sparkles of happiness

We are in such a good place right now. Such a good place that I never want to leave! I want to build on this "good place" and only make it better. We feel so guided. Like two little butterflies happily fluttering in Heavenly Father's hands. He has us right where we are supposed to be and we are loving it. I can't imagine a better feeling than that. Knowing you are doing what God wants you to do and he is overseeing your life and direction. I always want to feel that way and have that direction and peace in my life. Heavenly Father let me struggle and go through a really hard time for a while, and then he so gracefully pulled me out and made me better. Not only made me better than I was, but made me better than I ever would have thought I could be.

my thankful list:

1. danny

He is too good. Always patient and always sweet. He never judges me. He always makes me feel like I am the best. He notices and appreciates every little thing I do. He gives me all the loves and kisses I need (which is a lot). He is always happily willing to take out the trash and scrub the tub and do all those dirty jobs I don't like. The other day at church he said...

D: "I like it when you're tired and helpless."

R: "Why? Because I don't bug you about stuff?"

D: "No, because I get to take care of you."

I'm glad he likes it, because he gets to take care of me every day for forever. We really are best friends. Like when you are a little kid and you want to have your best friend come over and you get so excited to play. It's just like that. We try to always take time to have fun together. The other day we went on a bike ride around the park. Another day we went on a walk around a nearby lake. Another day we went to the Homecoming parade with our favorite friends and had an ice cream date afterwards. I was looking through my blog earlier and saw all the fun things we do together and I'm so glad we still prioritize that. I never want to get so busy that we don't have time to sit and play Uno or just dance around the house or sing duets while Dan plays the guitar. We're still like two little kids in love, adore being together, painful to be apart.

I

am

the

luckiest

girl

in

history.

I'm sure of it.

2. my parents

They are the sweetest. They are so good to me. I was telling Dan the other day that the best thing about them is their unconditional love. They define it. I know they love me more than I can even comprehend and they always will. I know I can call them any hour of day or night and they will answer. And every single time they pick up the phone and I'm on the other end they say "Hi Honey!!!!" or "Rachael!!!" in the most enthusiastic, sincerely excited voice as if we haven't talked in weeks, and we talk at least every other day. I look to them for approval and advice in everything I do. I am so blessed to have two amazing people who have raised me and I'm lucky enough to call my own. I absolutely love them!

3. dan's parents

They have loved me from day one, probably before I had even proven that I deserved their love! They have always treated me like their own. They are the most supportive people. Whatever Dan and I do, they are right there behind us cheering us on. They are always proud of us and our decisions. We love our Skype dates, each on our own couch, pretending like we are just relaxing in the living room together. We savor and cherish our moments together, as they are surely not enough. Hopefully that will change soon! I absolutely love them!

4. our baby

This past week or so my love for this little one has grown exponentially. He is such a part of me (literally and emotionally!). It has been so fun to have him moving so much more. He never lets me forget he's in there. I spend half my days with my chin down staring and my dancing belly. "I think that was his hand!!!!" "He's doing a somersault!!" I feel slightly underprepared and overwhelmed for what lies ahead, but that's only a small fraction of the peace I feel. I know I have felt nervous for all the changes that are coming my way, but I know when I see my baby's face it will all be different. I will feel like I am home. That all those fears were totally silly because this is what I am meant to do and who I am meant to be. I can only imagine the love I will feel for this little creature who will be the perfect blend of myself and the one I love more than anything else.

5. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Temple trip last week- perfection

Conference last weekend- nourishment to a starving soul

My scripture study has taken on a new meaning to me. I have set a challenge for myself and it has been the greatest blessing already. I feel like I am becoming a new person in Christ. When I read my scriptures I feel like I'm reading a story and I'm excited to flip the page. It's like it's a magical book that you open and happiness and peace and comfort and advice come shooting out in sparkles and lights from Heaven. Available to little old me, whenever I want it! How amazing.

It's the little things. How many times can I say this? The prayers, the scriptures, the Family Home Evenings, the little prayer that never leaves me heart, the best CD's on marriage that I have been listening to in the car... Heavenly Father blesses us soo much if we are consistent in the little things and prove our dedication to Him and his Gospel. We give an inch and he gives us ten acres back.  

