Ewe class.

Again, I'm very glad that the fairs are over. They took a lot of time to prepare for and I hardly have seen Dave in the last 3 weeks because of it. Now we can relax a little until they start having lambs in November.

I know some of you are wanting a pregnancy update. I am 33 weeks and 3 days today. I am starting to feel very tired and you should SEE my feet! They are huge. I really should take a picture of them. At my doctor appointment last week they told me that everything was fine except that I have low Iron. (Which I have had all my life) So, I'm supposed to be eating a lot of green veggies and red meat. But those are 2 things I really don't love so it's been a struggle. The doc also told me that because I failed my one hour glucose test, that I am still at risk for having a larger baby, even though I don't have gestational diabetes. So, that makes me a little nervous but my mom did it, so I know I can. The crib, changing table and dresser have all been set up, now I'm just waiting for my mom to come visit so we can decorate!

Elder Bubba Letter #1

Here is the first letter that Bubba e-mailed to our family on August 2nd...Just 6 days after entering the MTC.

Hey everyone! Elder Pond here coming to you from the Provo MTC.....Just so everyone knows...I can only write letters or emails on my P-Day which is on monday. Anyways..The MTC so far has been pretty cool...it's been a big adjustment for sure...but i'm loving it. My companion is a Elder from Reno Nevada...everybody try not to cringe when you see that he went to College at BYU....where he was a star on the BYU marching band! haha i Love the kid...he's quite a dork but he's a really really good missionary and has one of the strongest testimonies i've ever heard. And of course i give him crap every single day for going to BYU (make my family proud)...the first few days were probably the longest days of my life...but I want to share a story with you that happened to me on Friday. I was in the dumps quite a bit, you may find it hard to believe that i was pretty homesick...I was trying my hardest to take my mind off of Home and work and study...but for some reason I couldn't seem to do it...Me and Elder Rouse were out side doing our Companion study for the day...and I was in a bit of a bad mood..i was praying that I could forget myself and get back to work but nothing really seemed to work...til suddenly an Elder that can only be described as a "frickin giant tongan"...came up to me while i was standing there and just simply looked at me and said "Hey Elder, when your Tag is up, someone is thinking about you." I looked down and my Mission Tag was sitting up on my front pocket...he pushed it down and introduced himself as Elder Ihone...the big giant tongan man from Bountilful, that played Defensive line for them...hopefull Dad remembers who i'm talking about. But it was really an uplifting moment and ever since then, most of the time, my mind has been on doing the work of the Lord. Don't get me wrong...I miss all of you so much. But i'm for sure where i'm supposed to be and it feels really good knowing that. Also...Elder Hayden Snow is in my District!!! hahaha it's HILARIOUS. So me and him see each other all day, which kinda makes it hard to be good because we always just want to beat each other up like always...but it's been real good having him here so close to me because we have some real good talks right before we have to go to sleep....he's been struggling quite a bit with homesickness, and keeps having all these bad dreams...but he's still working hard and his testimony is so awesome..By the way Mom and Dad, thanks for the cookies...they were so good...we all went to the vending machines and bought milks and downed them all in one night! Keep sending those Dear Elder letters...those are awesome, and make sure to tell the rest of the family or whoever about them...i'm sure that makes it a lot easier to send mail to me and It feels pretty dang good getting letters...Everyone in my District is starting to get really close and it's been really cool getting to know all of them...We got to go to the Temple today and do a session which was really cool...the Movie was different in the Provo temple though...So i didn't get to see Brother Ballam's beautiful hair cut as Satan...but an Elder that actually stays in my dorm here with me...whom we thought was the most spiritual/worthy of us all...actually got sent home today....PRETTY CRAZZYY!! but anyways...i'm sure you'll all find it hard to believe that I've actually had no problem getting up at 6:30 every morning, and i've been knocked out asleep BEFORE 10:30...because after a long day here...i'm pretty dang tired!! The experience here so far has been awesome, the Caffiene Free coke kinda sucks,,,but i'm getting used to it. All the Elders here are telling us that every day from here on out is going to fly...I hope that's true because i really want to get out there and start teaching... My spanish is actually coming along really well so far...I can pray and bear my testimony in spanish and carry small conversations...so hopefully with the spirit and with my awesome teachers I have, i'll the language down pretty well by the time I get out of here. Please keep sending packages of goodies...and also letters or emails...Ever since that first day on friday night when my District leader finally brought us our mail...I've felt so bad about how I treated Brady, and not ever writing him...so i'm sorry Brady..but will one of you make sure Kim knows about the Dear Elder website or whatever! Anyways, the little clock on my computer is ticking down really fast...and I just ate at the cafiteria...so I need to go run to the bathroom (it hits you real fast here) But I love all of you and I hope you're all doing good!
As Brady always says "The Church is True, and the Book is blue!"
I love you guys, stay out of trouble and tell the guys at Pounders whats up for me!\
Love, Elder Derek Bradford Pond

