This last weekend was absolutely incredible and I just felt the need to put it all down in this way. Austin, Madi and I were able to drive down to Vegas to be with my sister as she went to the temple to receive her endowments, and have a baby shower for our baby boy. Thankfully the drive was uneventful and we were able to make it early enough on Friday afternoon to spend time with my parents, Jess, Joce, Sierra, and my uncle Alan and his family. It was so fun just hanging out and playing Rock Band, BBQing, swimming and just spending time together. I absolutely cherish the time that we get to spend making fun memories like that.
Saturday morning we went to the Las Vegas temple for Jessica. Austin and I went early with my parents and Jess, and I used Joce's camera to capture some of the scenery and the temple grounds. It was so fun just being there on the grounds and watching people come in and out of the temple. There were so many weddings happening and there were tons of little kids all dressed up in the waiting room. The cutest little boy that was wearing shorts, suspenders, and a bow tie came up to Austin and started talking to him. We have no idea what he said, but it was the sweetest thing and it just made us that much more excited to dress our little guy up eventually.
Once everyone made it to the temple we went back to change. It was incredible walking into the chapel and seeing so much family there to celebrate Jess and her decision. It was also really neat having my dad's parents there as they are currently serving a mission in Cove Fort, UT and had to receive permission to be there. I love watching the relationship between my dad and his dad. They're such jokesters and were bantering back and forth all the way up the stairs, and were even making faces at me and Jess later in the session. I seriously love them so much.
One thing that was also really cool for me was looking over at my husband that was seated next to my dad, who was next to his dad, thinking of my little baby boy, and having it reaffirmed to me that that's what this is life is all about. Our families, blood or not, and our relationships with them are the absolute most important thing that we have in this life. I love the belief I have that families can be together forever because in this world of turmoil, hate, chaos, and confusion what we need more than ever are strong and loving families. We need the stability not just for our well-being, but for the well-being of our communities, nations, and world. Being in the temple with my family and being reminded of those things was probably the absolute best thing that we could have done while being down there this weekend.
After the temple we had a baby shower with our family that was there. My sisters and mom put so much time, effort and love into making it absolutely wonderful. We had a great time playing games, eating delicious snacks, and just being all together. I'm so grateful Jess was willing to let us share her day and that she was happy planning it all for us. We are so blessed to have such incredible families, I'll tell you what! This little man is already so loved and I can't wait for everyone to meet him!
As for a little BUMPDATE:
I am officially 21 weeks today. Baby boy is as active as ever and loves to punch and kick his mommy. His new trick is kicking Mommy really hard until she does what he wants whether that's eat, move, change into looser pants, use the restroom, etc. Already running our lives and I can't even be mad about it because it's the coolest feeling in the world. This week he is the size of a carrot at about 3/4 of a pound and is about 10 1/2 inches long. Something fun I learned at the shower was that my stomach is now 38 inches around. He can recognize Mommy and Daddy now and loves to show off his kicking and punching ability for anyone who will take the time to push back. He's learning how to swallow and in the next few weeks may experience some hiccups. That'll be fun! Mommy and Daddy don't have a name picked out for him yet because they want it to be perfect, but they know they'll figure it out. Our full anatomy scan will be next week so hopefully he'll cooperate and smile pretty for us :)
After our short, but wonderful weekend we had to make the journey back to Idaho. We weren't sure what to expect with it being the Eclipse the following day so we headed back around noon on Sunday. We made pretty good time and arrived uneventfully home that night. The next morning we went to the family farm to watch the Eclipse. Honestly, we didn't get what the whole hype was about or why so many people came from all over the world to see it. However, being able to witness it in totality was the coolest thing I think I've ever witnessed in my life. Watching the sun still shine in the sky while everything else went more and more dark was nothing short than eerie, but super cool. It also dropped in temperature all within a couple of minutes time. I couldn't believe what I was witnessing. It was super fun being with Ryan and Kolene's family and watching the boys get excited, but not really know what was going on. Austin's parents, his sister, and his grandparents were able to be there as well, which just made it that much more special. Austin left a little later with his grandparents in order to get ready for work, but the rest of us stayed for the rest of the day. It was nice to relax and just be on the farm with family. I think it was a day we all needed.