I feel undeserving of my blessings. How can I be so blessed, so lucky, so protected? How can I have so much love in my life? I honestly, truly believe I am the luckiest girl on Earth. Picture a little red plastic heart smushed in between soft clouds of love and gold & silver sparkles of happiness and expensive down comforters full of blessings, that's me. Call it naive, but I feel it.

results are in...

he's handsome like his daddy :)

better better

it's amazing what six days off work can do. six days to be a wife and a full-time baby-grower!my baby is the size of a sweet potato right now. that's soooo big! i haven't "felt" my little sweet potato yet, but i do oftentimes get random pains and vibrations and stuff that are probably the baby but i just can't distinguish yet. and if i do think i kind of feel something (which i actually am right now) and dan's not around i will ignore it because i want him to be there for the first kick. according to thebump...

"Baby's become amazingly mobile, passing the hours yawning, hiccupping, rolling, twisting, kicking, punching, sucking, and swallowing."

that sounds like fun. and tiring. i have spent the last week at home, loving every minute making dinners and playing games with my hubby. i even went to the gym twice! and worked out! woah. go me! i feel so hard core in there with my spandex. i love it because i have an excuse not to push myself and get too out of breath. i just enjoy my workout and walk on the incline. it's great. the UA rec center is the bombbb. swimming is the best workout anyways...

we went to the doctor yesterday. blood pressure was 120/70 (so happy about that). weight was 134.5 and the doctor said "you are gaining about a pound per week, which is healthy but we don't want you to gain any more weight than that..." THANKS. somebody needs to "lay off the ice cream..." but i knew i didn't really weigh that much. i went to the gym and i weighed 132.5. thank youuu dr smith. the baby's heart rate was 144 and still beating in there!! such sweet moments. that was the extent of the entire visit. oh, and the usual void in a cup to pass through the whole in the wall. if i had a UTI i think they would be the first to know about it.

our big ultrasound is june 25th. that means we get to see our baby. see the fingers and toes and see if we are having a little rambunctious, red-headed rachy or a bright-eyed baby danny. so thrilled about it either way. (although i am getting a girl vibe)

dan is the ever so studious. he has a whole MCAT study plan he created. he studies three chapters a day and takes practice tests every monday. i'm so proud of him. he is also taking two classes this semester! raquetball and weight lifting. he bamboozles everybody with his racquetball skills (typical) and weight lifting... not his favorite but he's doing great. vin diesel body here we come!

we are craigslist fiends and have almost gotten all the furniture for our new apartment.

futon - $80

loveseat & ottoman- free

tv stand - $40

coffee table & 2 side tables - $40

2 lamps - $10

we take joy in furnishing our apartment for what most people would pay for one sofa. &i'm currently in the process of making a bean bag chair. it's going to be the crowning joy of my life so far. so all we need now is a dresser and maybe a floor lamp. we'll need to buy some organizing shelf/drawer things when we get there, but we have most of the big stuff.

so, why was the loveseat and ottoman free you wonder? here's how the story goes. we found a "loveseat and ottoman - $50" that we liked. it was oversized and soft and comfy looking. the ottoman opens up and is a secret hiding place and the couch part turns into a little bed! how sweet and multi-functional. and it wasn't a hideous floral pattern! it's white and greyish tan pinstripe. so we emailed them and told them we'd like to come look at it. they replied and we decided for the coming monday. they emailed us back and said "i think my wife knows you..." turns out the lady was dan's statistics teacher from last semester (of the tornado) and she had known what happened and they wanted to give it to us for free.

"the universe does make sense" :]

ohh baby.

it's true. we are bringing a little child into this world! dan is thrilled, ecstatic, excited, pumped... to be a daddy. i am excited, nervous, worried, waiting. overall, we are so, so excited to be mama and daddy! i like to think our life will be as wonderful as it is now... except sooo much better! we will have a little dan&rachy! i'm really looking forward to feeling that undescribable love everybody talks about when you have your own baby. i want to get all tingly when i see my baby and have no other desire than to sit and stare and hold that little ball of squish all day long. i've never been one to get all tingly for babies, but i just know i will be sooo over the moon and then to pluto and back for our very own creation! it doesn't always make sense. it's not always the right time. it's not always all planned out or payed for, but it's perfect.


the baby is scheduled for dec 12! tentatively, of course. whenever that little genius decides to come is going to be the day. the day of all days. last time we checked it's heart rate was 135. isn't that great? i still haven't felt my little one kicking or punching or somer-saulting. i'm still waiting to explode in my tummy. i don't really look tooo different yet. i have had two people tell me they can tell. one of the ladies i work last night looked at me and said "girl you boomin..." me: "what?!" "your hips are boomin!" so apparantly my hips are booming now. everyone else just teases me about it. but scrubs are very forgiving. more than anything i've been very emotional!

so, that's that. we are thrilled and excited and can't wait to have our own little youngster to wear matching tie-dye shirts with and play with sticks and make mud pies and go on family outings and oh boy, the adventures are already endless...