Getting Up To Speed

It's been a while....so much has happened it feels like. Last I posted was when we found out we were having a little boy and that seems like forever ago! Well, it's still a boy and we're still excited as ever. I'm 28 weeks today, which means I'm in my 3rd and final trimester. Trimesters 1 and 2 will not be missed. I feel like this pregnancy has gone by pretty quickly but am afraid it's starting to slow down as the end draws nearer. The baby is super active and I can feel him moving almost all the time. He is usually more active at night but the other day he was moving ALL DAY and Dave was able to feel him kick harder than he's ever kicked before. Dave asked what I ate that day and I told him that I started the day off with a bowl of Lucky Charms. (Dave's ultimate favorite food) Dave cut me off right there and said "That's my boy!", assuming that that's why he was so active that day. I thought it was pretty cute! Dave is getting so excited and loves when he can feel the little guy move.

The baby's nursery is not done yet. I have already bought all the bedding, crib, changing table and dresser but have yet to set any of it up. I am painting the dresser red and it has been taking me a lot longer than I originally thought. Hopefully I can finish it soon so I can have my garage back! I also hope that Dave can have some nights off in the next couple of weeks to help me assemble the crib and changing table. It's not going to be the cutest baby's room for the fact that the room is wallpapered in 1970's flowers and since we don't own the house, I don't have the option of taking it down and painting. Hopefully I can camoflauge the hideousness with something cute....

On another note, we dropped my little Bubba off at the MTC on July 28. He will be serving in the Dallas, Texas Spanish Speaking Mission after his time in the MTC. On the 18th was his missionary farewell in Logan. I was very impressed with his talk that he gave and really felt the spirit. He spoke about the "Power of the Word", which I think is kind of a broad topic but he did very well and I was so impressed with his confidence and the words that he spoke (considering the fact that I know he wrote the talk in the middle of the night only a few days before that). My mom put together and awesome Texas BBQ lunch afterwards with BBQ chicken, cornbread and all the other yummy stuff. She definately went over the top, like always, but it was awesome. It was good to see so many friends and family support Bubba.

Before taking him to the MTC, we had lunch at the Brick Oven in Provo with my mom, dad, Brady and Virginia. Bubba's friend Hayden Snow was entering the MTC on the same day, so him and his family came to lunch with us. Taking Bubba to the MTC was a lot harder than I thought. He has been through some struggles in the last year and so I honestly thought that it would be more of a joyous occasion and a relief. I was still happy to see him going on a mission to serve the Lord but I was really sad to see him go. (If that even makes sense) After PLENTY of pictures in front of the MTC sign we all piled in my parents care and drove him to the curb in front of the MTC. He was so nervous and scared...my first instict was to protect him like I always do but there was nothing I could do. He has to grow up and this might just be his first step towards achieving that goal.

Since he has left, I have gotten 2 emails from him. He sounds great!! He has had a little homesickness but is learning alot. He says his companion is a nerd but that Hayden is in the same district as him while they're in the MTC so they struggle to concentrate sometimes. I will try to keep anyone updated that is interested in his mission. After this post, I will post his first letter, it's a pretty cute letter.

For anyone that doesn't already know, Dave,his brother and dad raise Hampshire Sheep. They mainly breed them and show them at fairs and sell them at auctions for breeding. Sheep season is beginning in the sense that we're starting to get sheep ready to be shown at the Utah County Fair and Utah and Idaho State Fairs. I really have no interest in the sheep, other than the fact that Dave loves them and loves showing them, so I try to like it too. The County Fair is in a couple of weeks and the Idaho State Fair is Labor Day weekend and the Utah State Fair is the week of Sept. 12th. So, Dave will be very busy with the sheep. And in November, about half of the Ewes will be lambing. Usually, they breed naturally and the lambs are born in January and February but this year Dave and his dad decided to breed them early so they will have bigger lambs at the Fairs next year. I don't think it was a very good idea to breed them early considering I will be having our baby at the end of October or beginning of November so Dave will be very occupied with the sheep in November. Dumb idea, so the sheep and I will be competing for his time. He'll pick me even though I know he'll be worried about the sheep.

Things coming up---I have a doctor's appointment on Friday to be tested for Gestational Diabetes. This is a routine test but I'm nervous because A) My mom had Gestational Diabetes and B) I HATE NEEDLES! And they have to draw my blood. So, everyone pray for me on Friday morning that I get a nurse that knows how to find my veins really quick so I can get it over with! I also have awesome friends, family and co-workers that are throwing me some baby showers in the next couple months and I'm super excited to see people and celebrate with them!

That's all for now. Sorry for dragging on!

Joining Team Baby Boy!

Yep! It's a boy! I had my ultrasound yesterday and the nurse is 99.9% sure that it's a boy because she's not allowed to say she is 100% sure! I can honestly say that this ultrasound was the most exciting thing so far in my pregnancy. To see the little baby all snuggled up and kicking it's little legs was priceless. The poor thing was sleeping though so to get it to move into a good position to see between the legs we had to try to wake him up. It took a little while but he did it! The baby was nice and healthy and all of the measurements were great and the heartrate was good. One thing that I thought was so cool is that they can see all 4 chambers of the heart and they are able to make sure that the heartrate is the same in all 4 chambers. Interesting, huh? Well, Dave was very excited and was grinning from ear to ear. We are SOOO excited and can't wait to meet him! Ultrasound pictures are so hard to see. This is the profile of the baby. His arms were draped over his face the whole time so they weren't able to get a great shot of his profile. This is the front of his face...he looks like an alien!! These are his cute little tiny feet!! SO CUTE! And there is an arrow pointing to the area that determines whether it's a boy or a girl. Clearly, it's a boy!!

Bear Lake

Well, life has been crazy the last few weeks and I'm finally getting a chance to blog! (Mainly because it's 8:30pm and Dave is getting ready to go to work) Over Memorial Day Weekend, it's tradition that my dad's side of the family spend the weekend in Bear Lake. My grandparents have had a time share up there since forever and we've gone up there every year since I can't even remember. Usually the weather isn't really in our favor but this year the weather was half decent and we were able to golf, swim(in the pool), play tennis, play basketball and lots of other outside games. My mom, dad, and brothers were there as well as Virginia, Daniel, Grandma and then my Uncle Steve and his kids. Usually there are a lot more of us that go but apparently the rest of the family doesn't like to keep tradition. I was so excited that Dave was able to go! His work schedule is so crazy and he has a hard time getting days off but his boss was really good to let him have Sunday and Memorial Day off so we were able to get down there on Saturday night. I love spending time with my family!

Some other exciting news!!! I have my ultrasound appointment scheduled for next Tuesday (June 15) So hopefully if the baby cooperates we will be able to tell if it's a boy or a girl!!!!

Excitement!

So, I woke up at 7:45 this morning! (I know I know, this isn't THAT early..but remember it's SATURDAY) I woke up early so that I could check into our flight exactly 24 hours before it takes off tomorrow to L.A.! My mom told me that if I wanted good seats on the plane, I needed to check in at EXACTLY 24 hours prior to our flight. So, I did....and I think we got good seats! Who knows! We're flying cheap Southwest so no seats can really be good seats can they? Anyways, I'm excited for the rest of my day because I have nothing to do but pack and clean my house before we leave. We don't have much planned once we get into Mexico but we will definately find stuff to do when we get there! I bought some motion sickness pills for Dave hoping that he won't really need them but being prepared in case he does. When I've cruised before I have never gotten motion sickness but I've never cruised while pregnant!! Oh well, I guess if I do, I will just have to be tough since I can't take anything for it. I'm also in the awkward chubby stage of being pregnant, I have a little baby belly but it's not enough for someone to think "is she pregnant?" it's more just like "that girl needs to lose some lbs.!" So, wearing a swimsuit in front of a lot of people is not exciting me very much right now and I don't think I'll be taking any full length bathing suit pictures...sorry for those of you that were hoping for some! Haha. Anyways, we're both super excited and can't wait to have our last chance vacation before we have our little family.

On another note, I just had to post these pictures to show how cute my husband is. Right now his calling in church is the Venturing Crew Scout Leader. Basically he is the leader of the 16 and 17 years old scouts. When he was called to this position the Bishop told him that his duty was to help these kids get their Eagle Scouts and to get them on a mission. Well, Dave can check one of them off his list. One kid is just getting ready to complete his Eagle. He is organizing a project where his goal is to make 50 fleece blankets for the kids at Primary Children's Hospital. He has asked for donations of fabric and money and then organized a date for people to get together and tie the blankets. Unfortunately, the date he picked to tie them is a day that we will still be on our vacation so, I bought some cute fabric and Dave has been plugging along trying to get them tied so that we can give them to this kid before we leave. He came home from work (as you can tell by his extremely dirty clothes, but don't worry we washed the blankets afterwards) and started working on them. He is such a hard worker and I know his calling is really hard for him. He works really long days and when he gets home he usually has to go down to our farm and feed animals and do other things on the farm so by the time he's done for the day, I know he's exhausted. I love my husband and he is such a great example to me! I'm also really excited we could help this kid get his Eagle Scout Project done! It was a fun little project for us to do together.